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RESIDENTS queue for kerosene in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 12, 2022. JONATHAN WIJAYARATNE/BLOOMBERG

ONCOMING Hunger and blackouts mark start of an emerging economy crisis

TRAIN CRASH

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By Shawn Donnan, Eric Martin, Andrew Rosati & Jihen Laghmari Bloomberg News

BARRAGE of shocks is building that’s unlike anything emerging markets have had to confront since the 1990s, when a series of rolling crises sank economies and toppled governments.

Turmoil triggered by rising food and energy prices is already gripping countries like Sri Lanka, Egypt, Tunisia and Peru. It risks turning into a broader debt debacle and yet another threat to the world economy’s fragile recovery from the pandemic.

Compounding the danger is the most aggressive monetary tightening campaign the Federal Reserve has embarked on in two decades. Rising US interest rates mean a jump in debt-servicing costs for developing nations— right after they borrowed billions to fight Covid-19—and tend to spur capital outflows. And on top

of it all: the stark reality that war in Europe, which is driving the latest food and energy shock, shows few signs of ending.

The cocktail of risks has already pushed Sri Lanka to the brink of default on its bonds. A handful of other emerging economies, from Pakistan and Tunisia to Ethiopia and Ghana, are in immediate danger of following suit, according to Bloomberg Economics. Of course, the developing world’s commodity exporters stand to benefit from higher prices. Still, there are other troubles brewing, with a new Covid-19 outbreak locking down key cities in China, and growing angst

that Europe and the US will fall into recession.

The world’s top economic policy makers are sounding the alarm.

The dominant themes at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Washington this week are a slowing global economy and the rising risks—seen and unseen— facing developing nations.

‘Seismic waves’

THE IMF, in its latest World Economic Outlook, likened the war’s impact to “seismic waves” rolling over the global economy. It also warned of the possible return in emerging markets of the sort of “doom loop” that led Russia to default in 1998, helped bring Vladimir Putin to power and took hedge fund Long Term Capital Management (LTCM) to the verge of collapse.

The World Bank slashed its global growth forecast and announced the creation of a $170-billion rescue package—bigger than its Covid-19 response—for crisishit nations.

“We can see this train wreck coming towards us,” said John Lipsky, who spent half a decade as No. 2 at the IMF. The combination of real-economy shocks and financial-

market tightening, he said, is “going to push a large number of lowincome countries into the need for debt restructuring.”

The biggest default looming in emerging economies is in Russia, where Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine has brought sanctions, economic isolation, and a pledge to pay debts only in rubles—which would likely be ruled a breach of commitments, triggering losses for investors.

Still, Russia’s role as the sanctions-hit aggressor make it a unique case. Which means Sri Lanka, for now, is at the vanguard of the potentially broader crisis.

The country’s currency is down nearly 40 percent this year.

Last week, it suspended foreign debt payments, deciding to use what’s left of its reserves to cover food and energy imports rather than pay investors.

For people like Jagath Gunasena, the crisis has already arrived.

It’s meant sending his wife and son to stand for hours to refill the cooking-gas cylinder they need to run their Colombo food stall—only to see them turned away when supplies run out. “At least we have leftovers from our food stall to eat,” Gunasena said. “I don’t know how

the others will find ways to cook or get by.”

That kind of uncertainty has driven protesters to call for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign even as his government tries to negotiate help with the IMF and Asian powers like China and India.

Sri Lanka may be the first. But it’s not alone. Some 13 emerging countries have bonds trading at least 1,000 basis points above US Treasuries, up from six a year ago.

Credit-default swaps on developing-country debt spiked in the first weeks of the Ukraine war, show-

ing a growing fear of default— and while they’ve since retreated, they’re still some 90 basis points above last year’s average.

Bloomberg Economics, which keeps scorecards of the building risks for emerging market (EM) countries, puts Turkey and Egypt top of the list of major EMs exposed to “economic and financial spillovers” from the Ukraine war.

And it ranks Tunisia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Ghana and El Salvador — with large debt stocks and borrowing costs that have risen by Continued on A2

The direct impact of a default in five countries such as these on the global economy would be small, but crises in the developing world have a history of spreading well beyond their starting points. “In a cascade of emerging-market credit events, the negative impact of the whole could be larger than the sum of the parts.”—Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg Economics’ chief EM economist PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.3950

n JAPAN 0.4080 n UK 68.3021 n HK 6.6791 n CHINA 8.1206 n SINGAPORE 38.3987 n AUSTRALIA 38.6308 n EU 56.7857 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.9709

Source: BSP (April 22, 2022)

NewsSaturday BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, April 23, 2022

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Oncoming train crash Continued from A1

more than 700 basis points since 2019—among countries in immediate danger of being unable to repay debts.

‘Start to surface’

THE direct impact of a default in five countries such as these on the global economy would be small, but crises in the developing world have a history of spreading well beyond their starting points. “In a cascade of emerging-market credit events, the negative impact of the whole could be larger than the sum of the parts,” wrote Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg Economics’ chief EM economist.

The World Bank calculates 60 percent of low-income countries are in debt distress already, or at high risk of it. So far, the trouble is brewing in the sort of “off the radar screen” places investors don’t pay much attention to, said the Bank’s chief economist, Carmen Reinhart.

That doesn’t mean it will stay that way. Reinhart cited the example of LTCM, which was bailed out in 1998 due to losses in Russia and other emerging markets.

“That wasn’t necessarily on anyone’s radar screen,” she said.

“Those things start to surface.

Exposures are opaque.”

Governments all over the emerging world stepped up their borrowing to cushion the pandemic’s impact. The cost of servic-

ing those debts is rising “on a steep incline,” according to the IMF. A record amount of that debt is now held on balance sheets of local banks in emerging economies, according to the IMF—raising the risk of a feedback loop in which banks are forced to pull back on lending as economies slow and the value of the government bonds they own falls. Which in turn may lead to the sort of economic “doom loop” that drove Russia to default in 1998 and Argentina to a similar fate a few years later.

‘A disaster’

THE increase in borrowing costs is likely to get steeper still as the Fed’s efforts to combat inflation at home lead to higher interest rates on US Treasuries, the benchmark for many developing economies. Central banks across much of the emerging world are raising their own policy rates too, as prices surge.

Jim O’Neill, the former Goldman Sachs economist who coined the term BRICs in the early 2000s to describe the then fast-growing EMs of Brazil, Russia, India and China, said the current environment is the most uncertain he’s seen since he began his career in finance in the early 1980s.

“If we get the inflation risk persisting and central banks have to tighten policy, for certain emerging markets it will be a disaster,” he said.

One sign of trouble ahead is

A MAN pushes a trolley with goods along a shops alley near the Egyptian bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, April 11, 2022. Yearly inflation in Turkey hit 61.14 percent on April, climbing to a new 20-year high and deepening a cost of living crisis for many households. AP/FRANCISCO SECO

“We can see this train wreck coming towards us…” The combination of real-economy shocks and financialmarket tightening is “going to push a large number of low-income countries into the need for debt restructuring.”

—John Lipsky, former No. 2 at the IMF the lengthening line of countries in rescue talks with the IMF. Along with Sri Lanka, it includes countries with similar balance-of-payments problems like Egypt and Tunisia, where food prices helped drive regime change just a decade ago. And Pakistan, where high inflation and geopolitical tensions combined to topple premier Imran Khan this month— and where the government is cutting electricity to households and industry because it can’t afford to buy coal or natural gas from abroad to fuel its power plants.

In Tunisia, the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, a cashstrapped government has raised fuel prices at least 4 times over the past 13 months. Tourism has dried up, and shortages are spreading to the point where market vendors joke that marijuana is easier to buy than flour.

Raed, a 26-year-old baker, said he can’t get enough flour on the black market at prices far above the official, subsidized one to keep his shop open. “The situation is very bad,” he said. So he’s decided that once the holy month of Ramadan is over, he’ll join the legions of migrants trying their luck elsewhere.

In nearby Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, the disappearance from the market of supplies from Russia and Ukraine has hit hard. Last month, the central bank let the currency weaken more than 15 percent in a matter of hours and hiked its benchmark rate for the first time in five years amid an outflow of hard currency. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has urged people to make do with less-lavish meals when they break their Ramadan fast.

The government “is asking us to ration our consumption, but we’ve already been doing this,” said Ezzat Mohamed, who lives in the rural Qalyubiya province, where stores have begun offering food on credit.

To be sure, many developing nations sell more commodities than they buy, and benefit from rising prices. They’re typically a boon in regions like Latin America, for example—where Brazil’s real is the world’s best-performing major currency this year, and Chile’s exports in March were up more than 20 percent from a year earlier.

‘Skeletons in the closet’

ROBIN BROOKS, chief economist at the Institute for International Finance, predicts the fallout from the Ukraine war will largely be limited to food and energy importers.

Busts often follow booms—and there haven’t been many of the latter in an emerging world that’s had a rough ride from Covid-19, Brooks points out. By contrast, the crises of the 1990s erupted in economies where capital had been pouring in, and its abrupt departure revealed flaws in corporate balance sheets.

Even with risks rising because of an increasingly aggressive Fed, “I’m not as worried as others about skeletons in the closet,” he said.

But if that pandemic backdrop leaves emerging countries less vulnerable to capital outflows, the opposite is true when it comes to social tensions.

That’s one reason why it’s hard not to see something broader in the political and economic turmoil starting to hit the poorest corners of the global economy. Oxfam is warning that more than a quarter of a billion people could be pushed into extreme poverty this year.

Latin America’s commodity exporters aren’t immune from political unrest—Peru, with one of the world’s highest Covid death rates, has been rocked by weeks of violent protests—or even a weakening of their external position.

Peru’s current-account balance swung from a surplus of 0.8 percent of GDP at the end of

2020 to a deficit of 2.8 percent a year later. In neighboring Colombia and Chile, deficits widened to around 6 percent and 7 percent of GDP respectively in the final quarter of last year.

Foreign investors also own a majority of the sovereign debt in those countries, which has ballooned by 10 to 15 percentage points of GDP over the past two years, Gavekal Research pointed out in a recent note.

“Emerging market asset prices—including those of commodity exporters — may be a lot more vulnerable to swings in the external environment than is currently assumed by investors,” its economists wrote.

In Brazil, less than six months ahead of presidential elections, opinion polls show that 75 percent of the public blames President Jair Bolsonaro’s government for a surging cost of living.

Although the country’s central bank is months into an aggressive tightening campaign, Brazil’s inflation rate was still 11.3 percent in March. The problem is that, as in many parts of the world, prices feed off each other and higher fuel costs make food more expensive too, said Thais Zara, an economist at LCA Consultores in São Paulo.

Bolsonaro is using a commodities windfall to expand cash aid to the poor ahead of the election and has pumped $32 billion of credit into the economy.

But in Rio de Janeiro’s markets the anxiety about what lies ahead remains real. Maria Conceicao loaded up on fish for her family ahead of last weekend’s Easter celebrations.

“We’ll celebrate with fish now, but will have less later,” she said.

Because for Conceicao, like millions of others in the developing world, the grim reality is: “Each month gets worse.”

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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Low booster vax rate in Japan discourages holidays in PHL

BusinessMirror

Saturday, April 23, 2022

US equity firm officially takes over Subic shipyard

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By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

he Philippine government has finally sealed the deal awarding the 300-hectare shipyard in strategic Subic Bay, Zambales near South China Sea to United States equity investment firm Cerberus Management Capital.

Senior management of Japan’s leading tourism businesses and organizations, and industry stakeholders discuss the future of Japan tourism and air travel at the second day of the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit Philippines on Friday. In photo are from left : Makoto Watanabe, Executive Director, Japan National Tourism Organization; Tadashi Shimura, President, Japan Association of Travel Agents; Tomohiro Kaneko, Vice Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency; Hiroyuki Takahashi, Chairperson, JTB Corporation and Vice-Chair of WTTC; Shinji Shiota, Director, Japan Airlines Co., Limited. BERNARD TESTA

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

Special to the BusinessMirror

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AVE boosters, will travel.

For the Japanese, that’s the only way they will be able to vacation in the Philippines without being required to quarantine when they arrive home.

In an interview with select reporters on Friday, Tomohiro Kaneko, vice commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) said, “For Japanese, outbound travel is relatively easy. If you have received [Covid] boosters, you don’t have to self-quarantine,” upon returning to Japan. “So people are slowly getting back to travel,” he said.

He added, “I believe Japanese tourists will come back soon to your country,” following the visit of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat last month in Tokyo. JTA is the counterpart of the Philippines’s Department of Tourism.

However, official data indicated that less than 50 percent of Japanese citizens have received boosters.

Also, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently said Japan is not yet considering reopening to leisure tourists, even as a number of Asian countries such as the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, have already lifted inbound travel restrictions.

The Philippines has the easiest inbound travel protocols in Southeast Asia, allowing fully vaccinated tourists and their unvaccinated children to enter since February 10. Manila has also scrapped quarantine requirements in favor of pre-departure testing from the country of origin, using either RTPCR or laboratory-based antigen tests.

In 2019, prior to the pandemic, the country received 682,788 tourists from Japan. Since the country’s reopening to international leisure travelers, there were over 6,000 visitors from Japan from February 10 to April 18, 2022.

No solution for Pinoys’ expired visas

Kaneko said at the moment, there

are still no immediate plans to allow leisure travelers. According to local travel agents, prior to the pandemic in 2019, Japan is among the popular destinations for Filipinos.

Since the pandemic, however, tourist visas for Japan of many Filipinos have since expired, with no clarity if these will be honored again. For Haneko, he said Filipinos and other would-be tourists may have to reapply for visitor visas.

“For now we are not issuing visas for Filipino [tourists], only for business, working, and study,” he said. There is still no timeline when tourist visas would be issued again, but he said, he hoped by September, his government would reopen to leisure travelers in time for Tourism Expo Japan. “We are hoping we will receive so many foreign visitors.”

He explained that Covid-19 infections are currently high in Japan, at some 40,000 cases, “higher than the Philippines. So the government is still very cautious about the domestic situation. So the tourists are not allowed to obtain visas at this point in time.

Of course, gradually, we will lift our borders and hopefully soon, we will be able to [issue visitor’s visas].”

Meanwhile, Haneko said his agency is supporting moves to create a digital health pass that will contain all the vaccination information of travelers. “From our perspective, the Japan Tourism Agency, we will ask the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for the quarantine system, to adopt a standard, which is interoperable with other countries’ standard like the EU Green Pass, or like Asean, which is now harmonizing health standards.

Harmonization is the key.”

At a news conference, Japan encouraged participants to attend the Tourism Expo Japan (TEJ) scheduled from September 22 to 25 at the Tokyo Big Sight. In the last TEJ at said convention center in 2018, the event attracted 207,352 visitors, with 136 countries and regions, as well as 1,441 participating.

Decades-old Amoranto Sports Complex undergoes renovation

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n a bid to revitalize sports and harness the potential of the city’s athletes, the Quezon City local government is currently renovating the Amoranto Sports Complex.

The master plan covers the construction of new sports facilities such as the Amoranto Arena, which will have an approximate seating capacity of 3,500 for basketball competitions and other big events. The construction is now in full swing and is expected to be completed within the year.

For swimming training and competition, the Amoranto Swimming Pool is currently being built to include an Olympic size swimming pool with 10 lanes and an elevated pool deck.

On the other hand, the tennis court area of the two-story Amoranto Indoor Sports Facility is also due for completion this year. The other areas of the sports facility shall commence construction soon. Amoranto can host sports competitions as its design is based on local and international standards.

“The Amoranto Sports Complex should be a space where our home-

grown athletes can train and improve their skills. With this master plan, we are renovating not just training facilities but also spaces where QC can host competitions and other public gatherings for QCitizens and guests,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

A five-story deck parking building is being built to support the high volume of people during an event. This can accommodate more than 300 cars, motorcycles, and bikes. A special area is also designated for buses.

The city government is also planning to improve the existing grandstand and the track and field oval.

Constructed in 1960 on a 5.8 hectare land in Barangay Paligsahan in Quezon City, the sports complex is composed of a grandstand with main stadium, an eight-lane track and field oval, bleachers, and a gymnasium. It also has tennis courts, badminton courts, martial arts facility, a swimming pool, and other facilities for different sports activities. Studies on rehabilitating the existing velodrome are being undertaken.

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“After almost three years of tireless work, the Philippines and US reached a new milestone with the conclusion of the strategically important Subic Bay Shipyard deal,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a tweet.

“As the biggest public-private partnership in the 75-year history of PHLUS ties, it is expected to create thousands of jobs and solidifies US commitment to the region,” the DFA added.

After the US Navy pulled out from Subic Naval Base in 1991, the shipyard inside the Subic Free Zone had been converted into a commercial shipyard.

In 2006, a subsidiary of South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries started building the shipyard facilities in the Redondo Peninsula. The Hanjin shipyard for a while was noted as one of the Top 10 shipbuilders in the world in terms of overbooks. As many as 35,000 workers were employed

by Hanjin at its peak in 2016.

However in 2019, Hanjin ceased operations after defaulting on $1.3 billion in outstanding loans, including

$400 million due to Philippine banks, and $900 million in loans from South Korean lenders. It went into court receivership, laid off 10,000 workers and retained only 200 in 2020.

According to reports, New York Citybased Cerberus Management Capital, a private equity firm and specialized in distressed investing, was awarded the 50-year lease of the sprawling facility. In turn, Cerberus will pay approximately $300 million to settle the debts of Hanjin.

On April 19, a diplomatic reception was hosted at the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC “to celebrate the robust relations between the Philippines and the United States and the conclusion of the agreements on the Subic Bay shipyard.”

Four Cabinet members of the Duterte administration—Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Central Bank Governor Benjamin

Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez delivers his remarks at a diplomatic reception to celebrate the robust relations between the Philippines and the United States, the recent conclusion of the agreements on the Subic Bay shipyard with US-based Cerberus Capital Management, as well as to welcome the Philippine delegations to the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Spring Meetings. Also in the photo are Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.; Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana; Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez; Central Bank Governor Benjamin Diokno; and US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. Photo courtesy of the Department of Foreign Affairs Diokno—attended the reception hosted

by Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel G. Romualdez. US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Steve Feinberg, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Cerberus Capital Management, were also present.

“The completion of the Subic Bay shipyard will redound to benefits for the country, bring jobs to the local communities, increase economic activity, and at the same fortify our strategic security measures. Working with the United States on this project will help ensure that we are able to protect our interests not only for our country but the whole region,” Ambassador Romualdez said in a news statement posted by the Philippine Embassy in the US. Locsin said with less than two months left to the Duterte administration, “there is no better finale to all the work done to strengthen our ties with

the United States than to see the ink on the paper of the biggest public-private partnership in the 75-year history of Philippine-US relations.”

Dominguez said the project was met “with many challenges in the early stages.” But these challenges were overcome with the support of Philippine and US government officials and Cerberus.

US Secretary Del Toro cited the “robust security and military cooperation” between Manila and Washington DC, being long-time treaty allies. He also highlighted the people-to-people ties between the two countries, which have kept the relations rich and strong over the years.

Feinberg likewise expressed his appreciation to the Philippine and US governments for their “invaluable support in ensuring the conclusion of the agreements,” the Embassy quoted the CEO as saying.

Comelec pushes back schedule of final debates by a week amid contractor’s ₧14-million debt

By Samuel P. Medenilla

C

ertain issues on the venue for resumption of its debates have forced the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to postpone by a week the conduct of the last leg of its 2022 PiliPinas debate series.

At a news conference on Fr iday, Comelec Commissioner George M. Garcia announced they decided to reset the d ay on the last t wo par ts of the debates to Apr i l 30 and May 1, 2022.

The events were supposed to be held on April 23 and 24, 2022, but Comelec opted to defer to a latter date after its partner in organizing the event, Vote Pilipinas, allegedly

failed to pay over P14 million worth of dues to Sofitel Hotel, the supposed venue for the five-part 2022 PiliPinas debate series.

Garcia said they only learned about the financial settlement issue last Thursday when the Sofitel management approached them for their help in collecting the unpaid dues from Vote Pilipinas.

He noted Sofitel was still willing to host their debates once they are paid by Vote Pilipinas, but he said they opted to find a new partner to conduct the last two debates until the issue is resolved.

The poll official said the Kapisanan ng Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) agreed to host the last two debates

BVPMC celebrates Women’s Month with a livelihood seminar

Batangas Ventures Properties and Management Corporation (BVPMC) conducted a 1-day livelihood activity entitled Serbisyo at Kabuhayan Para sa Kababaihan: A Vegetable Container Gardening Seminar, in celebration of International Women’s Month, on March 26, 2022 at the Batangas City Grand Terminal Arrival Area.

The activity was headed by Terminal Manager, Cecilia Mendoza, and Marketing Officer, Geka Gado, in partnership with Batangas City Crop Production Division Office of the City Veterinary and Agricultural Services (OCVAS).

The activity aimed to provide learnings and skills on container gardening for 20 selected women from different barangays in Batangas City, and to give them the opportunity to start a small business through vegetable seeds planting.

on the condition that Comelec help them ensure all presidential and vice presidential candidates will attend both events.

Garcia thanked KPB for its assistance and, at the same time, apologized to the affected candidates, especially with only a few days before the 2022 polls..

The venue and other details of the deferred debate is expected to be released by this weekend.

For his par t, Comelec Commissioner Rey E. Bu lay said he w i l l invest igate t he issue w it h Vote P i l ipina s, inc lud ing how it wa s se lec ted to become t he of f ic i a l par tner of Comelec in organizing the debate ser ies through a sig ned

memorandum of ag reement.

Bulay said he would release details of his probe probe by next week.

Pending the result of the investigation, he declined to comment on the matter.

Both Garcia and Bulay stressed that Comelec did not spend any of its funds for the conduct of the election debates since it is prohibited under their existing rules.

Bulay said Vote Pilipinas was able to get compensation from organizing the Comelec debates from the ad placements for the events.

Comelec has yet to determine if it will retain its partnership with Vot Pilipinas after the incident with Sofitel.

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Saturday, April 23, 2022

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29 countries, including US, pledge $5 billion for environment fund T

Economic managers to pursue Singapore investments in PSBI summit on April 27

By Andrea San Juan

T

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

wenty-nine countries, including the United States, have jointly pledged $5.25 billion for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to provide more funding for developing countries in protecting biodiversity, addressing threats of climate change, as well as controlling plastics and toxic chemical wastes.

The Philippines is one of the developing countries, which received GEF funding for the past 13 years.

According to the GEF website, 130 various environmental projects worth $803.97 million of the Philippine government and local government units were financed from the GEF grants.

In a news statement, the GEF said the $5.25 billion pledge increases the GEF’s funding by nearly 30 percent.

“It comes at a critical moment for developing countries whose ability to tackle worsening environmental challenges has been strained by fiscal pressures from the Covid-19 pandemic and rising inflation,” the GEF said.

The GEF did not identify the 29 newest donor countries, but the US said it has pledged $600.8 million for the next four years.

According to the US State Department, the Biden administration will

request the US Congress to allocate $150.2 million to GEF contribution.

“This is the United States’ largest GEF pledge ever,” the US State Department stressed.

“This pledge aligns with continuing US priorities and supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to addressing climate change, conserving global carbon sinks and other critical ecosystems, and restoring the health of our ocean.”

The GEF is the primary source of financing for biodiversity protection globally and is the only multilateral fund working across all aspects of environmental health.

Its financial and policy support helps developing countries meet their obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Since 1991, it has provided $22 billion in grants and mobilized another $119 billion in co-financing to help developing countries save the Earth. It has so far contributed

to seven replenishments.

For the GEF’s eight programming period, known as GEF-8, biodiversity protection will get the biggest share.

GEF-8 will run from July 2022 to June 2026.

“This support will be vital to the achievement of the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, which aims to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 through safeguards of land and ocean territory with globally important biodiversity,” the GEF said.

Other priorities in GEF-8 include: n Addressing threats from climate change n Land degradation n Chemicals and waste n Alleviating pressures on the ocean and international waters “The US pledge will help protect tropical rainforests and other critical carbon sinks; address ocean plastics pollution; combat wildlife trafficking and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and reduce hazardous transboundary pollutants such as PCBs and mercury that can affect Americans’ health,” the US State Department said.

Lista invites Pinoys to create savings goals with new features

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ista, a financial management tool for small business owners, freelancers and individuals, has launched the Ipon Challenge, which encourages every

Filipino to set savings goals through their newest features—the Savings and Sales Target.

The Ipon Challenge aims to empower Filipinos to meet their savings

goals or set financial targets for the things they want to buy using their two new main features. The Savings feature allows the user to track their savings for their next dream item whether it is a phone, car, or vacation, while the Sales Target feature will allow business owners to set a target profit for their business. Users will be able to customize their target timeline and amount using the feature.

Due to uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey conducted by Hong Kong-based AIA Group Limited found that more Filipinos saved more money without careful preparation. But despite the fact that Filipinos appear to have a more disciplined attitude toward saving, a quarter of respondents simply save what money they have after expenses without making a proactive saving strategy, and 22 percent set aside a specific overall amount. Only 29 percent of people make a list of their savings goals and set aside money to achieve them.

Lista intends to make financial planning and literacy more accessible to millions of Filipinos, assisting entrepreneurs in managing their digital cash flow, normalizing debt collection or “paniningil ng utang” and now, helping them manage their personal budget and expand their enterprises through savings and goal setting.

Through the new features, each user can begin small, with a goal of as low as 500 pesos, or go big, with a car down payment. The Lista app includes features such as hosting “ipon challenges” and tracking users’ progress so they can stay on track with their goals.

Lista’s Ipon Challenge

The Ipon Challenge was created to officially launch the two new features that the founders hope will help more Filipinos start building the habit of proactive saving. The campaign hopes to encourage new and existing users to explore the feature and participate in the savings challenge, which is intended to help users learn how to set and stick to financial goals, both short and long term.

Anyone with Lista mobile app can join the Ipon Challenge for the chance to win grand prizes from Lista as well as weekly minor prizes.

Interested participants can download the Lista app, register using their mobile number then create a savings challenge with the help of

the “savings’’ icon.

Participants are required to input savings at least twice a week, following their daily or weekly savings amount. The deadline to reach their goal is before May 30, 2022.

Once participants reach their savings goal, they will receive a savings badge. To be eligible for the raffle, participants should share a screenshot of their savings badge on Facebook with the hashtag #IponChallenge and tag the Lista. Each savings challenge is equal to one raffle entry. Prizes include brand new motorcycle, Macbook, mobile phone, Ikea gift certificate worth P10,000, and a summer getaway package for two! The winners will be announced on the Facebook page of Lista PH. Lista also partnered with SariSuki, a community selling platform that delivers fresh groceries straight to your doorstep, who will be giving away P10,000 worth of Kabuhayan Package. Financial services company Sun Life Philippines, tying up with e-commerce platform Lazada, will also be giving away weekly vouchers that will entitle the winners to a free one-year Life Armor Insurance coverage.

“Lista wants to encourage every Filipino to set a savings goals for the things they dream of—whether they start with a small amount or go big with a car down payment.

Through the help of our partners, we look forward to seeing everyone complete their ipon challenge and help them move towards the goal of understanding their finances and empowering them to make better purchase decisions,” shared Khriz Lim, co-founder of Lista.

Lista is a free bookkeeping app for Filipino MSMEs that aims to help them digitize their cash and credit transactions and get cash f low v isibility, which can help them grow their profits. Lista not only maintains track of business transactions, but it also provides a simple invoice generator, which is especially beneficial for freelancers, an easy way to collect debts with free SMS reminders, and a savings challenge to help people save for their goals.

Since its launch early last year, Lista has received 600,000 downloads and has recorded approximately $12.6 million in debt.

To know more about Lista, you may visit their website at www.lista. com.ph or follow their Facebook page at facebook.com/ListaPhilippines.

he country’s economic managers are meeting with Singaporean businessmen to promote the Philippines as a viable investment destination.

The Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Singapore and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will hold the 3rd PhilippinesSingapore Business and Investment (PSBI) Summit on April 27.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez will be attending the summit with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Central Bank Governor Benjamin Diokno.

The economic managers will discuss the monetary policy, tax reforms, improved economic climate, and bright economic growth prospects, along with specific investment opportunities.

In addition, Enterprise Singapore, a statutory body under the Singapore Ministry of Trade, will share how they back Singapore companies expanding in the Philippines.

Industry associations Fintech Philippines Association, Digital Pilipinas and Developers of Renewable Energy for AdvanceMent Inc. (DREAM) along with private companies like PLDT and Philippines Fiber Optic Cable Network will also share key insights in doing business in their respective sectors.

The same high-powered team of Philippine economic managers joined the second investment summit, which was conducted virtually in light of the pandemic last year.

About 400 participants composed of Singapore-based business leaders representing enterprises, manufacturing companies; multinational corporations, business organizations, micro, small and medium

enterprises, chambers of commerce and members of the diplomatic corps also joined the investment forum.

To recall, the Philippine economic managers gave updates on the current economic climate in the Philippines, the economic stimulus measures and incentives implemented by the Philippine government to expedite the recovery of the local economy from the pandemic, as well as insights on investment opportunities during the virtual investment forum last year.

Following the 2nd PSBI summit in March 2021, a webinar hosted by DTI was held in August 2021 highlighting Singapore as being one of the Philippines’ major investment sources.

“In 2019, Singapore ranked as our top investment source, with total approved investments of $3.4 billion. Last year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, investments still amounted to almost P10 billion or $201 million making Singapore our fourth top investment source,” Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Joseph Del Mar Yap said during the 2021 webinar.

During the 2021 webinar, it was emphasized that the oldest Philippine conglomerate also has strong ties with Singapore.

Telco giant Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) group is a major shareholder in Ayala’s telecommunication unit, Globe, where it owns 20.07 percent of total outstanding shares as of June 30,2021.

In addition, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC bought a 17.5 percent stake in Ayala Corporation (AC) Energy, Ayala’s renewables unit.

In relation to economic growth, Singapore ranked as the number one source of the Philippines’ net foreign direct investment in the first quarter of 2021 at $492.4 million.

PMFTC Batangas factory first to gain Alliance for Water Stewardship certification in PHL

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he PMFTC cigarette manufacturing plant in Tanauan City, Batangas achieved a milestone after obtaining the Core-Level Certification from the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), confirming the company’s commitment to preserve water resources and respect the natural cycle of water in its business operations and the community.

PMFTC Inc. is the local affiliate of Philip Morris International.

Its Batangas factory is the first ever manufacturing site in the Philippines to secure the AWS certification.

“At the start of 2021, we have stated our commitment for Water Stewardship. This commitment is part of the key pillars of our PMI vision for a sustainable smoke-free future. We hope that with this certification, we influence others to undergo the same transformation and deliver actions that positively impact our water catchment,” said Nicolas Souvlakis, PMFTC Manufacturing Director.

Souvlakis stressed, “This is a momentous achievement not only for PMFTC Batangas Factory, but also for our community.”

PMFTC, as a part of its public commitment to good water management, undertakes “to endorse, sustain and support the public towards good water governance, sustainable water balance, good water quality, good conservation of important areas related to water, and safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.”

The site is open and transparent to all stakeholders and to the relevant public and will support and collaborate with the agencies of

Nicolas Souvlakis the public sector to comply will all legal and regulatory requirements concerning water.

PMFTC will improve and continually adapt the actions and plans for water management and will support national and international treaties related to water.

The AWS is an international Standard which aims at reduci ng t he i mplementer ’s w ater footprint in a multi-stakeholder process. The AWS Certification drives sustainable water stewardship in actions and projects which involve the entire territory and are not confined to a factory perimeter.

In PMI, water stewardship is about reducing water use, promoting water recycling, protecting watersheds, preventing water pollution, enhancing recharge, and promoting sustainable water management in collaboration with stakeholders.

As the market leader, PMFTC is committed to offering adult consumers who wou ld ot herwise continue to smoke better alternatives and playing an active role in making Philippines society smoke-free.

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

DAR tells ARBs: Go out and vote wisely

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n official of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) urged agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) across the country to go out and vote wisely on May 9 by picking national and local candidates that would benefit agrarian reform communities.

Given their number, agrarian reform beneficiaries can actually provide the swing vote in the coming national and local elections.

DAR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research Office (PPRO) and Concurrent Undersecretary for External Affairs and Communications Operations Office (EACOO) Atty. David D. Erro encouraged the ARBs to find out who among the national and local candidates could present platforms and plans that would benefit them and their communities.

Data gathered from the DAR Planning Service

showed that from 1972 to March 2022, a total of 2,916,621 ARBs have so far been provided by the agency with emancipation patents (EPs) and certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) covering a total of 4,954,235.54 hectares of land nationwide.

The 2.9 million ARBs is the base number of DAR farmer-beneficiaries voting population that may be multiplied by each member of their families that are of voting age as well.

ARBs refer to farmers who were granted lands under Presidential Decree No. 27, Republic Act No. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law and RA No. 9700 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Extension with Reforms.

Erro said that the DAR is committed to uplift the living conditions of the ARBs through the department’s various intervention programs.

Jonathan L. Mayuga

Saturday, April 23, 2022

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Huge rewards await whistleblowers in new anti-tax fraud smuggling bill

By Butch Fernandez

House-approved bill is now moving in the Senate seeking to raise to P10million the maximum reward for whistleblowers providing positive information leading to the arrest of tax dodgers involved in big-time smuggling cases.

A Senate advisory released by the Committee on Ways and Means confirmed setting its initial hearing on the House Bill 9306 on Monday.

After the House Bill 9306 hurdles the Senate committee level, it

will be endorsed for plenary deliberations and approval soon as Congress reconvenes regular sessions after the May 9 elections.

Lawmakers indicated it is likely to be enacted into law before the Duterte administration bows out on June 30.

As proposed, providers of information on tax cheats will be given rewards, ranging up to P10million, or equivalent to 20 percent of the value of the confiscated smuggled products, or whichever (the P10-million or the 20 percent of value) is lower.

Under existing law, only up to

P1 million is the allowed reward.

Moreover, the proposal also provides that charges can be filed against whistleblowers providing false information and will be barred from getting reward.

The lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have lately been holding full-blown hearings on the alarming and continuing r ise in smug gling activ ities, especially of vegetables, fruits and other food products.

The Department of Agriculture, which was dubbed the “mother of all smuggling” by House Ways and Means Committee chairman

Joey Salceda, has asked congress to give it police powers to arrest smugglers, saying it was powerless to go after them and merely relies on the Bureau of Customs, which also claimed it needed more teeth under the law.

Lawmakers have cited estimates by various industry groups that both the local producers and the government have been losing billions of pesos to smuggling. The DA said the perils of smuggling not only extend to financial losses, but also health risks, since the imported food get into local markets without sufficient phytosanitary checks.

By Rene Acosta

battalion will “bolster the armor

18 Sabrah ASCOD light tanks, 10

the ongoing modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Sabrah ASCOD tanks were manufactured by Israel’s Elbit System, the same company that refurbished the Army’s older tanks and armored personnel carriers and improved their weapons systems.

Elbit also recently delivered to the Army Soltam 155m/52 caliber self-propelled howitzers and M125A2 armored mortar carriers.

Austria’s Steyr-Daimler-Puch manufactures the Pandur tanks.

Lt. Col. Don Frivaldo assumed as the acting commander of the 1st Tank Battalion, whose personnel were absorbed from the deactivated 8th Cavalry Company.

The Army said the company had provided cavalry support to the 103rd Infantry Brigade and even during the battle that liberated Marawi City from the clutches of the Islamic State.

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Go prods DA chief to block importation of agri products Army reactivates 1st Tank Battallion A

dministration Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go prodded Agriculture Secretary William Dar to block resumption of importation of agricultural products.

Go, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, reminded Dar that such importation should be barred if not badly needed when such agri product “can be provided by local farmers in lieu of imported.”

The senator stressed it is only proper for the government to promote consumption of local produce before the imported item.

Go, however, did not directly identify the locally produced food item facing competing

with the imported agricultural product that he wants to block, including sugar.

At the same time, he recalled that just last January until February, Filipino fishermen also aired a plea to block imported fish catch like galunggong, but rued that Dar still gave it a go signal.

At the Senate hearing on the brewing agri smuggling controversy, farmers also decried the huge loses they have incurred from the smuggling of agricultural products like onions and carrots. In one hearing, the biggest farmers group in Benguet province claimed they were losing P6 million a day because of the unabated smuggling. Butch Fernandez

UP expert: PHL can't reap demographic dividend if high dependency ratio persists

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ach Filipino worker is supporting more than two consumers, making less room for savings and investment in their incomes, a major roadblock in reaping the demographic dividend, according to a study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute.

In a presentation at the side event of the 55th Session of the United Nations Committee on Population and Development on Thursday night, UP demographer Michael del Mundo said the country’s support ratio is at 0.43 before the pandemic.

This is below the recommended 0.5 support ratio that each country must have in order to reap the demographic dividend. The demographic dividend, he said, is not only about bringing fertility rates down but also ensuring that the population is able to earn, consume, save, and invest.

“Low fertility is necessary but for the Philippines, it is not sufficient. Reaping the demographic dividend requires not just interventions in fertility, but also in education, health, employment and economic welfare, among others, Del Mundo said.

“That is why it is imperative that government agencies actually work together, synergize to realize this dream for the Philippines and make sure no region is left behind. There is no demographic dividend without economically productive workers,” he added.

Based on the study, since the country’s average support ratio is 0.43, which is still below the threshold of 0.5, one effective worker is supporting 2.33 effective consumers or simply put 100 effective workers in the country are supporting 233 effective consumers.

The number being supported by each worker takes into consideration the workers and two or more family members who are considered nonproductive consumers or those who could not economically support themselves.

Del Mundo explained some of the nonproductive consumers are those between the ages of 15 to 64 who are not earning a living. In order to reap the demographic dividend, each worker must be able to support himself or herself plus one family member.

“We need to improve our human capital through better quality education and improved health outcomes. We need to reduce unemployment and underemployment at the same time. We need to create more jobs and boost women’s labor force, participation and employment,” Del Mundo said.

“We need to have savings build up we need to improve our savings build up by ensuring financial literacy in the population, financial inclusiveness, institutions ready to help our population with that and lastly, increased income opportunities,” he added.

The UP Population Institute study also showed that only the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila, Region 4A or Calabarzon, and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) are ready to reap the demographic dividend because of their low support ratios.

Del Mundo said the support ratio in NCR is

at 0.623; Calabarzon, 0.502; and CAR, 0.49. This means, workers in these regions are able to support themselves and at least one family member while still being able to save and invest using their earnings.

The data showed the support ratios in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is the lowest at only 0.258; Region 9 or the Zamboanga Peninsula Region, 0.335; and Region 8 or Eastern Visayas, 0.355.

“It can be observed that these lagging regions that we have shown in the last slide have challenges with high fertility, whether it is wanted or unwanted. And most of the lagging regions also face a low youth participation in the labor force and employment and at the same time, significantly lower women’s labor force participation compared to men. There’s also a lack of highly educated workforce in these lagging regions in addition to below national average labor income,” Del Mundo said.

Meanwhile, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua highlighted the country’s strong commitment in accelerating inclusive economic growth, aided by the International Conference on Population and Development, or ICPD, Program of Action. It was adopted by 179 member-states, including the Philippines, in 1994.

According to the UN Population Fund or UNFPA, the ICPD Program of Action highlights vital links between sexual and reproductive health and rights, or SRHR, with almost every aspect of population and development: from urbanization, migration and ageing, to changing family structures and the importance of addressing the rights of young people.

The Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) said it calls attention to the ways of investing in women and youth. Government representatives agreed that the principles of the ICPD Program of Action are essential in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Chua relayed that after a temporary decline in 2020 caused by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the local economy took a positive turn last year and grew by 5.7 percent, “exceeding market expectations,” with robust growth supported by the success of the country’s vaccination program enabling full economic reopening and recovery.

In terms of reproductive health, the country’s estimated total fertility rate, he confirmed, has been consistently declining in the past two decades, and in 2021 was recorded at 1.8 children per Filipino family or couple.

For his part, Population and Development Undersecretary Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III reiterated Chua’s assertion of placing the poor and vulnerable at the center of development strategies. He shared that the Philippine Development Plan, which discusses the attainment of the demographic dividend on Chapter 13, will prioritize regional equity as among four pillars that will help the country achieve rapid and more inclusive growth, which also cover smart infrastructure, innovation, as well as climatechange mitigation and adaptation.

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he Philippine Army has reactivated its first tank battalion as it continues to beef up its firepower and improve its capability as the military’s primary ground force.

The reactivation of the 1st Tank Battalion under the Army’s Armor Division at Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday was led by Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. “Looking at the future operational landscape, the Philippine Army has reactivated the 1st Tank Battalion to provide our infantry and mechanized infantry forces with advanced firepower capability and enhance the standards of protection, especially in conducting contingency missions and combined arms and joint operations in the country,” Brawner said.

The Army chief said the new

The Philippine Army’s Armor Division officers and enlisted personnel stand in formation during the reactivation of the 1st Tank Battalion and the deactivation of the 8th Cavalry Company at the division’s headquarters at Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday, April 21, 2022. The 1st Tank Battalion traces its roots to the organization of the 1st Cavalry Regiment under the Army’s 1st Infantry Division in 1935. Photo courtesy of the Philippine Army

units’ operational capability in conducting ground operations against current and emerging threats.”

The 1st Tank Battalion is equipped with newly acquired and upcoming assets such as the

Pandur 8x8 wheeled light tanks, a command vehicle, a recovery vehicle, and a tank gunnery simulator.

The contracts for the light tanks with a total amount of P9.4 billion were sealed under

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The World BusinessMirror

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Editor: Angel R. Calso • www.businessmirror.com.ph

China lockdowns to deal another supply-chain hit, PMA chief says D

US airlines say they’ve reached a turning point in recovery

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he US should brace for another surge in the supplychain crisis as manufacturers in Asia reopen their factories from Covid-19 lockdowns, causing new delays at American ports, the chief representative for West Coast port operators said.

There’s been a lull in trade flows as China has used strict lockdowns in cities and major trade hubs, including Shanghai, to curb a new wave of coronavirus cases. Once factories resume output they’ll be scrambling to fill orders, which could bog down US maritime hubs when they arrive, according to Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) President James McKenna.

“As the lockdown in China becomes a thing of the past, hopefully, you’ll see that surge start to pick up momentum again,” McKenna said in an interview at Bloomberg’s Los Angeles bureau on Thursday. “But by no stretch of the imagination do we think it’s over,” he said, referring to the supply-chain crunch. “In fact, we’re planning for this to go for the entire year.”

McKenna’s organization represents 70 carriers, terminal companies and other shipping firms operating at 29 West Coast ports, including the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach that are the No. 1 US gateway to trade from China.

The PMA speaks for employers in talks to hammer out a new labor contract for West Coast dockworkers that are set to start May 12 ahead of the current contract expiration on July 1.

Two years of record consumer spending have seen cargo loads hammer ports, particularly on the US West Coast, with delays and congestion, and workers are seen as having additional leverage as carriers have seen record profits in a tight market.

It takes an average of 111 days for goods to reach a warehouse in the US` from factories in Asia, the longest travel time since midFebruary and more than double the trip in 2019, according to

San Francisco -based f reightforwarder Flexport Inc. R ight now, roughly 40 cont a i ner sh ips a re wa it i ng of f the coast of southern California—compared with more than 100 during the height of the supply-chain crisis, McKenna said. In Shanghai, the world ’s largest port, hundreds of ships are lined up.

“The reality of the situation is that we’re just overwhelmed with cargo,” said McKenna, blaming problems across the entire logistics network, from trucking to warehousing, for causing cargo pile-ups at the terminals.

McKenna noted that supply chains haven’t changed much since the peak of the crisis last year, and said the lack of infrastructure may lead to new bottlenecks.

“There’s a lot of backlog still waiting to get out of China,” said McKenna. “It’s just all a big puzzle that has to come together.”

Bloomberg News

Expat bankers fleeing Hong Kong see no easy escape to Singapore

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ingapore should be the obvious winner from the gradual demise of Hong Kong as Asia’s top finance hub.

It’s not quite working out that way so far.

Stricter visa requirements, hiring restrictions and other bureaucratic roadblocks mean that the influx of bankers into Singapore from Hong Kong in recent months has been more of a trickle than a flood.

There are plenty of examples, though most firms are loathe to talk about them publicly. One European bank is classifying its office in the Marina Bay financial district as the backup center for Hong Kong to make it easier to move staff.

Another senior executive at a global firm said he’s feeling pressure to hire more local talent. Atlantic Partners Asia Capital, a money manager, is having second thoughts after shifting its head office to Singapore from Hong Kong.

“It’s harder to get people approved these days and this ‘hire local’ push is a real thing,” said Stephen Diggle, a former hedge fund manager who has lived in Singapore for two decades and now runs a family office.

“You can’t bring 40 people here because they wouldn’t get work permits.”

Singapore’s restrictions are forcing some firms to look further afield to move workers as rigid Covid-19 rules and the increasing influence of China lessens Hong Kong’s appeal for global finance. Some are returning to London or Sydney, while others are shifting to Dubai, drawn by the low-tax welcome mat.

Right time

This ought to be Singapore’s time to

shine. A four-hour flight south and on the same time zone as its larger competitor, Singapore has long jockeyed with Hong Kong to be Asia’s pre-eminent finance hub.

The city offers many of the same perks that Hong Kong’s well-heeled expatriates are used to—a tropical climate, good schools, low taxes, and easy connections to the rest of Asia.

Yet Singapore has been tightening up on foreign talent just as the exodus of financial professionals from the Chinese territory gathers pace, responding to voters’ concerns that foreigners are taking the best jobs.

Following its worst parliamentary showing since independence in the 2020 elections, the ruling party is looking to balance the country’s aspirations as a global business hub with a drive to ensure locals get more of the high-paying work.

Authorities recently introduced a series of dramatic changes in visa requirements for highly skilled foreigners, raising the minimum salary threshold and introducing a points system similar to the UK and Canada.

Under new rules announced last month, points will be awarded based on how the applicant’s nationality contributes to the diversity of their firm, in addition to education, skills and compensation. The state will also grant points if the company hires more local staff, part of an overhaul that goes into effect next year.

Expat salaries

In February, Singapore raised the minimum expat salary threshold for the second time in two years to encourage firms to hire more locals. Companies are expected to develop a “Singaporean Core” of talent,

and groom Singaporeans for leadership ranks. As recently as 2020, there were 1,200 companies on a watch list for a range of concerns, including having foreign workers make up more than half their workforce.

The country is also making it harder for rich foreigners to create family offices, raising the minimum bar for local assets under management and other conditions to get key tax concessions. In addition, dependents of foreign workers now need a company-sponsored visa to work in Singapore, removing a popular outlet for spouses of visa holders to find parttime jobs.

The moves appear to be having an impact: The number of visas issued to foreign professionals, managers and executives fell last year to 161,700—the fewest since at least 2010 as the tighter restrictions and the pandemic took their toll.

“If one wants to be a global hub, that means you need to attract the best and hence visas cannot be an issue,” said Tom Kirchmaier, professor at the Centre of Economic Performance at the London School of Economics.

The changing environment is prompting Atlantic Partners to rethink its decision to shift its head office to Singapore from Hong Kong, according to managing director Arv Sreedhar, who is weighing whether to return to the city-state after he builds out the firm’s European business.

“People with families who are a bit advanced in their careers are thinking, ‘what am I doing here?’ Why am I in a place which is unfriendly and unwelcoming?’” said Sreedhar, whose firm runs about $2 billion.

“It should have been the other way around,”

he said. “Singapore could have attracted all the talent from Hong Kong.”

Other companies are seeking workarounds. One executive at a European bank said his firm applied for short-term visas to move some employees from Hong Kong because they faced difficulty getting permits for longer stretches.

Some international banks and professional services firms have expressed frustration over the pressure to hire local staff at the junior level, where it can be hard to find appropriate skills, people familiar with the matter said. That’s been exacerbated by a labor shortage, which has dropped Singapore’s jobless rate to just 2.4%, less than half Hong Kong’s level.

Singapore officials insist the country is seeking to attract top-notch foreign workers under the new points system. Yet it wants to boost local employment at the same time.

“Singapore will remain open and welcoming—we must,” Lawrence Wong, who was tapped last week as the presumptive next prime minister told Parliament in September. “But those who do business here must also recognize the value of our workforce and abide by our rules.”

Speaking at the opening of vacuummaker Dyson Ltd.’s new headquarters last month, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged that being an open hub can be challenging.

“It is not easy to sustain this, particularly in an environment where there is every temptation, especially politically, to turn inwards and raise barriers,” Lee said. “But if we succumb to the temptation to close our doors, we will surely end up hurting ourselves.” Bloomberg News

ALLAS—US airlines say they have hit a turning point: After a lousy first quarter, they expect to be profitable as Americans return to travel in the biggest numbers since the start of the pandemic.

American Airlines is the latest carrier to give a rosy outlook for the rest of 2022. American said Thursday that although it lost $1.64 billion in the first quarter, sales hit a record in March, and the company expects to earn a profit in the second quarter.

“Demand is as strong as we have ever seen it,” American CEO Robert Isom told analysts.

American’s upbeat view echoed similar comments from Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, which both predicted in recent days that they will earn full-year profits despite big losses in the first quarter.

Air travel was subdued in January and February by the Omicron variant that caused an increase in Covid-19 cases among both travelers and airline employees.

But travelers came back in March, and airline executives believe that Americans are eager to travel this summer and won’t be discouraged by another, smaller uptick in coronavirus cases and higher airfares.

Industry officials attribute rising airfares to a combination of covering higher fuel costs, a limited number of flights compared with schedules before the pandemic, and strong demand.

“We are encouraged that indeed month to month we are seeing a greater increase in fares,” said Vasu Raja, American’s chief commercial officer. “We are seeing a lot of strength in the fare environment.”

The recovery is being powered by leisure travelers, but the airlines say they are seeing more business travelers.

American said overall business travel is 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels, dragged down by corporate travel, which is only 50 percent of 2019 levels. Isom said, however, that corporate bookings are the highest they have been since the start of the pandemic, “and we expect that to continue as more companies reopen their offices.”

Along with higher revenue, however, airlines face higher costs for fuel and labor. American’s fuel bill more than doubled from a year earlier, and payroll costs rose more than 15 percent.

Airlines struggled with a nascent recovery in travel last summer, as understaffing contributed to thousands of canceled flights. Now, facing a much bigger boom—the number of people going through checkpoints at US airports is up more than 50 percent from a year ago to 2.1 mil-

lion a day in April—it’s unclear whether airlines have done enough hiring to avoid bigger disruptions this summer.

A major challenge will be the limited supply of pilots, which could limit the ability of airlines to operate as many flights as they would like.

“The pilot shortage for the industry is real, and most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren’t enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years,” United CEO Scott Kirby told analysts Thursday.

American said it has hired 1,100 pilots since the start of last year.

Many of those came from smaller, regional airlines, leaving those carriers with shortages.

As a result, American will trim its American Eagle schedule in the second quarter.

American’s passenger-carrying capacity will also be lower than planned because deliveries of new Boeing 787 jets have been delayed by production problems at Boeing factories.

Isom said American would adjust its schedule to match the number of available planes and pilots.

He said American executives “have tremendous confidence” that the airline will operate smoothly through the summer.

American reported a bigger firstquarter loss than a year ago, when it lost $1.25 billion. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said that excluding special items it lost $2.32 a share, slightly better than the average forecast of an adjusted loss of $2.43 per share, according to a Zacks Investment Research survey.

Revenue rose to $8.9 billion.

Alaska Air Group, the parent of Alaska Airlines, said Thursday that it lost $143 million in the first quarter, compared with a $131 million loss a year earlier. Revenue more than doubled to $1.68 billion but was down 10percent from the same quarter in 2019.

The Seattle-based carrier forecast that second-quarter revenue will be 5 percent to 8 percent higher than in the same quarter of 2019.

After the market closed on Thursday, Chicago-based United Airlines Holdings reported Wednesday a $1.38 billion loss for the first quarter but said it expects to return to profitability in the April-to-June quarter. Revenue of $7.67 billion was up from a year ago but down 21 percent from early 2019, as the airline continues to run fewer flights than before the pandemic.

Shares of United rose 9 percent by the closing bell, while American gained 4 percent, Delta Air Lines added 3 percent, and Alaska was little changed. AP

Singapore’s Tharman warns of new era of shortages driving global inflation

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he world is entering a macroeconomic era of medium-term supply shortfalls that will require new large investments, according to the chairman of Singapore’s central bank.

“We have to confront the fact that we are not just dealing with immediate shocks in demand or supply,” when it comes to inflation, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said at a Boao Forum for Asia event on Friday. “But we are dealing with a fundamentally new macroeconomic environment globally.”

The recovery from the pandemic for many countries has hit a new challenge of surging inflation, driven by pent-up demand, higher commodities and stubborn supply chain snags.

Strong consumer price gains, which have hit the fastest since the early 1980s in US, are forcing policy makers to navigate between cooling inflation without tipping their economies into recession.

Tharman, who is also Singapore’s senior minister and an influential voice on global economics, was addressing the challenge of inflation and higher interest rates on a virtual panel with speakers including central bankers from China and Thailand.

On top of short-term supply and demand issues, the basic characteristic of this new era, Tharman said, is one of medium-term aggregate supply shortfalls, part of paying the price for underinvestment for many years in supply capacity.

Large investments are needed in transitional and renewable energy, connectivity, water resources, as well as human capital and education, he said.

Solving supply side problems in the medium term will require “a new global bargain,” which will include mobilizing and “de-risking” private capital to invest in emerging economies and raising taxes in both advanced and emerging economies. Bloomberg News

www.businessmirror.com.ph

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Saturday, April 23, 2022

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In handcuffs, under heavy guard, ex-Honduras president extradited to the US to face drug rap

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EGUCIGALPA, Honduras— Honduras extradited former President Juan Orlando Hernández to the United States on Thursday to face drug trafficking and weapons charges in a dramatic reversal for a leader once touted by US authorities as a key ally in the war on the drugs.

Just three months after leaving office, a handcuffed Hernández boarded an airplane with agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration bound for the United States, where he faces charges in the Southern District of New York.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Hernandez “abused his position as President of Honduras from 2014 through 2022 to operate the country as a narco-state.”

In court documents, US prosecutors alleged Hernandez was involved in a “corrupt and violent drug-trafficking conspiracy” that moved more than 550 tons of cocaine to the United States. He was charged with participating

in a drug trafficking conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Prosecutors charge that Hernandez received millions of dollars from drug cartels, including from notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. They alleged he used the money to finance his political campaigns and engaged in voter fraud in the 2013 and 2017 Honduran presidential elections.

“In return, drug traffickers in Honduras were allowed to operate with virtual impunity,” Garland said. “We allege that Hernández corrupted legitimate public insti-

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, center, is taken in handcuffs to a waiting aircraft as he is extradited to the United States, at an Air Force base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Honduras’ Supreme Court approved the extradition of Hernandez to the United States to face drug trafficking and weapons charges. AP

tutions in the country—including parts of the national police, military and national Congress.”

Hernández was arrested at his home in Tegucigalpa in February at the request of US authorities.

He was shackled and paraded in front of journalists, a sight many Hondurans never imagined seeing.

Honduras’ Supreme Court rejected his appeal of a judge’s decision in favor of extradition.

“Drug trafficking fuels violent crime and addiction; it devastates families, and it ravages communities,” Garland said. “The Justice

Department is committed to disrupting the entire ecosystem of drug trafficking networks that harm the American people, no matter how far or how high we must go.”

Hernández has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In a video message released Thursday, he said, “I am innocent; I have been and I am being unjustly subjected to prosecution.”

He has said he is the victim of drug traffickers he extradited who are now lying to seek revenge.

Henry Osorto Canales, a retired National Police commissioner who

is now an analyst, said that while the extradition was an embarrassment for Honduras, it was also a historic day.

“This is a start because it has begun with the largest political piece that the country had and logically the rest of the pieces are going to fall, at least those closest (to Hernández),” Osorto said.

US prosecutors have spent years building cases from low-level drug traffickers and local politicians to organized crime bosses who used their political connections and ties to drug trafficking cartels in Colombia and Mexico to move tons of cocaine to the United States.

Many of them testified about making payments to Hernández or one of his brothers, also a politician.

Her ná ndez’s brot her Tony Hernández, a former congressman, was sentenced to life in prison in the same US court on essentially the same charges.

Juan Orlando Hernández took office in January 2014 and held the presidency until this January, when Xiomara Castro was sworn in as his replacement. Castro campaigned on rooting out Honduras’ corruption and Hernández was seen as the largest target.

On Wednesday, Honduras’ Su-

preme Court denied an appeal from the former chief of the National Police, Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares, better known as “El Tigre” or “The Tiger.” He was arrested after Hernández at the request of US prosecutors on similar charges and is expected to be extradited in the coming weeks.

US prosecutors allege Bonilla assisted the movement of tons of cocaine through Honduras, working with Hernández and his brother Tony Hernández, both co-conspirators in the case in the Southern District of New York.

Hernández’s transport via helicopter under heavy guard from the police base where he was held to the airport Thursday was covered live by local television outlets.

Some Hondurans stood outside the airport’s perimeter fence to catch a glimpse of the former president boarding the plane with US authorities. When Hernández’s plane took off some were seen jumping in celebration.

Thousands of their countrymen emigrated from the country during Hernández’s administration, often shouting “Get out JOH!” using his initials as they walked north.

They frequently complained of a lack of job opportunities and gang violence. AP

Tensions over race, religion US envoy blasts China’s support for Russia, pledges to help India in France’s presidential race A

P

ARIS—From attacks on “wokeism” to crackdowns on mosques, France’s presidential campaign has been especially challenging for voters of immigrant heritage and religious minorities, as discourse painting them as “the other” has gained ground across a swath of French society.

French voters head to polls on Sunday in a runoff vote between centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron and nationalist rival Marine Le Pen, wrapping up a campaign that experts have seen as unusually dominated by discriminatory discourse and proposals targeting immigration and Islam.

With Le Pen proposing to ban Muslim headscarves in public, women like 19-yearold student Naila Ouazarf are in a bind.

“I want a president who accepts me as a person,” said Ouazarf, clad in a beige robe and matching head covering. She said she would defy the promised law should Le Pen become president and pay a fine, if necessary.

Macron attacked Le Pen on the headscarf issue during their presidential debate Wednesday, warning it could stoke “civil war.”

In the first-round vote, far-right candidates Le Pen and Eric Zemmour together collected nearly a third of votes. An elementary school teacher in the ethnically diverse Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Thursday described pupils who are “scared to death” because of the campaign.

Le Pen’s National Rally party, formerly called the National Front, has a history of ties with neo-Nazis, Holocaust deniers and militias that opposed Algeria’s war for independence from colonial France. Le Pen has distanced herself from that past and softened her public image.

But a top priority of her election program is to prioritize French citizens over immigrants for welfare benefits, a move that critics see as institutionalizing discrimination. Le Pen also wants to ban Muslim women from wearing headscaves in public, to toughen asylum rules and to sharply curtail immigration.

She has gained ground among voters since 2017, when she lost badly to Macron. This time around, Le Pen has put a greater emphasis on policies to help the working poor.

Saint-Denis student Yanis Benahmed,

20, said he was unconvinced by the candidate’s attempt to broader her appeal.

“We live in this city, and we know exactly how things are, the kind of people you have here,” he said. Le Pen “wants to ‘clean’ everything. With everything she’s said and her family history, we know exactly what her plan is. And Zemmour didn’t make it any better.”

The rabble-rousing Zemmour, who placed fourth in the first-round vote, boosted Le Pen’s popularity by making her seem softer. He has multiple convictions for inciting racial or religious hatred in France.

Zemmour also has promoted the baseless “great replacement” conspiracy theory, used as justification by the white supremacists who committed massacres in New Zealand’s Christchurch and in El Paso, Texas, and attacked a California synagogue.

“Eric Zemmour’s presence placed the issue (of Islam and immigration) on the side of aggressive and violent stigmatization,” Cecile Alduy, a Stanford semiologist who has studied Zemmour’s language, told The Associated Press.

“Meanwhile, there is a decline in humanist values: words such as equality, human rights, fight against discrimination, or gender are qualified as politically correct or ‘wokeism’ by a large swath of media, public intellectuals, and ministers of the current government.”

For some experts and anti-racist groups in France, Macron, too, is at fault for the current climate. His administration has adopted legislation and language that echoes some far-right mottos in hopes of eating into Le Pen’s support.

Racial profiling and police brutality targeting people of color, which activists in France have long decried, have also remained a concern. During Macron’s presidency, France saw repeated protests against police violence after George Floyd, a Black American, died at the hands of police in the US. Also under Macron’s watch, France passed a law against terrorism that enshrined in common law a state of emergency imposed after the deadly 2015 attacks on the Bataclan theater, Paris cafes and Charlie Hebdo newspaper. AP

senior US diplomat again warned China of sanctions if it offers “material support” for Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, while also pledging to help India end its dependence on Russian weapons.

China wasn’t helping the situation in Ukraine by doing things like amplifying Russian disinformation campaigns, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said at an event in Brussels on Thursday.

She said she hoped Beijing would learn the “right lessons” from Russia’s war, including that it can’t separate the US

from its allies.

“They have seen what we have done in terms of sanctions, export controls, designations, vis-a-vis Russia, so it should give them some idea of the menu from which we could choose if indeed China were to provide material support,” Sherman told a crowd at an event hosted by the group Friends of Europe, which is co-funded by the European Union.

Sherman also said the US would work with India to help the country move away from its traditional reliance on Russian weapons, given the impact global sanctions are having

Mark Carney says Putin’s war is making climate fight harder

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ark Carney, the former Bank of England governor, said Russia’s war on Ukraine and a deepening energy crisis would lead to a near-term increase in the financing of fossil fuels and a rise in greenhouse gas emissions.

The comments by Carney, who is now vice chair of Brookfield Asset Management and the co-chair of a global alliance that’s promised to end financed emissions, show that efforts to fight climate change are being complicated as geopolitical turmoil sets the agenda for capital flows.

“One of the things that’s going to happen is that because of Russia’s unjustified invasion and the response to that, there is going to be more investment in fossil fuels and financing of fossil fuels in the near term,” Carney said in an interview Thursday from the International Monetary Fund’s spring meeting in Washington. “Near-term there’s more emissions; this situation makes the job harder.”

Banks have so far been reluctant to acknowledge they’ll need to shelve their nearterm climate goals in response to the war.

Putin’s belligerence has turned Russia into an international pariah, with the West urgently trying to wean itself off the country’s oil, gas and coal.

That’s put pressure on other producers to ratchet up supplies, in a development that threatens to raise emissions at the worst possible time for the climate. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently issued a stark alert that the world’s emissions must peak immediately to have a shot at keeping the temperature from rising more than 1.5° Celsius.

It’s been a year since Carney unveiled the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, a coalition of the biggest names in

banking, investing and insurance that’s pledged to eliminate portfolio emissions.

Over that same period, banks have provided more than $600 billion in capital to oil, coal and gas producers, roughly unchanged from the previous year, according to Bloomberg data. And major asset managers still hold about $550 billion in fossil-fuel developers, an analysis by Reclaim Finance shows.

Those figures don’t capture the full picture of the transition work that’s under way, according to Carney. But he also said that capital flows into renewable energy remain well below where they need to be.

“The brutal reality” is that financing for clean energy sources is only one-third of the level it needs to reach, he said.

Convened by the United Nations, GFANZ comprises seven groups spanning all corners of the financial industry.

Signatories representing a combined $130 trillion in assets must commit to use science-based guidelines to document their path toward net-zero carbon emissions, and to provide 2030 interim goals. Michael R. Bloomberg, the owner and founder of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP, has been co-chair of GFANZ together with Carney since November.

The disconnect between the proliferation of net-zero pledges and the continued flow of cash into fossil-fuel producers last month prompted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint an expert group to police the net-zero movement.

And the Science Based Targets initiative is now planning to withhold net-zero certification from banks and asset managers that don’t meet deadlines to cut the flow of capital to fossil-fuel production.

Bloomberg News

on Russia’s arms industry.

“They understand that their military, which was built on Russian weapons, probably doesn’t have a future with Russian weapons anymore because our sanctions have pulled back the military-industrial complex of Russia—and it’s not coming back anytime soon,” she said.

China said this week it plans to continue strengthening strategic ties with Russia, showing the relationship remains solid despite growing concerns over war crimes committed by Putin’s forces. At the same time, Chinese companies have been

complying with US sanctions even though the government opposes them on grounds of sovereignty.

India has largely taken the same view as China on the war, supporting calls for a cease-fire and diplomatic solution while abstaining at the United Nations on votes for draft resolutions condemning Russia.

The administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who spoke with President Joe Biden earlier this month, has told the US it needs Russian weapons to secure its border with China and the alternatives are too expensive. Bloomberg News

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The World BusinessMirror

Saturday, April 23, 2022

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Shanghai deaths rise as city vows to enforce stricter pandemic curbs

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hanghai vowed to step up enforcement of lockdown measures to stamp out community spread in the country’s worst virus outbreak, as the city reported 11 Covid-19 deaths on Thursday—its highest one-day toll so far.

Disappointing some expectations that restrictions would be gradually eased amid signs that the outbreak may have peaked, the municipal government said it would adopt nine actions from Friday to achieve the goal of “no community spread,” a milestone that’s eluded the city despite weeks of lockdown.

The pledge largely reiterated existing lockdown measures in place, with a vow to strictly implement rules like making sure people don’t leave their homes in restricted areas. In recent days, lockdown fatigue has seen a loosening of enforcement, with people slipping outside for fresh air, exercise and to walk their pets.

“At present, the epidemic situation is still very serious, and the

prevention and control work is at a critical moment,” the government said in a statement.

The reinvigorated lockdown comes as Covid fatalities begin to mount in the financial hub.

Thursday’s record count added to an overall death toll of 36.

W hile still far lower than what other countries are recording, it’s the most virus-related loss of life China has seen in over two years.

The number of severely and critically ill patients also grew to 184 on Thursday, following a tripling the day before, reflecting the vulnerability of an elderly population that’s only about 62 percent vaccinated. With an average age of 84.2, the people who died Thursday all had severe un-

derlying conditions such as heart and liver disease, said the city, and only one was vaccinated.

Despite declines for five consecutive days this week, the number of new daily cases continues to hover close to the 20,000 level, at 17,629 on Thursday. More pressing for city officials is that nearly 3 percent of new cases are still being found in the community, with the rest detected already in quarantine—at government-designated facilities or locked-down buildings in housing compounds.

China requires zero community spread before it considers an outbreak contained.

With residents frustrated by weeks of lockdown, implementation of movement restrictions had loosened in recent weeks. In some housing compounds where people are meant to be strictly confined to their homes, residents have been seen walking their dogs or taking strolls at night. Children have also been seen roller-skating in some neighborhoods.

The renewed pledge indicate that these small freedoms will now be taken away, deepening the misery for a population that’s been mired in a logistical nightmare, with uneven access to food supply and medical treatment.

Residents in some districts have

also complained about moldy foods or issues with the packaging of food that had been distributed by the government to compounds still in lockdown.

The simmering anger has led to some of the strongest anti-government criticism in years, though top officials continue to defend their Covid Zero approach, a strategy only China and Hong Kong practice in a world that’s adjusted to living with the virus.

The crisis in what was previously China’s most open and sophisticated city is leading to a departure of some expatriates and global businesses. China also maintains strict travel curbs nationwide as part of its efforts to keep out the virus.

British companies are delaying investment decisions in China, said John Edwards, UK trade commissioner to China, in a Bloomberg TV interview on Friday.

“The longer that this goes on, the frustrations are continuing to grow,” he said. “There has been some easing of internal logistics.

There has been some resumption, as you just said, of operations on the ground. But again, the uncertainty about how long this will continue, and in what form, continues to impact business confidence.”

Bloomberg News

Britain to offer next-gen defense weapons to India N

EW DELHI—British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to help move India away from its dependence on Russia by expanding economic and defense ties when he meets with his Indian counterpart Friday, officials said.

Johnson is also expected to bring up the situation in Ukraine during talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Our relations have never been as strong or as good between us as they are now,’’ Johnson told reporters at a ceremonial reception in the forecourt of the presidential palace in New Delhi on Friday.

Soon after his arrival in India on Thursday, Johnson said he was aware of the close ties that India and Russia have shared.

“We have to reflect that reality. But clearly, I’ll be talking about it to Narendra Modi,” he told reporters in Ahmedabad, the capital of western Gujarat state, where he landed.

Modi has called the situation in Ukraine “very worrying” and has appealed to both sides for peace. While India has condemned the killings of civilians in Ukraine, it has so far not criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, and abstained when the UN General Assembly voted this month to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.

Modi has also responded coolly to pressure from US President Joe Biden and others to curb imports of Russian oil in response to the invasion.

Johnson said in a statement Friday, “The

world faces growing threats from autocratic states which seek to undermine democracy, choke off free and fair trade and trample on sovereignty.”

“Our collaboration on the issues that matter to both our countries, from climate change to energy security and defense, is of vital importance as we look to the future,’’ he said.

A British High Commission statement on Friday said Britain is expected to offer next-generation defense and security collaboration across five domains—land, sea, air, space and cyber—to face complex new threats.

This includes support for new Indiandesigned and -built fighter jets, offering the best of British know-how on building

aircraft. Britain will also seek to support India’s requirements for new technology to identify and respond to threats in the Indian Ocean, the statement said.

Johnson will also discuss with Modi new cooperation on clean and renewable energy, aimed at supporting India’s energy transition away from imported oil and increasing its resilience through secure and sustainable energy, and addressing climate change in both Britain and India, the statement added.

India receives relatively little of its oil from Russia, but ramped up purchases recently because of discounted prices. India is a major buyer of Russian weapons, and recently purchased advanced Russian air defense systems. AP

Biden’s election year challenge: Blame GOP for nation’s woes

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ASHINGTON—President Joe Biden has an election-year message for frustrated voters: At least he’s trying.

For those who think he isn’t doing enough to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion, Biden announced $800 million in new military support on Thursday. To ease the pain of high gas prices, he’s tapped the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and reopened onshore sales of oil and natural gas leases on public land. And to address historic inflation, Biden has tried to smooth out supply chain-crimping bottlenecks at the nation’s ports.

The President hopes the moves, which are being announced in near-daily rollouts and in a stepped up travel schedule, will present a contrast with Republicans—who, he argues, spend more time complaining about problems than proposing solutions.

“I mean this sincerely—name me something the national Republican Party is for,” Biden said at a recent Democratic National Committee meeting.

But it’s not clear he’s attracting much support. A new poll by The Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds just 45 percent of Americans approve and 54 percent disapprove of how Biden is handling the presidency.

The approval rate in the poll taken from April 14 to 18 is about the same as last month, but down from the president’s 63 percent approval rating a year ago.

There are bright spots for Biden.

Applications for unemployment benefits have fallen to the lowest levels in decades and wages are rising. The economy is growing after the pandemic-induced doldrums.

Still, with crime rates rising in some

parts of the country and inflation at its highest levels since 1981, these don’t feel like boom times to many. Seventy percent of Americans call the nation’s economy poor.

Further, just 33 percent say they approve and 66 percent say they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy, with about a third of Democrats, along with almost all Republicans, disapproving.

Primary elections that begin next month will help show whether Democrats are embracing Biden’s vision of a moderate party that counters the increasingly far-right GOP. In Ohio, Rep. Tim Ryan is well positioned to win the Democratic nomination for an open Senate seat with a message appealing to centrist, blue collar workers that is in line with Biden’s overall approach. But in the president’s native state of Pennsylvania, moderate Conor Lamb could be in a tight Senate primary against the more progressive John Fetterman.

Biden has suggested that one way to address his political challenges is to get on the road and make the case directly to voters about the impact of his administration’s policies.

He has increased his domestic travel lately to promote a $1 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure package that cleared Congress last fall. Biden has visited Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Oregon since last week, and is in Seattle on Friday.

But some top Democrats running for office aren’t clamoring for the president’s help. Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke says he has no interest in national Democratic figures visiting his state as he now runs for governor. Florida Rep. Val Demings, as she campaigns for Senate, was non-comital

about Biden’s help, as was Ryan.

“My philosophy is like: I’m running. I’m the candidate. I don’t need any validators,” Ryan said at the Knox County Democratic Party office in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Nearby stood cardboard cutouts of Obama and Hillary Clinton. There wasn’t one of Biden, though there was a campaign sign bearing his name outside.

Asked if appearing with Biden could be damaging, Ryan was unusually blunt. “I don’t know,” he said. “I really don’t.”

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris nevertheless plan on boosting US trips in coming weeks, as well as stepping up their fundraising on behalf of the Democratic Party, according to administration officials and allies. But most of their activity is likely to take place in the late summer and early fall—after primaries are concluded and as voters will have their choice at the ballot box laid out for them.

Some in the administration have pressed for Biden and Democrats to draw a stronger contrast with Republicans, for instance arguing that the president should be more forcefully highlight a new study that Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to introduce redundant inspections on truck travel cost the US economy $9 billion in 10 days.

At a Thursday Democratic fundraiser at a yacht club in Portland, Oregon, Biden predicted that Democrats would add two seats in November to secure a 52-48 Senate majority.

“The far right’s taken over that party,” he said of Republicans. “And it’s not even conservative in a traditional sense of conservatism. It’s mean. It’s ugly.”

But trying to blame the other side amid mounting problems can have its limitations.

Democrat Terry McAuliffe attempted to make last year’s Virginia governor’s race a referendum on the dangers of modern day GOP—even branding Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin “Trump in a sweater vest.”

McAuliffe lost in a state Biden had carried by 10 points barely a year earlier.

Some who would otherwise be the White House’s fiercest allies say it’ll be up to Biden to energize voters ahead of November— regardless of what Republicans do.

“He’s not an effective communicator,” said Wes Bellamy, founder of Our Black Party, which advocates for issues to strengthen African American communities.

The president “speaks in a tone that doesn’t really resonate with much of his base and I don’t think they do a good enough job of being active on the ground,” Bellamy said.

Adding to the challenge is the fact that, when the President addresses one problem, he may prompt another. Some of what the administration has done to tame prices at the pump, for instance, run counter to Biden’s promises about combating climate change—especially after his signature social spending bill, “Build Back Better,” collapsed in Congress.

“His midterm strategy with respect to the environment is pretty underwhelming and not likely to work,” said Brett Hartl, chief political strategist at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund.

Hartl said Americans, particularly young ones who backed Biden in 2020 thinking he’d help make the country dramatically greener, are now disillusioned with “a really steady trail of defeats on the climate crisis.” AP

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, poses with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a photo inside the Peace House at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone, South Korea on April 27, 2018. The leaders of the rival Koreas have exchanged letters expressing hope for improved bilateral relations, which plummeted in the past three years amid a freeze in nuclear negotiations and North Korea’s accelerating weapons development. Korea Summit Press Pool via AP

Leaders of 2 Koreas exchange letters of hope amid tensions

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EOUL, South Korea—The leaders of the rival Koreas exchanged letters expressing hope for improved bilateral relations, which plummeted in the past three years amid a freeze in nuclear negotiations and North Korea’s accelerating weapons development.

North Korea’s state media said leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday received a personal letter from outgoing South Korean President Moon Jae-in and replied on Thursday with his own letter appreciating Moon’s peace efforts during his term.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Friday their exchange of letters showed their “deep trust.”

Experts say North Korea’s announcement of the letters, which came as Kim possibly prepares for a nuclear test and other major provocations, is aimed at dividing public opinion in South Korea and discouraging Seoul’s new government from taking a hard line toward Pyongyang after its inauguration in May. KCNA said Moon told Kim he would continue to campaign for Korean reunification even after he leaves office next month, basing his efforts on their joint declarations for peace issued after their summit meetings in 2018.

Kim and Moon shared views that “inter-Korean relations would improve and develop as desired and anticipated by the (Korean) nation if the (North and the South) make tireless efforts with hope,” KCNA said.

Moon’s office confirmed the exchange of letters shortly after KCNA’s report, but spent hours before releasing its version of what was said, which indicated that the North didn’t coordinate with Seoul before announcing the exchange.

KCNA’s report wasn’t published on the North’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, read by its domestic audience, showing that the message was intended for the South.

According to Seoul, Moon in his letter to Kim acknowledged setbacks in inter-Korean relations but insisted that their aspirational vows for peace during their summits in 2018 and an accompanying military agreement aimed at defusing border area clashes remain relevant as a foundation for future cooperation.

Moon also expressed hope for a resumption of nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang and for Kim to pursue cooperation with Seoul’s next government led by conservative President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, Moon’s spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said.

While sending a letter to the North’s leader is a courtesy as the South’s leaves office, analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the South’s private Sejong Institute said, the North publicized the personal exchange with an aim to create division in South Korea ahead of a government change.

“Considering indications that North Korea is preparing for its seventh nuclear test, it’s questionable whether it was appropriate for President Moon to send a letter to Chairman Kim to express his warm greetings,’’ Cheong said.

Yoon, who takes office on May 10, has harshly described Moon’s foreign policy for being “subservient” toward North Korea and said he wouldn’t pursue “talks for talks’ sake.”

He has vowed to strengthen South Korea’s defense in conjunction with its alliance with the United States, which he says would include enhancing preemptive strike capabilities and anti-missile systems to deter North Korean attacks.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen since a series of North Korean weapons tests this year, including its first flight-test of an intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 in March, reviving the nuclear brinkmanship aimed at forcing the US to accept it as a nuclear power and to remove crippling sanctions.

South Korea’s military has also detected signs that North Korea is rebuilding tunnels at a nuclear testing ground it partially dismantled weeks before Kim’s first meeting with then-President Donald Trump in June 2018, a possible indicator that the country is preparing to resume nuclear explosive tests.

Staking his single presidential term on inter-Korean rapprochement, Moon met Kim three times in 2018 and lobbied hard to help set up Kim’s meetings with Trump.

But the diplomacy never recovered from the collapse of the second Kim-Trump meeting in 2019 in Vietnam, where the Americans rejected North Korea’s demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for dismantling an aging nuclear facility, which would have amounted to a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.

Kim has since vowed to bolster his nuclear deterrent to counter “gangster-like” US pressure and sped up his weapons development despite limited resources and pandemic-related difficulties.

North Korea also severed all cooperation with Moon’s government while expressing anger over the continuation of US-South Korea military exercises, which were curtailed in recent years to promote diplomacy with the North, and Seoul’s inability to wrest concessions from Washington on its behalf.

Analysts say North Korea is likely to escalate its weapons demonstrations in coming weeks or months to force a reaction from the Biden administration, which has been focused on Russia’s war on Ukraine andzwzzz a rivalry with China.

Biden’s special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, traveled to Seoul this week for meetings with senior South Korean officials and said they agreed on the need for a strong response to counter North Korea’s “destabilizing behavior.”

After maintaining a conciliatory tone for years, Moon’s government objected more strongly to North Korea’s weapons tests this year, criticizing Kim’s government for ending its self-imposed suspension of long-range missile testing and urging a return to diplomacy.

Seoul has also accused North Korea of destroying South Koreanowned facilities at the North’s Diamond Mountain resort where they ran tours together until 2008. Kim in 2019 called the South Korean facilities there “shabby” and ordered them destroyed, though the work was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. AP

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DOH-9 alarmed over low vax rate among seniors

By Teofilo Garcia Jr.

of sickness, have not yet reached 70 percent,” Rivera said during the “Kapihan sa Zamboanga.”

She underscored the importance of making it easier for senior citizens to avail themselves of the vaccines, noting that some of them might not be able to go out of the house.

Overall, Rivera said the 2,072,396 fully vaccinated individuals in the region represent 66.9 percent of the target population.

She also encouraged residents to get the booster shot as only 257,933 of the total fully vaccinated individuals from different priority groups, including children, have received their booster dose.

The DOH 19 official said the region posted 95.7 percent recovery or 57,572 individuals who recovered from Covid-19 since the start of the health pandemic in March 2020.

Rivera said the region currently has 59 active cases, and 2,485 deaths since March 2020. PNA

Z

AMBOANGA CITY—An official of the Department of Health in the Zamboanga Peninsula (DOH-9) is alarmed over the 60-percent vaccination rate among senior citizens in the region, saying the figure should be higher considering they are a vulnerable population.

Dr. Lenny Joy Johnson-Rivera, DOH-9 assistant director, said Wednesday at least 196,891 senior citizens in the region are fully vaccinated, comprising 60 percent of the target for the age group.

Rivera said DOH-9 has ramped up its vaccination program through the house-to-house inoculation with focus on senior citizens who are vulnerable to Covid-19 infection.

“We are alarmed that the full vaccination of senior citizens, who are a vulnerable population since they can easily get infected with any kind

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, April 23, 2022

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4th Covid dose for seniors, other vulnerable sectors approved: NTF

By Lade Jean Kabagani

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ANILA—The National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 and the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) are preparing the logistics for the rollout of the fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose or the second booster for senior citizens, those with comorbidities, and medical frontliners.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the emergency use authorization of the second booster dose for vulnerable populations that include the elderly and people with comorbidities.

In a prerecorded Talk to the People aired late Monday night, NTF chief Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said they are just waiting for a “positive recommendation” from the Health Technology Assess-

AN elderly woman gets her booster shot in Angeles, Pampanga, in this photo taken on January 31, 2022. The fourth coronavirus vaccine dose for senior citizens and medical frontliners could take place by end of April, the Department of Health said. PHOTO BY THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF ANGELES

ment Council on the administration of the second booster.

“The FDA has already approved the administration of fourth dose or

the second booster,” Galvez reported to President Duterte.

He noted that the Department of Health and NVOC are crafting the guidelines and protocols for the rollout.

NVOC Chairman Dr. Myrna Cabotaje earlier stressed that the vulnerable population must avail themselves of booster shots as immunity wanes over time.

Galvez said they are aiming to improve the administration of first booster shots to at least 40 million adults and 10 million children aged 12 to 17.

So far, only 12,641,887 Filipinos or 17.52 percent out of 66.9 million fully vaccinated have received the first booster dose.

Meanwhile, the government still needs to provide protection to some 1.8 million unvaccinated senior citizens. PNA

Nursing home care in US, funding system need overhaul, report says

By Matt Sedensky AP National Writer

N

EW YORK—Nursing home residents are subjected to ineffective care and poor staffing, while facility finances are shrouded in secrecy and regulatory lapses go unenforced, according to a recent report that called for wholesale changes in an industry whose failures have been spotlighted by the pandemic.

To anyone who saw the scourge of Covid-19 on the country’s most vulnerable, the findings of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine might seem sobering but unsurprising, as the long-term care system’s inadequacies were made plain by more than 150,000 resident deaths. The authors of the 605-page report insist it could be an impetus to address issues that have gotten little more than lip service for decades.

“The public is so concerned about the quality of care that most people really fear their family having to be in a nursing home,” said

A WOMAN holds onto the walker once belonging to her mother who died of Covid-19 while at a nursing home, as her family prays before Thanksgiving dinner, November 26, 2020, in Deer Park, New York. A sobering study out on April 6, 2022, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is calling for wholesale changes in the US long-term care system in the wake of more than 150,000 resident Covid-19 deaths. AP PHOTO/JOHN MINCHILLO

Betty Ferrell, a nurse who chaired the report committee. “We’re very optimistic that our government officials will respond to what has really been a travesty.”

The report covers a vast cross-

section of long-term care, from granular details such as the way facilities are designed to foundational issues that would require massive political capital and investment to address. Among them: the authors

‘Lolo’ caught inside a videoke bar

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

Webber musical “Phantom of the Opera ”where the mysterious masked impresario repeatedly commands the young diva to sing towards the highest note, it seems to me that something or someone unseen is goading each of these old folks to come up to the spotlight to sing their hearts out, to lose themselves in the fervor of the

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HERE do seniors go while waiting for the final bell?

What do they do as they face the final curtain? I know where some of them go. They congregate in a videoke bar in a mall somewhere in Mandaluyong City to sing their hearts out.

Remember that popular song about Annie Batungbakal, a retail salesgirl by day and a disco queen by night? In a way these folks are living a double life: Frank Sinatra or Martin Nievera by day, Tatay Berto by night, Peggy Lee or Sarah Geronimo in the morning, Lola Vina in the afternoon.

Every day, seven days a week, patrons from ages 50 to late 70 come here, get their names listed down, and then sit in the chairs, patiently waiting for their turn to go to the center of the room, hold the mic and sing the songs they had pre-selected, P5 for each song.

It’s a videoke bar but no food or drinks are served here; just a spacious room, practically bare, with nothing

but plastic chairs on both sides of the room and a lone videoke screen and player at the front center. There’s a song by Anita Bryant called “My little corner of the world.” That’s what it is, a seniors’ singing club in a little corner of the world.

Just like the scene in the Lloyd-

moment. They may be singers but they’re no longer young and there’s no actual spotlight, except in their minds.

What is it in videoke singing that makes these folks come day after day to this place rather than stay at home, watch TV, prepare

advocate for creating a new national long-term care system that would exist outside of Medicaid, the program that is at the center of most long-term care financing.

The likelihood of such a proposal successfully winding its way through Congress seems low in the current political climate. The most recent federal attempt to reform long-term care financing was a voluntary longterm care insurance program known as the CLASS Act. It was included in the Affordable Care Act but later repealed when the Obama administration found it unworkable.

“It has been a long time since we as a country have been wanting to dig in and reform how we finance, pay, regulate and deliver nursing home services,” said David Grabowski, a nursing home expert and Harvard Medical School professor who served on the report committee.

The industry’s biggest lobbying groups insisted reforms must be met by increased government funding.

The American Health Care Association said “what we cannot support are unfunded mandates.”

meals, repair the leaking roof or even make a living?

Singing is like an elixir they crave and their daily trips here bring out the other personality that somehow makes real their respective daydreams and fantasies.

Even I who is blasé about these things can see that once the next performer begins to sing, his self becomes fully vested in it.

We all know, of course, that music has the power to evoke an emotional response within us, but it’s even truer with the act of performing music such as singing. It is said to release happy hormones called endorphins. This is why one feels so good when singing. In this one corner of the universe, the performer is able to disconnect with the news and to let the endorphins flow.

Videoke singing may also be therapeutic and restorative with the release of endorphins in the body. And there’s no pressure.

Nobody gets booed here for atrocious singing. No Simon Cowell to critique a performance. Every performer gets duly applauded. After all, this is not a talent competition. At the end of the day, each of these elderly performers probably goes home feeling happier, more relaxed, and convivial.

Beyond the self, there’s the palpable sense of community.

This is because it’s a convergence point, akin to the “tindahan sa kanto” or the big tree in the vil-

Katie Smith Sloan, who leads LeadingAge, which represents nonprofit nursing homes, called the report “a piercing wake-up call” about an industry “in desperate need of an overhaul,” but likewise said the success of remaking the system would depend on how funding issues are addressed.

“As policymakers consider how to enact the report’s recommendations, they must back their actions with sufficient funding to make changes a reality,” she said. “Without that, the committee’s work will be for naught.”

On the issue of nursing home staffing, which advocates have repeatedly said is too low, too untrained and too underpaid, the report’s authors called for facilities to have at least one registered nurse on duty at all times and for an infection prevention and control specialist and social worker to also be on staff.

More broadly, across all staffing in homes, including nurse aides who make up the bulk of front-line caregivers, the authors called for additional study on optimal staffing. lage square and even a second home to some. Here they make new friends or sometimes a new lover as one old lady unabashedly confessed to me.

It also serves as a support network that’s non-threatening, nonjudgmental. “Magulo sa bahay” (“no peace and quiet at home”), says one. “Lagi kaming nag-aaway o nagtatalo. Dito masaya.” (My partner likes to pick a fight. Here it’s a happy place.)

One is among friends in whose company everyone is comfortable to be able to say things he or she cannot say at home. They freely talk about theirpresentandpastandfindaready listeningeartotheircurrentconcerns andevendalliances.Oldfolksareonly too predisposed to tell their stories to anyone willing to listen.

Of course, the songs play a large role in building camaraderie.

Many select songs that they know well will also resonate within the room. The emotional connection to these songs is what keeps those present engaged.

The choice of a song can sometimes be self-revealing as when a 60-plus-year-old lady had tears running down her face as she sang “The Winner Takes It All”

by ABBA. I’m sure, there’s a backstory we don’t know. Truth to tell, that place is a treasury of colorful and insightful stories that can be mined by any perceptive writer.

I’m sure there’s a lot of history

Industry lobbyists have fiercely fought against more stringent staffing requirements. Federal law only requires nursing homes to have sufficient staff to meet residents’ needs, but nearly all interpretation of what that means is left to states. President Joe Biden, too, has called for establishing national staffing minimums.

Among the more routine subjects in the report, but one that nonetheless impacts residents’ everyday lives, the authors call for homes to prioritize private rooms and bathrooms instead of the communal ones that can fuel infections and underscore the institutional setting. And in a blunt reminder of how bleak life in nursing homes can be, the report notes most residents spend “little if any time outdoors,” calling for facilities to make outside access more accessible.

The proposals, Grabowski said, have the potential to improve the days of residents who, even when they are having their basic medical needs met, are frequently lacking in other areas of their lives.

too, for these aged folks embody a past that is now vanishing. Come to think of it, that room represents a peculiar subculture that will whet the interest of any sociology major looking for a subject for her college thesis.

Seriously, aside from building more homes for the aged, we should open more of these kinds of videoke nooks for seniors all over the city. It would be a great rejuvenating and healing space even for the elderly who are not into singing.

Later on, it dawned on me that nobody sang the inevitable videoke staple “My Way.” Was it because no one wanted to mouth such words as “the end is near, and I face the final curtain?” Understandably. It would probably have dampened the ebullient mood in the room.

Maybe choosing not to sing that song is a statement.

All their life until now, many of them didn’t get to step on center stage or get to be the center of attention. For people who don’t regularly get a chance to adequately express themselves, singing in front of strangers in a roomful of people can be the next best thing; an exciting way to own their individual voices.

In the pre-departure lounge of their lives, they prefer to sing passionately against being forgotten too soon.

I’m still here. My mic. My song.

My life.

Education BusinessMirror

A10 Saturday, April 23, 2022

Editor: Mike Policarpio

Japan equips ‘last-mile’ schools with ed-tech tools thru DepEd

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HE Education Department recently received learning gadgets and connectivity items courtesy of Japan.

On April 12 Japanese minister for economic affairs Masahiro Nakata virtually handed over 3,500 Android tablets and 21 Wi-Fi localarea network sets with solar-powered batteries to the Department of Education (DepEd), which were procured under the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR).

Nakata commended the continuous efforts of DepEd in addressing urgent issues concerning the education system in the Philippines greatly affected by the pandemic, as he reassured Japan’s commitment in assisting Filipino

UST faculty member creates app for literacy projects in sustainable agri under UNESCO

ESTRELLA

U

NIVERSITY of Santo Tomas’ College of Information and Computing Sciences faculty member Assoc. Prof.

Noel Estrella recently developed a web application that will provide content and information management for a number of projects and events of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as applied in his hometown of Barangay Batia in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Estrella’s Sustainable Organic Agricultural Project, or “SOAP,” enables various stakeholders to upload relevant and timely digital content that eventually will enhance research databases and search engines. It also finds practical use in the fields of education, government, finance, health, and e-commerce, serving as repository for videos, images and files in easy-to-retrieve models and modules.

The application can also function as a content-management system that facilitates seamless data processing and input from several end users. Additional functions allow users to receive notifications from new ones, as well as updates from projects and messages.

It can also renew the profile of the administrator, team lead and other identified members; upload documents, charts, pictures and videos for project updates; record and view all projects and events of family literacy team of different countries which include articles, pictures, documents, and videos; and allow guest users to view events of the family literacy team.

Estrella published his research article in the International Journal of Economics, Commerce, and Management in its December 2021 issue.

students and teachers “to the best of its ability.”

According to him, “the education sector has been one of the top priorities of our bilateral official development assistance and our collaboration with multilateral donors such as the Asian Development Bank [ADB].”

The minister also cited the Philippines and Japan’s shared belief in education as the foundation of nation-building; thus, making it accessible to all is a must. He hoped that the donation will effectively help the department address inequalities in the education system,

MAYOR Jaime Fresnedi (front row, fifth from left), with Muntinlupa-based Bar exams passers

HANDOVER ceremony of the learning equipment EMBASSY OF JAPAN FB

pre- and post-pandemic.

The ADB hosted the event through Principal Country Specialist Alain Morel, and was attended by DepEd representatives: undersecretaries Tonisito Umali and Nepomuceno Malaluan, partner-organizations such as the Philippine Business for Social Progress, Edukasyon.ph, NIRAS Consulting, as well as beneficiaries

from Schools Division Offices in Abra, Kalinga, Bohol, and Zamboanga Sibugay.

The JFPR’s Technical Assistance ser ves as a supporting mechanism for DepEd’s “LastMile Schools” program, which aims to address gaps in geographically isolated, disadvantaged and conf lict-affected areas in the Philippines.

US sponsors new textbook, curriculum on substance-use disorder for universities

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HE United States Embassy’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), in partnership with the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program and Dangerous Drugs Board, launched on April 8 a new textbook on the globally recognized Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) for substance-use disorder.

The textbook—for use by various Philippine universities—was especially adapted for the Philippine context, which integrates local case studies and references as part of the multiyear, P49.5million ($990,000) INL-sponsored “Enhancing Treatment and Prevention in the Philippines” program.

At the launch, INL Director Kelia Cummins noted that the newly developed material offers a novel approach to training, as it “captures the local context and realities in the Philippines.”

“The goal is to promote and strengthen substance-use prevention and treatment education among academic institutions, [then] further professionalize the treatment work force in the country,” Cummins said.

Some 100 textbooks will be printed and distributed to UTC university-education providers countrywide. Twenty professors from participating institutions

INL Director Kelia Cummins (third from right) and partners US EMBASSY

also completed a 10-day virtual walkthrough training of the UTC basic courses.

Disc ussing h is e x per ience during the session, program participant Francis Mina said: “The 10-day virtual UTC walkthrough training not only equipped us with skills on treatment, but also refreshed our understanding and awareness of evidence-based approaches in caring for persons with substance use disorder.”

The material is an adaptation of the UTC’s eight-volume training series. It will be a resource for university courses in substanceuse disorder in the country, with topics like Introduction to the Science of Addiction; Treatment for Substance Use Disorders; Common and Co-Occurring Mental and Medical Disorders; Basic Counseling Skills; Intake, Screening, Assessment, Treatment Planning and Documentation; Case Man-

agement; Crisis Intervention; and Ethics for Addiction Professionals.

Writers from Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Davao University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of San Carlos, and the Professional Regulatory Board of Psychology helped draft the textbook.

The funding and support for the program is part of INL’s broader drug demand-reduction programming in the Philippines, designed to improve awareness, augment use of preventive measures, and engage multisectoral stakeholders in recovery and reintegration efforts for persons with substanceuse disorder.

Globally, INL supports the training and professionalization of the drug prevention and treatment work force. More details about it and its global drug demand-reduction programs at www.state.gov/j/inl.

DLS-CSB intros short diploma program for new entrepreneurs

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EARN to develop and execute an effective marketing game plan for a start-up through the Entrepreneurial Marketing Convergence diploma program, an online course which will run for four Saturdays starting April 23.

Participants will learn to identify the most viable market and opportunities, reach their target audience and consumers and examine various steps in analyzing the entrepreneurial marketing processes. The module will aid them to develop market-driven and customer-centered marketing game plans. It will assist students in distinguishing marketing functions and business-environment factors in relation to the specific situation, industry and target market of new and existing companies.

The Entrepreneurial Marketing Convergence Diploma Program is offered by the School of Professional and Continuing Education, or SPaCE, of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. It will be facilitated by Cecille Ayllon, the program director of

AYLLON Marketing Management and Entrepreneurship in Benilde SPaCE and lecturer under the Career Development Program of the Benilde School of Management and Information Technology.

Ayllon teaches under the Master in Management Technology Program of De La Salle-Lipa and the Business Department of St. Paul UniversityManila. Her vast experience includes headship of Mecka Business Dynamix Inc. and of McLay Management Consulting. She is a professional speaker,

corporate trainer, marketing and management consultant, as well as public relations writer and consultant.

A business columnist and author of six books: one on entrepreneurship, and five on personal development, she earned her Master in Business Administration degree from the De La Salle University-Manila’s Graduate School of Business as a full scholar of the Management Association of the Philippines. Ayllon is a certified level-2 marketing professional with distinction from Pearson-London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and has earned a verified certificate In Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies from HarvardX Online University.

The Entrepreneurial Marketing Convergence diploma program is scheduled for four Saturdays: April 23 and 30, and May 7 and 14, 2022.

The full module fee is P19,895 for a total of 32 hours of classes. To register and to learn more about other short-course offerings, visit SPaCE on the Benilde web site, or on its official Facebook account.

Muntinlupa honors resident ‘Bar’ passers

By Roderick L. Abad

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HIRTY-NINE Muntinlupa residents who successfully hurdled the recent Bar examinations were feted in their local city government led by Mayor Jaime Fresnedi.

“We are very proud of your achievements, and for the honor that you have given to Muntinlupa,” the local chief executive said during the awarding of Certificates of Recognition on April 18.

“We welcome our new attorneys as we serve the people.”

Among the 39 Bar passers is Erika Rose S. Corro, daughter of Councilor Atty. Raul Corro, who is Muntinlupa City’s majority floor leader. The former recounted the various struggles that she and other Bar examinees experienced as they prepared for the exams, such as postponement of test schedules, lockdowns, as well as health and emotional challenges brought about by the pandemic.

She thanked the local government and the city’s frontliners for the local Covid-19 response, including the extensive vaccination drive, as it helped her prepare for the exams. She encouraged fellow passers to serve the Filipino people with integrity.

“Passing the Bar exams is just the beginning. What matters is what we can do with the privilege and responsibility that were given

to us,” the younger Corro said. “I hope that we will be lawyers in the service of others and with integrity.”

O t he r c it y reside nt s who passed the Bar exams were Ainah Rae Banzon, Jasmin Miroy, John Titan, Perla Vito Arroyo, Isabelle Alexis Yason, Gemma Tiama, Celyn Ann Mae Palacol, Ian Benjamin Tan, Alia Jan Delgado, Antonette Arciaga, Jaypherson Navarro, Clariza Reyes, Marian Shen Petilla, Reena Therese Marquez, Cesar Jan Entilla, Therese Mary Magdaluyo, Albertito Garcia, Michael Christopher Guidote, Joaquin Oscar Go III, Valentin Eduardo Miguel Prieto, John Philip Yeung, Sharmaine Maila Pacson, Jonas Gaiser, Arlyn Jophe Perol, Katherine Vera, Ma. Rosalia Emmanuel Ladignon, Nina Jasmine Marie Balbanero, Dominic Paolo Marquez, Hanna Hazel Agapay, Jose Miguel Pillas, Alexander Michael Po, Ivanhoe Magpantay, Vincent Pangan, Gretel Erum, Nicolin Anne Arcenas, Arvin Stephen Gagajena, Zaira Gem Gonzales, and Atreja Alvarez.

On April 14 the Supreme Court (SC) released the results of the latest Bar exams, the first digitized and localized of its kind conducted amid the health crisis.

The SC recorded a passing rate of 72.28 percent, with 8,155 graduates who passed out of 11,402 test-takers.

Makati school, staff, students earn citations

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OLLOWING its graduates’ 96-percent job-placement rate and industry-relevant programs, iACADEMY was cited anew by the Global Business Review Magazine as the Philippines’s Best Education Provider and Most Innovative Education Provider. iACADEMY was also announced as the Best Design School and Best School for Music Production, Design, and Technology, being the first in the Philippines to offer cutting-edge courses such as Software Engineering, Game Development, Animation, Music and Sound Design, as the school continues to prove its thought leadership in the said fields through game-changing outputs yielding world-class recognition.

Its professor in Music Production and Sound Design program Gerard Paul Elviña was also in the news as the first Filipino and second Asian to join the Audio Engineering Society Standards Committee, which is the world’s largest community of audio experts responsible for conducting the AES Standards program responsible for developing and publishing technical standards, information documents, and technical reports in the field of professional audio technology.

Meanwhile, Bachelor of Science in Animation graduate Mikee Sevilla was one of many students from iACADEMY who made an outstanding mark in his industry, exemplifying expertise in animation by working under Walt Disney Animation Studios’ films such as

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) and Encanto (2022).

“We have a program advisory council which meets regularly not just to update our curriculum, but to understand how [it] is relevant and remains strong [given] the demands of the industries and…potential business landscape,” shared iACADEMY Chief Operating Officer Raquel Perez-Wong. “It’s [key that these programs could withstand time, and that they would remain relevant and vital to any industry’s] success.”

“I am so honored to be part of iACADEMY and witness how every individual in our school is… creating a positive change in the world. Faculty and students alike, we are really living up [to our mission of changing] the game,” said Vanessa Tanco, CEO and president of iACADEMY. “These recognitions are only testaments to how we remain mission-oriented to train more game changers, strengthen our ties with the industry, and contribute more to the world through our projects and initiatives.”

Si nce its est abl ishment i n 2002 iACADEMY has developed specialized programs that utilize both theoretical and practical approaches to various disciplines and technical courses in computing, business, liberal arts, and design.

With more than 200 local and international industry partners, the school ensures that its students are educated with emerging trends and immersed in industry practices to be future-ready professionals even before they graduate.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Saturday, April 23, 2022 A11

The grand door to the heartbeat of Boracay

Located in Station 2, Feliz Hotel Boracay is only a minute away from the island's world-famous white sand beaches

La Plaza is popular for its churros, and their array of cocktails.

Story & photos

by Ardee P. de los Angeles

A

ll roads and flights lead to Boracay at this time of the year.

The tourists are coming in droves and businesses are picking up with the true new normal. People in the tourism industry are going back to work.

We are all picking up the pieces and slowly getting back to the groove of things. A great start would be to travel to the islands with our backpacks and high spirits. It is time to celebrate the reopening of Philippine tourism.

Let’s just hope it stays that way.

Many of the businesses in Boracay are open; a good sign that the economy is recovering. Caticlan airport is also busy with full flights and peppy travelers.

Our home for a few days is the Feliz Hotel, located at the center of D’Mall in station 2 and just about a minute’s walk to the world-famous white beach of Boracay.

The grand entrance

Feliz Hotel in Boracay is a colonial-inspired hotel that can offer you both a peaceful and quiet retreat and all the island fun at

The grand door at Feliz Hotel is said to be the tallest on the island.

The living room at the suite welcomes guests with taste and elegance.

La Plaza’s 12 cheese pizza is a must-try.

the same time.

Welcoming us at the hotel’s entrance is their grand door. Made from recycled wood and measuring 18 feet in height, it is said to be the tallest on the island. This Instagrammable spot is easily the most photographed on the premises. Families and couples take the customary shot by the grand door before entering or leaving the hotel. With this majestic facade, who needs a red carpet?

This is also the only door that never closes. It will remain open day and night to welcome weary travelers who are exhausted from the flight and eager to come to life in Boracay.

Check ing in was easy and quick. Incoming guests take their seats on the hotel’s front couch and they will be given welcome

Guests will surely enjoy the paella.

refreshments and assisted by the front desk personnel. The staff, who were very welcoming and attentive to guests, are the greatest asset of the hotel, I should say.

The Spanish colonial design of the room is stunning. I was transported to the town of Ibiza, even for a while, with the Latin acoustic beats playing in the background as I entered the room provided for us. That grand door even provided a new experience for me as far as hotel rooms are concerned.

Well done.

The hotel’s main restaurant, La Plaza, offers all-day dining to guests. The menu features appetizing Latin American delicacies with a Filipino twist. We had their Paella, croquettes, and 12 cheese pizza which was a first for me.

Again, Feliz Hotel’s grand door

The spacious suite provides comfort and relaxation.

Time for happy hour at Boracay island.

not only welcomed me to Boracay but provided new discoveries as an epicure.

For guests looking for inland adventures, Boracay also offers land tours, ATV rides, and of course, a ton of water activities.

These can all be arranged for you

by Feliz Hotel’s front desk.

Happy hour, island-style

La Plaza is also well known for its churros, and their traditional and honest-to-goodness cocktails.

People would come back to the restaurant to eat their favorite dishes with the churros on the side.

They also have a live band that performs at night. What better way to enjoy the drinks and tapas.

From the looks of the property, one would think that the food and drinks are pricey. On the contrary,

prices at this hotel are affordable and competitive with the other establishments nearby.

They also have a rooftop pool with a 360-degree view of the white beach and the surrounding areas of Boracay. If you want to avoid the crowd outside and just stay in the hotel, you can just order appetizers and drinks poolside.

We also met with a friend who is at her workstation in Feliz Hotel for two weeks. The property’s Wifi signals are strong and reliable for work which makes it ideal for guests working remotely. Having a personal workstation in paradise is really enticing indeed.

The community as one

Johnson Del Valle, Feliz Hotel’s General Manager told me that business is slowly picking up. He

Feliz Hotel is proud of their very own cocktail.

also added that the opening of tourism to Boracay is good for everyone, not just the business owners. The hotel workers and the fishermen will greatly benefit from the influx of tourists both foreign and local as well.

Even the airlines are getting busy. Caticlan airport is filled with tourists which is very exciting for the people of Aklan and the tourism industry.

Business owners and the like are helping and supporting each other as they recover from the pains and losses brought about by the pandemic. From my conversations with a few of them, it certainly feels that everyone wins as the tourism industry is beginning to recover. They are not competitors but teammates in the arena of Covid-19.

The Oriental Hotels holds Death March memorial event

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he Oriental Hotels and Resorts, in cooperation with the Municipality of Mariveles, recently held a commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of the Bataan Death March during World War II at the Km 0 Park. The infamous Death March began in Mariveles on April 10, 1942, after the surrender of over 70,000 Filipino and American troops to the Japanese Imperial Army a day earlier in Balanga, the capital town of Bataan. The surrenderees marched to

San Fernando, Pampanga, then loaded onto boxcars en route to the train station in Capas, Tarlac, and were forced to march again to Camp O Donnell where they were imprisoned until their liberation in 1945.

Accord ing to T he Or ienta l Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Marie Abigail Lee, the initiative is part of the hotel chain’s corporate social responsibility in promoting the rich historical and cultural heritage of the communities where they operate. She

said that the hotel group aims to take part in similar events in areas where they are located to help rekindle people’s appreciation of the Filipino soul.

The hospitality arm of the LKY Group of Companies, the homegrown hotel brand has luxe properties in the Freeport Area of Bataan, Legazpi City, Palo (Leyte), Tagaytay, and soon, Alaminos City in Pangasinan. It recently introduced Proxy Hotel, a sub-brand of the hotel chain to cater to the millennial and hip tourist market.

In photo, (from left) present at the Death March commemorative event are Corporate Senior Sales Executive Alvin Tuazon, Corporate Sales Manager Roselle Reyes, The Oriental Bataan Finance Manager Amelia Argañosa, Mariveles Mayor Jocelyn Castaneda, Municipal Administrator lawyer Jose Michael Operario, Front Office intern Christine May Torres, Chief Security officer Joery Niele, M/Sgt. Florentino Orani Jr. of the Municipal Police Station, and historical reenactor Bernard Supetran.

BusinessMirror

A10 A12 Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

COUNTRY MUST ADDRESS DIGITAL DIVIDE IN PREPARATION FOR FIRE

www.businessmirror.com.ph

‘Pretty Little Liars’ now dubbed in Tagalog

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES THERE is a compelling need for the country to address the great digital divide to provide the right tools for Filipinos in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe).

In a webinar organized by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Asian Institute of Management (AIM) associate professor Dr. Erika Fille Legara said it is important to narrow the gap between the haves and have-nots in digital access, as this will enable more Filipinos to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to help the Philippines become more competitive in the era of FIRe. “The power of STEM could uplift the lives of millions of Filipinos. We must spread awareness on the importance of data science to enable Filipinos to appreciate it. But first, we improve our digital infrastructure so many Filipinos can access these tools, “ Legara said in the recently held “Game-changing Women of Science” webinar.

Legara, a BS Physics cum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines-Diliman and named as 2020 Outstanding Young Scientist by the NAST, also stressed the importance of learning the pillars of FIRe such as machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT) and 3D printing as these technologies will be the anchor of FIRe. She added that this period will see the domination of data and information, and the foundation of wealth of a country. “We need to maximize the potential of data and information so that many Filipinos can reap the economic benefits,” she said.

Nevertheless, Legara said the Philippines will have to first develop a substantial pool of skilled data scientists, analysts, scientists and engineers to churn out the underutilized data coming from the different sectors such as government and telcos.

With a sufficient pool of data scientists, Legara said the Philippines will be able to explore the potentials of diagnostic analytics, predictive analytics and prescriptive analytics that would contribute to the development of better decisionmaking by government officials.

Earlier, the AIM found out that the Philippines alone was losing billions of dollars in revenue as the country is experiencing a dearth of data science talent. Legara added that applying data science methods to the government could improve efficiency and transparency in its operations.

To achieve better governance, Legara stressed the country should continuously upgrade its data storage capacity and computing power as the data is experiencing 9 to 10 times growth every two to three years.

Furthermore, she said the government should proceed with total digitalization in its operations. “It should use cloud technology to store data that is accessible for everyone so it can be applied on different mission levels,” Legara said.

Legara said big data analytics, cloud computing and simulation of models for policy are the tools that the government should tap in the pursuit of good governance.

“But all the other pillars of FIRe are equally important,” she said.

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UKI KATO is an Indonesian celebrity with 8.3 million followers on Instagram. She plays Alissa in the Viu Original series Pretty Little Liars. In the original version, Alissa is the mysterious “A.” Yuki admitted that before Viu contacted her, she had not watched Pretty Little Liars.

Pretty Little Liars, a Warner Bros. production which aired for seven seasons from 2010 to 2017, is based on a book of the same title by Sara Shepard.

The series tackles themes of friendship, female empowerment, body positivity and the consequences of cyberbullying. “Of all these themes, the audience would probably most relate to cyberbullying,” said Yuki. One of the things Yuki likes about her character is the way she dresses. Although showing a lot of skin is not the actress’ style, she likes how confident Alissa is in doing so.

Caitlin Halderman, who plays Ema, said that what she and her Pretty Little Liars character have in common is having been in a relationship with someone of a different religion.

Shindy Huang plays Aria in the show and the actress said she relates to her character because she also likes literature, and loves reading and writing.

The second season of the Indonesian adaptation of Pretty Little Liars premieres this month on PCCW’s pan-regional OTT video streaming service Viu in its original language and a Filipino dub. The Indonesian adaptation of the Warner Bros. series is a Viu Original production. The winner of the Asian Academy Creative Awards and Content Asia Awards for the first season, Viu’s Pretty Little Liars adaptation is set in the fictional town of Amerta, exclusively created in Bali.

The series follows the lives of four female students whose clique falls apart when their leader, Alissa (Yuki Kato), mysteriously went missing. The Liars find themselves reunited when they suddenly begin to receive creepy messages from a mysterious figure known as “A”, who threatens to expose their darkest secrets.

In season two, Hanna (Anya Geraldine), Ema

ACTRESS Yuki Kato in the poster for Viu Original’s Pretty Little Liars

(Halderman), Sabrina (Vanessa Thomas) and Aria (Huang) try to uncover who was behind the accident that happened with Hanna in the first season, and the main big question mark remains: Is A actually dead or still alive?

The series is directed by Emil Heradi and produced

by Visinema Pictures’ Angga Sasongko. In addition to the main ensemble, it brings a number of seasoned big cast members, such as Wulan Guritno, Tarra Budiman and Irgi Fahrezi, alongside new castmates like Bastian Steel, Bio One and Fandy Christian.

Emil Heradi is best known for his movie Night Bus, which won six awards in the 2017 Indonesian Film Festival Awards. “When we do collaborations like this, we look forward to putting social issues in front

of the audience and enable conversations that happen around them,” said Varun Mehta country manager of Viu Indonesia, said at an online press launch with Indonesian and Philippine media.

“There is a lot of conversation happening around [depression among young adults] as well. So, cyberbullying and bullying in school is the reason why this kind of depression creeps in.”

Yuki Kato, Caitlin Halderman and Shindy Huang talked to the Philippine media in a separate interview days later.

Season 2 of Pretty Little Liars is now available on Viu. Episodes dubbed in Filipino are accessible at bit. ly/3MoXfnD. The Viu app is available for free on the App Store and Google Play. ■

Best mobile video experience, according to Ookla FOLLOWING its back-to-back awards as the Philippines’s fastest 5G mobile network, PLDT mobile services arm Smart Communications (Smart) has been recognized anew for delivering the Best Mobile Video Experience across all mobile technologies, according Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence.

Ookla declared Smart as the winner of the Best Mobile Video Experience Award with a Video Score of 65.75 based on its analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data covering Q3-Q4 2021 from 54,894 user-initiated tests. Its closest competitor registered a Video Score of 60.

Measured on a scale of 0 to 100, Ookla’s Video Score considers the real-world experience of users while streaming

videos, such as watching on a web site or a streaming app.

To score consumer video experience, Ookla evaluates five components, including the percentage of tests where users failed to play a video, the average waiting time of users to start a video, the quality of video, the percentage of tests where the video stalled, and the percentage of rebuffering among those who experienced a stalled video.

Smart’s latest recognition for Best Mobile Video Experience reinforces the provider’s feat of sweeping the Ookla Speedtest Awards in both the first and second half of 2021 as the Philippines’s fastest 5G mobile network amid its continuous 5G rollout and network improvement efforts across the country.

Market research firm Statista estimates that as of Q3 2021, over 98 percent of internet users in the Philippines watched any kind of online video content each week.

“As Filipino online users have become accustomed to streaming online videos, our fastest mobile network enables us to deliver the best video experience to our subscribers across all mobile technologies—whether it’s on 3G, 4G, or 5G,” said Jane J. Basas, SVP and head of consumer wireless business at Smart.

“The latest Ookla data reflects our unrelenting efforts to improve customer experience and stay ahead of their needs and demands so they may pursue their passions,” she added.

FMCGs urged to level up e-commerce strategy in spite of post-pandemic digital era

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor THE still ongoing pandemic, despite the improving situation in the country, continues to change the fastmoving consumer goods (FMCG) market as online shops and on-demand delivery customers keep on increasing. With constant innovation and competition among industry leaders likely to accelerate the digital transition of more consumers, the e-commerce capabilities of FMCG players must also evolve.

According to etaily co-founder and CEO Alexander Friedhoff, they need to equip themselves for this inevitable change, grab the chance to secure their

market share, and align their business models to the new reality. E-commerce, for him, offers equally greater potential for value creation than offline retail.

“We’ve seen the increase in global value of large companies like Beyond Meat and The Honest Company, yet others have created billions of dollars in economic value by using digital native brands and excellence in supply chain management,” he cited.

“Local and regional FMCG companies need to adapt to this and understand what opportunities they are missing. They should wake up from the old days and focus on the core challenges: cash, sales and costs.”

Consumer nowadays are more demanding.

Whether shopping offline or online, they opt for quick

yet secure deliveries to save time, money, or energy.

Because of this on-demand culture, the competition in the digital space is tougher that FMCGs should have the capacities to scale as well as the operational advantages to stand out in a world of free shipping, voucher subsidies, and mega campaigns that offer big discounts. While many FMCGs recognize the need to meet the expectations of this rapidly shifting consumer base, shifting from brick-and-mortar to online retail has its own unprecedented challenges.

Doing it in-house would mean a huge, timeconsuming investment in equipment, facilities, and manpower training.

Good thing e-commerce enablers like etaily are

always there to help. The end-to-end approach of this Filipino startup such as multi-warehousing, fulfillment, channel management, and marketing services addresses all these pain points while giving the FMCG players more focus on their core business.

“The cost savings by using an enabler help offset this enormous e-commerce complexity that brands are taking on just to win online,” said Friedhoff.

“Instead of them doing it, we help make operating several campaigns with our in-house experts. We make shipping time faster for the consumer through our multi-warehouse capabilities, which will take FMCGs a long time and a lot of trained manpower to build on their own.”

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BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Saturday, April 23, 2022 A13 A11

The WFH device you never thought you needed

W

HAT do you miss most about going to the office?

Is it seeing your colleagues, the personal interactions, and those “marites moments” over coffee? Is it the in-person meetings and work collaborations? Or maybe you miss the routine and even the often long horrendous commute?

But there is one thing people won’t admit to missing the most—the office printer.

Despite the paper jams, we all miss the printer, just as we are guilty of using it for printing personal documents—e-mails, travel itinerary/plane tickets, photos, your kid’s school project, maybe even your CV for that next job application. And why wouldn’t you?

The office printer is fast, the printouts are amazing, and, most importantly, it’s free.

For years, people have been anticipating the death of printers, and before the pandemic struck, most of us never thought about getting one because you could always print at the office or head to the nearest computer shop.

But when we all went into lockdown and started working/studying from home, that’s when we realized that we really needed to do a lot of paperwork—and have them printed out. While I do most of my writing on my laptop, I still prefer editing on paper. It is also easier to make notes on a business report using a pen or pencil rather than a keyboard and unless you have several screens, it’s way easier to compare charts and tables when it is printed.

If you are a parent, having a home printer means you don’t have to go out every time to print out your kids’ modules and workbooks. If they have homework that needs colored pictures, you could just download from the internet and print them out instead of having to cut out pictures from your magazines and books.

Speaking of pictures, you probably have thousands stored on your hard drive. Printing your favorites makes them easily accessible and you can show them off without the risk of including some of the more awkward ones in your digital album.

Having your own printer makes even more sense if you are starting a home business, as it can save you time and money from having to go to the computer shop. You can create your own business cards, shipping labels, print invoices, reports, or other documents for official purposes. You can even turn it into a separate business if you have the creative skill.

Whatever the reason, if you find yourself in need of a printer, the good news is there are a lot of options depending on your needs and your budget. If cost is your main concern, ink tank printers are perhaps the most relevant choice because they bring the most appropriate combination of affordability and print quality.

The one I will be reviewing this week is the Canon Pixma G3010, and after using it for the past month, it’s easy to see why it’s become one of the most popular and best-selling all-in-one wireless printers in its price point. Just like how we review our smartphones, let’s start with the build quality and the design. The

Pixma G3010 may not be the most compact all-in-one but it’s one of the sleekest-looking with its nice matte black finish that just looks classy, and since the ink tanks are built-in you can just close the trays and it would look nice on any desk or shelf.

Setting up the Pixma G3010 is simple enough, but it’s best to read the manual and follow the steps in the right order, especially before pouring the ink.

A few things to take note of: first remove all those orange tapes, including the orange plastic thing covering the print heads, otherwise, you would not be able to open the locking cover all the way. Take note of the labels on the print head cartridges “C” and “B” before inserting them in their respective slots and make sure to push both of the joint buttons down completely at the same time. Once the print heads are installed, you need to turn on the printer first before filling up the ink tanks. Do not connect any other cables. Press the On button and confirm that the ink icon and “0” are displayed on the screen. Only then can you start filling up the individual ink tanks. Each bottle and ink tank is labeled clearly and the tips fit perfectly, so you shouldn’t have any problem with spills.

Once you’ve filled the ink tanks, and finished the setup, you can connect the printer to your PC and/or your smartphone using either a wired or wireless connection. Download the drivers to set it up and make it available over your internet so that all your local devices can access it wirelessly for easy print jobs. This is useful when sharing the printer with other family members. Do take note that it does not support the macOS. It also has a feature called direct connect that allows you to print wirelessly without connecting to your WiFi router.

To connect your smartphone, download the Canon PRINT App (Android or iOS). The app allows you to print photos and documents, scan items directly to your phone’s memory, copy, and even click pictures from your smartphone camera and directly print them with Pixma G3010.

Now, for the most important part of the review— print performance. Well, I must say I wasn’t expecting it to be this good as it exceeded my expectations. The very first thing I printed was a photo of me and my partner in A4 size and it was even better than the one I had printed from a copy shop. I was also able to print text files, PDFs, web pages with both black and colored images, and photos I just took from my smartphone. I was even able to create and print photo collages, calendars, business cards, stickers, and labels easily just by downloading another app, called the Easy-Photo Print Editor App. The G3010 supports borderless printing and you can use different paper sizes—from A4, A5, B5, Letter, Legal, 4 x 6”, 5 x 7”, 8x 10”—envelopes (DL, COM10), square (5 x 5”), business card, as well as various paper types including high-resolution paper, Photo Paper Plus Glossy II, matte photo paper, photo stickers, and others.

Unlike other printers I’ve used, I noticed that the printouts from the G3010 don’t smudge even if you touch or rub them immediately after printing. Just make sure to choose the right kind of paper you are using before printing.

Like I said, for most consumers the printing speed is fast enough and comparable to other printers—all it takes is a few seconds for it to start printing once you send the document or photo to print either wired or wirelessly.

The Pixma G3010 also works as a copier and scanner. I know there are lots of apps that can turn your phone into a scanner but the quality you can expect from the G3010 is better. You don’t have to worry about pesky shadows or blurs ruining the

image, so you can make clear digital backups of important documents or restore old photos. It is also fairly easy to use and you can either start a copy function by pressing the ‘Black’ or ‘Colour’ button on the printer, or you can start a copy job through the Canon PRINT app. If you use the Canon PRINT app to scan, you can save the scanned copy to your smartphone directly.

The Canon Pixma G3010 is the device you never thought you needed to complete your work-fromhome setup. It functions as a printer, scanner and copier that can be shared with your entire family as it supports wireless connectivity. Print speed is fast and quality even for photos is better than those used in some computer shops. ■

Apple spends record high on lobbying amid pressure from Congress APPLE Inc. spent a record quarterly high of $2.5 million on lobbying in the first three months of 2022 amid increased pressure from the US Congress on technology companies over antitrust issues.

Apple’s lobbying expenditures increased more than 34 percent from the $1.86 million the company spent in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to disclosure reports released Wednesday. The previous high was $2.2 million, spent in the second quarter of 2017. Apple disclosed lobbying on dozens of issues and measures, including antitrust bills intended to curtail

the power of big technology companies.

The Open App Markets Act is one of the antitrust measures with bipartisan support under consideration in Congress.

The bill would prevent app market operators, including Apple and Google, from giving preferential treatment to their own products.

The legislation would prohibit owners from requiring developers to use in-app payment systems owned by the platform. It would also ban owners from requiring more favorable pricing or conditions

compared to other app stores or punishing the developers for different pricing terms elsewhere.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google spent $2.96 million in the first three months of 2022. That’s a 34 percent increase from the previous quarter, but it’s the same amount the company spent during the first quarter of 2021.

Microsoft Corp. reported spending $2.5 million on lobbying in the first quarter. That was an increase of 2.8 percent over the previous quarter but down 1.9 percent from a year ago. BLOOMBERG NEWS

THE Canon Pixma G3010 all-in-one printer

HOME BUDDIES ‘MAYORA’ GETS SIGNED AS EXCLUSIVE TALENT THE Home Buddies Facebook community and Nobi Home founder Frances Cabatuando is now an exclusive talent of Kroma Entertainment’s NYMA. This diligent digital creative is “Mayora” to the 3 million-strong Home Buddies Facebook community, which became a hit among kapitbahays looking for ways to make their living quarters better while staying at home.

The community was borne out of Frances’s Instagram account, Nobi Home, where she shares home improvement stories, solo living tips, and home finds. It was created two years ago at the height of the pandemic.

The former copy-based associate creative director is thrilled to work with NYMA and advance her current online career.

“I signed with NYMA because from the moment I met them online I really felt the same energy that I always carry with me. It feels like I’m working with myself except it’s me split into many different people. Whenever I work with them it’s so exciting, it’s like we’re doing something to change the world through the happiest, littlest things. It never feels like work,” she shared.

NYMA head Kat Bautista said the company will be behind Frances in further growing her community.

“Leading a crop of tanods, Frances has grown a community of 3 million Facebook virtual neighbors, and she’s just getting started. We are here to support her and make sure her dream of improving the homes and lives of every Filipino comes true,” Bautista said.

NYMA is a talent agency focused on nurturing trailblazers to break through all media spaces. Its vision is to be the home of the best Filipino talents in the country and the world.

NYMA is among several brands under tradigital entertainment company Kroma Entertainment (www.kroma.ph/nyma).

Sports BusinessMirror

A14

| Saturday, April 23, 2022 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph sports@businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Navarro delivers in Pirates’ victory E

ZANIEBOY GIALON gets a victory douse of water from the other competitors. NONIE REYES

GIALON, FINALLY, WINS AT CALIRAYA

Z

ANIEBOY GIALON snapped a five-year title spell with a compelling victory in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Caliraya Springs Championship in Cavinti, Laguna, on Friday, coming through with clutch birdies to salvage a 71, ward off another searing Clyde Mondilla rally and win by four strokes.

Gialon bucked a one-over card with backto-back birdies from No. 15, regaining complete control after Mondilla pulled to within one in a flight ahead on a solid six-birdie feat after 15 holes.

But the Del Monte ace blew another birdie chance on the par-five 16th and holed out with a bogey in a frantic search to finish with flourish, ending up instead with a 67 for a 279.

That was four strokes behind Gialon, who played pressure-free coming home, sealing the huge victory, his first since posting a six-shot romp over Jhonnel Ababa at ICTSI Calatagan in 2017, with

closing pars for a 13-under 275.

“I couldn’t get my game going at the front but got my confidence back after I birdied the 16th,” said Gialon, who pocketed the top purse of P360,000 after recording his fifth career victory during awards rites graced by Caliraya Springs Golf Club general manager Jerome Baldoz. “I knew Clyde (Mondilla) is tough and since he’s a long hitter, he can really score here and will never give up. So I stayed focused and just played my game.”

Gialon, who finished seventh at ICTSI Luisita Championship last month, stumbled with two bogeys against a birdie after nine holes, enabling halfway co-leader Joenard Rates to close the gap with a big bounce-back from a bogey on No. 3 with three birdies in the next four holes.

But as Gialon recovered and produced decisive birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 in a windy windup, Rates cooled down and bowed out of the title chase with two bogeys against a birdie

in a four-hole stretch from No. 12 and never threatened with closing pars.

Mondilla, in contrast, put up another fiery comeback reminiscent of his exploits at Luisita where he battled back from five shots down to force a playoff with eventual winner Miguel Tabuena.

But Gialon’s eight-stroke lead after 54 holes proved too big a deficit for Mondilla to overhaul, his bid to produce a tournament-best round at the Caliraya Springs Golf Club fizzling out, along with his bid for another crack at a Philippine Golf Tour crown. He took the runner-up purse of P236,000 for the second straight time.

Rates, who fell by five on a third round 73, threatened to within two with a frontside 34 but wavered with a backside 37 and wound up with a 67 to drop to joint third at 280 with a late-charging Lloyd Go in the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Go, a former national champion, birdied three of the last seven holes to match Mondilla’s 67 while Rupert Zaragosa, the other player in the championship group, slowed down with a 72 and ended up fifth at 281.

Rates and Go split the combined P242,000 prize, while Zaragosa received P86,000.

Ira Alido likewise failed to sustain a third round 67 and closed out with a 71 for sixth at 282 while former Rancho Palos Verdes winner Reymon Jaraula rallied with a 68 to snare seventh place at 284.

Enrico Gallardo shot a 70 to tie Michael Bibat, Albin Engino and Anthony Fernando, who all carded 71s, and Dino Villanueva, who matched par 72, at eighth at 285.

Padilla, Gabuat share top honors in Zambo meet

K

RISTOFFER AREVALO, coming off a lifechanging break from the game, pulled off a sensational victory in the Philippine National Stroke Play Championship on Friday that bared his readiness for the big career goals he once set for himself.

Arevalo pulled away early with birdies on three of the first four holes then ably held off a late rally by Korean teen Rho Hyun Ho to escape with a two-shot win at the Legends course of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite.

The 23-year-old Arevalo, the most senior member of the national team competing at next month’s 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam, didn’t yield to the pressure applied by Rho in the back nine with his even par card leading him to a three-under 69 and a 286 total.

Rho, the first round leader, finished with a 70 and settled for second at 288, three ahead of compatriot Kim Tae Soo (73-291).

Jet Hernandez finished fourth with a 74-292 while and Gabriel Manotoc tied for fifth after a second straight 702-93 in a strong performance by the other members of the SEA Games squad especially after the shock disqualification of its fourth member here, Jed Dy, for signing a wrong scorecard in the second round.

Perry Bucay, who either held of shared the

Mobility Awards organizers honor top executives of bike-friendly cities

O BCDA, CNLCSCA ink deal for swim events at NCC

T

HE Central Northern Luzon-Cordillera Autonomous Region Swimming Coaches Association (CNLCSCA) signed Friday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to promote and hold various sports events at New Clark City (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac.

The agreement paved the way for the resumption of CNLCSCA’s grassroots swimming series, which was halted for over two years with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hosted by the Angeles City-based AC Dax Aquatics Swim Club, the 80th CNLCSCA Swim Series will start Saturday at the NCC Aquatics Center with 650 participants from

Central and North Luzon, CAR, as well as from Metro Manila.

BCDA Officer-in-Charge President and CEO Atty. Aristotle Batuhan, represented

by Executive Vice President Aileen Zosa, and CNLCSCA Secretary General Rolando Dela Cruz led the signing of the MOU, which covers one year and renewable for another year.

“We at the BCDA would like to thank CNLCSCA for choosing New Clark City as your venue of choice for competitions and events,” Zosa said. “As restrictions continue to ease, BCDA will ensure that this worldclass facility remains accessible to athletes of all ages and backgrounds.”

NCC, BCDA’s inclusive, resilient and

sustainable development project north of Metro Manila, remains ready for sporting events amid the pandemic in its sports complex that includes the Fédération Internationale de Natation- approved Aquatics Center, World Athletics-certified Athletics Stadium and the 525-room Athletes’ Village.

“By incredibly hosting the 30th Southeast Asian Games, we believe that New Clark City is a really good venue for promoting our goals of developing the grassroots program benefiting our athletes. We want them to experience how it is like being in a place where magnificent opportunities are possible,” Dela Cruz said.

unsportsmanlike foul with 4.9 seconds left.

The loss rendered naught Chiefs center Justin Arana's fifth double-double of the season of 17 points and 24 rebounds—the most by any player since Allwell Oraeme grabbed 25 rebounds in Mapua's 90-75 win over Lyceum on August 23, 2016.

The Pirates tied their victims and idle University of Perpetual Help System Dalta at 2-5 won-lost for seventh place. They are still outside the play-in range.

Teams ranked from third to sixth after the single-round eliminations will make it to the play-in stage to determine the two other Final Four qualifiers.

Enoch Valdez led the Pirates with 17 points and five rebounds while McLaude Guadaña chipped in 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

AREVALO, SINGSON TOP NATIONALs

LOCAL government units are eagerly embracing the bicycle as a reliable, efficient and sustainable mode of transport.

O

ZAMIZ City’s Ma. Judyann Padilla and Sibugay’s Thomas Gabuat fashioned out straight-set victories to dominate the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala (PPS-PEPP) national age group tennis tournament at the RGS courts in Zamboanga del Norte on Thursday.

But while Padilla needed to scrape past a tough AJ Acabo twice, 6-3, 6-4, and 6-3, 6-3, in the 18- and 16-under finals, respectively, Gabuat cruised to a pair of shutout wins over Axel Apat and Mark Barrios to match the former’s two-title feat in the Group 2 tournament held under the auspices of the Unified Tennis Philippines and Universal Tennis Rating.

The other winners in the four-day tournament, which served as part of the nationwide circuit put up by PPS-PEPP president and CEO Bobby Castro, were Sindangan’s Marlyn Mesiona, Lanao del Norte’s Josh Lim, Alexis Acido from Polanco, local bet Pete Bandala and Sherwin Gom-os from Liloy.

The top seeded Mesiona clobbered Ellen Ramos, 6-1, 6-0, while the unranked Lim upended No. 1 Bandala, 6-2, 6-0, to clinch the 14-under crowns; Alexis Acido wore down Gabrielle Bulado, 7-5, 7-5, while Bandala routed Rashdi Macaundas, 6-1, 6-1, to share top honors in 12-under play; and No. 2 Gom-os repulsed Vanizer Acabo, 4-2, 4-1, for the 10-under unisex plum in the event presented by Dunlop.

Action heats up in the country’s longest running agegrouper with the next leg firing off this weekend at the Sindangan courts, also in Zamboanga del Norte. For details and registration, contact event organizer Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

NZO Navarro scored all of his 10 points in the payoff period as Lyceum of the Philippines University carved out a 70-66 win over Arellano University on Friday to keep its hopes alive of making the play-in round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament at the La Salle Greenhills Gym. Navarro hit a go-ahead three-pointer to give the Pirates a 66-64 lead before the Chiefs forced the game's final deadlock on Justin Arana’s layup with 46.3 seconds remaining.

The ace buried a lay-up to restore Lyceum’s lead, 68-66, when Gelo Sablan bungled two foul shots in the final 8.3 seconds that would have tied the game for Arellano University.

The Pirates then sealed the deal with Navarro nailing two charities off a Maui Cruz

RGANIZERS of the Mobility Awards personally awarded the mayors of the top three—Iloilo, Mandaue and Naga–bicycle friendly local government units for 2021.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and Naga City Mayor Nelson Legacion all expressed pride in the achievement and thanked the organizes for recognizing their effort during their respective awarding ceremonies on separate occasions.

“In Iloilo, we have noticed that more people are using bicycles as means of transportation because of the bike lanes,” Treñas said. “We are hopeful that this will promote healthier lifestyles while at the same time will further our efforts to combat climate change.”

“We know that cycling is not only good for our health in terms of exercise, but in the case of Mandaue where transport is the highest contributor to our greenhouse gas, the introduction of the bike network will help us reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” Cortes said.

Legacion said: “In Naga City, we have observed that the people who cycle are empowered especially during the pandemic. More people are encouraged to cycle ever since we started our share the road initiatives.”

Awarding ceremonies for the regional winners were also held for Cebu City Mayor Michael Lopez Rama and Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

The Mobility Awards was introduced in 2020 by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities along with various partner organizations like The Climate Reality Project Philippines, MNL Moves, 350.org Pilipinas and Pinay Bike Commuter Community.

It recognizes acts of leadership by local government units, workplaces and commercial establishments to promote cycling as a reliable, efficient and sustainable mode of transport among their constituencies, customers, employees and communities.

lead in the second and third rounds, blew up with a 76 and joined Manotoc, Ivan Monsalve (71) and Shinichi Suzuki (75) in the group at 293.

Mafy Singson completed a sweep for the Vietnam SEA Games contingent by winning the women’s division diadem in come-from-behind fashion over national teammate Lois Kaye Go. Singson, trailing by as many as five in the first round and by two heading to the final round, carded a 72 to turn the tables on Go, who turned in her worst score in four days of 75-for 296.

Both Arevalo and Singson won trophies and 65-inch Huawei television sets for topping their respective divisions in the country’s biggest amateur event sponsored by the PLDT Group, MVP Sports Foundation, Huawei and Manila Southwoods.

“This is sweet, now there’ll be a big TV in the room for my baby Amalia,” said Arevalo, a multi-titled amateur who earned his first win as a brand new father.

Arevalo, a former world jungolf champion, dedicated the victory to her daughter Amalia and girlfriend Samantha. It was the arrival of Amalia last year that led Arevalo to quit the game for at least seven months.

“It’s just nice to win for both of them, hopefully this will be the start of good things to come for my career,” he said.

Pacific Super Quest 3x3 up

C

HOOKS-TO-GO Pilipinas 3x3 will stage the second International Basketball Federation (Fiba) 3x3 Asia Pacific Super Quest on April 30 and May 1 at the Ayala Malls Solenad's Activity Center in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Twelve of the top 3x3 teams in the continent will compete in the level eight FIBA 3x3 event that will serve as a qualifier for the 2022 Manila World Tour Masters set on May 28 and 29.

"Being the global partner of FIBA 3x3, Chooks-to-Go is not just responsible for helping elevate the Philippine 3x3 game but also for the region," Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas said.

"The Asia Pacific Super Quest is just one of at least three international events we plan to hold for the calendar year,” he said. “Besides being a qualifier for the Manila Masters, we are hoping that this tournament will also serve as part of the build-up for our ASEAN neighbors for the 31st Southeast Asian Games.”

The champion will bank $10,000 and the second placer $5,000 in the Super Quest.

At least two Philippine teams will compete in the two-day meet with Cebu Chooks! headlining the field. Japan's Tokyo Dime won the tournament three years ago after beating Balanga Chooks, 22-20, in the finals.

BusinessMirror

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ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

24 INCH GAUGE CONSTRUCTION INC. L4 Blk. 4, Near Kay Buboy Bridge, San Dionisio, City Of Parañaque

ARUS, TIBERIU-ALEXANDRU Marketing Specialist 1.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for coordination with other marketing and sales professionals to implement innovative campaigns for branding or products launches.

Basic Qualification: Ability to work under pressure and motivation in a competitive environment; should have a bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications or a related field; good communication and interpersonal skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

HE, ZHENFENG Marketing Specialist 2.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for coordination with other marketing and sales professionals to implement innovative campaigns for branding or products launches.

Basic Qualification: Ability to work under pressure and motivation in a competitive environment; should have a bachelors dergree in journalism, marketing, communications or a related field; good communication and interpersonal skills.

ZHU, JUNJIE Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant 12.

ZHENG, JIANLONG Marketing Specialist 3.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for coordinating with other marketing and sales professionals to implement innovative campaigns for branding or products launches.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

PHAM TUAN KHOI Seller Support Associate 13.

Brief Job Description: Provide service to amazon sellers and merchants including escalation of sellers’ issues

14.

Brief Job Description: Manage both end to end project based services that are provided to each customer

HSIEH, CHEN-HSUAN Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 15.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking.

8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5-10/f Tower 1, Pitx Kennedy Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

BUI HA NAM Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 4.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking.

HUANG, HSIANG-WEI a.k.a. HUANG, HUI-CHI Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 16.

A-LINK STEEL MANUFACTURING CORP. Unit 1403-1404 14/f Bdo Equitable Bank Tower, 8751 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati WANG, ZIQING Warehouse Supervisor 5.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the Day to Day Management of People within the Warehouse Function

JACKSON Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 17.

6.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

SUN, BIN Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant 7.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services

WEI, GAN Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant 8.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services

WU, XIN Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant 9.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services

ZHAO, LEI Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant 10.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written..

YANTO Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 18.

19.

20.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

11.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services.

21.

KYAW ZIN TUN Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries BUI THI LAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

22.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DINH THI HUE Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

23.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LAI HUE DUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

KYI HNIN PWINT Burmese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin speaking.

KHAING NYEIN AYE Burmese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluency in Vietnamese

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LUU CAM KHONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

26.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LUU LE DINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

27.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree graduate with 10 years’ experience in project management & managing projects with global setup

TAVIV, NURIEL Hebrew Finance Solutions Deployment And Senior Manager 28.

Brief Job Description: Provides first class service in order to push the sales of the certain product acts as an intermediary between producers and clientele makes necessary phone calls and meetings to help sales allows people to make inquiries as necessary

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIEU THO TAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

25.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

NAVOT, RAZ Hebrew Sales And Marketing Support 29.

Brief Job Description: Provides first class service in order to push the sales of the certain product acts as an intermediary between producers and clientele makes necessary phone calls and meetings to help sales allows people to make inquiries as necessary

GEORGE, TONY ELWIN Sr. Director, Global Service Delivery 30.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in marketing and business admin and related field customer service clients’ relationship interpersonal comm marketing strategies data track written and verbal comm org planning and research analysis people mgmt. leadership English speaker Hebrew speaker

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in marketing and business admin and related field customer service clients relationship interpersonal communication marketing strategies data track written and verbal communication org planning and research analysis people mgmt. leadership English speaker Hebrew speaker.

Brief Job Description: Overall responsible for developing and administering budgets and performances standards for functional area or department

Basic Qualification: Mastery of communication skills and styles, both written and verbal demonstrated ability to effectively present information to internal and external associates

CONTAINER LEDGER ACCOUNT PHILS., INC. 2/f Unit 203 Heritage Condo, 1851 Dr. A Vasquez St., 076, Barangay 696, Malate, City Of Manila NOR MIZA WANI BINTI HAIRUDDIN Product Software Specialist 31.

Brief Job Description: Subject matter expert in container ledger account process RAMANAN AZITHAMBI Product Software Specialist

32.

Brief Job Description: Subject matter expert in container ledger account process

Basic Qualification: At least 3 years’ experience as IT Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 3 years’ experience as IT Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CRONYX INC. No. 4th-10th Flr. Yinhope Bldg., Dela Rama Cor. Zoili Hilario St., Seascape Village, Ccp Complex Subd. Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City MU, HAOTIAN Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 33.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services

YANG, QIUCHAN Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 34.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience / Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience / Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CURRENTCORE SERVICES INC. Unit 2c, Flr. No. 4f, One Ecom Center Bldg. Ocean Drive St., Barangay 76, Pasay City LIU, DANWU Mandarin Site Technical Officer 35.

Brief Job Description: Preparing and following general maintenance schedule

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking, Reading and Writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DEXIN INTERNATIONAL IMPORT AND EXPORT CORP. Lot 3 E&e Cmpd., F. Santiago St., Parada, City Of Valenzuela

36.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

CONCENTRIX DAKSH SERVICES PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Bldg. F, Ayalaland, Technohub, Quezon City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

BEST RELIABLE RESOURCES CORP. Ub 111 Paseo De Roxas Bldg., Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

24.

ZHENG, JIAWEI Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin speaking.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ACE VELOCITY CONSULTANCY INC. 37/f Lkg Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati MARYATI Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate at Least 1-2 Years of working Experience in the Related Field, Fluent in Chinese/Basic English

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

No.

AMUSETECH BUSINESS OUTSOURCING, OPC 2/f Rivergreen Residences, 2217 Pedro Gil St., Barangay 880, Santa Ana, City Of Manila

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

AMDOCS PHILIPPINES INC. 23rd, 25th, And 26th Floors Eco Tower, 32nd St. Cor. 9th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

SADANA, RAHUL Service Partner

A15

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

AMAZON OPERATION SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. B21 Three E-com Moa Complex, Harbour Drive Cor. Bay Shore, Brgy. 076, Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Ability to work under pressure and motivation in a competitive environment; should have a bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications or a related field; good communication and interpersonal skills.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Saturday, April 23, 2022

37.

38.

HE, WANYONG Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentation.

HUANG, ZHENGEN Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentation.

SONG, YAOQING Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentation.

Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentation.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentation.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentation.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

A16 A6 Saturday, April 23, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

39.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION SUN, HAO Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentation.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentation.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QUANG MAI PHUONG Customer Service Representative 53.

DYNAMIC STUDIO TECHNOLOGY INC. 5th To 10th/f Platinum Tower Building, Aseana Ave. Cor. Fuentes Street, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque BAI, YE Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 40.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers, give customers information about product and services

DONG, YULIN Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 41.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers, give customers information about product and services

LI, RUICHENG Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 42.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers, give customers information about product and services

SUN, FEI Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 43.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers, give customers information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

54.

ZHOU, WEIJUN Customer Service Representative

55.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

LI, YING Marketing And Sales Agent 44.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and services and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas.

LIU, GUILIN Marketing And Sales Agent 45.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and services and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas.

56.

46.

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and services and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas.

57.

47.

Brief Job Description: Monitor learner engagement to help optimize their learning and achieve study goals

48.

Brief Job Description: To help the company achieve sales targets and meet other business goals by offering opportunities to the company’s partners.

58.

49.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

DO VAN KHUYEN Customer Service Representative 50.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

HOANG THI BICH Customer Service Representative 51.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

PHUNG VAN TUAN Customer Service Representative 52.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

Brief Job Description: Facilitate the resolution of disputes with external role-players WANG, FAN Mandarin Communications Specialist

59.

Brief Job Description: Facilitate the resolution of disputes with external role-players WANG, LIGUO Mandarin Communications Specialist

60.

Brief Job Description: Facilitate the resolution of disputes with external role-players WANG, WEIZE Mandarin Communications Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any related field Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any related field Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any related field

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any related field

Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree/5-10 yrs. supervisory/ managerial experience in logistics or operations/ multilingual.

YANG, PANPAN Mandarin Purchasing Officer 62.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Conducting product research and sourcing new suppliers an vendors

HUANG, SHIYU Admin Manager 63.

Brief Job Description: Management, Company representative to foreign clients, interpreter.

PAN, HAIYONG General Manager 64.

Brief Job Description: Management, Company representative to foreign clients, interpreter.

TU, CHIA-JUI General Manager 65.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and Basic English

Brief Job Description: Facilitate the resolution of disputes with external role-players

TRIEU THI DIEM CHI It Support Specialist 71.

Brief Job Description: Management, Company representative to foreign clients, interpreter.

WANG, YEZHENG General Manager 66.

Brief Job Description: Management, Company representative to foreign clients, interpreter.

XU, QINGXIN General Manager 67.

Brief Job Description: Management, Company representative to foreign clients, interpreter.

68.

Brief Job Description: The mandarin head operation manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

69.

Brief Job Description: Maintains the computer networks of all types of organisations, providing technical support and ensuring

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin, and Fukien language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

72.

Brief Job Description: Your primary function is to help the company and its Chinese clients to generate more income for the company.

ZHANG, LIANG Strategic And Facilitation Officer

73.

Brief Job Description: Your primary function is to help the company and its Chinese clients to generate more income for the company.

ZHAO, YUSHENG Strategic And Facilitation Officer

74.

Brief Job Description: Your primary function is to help the company and its Chinese clients to generate more income for the company.

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

JK ESSENTIALS CORP. 2101 21st Floor The Finance Center, 26 St. Corner 9th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig CHOI, RANHUI Assistant Purchasing Supervisor 75.

Brief Job Description: Creating, processing and tracking the company’s purchasing history

Basic Qualification: College graduate Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.- PHILIPPINE GLOBAL SERVICE CENTER 25f Jpmorgan Chase & Co Tower, 9th Avenue Cor. 38th St., Uptown Bonifacio, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig CHOPRA, NIKHIL Compliance, Conduct And Operational Risk Management Director

76.

Brief Job Description: • Leads/oversees the Compliance, Conduct and Operational Risk (CCOR) organization in the location, which is primarily involved in assessing the compliance risks for the location and ensuring monitoring, testing & awareness activities are in place.

• Influence an enhanced operational risk coverage • Provide oversight & drive people engagement across CCOR

Basic Qualification: • Extensive knowledge of banking & financial services industry • Strong background in Compliance, Operational Risk & Controls is preferred • 20+ years experience in leadership roles Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

LAN TIAN ZI XUN INC. Unit 205 2/f Zen Tower, 1111 Natividad Almeda Lopez St., 071, Barangay 659, Ermita, City Of Manila MEN, QIANQIAN Chinese It Specialist

77.

Brief Job Description: This position requires the exercise of discretion in the application of the principles, practices and techniques related to planning and analysis; design; development and implementation; maintenance; support; and management of information technology functions.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

MINDSCAPE CREATIVES INC. Unit 19-o, Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati TIAWISES, ROSSARIN Mandarin Operations Specialist

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin

78.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

MPOTECH DIGITAL SYSTEM INC. 47/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, speaks and writes mandarin, experience of the said position.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, speaks and writes mandarin, experience of the said position.

79.

80.

81.

82.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem-solving skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem-solving skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NESTLE PHILIPPINES, INC. Rockwell Center 31, Plaza Drive, Poblacion, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin head operation manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Basic Qualification: 18-50 y/o, good organizational skills, proficient in relevant computer applications

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

MARDIANTO Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

LYNN MERYL EVELINA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, speaks and writes mandarin, experience of the said position.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

HENDRA GOZALI Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, speaks and writes mandarin, experience of the said position.

Brief Job Description: Committed to improving customer experience and operational efficiency

ELZE Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

INTEGRITY GLOBAL GROUP, INC. 2/f-3/f Ayala Malls Circuit, A.p. Reyes Ave., Carmona, City Of Makati KIM, SEUNGHO It Support

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, speaks and writes mandarin, experience of the said position.

HUBEI SHUIZONG WATER RESOURCES AND HYDROPOWER CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD. PHILIPPINES BRANCH OFFICE Unit A & B, 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati QIAN, MENGJIN Mandarin Head Operation Manager

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality IT Support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

YU, LONG Strategic And Facilitation Officer

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any related field Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: 18-50 y/o, good organizational skills, proficient in relevant computer applications

JDB MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTANCY CORP. 107 T & D House, Magallanes St. 069, Barangay 655, Intramuros, City Of Manila

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any related field Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Maintains the computer networks of all types of organisations, providing technical support and ensuring

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 9/f 100 West Building, Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any related field

HI-SEAS CO. LTD. INC. 8th Floor, Jd Tower, Commerce Avenue, Mbp, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

70.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LEE, SUNG JAE It Support

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese (verbal and written skills) Must be able to work from home/officebased At least 3 years of corporate experience

No.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

61.

FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC. Ri Rance Ii Bldg., Block 2 Lot 3 Aseana City, Tambo, City Of Parañaque BUI THI VAN Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: College graduate level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and Basic English

Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and researches to help develop marketing strategies; Can help to detail, design and implement marketing plans for each product or service being offered.

FLASH EXPRESS SOFTWARE (PH) CO., LTD. INC. 11/f Cybersigma, Lawton Ave., Mckinley West, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig LI, LILI People Business Partner Manager

Brief Job Description: Facilitate the resolution of disputes with external role-players MA, YUQI Mandarin Communications Specialist

EASY TALK LANGUAGE LEARNING CENTER FOUNDATION, INC. G/f Mezz, 2/f, 3/f & Penthouse 95, Sen Gil Puyat Ave., Palanan, City Of Makati

JIANG, NA Bilingual Speaking Teacher

Brief Job Description: Facilitate the resolution of disputes with external role-players HE, JIAZE Mandarin Communications Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZHOU, ZITAO Marketing And Sales Agent

Brief Job Description: A customer service representative supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. They’re the front line of support for clients and customers and they help ensure that customers are satisfied with products, services, and features.

CHEN, XIURUN Mandarin Communications Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and researches to help develop marketing strategies; Can help to detail, design and implement marketing plans for each product or service being offered.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

GEDI CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Unit A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503, Nueva St., Barangay 289, Binondo, City Of Manila Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and researches to help develop marketing strategies; Can help to detail, design and implement marketing plans for each product or service being offered.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

GATEWAYSOLUTIONS CORP. Unit 2306 Antel Global Corporate Center, Julia Vargas Ave., San Antonio, City Of Pasig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

VI VAN TUAN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

DEDHIA, FENIL TARACHAND Head Of Consumer & Marketplace Insights And Analytics

83.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for market strategy, insights development, and drive advanced analytics for the Food & Beverage categories in the PH-market; Partner closely with Marketing Team in identifying and prioritizing key issues and opportunities to drive the businesses & categories; Lead in effectively driving development of insights & analytics to accelerate growth strategies; Advise key decision makers with data driven knowledge so that they can make informed risk-assessed decisions

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, marketing or any other related business field.; At least >10 years of working experience in a strategy and insights function, preferably working as a senior strategy manager in a fast paced and dynamic business environment.; Must possess strong communication & analytical skills.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f, Pearl Marina Building Pacific Drive, Don Galo, City Of Parañaque

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION DENG, LONG Chinese Customer Service

84.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

YANG, WEI Chinese Customer Service 85.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

DAO THI HUONG Vietnamese Customer Service 86.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

HY PHU NONG Vietnamese Customer Service 87.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

LE VAN HONG Vietnamese Customer Service 88.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

NGUYEN VAN DUC Vietnamese Customer Service 89.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

VU HAN LINH Vietnamese Customer Service 90.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

91.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs. Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

92.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs. Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

WILIANTO Customer Service Representative 93.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs. Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

98.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language & English)

CHEN, JUEI-CHE Project Manager

99.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write native language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write native language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write native language.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write native language.

100.

101.

94.

Brief Job Description: Manage the whole corporate administrative and financial operations

DUONG SAU BINH It Officer 102.

103.

LIN, JIAZI Chinese Customer Service Representative 95.

Brief Job Description: Answering inquiries, resolving problems, fulfilling requests and maintaining data base

104.

LIU, XIAOPING Chinese Customer Service Representative 96.

Brief Job Description: Answering inquiries, resolving problems, fulfilling requests and maintaining data base

105.

106.

107.

97.

Brief Job Description: Will lead, direct and manage the day to day HR and administrative activities

108.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

DUONG HUY HOANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

LE BAO QUOC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

112.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

LE DUC THANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

LE HONG NHI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services LE NGOC AN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

113.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

LE THAI QUANG VINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

114.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

LE THI HAI YEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

115.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, preferably 6mos-1year customer service experience

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

DOAN TRUNG KIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

111.

Basic Qualification: Ability to supervise and manage the HR and administrative dept.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

DOAN THI THANH NGUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

LE TRONG TIN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

116.

SHIMIZU CORPORATION 5/f King’s Court Bldg. 1, 2129 Chino Roces Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati MORITA, ASAMI Senior Administrator

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

DO VAN THANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

DAM QUANG HIEU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

110.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

CHU VAN DUC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, preferably 6mos-1year customer service experience

Brief Job Description: Setup new user accounts and profiles and deals with password issues.

BUI VAN THANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

109.

RIGHT CHOICE FINANCE CORP. 5e-1 Electra House Bldg., 115-117 Esteban Street, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

Brief Job Description: Management, company’s representative in foreign clients, disseminator

Basic Qualification: College graduate, Mandarin proficiency, leadership role.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Mandarin proficiency, leadership role.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Mandarin proficiency, leadership role.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Mandarin proficiency, leadership role.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

SOMI UNLIMITED SOLUTIONS, INC. 10/f Tower 2 Double Dragon Plaza Bldg., Edsa Corner Macapagal Ave. St. Zone 10, District 1, Barangay 76, Pasay City

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

Basic Qualification: College graduate; 1 at least 2years experience to the related field

Brief Job Description: Management, company’s representative in foreign clients, disseminator ZHENG, JIANPING Project Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

Brief Job Description: Management, company’s representative in foreign clients, disseminator YANG, CHIAO-YI Project Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write native language.

Brief Job Description: Management, company’s representative in foreign clients, disseminator WEI, NING Project Manager

PERCEPTION GAMING INC. 24/f 6750 Bldg., Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati YANG YANG, CHIEN-WEN, JIE-WEN Manager

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

SKYWAVER CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Level 10-1 One Global Place 5th Avenue & 25th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

REKI Customer Service Representative

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

NGUYEN CONG THANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

117.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

A17

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write native language.

OMNIWEALTH ENTERPRISE INC. 17th Flr. Citibank Square Bldg., No. 188 Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Eastwood City Cyberpark 3, Bagumbayan, Quezon City

CHU NGOC ANH Customer Service Representative

No.

Saturday, April 23, 2022

No.

NGUYEN CONG VU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 118.

119.

120.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

NGUYEN HUU HUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

121.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

NGUYEN HUU QUANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

122.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN MINH THONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

123.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

NGUYEN PHI BANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

124.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

NGUYEN HUU GIAP Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

NGUYEN HOANG ANH VU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (verbal and written) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services NGUYEN THI HOA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

125.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services NGUYEN THI HOA SIM Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NGUYEN THI KIEU TRANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

126.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

127.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

NGUYEN THI THUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 128.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

129.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN THI TRUC PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

130.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services NGUYEN THI THUY NGAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services NGUYEN TIEN PHA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

NGUYEN TRONG DUC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

131.

132.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NGUYEN TRUNG KIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 133.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services NGUYEN TRUONG HOANG ANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

134.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN TUNG DUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

135.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN VAN HAU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

136.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN VAN HOANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

137.

Brief Job Description: Attracts Potential Customers by Answering Product and Service Questions Suggesting Information about other products and Services

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (verbal and written) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and Written Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

A18 A6 Saturday, April 23, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION NGUYEN VAN HOANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

138.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN VAN HUNG VU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

139.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN VAN THANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

140.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN VAN THANH TUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

141.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services NGUYEN VAN TIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

142.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services ONG KHAI THANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

143.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services PHAM VAN CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

144.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

PHAM VAN DUC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

145.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

PHAM VAN HUYNH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

146.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

PHAM VAN VINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

147.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

PHAN LAM ANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

148.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

TRAN DINH DANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

149.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

TRAN MANH CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

150.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

TRAN NGOC TUAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

151.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services TRAN QUOC VIET Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

152.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services TRAN VAN LUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

153.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

TRINH THANH LONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

154.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

TRUONG NGOC KHOI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

155.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

TRUONG QUANG DAT Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

156.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

VO THI KIM NGAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

157.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services VU LE TUAN ANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

158.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

No.

159.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZHANG, JIAO Chinese Speaking Business Consultant 160.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 161.

162.

163.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

LIU, MINGYU Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant 164.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

KANG, XIAOHANG Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

JIANG, JINGJIE Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

HUANG, XU Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

MIAO, HUIYUAN Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant 165.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

WANG, MENGQI Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

166.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

167.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

168.

169.

170.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

174.

171.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

175.

176.

Brief Job Description: Respond to inbound customer contact and conduct outbound customer communications; Provide multiple specialized services to customers for a range of products or services, difficult complaint and fault inquiries, deployment of services and staff

177.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

178.

173.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Foreign Language Speaking

Brief Job Description: Generating Sales Leads, Building Sustainable Relationships Where Necessary

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Foreign Language Speaking

Brief Job Description: Generating Sales Leads, Building Sustainable Relationships Where Necessary

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate with more than 10 years of relevant experience.

Fluent in Mandarin and English

CHIANG, MENG-FAN Sales Division Head Brief Job Description: Oversee the entire finance operations

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

ZAPPORT SERVICES, INC. 36/f Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati ALVIN LIANDI Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer 179.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

180.

181.

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties KALVIN CHRISNADA Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer

182.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Minimum 20 years offshore experience including a minimum of 10 years on FPSO/FSOs

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties HENDRIK Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties HANDIKA Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties

LUSI HANDAYANI Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer 183.

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties

VENEZIA CRISTELIA WIJAYA Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer 184.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties

VIVI FRANSISCA Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer 185.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WIED BUDI TRISNANTO Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer 186.

Basic Qualification: Korean speakers with above average English communication skills both verbal and written

Basic Qualification: University degree or equivalent education and experience; advanced experience within a managed services business; average 10+ years of professional service experience managing a service line; relevant industry certifications preferable active participation in professional communities, forums and social media.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties

YOGI Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

UNISYS PHILIPPINES LIMITED, L.L.C. Level 9 One Cyberpod Eton Centris, Eds. Cor. Quezon Ave. 4, Pinyahan, Quezon City

Brief Job Description: Manages financials and operational metrics for multiple and/or large complex engagements; ensures that the organization’s strategy is consistent with Unisys strategy; manages the delivery and implementation of services within planned timelines, budget, margins, slas, kpis, okrs and quality specifications; applies business problems; combines knowledge of business process methodologies with a deep knowledge of their domain and/or solution to sell, design and deliver a full range of solutions.

Brief Job Description: Conduct Market Research to Find Answer about Consumer Requirements Habits and Trends

YULON FINANCE PHILIPPINES CORPORATION 17/f The Curve, 32nd St. Corner 3rd Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

187.

KANNAN, KARTHIKKEYAN Senior Manager, Delivery

Basic Qualification: Foreign Language Speaking

MAI DIEP NGOC TRAM Vietnam Speaking Customer Service Officer

TTEC CUSTOMER CARE MANAGEMENT PHILIPPINES, INC. Five E-com, 10th Floor, Harbor Drive Corner Palm Coast Avenue, Barangay 76, Pasay City

172.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CHANG HOC VAN Vietnam Speaking Customer Service Officer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

LEE, YOHSEB Customer Care Representative 2 - Percepta

Brief Job Description: Conduct Market Research to Find Answer about Consumer Requirements Habits and Trends HSUEH, LI-HUNG Bilingual Marketing Specialist

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

Brief Job Description: In charge of Account Management and is responsible for client relationship management

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality IT Support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Basic Qualification: Foreign Language Speaking

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Management

Brief Job Description: Diploma/technical qualification in a recognized energy services subject

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

GONG, TINGYUN Bilingual Marketing Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SHETTY, AMIT RAVI Senior Director-digitization

GAO, XIUGUI Chinese It Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (verbal and written)

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (verbal and written)

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written.

TIANYU TECHNOLOGY INC. 14/f Socialdesk Tower, H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

GHOLE, NAZIM MUALLIM Offshore Installation Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

THREE60 OPERATIONS SERVICES LIMITED Level 9 Arthland Century Pacific Tower, 30th Street Corner 4th And 5th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (verbal and written)

No.

SUTHERLAND GLOBAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 12th Floor Philplans Corporate Center, Kalayaan Avenue & Triangle Drive, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

ZHANG, YING Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services.

WU, BAOZHONG Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

SPEEDWELL INC. 5/f King’s Court 2 Bldg., 2129 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills)

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION VU VAN TRONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

*Date Generated: Apr 22, 2022 Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.