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Saturday, April 30, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 202

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TOOLS OF WAR KEEP THE PEACE

ADAS gives DND, AFP a glimpse of modernization needs as defense and security take centerstage in a changing geopolitical environment

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By Rene Acosta

OR three days this week, the military was provided with an opportunity to review what it has so far achieved, and what it would still need in its ongoing modernization program through the Asian Defense and Security (ADAS) 2022 held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

The ADAS 2022, which was supported by the Department of National Defense (DND), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other agencies of government, has shown the country’s “strategic importance,” according to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who added that the event has placed the Philippines at the center stage of defense and security.

With 155 exhibitors from 31 countries who make the best assets, equipment, weapons and technologies in the world of defense and security, the exhibition accorded the Philippine military the chance to actually reassess its capability upgrade program and provided it with a list of future acquisitions.

“We encourage all personnel from the defense and security sectors to maximize this opportunity presented by ADAS 2022 to attend this highly significant event and update themselves on

the latest weapon systems and equipment,” Lorenzana said in opening the event.

On the other hand, AFP Chief of Staff General Andres Centino said the military joined the ADAS in order to update itself and evaluate its modernization program requirements, given the actual presence of the world’s leading defense manufacturers and their state-ofthe-art and cutting-edge assets, equipment and technologies.

“The defense and security sector has significantly benefited from the ADAS series. By establishing networks and fostering stronger collaboration with the leaders of the industry, the event

provides opportunities for our policymakers to develop effective and swift responses against a myriad of national security threats,” Centino said.

Biggest names in business

THE ADAS 2022 assembled the biggest names in defense and security, some of which have been the contractors of the military’s previous and ongoing modernization projects as well as proponents of its upcoming procurements.

They include the Korean Aerospace Industries, Embraer, Airbus and Rafael, which delivered fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft Continued on A2

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana views the replicas of assorted land, sea and air military equipment and assets on display during the opening of the 4th Asian Defense and Security 2022 held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. Organized by the Singapore-based APAC Expo, the event gathered the participations of 155 exhibitors from 31 countries in the global defense and security industry. ROY DOMINGO

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.1580

n JAPAN 0.3986 n UK 64.9889 n HK 6.6474 n CHINA 7.8723 n SINGAPORE 37.6131 n AUSTRALIA 37.0374 n EU 54.7763 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.9062

Source: BSP (April 29, 2022)

NewsSaturday BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, April 30, 2022

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Your shopping bill is about to get even higher. Blame Indonesia’s palm oil ban.

By Anuradha Raghu, Pratik Parija & Eko Listiyorini

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Bloomberg News

NDONESIA’S palm oil export ban kicked off Thursday in one of the most drastic cases of food protectionism since the war erupted in Ukraine.

The top shipper imposed a sweeping ban on cooking oil exports, covering palm oil products across the value chain. It’s hard to overstate the importance of the tropical oil as it’s found everywhere today—in food, soap, lipstick and even printing ink—which makes Indonesia’s move important for the world.

The move adds to the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which plunged the global edible oil market into disarray. With food costs surging to all-time highs, governments are taking steps to secure their own supplies. The United Nations has urged leaders to keep trade open, warning that protectionism will drive up prices and lead to empty shelves in countries dependent on imports.

In a move illustrating the country’s determination to enforce the ban, the Navy said it detained two tankers carrying palm

oil heading to India and the United Arab Emirates for alleged violation of export controls. The Navy will increase monitoring and security in the country’s waters to prevent smuggling.

‘Inflationary for everyone’

INDONESIA’S export ban is “inflationary for everyone,” said Atul Chaturvedi, president of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India. India is the top importer of palm oil and gets about 45 percent of its supply from the Southeast Asian country. “If the supply chain is disrupted, companies will try to ration their supplies because they don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

The country is certainly not making it easy to navigate its palm export ban. The top producer said Friday it would suspend all shipments of cooking oil, sending prices of palm and its substitute soyoil

PALM oil loaded into trucks from a tanker docked at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday, April. 26, 2022. After a shock announcement by Indonesia late Friday about banning all exports of cooking oil, the world’s top producer clarified days later that it will only halt exports of RBD palm olein, while shipments of crude palm oil can continue. BLOOMBERG

soaring. Then late Monday, reports emerged that only palm olein, a refined product, would be halted, prompting a swift retreat in prices and traders rushing to comply with the ban.

The government delivered another shock Wednesday evening, widening the ban to include crude palm oil, RBD palm oil and even used cooking oil, contradicting its earlier statement. That covers the products across the entire supply chain. Indonesia accounts for about a third of global edible oil exports.

The move is “one of the biggest acts of agriculture nationalism so far during this surge in food prices,” said Tobin Gorey, an agri-

commodities strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Palm oil futures dropped 1.1 percent to close at 6,910 ringgit ($1,583) a ton on Thursday, paring gains this week. Prices jumped by the 10 percent trading limit a day earlier, hours before Indonesia announced the widened export ban.

Everybody suffers

PRESIDENT Joko Widodo said late Wednesday that the ban would be lifted once the local demand for food staples is met, adding that it was “ironic” that the country had difficulty getting cooking oil. The decision to ban exports came after earlier policies weren’t effective in

easing the shortage, he said.

It is uncertain if the ban will have the desired effect. The government acknowledged that the policy may cut the country’s palm output and result in unsold harvests for farmers. There are also concerns about when Indonesian producers will run out of capacity to store the oil they can no longer export.

“With this hard stance, the government is punishing errant refiners by punishing the whole Indonesian plantation industry,” RHB Research analyst Hoe Lee Leng wrote in a note. “All players in Indonesia would likely suffer, although pure upstream exporters would likely suffer more.”

Tools of war keep the peace Continued from A1

and even upcoming missile systems for the Philippine Air Force.

Other firms such as Elbit Systems, Hyundai Heavy Industries and contractors from the Czech Republic have also supplied the Philippine Army, the Philippine Navy and law-enforcement units with warships, howitzers, light tanks and firearms, while Brahmos Aerospace is set to deliver to the military its first batteries of supersonic missiles.

The companies have brought along other products with them, while other defense contractors showcased their own platforms, systems and technologies as they competed for customers and markets, both in the military and civilian sectors.

“What we have here is basically cross cutting through the Czech defense industry. We have companies that are doing aircraft.

We have Excalibur Army. We have CZ company, which is actually one of the most famous, one of the biggest producers of handguns in the world,” said Czech Republic’s Ministry of Defense Deputy Director Ben Ziga.

“Then we are looking at electronic warfare jammers, intelligent humans, air traffic control and radars. What we have here is everything from heavy equipment to electronic warfare,” he added.

Czech companies and other

“Y

ou know you are facing threats in the South China Sea that are obvious; you need electronic warfare, you need jammers, you need intelligent equipment.”

—Czech Republic’s Ministry of Defense Deputy Director Ben Ziga exhibitors are looking forward to sustaining the third and last phase of the military’s modernization while prospecting for other markets as the ADAS drew visitors and interested clients from even other militaries, civilians and companies abroad.

The ‘threats’

“YOU know you are facing threats in the South China Sea that are obvious you need electronic warfare, you need jammers, you need intelligent equipment,” Ziga said.

Touring the booths, Centino said he saw a lot of products and systems that fit into their modernization program.

“It’s not just for the military. We have seen unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that we can use in humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

I saw one UAS that can take off vertically, which we can use in calamity assessment,” he said.

“Instead of using our helicopters, which only have two hours of endurance, we can use this for 12 hours in calamity areas,” he added.

Centino said that without the

ADAS, they would not see the capabilities of assets and equipment that they intend to acquire.

The chief of staff said the modernization program, being part of the law, would not stop even with the change of elected government leaders after the May 9 elections.

He defended the holding of the exhibition and the ongoing procurement of the military against claims that it could trigger an arms race in the region.

“All armed forces are modernizing, so it’s important that we are also on a par with our allies. We have to upgrade and improve our capability,” the military chief said.

Looking for bigger acquisitions

LORENZANA also said the defense department is looking for more acquisitions, which are bigger ones, in the last phase of the modernization program.

“We have bought a lot and a lot more will be procured. We are actually waiting for money. Horizon 3 is for sophisticated equipment,” he said, mentioning submarines as one of the projects.

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

News BusinessMirror

BBM: 180K plantilla positions vacant, while thousands of govt casuals suffer

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OTING the predicament of thousands of state workers who have been serving for the longest time without being given permanent status despite meeting qualifications, presidential frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. on Thursday said it’s about time the government pays attention to their plight.

Many of these employees have spent the best years of their lives in public service and yet continued to be classified as contractual employees or job-order (JO) workers, he said.

Marcos pointed out that regularization is a major issue not just for the private sector, but it has long been a concern also for those working in the government, “because some of them are only hired through job orders or contracts of service for one reason or another.”

Currently, there are around 600,000 to 700,000 JO workers in the government, even as there are about 180,000 “unfilled” plantilla positions.

“There are 180,000 unfilled plantillas, so let’s fill them up first and we will strive to regularize the status of JO workers at the national and local government levels, given the funds available and what the law allows,” Marcos said, partly in Filipino.

Many government JO workers, especially those with the local government units earn only around P10,000 per month without enjoying the benefits and other perks that come with being on permanent status.

The current minimum wage in Metro Manila is P537 per day, which is still comparatively low and could barely keep a family of five live decently, considering the high cost of living in the National Capital Region.

“Our minimum wage is low enough as it is, and yet there are those receiving lower than that; and what’s sad is that they serve people as State workers,” said Marcos.

He said he can not imagine “how our JO workers survive these days.

We will fix that so that they and their families can enjoy some relief,” he added.

Aside from lower salaries, casual and JO workers often do not receive benefits such as Christmas bonuses and 13th month pay that regular or permanent employees get.

Marcos said he intends to propose legislation that state workers who consistently receive “excellent performance evaluations” for at least three consecutive years be given the chance to be hired as permanents.

“If their record at work is good and they have consistent outstanding performance ratings, maybe they can be made regular even without the corresponding eligibility,” said Marcos.

Saturday, April 30, 2022

A3

‘Fearless forecast’ of 1-M foreign tourists by yearend

By MA. STELLA F. ARNALDO

Special to the BusinessMirror

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OREIGN tourist arrivals in the Philippines are projected to exceed 1 million by the end of 2022, supporting recent tourism reports of a quick turnaround in the travel industry.

Jose C. Clemente III, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, made this forecast in his presentation Wednesday at the Livable Cities Philippines webinar on “Revenge Travel: Post-Pandemic Tourist Boom.”

He said, “Demand continues to remain robust for the following months, and we expect more arrivals for the winter season of 2022, barring any unforeseen events. My fearless forecast is that by the end of the year, we should be seeing numbers of about 1.1 million to 1.3 million [foreign tourist arrivals].”

He noted these inbound arrivals “is a far cry” from the 8.26 million foreign tourists received pre-pandemic, in

2019, “but considering where we came from, those numbers [1-1.3 million] actually bodes quite well for the tourism industry.”

His optimism is fueled on the speed by which foreign tourists have arrived and the return of the “long-haul markets” like Europe and North America, which have loosened their respective travel restrictions and allowed their citizens to return to their home countries without quarantining. Clemente is also president of Rajah Tours Philippines, a popular tour operator among balikbayans (homecoming Filipinos) and European tourists.

Inbound arrivals break 300K-mark Data provided by the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed 319,047 inbound arrivals from February 10, since the country reopened to the leisure travel markets, to April 25. This comes on the heels of the Philippines’s successful

hosting of the 21st Global Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) from April 20 to 22.

“The sustained growth in foreign arrivals in the country indicates the recovery of our tourism industry, and thus the country’s overall economy.

With the recent holding of the WTTC Global Summit in the Philippines, the DOT is optimistic that foreign tourism arrivals to the country will pick up even more as foreigners are made aware of the Philippines as a safe and fun destination to travel,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat in a news statement.

Of total arrivals for the reference period, 129,062 were balikbayans (40.5 percent of total), and foreign tourists were 189,985 (59.6 percent).

The next big destination Meanwhile, Clemente predicted Siquijor would probably be the next big tourism destination five years from now.

More popularly known as a place for aswangs, manananggals, and mangkukulams, he jested, “But once you get there, I’d even call it a spiritual place. It’s so quiet, peaceful, and laidback. It’s a place to recharge and get away from the world.

It’s not yet crowded, the roads are quite nice, I was very surprised.” At present though, the island is only accessible via Dumaguete or Bohol.

The recent surge in domestic tourism brought most people to Boracay Island, Baguio, Cebu, and Bohol, he said.

During the Lenten break, the massive influx of tourists in Boracay caused a breach in its carrying capacity.

The boom in domestic travel lifted the tourism sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product in 2021 by 129 percent, according to a report from the WTTC, making the Philippines the world’s fourth fastest growing economy that year. (See, “WTTC sees PHL raising $155 billion by 2032,” in the BusinessMirror, April 20, 2022).

Sputnik-jabbed OFWs can now work in Taiwan

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

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ilipinos interested to work in Taiwan and vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines are now allowed to apply at the de facto embassy of Taiwan in the Philippines, the B usiness M irror learned Friday.

Taiwanese representative to Manila Peiyung Hsu said that the Ministry of Labor of Taiwan has given the OFWs who were immunized with Sputnik Gamaleya vaccine “permission to enter Taiwan for employment.”

The Taiwanese envoy informed this new policy to Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III in a letter dated April 15.

Last February, Taiwan lifted the ban on the deployment of workers from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, but required that the workers from the four Southeast Asian countries need to be fully vaccinated from Covid-19.

However, around 100 OFWs whose applications have already been processed in May 2021 could not be issued visas because their vaccines were Sputnik V.

Taiwan is only allowing Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization or the Taiwan’s Health Authority for emergency use. This prompted the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) to stop accepting applications from OFWs who were vaccinated with Covid-19.

The affected OFWs then appealed to Bello, saying they were just victim of circumstances—following Philippine government orders to be vaccinated, whatever is available and regardless of vaccine brand.

Bello wrote to the TECO representative last March.

Ambassador Hsu said the Taiwanese government agreed to allow Sputnikjabbed Filipinos “based on reciprocity.”

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the B u s i n e s s M i r r o r , was not clear on the reciprocity arrangement the Philippines and Taiwan in allowing Sputnik vaccinated Filipinos to Taiwan.

Last month though, Manila and Taipei had signed a reciprocity agreement on vaccine certificate issued by both countries.

News BusinessMirror

Saturday, April 30, 2022

A4

‘RCEP better than existing FTAs among Asean states’

By Andrea E. San Juan

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MEGA trade deal like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has substantial advantages over the existing Association of Southeast Asian Nation Free Trade Agreements (Asean FTAs) since it enhances market access and provides a stable regulatory framework for the entire region, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) DTI Assistant Secretary Allan B. Gepty emphasized that RCEP is not just about trade in goods but has notable value-added provisions in services, investments, e-commerce, competition, and intellectual property, among others.

This, as he warned that non-ratification by Manila of RCEP negates the positive impact of its recently enacted trio of liberalization reforms on retail trade, public services and utilities, and foreign investments.

Meanwhile, in relation to RCEP’s effects on agricultural products, Gepty noted that tariff liberalization under the agreement would be comparatively limited considering existing FTAs with the other RCEP parties.

Gepty stressed: “Only 33 agricultural tariff lines will be further liberalized under RCEP, which is only equivalent to 1.9 percent of the total agricultural tariff lines.”

He also elaborated some key fea-

tures of the RCEP agreement such as streamlined customs procedures and a single set of rules of origin for the export products of all RCEP countries, as opposed to the multiple sets of rules that govern trade within the region.

The above-mentioned features will help lower the prices for goods and materials within the region, as administrative costs will be reduced by these measures.

On concerns over the possible deferral of Philippine accession to the RCEP agreement, Gepty stressed that such a move may result in the erosion of the country’s comparative advantage in existing export products and the country’s positioning as a manufacturing hub in the region.

He added that investors and businesses might opt to invest in and trade with countries within the RCEP region instead.

Rejecting RCEP negates reforms Not ratifying the RCEP agreement, Gepty stressed, would derail the momentum caused by the recent passage of economic reforms and send conflicting signals to investors and other stakeholders “We have amended the Foreign Investments Act, the Retail Trade Liberalization Act and the Public Service Act. So basically, we are telling the whole world that we are opening our market for trade and investment, and

yet here you are, the Philippines, trying to restrict [your] participation in the globalized economy,” he stressed.

The forum was hosted by the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) on April 21.

It was attended by APCU members composed of Filipino businessmen, academics, journalists, various local and international organizations, and diplomats.

Other speakers at the event included Dr. Theresa Chong Cariño, Senior Research Consultant at The Amity Foundation, and Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong, President of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCI).

For her part, Dr. Cariño tackled the geopolitical implications of the agreement and emphasized RCEP’s role in fostering peace and stability in the region.

She described RCEP as a triumph of Asean’s middle power diplomacy since Asean member states were able to utilize their collective bargaining power in positioning the terms of interregional and global trade.

“I think if RCEP can strengthen regional economic integration, this will strengthen the role of Asean as a whole. What’s important is that with RCEP, Asean as a whole will uphold rules-based regional architecture and work for cooperation, peace, stability, and prosperity,” Cariño said.

Resilience

Dr. Liong, for his part, highlighted the resilience of the Philippine economy and the lucrative export opportunities that the RCEP agreement could provide to businesses, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises.

He noted that local enterprises should brace themselves for competition as it will always be present but acknowledged innovation as a way for them to adapt to the market.

“I hope that we can try to adapt and try to attract foreign investment, but then local business families should try also to do on our own, by trying to adopt innovations and investing in our own capabilities. As I said, at the end of the day, competition will always be there and we should be ready for that,” he said.

RCEP is a free trade agreement among Asean countries and their trading partners including Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. This represents 30 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) or $26.2 trillion.

It entered into force on January 1,2022.

The trade department has been lobbying for the ratification of RCEP as it is seen to “help restore business confidence and encourage more economic activities, particularly MSMEs [micro,small and medium enterprises], investors, service providers, and professionals.”

New law imposes stiff penalties vs violators of contractors’ license law

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iolators of Republic Act No. 4566 or the Contractors’ License Law will soon face stiffer penalties under a new law signed by President Duterte.

Duterte on Tuesday finally signed RA No. 11711, which expanded the provisions of Sec. 35 of RA 4566 on prohibited acts.

The new law imposes penalty against those who will engage in the business of contracting without the necessary license; and managing partner, officer, or employee of licensed partnership, corporation, firm, association or other organization to individually engage in contracting business.

Also prohibited are for two or more licensees, each of whom has been issued a

license to engage separately in the capacity of a contractor, but shall jointly submit a bid or otherwise act in the capacity of a contractor without securing an additional license for acting in the capacity of such a joint venture.

Those engaged in the said illegal activities will be fined no less than P100,000, but not more than P500,000 plus the equivalent of one-tenth of one percent of the project cost.

The erring parties will also be banned from obtaining a contractor’s license for a period of one year from the time the said party is found guilty.

A higher fine of not less than P500,000,

but not more than P1 million and imprisonment of not less than one year, but not more than six years will be imposed on any person, who will present or file the license certificate of another, give false evidence of any kind to the Philippine Licensing Board for Contractors (PCAB), or any member of thereof, in obtaining a certificate or license, impersonate another, or use an expired or revoked certificate or license.

Prior to the passage of RA 11711, erring contractors were only fined with no less than P500, but not more than P5,000.

The new law also extended the validity of the license issued by the PCAB to one year from the date of issuance from just the

remaining parts of the fiscal year.

Contractors in good standing for over 10 to 25 years, they may renew their license every two and three years, respectively.

It also raised the existing fees by PCAB for getting license to P5,000, examination of applicants for P6,000 and renewal of license to P5,000.

The PCAB was authorized to make use of the said collected fees to improve its accreditation and licensing operations and to increase its rates once every three years.

RA 11711 will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette in at least two newspapers of general circulation.

Samuel P. Medenilla

Comelec issues final appeal to poll bets to join KBP forum

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he Commission on Elections (Comelec) made a last-minute appeal Thursday night to presidential and vice presidential candidates to participate in its joint forum with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP).

“Try to imagine the opportunity. They pay a hefty fee to come out with 30 second ads,” Comelec George M. Garcia said.

“This [Comelec-KBP forum] will provide them one hour [of exposure]. We are hoping they will grab the opportunity,” he added.

The deadline for candidates to confirm their participation in the event was supposed to be 5 pm last Thursday.

But the Comelec decided to extend it until noon of Friday, April 29, 2022, upon the request from some candidates.

As of 8 p.m., Garcia said only 4 presidential candidates and three vice presidential candidates have confirmed their attendance in the forum.

Participants of the Comelec-KBP PiliPinas Forum will undergo a one-hour interview

from a panel from KBP. It may be live and in-person; live and via teleconference call; or taped as live with no editing depending on the candidates The interview will be divided into three segments. The first 10 minutes will cover inflation, poverty, jobs, wages, livelihood, and business.

The second part will discuss education, healthcare, and pandemic response.

The last part will be about red-tagging, press freedom, attacks on civil society, attacks on mainstream media, fake news, e-gambling, electoral reforms, gender issues, political dynasties, dealing with disasters and calamities, use of nuclear energy, resurrecting the Bataan Nuclear

Power Plant, foreign policy, judicial reforms, and appointees.

The interviews will be shown from May 2 to May 6, 2022 by Bombo Radyo Philippines, Radio Mindanao Network, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. (Teleradyo and ANC), TV5 Network Inc. (One PH and OneNews), CNN Philippines, and Radyo Pilipino, among others.

Comelec and KBP decided to hold the forum to replace the last two parts of its scrapped PiliPinas 2022 debate series.

The poll body discontinued its debate series after its partner organizer for the event, Vote Pilipinas or also known as Impact Hub, has yet to settle its liabilities to Sofitel Philippine Plaza. Samuel P. Medenilla

www.businessmirror.com.ph

IATF: 57.77 percent of PHL under AL1 from May 1 to 15

By Samuel P. Medenilla

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etro Manila and most parts of the country will remain under the lowest alert level (AL) classification during the upcoming May 9, 2022 national and local elections.

This after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) issued its Resolution No. 167-A (s.2022) on Thursday, which updated its list of ALs nationwide.

Acting Presidential Spokesman Martin M. Andanar said the new list would be in effect from May 1 to 15, 2022.

Aside from the National Capital Region (NCR), the following areas will also be placed under AL 1 during the same period: For Luzon: Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Baguio City; Region 2: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, and Dagupan City; Region 2: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, and City of Santiago; Region 3: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Angeles City, and Olongapo City; Region 4-A: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Lucena City; Region 4-B: Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, and Puerto Princesa City; and Region 5: Albay, Catanduanes, Naga City.

For the Visayas, Region 6: Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo Province, Bacolod City, and Iloilo City; Region 7: Siquijor, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City; and Region 8: Biliran, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Ormoc City, and Tacloban City.

In Mindanao, areas under AL1 are Region 9: Zamboanga City; Region 10: Camiguin, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City, and Iligan City; Region 11: Davao City; and Caraga: Surigao del Sur and Butuan City.

Business establishments and public transportations in areas under AL 1 are allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity.

According, the IATF Secretariat the new resolution now brings the total number of whole provinces, highly urbanized cities (HUCs), and independent component cities (ICCs) under Alert Level 1 to 77.

“Counting by cities (including HUCs and ICCs) and municipalities, we have 944 (57.77 percent) of the total 1,634 cities/ municipalities in Alert Level 1,” the IATF Secretariat said.

IATF came out with the updated AL list even after a case of the Omicron BA.2.12 subvariant, which the Department of Health (DOH) said contributed to more infections in other countries.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), however, earlier said it has prepared the necessary contingencies such as the strict implementation of minimum health standards in voting centers to ensure the risk of infection during the 2022 polls will be minimized.

Health experts warned that the elections could become a “super spreader” event and cause an increase in active Covid-19 active cases by the middle of May. IATF Resolution 167-A also placed the following provinces, HUCs and ICCs under Alert Level 2: For Luzon: Cordillera Administrative Region: Benguet, Ifugao; Region 2: Nueva Vizcaya; Region 4-A: Quezon Province; Region 4-B: Occidental Mindoro and Palawan; and Region 5: Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate, and Sorsogon.

For the Visayas, Region 6: Antique and Negros Occidental; Region 7: Bohol, Cebu, and Negros Oriental; and Region 8: Leyte, Northern Samar and Western Samar.

For Mindanao, Region 9: City of Isabela, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay; Region 10: Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Region 11: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro and Davao Occidental; Region 12: General Santos City, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato; Caraga: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte; and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Basilan, Cotabato City, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Business operations and public movement in areas under AL 2 are more limited compared to those under Alert Level 1.

Comelec’s debate mess prober seeks 2 poll execs’ relief from media duties

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LECTIONS Commissioner Rey E. Bulay has recommended the temporary “relief” of two poll officials linked to PiliPinas 2022 Debates fiasco.

Citing his preliminary findings on the case, Bulay said he found “reasonable cause to commence a formal fact-finding and administrative disciplinary investigation” against Comelec Education and Information Department (EID) director James B. Jimenez and Frances A. Arabe.

Pending the conclusion of his probe, the poll official submitted a recommendation to Comelec Chairman Saidamen B. Pangarungan last Wednesday to temporarily relieve both officials “from any functions involving media relations and exposure.”

He said this will “ensure the observance of due process, and a thorough, proper, fair and impartial probe.”

“The elections being a few days away, Directors Jimenez and Arabe were recommended to continue other functions under the supervision of their committee heads,” Bulay said.

Bulay’s Office made the recommenda-

tion on April 27, 2022, for the latter’s consideration.

He declined to release additional information on the case to prevent “trial by publicity” of Jimenez and Arabe.

Bulay was tasked by Pangarungan to look into the allegation of Sofitel Philippine Plaza against Vote Pilipinas, also known as Impact Hub Manila, that the latter failed to settle its over P14-million bill with the former.

Sofitel provided the venue for the first three parts of Comelec’s PiliPinas 2022 Debate series through an agreement with Vote Pilipinas.

In an internal memo, Bulay tagged Jimenez and Arabe for purportedly requesting the release of P15 million from Comelec funds to help Impact Hub pay for the liabilities of Vote Pilipinas with Sofitel.

However, Bulay stressed, Comelec has no contractual obligation to help Vote Pilipinas pay its bills with Sofitel.

As of press time, Jimenez and Arabe have yet to issue a statement on Bulay’s recommendation when sought for comment by the media on the said matter. Samuel P. Medenilla

Lacson camp slams ‘dirty trick’ ops in CamSur weekend sortie

By Butch Fernandez

T

he camp of presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson was hounded by “fake news” over the weekend announcing his scheduled Friday to Sunday marathon campaign sorties in the vote-rich Bicol region were “cancelled.”

In a news statement, the Lacson camp promptly denounced the plot claiming it was apparently concocted by rival camps to mislead Lacson supporters that the candidate canceled his campaign events in Bicol, particularly in Naga, Camarines Sur. The Lacson campaign team disclosed that their local organizers promptly conveyed information reaching them that “local media that were to attend Lacson’s campaign in Naga were advised that the events were cancelled.”

Lacson’s spokesman, Ashley Acedillo, promptly denied the report denouncing it as a “dirty trick,” adding “we are no longer surprised by such tactics as Election Day draws closer.”

That said, Acedillo added, “It does not take away the disgust over the acts of whoever is/are behind this fake news.”

He pointed out “it is worth repeating that votes for (Senator) Ping Lacson and his running mate (Senate President) Tito Sotto are votes for a much-needed leadership to fix our country’s ills.”

For now, the Lacson camp confirmed they are still gathering additional information “on Friday morning’s fake news.”

It added that Lacson, unwilling to be diverted from his campaign, is sticking to his scheduled activities in Bicol, including courtesy calls and town hall meetings in Catanduanes, Naga, and Albay.

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

The World BusinessMirror

China faces bleak holidays as Covid Zero disrupts travel

C

hinese holidaymakers face another holiday season ruined by virus outbreaks and controls, with the government’s stringent Covid Zero restrictions and fears of infection expected to keep many people at home during the upcoming Labor Day break.

Travel was already down in March, when the biggest Covid-19 outbreak in two years prompted officials to lock down major cities like Shenzhen and block or restrict road traffic to try and stop the transmission of the virus. With millions of Shanghai residents still confined to their homes and restrictions being tightened in several other cities, including in Beijing, for many people travel is on hold for now.

Government officials estimate that passenger traffic over the five-day holiday that begins on Saturday will plunge 62 percent from last year, road traffic will drop by half and travel by plane could slump 77 percent. Ctrip said about half of travel bookings made on its online platform are for short-distance trips within provinces, according to a report.

The collapse in what is usually one of the busiest tourism seasons in China is another blow to the services industries, which have borne the brunt of more than two years of domestic lockdowns and travel restrictions to contain virus outbreaks. Even when the number of tourists trips recovered to pre-pandemic levels last year, holidaymakers were still spending a lot less and making shorter, local trips.

An outbreak forced Guangzhou Airport to cancel all flights on

Friday and Saturday, according to local media Yicai. There were four cases found from testing at the airport on Thursday, according to an official briefing reported in local media. The airport had earlier delayed some flights, a subway station there was shut, and mass Covid testing was started in three districts of the city.

For those who aren’t locked down, governments across China are going out of their way to make it difficult to move around over the holidays this year. Authorities in Beijing, Guangdong, popular beach spot Hainan and other regions have all issued warnings to residents not to travel outside the province.

Mapping service of Baidu Inc. said travel will drop “significantly” over the holiday and local and city tours are becoming more popular.

Hotel prices in multiple cities including Jinan and Chengdu hit the lowest levels in five years, while prices of some luxury hotels in Beijing, Sanya and other cities are less than half what they were last year, according to data from Qunar, a major online travel agency.

To travel to the central province of Henan this year, people will need to take a PCR test before arriving and then two tests in the first three days after entering the province, according to a recent Global Times report. In addition, their Covid tracing app will turn yellow, which means they won’t be able to enter shops, take taxis or enter many public spaces, and may need to stay at home or in a hotel for seven days, according to the report, which cited provincial transport authorities.

Bloomberg News

Oil heads for the longest run of monthly gains since early ‘18

O

il is poised to eke out a fifth monthly advance after another tumultuous period of trading that saw prices whipsawed by the fallout of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the resurgence of Covid-19 in China.

West Texas Intermediate futures dipped to trade below $105 a barrel on Friday, but are up more than 4 percent in April. The war has entered its third month despite diplomatic efforts for a cease-fire, and the European Union appears to be making gradual progress toward a ban on Russia crude imports.

China’s virus outbreak has added another source of volatility to the market.

The nation has extended mass testing to more cities, with lockdowns leading to swelling oil stockpiles and putting the world’s biggest crude importer on track for the largest hit to demand since the early days of the pandemic.

Oil has fluctuated around $100 a barrel throughout April and its fifth monthly

gain will be the longest winning streak since January 2018. The war has fanned inflation and led to the US and its allies this month agreeing to a coordinated release of strategic crude reserves to try and tame rising energy prices. The invasion has also significantly tightened the diesel market.

Diesel futures in New York jumped as much as 2.1 percent on Thursday to the highest level in data going back to 1986 ahead of the contract expiration on Friday.

It’s become the world’s most in-demand fuel as buyers compete for supplies from US Gulf Coast refiners, which have stepped up to plug the gap left by Russia.

Brent remains narrowly backwardated after nearing a bearish contango structure on Tuesday. The global benchmark’s prompt timespread was 26 cents a barrel in backwardation—a bullish pattern— compared with as high as $5.88 in early March, just after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bloomberg News

Saturday, April 30, 2022

A5

Yellen says more shocks likely to ‘challenge the economy’

W

ASHINGTON—Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday the global pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlight the possibility of big economic shocks in the future, adding that downturns are “likely to continue to challenge the economy.”

Her address at the Brookings Institution looked at lessons learned from economic downturns of the past and said countries need to build in “recession remedies” to protect people in the US and globally going forward.

With “large negative shocks” inevitable, she said, policymakers have learned from the Great Recession that it’s imperative to exit economic downturns “as quickly as possible.”

“Countries will fare better if their economies are more resilient and less fragile,” she said.

“Improved understanding of breaks in supply chains, increases in commodity prices, bursting of asset bubbles, and labor and productivity shocks can help policymakers implement reforms that bolster our economic resilience.”

The past several years have been marked by a worldwide pandemic that prompted both the Trump and Biden administrations to issue trillions of dollars in federal stimulus aid, which economists say contributed to inflation levels at their highest points in four decades. And now the war in Ukraine

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen listens to a question during a news conference at the Treasury Department in Washington on Thursday, April 21, 2022. AP

has had major impacts on global energy and food prices, along with other commodities.

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index edged down slightly in April.

Yellen called for more permanent housing safety assistance for renters and homeowners and applauded recent improvements to the unemployment insurance system and stimulus payments, stressing the importance of US “recovery policies that shorten the

duration of recessions and mitigate economic pain.”

She promoted Biden administration efforts to reduce US reliance on fossil fuels and push for greater energy independence.

“These shifts will mitigate our future vulnerability to oil price shocks,” she said. “At the same time, they will abet the transition to cleaner energy sources which will, in due course, lessen the risks tied to natural disasters and climate change.” AP

War in Ukraine brings commodity traders uncomfortable windfall

I

t’s an awkward but unavoidable truth: War in Ukraine is proving quite good for business for the world’s top commodities traders.

Glencore Plc expects its fullyear trading profits will again exceed its targeted range following a bumper first-quarter performance, while crop giant Bunge Ltd. boosted its earnings estimates for the year by more than 20 percent after reporting its own stellar results.

Since Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, commodity markets have been thrown into disarray. That has boosted prices and cut off supply, creating a harrowing environment for consumers of raw materials but the perfect conditions for trading houses. Commodities traders, who transport the world ’s resources, have been able to profit from the volatility, arbitraging cargoes through the web of sanctions and supply disruptions to keep material flowing.

“What we’ve always found is that in times of high volatility, high prices and high volume is when we have the opportunity to make the most money,” Bunge chief financial officer John Neppl said on a conference call following the release of the company’s booming first-quarter results.

To be sure, that activity doesn’t

come without risks. The surge in volatility has put the balance sheets of commodity traders under huge strain, with massive daily price moves triggering billions of dollars in margin calls across the industry.

Grains shortage

Together, Russia and Ukraine are some of world’s top exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil. Disruptions of plantings in Ukraine and the challenges of paying for Russian grains have helped boost prices to multi-year highs.

Before the war, U krainian ports along the Black Sea were gateways for much of the region’s grains to be loaded onto ships bound for Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Now they’ve become part of the war, blockaded and shelled.

As importing countries like Egypt, Algeria and China scramble for food products, those traders with positions outside the Black Sea such as Viterra and the socalled ABCD group of major crop merc h a nt s — A rc her - Da n ie l s Midland Co., Bunge, Cargill Inc. and Louis Dreyfus—have been able to offer buyers grains from alternate sources like France, the US and Brazil.

As prices for crude oil have remained elevated, that’s taken cooking products such as palm oil

and soybean oil higher, benefiting crush margins for the traders.

ADM has not yet raised its earnings estimate for the year, although some analysts already have. It did say this week it anticipates 2022 results will exceed those of last year, without going into specifics.

Combined with a shortage of crops in South America, disruptions in the war-torn region will “drive continued tightness in global grain markets for the next few years,” ADM CEO Juan Luciano said in a conference call on Tuesday.

Whipsaw energy

In the world of energy, independent traders such as Vitol Holding BV, Trafigura Group, Gunvor Group Ltd. and Mercuria Energy Group Ltd. are all closely held and do not release quarterly results.

Still, signs point to strong performance. For instance, shortages of diesel that have recently sent prices around the world surging were well flagged by some of the group.

Some of the biggest trading units are nest led w ithin the wider business of energy majors, meaning more disclosure of performance. TotalEnergies SE saw first-quarter profits rise threefold as prices for oil and refining margins surged, while rival Shell

Plc has flagged that results for its gas-trading segment “are expected to be higher” than in the fourth quarter.

“The rebound in energy prices seen since the second half of 2021 amplified after Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine,” TotalEnergies’ CEO Patrick Pouyanne said in a statement on Thursday, adding on a later earnings call that margins could further improve.

Metals dislocation

Me a n while , Glencore, t he world’s biggest commodities trader, said Thursday that its marketing division will record profits “comfortably” above the top end of its $2.2 billion to $3.2 billion guidance range this year.

The company is active in energy and also agricultural products through its stake in Viterra. But it’s metals trading where it really dominates, holding positions anchored by an array of mining and smelting assets.

Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina reiterated in a note on Thursday his buy rating for Glencore, calling it a “top pick” for UK mining companies. “Commodity market dislocations and supply shocks have created extraordinary arbitrage opportunities for Glencore’s marketing business,” he said. Bloomberg News

‘March Madness’ atmosphere lifts Vegas economy from pandemic L

In this March 25, 2021, photo, people gamble while wearing masks as a precaution against the coronavirus at the opening night of the Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas. Nevada casinos reported near-record March 2022 house winnings, while the airport in Las Vegas reported passenger traffic almost as heavy as pre-pandemic levels and tourism officials marked another big jump in visitor volume. AP

AS VEGAS—Nevada casinos reported near-record March house winnings, while the airport in Las Vegas reported passenger traffic almost as heavy as prepandemic levels and tourism officials marked another big jump in visitor volume.

The state Gaming Control Board reported Thursday the $1.35 billion that casinos statewide reaped was just shy of the best-ever monthly mark of $1.36 billion set last July.

The state and Clark County set all-time records for house slot machine winnings, while the Las Vegas Strip recorded thirdhighest monthly slot winnings, board senior analyst Michael Lawton said.

“A traditional ‘March Madness’ atmosphere returned,” Lawton said, after Covid-19 restrictions, including mask requirements were lifted in February. March featured a NASCAR race, a mixed martial arts bout and NCAA basketball events.

Sports books won almost $40 million on total wagers of $863 million during the

month, Lawton added.

The number of visitors to Las Vegas increased to more than 3.3 million in March, up almost 50 percent from 2.2 million in March 2021, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

The authority noted the return of more trade shows and conventions, and said hotel occupancy at the more than 150,000 rooms in and around Las Vegas topped 80 percent.

Harry Reid International Airport tallied nearly 4.3 million passengers in March, down only about 140,000 from its pre-pandemic total in March 2019—a year the airport tallied a record 51.5 million arriving and departing travelers.

The airport’s 154,000 international travelers in March was up more than 50 percent from February, and flights from overseas are scheduled to ramp up in April with additional service to cities in Mexico, Canada, Panama, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. AP

A6

BusinessMirror

Saturday, April 30, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

3M SERVICE CENTER APAC, INC. 17th, 18th, 19th Floors, Bonifacio Stopover Corporate Center, 31st Street Cor., 2nd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: Bachelor level university / LEE, SONG YOUNG college degree is generally Service Desk L1 Analyst (Korean) required, A 2-3 year technical or vocational degree in Brief Job Description: a specific field may be 1.

Answering incoming calls / chats / web tickets and providing considered equivalent; 90% technical assistance following established procedures and proficient of English (Written guidelines; Flexibility to adapt to schedules within same shift & Oral) or to a different shift in case required Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5-10/f Tower 1, Pitx Kennedy Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend YANG, PENG potential products or services Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking to management by collecting 2. customer information and Brief Job Description: analyzing customer needs.

Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in mandarin speaking.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ACCENTURE, INC. 7f, Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1, Pioneer St, City Of Mandaluyong Basic Qualification: TOSI CRUZ GUASSELLI, PAOLA Fluent in English and Customer Service Analyst Portuguese Language 3.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Responsible for business to business customer service Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ACCIONA CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINES INC. 23/f Tower 2, The Enterprise Center, 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati FERREIRO SIXTO, SEILA Procurement Officer Brief Job Description: Weekly interaction with the Procurement Manager to agree the Procurement strategies focusing on those that are critical categories for Acciona. To follow the Procurement plan, to see the different reports and information, etc.

-Ensure all purchase orders/contracts are placed with acceptable Subcontractors / Suppliers. - Consult the supplier on the description of the goods to be purchased and the extent of quality, safety or environmental documentation requested. Promptly advise the initiator if any problem exists. - Provide up to date information on prices and 4. availability of products. - Enter all relevant purchase details into the project finance system in accordance with the company purchasing procedures. - Maintain active communication and cooperation with suppliers to Ensure good performance and prompt resolution of disputes and problems. - Ensure that goods are purchased in accordance with the company’s OH&S policy for Procurement of all goods and services. - Ensure that goods are purchased in accordance with company’s environmental Management system and policy for Procurement of all goods and services. - Maintain a Register of acceptable Subcontractors / suppliers in accordance with the company Management system requirements. - Maintain purchasing records - Ensure compliance with all record keeping requirements ACE VELOCITY CONSULTANCY INC. 37/f Lkg Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati CHENG, HUIBAO Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant 5.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services

ALASKA MILK CORPORATION Corinthian Plaza Bldg., P. De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

VU THUY LINH Finance Director 6.

Brief Job Description: Contribute to the development of the business strategy of the assigned area based on own expertise; develop the year plan/budget and/or strategy/MLTP of the assigned area based on own expertise, in cooperation with the supervisor and align the overall OPCO/functional strategy

Basic Qualification: Degree in management or related courses.

2-3 experience in procurement or supply chain and experience in direct buying activities.

Manage all communication for purchase orders with vendors, analyze and resolve all purchase issues.

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: At least 6 years’ experience in finance-related positions; bachelor of science degree in banking and finance or accounting; proficient at Microsoft office, excel, PowerPoint; sap; micro strategy; experience with defining, planning, managing, and executing finance-related projects Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

ALLIANTPRIME SERVICES INC. Unit No. Unit 2c Flr. No. 4f, One Ecom Center Building, Ocean Drive St., Moa Complex Subd., Barangay 76, Pasay City Basic Qualification: WANG, ZAICHUAN Proficient in speaking, reading Mandarin Site Technical Officer and writing in mandarin.

7.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Diagnosing equipment malfunctions and performing repairs.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: LUO, QIANG Able to speak, read and write Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese language 8.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHANG, GUI Able to speak, read and write Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese language 9.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHANG, YUNYUN Able to speak, read and write Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese language 10.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHAO, QINGYANG Able to speak, read and write Chinese Customer Service Representative Chinese language 11.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHAN CHOON YIN Able to speak, read and write Malaysian Customer Service Representative Chinese language 12.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: DUONG MINH PHAN Able to speak, read and write Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Chinese language 13.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

14.

15.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION GIANG THE SANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRAN THI HA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

DOUBLE EIGHT SOLUTIONS INC. Commercial 6, South Tower, South Of Market Private Residences, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

27.

Brief Job Description: Develop business or marketing strategies to grow the business

No.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

BLUESKY INVESTMENTS HOLDING INC. Suite 2802 Discovery Center, 25 Adb Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig Basic Qualification: TSANG, WING KIN At least 1 year experience in Accounting Supervisor-mandarin Speaking the job mentioned; college 16. graduate Brief Job Description: Great in accounting and management skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 CAPSLOCK INC. 7th & 8th Flr. Y Tower Bldg., Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal Ave., Barangay 76, Pasay City HUANG, ZEYONG Basic Qualification: Chinese It Support Specialist Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and 17.

Brief Job Description: speaking).

Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer Salary Range: software and hardware.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LI, PINJUN Basic Qualification: Chinese It Support Specialist Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and 18.

Brief Job Description: speaking).

Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer Salary Range: software and hardware.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 DO THI ANH THUY Basic Qualification: It Support Specialist Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and Brief Job Description: speaking).

19.

Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer Salary Range: software and hardware.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 CCT CONSTRUCTORS CORPORATION 3/f Planters Products Bldg., 109 Esteban St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: SUZUKI, RYUICHI With at least 10 years’ Project Manager experience in construction or related industry and 10 years 20.

Brief Job Description: managerial position In charge of the overall execution of the Project and Reports to the Management about the result of the Project Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 CGI IT UK LIMITED INC. 2/f One World Square Bldg., Mckinley Hill, Pinagsama, City Of Taguig BJØRNSEN, ERLING GROOT Basic Qualification: Multilingual Service Desk Member Proficiency in English and Norwegian languages.

21.

Brief Job Description: Resolve issues utilizing excellent customer service skills to Salary Range: ensure outcomes of customer satisfaction.

Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 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 Basic Qualification: HUANG, YUAN With At least 6 Months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate Customer Service Experience/ Good in Oral Communication 22.

Brief Job Description: and Written Assist/Help customers, give customers information about product and services 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 Basic Qualification: HUANG, LIMEI Proficient in Speaking, Reading Mandarin Site Technical Officer and Writing in Mandarin 23.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Preparing and following general maintenance schedule Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: TANG, LEJIAN Proficient in Speaking, Reading Mandarin Site Technical Officer and Writing in Mandarin 24.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Preparing and following general maintenance schedule Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 DIGICHROM INC. Unit 2602 & 2603 26/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati NGUYEN HA YEN TRINH Basic Qualification: Vietnamese Speaking Customer Service Representative Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Vietnamese.

25.

Brief Job Description: Immediately escalating serious complaints or issues that you Salary Range: are not equipped to deal with.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TU HUE QUAN Basic Qualification: Vietnamese Speaking Customer Service Representative Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Vietnamese.

26.

Brief Job Description: Immediately escalating serious complaints or issues that you Salary Range: are not equipped to deal with.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

JUNG, HYUN OK Director

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Basic Qualification: Graduate bachelor’s degree, with excellent communication skills Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

ZHANG, YISHENG Project Manager 30.

WANG, ZENGLI Chef/Chinese Cuisine Cook 28.

Brief Job Description: Prepares and cooks individual Chinese and Oriental dishes and foods. Plans menu and ensures quality of foods and determines the size and food proportions

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

ESTPOWER CONSULTANCY INC. Ub, 111 Paseo De Roxas Bldg., Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati CHIU CHAN KEET Multiple Languages Consultant Officer 29.

Brief Job Description: Conduct a comprehensive analysis of our current brand identity and position.

Basic Qualification: Excellent in foreign language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

FIBERHOME PHILS., INC. U-19d 19/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

Brief Job Description: The Project 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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Proven Experience as Project Manager , Excellent Communication, Interpersonal and Presentation skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

FLYING FUTURE SERVICES INC. 3/f Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati NG SHIRK CIN Basic Qualification: Mandarin Accounts Staff Can speak mandarin 31.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Organize promotions and events for company clients Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 YANG, JIAYU Basic Qualification: Mandarin Marketing Specialist Can speak mandarin 32.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Assist in determining pricing quotes for customers Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 HYUNDAI MOTOR PHILIPPINES, INC. Unit 908 The Financial Centre, 26th St. Cor. 9th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: LEE, DONG WOOK Native Korean, global General Manager experience in motor sales industry and work with HQ 33.

Brief Job Description: Korea Function on Sales, Procurement, Information, Technology, Marketing Administrative and Finance Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 7/f Aseana I Bldg., Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park, Tambo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: CHENG, WOON CHI A Chinese and fluent in Chinese It Support Specialist Chinese writing and speaking 34. language.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIAO, SHIH-CHIEH A Chinese and fluent in Chinese It Support Specialist Chinese writing and speaking 35. language.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LUU MY TRAN Can speak and read Cantonese, It Support Specialist Mandarin, and Fukien language.

36.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN THI LINH Can speak and read Cantonese, It Support Specialist Mandarin, and Fukien 37. language.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN THI THANH HOA Can speak and read Cantonese, It Support Specialist Mandarin, and Fukien 38. language.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN TIEN NINH Can speak and read Cantonese, It Support Specialist Mandarin, and Fukien 39. language.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN TUYET LINH Can speak and read Cantonese, It Support Specialist Mandarin, and Fukien language.

40.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: TRAN DINH TIEU PHUNG Can speak and read Cantonese, It Support Specialist Mandarin, and Fukien 41. language.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 VIEN NGOC TRAM It Support Specialist Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Brief Job Description: Mandarin and Fukien language 42.

The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Salary Range: Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

JACOBS PROJECTS (PHILIPPINES), INC. 16/f South Tower, Rockwell Business Center Sheridan, Highway Hills, City Of Mandaluyong MAZEN I.S. TARAWIYEH Lead Aviation Planner Basic Qualification: Master’s Degree 43.

Brief Job Description: Reviewing the airport master plan update and ensure that Salary Range: the documents support the short-term and long range Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 aviation requirements JFE ENGINEERING CORP. - PHILIPPINE BRANCH 23/f Cyberscape Alpha Bldg., Sapphire & Garnet Roads, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig KAWAMOTO, RYOSUKE Project Manager 44.

DYNASTY TEPPANYAKI BUFFET CORPORATION U117-118 6/f, Met Live Metro Pa Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English language both written and verbal, must be familiar in expert planning and administrative writing and reporting skills

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Supervising site activities safety inspection and quality control/preparation and review of site reports, designs and drawings

Basic Qualification: Working experience for construction post. of wastewater treatment plant Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

LYCOPODIUM (PHILIPPINES) PTY LTD. 25th Floor High Street South Corporate Plaza Tower 1, 26th Street Corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig POPLAWSKI, ANDRZEJ Technical Consultant - Mechanical 45.

Brief Job Description: Provide technical expertise or coordinate expertise from external sources to effectively

Basic Qualification: Complete the project requirements, oversee and review designs and project deliverables experience in mineral handling process Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

MINDSCAPE CREATIVES INC. Unit 19-o, Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati BAI, DONGBO Mandarin Operations Specialist 46.

Brief Job Description: Committed to improving customer experience and operational efficiency

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

MPOTECH DIGITAL SYSTEM INC. 47/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION AYU ANDIRA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

47.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

DANIEL YEREMIA MULJADI Indonesian Customer Service Representative

48.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems DITA VANIA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

49.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems IWAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative

50.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

STEVEN Indonesian Customer Service Representative

51.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 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

68.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and inquires, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION PENG, YANZHAO Chinese Customer Service

69.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 Years Bachelor Degree With Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f, Pearl Marina Building Pacific Drive, Don Galo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: DENG, CHANG College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently 52.

Brief Job Description: (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: DENG, CHUNCAI College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently Brief Job Description: 53. (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: DING, LIRONG College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently 54.

Brief Job Description: (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: FENG, JIAN College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently 55.

Brief Job Description: (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: GU, RUI College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently 56.

Brief Job Description: (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HUANG, HONGYUAN College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently Brief Job Description: 57. (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HUANG, XIAOLU College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently 58.

Brief Job Description: (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: JI, BINFENG College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently 59.

Brief Job Description: (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: JIANG, WEIXING College graduate, preferably 1 Chinese Customer Service year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently 60.

Brief Job Description: (native language & English) Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file Salary Range: documents.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIANG, HUIHAI Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Customer Service Chinese Language 61.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIANG, JIACAI Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Customer Service Chinese Language 62.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIN, MENGXIN Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Customer Service Chinese Language 63.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, GAOYUAN Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Customer Service Chinese Language 64.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, GUOQIANG Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Customer Service Chinese Language 65.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, HONGWEI Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Customer Service Chinese Language 66.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, YUEMING Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Customer Service Chinese Language 67.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PAN, XING Chinese Customer Service

No.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and inquires, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

WANG, YONGWEI Chinese Customer Service

70.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and inquires, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

WU, JIANGHUA Chinese Customer Service

71.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and inquires, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

XIE, PENG Chinese Customer Service

72.

73.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and inquires, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

ZENG, ZONGLI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHANG, CHENMIN Chinese Customer Service

74.

75.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and inquires, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

ZHANG, XIANHONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHANG, YUNSI Chinese Customer Service

76.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solution, process customer accounts and file documents.

ZHU, HUILING Chinese Customer Service

77.

78.

79.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solution, process customer accounts and file documents.

LUANGPRASERT, KULTHARIN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LE VAN DUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

SAINATH TRADING INC. Unit P-10-a, 343 West Service Road, Sun Valley, City Of Parañaque RAJANI, SIMRAN Technical Assistant 80.

Brief Job Description: Provides functional, technical process leadership and technical responsibility, support & compliance policies, laws & regulations, assist with technical sales, new product development

81.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services SUN, JIAN Chinese Speaking Digital Marketing Specialist

82.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services TIAN, YUAN Chinese Speaking Digital Marketing Specialist

83.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services YAO, ZHANQIAO Chinese Speaking Digital Marketing Specialist

84.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers, give customers information about product and services

A7

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) 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: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) 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: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Thai Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Vietnamese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

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 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

SUPREME CHENGHAO MANAGEMENT OPC Level 26-a Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: CHEN, BOWEN At least two (2) years of Software Development Specialist working experience in the related field; fluent in 85.

Brief Job Description: mandarin/Chinese language Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: KANG, CHAOMIN At least two (2) years of Software Development Specialist working experience in the related field; fluent in 86.

Brief Job Description: mandarin/Chinese language Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LI, ZHIJING At least two (2) years of Software Development Specialist working experience in the related field; fluent in 87.

Brief Job Description: mandarin/Chinese language Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, LINYAN At least two (2) years of Software Development Specialist working experience in the related field; fluent in 88.

Brief Job Description: mandarin/Chinese language Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

LIU, QIANG Software Development Specialist 89.

Brief Job Description: Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs.

Basic Qualification: At least two (2) years of working experience in the related field; fluent in mandarin/Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

TIAN XIA TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. Bldg. B Filinvest Cyberzone 6, Bay City, Barangay 76, Pasay City Basic Qualification: At least 19 years old. Ability to speak, write and communicate in Taiwanese

CHOU, CHIAO-WEN Chinese Admin Support Specialist 90.

Brief Job Description: Handles administrative request and queries from senior managers/officers

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 19 years old. Ability to speak, write and communicate in Taiwanese

FANG, CHING-WEN Chinese Customer Service Representative 91.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 19 years old. Ability to speak, write and communicate in Taiwanese

HUNG, LIN Chinese Customer Service Representative 92.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 19 years old. Ability to speak, write and communicate in Taiwanese

LIN, WAN-HUA Chinese Customer Service Representative 93.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 19 years old. Ability to speak, write and communicate in Taiwanese

YEH, HSIN-LIN Chinese Customer Service Representative 94.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least 19 years old. Ability to speak, write and communicate in Taiwanese

TAI, HSIU-MEI Chinese Marketing Specialist 95.

Brief Job Description: Conduct market research to find answers about consumer requirements, habit and trends

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

TOTAL CREST BUSINESS SUPPORT, INC. 26/f & 27/f Alphaland Corporate Tower, Ayala Ave. Extn. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: LIN, YEN-TING Proficient in speaking, reading Bilingual Customer Service Officer and writing in bilingual 96. languages Brief Job Description: Prepare product or service reports by collecting and Salary Range: analyzing customer information Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 UNIONDIGITAL BANK INC. 41f Union Bank Plaza,, Meralco Ave. Cor. Onyx Road,, San Antonio, City Of Pasig Basic Qualification: At least a Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Minimum FRANKEN, PIETER BOUDEWIJN of 20 years robust leadership Chief Transformation And Technology Operations Officer experience at a senior level, ideally with at least 10 years’ 97.

Brief Job Description: direct experience in a CxO role Leads design, build, and execution of the bank’s technology within the FinTech/Financial strategy and architecture and execution.

Services space.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

UNITOP GENERAL MERCHANDISE INC. 12th Floor, Ri Rance Bldg., Aseana City, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

98.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with 5 years’ experience in related field, competence and excellent in written & oral communication with strong attention to detail.

SPRITZER TRADING CORP. 37/f Lkg Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati CHEN, ZENGSHENG Chinese Speaking Digital Marketing Specialist

Saturday, April 30, 2022

99.

Basic Qualification: experience in Chinese market forecast

CAI, NAYA Consultant Brief Job Description: share expertise to achieve business goal

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: experience in Chinese market forecast

CHEN, JINCHENG Consultant Brief Job Description: share expertise to achieve business goal

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

WIKITECH SERVICES INC. Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., 191 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati MAO, MINGDA Mandarin Technical Support 100.

Basic Qualification: Proficient Language Skills and Skill Match to Job

Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and Salary Range: networks Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WISHLAND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY INC. 28/f Techzone Condo Corp., 213 Buendia Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: CHHIV, KIMLEANG Proficient in Speaking, Reading Vietnamese Language-customer Service Staff and Writing in Vietnamese 101.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Responsible for inbound and outbound calls Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 XINCHUAN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL PHILIPPINE PROJECT LTD CORP. 16/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

RAN, XUE Mandarin Operations Manager 102.

Brief Job Description: The mandarin operations 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.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as mandarin operations manager, familiarity, knowledge and awareness on machinery and heavy equipment use by company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan.

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

XUSHENG TECHNOLOGY CORP. Flr. No. 1-5 Bldg., No. 0050 F.b. Harrison St. Cor. Williams And Roberts St. Zone 4, District 1, Barangay 13, Pasay City LI, XIAODONG Bilingual Customer Service Representative 103.

Brief Job Description: Build strong and lasting relationship with customer and provide excellent customer service experience

Basic Qualification: Excellent in Bilingual Languages Speaking Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Apr 29, 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.

A8

The World BusinessMirror

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Alarmed by Russia’s aggression, Europe rethinks its China ties

R

ussia’s war on Ukraine has triggered a profound reassessment in European capitals of their individual and collective relations with China.

Confronted by the need to rapidly unwind a dependence on Russian energy built up over decades, government officials from Rome to Prague are re-evaluating the extent of their economic and political ties to China.

Senior lawmakers in Berlin who now concede that such closeness to Russia was a historic liability are starting to see the danger of repeating the mistake with another authoritarian regime, raising alarm bells over Germany’s status as Beijing’s largest European trading partner.

Nations in central and eastern Europe are casting fresh doubt on the wisdom of the so-called 16+1 forum with China. Italy has just strengthened its veto power against foreign takeovers, a measure directed at China.

At the European Union level, attitudes have soured over Beijing’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion and its attempts to undermine the transatlantic unity the war fostered. A virtual EU-China summit on April 1 took place in the context of what a person familiar with the discussions described as an increasingly challenging relationship.

Against the backdrop of war in Europe, the EU went into the talks with the key priority of calling on China to use its influence with Russia to stop the bloodshed, the person said, adding there was a serious concern that continued inaction by China would have a lasting negative impact on EU relations.

After the summit, a readout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said that President Xi Jinping called on Europe to have an “autonomous” view of China, and that the solution to the conflict was to accommodate the “reasonable security concerns of all parties concerned.”

“A dialogue of the deaf ” was how the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, described the exchange with China.

After Xi met with Vladimir Putin in early February and declared a “limitless partnership,” Beijing has attempted to stay neutral in the conflict, expressing understanding for the Russian president’s stance even while defending Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Systemic rivalry

Beijing is unlikely to welcome the

instability and economic turmoil Putin’s war has brought. Yet even if its ability to influence him is limited, the EU argues China has unique channels it can use to try.

The view from a European diplomat in Beijing is that the war is pushing China and Europe further apart, strengthening their systemic rivalry. The pandemic and Europe’s realization that it relied on China for basic medical supplies was the wake-up call; Russia’s war on Ukraine bolsters the argument that Europe must reduce its dependence on Beijing, the diplomat added.

“This is really the awakening of the West,” said Lithuanian Fore ig n M i n i ster Gabr ie l iu s Landsbergis, whose Baltic nation suffered a collapse in exports to China after it tussled with Beijing over Taiwan, the island democracy China regards as its territory.

The EU lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization in March over China’s treatment of Lithuania.

“The main lesson that we should learn from Russia’s war in Ukraine is that trade alone doesn’t change how authoritarian countries act,” Landsbergis said in an interview in Vilnius. “When we’re talking about China, we are clearly seeing that new dependencies are being developed.”

China overtook the US as the EU’s largest trading partner in 2020, with total trade worth some $868 billion last year.

The war in Ukraine has snarled up already fragile supply chains on trade routes between China and Europe, while adding to soaring costs for energy and raw materials.

But geopolitical considerations are also influencing firms operating in China.

A majority of German companies there said in late March—prior to the Covid Zero lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere—that the crisis caused by the war in Europe was impacting their China strategy, a survey of 391 members of the trade chambers found.

A third of respondents said they expected to put planned business or investments on hold, while 46 percent saw a decrease in the attractiveness of the Chinese market. Some 10 percent said existing business might be moved out of China, and 27 percent said they expected diversification to accel-

erate in Asia.

Jens Hildebrandt, executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce in North China, says the trend is away from globalization and toward more of what he calls “localization,” where companies build localized supply chains to serve specific markets. The USChina trade conflict spurred that development, “and the Ukraine war gives another push to that,” he said by phone.

For Joerg Wuttke, who heads the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, “the kind of public image of China when it comes to Ukraine is really making a difference.” Taken along with its Covid Zero policy and the associated disruptions to business, “what really matters now is the perception of China becoming unreliable,” he said, calling it a “new dimension.”

EU-China relations have deteriorated sharply in the past year, marked by the imposition of reciprocal sanctions over the human rights situation in Xinjiang. China hit members of the European Parliament, putting passage of an ambitious EU-China investment deal on ice. Its treatment of Lithuania added to tensions.

In March, two weeks after Russia’s invasion, China warned the US against trying to emulate Nato in the Pacific and dismissed comparisons between the security disputes over Ukraine and Taiwan.

“China-EU ties are already facing growing difficulties on various issues, and bringing more points of friction based on nothing is not in the interest of either side,” the Chinese Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper said in an op-ed this week calling on the EU not to “fall into Lithuania’s trap.”

‘Downward spiral’

Going into the April summit, Brussels and member states had hoped that Beijing would halt the “downward spiral” in EU-China ties by using its leverage on Russia to help end the war, said Janka Oertel, director of the Asia program at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“That hope has been shattered,” she said in an online commentary.

The sense of dismay at China is arguably most acute among countries in central and eastern Europe that have the most hawkish views on Russia. Paradoxically, they are also among t he E U n at ion s w it h w h ic h China had the best relations via its 16+1 forum that allowed smaller states an audience with Beijing’s leadership.

Disaffection with the forum has long been evident, and Lithuania quit last year. A Chinese diplomat

M

dangerous drugs into the United States will be held accountable, no matter their position,” DEA Administrator A nne Milgram said in a news statement. “Today is yet another example of DEA’s resolve to hold corrupt members of government responsible for using their positions of power to provide a safe haven for drug traffickers and money launderers in exchange for their own financial and political gain.”

Fahie and Oleanv ine Maynard had been at the airport to meet Mexican drug traffickers, who in reality were undercover DEA agents, to see a shipment of $700,000 in cash that BVI officials expected to receive for helping smuggle cocaine from Colombia

to Miami and New York, the complaint said.

A DEA confidential source had previously met with Maynard and her son after being introduced by a group of self-proclaimed Lebanese Hezbollah operatives, according to the complaint. After Fahie became involved, it said, the BVI officials agreed to to let the smugglers bring the cocaine through the port at Tortola before continuing on to the US. Governor Of The British Virgin Islands John Rankin released a statement clarifying that Thursday’s arrests in Florida were not connected to a Commission of Inquiry issued last year in the territory. That investigation was meant to focus on governance and corruption, not a criminal investigation

Explosions rock Kyiv again as Russians rain fire on Ukraine

was dispatched to the region last week, fanning speculation that others may now be considering a way out. She was met by a warning from the Czech government that China’s endorsement of Russia would hurt its relations with the whole EU.

Business boost

Still, few advocate decoupling.

The Dutch have woken up to the China threat in recent years, yet that doesn’t mean they are going to stop trading with or talking to Beijing, people familiar with the government’s thinking said.

Some European companies are increasing their focus on China.

One of Volkswagen AG’s priorities for 2022 is to “boost our #China business,” Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess said in a post on Linkedin.

Europe needs China to stabilize the economy as it suffers spillover from the war, according to Henry Wang Huiyao, founder of the Center for China & Globalization, a policy research group in Beijing set up as a bridge explaining China’s position to the world.

“The message is that if the EU militarily is more bonded to Nato now, economically they will have to be more bonded to China as time goes on,” he said.

The political mood in Europe’s biggest economy appears to be shifting in the opposite direction. German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, speaking at the Ludwig Erhard Summit last week, said that Berlin needed a whole new business model to reduce its economic reliance on China.

End of era

Lars Klingbeil, who co-leads Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, told the same conference of the need to learn the lessons of Germany’s Russian policy and “end the dependence on China.”

In Italy, Prime Minister Mar io Draghi has hardened his stance on China after Russia’s invasion. It a ly st reng t hened its veto powers against foreign takeovers this month by setting up a special division to oversee any potential merger, enabling it to block a deal if it involves a strategic sector. “ The war has already triggered intense debates on critical infrastructure and resilience in Europe,” Agatha Kratz, an associate director of the Rhodium Group, and Max Zenglein, chief economist at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, said in a joint report this week.

The era of “massive Chinese investment” in Europe may be over, they said. Bloomberg News

British Virgin Islands premier arrested on US drug charges IAMI—The premier of the British Virgin Islands and the director of the Caribbean territory’s ports were arrested Thursday on drug smuggling charges in South Florida, federal authorities said.

Premier Andrew Alturo Fahie and Managing Director Oleanvine Maynard were taken into custody

by US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents at MiamiOpa-locka Executive Airport and charged with conspiracy to import cocaine and conspiracy to launder money, according to a criminal complaint. Maynard’s son, Kadeem Maynard, faces the same changes in the alleged scheme, according to the records.

“Anyone involved with bringing

www.businessmirror.com.ph

into the illegal drug trade, Rankin said in a statement posted online.

It isn’t known whether the commission had found any suspected wrongdoing by Fahie or Maynard, but Rankin said he expects to have the results published urgently to avoid unnecessary speculation.

The British Virgin Islands, with a population about 35,000 people, is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Sea, located east of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The governor is appointed by the queen, the territory’s ultimate executive authority, and acts on her behalf.

The premier is the head of the government and is elected in a general election along with the other members of the ruling government. AP

Firefighters try to put out a fire following an explosion in Kyiv, Ukraine on Thursday, April 28, 2022. Russia mounted attacks across a wide area of Ukraine on Thursday, bombarding Kyiv during a visit by the head of the United Nations. AP

K

YIV, Ukraine—Russia pounded targets from practically one end of Ukraine to the other Thursday, including Kyiv, bombarding the city while the head of the United Nations was visiting in the boldest attack on the capital since Moscow’s forces retreated weeks ago.

Nearly a dozen people were wounded in the attack on Kyiv, including one who lost a leg and others who were trapped in the rubble when two buildings were hit, rescue officials said.

The bombardment came barely an hour after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a news conference with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who said Ukraine has become “an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain.”

A spokesperson said Guterres and his team were safe.

Meanwhile, explosions were reported across the country, in Polonne in the west, Chernihiv near the border with Belarus, and Fastiv, a large railway hub southwest of the capital. The mayor of Odesa, in southern Ukraine, said rockets were intercepted by air defenses.

Ukrainian authorities also reported intense Russian fire in the Donbas—the eastern industrial heartland that the Kremlin says is its main objective—and near Kharkiv, a northeastern city outside the Donbas that is seen as key to the offensive.

In the ruined southern port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian fighters holed up in the steel plant that represents the last pocket of resistance as concentrated bombing overnight killed and wounded more people. Authorities warned that a lack of safe drinking water inside the city could lead to outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

In Zaporizhzhia, a crucial way station for tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing Mariupol, an 11-year-old boy was among at least three people wounded in a rocket attack that authorities said was the first to hit a residential area in the southern city since the war began. Shards of glass cut the boy’s leg to the bone.

Vadym Vodostoyev, the boy’s father, said: “It just takes one second and you’re left with nothing.”

The fresh attacks came as Guterres surveyed the destruction in small towns outside the capital that saw some of the worst horrors of the first onslaught of the war.

He condemned the atrocities committed in towns like Bucha, where evidence of mass killings of civilians was found after Russia withdrew in early April in the face of unexpectedly stiff resistance.

“Wherever there is a war, the highest price is paid by civilians,” the UN chief lamented.

Separately, Ukraine’s prosecutor accused 10 Russian soldiers of being “involved in the torture of peaceful people” in Bucha. Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova did not say her office had filed criminal charges, and she appealed to the public for help in gathering evidence. Russia denies it targets civilians.

During his nightly video address, Zelenskyy renewed his pledge to hold Russian soldiers accountable for crimes they commit and said about the 10 identified earlier Thursday: “Some of them may not, after all, live until a trial and fair punishment. But only for one reason: This Russian brigade has been transferred to the Kharkiv region. There they’ll receive retribution from our military.”

In the attack on Kyiv, explosions shook the city and flames poured out of windows in at least two buildings—including a residential one—in the capital, which has been relatively unscathed in recent weeks. Ukrainian emergency services said 10 people were wounded in the attack, which sent plumes of smoke billowing over the city.

The explosions in northwestern Kyiv’s Shevchenkivsky district came as residents have been increasingly returning to the city. Cafes and other businesses have reopened, and a growing numbers of people have been out and about, enjoying the spring weather.

It was not immediately clear how far away the attack was from Guterres.

Getting a full picture of the unfolding battle in the east has been difficult because airstrikes and artillery barrages have made it extremely dangerous for reporters to move around. Several journalists have been killed in the war, now in its third month.

Also, both Ukraine and the Moscow-backed rebels fighting in the east have introduced tight restrictions on reporting from the combat zone.

Western officials say the Kremlin’s apparent goal is to take the Donbas by encircling and crushing Ukrainian forces from the north, south and east.

But so far, Russia’s troops and their allied separatist forces appear to have made only minor gains, taking several small towns as they try to advance in relatively small groups against staunch Ukrainian resistance.

Russian military units were mauled in the abortive bid to storm Kyiv and had to regroup and refit. Some analysts say the delay in launching a fullfledged offensive may reflect a decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin to wait until his forces are ready for a decisive battle, instead of rushing in and risking another failure that could shake his rule amid worsening economic conditions at home because of Western sanctions.

Many observers suspect Putin wants to be able to claim a big victory in the east by Victory Day, on May 9, one of the proudest holidays on the Russian calendar, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II. As Russia presses its offensive, civilians again bear the brunt.

“It’s not just scary. It’s when your stomach contracts from pain,” said Kharkiv resident Tatiana Pirogova. “When they shoot during the day, it’s still OK, but when the evening comes, I can’t describe how scary it is.” AP

www.businessmirror.com.ph

OurTime BusinessMirror

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, April 30, 2022

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Ilocos Norte logs highest vax rate for senior citizens in PHL

By Leilanie Adriano

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AOAG CITY—The Department of Health on Wednesday lauded the province of Ilocos Norte for having the highest rate of elderly people vaccinated against the Covid-19 in the entire country.

Based on records of the Provincial Health Office, the province has an accomplishment rate of 100 percent of the target population of senior citizens or 68,237 elderly individuals who received the first and second doses of vaccines.

Dr. Josephine Ruedas, provincial health officer of Ilocos Norte, said in an interview Wednesday

that they never expected the distinction because at first, they were having a hard time convincing senior citizens to get inoculated.

Ruedas, along with Gov. Matthew Joseph Manotoc, received the award on Wednesday from the DOH, through the Department of the Interior and Local Government, during the Seal of Good Local Governance regional assessment held at the capitol auditorium. The award came with a P10,000 gift certificate courtesy of SM Supermalls in support of the national government’s vaccination rollout.

“Thank you to all our counterparts in rural health units, the local

government units, and all those who have been instrumental in encouraging our seniors to get vaccinated,” Ruedas said as she urged the elderly people again to avail themselves of their third dose or booster shots.

According to Ruedas, booster shots are needed to ensure continuous protection against the virus.

To date, Ruedas reported that the administration of booster shots was still low at 30 percent, out of the total estimated population of 620,052.

Meanwhile, an adviser of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 on Wednesday assured the public that the country has enough supply of Covid-19 vaccines as the

government started the rollout of second booster shots.

In a televised public briefing, Dr. Ted Herbosa said the Philippines received over 254 million doses of donated and purchased jabs and administered about 145 million doses.

“So, almost 90 million [doses] are in our stockpile, of course, it is depleting because we continuously vaccinate 200,000 people every day for the first dose, second dose, and booster,” Herbosa said.

Earlier, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told President Rodrigo Duterte that the COVAX Facility will replace 3.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines about to expire.

Duque said the near-expiry jabs, which amount to only 1.6 percent of the nation’s vaccine supply, were donated to the country through the COVAX Facility.

Herbosa said the vaccination activities nationwide slowed down when the year started.

“Last November, December the vaccination rate was around 800,000 to 1 million a day and during special vaccination days, 1.5 million [a day],” he said.

He urged fully vaccinated individuals to receive their booster shots for additional protection.

As of April 26, the National Vaccination Operations Center said there

are 51,476,898 fully vaccinated individuals who are due to receive the first booster dose.

About 13,043,715 or 25.34 percent of them have been boosted.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorization for the administration of second boosters for the immunocompromised, senior citizens, and frontline health-care workers. However, the Health Technology Assessment Council has only recommended the administration of second booster doses to the immunocompromised as it is still reviewing pertinent data concerning the senior citizens and frontline health-care workers. PNA

Kane Tanaka, world’s oldest person, dies at 119 in Japan Quarantine ordeal

of 92-year-old Shanghai woman sparks outrage

By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press

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OKYO—A Japanese woman recognized as the world’s oldest person, Kane Tanaka, has died at age 119, just months short of her goal of reaching 120.

Born on January 2, 1903, Tanaka loved playing the board game Othello and had a penchant for chocolate and fizzy drinks. She was certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest living person in 2019 when she was 116. In media occasions, she said she was still enjoying life and hoped to live until 120.

Tanaka died of old age on April 19 at a hospital in Fukuoka, her hometown in southern Japan where she spent all her life, city officials said Tuesday. Tanaka, who had lived at a nursing home, was in and out of hospital only recently, they said.

Fukuoka Gov. Seitaro Hattori said in a statement he was shocked and saddened by her loss as he was looking forward to marking the Respect for the Aged Day later this year in person over chocolate and fizzy drinks, as he had to miss the occasion last year due to the pandemic.

“I could only see her in a picture showing her with the bouquet and making a ‘peace’ sign [with her fingers], but that cheered me up,” Hat-

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KANE TANAKA, then 116-years-old, reacts after receiving a Guinness World Records certificate, background, at a nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, on March 9, 2019. The Japanese woman recognized as the world’s oldest person Tanaka has died at age 119, just months short of her goal of reaching 120. TAKUTO KANEKO/KYODO NEWS VIA AP

tori said. “She gave the people hope for healthy long life.”

With her death, the world’s oldest human is now Lucile Randon, a French nun known as Sister Andre,

aged 118, according to The Gerontology Research Group. In Japan, the new record-holder is a 115-year-old woman Fusa Tatsumi, of Osaka, the Japanese health ministry said.

Japan, whose population is rapidly aging and declining, had 86,510 centenarians, 90 percent of them women, according to the latest ministry figures.

HE treatment of a 92-yearold Shanghai woman who was sent to quarantine late at night has caused anger in China, underscoring the frustration that many are feeling under the nation’s strict Covid Zero rules.

Police and local officials had a locksmith force open a door to the apartment occupied by the woman and her son around 2 a.m. on Tuesday when no one responded to their knocking, the local government said on an official social media account.

They acted because they feared “an accident,” and said the pair “voluntarily went downstairs” so they could leave for an isolation facility.

The woman and son later spent hours sitting in a hallway because the quarantine site they were sent to was out of beds, Caixin Global reported, citing a relative. The government said the two were sent to an isolation center around 3 a.m., and given beds, daily necessities and health checks. It didn’t give full names of the people involved.

The incident was the topic of broad discussion on China’s Internet Wednesday, with a hashtag for the government’s statement getting

nearly 27 million views. Many people questioned why anyone—let alone an elderly woman—would need to be sent to quarantine late at night.

One person described the official explanation as “laughable.”

About two thirds of the city’s 25 million residents remain under a lockdown that started three weeks ago— and nerves have been frayed by the experience. People have had trouble getting food, medical treatment and information about how the ordeal ends. They have also complained about getting deliveries of substandard or expired food, especially meats. The local government pledged on Thursday to address any violations linked to the quality of food during the outbreak.

Residents of China’s most cosmopolitan city—host to the nation’s biggest stock market and major financial institutions—have clashed with police over isolation centers opening near them, and the government has censored videos of protests that have erupted in residential compounds. The US consulate ordered all of its nonessential staff to leave China during the lockdown, widening a rift between Beijing and Washington. Bloomberg News

Older people fret less about aging in place: AP-NORC poll

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar The Associated Press

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ASHINGTON—The older you are, the less you fret about aging in place.

That’s a key insight from a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs poll, which found that US adults ages 65 and older feel much better prepared to age in their own homes than those 50-64, who are mostly still in the final stretches of their working years.

The poll also documented greater insecurity around aging in place for older Black and Latino Americans, the likely result of a deeprooted wealth gap that markedly favors whites.

Aging in one’s own home, or with family or a close friend, is a widely held aspiration, with 88 percent of adults 50 and older saying it’s their goal in an earlier AP-NORC poll.

The outlook among those 65 and older is upbeat, with nearly 8 in 10 saying they’re extremely or very prepared to stay in their current home as long as possible.

But doubts creep in for those ages 50-64. Among that group, the majority who rate themselves as extremely or very prepared shrinks to about 6 in 10, according to the poll.

This relatively younger group is especially likely to say their financial situation is the main reason they don’t feel very prepared to age in place. And they’re also more likely to feel anxious about being able to

stay in their communities, get care from medical providers and receive backup from family members or close friends, the poll found.

Part of it may be due to fear of the unknown among people who’ve relied on a paycheck all their lives.

“When you’ve never done it before, and you are only going to do it once, you’re sort of flying by the seat of your pants,” said Leigh Gerstenberger, in his late 60s and retired from a career in financial services. “I spent a lot of time talking to people ahead of me in the journey,” says the Pittsburgh-area resident.

Also, people approaching their 60s may question if Social Security and Medicare will truly be there for them. Stacy Wiggins, an addiction medicine nurse who lives near Detroit, figures she’ll probably work at least another 10 years into her late 60s—and maybe part-time after that. Older friends are already collecting Social Security.

“In my group, you wonder if it’s going to be available,” Wiggins said of government programs that support older people. “Maybe it’s not.

You will find people who are less apt to have a traditional pension. Those are things that leave you with a lot of trepidation toward the future.”

Some people now in their 50s and early 60s may still be dealing with the overhang of the 2007-2009 recession, when unemployment peaked at 10 percent and foreclosures soared, said Sarah Szanton, dean of the Johns Hopkins University nursing

A MAN and woman walk under trees down a path at Alta Plaza Park in San Francisco. People in the final stretches of their working years feel less prepared to successfully age in their own homes than those who are 65 and older and already likely to have shifted into their retirement years. That age gap is among the key findings of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs poll. AP PHOTO/JEFF CHIU

school. For an aging society, the US does relatively little to prepare older adults to navigate the transition to retirement, she observed.

“As Americans, we’ve always idolized youth and we’re notoriously underprepared for thinking about aging,” Szanton said. “It often

comes as a surprise to people.” Her involvement with aging-in-place issues started early in her career, when she made house calls to older people.

In the poll, people 50 and older reported that their communities do an uneven job of meeting basic needs. While access to health care,

healthy food and high-speed Internet were generally rated highly, only 36 percent said their community does a good job providing affordable housing. Just 44 percent were satisfied with access to transportation and to services that support older people in their homes.

Kym Harrelson-Pattishall is hoping that as more people retire to her coastal North Carolina community, health care facilities and other services will follow. As it stands now, a major medical issue can involve a car trip of up to an hour to the hospital.

A real estate agent in her early 50s, Pattishall shares the goal of aging at home, but her confidence level is not very high. “I think it would just eat away what savings I have,” she said.

It’s all about adjusting, says another small-town resident, about 20 years older than Pattishall. Shirley Hayden lives in Texas, near the Louisiana border and on the track of hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico. She says she has no investments and only modest savings, but she rates herself as very prepared to continue aging in place.

“You have to learn to live within your means,” Hayden said. “I don’t charge things I can’t afford to pay for.”

“My biggest thing I have to work around as far as expenses is insurance,” she added. “I don’t really need any new clothes. In Texas, you live in jeans and T-shirts and they don’t go out of style. Yeah, your shoes wear out, but how often do you buy a pair of shoes?”

Not so easy to work around is the well-documented racial wealth gap that constrains older Black people in particular. A Federal Reserve report notes that on average Black and Latino households own 15 percent to 20 percent as much net wealth as white households.

Education BusinessMirror

A10 Saturday, April 30, 2022

PHL, Canada collaborate for higher educational institutions’ globalization

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HE Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recently conducted a high-level higher education-partnership mission in Canada to expand opportunities in academic and research partnerships.

The linkages will cover health sciences, renewable energy, agriculture, engineering and technology, data science and disaster-risk management, among others.

“CHED’s mission…is a testament to the strong collaboration between Canada and the Philippines on higher education internationalization,” CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera said. “In recent years the significant growth of academic and research partnerships between Canadian and Philippine higher education institutions [HEIs] has fostered cross-border collaboration between countries, expanding access to international education opportuni-

ties to [the two countries’] students and faculty.”

The mission, which hosted about 20 Canadian education stakeholders during the Philippines-Canada Education Networking at the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, provided an opportunity for CHED and delegates to visit and meet with nine post-secondary institutions in Ottawa and Toronto such as Carleton University, University of Ottawa, Algonquin College, Ryerson University, York University, University of Toronto, Niagara College, Seneca College, and Mohawk College.

“The success of CHED’s mission to Canada is rooted in an ap-

preciation of Canada’s strengths in education delivery and research across disciplines and a shared vision to foster internationalization between Canadian and Philippine HEIs,” Ambassador Peter MacArthur of Canada said. “So we look forward to further enabling more trans-Pacific brain circulation between students and faculty.”

De Vera was accompanied by CHED Region I OIC-Director Danilo B. Bose, Trade Commissioner for Education of the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines Angel Cachuela, and officials from eight Philippine HEIs: Mariano Marcos State University, Iloilo Science and Technology University, West Visayas State University, Southern Leyte State University, World Citi Colleges Aeronautical and Technological College, Tarlac Agricultural University, Tarlac State University, and Universidad de Dagupan.

He signed joint statements on higher education cooperation with Universities Canada, as well as Colleges and Institutes-Canada to expand education collaboration in areas such as student mobility, indig-

enous peoples’ education, research aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, faculty and staff development, microcredentials, applied research, and inclusion of in-demand skills in the curriculum.

Letters of intent were also signed by the two schools with the eight Philippine HEIs, on top of the 11 memoranda of understanding (MOU) forged between Canadian and Philippine institutions in various discipline areas over the course of the pandemic.

CHED also formalized a joint statement on higher education cooperation with Ryerson University on March 30, 2022, and an MOU on academic collaboration with York University the following day to initiate collaboration at the postsecondary and postgraduate levels.

Shortly after his return to the Philippines, De Vera and MacArthur on April 6 witnessed the signing of the MOU between WCC Aeronautical and Technological College with British Columbia Institute of Technolog y on aircraft-maintenance engineering and avionics. PNA/CHED

Globe reaffirms commitment to online consumer safety

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IGITAL solutions platform and digitallifestyle leader Globe Telecom underscored the value of keeping netizens safe from emerging risks and dangers of the online world at the Nascent Technology Summit x Digital Pilipinas 2022 held recently.

At a roundtable discussion on “Edutech: Enabling the Next Generation of Technologists,” Globe’s Senior Manager for Sustainability Integration Miguel Bermundo spoke about several company initiatives that aim to keep subscribers protected online, including the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP) and the #MakeITSafePH campaign.

“We are experiencing persistent growth and constant integration of technology in our daily lives,” Bermundo said. “We have programs in place to ensure…our customers are equipped to responsibly navigate their digital life, especially when it comes to online safety for themselves and for others.”

DTP is an on-demand learning course available via Globe’s eLibrary that aims to educate people on proper online behavior, and encourage them to participate in creating an open, inclusive, collaborative, and safe online environment.

Being constantly online to study, work, play, or socialize has made a lot of Filipinos—notably children and young adults—more vulnerable to Internet-based threats such as sexual exploitation, abuse, identity theft, and cyber bullying. #MakeITSafePH is Globe’s initiative seeking to ensure that Filipinos are protected from these numerous online dangers. Through many different legs of the program, it provides practical tips and easy-to-digest information about the various threats individuals and organizations may face, along with ways they can protect themselves online.

Globe has also partnered with UNICEF Phils., SaferKidsPH Consortium, and the Internet Watch Foundation in mounting a united front against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, while showing the value of holistic cooperation in the fight.

Digital Pilipinas is the largest private sector-led movement intended to create a solid ecosystem for innovation and technology in the country. Already in its third year, the movement is supported by the Philippine and Singaporean governments, as well as number of prominent technology, education, and financial-services companies.

The Nascent Technology Summit and the launch of Digital Pilipinas’ 2022 roadmap was made possible through the partnership between Digital Pilipinas and the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, or DOST-PCIEERD. The event is one of the organization’s initiatives to help build a Web 3.0-powered “Digital Pilipinas” focusing on education technology, cyber security, the metaverse, cryptocurrency, blockchain, fintech, and e-commerce.

Editor: Mike Policarpio

Solon to pursue teachers’ pay hike

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ENATOR Sherwin T. Gatchalian said the salary increase for publicschool teachers is already overdue, and should be the priority of the next administration.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, is pushing to raise the salary of Teacher I from Salary Grade (SG) 11 (P25,439) to SG 13 (P29,798), or SG 14 (P32,321).

“In terms of entry-level salaries, Filipino teachers are already left behind by their peers in other Asean countries, like [in Indonesia, who earn about P66,099; and in Singapore, P60,419],” he said in a statement.

Gatchalian emphasized the importance of boosting the morale of teachers who have been ensuring that students continue to learn amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He said in Filipino that while everyone is responding to the crisis of the education sector, it is important that there is also support for the welfare of our teachers, and ensure they have high morale—especially that they are integral in students’ learning.

Last month acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin A ndanar said an increase in teachers’ salaries might soon be realized despite the ongoing health

GATCHALIAN PNA

crisis.

“I’m sure there will be an increase in the salaries of our teachers; ‘Tatay Digong’ [President Duterte] loves our teachers,” the communications secretary relayed during the “Ask Me Anything, Anywhere” segment aired on his Facebook page.

Duterte, in several speeches, said teachers are very important to him because his late mother Soledad was also one.

Andanar will ask Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones for updates regarding plans to raise teachers’ pay.

The education sector obtained the largest increase in the approved 2022 national budget with P788.5 billion, which is expected to help various reforms and initiatives for the country’s education sector amid the prevailing pandemic. Wilnard Bacelonia/PNA

Security Bank repairs Koronadal’s earthquake-damaged classrooms

RUSSIAN STUDENTS LEARN ‘TINIKLING’ FROM PHL EMBASSY After a two-year break from performing due to pandemic restrictions, the Philippine Embassy Cultural Performers Group in Moscow is currently preparing to return to the stage for this year’s cultural activities. First on the list is a collaboration with students of Moscow State University Institute of African and Asian Studies, facilitated by Dr. Ekaterina Baklanova and the embassy’s Cultural Section. PCPG dance master Josil Fabella, together with choirmaster Imelda Jeresano and Lorna Tesaluna, taught students the steps and technique of the notoriously difficult traditional Filipino dance tinikling. The students will perform such on May 14 during the 65th anniversary of the institute. MOSCOW PE

USAID, PBEd open 4K training slots for unemployed, out-of-school youth

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HE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) launched new partnerships that will provide free technical-vocational (tech-voc) skills and employability training for nearly 4,000 unemployed, out-of-school youth.

USAID Mission Director Ryan Washburn and PBEd Board of Trustees Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. formalized the collaboration with seven private-sector companies and one university from the Greater Manila Area and Cagayan de Oro. The partnership will contribute more than P42 million worth of support to cosponsor the training needs of Filipino youth aged 18 to 30 years old under the YouthWorks PH project.

“The skills that…out-of-school youth learn will develop them into productive employees or entrepreneurs, community change-makers and leaders who will contribute to helping steer the country’s economic recovery from the impacts of the pandemic,” said Washburn. “As the Philippines’s enduring friend, partner and ally, the [US remains committed to partnering with local stakeholders in sustaining and accelerating] inclusive growth, especially for the country’s youth.”

“This partnership launch builds on YouthWorks PH’s existing suite of skills-training resources in pandemic-resilient industries,” said del Rosario. “[Important are the partnerships we are forging today, which] will also fill gaps in vital and growing sectors, such as the automotive sector and ICT.” YouthWorks PH is USAID’s private sector-driven employability initiative with PBEd, and is a tech-voc training scheme for youth who are currently not studying, training, or employed. The project gives free skills

training, allowances, and mentoring in sectors such as construction, services and hospitality, retail, manufacturing, and logistics. Youth participants are also placed in on-the-job training slots, with the promise of employment with partner-companies once they complete the program and qualify.

Companies that joined the list of YouthWorks PH partners include Asiapro, a recognized provider of customized managed services solutions for different industries which will provide P40 million worth of training support to 3,000 youth in the construction industry. Universidad de Manila also signed on to provide skills training and certification programs to the youth.

Other partners include Blogapalooza Inc., the Philippines’ premier influencer-marketing company, which will give 25 youth training slots in marketing and graphic design; Greencars Mindanao Corp. with Crossroads Training Institute, which will offer automotive-servicing courses to 50 youth of Cagayan de Oro City; Luljetta’s Place, which will open at least 15 slots in kitchen and front-desk services, housekeeping, and administrative positions in the Greater Manila Area; Messy Bessy Cleaners and HOUSE (Helping Ourselves Through Sustainable Enterprises) Foundation, with 15 slots in social-enterprise work; and Alrose Group of Companies, a franchisee of at least 16 Filipino fastfood chains in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City which will offer at least 30 in-company training slots.

To date the USAID-PBEd partnership has already reached nearly 4,000 unemployed and out-of-school youths, and has opened up more than 13,000 training positions in different industries nationwide.

RESTORED school building from earthquake damages

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OUTH COTABATO— Security Bank Foundation Inc. (SBFI) recently repaired 16 classrooms in Koronadal City in this province, which were damaged by the October 2019 earthquakes in the area.

The classrooms were donated by SBFI in 2018. The repair of two-story, eightclassroom buildings in Koronadal Central Elementary School (KCES) and Koronadal Nat iona l Comprehensive High School (KNCHS) included the patching of wall cracks, replacement of damaged doors and windows, reconnection of detached railings, and restoration of wrecked gutters. The repair also involved an overall general check-up of the buildings’ electrical and plumbing systems.

Wit h t he cur rent d istance-learning setup, SBFI proceeded with the repair of the structures to prevent further deterioration and prepare for the possible resumption of face-to-face classes.

“Despite the challenges of the…pandemic, we commend SBFI’s sustained commitment to support our school

and sponsor the major repair of their donated school building post-earthquake damages,” said Alver Lajera, KCES’ principal. “ The repair support is an act of kindness that ensures a safe and welcoming environment for our teachers and students during and postpandemic,” added Principal Valentin Dignadice Jr. of KNCHS. Security Bank Koronadal Branch Channel Manager Ma. Elizabeth Barroso-Famenia also lauded the foundation’s commitment, as she was “inspired to be part of a bank that is willing to help address the needs of students, despite being in the middle of a pandemic.”

The continued repair and maintenance of previously donated c l assrooms is a component of SBFI’s “Build a School, Build a Nation” program, which aims to address infrastructure-facility needs of schools in areas where t here a re Sec u r it y Ba n k branches, while providing complementary initiatives such as teachers’ training, as well as video production and distribution to improve learning outcomes.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Saturday, April 30, 2022 A11

Tranquility in Thailand

The courtyard at Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit

Sunset at Wat Arun

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

Colorful stupas at Wat Pho

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The center prang (tower) of Wat Arun

Wat Saket

Story & photos by Charo Logarta

he pandemic has changed one of the world’s most visited countries. And these days, visiting Thailand cannot be done on a whim. There are requirements.

First, check the latest guidelines as these are changed regularly. All visitors must apply for a Thailand Pass (https://tp.consular.go.th/en/ plan) and select their entry scheme.

I chose the Test & Go which required a confirmed one-day quarantine hotel stay, an RT-PCR test, and airport transfer, as well as USD20,000 minimum insurance coverage. It takes anywhere from 24 hours to seven days to get the approved Thailand Pass.

Upon arrival, I was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for a drive-thru RT-PCR test before checking into my hotel. I was released only after getting a negative result. It is only then can any visitor roam Thailand.

Without the crowds, there is

something tranquil about Thailand.

Locals, long-time foreign residents, and the few tourists feel the difference.

I decided to head for Hua Hin, a seaside town about three hours south of Bangkok with old-town charm and a laid-back vibe. The quaint town still has buildings from decades past—including one of the oldest (and still functioning) railway stations in Thailand.

Waiting for the train here feels like time travel with benches, signages, and the platform dating back to the 1920s.

Hua Hin boasts an 8-kilometer stretch of white-sand beach perfect for swimming. The town is a pescatarian’s dream come true since Hua Hin is still a working

Macaque Monkeys at Wat Khao Takiap

fishing port. Many of the restaurants have their signature seafood dishes. Among these, a must-try is Koti, established in 1932. Their specialties include steamed fish in lemongrass and chili and the spicy seafood salad.

Still, need a Thai food fix? The Hua Hin Night Market boasts of stalls that sell delicacies like crispy chicken and pork skin, grilled seafood, sticky mango rice, noodles, and barbecue. I made repeated returns to the market for Rotee— pancakes made with bananas and

The Royal Waiting Room at the Hua Hin Railway Station

condensed milk, paired with Thai Milk Tea. The Hua Hin Night Market is also a shopper’s delight with local craftsmen selling handmade items such as candles, jewelry, scarves, and tapestries.

Another must-see place in Hua Hin includes Wat Khao Takiap, set atop a 270-meter-high mountain where a large number of macaque monkeys roam freely. The bottom of the temple is a cliff where a giant golden Buddha statue stands guard over the sea. It’s a steep climb up the temple with monkeys flanking

your steps, but well worth the effort with arresting views of Hua Hin. I was able to join the monks to feed the monkeys, but I was not prepared for a frenetic feeding frenzy of hundreds of apes!

Upon returning to Bangkok, I was surprised that the temples— once teeming with tourists, become places where quiet reflection was possible.

Wat Arun, or the Temple of the Dawn, is one of the most unique religious structures in the world with its prangs made of porcelain tiles. It is stunning come sunset from every angle. Across the Chao Phraya River, Wat Pho is home to the 46-meter reclining Buddha.

But while most only look at the huge statue, turning around is also a treat as the hall is filled with ancient inscriptions that have actually been registered by UNESCO as “Memory of the World.” Fewer tourists have allowed experts to go full swing with restoration work at Wat Pho. Wat Pho is my favorite—I can get lost strolling rows and rows of Buddha images, gazing at colorful stupas, or simply sitting amid the fountains and foliage.

I opted to visit temples I have never been to before. Wat Traimit

At the top of 320 steps, a golden stupa is said to enshrine relics of the Buddha

for one is modest in design, but it houses the world’s largest Buddha image made of pure gold. It was noon when I entered the sanctum.

Silence and the light shimmering off the image lent a semblance of solemnity. At a functioning Buddhist temple, a monk blessed me— sprinkling holy water, then tying white threads to my wrist for good health and fortune.

Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit, on the other hand, is one of the oldest shrines in Bangkok and home to the first Buddhist University and a meditation center. Amid the sound of gentle wind chimes and birds chirping, I got lost in my own thoughts and reflection.

Further out, Wat Saket, or the Golden Mount sits on top of an 80-meter manmade hill. The temple and the golden stupa—said to contain relics of the Buddha, entails a 320-stair climb. But I was rewarded with a lesson in Buddhist history and traditions as well as great vistas of Bangkok from the top.

Like the rest of the world, Thailand is still recovering from the pandemic. But it will continue to be a place to whet the wanderlust. I for one, cannot wait to start another adventure in the Land of Smiles.

PTAA is Hyping Up for the Upcoming 29th Travel Tour Expo & the 7th International Travel Trade Expo 2022

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ouncing back and reinvigorating the tourism industry, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTA A) proudly presents the PTAA 29th Travel Tour Expo & 7th International Travel Trade Expo to be held from June 24-26, 2022 at the SMX Convention Center Manila.

With the theme, “Braving and Shaping the Future of Travel,” the upcoming face-to-face travel tour expo will be offering great travel deals and awesome tour packages to both foreign and domestic travelers. Not only a great business opportunity for both parties, but it is also an encouragement for tourism and travel in general as PTAA President Michelle Taylan said, “The grand event signifies the recovery of travel and tourism this 2022,

where the pandemic is nothing to be feared anymore. This is the year where travel businesses will flourish, and this is where we bring a new golden age for tourism.” Following the resounding success of the last year’s event which gathered key personalities from the government and different embassies, the PTAA 29th Travel Tour Expo & 7th International Travel Trade Expo promises a bigger expo, wider participation from stakeholders, and more exciting offers while observing and maintaining the minimum health standards set by the government.

This year’s travel tour expo will occupy Function Rooms 1-5 at the 2nd floor of SMX Convention Center Manila with more than 150 exhibitors and 35,000 to 45,000 visitors in expected attendance. The three-

day event will be filled with raffle draws, corporate game shows, entertainment, and presentations from exhibitors and sponsors.

For PTAA, there’s no better time to host the biggest travel trade event after the government’s decision to ease the restrictions in Metro Ma-

nila. In response to this development, local government units in the provinces opted to relax their own protocols for visitors coming from

the National Capital Region. With the easing of alert levels, the “No Vax, No Ride” policy is now also lifted, further stimulating the mobility of travelers with caution and standard safety protocols still in place.

After months of lockdown, domestic travelers who are looking forward to vacation trips welcome these developments with eager anticipation. However, health and safety during travel remain their No.1 concern amid the Covid-19 situation. In response, no less than Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat reassures travelers that safety measures are in place. “Travel in the Philippines is safe, and as we always promised, more fun. Thank you again for the continued support, and our best wishes for the success of the Travel and Tour Expo.”

BusinessMirror

A10 A12 Saturday, April 30, 2022 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Thailand hopes to attract more digital nomads as it opens country to tourists PHL needs to tackle talent gap to become an IT talent hub

PHOTO BY ROBIN CANFIELD ON UNSPLASH

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES

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HE pandemic did not give birth to the digital nomad concept but there is no doubt that digital nomads multiplied in the past two years. Many Filipinos sought solace from being confined within the walls of their house by going to Boracay and Siargao. There is indeed something very appealing about a “workation” where you work during the day and spend the rest of your day on the beach.

The Adventure Travel Trade Association’s “Work and Wander: Meet Today’s Digital Nomads” report describes digital nomads as “a cross between the longterm expat and the two-week vacationer.”

In the agency’s 2021 Digital Nomads Survey, Thailand was one of the top destinations for digital nomads, along with Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Portugal.

Most digital nomads who responded to ATTA’s survey do freelance work for multiple companies (36 percent) or own their own business (33 percent).

Being able to travel constantly and experiencing different cultures and meeting local people are the top reasons for living the digital nomad lifestyle. About 20 percent of respondents became digital nomads in 2020, likely as a result of Covid-19. The top challenges faced by digital nomads are always being available and working too much, uncertainty and loneliness.

On average, 36 percent of the respondents’ monthly earnings pay for lodging, food and transportation; this revenue typically stays within a destination.

As Thailand reopens with a new campaign, dubbed “Visit Thailand Year 2022 Amazing New Chapter,” the country hopes to attract more digital nomads as it makes bold moves to encourage the increase of international tourist arrivals.

“Aside from Bangkok, digital nomads would enjoy the beauty of Phuket, Chiang Mai and other destinations in Thailand,” said Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports.

Starting May 1, fully vaccinated travelers entering Thailand are no longer required to quarantine in a hotel briefly and take an RT-PCR Covid-19 test upon arrival. The latest easing of entry restrictions aims to make international travel more convenient.

Like many countries dependent on tourist arrivals for revenue, Thailand has suffered because of the pandemic.

In 2019, Thailand recorded 40 million arrivals, 500,000 of them from the Philippines. According to a report by McKinsey & Co., passengers on international flights to Thailand dropped by 95 percent in September 2021, compared to the previous years, while hotels only filled 9 percent of their rooms.

“We were hard hit in the last two years as the drop in arrivals was about 80 percent and that is a concern because 20 percent of Thailand’s GDP is from tourism.

This is why the Thai government has decided to open up the country and plans to announce that Covid-19 is no longer a pandemic and is now an endemic,” said Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. Thailand has also lowered

the amount of health insurance coverage to $10,000 from $20,000 for fully vaccinated visitors entering the country from May 1.

Once vaccinated travelers pass through immigration checkpoints, they can travel to anywhere in Thailand. Visitors who are not fully vaccinated are subject to different rules. They no longer need to show proof of a prearrival negative RT-PCR test nor undergo an arrival test but they need to register for Thailand Pass with a five-day hotel booking, take an RT-PCR test on Day 5 and have an insurance policy with coverage of at least $10,000.

Unvaccinated travelers who can upload proof of a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of travel via the Thailand Pass system are allowed entry and can go anywhere in the country upon arrival.

To standardize health and hygiene protocols, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Ministry of Public Health, as well as stakeholders, established The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) project last year to ensure travelers’ confidence on safety and hygiene when traveling in Thailand. The SHA was recently certified by the World Travel and Tourism

Council (WTTC) to be on par with the WTTC Safe Travels global health and hygiene standardized protocols.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand believes it will take three years until 2024 for tourism revenue to get back to pre-Covid level but Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said they are targeting at least 10 million international tourist arrivals by the end of the year.

“Based on the number of overseas travelers arriving in Thailand between January 1 and April 14, 2022, we have welcomed 501,716 travelers. The UK market ranked No. 1 [55,066], followed by Germany [51,122], Russia [50,992], France [35,112] and the United States [34,142]. The number of Filipino arrivals to Thailand during this period was approximately 5,269,” he said.

“We continue our efforts to shift to promote quality over quantity along with responsible tourism.

We have geared our strategy to tap into several niche markets, including weddings and honeymoons, sports tourism, health and wellness, gastronomy and green tourism aiming to reshape and transform the tourism industry toward responsible and sustainable travel,” said TAT. ■

Nubia launches new gaming smartphone

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor NUBIA RedMagic Philippines has released its newest gaming smartphone, RedMagic 7, at online gadgets store Kimstore.com.

This device is powered by 2022 flagship chip Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 ratio display, and 65W GaN Magic Charger with Air-Cooled Quick Charging capability.

Its built-in independent gaming chip, Red Core 1, improves its haptic feedback, along with its audio and RGB lighting enhancements.

Running on RedMagic OS5.0, this device offers special features, such as Game Space for a customized gaming experience, as well as plugins and shorthand to magnify parts of the screen and record clips of a player’s winning moments.

The phone is designed to be sweat-resistant.

It has a reaction time of 7.4 ms, a 720Hz touch sampling rate, and a 500Hz touch rate for shoulder triggers, detecting real-time in-game commands and execution when playing FPS games, like Fortnite, Call of Duty Mobile, and Genshine Impact can be done with the highest rate of precision. With a built-in Adreno GPU

paired with Kryo CPU and 7th gen AI, RedMagic 7 is four times faster, 25 percent more efficient, and renders graphics 30 percent quicker than the brand’s previous models.

It can last an entire day of playing FPS games—thanks to its battery capacity of 4,500 milliampere per hour. Charging only takes an hour with its 65-watt fast charger.

The transparent-coated Supernova has 18GB/256GB memory options and boasts RGB-lit panels when in use.

The silver variant Obsidian comes with memory options of 12GB/128GB, while the

cosmic Pulsar with sky blue and purple hues has 16GB/256GB. On its date of release, there will be a 30-minute Facebook Livestream on Kimstore and the Nubia RedMagic Philippines Page, wherein aspiring video game live streamers using RedMagic 7 will be provided with guides and tips.

Digital creator Louis Dior Teves of Amplfy by Tier One Entertainment will lead the session.

Apart from its official Philippine distributor Kimstore.com, this latest gaming smartphone is now available also in the Shopee Mall and LazMall accounts of Nubia RedMagic Philippines.

ALTHOUGH the Philippines is the world’s No. 2 IT outsourcing destination with a 15 percent market global share, the country still needs to address critical issues to harness its potential.

“There is certainly potential for the Philippines to be a regional IT hub, but potential alone is not enough.

There are critical issues that we need to address, and we need to plan it and be smart about acting on it, so we can realize the Philippines’s true IT potential,” Billy Yuen, chief executive officer of StackTrek told BUSINESSMIRRO� in an e-mail interview.

Yuen pointed out that the dearth of talent in the technology sector is the biggest stumbling block for the Philippines to realize its true potential. With an insufficient number of skilled programmers, it can’t meet the growing needs of the tech industry.

If demand growth continues and no measures were to be implemented to address the problem, Yuen warned of a potential for an industry-wide bottleneck, and threat of sector implosion. He added it will undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities. “The solution is simple—get more people into coding at the individual level, and improve programming education quality at the school level,” Yuen said.

Although raising awareness is an important component, Yuen said providing a means for the people should be given more preference. In response to the problem, he said StackTrek provides an online training platform that allows everyone to learn coding for free. “From non-coders or career-shifters just beginning to learn programming to get their first tech job, to experienced developers upskilling themselves with more modern engineering stack, there’s something for everyone,” Yuen explained.

Yuen said the government, the private sector, and the education industry should join forces to promote coding in the Philippines. Code Your Future provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together and raise awareness about coding at the national level.

It’s about helping people understand the career upside of learning programming.

Yuen said IT education, or—more specifically— programming, is a new economic engine that can transform the Philippines into a developed economy on an accelerated timeline, and become a major economic force at the regional and global levels.

He said StackTrek is offering a programming education system for free to all schools. It is selected as one of the most advanced education technologies in Southeast Asia. “We hope to help schools produce more job-ready IT/programming graduates,” he said.

Meanwhile, StackLeague recently launched the largest year-round online programming league in the Philippines with over 10,000 contestants, a P10 million cash prize pool, free training, and opportunities to connect with the nation’s best developers.

StackLeague Season 1 was supported by some of the biggest tech companies: Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Accenture, Jobstreet, and over 20 tech communities. With over 30 tech events for players to participate in throughout the year, Season 2 is promised to be even bigger and better. StackLeague is open to developers at all levels.

StackLeague Season 2 was officially launched on February 22, and opened the virtual coding arena to start the league’s official scoring. Players solve challenges to earn points and win weekly cash prizes and thousands of giveaways.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Saturday, April 30, 2022 A11 A13

Xiaomi 12: Best compact �lagship? would be nice if they announced any dust- and waterresistance.

DISPLAY AND SOUND

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VERY year, Xiaomi releases an onslaught of smartphones that covers every single price point, so there should be a Xiaomi phone for every Android user, no matter what their budget is. And because of their specs and pricing, their midrange lineup have often been dubbed as “flagship killers.”

But how does their own flagship, the Xiaomi 12, stack up against the competition?

Smaller phones have become a rarity these days; maybe that’s why Xiaomi decided to shrink the Xiaomi 12 as an option for those looking for a more compact flagship. The relatively small form factor does mean slightly lesser specs, but if you want a bigger phone with everything maxxed-out, they have the Xiaomi 12 Pro, and the inevitable 12 Ultra that’s rumored to be coming out next month.

DESIGN AND BUILD

THE Xiaomi 12 measures 152.7 x 69.9 x 8.16 mm and weighs around 180g. For someone who’s been used to bigger phones, the feeling of not having to stretch out your hand was actually quite a relief. It’s more comfortable to hold and easier to handle when making calls and texting even with one hand without any fear of losing my grip. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you know what I mean.

Exploring the phone, you’ll find the power button and volume rocker on the right side, while the left edge is clean. On top is the secondary microphone, infra-red blaster and a speaker grill. There’s also another speaker at the bottom along with the USB charging port, microphone, and SIM card slot.

The tray supports two nano-SIM cards with dual standby 5G capability, but unfortunately, there’s no more microSD card slot.

The Xiaomi 12 has a solid all-metal chassis that feels very solid and well made. The back plate is made of Gorilla Glass 5 but with a matte textured-looking finish, while the front is protected by top-of-the-line Gorilla Glass Victus. Our review unit came in Purple, which I love because its the color of the year, but you could also get it in either Gray or Blue.

The Xiaomi 11 had a nice looking square-ish camera module, but I actually prefer the Xiaomi 12’s design as it looks more premium. The company isn’t really fond of IP ratings, but as a flagship device it

TWITTER BANS ADS THAT CONTRADICT SCIENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

BERLIN—Twitter says it will no longer allow advertisers on its site who deny the scientific consensus on climate change, echoing a policy already in place at Google.

“Ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis,” the company said in a statement outlining its new policy Friday.

There was no indication that the change would affect what users post on the social-media site, which along with Facebook has been targeted by groups seeking to promote misleading claims about climate change. The announcement coinciding with Earth Day came hours before the European Union agreed upon a deal requiring big tech companies to vet their sites more closely for hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content.

Twitter said it would provide more information in the coming months on how it plans to provide “reliable, authoritative context to the climate conversations” its users engage in, including from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The UN-backed science panel’s reports on the causes and effects of climate change provide the basis for international negotiations to curb climate change.

The company already has a dedicated climate topic on its site and offered what it described as “prebunks” during last year’s UN climate conference to counter misinformation surrounding climate change. AP

THE Xiaomi 12 might have a smaller screen but it certainly has impressive screen credentials. You get a 6.28-inch AMOLED panel with a 2,400 x 1,080, (419ppi) FHD+ resolution that delivers plenty of sharpness and amazing colors. It also has a peak brightness of 1,100 nits and Dolby Vision plus HDR 10+ support, making you want to watch Netflix all day on this phone. It also features 120Hz Adaptive Sync and up to 480Hz touch sampling rate. The high refresh rate makes all those motions look smoother, and the high touch sampling rate is crucial for serious mobile gamers, especially for those who love to play fast-paced action games.

The immersive visual experience is complemented by an equally great audio experience. The dual speakers of the Xiaomi 12 means you get louder and better audio than usual, and that cinematic-grade stereo sound is delivered with “Sound by Harman Kardon” and Dolby Atmos support.

CAMERAS

THE Xiaomi 12 has a triple camera setup composed of a 50MP pro-grade main camera, a 13MP ultra wideangle camera, and a 5MP telemacro camera.

The main camera has a Sony IM766 sensor with a 6p lens and an aperture of f/1.88. It can shoot 4K HDR10+ videos and 8K standard video recording at either 24 or 30 frames per second.

The second camera is a 13MP shooter with an ultra-wide lens (123° field-of-view) and f/2.4 aperture, while the third is a 5MP telemacro camera with a 50mm equivalent focal length. Macro lenses are usually just fillers but the Xiaomi 12’s macro camera is actually fun to use.

Speaking of fun, you’ll find several fun camera editing filters and features. One of these is sky editing that lets you digitally replace the sky in photos, make the clouds move, change the time of day, add rain, snow, moon, aurora borealis, the cosmos—it can make even the dullest landscape photo come to life.

Other camera modes you should try out are vlog, movie effects, clone, dual video for those food tasting or POV vlogs, slow motion, long exposure and timelapse. There is also a separate short video mode that lets you shoot 15-second videos for your Instagram reels and Facebook stories.

To complement the impressive hardware,the device is also equipped with Xiaomi’s advanced AI algorithm across a wide range of scenarios to enable cinematic capabilities with professional special effects and creative options including Xiaomi ProFocus, One-Click AI Cinema, etc. Meanwhile, Ultra Night Video excels at videography in low-light conditions, with various portrait modes enabling users to capture studio-quality shots. The camera

of the Xiaomi 12 is truly flagshiplevel, producing sharp images with lots of details, accurate colors and nice deep contrasts.

If you prefer less saturated more natural-looking photos, this is the smartphone you should get. My only complaint is the lack of a telephoto lens for zoom photography. I’m not talking about those super stalker level x100 zoom capabilities, just something to help if you want to close the distance for a photo.

PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY

A FLASHIP device deserves the fastest processor and for the Xiaomi 12, it’s been outfitted with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The device sets the bar for next-generation computing with a cutting-edge 4nm technology process. While the GPU capabilities have increased 30 percent in terms of graphics rendering, and energy efficiency has increased 25 percent, Xiaomi 12 is capable of delivering unprecedented levels of performance and power efficiency over its predecessor.

This is paired by an Adreno 730 GPU, which Qualcomm claims has 30 percent better performance compared to the previous Adreno 660 integrated into the Snapdragon 888 chipset. In addition, Xiaomi 12 features UFS 3.1 for next-level loading speeds and data transfers, as well as at least 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, with memory speeds reaching up to 6,400Mbps.

Xiaomi also has this Memory Extension feature where you can set the phone to allocate more RAM to the system by partitioning some parts of the internal

storage as virtual memory. The phones get more RAM in return and should improve the overall user experience.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 has proven to be very powerful indeed, and I haven’t noticed any slowdown despite the number of apps, browser windows and tasks I would typically have open. It can also handle any game you play with ease without any lag even in higher settings. The only downside is that it can still get warm after a few minutes of gaming.

The Xiaomi 12 runs Android 12 with the company’s MIUI 13 laid over, offering lots of customization and security tools.

It’s the familiar interface Xiaomi users have all gotten used to—simple, organized and very user-friendly. Good news is that there isn’t a lot of bloatware preinstalled.

Besides the usual Google apps,

and a few Mi apps like Mi Community, Mi Remote, Mi Video, Mi Browser, Notes, ShareMe, Compass, and Scanne, the only one I consider bloatware is an app called 92 which you can quickly uninstall.

As for the battery, the Xiaomi 12 has a 4,500mAh battery that promises all-day use. It also supports Xiaomi 67W wired and 50W wireless turbo charging.

For a better battery life, Xiaomi’s AdaptiveCharge, the company’s smart-charging algorithm, works in tandem to learn the user’s overnight charging behavior and optimizing accordingly.

Final word: The size of the Xiaomi 12 is what probably sets it apart from the competition. Its compact size is a welcome change and it would be a real plus point for women or those who have smaller hands. The phone looks and feels very premium, the display and sound make for an immersive viewing experience, and the camera packs a lot of fun modes you’d want to experiment with. You also get a chipset that could handle everything you throw at it, and fast charging makes sure you are always powered up. ■

Planning getaways with expert help AFTER putting vacation plans to a halt for two years, the excitement to travel again is highly apparent as tourists flock to popular destinations, and restaurants get full once more. If you’re planning a long drive to visit usually crowded spots, here are a few tips on how Google Maps can help you plan your next trip.

First, map out your route.

■ SAVE ON TOLL EXPENSES. While expressways provide us with a much shorter travel time, toll prices can take a huge chunk of our travel expenses. If you wish to take an alternate route and steer clear of tolls completely, simply click on Options in the directions page and activate “Avoid tolls” under Route options.

Other options include avoiding highways and ferries, as well as identifying wheelchair accessible routes.

■ FIND GAS STATIONS ALONG THE WAY. When you need to make a pit stop, Google Maps allows you to search for nearby gas stations. While in ‘Drive’ mode, simply click on the magnifying glass icon or choose the “Search along route” option and select “Gas stations.” You will have the option to add this as a stop in your route. This also works for other destinations you wish to make a stop at along the way.

Next, plan like a pro.

■ PLAN AS A GROUP. If you and your family or friends are the type of travelers who want a full itinerary in their pockets, then “Group lists” in Google Maps is for you. It gives you the ability to create a vacation itinerary together by adding places to go and things to do as a group. To create a list, just search for a destination and tap the “Save” button. This will allow

you to either save the destination to an existing list or create a new one. You can turn on the option to allow others to edit the list and anyone with the link will be able to modify it.

No data? no problem. If you are unsure whether your destination will have a proper signal or if you simply want to save on data, download the map of an area prior to hitting the road and it will be available offline. To do this, tap on your profile picture in Google Maps, tap “Offline maps,” then select your own map. From here, adjust the map to cover the area you'd like to download and that will be available for you to reference on your adventures.

Also, learn to use vacation time wisely by outsmarting traffic.

During peak season, traffic to popular destinations can be unpredictable. To make sure you don’t get stuck in traffic for most of your drive, set the time you’d like to depart or arrive by to see how long it’ll take you to get to your destination. This is easily available in the “Directions” tab of your preferred destination. You can also use voice commands to check your ETA or other information you need. Just say “OK Google” and ask away.

Now, for the fun stuff, like finding the best time to visit restaurants.

Use the “Popular Times” information to see when a restaurant is most crowded so you can know which places are likely to seat you immediately. See the menu, photos, and reviews to check out what the restaurant offers.

PHOTO BY CARDMAPR ON UNSPLASH

Sports BusinessMirror

ALTAS BAG PLAY-IN SPOT U

NIVERSITY of Perpetual Help System Dalta clinched the last play-in spot with a 63-60 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) on Friday in the National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

The Generals, who never led, tried to send the game into overtime but Kriss Gurtiza’s triple missed the mark as the buzzer sounded in the league’s first game with the fans in the stands.

The Altas finished the eliminations with a 4-5 win-loss card in fifth place under first-year coach Myk Saguiguit.

Perpetual Help will take on No. 6 Arellano University in a do-or-die match at 3 p.m. on Sunday with the winner playing the loser between

F

The teams are divided into two pools in the main draw with home team Manila Chooks bracketed in Pool A with Mongolia’s Zaisan MMC Energy, Australia’s Melbourne Hoop City and Japan’s Tokyo Dime.

The country’s top 3x3 team Cebu Chooks will face Mongolia’s Sansar MMC Energy, Indonesia’s Tangerang and Butuan Chooks in Pool B. The level 8 tournament is a qualifier for the top level Chooksto-Go FIBA 3x3 World Tour Manila Masters.

Cebu Chooks’s Mac Tallo, Brandon Ramirez, Zach Huang and Mike Harry Nzeusseu have been training for the past two months under Coach Aldin Ayo. The team gave a glimpse of its progress in the Dubai Ex po Super Quest last March where it gave Tokyo Oly mpics gold medalist R iga of Latv ia a scare before falling, 17-21.

Cebu Chooks came back strong the next game to stun Chicago, 21-15.

Chicago was led

by Craig Moore and Zahir Carrington, the 3rd and 4th best 3x3 players in the United States.

Expected to lead the charge for the Filipinos will be Tallo who is the country’s highest-ranked 3x3 player at 175th in the FIBA 3x3 rankings.

Sansar is the older of the two Mongolian teams joining the Asia Pacific Super Quest. It is also the bigger one and is equally potent.

The team will be led by 21-year-old Sukhbat Batzorig, who at 148th in the FIBA world rankings is the second highest-ranked player in the competition next only to his com-

patriot, Gantsolmon. Joining Batzorig in the Sansar roster are Anand Aruinbold, Enkhbaatar Onolbaatar and Gansukh Avarzed.

| Saturday, April 30, 2022 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

TIGER’S BACK IN THE PROWL

the No. 3 and 4 squads for the last Final Four berth.

The Altas raced to an 11-0 advantage and led as by as many of 14 points before the Generals threatened at 60-63 on a Gurtiza three with 1:07 remaining.

“Our plan is to hit our outside shots,” said Saguiguit whose wards were 5 of 28 from the three-point area.

Kim Aurin paced Perpetual Help with 14 points while rookie Mark Omega had a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds to go with four blocks, two steals and two assists.

Gurtiza had 18 points and rebounds boards while Allen Liwag contributed 12 points and six rebounds for EAC, which ended its season with a 3-6 record in seventh place.

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AsPac 3x3 hoopfest gets going IVE foreign and three local squads will see action in the Chooks-to-Go International Basketball Federation (Fiba) 3x3 Asia Pacific Super Quest which opens Saturday at the Ayala Malls Solenad in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

A14

WHILE tired after the Masters, Tiger Woods could only see himself getting better. AP

IGER WOODS flew to Oklahoma on Thursday for a practice round at Southern Hills, the first step in deciding whether he can play in the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship.

The 18-hole practice round while walking came three weeks before the start of the PGA Championship being held May 19 to 22 at Southern Hills in Tulsa.

Golf Channel reported that Southern Hills head pro Cary Cozby caddied for Woods on Thursday.

After the practice round, the PGA of America posted a photo on Twitter of Woods and Cozby looking at the yardage book.

Tulsa TV station KOTV showed an overhead shot of Woods putting. He was wearing a black compression sleeve on his right leg. Ken MacLeod, publisher of “Golf Oklahoma” magazine was at Southern Hills and one photo he posted show 10 members of the Oklahoma PGA

Junior League who were being honored gathered on the 18th green as Woods teed off on No. 10.

Woods made a remarkable return to golf at the Masters following his February 23, 2021, car crash outside Los Angeles that shattered bones in his right leg and ankle. In his first time competing and walking a course, he made the cut for the 22nd straight time, though he tired on the weekend and his limp was more noticeable in rounds when he shot 78-78. He finished in 47th place out of the 52 players who made the cut.

Southern Hills last hosted a major in 2007, when Woods won the PGA Championship for the second straight year and fourth time overall. That week featured his lowest score in a major, a 63 in the second round with a birdie putt that spun in and out of the cup on the final hole.

Woods left Augusta National unsure of when he would play next, although he confirmed he would be at the British Open at St. Andrews this summer.

He has entered the PGA Championship and the US Open at Brookline in June, though that was a formality as an exempt player.

Woods’s movement was picked up by internet sites tracking his private plane from South Florida to Tulsa,

Tsukii, Lim picked to retain gold medals in Hanoi

By Josef Ramos

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HE karate federation expect FilipinoJapanese Junna Tsukii and Jamie Lim to repeat as champions in the Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games that starts May 12.

But Karate Pilipinas President Richard Lim is also looking forward to surprise performances from 16 others on his team to deliver in Hanoi.

“I can’t make any forecast but based on

the performance in the 2019 SEA Games, I think we can repeat [two gold medals] in Hanoi and there’re a few surprises that we expect,” Lim told BusinessMirror on Friday.

Tsukii topped the women’s -50 kgs of women’s kumite and Lim ruled the -61 kgs class for the two gold medals that was laced with one silver and six bronze medals in 2019.

Malaysia topped karate with four golds followed by Thailand with three of the 13 mints at stake.

Vietnam and Indonesia also bagged two gold medals each but had more silvers and bronzes than the Philippines.

Tsukii arrived in Manila two days ago and according to Lim, she has “adjusted very fast.”

“We’re not coming home without a medal, that’s what I can assure,” Lim said.

Mae Soriano (women -55 kgs), Remon Misu (women -68 kgs) and Ivan Agustin (men -84 kgs)—bronze medalists in last SEA Games—along with Jason Macaalay (men -60 kgs), Mathew Manantan (men -67 kgs) and Prince Alejo (men -75 kgs) are also on the team along with Engene Dagohoy, Alwyn Batican and Oliver Mañalac.

Pangasinense Joco Vasquez and

Oklahoma, along with a photo on Twitter showing the plane on the tarmac.

It didn’t generate the same buzz as when he went to Augusta National a week before the Masters, uncertain then if he would play the first major of the year.

Southern Hills is not as strenuous a walk as Augusta National, except for the steep decline walking off the first and 10th tees and the inevitable uphill climb back toward the clubhouse, with only slight elevation along the way.

While tired after the Masters, Woods could only see himself getting better.

“I don’t quite have the endurance that I would like to have had, but as of a few weeks ago, didn’t even know if I was going to play in this event,” he said after final round at Augusta National.

“To go from that to here, we’re excited about the prospects of the future, about training, about getting into that gym and doing some other stuff to get my leg stronger, which we haven’t been able to do because it needed more time to heal.”

Similar to the Masters, Woods likely won’t decide whether to play the PGA Championship until that week. AP

Rebecca Cyril Torres will lead the Philippines in individual kata and Naoki Alforte, Jeremy Nopre and Felix Calipusan in men’s team kata.

Torres, Sara Pangilinan and Nicole Dantes are on the women’s kata team.

The are coached by former karate world champion Okay Arpa of Turkey and his assistants Junel Perania and Rhodee Saadvedra.

The Filipinos will be competing in 14 of the 15 events in karate.

The team set up a training camp in Baguio City and transferred to the Joy Nostalg Hotel at the Ortigas Center.

The karate competitions for the 31st SEA Games are set from May 18 to 20 at the Ninh Binh Gymnasium in Dinh Tien Hoang in north Vietnam.

Paul perfect as No. 1 seed Suns finish off Pelicans in Game Six

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JAPANESE IN ACTION

World No. 13 Japan’s Sayaka Takahashi in action en route to beating Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min, 21-12, 14-21, 21-16, in the Badminton Asia Championships 2022 late Thursday at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Muntinlupa City.

Japan fields formidable bets in Subic triathlon

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APAN served notice of its goal to rule the NTT Asia Cup Subic International Triathlon (SUBIT) by fielding a powerhouse squad in the 29th edition of the country’s longest running triathlon event outside of the National Championships set at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone Sunday.

Asia’s No. 3 and world No. 56th Ren Sato is installed as the No. 1 seed in the elite men category followed by Tsudoi Miyazaki, ranked 4th in Asia and 59th in the world.

In the elite women, inaugural Youth Olympic Games gold medalist and Rio 2016 Olympics 15th-placer Yuka Sato (10th continental ranking and 90th world ranking) gets the top billing and Tsudoi Miyazaki (14th

continental ranking and 145th world ranking) the main supporting role.

Rounding out the top five men favorites are Rio 2016 veteran Rostislav Pevtsov (47th continental ranking and 76th- world ranking) of Azerbaijan, Genta Uchida (8th continental ranking and 97th world ranking) and the last 2019 SUBIT champion Oscar Coggins of Hongkong, who finished 33rd in Tokyo 2020 Olympics on top of his continental ranking and 120th world ranking.

Completing the favorites for a podium finish in the women’s side is Australia’s Jessica Ewart-mactigue (16th continental ranking and 153 world ranking).

Japan’s elite men finished first, sec-

ond and fifth in the SUBIT 2017 with the South Koreans preventing a sweep.

Japanese athletes were 1-2 in 2015.

Also seeing action in SUBIT where top performers gain points for continental and world ranking are hopefuls from Chinese-Taipei, India, Singapore, Slovakia and the Philippines.

Conspicuously absent are the Chinese, particularly Mengying Zhong, the back-to-back women’s champion of the last two SUBIT editions.

The country’s bets to the 31st Hanoi Southeast Asian Games—Kim Mangrobang, Raven Faith Alcoseba, Lauren Plaza, Andrew Kim Remolino, Fernando Casares and John Chicano—banner Team Philippines.

EW ORLEANS—Chris Paul has accomplished so many things in his 17 National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons that it’s nearly impossible to rank his Mount Rushmore moments.

Short of a title, perfection, however, might be hard to beat.

Paul was 14 for 14—the most field goals without a miss in an NBA playoff game—in the Phoenix Suns’ 115-109, series-ending victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.

“I had no clue,” said Paul, the former Pelican who finished with 33 points and eight assists. “I think maybe at halftime I said I might have to shoot a little more. But throughout the game, I was literally managing the game. I wasn’t taking heat checks. I don’t shoot enough to have heat checks.”

The top-seeded Suns overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to finish off the Pelicans in six games. Phoenix set up a second-round series with Dallas, a 98-96 winner at Utah in another Game 6 later Thursday.

Paul led Phoenix to victories by scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter of Games 1 and 3 after trying to distribute the ball to teammates in the first three quarters. Suns coach Monty Williams said it was difficult to rank Paul’s achievements as a scorer, leader and game manager.

“I can’t even say because he’s done it so many times,” Williams said.

“This is probably No. 1 because it just happened, and I knew how special New Orleans is to him. He cares deeply about the city and the fans and the children. It’s probably No. 1 because

CHRIS PAUL goes 14 for 14—the most field goals without a miss in a playoff game— in Phoenix’s series-ending victory over New Orleans. AP

it just happened.” Booker had no problem framing Paul’s performance.

“Nobody’s seen this—14 for 14,” Booker said. “This is the first time for all of us.”

Booker returned from a hamstring injury to hit a late 3-pointer that gave the Suns the lead for good—fittingly, with an assist from Paul.

After Brandon Ingram gave New Orleans its final lead, 104-103, on a reverse baseline layup with 2:00 left, Paul found Booker unguarded on the left wing, and he made the 3-pointer to put Phoenix ahead 106-104 with 1:42 left.

Booker played for the first time in nine days since straining his right hamstring after scoring 31 points in the first half of Game 2. He scored 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting and had five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes.

“It was really nice to have him back,” Paul said. “All that pressure they’ve been doing against us the whole series, especially the last three games, was tough. (Booker) was on that left wing, and I don’t know if they forgot or didn’t realize who he was, but I saw how they were shifted.”

“It caught me off guard, too,” Booker said. “You don’t normally get clean looks like that.”

Deandre Ayton had 22 points for Phoenix on 10-of-12 shooting.

The Suns erased the 10-point halftime deficit by making 13 of their first 14 shots in the third quarter to take a 77-74 lead. At that point, Paul was 10 of 10 from the field and Ayton was 6 of 6. Paul had 13 points in the quarter, but New Orleans used an 11-5 run to take an 85-82 lead into the final period. AP