BusinessMirror August 13, 2021

‘PHL current account may revert to deficit’ I

NTERNATIONAL think tank Fitch Solutions warned that the Philippines cou ld face challenges managing its current account deficit over the longer term, as domestic goods demand recovers from the pandemic shock.

In a research analysis published on Thursday, the research arm of the Fitch Group said the country’s current account could revert to a deficit status as early as next year after posting a surplus of 3.6 percent of the country’s output in 2020.

The research group forecasts a smaller current account surplus for this year, at 1.3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“With the economy still ham-

pered by outbreaks of Covid-19 and resultant on-and-off re-tightening of domestic restrictions, we expect the rebound in import demand to be moderate and the Philippines to post another current account surplus in 2021,” Fitch Solutions said.

“However, a s t he economy gradually climbs back to prepandemic output levels in 2022, we anticipate the current account to slip back into deficit,” it added.

“Over the coming years we forecast this deficit to widen as demand for goods imports rebound, driven in particular for a rising need for commodity imports as the country’s infrastructure needs grow,” Fitch Solutions further said.

The expected deficit could be partially tempered, according to the think tank, by remittance f lows and services exports. However, the extent to which the services exports can thrive will depend on improved infrastructure and the effectiveness of reforms.

“Without attracting foreign direct investment [FDI], funding such plans may tip the Philippines’s towards more volatile ‘hot money’ inflows, which would make the running of current account deficits less stable over the long term,” Fitch Solutions said.

The country’s gross international reserves (GIR) and net external creditor position is also expected to limit risks from running a current account deficit through

the medium term.

Earlier this week, the research firm slashed its growth forecast of the Philippines for the year amid the country’s struggle with new Covid-19 outbreaks.

The research arm of the Fitch group said it now projects the country to grow by 4.2 percent for the year, down from their earlier projection of 5.3 percent, citing the continued disruptions to output from rising Covid-19 cases.

The new projection came amid the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) announcement that the country’s gross domestic product in the second quarter of the year hit 11.8 percent, effectively ending the recession in the country.

Bianca Cuaresma

(2017, 2018, 2019)

TO BOOST RECOVERY, BSP KEEPS RATES LOW

w

n Friday, August 13, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 303

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 22 pages |

Tricycle drivers wait inside their vehicles for their turn to get inoculated against Covid-19 at a drive-through “Vaccine Express” site, a vaccination effort by the Office of the Vice President and the Quezon City local government, at the Robinsons Mall parking area in Novaliches, Quezon City, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. The event aims to vaccinate 5,000 members of the public transport sector. NONOY LACZA

T

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) decided to keep its monetary policy at record-lows on Thursday despite its forecast that inflation will shoot above its target range for this year.

The Monetary Board decided to maintain the interest rate on the BSP’s overnight reverse repurchase facility at 2 percent. The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were likewise kept at 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.

This is the fifth consecutive meeting where the BSP chose to retain its low and accommodative interest rate stance in an effort to support the economy amid the disruptions stemming from the global health crisis.

“The Monetary Board is of the

view that the expected path of inflation and downside risks to domestic economic growth warrant keeping monetary policy settings unchanged. The Monetary Board remains keen on sustaining monetary policy support for as long as necessary in order for the momentum of economic recovery to gain more traction as well as to help boost domestic demand and market confidence, especially as risk aversion continues to temper credit activity,” BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said.

See “to boost,” A2

PESO exchange rates n US 50.4110

Solons prod govt DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM IN REGION SEES $23-B on vax passports REVENUE OPTIONS L T

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

HE digital ecosystem in Southeast Asia is seen to generate revenue opportunities amounting to $23 billion by 2025, a report by professional services firm Ernst & Young Global Ltd. (EY) showed.

EY Asean Regional Managing Partner Liew Nam Soon said that the growth of start-ups and digital natives offering interconnected

services—including ride-hailing, food delivery, grocery, logistics and financial services—will support the regional bloc’s digital ecosystem.

“Consumer-focused digital ecosystems are forming across Southeast Asia to deliver value at unprecedented speed and scale, in response to industry digital disruptions and accelerated by the pandemic,” he explained.

See “Digital,” A2

AWMAKERS on Thursday moved to speed up issuance by the Philippine government of internationally accepted Covid-19 vaccine certificates or passports to help migrant workers facing discrimination in certain countries.

A member of the House Committee on Labor and Employment on Thursday urged the national government to fast-track the issuance of World Health Organization-recognized international certificate or card to fully vaccinated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Among the host governments that are reportedly shunning Phil-

ippine vaccine certificates—for lack of a unified, fraud-proof format—are Thailand and Hong Kong, where over 200,000 OFWs are based.

ACT-CIS Rep. Rowena Taduran said the Philippine government, through the Consulate in Hong Kong, should discuss thoroughly with the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region the issue concerning the vaccination card of OFWs. While they are waiting, Taduran said the government should offer help in sustaining the daily needs of the OFWs especially those who came from the provinces.

n japan 0.4566 n UK 69.9251 n HK 6.4806 n CHINA 7.7807 n singapore 37.1735 n australia 37.1680 n EU 59.1976 n SAUDI arabia 13.4422

See “Solons,” A2

Source: BSP (August 12, 2021)

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BusinessMirror

A2 Friday, August 13, 2021

DOF chief: More REIT offerings to catalyze growth, recovery

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

F

@BNicolasBM

INANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III sees the growing number of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) offerings as a catalyst not just for the country’s quick and strong economic recovery but also for the property sector’s growth beyond the pandemic.

Speaking at the listing ceremony for Filinvest REIT Corporation, Dominguez said REIT has proven to be the ideal tool for raising the billions of pesos required to power property development in the country while at the same time opening attractive and dependable investment opportunities for the average Filipino.

As with the previous REIT offerings, Dominguez said the latest to be listed by Filinvest Land Incorporated in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) amid the Covid-19 pandemic underscores the confidence of investors in the economy’s solid recovery from the impact of the global contagion.

“I wish Filinvest the best and thank its board, officers, and staff for their confidence in the strength of our economy. This REIT offering will be among the catalysts for our quick and strong economic recovery,” Dominguez said.

The finance chief also urged

Filinvest to consider expanding its portfolio of sustainable property developments, especially outside Metro Manila.

Dominguez said FILREIT’s portfolio of “Grade A” office and commercial properties located in strategic areas and catering primarily to the business-process outsourcing (BPO) and information-technology (IT) sectors will “surely provide attractive dividend yields for investors.”

Filinvest has also acquired a wellearned reputation for sustainable and green buildings, which should inspire other developers and set the standard for eco-friendly designs that will help achieve the country’s climate ambition

of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, said Dominguez, who is chairpersondesignate of the Climate Change Commission.

In the same speech, Dominguez said he is “fairly certain” that the country has gone through the worst part of the Covid-19 induced crisis and is well on its way to recovery, as evidenced by the economy’s second-quarter growth of 11.8 percent, which he said is the best quarterly performance in more than three decades.

“Despite the recent lockdown to contain the Delta variant, prospects for a strong economic rebound in 2021 remain promising. Our vaccination program, which is the most potent

weapon we have against this unseen enemy, is proceeding at pace. This is a step closer to achieving herd immunity in the country,” he said.

While the second-quarter GDP growth figure technically marked the end of the country’s economic recession, local economists earlier interviewed by the BusinessMirror were not quick to jump on the “recession’s over” train as uncertainties remain.

FILREIT is the third REIT offering in the country after Ayala Land Inc. and DoubleDragon Properties Corp. earlier listed their respective REITs in the PSE amid the pandemic.

The REIT law, with its amended implementing rules and regulations, now allows both small and large investors to own real-estate assets, presenting an alternative and secure investment instrument for middle-income families and overseas Filipino workers.

To boost...

Continued from A1

The BSP pushed through with maintaining monetary policy settings despite revising their inflation assumption upward for the year. BSP officials said inflation is now expected to average at 4.1 percent for 2021, missing the 2- to 4-percent target range for price growth for the year.

“Latest inflation forecasts have shifted marginally higher, reflecting the recent increase in global commodity prices and the depreciation of the peso. Average inflation is seen to settle slightly above the upper end of the target band of 2 to 4 percent in 2021,” Diokno said.

For next year up to 2023, inflation is expected to average at 3.1 percent, returning back to the midpoint of the target range.

“With the continued and timely implementation of non-monetary initiatives and reforms to mitigate supply-side pressures on meat and other food prices, inflation is projected to ease towards the midpoint of the target range in 2022 and 2023,” Diokno said.

The BSP governor also said the uptick in international commodity prices due to improving global demand amid lingering supplychain bottlenecks could lend upside pressures to inflation. However, this is expected to be balanced out as downside risks to the inflation outlook are seen from the spread of more contagious coronavirus variants.

Diokno also said the Monetary Board observed that the reimposition of quarantine measures to stem the recent surge of Covid-19 infections could pose a risk to the ongoing economic recovery.

“To this end, targeted fiscal and health interventions, especially the acceleration of the government’s vaccination program, will be crucial in safeguarding public health and preventing deeper negative effects on the Philippine economy,” the governor said.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) economist Michael Ricafort said BSP’s latest move is key to supporting the country’s economy, especially as the recent quarantine measures, higher cases and delays in vaccination is expected to hamper the local economy’s recovery.

“More accommodative monetary policy would be a major pillar of the country’s economic recovery program that would help keep interest rates near record lows that help stimulate greater demand for loans that, in turn, help boost investments, employment, and other economic activities in the country,” Ricafort said.

Moving forward, Diokno vowed to “remain vigilant against any emerging risks” to the outlook for inflation and growth.

“The BSP stands ready to adjust its policy settings as needed to ensure price and financial stability conducive to a sustainable economic recovery,” the governor said.

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Solons...

“It is very unfortunate that the OFWs are having difficulty in returning to their jobs and spending too much money while waiting for their chance to fly and be admitted in Hong Kong,” she added.

“It should be clarified if the international certificate of vaccination issued by the Bureau of Quarantine will be accepted as proof of vaccination of our OFWs bound for Hong Kong,” she said.

The Hong Kong government has classified the Philippines as “high risk” for Covid-19.

“Likewise, our government should fast-track the issuance of this yellow vaccination passport so our OFWs can immediately return to their work in Hong Kong,” Taduran added.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. said the Hong Kong government won’t honor vaccination card issued by local government units, saying “our vaccination cards are not accepted in Hong Kong because they are not connected to a single source. Poor OFWs going to their jobs in Hong Kong even if jabbed.”

But Locsin vowed to formally ask Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to recognize vaccination cards issued in the Philippines.

More refusals

A party-list l aw m a ker meanwhile, warned that the absence of a credible proof of vaccination for Filipinos traveling overseas might lead to more entry refusals just like what is happening in Hong Kong.

Rep. Ronnie Ong of the AP Party-list said the case of OFWs denied entry in Hong Kong because immigration authorities refused to recognize their locally issued vaccinat ion ca rds shou ld raise the urgency to have an internationally recognized and credible Covid-19 vaccination passport for all fullyvaccinated Filipinos.

Ong earlier filed House

Digital...

The so-called super digital platforms have generated investments amounting to $50 billion in the Southeast Asian region bet ween 2016 and 2020, EY said. The regional digital ecosystem grew to $6 billion last year from $4 billion in 2019.

According to EY report, 39 percent of the Asean companies have made significant progress in their digital adoption while 61 percent expect to do so in the next three years.

“Today’s consumers expect speed, responsiveness and access with a hyper-personalized experience,” Liew said.

“Digital ecosystems help companies create value through revenue growth, gain new market access, decrease customer acquisition costs, and ultimately strengthen and retain customer relationships.”

For traditional players, partnerships and strategic alliances in developing digital ecosystems are a way to participate in the technological disruption.

The professional services firm noted that technology transactions reached $408.5 billion between 2016 and 2020 in Southeast Asia. Among the areas that booked the most investments during the period include mobile applications, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data, analytics, blockchain and Internet of Things.

“Being part of a digital ecosystem allows businesses to leverage the network effect to create a competitive advantage. However, to do so, companies must get their digital transformation strat-

Continued from A1

Bill 8280 or the proposed Vaccination Passport Law in December or months before the government started its mass vaccination program, but it has yet to be deliberated upon by the House Committee on Health.

“Had the government been more proactive in creating a national vaccination database and national vaccination card, our embattled OFWs in Hong Kong would have been allowed entry without any problem,” Ong said.

Hong Kong authorities cannot be blamed, he said, for refusing to recognize the vaccination cards presented by the inbound OFWs because there is really no way to verify the authenticity of their documents.

“I really cannot blame the Hong Kong government because they really have to also protect their citizens especially because our country is notorious when it comes to faking government documents.

When our RT-PCR results are being faked, what more the vaccination cards? Therefore, it is very important that we have credible proof of vaccination or a vaccination passport because I am sure this will soon be as important as our driver’s license under the new normal,” Ong said.

Ong said that in the absence of a globally recognized vaccination passport, the government should at least expedite the creation of a national vaccination database which could allow immigration authorities around the world to verify and authenticate the various versions of vaccination cards that are issued to vaccinated Filipinos.

This database should have been put together by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) as soon as the government started its vaccination program, Ong said.

Locsin earlier expressed confidence the DICT could fast-track action in this regard. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Continued from A1

egy and capabilities right,” EY-Parthenon Asean Leader Joongshik Wang said.

“Most traditional firms have been focusing on their core business and may be hesitant to build a platform-based business due to legacy systems and corporate culture. Thus, traditional firms are turning to collaborating with e-commerce and last-mile platforms to offer digitalized, streamlined and omnichannel experiences to their customers,” Wang continued.

In the Philippines, the majority or 73 percent of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) need capacity-building to digitize their operations, according to a survey by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in September last year.

T he Trade depa r t ment noted that the top needed skills by the respondents are financial, marketing, content management, basics of e-commerce and starting an online business.

Trade Secretar y Ramon Lopez said the department is crafting modules that can aid the MSMEs in their digital transformation. “Digitalization...helps MSMEs to increase productivity, reduce costs, offer and/ or diversify new products and services, improve competitiveness, and increase sales and revenues by managing transactions at a distance,” Lopez said earlier.

The DTI aims to boost the contribution of the e-commerce industry to P1.2 trillion by 2022, which is equivalent to 5.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

The Nation BusinessMirror

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, August 13, 2021 A3

PHL lost $144.78M to online fraudsters–UK think tank

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

ESS than a fourth of the estimated cybercrime victim losses are reported in the Philippines, according to a United Kingdom-based think tank.

Based on its latest study, UKbased research firm Comparitech said the estimated cybercrime losses in the Philippines amount to $144.78 million. However, only $21.72 million of these losses are associated with known cases.

The think tank said only 4.49 cases per 100,000 people are reported in the country. This translates to around 32,347 cases based on 2018 data.

“When you analyze the monetary values involved and see the minimal

amounts that tend to be recovered from cybercrime cases, it’s not hard to see why many criminals are eyeing up the cyber market. With such huge gains and little to no risk, it’s arguably a win-win for cybercriminals and a lose-lose for the rest of us,” Comparitech said.

Comparitech explained their research shows cybercrime can be “an online data breach to a flurry of botnet attacks.”

They said they considered widescale attacks and more on targeted crimes that seek to exploit individuals, steal someone’s data, or illegally access computer systems or networks, as cybercrimes.

Comparitech also said there were a total of 4,852 cybercrimes registered

from January to November 2019 in the Philippines.

This was 18 percent higher than the 4,103 cybercrime cases investigated in 2018 and nearly 80 percent higher than the 2,284 cases of 2017.

In 2019, majority of cases at 24 percent related to online libel with 1,166 reported in total. This was closely followed by scams at 1,016; photo and video voyeurism, 615; identity theft, 466; and online threats, 394 cases.

“From March to October 2020, [data showed] 869 online scam cases had been reported, suggesting the figure would be higher than previous years,” Comparitech said.

Data showed that over $129 billion has been lost by victims of cyber-

crime across 67 countries Comparitech covered. Globally, this amounts to $318 billion.

Comparitech said their estimates also showed that 899.57 victims per 100,000 people fall victim to cybercrime each year, amounting to 71.1 million victims of cybercrime globally.

Based on the Comparitech data, the country with the biggest cybercrime losses is the United States with 5.28 million victims losing $28 billion.

This was followed by Brazil with 5.8 million victims losing over $26 billion; the United Kingdom, 4.88 million victims losing $17.4 billion; and Russia, 3.4 million victims losing $15.2 billion.

“With the lack of transparency and reporting around these types of crimes, it is difficult to gauge the true extent of the problem. Many industry reports create astronomical figures that are difficult to comprehend, but until we’re able to see the real cost of these crimes on a country-bycountry basis, cybercriminals will continue to have the upper hand,” Comparitech said.

The think tank said their research team examined the top 100 countries by GDP, looking at the cybercrime reports available and the figures and categories involved.

They found figures for 67 countries but only 15 reports of the monetary values involved.

DOJ eyes fielding ombudsmen to check corruption at DOH

By Joel R. San Juan

J

@jrsanjuan1573

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra is pushing for the designation of a prosecutor and auditor as “deputized ombudsmen” at the Department of Health (DOH) to act on allegations of corruption in the handling hefty budgetary allocations for the pandemic.

However, Guevarra admitted that the plan would require the concurrence of the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) and the Com-

mission on Audit (COA) so it can be included in the memorandum of agreement that the DOJ was scheduled to sign with the COA and OMB that would strengthen the monitoring and response against graft and corruption in government.

T he sig n i ng of t he MOA was moved back because of the declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila from August 6 until August 20. “ T he OMB/COA /DOJ MOA was supposed to have been jointly

signed around this time, but the ECQ intervened. The MOA sets forth the general terms for the deployment of prosecutors and auditors as deputized ombudsmen,” Guevarra said.

When asked if DOH will be among the agencies to have a resident ombudsman and prosecutor, Guevarra answered, “ Subject to the Ombudsman’s and COA’s concurrence, yes.”

The DOJ chief added “specific provisions such as on trigger amounts will be spelled out

in separate agreements with the agencies where resident ombudsman will be assigned.”

Guevarra’s statement came following the release of a COA report showing “deficiencies” in the handling of its funds amounting to P67.32 billion which, state auditors said, may have affected the agency’s Covid-19 response.

Guevarra said the Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC) would launch its investigation on possible irregularities with the handling of the funds by the DOH only if

the latter failed to fully explain its side or remedy the deficiencies flagged by the COA report.

“Any government agency which is the subject of audit observations is given the opportunity to explain or rectify any deficiencies noted by the COA. The same is true with the DOH with respect to the handling of Covid funds, like any other agency, it will be given a reasonable chance to comply with or abide by the recommendations of the COA,” Guevarra said.

“In case of unjustified failure

to comply or render an acceptable explanation, however, responsible officials of the agency may be held liable not only for infractions of accounting and auditing rules and regulations, but also for more serious violations of law, such as for breach of anti-graft and government procurement laws, in which case the TFAC will step in,” he added.

The COA attributed the deficiencies mainly to “non-compliance of pertinent laws and rules and regulations.”

A4 Friday, August 13, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

Let’s drink to that: Imported spirits in PHL to reach P50 billion by 2025

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By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@TyronePiad

HE consumption of imported alcoholic beverages in the Philippines is expected to reach P50 billion by 2025, according to a report by a global beverage alcohol data and intelligence firm.

IWSR Drinks Market Analysis noted that the imported spirits segment would be accounting for 35percent market share in terms of retail sales value by 2025.

Consumption of spirits, in terms of retail sales value, is anticipated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2 percent

in 2021 to 2025, IWSR noted.

Broken down, the consumption of imported spirits is seen to grow quicker than the overall segment with a CAGR of 14.9 percent in the same period. The local spirits segment, meanwhile, is pegged at 1.3-percent CAGR during the fiveyear frame.

L ast year, the Phi lippines booked P116.30 billion worth of retail sales value for spirits, which is better than P114.10 billion in 2019. IWSR noted that consumption of spirits in the country was only P91.70 billion in 2017.

The Lucio Co-owned Keepers Holdings Inc. has the lion’s share of imported spirits in the country at 74 percent by volume and 66.9 percent by retail sales. This is due to its pure third-party distribution arrangements and associated businesses with leading spirits brands.

Driven by Keepers’ primary brand Alfonso, the company expects that the anticipated growth in the imported spirits segment will bode well for its business and operations.

The liquor distribution firm recently filed a P7.5-billion followon offering with the Securities and

Exchange Commission. It plans to issue 3 billion common shares for P2 to P2.5 apiece, proceeds of which will be used for strategic acquisition, product portfolio and distribution network expansion and working capital, among others.

This year, IWSR forecasts global beverage alcohol to grow by 2.9 percent and expects consumption to return to pre-pandemic level by 2023.

“Recovery will be boosted by the industry pivoting rapidly in key markets, the momentum of e-commerce and RTDs, and increasing sophistication of the at-home occasion in many markets,” the research firm stated.

Last year, global beverage alcohol volume declined by 6.2 percent as the operations of bars and restaurants were affected by the lockdown measures amid the pandemic, IWSR noted.

Aquaculture bill up for House plenary approval

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

T

HE House Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources has recently endorsed for plenary approval a bill institutionalizing the Aqua-Negosyo Program to help the marginalized fisherfolk as well as those who would want to venture into the business of fisheries and aquaculture.

Panel Chairman and Negros Occidental Rep. Leo Rafael Cueva said the committee approved last Wednesday the unnumbered substitute bill

to House Bill 7792, or the proposed Philippine Center for Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Act. The bill, authored by Pangasinan Rep. Christopher de Venecia, would institutionalize an Aqua-Negosyo Program in every agro-industrial business corridor in the fisheries management areas. It would create for the purpose the Aqua-Negosyo Centers, a one-stop shop for aquaculture entrepreneurs.

According to de Venecia, the bill seeks to transform existing technology centers and other similar instrumentalities of the Department of

Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) into aqua-negosyo centers to be placed in every fisheries management area in the country, with the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC) in Dagupan, Pangasinan as their model.

From being the originally established as a 3-hectare research and technology center focused on oyster production, de Venecia said the BFAR-NIFTDC has expanded into a 35-hectare prime center that currently operates a wide array of developed and matured aquaculture and

post harvest fisheries technologies for 23 years in Dagupan City.

“Breeding and propagation of economically important aquaculture commodities of marine, brackish and freshwater species are developed in the center due to its topographical advantages,” he said.

The lawmaker also said the center has the best laboratory facilities, including Environmental Monitoring Laboratory, Microbiology Laboratory, Fish Health and Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Natural Food Production and Phycology Laboratory.

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ERC pressed to direct DUs to halt power disconnection

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

T

HE Energ y Reg u lato r y C o m m i s s i o n ( E RC ) was asked T hursday to direct power distribution utilities (DUs) to “replicate Meralco’s no disconnection policy” amid the Duterte administration’s imposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to contain Covid spread.

Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, prodded ERC to take the cue from Meralco’s move to “suspend all disconnection activities” within their franchise areas placed under ECQ and MECQ. At the same time, Gatchalian renewed his call for local government units (LGU) to allow continued onsite meter readings to ensure accuracy of consumers’ electric bills after Meralco confirmed continued meter reading and bill delivery activities.

Stressing the need to avoid a repeat of last year’s bill shock, Gatchalian groaned: “We have had enough of this in the past and both the consumers and the DUs [Distribution Utilities] should have learned

from what happened. If consumers will be billed appropriately, then they would not have any reason why they should not settle their obligation on a later date.”

Invoking humanitarian considerations to consumers, the senator cited Meralco’s announcement it will suspend all disconnection activities in Metro Manila and Laguna which are both placed under ECQ, noting that the coverage of Meralco’s “no service disconnection” policy was extended to provinces under MECQ—Cavite, Rizal, and Lucena in Quezon province.

Gatchalian affirmed that most of the power firms’ customers are currently in dire straits, adding “Anumang dagdag palugit sa kanilang mga naipong bayarin ay malaking kaginhawaan lalo na’t inaasahang maraming manggagawa ang mawawalan ng trabaho sa ilalim ng ECQ.” In a news statement, Gatchalian recalled that the national government’s pandemic task force has just included Iloilo City and Cagayan de Oro City in the list of areas under ECQ from August 6 to 15 while a number of key provinces are also subject to heightened restrictions until the end of the month due to the rising number of the Delta variant cases of Covid-19.

Arrival of new Covid shots raises PHL vaccine stock to 42 million

By Recto Mercene

T

@rectomercene

WO million doses of Sinovac vaccine arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) from Beijing at 5:50 p.m. on Thursday on board Philippine Airlines (PAL) Flight PR 359.

The latest shipment came from Beijing was immediately transported to a cold-storage facility in Marikina City by refrigerated vans from the airport.

L a s t Wed nesday afternoon, some 100,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine don ate d b y the United Arab Emirates (UAE) arrived at Naia Terminal 3 from Abu Dhabi on boa rd Etihad Airways.

Officials f rom t he Philippine government and UA E Em bassy acting Charge d ’A f faires Kahlid Alhajeri welcomed the shipment at the airport.

O n Wed nesday evening , t he 10th batch of 800,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine arrived also at Naia from the Covax Facility in Belgium on board an Air Hong Kong DHL flight.

Vaccine czar Secretar y Carlito Galvez Jr. and US Embassy Charged’Affaires John C. Law welcomed the arrival of the shipment.

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Ex-DAR chief presses fresh count of CARP-awarded lands

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

F

ORMER Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano on Thursday called for a nationwide validation of the status of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), saying farmers who have received parcels of land from haciendas such as the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac are no longer in possession of their government-awarded land.

“The need to evaluate and validate whether CARP beneficiaries remain in actual possession and control over awarded lands remains urgent today,” Mariano, currently the chairman emeritus of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said.

Mariano said the distribution of land ends with the actual possession of the agrarian reform beneficiaries.

“It has been too easy for DAR to show off CLOA [Certificate of Land Acquisition and Ownership] distributions as successes, but whether the farmers retain possession and control over the awarded lands long after the ceremonies is a wholly different matter. We have been demanding a nationwide revalidation,

but DAR Secretary, John Castriciones, seems uninterested.”

Mariano further stressed “CLOA issuance in itself does not and cannot ensure the expropriation of landlords or the tenurial security of farmer-beneficiaries.”

In the case of Hacienda Luisita, where a 2017 DAR revalidation, under Mariano’s watch as DAR chief, revealed that 83 percent of the ARBs were no longer in possession of awarded lands.

He also shared that the latest publicly available data on DAR’s amortization collection dated March 2015, states that as high as 89 percent of ARBs were unable to pay in full, while 30 percent are in danger of disqualification. Under CARP, ARBs who fail to pay amortization for at least three years can be disqualified as beneficiaries.

“That the numbers are quite dated is precisely the point, since Castriciones has not been transparent about the actual extent of their failures. It is a grave and bewildering disappointment that he has not undertaken an updated revalidation nationwide. Is this an attempt at a cover-up?” Mariano asked.

Duterte OKs release of ₧3.8B for Laguna, Bataan, Metro cash-assistance beneficiaries

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

P

RESIDENT Duterte has approved the release of a total of P3.783 billion to provide cash aid to residents affected by the hard lockdown in Laguna and Bataan as well as to augment the funds for dole outs in 11 out of 17 cities in Metro Manila.

Budget Undersecretary and spokesman Rolando Toledo said they received the President’s approval on Thursday morning and they are eyeing to release the funds today (Friday) to the Bureau of the Treasury for it to be credited to authorized servicing banks of concerned local government units (LGUs).

“Katatanggap lang namin ng approval ng presidente ngayong umaga at kasalukuyan pong hinahanda ng DBM [Department of Budget and Management] ang mga kinakailangan na budget documents para agarang mai-release ang cash aid natin para doon sa Bataan, Laguna at ‘yung additional natin para sa National Capital Region,” Toledo said at the recent Laging Handa briefing.

Toledo said they will also be issuing a new local budget circular to guide the LGUs in releasing the funds.

The bulk of the total amount or P2.715 billion will go to Laguna while Bataan will take P700 million.

Of the total P3.783 billion, Toledo said Metro Manila will receive P368 million, higher than the P278 million earlier requested by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). This would be on top of the P10.894 billion that the DBM

released last week to fund the cash aid program for Metro Manila.

With the additional P368 million, Toledo said this brings the total cash aid for the two-week lockdown in Metro Manila to P11.262 billion.

“Kasi ’yung unang release po natin para sa NCR [National Capital Region] ay based sa estimated population but mas maganda na po para walang magreklamo, minabuti na po namin na ang basehan po ay doon sa listahan ng nakaraang pagbibigay ng ayuda,” Toledo said.

To recall, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año appealed to President Duterte for an additional P278 million for cash aid to cover all the beneficiaries in the country’s capital, citing the list of recipients of the government’s dole out back in April as their basis.

Out of the P368 million in additional cash aid to be released in specific cities in Metro Manila, Quezon City is set to receive the biggest amount at P110 million. It was followed by Taguig (P83 million), Parañaque (P48 million), Manila (P35 million), and Pasig (P32 million).

Caloocan, Valenzuela, Pasay, Malabon, San Juan, and Pateros will not receive additional funds for cash aid, based on the breakdown shown during the briefing.

In a separate message to BusinessMirror, Toledo said the funding for P3.783 billion will be sourced from the balance of the certified savings from the FY 2020 Continuing Appropriations in line with Administrative Order 41 and from the certified excess revenue collections by the Bureau of the Treasury.

DOLE issues clarification to DBM, says P12-billion TUPAD fund spent

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

T

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has already used up its P12-billion Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) fund for this year.

DOLE issued the clarification on Wednesday after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) tagged the amount last week as “unobligated” and can still be used to provide cash assistance for work-

Neda prods DA to speed up meat imports docs’ issuance continued from a14 BAI data also showed pork imports from January to June already being 8.5 percent higher than the total pork imported by the country in 2020 of 256,017.458 MT. Foreign pork suppliers are already upbeat about exporting record volumes of pork to the Philippines this year as the country is in dire need of supply, with domestic production dented by the spread of African swine fever.

The twin government measures to reduce pork tariffs to as low as 10 percent and increase the minimum access volume (MAV) of pork by 200,000 MT also whetted the appetite of both importers and exporters. The reduction of pork tariffs and increase in MAV only affects primal pork cuts, such as bellies, hams and shoulders.

The twin measures, initiated by the Economic Development Cluster (EDC), aim to boost domestic pork supply and meat inflation that drove overall inflation to accelerate further in recent months. With the twin measures in place, the Department of Agriculture (DA) aims to pull down the retail price of pork below P300 per kilogram from the current range of P310 to P390 per kilogram. The DA pegged the country’s pork supply shortfall this year at about 400,000 MT.

Fish importation

ON Tuesday, the President’s economic team said the Philippines is preparing to import fish to plug supply gaps as the fishing season comes to a close.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the government is preparing to issue CNIs to cover the supply gap with the closing of the fishing season. By issuingCNIs,Chuasaidthegovernment would be able to keep inflation at bay. In July, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed fish prices increased 9.3 percent, higher than the 8.7 percent posted in June.

However, government sources told the BusinessMirror that discussions are still ongoing within the DA regarding the issuance of CNIs.

Senators seek probe of DOH’s P67.3-B COA-flagged funds. . . continued from a14 “Instead of being utilized to support and boost the country’s pandemic response, the funds either remained idle or were not properly and immediately used for their purpose,” she stressed.

At the same time, Sen. Drilon is also keen to know “who was in-

volved in these purchases? Which agency made the procurement?

Where are these people now? Are they still in the government?” he asked.

Drilon deplored Duque’s ineptitude is sabotaging the government response to the pandemic.

“While we see a shortage of beds, PPEs, ventilators, oxygen tanks, the DOH incurred P24.64 billion in unobligated funds that could have augmented our medical resources and paid on time the risk allowance of our medical frontliners,” Drilon said.

DOH: 177 new Delta variant cases in PHL. . . continued from a14 The DOH explained that the effects of the Enhanced Community Quarantine will take some time to be reflected in the case statistics and a continuous increase in the number of cases can still be expected in the coming days.

“Nevertheless, everyone has a

shared responsibility to help prevent the transmission of Covid-19 in our communities. Continuous actions are being done at all levels of government to provide adequate resources to swiftly detect, isolate, and treat cases and vacci-

Friday, August 13, 2021 A5

nate more individuals,” the DOH said as it appealed to those people experiencing symptoms to immediately adhere to isolation and quarantine protocols, and to follow minimum public health standards in all settings. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

ers displaced with the current hard lockdown in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

In a text message, DOLE Financial and Management Service (FMS) Director Warren M. Miclat told the BusinessMirror that the said amount is already downloaded to their concerned regional offices for the implementation of TUPAD program.

Under DOLE’s TUPAD program, displaced informal sector workers are provided emergency employment.

“That being referred to as of June

30, 2021, was already downloaded to 16 DOLE Regional Offices for TUPAD program implementation and/or being implemented,” Miclat said.

He said they already sent a clarification to DBM on the said matter.

DOLE is currently requesting for an additional P2 billion from DBM to provide financial aid through its Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program to displaced formal sector workers in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

DBM said the request is unlikely

to be approved since DOLE still has P12 billion worth of “unobligated” fund.

Labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) accused DOLE of withholding the fund.

BMP Chairman Ka Leody de Guzman said TUPAD funds are allegedly being “illicitly accessed by congressmen/women, in coordination with DOLE provincial directors, to deliver TUPAD slots to mayors and barangay captains who, in turn, distribute it also to their constituents as political patronage.”

Aliw Broadcasting Corporation gets digital ready

I

N line with its commitment to bring credible news, relevant information, and public service to its avid listeners, Aliw Broadcasting Corporation recently acquired a new state-of-the-art radio console system for its AM radio station.

DWIZ882 AM is now digital ready with the Axia iQ radio console system, the most modern and stable broadcasting infrastructure that gives ultimate broadcasting experience both to the broadcasters and the listeners.

Paired with the Livewire Audio over IP (AoIP) networking technology, the Axia iQ transmits the best quality audio with no added distortion and perfect frequency response. This technology also allows simultaneous radio and Internet broadcast, with highly improved audio output on both media.

The new console likewise gives broadcasters ease of use and more flexibility with its easy-to-navigate controls and pleasant-looking set up. Remote-controlling the networked equipment is also possible, a feature that is especially useful now that we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and remote broadcast has become a necessity.

The upgrade came just a few months after Aliw Broadcasting celebrated its 30th Year in the industry last May. Having the anniversary theme, “Embracing Change at 30: Holding On to Profitability and Excellence [HOPE],” the company, through the guidance and leadership of its chairman, D. Edgard A. Cabangon, has committed to continue its broadcast in accordance with the high standards set by his father and Aliw Broadcasting’s founder, the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua.

“The acquisition of this new equipment for our radio station is part of our modernization efforts. We got one of the best radio console systems and technology

available today to ensure that we deliver superb audio quality for the listening pleasure of our consumers,” Chairman Cabangon said in a statement.

BusinessMirror

A6 Friday, August 13, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

ACCIONA CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINES INC. 21/f Tower 2, The Enterprise Center 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City FERNANDEZ RODERO, PABLO Construction Manager 1.

Brief Job Description: Oversee and direct construction projects from the conception to completion; Ensure quality construction standards and the use of proper construction techniques.

GARRAYO PERULERO, ANTONIO Project Director 2.

Brief Job Description: Take the technical and economic decisions necessary for the proper development and project optimization.

Basic Qualification: Degree in Engineering, at least 15 years of experience in construction and high level of English.

XU, XINHUA Mandarin Customer Relations Officer 18.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Minimum of 18 years in the field of construction and management functions that include infrastructure works executed by the Metro System.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

3.

Brief Job Description: Investigate suspicious activity and behaviours that could pose a risk to amazon, our customers or merchants

Basic Qualification: proactive documentation of operational procedures required to tackie known risk related

19.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

JIAO, YITAO Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries QIU, MIN Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YAN, KAIRONG Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YAO, QINGMEI Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YU, WENWEN Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YUAN, DONG Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHANG, GUOQING Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHANG, YUNHAO Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHANG, JIEQING Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

20.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

21.

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

MAH YEE HONG IT Support Specialist 22.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

23.

13.

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

DONG, YAQIANG Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

14.

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

FANG, XIUHUI Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

15.

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

LING, YIDONG Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

16.

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

TANG, LIPING Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

17.

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

Brief Job Description: Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with approx. 8 to 10 year of overall BPO experience

No.

33.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

34.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

35.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in VIETNAMESE language.

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

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (Writing and Speaking)

36.

37.

38.

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

Basic Qualification: Minimum experience of 3-5 years in leading improvement projects for Healthcare clients Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

39.

40.

COLDSTREAM MARKETING SOLUTION INC. 603-4 Eastfield Ctr. Moa Comp. Macapagal Ave. Brgy. 076 Pasay City CHEN, MINGHAO Customer Service Representative 24.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for a variety of customer service functions for the company’s Chinese clientele LO XIN RAN Customer Service Representative

25.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for a variety of customer service functions for the company’s Chinese clientele

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and Fukein language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and Fukein language

HAYER, BIKRAMJIT SINGH Hindi Speaking Technical Support 26.

Brief Job Description: Accurately process and record call transaction using computers and designated tracking software

27.

28.

29.

30.

Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and customs documentations CHAN MYAE THU Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and customs documentations HNIN HNIN HLAING Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and customs documentations YI YI KHINE Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and customs documentations

31.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

41.

32.

Brief Job Description: Customer Service

LIN, ZHONGSHUI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

SHAO, MIN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

SHI, LIN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

SONG, JIAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

TANG, NINGNING Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

TRAN NHAT QUANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

YANG, SHUANGYI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Strong verbal and written communication skills with an ability to build relationships in India/ Pumjabi Hindi speaking

Brief Job Description: To perform periodical reports on the progress of the pre-commissioning and commissioning.

SINGH, PRABHJOT Vice President

42.

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

Brief Job Description: Drive Digital process innovation and lead transformation projects, Establish and Drive lean Six sigma program as an integral part of the daily business, Meet Call Centre financial objectives by estimating requirements, preparing budgets, managing expenditures, analysing variances, and initiating corrective actions as needed; develop strategies aimed at optimizing service and reducing costs, Collaborate with senior management as it relates to business growth, strategy, and operational planning

Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentations Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentations Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management.

SUN, XIAOHUI Mandarin Customer Support Representative 43.

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

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

WANG, MEIFENG Mandarin Customer Support Representative 44.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Qualification in leadership and/or management Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Significant experience in the confirmed tenure in mid/senior management role in BPO/Contact Center Industry and should be a subject matter expert on various aspects, Measurable experience in leading and growing profitable satisfied accounts and/or relevant account management experience, Identifying and leading continuous improvement projects through Lean & Six Sigma Tools for achieving better business outcome

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 9/f 100 West Building Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City DENG, YIWEN Chinese IT Support Specialist 45.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English

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

INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Floor Six West Campus Mckinley West Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentations Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and fluent in Mandarin/Basic English

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentations Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

GENPACT SERVICES LLC 5f Genpact Bldg. Cyberzone Northgate Alabang Muntinlupa City

FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC. 4th-11th Floor Aseana 3 Building Aseana Avenue Corner Diosdado Macapagal Tambo Parañaque City LI, ZHUDONG Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Customer Service

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

EFINANCING INC. Unit 11d-2 Ety Bldg. 484 Quintin Paredes St., 027 Bgy. 289 Binondo Manila HUANG, XIAOBIN Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking

LIN, MEI Customer Service Representative

CHEN, LIUYING Commissioning Supervisor

DEXIN INTERNATIONAL IMPORT AND EXPORT CORP. 534 Tomas Mapua St. 029 Bgy. 298 Santa Cruz Manila AUNG KYAW OO Chinese Cargo Office Agent

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

FUJIAN ELECTRIC POWER ENGINEERING COMPANY 5 West Lawin Phil-am 1 Quezon City

COUNTRYWIDE TRAVEL & TOURS CORP. 2/f Rfc Mall Alabang-zapote Road Pamplona Tres Las Piñas City

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

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in MANDARIN, with related BPO experience

Brief Job Description: The IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

RAISINGHANI, YOGESH PURANKUMAR Deputy General Manager, Process Excellence

BIG EMPEROR TECHNOLOGY CORP. 5f-13f, Jiaxing Tower Building Aseana Avenue, Aseana Business Park Tambo Parañaque City DAI, JINRONG Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS PHILIPPINES, INC. 2nd, 3rd, And 4th Floors, Science Hub Tower 4 Bldg. Mckinley Hill Cyberpark Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

CAPSLOCK INC. 7th & 8th Flr. Y Tower Bldg. Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal Ave. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

LE VAN TUONG Vietnamese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

ZHI, HAO Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D. Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street Tambo Parañaque City

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

ZHANG, SHENGYING Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

AMAZON OPERATION SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. B21 Three E-com Moa Complex Harbour Drive Cor. Bay Shore Brgy. 076 Pasay City THEPSUWAN, PARIYAKORN Investigation Specialist I

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

LI, GANG Chinese IT Support Specialist

46.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Basic Qualification: A Chinese and fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: A Chinese and fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LUO, SUISHENG Chinese IT Support Specialist

47.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

WU, SIYU Chinese IT Support Specialist

48.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

ZHAO, XINTAO Chinese IT Support Specialist

49.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: A Chinese and fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

No.

CHENG, LONG Chinese Mandarin Technical Support Representative 63.

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

Basic Qualification: A Chinese and fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

64.

65.

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

50.

51.

Brief Job Description: To plan, organize, direct, coordinate and manage the overall operations of the company

OEDA, SHIGERU Senior Vice President, Group Head Of Sales And Marketing Brief Job Description: To plan, organize, direct, coordinate and manage the overall operations of the unit

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Good in Oral and written Communication, Fluent in Japanese and English Language Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, good in oral and written communication, fluent in Japanese and English language

52.

KOBAYASHI, KAORU Medical Assistant-interpreter Brief Job Description: Translate Medical information to Japanese patients.

66.

67.

68.

53.

Brief Job Description: your primary function is to help the company and its Chinese clients to generate more income for the company ZHOU, XIANLU Strategic And Facilitation Officer

54.

Brief Job Description: your primary function is to help the company and its Chinese clients to generate more income for the company

Basic Qualification: must be fluent in Chinese language

69.

CHIEN, WU-YI Chinese Customer Service Representative 55.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

HSIEH, YI-CHEN Chinese Customer Service Representative 56.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

HSIEH, KAI-HAO Chinese Customer Service Representative 57.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

HU, MEI-HUI Chinese Customer Service Representative 58.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

LIU, ZHENHUI Chinese Customer Service Representative 59.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

SU, PENG-YUAN Chinese Customer Service Representative 60.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions suggesting information about other products and services

WU, TING-I Chinese Customer Service Representative 61.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

WANG, ZIXI Chinese Mandarin Customer Service Representative 62.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

70.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language

71.

72.

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

73.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language

74.

75.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective native language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

HU, XIAOLIAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

LI, JIE Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

LI, YUBO Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

76.

LI, FENGCANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

77.

LI, WEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

78.

LIU, WEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

79.

MA, JIANJUN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language

HU, PENG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient In Speaking Reading and writing in CHinese mandarin, English and Their respective native langugae

HE, ZHIQIANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DUAN, HUAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language

CHEN, YULING Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language

CHEN, QI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

JIU ZHOU TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. 31/f Tower 6789 6789 Ayala Avenue San Lorenzo Makati City U-3401 34/f Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St. Bel-air Makati City 25/f Robinsons Summit Jg Summit Center, Ayala Ave. Bel-air Makati City

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: must be fluent in Chinese language

AHN, HANWON Korean Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

JDB MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTANCY CORP. 107 T & D House Magallanes St. 069, Bgy. 655 Intramuros Manila SONG, YUZHE Strategic And Facilitation Officer

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

80.

YANG, MINZHEN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

81.

ZHANG, JIAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

82.

ZHANG, YAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

A7

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language

No.

83.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient In Speaking Reading and writing in Chinese mandarin, English and Their respective native language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective Native language

84.

85.

86.

NGUYEN HONG NHUNG I2p Associate 87.

Brief Job Description: Handles day to day processing of AP transactions in accordance with the service level agreement

88.

89.

90.

HU, JIAXIN Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

HU, XING Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

PAN, WEI Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls ZHANG, NING Mandarin Technical Support

91.

Brief Job Description: To troubleshoot, maintain and monitor the computer system

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower C4 Rd. Edsa Ext. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

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

92.

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

93.

94.

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

95.

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

96.

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

97.

98.

99.

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

100.

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

101.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Degree holder in accounting, business administration or other business-related field with 2 to 3 years of experience in full-cycle AP or accounting knowledge

MINDSCAPE CREATIVES INC. Unit 19-o, Burgundy Corporate Tower 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, Reading and writing in Mandarin

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

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

ZHOU, BO Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

MERCK BUSINESS SOLUTIONS ASIA INC. 36th To 39th Floor, The Finance Centre Condominium 26th Street Corner 9th Avenue Bonifacio Global City Taguig City

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

ZHENG, LIBO Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

ZHENG, XINXIN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Korean

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin

ZHANG, DONGLEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

MEGA-WEB TECHNOLOGIES INC. 6,7,8,9,10,11/f Met Live Bldg. Edsa Cor. Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

Basic Qualification: Japanese with good communication skills; and customer oriented.

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

Brief Job Description: Provide daily support users of various computer systems including answering questions analysing problems and quickly forming solutions to return systems proper operation MONG QUOC UY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

JAPANESE HELP DESK INC. S/lp-11 Medical Plaza Makati 102 Amorsolo St. Cor. Dela Rosa San Lorenzo Makati City

Brief Job Description: Provide support to users various computer systems including answering questions, analysing problems, and quickly forming solutions to return systems to proper operation PAN, JIA-LIANG a.k.a. PAN, CHI-REN Chinese Mandarin Technical Support Representative

JACCS FINANCE PHILIPPINES CORPORATION U-3806-3810, 38th Floor Robinsons Equitable Tower, Adb Ave. Corner Poveda St. Ortigas Ctr. Pasig City INOUE, KAZUNORI Senior Vice President, Group Head Of Credit Control

Brief Job Description: Provide support to users various computer systems including answering questions, analysing problems, and quickly forming solutions to return systems to proper operation LI, JIA Chinese Mandarin Technical Support Representative

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

Basic Qualification: A Chinese and fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Friday, August 13, 2021

102.

103.

AUNG MYINT Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries CHU YEW JIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries CONG, ZHILIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries CU NGOC CUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HE, QIUYI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HTAIN LIN AUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HTET HTET OO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HY CHENH DAU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, ZAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN MINH TIEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN TIEN THANH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN VAN QUAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

A8 Friday, August 13, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

104.

105.

106.

107.

108.

109.

110.

111.

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117.

118.

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NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION PANG, JIAHAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries PENG, QIANWEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries PHUN LY KIM Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries SHANG, QIU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries SUN, PEI-YUAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRAN THI VAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TRAN XUAN THANH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, XIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, YAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, JUNYI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, WEI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries XIE, ZONGWEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YANG, JIANLIU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YANG, YANBIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YUAN, GUOFENG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHAO, HANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIU, YANG Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries JIA, TIANYOU Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

JIANG, YINGGANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

SHAN, ZHEFENG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

WANG, RUI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

ZHANG, DONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

ZHANG, JUNFEI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

ZHANG, YANGYANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

No.

128.

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

129.

130.

131.

132.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 133.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language 134.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 135.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language 136.

137.

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

138.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language 139.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents MO, HUITING Chinese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 140.

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents PAN, WANSHI Chinese Customer Service

141.

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents QI, SHUAI Chinese Customer Service

142.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/ Level and Fluent in Mandarin / Basic English

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents LIU, PENG Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/ Level and Fluent in Mandarin / Basic English

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/ Level and Fluent in Mandarin / Basic English

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents LIU, JIE Chinese Customer Service

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/ Level and Fluent in Mandarin / Basic English

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

LI, DUHU Chinese Customer Service

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/ Level and Fluent in Mandarin / Basic English

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

LI, ZILONG Chinese Customer Service

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

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

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

LI, PENGFEI Chinese Customer Service

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

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

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

LI, DONG Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

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

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

JIANG, WEI Chinese Customer Service

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

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

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

HU, JIAN Chinese Customer Service

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

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents GUO, ZEMIN Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

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

Brief Job Description: Gather and analyse branch’s performance metrics for reporting to the Management.

CHEN, TAN Chinese Customer Service

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

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

143.

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

TANG, MIAO Chinese Customer Service

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/ Level and Fluent in Mandarin / Basic English

WANG, SHENGLONG Chinese Customer Service

144.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/ Level and Fluent in Mandarin / Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate/ Level and Fluent in Mandarin / Basic English

No.

146.

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

Basic Qualification: 4 years college/university degree in economics or related course, N1 level fluency in Nihonggo.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

147.

148.

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f Pearl Marina Building Pacific Drive Don Galo Parañaque City

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

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

Brief Job Description: Customer Service

NAGASAWA, AI Strategic Planning Office/assistant Vice President

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

ZHENG, YALIAN Customer Service Representative

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

MUFG BANK, LTD. Oledan Square 15/f 6788 Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

145.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

WU, JUN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language

149.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similad field speak and write fluently native Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and English)

150.

151.

153.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similad field speak and write fluently native Language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and 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: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

ZENG, LINGLING Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language).

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

ZHAO, JU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

ZHAO, QIJIA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

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

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

LEHRMANN, MARTIN HARVEJ Danish Content Moderation Analyst 155.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and english) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similad field speak and write fluently native Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: To organize its community of users and provide service support in variety of areas.

Basic Qualification: Question and answer platform using English and Danish language.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

RED DOT MARKETING AND BRANDING INC. Unit 1514 Burgundy Transpacific Place Taft Ave. 079, Bgy. 727 Malate Manila LI, JUAN Mandarin Marketing Specialist 156.

Brief Job Description: Conducting research and marketing strategies to develop areas of the business HUANG, YU Mandarin Technical Support

157.

Brief Job Description: To troubleshoot, maintain and monitor the computer system SU, DONG Mandarin Technical Support

158.

Brief Job Description: To troubleshoot, maintain and monitor the computer system

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

SEAGULL-WORLD INC. Unit 2807 28/f Cityland Pasong Tamo Tower, 2210 Chino Roces Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City

159.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language

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

OAMPI INC. 8/f 6780 Ayala Ave. Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN THI MY LINH Vietnamese Customer Service 154.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

YANG, CHUNLONG Chinese Customer Service

DIP KHI PAN Vietnamese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and English)

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NAY CHI WIN Myanmari Customer Service 152.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

WU, WENRUI Chinese Customer Service

ZHAN, SHILIN Chinese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and English)

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

SONG, JIANGJIANG Mandarin Speaking Technical Support Brief Job Description: Responsible for IT system management

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

THERMAX INSTRUMENTATION LIMITED Unit 3 9/f Galleria Corporate Center Edsa Ugong Norte 3 Quezon City CHOKKAR, DHARMARAJ Fuel, Lube & Water Management Supervisor 160.

Brief Job Description: To ensure adequate supply of water, including the monitoring of impurities and corrosive qualities

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s of Technology / Chemical Engineering graduate Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

XUSHENG TECHNOLOGY CORP. Flr. No. 1-5 Bldg. No. 0050 F.b. Harrison St. Cor. Williams And Roberts St. Zone 4, Barangay 013, District 1 Pasay City ZHANG, LEI Mandarin Speaking Technical Support 161.

Brief Job Description: Deals with hardware and application support queries and issues reported to the support desk

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin Speaking Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Aug 12, 2021

In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on August 7, 2021, the position of WATANABE, SHINJIRO under JFE SHOJI PHILIPPINES, INC., should have been read as TREASURER AND DIRECTOR FOR SALES (NON-STEEL DEPARTMENT) and not as published.

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-NCR Regional Office located at DOLENCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE-NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

The World BusinessMirror

Ediror: Angel R. Calso

Friday, August 13, 2021

A9

Death toll up to 65 in Algeria wildfires; nation to mourn

A

LGIERS, Algeria—The death toll in fires ravaging mountain forests and villages in Algeria’s Berber region climbed Wednesday to 65 people, including 28 soldiers, as the president declared a three-day mourning period to honor the lives lost.

The Civil Protection authority announced the rising number of victims, up from 42 on Tuesday, including 25 soldiers.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said his North African nation would enter a three-day per iod of mour ning star ting T hursday that would include s u s p e n d i n g a l l g o v e r n m e nt activity except for actions of solidarity.

Dozens of fires began devouring forested mountainsides in the Berber region of K abyle, east of A lgiers, the capital, on Monday, destroying homes, olive tree orchards and animals that prov ide a livelihood for the region.

The forestr y director in TiziOu zou, t he reg iona l capitol, said Wednesday that 18 fires rema in active in the reg ion.

A man looks at a forest fire near the village of Larbaa Nath Irathen, near Tizi Ouzou, in the mountainous Kabyle region, 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Algeria’s capital of Algiers on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. At least 25 soldiers died saving residents from wildfires ravaging mountain forests and villages east of Algeria’s capital, the president announced Tuesday night as the civilian toll rose to at least 17.

AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum

Dozens of fires bur ned elsewhere across t he nor t h, but their deadly force was concen-

trated in K abyle.

France will send two waterdumping aircraft and a third

command plane to K abyle, Frenc h P resident Em m a nue l Mac ron t weeted Wed nesd ay.

There are no such planes in the rugged area yet. Macron said they would be deployed there on Thursday, saying that “our solidarity is without reser vation.”

There was no official explanation of the high death toll among soldiers but photos in A lgerian media showed soldiers in army fatigues with no protective firefighting clothing.

The prime minister and interior minister both said Tuesday that arson was suspected in the K abyle blazes, despite a heat wave and high winds fanning the f lames.

Citizens, mainly youths, are helping to supply residents in need and “caravans of solidarity” were heading to Tizi-Ouzou, the online media outlet TSA reported.

Like southern Europe, North

Africa has been sweltering under searing temperatures, including in neighboring Tunisia where scattered fires in the east were reported. Algeria’s National Meteorology Office reported high temperat u res were e x pec ted through Thursday in nearly a dozen wilayas, or regions, including around Tizi-Ouzou. In some places, the thermometer was forecast to hit 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit).

Climate scientists say there i s l it t le dou bt t h at c l i m ate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat w a v e s , d r o u g ht s , w i l d f i r e s , f loods and storms. A worsening drought and heat—both linked to climate change—are driving wildfires in the US West and Russia’s northern region of Siberia. Extreme heat is also fueling the massive fires in Greece and Turkey. AP

A10 Friday, August 13, 2021

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

The World BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Friday, August 13, 2021 A11

Tokyo virus situation is out of control, panel expert says

A

member of a Tokyo Metropolitan Government coronavirus advisory panel of experts said it was now impossible to control the spread of Covid-19 in the capital.

“The infection is spreading at a pace not seen before and the number of new cases is increasing rapidly,” Norio Omagari said at a Thursday panel meeting with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. “It’s impossible to control the situation.”

His comments came as the city and national governments consider whether to extend a state of emergency in Tokyo, which is experiencing its worst-ever wave of virus cases. The emergency is currently set to be lifted at the end of August.

The imposition of successive states of emergency has become less effective over time, with many bars and restaurants ignoring instructions to close early and stop serving alcohol.

Koike called for measures that would reduce the frequency of people’s outings by 50%, compared with the period immediately prior to the current emergency, echoing the advice of a government panel reported by public broadcaster NHK earlier in the day.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other senior government officials have rejected the idea of European-style lockdowns to contain the virus, instead saying they are relying on the vaccine rollout, and tightening restrictions on who can be hospitalized.

Japan has fully vaccinated about 36% of its population, compared with 60% in the U.K. and 51% in the US, according to Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker.

Tokyo found 4,200 new cases of Covid-19 Wednesday after hitting a record 5,042 last Thursday, with the pace of infections appearing to level off. However, the number of patients in hospitals and those in serious condition is continuing to hit records, putting the capital’s health care system under strain.

Japan’s central government is considering extending the state of emergency into September, and expanding it to more regions, the Sankei newspaper reported earlier Thursday.

Key developments: S. Korea says more virus steps may be needed

South Korea said that virus cases could increase under its current social distancing rules, and indicated additional measures may be needed. The country reported 1,987 more coronavirus cases on Wednesday, after infections hit a daily record of 2,223 on Tuesday.

China partly shuts world’s third-busiest port

China partly shut the world’s third-busiest container port after a worker became infected with Covid. All inbound and outbound container services at Meishan terminal in Ningbo-Zhoushan port were halted Wednesday until further notice.

It’s the second shutdown of a Chinese port due to an outbreak recently, after the closure of Yantian port in Shenzhen from late May for about a month.

Australia’s capital Canberra to enter one-week lockdown

Australia’s capital Canberra will enter a snap seven-day lockdown on Thursday after detecting one Covid-19 case, as the Delta outbreak that’s roiling Sydney spreads to regional areas of the nation.

Canberra and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory will start its lockdown from 5.p.m. Thursday, local health authorities said in an e-mailed statement. The national capital’s case was the first recorded there outside of the hotel-quarantine system in more than a year; it is currently unknown how the person was infected.

Japan plans spectator-free Paralympics in Tokyo

The Japanese government and organizers are planning to hold the Paralympic games without spectators in Tokyo and other areas covered by the state of emergency, local broadcaster NTV reported.

A decision has not yet been formally made on whether fans could attend the Paralympics, after the Olympic Games ended Sunday mostly without spectators.

Organizers had expressed hope the Covid situation might improve enough to make fans a possibility, but that is looking unlikely with Japan reporting a record 15,812 cases on Wednesday, according to a tally

by NHK.

New Zealand to speed up shots before 2022 reopening

New Zealand will speed up its vaccine rollout ahead of a phased reopening of its border early next year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

The government will make the Pfizer vaccine available to all adults sooner than previously planned and increase the gap between doses to six weeks from three, Ardern said in a speech Thursday in Wellington. That will allow more people to get their first dose sooner and ensure as many as possible are at least partially vaccinated in coming months, she said.

Record cases in Mexico

Mexico saw a record rise in Covid-19 cases on Wednesday as the spread of the pandemic accelerates after several months of relief from the virus. Cases rose 22,711 to 3,020,596, according to Health Ministry data. Deaths increased by 727.

Shanghai back on high alert

A year after becoming the world’s first major financial center to tame the virus, Shanghai is going back on high alert as the Delta variant spreads in China.

Shanghai’s more than 470,000 finance professionals, who have nearly all been back at work and mask-free since the middle of last year, now face regular temperature scans and checks to enable contact tracing. At some banks, people were told to put their masks back on in common areas and hosting visitors in conference rooms was prohibited again.

FDA to clear third shot for immunocompromised

US drug regulators are set to clear a third dose of Covid vaccines for people with weak immune systems as a new study showed the benefits of an extra shot in transplant patients.

A third dose of Moderna’s vaccine significantly raised antibody levels against the coronavirus in transplant patients, according a comparison of an extra shot to a placebo in people with weak immune systems.

The Food and Drug Administration is set to amend clearances as soon as Thursday for vaccines from both Moderna and Pfizer Inc. to allow extra doses for people with compromised immune systems, according a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. Bloomberg News

Israel tightens coronavirus restrictions as new cases surge

J

ERUSALEM — Israel’s government on Wednesday advanced a raft of new coronavirus restrictions, including sweeping implementation of a digital vaccine passport and tighter restrictions on mass gatherings, as the countr y struggles with skyrocketing new infections.

The country that had appeared to put the coronavirus pandemic behind it a few months ago after a world-leading vaccine drive is now re-imposing regulations in a bid to clamp back down on infections.

The Cabinet gave its approval for the tighter measures—including limitations on people gathering indoors and restricting entry to venues and restaurants to “Green Pass” holders—as new cases of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus surge despite widespread vaccination against Covid-19.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the government would be “giving a booster” to the country’s health-

care system as new coronavirus cases continue a precipitous climb. He said Israel had to prepare for a situation of mass hospitalizations, and was allocating 2.5 billion shekels ($774 million) to help boost capacity at hospitals nationwide.

Despite its vaccination campaign, Israel has seen new coronavirus cases rise in recent weeks. The Health Ministry recorded 5,755 new cases on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since February, and serious cases have grown from 19 in mid-June to 400.

At least 6,580 Israelis have died from coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to Health Ministry figures.

The government had largely lifted coronavirus restrictions by May following its vaccine drive, but with new infections on the rise, has reinstated limitations on assemblies and indoor mask mandates. AP

A12 Friday, August 13, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Lockdowns: Are we doing it wrong?

U

nited States March 24, 2020: “Trump’s 15-day plan to slow the coronavirus’ spread is too short, experts say. Flattening the curve could take at least several more weeks. The plan involves asking healthy Americans to avoid social gatherings and work from home. But public-health experts say these measures will be necessary for more than 15 days—at minimum, they’re needed for several more weeks. One public-health expert said social distancing should be enforced until a vaccine is developed in 12 to 18 months.” Actually, contrary to the press/media, it was the plan of the office of the Surgeon General of the US, Dr. Jerome Adams.

The Philippines one week ago on August 6, 2021: “We’re going around in circles.” We can always depend on some of our “think-tanks” to come up with insightful comments that are always short of solutions. Meanwhile, even in the face of criticism, there are those groups that are working to offer ideas to alleviate our national portion of the global pandemic.

And to those groups that are being complained about, do not take it personally. We are all, from top to bottom, frustrated, worried, and angry. You chose to raise your head up to try to help and “no good deed goes unpunished.”

On the other hand, it does look like we are going around in circles. Ready for the merry-go-round ride?

On March 8, 2020, President Duterte placed the entire Philippines under state of public health emergency because of the Covid-19 threat. Congressman Joey Salceda recommended a lockdown of the entire National Capital Region for a period of seven days. So far so good.

A “community quarantine” of Metro Manila started on March 15 up to April 14 and travel through land, domestic air, and domestic sea from Metro Manila was all but completely suspended. On June 1, 2020, Metro Manila exited modified enhanced community quarantine and transitioned to general community quarantine. But in July, the number of cases began rising and Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal went back to MECQ from August 4 until August 18. Cases peaked in the middle of August after Metro Manila was under enchanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20.

But then, as 2021 rolled in, there was a major turn for the worst. By the beginning of March 2021, the caseload was “surging.” ECQ was reimposed in the Greater Manila Area. It was originally set to expire on April 4. However, on April 3, it was extended for another week. On April 11, the quarantine measure in the area was downgraded to MECQ for the remainder of April, later extended up to May 14.

Now we are back to ECQ planned to go from August 6 to the 20th. Good luck with that. The average number of daily cases is almost back to where it was during the historic peak of April 2021.

There is no satisfaction in saying that the lockdown is killing the Philippine economy. We all know that, and the latest quarter-on-quarter GDP growth figures are really a disaster. The fact that the annual growth is up means very little. The annual GDP growth rate is not the light at the end of the tunnel.

The Philippines is progressing fairly well in vaccinating the populace. Just do not look at any global news stories questioning the effectiveness of the vaccines against the new mutations. We have no other choice but to jab, jab, and jab some more.

However, the question must be asked. Are lock downs effective against keeping the number of cases manageable or to “flatten the curve,” or are we doing something wrong? We keep locking down and the virus seems to keep getting stronger.

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The importance of the Olympics Sonny M. Angara

Better Days

L

ast July, New York Times columnist Lindsey Crouse wrote that despite the issues that constantly surround the Olympics—like the exorbitant amounts countries spend to host the quadrennial event; the doping scandals that were fueled by it; the way certain sports officials enriched themselves before the athletes; or how for this iteration, residents protested the decision to continue the Games on account of the pandemic—she was still going to watch it this year.

Crouse argued that the appeal of the Games has never really been the Olympics as an institution, but the Olympians themselves—their triumphs, their struggles, and their individual stories of extraordinary human achievement. And amid the raging pandemic, where many crave a measure of hope—or what Crouse described as a way to be “collectively inspired”—the Olympians’ triumphs can serve as a salve or as “an example to spur us forward.”

That’s exactly what our national athletes did for us Filipinos during the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. We all bore witness to how their determination to win would not be hindered by the ongoing threat of Covid-19. After all, they secured the biggest Olympic medal haul since the Philippines participated in 1924. And

somehow that speaks to our desire to emerge victorious once the pandemic ends.

We also saw how our winning athletes persevered despite growing up through less-than-ideal circumstances. Eumir Marcial, for example, occasionally worked as a jeepney konduktor as a means to help his family get by. In addition, less than a year before the 2020 Olympics, his brother tragically passed away at a young age of 39. And while it would have been understandable for Marcial— who was in the United States at the time—to return to the Philippines and be with his family, he decided to push through with his training, noting that representing the country in the Olympics was what his late brother always wanted him to do.

Carlo Paalam’s story is also an

incredible tale of triumph. Paalam, who began his boxing career fighting in local “Boxing at the Park’’ events until he was discovered in 2009, used to be a scavenger in Cagayan de Oro. When he won the silver medal, which coincidentally was made from recycled mobile devices, Paalam could not help but recall his days of collecting scraps from landfills noting that his medal symbolized his life.

Silver medalist Nesthy Petecio, now a trailblazer in a sport more commonly associated with men, recalled in interviews that she started boxing as a means to earn extra income for her family. She would fight in inter-barangay tournaments knowing that, win-or-lose, she can earn enough for her family to buy food.

In fact, Petecio’s debut fight was against a male opponent where she won. As numerous rewards and bonuses come pouring in from both the government and the private sector, Petecio has already said that these would go to her family as she does not want them—especially the younger ones—to go through the same hardships they previously went through.

Finally, gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz’s road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was far from being easy. Diaz, who started training with makeshift barbells while helping her family sell vegetables and fish on the street or at the markets, began her Olympian’s journey at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she placed 11th out of the 12 competitors. At the 2012 London Olympics, she ended with “Did Not

Finish” (DNF) after three unsuccessful attempts. But rather than be disheartened, Diaz used this experience to train harder, leading to a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Outside of her Olympic journey, Hidilyn previously revealed that their life was challenging. There were many nights where her family had little to eat. In fact, her first aspiration was to become a banker so that her family would no longer have to worry about money. And now, other than the glory and prestige of becoming the first Filipino to win a gold medal in the Olympics, Hidilyn and her family might never have to worry about money again due to the numerous incentives that she will receive.

These stories about our national athletes pushing through and succeeding despite their humble backgrounds and origins inspire many Filipinos, especially those facing the uncertainties brought by the pandemic and its effects on our physical, mental, emotional and financial well-being. The incredible achievements of all of our athletes who participated in this year’s Olympics send a collective message of hope that we will rise up again—”Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together.”

Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 17 years. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.

E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara

Republicans take to mask wars as virus surges in red states

By Will Weissert | Associated Press

W

ASHINGTON—Top Republicans are battling school districts in their own states’ urban, heavily Democratic areas over whether students should be required to mask up as they head back to school—reigniting ideological divides over mandates even as the latest coronavirus surge ravages the reddest, most unvaccinated parts of the nation.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has issued an executive order threatening to cut funding from school districts that defy a statewide ban on classroom mask mandates. He’s now suggesting his office could direct officials to withhold pay from superintendents who impose such rules anyway.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is threatening to withhold funding to schools in his state’s capital of Columbia over masking rules, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to enforce a similar order against mask mandates— despite large school districts around the state, including Dallas and Austin, promising to go ahead with classroom face covering requirements.

Even the Republican gubernatorial candidate in the purple state of Virginia has decried school mask mandates in the name of parental rights.

The posture comes with some clear political incentives for Republicans. The

party’s base has opposed mask rules for more than a year and long recoiled at the word “mandate.” Still, some within the GOP’s own ranks have begun to warn of the safety and political risks involved in making schools—and children’s health—the chief battleground for an ideological fight.

“It’s very visceral,” said Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican strategist in Texas. “We’re approaching this very tribalisticly, very angrily, very politically,” he said, adding that both sides are digging in “instead of trying to get together, I believe, at the most local level possible, and saying, ‘Hey, let’s try and work out what’s best.’”

The issue has packed local school meetings and sparked heated exchanges.

Video of a meeting in Tennessee’s Williamson County showed angry parents chanting “No more masks” and following mask supporters to the parking lot to shout obscenities. First-term US Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-North Carolina,

recently showed up to denounce masking rules approved by county school board members in his district, calling them “nothing short of psychological child abuse.”

It all comes as some Democrat-run states are moving in the opposite direction, reimposing masking rules for classrooms and other public spaces after easing them in recent months, when it seemed the pandemic might be waning.

That’s consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations that children mask up in school. A recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association found that nearly 4.3 million US Covid-19 cases have affected children. That’s about 14 percent of all cases nationwide, though the report said hospitalization and death among children is “uncommon.”

In Florida, which has seen cases and hospitalizations rise sharply, some school districts are suing to oppose DeSantis’ order. Others, like Leon County, which includes the state capital of Tallahassee, plan to require students to wear masks regardless. Superintendent Rocky Hanna said in a letter to the governor that his district sought “the flexibility and the autonomy to make the decisions for our schools.”

“Unfortunately, it has become wellpoliticized,” Hanna said in announcing

his decision, adding that if “things went sideways” as school begins anew “and heaven forbid we lost a child to this virus, I can’t just simply blame the governor of the state of Florida.”

Jasmine Burney-Clark, founder of Equal Ground Education Fund, which has spent months helping facilitate vaccinations for Floridians, said “school boards across the state are saying, ‘We’re going to call your bluff, and we’re going to require mask mandates for our students.’” “’You’re not taking the lead so, if you want schools to open, here’s what you need to do,’” Burney-Clark said districts are telling DeSantis.

Some have noted the push for bans against mask mandates runs counter to the traditional Republican political ethos of limited government and “local control,” or leaving decision-making on things like community ordinances and schools up to officials in the area.

US Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said he opposes DeSantis’ orders against school mask mandates, saying on CNN Sunday, “The local official should have control here.”

One Republican governor has backtracked. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison called the state’s lawmakers into special session to consider loosening a ban on mask mandates he now says

See “Republicans,” A13

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Friday, August 13, 2021 A13

Philippine GDP halftime report Tattoos, taboos and trading: Riddles of culture (With apologies to Marvin Harris) Dr. Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes

EAGLE WATCH

T

he Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released Q2-2021 gross domestic product data on Tuesday, August 10, 2021.

Now, the country has official data for the first half of its 2021 economic performance. Economic analysts and reporters have been trying to make sense of the published statistics. So, this week’s column presents a halftime report that attempts to answer two important questions that inquisitive minds have been asking.

Question #1: Is the country truly out of a recession? Recession, as the textbook definition goes, refers to two consecutive quarters of GDP contraction.

The Philippines has had five consecutive quarters of negative growth, spelled out as follows: -0.7 percent in Q1-2020, -17.0 percent in Q2-2020, -11.6 percent in Q3-2020, -8.3 percent in Q4-2020, and -3.9 percent in Q1-2021. The latest figure of +11.8 percent shows a break from the contractionary streak; nevertheless, it would be good to put things in proper perspective.

Let GDP in Q2-2019 be represented by P100. In Q2-2020, it shrank by 17 percent (or by P17) to P83. In Q2-2021, it grew by 11.8 percent to P92.79.

P92.79 - P83 = P9.79. P9.79/P17 ≈ 57.59 percent. This means that in Q2-2021, the country recovered just about 57.59 percent (or barely three-fifths) of the P17 that it lost in Q2-2020. In Q2-2022, the country needs to grow by P7.21/ P92.79 ≈ 7.77 percent just for GDP to return to its Q2-2019 level of P100.

The Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development submitted a forecast of 15.2 percent for Q2-2021 GDP growth. To simplify the explanation, ACERD assumed that in Q2-2021, the country would be able to recover 75 percent of what it had lost in Q2-2020. If the country had lost P17, then 75 percent of P17 would be P12.75. P12.75/P83.00 ≈ 15.36 percent, which, pretty much, was the submitted forecast. However, it turns out that ACERD was exceedingly generous with its assumption.

On the surface, +11.8 percent looks impressive, but studious minds should remember the so-called base effect, which is the effect that the choice of a basis of comparison or reference can have on the result of the comparison between data points. Using a different reference or base for comparison can lead to a large variation in ratio or percentage comparisons between data points. In other words, any change tends to look big if it is being compared to a small base.

For now, the country might be technically out of a recession, but as far as ACERD is concerned, the outlook for the rest of 2021 remains uncertain. Sustained growth still depends on how well the country can contain the spread of new variants and how quickly it can roll out vaccines.

Question #2: Is the government GDP growth target achievable? The following table should be instructive: GDP Figures from 2019 to 2021 Year

2019 2020 2021

First-Half (H1) GDP 9,449,110 8,569,690 8,885,797

Second-Half (H2) GDP 9,933,640 8,957,544 ?

Full-Year GDP 19,382,751 17,527,234 ?

Note: Values are in PHP millions, constant 2018 prices.

Source: PSA web site.

If one looks at full-year GDP, from 2019 to 2020, the economy contracted by 9.57 percent. If one looks at first-half GDP, from H1-2019 to H1-2020, the economy contracted by 9.31 percent. From H1-2020 to H1-2021, the economy grew by 3.69 percent. If one looks at second-half GDP, from H2-2019 to H22020, the economy contracted by 9.83 percent.

The government target for 2021 is 6-7 percent growth. If it wants H2-2021 GDP to match H2-2019 GDP, then the country needs to grow by 7.37 percent this year. If the government wants to go back to full-year GDP level in 2019, then the country needs to grow by 10.59 percent this year.

The following scenarios can be considered: 1) 6-percent full-year growth (lower end of the government target), 2) 6.50-percent full-year growth (middle point of the government target), 3) 7-percent full-year growth (upper end of the government target), 4) 7.37-percent full-year growth (if H2-2021 GDP matches H2-2019 GDP), and 5) 10.59-percent full-year growth (to bring the country back to full-year GDP level in 2019).

If one considers H2-2021 GDP, here are some computations. To achieve Scenario 1, H2-2021 GDP should be about 9,693,071 (8.21-percent growth from 8,957,544 in H2-2020). To achieve Scenario 2, H2-2021 GDP should be about 9,780,707 (9.19-percent growth from 8,957,544 in H2-2020). To achieve Scenario 3, H2-2021 GDP should be about 9,868,343 (10.17-percent growth from 8,957,544 in H2-2020). To achieve Scenario 4, H2-2021 GDP should be about 9,933,640 (10.90-percent growth from 8,957,544 in H2-2020). To achieve Scenario 5, H2-2021 GDP should be about 10,496,954 (17.19-percent growth from 8,957,544 in H2-2020).

It should be left to the reader’s imagination if any of these scenarios is achievable.

Dr. Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes is the Associate Director of the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development.

Republicans. . . continued from A12

he regrets having signed in April. A judge has already temporarily blocked the ban.

But not all school districts are pushing mask mandates, either. After Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear ordered masking rules in his state’s schools, some superintendents applauded. One offered a voicemail call to parents that blasted the governor as a “liberal lunatic” and added that “the professional opinion of your superintendent doesn’t matter. The opinion of your school board doesn’t matter.”

In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, argues that the CDC’s latest recommendations serve as a de facto mask mandate for schools since a state law passed in March requires following federal guidance. Republican guberna-

torial candidate Glenn Youngkin has vowed not to mandate masks in schools if elected, saying, “This should be a decision that parents can make.”

Unlike DeSantis, Abbott and many other leading Republicans, Youngkin has prioritized his business experience as a former private equity manager more than his loyalty to former President Donald Trump—little surprise in a state President Joe Biden carried by 10 percentage points. Still, his comments show that mask opposition has grown beyond ardent pro-Trumpers.

Monmouth University polling released last week found that 73 percent of Republicans oppose bringing back masking and social distancing guidelines, while 85 percent of Democrats support doing so. Independents were more deeply divided, with 42 percent in support and 55 percent opposed. As-

sociated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report.

Tito Genova Valiente

annotations

A

war is raging online. It is not on drugs; it is neither between nations. It is about cultures. It is about boundaries—those which set apart people from other people. It is also about identities, here contested, negotiated, appropriated and, consequently commodified.

By this time, you must have known already the actors in this social drama.

The dispute has, at the center, a vlogger. With the increasing attacks against him, he is at times sidelined by the vociferous voices who seem to know more about the events leading to this controversy. Then there is the Tattoo Artist, a respected cultural citizen of an ethnolinguistic group in Northern Philippines. There are other individuals talking, airing their own sides, making known their positions and situations.

The exchanges and conversations online have ranged from the sentimental to the sensational; from the intellectually detached to the intriguingly personal, and; from the merely angry to the pathologically intrusive. The trading of barbs is limited by the spaces available when one posts a message. Even as one presents a longer manifesto-like statement, the medium is built to accommodate succinct, straight-tothe-point commentaries. Bytes win in this kind of battle.

Who benefits from all this?

As of this writing, I have yet to see anthropologists or anyone who calls himself or herself a scientist of social studies participate with passion in the online battles. Allow me to hazard an educated guess: the issue is so thick one needs more than a paragraph to make a solid point.

What is being discussed online is at the core of anthropology and the other disciplines that look into cultures and society. Theories have been developed out of debates more intense

than what we read presently online.

Alliances—and marriages—have been ruined by the conflicts of perspectives when it comes to articulating what is culturally developed and what is naturally inherent. Schools and wealth and statuses of lecturers and experts have been generated by discussing topics, like tattoos and taboos, which, when weighed against wars and poverty, come across as flippant and inordinately mystical.

Who needs mystery indeed when the reality of hunger grips millions of people?

Which brings me to the value of this discourse brought about by a vlogger who, along with others, is also named an “influencer.” The idea of a cultural artefact—the practice and “art” of tattooing—has always been as contentious as the definitions of culture. Making sense of culture has grown from perspectives that looked at the materiality of events to those that celebrated the evolution of practices. From ideas that arts and artefacts in a society express a function—the creation of community, for example—to the more seductive construct that everything is all about symbols, and therefore with meanings that are arbitrary but at the same time grounded on the people viewing them, the concept of culture undergoes nothing short of an overhaul every year or so.

Nothing can stop people from thinking culture. Culture faces us every day. We live it. We die with and in it.

Thus, you encounter ideas where the singular form of Culture is sus-

pect. Practitioners insist on the plural form of the concept—Cultures.

The singular form is viewed as monolithic or totalizing.

It appears therefore that any discussion of cultures will always bring us to extremes. On one end, we can say a culture is so unique that it cannot be compared to other cultures; at the other end, we claim how culture can always be compared to other cultures. All these points are relevant to the tattoo artist who shares her skills and designs with the outside world and to the outsider who now wants to put a monetary value to said act of sharing.

Look at the crisis of exchange.

Does the tattoo artist own that skill, which, it appears, was handed to her through generations? If and when the community agrees to the deal, to what degree can the government through the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) intervene? Is the intervention ethical?

Cultures and the practices within are non-material boundaries. As the discussions rage on, artists and cultural workers from other regions are warlike in their attempt to protect an indigenous art form, which by definition, does not belong to them.

These are the same culture vultures who eternally complain about dying arts, because those art forms do not live for them.

Two problematic notions are excavated at this stage. These are the notions of indigeneity and authenticity.

We, who, by historical and cultural default, have become lowland Christians, are offended because we are losing to a foreigner what is “native” to us. But are we—Bikolanos, Tagalogs, Visayans—indigenous?

When a filmmaker decides to make a film about us, there is no NCIP that will restrict any filmmaker to do that. When cultural institutions through creative costuming combine all the designs and patterns of the Manobo, Tingguian, Yakan and Kalinga textile in one clothing, is that awesomely alright? Or is that a form of stealing and exploitation? When a local artist borrows the pattern of a Japanese manga artist, does he feel the guilt of a thief or is that once more an example of a convenient lie?

There is, however, in the end, a great value in this incident. This should be a wake-up call for cultural advocates, tourism experts and anthropologists. In his book, Gods of the Upper Air. How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century, Charles King writes: “Indigenous people were not just the subject of anthropological research—they were the reason for its existence.”

Many of us indeed have profited and received fat wages by the fact of some people being labelled “indigenous” and their arts marked “authentic.”

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

Underdog Pacman and Yorme’s compelling narratives Manny F. Dooc

TELLTALES

I

N the world of politics, fate is kinder to the victims of political persecution. Filipinos love an underdog and their sympathy belongs to the prey of the oppressor. When the mighty abuses its authority to silence or intimidate its enemies or perceived opponents, a feeling of rage seethes in the hearts of the common people. One does not have to hold a doctorate in politics to discern what is right or wrong, what is fair or foul, and what is good or bad politics. Our people can smell a political charlatan when they see or hear one.

When the so-called public servants, particularly those in power, resort to personal tirades, unethical conduct and baseless accusations to destroy their adversaries and besmirch their names, politics becomes an ignoble endeavor. Belittling another’s intelligence and education will not add luster to one’s knowledge. Political bullies should learn from the past.

In the 1965 presidential election between reelectionist President Diosdado Macapagal and challenger Ferdinand Marcos, the administration suspended the showing of Iginuhit ng Tadhana, a movie based on the life of Marcos, a couple of months before the polls. The banning of the movie only spurred sympathy for Marcos and elicited great interest from the public when it was finally shown shortly before the election.

The movie proved to be the best election propaganda for Marcos, which helped him win the election.

Overkill backfires and instead of destroying, boosts the chances of a political rival. A more recent example involved the efforts of many Republican administra-

tions in several states to make it difficult for the American black voters to cast their votes in the last US presidential election. This only galvanized African Americans to actively participate and solidly vote for Joe Biden.

In the 2016 election, President Duterte was the underdog. Now that he is wearing the other shoes, he should know how to walk the terrain. nnn Politicizing a laudable government program to discriminate against or deprive the opposition of its benefits is the height of political immaturity. Nothing is more repugnant to the public than treating public funds as personal kitty by those who control the purse. For instance, pandemic cash aids should be devoid of politics. Covid-19 does not distinguish any political color. Statesmanship should be in abundant supply especially during a period of national crisis. But sad to say, it is the first quality that deserts an ambitious politician.

They say that “all is fair in love and war.” And to that they add: “Also in politics.” But that is not true. Public ser-

vice is a noble calling. Only candidates who are imbued with integrity, moral character, honesty, fairness and justice deserve the public trust. People will elect those who will take the high moral ground in campaigning for our votes. The electorates should set up exacting criteria when electing candidates into public office. Theoretically, this is what our political law books teach us but it is more honored in breach than in practice.

The sad truth is that an elective position has become a priced commodity, and voting has become an expensive proposition. Votes go to the highest bidder. Unless we make a drastic overhaul of this egregious system, we can never throw out the depraved and unprincipled public officials who have ruled our country ever since the birth of our Republic. We never learn, although we go to the polls every 3 years. Our only consolation is that we get the chance to vote for a new despot every election. If we are not a sucker, what are we? nnn Rags-to-riches narratives melt our hearts. Horatio Alger stories occupy a special place in our psyche that never fails to inspire people. Among the current presidentiables, Manny Pacquiao and Yorme Isko Moreno share impoverished backgrounds. The former was brought up from the squalor in General Santos City while the latter was raised from the urban blight in Tondo, Manila. They were dirt poor and putting food on the table was a daily struggle.

They had to work odd jobs and even scavenge for food to keep the family from starving. Now both enjoy a life of security and comfort. They pursued a different calling and through industry and dedication to their craft, they excelled in their profession. Yorme survived by acting in the movies where he achieved relative success. He did some

skin flicks, the fad at that time, which he readily admits. What is admirable is that he was not corrupted by the system. He remained clean cut unlike some of his contemporaries. Sen. Manny Pacquiao is one of the greatest boxers of all time in the world. He’s the only boxer to hold multiple world titles in 8 different weight divisions. This is a record, which may remain unbeaten forever. They parlayed their popularity among the masses by running for public office. Yorme Isko started out as a lowly city councilor of Manila and subsequently got elected as Vice Mayor. He had served both Fred Lim and Erap Estrada, two veteran politicians of national renown. Interestingly, he beat both of them when they all contested the mayorship in the last elections. Yorme Isko overwhelmingly won and the two conceded without any protest. Pacman also forayed into politics. When he lost in his first attempt to win the congressional seat in South Cotabato, he moved to Sarangani where he was elected as its Representative. He ran for Senator in 2016 and landed 7th among the 12 winning candidates. Both are on top of their game. Pacman is still into boxing and is disputing the World Boxing Association Welterweight title on August 22. Yorme is now the Mayor of the capital city of the Philippines. The two who are still in their 40s are considered as frontrunners for the Presidency. Both are giant-killers and command a strong following among the masses that have nourished them.

Each of them has a compelling narrative, which an ordinary individual can easily identify with. I hope only one of them will finally run and support the other so as not to divide the votes of the common men from whom they sprang. It would be a dream ticket, if they form a tandem.

A14 Friday, August 13, 2021

Neda prods DA to speed up meat imports docs’ issuance

T

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario & Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

HE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) is pushing the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fast-track the issuance of the necessary importation documents to avert food supply problems during the holiday season.

Neda Undersecretary for Regional Development Mercedita A. Sombilla told BusinessMirror that this would allow the Philippines to boost its food stocks amid the global logistics crisis.

“We just have to push DA to issue SPS-IC [sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance and] CNI [certificates of necessity to import] early so traders can have shipments early. We already informed the DA [regarding] that problem,” Sombilla said.

Ateneo Eagle Watch Senior Fellow Leonardo A. Lanzona Jr. told BusinessMirror on Thursday this Neda recommendation would also keep inflation at bay, particularly toward the end of the year.

Lanzona explained that higher demand for various food items to

celebrate the holidays would often lead to higher commodity prices.

“The decline in the agricultural output in the second quarter was due to lower livestock production.

The government should take more definite steps in solving this problem, particularly the ASF [African Swine Fever],” Lanzona added.

Meanwhile, the DA heeded the call of importers to extend the validity of SPS-IC for imported meat to ensure the much needed supply would arrive in the country in time for the holidays.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar issued Administrative Order (AO) 21 that authorized the temporary extension of SPS-IC validity by 30 days from 60 days to 90 days.

Dar noted that it is critical to ensure the arrival of meat imports as

they “contribute to the overall food supply and security of the country.”

“The current global [Covid-19] situation and supply contraction of container vans have presented shipping and other logistical difficulties,” he said in the order issued recently.

“The abovementioned difficulties have prompted stakeholders to request for an extension of the validity of SPS-IC for imported food commodities, especially for imported meat,” he added.

The temporary extension of the SPS-IC validity for imported pork will be in effect until the end of the year, according to AO 21, which was immediately implemented last August 10.

three months with some already taking about four months.

As early as the first quarter, MITA and other industry players had already warned that the lack of vessels and containers in the global shipping market would be one of the challenges that could hinder the government’s pork importation measures this year.

“It’s a start. [We] hope [the] DA will consider to standardize 90 days for all commodities including frozen seafood and frozen fruits/veggies,” MITA President Jesus Cham told the BusinessMirror via SMS on Thursday about his reaction regarding AO 21.

Shipping delays

Pork consumers

The BusinessMirror first broke the story that industry stakeholders have proposed to Dar the extension of the SPS-IC validity to avert additional costs in the retail price of certain food items.

In their letter, the Meat Importers and Traders Association (MITA) urged the DA to extend not only the SPS-IC validity for imported meat but also the minimum access volume import certificate (MAVIC) to accommodate the delays experienced both in shipping and arrival.

Industry players told the BusinessMir ror t hat a r r iva l of shipments is now taking more than

The Philippines, the world’s eighth largest consumer of pork, imported a record nearly 135,000 metric tons (MT) of pork bellies and cuts in the first half—more than quadruple from a year earlier—as the country rushed to boost domestic supply and temper rising prices, government data showed.

The 367-percent increase in the imports of pork bellies and cuts drove overall pork imports to expand by 176 percent to 277,850.59 MT from 100,745.261 MT in the first half of 2020, Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) data showed.

DOH: 177 NEW DELTA VARIANT CASES IN PHL

A

TOTAL of 177 additional Delta (B.1.617.2) variant cases were detected in the country on Thursday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported, bringing the total of Delta variant cases to 627.

T he D OH a l s o re p or t ed detection of 102 A lpha (B.1.1.7) variant cases, 59 Beta (B.1.351) variant cases, and 14 P.3 variant cases in the latest batch of whole genome sequencing by the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center.

Delta variant cases

Of the additional 177 Delta variant cases, 144 are local cases, three are Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), and 30 cases are currently being verified if these are local or ROF cases.

Of the 144 local cases, 90 had indicated addresses in the National Capital Region (NCR), and 25 in Calabarzon, 16 in Cagayan Valley, eight in Ilocos Region, two in the Cordillera Administrative Region, two in Western Visayas, and one in Davao Region.

Based on the case line list, 173 cases have been tagged as recovered, one has died, and three cases are with outcomes

that are being verified.

Alpha variant cases

Of the additional 102 Alpha variant cases detected, 94 were local cases and eight are currently being verified if they are local or ROF cases.

Based on the case line list, one case is still active while 101 cases have been tagged as recovered. This brings the total Alpha variant cases to 2,195.

Beta variant cases

Of the additional 59 Beta variant cases, 53 were local and six are currently being verified if they are local or ROF cases.

Based on the case line list, one case is still active, 57 cases have been tagged as recovered, while one case has an outcome which is being verified.

The total Beta variant cases are now at 2,421.

P.3 variant cases

Of the 14 additional P.3 variant cases, 13 were local cases and one case is currently being verified if this is a local or ROF case.

Based on the case line list, two cases have died while 12 have been tagged as recovered.

Continued on A5

Continued on A5

Senators seek probe of DOH’s ₧67.3-B COA-flagged funds

By Butch Fernandez

A

@butchfBM

T least four senators on Thursday sought a Senate investigation into the Commission on Audit (COA) report on the Department of Health’s (DOH) handling of over P67 billion in Covid-19 funds.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon called for a Senate inquiry in aid of legislation into the deficiencies and poor handling by the DOH of about P67.32 billion funds meant to respond to the pandemic.

At the same time, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Grace Poe and Risa Hontiveros also pressed for a Senate probe in separate statements.

“We should investigate the Department of Health’s handling of Covid-19 funds,” said Drilon, adding that “the deluge of deficiencies that the Commission on Audit findings uncovered are alarming and disturbing.”

Lacson said he expects “the issue on the DOH’s management of pandemic response funds will definitely be taken up during the deliberations of the DOH’s 2022 budget, once the Senate starts the hearings before approving their budget. This is among the many other issues hounding the agency.”

That said, Lacson added: “I remember that during DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III’s confirmation hearings at the Commission on Appointments, I asked him some questions on DOH’s supply chain issues and what he intended to do to resolve those issues. He could not answer my questions satisfactorily, if at all.”

Poe, in a resolution, also pressed for an inquiry.

“These funds were provided to

strengthen the agency’s health resources in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the implementation deficiencies denied our countrymen their right to health at a time when it is most needed,” Poe said.

“Instead of being utilized to support and boost the countr y’s pandemic response, the f unds either remained id le or were not properly and immediately used for t heir pur pose,” she stressed.

Hontiveros, in turn, pointed out that given the COA findings, “the DOH seems to be depriving thousands of Filipinos of healthcare services in the face of national emergency and it is nothing short of criminal.”

She added: “I expect the DOH to comply with the COA audit observation and accounting, but that doesn’t end there. In the midst of a crisis, we need commitment and competence from the DOH leadership to ensure every peso budgeted and allocated would saves lives.”

For his part, Drilon asserted, “We heard of corruption allegations involving the purchase of PPEs and test kits and these corruption allegations have remained unanswered and unsolved.”

Citing the COA report, Drilon suggests the Senate should particularly look into the P3.97 billion worth of contracts and projects with procedural deficiencies in the procurement process and lacking documentation.

“This is where unscrupulous individuals or syndicates in the government dip their sticky fingers.

We must examine this especially given the corruption allegations that involved the purchase of various Covid-19 equipment and supplies,” Drilon added.

Continued on A5

Duterte tells DOH: Reply to COA audit report

P

RESIDENT Duterte ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to address the audit report which flagged its alleged “deficiencies” in the use of its P67.3billion budget last year.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte issued the directive after the Commission on Audit (COA) released a report, which noted the amount concerned “remained idle” and was not effectively used for the procurement of supplies and pay for benefits of health-care workers during the pandemic.

“The instruction of the President [to DOH] is to answer the observation of COA,” Roque said in a virtual briefing on Thursday.

“The President is keen to read the answers [of DOH] since the observations made by COA carry significant weight,” he added.

Roque said the President decided to “withhold his judgement” on the issue until DOH could hold an exit conference with COA to explain its position on the matter.

“The President is a lawyer and a former mayor. He knows not all the accusations or observations [of COA] will be sustained once the concerned agency explain its side,” Roque said.

Roque said the reply of DOH on the matter will become basis for the filing of cases against its possible erring officials.

Militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) condemned the alleged mishandling of DOH funds, which it said would have been used to improve the country’s response against the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19), particularly the welfare of health-care frontliners.

“While health-care workers are sacrificing, DOH is wasting its funds,” KMU Secretary General Jerome Adonis said. KMU called for the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Duterte for their “negligence and incompetence,” which it said led to the alleged mishandling. Samuel P. Medenilla

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Ayala income in H1 surges by 31% on easing of curbs

C

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

onglomerate Ayala Corp. on Thursday said its income grew 31 percent to P10.39 billion in the first semester, from P7.94 billion last year, when a huge part of the country was under the tightest quarantine curbs.

Revenues reached P121.97 billion, some 23 percent higher than last year’s P98.72 billion.

Ayala’s core net income, which isolates the effect of various provisions, remeasurement losses, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law as well as divestment gains booked in 2019, fell 8 percent to P13.3 bil-

lion year-on-year. The figure is equivalent to 90 percent of Ayala’s pre-pandemic level.

“Our first semester results show recovery in the business environment compared to last year. However, increasing infections from the Delta variant present new challenges”, Ayala President and CEO Fernando Zobel de Ayala said.

“As a business group operating in diversified industries, we will continue to do our part in helping revitalize the economy through continued investments and supporting the country’s pandemic response and vaccination program.”

Ayala Land Inc. registered a net income growth of 34 percent to P6 billion on significant improvements in performance during the period.

Lender Bank of the Philippine Islands’ net income was flat at P11.8 billion due to lower loan loss provisions.

Globe Telecom Inc. recorded a net income growth of 13 percent to P13 billion on higher gross service revenues as well as the positive impact of the CREATE law.

AC Energy Corp. posted a net income growth of 5 percent to P2.7 billion as power demand returned to pre-pandemic levels and additional renewables capacity were added. This was partially tempered by high spot

electricity purchases during a thermal outage and the absence of nonrecurring gains during the period.

The net income of Manila Water Co. Inc., the east zone concessionaire, grew 10 percent to P2.7 billion yearon-year, mainly due to the absence of provisions and adjustments made in the same period last year.

Ayala’s investment in Manila Water was reclassified from a subsidiary to an investment in associates beginning June 3, following loss of control. This reflects Ayala’s reduced economic interest in the company to 38.6 percent from 51.4 percent after Enrique K. Razon Jr.’s Trident Water completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Manila Water.

AC Industrials narrowed its net losses to P592 million from P1.8 billion in the previous year due to better results across its subsidiaries, including Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. and AC Motors.

‘Brave’ Filreit debuts on stock market S

hares of Filinvest REIT Corp., which made its debut on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), weathered the market’s decline on Thursday and closed at P7.02, slightly higher than its initial public offering (IPO) price of P7 apiece.

The Filinvest Land Inc.-sponsored real estate investment trust (REIT) company made its debut on the stock market amid the resurgence of risk aversion during the Chinese Ghost Month and the strictest lockdown in Metro Manila, which forced regulators to conduct an online-only affair.

The benchmark index, PSEi, closed 110.29 points lower at 6,556.57 points.

Volume of trade was high, valued at P18.22 billion, mainly as a result of Filreit’s listing worth P12.6 billion.

“After months of great uncertainty, we finally arrived in our destination: the Philippine Stock Exchange. We have successfully braved the headwinds the past months and we are excited to welcome Filinvest REIT into the Filinvest family after its successful IPO. Not only have we made history as the country’s first sustainability-themed publicly listed real estate investment trust or REIT. Our IPO may also be considered the ‘bravest’—given that our stock market debut took place when we are under ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] conditions,” said Josephine Gotianun-Yap, Filreit chairman and FLI president.

“While some may call it ‘brave’—for us at Filinvest, it’s also about belief. Today’s successful listing of Filinvest REIT is also a solid testament of the faith and belief of investors in Filinvest and what we stand for.

While others saw a crisis, Filinvest REIT’s investors saw what we saw: an opportunity to enter the REIT market at an attractive yield. It is an opportunity to participate in the income streams from what has proven to be one of the most resilient industries— the BPO and KPO sector.”

Filreit offered to the public an initial 1.63 billion common shares and another 163.42 million shares covering the greenshoe option in an offer that

BusinessMirror file photo

ran July 26 through August 3. About 70 percent of the offer shares were offered to institutional buyers based in the Philippines overseas, except the United States.

BPI Capital Corp., and UBS AG Singapore Branch served as the joint global coordinators and bookrunners, with BPI Capital as sole local coordinator and local lead underwriter and UBS AG Singapore as the international bookrunner.

BPI Capital is joined by China Bank Capital Corp. First Metro Investment Corp. and SB Capital Investment Corp. in the local underwriting process.

The proceeds raised from the IPO will be used by the company to acquire nine office buildings, three retail buildings, five midrise residential buildings, industrial lots, raw land, and expansion of the district cooling system.

“The stock market debut of Filreit during the enhanced quarantine period demonstrates the stability and resilience of real estate investment trust as an asset class.

This speaks of the company’s confidence in the quality of its REIT offering and its optimism of the country’s imminent recovery from the pandemic. This confidence can only stem from the sponsor Filinvest Land Inc.’s decades of experience of going through and overcoming economic headwinds and in the process creating an enviable track record in property development and management,” said Ramon S. Monzon, PSE president.

With the new listing, SEC Chairman Emilio Aquino said the Philippines’s REIT market capitalization is estimated to be around P131.1 billion.

“This will represent 0.74 percent of the annualized GDP. That’s 0.81 percent of the total market capitalization and 1.02 percent of the domestic market capitalization. This data implies the Philippine REIT’s potential for growth. REITs in other countries which are already mature markets account for around 3 percent to 7 percent of their GDP,” Aquino said.

Around two more REITS are expected to

list on the stock exchange this year. These are firms sponsored by Megaworld Corp. and the Gokongwei Group, both of which have already secured regulatory approvals to sell their shares. VG Cabuag

Friday, August 13, 2021

B1

Monde Nissin H1 income falls 13% M onde Nissin Corp. on Thursday said its core income at ow nership fell 13 percent to P4.25 billion in the first semester, from last year’s P4.88 billion, as margins contracted due to unfavorable sales mix and higher commodity input costs.

Unaudited reported net income for the period declined to P204 million, which primarily includes non - core a nd non - re c u r r i n g items, such as price difference and interest on redemption of the Arran convertible notes at its initial public offering price (IPO) of P13.50 per share, IPO-related expenses and deferred tax liability adjustments reflecting revised corporate tax rules in the United Kingdom.

Its sales for the period were flat at P33.75 billion, with revenues in the Philippines falling by 1 percent to P24.37 billion, but the company recorded gains in its operations in other parts of the world.

“We undertook some price increases in June to partly recover rising commodity input costs and continue to implement supply chain cost savings. We have achieved significant progress on several long-term growth initiatives, laying the foundation for growth in both our APAC BFB [Asia Pacific branded food and beverage] and meat alternative businesses,” Henr y Soesanto, Monde Nissin’s CEO, said.

Soesanto said the price increases it made in the Philippines last June should partly alleviate the pressure on gross margins.

“But we must be mindful of the difficult circumstances our consumers are currently going through. The recently announced stringent quarantine in the National Capital Region and some other parts of the country will be difficult for many,” he said.

He said the company may record a mid-single digit revenue growth for the year, but its income will still be down for the entire 2021.

For the first half, sales of Asia Pacific, a huge chunk of which is from the Philippines, were flat at P26.24 billion, as the growth in noodles was offset by the decline in biscuits.

Sales of meat alternative, such as Quorn and Cauldron products, fell by 0.6 percent to P7.52 billion reflecting softness across the retail markets of the UK and the United States. Retail sales were adversely affected by the relaxation of Covid restrictions, which resulted in greater out-of-home consumption in the second quarter.

“Monde Nissin being a consumer-focused company, my main priority is to continue to earn their long-term support and trust through fair treatment and good value products. For Quorn Foods, I fully hope to see a much faster growth in the second half of the year,” Soesanto said. VG Cabuag

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Friday, August 13, 2021

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Vista Land income expands AGI H1 income grows threefold to ₧3.8B in January-June A

V

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

ista Land and Lifescapes Inc., the property development arm of the Villar Group, on Thursday said it posted a net income of P3.8 billion for the first semester, up 9 percent from last year’s P3.53 billion.

“We remain optimistic about the industry especially with the performance of overseas Filipino remittances, which registered two consecutive months of doubledigit growth and are currently at 6.6 percent growth for the first 5 months of the year,” Vista Land

Chairman Manuel B. Villar Jr. said.

Villar said demand from overseas Filipinos remained strong, which contributed to the 14-percent hike in reservation sales of P29.4 billion for the period. The pandemic also provided a venue

for the company to review its strategies and implement various operational efficiency measures which resulted in improvement in its margins, he said.

The company said it posted real estate revenues of P11.1 billion, down 13 percent from last year, due to slower construction activities in the provincial areas where various quarantine classifications were implemented during the period.

Leasing income, meanwhile, increased 6 percent to P3.6 billion.

The company’s newly opened commercial centers, where the majority of the tenants are essential, such as home stores and supermarkets,

contributed to the topline growth.

“The various digital initiatives we have implemented since last year are already yielding positive results, but we have just started, and we are working on more initiatives all aimed at better serving our clients as well as expand our reach,” Manuel Paolo A. Villar, the company’s president and CEO, said.

Capital expenditures for the first half of the year reached P11.3 billion mainly for construction and land development.

Land acquisitions remained muted as the company disclosed that it is looking at maximizing its existing land bank.

The company had 2,953 hectares of land as of end-June. A total of P5.2 billion worth of projects were launched during the period, comprising one high-end project, three affordable projects and two mid-rise buildings.

EDC turns over ₧29M to LGUs

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

E

nergy Development Corp. ( EDC ) h a s t u r ned over P29.1 million to the commu n it ie s a nd lo c a l go ve r n ment units (LGUs) hosting its 130-megawatt (MW) geothermal power plant in the Bicol region.

Of the amount, P7.74 million will be used for the much-needed Covid-19 plans and projects of the local governments, P10.68 million will be allocated for the Development and Livelihood Fund and the remaining P10.68 million will be for Reforestation, Watershed Management and Environment Enhancement fund.

Based on the Energy Regulations 1-94 of the Department of Energy (DOE) Act of 1992 and Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, power generation companies are mandated to turn over P0.01 per kilowatt-hour of their total electricity sales as a financial benefit to the host communities. Of the total amount, 50 percent of the one centavo is for the electrification fund of the concerned distribution utilities; 25 percent is for development and livelihood fund and the remaining 25 percent is for reforestation, watershed management, health and/or enhancement fund of the host LGUs. However, in April 2020, the DOE issued a circular allowing the use of ER1-94 program funds for the Covid-19 response of host communities to energy generation firms.

Following the guidelines set by the DOE, P10.16 million and P18.19 million were downloaded to the Albay and Sorsogon LGUs, including

its municipality, city and barangays that host EDC’s Bacon-Manito geothermal plant that straddles Albay up to Sorsogon City.

“Beyond complying with rules and regulations set by the aut hor it ies, EDC is more t han happy to provide not only clean and uninterrupted power to the grid but also to share its blessings for the renewable power it harnesses from the ground.

We believe that the benefits we bring to the community is our responsibility and is part of our commitment to our revitalized mission of forging collaborative pathways for a regenerative and decarbonized future,” said Atty.

Allan V. Barcena, EDC Assistant Vice President and Head, Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Relations.

EDC’s BacMan 1 and 2 sites, with 110 MW and 20 MW capacity, respectively, have been providing power to the Luzon and Visayas grid since the 1990s.

EDC is the largest pure renewable energy company in the Philippines, operating 1,186 MW of geothermal, 150 MW of wind, 132 MW of hydroelectric power, and 12 MW of solar power plants--for a total of 1,480 MW of clean and renewable energy.

It accounts for 19 percent of the country’s total installed renewable energy capacity, and compr ises 62 percent of the countr y’s total installed geothermal capacity based on the Philippines’s 2020 total installed capacity figures as published in the DOE 2003-2020 Power Statistics report. It has put the Philippines on the map as the third largest geothermal producer in the world.

lower by 12 percent quarter-onquarter to P4.6 billion during the period, although this still represents a fivefold improvement from its yearago level.

Gross gaming revenues stood at P3.4 billion, while its non-gaming revenues amounted to P1.2 billion for the same period.

During the quarter, Travellers recorded P4.8 billion in one-time gain from the services rendered by its subsidiary in relation to its Westside City project. This allowed its net income to hit P3.74 billion during the quarter, bringing its first-half profit to P2.6 billion, a turnaround from a net loss of P3.7 billion the year before.

Despite the prevailing quarantine restrictions, Golden Arches Development Corp., the owner of McDonald’s fast-food franchise in the country, posted sales of P6.1 billion in the second quarter this year, more than double from last year’s figures.

In the first half, total revenues rose 21 percent to P11.8 billion from the previous year as the country’s quick service restaurant operator adapted to the new normal through increased drive-thru activities and delivery services, while dine-in operations remained limited.

Various cost pressures, however, capped its net income at P49 million, a turnaround from a net loss of P709 million last year.

It ended the period with 653 stores nationwide. VG Cabuag

lliance Global Group Inc. (AGI), the holding company of businessman Andrew L. Tan, on Thursday said its income in the first semester jumped threefold to P12.8 billion from P4.1 billion last year.

The company said its performance during the period was boosted by its diversified revenue streams that helped mitigate the impact of the strict lockdowns that were re-imposed in the National Capital Region and other parts of the country.

Attributable net income doubled to P8.5 billion from P3.8 billion last year.

Consolidated revenues rose by 16 percent to P71 billion from last year’s P61.4 billion.

“All of our business segments here and abroad managed to sustain the quarterly growth trajectory we have been experiencing since the third quarter of 2020, indicating the extent of pent-up consumer spending across the globe, capped only by the prevailing restrictions in those areas to curb the rise of the Covid-19 Delta variant,” Kevin Andrew L. Tan, the company’s CEO, said.

Among its units, Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., the operator of Resorts World Manila, felt the weight of the re-imposed lockdown when it virtually had no gaming operations for the most part of the second quarter.

This brought its gross revenues

mutual funds

August 12, 2021

NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

214.83

9.64%

-6.76%

-4.86%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.4328

40.33%

-1.58%

0.04%

9.12%

13.24%

-10.9%

-7.73%

-5.21%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.7373 9.02%

-7.44% n.a.

-8.28%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.7327 7.54%

-5.5% n.a.

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.9699

First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a

4.7669

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4

-5.45%

-1.2%

13.2%

-4.66%

-3.07%

-3.53%

0.712

7.96%

-7.23%

-6.99%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

97.52

25.14%

-4.27% n.a.

-4.34% -6.46%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

43.8227

11.65%

-5.33%

-3.87%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

462.03

9.22%

-4.9%

-4.18%

-5.51%

Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,5

1.0723

21.78% n.a. n.a.

-2.28%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.1305

13.16%

-4.71%

-3.21%

-3.23%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

33.2273

13.2%

-4.62%

-2.71%

-4.44%

9.39% n.a. n.a.

-6.23%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.8561

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

4.4965

12.47%

-4.72%

-3.1%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

752.47

12.38%

-4.63%

-3.23%

-6.13%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.6902

14.61%

-8.07%

-6.08%

-3.99%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.4714

11.91%

-6.15%

-6.38%

-4.24%

-4.21%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.8589 11.94%

-4.98%

-3.39%

-6.41%

United Fund, Inc. -a

-4.96%

-2.51%

-5.14%

-4.43%

-2.7%

3.1483

11.8%

-6.29%

Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c

101.0105

12.36%

-6.08%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities $1.2013

14.38%

4.94%

6.1%

-0.13%

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.8319

ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

23.53%

12.16%

11.84%

9.51%

Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a

1.6659

6.13%

-0.77%

-2.15%

-0.16%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.1738

6.45%

-2.11%

-2.1%

-4.88%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.5567

6.67%

-1.09%

-1.12%

-2.68%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.1864 NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.9238

5.12%

1.75% n.a. n.a.

0.74%

-0.29%

-2.05%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.6285

4.17%

-0.24%

-1.54%

-4.21%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

16.2582

4.77%

-0.12%

-1.5%

-4.01%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.0271

6.4%

-1.45%

-1.1%

-3.2%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.4842 7.22%

-2.42%

-2.34%

-2.49% -5.12%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9702

3.65% n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.8817

5.54% n.a. n.a.

-7.11%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.8663

7.16% n.a. n.a.

-7.16%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

7.55%

-2.61%

0.8645

-3.25%

-2.84%

-6.14%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a

$0.03823

-3.73%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

1.14%

-2.28%

6.01%

3.1%

3.24%

-4.02%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.7961 17.22%

$1.104

2.77% 9.27%

8.25%

6.28%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.2238 7.39%

5.3%

4.37%

1.81%

0.58%

Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

373.23

1.46%

3.15%

2.44%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9266

-1.1%

1.15%

0.23%

1.38%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2367

1.2%

3.58%

4.28%

0.68%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2652

-2.04%

2.22%

1.17%

-1.34%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4454 -0.5%

3.33%

1.7%

-0.32%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

4.5006

-4.24%

4.56%

1.12%

-2.89%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a,6

1.3185

0.72%

4%

2.7%

-0.2%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.983

0.42%

4.64%

1.77%

-0.45%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.0403

0.19%

4.94%

1.54%

-0.16%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.2216

0.79%

5.21%

2.11%

0.49%

-0.47%

4.52%

1.42%

-0.14%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

1.7526

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$487.16

3.15%

2.08%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є220.34

1.51%

1.02%

0.82%

0.53%

$1.202

-3.72%

2.47%

1.33%

-6.12%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b

1.71%

0.68%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0261 -1.88%

1.72%

0.7%

-1.88%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

$1.0443

-4.86%

0.29%

-1.28%

-4.43%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.5156

-0.31%

4.99%

1.72%

-0.79%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0630727 3.14%

3.57%

2.1%

1.21%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1824 -2.49%

3.19%

0.59%

-1.28%

Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

2.54%

0.53%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0542 1.01% n.a. n.a.

130.5

0.58%

Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

0.85%

1.3076

1.39% 1.58%

2.99% 2.81%

2.55%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0582

1.07%

1.62% n.a.

0.55%

Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d,7 1.3365

30.97% n.a. n.a.

18.32%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2

$0.99

4.21% n.a. n.a.

1.02%

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 2 - Launch date is November 15, 2019. 3 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019.

4 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.). 5 - Launch date is December 09, 2019.

6 - Re-classified into a Bond Fund starting February 21, 2020 (Formerly a Money Market Fund).

7 - Launch date is July 6, 2020.

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa.com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance

Psalm Paco-Manila lot attracts three buyers

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

T

HE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and two more firms expressed interest in acquiring the Paco-Manila property of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm) Corp. for P527 million via a negotiated process.

The state firm said late Wednesday that Meralco, Simon Agribusiness and Philman Corporate Distribution Corp. attended the prenegotiation conference for the third round of negotiated sale process for its Paco-Manila property.

This activity ensured that the interested parties are well-acquainted with the refinements of the sale provisions, including the requirements and the process involved in Psalm’s negotiated sale process.

The property is located in Isla de Provisor, Manila. It consists of eight lots with an indicative area of 20,975 square meters. Its minimum offer price (MOP) is set at P527,087,552.

The offer submission deadline for this asset is scheduled on August 31 at 1:00 p.m.

“We are very optimistic that we can privatize this property very soon. We will continue to try to sell

this asset because we need to use the proceeds for payment of Psalm’s financial obligations,” Psalm CEO Irene Besido-Garcia, President and CEO said.

The state firm earlier released a bid invite for the third round of negotiated sale process. It is soliciting offers for the property that used to be the site of the decommissioned Manila Thermal Power Plant.

Proceeds from the sales of all Psalm assets are utilized to settle maturing obligations and minimize the state firm’s borrowings.

Section 49 of the EPIRA created the PSALM Corp.

Psalm, a government-owned and -controlled corporation, was created with the passage of Republic Act 9136, otherwise known as “Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001,” or Epira, to take ownership of all existing generation assets, liabilities, independent power producer contracts, real estate and all other disposable assets of the National Power Corp.

By operation of law, Psalm has become a successor-in-interest of Napocor, and to manage the orderly sale, disposition and privatization of these assets with the objective of liquidating all the financial obligations and stranded contract costs of Napocor.

Unionbank taps India firm for SaaS platform

This photo courtesy of Unionbank shows a façade of its building.

U

NION Bank of the Philippines (Unionbank) announced last August 3 that it tapped a unit of a subsidiary of Infosys Ltd. as it plans to migrate over 8 million customer bank accounts from an on-premise deployment to the Finacle-brand digital banking solution suite on cloud.

“This transition to the new software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform will enable Unionbank to scale both its retail and corporate banking operations, rapidly develop and deploy new capabilities, and deliver frictionless, personalized and secure digital banking services to its customers, in a cost-efficient manner,” a statement by the bank said.

“Even as our customers shift and readjust how they bank in these challenging times, it is our continuous endeavor to provide them with a world class customer experience,” Unionbank Senior Executive Vice President Henry Rhoel R. Aguda was quoted in the statement as saying. “Unlike banks with decades-old legacy systems, Unionbank has invested early in flexible, open systems.”

Aguda, who is also the bank’s chief technology, operations and transformation officer, added that

the move from an on-premise to the cloud-based digital banking solution suite of Infosys Finacle “is the next strategic step in that direction, that will set us up for success long into the future.”

Infosys Finacle is part of EdgeVerve Systems Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Infosys.

According to Aguda, the suite covers customer onboarding, deposits, loans, payments and trade finance business areas, which will enable Unionbank to standardize business processes, simplify enterprise architecture and offer tailored services.

He further said that with this upgrade and cloud-based deployment model, the bank will be able to benefit from a secure, scalable, and flexible information technology infrastructure.

It will also help the bank to significantly lower total cost of operations, while speeding up innovation and time-to-market for new initiatives.

“We are investing in this new platform to gain exponential benefits in reducing costs, increasing efficiency and ultimately, delivering a worldclass digital customer experience,” Aguda said.

BusinessMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Friday, August 13, 2021

BSP allows FX transactions for e-Commerce operators

T

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) liberalized foreign exchange (FX) regulations anew to accommodate new trends in the local economy.

In a statement late Wednesday, the Central Bank said its monetary board has approved further amendments to FX regulations to promote greater ease in the use of FX resources of the banking system and further simplify procedures and documentary requirements for these transactions.

One of the major salient points of the amendments is that the sale of FX by banks without prior BSP approval for electronic commerce

(e-commerce) market participants are now allowed.

The BSP said this is to support digital payments and electronic transactions in the country.

More Filipinos continued to shift towards digital banking due largely to the movement and operational restrictions brought about by the government’s efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

In June, the BSP reported that financial transactions through the

country’s two automated clearing houses—PESONet and InstaPay— were higher by 276 percent in volume and 127 percent in value in April, compared to the figures recorded during the same month in 2020.

Among the other amendments in FX regulations include allowing FX derivatives transactions to be entered into by non-bank government entities without prior BSP approval and the use of peso receipts relating to trade transactions to fund peso deposit accounts of non-residents.

The amendments also provide for the sale of FX by banks without prior BSP approval for FX transactions involving the offsetting of payables with receivables between and/or among residents for various FX transactions and residents with non-residents for their trade and non-trade current account transactions. Likewise, monetary authorities allows transactions involving living allowance and/or medical ex-

penses of dependents abroad, among other non-trade current account transactions.

Other amendments also provide for the sale of FX by banks without prior BSP approval for FX transactions for the Importation of goods with services covered by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts and the payment of fees prior to registration provided that the foreign loans are duly reported to the BSP. “These reforms are part of the BSP’s commitment to maintain an FX regulatory framework that is responsive to the needs of a dynamic and expanding Philippine economy,” the BSP said in a statement.

“However, the BSP expects banks to continue to implement safe and sound practices amid the continuing liberalization of FX rules,” it added.

The implementing Circular will take effect 15 banking days after its publication.

SSS issues advisory on branch servicing during ECQ

T

HE Social Security System (SSS) advises its members, pensioners, covered employers and the transacting public that various servicing guidelines are being implemented in its branches based on the quarantine classification in their respective areas.

For branches under enhanced community quarantine, the servicing guidelines are as follows: n All transactions, except for mandatory online transactions, must be coursed through the nocontact drop-box system. n Open for no-contact drop-box system transactions from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For branches under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ): n All transactions—except for mandatory online transactions— must have a corresponding appointment with the branch or be done

through dropbox. n Walk-in transactions are limited only to pickup of Unified MultiPurpose Identification (Umid) cards or subsequent educational loan checks; compliance to the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners Program (Acop) for those with suspended pensions; and payment of contributions and loans. n For select branches, the Number Coding System will be implemented for walk-in transactions. n Open for transactions from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For branches under general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine: n All transactions—except for mandatory online transactions— will be accepted over the counter. n For selected branches, the Number Coding System will be implemented. n Walk-in transactions for

Big value in small doses

W

HEN relating to existing and prospective members, many associations still fall into the trap of communicating value by enumerating their knowledge content, products, and features instead of highlighting what members value more: solving problems, advancing careers or the industry, or linking them up with their peers and their markets. The pandemic has amplified these needs from members.

I recently chanced upon a podcast

by Mike Morrison of the Membership Guys, a UK-based resource and advice provider on growing a successful membership business. Mike mentioned four quick and almost effortless wins which I have contextualized based on my experience on associations here in our country. I gave these four quick wins an acronym: “HOPE.” 1. Help members find solutions to specific needs and problems such as providing information on current events and trends that may affect them, or giving advice or referral on

Association World Octavio Peralta speaker sourcing requests, website improvement, or on office software and technologies in, for example, bookkeeping, member engagement, video conferencing, etc. These tools and tips, while simple, are valuable to members who will remember your association as a “go-to” problemsolving organization.

2. Open up opportunities for members to be visible and to contribute their talent and expertise such as being interviewed and featured in the association’s online and printed publications, speaking at events, writing articles and blogs, volunteering for a project, etc. These platforms, already set up and available in the association, can serve well the members’ wish or expectation to make them-

branches implementing the Number Coding System are limited to the payment of contributions and loans; compliance to Social Security (SS) number applications filed through the SSS website/SSS Mobile App for those who did not upload their supporting documents online; pickup of Umid card; presentation of supporting documents to support claim application; use of E-Center facilities for those who have no computer or internet at home; and other justifiable reasons.

Service hours are subject to change depending on the applicable curfew set by local government units, the SSS said.

Prescribed transaction days of members and employers to branches implementing the Number Coding System are based on the 10th digit of their SS or Employer (ER) ID number. These are as follows: Monday for numbers 1 and 2; Tuesday for 3 and

4;Wednesday for 5 and 6; Thursday for 7 and 8; and Friday for 9 and 0.

For Funeral or Death Benefit Claim applications, the basis for the prescribed transaction day will be the 10th digit of the SS ID number of the deceased SSS member. However, if the prescribed transaction day falls on a holiday, the member, claimant, or employer may transact with the SSS on the next working day. In case of system downtime, the SSS will set an appointment with those who were in line, or they may wait until the system is once again operational.

The SSS solicits its stakeholders’ cooperation and understanding to the said measures, which are aligned with IATF’s Omnibus Guidelines and resolutions. These measures aim to ensure the continuous delivery of SSS services and the safety of the transacting public and its employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

selves known to a broader audience.

3. Provide members with early access, priority and/or preferential rates to the association’s publications and program launches, and other activities. These small gestures serve the members’ desire for a “sense of exclusivity” which will be appreciated and valued.

4. Encourage and empower members to connect and link with other people such as colleagues, experts and mentors, and organizations like sponsors, grant givers and service providers. This connector role of the association is an intangible value to members who, by themselves, may not be able to undertake such linkages and networking.

In the end, it pays that an association knows its members very well and keeps a robust member database to be able to serve their needs and aspirations, whether big or small.

One initiative that my organization, the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, is aiming to do during this pandemic is to be able to know better its mem-

bers and understand their present situation. We organize virtual listening sessions where the secretariat staff meets with members to hear them out and learn from them their needs, ideas and pain points, if any.

Through these interactions and exchanges, the PCAAE believes that it can serve its members well, now and in the future.

These small doses of service that an association is able to provide its members will go a long and big way for them to appreciate their membership in the association.

The column contributor, Octavio ‘Bobby’ Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific, Founder & CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives and President of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations. The purpose of PCAAE— the “association of associations”—is to advance the association management profession and to make associations well-governed and sustainable.

PCAAE enjoys the support of Adfiap, the Tourism Promotions Board, and the Philippine International Convention Center. E-mail: obp@adfiap.org.

Fine art lending thrives thanks to hedge funds’ insatiable appetite for yield

T

HE credit market’s insatiable appetite for yield is making it easier for art collectors to turn their prized possessions into a piggy bank.

With interest rates near zero and asset prices continuing to break records, lenders say they’re seeing more interest from wealthy art buyers who

are willing to pledge paintings as collateral in exchange for cash that they can sink into other investments.

And increasingly, hedge funds are eager to buy packages of art-backed loans with yields in the range of 8 percent, according to Freya Stewart, chief executive officer of specialty lender The Fine Art Group, which

B3

lends against pieces by contemporary artists such as David Hockney or Peter Doig. There is a “huge amount of appetite” from investors for debt products backed by art, Stewart said.

“The big credit funds out there have got a lot of capital that they need to invest.” Fine-art lending is a small, but fast-growing niche of the credit

world that shows the rise of alternative investing and the willingness of hedge funds to hunt returns in all corners of the world. The industry proved popular during the depths of the pandemic as ultra-wealthy individuals tapped art collections as a source of cash when other assets were frozen or plunging in value.

Bank of America Corp. said its art-lending business grew by about 15 percent year over year at the end of June, representing an increase of $1.1 billion. Sotheby’s financial services division has seen its loan book increase by almost 50 percent since 2018 and originated more than $2.5 billion of loans since then.

“We saw a pretty good year in terms of growth in the art book for clients who were creating liquidity to take advantage of the volatility that was created by the pandemic,” according to Cynthia Sachs, a managing director at alternative lending platform Yieldstreet, which makes loans and packages them for investors. Bloomberg News

B4

Friday, August 13, 2021 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

Relationships BusinessMirror

Dr. Derma and why our real lives matter more PHOTO BY ERIK MCLEAN ON UNSPLASH

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

z

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Shani Davis, 39; Debi Mazar, 57; John Slattery, 59; Dawnn Lewis, 60.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Pay attention, and you’ll be able to take advantage of unique opportunities. Be open with friends, relatives or your lover, and make plans that will help you create a mutually beneficial connection that is geared toward a healthier future. Refuse to let outsiders interfere with your plans or meaningful relationships.

Stick to what’s tried and true. Your numbers are 5, 17, 22, 24, 33, 36, 43.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Distance yourself from anyone who stifles you. Focus on what’s important to you and the changes you can make if you put more effort into your plans. Have confidence in who you are and what you have to offer.

HHH

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Uncertainty will lead to inconsistency. Evaluate the past and present, and rely on your experience to help you put your energy where it will bring the highest return. Discuss your options with someone near and dear to you. HHH

A

FEW days ago, on one of those rare weekday downtimes, I was watching a Bewitched rerun on cable TV. A sitcom I relished as a young child in the 1970s, Bewitched is about a young witch named Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) who is married to advertising copywriter Darrin Stephens (Dick York), a mortal. Samantha promises to limit using her magical powers as Darrin wants to live as “normal” a life as possible. (Back in those days, “normal” meant husbands went to work while wives stayed home to cook their husband’s meals and clean the house.)

In that particular episode, Darrin was asked by his boss, Larry Tate, to prepare an advertising poster for a store’s Halloween promo. In the poster, Darrin draws the stereotypical witch as an ugly old hag, with a wart on her nose and a pointy black hat. Not surprisingly, Samantha is mortified and complains to Darrin that witches would be insulted by such an ugly depiction.

Come on, Darrin, just take a look at your blond and beautiful wife.

Darrin tries to convince Mr. Tate to drop the old hag treatment for witches for a more physically attractive depiction. The latter is unconvinced and Darrin is kicked off the campaign when he refuses to go along with Mr. Tate wants. I’ll spare you the rest of the story but suffice to say that in the end, Mr. Tate comes around to Darrin’s view, thanks to the supernatural visit of Samantha and her witch-aunts in Mr. Tat’s dreams.

I recall the episode with amusement as I read through the many comments and numerous criticisms heaped on a new ad by this popular dermatologist. I saw the ad, which had a young woman seated on a sofa, slowly gaining weight, then sporting a unibrow and a mustache, zits popping up on her face, as she watched pandemic news on her TV. The ad ends with her answering a video call on her laptop, as a friend asks how she is: “Anong nangyari?

[What happened?]”

The ad tried to be light and comedic, I suppose, but it was hardly groundbreaking and clever in execution, which are the things that many had come to expect from the advertising agency that created it. On one hand, it was probably what the agency was aiming

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A change in how or where you work will be met with pros and cons.

Consider your options, and decide to do what makes you feel happy and healthy. Choose to follow the path that honors your integrity and encourages growth.

HHHHH

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Step back if someone pressures you to invest in something unfamiliar or risky. Ask trusted allies, relatives or an expert before you jump into something that can eat your savings or lead you down the wrong path. When in doubt, say no. HH

for—an ad that would grate on the nerves of people so much, they would keep talking about it and their client. Good news or bad news, it’s still publicity, right?

Maybe it was meant to spark a conversation about real beauty, as it now has. Or, on the other hand, am I giving the creators too much credit, considering who their client is?

But let’s face it, ladies—and yes, gentlemen too.

Many of us put a premium of good looks and physical assets when sizing up other people, whether it be in social circles or the workplace. Even friends or relatives whom we haven’t seen for a long time, we usually greet with, “Uy tumaba ka! Looking prosperous ha!” Or “Parang pumayat ka, ate? May sakit ka ba?”

(The annoying custom is particular to Filipinos; I have never been on the receiving end of that kind of greeting from friends of other nationalities.)

We trade on looks mainly because this is the first thing we see—the physical appearance of others.

Judgements are immediately formed based on how we perceive others: a fat man is thought of as lazy and won’t probably be a good asset to the office team; a slender woman is energetic and will probably make that sale with the client.

These perceptions and judgements about a person’s character based on looks have been formed through years of watching movies or cartoons,

reading comic books, and these are reinforced by product advertising—yes, much like Dr. Derma’s ad.

So sure, Dr. Derma wants to blame the pandemic as the reason many women “let themselves go.” I cop to eating more sweets than before, not exercising as the many lockdowns have kept me from my regular walks, and letting my hair go longer and white. I’m too busy moving on from one Zoom news conference to another to actually care if I’ve been on a healthy diet.

Similarly, others who are working from home may have children to take care of and are trying to find ways to entertain their kids while rushing to finish a hundred and one projects for the office. It can be quite a challenge, and the only measure of comfort can be a tub of potato chips or ice cream.

Others have totally lost their jobs, and have gone back to living with their senior parents or other relatives. They scrape by, selling whatever products online or taking on odd work here and there. Putting on lipstick and tweezing the eyebrows are the farthest things from their mind.

So excuse us for focusing more on what matters most during this pandemic—family, earning a living, trying to protect ourselves from the virus, and keeping ourselves sane. We can’t go traipsing around Paris with family and alalays in tow, with the only concern being to make sure everyone’s passport is safe in our handbag. Too bad, our real lives suck, huh? n

Commitment to conservation continues THE push for a sustainable future continues, and the young people of the National Youth Council are at the front of the charge.

The NYC is the youth arm of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Philippines. Supporting the organization’s conservation advocacy, the NYC works closely with the youth in developing their environmental consciousness.

The WWF-Philippines recently welcomed the latest batch of NYC members into its fold. Young environmental champions from across the country have joined the Panda family as spokespersons for

the planet.

Now on its third batch, the NYC continues with its mission of inspiring young people, as an all-new set of environmental leaders take to the helm of conservation.

Brilliant students and enterprising fresh graduates alike make up the third batch of the NYC. High school student Ganden Medved-Po joins University students Emmanuel Mirus Ponon and Roana Mae Caguliodo.

Graduate of BS Chemical Engineering Justin Richmond Domingo and European Studies Major in International Relations Giselle Lapid also join the

team. Reprising their roles in the NYC, meanwhile, are Romina Lim and Gab Mejia. A marine scientist, Romina advocates for the protection of our seas, while National Geographic explorer Gab uses photography and the storytelling arts to move people towards caring for the planet.

Recent years have seen the youth raising their voices and taking to bigger stages with their calls to protect the planet. At protests and forums, they have demanded world leaders to take better care of the Earth, while inspiring others to do otherwise with their leadership and their day-to-day lives.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Work in conjunction with people who share your objective and concerns. You’ll accomplish more if you are open to suggestions and sharing the work and the benefits that unfold. A relationship with a friend or lover will be enlightening. HHHH

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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take an energetic approach to life. Participate in challenges that require physical and mental agility, and play to win. Pay attention to detail, and you’ll find an obscure way to be competitive and aweinspiring to an onlooker. HHH

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Make plans to socialize with people who spark your imagination and, open your mind to new and exciting options. Look at change as growth, and you’ll learn something that will help you adjust to the modifications going on around you. Embrace life. HHH

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Think before you act. If you set unrealistic expectations, disappointment will follow. Ask for help if you need it, and you’ll be surprised by a response you receive from someone you least expect. Charm will go a long way in professional situations. HHH

i j

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Ask questions, and verify the information you receive. Look for opportunities that will help you save money. Keep your wits about you if someone suggests something unrealistic. HHHH

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Control your emotions when dealing with money, health or contractual matters. If you overreact or take on too much, it will be difficult to reverse the consequences. Avoid joint ventures to ensure you maintain control. Physical improvements will pay off. HH

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll have a healthy attitude and an open mind. What you discover will help you handle your finances better and improve a meaningful relationship. Take a unique approach when it comes to pleasing someone you love. A surprise will be rewarding. HHHHH

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Dig in and get things done. What you achieve will leave a lasting impression on someone you deem special. Let your intentions be known, and you’ll be able to make plans that will result in a positive lifestyle change. HHHHH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are friendly, enthusiastic and generous.

You are spontaneous and impressive.

‘uppercut’ BY LINDSEY HOBBS The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Get-together, slangily 5 Studied (up) 10 Santa ___ Beach Boardwalk 14 “That’s hilarious!”

15 Winning slightly 16 Vacuum extension 17 Name hidden in “hypnotist” 18 Heart-to-hearts 20 Salon request that hints at the letters to write (or imagine) above the starred clues’ answers 22 Safe job, say?

23 Android alternative 24 Keys in 26 Makes an offer 28 Looking at 32 Lead-in to “back” or “foot” 35 High beams display?

38 Orangutan, for one 39 With 59-Across, another themeappropriate salon request 41 Spanish shout of support 42 Situation that’s really out of control 44 Word after “life” or “time”

45 Gymnastics moves requiring flexible legs 46 Huff and puff 49 The “N” of TNT 52 Afternoon refresher 56 Apple desktops 59 See 39-Across 61 One who searches for bugs 63 Marshmallowy Easter treat 64 Privy to 65 Connect with 66 It might be lesser or necessary 67 Grand totals 68 Twenty-fifths of quarters 69 Refute DOWN 1 Japanese paper screen 2 Put in the microwave, say 3 ___ kebab 4 “No question!”

5 Shared a border with 6 Abbr. next to 0, on an old phone 7 Tag player’s words 8 Them, to us 9 Metaphorical lightbulb

0 Gruyere and gorgonzola 1 11 Indian flatbread 12 Deceptive schemes 13 Shavings in marmalade 19 “___ here!” (“Our guests have arrived!”)

21 Young Skywalker’s nickname 25 Banana “wrapper” 27 Moved on ice 29 All-day breakfast spot 30 Crescent City, for short 31 Pioneering journalist Ifill 32 Some are checked at airports 33 Each 34 “It’s been ___!”

36 Put away some groceries?

37 Train destination 39 Sculptor or singer 40 At sea 43 Low-tech mobile phones?

44 Brewed, as tea 47 Houston baseball players 48 Medical research org.

50 Word War II riveter 51 Time and again

53 12 Years a Slave director McQueen 54 Front-wheel alignment 55 Exert 56 Sacred bird of Egypt 57 It may be written daily on a chalkboard 58 Bit of matter 60 Boba ___ of Star Wars 62 “...you get the picture”: Abbr.

Solution to today’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Justin Bieber leads nominees for 2021 MTV Video Music Awards NEW YORK—Justin Bieber leads this year’s list of nominees at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, followed closely

by Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, BTS, Doja Cat, Drake, Giveon, Lil Nas X and first-time nominee Olivia Rodrigo.

Bieber has seven nods, including video of the year and best direction for “POPSTAR,” artist of the year, best cinematography for “Holy” and best pop song, best editing and best collaboration for “Peaches.”

Megan Thee Stallion is right behind with six nominations, mostly from her hit song “WAP,” triggering nods for video of the year, artist of the year, best collaboration and best hip-hop song. She also was nominated for a second time in the best hip-hop song category for her work on Lil Baby’s “On Me [The Remix].”

Eilish, BTS, Doja Cat, Drake, Giveon, Lil Nas X and Rodrigo each have five nominations. Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion will compete with Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift for artist of the year.

The video of the year category is filled by “WAP” by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion; “POPSTAR” by DJ Khaled featuring Drake and Bieber; “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat featuring SZA; Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits;” Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO [Call Me By Your Name];” and The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears.”

“WAP” is also up for song of the year, alongside “Mood” by 24kGoldn featuring iann dior; “Leave The Door Open” by Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak and Silk Sonic; “Dynamite” by BTS; Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and Rodrigo’s “drivers license.”

The 2021 VMAs will return to New York City, airing from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on September 12. The show will simulcast across CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, VH1 and The CW Network.

The best new artist nominees are: 24kGoldn, Giveon, The Kid LAROI, Olivia Rodrigo, Polo G and Saweetie. Best rock song nominees are Evanescence’s “Use My Voice,” Foo Fighters’ “Shame Shame,” John Mayer’s “Last Train Home,” The Killers’ “My Own Soul’s Warning,” Kings Of Leon’s “The Bandit” and Lenny Kravitz’s “Raise Vibration.” AP

JULIE ANNE SAN JOSE IN MOMENTOUS MUSICAL TRILOGY

MULTIHYPHENATE star Julie Anne San Jose takes her fans to an extraordinary musical journey in Limitless: A Musical Trilogy, which premieres on September 17 with tickets now available. The three-part musical journey is set to unveil the different facets of Julie as a singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and multi-instrumentalist. But the biggest revelation comes to Julie as she searches for new inspiration in this journey of discovery that takes her to unexpected locations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Tickets can be purchased via www.gmanetwork.com/ synergy. They are priced at P599 (General Admission), P1,499 (Synergy Pass GA), P1,199 (VIP) and P3,299 (Synergy Pass VIP). A special merchandise awaits ticket buyers of the VIP and Synergy Pass VIP. “When I learned about the concept of Limitless, it really got me excited. So far, preparing for it is already a breathtaking experience. It makes me feel more inspired with living life. I think this will definitely be one for the books, and food for the soul,” Julie said.

The award-winning actress and singer made headlines recently after she was featured on a digital billboard in iconic Times Square, New York City. The billboard was for Spotify’s EQUAL campaign, which encourages users to listen to amazing women all around the world. The Limitless star previously landed on the digital cover of Spotify’s EQUAL playlist for the Philippines with her song “Free,” which took the No. 2 spot on iTunes Philippines Chart just a few hours after its official release.

A versatile artist, Julie is one of the hosts of GMA’s toprating program All-Out Sundays. She is also set to return with Rayver Cruz as Clash Masters in the all-original musical competition The Clash. She bannered the GMA romcom series Heartful Café opposite David Licauco, and will soon be starring on an online video streaming platform’s musical series Still alongside Christian Bautista.

“We have always been amazed and proud of how multitalented Julie is,” said GMA Regional TV and Synergy first vice president and head Oliver Amoroso. “We have been a witness to her powerful stage performance during GMA Synergy’s highly-successful Kapuso Concerts series The Sweetheart and the Balladeer as well as 3 Stars, 1 Heart.

And she continues to surprise us over the years. Limitless is set to unleash Julie’s musical prowess that we have never seen before and we cannot wait for her fans here and abroad to be part of this new musical experience which begins on September 17,” he added.

Directed by Paolo Valenciano, Limitless: A Musical Trilogy is produced by GMA Synergy. The team is behind the Philippines’s first-ever virtual reality concert, Alden’s Reality: The Virtual Reality Concert, which was staged last December. The concert’s TV airing is a finalist at the New York Festivals Awards.

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Friday, August 13, 2021

B5

Acting in ‘Tennessee Williams’s Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh’

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N February 1983, Tennessee Williams flew off alone to London, Rome and Italy. A week after, he was back in New York. In that month, a company was doing a revival of Williams’s play, Vieux Carre. The play, according to Williams’s biographer John Lahr, is a “reimagining of the playwright’s life in a boarding house in New Orleans, where his literary adventure and his sexual comingof-age had begun.” It was not reviewed during its run.

When asked about this, Tennessee Williams said, “I’ve gone from good reviews to bad reviews, to no reviews.”

This was the same playwright whose play The Glass Menagerie opened on March 31, 1945, on Broadway and promptly shocked the world. Lahr, again in his biography Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh, wrote: “When the final curtain came down on the Broadway opening of The Glass Menagerie, the audience knew that some kind of theater history had been made.”

To Arthur Miller, a young playwright then, The Glass Menagerie was a revolution in New York theater, with the play “lifting lyricism to its highest level in our theater’s history.”

Playing Amanda, the legendary Laurette Taylor was “reborn as a legend in her time.” It took Eddie Dowling, the actor playing “Tom” and also the play’s co-director, to convince everyone, including Taylor, that she was Amanda. “Hibernating with a gin bottle for 12 years,” Taylor had the reputation of alcoholics’ alcoholic. Williams did not like her the first time he heard her read the role. But Dowling insisted Taylor would be different on stage.

The actress was returning to stage after a hiatus that had stretched for years. It is written in Lahr’s biography how a bucket had been placed in the wings for Taylor who, after every scene, would lean over the container and retch. Long before the play closed, Taylor had already been compared to legends of legends in theater like Eleanora Duse and Sarah Bernhardt.

The Glass Menagerie would win the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best play of the year.

For Lahr, “Williams made characters so large that they became part of American folklore. Blanche, Stanley, Big Daddy, Brick, Amanda and Laura transcend their stories—sensational ghosts who haunt us through the ages with their fierce, flawed lives. Williams allowed words to live like anthems in

national imagination: “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”; Sometimes—there’s God—so quickly;” “Nowadays the world is lit by lightning....”

After Amanda, there was no stopping Tennessee Williams as he gave us a procession of terrific, terrible women. In 1947, he gave us Blanche Dubois. The play was Streetcar Named Desire, its title breathtakingly unforgettable.

With Streetcar though, Williams would introduce us also a man hogging the conflict and wielding the central force of the story. Blanche Dubois would not be alone; standing with her was Stanley Kowalski. And with Stanley was this actor named Marlon Brando.

In Lahr’s biography, the staging of this intense play would be as tortuous and tortured as the life of the playwright now in the middle of his most tempestuous relationship with Pancho Rodriguez, Williams’s lover.

Kazan, the man who would eventually direct Streetcar, is quoted in the Lahr bio saying: “If Tennessee was Blanche, Pancho was Stanley.” Kazan continued: “Wasn’t he [Williams] attracted to the Stanleys of the world? Sailors? Rough trade? Danger itself?”

Elia Kazan, a cofounder of Actors Studio, who would go on to become one of the greatest filmmakers from Hollywood. Williams thought of no one else to direct his Streetcar after seeing the work of Kazan in Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Reading Lahr, it seemed having Jessica Tandy perform for the first time Blanche was easy. The group, which included Williams and Kazan, all went to watch Tandy perform what Lahr called “Williams’s first sketch of a doomed hysteric, Miss Lucretia Collins, in his one-act Portrait of a Madonna.

But who would be Stanley? It is said that Irene Selznick, the producer, released to the press the news that John Garfield, “one of the few sexy Hollywood stars with a proletariat pedigree, had signed on to play Stanley.” But Garfield would prove to be difficult, with so many conditions, that the production eventually gave up on him. Interestingly enough, Garfield is still considered by many as preceding actors using Method, and this would include James Dean, Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando.

After Garfield, it was Brando’s name that was wired to the producer. The 23-year-old actor was then asked to travel to where Williams was. The actor arrived in the middle of a heated lovers’ quarrel between Pancho and Tennessee, but Brando would bowl them over. To Williams, following Lahr, Brando was a “spectacle of both beauty and prowess.”

Kazan tried to probe the acting approach of Brando: “He didn’t look at you, and he hardly acknowledged what you were saying. He was tuned in to you without listening to you intellectually or mentally. It was a mysterious process.”

Good acting, we would discover, would not always be received well by, well, other actors. In Lahr’s words: Marlon Brando’s characterization of Stanley was so strong that it threatened to overpower Tandy and

throw the play off kilter.” Tandy would complain about this to Kazan.

Gore Vidal would put things succinctly: “In 1947, when Marlon Brando appeared onstage in a torn sweaty T-shirt, there was an earthquake.”

There are more interesting insights in this thick biography—700-plus words including an index. For months, I swam through this deep, dangerous and marvelous ocean of narratives where Williams’s mind, to borrow the lines from Elizabeth Ashley, the playwright’s definitive Maggie of The Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, “went into the taboos of the heart and let us know that we don’t have to carve out of our souls the innocence and the madness.” n

The TV serial gets a makeover KEANN JOHNSON (left) and Adrian Lindayag in Love Beneath the Stars.

PERKY, wholesome and unashamedly earnest, last year’s Metro Manila Filmfest entry The Boy Foretold

by The Stars is something of a landmark in local LGBTQ cinema. A high-school romance with a nod to Korean and Thai romcoms that dominated the early 2000s, it ticks all the boxes of the genre. Except that the central character, Dominic (Adrian Lindayag), is an effeminate gay who, with the prodding of a manghuhula, is on the lookout for three signs to find his soulmate. Of course, a lot of things, some funny but many touching moments, happen before he happily ends up with his “real” love, Luke (Keann Johnson), and just like that, an alternative gay narrative is written. One that doesn’t end in inevitable heartbreak and suffering, or one involving a macho dancer in some seedy gigolo bar.

Directed by Dolly Dulu, this is mainstream cinema with mass appeal. It may be “disguised” as a film under the BL genre but just like any other romantic comedy, The Boy Foretold by the Stars is warm, reassuring and relatable to a whole generation of viewers.

Now, Dreamscape Entertainment seeks to recapture this lightning in a bottle to a sequel series.

Titled Love Beneath the Stars, the series betrays little of what it promises to be. It looks and feels like a BL series, packed with the tropes of the genre. That also

happens to be why it stands out and works rather well as the local BL genre is now muddled by movies and series featuring extreme drama and even softcore porn that something like Love Beneath The Stars, following the real BL formula, sticks out like a sore thumb.

In Love Beneath The Stars, Dominic and Luke’s love story continues as they are now officially senior high school students and, more importantly, officially they are a couple. Things start out fine but Dominic’s deepening friendship with a schoolmate will cause tension. Then there’s the meddling school officials who are gagged by the fact that Duke (that’s a mashup of “Dominic” and “Luke” for you) shared a kiss in the graduation ball of their all-boys, ultra-conservative school. But there’s more trouble as Dominic’s parents do not like their son having a boyfriend because of the shame it brings to the family.

Watching the first episode of the series, one would admire the creatives behind it as they do not simply

recycle the plot of the movie into some expanded serial. While keeping the world of the story, they also reach beyond into new themes, all the while keeping intact its young, Gen Z, BL genre intact.

Love Beneath The Stars is not seeking to reinvent the wheel of BL or young romance in entertainment.

What it should be commended for is how it uses the genre to touch on themes some other shows would have fled from. It isn’t playing it safe so much as using a safe style to delve into more complex territory.

Teenage life is by nature always going to feel more melodramatic.

Nowadays, the mantra of love wins is everywhere and we are constantly being told that love is everything and that one should always fight for it, but what’s most poignant about this series is that even in these seemingly more progressive times, being yourself rarely feels easy or safe.

Love Beneath the Stars is being streamed on premium iWantTFC in the Philippines and worldwide.

B6 Friday, August 13, 2021

Promote PH culture through public service values – CSC

Kimberly-Clark donates face masks and Huggies Dry Pants to Taal evacuees

Batangas volunteers receives boxes of Kleenex 3D KF94 Face Masks and Huggies Dry Pants to be distributed to Taal evacuees

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N response to the threats of the Taal eruption and the ongoing pandemic, Kimberly-Clark Philippines has donated thousands of essential items, including masks and diapers, to the province of Batangas.

The donated products will help the remaining active evacuation center in Talisay, Batangas and future relief operations in the city where the active Taal volcano is located. This has been a consistent effort from Kimberly-Clark Philippines who also extended its hand during the eruption of the Taal Volcano in 2020.

The donation, consisting of 10,000 pieces of Kleenex 3D KF94 Face Masks and 10,000 pieces of Huggies Dry Pants, aims to support thousands of families

in Batangas including 1,200 families in the evacuation sites, and over 2,000 families outside of the evacuation site.

This was turned over by Kimberly-Clark Philippines Managing Director Lim Yu Chien and Marketing Director Brian Duruin during a turnover ceremony last August 6, 2021.

“For nearly 150 years, KimberlyClark has been on a mission to provide essentials for a better life, and this is especially critical when calamities hit communities and immediate support is required,” shared Lim. “We understand that unfavorable situations happen at the most unexpected times, and we at Kimberly-Clark Philippines salute Batangas’ prompt action regarding this situation, and we are humbled

and honored to be partners with the province.”

Governor Hermilando Mandanas of Batangas expressed his gratitude to Kimberly-Clark Philippines.

“The province of Batangas has been facing so much suffering, pain, and disasters. Amid the pandemic, we had volcanic eruption last year and even last month, and we are very grateful for Kimberly-Clark’s donation. More than the material donation, it is the sense of sharing that you have shown to serve the community that we are most grateful for.

Realizing what Kimberly-Clark’s vision is not just for the Batanguenos, but for billions of people all over the world, it is such a privilege to be the beneficiary of your company. Salamat,” Mandanas said.

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HE Civil Service Commission (CSC) called on civil servants to take part in promoting Philippine culture by exemplifying public service values.

“Pagmamahal sa Diyos at bayan at malasakit sa kapwa – these are values deeply ingrained in our culture. We can help preserve and cultivate them by practicing them in the way we, civil servants, deliver services to the public,” said CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala.

The CSC made the statement as the nation celebrates the 54th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Anniversary this August. The celebration carries the theme, “ASEAN Connection: Remembering Southeast Asia’s Culture and Heritage,” which underscores the importance of cultural heritage preservation and its role in protecting local and national identity and pride.

She added that for its part, the CSC continues to promote the core values of Patriotism, Excellence, Integrity, and Spirituality among civil servants through the Public Service Values Program or PSVP. The CSC’s Civil Service Institute, which runs the PSVP, holds several learning and development courses aimed at further enabling civil servants to manifest these public service values in the delivery of public services, as well as capacitating leaders and human resource (HR) practitioners to craft and implement Values Policy Guidelines for their respective workplaces.

ASEAN Month

THE Department of Foreign Affairs leads this year’s celebration with virtual activities, which include the Rollout of ASEAN anniversary Facebook frame and Viber/ Whatsapp stickers; Five-part webinar series dealing with pre-colonial Southeast Asia; Online ASEAN quiz; Several ASEAN Cultural and Tourism Showcase in coordination with ASEAN Embassies in Manila; and Online “Throwback ASEAN” photo competition.

ACCSM

THE CSC has continuously strengthened ties with its counterpart civil service agencies in the region through the ASEAN Cooperation on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM).

Through ACCSM, cooperation took life beyond sharing information and experiences in the conference venue toward a more sustainable partnership before and after the conference. The connection among AMS became sustained, cohesive, and more regular.

The ACCSM led efforts toward the signing of a landmark declaration elevating the civil service as a “catalyst” in achieving the ASEAN’s development goals. On the occasion of the 30th ASEAN Summit in April 2017 in Manila, Philippines, leaders of ASEAN’s 10 Member States signed the ASEAN Declaration on the Role of the Civil Service as a Catalyst for Achieving the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.

Currently among the initiatives in the ACCSM’s pipeline is Phase 2 of the project ASEAN Guidelines on Public Service Delivery, which aims to provide AMS common guiding principles for improving the quality of public service delivery. The ASEAN Guidelines, developed during Phase 1, was adopted by the Heads of Civil Service on 30 October 2020.

Phase 2 of the project is the conduct of Study Visits to China and the Republic of Korea.

SEEK Asia solidifies position as a Digital Employment Marketplace Authority with two appointments

Smart supports USAID-led Philippine Water Challenge projects, and promote cross-sectoral collaboration to address water and sanitation challenges. Registration for applicants is now open via pdrf. org/philippinewaterchallenge until September 30.

Over the next two months, individuals and organizations can submit their solutions to address the Philippines’ water supply and sanitation challenges for a chance to win a cash prize, incubation support, and coaching from water and sanitation experts to enhance their solutions.

Water-secure future for all Filipinos

WITNESSING the virtual Philippine Water Challenge launch event and MOU signing, clockwise from top left: NEDA Assistant Secretary Roderick Planta, USAID Acting Mission Director Sean Callahan, USAID Safe Water Chief of Party Alma Porciuncula, Maynilad Water Services, Inc. Senior Assistant Vice President Roel Espiritu, Manila Water Company, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Abelardo Basilio, Manila Water Company, Inc. Group Director for Corporate Operations Group Arnold Jether Mortera, and PDRF President Rene “Butch” Meily.

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HE U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), Manila Water, and Maynilad to launch the inaugural Philippine Water Challenge (PhlWC), the first-ever platform to generate water and sanitation solutions in the country. More than 700 participants from the water sector joined the virtual launch event. The PDRF is under the shared leadership of Manuel V Pangilinan, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (Prefect for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples).

PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) was among the private sector companies and organizations that sponsored the event, along with Coca-Cola Foundation, the

Embassy of Israel in the Philippines, IdeaSpace, and QBO. Smart’s support to the PhlWC is part of its groupwide commitment to the company’s #BetterWorld campaign where it champions various advocacies anchored on its long-running community partnership and corporate social responsibility programs to inspire Filipinos to create their own positive impact to society. The initiative also underscores the long-standing commitment of Smart and PLDT to help the Philippines attain the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG #6: Clear Water and Sanitation.

The PhlWC will be an annual competition that aims to identify innovative solutions that benefit both water services providers and users, identify community demonstration

THIS year, USAID is celebrating 60 years of partnership for development with the Philippines. USAID taps the power of stakeholder-led innovations to provide safe water and sanitation services to the underserved and most vulnerable, while sustainably managing water resources.

“USAID is proud to join the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, Maynilad Water Services, Inc., and the Manila Water Company as we continue working toward our shared goal of providing a water-secure future for all Filipinos,” said USAID Philippines Acting Mission Director Sean Callahan.

The state of water supply and sanitation in the Philippines remains a concern for the government. Around 12 million Filipinos do not have access to safe drinking water, and almost 10 percent of the population does not have access to sewerage systems.

National Economic and Development Authority Assistant Secretary Roderick Planta recognized the role of innovations and technologies in helping address the Philippines’ water challenges as part of its commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals targets of universal access to safe water supply and sanitation services by 2030.

Shen Tham is Chief Technology Officer, Asia.

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EEK Asia, which includes two leading brands JobStreet and JobsDB, today announced the appointment of Shen Tham as Chief Technology Officer, Asia, and Jane Cruz-Walker as Chief Marketing Officer, Asia.

Tham will be accountable for partnering across the Asia business to shape and deliver a transformed Technology strategy and capability in that region. Tham will be reporting to Lisa Tobin, Managing Director, Technology, and Peter Bithos, Chief Executive Officer, Asia.

Commenting on this appointment, Tobin said: “Shen brings really deep and relevant experience in our Asia geographies, including a deep understanding of the local technology talent market. His passion for great technology, which transforms how a business competes and goes to market, will be a fantastic addition to our team.”

Tham has over 20 years of experience in various technical and leadership positions across a large diverse domain in financial, banking, insurance, media, and digital.

Most recently, Tham held the position of Chief Technology Officer for REA Group operations in International and Asia markets.

“We are excited to have Shen joining us, as he will be a critical partner in shaping and delivering technology outcomes for our Asia business. He will augment our team with substantial experience in defining technology strategy and engaging wide range of stakeholders to make things happen, at pace,” said Bithos.

“Shen will be our gateway to our engineers and will definitely be at home engaging them directly in technical debates!” he added.

Jane Cruz-Walker is Chief Marketing Officer, Asia.

In her role as CMO, Cruz-Walker will be responsible for building and evolving the JobStreet and JobsDB brands for both the jobseekers’ and employers’ sides of the marketplace across SEEK Asia’s six markets.

She will report to Peter Bithos, CEO, Asia.

Cruz-Walker brings over 20 years of experience in Tech, Media and Telco (TMT) in both start-up and large-scale organizations within Singtel, MediaQuest and PLDT groups, where she held key leadership roles across marketing, communications, commercial business units, business development and country operations. Prior to her TMT cross-over, Cruz-Walker held marketing positions, leading FMCG brands in Colgate-Palmolive (Philippines, APAC and Latin America), San Miguel Corporation, and Magnolia-Nestle.

Commenting on her appointment, Bithos said: “In the search for our new CMO, we did a thorough regional and global search for a candidate who brings deep experience as a CMO in the TMT space, and a leader who has built brands from scratch and brought life to legacy brands.

We want someone who has experience managing large scale marketing teams across the region and interacting across large organizations, and has demonstrated experience in commercial roles as well.

Cruz-Walker brings all of this in one dynamic package.”

“And, most importantly, I am confident that Cruz-Walker will be a great leader for each and every one of our marketing team members across the region, besides bringing a unique combination of diverse cultural perspectives and global mindedness to SEEK’s transformational journey,” he added.

Sports BusinessMirror

Editor: Jun Lomibao | mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Friday, August 13, 2021

CHANGE OF PLANS

By Josef Ramos

F

ILIPINO boxing icon Manny Pacquiao tinkered with his fight plan 10 days before he faces Yordenis Ugás for the Cuban’s World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight belt on August 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 42-year-old Pacquiao immediately sought right-handed sparring partners, assuring in a virtual news conference organized by the Premier Boxing Champions on Thursday that he sees no problem adjusting his strategy on “short notice.”

“I’m not disappointed at all in what happened because my hard

work will not be wasted,” Pacquiao said. “Ugás stepped in and he’s bringing his WBA championship into the fight, which I’m excited to fight for.”

Ugás was tapped to replace Pacquiao’s original opponent, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., who underwent surgery to repair a retinal tear in his left eye on Wednesday.

Spence is a southpaw while Ugás, a Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, is an orthodox right-hander.

“I always consider myself a bipartisan boxer,” Pacquiao said.

“I am happy to face either righthanded or southpaw fighters.”

Pacquiao arrived in the US from Manila on July 5 and immediately bucked down to his training camp at Freddie Roach’s Wild

PAL tickets for Nesthy siblings

F

MANNY PACQUIAO and long-time trainer Buboy Fernandez are now shifting their fight strategy against an orthodox right-handed opponent. WENDELL ALINEA

Card Gym in Los Angeles the next day. He has trained for a lefthanded opponent since then.

“It’s no problem for me at all to switch styles,” Pacquiao said.

“I did my best in training and in preparing for this fight. I want to make sure my hard work’s not wasted.”

Pacquiao (62-7-2 win-loss-draw record with 39 knockouts) expects Ugás (26-4 with 12 knockouts) to prove himself as a deserving opponent and world champion.

“What I can say to the fans is that this is definitely not an easy fight. Ugás is a champion because they [WBA] gave him my belt,” Pacquiao said. “Now, we have to

settle it inside of the ring. I cannot take him lightly, because he’s the kind of fighter who will take advantage of that.”

Pacquiao’s long-time orthodox sparring partner, Arnold Gonzalez, has gotten the call and is expected in Los Angeles on Monday.

“The only danger for this fight is the change in stance,” Pacquiao said. “Both Spence and Ugás are aggressive fighters, which I like. We can create a lot of great action in the ring that the fans will love.”

This will be Pacquiao’s first fight since beating Keith Thurman in July 2019 via split decision also in Las Vegas.

Ugás, on the other hand, last

fought and beat American Abel Ramos via split decision last September 6 in Los Angeles. He told the same online news conference that he’s very excited to face Pacquiao.

“I’m feeling great and super excited to fight on this big stage. I’m ready to go get in the ring. I couldn’t be more excited for this fight,” Ugás said through an interpreter.”

Ugás said being a replacement fighter is nothing new to him.

“I’m used to taking fights on the last minute. It’s really nothing new to me,” he said. “Once I knew I was fighting Pacquiao, I got right back to work, because I’m always ready to fight anyone they put in front of me.”

PHL PARA ATHLETES GET ADDED BOOST

T

PETRO Gazz’s top hitter Myla Pablo foils Shannel Palec of Choco Mucho.

Petro Gazz Angels pull off 3-set win to bag 3rd place

P

ETRO Gazz, a bit startled facing a rival with a disparate starting roster, adjusted quickly and walloped Choco Mucho, 25-20, 25-18, 25-21, to clinch third place honors in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at the PCV Socio Civic and Cultural Center in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, on Thursday.

Myla Pablo sustained her crisphitting ways, firing away 14 attack points for a 16-point output while Gretchel Soltones, Seth Rodriguez and Ces Molina backed her up with seven, six and five points, respectively, that proved enough to topple a team that came into the match sans two its key players.

The fourth-seeded Angels swept their best-of-three series for third place following their four-set victory on Wednesday that saw Choco Mucho’s skipper Maddie Madayag limp out of the game due to knee injury.

“It’s all worth the sacrifices and hard work of the players and as a team—from our bubble

TOKYO’S Olympic fears give way to acceptance—to a point. AP

training then in the one month that we’ve been here. It’s a different kind of challenge—mentally and emotionally,” said Petro Gazz coach Arnold Laniog, whose wards blew a 2-1 set lead in the opener of their semifinal series with the Creamline Cool Smashers, who went on to steal Game One before winning the next to advance to the Finals.

Oliver Almadro, meanwhile, opted to keep top hitter Kat Tolentino and middle blocker Bea de Leon out of the court and fielded in his two other starters—spiker Ponggay Gaston and setter Deanna Wong—later in the third when the Angels were already on the verge of wrapping up their bronze medal effort in the country’s inaugural pro volley league.

Without its stars, Choco Mucho had to lean on Caitlyn Viray, Necole Ebuen, May Angustia, Shannel Palec and Kim Gequillana, who combined for 33 points with Gaston sneaking in two hits in her limited stint in the one-hour and 19-minute match.

B7

HE country’s six para athletes are flying to Japan for the Tokyo Paralympic Games with extra motivation and boosted psyche.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez announced on Thursday that each of the para athletes will be receiving P100,000 additional allowance, hiking to P150,000 their total allowance for the August 25 to September 6 Games.

At the same time, Ramirez asked Chef de Mission Francis Diaz to encourage his colleagues at the University of the Philippines to prepare the athletes mentally and psychologically, stressing these aspect was a proven formula for the success in the recent Tokyo Olympics.

Ramirez also told the para athletes to “enjoy your game” while in Tokyo.

“Kung nag-e-enjoy ka, mas maganda ang pulso mo,” Ramirez told the PSC’s online People Sports Conversations which was attended by the para athletes, Diaz and their coaches.

Wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan (athletics) was designated to carry the country’s colors in the opening ceremony while Ernie Gawilan (swimming) will have the same responsibility in the closing ceremony.

Also on the team are discus thrower Jeanette Aceveda, swimmer Gary Bejino, taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin and powerlifter Achelle Guion.

Ramirez said that the PSC board of commissioners didn’t hesitate to

Filipina judokas in PSC’s ‘Rise Up’

F

ILIPINA judokas will take centerstage in the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) Rise Up Shape Up web program on Saturday.

Nicole Habierto, winner of the seniors white category at the Seventh Women’s Martial Arts Festival, will grace the episode starting at 10:30 a.m. along with Marq Gabrielle Padilla, Louiza Talaue, Erin Unice Nacida and Zoey Itliong.

Padilla bagged the gold medal in the seniors colored category, while Talaue topped the cadet class and Nacida and Itliong ruled the kids division.

“The remarkable performance of these young judokas exhibit women empowerment more than ever, especially in a male-dominated field,” said PSC Oversight Commissioner for Women in Sports Celia Kiram said.

Kiram also acknowledged the

approve the additional allowances for the para athletes.

“The PSC also added travel allowances to our athletes in the Olympics because of the high cost of living in Japan,” said Ramirez, who witnessed Filipino athletes compete— highlighted by Hidilyn Diaz’s weightlifting gold medal—in the Olympics with his Chief of Staff Marc Velasco.

The para athletes thanked Ramirez and the commissioners, saying they are “happily overwhelmed with the love and care the sports agency have been giving them.”

They also vowed to bring their best game, enjoy the experience and continue to aim for a podium finish. victories of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who took home the firstever Olympic gold medal for the Philippines, and boxing silver medalist Nesthy Petecio in the Tokyo Olympics.

“Besides Hidilyn and Nesthy, we have these five young judokas showing us what girls and women can do in sports,” Kiram said. “I look forward to having more young girls and women joining sports because it is a field where women can excel as well.”

Kiram will also share a short history of judo in her K-Isport segment.

JAPANESE LEARN TO LOVE OLYMPICS T

OKYO—When the Tokyo Olympics began during a worsening pandemic in Japan, the majority of the host nation was in opposition, with Emperor Naruhito dropping the word “celebrating” from his opening declaration of welcome.

But once the Games got underway and local media switched to covering Japanese athletes’ “medal rush,” many Japanese were won over. They watched TV to cheer on Japanese athletes in an Olympics that ended Sunday with a record 58 medals for the home nation, including 27 gold.

There are still worries that Japan will pay a price for hosting these Games—recent days have seen record numbers of virus cases. But for now, among many, a sense of pride and goodwill is lingering.

“Having the games in the middle of the pandemic didn’t seem like a good idea, and I did wonder if they should be canceled,”

said Keisuke Uchisawa, 27, an office worker. But the medal haul, he said, was “very exciting and stimulating. Once the Games started, we naturally cheered the athletes and simply enjoyed watching them.”

His wife Yuki, a medical worker, worried especially about the pandemic. But she began cheering when she noticed patients at her hospital beaming as they watched the Games. “I saw the power of sports, and I thought it was wonderful,” she said. “Athletes made outstanding performances, and we wanted to cheer for them.”

The couple were recently picking out matching Olympics shirts and pandemic masks from an official goods store in downtown Tokyo.

The store, almost empty before the Games, was crowded on a recent weekday toward the end of the Olympics. Many customers appeared to be workers from the neighborhood dropping by during lunch breaks. AP

LAG carrier Philippine Airlines on Thursday said it will provide free airplane tickets from Tokyo to Manila to Cebu for Tokyo Olympics boxing silver medalist Nesthy Petecio’s three Japan-based siblings.

“The Filipina boxer has stated that her family has been her single biggest source of inspiration, and her fervent wish is for her two sisters working in Japan to fly home for good,” PAL Spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said.

Petecio is reportedly set to give a share (balato) of her winnings with her family.

“It will be our pleasure to fly Nesthy’s siblings to Manila and to Cebu. From our hearts to yours, consider your wish granted,” PAL Marketing Vice President Ria Domingo said. The Petecios are flying in next month.

PAL has earlier rewarded Petecio 60,000 Mabuhay Miles per year for life as part of the windfall of bonuses after she clinched the silver medal in women’s featherweight of boxing at the Tokyo Olympics.

Recto Mercene

PSG president: Messi ‘big asset’ commercially

P

ARIS—Lionel Messi is a “big asset” for Paris SaintGermain (PSG) from a commercial perspective, team president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said Wednesday.

The 34-year-old Argentina star joined PSG on a two-year contract with the option for a third season after leaving Barcelona and was unveiled at a news conference at Parc des Princes stadium.

“There’s a lot of positive he’s bringing to the club and you can see (it) in everything, in terms of commercial, in terms of social media, that’s amazing,” Al-Khelaifi said, sitting alongside Messi. “He is a big asset for the club.”

Al-Khelaifi said all key figures have increased in the past few days since it became clear that PSG was the frontrunner to land Messi, whose No. 30 jersey was quickly made available for sale in the team’s online store after the signing.

“You’re going to be shocked, honestly, in the numbers that we have,” he said, before joking that “I hope that Leo doesn’t ask for more salary.”

PSG has been transformed over the last decade since the influx of Qatari sovereign wealth investment linked to the emir. Once Messi’s Barcelona contract expired—and the Catalan club was unable to afford to keep him—PSG was one of the few teams that could finance a deal to sign the six-time world player of the year.

Al-Khelaifi insisted that his club complies with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play. Some flexibility has been provided in the rules due to the Covid-19 pandemic and changes are due to the system that were designed to stem losses.

“We follow the Financial Fair Play regulations from the day one that we started until the end,” he said.

“Before we do anything, basically we look with our commercial people, with financial people, with legal people so as soon as you see that we sign Leo that means we could, we had the capacity to sign him... We know that we could sign him,” Al-Khelaifi said.

Al-Khelaifi, as chairman of the European Club Association and a member of UEFA’s executive committee, is involved in the process of discussing a wider update to FFP that could allow more unchecked spending again. AP LIONEL MESSI (right) and Paris SaintGermain president Nasser Al Al-Khelaifi hold Messi’s jersey on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. AP

B8 Friday, August 13, 2021

Motoring BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Hyundai inaugurates trucks and buses dealership in Cebu H

Story by Randy S. Peregrino

YUNDAI Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai commercial vehicles (CV) in the country, recently inaugurated its dedicated dealership facility in Central Visayas, the Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu.

Operated by one of HARI’s pioneer dealers, Hyundai Cebu, Inc. (HCI), the virtual launch event also highlighted its strong commitment to expanding its CV business in the Visayas region.

Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu aims to continue helping enterprising Filipinos move their businesses further into more progressive ventures through this new milestone.

“Helping you advance your business toward the outcomes that you aim for is paramount to our mission in growing a fruitful partnership with you,” said Edward Vincent G. Onglatco, president of Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu. “You can trust that we shall treat your business in the best way we know how—by keeping your best interests at heart and delivering on our promise of partnership and service the Cebuano way…with integrity, care, and commitment.”

Located along J. De Veyra St., North Reclamation Area, Cebu

City, the new facility boasts a 2,000-square meter elegant space housing a robust line-up of Hyundai trucks and buses. It provides superior service and maintenance, and support to customers through a dependable team of professionals ready to respond. Moreover, the new dealership also presented its refreshed 3S (sales, service, spare parts) inspired by Hyundai's Global Dealership Space Identity (GDSI).

Secretary Michael Lloyd L. Dino, Presidential Assistant to the Visayas, acknowledged the two company's continuing contributions to the country's economy. “As we move forward along the path to economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we look into the future with optimism and relief that we have partners such as HARI and HCI that will uplift Visayas economy, ensuring our continued growth and sustained development in the region.”

The newly-inaugurated Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu dealership.

A powerhouse CV dealer partner in the Visayas

As one of the four pioneer dealerships of HARI, HCI has built its name on the rock-solid foundation as an automotive provider. Before it started operating as an official dealer of HARI in 2002, it has 20 solid years of experience in the auto industry to its name, which further gives credence to the dealership’s stalwart standing as a business mover in Cebu.

Hyundai Philippines

HCI’s growth within two decades as HARI's official dealership is stellar, with glowing remarks in the sales and after-sales front. HCI was awarded three times as Dealer of the Year (2007, 2008, 2009) by HARI and was honored Asia-Pacific Dealer of the Year twice (2008, 2009)

by Hyundai Motor Company.

Upon its appointment as an official Hyundai CV dealer by HARI in 2016, HCI showed robust per-

formance. Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu was bestowed three significant recognitions as Top Sales Team, Best in County Sales, and Best in Light-Medium Duty Sales by HARI in 2017. 2018 saw Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu rank 2nd in the Award of Excellence for Wholesale. In 2019, their hard work paid off once more, as they emerged a champion in Top Performance for truck sales and

Best in Over-the-counter Parts Sales, all in HARI's CV Dealer of the Year Awards.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, HCI moved to continue elevating its dealership operations at Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu by revitalizing the facility through Hyundai GDSI-inspired standards.

Fast forward to 2021, HCI has forged ahead with a refreshed facility that’s ready to help Cebu build a bold business.

“We, at HARI, congratulate the efforts of Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu for coming full circle in its aim to sustain their competitiveness in the market, as well as to remain true to Hyundai’s commitment to be a partner in every way,” expressed Ms. Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, HARI President and CEO. “With this invigorating new space, we are confident that Hyundai Trucks and Buses Cebu shall be able to continue growing lasting partnerships with entrepreneurs and movers of the economy that shall pave the way forward to progress,” Joo Yeon Lim, General Manager of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) for global exports of Hyundai Commercial Vehicles in Asia-Pacific Region and Latin America, added.

Looking ahead into the future of mobility in some of the most extraordinary years of the Philippine automotive industry, the powerhouse partnership of HMC, HARI, and HCI remains undaunted and ready to bring progressive business to life.

Ride Your Dream with Suzuki this August D

UE to popular demand, Suzuki Philippines Inc. (SPH), the country’s pioneer compact car distributor, announces the extension of its Ride Your Dream Promo that will run up until the 31st of August, 2021.

Budding Suzuki customers who were not able to avail of the promotion that

was rolled out during the month of July will have another month to take advantage of this exciting deal from Suzuki Philippines.

“One of Suzuki’s time-tested and established commitments is to continue to find ways to make the brand accessible to our existing and future client

Lexus loyalty highlighted

R

AYMOND T. Rodriguez, the Lexus Manila president, is all smiles these days. Why? Because Lexus became the highest ranked car on loyalty grading for the third straight year.

In a study by the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study, Lexus bested 12 other rivals in the premium brand category.

The results showed Lexus as the preferred brand despite customer limitations of physically going to the showroom during quarantine restrictions.

Lexus earned the highest grade of 51.6 percent.

Customer loyalty is based on the percentage of owners who choose the same brand when trading in or purchasing their next vehicle.

Earlier, Lexus topped the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) with the Lexus GX in the Midsize Premium SUV category.

The study measured the number of problems original owners had experienced from their three-year old vehicles during the past year.

The GX is a versatile SUV that features

an Adaptive Variable Suspension, a builtin smog sensor, and a seven-seater podium with a third row that can lay flat for additional cargo.

To learn more, visit lexus.com.ph, Facebook and Instagram @lexusmanila, or https://fal.cn/3eSWW.

Formula FV1

THE second Phoenix Formula V1 Virtual Cup roars off tomorrow, August 14. Round 2 is on October 2 and Round 3 November 20.

Supported by PLDT Home’s Limitless, Family Mart and Apex Sim Racing, the event will feature 14-year-old and above racers under the tutelage of Tuason Racing.

The other class is for professional esport racers in the three-stage platform that is also backed by Ribbon Arc Motorsports, Gran Turismo Philippines, Sim Racing PH, Automobile Association Of The Philippines and Seven Garage. Media partners include C!Magazine, Inquirer Mobility, Wheels Philippines, Time Attack Manila, Autodeal and Autocar Philippines.

RSA Olympics gift

SAN Miguel Corp. president Ramon S.

bases,” Mr. Keiichi, Vice President and General Manager for Automobile of Suzuki Philippines shares, “The Pandemic has encouraged our creativity in seeking avenues to explore and ways to achieve this. And so to our loyal patrons, keep on the look out for more exciting deals and promos on the horizon!”

Ang (RSA), has given P22 million to the four medalists in the just-ended Tokyo 2020 Olympics. P10 million went to weightlifting’s golden girl Hidilyn Diaz, P5 million each to boxing’s silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam and P2 million to bronze medalist Eumir Marcial.

“I’m especially grateful to Hidilyn, whom we’ve supported for several years now, for giving honor to the country by winning our very first Olympic gold medal,” said RSA, the country’s exclusive distributor of the high-end BMW. Even before the pandemic, SMC has consistently supported Philippine sports, including the 2019 Manila Southeast Asian Games, where we emerged overall champion with 149 gold medals, 117 silvers and 121 bronzes.

RSA also backed the Philippine team that won the championship, too, in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games with 112 golds, 85 silvers and 93 bronzes.

“As a longtime supporter of Philippine sports, I’m so happy for our athletes,” RSA said. “Their Olympic victories are just the beginning of more to come. We have the momentum. We can only get stronger in the succeeding Olympics.”

I believe him.

PEE STOP Kia gifted Hidilyn Diaz with the iconic Stonic—her second prized vehicle in two weeks. When it rains, it pours…The Mirage G4 will be launched on August 26 and not August 12. Cheers!