BusinessMirror December 25, 2019

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Wednesday, December 25, 2019 Vol. 15 No. 76

House vows to pass rest of tax reforms next year T

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE House of Representatives has vowed to sustain its commitment to fund the President’s key infrastructure and human development priorities by passing next year all the pending tax reforms, which could give the government at least P42 billion in additional revenues.

In a statement, House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda said the lower chamber will keep pushing for passage in plenary of key tax bills that his committee has already passed,

including the Pogo tax regime which imposes taxes on the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators sector, Motor Vehicle Road Users’ Tax, Mining Fiscal Regime and the proposed tax on single-use plastics.

“These measures [could generate additional revenue for the government]—the Pogo tax regime, P20 billion to 45 billion; Motor Vehicle Road Users’ Tax, 16 billion; Mining Fiscal Regime, P2 billion and tax

on single-use plastics, P4 billion,” Salceda said.

According to Salceda, the committee also seeks to improve tax administration by studying structural reforms in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

Digital transformation

“We will, likewise, try to raise taxpayer morale by studying digital transformation of the revenuecollection agencies. We want to make taxpayer experience seamless,” he said.

“The aim, ultimately, is to encourage tax compliance and deter tax avoidance. With a few tweaks in taxpayer experience, even if we improve compliance by just

PESO exchange rates n

free fire Statement of the Republic of the Philippines by His Excellency Mr. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Secretary of Foreign Affairs, at the 19th Foreign Ministers Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of the First Plenary, December 16, 2019, with the topic: “Revitalizing the multilateral system—advancing the ASEM partnership on global issues.”

A

t the Asia-Europe Meeting in Brussels last year, predictions were rife of the death of multilateralism. To this our meeting stressed the relevance of ASEM as “a building block for effective multilateralism” that recognizes the United Nations as its core.

Continued on A6

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

& Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

L

@BNicolasBM

See “DOLE,” A2

Teddy Locsin Jr.

Revoke biosafety permit of Golden Rice–group

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

A

Those who can’t talk a lot

See “Tax reforms,” A2

1-M workers benefit from DOLE quick resolution LMOST a million workers have benefited from the simplified and fast resolution of labor disputes, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

In a speech, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said DOLE has settled 265,846 labor cases with benefits reaching P65.138 billion to some 990,756 workers.

“The department also awarded P6 billion from the settlement of some 139,397 cases through the Single Entry Approach or SEnA, which benefited around 184,986 workers,” Bello said.

SEnA is a reform measure institutionalized by DOLE in 2010 for a faster, fairer, inexpensive settlement of labor issues.

This system prevents them from maturing into actual labor cases that will be elevated and resolved under the formal adjudication process.

Moreover, DOLE also facilitated the settlement of P606.323 million worth of claims and benefits to 9,684 workers in 1,573 cases.

Based on the 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Relations Overview Report, the demand for SEnA services has been high.

P25.00 nationwide | 3 sections 16 pages |

TIMELESS, UNIVERSAL “The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture,” Pope Francis said recently. Contemplating the Christmas story, said a Vatican News report, is like setting out on a spiritual journey, “drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman.” This nativity scene, as rendered by the Municipality of Moncada, Tarlac, is a heartwarming expression of the papal insight. It won grand prize in the municipality category of the annual “Belenismo sa Tarlac 2019” that searches for the best nativity scenes or Belen. NONIE REYES

@jearcalas

ESS than a week after the government granted approval for food, feed and processing (FFP) use of Golden Rice (GR2E), environmental group Greenpeace urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to revoke the biosafety permit of the genetically modified (GM) crop.

Greenpeace said the approval of GR2E’s biosafety permit is “unwarranted” due to “incomplete” data submitted by proponents.

The group also said there was a lack of transparency and adequate public participation in the approval process.

“Greenpeace believes that the approval process for genetically modified organisms in the Philippines

should abide by the precautionary principle, and provide standards for safety and security of our citizens and the food we grow and consume,” Greenpeace Philippines Country Director Lea Guerrero said in her letter to Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar, a copy of which was provided to reporters.

“This process must not discount potential threats and should not be biased toward approval at the expense of safety considerations,” Guerrero added.

She said the group expressed its opposition to the issuance of an FFP biosafety permit for GR2E via the comments Greenpeace submitted to Dar’s office last October 24.

“We noted that the supporting information and supporting studies submitted show deficiencies in the data provided for the risk assessment.

See “Golden Rice,” A2

To keep apace with IoT devts, BPS to issue new series of standards

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

T

@alyasjah

HE Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) is expected to issue a new series of international standards next year on Internet of Things (IoT) to regulate the massive exchange of data in the virtual space.

In a statement last week, the

BPS said the International Organization for Standardization is coming up with two ISO issuances on IoT. As a member to the ISO, the BPS is expected to adopt these issuances and apply it on the domestic scale.

“The Internet of Things has revolutionized our world by making everyday objects connected, intelligent and interactive. The

Internet of Media Things allows media, such as video and audio, to join the party. A new series of ISO and IEC international standards will enable the harmonized synchronization that is essential for this phenomenon to grow,” the BPS said in the statement.

“Internet of Media Things has the potential to change our world through massive scale data ex-

change. But synchronization and interoperability are vital to this work,” it added.

As such, ISO/IEC 23093, the ser ies of inter nationa l standards for the Internet of Media Things developed by ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), provides the requirements and common language to enable media devices,

applications and services to work together, outlining an architecture and specifications for the effective flow of data between media items.

The series provides a framework that can be used across technologies and national boundaries, enabling communication, storage, analysis, interpretation and

US 50.7360 n japan 0.4636 n UK 65.9568 n HK 6.5086 n CHINA 7.2413 n singapore 37.4491 n australia 34.9926 n EU 56.2358 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5256

See “IoT,” A2

Source: BSP (23 December 2019 )

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Wednesday, December 25, 2019

GDP growth seen to meet target as spending rebounds

P

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HILIPPINE economic growth will finish within target after all in 2019, as government spending—the main reason for the lackluster gross domestic product (GDP) expansion in the first half of the year—was able to recover losses toward year-end.

In a recent commentary about government spending, ING Bank Manila economist Nicholas Mapa said they are forecasting a 6.6-percent growth for the fourth quarter of 2019, after data came out that government spending was up 22.4 percent in November.

“The government continued its spending efforts to make up for lost time, with November expenditures

Tax reforms. . .

Continued from A1

1 percent of total BIR collections, that is already a revenue increase of about 22 billion. We can, of course, do much more,” he added.

Also, Salceda said the most important priority next year will be to pass the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (Citira), now pending before the Senate.

Citira, Pifita vital

“This is the single-most important economic reform after Edsa.

I expect the Senate to pass Citira within the first two months of the new year. As the first proponent of a governing body for incentives, for me, one of the most crucial aspects of the reform will be the Fiscal Incentives Review Board [FIRB].

“No FIRB makes Citira meaningless. It’s the people’s seat at the table. Without reform, we will likely hit P500 billion in tax incentives next year, while still making domestic corporations pay the highest tax rates in Asean,” he said.

Salceda said he also expect the passage of the Passive Income and Financial Intermediaries Tax (Pifita) bill and the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVRA) to pass in 2020. The two measures are pending in the Senate.

“Pifita will unlock the potential of our capital markets, and encourage ordinary Filipinos to invest for their future. RPVRA will help complete ‘Build, Build, Build’ by expediting right-of-way acquisition. Both are definitely crucial for growth,” he said.

“As chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, I have three goals that we need to achieve by 2022: A-level credit rating, 8-percent GDP growth, widespread prosperity. We will work tirelessly to achieve these,” he said.

Ratings

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte said the lower chamber has become a “ highly productive” one and delivered on President Duterte’s legislative agenda for high—and inclusive—growth.

Villafuerte made a statement following the latest Pulse Asia survey done last December 3 to 8, where Cayetano got an approval rating of 80 percent, or up by a hefty 16 percentage points from 64 percent in the September polling; and a trust rating of 76 percent, or 14 percent higher than his previous score of 62 percent.

Proof of this, he said, was the chamber’s swift approval of the 2020 General Appropriations Bill

up 22.4 percent. The budget deficit hit P60.9 billion as the growth in spending outpaced revenue collections, which was up [by] 17 percent from the same period last year,” the economist said.

The local government’s spending almost ground to a halt in early 2019 as the legislators were unable to pass a budget on time. This took a toll on the country’s GDP numbers, (GAB) of P4.1 trillion, which, in turn, has allowed the Senate to similarly act in timely fashion on this budget measure. This enabled Congress to submit a ratified bill to the President for his signature before the legislators took their traditional year-end recess last week.

This 2020 GAB, which fleshes out the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for next year that the President submitted to the Congress after his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) in July, “will enable the government to implement both new and continuing programs and projects in step with Mr. Duterte’s agenda to sustain the growth momentum, attract investments and create more jobs—with the end goal of improving the lives of the Filipino people,” Villafuerte said.

“The timely passage of the 2020 GAB was a radical departure from the four-months-and-a-half delay in the approval of the 2019 General Appropriations Act [GAA], which had undermined this year’s gross domestic product growth as Malacañang had to run the government on the reenacted 2019 budget for most of the first semester,” he recalled.

Villafuerte said the House also acted with dispatch on various revenue measures, like the higher “sin” taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, the Citira and Pifita, which are meant to provide a sufficient revenue stream for the accelerated spending on infrastructure modernization and on human capital development such as on education, skills training and health care.

As pointed out by the President himself, Citira will benefit micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that employ a majority of Filipino workers, while the sin tax hike will help fund the Universal Health Care (UHC) law that aims to provide quality medical care to all Filipinos.

He had also authored a joint resolution authorizing the Executive Department to extend until December 31, 2020, the validity of certain items on maintenance and operating expenses in the 2019 GAA. State agencies had not executed a number of their proposed projects for 2019 because of the budget delay.

He said one more factor for Cayetano’s impressive showing in the December tracking poll was the public’s seeming appreciation of the Speaker’s chairmanship of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc), which was behind the country’s highly successful hosting of the two-week 30th Southeast Asian Games, where the country finished with the crown after topping the medal tally.

“The government continued its spending efforts to make up for lost time, with November expenditures up 22.4 percent. The budget deficit hit P60.9 billion as the growth in spending outpaced revenue collections, which was up 17 percent from the same period last year.”—Mapa

which slumped to 5.6 percent in the first half of 2019.

“So far, spending in the fourth quarter of 2019 posted 11.7-percent growth, keeping hopes alive for a strong fourth-quarter GDP finish for the Philippines,” Mapa said. The government’s target for the year is to grow the economy by 6 percent to 7 percent.

The economist also said other factors are shaping up to support a re-

Golden Rice. . .

Continued from A1

These deficiencies cast doubt on the assessment and the safety of GR2E for food and feed,” said Guerrero.

“Additionally, we note that the concerns of farmers, indigenous peoples, religious groups, youth, mothers, consumers and civil society groups were not considered during the process,” she added.

Golden Rice is a genetically engineered rice variety that is rich in beta-carotene. Proponents of Golden Rice say it will help address chronic malnutrition, particularly in vitamin A, which causes blindness among pregnant women and children.

Guerrero said there are available and proven solutions in addressing vitamin A deficiency (VAD) that are “cheaper and more practical” than Golden Rice.

“There are proven solutions to vitamin A deficiency which are cheaper, more practical, do not require the genetic modification of food crops and which are not beholden to giant, foreign, agri-chemical companies. Golden Rice is unnecessary, more so at a time of climate emergency when resilient food and farm systems are imperative,” said Guerrero.

Wilhelmina Pelegrina, senior campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the DA should work with other government agencies to promote healthy eating and healthy diets, rather than promote “unproven quick fixes,” like Golden Rice.

“Empowering people to have access to and grow diverse grains, fruits and vegetables for diverse diets is the solution to food and nutrition security,” said Pelegrina.

DOLE. . .

Continued from A1

Requests for assistance under the SEnA program of the department reached a total of 59,927 in 2018.

During the same period, the national disposition rate was 97 percent,

GCTA. . .

Continued from A8

Though the BuCor already has a manual on the processing of GCTA published two years ago, it was not yet updated to take into consideration the recent decision of the Supreme Court, which ruled on the retroactive application of RA 10592.

RA 10592 amended several provisions in the Revised Penal Code (RPC), and authorized the credit of preventive imprisonment and revision of GCTA of persons deprived of liberty.

As a consequence, the Court said in a unanimous decision issued last July that all prisoners already serving their sentence or undergoing preventive imprisonment may qualify for the reduction of their sentence even

newed growth by the end of the year.

“Consumption activity should remain robust with inflation subdued, all the more powered by the more than 8-percent pickup in overseas Filipino remittance flows. Two months of decent car sales growth coupled with a resumption in construction activity points to revitalized investment activity as the sector recovers from two straight quarters of negative growth as Diokno dials back the 2018 rate hike cycle,” Mapa said.

In 2019, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas—led by BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno—let a series of rate cuts a year after his predecessor, the late BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. moved to hike rates in 2018 to control inflationary pressures.

Diokno, often dubbed as a “progrowth” central banker, also assured the markets that there will be “at least” 50 basis points more of rate cuts in the coming year.

On December 10, the Philippine government approved the biosafety permit of GR2E FFP use after it concluded that the GM crop, which seeks to reduce VAD, is as “safe” for human consumption as the conventional staple.

In a 22-page consolidated report, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) said the Department of Health-Biosafety Committee (DOH-BC) concluded that GR2E “will not cause significant adverse health effects to human and animal health.”

The report also indicated that the consumption of GR2E “is unlikely to result in allergic reaction.”

The regulators’ approval came over two years after GR2E’s proponents, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the International Rice Research Institute (Irri), applied for the biosafety permit.

The Irri described the FFP approval for GR2E as a “regulatory milestone in the journey to develop and deploy” the GM crop in the Philippines.

Irri said the Philippines is now among the few countries that have recognized GR2E as safe for human consumption, after Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

It said the GR2E is “intended to be used in combination with existing approaches to overcome VAD, including eating foods that are naturally high in vitamin A or betacarotene, eating foods fortified with vitamin A, taking vitamin A supplements and optimal breastfeeding practices.”

According to Irri, VAD among Filipino children aged six months to five years increased to 20.4 percent in 2013, from 15.2 percent in 2008 despite public health interventions, such as oral supplementation, complementary feeding and nutrition education.

or 58,298 requests for assistance were disposed.

Likewise, the national settlement rate was posted at 75 percent, meaning, 44,893 requests were settled.

Since SEnA prescribes a mandatory 30-day conciliation-mediation, the average number of days to settle cases is 15 days.

before October 10, 2013, pursuant to the time allowances under R A 10592.

The law expanded the application of GCTA for prisoners even during preventive suspension, increased the number of days for GCTA, allowed additional deduction of 15 days each month of for time allowance for study, teaching or mentoring service (TASTM), and expanded the special time allowance for loyalty (STAL) even during preventive suspension.

The DOJ has come up with a revised IRR of RA 10592 which excluded recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees and those charged with heinous crimes from benefiting from the expanded GCTA, TASTM and STAL. The legality of the revised IRR of the expanded GCTA has been questioned before the Supreme Court.

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War of arguments continues over Angkas Continued from A8

two new players, but Royeca believes this is not feasible.

“We all know that the two new players have already started onboarding their own riders so there is no guarantee that our 17,000 bikers— all tried, tested and trained, and currently earning decent income— will be absorbed by them,” he said.

Initial government data showed that JoyRide currently has 6,500 drivers in its system, while Move It has 1,000 riders in its platform.

The remaining slots are still inadequate to accommodate those who will be removed from Angkas’s platform.

“As such, there is merit to keep the status quo where Angkas bikers have already a proven track record for safety while still allowing other players to come in. Both are not mutually exclusive,” Royeca said.

Safety issues He also raised issues on safety.

“Angkas spent the last three years to build the infrastructure to monitor and manage a sizable fleet, and with due respect to the two new players, more caution should be exercised in ramping up their bikers. That is the prudent thing to do,” he said.

Royeca also noted that his group is

US ban. . .

Continued from A8

“Sovereignty is indivisible. Give up one aspect—like a judicial trial—to please the merely elected abroad at the expense of the highly educated and academically accomplished at home, you may as well give up national security to China,” Locsin said. He was referring to US senators in contrast to the Philippine Supreme Court justices.

Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo blasted the US Senate’s move as a “brazen” attempt to intrude into the Philippines’s internal affairs, saying it treats Manila as an “inferior state.”

De Lima’s case does not constitute a wrongful imprisonment, said Panelo, adding that “we have explained that” to foreign lobbyists for the senator’s release even during her trial.

Panelo expressed hope that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “is better informed and educated on the internal judicial process of this country and would necessarily follow his informed judgement.”

He said, “We shall respect their democratic processes, be these in the form of a congressional measure or an immigration policy. We shall leave it to the international community to ascertain which nation values the rule of law in accordance with the principle of state sovereignty,” he said.

The prohibition on entry was part of the general provisions of the 2020 State and foreign operations appropriations bill. It tasks the US secretary of State to prohibit from entering the US those Philippine officials about whom he has “credible information” as having had a hand in injustly jailing de Lima.

“She [de Lima] is being afforded all her rights to due process and has in fact availed of available legal remedies under our procedural rules,” Panelo noted.

De Lima, 60, is not entitled to bail and if found guilty, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Senators shrug off ban

Philippine senators shrugged off the travel ban.

Asked if the Duterte government should seek reconsideration of the US travel ban, Senate President Vicente Sotto III promptly

IoT. . .

Continued from A1

retrieval of media big data emerging from large-scale Internet of Media Things devices. These standards, the BPS said, make it possible to realize large-scale interoperability of such applications.

The first two standards in the series have just been published and specify application programming interfaces and the tools when it comes to the exchange of data between applications. Two standards in the series will also be issued next year, and they will cover architecture and reference software and conformance.

Teruhiko Suzuki, chairman of

not opposed to competition, rather it accepts new players.

“The claim that we just want a monopoly is also misleading for we have never complained about the entry of two new players,” he said. “We are merely questioning the manner by which these decisions were arrived at—which we believe was not done with utmost transparency as many of the stakeholders, including other government agencies.

He explained: “Even the Philippine Competition Commission and the business community know that there could be no monopoly when biker-partners and customers are free to choose their providers rather than be forcibly removed from one company through government regulation to give unwarantted advantage to the other players.”

In a nutshell, Royeca said, his group simply wants to continue operating with its 27,000-biker fleet, especially given that the demand for Angkas spills over to informal motorcycle taxis, known colloquially as habal-habal.

“What we aspire for is simple. Yes, include as many new players as you want but please remove the cap per provider and make it a pool where bikers are free to choose where they want to be accredited,” he said.

turned down the idea as “trash.”

Sotto denounced the US ban as “an affront to our Supreme Court,” which had cleared de Lima’s trial in a lower court.

Senator Panfilo Lacson likewise saw no need to seek reconsideration of the ban. “We should recognize that entry or denial into a country’s territory is a sovereign right of the host country,” Lacson said, adding, “What we should call out is the arrogance of some US legislators in encroaching on our country’s justice system and our judicial process by passing the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations resolution calling for the dismissal of the charges against Sen. Leila de Lima and journalist Maria Ressa.”

Senator Koko Pimentel suggested Filipinos can opt to travel to other countries where they are welcome.

“Since the [US travel ban] involves the soverignty of another state, then those banned should just bear it,” Pimentel said. “Since the message to them is ‘you are not welcome to the US,’ then the solution is very simple. Save money and do not go to the US,” he told the BusinessMirror.

In an e-mailed statement to Senate reporters, de Lima deplored Panelo’s remarks on the US travel ban. “Panelo says he hopes the US secretary of State is more properly informed than the US senators who introduced the amendment on the US travel ban, an amendment that was unanimously approved at the Committee level and passed by the whole US Congress,’” de Lima said.

She added that Panelo is “sorely mistaken in his belief that they can ask Pompeo for a reconsideration in the implementation of the federal law. He cannot. Both the US Congress and the US president have already determined the fact of my persecution, and that this determination is already part of the federal law of the US and can only be reversed by repeal or an amendatory law.”

According to her, “what is left for the US State Department to determine is the identity of my persecutors who will be subjected to the US travel ban, not whether or not indeed I was persecuted by these individuals. While the former will be subject to the information the State Department already has in hand and will further obtain from various agency sources, the latter issue is already final, regardless of Panelo’s already exhausting protestations.” the ISO and IEC technical committee that formulated the series of standards on IoT, said there are many areas where this technology can reduce business costs and improve quality of living.

“In health care, for example, smart glasses that help the visually impaired to see better, or body sensors that help diabetics to better monitor their insulin levels, are just some of the many applications of this revolutionary technology,” Suzuki said.

Other examples showing how the development of this technology can help improve the world include intelligent firefighting with Internet protocol surveillance cameras and several areas of smart manufacturing.

BusinessMirror

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SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YOUJIAN LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

2

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YANBIN LAI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

3

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. KANGKANG WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

1

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YIQIN LIU/ Chinese

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHUNQIANG KE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QIJIANG XIE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIAOGANG LI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. DONGQING GUO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. GUANYU LIN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIANGBAO LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HAN LI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YANBO WU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. JINXUE HU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YUNHU TANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. MINFENG YANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YICONG CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. FENGLIN CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LIANGSHENG CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. TENGWEI WENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WEIMING LI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHICHENG XIAO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIN HUANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

23

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XUNHAN LIN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

24

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. DEBIN LUO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

25

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. YUELIAN YANG/ Chinese

Wednesday, December 25, 2019 A3

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WEI ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

27

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHUANQI XU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

28

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

29

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QIUBAO HUA/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

30

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. FUTONG JIANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

68

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WEI WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

31

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. SIQI LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

69

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. MAOHAO XIE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

26

MR. XUTAO QIAN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

BusinessMirror

A4 Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Name and Address of Company/Employer

Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Position and Brief Description of Functions

Name and Address of Company/Employer

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Position and Brief Description of Functions

70

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. BOXIN LU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 106 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. GUIHUA HUANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

71

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YANKUN LI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 107 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. PILI ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

72

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. FENG YANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. TONGDA LOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

73

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 108 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HUANHUAN XIE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MS. ERYU ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. KUN PENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

74

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 109 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

75

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. JIE ZHOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 110 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. PING GONG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

76

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. KELONG MIAO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

111

MR. GUOLONG SHI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

77

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. SHENGSEN CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. KUN YU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. YIMING HUANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

78

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 112 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

79

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. FEI REN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 113 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. XIAOYING LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

80

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHEN HONG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. JINSHENG ZOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

81

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 114 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIAOSHUN ZHOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. PENG WU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. ZHIQIANG LI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

82

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 115 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

83

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. TAO WU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 116 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HANGBIAO SU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

84

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JINSAN SU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 117 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. JIANFANG BAO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

85

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. FUZHEN ZHENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. FEI TANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

86

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WENMING FANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 118 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

87

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIANG CHENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 119 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YAZHOU CUI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

88

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHAOSHU CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. LUOSAI ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

89

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 120 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LIANGFA CHEN Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. TAO HE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

90

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHENG YANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 121 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIE LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

91

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. BINGMING CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 122 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. DENGCHENG HE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

92

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HUAJIANG WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 123 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HAISHENG ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

93

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. SHENGHUI DENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 124 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. RUNHU XIE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

94

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIE MENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 125 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HUIXIANG YUAN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

95

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. FEI LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 126 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. JINZHUO XIONG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

96

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. GUIBIN WU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 127 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YONGTING LI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

97

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XUEBING WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 128 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YANBING LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

MR. KUQIAN LIANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

98

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 129 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

99

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JINLONG HE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 130 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. HONGJIE ZHENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 100 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. GUANGYAO LI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 131 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIONGFENG WEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 101 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LIYONG WU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 102 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. XINGTING LIU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 132 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIAHUA LIN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 103 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. TING WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 133 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZUNMING CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 104 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZONGYI CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 134 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZHIRONG LAI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 105 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YUHUA LIAO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 135 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. YANHONG WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Name and Address of Company/Employer

Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Position and Brief Description of Functions

Name and Address of Company/Employer

Wednesday, December 25, 2019 A5

Name and Citizenship of Foreign National

Position and Brief Description of Functions

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 136 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHANGCAI YOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 166 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. GANGYI WEI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 137 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZENGQING CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 167 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. BINBIN CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 138 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LIN TIAN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 168 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. CAIFENG WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 139 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIAOFENG HONG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 169 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIAONAN DIAO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 140 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. CANCAN DOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 170 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JINDE CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 141 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. PENG YANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 171 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QIUMING JIANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 142 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. RONGLAN CHAO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 172 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YANGJUN YE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 143 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YU WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 173 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YUEHUANG SU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 144 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. KAI WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 174 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WENLONG JI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 145 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YIBIN YUAN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 175 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIAOXIAN JIANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 146 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. LIWEN CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 176 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHAOLUOMENG ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 147 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. SHAOBO FENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 177 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZONGXIA ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 148 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHENGJI ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 178 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. CHONG YANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 149 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QIANYONG HAN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 179 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. MINGXUE YUAN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 150 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. BINGHUI CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 180 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JUNHAO SONG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 151 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIANGONG SONG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 181 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XINPENG ZOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 152 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. PENGHUI ZHANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 182 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YOUQIANG DAI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 153 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WENJIN HUANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 183 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. CHUNYAN XIE/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 154 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. TAO SHUI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 184 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. XIANGJUN ZHOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 155 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JINGWEN WU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 185 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. YAOZONG WU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 156 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. DUNRONG LUO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 186 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. LINYAN TANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 157 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LINHAI TANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 187 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WEIHUI CHEN/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 158 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. LINFEI YOU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 188 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XIANHENG JIANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 159 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. PENGFEI HUI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 189 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WENCHENG WANG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 160 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. ZONGQI WENG/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 190 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. XINYI GAO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 161 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. JIAN FU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 191 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. HONG XU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 162 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. WENHUI CAI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 163 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MS. HAIXING LUO/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 164 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. GAO LEI/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC. 165 4-12F Southwoods Tower 2, Biñan City, Laguna

MR. QINGKUN FU/ Chinese

Chinese Customer Service Representative

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 the DOLE Regional Office within 30 days from the date of publication.

Please inform the DOLE Regional Office if you have an information of any criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

HENRY JOHN S. JALBUENA Regional Director

To avail of free job referral, placement, and employment guidance services, visit the nearest Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) or log on at http://www.philjobnet.gov.ph AEP20191007299

A6 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Stay away from unregistered ‘lambanog’

T

he warning of the Food and Drug Administration under the Department of Health last year appears to have fallen on deaf ears. In December 2018, the FDA issued a warning to the public to avoid buying or consuming lambanog products that are not registered with the agency. This warning was contained in Advisory 2018-325 dated December 7, 2018.

The FDA issued the advisory after receiving reports that 21 people had died after drinking lambanog, or liquor made from coconut sap.

Reports indicated that the agency had earlier discovered that sample products from Laguna, Rizal and Tarlac tested positive for high levels of methanol. High amounts of methanol, the FDA said, pose serious and adverse effects, like blindness and permanent neurologic dysfunction, among others, and may even lead to death.

A year after, the FDA finds itself grappling with the same problem, but this time, the magnitude is worse. Three days before the country celebrates Christmas, 11 people died in Rizal, Laguna, due to methanol poisoning. Some 200 others who also drank lambanog with high levels of methanol were also rushed to the hospital to flush out the toxins they ingested. The severity of methanol poisoning had prompted the local government of Rizal to declare a state of emergency.

The FDA warns that it will prosecute retail outlets and dealers found selling unregistered lambanog products for violating FDA Act of 2009 and the Food Safety Act of 2013 that failed to scare these unscrupulous merchants. All local government units and law enforcement agencies were requested by the agency to ensure that toxic lambanog is not sold or made available in their areas. That consumers were able to get their hands on unregistered lambanog products only means that this advisory was brushed aside by stores, LGUs and the police.

The latest incident only highlighted the apparent difficulty of authorities to implement laws aimed at protecting consumers, such as Republic Act 10611, or the Food Safety Act of 2013. The Philippines has a number of laws that could shield the public from toxic products, but these are not being invoked enough to stop unscrupulous manufacturers and traders from selling these items. More often than not, the law is only applied when these products have already killed or injured consumers.

The government must shutter and prosecute makers and sellers of these unregistered lambanog products. This should have been done earlier, when the problem was already evident to regulators. Government must not allow them to go scot-free this time considering the magnitude of the damage they caused.

The public must also be given a list of companies making lambanog that are registered with the FDA so people would know where they can source their preferred drink. This will help the public avoid unscrupulous makers and distributors of unregistered lambanog products. There must be no let-up in informing the public about the ills of drinking lambanog with high levels of methanol.

It is unfortunate that 11 people lost their lives three days before Christmas because they were poisoned by a drink that they probably thought was safe. Prosecuting those responsible for their deaths is not enough. Government must see to it that toxic lambanog products will never find their way again into the glasses of Filipino consumers.

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Those who can’t talk a lot Teddy Locsin Jr.

Free fire Continued from A1

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he UN was established to end the scourge of war—to stop it after it’s started; to prevent it when it threatens. And for 74 years that’s what it’s done. If you look at all the UN did since its founding—give or take Bosnia and Rwanda, the United States saved itself hundreds of billions of dollars not having to go to war. Multilateralism, which is to say the UN, kept antagonists talking, even insulting rather than fighting each other. And dragging Great Powers or being dragged by them into bigger fights. As long as the UN exists, none can trumpet the end of multilateralism nor show its uselessness. The only alternative to multilateralism is a world at war at every turn.

Multilateralism has come into question because it’s been bent to unipolar purposes; against multilateralism’s intended reason for being: the protection and safety of the weak and many, against the strong and few. In a sense, unipolarism has won out albeit on the sly.

And it is the unipolarism of each of the three at most four “Great Powers” if we include the hesitant federated one of Europe.

Sovereignty is the pillar on which multilateralism and the UN stand. It means every UN member is an independent country and not

a hand puppet of a Great Power.

That means each brings its independent judgment to issues because many heads are better than just one that will surely be singularly self-serving. But, as a collection of sovereignties but not itself a sovereign collective, the UN is only as effective as members cooperate to make it so. This also applies to Asem. As a forum for informal dialogue, Asem must complement UN’s work. Asem’s flexibility and informality are its strong points; making it an incubator of new ideas and initiatives.

We already have the global frameworks to address poverty, sustain development and combat climate change. That is also the message of Greta Thunberg. The failure of Climate Talks in Madrid only emphasizes how right the girl is. The old have failed the young again; the past has failed the future—of our posterity and our planet. And if the young don’t take the world in hand, the old will surely drop and break it, even as they keep talking like they still have a grip on it. Those who can’t talk a lot. Senility is marked by loquacity.

The climate crisis is the defining development issue of our time. Failure to address it nullifies all other endeavors. Though still a developing country, the Philippines has effective programs for accurate and integrated disaster anticipation, prevention and mitigation. It’s at the edge of much climate action. But these amount to nothing; if those most responsible for climate change do not step up to answer commensurately for the environmental damage their giant economies are inflicting. If climate action does not measure up to what is needed, we all face the same fate: a diminished existence then extinction altogether.

This goes for the oceans, too. If there is a distant planet capable of life, this is the only one our species has lived and will die on as its capacity to sustain life runs out.

Yet, we’re still failing the oceans and

inland waters—the Earth’s lifeblood. Everyone should clean up after as if it all depended on each one alone. It is the only alternative to the temptation of finger pointing.

On peace and security, we need more women making decisions.

Women know best how to build; men how to tear down; yet that’s the only time women come in: to lament over what’s broken and lost. This year the Philippines launched the Asean Women for Peace Registry.

It lists Asean women with expertise in peace negotiations, conflict resolution, peace-building and postconflict rehabilitation. Naming is powerful: it initiates women’s inclusion and full participation in the peace and security agenda. Finally, for Asem to stay relevant and solid, its collective understanding must be reflective of the real situation on the ground rather than in the mind of whichever Great Power has a different take on the reality it is pointing its guns at. Where we go cannot be the decision of a select few or most will be left behind. Where we go must be a choice that we all make—all of us. And so we plead again that migration not be left out of the multilateral—and Asem— agenda. It is telling that advocates of multilateralism conveniently leave out issues of migration. Migration is as multilateral as it gets—that is if we’re talking humanity. If we’re talking something else, why are we even here? Thank you.

Boeing CEO’s ouster won’t solve deeper problems

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By Brooke Sutherland | Bloomberg Opinion

wo years ago, Boeing Co. could do no wrong. Lately, it can do nothing right, and someone had to pay the price.

That person turned out to be Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg. Boeing announced on Monday that he was resigning because the board had decided a change in leadership “was necessary to restore confidence in the company” after two fatal crashes and a worldwide grounding of its best-selling 737 Max jet.

Muilenburg will be succeeded by David Calhoun, who assumed the chairman title from him in October. The directors are right to make this change, of course. But it’s amazing that it took the extension of the grounding to nine months; a rare and surprisingly indignant public admonishment from the Federal Aviation Administration over perceived pressure from the company; and ultimately a full Max production halt for the board to be convinced a serious change was necessary. Boeing replaced Kevin McAllister as head of the commercial airplane division in October, but as far as sacrifices go, that was never going to be enough.

Much of the blame for the current crisis has fallen on Muilenburg, and he certainly made mistakes. An

engineer by training, he led Boeing into a true engineer’s response to the early days of the crisis, missing the human element of the tragedy and the need for accountability. An April statement from Muilenburg attributed the crashes to a “chain of events” of which the Boeing flightcontrol software system, which triggered the Max jets’ nosedives, was only one. He was the public face of Boeing throughout the crisis and yet in two testimonies before Congress, he appeared unfathomably out of the loop on the day-to-day workings of his company. His name is attached to the aggressive timelines for the Max’s return that Boeing continued to put forth even as its earlier estimates proved hopelessly optimistic.

But it is wrong to look at the Max

crisis as the fault of just one man.

The tragedy has exposed deep-rooted flaws in Boeing’s relationship with regulators, its internal oversight policies, the lines of communication between engineers and executives, and its relentless push for higher profits and cash flow.

Muilenburg was especially dogged in squeezing suppliers for cost cuts to capture some of their rich profit margins for Boeing. He also pressed a trade spat with Bombardier Inc. that led former Airbus SE CEO Tom Enders to accuse the company of being a nationalist bully. But it was Muilenburg’s predecessor, Jim McNerney, who started the first so-called Partnering for Success program to pressure suppliers into discounts; the targets of this called it “Pilfering from Suppliers.” McNerney was also CEO when Boeing moved its flight simulators from Seattle to Miami in 2013, and began outsourcing some training to contractors. In practice, this significantly reduced the communication between cockpit designers and the instructors who had a better understanding of how a typical airline pilot would react to various situations, as reported by Peter Robison and Julie

Johnsson for Bloomberg Businessweek.

McNerney also made the decision to retrofit the decades-old 737 design with more fuel-efficient engines to get a competitor to Airbus’s fast-selling A320neo model to market faster. The flight-control software system linked to the two Max crashes helped balance out the aerodynamic impact of the large engines, which had to be placed further forward and higher up.

Muilenburg certainly deserves to take the fall for the Max crisis, but he is also a convenient scapegoat for more pervasive cultural shortcomings. It reminds me a lot of General Electric Co., and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that McNerney and the new CEO, Calhoun, are alumni. The roots of GE’s recent crisis can be traced back to the corporate sprawl and constant push for higher profits engineered by Jack Welch. Jeff Immelt inherited that now-dubious legacy, and while he belatedly tried to rein in the sprawl, he carried on the profit-first mentality with different, but also disastrous, results. Boeing shares are rallying on Muilenburg’s ouster, but the company is overdue for a cultural reckoning of GE-like proportions.

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Vietnam-linked hacking ‘The Two Popes’ group targets Toyota, other companies

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Scribbles

By Alyza Sebenius | Bloomberg Opinion

Vietnam-based hacking group is learning from China’s playbook, using increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks to spy on competitors and help Vietnam catch up to global competitors, according to cyber-security experts.

In the last two years, the group, which is believed to be tied to the Vietnamese government and known as APT32, has ramped up its cyber espionage, particularly in Southeast Asia, according to the cyber-security firm CrowdStrike Inc. The hacking group’s exploits have included intellectual-property theft, the firm said, the same activity for which Chinese hackers are infamous.

The automotive industry has been a key target for APT32, according to multiple experts. For example, APT32 created fake domains for Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. in an attempt to infiltrate the automakers’ networks, according to a researcher familiar with the matter who requested anonymity discussing companies. In March, Toyota discovered that it was targeted in Vietnam and Thailand, and through a subsidiary—Toyota Tokyo Sales Holdings Inc.—in Japan, according to Spokesman Brian Lyons. A Toyota official, who requested anonymity discussing the hacking group, confirmed that APT32 was responsible.

Vietnam has also targeted American businesses relevant to Vietnam’s economy, including the consumer products industry, for years, according to experts. “What’s changed more recently, and this is consistent with broader trends in the cyber-threat actor landscape, is that they are getting better and better at it,” said Andrew Grotto, a fellow at Stanford University who served as the senior director for cyber-security policy on the National Security Council from late 2015 to mid-2017. “They’re becoming more adept at developing their own tools, while, at the same time, tapping the global malware market for commercial tools.”

The uptick in Vietnam’s economic espionage activity, which began in 2012 and has spiked since 2018 according to CrowdStrike, comes as the Trump administration seeks to curb what many believe has been rampant intellectual-property theft

by China—former National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander, who served under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, has called it the “greatest transfer of wealth in history.”

Competitive edge

The Vietnamese hackers have emulated some of China’s cyber methods, albeit on a significantly smaller scale, the experts said.

Vietnamese government hackers have likely “seen how successful the Chinese have been at building cyber-espionage capabilities and cyber-surveillance capabilities” according to Eric Rosenbach, codirector of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and a former assistant secretary of defense for global security under Obama. As a result, they may be building out or purchasing their own capabilities “either for economic interests or outright theft of intellectual property,” he said.

The Vietnamese foreign ministry and Vietnamese Embassy in Washington didn’t respond to requests for comment. A government spokesman previously said allegations that state-aligned hackers targeted foreign carmakers were “unfounded.”

A representative for the US State Department declined to comment on allegations about economic espionage by Vietnam.

A Hyundai representative didn’t comment on whether it had been targeted by the Vietnamese hacking group, but said that the company “promptly detects and responds to the events of its IT securities.”

Vietnam is part of a growing group of countries—outside of major cyber players, such as Russia and China—that are developing and

Susan V. Ople

O

ne of the best Christmas gifts within your fingertips does not require a box, ribbon and wrapping paper. It does require a Netflix subscription, though.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019 A7

know the postcode because he had just moved in, the operator smirked and hanged up the phone.

Another delightful scene had Bergoglio teaching Pope Benedict XVI the tango, while the two were outside the summer residence’s driveway. The half-blind, less spritely Pope Benedict XVI held on to the cardinal’s arms in what could have probably been his first dance ever.

Music from ABBA and The Beatles appear from nowhere to accompany these humorous encounters, lending a happy and, yes, even a contemporary vibe, to a film that involves a Church of many centuries.

While Bergoglio was more popular than Ratzinger, both leaders of the Church harbored deep secrets that require an exchange of absolutions. I consider the absolutions as the main message of the movie.

Even popes have their dark, darkest secrets and the closer one is to God, the more difficult it may be to divulge such sins. The true act of friendship between the two Popes lies in the sharing of such secrets.

The dialogue written by McCarten, who also wrote the screenplay of The Theory of Everything, was masterful and memorable. Pryce and Hopkins gave moving performances, making us believe in the sanctity of each intimate moment. The backdrop of the Vatican, with its majestic

buying cyber capabilities, according former government officials.

“One of the trends that we tracked when I was in the White House was both the broadening of the number of countries that had active cyber programs,” said Michael Daniel, who served as the cyber-security coordinator on the National Security Council under Obama and is now president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit group Cyber Threat Alliance. “The ones that have been investing in cyber like Vietnam are continuing to grow in capability.”

Cyber-security experts offered different, and sometimes conflicting, reasons to explain the hacking group’s activities, from stealing intellectual property to improve Vietnamese products to gaining a competitive edge in negotiations to ensuring foreign corporations are complying with national regulations.

The Two Popes is a Netflix original film, which stars Anthony Hopkins as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI, and Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis. Fernando Meirelles directs the movie with Anthony McCarten as screenwriter. One doesn’t need to be of the Roman Catholic faith to appreciate the movie. Basic humanity is sufficient. Because that is what the film seeks to portray, the humanity of two popes, as they interact with each other, in quiet, deep and, sometimes, funny conversations.

The movie that Netflix described as being inspired by real events, offers rare insights about the Vatican and its inner workings, including how a pope is elected by the conclave.

The best scenes would be whenever Hopkins and Pryce share the screen

Ocean Lotus

May the (Space) Force be with you

The cyber-security firm FireEye Inc. has been tracking APT32—which is also known as Ocean Lotus and Ocean Buffalo—since 2012, according to Nick Carr, a director at the firm. In 2017, his team investigated a series of hacks in the US, Germany and multiple countries in Asia, and found that the group had spent at least three years targeting foreign governments, journalists, dissidents and “foreign corporations with a vested interest in Vietnam’s manufacturing, consumer products and hospitality sectors.”

“APT32 leverages a unique suite of fully featured malware, in conjunction with commercially available tools, to conduct targeted operations that are aligned with Vietnamese state interests,” FireEye reported.

Ongoing tactics by APT32 appear to include registering domains that resemble car companies—a move which can precede phishing attacks, in which credentials are stolen by hackers in order to access internal networks, said John Hultquist, FireEye’s director of intelligence analysis.

“Most recent, we’ve seen suspected APT32 domain registration activity designed to resemble automotive firms,” Hultquist said. “This ongoing registration activity affirms APT32’s continuing interest in foreign automakers doing business in Vietnam.”

FireEye has also seen APT32 collect information on a corporation doing business in Vietnam and then selectively leak it in order to sway public opinion about the firm, according to Carr, who declined to identify the company or provide additional details.

APT32 recently used Facebook to target individuals who are active in Vietnamese politics, according to the Slovakia-based cyber-security firm Eset. In this attack, APT32 hackers sent Facebook messages, or Facebook pages, containing what appeared to be a photo album. When victims scrolled through the album, one of the many photos was in fact a malicious document that installed malware on the computer, said MarcEtienne M.Léveillé, a researcher at the firm.

Targeting dissidents has been part of a broad surveillance campaign that has included hacking into web sites popular with politically active citizens, and then using those sites to track them and collect information, said Steven Adair, founder of the cyber-security firm Volexity Inc. APT32 conducted “a very sophisticated and extremely widespread mass digital surveillance and attack campaign” targeting Asian countries, the media, groups associated with human rights and civil society, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Volexity reported.

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as new friends conversing about music, football and forgiveness. Pope Benedict XVI is portrayed as the traditionalist, and a stickler for rules and protocols. He isolated himself in the Vatican, preferring to eat meals alone and waiting for God’s voice to offer him encouragement. He kept listening, but divinity fell silent.

In comes Argentinian reformist Bergoglio, who was Pope Benedict’s closest rival, and known for embracing simplicity in all aspects of his life.

The opening scene alone that showed Pope Francis trying to book a flight by himself through a phone call to a travel tour operator was precious.

The operator asked for his name, and when he gave it, the lady on the other line asked, “Like the Pope?”

She asked for a postcode, and when he gave Vatican City as his address explaining further that he did not

By James Stavridis | Bloomberg Opinion

ith the recent passage of this year’s big defense bill, Congress authorized the creation of a sixth branch of the armed forces—the United States Space Force. The move reflects the growing militarization of space, as the other branches have grown increasingly reliant on operations there.

Despite criticism from spending hawks and late-night comics, the Space Force is an idea whose time has come. But the public, understandably, has questions: What will it look like? What will its mission be?

It’s worth pointing out that the US hasn’t created a new branch of the military since the Air Force in 1947. While not without controversy at the time, that move simply recognized the reality at the time that air operations were going to become increasingly large and complex. This necessitated a cadre of true experts who would “grow up” thinking, planning, procuring equipment and actually conducting pure aviation in that domain—alongside the Navy at sea and the Army ashore.

That is the essential rationale for the US Space Force—given the complexity and scale of operations in space, that domain requires a dedicated mission focus. Unlike Russia and China, which each have had dedicated space forces, the United States has relied largely on the US Air Force to run space operations, with supporting efforts from the Army and Navy. In many cases, this puts space forces at a disadvantage in a fighterand bomber-dominated Air Force.

The basic mission of the Space

Force will be to train, equip and organize to conduct military operations in space. This means running the extensive constellation of US military satellites (currently managed by the services separately depending on function); operating the military’s launch facilities such as the Air Force’s bases at Vandenberg in California and elsewhere; executing financial planning and programming to purchase satellites and ground support equipment; and above all, training a specialized cadre of space officers and enlisted men and women.

It will start small with a few hundred specialists, probably reporting to a chief of space operations (a title resembling that of the head of the US Navy, the chief of naval operations).

Over time, it will probably grow to 10,000 to 15,000 trainers, operators and leaders whose job will be to deliver capability in space to the 10 US combatant commanders—the jobs I held at four-star level both for Latin America and Europe/Nato. During

my seven-plus years in command, I would have relished being able to call a fellow four-star in charge of space to levy my needs for greater surveillance, communication and targeting.

My successors will be able to do so.

With that, I have three pieces of advice for the new chief of space operations, whoever he or she will be: First, study the history. Both the creation of the US Air Force in 1947 and the development of the US Marine Corps offer powerful lessons. Learn how the first year and the initial decade of operations unfolded for the Air Force, studying the record to see the pitfalls and lay out a plan to avoid them.

Those pitfalls include whether the services will resist giving up resources, whether the joint chiefs of staff will pay heed to the “new” member and what role Congress must take in giving initial lift to the new service. Likewise, the history of the Marine Corps—which remained a tiny adjunct to the Navy until World War I and World War II created a narrative of larger-scale land operations—is instructive.

Second, build solid relationships, with both your boss—presumably the secretary of the Air Force—and the other members of the joint chiefs of staff. As the new kid on the block, you will require a special sense of humility, empathy and good humor to fit in the elite company of the other service chiefs. Likewise, building peer relationships with the 10 combatant commanders—who are the

architecture and the rituals that come with the observance of the electoral smoke, arouse a sense of personal pride in me as a person of Catholic faith.

Prior to blessing Bergoglio with an absolution, Pope Benedict XVI said: “We all suffer from spiritual pride.

We all do. You must remember that you are not God. In God, we move and have our being. We live in God, but we are not of it. You’re only human. But, there He is [pointing to a painting of Jesus in the ceiling]. Human. You must believe in the mercy that you preach.”

I leave that quote as a reminder that the best Christmas gift—priceless beyond words—is the act of forgiveness. First, we need to forgive ourselves for any and all shortcomings, and for hurting people without the need or desire to do so. Second, we need to forgive and offer prayers for people who have caused us pain, no matter how deep or shallow. While the truth may set us free, it is forgiveness that makes that freedom truly complete.

I wish everyone the happiest Christmas, ever.

Susan V. Ople heads the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a nonprofit organization that deals with labor and migration issues.

She also represents the OFW sector in the InterAgency Council Against Trafficking.

end users of the Space Force in conducting operations—will be crucial.

Working closely with the US Special Operations Command—which has both “train, equip, and organize” and operational responsibilities—will be particularly helpful.

Third, push for a long tenure at the upper levels of the Space Force. One of the reasons the Navy’s high-tech nuclear programs have succeeded is that the chief of naval reactors has always served a minimum of eight years in that essential job. To get the Space Force launched—pardon the pun—will require more than the typical fouryear service chief tenure. Likewise, the other senior leaders of the Space Force should be in place for a longer tenure than is typical while it really gets off the ground.

On a lighter note, let’s also remember that the ranks should be naval in character—after all, the Starship Enterprise was led by Captain James Kirk, not a Colonel Kirk—and that he always piloted the ship from the “bridge” on the ship, not the “command post.”

But whether we end up with an admiral or a general as the chief of space operations, it seems clear that space, this vital fourth domain of combat, requires a focused and dedicated branch of the armed forces to master it for the nation. The voyages of the Starship Enterprise may be a century and more away, but the voyages of the US Space Force are about to begin.

Moon says Japan ties ‘crucial’ as leaders seek to repair damage

By Isabel Reynolds & Sharon Cheng Bloomberg Opinion

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outh Korean President Moon Jae-in told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that cooperation between the two US allies was crucial in the face of regional security threats as the two began their first formal summit in 15 months.

Japan and South Korea “are geographically, historically, and culturally, the closest neighbors, as well as the most important, mutually beneficial partners in terms of human exchanges,” Moon said on Tuesday.

“Our relationship is one that cannot be made distant even if there is temporarily an uncomfortable issue.”

Abe told Moon that he hoped to have a frank exchange of views and to improve ties, as the meeting began on the sidelines of a trilateral summit with China in the mainland city

of Chengdu. “Cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as among Japan, the US and South Korea is extremely important in dealing with security issues, such as North Korea,” Abe said.

The leaders are seeking to ease a longstanding historical dispute that has hurt trade and hindered cooperation on dealing with North Korea.

The event comes as Pyongyang signals it may fire a long-range missile as nuclear talks with the Trump administration stall ahead of a year-end deadline for progress set by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Ties between Japan and South Korea have plunged to new depths over the past year, in a series of disputes rooted in disagreement over whether Japan has shown sufficient contrition for its 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

While prospects for any breakthrough are slim, the fact that Abe

and Moon are talking is seen as a positive sign that could make it easier for them to bridge differences on simmering disputes that include Japan’s export curbs on goods vital to South Korea’s massive technology sector.

In a meeting just ahead of the summit, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha raised the issue of Japan’s export controls with her counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, according to a statement from South Korea’s foreign ministry. She also rejected Japan’s stance on forced labor judgments against Japanese companies, the ministry said. Motegi urged South Korea to abide by international law in its approach to the issue, Japan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Moon nevertheless told reporters at a joint news event earlier that he had “big” expectations for his meeting with Abe, who said that North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches

were a threat to regional security.

“They have come to the point of holding a summit without having patched up their differences,” said Makoto Abe, who researches South Korean industry at the Institute of Developing Economies near Tokyo.

While both sides realize the importance of the overall relationship, “it’s going to be difficult to resolve them all at once,” he added.

The standoff has damaged trade and tourism ties, with the number of South Koreans visiting Japan in November falling by almost two-thirds on the previous year, while Japan’s beer exports to its neighbor collapsed to virtually zero in October.

Under pressure from the US, however, South Korea last month suspended its plan to withdraw from a military information-sharing pact with Japan. Since then, there have been hints of a potential thaw in ties.

A8 Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Executive, Senate weigh in on US ban in de Lima case

By Recto Mercene

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@rectomercene & Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

HE Philippine government has stepped up its challenge to the United States to respect its sovereignty, with officials from the Executive and the Senate denouncing the meddling and the “arrogance of some US lawmakers” who inserted a provision in their budget bill mandating the Secretary of State to bar Filipino officials with a role in the prosecution of Sen. Leila de Lima, detained since 2017 on drug-related charges.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. said in a tweet that if Manila were to surrender its “sovereignty on judicial process,” despite the Supreme Court clearance for detained de Lima’s

trial to proceed, it “may as well stop asserting its sovereignty against China in the South China Sea.” Several senators also weighed in on the issues, deploring what they

described as misinformed US lawmakers who inserted in the 2020 US budget the provision allowing the Secretary of State to impose the prohibition based on “credible information.”

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday issued a statement, saying: “All countries have the sovereign prerogative to allow or ban individuals from entering their borders.

We strongly advise the United States to respect our own laws and processes in the same way that we respect theirs.”

US Senators Richard Durbin ( I l l i nois) a nd Pat r ic k L ea hy (Vermont) had pushed for the proposed amendment in the 2020 State and Foreign Operations

Appropriations Bill tackled by the US Senate Appropriations Committee.

Durbin was among five US senators who earlier called on the Duterte administration to release de Lima, a fierce critic of Duterte’s anti-narcotics drive.

She has been detained since February 2017, for allegedly pocketing drug payoffs from convicted crime lords when she was still justice secretary—an allegation she described as political persecution.

Sovereignty indivisible—Locsin tweeted on December 23, that the effort by US lawmakers was “of no moment,” and that the only way de Lima would be free was after undergoing trial.

See “US ban,” A2

War of arguments continues over Angkas

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

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@lorenzmarasigan

HE government reminded ridehailing app Angkas that its provisional operations in the Philippines is just a privilege, and not a right, and its participation in the pilot run for motorcycle taxis is part of a study that could potentially legalize the commercial

operations of two-wheel vehicles.

The Department of Transportation’s technical working group, led by Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) member Antonio Gardiola, issued an “open letter” to Angkas Spokesman George Royeca late Monday.

The letter, sent to the media and posted online, stressed that motorcycle taxis are still “a transportation concept being

thoroughly tested and assessed for its long-term viability and adaptability in our public transportation sphere.”

“Your participation is a privilege that the government has extended, and it should not be construed as a right to impose or demand monopolistic provisions that will be detrimental to the program in the long run,” the letter read.

The working group, likewise, noted

that the pilot program—extended for another six months—was tweaked to include the creation of a registration system and a feedback mechanism to establish customer buy-in and assess the acceptability of the program.

It will likewise include an audit system that will ensure performance and regulator compliance. Two new apps, JoyRide and Move It, were also introduced into the program.

“All these considerations are on the table because we reiterate that the issue involves public interest, and not simply a business enterprise,” the letter read.

OVER 1,500 PRISONERS AWAITING GCTA REVIEW STAY JAILED THIS XMAS

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TOTAL of 1,525 prisoners who were earlier freed due to good conduct time allowance would have to spend the holidays in prison anew as they await the result of the review of their records that stemmed from the wrongful implementation of Republic Act 10592, or the expanded application of GCTA. Assistant Secretary Neal Vincent Bainto of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said a total of 2,352 who were convicted of heinous crimes but freed under the expanded GCTA had heeded the order of President Duterte to surrender.

The number of surrenderers exceeded by 428 the original list of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) consisting of 1,914 names only.

“Of that number, the DOJ, assisting the BuCor, confirmed the release of 463 PDLs [persons deprived of liberty]. BuCor, based on their own assessment released 364 [PDLs]. So, in total, 827 [PDLs] have been actually released from the 2,352 who surrendered,” Bainto added.

However, the Justice official said he could not confirm if the remaining 1,525 PDLs were unqualified to benefit from the GCTA, although it is likely that most of them would have to spend more time in jail.

“Actually, the process is still ongoing. But we think that

probably a good number of the remaining surrenderers will be re-incarcerated,” he added.

The 827 PDLs were released in tranches during the last few months. “This is a continuing process. They will be released in batches,” Bainto said.

The BuCor earlier said 1,914 PDLs convicted of heinous crimes were released through the GCTA since year 2014 until this year.

On September 4, 2019, Duterte gave the 1,914 PDLs 15 days to present themselves before the BuCor so the latter can recompute their GCTAs. The review of the implementing rules of the expanded GCTA was prompted by the inclusion of former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez among the thousands of prisoners supposed to be freed as a consequence of the recent SC ruling allowing a retroactive application of the GCTAs under Republic Act 10592.

Sanchez was convicted for the 1993 rape-slay of Mary Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of her boyfriend Allan Gomez, both students of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños. The prospect of Sanchez’s early release drew massive protests, prompting the government to review the implementation of the SC ruling on the GCTA. See “GCTA,” A2

Rider cap

TYPHOON "URSULA" 50 KM NORTHEAST OF GUIUAN, EASTERN SAMAR as of 4:00 pm - December 24, 2019

The caveat in all this, however, is the imposition of a 10,000-rider supply cap for each ride-hailing app. This is the main issue that Angkas and its pool of riders were protesting against, when they flooded the streets of White Planes with a sea of blue on Sunday, as it essentially disfranchises 17,000 of its members.

The technical working group, likewise, called the protest an emotional blackmail, as Angkas enjoys the support of the public, which has been clamoring for efficient, safe and affordable means of transportation for decades now.

For the public, many of whom expressed their support for Angkas online, the app provides them an alternative to means to combat the chronic bottlenecks in Metro Manila, saving them from the horrors of cramped trains with kilometric queues and the constant stress that comes out of a “worst traffic congestion” in the world, according to Waze.

“We deplore these underhanded tactics by Angkas, which have now severely strained the credibility not only of the program, but also of government,” the letter read. “It is quite unfortunate that Angkas has made a public spectacle, and has resorted to emotional blackmail in its attempt to cement its foothold on this transport service.”

It likewise noted that Angkas was “not even fully compliant with the directive to submit its actual listing of riders,” only providing an “excel sheet submission of rides per day...sans any analysis or executive summary.”

The government remained unmoved in its decision to cut the supply of Angkas bikers on the road. It said that competition is essential to see the economic viability of motorcycles as a taxi service.

It, however, gave Angkas until January to come up with a list of 10,000 bikers to be included in the pilot extension.

Royeca: It’s anticompetitive Sought for comment, Royeca said his group simply raised its stance on the looming displacement of 17,000 bikers.

“It has been said that our 17,000 bikers could move to the two competitors. Forcing them to do so is not only anticompetitive but is also morally wrong,” he said.

Gardiola earlier said that each of the 17,000 bikers could opt to move to the Continued on A2

PAL, Cebu Pacific, AirAsia cancel flights over effects of storm Ursula

T

HREE major local carriers announced on Tuesday a slew of rescheduling and flight cancellations due to poor visibility caused by Typhoon Ursula (international name Phanfone), which was expected to hit land on Christmas, in the region that was hit the hardest by the 2013 Supertyphoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan).

The Pagasa weather bureau announced that Ursula was estimated at 325 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, packing maximum sustained winds of up to 95 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness up to 115 kph.

Legacy carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced that most flights to the Visayas have been canceled until December 25.

Affected flights to and from Manila are those bound for Roxas City and Kalibo; nine flights from Clark to Busuanga and back; three flights from Cebu to Busuanga and back.

PAL flights from Cebu to Caticlan and Siargao were likewise affected, as well as flights from Manila to Tacloban; and from Clark to Siargao and Calbayog; from Cebu to Tacloban, Legazpi; and Cebu to Siargao.

Passengers affected by the canceled December 24 and 25 flights have been rebooked on the next available flights, PAL said. Passengers with contact details on their Passenger Name Records (PNRs) will be notified on their new flight date through e-mail.

They also have the option to rebook/refund within 30 days from original flight date, with rebooking/refunding fees waived. Rerout-

ing is an option, subject to zoning conditions. “ We will mount additional flights on certain routes to ensure that affected passengers get to fly to their destinations at the soonest possible time,” PAL Spokesman Cielo Villaluna said.

“We shall provide regular updates on the the effect of Typhoon Ursula on PAL flights, as needed,” she added.

AirAsia rescheduled two December 24 flights from Manila to Tacloban and back.

“Passengers affected by the cancellations can rebook the flights within 30 days without penalties, store the value of the ticket for future use or refund in full,” the low cost carrier said.

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific and Cebgo canceled three flights to and from Manila to Tacloban, and their Cebu to Tacloban flights.

Cebu Pacific asked affected passengers to check the e-mail address provided upon booking.

Passengers booked on these canceled flights may avail themselves of the following options: ■ Rebook flights within 30 days without penalties; ■ Refund tickets in full; and ■ Store the value of the ticket in a Travel Fund for future use.

“We urge passengers on flights that have already been canceled to check for updates through the contact details provided, and refrain from proceeding to the airport.

“We appeal for patience and understanding as we manage flights amid inclement weather conditions. The safety of all is our foremost priority,” said Cebu Pacific. Recto Mercene

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Companies BusinessMirror

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

December 23, 2019

Net Foreign Stocks Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Buy (Sell) FINANCIALs

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK PHILTRUST SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG FILIPINO FUND NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE

53.1 156 86.5 24.95 7.95 12.14 66.3 12.7 20.5 34.1 57.2 116 185.4 58 0.84 18.1 3.81 7.02 0.78 172 1,825

53.25 157 87.5 25 8.49 12.24 66.6 12.8 20.8 34.65 57.4 120 186.6 58.2 0.91 18.3 4 8.49 0.82 172.1 1,840

53.5 157.8 86.4 25 8.1 12.32 67.9 12.7 20.45 34.6 57.4 115 181.9 58.5 0.85 18.1 4.04 7.02 0.78 173 1825

53.5 159.8 87.5 25 8.49 12.32 67.9 12.7 20.5 34.7 57.4 115 187.7 58.5 0.85 18.38 4.04 7.02 0.82 173 1,825

53.25 153.1 86 24.9 8.1 12 66.2 12.7 20.45 34.1 57.4 115 181.9 58 0.85 18.1 3.84 7.02 0.78 172.1 1,825

53.25 157 87.5 24.95 8.49 12.24 66.6 12.7 20.5 34.1 57.4 115 186.6 58 0.85 18.1 4 7.02 0.82 172.1 1,825

2,510 133,907.5 1,874,640 293,818,243 1,674,260 145,604,768 18,900 471,960 1,200 9,759 195,000 2,370,004 2,037,080 135,695,825.5 ( 5,000 63,500 4,200 85,950 244,200 8,399,600 590 33,866 20 2,300 1,913,760 353,275,388 7,050 409,795 38,000 32,300 10,000 181,028 16,000 62,040 300 2,106 51,000 39,820 1,770 306,075 150 273,750

INDUSTRIAL

AC ENERGY ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO MANILA WATER PETRON PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER AGRINURTURE AXELUM CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA JOLLIBEE MACAY HLDG MAXS GROUP PEPSI COLA SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VICTORIAS CONCRETE A CONCRETE B CEMEX HLDG EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA TKC METALS VULCAN INDL CHEMPHIL CROWN ASIA EUROMED MABUHAY VINYL PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG

HOLDING & FRIMS

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP SOC RESOURCES TOP FRONTIER ZEUS HLDG

(107,157.5) (17,509,954) 30,106,761.5 898,276 37,899,759.5) (5,396,290) (33,866) (61,556,266) (299,295) 39,820 36,330 -

2.27 1.23 33.2 0.239 23.75 67 299.8 8.57 3.85 4 11.4 33.2 8.21 13.1 2.55 16.5 15.2 4.99 9.5 7.21 85.2 0.51 1.18 40 219.2 6.16 11.9 1.91 9.96 2.14 5.21 1.75 0.115 147 1.17 2.44 64.45 66.65 2 14.14 9.65 13.58 16.42 9.8 0.98 0.88 162.5 2.14 1.6 3.12 5 28 1.86 7.8 1.22 0.83 3.95

2.28 1.27 33.5 0.243 24 68.15 300 8.6 3.87 4.1 11.8 33.45 8.27 13.4 2.58 17.52 15.3 5.03 9.55 7.24 85.5 0.53 1.19 40.45 220 6.29 12.12 1.92 10 2.15 5.28 1.79 0.12 151.9 1.18 2.57 72.95 72.8 2.03 14.74 9.73 13.88 16.6 10 1.01 0.89 169.9 2.15 1.61 3.46 5.05 28.9 1.9 7.89 1.33 0.87 4

2.31 1.23 34 0.239 22.9 68.2 290.4 7.5 3.86 3.9 11.48 33.1 8.28 13.3 2.55 17 15.5 5.03 9.32 7.2 85.2 0.52 1.07 40.05 213 6.21 12.16 1.91 9.85 2.14 5.27 1.77 0.113 144 1.14 2.57 64.45 73.9 1.96 14.06 9.99 13.58 16.5 9.98 1.03 0.89 162.2 2.19 1.6 3.5 5 28 1.89 7.88 1.33 0.82 3.82

2.34 1.28 34 0.245 23.75 68.25 300 8.73 3.96 4.09 11.8 33.4 8.28 13.4 2.67 17.52 15.5 5.03 9.65 7.25 86.4 0.53 1.18 40.05 220 6.29 12.36 1.92 10.06 2.18 5.35 1.8 0.12 151.9 1.17 2.57 64.5 73.9 2.03 14.8 9.99 13.88 16.72 10 1.03 0.89 169.9 2.21 1.6 3.5 5.08 28 1.93 7.89 1.33 0.87 4.05

2.26 1.23 33.2 0.239 22.9 66.6 290.4 7.46 3.84 3.9 11.48 33.05 8.2 13 2.54 16.5 15.1 5.01 9.32 7.19 85.15 0.5 1.06 39 213 6.13 11.7 1.91 9.85 2.1 5.2 1.76 0.113 140.3 1.13 2.57 64.45 66.65 1.94 14.06 9.5 13.56 16.38 9.97 0.97 0.87 162.2 2.14 1.6 3.5 5 28 1.86 7.81 1.31 0.77 3.82

2.27 1.28 33.5 0.243 23.75 67 299.8 8.57 3.85 4.09 11.8 33.2 8.21 13.4 2.58 17.52 15.3 5.01 9.5 7.21 85.2 0.51 1.18 40 220 6.29 12.12 1.91 10 2.15 5.28 1.8 0.12 151.9 1.17 2.57 64.45 72.95 2.03 14.14 9.65 13.88 16.6 10 1.02 0.88 169.9 2.14 1.6 3.5 5 28 1.9 7.89 1.33 0.87 4

2,658,000 11,000 1,883,000 2,160,000 1,055,400 69,500 395,320 37,346,000 717,000 15,000 150,000 16,400 48,700 341,200 8,049,000 2,000 962,500 5,700 4,543,300 50,800 144,570 3,389,000 33,570,000 95,600 394,710 25,500 339,400 1,949,000 355,000 1,211,000 47,100 24,000 220,000 555,750 47,454,000 1,000 960 260 1,807,000 14,400 335,200 21,800 586,000 5,105,700 40,000 216,000 510 347,000 12,000 1,000 902,200 400 3,498,000 1,034,800 41,000 238,000 164,000

6,076,650 13,580 63,080,915 520,410 24,670,365 4,668,338 116,515,476 308,678,383 2,772,020 60,330 1,765,370 545,405 401,821 4,532,050 20,999,200 34,418 14,624,054 28,657 43,184,001 366,000 12,328,048 1,723,700 38,180,350 3,817,140 86,248,724 158,287 4,098,148 3,722,690 3,545,911 2,605,660 246,643 42,330 25,000 82,125,159 54,157,290 2,570 61,876 18,050.5 3,567,990 211,638 3,239,557 302,180 9,701,230 50,935,856 39,150 188,960 84,724 758,390 19,200 3,500 4,511,090 11,200 6,664,050 8,153,951 54,430 188,360 648,900

(9,240) (6,532,085) (3,274,580) (2,368,841.5) 8,473,688 (21,812,413) (830,110) (1,113,730) (33,055) (4,150,450) 4,763,000 (1,610,028) (1,005,023) (83,468) (1,273,235) 30,100 904,930 3,056,070 (4,148,430) (1,665,642) (920,620) (3,324,389) 19,300 12,020 1,200 20,424,362 (61,350.0002) (1,021,590) (149,936) (1,573,575) (109,590) (8,478,216) (49,890,000) (4,350,000) (2,800) (80,560) 8,054,667 (116,180)

0.86 10.42 775.5 51.45 11.46 2.99 6.32 0.68 0.93 0.94 6.7 6.4 13 0.203 837 5.24 81.1 5.3 5.18 0.485 3.7 11.5 0.54 3.42 4.01 1.15 1.22 175.1 1,070 155.4 0.75 207.6 0.19

0.87 10.8 779 52 11.5 3 6.42 0.69 0.94 0.97 6.74 6.41 13.4 0.224 854 5.26 81.7 5.5 5.79 0.5 3.75 11.62 0.57 3.43 4.46 1.21 1.24 188 1,078 160 0.79 211.4 0.202

0.83 10.82 779.5 51.65 11.5 2.96 6.42 0.71 0.93 0.94 6.75 6.38 13.2 0.212 838 5.26 80.9 5.89 5.18 0.485 3.72 12 0.55 3.3 4.22 1.21 1.22 189.9 1056 157 0.74 214 0.192

0.87 10.82 780 52 11.54 3 6.42 0.71 0.94 0.97 6.75 6.51 13.4 0.212 855 5.26 82 5.89 5.18 0.5 3.75 12 0.57 3.48 4.4 1.21 1.23 189.9 1,080 160 0.79 214 0.192

0.83 10.42 768.5 50.15 11.42 2.95 6.42 0.65 0.92 0.94 6.65 6.34 13.2 0.202 824.5 5.24 80.5 5.89 5.18 0.485 3.7 11.5 0.54 3.3 4.22 1.21 1.22 188 1,056 155 0.74 206.8 0.19

0.87 10.82 779 52 11.46 2.99 6.42 0.69 0.94 0.97 6.7 6.4 13.3 0.202 854 5.24 81.7 5.89 5.18 0.5 3.7 11.5 0.57 3.42 4.4 1.21 1.22 188 1,078 160 0.79 211.6 0.19

21,304,000 6,400 401,280 1,811,520 1,768,900 252,000 10,000 471,000 1,124,000 303,000 2,638,100 16,924,600 314,700 100,000 105,950 103,600 1,276,310 1,000 1,100 2,000 478,000 2,043,700 126,000 41,111,000 3,000 50,000 17,000 190 214,485 191,100 2,000 2,890 200,000

18,166,510 67,134 311,082,675 93,264,459.5 20,275,714 753,660 64,200 315,410 1,044,050 284,910 17,661,146 108,441,810 4,178,404 20,490 89,665,465 544,460 104,273,137.5 5,890 5,698 985 1,775,630 23,698,370 68,440 140,304,550 12,840 60,500 20,750 35,905 230,744,565 30,154,937 1,530 615,866 38,040

(113,000) 34,516,690 2,343,670.5 (7,498,700) (104,840) 282,000 (12,662,421) 14,383,069 (12,717,865) (157,500) 35,093,299.5 5,890 (1,493,790) (17,322,866) (51,275,190) 20,662,235 2,635,930 (226,576) 13,300

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.8 0.81 0.8 0.8 0.78 0.8 499,000 395,910 47.15 47.25 45.1 47.25 45.1 47.25 9,842,900 455,105,990 23,956,900 AYALA LAND 1.28 1.36 1.42 1.42 1.28 1.36 64,000 83,140 ARANETA PROP 1.97 1.98 1.97 1.98 1.97 1.97 109,000 214,900 (108,350) BELLE CORP 0.71 0.72 0.7 0.71 0.7 0.71 600,000 421,770 A BROWN 0.81 0.87 0.81 0.86 0.81 0.86 3,000 2,480 CITYLAND DEVT 0.178 0.18 0.179 0.179 0.179 0.179 30,000 5,370 CROWN EQUITIES 6.35 6.98 6.47 6.98 6.47 6.98 357,200 2,412,507 2,234,888 CEBU HLDG 4.65 4.75 4.79 4.8 4.73 4.75 792,000 3,784,310 52,250 CEB LANDMASTERS 0.54 0.55 0.55 0.55 0.54 0.55 8,844,000 4,794,780 248,400 CENTURY PROP 0.385 0.395 0.385 0.385 0.38 0.385 400,000 153,500 CYBER BAY 19 19.08 19.06 19.1 18.9 19 360,000 6,852,836 1 ,601,092.0003 DOUBLEDRAGON 9.94 9.97 10 10 9.95 9.97 441,900 4,405,992 2,238,696 DM WENCESLAO 0.41 0.415 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.41 50,000 20,500 EMPIRE EAST 1.51 1.52 1.51 1.52 1.49 1.51 4,514,000 6,844,320 4,981,260 FILINVEST LAND 1.16 1.19 1.16 1.19 1.16 1.19 17,000 19,750 GLOBAL ESTATE 14.76 14.78 14.76 14.78 14.72 14.76 6,016,300 88,800,574 (118,048) 8990 HLDG 1.24 1.27 1.24 1.29 1.24 1.27 196,000 245,420 PHIL INFRADEV 0.76 0.77 0.76 0.76 0.76 0.76 2,000 1,520 CITY AND LAND 4.03 4.04 4.04 4.11 4.03 4.03 21,733,000 88,032,140 26,997,860 MEGAWORLD 0.191 0.192 0.193 0.193 0.19 0.192 4,150,000 795,060 MRC ALLIED 0.4 0.43 0.425 0.425 0.425 0.425 120,000 51,000 PHIL ESTATES 2.1 2.12 2.07 2.13 2.07 2.12 1,126,000 2,335,010 PRIMEX CORP 27.5 27.8 27.4 28.75 27.3 27.8 2,860,800 79,990,545 (637,360) ROBINSONS LAND 0.3 0.31 0.3 0.32 0.3 0.31 310,000 96,000 PHIL REALTY 2.09 2.11 2.09 2.12 2.08 2.12 74,000 155,930 ROCKWELL 3.06 3.23 3.1 3.1 3.03 3.06 351,000 1,074,830 (922,320) SHANG PROP 2.39 2.46 2.39 2.46 2.39 2.46 104,000 252,350 STA LUCIA LAND 41.45 41.95 41.1 41.95 40.9 41.95 6,651,400 275,479,825 89,394,265 SM PRIME HLDG 5.4 5.6 5.49 5.6 5.45 5.6 149,300 828,260 VISTAMALLS 1.19 1.2 1.17 1.2 1.15 1.2 23,424,000 27,669,200 SUNTRUST HOME 45 49.95 45 45 45 45 2,000 90,000 PTFC REDEV CORP 7.3 7.35 7.3 7.35 7.26 7.35 2,634,800 19,329,512 (5,946,071) VISTA LAND

SERVICES ABS CBN 15.8 15.82 15.84 15.84 15.68 15.8 50,200 792,962 5.26 5.27 5.25 5.27 5.25 5.26 158,100 831,689 GMA NETWORK 0.345 0.39 0.37 0.37 0.335 0.335 200,000 71,800 MANILA BULLETIN 2,008 2,012 2012 2,030 1,996 2,012 31,625 63,590,755 7,264,785 GLOBE TELECOM 1,018 1,020 1000 1,020 999.5 1,020 91,005 92,170,647.5 8,072,950 PLDT 0.042 0.043 0.042 0.042 0.042 0.042 900,000 37,800 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.095 0.097 0.097 0.098 0.092 0.095 390,000 37,050 25,650 ISLAND INFO 3.1 3.11 2.93 3.1 2.87 3.1 3,235,000 9,676,230 671,160 ISM COMM 1.92 2.25 2.05 2.25 2.05 2.25 2,000 4,300 JACKSTONES 2.34 2.35 2.34 2.37 2.33 2.34 2,457,000 5,775,880 158,440 NOW CORP 0.27 0.275 0.275 0.275 0.27 0.275 910,000 247,050 TRANSPACIFIC BR 2.4 2.44 2.43 2.45 2.35 2.4 373,000 881,120 (23,630) PHILWEB 9.5 9.78 9.5 9.78 9.5 9.78 8,800 84,580 (7,600) 2GO GROUP 5.05 5.06 4.91 5.06 4.91 5.06 728,000 3,639,810 CHELSEA 88.9 90 90.4 92 88.9 88.9 316,170 28,297,805 (5,780,144.5) CEBU AIR 128.1 128.3 126.6 129.9 126.6 128.3 2,567,870 329,646,494 (23,781,981) INTL CONTAINER 0.85 0.87 0.89 0.9 0.83 0.85 315,000 277,600 LORENZO SHIPPNG 16.4 16.6 16.52 16.6 16.4 16.6 251,600 4,159,544 (1,588,076) MACROASIA 7.2 7.5 7.2 7.5 7.2 7.5 3,200 23,370 PAL HLDG 1.03 1.04 1.02 1.04 1 1.03 525,000 538,300 HARBOR STAR 1.39 1.54 1.49 1.49 1.49 1.49 10,000 14,900 ACESITE HOTEL 1.66 2.02 2.03 2.03 2.03 2.03 1,000 2,030 DISCOVERY WORLD 9.53 10.68 10.66 10.66 10.66 10.66 100 1,066 GRAND PLAZA 0.6 0.61 0.6 0.61 0.57 0.61 242,000 138,870 4,200 WATERFRONT 890.5 891 890.5 890.5 890.5 890.5 1,120 997,360 FAR EASTERN U 9.49 9.5 9.49 9.49 9.49 9.49 1,400 13,286 IPEOPLE 0.61 0.62 0.63 0.63 0.59 0.62 9,154,000 5,662,000 (5,285,210) STI HLDG 4.49 4.58 4.47 4.7 4.34 4.58 2,622,000 11,891,100 5,360 BERJAYA 11.06 11.1 11.04 11.2 10.9 11.1 1,161,300 12,866,046 3,046,170 BLOOMBERRY 2.46 2.48 2.5 2.5 2.46 2.46 38,000 94,190 (71,870) PACIFIC ONLINE 2.42 2.44 2.44 2.44 2.42 2.44 243,000 592,700 2,440 LEISURE AND RES 3.35 3.4 3.35 3.4 3.35 3.4 39,000 131,550 MANILA JOCKEY 4.41 5 5 5 5 5 5,000 25,000 PH RESORTS GRP 0.57 0.58 0.56 0.58 0.56 0.57 907,000 513,840 (197,170) PREMIUM LEISURE 7.61 8.99 8.7 8.99 8.7 8.99 300 2,668 PHIL RACING 11.44 11.5 11.46 11.5 11.42 11.5 1,535,700 17,647,610 (3,079,524) ALLHOME 2.09 2.13 2.15 2.15 2.05 2.13 180,000 374,000 METRO RETAIL 39.4 39.95 39.5 39.95 39 39.95 586,200 23,291,235(7, 747,865.0003) PUREGOLD 74.9 77 75.75 77 74.9 77 123,020 9,443,072.5 (5,893,310.5) ROBINSONS RTL 135 144 147 148 145.5 145.5 150 22,065 PHIL SEVEN CORP 2.75 2.76 2.68 2.76 2.61 2.75 1,191,000 3,232,500 2,209,880 SSI GROUP 17.68 17.7 17.84 17.84 17.2 17.7 4,100,600 72,383,496 28 ,137,160.0004 WILCON DEPOT 0.39 0.395 0.39 0.395 0.385 0.395 160,000 62,450 (11,600) APC GROUP 7.75 7.85 7.75 7.85 7.75 7.85 7,000 54,930 EASYCALL 425 436 436 436 435 436 170 73,980 GOLDEN BRIA 6.3 6.5 6.2 6.5 6.2 6.5 11,900 76,420 3,400 IPM HLDG 0.33 0.335 0.32 0.335 0.31 0.33 16,090,000 5,218,900 64,400 PRMIERE HORIZON 8.74 9.04 8.74 9.05 8.74 9.05 1,533,200 13,400,623 SBS PHIL CORP

MINING & OIL ATOK 10.08 10.96 10.96 10.96 10.96 10.96 200 2,192 0.91 0.93 0.91 0.92 0.91 0.92 115,000 104,830 3,680 APEX MINING 0.0014 0.0015 0 0.0015 0.0015 0.0015 0.0015 13,000,000 19,500 ABRA MINING 0.27 0.28 0.27 0.27 0.27 0.27 150,000 40,500 COAL ASIA HLDG 2.69 2.7 2.69 2.7 2.68 2.7 334,000 898,730 CENTURY PEAK 6.91 7.32 6.91 7.32 6.91 6.92 1,000,400 6,912,846 DIZON MINES 1.8 1.81 1.73 1.83 1.73 1.8 6,319,000 11,284,100 (776,150) FERRONICKEL 0.198 0.204 0.2 0.204 0.198 0.204 170,000 33,890 GEOGRACE 0.091 0.093 0.093 0.093 0.091 0.091 930,000 85,190 LEPANTO A 0.0074 0.0078 0 0.0074 0.0074 0.0074 0.0074 3,000,000 22,200 MANILA MINING A 0.87 0.89 0.87 0.89 0.84 0.89 818,000 713,070 MARCVENTURES 0.97 1 0.99 1 0.97 1 18,000 17,640 NIHAO 3.19 3.2 3.01 3.28 3.01 3.2 13,620,000 43,006,020 9,363,830 NICKEL ASIA 0.72 0.76 0.73 0.76 0.7 0.75 302,000 217,840 (1,860) ORNTL PENINSULA 2.68 2.7 2.69 2.75 2.69 2.7 123,000 332,470 2,710 PX MINING 21.8 21.85 21.6 21.9 21.6 21.8 1,129,800 24,611,865 5 ,056,940.0003 SEMIRARA MINING 0.0052 0.0057 0 0.0053 0.0053 0.0053 0.0053 3,000,000 15,900 UNITED PARAGON 7.1 7.18 7.33 7.33 7 7.15 180,100 1,288,588 4,682 ACE ENEXOR 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 100,000 1,200 ORNTL PETROL B 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 400,000 4,100 2,000 PHILODRILL 8.4 8.5 8.13 8.64 8.13 8.4 286,300 2,355,350 PXP ENERGY 156,503

PREFFERED

AC PREF B1 499 510 510 510 510 510 10 5,100 101.3 103.3 102.5 103.3 102.5 103.3 3,090 319,037 (20,500) ALCO PREF B 505 510 505 510 505 510 2,800 1,420,200 (50,500) AC PREF B2R 100 101 101 101 100 100 390 39,219 DD PREF 108 111.9 108.1 108.1 108 108 2,260 244,188 FGEN PREF G 980 995 995 995 995 995 50 49,750 GTCAP PREF A 100.5 101 101 101 101 101 510 51,510 50,500 MWIDE PREF 100.6 102.3 102.3 102.3 102.3 102.3 710 72,633 51,150 PNX PREF 3A 106.8 108.9 109 109 109 109 100 10,900 PNX PREF 3B 1,031 1,032 1028 1,031 1,028 1,031 4,530 4,668,360 PNX PREF 4 1,022 1,049 1023 1,023 1,023 1,023 50 51,150 PCOR PREF 2B 1,050 1,051 1048 1,050 1,048 1,050 3,045 3,195,240 PCOR PREF 3A 1,055 1,057 1057 1,057 1,055 1,057 25,515 26,952,345 PCOR PREF 3B 1.36 1.72 1.36 1.36 1.36 1.36 1,000 1,360 SFI PREF 77.8 77.9 77.8 77.8 77.8 77.8 700 54,460 54,460 SMC PREF 2C 75.2 75.5 75.2 75.2 75.2 75.2 870,000 65,424,000 SMC PREF 2D 74.5 76.5 77 77 77 77 10 770 SMC PREF 2E 75.75 76.85 76.9 76.9 75.55 75.55 1,400 105,833.5 SMC PREF 2F 75 75.95 75.95 75.95 75.95 75.95 600,010 45,570,759.5 SMC PREF 2G 75.2 77 75.2 75.2 75.2 75.2 805,590 60,580,368 SMC PREF 2I PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR GMA HLDG PDR

15 5.17

17 5.3

14.7 5.19

15.1 5.3

14.7 5.19

15 5.3

107,000 217,000

1,606,700 1,142,959

WARRANTS

LR WARRANT 1.21 1.36 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 11,000 13,200

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ITALPINAS 3.52 10.08 KEPWEALTH 0.76 XURPAS

3.59 10.1 0.77

3.6 9.84 0.77

3.69 10.14 0.78

3.51 9.8 0.76

3.6 10.1 0.77

288,000 231,400 995,000

1,032,800 2,310,848 767,860

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

117

117.4

116.4

117.4

115.6

117.4

7,240

843,151

(1,606,700) 1,033,239 172,820 (2,984) 35,023

Wednesday, December 25, 2019 B1

Bloomberry to open PHL’s first dedicated cruise terminal soon

B

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

LOOMBERRY Cruise Terminal Inc. (BCTI), a company owned by ports magnate Enrique Razon Jr., said it will start operating its first facility dedicated to accept cruise ships after Christmas.

The Ilocos Cruise Port in Salomague will begin its operations on December 26, with the maiden call of the largest cruise vessel currently deployed in Asia, Spectrum of the Seas, the company said.

The ship is owned and operated by Royal Caribbean, one of the world’s largest cruise brands, and will bring with it up to 4,819 passengers and 1,551 crew.

The ship is scheduled to arrive at Salomague from the port

of Naha in Okinawa, Japan, on a seven-night Japan and Philippines itinerary out of Hong Kong.

As a tender port of call, tourists will be ferried to and from the ship to the port where they will be greeted by the port’s new Welcome Center, which details the history and cultural heritage of the region.

Buses and tourist vans will then bring the tourists to touristic sites in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, as well as the historic city of Vigan, a Unesco

Angkas bikers in gig economy, but DOLE eyeing to help them

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

T

HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it is now studying how it could provide assistance to the estimated 17,000 bikers of motorcycle-hailing app Angkas.

“We are now in the process of considering how we could help them,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III told the BusinessMirror in a phone interview.

Director Ma. Karina PeridaTrayvilla of the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC) said they are now looking at the other livelihood and employment options for the affected workers.

She said Angkas drivers belong to so-called gig economy, which currently belongs to the informal sector.

Workers in the informal sector tend to enjoy fewer benefits like social security compared to their counterparts in the formal sector.

In a statement, Partido Manggagawa (PM) said the intervention of DOLE for the affected Angkas drivers should go beyond shortterm employment facilitation and livelihood aid.

PM Spokesman Wilson Fortaleza stressed the need for the government to address this, especially due to the increasing numbers of people being employed by transportation network vehicles services like Ang-

kas and Grab.

“While companies like Angkas and Grab treat their drivers as independent contractors, we believe this is a misclassification as they should be categorized as employees with concomitant rights. The government must support the transition of riders and drivers from the informal to the formal sector. Thus this is not just a question of livelihood but also of labor standards and workers’ rights,” Fortaleza said.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), PM said there are already 6.2 million registered motorcycles and tricycles as of 2013.

It said there is a continuous increase in motorcycle registration, especially with the growing popularity of the motorcycle-based ridehailing app.

“The number is growing fast.

More than 2 million motorcycles were registered just in the first 10 months of 2018,” Fortaleza said.

Angkas earlier announced it will soon be forced to cut down the number of its 27,000 biker-partners after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) suddenly issued an order to limit the pool of drivers per operator to just 10,000.

Angkas and it supporters held a protest action on Sunday to oppose the LTFRB decision. PM also joined the call for LTFRB to reconsider the work force cut for Angkas.

DPWH studying proposal to extend Nlex to Anda Circle

T

HE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is evaluating the most efficient way to implement the P16-billion proposal of Nlex Corp. to extend the North Luzon Expressway to the Anda Circle in Manila’s port area.

Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar noted that his group is now reviewing the initial proposal, and is awaiting the submission of the official offer.

“We have started reviewing it but we have yet to receive the full-blown proposal,” he said. “It might be in the form of an unsolicited proposal, or it could be an extension of the concession

agreement—that is why we are evaluating it.”

The extension, initially called the Harbor Link Port Access Mobility Facility, will span for 5.1 kilometers and will be overhead. The road will extend the Harbor Link from C3 corner Navotas interchange all the way to Anda Circle.

This will help further reduce travel time from Manila’s ports to Northern Luzon.

Harbor Link is a five-segment project that Nlex Corp. is currently completing. In total, it is envisioned to be a 21.65-km extension of the Nlex from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to C3, and, subsequently, to R-10. Lorenz S. Marasigan

World Heritage site.

“This call is a handsome reward for the efforts of our team in coordination with the Department of Tourism of the Philippines to bring cruise calls to the country. It is the first call to the first dedicated cruise facility in the Philippines, and we already have the largest cruise ship in Asia calling. The structure of the itinerary shows how important it is to have a good network of cruise facilities across the country, something we are working very hard to realize,” Guillaume Lucci, senior advisor for BCTI, said.

For next year, the cruise terminal has already confirmed calls from Royal Caribbean, Genting Cruises and an expedition ship, Caledonian Sky. “Once the industry players are more familiar with Salomague and its offerings, we expect calls to increase significantly. We will use 2020 as a period where we can

mutual funds

further fine-tune our operations and improving the passenger experience for future calls to this port,” Lucci said.

Following the Salomague call, Spectrum of the Seas heads to Subic Bay for the rest of the itinerary before returning to Hong Kong.

BCTI is a special purpose vehicle formed by Razon’s Sureste Properties Inc. with the objective of developing, managing and operating cruise terminals in the Philippines and beyond.

Its first port to launch operations is the Ilocos Cruise Port in Salomague, the first dedicated cruise facility to be built in the Philippines.

It has also finalized plans for Solaire Cruise Center which, together with the adjacent Solaire Resort and Casino, also owned

by Sureste Properties, will form the region’s first integrated cruise resort development.

December 23, 2019

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 251.39 -1.59% 2.74% -0.56% -0.32% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 1.3602 -4.89% 1.32% -3.62% -5.59% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.6307 -7.95% -0.77% -3.51% -6.98% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.8887 -1.54% n.a. n.a. -1.37% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.8439 1.39% n.a. n.a.

2.83% 3.65% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 5.2937 -0.31% -0.78% 0.39% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,6 0.8499 0.63% -0.38% n.a.

1.58% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 102.18 -15.1% n.a. n.a. -12.04% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 51.0441 2.36% 5.28% n.a.

3.7% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 530.38 1.93% 3.8% -0.19% 3.04% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,8 1.0018 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.2814 1% 4.25% 0.53% 2.19% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 37.7348 1.83% 5.22% 0.49% 3.01% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,1 1.0132 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 5.198 3.44% 6.02% 1.78% 4.82% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 867.53 3.35% 5.92% 1.73% 4.72% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.8413 -3.21% 2.33% n.a.

-2.17% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 4.1872 1.93% 4.99% 0.79% 3.16% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.9958 2.99% 5.66% n.a.

4.35% United Fund, Inc. -a 3.6397 2.9% 6.78% 2.47% 3.97% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 116.2954 3.64% 6.64% 2.69% 5.01% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b $1.0204 12.32% 6.88% 0.94% 9.83% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.3629 19.99% 9.42% n.a. 23.32% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.5532 -6.6% -1.67% -4.11% -5.94% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.1713 -2.05% 0.02% -1.4% -1.72% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6196 2.69% 3.58% -1.11% 3.01% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,5 0.2272 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Grepalife Balanced Fund Corporation -a 1.3289 1.21% n.a. n.a.

1.89% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.9557 5.54% 3.7% 1.2% 6.11% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.7747 6.14% 3.09% 0.37% 6.95% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 16.9017 5.62% 3.02% 0.3% 6.25% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 2.1224 1.69% 2.8% 1.02% 2.57% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.845 4.54% 4.04% 0.67% 5.3% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d,2 1.0118 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d,2 0.9906 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d,2 0.9877 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.9685 4.07% 3.49% -0.33% 5.08% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03822 8.61% 3.19% 2.03% 8.27% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -a $1.031 10.37% 5.51% 1.16% 12.84% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.8785 14.77% 7.53% 3.98% 17.22% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,7 $1.1228 10.62% 4.51% n.a. 11.72% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 357.57 4.18% 2.76% 2.31% 4.11% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.9009 2.37% 0.13% -0.5% 2.24% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.1123 4.9% 5.18% 5.19% 4.58% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.2204 4.24% 2.26% 1.93% 4.28% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.3562 6.71% 2.29% 1.55% 6.85% Grepalife Fixed Income Fund Corp. -a P 1.6068 2.75% 0.76% -0.13% 2.71% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.3639 11.4% 2.59% 1.74% 11.33%

3.7757 7.86% 3% 1.41% 7.35% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 0.9619 7.85% 1.4% n.a.

7.93% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.0659 10.94% 4.6% 2.61% 10.85% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.6964 10.29% 4.12% 2.15% 10.16% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $467.93 4.44% 2.73% 2.77% 4.36% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є219.75 3.31% 1.65% 1.31% 3.33% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2059 7.22% 3.25% 2.57% 7.12% 1.46% 1.29% 4.03% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0258 3.61% Grepalife Dollar Bond Fund Corp. -a $1.7088 1.19% -0.03% 0.13% 1.1% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -a $1.0931 5.69% 1.54% -0.8% 5.48% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.3998 10.57% 3.67% 2.95% 10.55% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0603072 5.85% 2.3% 1.97% 5.8% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1693 10.51% 3.05% 2.56% 10.35% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 125.7 4.12% 2.84% 2.17% 3.99% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a,3 1.0312 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a 1.2553 6.34% 3.02% 1.7% 6.21% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2635 3.76% 2.87% 2.33% 3.63% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0368 2.11% n.a. n.a.

2.06% Feeder Fund Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,4 $0.99 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Launch date is January 3, 2019. 2 - Launch date is January 28, 2019. 3 - Launch date is February 1, 2019. 4 - Launch date is November 15, 2019.

5 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 6 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.).

7 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019. 8 - Launch date is December 09, 2019.

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa.com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

The World

A4 B2 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

China widens economic policy blitz with cash injection move T

HE Chinese government is trying to set the economy up for a stronger start to 2020, with a multipronged policy push ranging from easier monetary settings to freer trade.

The latest pledge came late on Monday, when Premier Li Keqiang signaled that further cuts in the amount of cash that banks have to park as reserves will be forthcoming.

In theory, that will free up funds to lend to private-sector companies that have struggled to access loans this year.

The funding promise follows a wide-ranging set of initiatives to boost the non-state sector announced at the weekend, and a fresh round of tariff cuts designed to spur domestic demand released on Monday.

After a bruising year that’s seen

economic output growth slow to the weakest pace in almost 30 years, modest signs of stabilization have begun to appear in incoming data.

On top of that, trade negotiators this month succeeded in staving off another increase in tariffs on Chinese exports by US President Donald J. Trump.

Speaking in the western city of Chengdu on Monday, Li said the government will continue to cut the reserve ratio for banks and look into increasing relending and rediscounting quotas, steps that can also help reduce overall borrowing costs for small firms.

“Beijing may cut the requiredreserve ratio slightly earlier than we previously expected given an increasing risk of locally based credit contraction in some regions, and upcoming liquidity shortage in Janu-

ary 2020,” said Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura International Ltd. The moves would come “in the coming weeks before the lunar new year holiday, to stabilize liquidity conditions, credit supply and growth,” he said.

The private sector this year has faced difficulty accessing credit, amid a multiyear effort to reduce financial risk and rising defaults among corporate bond issuers. Despite an increase in overall credit growth, there’s evidence that not all lending is going to productive purposes.

Upgraded outlook

NEVERTHELESS, economists have upgraded their outlook for economic growth in 2020. Gross domestic product expansion will come in at 5.9 percent as easing trade tensions

and the prospect of lower bank borrowing costs boost confidence, according to a survey of analysts and traders last week.

Survey respondents see policymakers maintaining a measured pace of easing into next year, trimming the price of central bank medium-term lending by 15 basis points with the first cut coming in the first quarter.

In the meantime, the leadership also stressed more opening-up of the economy, and is seeking to forge stronger partnerships with some trading members.

“To defend free trade is the only way to revitalize the economy,” Li said on Tuesday at a China-JapanSouth Korea summit in Chengdu.

He called for deeper cooperation between the three countries to counter the “downward economic

pressure” posed by the changing global economic and political situation. He also urged the speeding up of negotiations toward a trilateral free-trade agreement, which in his words, would allow China to further open its services sectors.

“China is willing to open up its finance, medical care, elderly care and other services sectors to foreign investors, including scrapping the caps on ownership requirements, step by step,” he reiterated.

Lower tariffs

THE Ministry of Finance on Monday published a list of 859 types of products that will enjoy tariffs lower than the standard rates for this year.

It included frozen pork as a key item aimed at alleviating shortages of the meat due to the outbreak of African swine fever.

In 2018, imports of the listed items totaled some $389 billion, or about 18 percent of China’s total imports of $2.14 trillion, according to Bloomberg calculations.

Steps announced on Sunday by the State Council, China’s cabinet, aim to help private firms gain better market access and equal regulatory treatment to their state-owned peers. Among actions to be taken are the further opening of key industries to non-state investors, including energy and finance, and also facilitating equity and bond sales by privatesector businesses.

The private sector, which accounts for nine out of every 10 new jobs created in China, has been hardest hit thanks to what critics say is a regulatory regime that tilts business conditions in favor of state-owned companies. Bloomberg News

Residents of NW Syria flee new government offensive B

EIRUT—Syrian government forces pressed ahead on Monday with a new military assault on the country’s last rebel stronghold that began last week, an offensive that has set off a mass exodus of civilians fleeing to safer areas near the Turkish border.

Under the cover of air strikes and heavy shelling, Syrian troops have been pushing into the northwestern province of Idlib toward a major rebel-held town, Maaret al-Numan. The town sits on a key highway linking the capital Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.

The immediate goal of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces appeared to be reopening the highway, which has been closed by the rebels since 2012.

Idlib province is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. It’s also home to 3 million civilians, and the United Nations has warned of the growing risk of a humanitarian catastrophe along the Turkish border. The United Nations says over half of the civilians in Idlib have been internally displaced following continuing reports of airstrikes in the area.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is alarmed by the escalation of fighting and is calling for an immediate halt to hostilities, his spokesman said late Monday.

The spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said earlier that a UN-negotiated six-hour humanitarian pause had

enabled safe passage for more than 2,500 people to flee.

Over the past three days, some 39 communities were reportedly been affected by shelling in northern Hama, southern Idlib and western Aleppo governorates, while 47 communities were reportedly hit by airstrikes, Dujarric said.

“The UN urges all parties to ensure the protection of civilians, and to allow sustained and unhindered access by all humanitarian parties to provide life-saving assistance to all in need,” the UN spokesman said.

Residents of villages and towns in southern parts of Idlib province have been fleeing with their belongings in trucks, cars and on motorcycles.

The government’s ground offensive resumed last week after the collapse of a cease-fire, in place since the end of August.

Before this latest bout of violence, the UN reported that some 60,000 Idlib residents had already been displaced since the government’s bombing campaign began late last month.

The pro-government Al-Watan newspaper said Syrian troops were a few kilometers (miles) away from Maaret al-Numan, adding that the town “might surrender to the army without fighting.”

The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said Maaret al-Numan and the nearby town of Sarqeb were almost empty after tens of thousands of civilians left to escape heavy aerial

CIVILIANS ride in a truck as they flee Maaret al-Numan, Syria, ahead of a government offensive on Monday, December 23, 2019. AP PHOTO/GHAITH AL-SAYED

and ground bombardment.

“As you can see, the destruction is massive. Residents were forced to flee this area,” said a member of the White Helmets in a video as he walked through Maaret al-Numan. “They had to choose between death or fleeing to the unknown further north.”

Syrian troops have also nearly

surrounded a Turkish observation post near the village of Surman in Idlib province, according to Al-Watan and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor.

Turkey is a strong backer of some rebel fighters, and has 12 observation posts in northwestern Syria as part of an agreement. The deal was

Hong Kong residents eye homes abroad as violent protests persist

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ESIDENTS of Hong Kong are hunting for homes all over the world as tense anti-government protests look set to drag into the new year.

Real-estate brokers from Australia to Canada have seen a surge in interest over the past few weeks, with the desire to secure a safer future prompting many to look beyond the Asian financial hub.

“There’s been an increase in capital outflows from Hong Kongbased investors into other major global real-estate markets, with Australia, Singapore, Japan and the US all seeing an increase in purchasing activity,” said Ben Burston, Knight Frank Llp.’s Australia-based chief economist.

Pro-democracy protests that erupted in June have crippled the city’s economy and caused huge inconvenience to people’s daily lives. The police have fired more than 16,000 rounds of tear gas over the past six months while black-clad protesters have vandalized transport facilities and proChina shops.

Thousands of demonstrators swamped the central business district on Monday opposing the arrest of four people connected to a group that helps the protest movement.

Hong Kong has even canceled its

traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks over security concerns, the latest popular event to be scrapped.

Fed up, some residents are planning a move elsewhere.

“I have to come up with a backup plan,” said Cat Liu, a salesperson in her 40s who’s considering buying an apartment in Taiwan or Malaysia, partly because of the current political situation. “The situation hasn’t gotten any better. Both sides are standing firm and there’s no way to reach a compromise.”

Even though Asian destinations offer more affordable investment opportunities for the middle class in Hong Kong, the more affluent tend to opt for properties in the West.

Australia is also an attractive choice.

To that end, it recently launched an offering called The Penthouse Collection, with a focus on luxury apartments in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The units will boast extras, such as private lifts, wine cellars and rooftop pools, in addition to valet and concierge services.

CBRE in Australia plans to work with CBRE offices in Hong Kong and mainland China to target prospective purchasers. The properties average A$20 million ($13.8 million), with some costing upwards of A$30 million.

“These buyers are looking at trophy homes and are prepared to pay a premium in order to secure top-end properties,” Griffin said.

Safety concerns

Different questions

“BUYER interest from Hong Kong has stepped up considerably compared to what we’ve seen in the past two years,” said CBRE Group Inc.’s Australia Residential Director Colin Griffin. “Safety concerns for families due to the recent riots have been driving the increased interest, with Australia viewed as a safe haven.”

CBRE expects the high-end residential sector will be supported by overseas investors, particularly those from Hong Kong and mainland China.

GENERALLY through, most Hong Kongers are looking at the under A$2 million price point, he said.

Around A$1 million will buy you a two-bedroom apartment that’s not too distant from a capital city’s center. Inquiries are increasingly from people wanting to live in the units, rather than use them as investment properties.

“Normally in Hong Kong we have people talking about yields and what rentals can be achieved,” Griffin said. “Now people are talk-

ing more about schooling, where their children can stay, how far properties are from transport and travel times to the city. They’re asking very different questions to what they’ve done over the past few years.”

Canada is another popular destination.

David Ho, a Vancouver-based senior vice president at CBRE, travels frequently to Asia, including Hong Kong and Macau, to meet with buyers, as well as potential investors.

“They’re 35 to maybe 45, young families. A lot of people are just trying to learn about Canada and set up a conference call with immigration consultants, education consultants, mortgage brokers, accountants that give them a broad view of everything,” Ho said.

They’re looking to buy homes worth up to C$1 million ($760,000) and are “average Joes,” he said.

The larger number of inquiries hasn’t always translated into more transactions, however.

“While inquiries have gone up, the amount of transactions and the amount of people taking money offshore are at similar level” to this time last year, said Mark Elliott, Hong Kong-based head of international residential for Savills Plc.

Bloomberg News

brokered last year along with Russia, one of Assad’s main backers.

The Observatory, which has a network of activists in Syria, said government troops have captured approximately 35 villages and hamlets near Maaret al-Numan in the past few days.

Also on Monday, a vehicle rigged with explosives blew up in a mar-

ket in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkey-backed opposition fighters, killing five people and wounding others, state media and opposition activists said.

State news agency SANA said the blast occurred in the village of Suluk near the Turkish border, putting the death toll at five people and reporting that several more were injured.

A similar death toll was also given by the Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition and the Observatory, which also said 20 people were wounded.

Suluk is near the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad in Raqqa province. Turkish troops and Turkeybacked fighters captured Tal Abyad and Suluk from Kurdish-led fighters in October. Turkey’s invasion of northeastern Syria pushed back Syrian Kurdish fighters from some border areas.

Explosions in north Syria areas controlled by Turkey-backed opposition fighters killed scores of people in recent weeks.

Turkey blames Syrian Kurdish fighters for these attacks, a claim that the Kurds deny.

Separately, Russia’s military said insurgents used drones to attack its Hmeimeem air base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast a day earlier. The two drones were shot down and caused no damage or injuries, said Maj. Gen. Yuri Borenkov of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria. AP

Oil holds above $60 as US stockpiles seen shrinking

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IL traded above $60 a barrel ahead of US government data forecast to show crude stockpiles shrank, while Iraq trimmed output as Saudi Arabia applied pressure on nations to better comply with cuts.

Futures were steady in New York after adding 0.1 percent on Monday.

American crude stockpiles fell by 1.7 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey before Energy Information Administration data on Friday. US industry figures are due later on Tuesday. Iraq pared output by 110,000 barrels a day in December, according to Petro-Logistics SA. Oil has rallied about 10 percent this month after the US and China made a breakthrough on trade and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners including Russia agreed to deepen output cuts. American crude inventories are shrinking even as the nation pumps near record levels and shale explorers boost drilling.

“Prices are rising but the market is monitoring data on US oil production and inventories,” Jun Inoue, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute, said by e-mail. Crude has been bolstered by the Opec+ decision to cut production further and the progress of trade talks

between the US and China, he said.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for February delivery fell 1 cent to $60.51 a barrel as of 12:28 p.m. Singapore time on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The contract added 8 cents to close at $60.52 on Monday.

Brent for February settlement rose 5 cents to $66.44 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe Exchange. The contract gained 25 cents to close at $66.39 on Monday. The global benchmark traded at a $5.94 premium to WTI. US crude stockpiles are set to drop for a second week, extending a decline from the highest level in four months. Separately, Saudi Arabia’s pressure on fellow Opec nations to do a better job of cutting output is prompting Iraq to reduce supplies to honor some of its outstanding commitments, according to data from Petro-Logistics and Genscape.

Oil prices are likely to remain in check during 2020 as Opec+ production cuts are offset by higher output from other countries and a mixed outlook for demand, according to analysts.

Mizuho’s Inoue estimates WTI will range from $55 to $65 a barrel next year, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its forecast for Brent to $63 from $60. Bloomberg News

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Bill seeks to do away with CS eligibility to get plantilla position

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HE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Partylist is pushing for the passage of a bill that would vest permanent appointment status to government workers with at least five years of “outstanding service.”

In a news statement, TUCP Partylist Rep. Raymond Mendoza said he filed House Bill 2623 to enable “competent” public-sector employees, who are not civil-service eligible, to enter government service with plantilla positions currently accorded only to civil-service exam passers.

“Many employees are considered permanent casuals when they have held a position for many years, but have been unable to pass the exam,” Mendoza said.

“How can we expect civil servants to do their duties in an exemplary manner if they are unable to plan ahead and do not have any security in their positions?” he addedd. He claimed the difficulty in securing civil-service eligibility is hindering many qualified government workers from gaining regular status.

“The civil-service exam is not easy to pass, as can be seen by the passing rate that consistently stays below 20 percent,” Mendoza said.

Currently, there are 11 bills in Congress, which has the same premise as HB 2623. Mendoza, who chairs the technical working group for HB 2623, said they are now in the process of consolidating these bills.

He said they hope the passage of the bill will help address the government’s dependence on job order, and memorandum of service workers instead of regular employees. TUCP Party-list said the government has 178,000 unfilled positions, despite having 700,000 job order and memorandum of service employees. Samuel P. Medenilla

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, December 25, 2019 B3

DOLE chief to employers: Comply with provisions of service charge law

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it will probe companies, which allegedly scrapped their service charges with the implementation of the Republic Act (RA) 11360, or service charge law, mandating them to give all of the collected fees to their workers.

In a phone interview, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III told the BusinessMirror on Sunday he will be ordering for an investigation on the said employers for possible violation of labor laws.

“We will definitely look into those cases because that is a case of diminution of compensation,” Bello said.

The labor chief admitted they have yet to receive such reports, but on Saturday, the Associated Labor

Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) said it already received complaints from some workers in the hotel and restaurants industry, who lost their service charge benefits.

In an SMS, ALU-TUCP Spokesman Alan Tanjusay told the BusinessMirror they got the reports from workers from at least three restaurants, one of, he said, have at least 1,000 workers nationwide.

@jonlmayuga

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HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has assessed and mapped out a total of 2,075.10 hectares of coastal ecosystems for potential livelihood opportunities in 2019, exceeding its own target of 1,700 hectares.

The accomplishment of the DENR, through its Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), is on top of regularly maintaining and protecting all the 48 marine protected areas in the country under the National Integrated Protected

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

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STUCK AT THE PORT Stranded passengers bound for Visayas on Christmas Eve flock outside the North Port in Tondo, Manila, after Coast

Guard authorities banned sea travel in certain areas as Typhoon Ursula (international code name Phanfone) moves near the Eastern Visayas area.

The 21st cyclone to hit the country this year, Typhoon Ursula packs sustained winds as fast as 100 kilometers per hour and gusts as strong as 125 kph. ROY DOMINGO

Areas System.

On the other hand, six marine Protected Area networks were also established in Regions 3, 5, 7 and 12.

The DENR-BMB also monitored and supported 64 existing biodiversity-friendly enterprises, and provided technical assistance to 69 local government units nationwide.

These accomplishments are considered by the DENR as “a headway in scaling up the country’s coastal and marine ecosystems in 2019.”

Officials of the DENR attributed this to the full and effective implementation of its Coastal

and Marine Ecosystems Management Program (CMEMP).

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said the CMEMP became instrumental in pushing DENR’s BMB to achieve its targets in terms of managing coastal and marine resources nationwide.

CMEMP is a national program that aims to comprehensively manage, address, and effectively reduce the drivers and threats of degradation of the coastal and marine ecosystems in order to achieve and promote sustainability of ecosystem services, food security, and climate-change resiliency for the benefit of present

DOJ orders NBI to investigate, conduct case buildup on Mindanao bombings

By Joel R. San Juan

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of nondiminution of benefits of workers, particularly the nonwage benefits already been enjoyed by the workers,” ALU-TUCP National Executive Vice President Gerard Seno said.

“This is not the intention of the law,” he added.

Seno urged DOLE to come out with a “supplementary corrective administrative order” to some companies from removing their service charges.

Improved air links within BIMP-Eaga discussed

DENR declares success in its coastal, marine ecosystem management in ’19

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

“The workers requested the name of the companies not [to] be disclosed, since they are afraid their management will retaliate and they might lose their jobs,” Tanjusay lamented.

ALU-TUCP tagged the repeal as an attempt by some management to circumvent RA 11360.

“The management move clearly breaches the country’s numerous judicial jurisprudence on principles

@jrsanjuan1573

“I expect them [NBI] to submit a preliminary report before New Year’s Day.”— Guevarra

HE Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct case buildup on the bombings in Mindanao that injured at least 22 people.

Justice Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand Sugay issued the department order (DO) on behalf of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who was on leave, giving authority to the NBI to investigate the bombings that took place in Cotabato City, North Cotabato, and Maguindanao last December 22.

“The NBI, through Director Dante A. Gierran, is hereby directed and granted authority to conduct investigation and case buildup on the bombing in Cotabato City, and other related incidents in the nearby provinces on 22 December 2019,” the department order read.

Guevarra, however, told reporters that the NBI has been tasked to submit a preliminary report on their investigation into the bombings before New Year’s Day. He said the NBI immediately began its investigation right after the explosions happened.

“I expect them [NBI] to submit a preliminary report before New Year’s Day,” the DOJ secretary said.

The DOJ also ordered the NBI to submit periodic reports on the progress of the subject investigation and case buildup to the Office of the Secretary.

Authorities are looking into the possibility that the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, also known as the Dawlah Islamiya, was behind the attacks.

and future generations.

Its primary objective is to achieve the effective management of coastal and marine ecosystems, thereby increasing the ability to provide ecological goods and services to improve the quality of life of the coastal population.

According to Cimatu, the BMB’s accomplishments mark the beginning of greater protection for the country’s coastal and marine environment.

“We will use these accomplishments as benchmarks for the incoming year for a better protection of our coasts and seas,” the DENR chief said.

HE Philippines and Sarawak are exploring the possibility of having direct flights between Davao City and Kuching in a bid to further accelerate the development of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga).

T his developed dur ing recent exploratory talks between the Philippines’s Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Sarawak Tourism Board, which discussed forging possible sisterhood agreements between Northern Mindanao and the federated state.

In a news statement, Tourism Assistant Secretary for Mindanao Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar said, “Improved connectivity between Sarawak and Mindanao gateways, like Davao City, is the key to accelerating regional development cooperation among member-states of the BIMP-Eaga, along with the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, provinces in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, the island chain of Maluku, Papua, Sarawak, the federal territory of Labuan and Sabah.”

There are currently twice-weekly flights between Davao and Manado, Indonesia, via Garuda Airlines, while talks are ongoing on a possible Zamboanga-Kota Kinanalu route, as well.

Abubakar led a Philippine team that was in Kuching, recently, to attend the Second Budayaw Festival.

Dubbed the “Festival of Cultures,” Budayaw showcases cultural diversity and heritage, and promotes regional cooperation in the areas of trade and commerce. Budayaw is taken from the Bahasa words budaya, or culture, and dayaw, meaning to present one’s best with pride or to celebrate with dignity.

“Budayaw Festival is a catalyst in weaving the aspirations, creative expressions and appreciation of our

richly diverse Asian culture, which should shape our regional development and prosperity. We are ecstatic to have showcased Mindanao and Palawan as playing a vital roles along this line,” said Abubakar.

Also, among the agreements forged with Sarawak were Mindanao and Palawan’s expanded roles in the BIMP-Eaga’s sustainable development aimed at strengthening not just economic cooperation between the neighbor countries, but celebrate their immensely diverse cultures, as well.

Aside from Abubakar, also coheading the Philippines delegation to Kuching was Adel M. Suemith, head of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Regional Development Council. They were joined

by DOT Regional Directors Marie Elaine Salvaña-Unchuan of Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) and Tanya Rabat-Tan of Region 11 (Davao region), as well as representatives from the City Tourism Office of General Santos City, the host city of the First Budayaw Festival held in 2017, coinciding with the 50th founding anniversary celebration of the Asean.

The Philippine delegation, likewise, attended the Senior Officials Meeting and the 25th BIMP-Eaga Anniversary Gala Dinner held at the Plaza Merdeka and the Old Courthouse in Kuching.

The five-day festival was highlighted by weaving demonstrations, cultural performances, choral concerts, visual arts exhibit and culinary presentations. There were also trade and travel fairs, fashion shows and cultural outreach programs.

Also tackled was a plan to collaborate with public and private stakeholders within the BIMP-Eaga with the Philippine delegation, specifically tasked to promote and market tourism in Mindanao Regions 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10, 11, 12 (Soccsksargen), 13 (Caraga) and Palawan.

Ban on firecrackers, open-pipe mufflers during holidays stays in Muntinlupa

By Roderick L. Abad

Contributor

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@rodrik_28

O avoid accidents this season, the Muntinlupa city government reminded the public on the prevailing ban on the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices, including open-pipe mufflers and other modifications, during the holiday revelry.

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi directed the local Peace and Order Council, in coordination with Muntinlupa police, to put up checkpoints, and conduct inspections and clearing operations on thoroughfares and marketplaces, and arrest violators.

Last December 23, the Muntinlupa Traffic Management Bureau (MTMB) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority led an operation at Alabang Viaduct to apprehend illegal vendors selling firecrackers, and conduct an information campaign on the prohibition of the said items.

The city council passed Ordinance 14-

092 that prohibits the display and distribution of firecrackers in Muntinlupa as part of the local government unit’s initiatives to mitigate casualties and harmful effects of pyrotechnic devices to health and the environment.

A fine of P1,000 up to P5,000 will be applied to individuals arrested for using firecrackers.

Commercial establishments selling firecrackers, on the other hand, may face revocation of business permit and license to operate per penalties stated in the ordinance.

Meanwhile, mall owners, or similar establishments, may organize fireworks displays in designated areas. But first, they must secure a permit from Bureau of Fire Protection and the Philippine National Police for these activities.

Upon the implementation of the firecracker ban, the City Health Office recorded a significant decline in casualties from 13 firecracker-related cases in 2016 to just six

and two cases in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

The MTMB cautioned motorists that the use of aftermarket mufflers, or removal of such, which emit excessive loud noise causing disturbances during the holidays will be apprehended.

As per City Ordinance 04-022, or the Muntinlupa City Traffic Code, motorists shall equip their vehicles with a muffler to prevent unusual noise.

Fresnedi urged residents to use alternative noise-making instruments instead, as the top city official discouraged his constituents from patronizing firecracker, dealers and report motorcycles with open-pipe mufflers on the road.

The city residents may report violators to authorities at the following offices: MTMB (028)831-9884, PNP Muntinlupa (028)862-2611 or 0908-3770084, Bureau of Fire Protection Muntinlupa (028)8422201, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (028)925-4351 and Ospital ng Muntinlupa (028)771-0457.

B4 Wednesday, December 25, 2019

McCann Philippines proves Filipino talent is world class

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS LIVE YOUR DREAMS FEATURES DISNEY’S SMASH HITS MOANA AND BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AT THE SM MALL OF ASIA ARENA

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ISNEY’S Moana voyages onto the ice as Disney On Ice presents Live Your Dreams, produced by Feld Entertainment Inc., brings courage and adventure to Manila. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse bring audiences on an expedition across raging seas and snow-covered mountains in this actionpacked extravaganza when beloved characters from Disney’s Beauty and

the Beast, Frozen, Tangled, Cinderella and Disney and Pixar Coco visits Manila from December 21, 2019 to January 5, 2020 at The SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early for a warm welcome all the way from Hundred Acre Wood, as special guests Winnie the Pooh and Tigger get the audience out of their seats and onto their feet to learn a special dance.

Discover your inner hero when Disney On Ice presents: Live Your Dreams comes to your Manila!

Tickets for Disney On Ice presents Live Your Dreams are available online at www.smtickets.com or through any SM Ticket Outlets nationwide. To learn more about Disney On Ice, visit us through the official channels: @ MOAArena.

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CCANN Worldgroup Philippines’ works for Jollibee, “Choice’ and “Schoolboy” topped the YouTube Ads Leaderboard. These two campaigns are now known as two of the most effective ads for 2019.

The YouTube Ads Leaderboard Philippines recognizes the top 10 brand advertisements based on a combination of popularity and promotion on YouTube ads twice a year. The brand Jollibee has consistently been topping it with work from McCann.

One of the the most prestigious award shows in the world, London International Awards recognized the work of McCann Worldgroup Philippines for radio, “Life Inside of You’ for Johnson and Johnson’s Antiox. The win contributed to catapulting the McCann Worldgroup to being named Global Network of the Year.

The London International Awards is a pioneer in being an international advertising award giving body that acknowledges all media and methods from all over the world and is judged by a jury from different nationalities.

This year as well, WARC whose mission is to “rid the world of ineffective marketing,” awarded McCann’s work for Nestle’s Kitkat. It

placed in the WARC Prize for Asian Strategy making McCann, the only Philippine agency to get an award.

WARC has offices in the US, UK and Singapore and is one of the most sought after awards that recognizes effectivity in marketing.

The “Break in Case of Life's Little Emergencies” for Kitkat contributed immensely to sales.

“It our goal to help our clients play a meaningful role in people’s lives thru the creation of creative and effective campaigns whilst sharing truths well told. We are definitely looking forward to representing the country more internationally in 2020.” imparted Raul Castro, Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Philippines.

THE ROAD TO PROPAK 2020. In preparation for ProPak Philippines 2020, the latest trends in packaging technology and food packaging, food safety, and international and local standards for the manufacturing sector and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been discussed in a seminar-roadshow held recently, at the SM Megamall and participated in, among others, by (from left) Engr. Engr. Menandro Ortego, managing director of Conformance Training Consultancy Services; Carlos Peña of DOST NCR, Philippine Association of Food Technologists Inc. president Dr. Ma. Leonora Francisco, Packaging Institute of the Philippines (PIP) president Stefano Paolo Buñag, and Dexter Deyto of Informa Markets / UBM Exhibitions Philippines Inc. Propak Philippines is slated on February 5-7, at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

HMR auto auction celebrates 3rd anniversary, opens biggest auto auction facility in PHL

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NDUSTRY pioneer HMR Auto Auction celebrated its third year of operations by opening the country’s biggest purpose-built auto auction facility in Bicutan, Paranaque. It had over 250 vehicles available for live public bidding.

HMR first opened its doors in 2016 by establishing the first auto auction facility in the country and has since sold over 4,000 vehicles through its online and live public auctions. In line with its anniversary, the company has built a facility providing comfort for all bidders including a fully air-conditioned registration and bidding area. The new facility can hold up to 450 vehicles and 300 bidders.

The Grand Opening featured motorcycles, compacts, sedans, MPV’s, pickup trucks, SUV’s, and light commercial trucks. Brands such as Mitsubishi, Ford, Toyota, Kia, Nissan, Chevrolet, Honda, Peugeot

and Suzuki were sold for very affordable rates.

Attendees were treated to food, games, prizes, raffle draws, vendor promos and giveaways as HMR showed appreciation to its bidders.

HMR is also making it easier for auto auction buyers to get the car of their dreams by offering affordable finance options through their partnership with UnionBank. Payments can be as low as PHP 4,000 and a minimum down payment of 30%. The facility offers insurance, detailing and repair services, making it a one-stop shop for newly auctioned cars.

Sam Powel, CEO of HMR Auctions, said, “We are grateful for our buyers who continue to attend and support our monthly auctions. We started HMR Auto Auction three years ago with the goal of making the bidding process for secondhand cars easier, safer, more transparent and more affordable, and we are thankful that we are able to continue our mission, and even provide a bigger venue and more finance options for our bidders.”

HMR will have its next auto auction on January 18 at its newly opened facility, located at ACSIE Compound, KM 16 West Service Road, Paranaque City, with over 100 cars up for bidding.

In the photo are (from left) Unionbank representatives VJ Vergara and Pico Sarmiento, HMR Auctions CEO Sam Powell and HMR Auto Auction Branch Manager Jaye Carreon.

MFPA Center for Leadership, St. Scholastica set the stage for Gen Z leaders

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AST November 20, 2019, the St. Scholastica’s College Manila Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo Center for Leadership Excellence held its second annual thought leadership workshop for student leaders. Fifty-two promising students from Grades 7-12 participated to hone their leadership skills and become an inspiration to others.

The MFPA Leadership Center partnered with 2017 Ramon Magsaysay awardee, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), to highlight this year’s theme, Inspire to Lead. PETA used the fundamentals of theater and storytelling to teach the workshop participants to be critical, communicative, and creative in dealing with the problems facing their generation.

“We are living in uncertain and volatile times.

Young leaders have access to so much information about societal issues and want to help change the world for the better, but it can be difficult for them to know where to start. This innovative workshop with PETA will help them learn how to get the full picture and inspire others to act,” Ma. Fe PerezAgudo, founder of the Center and President and CEO of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) said.

The MFPA Center for Leadership Excellence was established on April 24, 2017 to complement the Scholastican academic tradition of leadership.

The Center is based on four pillars or modules: Personal Leadership, Organizational Leadership, Social Change, and Service Learning.

The workshop focused on promoting a deeper understanding of the issues that beset the Filipino family and society today. The student leaders were encouraged to reflect on these issues and consider how they can harness creativity to be better heard and listened to.

After watching the students deliver their presentations, Agudo encouraged the young leaders to continue learning and growing. “As a member of a generation that has seen AND addressed our share of problems over the years, I hope that sharing our insights and experiences can help you mold a better future for our country and for the world! I know I have learned so much just from watching your wonderful presentations!

I am inspired to believe that your generation is strong and brave and compassionate enough to face any challenge or problem head on!”

Christmas Day prayer

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OR You, dear Jesus! Everything in the Crib is simple, quiet, subdued. We only hear the murmur of a shy fountain playfully streaming down from a distant mountain past the fields where the sheep rest to the charming tune of “Silent Night” and other Christmas carols. We may not be around in our own native lands, but your Birth Lord, extends to the ends of the world. And we love you, Jesus that much. Amen.

GIVE US THIS DAY SHARED BY LUISA LACSON, HFL Word&Life Publications • teacherlouie1965@yahoo.com

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

Life BusinessMirror

A GOOD YEAR FOR ITZY C4

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

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How to convince your boss about working from home

How to pick the ‘right’ amount to spend on holiday gi�ts— according to an economist

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BY JAY L. ZAGORSKY Boston University

IFT-GIVING is a big deal this time of year.

To find the “perfect” gift, Americans will spend about 15 hours shopping.

Women will do about twice as much as men. And they’ll shell out about $1 trillion on gifts.

While retailers relish the holiday shopping season as a time when consumers open their purses or wallets, for many consumers—especially those who do not like shopping—these days are filled with dread. They mark moments when shoppers clog malls, web sites become overloaded and delivery trucks block streets. The entire process generates untold amounts of stress and anxiety.

One source of stress is just how much to spend on gifts. Spending too much can put you in financial distress. Spending too little may make you look cheap.

How do you decide what’s the “right” amount to spend on gifts?

As an economist, I study holidays and gift giving because a large fraction of retail shopping is driven by seasonal events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Super Saturday—also and more appropriately known as Panic Saturday—which is the last Saturday before Christmas.

‘DEAD WEIGHT LOSS’ GIFT-GIVING is stressful because nobody wants to buy what they think is a perfect gift only to discover it is a dud. The long lines of people returning items after the holidays seem evidence enough for that.

This has led some economists to argue there’s a “dead weight loss” to Christmas presents that “destroys” as much as a third of their actual value. A 2018 study estimated Americans spend $13 billion a year on unwanted gifts. Other economists, however, have resisted this Scrooge-like view of gift-giving and point to evidence that a present can actually have more value to the recipient than the price the giver paid. In other words, a gift, even when technically unwanted, could have more value simply because someone else bought it for you.

SETTING A BUDGET SO if you’re dead set on buying some gifts, how much should you budget for it?

Since gifting is a social act, it makes sense to consider how much other people typically spend.

There are a number of surveys run each year that ask people during the fall to estimate what they plan on spending for holiday gifts. The National Retail Federation’s annual survey of holiday spending estimates the typical American will spend $659 on gifts for family, friends and coworkers in 2019. On the high end, Gallup puts the average at $942, with more than a third of respondents expecting to spend over $1,000 on gifts.

But these figures aren’t that helpful for an individual since $659 means something different to someone making $40,000 a year versus $200,000.

That’s where the Consumer Expenditure Survey comes in. It’s a large survey run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that tracks the spending habits of 12,000 to 15,000 families each year. The government

uses the survey to determine the cost of living and inflation rates for the typical family.

The survey follows gift-giving very precisely.

It has categories for common holiday presents like electronics, books and clothes, as well as gifts that typically aren’t associated with the season, such as housing and transportation.

After removing these non-holiday gifts, the typical US family spends about 1 percent of its annual takehome pay on gifts. So whatever you earn, you could multiply it by 1 percent to get a figure that is in the ballpark of what the average American spends—but won’t break the bank.

MAKING THE HOLIDAYS MEMORABLE WHILE calculating a gift budget is one way to take the stress out of how much to spend on gifts, my family has another: Only give gifts to children.

Adults get wrapped boxes filled with paper. After the real gifts are opened and the young children are safely moved out of the way, we crumple up the paper and throw it at each other in our annual paper fight.

That keeps the cost down while making the kids feel special. It also ensures the kids don’t feel left out when their friends talk about the gifts they received. Other families follow their own methods for controlling expenses, such as secret Santa gifts or by focusing attention more on togetherness than on the stuff received.

Whether you have a paper fight or follow another family tradition, my main message is that it doesn’t take very much money to make the winter holidays memorable. ■

WHOEVER said Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year hasn’t been to the Philippines in December. As soon as the holidays come around, Filipinos, especially those in Manila, know to expect traffic—the unnerving, hair-pulling variety that stretches for hours on end. Driving or commuting to work becomes a gruelling form of human labor during this season, not to mention a test of character.

And when you add all the year-end sale and the Slex construction to the mix, it all reaches boiling point.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. After all, if you don’t go to the office, you don’t need to deal with traffic. Working from home isn’t just a convenient option in the face of bad infrastructure. It’s been shown to increase productivity, reduce stress and, on the employer’s end, cut costs on electricity and utilities. What’s great is we live in a world where working from home is a more viable prospect than ever. With Viber, you can do your job with efficiency, bypassing the terrors of Carmageddon.

Here are some of the ways you can use the popular communications app for a nice, stress-free work from home day.

■ GATHER YOUR WORKMATES WITH A QUICK GROUP CALL. When you need to get everyone’s thoughts in one go, get everyone on a group call. This will resolve the matter in the quickest way possible. Everyone can bounce off each other’s opinions and agreements can be settled on. It’s just like calling a meeting in the office. Plus, group calls are completely free, so you can make as many as you need to.

■ SEND BIG FILES. Oftentimes, sending files on other messaging apps will reduce quality and lessen file size. On Viber, you can send large files in their original format. Drop a document, image, or video to your work chat, and your coworkers will be able to download it in its intended quality.

■ STAY IN SYNC ACROSS ALL DEVICES. Whether you’re using Viber on your phone or on desktop, all your messages are synced instantly. This means that you can switch devices seamlessly, and there are no gaps in communication. For example, if you’re on your phone and someone sends you a file you’d rather open in desktop, all you need to do is log in on your computer and download it from there. Additionally, if you’re working on desktop and need to run a quick errand, take the conversation with you on mobile.

This Christmas, save yourself the headache and the stress of traffic and work out of the office—stay at home or wherever you are. With Viber, you might even get more work done than usual.

Big dreams this holiday season at The Body Shop

FUJI Green Tea Festive Picks has all your bath needs for silky smooth skin.

DO you know someone who loves Body Butters and Christmas? The Seasonal Body Butter Trio is the perfect gift for those who love to intensely moisturize their skin.

IT’S the time of year to make a wish. And this Christmas, The Body Shop is helping girls around the world dream big.

Empowering women, after all, has always been at the heart of everything The Body Shop does.

This year, the brand is teaming up with Plan International, a global children’s charity striving to advance children’s rights and equality. Shopping at The Body Shop over the holiday season helps the charity to provide training and skills for 1,500 girls in Indonesia and Brazil, so they can achieve their dream job or start up their dream business.

Christmas at The Body Shop aims high with a new collection that features beautifully presented bathand-body gifts, skin-loving gift sets, nature-inspired treats, beauty lovers’ essential party makeup, and fun-filled novelty gifts perfect for stocking fillers or Secret Santa.

You can also discover three seasonal ranges

exclusively for Christmas 2019—fresh and fruity Juicy Pear, indulgent Warm Vanilla, and the fruity and floral Rich Plum.

There are also skin-loving gift sets like the Soothing Almond Milk and Honey Premium Collection, the delightful Festive Body Butter Trio, and The Rocket Gift Set with a trove of fragrantly creamy and refreshing fruity surprises for showering, soaking, and keeping hands soft, smooth and hydrated this Christmas.

New additions to your make-up bag will also help you glow big this Christmas. There are multiple ways to glow: Drops of Gold Lustre Finish Creator for instant luminosity, the glossy Shine Lip Liquid to finish the look, and Matte Lip Liquids in rich, intense and flattering shades.

The Body Shop now accepts SM Advantage Card for points earning and redemption, and SM and Sodexo Premium Pass in all stores nationwide.

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Wednesday, December 25, 2019

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MERALCO SEALS GRUDGEFINALS DUEL WITH GINEBRA

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

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ERALCO sealed the last Finals berth and the Bolts found themselves in a familiar situation in the same Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. But there’s more to come and the Bolts are itching for a grudge mission against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

Import Allen Durham had tons of support

from the locals as Meralco proved worthy of a rematch against Ginebra when it disposed TNT via an 89-78 beating in Game Five of their semifinals duel on Monday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Durham, twice named Best Import of the league, collected 28 points he iced with 10 rebounds and eight assists to help the Bolts arrange a best-of-seven Finals showdown against the Gin Kings that

kicks off rather way after the holidayson January 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Everybody was Allen Durham focused to get back to the championship round,” Meralco Head Coach Norman Black said.

The KaTropa were actually ahead at the

half, 42-37, before the squad misfired in the third period. Quick to capitalize were the Bolts as Durham, Allein Maliksi and Chris Newsome all sizzled in the second half.

Bong Quinto, a second-round pick last year, had a career-high of 19 points—eight coming in the fourth period when Newsome also broke loose.

Newsome wound up with 19 points, while Maliksi added 11.

Small ceremony, Bolt unique relay open Tokyo 2020 main stadium

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SMALL-SCALE Opening Ceremony and the “One Race” event featuring eighttime Olympic champion Usain Bolt officially opened the New National Stadium built for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Construction work on the new

60,000-capacity venue was completed on November 20.

The inauguration event, which had been titled “Hello Our Stadium,” allowed members of the public to test out the track at the Stadium.

A total of 2,020 people were selected following a draw to complete a lap of the track.

Kyodo News reported that Japanese sprinter Yoshihide Kiryu, Athens Olympic women’s marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi and two-time Olympic marathon medalist Yuko Arimori were among the guest runners.

The event was started by Kengo

Olympics gold medalist Usain Bolt (left) runs at the opening ceremony of the New National Stadium, the main venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Tokyo. AP

PACERS CELEBRATE ON HOLIDAY KEY SHOTS I

NDIANAPOLIS—Aaron Holiday likened the back-and-forth test of resiliency against the defending National Basketball Association (NBA) champions to that of a playoff game.

Each time the Indiana Pacers or Toronto Raptors sank a dramatic shot, the intensity level increased that much more, the escalating emotion eventually spilling into overtime.

That’s when Holiday hit his two most important attempts, both 3-pointers, to help the host

Pacers snap the Raptors’ five-game win streak with a 120-115 overtime triumph on Monday.

“It’s a big win for us,” said Holiday, who finished with 19 points in getting the start at point guard for the injured Malcolm Brogdon.

“It’s fun playing with emotion, especially in big games.”

His fourth 3-pointer of the game gave the Pacers a 116-113 lead with 2:05 remaining in overtime. His fifth and final 3-pointer provided a 119-115 advantage with 54 seconds remaining.

“It just shows the toughness, 48-plus minutes, we’re going to be relentless on both ends,” said TY Warren, who along with Myles Turner led the Pacers with 24 points apiece. “I’m glad the way we responded, tough shots and we got some key stops at the end.”

The Pacers (21-10) set a franchise record with 42 three-pointers attempted and matched a season high with 18 made.

That included four in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The Raptors (21-9) missed 17 of their first 19 shots from three-point range in falling behind by 15 points in the second quarter. They eventually rallied, despite finishing 11 of 40 from beyond the arc.

Both teams missed potential game-winning shots in the final minute of regulation as Holiday’s layup was too long off the glass before Kyle Lowry’s last-second threepointer bounced off the front of the rim.

Black believed the arrival of Quinto, along with the acquisition of Maliksi and big man Raymond Almazan, jacked up their title aspirations.

“Almazan, Maliksi and Quinto have added to our depth compared to when we faced Ginebra in the past. They’ve made us a better team,” Black said.

Meralco lost to Barangay Ginebra in the same conference twice, in 2016 and 2017. Justine

Kuma, the Japanese architect in charge of the project. Building firm Taisei Corp. and design firm Azusa Sekkei Co. had collaborated with Kuma on the Stadium, where construction began in December 2016.

Bolt participated in a combined relay event with Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

“It was a great experience being in here, and running in front of so many people,” Bolt said, according to Reuters.

“I was happy and excited because I won’t be getting to compete at the Olympics, so the fact that I got to run on the track was an experience in itself.

“I am actually in pain right now from the little run I just did.”

Japanese sprinters Anna Doi, Aska Cambridge, Yoshihide Kiryu, Chisato Fukushima, Shota Iizuka, Shuhei Tada, Yuki Koike and Kana Ichikawa were among the participants in the relay. Para-Alpine skier Momoka Muraoka, Paralympic long jumper Saki Takakuwa and sprinter Syunsuke Itani were among other Japanese athletes to feature.

Britain’s Paralympic stars Hannah Cockroft and Jonnie Peacock were among the oversees representatives, along with the Netherlands’s Marlou van Rhijn, the United States’s Jarry Wallace and Raymond Martin.

An small Opening Ceremony sought to give a

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By Paul Newberry The Associated Press

HE New Orleans Saints looked around in disbelief, searching for a yellow flag that never came during the National Football League (NFL) playoffs.

The Auburn Tigers were sure they’d get the ball after a Virginia player appeared to double-dribble in the closing seconds of a thrilling Final Four game, but the refs let it go.

Not long after, the guys in stripes weren’t so lax, whistling a disputed foul that sent the Cavaliers to the line for the winning free throws.

Some of the year’s most memorable games were decided by controversial calls—or, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say, the calls that didn’t get made.

Let’s take a look back at the Top 10 from 2019:

BAYOU BUNGLE

The Los Angeles Rams advanced to the Super Bowl with an overtime win against the Saints that would not have been possible without an egregious mistake by the

Brownlee led the Gin Kings, while Durham, despite taking the Best Import award on both occasions, settled for a bridesmaid finish along with the Bolts.

The latest showdown of the trilogy promises to be fairer in terms of match-ups and depth of each team.

“It would be a lot better because against Greg [Slaughter] and Japeth [Aguilar], we have Almazan,” Black said.

flavor of Japanese culture, while further sport stars were also present.

This included Michael Leitch, captain of the Japanese national rugby union team, following their impressive World Cup campaign.

Football player Kazuyoshi Miura, who still plays professionally at the age of 52, also participated.

The venue will host athletics competition during the Games, as well the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics and Paralympics.

The new arena, constructed on the site of the National Stadium originally built in 1958 and which staged the 1964 Olympic Games, features a plantcovered façade designed to maintain harmony with the natural landscape of the neighboring Meiji Jingu Gaien area.

The eaves of the distinctive roof are made of wood gathered from the country’s 47 prefectures.

The Stadium is the second to be approved, after initial plans were scrapped in 2015 by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe due to spiralling costs.

It meant construction began about 14 months later than planned, after the original design by the late Iraqi-British Arch. Zaha Hadid was discarded following a public outcry.

The completed Stadium is believed to have cost ¥157 billion ($1.4 billion).

The Emperor’s Cup football final on January 1 is scheduled to be the first public sporting event held at the venue. Insidethegames officials in the closing minutes of regulation.

Los Angeles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman committed a blatant interference penalty with a helmetto-helmet hit on Tommylee Lewis well before the pass arrived inside the five, forcing the Saints to settle for Wil Lutz’s 31-yard field goal.

“I got away with one,” Robey-Coleman conceded.

Jared Goff had enough time to lead the Rams down the field for Greg Zuerlein’s tying field with 15 seconds remaining.

Then Zuerlein won it, 26-23, with a 57-yard kick in overtime. “It happened right there in front of the person who would be the one to make the call, and everyone in the stands saw it, everyone watching at home on TV saw it,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. In response to the uproar, the NFL changed its rules to allow video reviews of interference calls, though that has seemingly led to even more confusion and complaints this season.

FINAL FOUR TWO-STEP

One year after becoming the first top seed to

TORONTO Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (second from lef against the Philadelphia 76ers in Toronto, in May. Toronto

SRI LANKAN C K ARACHI—Sri Lanka might have lost the series but signed off satisfied with safety and security measures in Pakistan after the country’s first home test series in 10 years.

Captain Dimuth Karunaratne called the security for the two-test series “200 percent”and promised to return.

The series held major significance for a host nation deprived of all forms of international cricket for almost a decade. Pakistan had been forced to play its home series outside the country, mostly in the United Arab Emirates, since 2009, when the bus carrying the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in Lahore. Six policemen and a driver escorting match officials were killed. No Sri Lankan players or officials died.

Pakistan had hosted brief Twenty20 and one-day

THE US’s Megan Rapinoe (center) holds the trophy as she celebrates with teammates after they defeated the Netherlands, 2-0, in the Women’s World Cup final at the Stade de Lyon, in France, in July. AP

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Wednesday, December 25, 2019

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Olympic document fetches $8.8M

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EW YORK—A record price of $8.8 million for a sports memorabilia item at auction has been achieved for the 1892 manifesto to launch the modern Olympic Games.

The 14-page document written by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin had been expected to reach up to $1 million in the sale in New York on Wednesday.

Sotheby’s auction house said competition between three bidders drove up the price beyond the previous record for a sports item—$5.6 million for a game jersey worn by baseball great Babe Ruth sold six months ago.

The identity of the document’s buyer was not disclosed.

De Coubertin’s manifesto for relaunching the Olympics was delivered in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

Two years later, he founded the International Olympic Committee, and the first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens in 1896. AP

JAPAN’S Kenki Fukuoka crosses the goal line for his team’s third try against Scotland during the Rugby World Cup Pool A match at the International Stadium, in Yokohama, Japan, in October. AP

CONTROVERSIAL CALLS, MEMORABLE GAMES

lose to a No. 16 seed, Virginia appeared headed for more heartbreak in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cavaliers squandered a 10-point lead in the final five minutes to Auburn. But they managed to pull it out, with a big helping hand from the officials.

Virginia’s Ty Jerome appeared to double-dribble for what could have been a decisive turnover. Or Jerome might have been fouled before the mishandle. There was no whistle for either.

With 1.5 seconds left and in need of some magic, Virginia got the ball to Kyle Guy in the corner. He turned and fired as Samir Doughty, hands straight up in the air, bumped into Guy’s hip. The shot was short, bouncing off the rim as Auburn started to celebrate.

Game over? Nope.

Official James Breeding called a foul on Doughty, sending Guy to the free-throw line. He calmly knocked down all three shots to give Virginia a disputed 63-62 win. Two nights later, in another overtime thriller, the Cavaliers captured their first national title by beating Texas Tech.

“We kind of thought we had it sealed,” Auburn’s Bryce Brown said. “I just didn’t agree with the call.”

PAVELSKI PAYBACK

Auburn and New Orleans weren’t the only teams to gripe about the officiating, The National Hockey League (NHL) season ended for the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Seven of the playoffs after a major penalty sparked the San Jose Sharks to a 5-4 overtime victory.

On a faceoff in San Jose’s offensive zone with Las Vegas leading 3-0 midway through the third period, Cody Eakin cross-checked Sharks captain Joe Pavelski in the chest. Paul Stastny then bumped Pavelski as he fell to the ice, his helmet slamming down. Pavelski was knocked out and bleeding on the ice.

The officials huddled as a dazed Pavelski was helped to the locker room. They gave Eakin a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct.

The Golden Knights were livid—especially after the Sharks erupted for four goals during those five minutes with an extra skater.

“They called five minutes for that?”Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said. “It’s a joke, that’s what it is.”

The Golden Knights tied the game with a goal late in regulation, but Barclay Goodrow’s overtime goal won it for the Sharks, 5-4.

“The boys got together and said this is for Pavs,” San Jose’s Joe Thornton said. “It was just a matter of will, and we willed that one for him.”

The Sharks became just the second team ever to overcome a three-goal deficit in the third period to win a Game Seven.

As for the Golden Knights, they had to be content with a call from the NHL apologizing for a penalty that was too harsh.

MIRACLE AT ANFIELD

Add another entry to Liverpool’s long list of storied comebacks.

This time, Lionel Messi and mighty Barcelona were on the receiving end in the semifinals of soccer’s European Champions League.

After romping to a 3-0 win in the first game of the home-and-home, total-goals series, Barca seemed a lock for the final.

But, back on their home turf at Anfield, Liverpool pulled off a stunning 4-0 victory that propelled the club to its sixth European title.

“This club has a big heart, and tonight the heart was pounding like crazy,” Manager Juergen Klopp said.

“You could feel it all over the world.”

Twenty-four hours later, Tottenham overcame a three-goal halftime deficit on the road, stunning Ajax in the other Champions League semifinal.

“We saw Liverpool last night,”Tottenham fullback Danny Rose said. “It goes to show it’s not over until it is over.”

SUPER OVER

ft) makes his game-winning basket as time expired at the end of their Eastern Conference semifinal game o won, 92-90. AP

After more than nine stomach-churning hours, the first Super Over in Cricket World Cup history—and perhaps the most extraordinary over ever played— came down to one last ball.

England calmly prevailed in the fading sunlight of Lord’s as New Zealand’s desperate scramble to score what would have been the winning run came up short.

So ended the home team’s agonizing 44-year wait to be crowned world champion of the sport it invented.

“The most ridiculous game of cricket to have ever been played,” said Jos Buttler, England’s wicket-keeper.

“The guys are shattered,” countered New Zealand

CAPTAIN DECLARES PAKISTAN ‘200%’ SAFE international engagements in the past two years, but this first test series required a longer stay for the visiting Sri Lankan team, of around 15 days.

“It was 200 percent,” said Karunaratne. “The security was really good. They were like fathers for us. They kept talking to us and they were right behind us every time.

“When we were going out to eat or something, they were there. We were feeling secure and safe here. They’ve done a really good job. Pakistan fans are really good—they kept supporting us.

“What I can say is that it’s really safe here and that all the other countries playing cricket—they can come and play tests, T20s or one-dayers—it’s safe to play in Pakistan.”

Cricket-wise, Karunaratne rued the fact his side lost control in the second innings of this second test, after dominating for most of the first two days, to lose the match by 263 runs, and the series 1-0.

Other than Oshada Fernando (102) and Niroshan Dickwella (65) no batsman stood solid enough to trying to keep the tourists’ hopes alive.

“In the first two days we did work hard. After that, on day three, we lost our patience,” said Karunaratne.

“We were trying too many things. That’s why we gave so many runs in that critical period. After that they kept going. They put runs on the board. We were trying to defend, but our bowlers have to be a bit more patient. We didn’t do well in the last two days.”

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali was overjoyed with the victory, but said his side still needed to work on improving, especially when away from home. “It’s a great occasion for happiness for all of us that we won the series,” said Azhar. “It carried great importance and was very significant because we were playing at home after long time. We all are very happy because everyone performed as team.

AP

Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne reacts after a ball hit on his knee during the fifth day of the first cricket test match between Pakistan and Sri Lank, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, recently. AP

captain Kane Williamson. “It’s devastating.”

FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BALL

Kawhi Leonard got the bounce. Then another. Then another. And, yes, one more.

Finally, the shot fell through, giving the Toronto Raptors a 92-90 victory that bounced the Philadelphia 76ers out of the NBA playoffs.

Leonard’s shot from the corner over Joel Embiid was the first winning buzzer-beater in a Game Seven in NBA history. The ball danced on the rim four times before dropping. It was quite a capper to Leonard’s 41-point masterpiece.

The Raptors would go on to claim their first NBA title by beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

“It was great,” Leonard said. “It was a blessing to be able to get to that point and make that shot and feel that moment.”

MEGAN’S MOMENT

Megan Rapinoe capped a remarkable year of sporting excellence and social activism by leading to United States to its second straight Women’s World Cup title.

Rapinoe broke a scoreless tie in the final with a second-half penalty kick, and the Americans went on to beat the Netherlands 2-0.

Rapinoe won the Golden Ball as top player and the Golden Boot as top scorer in the monthlong tournament, but her impact went far beyond the field.

She sparred with US President Donald J. Trump and was one of the leading voices on a squad that loudly demanded equal pay with the men’s team.

“We’re such a proud and strong and defiant group of women,” Rapinoe said.

Her trademark victory pose, looking skyward with arms outstretched, also became a worldwide sensation.

BRAVE BLOSSOMS

In the wake of Typhoon Hagibis, host Japan turned in a thoroughly inspiring performance at the Rugby World Cup in its final group stage match against Scotland.

A brilliant display by the team known as the “Brave Blossoms” gave them a big halftime lead. Then they held off a furious Scottish comeback to preserve a 28-21 victory.

Japan advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time. Even though they lost to eventual champion South Africa, their tournament run was just what their battered nation needed after the ferocious storm.

BURROW BESTS TUA

Joe Burrow propelled LSU to the College Football Playoff and himself to the Heisman Trophy with a dazzling display against Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama in college football’s game of the year.

Burrow passed for 393 yards and three touchdowns, answered challenge after challenge, and helped end LSU’s eight-year string of futility against the Crimson Tide.

After the Tigers’ 46-41 victory, Burrow was carried off the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium by his teammates.

“We’ve finally got the tools that we need to beat those guys,” Coach Ed Orgeron said. “To have a championship team, you’ve got to have a championship quarterback.”

ANGEL ON THE PITCHER’S MOUND

In their first home game after the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, the Los Angeles Angels honored his memory with a combined no-hitter from Taylor Cole and Félix Peña in a 13-0 victory over Seattle.

The Angels played a practically perfect game on the day before what would have been Skaggs’ 28th birthday.

“He was definitely looking over us tonight,” said Mike Trout, who contributed a 454-foot homer and six RBIs. Later, officials ruled that Skaggs’ died from an accidental drug overdose, prompting Major League Baseball to start testing for cocaine and opioids.

Al Mendoza alsol47@yahoo.com

THAT’S ALL

Defining Christmas once again

T

ODAY being Christmas, what is there to talk about but Christmas?

To all of us in Christendom, we rejoice as we celebrate today the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

That is Christmas: Remembering the One who authored our salvation.

Any word on this from Pope Francis, the Vatican voice of God? I am optimistic he’ll shower us once more with another fresh view of the Savior’s birthday.

The Pope has always been like that: Oozing with wads of wisdom at every topic he chooses to delve into.

To be honest, I consider him as good a speaker, a writer, as Jesus Christ. His words are worth a gold each. And to think he is already 83 (December 17).

But please forgive me if I try to inflict unto you my own humble take of Christmas?

Since I hit the age of reason some decades back, I never veered away from my original definition of Christmas: Love.

“It’s only love, and that is all,” sang the Beatles.

That is all. As simple as that.

In short, a Christmas without love is not a Christmas.

Love can be demonstrated in many ways.

First, love everyone you meet, whether friend or foe.

I’m sure you don’t do that all the time. But this Christmas, try it. The power of spirit will engulf you.

Smile at anyone. Your smile means love.

Shake hands with friend or stranger alike.

That’s love.

We’ve been partying perhaps a lot these past days, nights.

Did we greet each guest, “Merry Christmas?”

When in a party, and you are seated as a guest arrives, stand up and persevere to meet that guest.

If you know the guest, extend your hand, and say, “Merry Christmas,” and then make beso-beso.

If you don’t know the guest from Adam, still, extend your hand and say, “Merry Christmas.”

You will feel 10 feet tall while returning to your seat.

Everywhere, anywhere, whether in the city or in the boondocks, never get tired giving.

Isn’t giving love?

Add “for” in giving and you have “forgiving,” the ultimate expression of love.

Humbly, I do my bit of giving, forgiving, as much as I can.

In washrooms or parking lots, even if it’s not Christmas, I try my best to hand out a little “something” to the janitor or the one that keeps an eye on my car.

Ah, yes, those beggars tapping our car window—they multiply every Christmas—they also deserve our love.

They are breaking the law and we break the law, too, if we give alms.

But what the heck. The law of love is more powerful than the law of men.

I believe in the saying, “Love till it hurts.”

To practice that is adhering to the truest test of love.

When you give but there’s more to give, go on, give pa more.

If there’s but one peso left in your pocket, give it to a brother in need.

That is in keeping with the essence of the Bible: Love one another.

Love more those who hurt you than those who love you.

That is forgiving, period.

For, how can there be love if we can’t forgive?

I have not stopped forgiving since I learned the meaning of love from way back.

It is only in forgiving that we can really express the meaning of love this season of seasons.

Merry Christmas!

THAT’S IT If we haven’t forgiven those who had done us wrong, then Christmas isn’t with us—yet.

Show BusinessMirror

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

C4

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

z

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BLIND SPOT BRUCE C.

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Annie Lennox, 65; CCH Pounder, 67; Sissy Spacek, 70; Jimmy Buffett, 73.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Secrets are best kept this year. If you are too loose with your words, they will come back to haunt you. Look for any opportunity to bring about positive financial changes. Consider sizing down or taking a stab at a minimalist lifestyle. Question your direction, where you put your energy and what makes you happy, then proceed. Your lucky numbers are 5, 11, 18, 25, 32, 37, 46.

SINGLE AGAIN SOON?

USUALLY when rumors are persistent about a certain issue, then it’s highly likely these talks are true. The actress has been married to a non-showbiz guy for a good number of years and she looks happy and healthy. But rumors persist about him physically abusing her. Lately, rumors about a strain in their marriage have surfaced once again. The reason why the actress seems to be planning to revive her long dormant career is that she and her husband are already leading separate lives. She is busy with her kids and he is, well, occupied with his new lady love. If the actress stages a full comeback, she will be welcomed by producers, directors and her colleagues and peers with open arms. She is, after all, very talented and amiable, and she hasn’t lost her looks at all.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Share stories, ideas and plans, and you’ll be offered suggestions that will encourage you to start preparing to make positive changes in your life. Getting together with family will be just what you need to lift your spirits. Romance is featured. HHHHH

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A change of pace will do you a world of good. Getting back to your roots, listening to old-timers talk about the past and engaging in a little freespirited action with the youngsters in the family will be memorable. HHH

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Dress up, and enjoy the spirit of the season. Spending time with people you love will be uplifting and lead to thoughts about what you want to do next. Consider your options, and be open to suggestions. Romance is on the rise. HHH

d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Emotions will surface if you don’t keep busy. Participate in the festivities, and you’ll feel a sense of belonging. Someone dear to you will offer an unexpected proposal that will lead to a unique opportunity and welcome change next year. HHH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t let what others do or say upset you. Use your intelligence and charm to navigate your way through the family dynamics, demands and differences.

Keeping conversations light and your gestures friendly will help you bypass discord. HHH

f

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s all about the young and the elderly. The insight offered will be enlightening, and the wisdom and enthusiasm will give you the fuel you need to follow through with your plans. Make today all about family contributions and togetherness. HHHHH

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Speak from the heart, make a toast to the host and let someone you love know how much you care. Sharing your plans with family and friends will fortify your commitment to follow through. An unexpected change will have its benefits. HHHH

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Put your energy to good use. Offer to lend a helping hand, be prepared to entertain and converse with those who need a little attention, but don’t lose sight of what makes you happy and healthy. HHH

i

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Get involved in the physical aspect of the festive season, play with the youngsters in the family or set up a rigorous routine that ensures physical fitness. Do something that will enhance your relationship with someone you love. HHH

j

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The changes that take place at home will have an effect on your physical well-being. Stick to basics, don’t overdo it and listen to sound advice from someone close to you. HHH

k

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Time spent with the ones you love will bring about positive change. A financial gain is apparent. Share your thoughts and feelings, and focus on positive progress and a healthier lifestyle. HHHH

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Keep your emotions tucked away, and your opinions to yourself. Listen, observe and be helpful.

Show greater understanding and compassion toward others, and you will avoid criticism and negativity. HH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are talkative, changeable and sensitive.

You are impulsive and broad-minded.

A good year for ITZY F

By Dinna Chan Vasquez

OR a group that debuted in February, ITZY has made a strong impact in the Korean entertainment scene.

The group’s song “Dalla Dalla” is so popular that even kids who don’t know K-pop can sing and dance to it. “Dalla Dalla” and “Icy” were named

by YouTube as, respectively, the fourth (164 million views) and seventh (113 million views) most viewed K-pop songs.

The group—composed of Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, Lia and Yuna—already have six rookie awards, including at the 2019 Melon Music Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) and Asia Artist Awards.

Lia, Ryujin, Yeji, Chaeryeong, and Yuna were in Manila for their ITZY Premiere Showcase Tour “ITZY? ITZY!” last December 8 at the New Frontier Theater.

Manila was the fourth stop in ITZY’s 11-city tour in Asia and the US. The Manila stop of the tour was presented by JYP Entertainment and Pulp Live World in partnership with Globe.

“We’re so thankful for [the awards]. It’s not only because of our fans in Korea but it’s also because of our fans all over the world who support us. Thank you, guys, so much,” said the bubbly Chaeryeong at the Manila event hosted by Kring Kim. ITZY opened the Manila show with “Icy” and “It’z Summer.” They also performed “Cherry” and “Dalla Dalla” and covered TWICE’s “TT” and GOT7’s “Hard Carry.”

Of course, the five ITZY members dropped a few words in Tagalog, much to the delight of their Philippine MIDZYs. “Kamusta kayo [how are you?],” said Yeji, Lia, Ryujin and Chaeryeong, while Yuna told the crowd, “Mahal

CHARACTER FLAW

kita [I love you].

There were three segments in the showcase. The first segment was “Question? ITZY!” where fans got to ask the members questions. One of these asked what the girls think they would be doing now if they weren’t idols. Chaeryeong said she would like to be an actress, Yeji a dancer, Lia a part-timer as she has always wanted to experience it, Ryujin a student, and Yuna an announcer.

They were also asked about their plans for 2020 and Yuna said she wants to communicate more with fans on Naver V Live.

In the “1 Second Intro Quiz,” the girls had to guess the name of each song (apparently, ITZY members are talented in this area) and dance to it or sing it to earn points. Some of the songs they danced to were TWICE’s “Feel Special,” BTS’s “Boy With Luv,” Stray Kids’ “Miroh” and Blackpink’s “Kill This Love.”

In the next segment, called “All In Us! Roulette,” the girls needed to guess the right word through cute body actions.

After that, ITZY got to watch a video prepared by Philippine MIDZYs that highlighted their love and support for the girls.

“We thought hard about how to make this showcase for Manila fans really special. We thought of about covering our seniors, the sunbaes that we really respect for this special performance. We showed you guys that cute side with the choice as ‘TT.’ We also showed the girls’ charm with GOT7’s ‘Hard Carry,’” said Yeji, the group’s leader.

The MIDZYs in the audience then sang “Happy Birthday” to Yuna, who was teary eyed.

“I think today is the first time [I have been] greeted ‘Happy Birthday’ so many times,” said the group’s maknae, who turned 16 on December 9. n

Strong first night for ‘Star Wars’ falls short of previous 2 LOS ANGELES—Plenty of force was with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on its first night in theaters, but it fell short of the two previous films in the trilogy.

The Rise of Skywalker brought in an estimated $40 million in North America in its Thursday night previews, the fifth-biggest Thursday opening ever.

The first film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, earned $57 million its Thursday night previews in 2015, at the time the biggest of all time. It was topped by the $60-million take of Avengers: Endgame earlier this year.

The second film in the trilogy, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, had a $45-million tally on its opening Thursday

night in 2017.

The Rise of Skywalker, with The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams back at the helm after Rian Johnson directed The Last Jedi, didn’t appear to be affected by bad critic reviews.

The film scored just 58 percent with critics on Rotten Tomatoes compared to 98 percent for The Last Jedi, but its fan score is 85 percent.

The third film stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and Carrie Fisher, and is expected to bring in $200 million by the end of the weekend. AP

SPEAKING of persistent rumors, the young actress is said to be either pregnant or has already given birth.

There are no denials. She just stopped doing projects and all her photos in her social-media accounts appear to be stock images. Her boyfriend, who’s rumored to be the father of her child, is said to be very rich so she doesn’t really need to work. It’s a pity, though, as the actress is quite talented and has such a beautiful face. One of the issues against the young actress by people she has worked with is her attitude. She isn’t very nice or punctual. She is always late for work and she’s rude. In her first major project, she raised eyebrows because she would arrive even later than the lead stars. While other stars would apologize if such a thing happened, the young actress would just pretend like nothing happened.

TOO MUCH TOO SOON

SHE is a social-media sensation who is perhaps more popular than celebrities who act and sing. The thing is that it seems to be too much for her, as she is a simple girl who became a sensation overnight. You see her face everywhere and we are truly happy for this girl because she is nice, sweet and grounded. But everyone is afraid that it might be too much too soon, as she is already overwhelmed at this point.

She never set out to be so famous that she wanted to be a household name. She just wanted to express her creativity and still live her life the way she used to.

Let us hope the social-media sensation finds the right balance in her life so that she stays in the limelight and we can still see her, but she keeps parts of her life still private.

GENEROUS BUT NOT FAITHFUL THE actor may be known for his philandering ways but one thing you can say about him is that he is a generous lover. All the women he has loved before can attest to this. They’re received expensive bags and shoes, gadgets, trips and other things from him. We remember one of his exes getting a limited-edition pink scooter. Here’s the funny thing though: All the actor’s breakups with his exes have been bad, it’s not a surprise to learn they kept none of those expensive gifts. They disposed of the gifts in different ways but not one of them kept them. Here’s the thing about the actor—he gives the most expensive when he knows he has done something wrong. So the more he gives, the more he has cheated on a certain girl.

‘motion picture’ BY DAVID STEINBERG The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Matilda author Dahl 6 Bad thing to fall for 10 They can be strained or split 14 Pest control company 15 Green in some pizza crusts 16 “___ have to wait” 17 Winning ticket in 2008 (see letters 1-3) 19 As many as 20 Trumpet blast 21 “Fiddlesticks!”

22 Cosmetics ingredient that may smell like chocolate (4-6) 27 Surgeons’ workplaces, briefly 28 Number one game?

29 London’s Big ___ 30 Thai or Taiwanese 32 Sleigh jingler 34 Strutted like a reindeer 36 “Let’s change the subject” (7-9) 41 Creator of the Grinch 42 “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” e.g.

43 Hones 44 Block letters?

7 The year 1101 4 48 “What?!”

50 Meaty Chinese dish with peppers (6-8) 53 Ares, to Wonder Woman 55 Cheesy chip 56 One may pop into your head 57 Drag queen’s wrap (8-10) 62 ___ and void 63 Witness stand vow 64 All set 65 Orange shavings 66 Handmade menorah seller 67 Eat away at DOWN 1 Piglet’s marsupial pal 2 Poetic ball 3 Melissa Jefferson, ___ Lizzo 4 Bar contest?

5 Genetic testing facility 6 White slope 7 West Point student 8 Sometimes-pale brew 9 Fellows 10 Pope with a religious-sounding name

11 Memorable 1982 movie quote from an alien 12 Place to wear a train 13 Reacts to a yellow light 18 “Hon” 21 Media sector that includes newspapers 22 Circle : sphere :: square : ___ 23 Without a break 24 They’re made of shades 25 Poi ingredient 26 One of Rebekah’s twins 31 Many have several scenes 33 Full of greenery 34 “Masterpiece” channel 35 Do ballet, say 37 Like a stereotypical hardcore techie 38 Rwandan people 39 US Polo ___ 40 “Phew, what a long week!”

44 Lack of interest 45 Composer J.S. 46 Stick together 48 Ketchup brand 49 Not justified

1 They fly in clouds 5 52 Hole-making insect 54 Vinegar variety 57 Friend’s opposite 58 Have latkes, perhaps 59 2018 steamed-bun short that’s “animated” in this puzzle 60 Like a sock with no match 61 Nautical assent Solution to yesterday’s puzzle: