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Saturday, December 4, 2021 Vol. 17 No. 57

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PHILIPPINE troops hone their skills in gunnery, beach assault and deck landing procedure during the maritime and amphibious assault operations of military exercise AJEX DAGIT-PA. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LTJG FRANCES MAYE MACAPINIG, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, NAVAL FORCES CENTRAL

‘LOCK AND LOAD’ AFP prepares for the war of the future

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By Rene Acosta

HILE the military has already procured a modest number of state-of-the-art air, land and sea assets halfway through its 15-year modernization program, the acquired pieces of hardware at hand may not be able to fully serve their purpose in a real war situation sans troop training, proficiency and cohesion.

As declared by the Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Andres Centino, all units of the military must always strive to train as a “single force” in order to achieve a better unity of command and take stock of “synergy” in military operations.

Stages and scenarios

AS cyber warriors fight the war in cyberspace that may attempt to technologically cripple the military, the Navy ships BRP Antonio Luna (FF151) and BRP Tarlac (LD601) left South Harbor in Manila to undertake maritime and amphibious operations in the Visayas, with the target of clearing the fine beaches of Panay Island from the enemy.

Aboard the two ships were a mixture of units and equipment, including the amphibious assault vehicles of the Philippine Marine Corps.

They would soon be joined by the BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS17); BRP Waray (LC288); BRP Agta (LC290); BRP Enrique Jurado (PC371); BRP Abraham Campo (PC396); BRP Fort San Felipe (AGS700); naval helicopters; the Maritime Amphibious Ready Unit; Continued on A2

Joint exercises

AND so, for two weeks last month, the soldiers trained in all fronts and aspects of a modern war under its biggest training exercises AJEX “DAGIT-PA” or Dagat, Langit, Lupa, utilizing all of its acquired assets and armaments, including its unmanned aerial systems.

The drill, a joint exercise by the Army, Navy and Air Force, sought to enhance the military’s capability on interoperability operations by drawing up events in battlefield scenarios and letting the participants figure out how to do battle with them and achieve victory.

The war games ranged from scenarios of cyberattacks to air and sea operations and live firing to urban battle, among others.

“The regular conduct of joint training exercises or the conduct itself of joint operations certainly allows the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] to maximize its array of capabilities in any given threat situation,” Centino said.

recover from cyber attacks in order to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the AFP cyber infrastructure and systems.”

ARMED Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Andres Centino: “The regular conduct of joint training exercises or the conduct itself of joint operations certainly allows the AFP to maximize its array of capabilities in any given threat situation.” AFP

Cyber-war aspect

THE AJEX DAGIT-PA opened with a four-day cyber defense exercises, which tested the readiness and capability of the military’s cyber forces to respond and wage joint cyberspace operations.

The drill was joined by the AFP Cyber Group; AFP Communications, Electronics and Information Systems Service, and the cyber units of the major armed services.

According to Major Gen. Francisco Ariel Felicidario III, commander of the AFP Education Training and Doctrine Command and DAGIT-PA’s exercise director, the goal of the cyber exercise was to “protect, detect, respond and

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.4010

n JAPAN 0.4454 n UK 67.0888 n HK 6.4693 n CHINA 7.9027 n SINGAPORE 36.8159 n AUSTRALIA 35.7494 n EU 56.9683 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.4356

Source: BSP (December 3, 2021)

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A2 Saturday, December 4, 2021

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US defense chief slams China’s drive for hypersonic weapons

By Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung

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The Associated Press

EOUL, South Korea—America’s defense chief rebuked China on Thursday, vowing to confront its potential military threats in Asia and warning that its pursuit of hypersonic weapons intended to evade US missile defenses “increases tensions in the region.”

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s stern comments after annual security talks with South Korea, a top US ally, are a window into one of the Biden administration’s top foreign policy worries: How should Washington and its partners contain a Chinese military that is strengthening—both in sheer firepower and in confidence—as it pursues an end of American dominance in Asia?

China sees much of Asia as its natural sphere of influence.

But many in the region warn of a pattern of Chinese interference, accompanied by moves to acquire the weapons needed to dominate its rivals.

Austin’s comments were directed at China’s July test of a hypersonic weapon capable of partially orbiting Earth before reentering the atmosphere and gliding on a maneuverable path to its target.

Experts say the weapons system is clearly designed to evade US missile defenses, although China

insisted it was testing a reusable space vehicle, not a missile.

“We have concerns about the military capabilities that the PRC [People’s Republic of China] continues to pursue, and the pursuit of those capabilities increases tensions in the region,” Austin said about the hypersonic weapons test, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China, the country’s official name.

“We’ll continue to maintain the capabilities to defend and deter against a range of potential threats from the PRC to ourselves and to our allies,” he said.

The Pentagon released on Monday the results of a global posture review that calls for additional cooperation with allies to deter “potential Chinese military aggression and threats from North Korea.”

Last month, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States is also working on hypersonic weapons.

But there is worry in Washington

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, center, and South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook, second left, pose with South Korean 2nd Army Command soldiers during a ceremony of the SCM (Security Consultative Meeting) at the great parade ground in the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, December 2, 2021. Austin said Thursday that China’s pursuit of hypersonic weapons “increases tensions in the region” and vowed the US would maintain its capability to deter potential threats posed by China. AP

that it is lagging behind China and Russia in pursuing these types of weapons. Russia said Monday its navy successfully tested a prospective hypersonic cruise missile.

Hypersonic weapons, which

fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, could pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability.

But some experts argue that hypersonic weapons would add little to America’s ability to deter war and worry that they could trigger a new, destabilizing arms race.

Austin also addressed another major US worry: North Korea.

He said that he agreed with South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook that the North’s growing weapons program “is increasingly destabilizing for regional security.” Austin said the allies remain committed to a diplomatic approach to North Korea.

Suh said the two agreed on a document updating joint contingency plans in the event of a war on the peninsula to reflect changes in North Korean threats and other conditions, but didn’t elaborate on the document’s details.

North Korea’s nuclear arsenal

is believed to have grown significantly in recent years.

After a series of high-profile missile and nuclear tests in 201617, North Korea claimed to have the ability to launch nuclear strikes on the American homeland.

According to a 2018 South Korean estimate, North Korea has built up to 60 nuclear weapons.

Despite severe economic hardships related to the pandemic, North Korea has continuously rebuffed US offers to resume disarmament talks, saying Washington must first abandon its hostility.

The Biden administration maintains that international sanctions on North Korea will stay in place until the country takes concrete steps toward denuclearization.

The United States stations about 28,500 soldiers in South Korea to deter potential aggression from North Korea. During Thursday’s meeting, Austin highlighted a US commitment to maintain the

current level of US forces, according to a joint statement.

The alliance, forged during the 1950-1953 Korean War, was tested in recent years as then-President Donald Trump threatened to pull US troops out of South Korea if Seoul did not drastically increase its financial support for them.

Trump also repeatedly complained of the cost of regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.

Such concerns have eased since President Joe Biden took office in January. But the alliance still faces challenges such as Seoul’s historical disputes with Japan, another key US regional ally, and its hesitation to join US-led initiatives targeting China, its biggest trading partner.

Austin and Suh pledged to continue trilateral cooperation involving Japan. But they didn’t elaborate on how South Korea and Japan could overcome tensions stemming largely from Tokyo’s 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

‘LOCK AND LOAD’ Continued from A1

the Navy Platoon Reservists; a team from the Naval Construction Brigade; the Naval Special Operations Command; Naval Special Operations Unit-5; Fleet Training Doctrine Center; and the Naval Information and Communications Technology Station-Central.

Aircraft, including a Sikorsky helicopter, an ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) plane, FA-50 fighter jets, combat air controllers, the 710th Special Operations Wing, the Navy’s Special Boat Team and Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team also joined them.

Among others, the maritime exercise was held “in preparation for eventual realities,” while enhancing the military’s capability in performing its required and mandated task to defend the country, according to Navy Capt. Raul Regis, acting commander of the Naval

Forces Central and DAGIT-PA’s amphibious force commander.

Altogether, the units honed their skills during the first day of maritime operations that included communication, air defense, gunnery, ISR, maritime air surveillance, surface warfare and flashing exercises.

On the second day, the exercises were rehearsed, but this time, it covered other units and activities that include maritime interdiction; visit, board, search and seizure; maritime search and rescue; evacuation and deck landing procedure.

A SEAL team also simulated a rescue operation aboard a ship, which was tracked by an AgustaWestland helicopter of the Navy.

As composite forces sharpened their skills in sea-borne operations under the cover of Air Force assets and tested their interoperability operations, Army forces carried out live-fire and urban operations exercises.

The Army’s Armor Division, infantrymen and pilots from the Army’s Aviation Regiment were joined in the war exercises by troops from the Air Force and Philippine Marines.

‘Interoperability’

ACCORDING to Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad, the combined arms live-fire exercise and

urban operations highlighted the “interoperability of the AFP’s different services in addressing conflicts in urban terrain using combined forces and military assets to quell violence and terrorism.”

All in all, the DAGIT-PA saw the involvement of combat engineering equipment, armored vehicles, fixedwing aircraft, artillery guns, K9 teams and Explosive Ordnance Division teams from the Army.

For the Air Force, its FA-50 jets, Super Tucano light-attack aircraft, AgustaWestland attack helicopters, Black Hawks, UAVs and other aircraft saw action.

On the other hand, the Navy used its frigates, patrol ships, landing dock, naval helicopters and fixedwing aircraft, while the Marines employed their amphibious assault vehicles, artilleries and trucks.

Indeed, the Philippine Constitution (Art. II, Sec. 2) says it all: “The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation and amity with all nations.”

However, there is nothing wrong with preparing for any contingency, given the recent developments that have forced no less than the country’s defense chief to speak out more frequently and loudly against constant bullying by a giant neighbor.

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

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Meta sees biz opportunities for metaverse in PHL, AsPac

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By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

he metaverse is ripe for business opportunities, especially for small and medium enterprises, in the Philippines and the rest of Asia Pacific (AsPac), according to technology firm Meta (formerly known as Facebook).

“We believe that the metaverse will be the single biggest opportunity for modern business since the creation of the Internet,” Dan Neary, Meta Asia Pacific vice president, said at a virtual event on Friday. “This is the next evolution of digital platforms.”

Metaverse refers to virtual spaces where people from different parts of the world can meet and explore.

He said that businesses have been using augmented reality, virtual workspace and other immersive features already, all of

which were usually only used for the gaming industry before.

“Just think about what that means for businesses if you have a shop on Facebook or Instagram, you now have the ability to turn that into a virtual space,” he explained. “A lot of the way that you are featuring your brand and your products in physical world, you now have the ability to do that in the metaverse.”

Neary said that businesses— especially those with a very large following or customer base—can use the metaverse to introduce

l im ited d ig it a l merc ha nd ise.

“They [customers] get to demonstrate their love for your brand across the metaverse,” he said.

T he metaverse, fortunately, is not limited to goods only.

T he Meta official said that it also caters to ser v ice-oriented businesses.

For example, Neary said professionals may conduct home consultations and customer support via the digital platforms.

The metaverse, in addition, may also host live events that can further promote the brand of the companies, he said. “[Maybe] you want to partner with an inf luencer and do a live event in the metaverse and that’s the way you want to deepen your engagement with the brand,” he said.

With the promotion of metaverse, he said that Meta has invested $10 billion to ensure the safety and security of the digital users.

Some 40,000 employees are ded icated in monitor ing t he cyber security.

“We want to make sure that we

are taking a very responsibly approach,” he said.

To support the metaverse, Neary said it is a must to further the Internet access reach and necessary upskilling.

Meta Asia Pacific Vice President for Global Business Group Karen Teo shared there are over 200 million businesses that use the apps by Meta—such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp— monthly to “create virtual storefronts and reach customers.”

Majority or 88 percent of the small and medium-sized enterprises across the globe said they were using digital tools for their business, she said, citing a study.

“The use of digital tools has increased during the pandemic, and is a lifeline for many small and medium-sized businesses [SMBs],” Teo said. “In Asia Pacific, 50 percent of MBs on Facebook reported at least 25 percent of more of their sales were made digitally.”

Teo added that majority of the SMBs in the region are operational but they registered significant drop in sales amid the pandemic.

WHO: Measures against Delta work for Omicron variant too

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ANILA, Philippines— World Health Organization (WHO) officials in the Western Pacific say border closures adopted by some countries may buy time to deal with the Omicron coronavirus variant, but measures put in place and experience gained in dealing with the Delta variant should remain the foundation for fighting the pandemic.

While a few regional countries are facing surges, Covid-19 cases and deaths in many others have decreased and plateaued, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr. Takeshi Kasai told reporters Friday in a virtual news conference broadcast from Manila, Philippines.

“Border control can delay the virus coming in and buy time.

But ever y countr y and ever y communit y must prepare for new surges in cases,” Kasai said.

“The positive news in all of this is that none of the information we have currently about Omicron suggests we need to change the directions of our response.”

Much remains unknown about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, or if it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it can thwart the vaccine.

Kasai said Omicron has been designated a variant of concern because of the number of mutations and because early information suggests it may be more transmissible than other variants of the virus. More testing and obser vation is necessar y, he said.

Thus far, four countries and regions in the Western Pacific— Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea—have reported cases of the Omicron variant, said WHO Regional Emergency Director Dr. Babatunde Olowokure. That number is likely to go up as more cases are discovered globally, Olowokure said.

Singapore and Malaysia have also reported their first cases in the last 24 hours, along with India, which falls just outside the WHO Western Pacific Region.

In the Philippines, government

epidemiology bureau director Althea de Guzman said Friday that one of 71 people located by authorities after arriving in the country from South Africa in the last two weeks had tested positive for the coronavirus and still more tests are under way to determine if it’s the Omicron variant.

“We are preparing and bracing our health system in case, first, Omicron enters here and, second, we suddenly see a spike in cases,” de Guzman said.

The emergence of Omicron is of particular concern for organizers of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, now just weeks away.

Beijing is adopting a “series of comprehensive prevention and control measures to minimize the risk of the spread of imported outbreaks, effectively protect the health of all participants and people of the hosting cities, and ensure that the competition runs safely and smoothly as scheduled,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Weidong said.

China has adopted a zerotolerance policy for Covid-19 transmission and has some of the world’s strictest border controls. Games participants will have to live and compete inside a bubble and only spectators who are residents of China and have been vaccinated and tested will be permitted at venues.

Beijing’s measures would seem to be adequate for now.

In terms of what countries should be doing now, our experiences over the last few years, e s p e c i a l l y i n re s p ond i n g to delta, provides a guide of what we need to do, as well as how to cope with future surges in a more sustainable way, Olowokure said in Manila.

Those include full vaccination coverage, social distancing, mask wearing and other measures. The goal is to “ensure we are treating the right patients in the right place at the right time, and so therefore ensuring that ICU beds are available, particularly for those who need them,” he said.

Despite the positive trends in handling the pandemic in the Western Pacific region, largely through high vaccination rates,

“we cannot be complacent,” Kasai said.

Globally, cases have been increasing for seven consecutive weeks and the number of deaths has started to rise again too, driven largely by the delta variant and decreased use of protective measures in other parts of the world, he said.

“We should not be surprised to see more surges in the future. As long as transmission continues, the virus can continue to mutate as the emergence of omicron demonstrates, reminding us of the need to stay vigilant,” Kasai said.

He warned especially about the likelihood of surges due to

more gatherings and movement of people during the holiday season. T he norther n w inter season will likely bring other infectious respirator y diseases such as inf luenza alongside Covid-19, K asai said.

“It is clear that this pandemic is far from over and I know that people are worried about Omicron,” he said.

“But my message today is that we can adapt the way we manage this virus to better cope with the future surges and reduce their health, social and economic impacts.”

The WHO Western Pacific Region includes 37 countries and areas from Palau to Mongolia. AP

Saturday, December 4, 2021

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DOF chief: GSI liabilities rise to ₧9.94T in 2020 from ₧154B in 2019 after PFRS 4 compliance

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

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he combined total liability of government social institutions (GSI)— Social Security System (SSS), the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)—ballooned to P9.94 trillion in 2020 from only P154 billion in 2019 following their full compliance to proper accounting standards.

Finance Secretar y Carlos G. Dominguez III said the combined total liability of these institutions in 2020 is now equivalent to more than half the size of the country’s total GDP for that year.

The finance chief pointed out that before these institutions’ full compliance with the Philippine Financial Reporting Standards (PFRS) 4, they had not been properly reporting their liabilities in their financial statements for 15 years.

“As a result, their incomes were overstated, while their liabilities were understated for several years. Since this has been the practice of these government institutions for over 15 years, the accounting implication of not booking the required reserve for future liabilities has a significant impact on their 2020 financials,” Dominguez told reporters on Friday.

Broken down, SSS’ liability is now at P6.77 trillion from P12.9 billion in 2019. Meanwhile, the total liability of GSIS is also now at P2.04 trillion, soaring from P29.35 billion in 2019. As for PhilHealth, its total liability in 2020 stood at P1.126 trillion, jumping from P111.34 billion in the previous year.

PFRS 4 is the current and interim accounting standard imposed on insurance entities in the Philippines. It was adopted from the International Financial Reporting Standards or IFRS, which provides guidance on the proper financial accounting of insurance contracts.

Under PFRS 4, when an insurance entity receives money from its members and enters into a contract with them to provide monetary obligations when certain events occur, it must set aside a reserve to cover its liabilities. Hence, the contributions/

premiums/fees the government social institutions receive should be reflected in their financial reports both as income and liability.

Nonetheless, the finance chief pointed out that booking and reporting the social benefit liabilities in line with the generally accepted accounting principles do not affect the institutions’ cash flows and that they are still financially sound and are able to meet their obligations to their respective members.

Dominguez said PhilHealth, GSIS, and SSS’ fund lives are until 2027, 2053, and 2054, respectively.

He also stressed that full compliance with PFRS 4 will ensure stability and transparency throughout the reporting process of the government social institutions, bolster the credibility of their financial statements, and provide policy-makers with accurate and factual information to make sound economic decisions.

“With the audited 2020 financial reports of the SSS, the GSIS, and PhilHealth, we now have an accurate picture of the funding reality of these institutions,” he said.

To better manage the funds of SSS, GSIS, and PhilHealth, Dominguez said one of their recommendations is to pool the funds of these three institutions and constitute them as sovereign wealth fund. “ This will help us maximize returns on investments. Professional fund managers may be hired to manage these funds. This is the practice of many countries, including Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia,” he said.

Apart from this, Dominguez said, they are also looking at the possibility of having one agency collect all contributions instead of each institution being in charge of its own collection.

“We also have to maximize fund efficiency by improving contribution collection. Similar to the payroll tax in the United States, we are looking at the possibility of having one agency collect all the contributions instead of each institution doing its own. Like most countries imposing the payroll tax, we can have the Bureau of Internal Revenue, for instance, collect for these institutions,” he said.

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Saturday, December 4, 2021

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US spy planes boost South China Sea sorties, Chinese group says T

he US military flew a record number of spy planes over the South China Sea in November, a Chinese think tank says, as tensions between the world’s two largest economies simmer.

US aircraft carried out 94 sorties last month, the South China Sea

Strategic Situation Probing Initiative said in a post on its verified Weibo account. That was a 25 percent increase from the February record, according to figures provided by the group, which has reported data on activity on the body of water since 2019.

The Boeing P-8 Poseidon, an anti-submarine surveillance plane, accounted for nearly four-fifths of last month’s flybys, the think tank said.

The most on any single day came on November 4, when the US sent 10 planes over the sea, according to the

think tank, as the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group sailed through. That topped the January 23 figure of seven.

A spokesperson for the 7th Fleet said in an e-mail to Bloomberg News on Friday that “US Navy ships and aircraft routinely

operate within the international waters of the South China Sea, and are committed to supporting its network of alliances and partners and upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

President Joe Biden is taking a strong stance to oppose China’s broad territorial claims in the disputed waters. The US has conducted at least five transits involving ships this year through the sea, where Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan have sovereignty claims.

The US also expanded its flight range last month by sending a patrol aircraft over the Taiwan Strait that came within about 29 kilometers of China’s territorial waters, the think tank reported. It didn’t say what

the previous distance was.

The People’s Liberation Army planes regularly f ly near Taiwan, which the ruling Communist Party considers a breakaway province despite never governing it.

Last week, China sent 27 fighter jets into Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone, after a US lawmaker defied a Chinese demand that she abandon a trip to the island.

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party asserts the island is a de facto sovereign nation awaiting wider international recognition. The government in Taipei has avoided a formal declaration of independence that could trigger a war.

Bloomberg News

Grab goes public in $40-billion SPAC deal, slides in market debut

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uper app Grab vowed to innovate at a faster pace while improving its services to “create millions more firsts” for Southeast Asia, as the tech giant made its stock exchange debut in the US. But Southeast A sia’s largest ridehailing company tumbled in its market debut, following a $40-billion merger in a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal.

The Singapore-based company’s debut on the Nasdaq came more than seven months after it announced plans to merge with US-based Altimeter Growth Corp in a SPAC. The company began trading under the ticker “GR AB.” In midday trading, shares fell 15 percent to $9.37 while the broader markets were up. They opened at $13.06.

Grab’s listing is the largest US listing by a Southeast Asian company, allowing Grab to raise $4.5 billion in cash proceeds.

During the listing ceremonies held in Singapore and live-streamed on late Thursday, Grab CEO Anthony Tan said the nine-year-old super app will strive to develop more digital services for Southeast Asia to “create economic empowerment for everyone.”

“We’re committed to innovating faster and doing better so that our partners and communities can even achieve more. As Grab forges ahead, we invite you to journey with us, as we create millions more firsts for this region. Together, let’s stir a rising tide that will lift all boats—so that no one is left behind,” he said.

Grab held a bell riding ceremony in Singapore for its listing in the Nasdaq, a first in the history of the exchange.

Tan was joined by Nasdaq executives, Grab leaders, and hundreds of Grab partners—from merchants to drivers to delivery riders.

Tan said the listing marks another era for Grab, a start-up that has transformed from a taxi hailing service to one of the region’s largest super apps, offering a variety of digital services such as ride sharing, food delivery, and financial technology among many others.

He attr ibuted Grab ’s tremendous

growth to its partners, many of which first got their first smartphones, data plans, and even bank accounts by joining Grab. “[W]e are here today, thanks to the support of millions of driver-, merchantand agent-partners, who work hard every single day to improve the lives of their loved ones, and those of the consumers we serve. We may have empowered them with technology, but they’ve achieved millions of firsts through their own ambition and hard work,” Tan said.

Grab’s business philosophy revolves around the concept of “everyday and everything,” which, in a nutshell, means that Grab wants to digitalize any service that is needed everyday, hyper-localizing them to suit the taste and demand of each market.

In the Philippines, Grab has dabbled in various services that Filipinos need almost everyday—food delivery, ride hailing, groceries, hotel bookings, logistics and forwarding, and even salon services.

Grab has also forged strong partnerships with the Philippine government despite having legal tussles in the past due to its acquisition of lone competitor Uber. During the pandemic, Grab offered rides to frontline workers, vaccinated its drivers and riders, and provided financial assistance to its partners.

Across the Asean, Grab is present in 465 cities. In the Philippines, Grab services are available in 60 cities, with Metro Manila considered as one contiguous city.

Founded by CEO Anthony Tan and co-founder Hooi Ling Tan (no relation) in 2012, Grab began as a ride-hailing company, but later expanded into offering other services such as deliveries of groceries and takeout meals, digital payments and financial services.

It now operates in 465 cities across eight countr ies in Southeast A sia— Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Millions of users, as well as drivers and merchants have used the app either for its ser v ices or to as a means to earn money.

Lorenz S. Marasigan with AP

Panel hears pros, cons on RCEP anew as senators inch closer to ratification

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By Butch Fernandez

HE Senate on Friday inched closer to a plenary vote to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) formalizing Philippine entry to the global trade pact.

At a marathon hearing Friday of the Committee on Foreign Relations presided

by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, administration officials endorsing RCEP were asked to commit assurance of support to affected sectors given its impact on local traders.

Speaking for the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Ruben Pascual conveyed to the senators the PCCI’s 30,000-member companies endorsed RCEP ratification.

“The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry [PCCI] supports accession to RCEP,” Pascual assured senators, adding: “we cannot miss this opportunity for local businesses to be part of the global market.”

W hile disputing claims that gains from RCEP are “marginal,” he also acknowledged the affected sectors “fears of losing out” in the competition, but stressed that they would in the final analysis be eventual losers “if we don’t do anything...and not face challenges in the world market.”

Airing concern that an “inward looking attitude” in the past made local business lose out, Pascual warned, “we cannot afford to be in that mode again.”

T h e P C C I o f f i c i a l s t r e s s e d : “ We mu s t f i g ht f o r t h e p r o du c e r g o o d s t h at h ave h i g h p ote nt i a l ,” re m i nd i ng t h at “ t h e w a y t o g o i s no t t o av o i d t h e w o r l d m a r k e t .”

However, Norbert Chingcuanco, Tugon

Kabuhayan spokesman, expressed deep apprehension over the impact of liberalizing fisheries products that not only hurt local producers—noting that 1.9 million are listed as registered fisherfolk—but also expose Filipinos to very serious health risks, given the laxity in checking imported fresh seafood.

He also noted that, “We are selfsufficient in bangus and tilapia,” and wondered aloud why tariffs were being knocked down “to import these fish? I just can’t reconcile it.”

Chingcuanco compared RCEP to Cov id-19, which “poses dangers to our health.” RCEP, on the other hand, poses a “threat to our livelihood, and, therefore, a threat to our health.”

‘With or without us’

A lso on Fr id ay, Sen. Imee Marcos, who chairs the Economic A ffairs panel, pointed out that RCEP takes effect on Januar y 1, 2022, “w ith or w ithout us” and both government and affected sectors have ver y little leeway to resolve the issues.

At the hearing, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez reiterated his plea to the farm sector to give RCEP a chance to work, while assuring them that it will benefit them by way of expanded opportunities for market and income growth.

Earlier in the week, the trade department had warned that the local agriculture industry, in opposing RCEP, risks missing out on prospects in the worldwide trade pact.

In a virtual event Wednesday, Lopez said the RCEP, accounting for about 30 percent of the global GDP, provides the agriculture sector “good market” access for their products.

TheWorld

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Saturday, December 4, 2021

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SEC moves step closer to delist Chinese companies in the US

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he US government is inching further on efforts to boot Chinese companies off American stock exchanges for not complying with Washington’s disclosure requirements.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday announced its final plan for putting in place a new law that mandates foreign companies open their books to US scrutiny or risk being kicked off the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq within three years. China and Hong Kong are the only two jurisdictions that refuse to allow the inspections despite Washington requiring them since 2002.

The SEC’s new rule, which lays out how the regulator will identify companies subject to delisting and the procedure for kicking non-compliant firms off exchanges, is the latest development in a tussle between financial officials in the world’s two biggest economies.

W hile much of the recent tension has been around the shell companies that Chinese firms use to list in the US, Thursday’s regulation dates back decades.

“If you want to issue public securities in the US, the firms that audit your books have to be subject to inspection by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board [PCAOB],” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a news statement. “While more than 50 jurisdictions have worked with the PCAOB to allow the required inspections, two historically have not: China and Hong Kong.”

The rule gets the ball rolling on a process that could lead to more than 200 companies being kicked off US exchanges.

China’s refusal to let inspectors from the PCAOB review audits of firms such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc. that trade on American exchanges has vexed US regulators for more than a decade. The issue has gained urgency due to rising tensions between the two countries and following the high-profile accounting scandal at Luckin Coffee Inc. In a rare bipartisan move during the Trump administration, Congress in December 2020 mandated that Chinese companies finally open their books—and required the SEC to write rules for the ones that don’t comply. Thursday’s final plan satisfies that requirement.

After the rule was announced, the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index— which tracks 98 firms listed in the US that conduct a majority of their business in China—extended its decline to as much as 3.8 percent. Tech giants, including Alibaba, JD.com Inc. and Pinduoduo Inc. slumped.

China has taken steps in a bid to end the impasse. A top official at the China Securities Regulatory Commission said last month the regulator is “working very hard” to resolve the audit oversight issues with its US counterparts.

The State Council, China’s top government body, in August issued guidelines saying it would boost cross-border accounting cooperation, while also safeguarding its information security. That followed a statement from the nation’s security regulator, which said it would work on enhancing conditions for cooperation with the US on company audits during the second half of the year.

Variable interest entities

SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in July that the regulator would halt new Chinese initial public offerings, in part over a lack of disclosure around so-called variable interest entities (VIE). Separately, Bloomberg News reported earlier this week that China was planning to ban companies from going public on foreign stock markets through VIEs. As a first step in the new rule, the agency will identify companies that may not be in compliance with the audit inspection requirements. Once a company is classified by the SEC as a “commissionidentified issuer,” it’ll have to submit documentation proving it’s not owned or controlled by a government.

Firms will also have to specify in their annual reports additional information about the operating company and any shell companies used to trade, including: n The percentage of shares that are owned by a government entity n Whether government entities have a controlling financial interest n The name of each member of the Chinese Communist Party who sits on the board The SEC rule lays out the process for imposing an initial trading ban on firms after three years of non-compliance, as required by the 2020 law.

Didi to leave NYSE

Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Global Inc. said Friday it will pull out of the NYSE and shift its listing to Hong Kong as the ruling Communist Party tightens control over tech industries.

Didi’s one-sentence announcement gave no explanation, but share prices of Didi and other tech companies, including e-commerce giant Alibaba Group have sunk after they were hit by data-security and anti-monopoly crackdowns.

Regulators said in July they would step up scrutiny of Chinese tech companies with shares traded on foreign exchanges.

Entrepreneurs who are largely shut out of the state-run financial system have raised billions of dollars abroad.

But Beijing is tightening control over that and promising to give them more ways to raise money in China.

“After conscientious research, the company will start delisting operations on the New York Stock Exchange immediately and commence preparations to list in Hong Kong,” Didi said on its socialmedia account.

Hong Kong is Chinese territory but has a separate regulatory system that allows foreigners to invest in its stock market.

Mainland markets are mostly off-limits to foreign capital.

Didi Chuxing, headquartered in Beijing, raised about $4.4 billion in its June 30 market debut.

Its share price tumbled 25 percent after the government announced it was investigating how Didi gathered and handled customer data. The company earlier denied a news report it planned to buy back its US shares.

The ruling party sees information gathered about China’s public and economy by e-commerce, social media and other private companies as a valuable asset and a security risk.

Bloomberg News and AP

Beijing, Shanghai hit as China’s Covid outbreak picks up steam

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hina’s two largest cities are seeing cases of Covid-19 pick up once again, as an outbreak in the north spread to six provinces and led to 91 new locallytransmitted infections reported on Friday.

The country’s political and financial hubs of Beijing and Shanghai detected one and two new cases respectively. Inner Mongolia, where the latest f lare up is concentrated, reported almost five dozen infections, according to the National Health Commission.

The findings mean the latest wave, which had been mostly limited to the remote northwestern region, could sweep across the nation and pose another challenge amid falling temperatures.

C h i n a rem a i n s one of t he on ly cou nt r ies st ic k i ng to t he Cov id Zero approac h, i ntent on eliminating the

virus in a mission that has grown increasingly difficult, even as the rest of the world grapples with the arrival of the new Omicron variant.

Shanghai locked down the housing block in Pudong New Area, where the two patients reside, for two weeks, a deputy director of the district said in a news conference late Thursday. The risk level for the residential compound was raised to “mid-level.”

The patient from Beijing’s tech hub in the Haidian district was a close contact of someone infected in Heilongjiang province, which reported 10 new cases on Friday that were traced back to the Inner Mongolia cluster. Municipal governments have initiated mass testing for potential close contacts of the patient and other related people. Bloomberg News

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Saturday, December 4, 2021

TheWorld BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Omicron coronavirus variant found in multiple US states

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EW YORK—The Omicron variant of Covid-19, which had been undetected in the US before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and ease.

Just a day after the first known US case was found in California, tests showed the Omicron variant had infected at least five people in the New York City metropolitan area, plus a man from Minnesota who had attended an anime convention in Manhattan in late November.

Officials reported another case in a Colorado woman who had recently traveled to southern Africa.

The variant was also confirmed in an unvaccinated Hawaii resident with no recent travel history, state health officials said.

Much remains unknown about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it can thwart vaccines and whether it makes people as sick as the original strain.

Health officials in each state said there was no cause for undue alarm. But the spread of the cases, some involving people who hadn’t been away from home recently, meant the variant was likely already circulating domestically in some parts of the US. “We gotta assume there’s a lot more behind that and that it has been here for a meaningful amount of time,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference with Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The infected New Yorkers included a 67-year-old woman on Long Island who had recently traveled to South Africa, residents of Brooklyn and Queens and another case possibly linked to travel. At least one person had received a dose of a Covid-19 vac-

cine but officials did not have details about the vaccination status of the four other cases.

In Minnesota, health officials said a man who had not traveled outside the US began experiencing symptoms the day after attending the Anime NYC 2021 convention in New York City.

Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said it’s likely the man contracted Covid-19 at the convention, but officials did not know for sure.

Officials in New York said t he y we re work i n g to t r ace attendees of the convention, which was held from November 19 to 21 and drew about 50,000 people, according to event organizers. Attendees were required to wear masks and show proof of having received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

It was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center as New York City prepared to host the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and braced for throngs of tourists to return after the US opened up to vaccinated international travelers.

City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi urged people who attended the event to get tested.

“This is not just due to people who are traveling to southern Africa or to other parts of the world where Omicron has already been identified,” Chokshi said Thursday.

The Minnesota man began experiencing mild symptoms November 22. He had been vaccinated and received a booster shot in early November, according to health officials in his home state. He sought Covid-19 testing November 24, and his symptoms have subsided, officials said.

November 22 was the same day the person infected in the California case returned to the US from

South Africa. The California traveler, who was vaccinated, developed mild symptoms and tested positive Monday.

The adult infected with the variant in Hawaii had also gotten Covid-19 a year ago. The person isn’t currently hospitalized and had “mild-to-moderate” symptoms including headache, body aches and cough, Hawaii Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said.

She wouldn’t identify the patient other to say the person lives on the island of Oahu.

Omicron is classified by the World Health Organization as a “variant of concern” as scientists work to determine how it may compare with the predominant delta variant in terms of transmissibility and severity. Scientists also are studying the degree to which existing vaccines and therapies protect against omicron.

Scientists in South Africa first reported it, but the samples came from several countries in southern Africa. And health officials in the Netherlands now say it was found there prior to the South Africa detection.

As comfort over air travel returns, it’s inevitable that new variants like Omicron will spread from country to country and state to state, said professor Danielle Ompad, an epidemiologist at New York University’s School of Global Public Health.

“We shouldn’t panic, but we should be concerned,” she said.

Hochul said the case involving the Minnesota visitor underlined the need for everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or receive a booster shot if they have not already.

“There is one way to address this—New Yorkers, get vaccinated, get boosted, and get ready,” the Democrat said. AP

In this handout photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, a Bastion missile launcher is positioned on the Matua Island, part of the Kurils Islands chain, in Russia on December 2. The Russian military has deployed the Bastion coastal defense missile systems on the Matua Island, which is close to several islands also claimed by Japan, a move intended to underline Moscow’s firm stance in the dispute. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

Russia deploys missiles near Pacific islands claimed by Japan

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OSCOW—The Russian military has deployed coastal defense missile systems near the Kuril Islands, a Pacific chain also claimed by Japan. The move appeared intended to underline Moscow’s firm stance in the dispute.

T he Bastion systems were moved to Mat ua, a deser ted volcanic island in the middle of the chain. Japan claims the four southernmost islands.

Russia’s Defense Ministry posted a video Thursday showing massive missile carriers moving ashore from amphibious landing vessels and driving along the coast of the volcanic island to take firing positions as part of drills.

The ministry said the deployment involved setting up living quarters for personnel, hangars for the vehicles and other infrastructure.

The Bastion is capable of hitting sea targets at a range of up to 500 kilometers.

The deployment followed a series of moves by Russia to beef up its military presence on the Kuril Islands, In 2016, it stationed the Bal and the Bastion coastal defense missile systems on two of the four southernmost Kuril Islands.

In the following years, it followed up by sending top-of-the-line air defense missiles systems there and setting up an air base on the

Iturup Island where fighter jets were deployed.

Japan asserts territorial rights to the four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain and calls them Northern Territories.

The Soviet Union took the islands in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.

The oval-shaped, 11-kilometerlong island where the Russian missiles were deployed hosted a Japanese military base during WWII. After the Soviet takeover of the Kuril Islands, Matua was home to a Soviet military base that was closed amid funding shortages in the wake of the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Asked about the missile deployment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has a sovereign right to deploy its military forces wherever it deems necessary on its territory.

At the same time, he noted that Russia values relations with Japan and remains committed to efforts to negotiate a settlement of the dispute.

“We maintain a political will to pursue a comprehensive dialogue with our Japanese partners in order to find ways of settlement,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. AP

France signs weapons mega-deal with UAE as Macron tours Gulf

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ICE, France—France announced the signing Friday of a 16 billion-euro ($18 billion) armaments megacontract for the sale of 80 of its upgraded Rafale warplanes to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The French Defense Ministry said the deal was France’s largestever weapons contract for export.

It came as French President Emmanuel Macron is in the Emirates on the first stop of a two-day visit to the Persian Gulf. There was no immediate confirmation of the signing from Emirati officials.

Manufacturer Dassault Aviation said the UAE is buying the upgraded F4 version of its multirole combat aircraft. That will make the Emirates Air Force the first Rafale F4 user outside of France, it said.

The deal offers a shot in the arm for France’s defense industry after the collapse of a $66 billion contract for Australia to buy 12 French submarines.

Dassault Aviation boss Eric Trappier called the sale “a French success story” and “excellent news for France and for its aeronautical industry.”

The purchase marks a sizeable step up for the UAE’s military capabilities in the oil- and gasrich region. Charles Forrester, a senior analyst at Janes, said the fighter “will significantly upgrade UAE’s airpower capabilities in terms of strike, air-to-air warfare, and reconnaissance.”

Dassault said the Rafale will

France’s President Emmanuel Macron, left, shakes hand with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed alNahayan, prior to a meeting, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, on June 21, 2017. Still reeling from the recent submarine deal rapture by Western allies, French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the energy-rich Arab countries of the Persian Gulf on December 3, with an aim to close a lucrative arms deal and strengthen France’s leadership role in renewed international efforts to revive Iran’s cratered nuclear deal with world powers. AP

give the UAE “a tool capable of guaranteeing sovereignty and operational independence.”

Macron and Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, were present at the contract signing, it said.

French defense officials were jubilant. The defense minister, Florence Parly, said the deal “directly contributes to regional stability.”

France has deep ties to the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, particularly since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The UAE opened a French naval base in 2009 at Abu Dhabi’s Port Zayed. French warplanes and personnel are also stationed at Al-Dhafra Air Base, a major facility outside the

Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi that’s also home to several thousand American troops.

Macron’s keen interest in forging personal relationships with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince and his counterpart in Saudi Arabia, Mohamed bin Salman Al Saud, makes him a welcome guest in the region.

Both Gulf leaders value a degree of pragmatism when discussing democracy and human rights— issues on which their countries have been heavy criticized by rights groups and European lawmakers—while pursuing business opportunities.

Months after Macron was elected in 2017, he traveled to the UAE to inaugurate Louvre Abu Dhabi, built under a $1.2 billion agreement to share the name and

art of the world-famous museum in Paris.

In September, Macron hosted Abu Dhabi’s crown prince at the historic Chateau de Fontainebleau outside Paris, which was restored in 2019 with a UAE donation of 10 million euros ($11.3 million).

The UAE and France have also become increasingly aligned over a shared mistrust of Islamist political parties across the Middle East, and backed the same side in Libya’s civil strife.

A senior French presidency official who spoke to reporters ahead of the trip on customary condition of anonymity said Macron will “continue to push and support the efforts that contribute to the stability of the region, from the Mediterranean to the Gulf.”

Gulf tensions will be discussed, the official said, in particular the revived talks about Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, following the US withdrawal from the agreement by President Donald Trump.

Gulf countries have long been concerned by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and influence across the region, particularly in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

“This is a hot topic,” the French official said, adding that Macron discussed the issues in a phone call Monday with Iran’s president. He will talk about the call and the issues—including the nuclear deal talks in Vienna—with Gulf leaders, who are “directly concerned by this subject, like all of us but also because they are (Iran’s) neighbors,” the official said. AP

OurTime BusinessMirror

Cabanatuan mayor calls on senior citizens, residents to join vax drive

By Marilyn Galang

She noted that only about 18,000 out of 32,000 senior citizens in the city have so far been vaccinated despite the city government’s efforts to reach out to them.

“So, napakakonti po nun. Sa ngayon ho magbu-booster na po ’yung mga ka-senior nyo hindi pa rin kayo nababakunahan [So, it is only a few.

Other seniors are already getting their booster shots but you still have not been vaccinated],” Vergara said in an interview.

Another round of vaccination activities is set in villages next month, she noted.

“Sana po pag nag-roam around uli sa mga barangay bago mag-Christmas magpabakuna ho kayo kasi siyempre mas maganda kung itong bumababa yung cases natin ay kasabay na binabakunahan yung pinaka-vulnerable sa Cabanatuan which is of course yung mga senior citizens [Hopefully, by the time vaccination activities reach the barangays again before Christmas, you will be vaccinated because it would be better now that cases are declining, at the same time the most vulnerable sector in Cabanatuan— the senior citizens—are given the vaccines],” the mayor added. PNA

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ABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija—The local chief executive here has called on her constituents to take advantage of the three-day National Vaccination Days to be inoculated against Covid-19.

The city government still has to vaccinate some 100,359 residents to meet the 253,926 target set by the Department of Health (DOH) to achieve population protection against Covid-19.

According to the City Information and Tourism Office (CITO), a total of 135,567 people, or merely 57 percent of the target has been vaccinated here from March 19 to November 27 this year.

Of the number, 103,818 or 44 percent of the target was fully vaccinated, it added.

Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara urged her constituents, including those who are non-residents but are working or studying here, to join the massive vaccination drive that started Monday.

She particularly called on senior citizens who were apparently evading vaccines.

House panel OKs more discounts in water and power bills for seniors

By Filane Mikee Cervantes

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TOKIE MIZUNO (left), and Megumi Ogawa BLOOMBERG PHOTO

The DeliSofter is the latest in a long line of nursing-care gadgets to arise in Japan, which has the world’s highest proportion of people over 65.

From mechanized beds to robots that can converse with lonely retirees to Honda Motor Co. exoskeletons for walking assistance, the country’s tech firms have come up with a slew of innovations to aid the aged. Panasonic spun off Gifmo in 2019 to address that growing market, targeting a food segment estimated to surpass 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in Japan

alone by 2025.

“We always wanted to stop providing shredded food and have done what we can, but all options were costly and time-consuming,” said Takahiro Koyama, a care home manager in Panasonic’s home town of Osaka, who bought his first unit in the summer and later got a second. “The best part of the pot is it’s pretty much just a button-press away. Our chefs love it as they don’t need to dice food they cooked beautifully. Residents are also happy

Dreaming of a ‘bariotic’ Christmas

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

I

promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the measure.

In response to the objection of the Department of Finance that the measure might result in leakages, Salceda assured that the leakages can be plugged with the implementation of safeguard measures.

“We have to make sure that the safeguards are implemented so that we can avoid leakages. But the pos-

because it keeps food looking good, improving their appetite.”

Neither had worked in product planning before, but Mizuno was driven to help after seeing how much her grandmother, who lived to 116, was buoyed by being able to eat with her family regularly.

The duo had their public debut at the US-based SXSW conference in 2017, but Panasonic later reconsidered and tried to stop them. The company deemed a cooking appliance for people with swallowing difficulties too much of a litigation risk and also thought mass production difficult, asking Ogawa and Mizuno to return to their quality assurance duties.

“So many who had encouraged us turned away and ordered us to stop working on the project,” Ogawa said. “I asked why, but they just told us that’s the life of an employee at a large company.”

Unwilling to give up on the idea, Ogawa and Mizuno turned it into a voluntary project, joined by younger colleague Masaru Morizane, who now serves as Gifmo’s chief executive officer. Before Panasonic, he’d had stints at Corning Inc. and Sony, where he was in charge of mass production for the PlayStation 3 game console.

“I love products that feel direct-

ly connected to consumers, and DeliSofter was the best example of it that I’ve ever encountered,” Morizane said.

The creators turned to BeeEdge, a start-up funding platform led by Scrum Ventures with participation from INCJ and Panasonic, to set up Gifmo. After the pandemic delayed the product’s release, it went on sale in July last year and has sold more than 1,000 units since then, Gifmo said. The company expects to sell tens of thousands of pots in the years to come and ultimately aims to replace the conventional rice cooker, Morizane said. The DeliSofter is now being mass-produced at Panasonic’s appliance factory in China.

A potato chip is used to cut a piece of fried chicken cooked in the DeliSofter, a $410 specialized steam cooker, during a demonstration at the Gifmo Co. office in Kyoto, Japan, on Tuesday, November 9, 2021.

Tokie Mizuno and Megumi Ogawa, two Panasonic Corp. engineers, led the creation of the spin-off company to sell the product that promises to restore a sense of normalcy to elderly people’s lives and diets by allowing them to mash food with their tongue alone. Bloomberg News

DeliSofter

By Takashi Mochizuki & Yuki Furukawa

that the senior has to be living in the household subject to the exemptions and discounts,” he added.

The bill directs the National Commission of Senior Citizens, in consultation with the Energy Regulatory Commission, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and other concerned utility regulatory agencies, as well as national organizations of senior citizens, to

sibility of leakage alone should not be used as an argument against the objectives of the measure,” he said.

Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes urged his colleagues to continue giving the country’s 10 million elderly the institutionalized relief in basic social services.

“This is our continuing response on rising to the challenge of coming up with important legislative initiatives that will significantly affect the lives of our marginalized elderly, and bridge their participation and access to the benefits of a sustained and improved quality of life,” he said.

Ordanes said that aside from the bigger discounts, the proposal would remove the value-added tax on electricity and water bills that are registered under the name of senior citizens.

“Kaya’t tiyak na mararamdaman ng ating mga nakatatanda ang ginhawa kapag naisabatas na ito [That’s why the ease (in financial burden) would really be felt by the elderly once these get enacted into law],” he added. PNA

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ANILA—A House of Representatives panel on Monday approved a measure that would increase the discount granted to senior citizens on their monthly electric and water consumption and exempt such bills from value-added tax.

During the online hearing, the House Committee on Ways and Means approved the substitute bill to House Bills 1903 and 3040, which would amend Republic Act 7432 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chair of the panel, said the exemption would still be subject to a cap on consumption, but for electricity consumption, the limit is also increased in the substitute bill from 100-kilowatt hours to 150. The cap on water is kept at 30 cubic meters.

Salceda said the measure contains a safeguard against abuse.

“The measure explicitly states

Cooker makes chicken soft as a butter HE $410 DeliSofter pot looks much like the rice cookers ubiquitous in Japanese households and it does prepare rice in 24 minutes. But this invention of two Panasonic Corp. engineers is designed to do more and help people with swallowing difficulties.

The two women led the creation of a spin-off company, Gifmo Co., to sell the specialized steam cooker, which they say can turn fried chicken soft enough to be sliced with a potato chip. The machine works by first cutting into food with a series of blades and then subjecting it to extremely high pressure at a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius, rendering many familiar foods digestible without sacrificing the original shape or texture, Gifmo said. It promises to restore a sense of normalcy to elderly people’s lives and diets, allowing them to mash food with their tongue alone.

F you belong to the XYZ generation, I urge you to take time to have a conversation with your aging parents and grandparents about their memories of Christmas during their childhood days. Most especially in the places where they grew up, such as the barrios.

Barrio is the old term for a rural village (now barangay). It is the root word of “bariotic” a pejorative, derogatory term used by young urbanites to describe anything that smacks of being provincial, backward, unsophisticated—but I wholeheartedly embrace it when it is used to describe the way Christmas in the province was celebrated in the ’50s and ’60s. For me, a “bariotic” Christmas was most authentic, precisely because it was simple, unsophisticated, and unadorned by artifices.

Ask your boomer lolos and lolas

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, December 4, 2021 A7

PNA PHOTO

www.businessmirror.com.ph

how they made their Christmas trees and many will look nostalgically back to that time when they would fashion Christmas trees from branches of guava trees growing in their backyards.

That’s what we used to do in our household. Then we would brush the branches and twigs with white paint and later put cotton on the twigs to simulate snow. My sisters would then adorn it with silver trimmings recycled from palara or paper foil sourced from empty cigarette packs of Zamba or Camel, or Chesterfield, the popular brands then.

We never bought our parols, which is what city folks do now. My classmates and I learned to make them ourselves during our work education class. Mine were roughly done, as I did not possess the craftsmanship of a natural-born carpenter.

Our crude wooden belen was the handiwork of my tatang. Our figurines of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph and 3 kings and animals and shepherds were made of paper. We would store them away after Three Kings’ day and then use the same tableaux again, year after year.

My “bariotic” Christmas memories include cool nights, and early dawn masses at the local church, and outside were stalls selling all sorts of native delicacies such as puto bumbong, bibingka, halayang ube and suman.

As a boy, I used to help my Apung Adi and Imang Consa squeeze the milk out of coconut meat using the heavy stone grinder to make gata.

This is an ingredient in making maja blanca, ginataan, and other homemade sweet goodies.

Near our house, our neighbor Mang Siano would be roasting a pig for their Noche Buena. In another neighbor’s house, Aling Sion would be mixing her well-loved pancit in a big kaing. Everyone in the neighborhood was welcome to partake of the food in their respective homes. That was the best thing about the “bariotic” Christmas I remember.

Nothing is better than music to bring me back to that time.

Every year, when the Christmas

THE DeliSofter struggles with fiber-rich foods and dishes like octopus or mushrooms, but its function addresses an acutely felt need.

It was inspired by the experience of Megumi Ogawa, a 32-year Panasonic veteran, as she cared for her father in his final years. Diagnosed with a condition that made him susceptible to inhaling his food, he would complain bitterly about being deprived of his favorite meals.

Choices for him were limited to blended liquid preparations.

“I had to commit hours to preparing special dishes or spend $880 a month to buy nursing-care food just for my father,” Ogawa, who was previously a quality assurance officer, said.

She got the chance to try and solve the problem through her employer’s Game Changer Catapult initiative, an effort to incubate start-ups from within similar to programs run by other big firms like Sony Group Corp. Ogawa paired with colleague Tokie Mizuno, who joined Panasonic in 1983, and started work on what would become the DeliSofter. season is upon us, I would play traditional native carols, not the ones sung by modern-day crooners and warblers, specially those with jazzy renditions. They are like harana songs, with kundiman-like melodies and pace. Some have that polka beat, or rhythm of a waltz.

Call me old-fashioned or a sentimental fool but I love listening to carols sung by the Mabuhay singers, Cenon Lagman, Sylvia La Torre and other crooners who belong to the oldies but goodies category.

More than just making me feel nostalgic, they have more personal resonance not just in terms of melody, but also in the message conveyed by the Tagalog lyrics.

One of my all time favorites is “Himig ng Pasko” written by Serapio Y. Ramos in the 1960s. The opening line evokes the cool nights of December, when the amihan winds coming unimpeded from the vast empty rice fields would sweep into the barrios. They evoke the tranquil times and the simple joy felt by kids growing up in remote towns and rural areas.

Mayro’ng sigla ang lahat Wala ang kalungkutan Lubos ang kasayahan Himig ng Pasko’y umiiral Sa loob ng bawat tahanan Masaya ang mga tanawin May awit ang simoy ng hangin.

This particular song never fails to tug at my heart, knowing those times will never come back, considering the rapid urbanization of our hometowns.

I remember that on Christmas day, my parents would take us to our grandmother (our lolo was long gone) and pay our respect and ask for her blessing. It came before anything, even before we would make the rounds to see our baptismal godparents and make mano po. This tradition is captured in the lyrics of this upbeat Christmas song:

Why am I pining for those times? Why am I wishing for a “bariotic” Christmas?

Perhaps, it’s because at this point in my life, I want to go back to

Malamig ang simoy ng hangin Kay saya ng bawat damdamin Ang tibok ng puso sa dibdib Para bang hulog na ng langit Himig Pasko’y laganap

Mano po Ninong, mano po Ninang Narito kami ngayon Humahalik sa inyong kamay Salamat Ninong, salamat Ninang Sa aginaldo pong inyong ibinibigay

the essentials. I want a Christmas without the artificial “palamuti” that we have wrapped around the way we celebrate it now.

Make it a Christmas that reminds us of the sweetness of home and family. In this pandemic, the family is the most precious gift we have. It’s a blessing to have an intact family.

As we gather together at the Noche Buena table, let us put down and shut down our smartphones, tablets and other gadgets that isolate us from each other. Just for this Christmas, let us detach ourselves from the virtual world and make this Christmas a real celebration of family and of unity.

I hope that godchildren can make time and effort to visit the homes of respective godparents to receive blessings in the form of valuable guidance and counsel.

Lastly, don’t forget grandparents. For some seniors, the holidays are a very lonely time. They feel forgotten. This Christmas, I encourage all grandchildren to gather around their living lolos and lolas and ask them to reminisce about Christmas in a simpler time.

Always keep the essential meaning of Christmas in mind. A simple “bariotic” celebration with the family is what everyone needs during these times.

Education BusinessMirror

A8 Saturday, December 4, 2021

TESDA’s new online-based courses to upskill workers during pandemic

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HE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is continuously expanding its online training program, as more courses are now available on its web platform.

As of October 2021 there are 114 courses in the TESDA Online Program (TOP), according to data released by e-TESDA. Among the new courses integrated in the platform are International Labour Organization’s Job Readiness, English as a Medium of Instruction, Using Educational Technology in the English Language Classroom, and Microsoft’s Digital Literacy.

The TOP is a web-based platform that offers free Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, for technical education and skills development of the local work force. Through the use of information and communication technologies, the program provides an effective and efficient way to deliver such kind of services to Filipinos and widens their chances of employment or sources of

livelihood.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has also encouraged Filipinos to register in the TOP. From its introduction in 2012 up to October 2021, the program now has 3,443,530 registered users.

Since the implementation of travel restrictions due to the pub-

lic-health crisis on March 16, 2020 and up to October 2021, 2,006,923 Filipinos have enlisted in the TOP—more than half of the total registrants since 2012.

In June last year Secretar y Isidro S. Lapeña led the launching of “TESDA Abot Lahat ang OFWs” program, which aims to help upsk il l overseas Filipino workers who were then being affected by the pandemic. In relation, President Duterte, in his state-of-the-nation-address, ordered TESDA to empower OFWs, especially those repatriated due to the health crisis.

Data also released by e-TESDA showed that a total of 163,750 OFWs and their dependents have registered in the TOP from March 2020 to August 2021.

With this, Lapeña urged every-

one to avail of the agency’s online courses to remain productive amid the mobility restrictions caused by the contagion.

“I invite the public, especially those who have lost their jobs or those trying to venture into a new livelihood, to try enrolling in our online classes,” encouraged Lapeña. “[These are offered for free; I’m sure they can find a course from the many options that will best suit your needs].”

For those interested to register or view the list of available courses, visit https://www.e-tesda.gov.ph/.

Enrollees will be given a certificate of completion after finishing a course. However, those who wish to receive a National Certificate must undergo competency assessment in TESDA-accredited assessment centers.

More than surviving: How to thrive in online college life Benilde further bolsters online learning database O

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ECOGNIZING the greater need for electronic books and sources due to the ongoing online modalities, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde continues to expand its virtual library, further supporting remote teaching, self-study, research or intellectual stimulation amid the lockdown.

Through its Br. Fidelis Leddy Center for Learning Resources, the college grants educators and students exclusive access to millions of e-sources such as e-books, journals, references, collections and industry reports, as well as datasets from reputable agencies in the safety and comfort of their homes.

The growing virtual database comprises more than 24 million free-to-download texts, e-books and academic journals, plus another 1.5 million free-to-lend sources from Internet Archive’s online library.

The institution has likewise subscribed to leading design authority Material ConneXion (MCX), which provides over 10,000 innovative materials from 7,000-plus global manufacturers within 75 industries—including fashion and beauty, furniture, architecture and even automotive. Founded over 20 years ago, the MCX database is curated by a team of researchers, and has a vast selection of crossindustry perspectives on design, trends and sustainability to enhance projects of corporate and independent builders.

Furthermore, the community is entitled to digital subscriptions to giant trend forecast and analytic web sites WGSN and Business of Fashion. WGSN provides an immense number of insights and inspirations on fashion, lifestyle, hospitality, interiors and retails from more than 250 trend experts and scientists around the world.

BoF, on the other hand, offers a plethora of exclusive content, education courses and event summaries on the latest global headlines across luxury, beauty, retail, technology and sustainability, among many others.

The available e-resources can be seamlessly embedded by instructors into BigSky, the official learningmanagement system of the college, for the effective online-learning experience of students. It serves as the portal to participate in classroom discussions and access activities, as well as projects.

N top of online learning challenges, college freshmen are confronted with rigorous academic requirements.

Yet, they can thrive online—as long as they have the right mindset, flexibility, tools, and initiative to ask for assistance.

Here are some helpful tips from Mapúa University’s faculty to help students navigate the online learning space: Familiarize the school’s learning system. Most universities have dedicated learning management systems (LMS), which allow students to access recorded lectures, reading materials, coursework, as well as collaborate with classmates and consult with instructors. As a new user, it may take a while to get accustomed to the interface, but familiarization with the school’s LMS enables a learner to maximize its capabilities and learn efficiently.

Maximize online learning tools and resources. There are perks in studying in an institution that has advanced learning resources and technologies. At Mapúa, 19,000 ebook titles from McGraw Hill, Wiley, and Cengage are available to all students. Mary Christine A. Tomas, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, encourages students to “always access, utilize, and take advantage of these” to help them overcome the challenges of online

VIRTUAL learning requires a right mindset.

learning.

Various software programs are also offered for uncommon and program-specific requirements. Engineering and programming courses use matrix-laboratory software, or MATLAB, for computations, data analysis, algorithm development, graphs, and other applications. Design students use AutoCAD for drafting designs, while programs focused on writing and research gathering use grammar-checking tools and plagiarism scans.

Strive to become a self-regulated learner. Dr. Jasmin Nadja J. Pinugu, program chair for Behavioral and Human Sciences of Mapúa’s School of Social Sciences and Education, emphasized that effective time man-

agement affects learning. Students who regularly plan, direct, monitor, and adjust their learning environments to meet their academic goals practice self-regulating behaviors.

Those with set schedules learn more effectively and prevent feelings of helplessness, burnout, and being overwhelmed.

Look beyond the online classroom setting, and focus on your class. The pandemic has forced teachers and students to be physically apart. At Mapúa, most sessions are synchronous and have specific schedules so students can participate.

Engr. Ericson D. Dimaunahan, Mapúa’s director of Center for Teaching and Learning-Learner Center, Outcomes-Based Education, who is

also a faculty member of the Physics Department, explains that students who miss a synchronous class need not worry, as sessions are recorded and accessible online.

Students of fully online and asynchronous programs under Mapúa’s Ubiquitous Online Experience can also watch recorded lectures as part of their learning resources.

Reach out. Some students may feel isolated or overwhelmed during their online studies. During these occasions, they should never hesitate to reach out to classmates, instructors, parents, and friends. Pinugu pointed out that touching base with people you trust or social supporters can help dispel negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Keep the dream alive. It’s inevitable for students to encounter a speed bump or two in their online school journey. Pinugu advises students to focus on long-term goals, and work on them as early as freshman year.

Online learning can be so fast-paced making it easy to lose track of targets and a sense of time.

Online education may be challenging, but students with a full grasp of the intricacies of remote learning have the edge. A solid school support system that addresses mental health and academic needs also helps learners remain driven and successful in achieving goals they have set for themselves.

Smart powers online store for Escolarians Visayas State U adopts Turnitin

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MART Communications Inc. recently partnered with Centro Escolar University (CEU) to launch the latter’s exclusive Smart Online Store for students, faculty and personnel.

Together with PLDT’s businessto-business arm PLDT Enterprise, Smart has set up an exclusive on l ine pl at for m for “Escol a rians” across campuses in Manila, Makati and Malolos in Bulacan to conveniently avail of connectivity tools powering up e-learning.

“The CEU Smart Online Store is tailored to the needs of Escolarians, as they navigate the new normal of education. Smart’s digital innovations empower the youth to live smarter for a better world,” said Jane Basas, Smart senior vice president and head of Consumer Wireless Business.

Smart said the partnership with CEU is an embodiment of the PLDT group’s core value of “malasakit,” which inspires the company to assist where and when necessary—this time, in the connectivity needs of the education sector.

“With connectivity solutions housed inside one portal, it will be easier and safer for students and school personnel to purchase load and devices since they don’t need to leave their homes,” said

Jericho P. Orlina, the university’s assistant vice president for Business Affairs. “The special rates offered for the CEU community will help ensure…students continue learning in both synchronous and asynchronous classes.”

Escolarians can enjoy discounts on Smart Prepaid load cards and electronic loads at their very own Smart Online Store. The telco has also slashed prices on select phones, while connectivity devices like the Smart Bro Prepaid and PLDT Home Wi-fi are also available on the customized portal.

Smart is likewise giving away Smart 5G-ready prepaid SIMs to students, which will enable the CEU community to experience the fastest 5G network in the Philippines, as certified by Ookla.

The telco also bundles exclusive Passion+Purpose premium items for select Smart load purchases.

Escolarian “K-fans” can also ride the “hallyu” wave through a special edition photobook of their favorite Korean idols, which are bundled with select items.

T he pl atfor m of fers secure and convenient payment options via credit cards, PayMaya, and cash-on-delivery or COD. Smart is waiving shipping costs for all purchases made on the CEU Smart Online Store. Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

solutions for academic integrity

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ISAYA S St ate Un iversit y (VSU) recently announced its partnership with Turnitin—a global education-technology provider of academic integrity and assessment solutions. The partnership is focused on strengthening remote learning and academic integrity practices by integrating Turnitin Feedback Studio into daily classroom operations.

The collaboration comes as a result of a VSU-conducted series of consultation meetings with its administrators, deans, department heads, and faculty members who searched for a solution that would help uphold integrity in assessments and assignments, as well as provide performance data to inform pedagogy. It had to be reliable and flexible to withstand and alleviate challenges of constantly shifting classroom modalities: in-person, remote, and hybrid. Turnitin emerged as the top choice with its insightful reports on student and course trends, as well as effective text similarity-comparison tool as key factors in improving learning outcomes.

Turnitin’s Feedback Studio checks for text similarity, provides writing tips and grammar guidance, plus helps instructors streamline workflows and gives quality, consistent

feedback on writing assignments.

The tool helps classrooms uphold academic integrity and promote authentic learning and original thinking in all classroom types: in-person, remote, and hybrid. Feedback Studio is one of the few education technologies proven to heighten learning outcomes. Over 800 educators and 18,000 students benefit from its integration with VSU E-Learning.

“We are committed to empowering higher education institutions like the VSU in their efforts to promote original thinking, academic integrity, and fairness,” said Jack Brazel, Turnitin’s head of Business Partnerships for Southeast Asia.

“With [the university], we strive to ensure that academic standards are consistent across physical and virtual classrooms, support professors in delivering high-quality education, and improve learning outcomes.”

“Remote learning will have a permanent place in higher education. This partnership furthers the university’s academic standards and strengthens how we conduct remote learning,” said Dr. Edgardo Tulin, president of VSU. “We are proud to be enhancing the learning experience and interactions between professors and students through our partnership with Turnitin.”

Editor: Mike Policarpio

Edukasyon.ph unveils new offerings for youth

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CADEMIC platform Edukasyon.ph recently introduced new offerings supportive of the Filipino youth’s self-discovery and career development.

The portal’s homepage is now more user-friendly, with some changes, like thousands of free tests that students can take, and the soon-to-be-launched key assessments on the course they should study, or the curriculum they could pursue.

Another feature in the revamped platform is “Explore My Options,” where learners can search for schools, tracks, strong courses, and career pathways, among others, that they can make in high school and college—all for free.

“What we’re adding is a premium service where [a student] can talk to guidance counselors privately and safely…” Edukasyon. ph Founder Henry Motte-Muñoz said. “That’s through...premium g uidance-counseling sessions with...career-app kits over the next few weeks. Then, free on the web site is about upskilling…

[There’s] a lot of free courses that we developed: from civic education to homework organization, et cetera.”

According to Motte-Muñoz, the platform will also offer premium online courses, and additional academic support for students in a couple of months.

The homepage redesign has been a hit with Edukasyon.ph users, increasing engagement and helping expand its registered user base to more than double—totaling to over 800,000 students to date.

Recently the learning web site launched its second Future Fest campaign, which focuses on the careers students can take under the science, technology, engineering and mathematics strand, or STEM. “The way we look at STEM is, we have...thousands of students every year looking for options on our web site,” the Edukasyon.ph official stated. “The reason we created events like Future Fest is…for…the ‘hardcore’ [who] are really passionate about it. It’s part of our efforts to…engage with our community—not just [having generic, high-level...or...generalist content, but really the deep-dive kind].”

Edukasyon.ph has tied up with experts such as Harrison Assessments and Career Development Association of the Philippines to assist in the design of programs, and develop them together with young team members.

“This…will help achieve our commitment of allowing 2 million Filipino youth to have…successful and fulfilling [careers] by 2025,” Motte-Muñoz said.

The academic portal has also partnered with Globe Telecom, Asus Philippines and Cream Silk, to name a few. These brands helped achieve its mission of supporting the Filipino youth in their academics and careers.

Edukasyon.ph focused on career readiness and upskilling with Cream Silk ’s #ConditionedForGreaterAcademy, informationtechnology modernization with Asus’ “Edukasyon School Partner” program, as well as the promotion of education and literacy with Globe’s “GoLearn.”

With other industry leaders, Edukasyon.ph “envisions a society of Filipino learners who are ready and wel l- equ ipped not just in their education, but also in their careers thereafter,” CEO Grace David pointed out.

Roderick L. Abad

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Saturday, December 4, 2021 A9

When in General Santos City,

enjoy life at its peak GRAND Summit Hotel General Santos’ lobby has kiosks for the convenience of visitors.

One of the Deluxe King rooms with generous space for added comfort.

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Self check-in is encouraged as part of the hotel’s safety measure.

The lobby lounge has floor to ceiling glass panels to invite outdoor vibes.

By Carla Mortel-Baricaua

ow that travel restrictions are down, grab the chance to go down south and visit General Santos City for that long delayed business trip or leisure getaway.

Once you’re in town, be sure to visit the famous General Santos City Fish Port Complex and sample the freshest catch: the yellow-fin tuna served sashimistyle, trek to the awe-inspiring view at the top of Sanchez Peak— the highest point in GenSan—or maybe have a quick side trip to Lake Sebu, one of the prime ecotourism destinations in Mindanao. And to cap the day, spend your resting hours in Robinsons Hotels & Resorts’ Grand Summit Hotel General Santos for a relax-

ing and stress-free stay that you truly deserve.

Located at the corner of Honorio Arriola and Arradaza Street, the newly opened and stylish hotel offers 102 deluxe rooms and suites, a dining experience based on regional flavors, and a fine array of amenities and services.

Given the generous dimensions of the hotel rooms, sharing a room with family members (once quarantine measures are further relaxed) should prove to be a pleasant experience since

the Deluxe King, Deluxe Twin, and Deluxe PWD rooms have 36 square meters of space. Those who require more elbow room and luxury should try either the Morrow Suite or the Odi Suite, which both have a massive 107 square meters.

For guests’ dining needs, Café Summit, the hotel’s elegant allday dining outlet, offers a range of regional delicacies as well as international cuisines, available either on a la carte menu or the tempting buffet spread. The space also serves as a venue for visitors to just chill out and enjoy each other’s company.

If you’re looking for intimate gatherings or big celebrations, business meetings or conferences, the Grand Summit Hotels’ many versatile function rooms, spanning in size from 59 square meters up to 863 square meters, can accommodate such events.

Now, for some fun and excitement, the Robinsons Place General Santos is conveniently within

Holiday cheer has arrived in the grand lobby.

For business travelers, the hotel has conference and meeting rooms.

close proximity as well as the Grand Imperial gaming facility.

This December the swimming pool and suite facilities will be available, while the Grand Summit Ballroom, spa, and a fitness center are scheduled to open by the second quarter of 2022.

Upon arrival, guests will immediately sense the unique branding of hotel in its public spaces, function rooms, and guest rooms.

At the main lobby, the panoramic view of a hand painted abstract mountainous range provides a stunning impact the moment guests enter the space. Depicting the summit of a vast mountain range, the concept was ultimately inspired by life’s “ journey to the peak.”

Rising four-stories high, the hotel’s elegant façade with clean and modern lines and the floorto-ceiling glass windows on the ground f loor invites guests to have a closer look inside. The design firm also made generous use of the concept of bringing the

outdoors in. This is in response to the preferences of today’s travelers who’ve spent much of the pandemic confined to their homes, thus the need to feel like they are outdoors or closer to nature. This desire is addressed by the floorto-ceiling glass panels in many areas of the Grand Summit Hotel, its big picture windows, and again through the artwork, which all celebrate the great outdoors.

The contemporary look and feel of the interiors are made inviting and cozy through the use of a warm color palette, with auburn hues in the furnishings and other design accents, complemented by a harmonious lighting scheme which cohesively ties the various interior elements together.

It is also good to note that the sustainability agenda of its parent company, Robinsons Land, Grand Summit Hotel seeks ways to minimize the hotel’s environmental impact. Some changes had been adapted such as the use of disposable shampoo bottles, and

The Cafe Summit’s bar, where visitors can chill out and unwind.

Environment-friendly dispensers can be found in their bathrooms.

replacing these with dispensers in the bathrooms. Once it becomes safe to do so, the hotel will also be halting the use of single-use water bottles in the guest rooms, and will provide glass water pitchers instead.

As for safety measures, the Grand Summit Hotel is taking all guests’ health and well-being very seriously, so it continues to implement Robinsons Hotels and Resorts’ Circle of Clean (COC) protocol. In compliance w ith the World Health Organization’s hygiene and cleanliness standards as well as the Department of Health’s protocols, the COC safety measures include online check-in, luggage disinfection upon check-in and checkout, and hygienic food and beverage handling.

To date the Grand Summit Hotel General Santos is the most refined and upscale property of the Robinsons Hotels and Resorts that has 25 hotel properties under its portfolio.

Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival 2021: A Showroom of New Culinary Perspectives

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he Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), has long been the city’s annual gastronomic extravaganza. This year, the festival is riding high on the city’s recovery, with an exciting month-long celebration held last November that includes digital events as well as physical itineraries. This festival is a bold reminder for foodies around the world that Hong Kong will continue to be at the top of the list of dining destinations in the post-Covid era.

The disruptions caused by the pandemic have not deterred the city from its enterprising ambitions. Despite the uncertainty, plenty of new restaurants have opened in the past year, adding to the already diverse and vibrant F&B scene.

As a “Showroom of New Cu-

New experience in Chinese cuisine

linary Perspectives,” this year’s festival featured a wealth of refreshing experiences, including the innovative elevation of Chinese cuisine, an inspiring line-up of online masterclasses, and a roster of bright and bold F&B personalities that highlighted the brilliant minds that are carving a new niche in Hong Kong’s dining landscape.

New era of bartending

Cocktail lovers and green lifestyle enthusiasts were treated to the “Sustainable Cocktail” online masterclass hosted by Agung Prabowo of Penicillin bar, winner of Asia’s 50 Best Sustainable Bar Award for 2021.

The award recognizes the creativity and effort that Prabowo and his partners put in to minimizing waste and reducing the bar’s carbon footprint. For example, potato peels are up-

cycled into bar snacks, excess pieces of bread and cheese are infused into new spirits, and waste alcohol and lemon peels are transformed into soaps and hand sanitizers.

“Being in the hospitalit y industry in such an advanced

culinary city like Hong Kong, we are blessed but spoiled in that the amount of waste we produce is beyond our imagination,” Prabowo said. “I hope to inspire my industry peers to become more eco-conscious for our future generations.”

Worth noting is “Chinese Omakase by Masterchefs,” a concept-driven, outside-thebox Chinese fine dining experience. This concept is loosely inspired by the original omakase-style, whereby a meal’s direction is left entirely up to the chef’s discretion, giving the chef creative freedom and the diner a memorable dining experience.

Eighteen master chefs from revered Chinese restaurants across the city spearheaded the program and showcased their mastery of techniques and innovations. For instance, Chef Chan Yan Tak from the Michelin 3-starred Lung King Heen took diners on a tasting journey from sea to sky, while Chef Jayson Tang from Michelin 1-starred Man Ho Restaurant has created an innovative menu that

is meticulously curated based on the relationship between the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

New energy in Hong Kong’s dining scene

A promising line-up of rising culinary stars were spotlighted in the campaign to acknowledge the city’s trendsetting talent.

Hedge fund manager-turnedchef Sandy Keung is one of the few female players in the maledominated siu mei (roasted meats) industry with her brand Good BBQ. She also owns a cutting-edge seafood restaurant, which touts a unique ozonedepuration technique that provides a clean environment for bivalves and other shellfish to purge them of metabolic waste and pollutants in order to “reclock ” them back to out-ofocean condition.

A10 Saturday, December 4, 2021 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Travel and leisure booking platform promotes local travel FOR the holidays, Klook is promoting local attractions like Enchanted Kingdom and Avilon Zoo.

Gig-economy workers now have access to financial services online

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EFORE the pandemic, low-cost airfare made local and international travel more accessible to everyone, while online booking platforms such as Klook were the go-tos of those looking for good deals on attractions, transfers and even hotel bookings.

Before I learned about Klook, I truthfully didn’t use booking platforms when I traveled. For theme parks, I’d just buy tickets at the entrance, not realizing the substantial discounts I’d get from these apps.

Travel and leisure booking platform Klook is now focusing on products and services for domestic travelers in Asia, as well as digital solutions to support its merchants since there are still many restrictions on international travel.

In January 2021, Klook raised $200 million in Series E funding. Part of Klook’s strategy to help strengthen local travel is digitize the experiences booking sector and launch new travel niches such as staycations and travel bubbles.

Klook said the funding will be used to develop Rezio, a booking management platform to support tour operators and activity providers in Taiwan and Japan.

Last year, Klook launched new features including a free Contact Tracing System for Philippine partners, Attractions Plus module to support attractions and major establishments, and the Klook Live!: Interactive livestream mobile feature that allowed users to experience merchants’ offerings up-close through entertaining and interactive instant video content.

While the pandemic continues to linger, Klook has been hard at work helping the public meet their desire to travel in the form of visiting local destinations.

After nearly two years and several lockdowns, traveling is back. For most of us, it’s just local travel for now but Klook offers good holiday deals at local theme parks and attractions, All-In Travel Bubbles, local hotel and resort perks, and tour activities in popular

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor

vacation hotspots like Boracay and Cebu.

Since kids can now go out, you can take advantage of their offers on attractions like Enchanted Kingdom, Avilon Zoo, Manila Ocean Park, Skyranch, Zoobic and The Dessert Museum. For these attractions and many others, Klook has 4+1 or 20-percent off family deals. The app has an 8-percent discount on all local activities with no minimum spend requirement.

And staycations are back, so Klook also has special deals on hotels like Seda BGC, Seda Residences Makati, Acacia Hotel Manila and Holiday Inn Manila Galleria. Klook users can enjoy STAY+ and Travel Bubble Deals of up to 18-percent off on SETIR, Tides Hotel, The Lind, Villas by Eco Hotel, Belmont Boracay, Taal Vista, Pico Sands, Shangri-La Boracay, Crusoe Cabins, Las Casas, Cocoons Casobe, The Manor

at Camp John Hay, Bluewater Panglao, Bluewater Sumilon and Bluewater Maribago.

For the holidays, Klook has over P3 million worth of discounts and prizes to give away. Those who use any Klook product or service with the promo code for the holiday campaign qualifies for a chance to win an overnight stay at Taal Vista, overnight stay at Pico Sands, three days and two nights at Boracay ShangriLa, three days and two nights at Belmont Boracay, and a Sunlight EcoTourism Travel Bubble.

You can download the Klook App on the App Store and Google Play. Every time you book an activity on Klook, you’ll receive a handy mobile e-voucher saved directly onto your Klook App. These vouchers are accessible even without Internet connectivity and you won’t have to print them out unless stated. ■

LYKA aims to boost local entrepreneurship

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES SOCIAL media and shopping app LYKA aims to encourage more Filipinos to pursue entrepreneurship as it plans to recruit more partner merchants.

“LYKA has more than 28,000 partner merchants.

What is fascinating is that due to the unique concept of the social-media gift card, LYKA was able to capture even the micro-entrepreneurs,” LYKA Global CEO Ryan Baird said in an online interview.

“Besides having the big brands, the app was also able to penetrate mom-and-pop stores, public-market vendors, cab drivers, street vendors and the likes. This is the first time for these independent businesses to accept digital payments, something credit-card companies will never be able to do,”

Baird added.

To broaden consumer choices, Baird said LYKA aims to get 1 million stock-keeping units (SKU) in its LYKA Mall to give users more options in the use of their Giftcard in Electronic Mode (GEMs). LYKA GEM is the first paperless, contactless and seamless social gift card in the world.

“Likewise, most celebrities and influencers are already posting on the app. Users can easily interact and give them GEMs as gifts and at the same time earn GEMs when they post on the app. These GEMs can be used to pay for products and services, buy items from the LYKA Mall and LYKA Grocery, as well as pay bills and other electronic loads,” Baird said.

Compared to the other popular social-media apps, Baird said LYKA’s main difference is it enables the user to earn

from his or her activity within the app.

“Soon, users will earn from the ads that they choose to view. It’s like every billboard paying you when you travel through Edsa, or TV commercials rewarding you just by watching them This is a feature that traditional media or any other social-media apps do not have,” he explained.

Baird said they are also beefing up LYKA Grocery’s presence to serve more areas outside the National Capital Region and its five nearby provinces. This will also see expansion of the bills payment capability for its users.

Baird, meanwhile, pointed out that these services and benefits will be enjoyed by LYKA users once the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas issues the registration as an Operator of Payment System (OPS) to LYKA. He said the company expects it to be issued by the first quarter of 2022.

Award-winning smart gadgets help in achieving wellness goals faster, easier WE have to admit: sticking to a healthy lifestyle can be burdensome. With the pandemic restrictions and work-from-home stresses, we understand it can feel much better to gobble junk food and lounge rather than eat healthy and do planks. Or, you might be eating healthy and exercising regularly but not seeing results.

That’s why the folks over at Noerden decided to develop fun wellness and fitness tech for everyday life to help us out. Noerden is an award-winning French digital fitness tech company known for its minimalist and easy-to-use health and wellness devices.

These devices synchronize your biometrics

(BMI, fat mass, etc.) via Bluetooth to the Noerden App, which analyzes them to provide you with sustainable daily guidance you can easily follow. But here’s the best part: Noerden products are now available in the Philippines.

Introducing the Liz, a self-sanitizing smart bottle that reminds you to take sips of water every few hours. These come in 480 ml (P4,650) and 350 ml (P3,950) sizes, and in white and black versions. Meanwhile, the Minimi is a smart body scale that measures nine vital biometrics to help you understand your body better. It’s priced at (P2,150), and also comes in white and black versions.

Being healthy isn’t just about shedding

weight. It’s also about eating right, keeping active, and knowing more about your body and what it needs. That’s why the Minimi smart body scale together with the Noerden App will be your new bestie as it measures nine biometrics: weight, visceral fat, metabolic age, hydration, fat mass, lean body mass, bone mass, BMR, and BMI, helping you get a clearer picture of your body and improve your health choices.

Meanwhile, the Liz’s cap actually glows every two hours to remind you to take a sip of water. No more forgetting to rehydrate on hectic days. You can also get personalized water intake recommendations, set daily

hydration goals, keep track of your hydration, and set hydration reminders on the Noerden App. The Liz also has all the features of an insulated thermos and can keep your drink hot for up to 12 hours and cold for up to 24 hours.

By tapping its lid once, it will glow and tell you your drink’s temperature: blue for cold, yellow for warm, and red for hot.

Noerden is exclusively distributed by Rustan Marketing Corp., and is available at Rustan’s Department Store Shangri-la Plaza and Makati; www.rustans.com, www. beautymnl.com, www.zalora.com.ph, and www.trunc.ph.

THE ongoing pandemic has turned the Philippine economy into a gig economy, with more people choosing, or even forced to seek, jobs online.

Nevertheless, this type of employment is still “below the radar” of established traditional financial institutions.

As a result, many freelancers don’t have the required financial credentials to apply for loans, causing them to join the ranks of the underserved in the financial and related services. Good thing there are technology companies such as MoveForward Inc. (MFI) that have emerged to give fair and inclusive buynow-pay-later (BNPL) services on a per transaction basis.

“MFI understands the need for Filipinos to have flexible payment solutions that can help them get what they need right now and pay through installments,” said MFI chief executive officer Johanne Lim at the recent launch of their partner, Smile API, which processes applications in seconds, not days, even for online freelancers and those without credit cards.

By virtue of having to transact with online employers, freelancer or gig platforms, workers now can have proof of income that can be verified online with the right technology, and then bridged to online fintech apps as proof of employment and income when needed. This is where MFI’s partner Smile API comes in.

“All financial product segments have one thing in common, they require data to be processed as part of their vetting protocols. The more data that is available—provided that data is favorable—the lower the risk becomes for the financial institution,” explained Smile API CEO Jerome Eger. “But whether it is a small or large loan, the conventional process of vetting a borrower remains largely similar: it takes days to weeks, and it involves human intervention.”

According to him, their firm helps close the data gap by offering users the easiest way to link individual employment information to their financial service providers, including fintech apps builder MFI. Their partnership empowers Filipinos to quickly make emergency purchases such as medicines, car parts, home fixtures or appliances, or smartphones and electronic appliances via the instant access of Smile API’s data infrastructure.

While there is a wide and growing selection of brands and products on the MFI catalog, shoppers can also avail of local products through an online store or shopping platform like Shopee or Lazada. Through its personal link shopper feature, MFI can also offer BNPL services to the consumer, even for emergency purchases.

“With the coming together of Smile API and MFI, Filipinos are much closer to true financial inclusion than ever before,” said Lim.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

What are the ‘safest’ gadgets to gi�t this Christmas?

I

N our last column, I started our traditional gift giving guide with a couple of budget smartphones: the realme 8i and infinix HOT 11s. To help you further with your gift choices, I talked with the big boss of Kimstore herself, Kim Lato, to ask for some tips and the best-selling devices during the holiday season. From its humble office in Tondo to its present-day Quezon City office and Valenzuela warehouse, Kimstore, after 15 years, remains as one of the most reliable and trusted online gadget stores in the country.

A groundbreaker in online selling during her early years, Lato started the company while she was still a sophomore student at the De La Salle University. A lover of tech devices who regularly did online searches, she realized that a lot of these electronic gadgets were mostly sold by foreigners at a price that many Filipinos could not afford. At a time when the now-defunct Multiply lorded it over the then-fledgling social media, Lato decided to give her countrymen a better option: a Filipino online shop that provided them premium gadgets at reasonable prices.

According to Kim, smartphones, tablets and laptops and—to my surprise—small kitchen appliances are the constant best sellers. But because of the pandemic, power solutions, and fitness gears have also become in-demand. As the market needs keep evolving, Kimstore needed to adapt constantly introducing new products that appeal to all consumers. Besides small kitchen appliances they also have a “new normal essentials” category which have proven to be best sellers, too.

How much do people usually spend on a holiday present?

It actually depends on the needs of the customer and the product category. With smartphones, laptops, and tablets, the usual spend is at P20,000-P40,0000.

With electronic devices, small kitchen appliances, health and lifestyle, it is around P1,000-P5,000.

How do you choose the right gift for a loved one, especially if they are not so much into tech?

There are four things to consider: 1) practicality, 2) durability, 3) functionality 4) affordability. And we take pride at Kimstore that we have a whole slew of

products that meet those four factors. As a gifter, you need of course to consider if the gifts that you will give to your loved ones are the ones that they can use, or to simply put it: Will the gift make their daily lives easier?

Kimstore has prepared gift guides to make it easier to shop for your loved ones. There’s something for everyone at Kimstore, from your techie squad, your sporty tito and tita, to your kikay friend.

What are the “safe” gadgets to buy that anyone can appreciate?

There are many gifts that are “safe”. Say, you don’t know who will receive it or you don’t know the person too well, then powerbanks are a great gift. They’re very functional for all kinds of USB-powered devices and phones of all kinds. One brand that has been receiving great reviews is Jaguar Powerbanks, and many people attest to its longevity, so such gift makes for a nice remembrance as well. We also have oil diffusers for homes or offices because who doesn’t like a nice-smelling home?

What is the best time to shop for holiday gifts?

Does it really get more expensive during the holidays and do prices go down after?

Actually quite the opposite. We have more discounts and promos on offer during the holidays to make it easier on the wallet. We understand that people aren’t buying gifts for just one person, so we also have bundles and more. We even have offers for bulk purchases so companies can show their appreciation to their employees. Kimstore offers gift vouchers, discount vouchers, gift-wrapping services, Christmas bundles, and free shipping nationwide.

Of course there will be more sales campaigns and discounts in the coming months so keep an eye out and stay updated by liking and following our social media.

What are your most important learnings from managing Kimstore for the last 15 years?

I’ve learned so many things over the years. One thing that really stands out for me is the value of making connections. That’s how we manage our people, that’s how we approach our clients and customers. We want our customers to know that there is a person from Kimstore that’s ready to listen and assist in their purchases. We are not surprised

TECH GIANT OFFERS DISCOUNTS, FREEBIES AND MORE FOR THE HOLIDAYS GLOBAL tech brand Acer is staging a holiday extravaganza full of prizes, plus the chance to win an IKEA home makeover.

Consumers should delight in Acer’s justlaunched “Holidays at Home” sales and raffle promo, which offers discounts on select Acer and Predator models of laptops, desktops and accessories; freebies such as IKEA gift cards worth up to P5,000 or a Smart Bro LTE Pocket Wi-Fi with every participating product purchase, and the chance to win two home makeover packages from IKEA each worth over P100,000, with free consultation with an IKEA Philippines Design Specialist thrown in for good measure.

Moreover, SB19 joins fellow Acer ambassadors Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, online sweetheart Janina Vela, rapper-singer Josue, and multi-talented Predator ambassador Ashley

Gosiengfiao at a live event on December 3. This will be streamed on Acer Philippines’s official Facebook page.

“Despite the easing of restrictions, many people, including students and seniors, are still staying at home either by choice or as compelled by circumstances. So we’re making things merrier with a raffle promo that would give them an IKEA home makeover and more, along with discounts and freebies. We hope the holidays will bring joy and hope among our customers and their families,” said Acer Philippines general manager Sue Ong-Lim. Aside the top prizes, there will also be three winners of Acer Aspire Vero laptops each worth P41,999, 10 winners of P12,000 worth of Smart Call & Text cards, and five winners of the Smart Bro 5G Rocket WiFi. More information can be found at www.acer.com.

when customers leave reviews and namedrop the person who helped them. That’s why we are called the Kimmunity. To address the usual complaints of delayed deliveries, we are launching Kimexpress so that we can cater to on-demand orders.

GAMING MUST-HAVE

REALME philippines continues to expand its gamingoriented lineup with the highly anticipated arrival of the newest sulit gaming must-have the the narzo 50i.

Following the successful launch of the narzo 50A earlier this month, the narzo 50i is designed to empower Filipino mobile gaming enthusiasts as it comes packed with features to help them work hard and play longer at a price that’s tough to beat.

The narzo 50i comes packed with an incredible 5000mAh battery capable of delivering 43 days of standby time or 23 hours of continuous video streaming. With a special reverse charge feature, you can also use it to power up your other gadgets on the go. In terms of display, gamers and non-gamers alike will appreciate its 6.5-inch large screen with a large field of view to provide a better visual experience.

Its screen-to-body ratio reaches up to 88.7 percent, allowing for less disturbance while playing games or watching videos.

Other features include a powerful octa-core processor and a 3-card SIM tray with a dedicated microSD card slot that lets you expand storage up to 256GB; and an 8MP AI camera with f/2.0 large aperture to make photos clear and brighter.

The narzo 50i 4GB+6GB retails for only P6,290.

Those who purchase the narzo 50i or any realme device with a minimum spend worth P5,000 until January 2, 2022 at any realme flagship store or authorized partner dealer can get a chance to win one of 16,000 realme TechLife prizes and earn an e-raffle ticket at a chance to win an all-new Mitsubishi Mirage G4. ■

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Saturday, December 4, 2021 A11

THE realme narzo 50A

Online and offline well-being key to more positive life AS Filipinos embrace digitalization to thrive in the new normal, finding and maintaining the right balance between online and offline activities is imperative in achieving a positive well-being.

Dr. Jason Ligot, MPH, Promotions and Communications Consultant of the World Health Organization (WHO), explained that the mental and physical health risks of excessive usage of digital platforms, particularly social media, can include poor sleep, physical inactivity, and mental distress.

Ligot was the guest speaker in the eighth episode of TAYO Naman! (Tulong, Alaga, Yakap at Oras para sa mga Tagapagtaguyod ng Edukasyon), a webinar series by Globe and the Department of Education (DepEd) with the topic “Promoting Digital Well-being.”

“Ang sinasabi natin ay may mga pagkakataon na masyado nang excessive o hindi na nakakatulong ’yung time o panahon na ginugugol natin online sa ating mental health. If you have poor physical health, that will have a negative impact on your mental health, as well.

The key aspect here is finding a balance between our offline and online lives. That is the key to maintaining well-being. This is our reality now,” Ligot said.

Being mentally healthy does not mean being happy all the time. Changes in mood are a part of daily life. “Being mentally healthy means that you are having enough sleep, you are physically well, you are full of energy that you can devote to various activities of your daily life, your performance at work is consistent, and you are socially active, you maintain relationships with people who are close to you,” he added.

Some red flags indicating social media’s negative effects on one’s mental health include interference with work, using it to escape destructive emotions, experiencing trolling and bullying, spending more time online than with other people, and heightened feelings of anxiety and depression.

To prevent these from happening, Ligot suggested limiting screen time, avoiding mean comments, being mindful of the platform used, focusing on existing connections, finding other hobbies, and spreading the love by engaging people in productive and helpful ways.

While there are many risks, digital platforms also offer several potential benefits if used properly.

Ligot said these platforms could facilitate interaction among individuals to help them cope with their present situations, make them feel less lonely, and find the right support networks.

When his father passed away due to Covid-19, Ligot said they could not gather physically to console each other. Through digital platforms, even relatives and friends who live in different parts of the world were able to connect with the family and ease the emotional burden of the loss.

Moreover, digital platforms can be used for entertainment to relieve stress, promote health services like teleconsulting, and encourage mental health literacy for people to understand and make better choices towards their health.

Sports BusinessMirror

Aguilas against Team Dasmariñas in men’s Champions League final

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O for Gold and Team Dasmariñas teetered against their respective semifinals opponents on Friday to advance to the final and earn the distinction of becoming the first men’s champion of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League at the Aquamarine Recreational Center in Lipa City.

The Aguilas brought down Global Remit, 26-28, 25-22, 25-18, 25-19, a victory that took eight minutes short of two hours to complete, while Team Dasmariñas toiled even more in surviving VNS Manileño Spikers, 25-20, 30-28, 20-25, 21-25, 18-16, needing two hours and 18 minutes to win.

The one-match final is set at 4 p.m. on Saturday with the battle for bronze between Friday’s losers scheduled for 1:30 pm. The victor will join F2 Logistics as the first of winners of the Champions League and will earn the right to represent the country in the Asian.

Josafat, a University of the East middle blocker, starred for the Aguilas with four blocks and three service aces for 15 points.

“My mindset is to be ready. Every game, my coach will tell me to be prepared,” said Josafat, who entered the match in the second set. “I need to be focused in blockings, in attacks.”

Aguilas mentor Dante Alinsunurin was happy the way Josafat responded in the one-hour, 52-minute match.

“He [Josafat] gave us energy inside the court,” said Alinsunurin, whose squad remained unbeaten in three matches in the tournament that has Rebisco, Pitmaster Foundation Inc., Top Speed, 1Pacman Party-list, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee as platinum sponsors and F2 Logistics, Asics, PLDT, MVP Sports Foundation and Mikasa as gold sponsors and BCDA, Philippine Red Cross, Lipa City, Davis Paint and Emerald PVC Pipes, Fittings and Doors as silver sponsors with PNVF godfather, Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Champions League,

giving his full support.

Mark Calado powered Team Dasmariñas to the thrilling victory. He scored all but one of his 28 points from spikes as they withstood the Manileño Spikers’ fightback from two sets down to emerge victorious in the semifinal.

Madzlan Gampong had three blocks for a 17-point effort while Ronniel Rosales chipped in 13 points, including for the Monarchs.

The Monarchs simply held their composure after the Manileño Spikers rallied back from two sets down to force a fifth set.

“I told my teammates to stay calm.

I simply wanted to win,” said Calado, who scored back-to-back kills to put the Monarchs at match-point.

Setter Cian Silang then drilled in a service ace to ice the game for the Monarchs.

The Monarchs played without Head Coach Norman Miguel, who was quarantined on Friday for breaking health protocols. He had to undergo another antigen test and will be available for the gold medal match on Saturday if he yields a negative result.

GO for Gold-Air Force’s Mark Alfafara blocks Global Remit’s Joeven de la Vega.

M

EMPHIS, Tennessee—The Memphis Grizzlies broke the National Basketball Association (NBA) record for margin of victory on Thursday night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 152-79.

The 73-point margin easily topped the previous mark, which was Cleveland’s 68-point win over Miami.

The Cavaliers topped the Heat, 14880, on December 17, 1991.

“Tonight is not necessarily who we are,” Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault said. “I think we’ve definitely shown that from a competitive standpoint.

This isn’t indicative of who our team is.”

Memphis used 12 players and nine of them reached double figures in scoring, with Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 27 points leading the way for the Grizzlies. Memphis was without its best player, injured guard Ja Morant.

It was 72-36 at halftime and the Grizzlies just kept adding to the lead, eventually pulling ahead by as many as 78 points.

The Thunder flirted with being on the wrong end of the record last season, trailing Indiana by 67 points on May 1 before rallying—such as it was—to lose by merely 57 points, 152-95.

This was worse. Historically worse.

The Grizzlies set a franchise record for shooting, making 62.5 percent of their shots. De’Anthony Melton scored 19 points, Santi Aldama scored 18 and John Konchar scored 17 for the Grizzlies, and none of those three players even started.

“Man, it feels great. It feels great to be in the history books, especially

in front of our home crowd,” Melton said. “And we did it one through 15.

Everybody contributed, everybody played hard and we all got to get in the game. So, it’s always a blessing.

“We knew with [Morant] going down what we had to do,” Melton said. “We had to step up.”

No Memphis starter played more than 21 minutes. Lu Dort led the Thunder with 15 points, and Oklahoma City shot only 33 percent.

It was 12-8 after five minutes.

From there, there was no stopping Memphis. The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder by 15 points in each of the four quarters.

It was the third straight game the Grizzlies have led from start to finish.

The Thunder lost their eighth straight as they continued to play short-handed with a number of players unavailable, including leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered concussion protocol earlier Thursday. GilgeousAlexander scored 39 points against the Rockets on Wednesday night but suffered a blow to the head late in the game. AP

THE Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. celebrate with his teammates. AP

| Saturday, December 4, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

By Josef Ramos

UY SNATCHES 1ST VICTORY IN PHL TOUR

DANIELLA UY claims her maiden triumph at the Riviera Ladies Championship.

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ANIELLA UY, who had toiled for a great deal of time just to even earn a crack at a first Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) crown, claimed her maiden triumph in easy fashion by beating Chihiro Ikeda by five strokes on a closing 74 in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Riviera Ladies Championship in Silang, Cavite, on Friday.

Not even a cluster of bogeys after a birdie-birdie run from No. 3 could stymie Uy’s march to the podium as Ikeda and the rest failed to mount a major challenge, all succumbing to the buffeting wind and tricky greens of Langer, enabling the former Junior World champion to cruise to the trouble-fee victory and finally join the elite group of winners in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. “I’m super happy,” said Uy after holing out with four pars for a 36-38 to end a long quest for a pro diadem

S

GRIZZLIES SILENCE THUNDER BY 73 PTS

A12

ISTA Super Sealers bids to become the first team to win back-to-back leg titles in the Philippine Basketball Association 3x3 Lakas Ng Tatlo which resumes on Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Super Sealers open their campaign for a second straight title against the Cavitex Braves in Pool A at 2 p.m.

Composed of RJ Argamino, Prince Rivero, Leo De Vera and Kenneth Mocon, the Super Sealers of Coach Juven Formacil defeated guest team Pioneer Pro Tibay in last week’s Leg 3 for the championship.

Aside from Sista and Cavitex, also grouped in Pool A are Platinum Karaoke, Limitless Appmasters and Zamboanga Valientes MLV. The Appmasters-Valientes match comes right after at 2:25 p.m. in the

worth P116,250. “I was my first win in seven years and I’m looking forward for more [wins].”

With a 220 total at the hazardladen par-71 layout, Uy clinched the crown in the other half of the two-leg Riviera swing following Chanelle Avaricio’s equally imposing maiden triumph (seven strokes) at the Couples course last week.

Ikeda, three shots behind after 36 holes, tried to put the pressure on Uy with a birdie on the first hole but bogeyed the next two and the latter countered with back-to-back birdies from No. 3 and went up by six, a lead that was never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

Ikeda fumbled with six bogeys and ended up with a 76 but still finished at second for the third straight tournament with a 225 and received P82,500 while Avaricio likewise wound up with a bogey-riddled fiveover card to place third with a 227 worth P67,500.

Harmie Constantino, who had looked forward to scoring her third triumph in her maiden pro season after storming ahead by three with a 70 in the first round, hardly recovered from a disastrous 81 with a 77 as she settled for fourth at 228. The backto-back Eagle Ridge-Aoki legs winner pocketed P60,000.

Mafy Singson shared the spotlight by completing an incredible comeback to win the low amateur honors for the fourth straight time, carding a second straight 76 for a 237 and frustrating erstwhile frontrunner Arnie Taguines, who skied to a birdie-

less 87 marred by four double bogeys and a triple bogey.

Singson placed sixth overall behind Gretchen Villacencio, who shot a 75 for a 235, while Taguines wound up with a 242 total for ninth behind No. 8 and Highlands leg winner Sunshine Baraquiel, who pooled a 239 after a day’s best 72, and seventh placer Marvi Monsalve, who limped with an 84 for 238.

“Though I didn’t play that well this week, I was still grateful that I was able to win the low amateur trophy,” said Singson, who fell by seven behind Taguines with an 85 start and still stood six shots behind with 18 holes left to play.

But she toughened up in the final round, making the turn with a decent one-over 36 while watching Taguines crumble with a 43.

“I could’ve finished better but bogeyed the last three holes,” added Singson, who bested Taguines by five despite her faltering finish.

Uy also stumbled with a number of bogeys (five) after that fine start but made a number of putts to save par and stay clear of her pursuers on her way to realizing a dream finish after finishing tied for second at Highlands three weeks ago.

“This win will actually give me a lot of confidence for my next tournaments,” said Uy, who will try to close out the LPGT season with another victory in the ICTSI Midlands Ladies Classic slated from December 14 to 16.

PBA Lakas Ng Tatlo resumes second of a heavy 16-game opening day schedule.

Previous leg runner up Pioneer Pro Tibays heads Pool B and will face San Miguel Beer in its opening foray at 2:50 p.m. Also in the group are Barangay Ginebra and Leg 2 champion Meralco Bolts.

Terrafirma 3X3, meanwhile, is bunched in Pool C together with tournament top scorer Joseph Eriobu and the Purefoods TJ Titans, NorthPort Batang Pier and maiden leg champion TnT Tropang Giga led

by Almond Vosotros.

The Dyip open hostilities in their group against the Batang Pier at 3:15 p.m.

Six more games are in store in

the second day of pool play on Sunday prior to the knockout stage.

The top 3 teams in Pool A join the top 2 in Pools B and C in the quarterfinals, with the eighth and final berth to be disputed by the No. 3 teams in Pool B and Pool C. Winner of the leg gets P100,000, while P50,000 will go to the runner up, and P30,000 to the third placer.

Azkals aim high in Suzuki Cup in Singapore

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By Rick Olivares

INGAPORE—Some say the Philippine men’s football team could possibly vie for a semifinals slot in the 2021 Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup when it gets the much-anticipated tournament under way on Sunday in Singapore.

Some say we will be hard-pressed to even

advance to the next stage of the tournament simply because of the quality of the competition with the Philippines locked in Group A with five-time winner Thailand and threetime champion and host Singapore.

The other nations in Group A are Myanmar and Timor Leste.

Filipino football fans will get their answers to their questions when they follow the Azkals’ journey via Tap Sports on Skycable and Cignal as well as the Tap Go app.

All the Group A matches will be played at Kallang National Stadium.

The biennial football tournament among Southeast Asian nations was supposed to be played in December 2020 but was postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The last time people were unsure of where to rank the Philippines was six years ago when the Azkals shocked the footballing world when they crashed the semifinals and have

Victolero aims to mold big man Laput to solid, explosive Hotshot

since become a regional power.

In this tournament, one can be sure that no one team is looking past the Philippines as the current squad under Coach Scott Cooper is laden with veteran talent with some talented newcomers.

Leading the national charge is team captain Stephan Schrock, naturalized player Bienvenido Maranon and veterans Angel Guirado, Patrick Reichelt, Mike Ott, Martin Steuble and Amani Aguinaldo.

Reichelt (2012, 2014, 2018), Steuble (2014, 2016, 2018) and Aguinaldo (2014, 2016, 2018) will be making their fourth appearance in the biennial tournament.

Other returnees are midfielders Mike Ott, Iain Ramsay, Kevin Ingreso and defender Daisuke Sato.

Making their first appearances are goal keepers Kevin Ray Hansen (Kuala Lumpur City FC), Bernd Schipmann (Ratchaburi Mitr Phol FC) and Quincy Kameraad (Azkals Development Team).

On defense, Cooper has Mar Vincent Diano (Azkals Development Team), Juastin Baas (United City FC),

M

AGNOLIA doesn’t need 6-foot-10 rookie James Laput to be a dominant big man like six-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, 7-footer Greg Slaughter or 6-foot7 Ian Sangalang.

For Hotshots coach Chito Victolero, acquiring Laput from Terrafirma for high-flying point guard Justin Melton and big man Kyle Pascual was worth it especially for the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup that will kick off on December 8 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

“He [Laput] has a lot of upsides that’s why we’ll gamble on him.

At 25 years old, I don’t want to compare him to June Mar [Fajardo], Greg [Slaughter] and even to Ian [Sangalang],” Victolero told BusinessMirror on Friday.

“As long as he is very effective, that’s fine with us. I know he’ll be a big help to our campaign this coming next conference,” Victolero said.

“We’ll be patient with him so we’re hoping he will be patient with us. I believe he’ll be a big factor to us.”

Laput, a former De La Salle University center, is expected to take the place of 44-year-old veteran big man Rafi Reavis who will be retiring soon.

Magnolia is hoping to rebound from its runner-up finish to TNT Tropang Giga in the Philippine Cup and is confident former Houston Rockets player Mike Harris could help them achieve their goal.

“He’s been practicing with us for more than one week and everything is fine with Mike. He is embracing our system now,” Victolero said.

The Hotshots held a week-long team building session at the V-Farm at Sta. Maria, Bulacan.

In other developments, the PBA trade Committee revised the deal between TNT Tropang Giga and Blackwater on Friday. Carl Bryan Cruz was acquired by TNT from the Bossing for veteran Anthony Jay Washington plus 2022 and 2025 second round picks.

The PBA released also released the opening day schedule for the Governors’ Cup with Arwind Santos debuting for NorthPort against Alaska in the first game at 3 p.m., followed by Vic Manuel’s first game at San Miguel Beer against NLEX at 6 p.m.

Games will be played every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a single-round format with the top 4 teams in the quarterfinals gaining twiceto-beat advantages.

The semifinals will be a best-of-5 series and the finals a a best-ofseven series.

SIX-FOOT-10 rookie James Laput’s future could be at Magnolia.

Yrick Gallantes (Azkals Development Team) Jesper Nyholm (Djurgardens IF), Matthew Custodio (Azkals Development Team), Christian Rontini (Azkals Development Team) and Jefferson Tabinas (Mito Hollyhock) to count on.

The midfield counts Harry Foll (FC 08 Villingen), Sandro Reyes (Azkals Development Team), Dennis Cheung (Azkals Development Team), Oli Bias (Azkals Development Team), Amin Nazari (United City FC) and Kenshiro Daniels (Kaya FC-Iloilo).

Up front is Guirado, Maranon and Reichelt.

Under the leadership of Philippine Football Federation President Mariano Araneta and national team manager Dan Stephen Palami, the AFF Suzuki Cup will be their sixth sojourn together.

In that span, the national team has reached the semi-finals four times.

In this edition, Coopers’ boys intend to come pout, play hard and possible shock the world once more.

To follow the matches of the Azkals as well as the rest of the 2021 AFF Suzuki Cup, fans can tune into Tap Sports on Skycable or Cignal or they can download the Tap Go app and subscribe.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION QUALIFICATION AND AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION SALARY RANGE ALL OUT MULTI-MEDIA SOLUTIONS CORP. Unit 2302-a West Tower, Pse Centre, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig Basic Qualification: LEE, TAEHYEONG Proficient in speaking, Technical Support Specialist reading and writing Korean and English 1.

Brief Job Description: Maintenance and monitoring of computer hardware Salary Range: computer systems and applications Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 No.

No.

15.

AMAZON OPERATION SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. B21 Three E-com Moa Complex, Harbour Drive Cor. Bay Shore, Brgy. 076, Pasay City LU THI VUONG Seller Support Associate 2.

Brief Job Description: Act as the primary interface, collecting the required information and documentation and conducting the relevant verification so the seller can complete registration and begin selling on Amazon

CHEN, KE Training Specialist I

3.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for training delivery in Chinese and English for all new hire, refresher and launch trainings for Amazon CTIPS training.

Delivers our blende learning (Instructor led training and e-learning) classes and programs for new hires, new skills (cross-training), continuing education and refreshers as necessary for global investigators / associates - in the classroom and virtually (using adobe connect) Understand the needs of the different participants and frames the training accordingly

Basic Qualification: Clear and effective oral and written communication in both Vietnamese and English fluently where required.

Interacts directly with Amazon sellers trough live session Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent oral / written skills in both Chinese and English Demonstrated experience working with remote teams Expertise in planning, implementing, and assessing training Expertise in administering employee certification program

4.

5.

6.

Brief Job Description: responsible for inbound and outbound calls LI, XUEHONG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: responsible for inbound and outbound calls ZHU, XIAOYI Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: responsible for inbound and outbound calls

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

BILLION DRAGON OUTSOURCE PHILS., INC. 3/f, Ayala Mall Southpark, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

13.

14.

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

CHEN, GUANGQING Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

CHEN, JINSONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

19.

20.

Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin character

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters

29.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CHEN, JIYONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

GAO, FANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

GUO, FENG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

HONG, YONGJIAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

HU, DONGHUA Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

HUANG, ZIFENG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative JIANG, JIXIANG Customer Service Representative

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

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

12.

18.

Basic Qualification: proficient in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: ARR SHOUNT able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 7.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: SAI MOON AUNG able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 8.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: XIE, YULEI able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 9.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 AVANTICE CORPORATION 19/f Pbcom Tower, Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Diploma/Certificate. College ONG PEI SIM, MERCHINA degree in any field; Must be Operations Assistant Manager native Singaporean fluent in English & Mandarin; With at 10.

Brief Job Description: least 5 years in experience in Coordinating with upper management to find ways customer service or similar to enhance their customer service objective among function executives Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Must be native Korean/ Thai/ Vietnamese/ Japanese/ SURYANI Chinese/ Cambodian/ Risk And Compliance Executive Indonesian. Fluent in English 11. & native language with at Brief Job Description: least a year of experience in Initiates and process customer verification the same field

CAI, REN Customer Service Representative

17.

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

AMOS AND MARK INTERNATIONAL SERVICES INC. 4/f Unit 2c One Ecom Bldg., Ocean Drive St. Mall Of Asia Complex Subd., Zone 10, Barangay 076, District 1, Pasay City JIAN, JIANFENG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative

16.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

30.

Brief Job Description: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin. Can operate Mandarin characters

LIU, PEI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

LUO, XIANGLONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative

MIAO, DECHENG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

REN, JIABIN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

SU, BINGFENG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative

WU, JINXIONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative

YU, GANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

ZHANG, JINQIAO Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

ZHAO, DEQIANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

Saturday, December 4, 2021

A13

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin , Can Operate Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters

No.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

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

Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative

ZHONG, PINGPING Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

Basic Qualification: High School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ALUM, EMILY HELENE MINH THU Multilingual Service Desk Member

Basic Qualification: Language proficient

Brief Job Description: To support multilingual service desk

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

BAUBLYTE, DAIVA Multilingual Service Desk Member

Basic Qualification: Language proficient

Brief Job Description: To support multilingual service desk

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

BUSAT, CHRISTIAN ANDRE Multilingual Service Desk Member

Basic Qualification: Language proficient

Brief Job Description: To support multilingual service desk

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

VOUTILAINEN, JUKKA JOHANNES NICOLAS Multilingual Service Desk Member

Basic Qualification: Language proficient

Brief Job Description: To support multilingual service desk

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

VUORIO, TONI TAPANI Multilingual Service Desk Member

Basic Qualification: Language proficient

Brief Job Description: To support multilingual service desk

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

NIELSEN, STEFAN ALMSKOU Service Delivery Manager

Basic Qualification: Proficient in writing and verbal communication in English language an excellent knowledge of Danish proficient computer and technical skills.

Brief Job Description: Provides Technical Support in Danish

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS PHILIPPINES, INC. 2nd, 3rd, And 4th Floors, Science Hub Tower 4 Bldg., Mckinley Hill Cyberpark, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig OLIVER SANCHEZ, MARCOS Process Specialist 39.

Brief Job Description: Conduct training needs analysis and prepare monthly refresher training on critical communication pieces: good in translating from English to Spanish or Spanish to English without variation

Basic Qualification: Bachelor of Arts in Modern Language , more than 5 years of client facing experience in customer service , working with direct consumers Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

COMMUNICATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE CREI PHILS INC. Unit A, 7th Flr., Clipp Center 11th Ave. Cor. 39th St. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig EL GHOTME, GHADA Investment Director 40.

Brief Job Description: Communicates with Executive and Managing Directors; works with Associates and Analysts to implement those requests

Basic Qualification: 10 years of experience in telecoms field Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

CRONYX INC. No. 4th-10th Flr. Yinhope Bldg., Dela Rama Cor. Zoili Hilario St., Seascape Village, Ccp Complex Subd.

Zone 10, Barangay 076, District 1, Pasay City

GUO, DUNHENG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 41.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers. Give customer information about product and services

QIN, XIPENG Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 42.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help customers. Give customer information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience.

Good in oral communication and written.

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

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience.

Good in oral communication and written.

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

DEXIN 999, INC. Red Hotel No. 345, Edsa Cor. Don Carlos Revilla St., Barangay 147, Pasay City

SHUI, HAIJIANG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters

ZHAO, QINGLIN Customer Service Representative

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CGI (PHILIPPINES) INC. 2/f One World Square, Mckinley Hill, Pinagsama, City Of Taguig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese. Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin.

Can operate Mandarin characters

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

43.

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

DING LI BUSINESS CONSULTANCY INC. Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

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

A14

BusinessMirror

Saturday, December 4, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

DING, QIAOJIE Mandarin Marketing And Promotion Specialist

44.

Brief Job Description: shall interpret written or spoken marketing material into one or more other languages-mandarin, ensures meaning and context are maintained, creates glossaries or term dictionaries, possesses knowledge of multiple languages, works with individual clients and corporations.

Communicating in dual language English and Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) with clients. Analyze business market stability for management and clients satisfactory. Monitor and align the organizational goals with the target market. Conduct competitive business research and analyze benchmarking data. Recommend website and campaign optimizations. Research and implement marketing tools to support our promotional projects (automation software, social media scheduling etc.). Work closely with sales and marketing teams to identify opportunities for new client acquisition.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: shall interpret written or spoken marketing material into one or more other languages-mandarin, ensures meaning and context are maintained, creates glossaries or term dictionaries, possesses knowledge of multiple languages, works with individual clients and corporations. Communicating in dual language English and Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) with clients.

Analyze business market stability for management and clients satisfactory. Monitor and align the organizational goals with the target market.

Conduct competitive business research and analyze benchmarking data.

Recommend website and campaign optimizations.

Research and implement marketing tools to support our promotional projects (automation software, social media scheduling etc.).

Work closely with sales and marketing teams to identify opportunities for new client acquisition.

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

DYNAMIC STUDIO TECHNOLOGY INC. 5th To 10th/f Platinum Tower Building, Aseana Ave. Cor. Fuentes Street, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: HOU, SHICHAO With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate customer service experience.

Good in oral communication 45.

Brief Job Description: and written.

Assist/Help customers. Give customer information about product and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: WEI, WANG With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate customer service experience.

Good in oral communication 46.

Brief Job Description: and written.

Assist/Help customers. Give customer information about product and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 EMERALD WIRELESS TECH INC. 28th/f Arthaland Century Pacific Tower E-square Information Technology Park, 25th St. Cor 5th Ave., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and YU, KEFAN English language Chinese Marketing Director Bachelor’s degree in business administration Strong 47.

Brief Job Description: time management skills Responsible for the development and maintenance of enthusiasm for consumer regional customer relations, Maintain regional market marketing order and implement regional promotion activities Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and HU, BO English language Chinese Regional Sales Manager Bachelor’s degree in business administration Strong Brief Job Description: time management skills 48.

Responsible for the development and maintenance of enthusiasm for consumer regional customer relations, Maintain regional market marketing order and implement regional promotion activities Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ERNST & YOUNG GLOBAL SERVICES (PHILIPPINES) INC. 14th, 15th (unit A & D), 16th Floors, Cyber Sigma Bng Lawton Ave., Mckinley West, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: With at least 15 years of relevant work experience; WIJEYAWARDENA, KORUWAGE THARANGA KANCHANA with extensive local, political, Asean Business Relationship Management Lead business and regulatory understanding to be able to Brief Job Description: match technology to business Ensuring that the global eyt model is followed in each needs; with strong, broad region; building close and effective relationships with technology understanding 49. regional and country leadership and management and has good relationship ensuring that the technology investment of the member building and maintaining firms is both targeted, relevant and full utilized; skills; flexible and is able and engagement with technology regulatory authorities and willing to travel to all the the accommodating of their expectations with our global countries within the asean eyt approach; overseeing the operational effectiveness region. and stability of our technology solutions in the region.

GO HUGE CAR RENTAL CORP. 7/f Ba Lepanto Bldg., Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati 50.

CUI, WEI Rental Sales Agent Brief Job Description: Ensure accuracy of return date & time in rental agreement

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above Basic Qualification: Prepare rental agreement folder with necessary details Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

HSBC ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING (PHILIPPINES) INC. Filinvest One Building, Alabang Zapote Road, Northgate Cyberzone, Filinvest City, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa Basic Qualification: Knowledge of hr systems, governance, transformation process and channels; BESANT, HITESH knowledge in process Talent DSO engineering and optimization; talent & learning technology Brief Job Description: acumen; developments in Oversight and management of programme and content 51. the technology landscape design and deployment to talent design standards and and ability to develop and coe model, including efficient design leveraging partners, implement technology deployment management, channel selection; optimize proposals to elevate service partnership with l&tss, learning and external vendors to offering; reporting & analytics ensure the target operating model is adhere. skills; financial management Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

HUMMINGCOMM CORPORATION Unit 702 7/f Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati LI, HONGZHI Basic Qualification: Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Fluent in Chinese Language.

52.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Handle customer complaints and concerns.

Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 INTEGRITY GLOBAL GROUP, INC. 2/f-3/f Ayala Malls Circuit, A.p. Reyes Ave., Carmona, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: HUA, WANLONG 18-50 y/o, good Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative organizational skills, proficient in relevant 53.

Brief Job Description: computer applications Provide the customers of an organization with guidance and information Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHANG, CHANGCUN 18-50 y/o, good Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative organizational skills, proficient in relevant 54.

Brief Job Description: computer applications Provide the customers of an organization with guidance and information Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION Ground, 2nd, 3rd And 4th Floor, Eight West Campus Mckinley West, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: YANG, WUMING Able to speak and write in Mandarin Customer Support Representative MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with 55.

Brief Job Description: related BPO experience.

Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

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

No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

JIU ZHOU TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. 31/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati HSIAO, YU-YING Chinese Customer Service Representative 56.

Brief Job Description: Attract potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services TIAN, FEIFEI Chinese Customer Service Representative

57.

Brief Job Description: Attract potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services SUPJAROENKOOL, PATOMTHON Thai Customer Service Representative

58.

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 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 Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

JK ESSENTIALS CORP. Building 66-18a, Ground Floor Former Panorama Compound, Veterans Center, Western Bicutan, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: CHO, HYE-SOON Outstanding leadership, Finance Director organizational, multitasking 59. and problem-solving skills.

Brief Job Description: Directing financial planning and strategy.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: LEE, YOUNGJU Ability to review data and Marketing Manager make relevant management 60. decisions.

Brief Job Description: Evaluating and optimizing marketing and pricing Salary Range: strategies.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: PARK, BYEONGJU Ability to prepare and Warehouse Manager present quarterly and annual reports to senior 61.

Brief Job Description: management.

Overseeing receiving, warehousing and distribution operations.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 KIMBERLY CLARK -CLARK PHILIPPINES, INC. 23/f The Trade And Financial Tower, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: LIM YU CHIEN More than 12 years of General Manager experience in multinational 62. setting Brief Job Description: Manage all aspects for a large strategic countries using Salary Range: available levers to impact result Php 500,000 and above KONGANBUDDIES MARKETING INC. 48/f Lower Ground Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: WANG, WENQUAN Proficient in English, Mandarin Customer Service Representative Mandarin and other multi63. lingual language Brief Job Description: Responsible in answering customer questions about Salary Range: product and services of the company Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, PEI-NI Proficient in English, Mandarin Speaking Account Associate Mandarin and other multi64. lingual language Brief Job Description: Responsible in analyzing reports of the company Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHEN PEI LEY Proficient in English, Mandarin Speaking Finance Analyst Mandarin and other multi65. lingual language Brief Job Description: Responsible in cost of operation within the company Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHAO, LINA Proficient in English, Mandarin Speaking Marketing Officer Mandarin and other multi66. lingual language Brief Job Description: Responsible for setting goals and developing marketing Salary Range: plans for the company Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHEN, YEN-YU Proficient in English, Mandarin Speaking Quality Assurance Officer Mandarin and other multi67. lingual language Brief Job Description: Responsible in assisting customer on quality products and Salary Range: services of the company Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LEXIGENT PRIME VENTURES INC. Level 40 Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: CHAN SU SHIEN 18-55 y/o, with at least 6 Multilingual Business Processing Consultant months experience, with 68. good oral and written Brief Job Description: provides extremely flexible web development services, Salary Range: from full stack solutions to updating existing content, Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HEI, BAOGUO 18-55 y/o, with at least 6 Multilingual Business Processing Consultant months experience, with 69. good oral and written Brief Job Description: provides extremely flexible web development services, Salary Range: from full stack solutions to updating existing content, Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, WEI 18-55 y/o, with at least 6 Multilingual Business Processing Consultant months experience, with 70. good oral and written Brief Job Description: provides extremely flexible web development services, Salary Range: from full stack solutions to updating existing content, Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: YIN, WENBIN 18-55 y/o, with atleast 6 Multilingual Business Processing Consultant months experience, with 71. good oral anditten Brief Job Description: provides extremely flexible web development services, Salary Range: from full stack solutions to updating existing content, Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LUCKY BINTANG CONSULTANCY INC. Unit G-02 Makati Executive Tower 2, 7652 Dela Rosa St. Cor. P. Medina St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: HENDRY CHANGDRA Preferably 6 months -1-year Indonesian Sales Consultant as Sales Consultant; Fluent in 72.

Bahasa and English Language Brief Job Description: Research industries, markets, demographics, trends, sales Salary Range: results, and other data related to the client’s services Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MAX INFOTECH ACCENT INC. 18th Flr. Vector 3 Bldg., Northgate Cyberzone, Fcc Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa HU, SHAOWEN Marketing Assistant (mandarin Speaking) 73.

Brief Job Description: Support and provide superior service via phones, e-mail and faxes as a receiver and caller

LE THI NGOC ANH Marketing Assistant (mandarin Speaking) 74.

Brief Job Description: Support and provide superior service via phones, e-mail and faxes as a receiver and caller

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or service to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs 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

No.

75.

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

81.

82.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION KIM, JONGHO Korean Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: responsible for handling service support calls LEE, TAEUNG Korean Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: responsible for handling service support calls JHUANG, YI-TING a.k.a. JHUANG, SHU-TING Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: responsible for handling service support calls LI, YULEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: responsible for handling service support calls LIN, YU-CHENG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: responsible for handling service support calls LU, MENG-XUAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: responsible for handling service support calls SUN, MINGZHI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: responsible for handling service support calls WANG, JIAMEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: responsible for handling service support calls

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Korean Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Korean Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Korean 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 Korean Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Korean Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Korean Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Korean Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

MERAKI SILVER SOLUTIONS CORPORATION Unit 1107,11th Floor, One World Place, 32nd Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig GUO, BAOGUO Mandarin Speaking Account Specialist 83.

Brief Job Description: Perform routine bank telling task including making deposits, withdrawals, transfers and cash transfer, etc.

JENIATI Mandarin Speaking Account Specialist

84.

Brief Job Description: Perform routine bank telling task including making deposits, withdrawals, transfers and cash transfer, etc.

LI, JINGFANG Mandarin Speaking Account Specialist

85.

Brief Job Description: Perform routine bank telling task including making deposits, withdrawals, transfers and cash transfer, etc.

WAN, YUNSHAN Mandarin Speaking Account Specialist

86.

Brief Job Description: Perform routine bank telling task including making deposits, withdrawals, transfers and cash transfer, etc.

ZHU, MIAOZU Mandarin Speaking Account Specialist

87.

Brief Job Description: Perform routine bank telling task including making deposits, withdrawals, transfers and cash transfer, etc.

Basic Qualification: 18-50 y/o good organizational skills, excellent verbal communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 18-50 y/o good organizational skills, excellent verbal communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 18-50 y/o good organizational skills, excellent verbal communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 18-50 y/o good organizational skills, excellent verbal communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 18-50 y/o good organizational skills, excellent verbal communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

METRO SUPPLY, INC. 2f, Unit 11 & 12 Bsa Commercial Bldg., Shaw Blvd., Brgy. Bagong Silang, City Of Mandaluyong Basic Qualification: TEU KENG HOON proficient in speaking, Mandarin Language Marketing Specialist reading and writing in 88. mandarin.

Brief Job Description: Plan, execute, manage and analyze user acquisition Salary Range: campaigns across online & offline channels.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 NEO INCORPORATED North Tower Centrum Bldg., Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: GONG, ZIYUN With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 89.

Brief Job Description: and written Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, QINGCHUN With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 90.

Brief Job Description: and written Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: WU, XIANGYONG With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 91.

Brief Job Description: and written Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: YU, JIHONG With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 92.

Brief Job Description: and written Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHOU, RIFENG With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 93.

Brief Job Description: and written Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHOU, RONG With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Admin Associate customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 94.

Brief Job Description: and written Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 OKKDA ASIA TECHNOLOGY INC. Unit 5b 5/f Marvin Plaza, 2153 C. Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati TRAN KIM ANH Multilingual Business Process Development Consultant 95.

Brief Job Description: to analyze and design business processes in collaboration with stakeholders

Basic Qualification: with atleast 6 months experience with good moral and written communication skills, Knowledgeable in computer applications Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

OPTIMUS SYSTEM SOLUTIONS INC. 8/f Alphaland Makati Tower 3, 7232 Ayala Ave. Extn. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LOW YING YEW, KENNETH Business Development Manager

96.

Brief Job Description: Develop and implement database, data collection systems, data analytics, designing research methods.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Knowledgeable in computer business applications.

CHEN, CHAO Regional Sales Director Assistant 98.

Brief Job Description: Promoting a product in the market using strategies that maximize sales XU, ZIYUAN Talent Development Manager

99.

Brief Job Description: Focus on designing and implement programs for performance management. Leadership development, employee assessment and succession planning

SA RIVENDELL GLOBAL SUPPORT, INC. 9-11 Flr., The Biopolis Bldg., Macapagal Blvd., Brgy. 076, Pasay City 100.

HE, ZHIQI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer support and database services

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Meeting the regional sales financial objectives by forecasting requirements Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Have a passion for developing employees and excellent communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has knowledge in computer applications Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SKYLUCK CORPORATION #360, Unit 243 Shaw Center Mall, Shaw Blvd., Penthouse Shaw It Center, City Of Mandaluyong Basic Qualification: KIM, GARAM can speak and write fluent Korean Customer Support Staff Korean language / preferably six (6) months experience in 101.

Brief Job Description: office staff field incoming help requests from end users via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: can speak and write fluent YANG, JUNHEE Korean language / preferably Korean Technical Support Staff six (6) months experience in 102. office staff Brief Job Description: apply diagnostic utilities to aid in troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak and write fluent YUN, YONGDUK Korean language / preferably Korean Technical Support Staff six (6) months experience in 103. office staff Brief Job Description: Apply diagnostic utilities to aid in troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SMART COMMUNICATIONS, INC. 6799, Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Post-graduate degree; at least 20 years oiof extensive and global expertise in the ALI, MOHAMMED ANFAR telecommunications and Chief Revenue Management Advisor in revenue management, product, customer value Brief Job Description: 104. management, business Revenue management encompassing all product lines and customer analytics, and digital touchpoints with the aim of executing on the the marketing and sales revenue goals organizations Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

SOMI UNLIMITED SOLUTIONS, INC. 10/f Tower 2 Double Dragon Plaza Bldg., Edsa Corner Macapagal Ave. St., Zone 10. Barangay 076, District 1, Pasay City NGUYEN DUY TINH Basic Qualification: Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) 105.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and Salary Range: service questions; suggesting information about other Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 products and services.

NINH HOC TUAN ANH Basic Qualification: Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) 106.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and Salary Range: service questions; suggesting information about other Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 products and services.

PHONG VINH HOA Basic Qualification: Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) 107.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and Salary Range: service questions; suggesting information about other Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 products and services.

VONG CHAN Basic Qualification: Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) 108.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and Salary Range: service questions; suggesting information about other Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 products and services.

SPROUT SOLUTIONS PHIL., INC. 11th Flr. Unit B Cyber Sigma Lawton Avenue, Mckinley West 5th Ave. Cor. Rizal Drive, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: FIMA, OSHERI Experience in HR Hr Technology Consultant Technology software & business opportunities and 109.

Brief Job Description: international digital HR Tech Technical Assessment, digital transformation, review and development of HR/Sales Software Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 STEELASIA MANUFACTURING CORPORATION 25th Floor, Ore Central Building, 9th Ave. Cor. 31st Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: Minimum of 2 years WANG, JUN experience as a Design Consultant Engineer for steel mill equipment supply, 110.

Brief Job Description: installation, testing and Responsible for developing, defining and implementing commissioning, and strategies to help the company to solve conceptual design handover to end-user. and operational problems.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 THERMA LUZON INC. 14/f Nac Tower, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: MCKAY, ANDREW JAMES SIMPSON Contributes in enhancing Pressure Systems And Mechanical Expert asset.

111.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Process and undertakes necessary investment appraisal Php 500,000 and above TRIVES TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Tower 4 Bayport West, Naia Garden Residence, Naia Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: FENG, SUYING Able to speak and write in Mandarin Customer Support Representative MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with 112.

Brief Job Description: related BPO experience.

Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HONG, YAHUI Able to speak and write in Mandarin Customer Support Representative MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with 113.

Brief Job Description: related BPO experience.

Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION YAO, SHENGYI Mandarin Customer Support Representative

114.

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

RUNTO TECHNOLOGY INC. Unit 902 & 903 9th Flr. One World Place, 32nd Street, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: BAI, DUHONG Meeting the regional sales Artificial Intelligence And Internet Of Things Manager financial objectives by (aiot) Retail Manager forecasting requirements 97.

Brief Job Description: Help in improving overall AIOT operations and processes

No.

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

ZHANG, JING Mandarin Customer Support Representative

115.

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

Saturday, December 4, 2021

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ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 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

UCIT PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 1001 Hanston Square Bldg., San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig Basic Qualification: BLUM, DAVID,LEON,SERGE Bachelor’s degree/ Escalation Specialist experience in BPO and north America.

116.

Brief Job Description: Protect client assets by ensuring proper actions are taken Salary Range: to resolve issues in a timely manner.

Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: ANGYIE, HARETTE AJOH Bachelor’s degree/ Escalation Specialist experience in BPO and north 117.

America.

Brief Job Description: Protect client assets by ensuring proper actions are taken Salary Range: to resolve issues in a timely manner.

Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 VASTLINE BUSINESS SUPPORT INC. U-504p Five E-com Ctr. Bldg., Pacific Drive, Brgy. 076, Pasay City Basic Qualification: FANG, XINYU Proficient in Speaking, Mandarin Field Marketing Officer Reading and Writing in 118.

Mandarin Brief Job Description: foster Human Relationship Through Communication and Salary Range: Distribution of Marketing Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HE, LEI Proficient in Speaking, Mandarin Field Marketing Officer Reading and Writing in 119.

Mandarin Brief Job Description: Foster Human Relationship Through Communication and Salary Range: Distribution of Marketing Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, YONGQING Proficient in Speaking, Mandarin Site Technical Officer Reading and Writing in 120.

Mandarin Brief Job Description: Reporting Urgent Maintenance and Repair Tasks Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: CHANG, CHIA-KE Excellent in writing, reading Bilingual Admin Support Specialist and speaking in bilingual 121. languages Brief Job Description: Handles administrative requests and queries from senior Salary Range: managers/officers Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LUO, DAN Excellent in writing, reading Bilingual Admin Support Specialist and speaking in bilingual 122. languages Brief Job Description: Handles administrative requests and queries from senior Salary Range: managers/officers Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CAI, LIJING Excellent in Writing Reading Bilingual Finance Support Specialist and Speaking in Bilingual 123.

Languages Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms the purpose Salary Range: of checking Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHENG, DA Excellent in writing, reading Bilingual Finance Support Specialist and speaking in bilingual 124. languages Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms for the Salary Range: purpose of checking Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LI, GAN Excellent in Writing Reading Bilingual Finance Support Specialist and Speaking in Bilingual 125.

Languages Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms the purpose Salary Range: of checking Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LIN, ZICHAO Basic Qualification: Bilingual Finance Support Specialist Excellent in writing , Reading and Speaking in Malaya 126.

Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms for the Salary Range: purpose of checking Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: WANG, HUI Excellent in Writing Reading Bilingual Finance Support Specialist and Speaking in Bilingual 127.

Languages Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms the purpose Salary Range: of checking Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: YANG, HUIYA Excellent in Writing Reading Bilingual Finance Support Specialist and Speaking in Bilingual 128.

Languages Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms the purpose Salary Range: of checking Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHENG, YUE Excellent in Writing Reading Bilingual Finance Support Specialist and Speaking in Bilingual 129.

Languages Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms the purpose Salary Range: of checking Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHONG, YANLEI Excellent in Writing Reading Bilingual Finance Support Specialist and Speaking in Bilingual 130.

Languages Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms the purpose Salary Range: of checking Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LI, TINGTING Basic Qualification: Bilingual Technical Support Specialist Excellent in writing , Reading and Speaking in Malaya 131.

Brief Job Description: Evaluate expansions or enhancement by studying work Salary Range: load capacity pf Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: PENG, XUEQI Excellent in writing, reading Bilingual Technical Support Specialist and speaking in bilingual 132. languages Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancement by studying work Salary Range: load capacity Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHANG, YONGZHENG Excellent in writing, reading Bilingual Technical Support Specialist and speaking in bilingual 133. languages Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancement by studying work Salary Range: load capacity Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 CHNG CHEE LUN Basic Qualification: Malay Speaking Customer Service Officer Excellent in writing , Reading and Speaking in Malaya 134.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to resolve queries of the malay-customers Salary Range: through email and chats Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TAN WEI NA Basic Qualification: Malay Speaking Customer Service Officer Excellent in writing , Reading and Speaking in Malaya 135.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to resolve queries of the malay-customer Salary Range: through email and chats Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LUONG BAO HAN Basic Qualification: Vietnam-speaking Customer Service Officer Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in Vietnamese 136.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to resolve queries of the Malay-customers Salary Range: through email and chats Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION NGUYEN THI THANH HUYEN Vietnam-speaking Customer Service Officer

137.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in Vietnamese

Brief Job Description: Responsible to resolve queries of the Malay-customers Salary Range: through email and chats Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WIKITECH SERVICES INC. Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., 191 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: YUE, SHA Proficient language skills and Mandarin Administrative Specialist skills match to job 138.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: creates and revises systems and procedures Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: SUN, QI Proficient language skilss and Mandarin Customer Service skills match to job 139.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Maintains customer records by updating information Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHEN, BOJUN Proficient language skilss and Mandarin Marketing Specialist skills match to job 140.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Undertake a market analysis Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: GU, HEMIN Proficient language skills and Mandarin Marketing Specialist skills match to job 141.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Creates and revises systems and procedures Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: XU, CHUANYU Proficient language skilss and Mandarin Marketing Specialist skills match to job 142.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Undertake a market analysis Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: XU, ZHENGJIA Proficient language skills and Mandarin Marketing Specialist skills match to job 143.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Undertake a market analysis Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: PENG, WEI Proficient language skills and Mandarin Product Developer skills match to job 144.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Grow company revenues by developing new products Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LU, YINGYING Proficient language skills and Mandarin Project Developer skills match to job 145.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Grow company revenues by developing new products Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHEN, RUI Proficient language skills and Mandarin Team Leader skills match to job 146.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: XIANG, JIANHUA Proficient language skills and Mandarin Team Leader skills match to job 147.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHEN, YING Proficient language skills and Mandarin Technical Support skills match to job 148.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Testing and evaluating new technology Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LIU, XIANGDONG Basic Qualification: Mandarin Technical Support Proficient language skills and skills match to job 149.

Brief Job Description: Monitor and maintaining computer systems and Salary Range: networks.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WANG, CUICAN Basic Qualification: Mandarin Technical Support Proficient language skills and skills match to job 150.

Brief Job Description: Installing and configuring hardware operating systems and Salary Range: applications Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WANG, MIAO Basic Qualification: Mandarin Technical Support Proficient language skills and skills match to job 151.

Brief Job Description: Installing and configuring computer hardware operating Salary Range: systems and applications Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ZHANG, SHIQI Basic Qualification: Mandarin Technical Support Proficient language skills and skills match to job 152.

Brief Job Description: Installing and configuring hardware operating systems and Salary Range: applications Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ZHANG, KUNLUN Basic Qualification: Mandarin Technical Support Specialist Proficient language skills and skills match to job 153.

Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and Salary Range: networks Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WNS GLOBAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 9/f 1880 Bldg., Eastwood City Cyberpark, Bagumbayan, Quezon City PATHAK, PINAK KISHOR Basic Qualification: Senior Group Manager-operations Blackbelt. Experience of 2 years and above 154.

Brief Job Description: Customer & client facing & strive to deliver excellent Salary Range: customer experience drive continuous improvement Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 experiments through your team & harvest ideas ZAPPORT SERVICES, INC. 36/f Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati CYNTHIA AFRISCA Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking Customer Service Officer Indonesian speaking and written 155.

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operations of call Salary Range: center activities performing customer oriented telephone Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 activities and various background operation duties.

ZONAC AND SHIBATA SERVICES INC. 4/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: KEE YAN FANG Proficiency in english Mandarin Speaking Finance Officer mandarin and other multi156. lingual language Brief Job Description: Responsible in creating marketing campaigns Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ZZ CONNECT INC. 7 And 9/f Hanston Square Building, San Miguel Ave. Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig JULIEN PAUL EDERHY MAILLE Business Development Manager Basic Qualification: Fluent in English; textile Brief Job Description: background candidates but Manage existing accounts, achieve excellent level of also from hospitality and services and support to customers; establish a solid architecture slash design 157. network with architecture practices and designers; companies; 4 - 5 years prior follow up hospitality commercial and residential projects; relevant experience; develop business through consistent sales channel; educate customers about products knowledge; participate Salary Range: to trade-shows; identify media channels to enhance our Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 brand presence; *Date Generated: Dec 3, 2021 Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.