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BRING OUT THE ‘BIG GUNS’ n

Military sustains momentum to build a credible PHL defense posture with signing of missile acquisition deal

A BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile, produced by Russian-Indian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., on display at the International Aviation and Space Salon in Moscow, August 24, 2015. IGOR DOLGOV | DREAMSTIME.COM

T

By Rene Acosta

HE Duterte administration’s big-ticket weapons procurement program appears to be winding down, punctuated by the recent signing of the BrahMos shore-based antiship cruise missile deal signed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana a week ago.

The signing of the first-ever anti-ship and supersonic missile manufactured in India for the military marked the second phase of the last contract under the six-year term of President Duterte as earlier hinted by the defense chief.

Right after Lorenzana inked the deal for the acquisition of two brand-new and South Korean-made frigates in December, he disclosed that he would have to still sign the contracts for the procurement of Black Hawk helicopters and six offshore patrol vessels before the current administration draws down its purchases under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program.

The defense chief said he cannot sign procurement deals during the election period as they could be construed as “midnight contracts.”

While Lorenzana cited the Black Hawks—the acquisition

agreement for which he signed early this month—and the offshore patrol vessels as probably the last two procurements under Duterte, what he signed more than a week ago was the contract for the Indian-made missile, leaving the six patrol vessels still up for the taking. The patrol vessels are supposed to be acquired from Australia’s shipbuilder Austal.

Urgent despite pandemic

WHILE the procurement of the supersonic missile had earlier been deferred due to financial constraints as the Covid-19 crisis forced funds to be rechanneled to pandemic response, the military spelled out the urgency of acquiring it, both for deterrence and as a defense against the combination of swarming Chinese military and paramilitary ships in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.0410

“The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile will certainly beef up the firepower of the Philippine Navy, particularly the Philippine Marines Corps Coastal Defense Regiment,” Lorenzana explained in signing the P18.9-billion contract. “Its system will provide counter-attack capabilities within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).”

The defense chief said the “world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile will provide deterrence against any attempt to undermine our sovereignty and sovereign rights, especially in the West Philippine Sea.” The contract comprised three missile batteries, land-based mobile launchers, training for its handlers and maintenance forces, and logistical support.

The procurement of the missiles, with Marine forces as the end-users, was a sort of vindication for the Marine troopers themselves who have been pushing and advocating for the arming of Marines guarding the Kalayaan Island Group and WPS—even with simply shoulder-fired missiles as early as during the time of their former commandant, retired Marine General Juancho Sabban.

When Sabban was designated commander of the Western Command based in Palawan, he routinely dealt with Chinese fishing vessels that began to encroach and populate the WPS. If he had his way, Sabban would have preferred the seizure of the boats and sinking them even on site.

Sabban also ordered the removal of any marker that China

LORENZANA: “[The] world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile will provide deterrence against any attempt to undermine our sovereignty and sovereign rights, especially in the West Philippine Sea.” ROLEX DELA PEÑA/POOL PHOTO VIA AP

of the AFP, particularly the Philippine Navy, to defend the country’s extensive maritime borders,” he added.

According to Lorenzana, the procurement of a shore-based anti-ship missile for the Navy was conceptualized as early as 2017, and was approved by Duterte in 2020 for its inclusion in the second phase of the revised military modernization program.

The project identified the Navy and the Marines as the first beneficiaries, as they are at the forefront of defending the country’s archipelago.

“Equipping our Navy with this

vital asset is imperative as the Philippines continues to protect the integrity of its territory and defend its national interests,” Lorenzana said.

If the next administration pursues the missile build-up program, the BrahMos missiles may also find their way into other major armed services of the military, as Lorenzana said earlier that a landbased type is also being considered for the Army.

In fact, when the BrahMos product was first considered, the Army was then considered as the maiden beneficiary before the other units.

had installed in the WPS, a task that was usually relegated to the Navy’s Naval Special Operations Group (NAVSOG).

While Sabban’s aggressive or even heavy-handed tactics discouraged Chinese boats from venturing into the country’s EEZ, he was however admonished by defense officials at Camp Aguinaldo.

‘Big boost’

THE Navy said the cruise missiles will go a long way in its task of securing the country’s maritime domain.

“The acquisition of the shorebased anti-ship missile will boost the capability of the Philippine Navy, particularly the Philippine Marine Corps Coastal Defense Regiment as the end-user,” said Navy spokesman Commander Benjo Negranza.

“It will increase the capability

n JAPAN 0.4440 n UK 69.4311 n HK 6.5498 n CHINA 8.0140 n SINGAPORE 37.9854 n AUSTRALIA 36.4433 n EU 58.4011 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.6051

Source: BSP (February 4, 2022)

NewsSaturday BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, February 5, 2022

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President Xi Jinping, China’s ‘chairman of everything’

B

By Joe McDonald | The Associated Press

EIJING—The last time the Olympics came to China, he oversaw the whole endeavor. Now the Games are back, and this time Xi Jinping is running the entire nation.

The Chinese president, hosting a Winter Olympics beleaguered by complaints about human-rights abuses, has upended tradition to restore strongman rule in China and tighten Communist Party control over the economy and society.

Xi was in charge of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing that served as a “coming-out party” for China as an economic and political force. A second-generation member of the party elite, Xi became general secretary of the party in 2012. He took the ceremonial title of President the next year.

Big guy in charge

XI spent his first five-year term atop the party making himself China’s strongest leader at least since Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Xi was dubbed “chairman of everything” after he put himself in charge of economic, propaganda and other major functions. That reversed a consensus for the ruling inner circle to avoid power struggles by sharing decision-making.

The party is crushing prodemocracy and other activism and tightening control over business and society. It has expanded surveillance of China’s 1.4 billion

people and control of business, culture, education and religion.

A “social credit” system tracks every person and company and punishes infractions from pollution to littering.

Xi’s rise coincides with increased assertiveness abroad following three decades of China keeping its head down to focus on economic development.

Xi wants China to be “the greatest country on Earth, widely admired and therefore followed,” said Steve Tsang, a Chinese politics specialist at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

“The world where China is top dog is a world where authoritarianism is safe,” Tsang said. Democracies will “need to know their place.”

Born in Beijing in 1953, Xi enjoyed a privileged youth as the second son of Xi Zhongxun, a former vice premier and guerrilla commander in the civil war that brought Mao Zedong’s communist rebels to power in 1949.

At 15, Xi Jinping was sent to rural Shaanxi province in 1969 as part of Mao’s campaign to have educated urban young people learn from peasants. Xi was caught trying to sneak back to the Chinese

CHINESE President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives at the airport in Nyingchi in western China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, July 21, 2021. LI XUEREN/XINHUA VIA AP capital and returned to Shaanxi to dig irrigation ditches.

“Knives are sharpened on the stone. People are refined through hardship,” Xi told a Chinese magazine in 2001. “Whenever I later encountered trouble, I’d just think of how hard it had been to get things done back then and nothing would then seem difficult.”

A 1988 photo shows Xi Jinping, right, then secretary of the Ningde Prefecture Committee of the Communist Party of China, participating in farm work during his investigation in the countryside. Born in Beijing in 1953, Xi enjoyed a privileged youth as the second son of Xi Zhongxun, a former vice premier and guerrilla commander in the civil war that brought Mao Zedong’s communist rebels to power in 1949. At 15, Xi Jinping was sent to rural Shaanxi province in 1969 as part of Mao’s campaign to have educated urban young people learn from peasants. AP/XINHUA

Bid for bigger global role

BEIJING is pushing for a big-

ger role in managing trade and global affairs to match its status as the second-biggest economy.

It has antagonized Japan, India and other neighbors by trying to intimidate Taiwan—the island democracy that the ruling party says belongs to China—and by pressing claims to disputed sections of the South and East China Seas and the Himalayas.

The party has ended limits on foreign ownership in its auto industry and made other market-opening changes. But it has declared stateowned companies that dominate oil, banking and other industries the “core of the economy.”

Beijing is pressuring privatesector successes such as Alibaba Group, the world’s biggest e-commerce company, to divert billions of dollars into nationalistic initiatives including making China a “technology power” and reducing reliance on the United States, Japan and other suppliers by developing processor chips and other products.

That, combined with US and European curbs on Chinese access to technology due to security fears, is fueling anxiety global industry might decouple or split into markets with incompatible auto, telecom and other products. That would raise costs and slow innovation.

Xi, 68, looks certain to break with tradition again by pursuing a third term as party leader at a congress in October or November. He had the constitution’s limit of two terms on his presidency repealed in 2018. That reversed arrangements put in place in the 1990s for party factions to share decision-making and hand over power to younger leaders once every decade.

Even before Xi took power,

party officials complained that group leadership was too cumbersome and allowed lower-level leaders to ignore or obstruct initiatives.

Officials defend Xi’s efforts to stay in power by saying he needs to ensure reforms are carried out.

Xi led an anti-corruption crackdown whose most prominent targets were members of other factions or supported rival leadership candidates.

The campaign was popular with the public but led to complaints that officials refused to make big decisions for fear of attracting attention.

‘National rejuvenation’

XI has called for a “national rejuvenation” based on tighter party control over education, culture and religion. Many of the changes are hostile to ethnic minorities, gays and lesbians, pro-democracy and other activists and independentminded artists and writers. Social media groups for gay university students have been shut down.

Men deemed insufficiently masculine were banned from TV. An estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other mostly Muslim minority groups have been confined in camps in the Xinjiang region in the northwest.

Activists complain Beijing is trying to erase minority cultures, but officials say the camps are for job training and to combat radicalism.

They reject reports of forced abortions and other abuses.

Xi oversaw the 2015 detention of more than 200 lawyers and legal aides who helped activists and members of the public challenge official abuses.

After the coronavirus emerged

in 2019, Xi’s government suppressed information and punished doctors who tried to warn the public.

That prompted accusations Beijing allowed the disease to spread more widely and left other countries unprepared.

Beijing extended its crackdown to Hong Kong following 2019 protests that began over a proposed extradition law and expanded to include demands for greater democracy.

A national security law was imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, prompting complaints that Beijing was eroding the autonomy that had been promised when the former British colony returned to China in 1997—and ruining its status as a trade and financial center.

Pro-democracy figures have been imprisoned. They include Jimmy Lai, the 73-year-old former publisher of the Apple Daily newspaper, which shut down under government pressure, and organizers of candlelight memorials of the party’s deadly 1989 crackdown on a pro-democracy movement.

A big potential stumbling block to achieving Xi’s ambitions is the struggling economy.

Growth is slumping after Beijing tightened controls on use of debt in its real-estate industry, one of its biggest economic engines.

That adds to the drag from politically motivated initiatives, including tech development and orders to manufacturers to use Chinese suppliers of components and raw materials, even if that costs more.

“Xi himself weakens the economy rather than strengthening it,” Tsang said. “If you mess up the economy, he’s not going to make China the dominant power in the world.”

A4

Saturday, February 5, 2022

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5 presidential aspirants explain economic agenda in KBP forum

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

F

IVE presidential aspirants on Friday bared their platforms should they win in the May 2022 national elections.

During the “Panata sa Bayan: The KBP Presidential Candidates Forum” aired via CNN Philippines and 300 media stations, presidential aspirants Isko Moreno Domagoso, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Leni Robredo and Leody de Guzman all laid down their plans for the presidency.

Domagoso’s platforms Domagoso said he will prioritize programs for housing, education, labor and employment, health, and tourism.

According to Domagoso, his government will allot 1.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for housing and eyeing the construction of 1 million units for Filipinos.

Domagoso also wants to allot 4.3 percent of the GDP to education sector.

For health care, the current mayor of Manila wants to establish 107,000 hospital beds in his first 1,000 days

in office. He vowed to appoint financial experts to manage agencies like PhilHealth.

His administration also wants to create a national creative economy strategy and focus on creative industries.

According to Domagoso, should he win, the loan pool for MSMEs will be increased to P30 billion from the current P1.5 billion to boost the sector hard hit by the pandemic.

If elected, Domagoso also said he would make sure that public data will be more accessible and government processes will be simplified.

To create more jobs, he vowed to continue the Build, Build, Build (BBB) program but through public-private partnership and it should focus on hospitals, schools, and housing projects.

On why he should be the next president of the Philippines, Domagoso said: “Tulad po ni Senator Pacquiao at Ka Leody, kami po galing sa wala, nagsikap kami at nakaahon kami sa kinalalagyan namin. Katulad ni Sen. Lacson naniniwala ako na siya on the ground, nilalabanan ang corruption. That’s the kind of leaders na nakakaunawa sa

PHL banks want more laws as cybercrime losses mount

T

tao, hindi analyze-analyze-paralyze.

I can get things done, may resulta, may pruweba.”

Lacson’s agenda If elected president, Sen. Lacson vows to end corruption by implementing “internal cleansing” against inept, corrupt and undisciplined government employees and officials in his first 100 days of office—similar to his campaign when he became chief of the national police.

“We are all afraid of robbery, but every election we vote for a thief,” he said, “For the longest time, we have witnessed how corruption, the worst form of thievery destroys our nation.”

According to Lacson, his leadership will also focus on the current pandemic, poverty, joblessness, country’s huge debt, challenges in education sector and end the programs that wasting the people’s money by implementing a budget reform. Lacson said the government underspent P300 billion yearly.

As pandemic response, Lacson proposed P260 billion to implement the Universal Healthcare Act. He vowed to support MSMEs through a fiscal stimulus package. He also pushed for a “Reformed 4Ps” to reduce poverty.

Lacson said all these platforms will be science-based and data-driven.

On infrastructure, Lacson said he will involve the private sectors in the projects through the revival of PPP or public-private partnership as the country is already in huge debt.

Asked why he should be the next president of the Philippines, Lacson said, “to the Filipino people, when dust is settled in the warzone, I hope I can present myself as the leader we need.

Competent, qualified, with the wealth of experience.”

Pacquiao’s focus Presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao, meanwhile, said he has a 22-point agenda for his administration.

This agenda will focus on fighting corruption, economic and growth development, employment, housing, agriculture development, infrastructure development, judicial reform, war on drugs in a right way, sports development, strengthen international treaty agreements, health care, improved Internet signal, and renewable energy development.

“You need free education, free education until you finish any course [in college]. No more miscellaneous

[fees], absolutely free until you finish the course,” he said. Pacquiao said he would push for a one-gadget -per-student ratio.

As this allowed him to finish his studies, Pacquiao said he will give more support to the A lternative Learning System.

On agriculture, Pacquiao vowed to support farmers and fisherfolk by providing them state of the art machineries and equipment. He said increasing productivity of this sector is crucial, noting the “shame” in an archipelago importing huge volumes of fish, as the government is now doing.

The senator said he will focus on boosting non-tax revenues than imposing more taxes to fund the programs of his government. He noted the government’s over reliance on tax revenues, which are always drained by corruption, while non-tax revenues contribute only a fraction to the coffers.

Pacqu i ao suppor ted cont i nuation of the Bui ld, Bui ld, Bui ld program as “these [projects] are big help to economic development and grow ing economy.” The senator said he w ill expand the railway project in General Santos City and Zamboanga in Mindanao.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, said he deserves to be elected as the next president because he knows the face of poverty as he lived it.

“Marami nang namuno sa ating bansa na sinasabing matatalino, pero mas lalong dumaming naghihirap na Pilipino [Many of those who led us have been called brilliant, yet even more Filipinos have become poor],” he said.

“In the same way I once dreamt of lifting my family out of poverty, so do I aspire to uplift the Filipino nation and provide a good future for our people,” he concluded, speaking in Filipino.

Robredo’s programs For her part, Robredo said her programs will focus on addressing poverty and more employment for the Filipino people.

If elected, Robredo said she will push for programs strengthening Filipino industries while protecting small businesses.

Robredo vowed to remove discrimination in jobs, “We will eliminate discrimination, no matter how old you are, no matter what you have accomplished, you have the right to work.”

Robredo said one of her programs is to address malnutrition through a strengthen 4Ps program, and monitor the nutrition of children in their first 1,000 days.

She said the yearly allocation for the health sector will be increased under her leadership and tertiary hospitals set up in each region and province.

She vowed to give benefits for frontliners and make sure all barangay health units are adequately supplied.

According to Robredo, her administration will earmark at least 6 percent of the GDP for the education sector.

On infrastructure, she will continue the current BBB program but wants rural development prioritized, as the Philippines’s economic progress also depends on the countryside.

Also, she will include water resources, public transport, reconstruction of housing projects in calamity-hit areas, connectivity, and shift to technologybased resources in the BBB. The only woman candidate in the presidential election race repeated her mantra: “I am very ready to face the challenge of becoming President. And this 2022, the last man standing will

he Philippines’ biggest bankers’ group boosted cooperation with the government and sought new laws against cybercrime, as losses due to these illicit activities hit P1 billion during the pandemic.

The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) signed on Friday a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Justice to bolster information sharing and collaboration against cybercrimes.

The bankers’ group will also organize more information campaigns on cybersecurity.

Ramon Jocson, vice chairman of the BAP’s cybersecurity committee, said the money lost to cybercriminals continued to rise, and banks do not shoulder all losses as some incidents involve clients who gave away personal identification or one-time passwords.

The bankers’ group is pushing to update a decade-old cybercrime law, enacted when most crimes involved stolen automated teller machine cards in contrast to the now prevalent phishing, Jocson said. It’s also seeking the enactment of a bill against so-called mule accounts, he said.

“As banking and financial transactions are made more convenient and accessible to millions of Filipinos, so has it led to the increased sophistication on how crimes are perpetrated,” BAP President Wick Veloso said. “To us in the banking industry, this means that we always have to be one step ahead.”

Bloomberg News

still be a woman.”

De Guzman’s plans Labor leader Leody de Guzman detailed plans for the economy, workers and contractualization and businesses.

According to De Guzman, he will allocate P125 billion to support MSMEs affected by the pandemic so they can bring back laid-off workers.

He vowed to empower workers by leveling the salary of workers in Metro Manila and provinces, saying contractualization will end under his administration by abolishing manpower agencies.

De Guzman also vowed to end the implementation of Rice Tariffication Law to support local farmers.

To help fund government recovery programs, the labor leader said his administration will push for the proposal imposing a 20 percent “wealth tax” on the top 500 richest Filipinos.

Also, De Guzman said he will push for independent foreign policy, saying, in Filipino. “We will forge agreements with countries that respect our sovereignty, our territorial integrity...The benefits from such agreements must be fair, mutual.”

On BBB, De Guzman said he will continue certain infrastructure projects, particularly in Mindanao.

“I agree with the continuation of President Duterte’s program on the railway.

That is one of my priorities, to develop mass transport, not only in Mindanao but also in other provinces,” he said.

De Guzman also vowed to recover the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth, “Yung mga ninakaw nila, bawiin natin, ito ay panibagong dagdag na pondo para sa ating bayan.”

On why he should be the next president of the Philippines, De Guzman said: “Subukin natin ang lider ng manggagawa na bitbit ang plataporma hanggang sa kasalukuyan. Kailangan natin ng bagong pulitika ng masa, hindi lang ng iilan. Ako dapat ang mahalal bilang pangulo sapagka’t lahat ng klase ng pangulo sa nakaraan, naranasan natin. Yung mga bilyonaryo, elitista.”

Meanwhile, all the presidential candidates also signed their pledge to participate in peaceful, clean and fair 2022 elections.

A4

Saturday, February 5, 2022

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

5 presidential aspirants explain economic agenda in KBP forum

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

F

IVE presidential aspirants on Friday bared their platforms should they win in the May 2022 national elections.

During the “Panata sa Bayan: The KBP Presidential Candidates Forum” aired via CNN Philippines and 300 media stations, presidential aspirants Isko Moreno Domagoso, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Leni Robredo and Leody de Guzman all laid down their plans for the presidency.

Domagoso’s platforms Domagoso said he will prioritize programs for housing, education, labor and employment, health, and tourism.

According to Domagoso, his government will allot 1.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for housing and eyeing the construction of 1 million units for Filipinos.

Domagoso also wants to allot 4.3 percent of the GDP to education sector.

For health care, the current mayor of Manila wants to establish 107,000 hospital beds in his first 1,000 days

in office. He vowed to appoint financial experts to manage agencies like PhilHealth.

His administration also wants to create a national creative economy strategy and focus on creative industries.

According to Domagoso, should he win, the loan pool for MSMEs will be increased to P30 billion from the current P1.5 billion to boost the sector hard hit by the pandemic.

If elected, Domagoso also said he would make sure that public data will be more accessible and government processes will be simplified.

To create more jobs, he vowed to continue the Build, Build, Build (BBB) program but through public-private partnership and it should focus on hospitals, schools, and housing projects.

On why he should be the next president of the Philippines, Domagoso said: “Tulad po ni Senator Pacquiao at Ka Leody, kami po galing sa wala, nagsikap kami at nakaahon kami sa kinalalagyan namin. Katulad ni Sen. Lacson naniniwala ako na siya on the ground, nilalabanan ang corruption. That’s the kind of leaders na nakakaunawa sa

PHL banks want more laws as cybercrime losses mount

T

tao, hindi analyze-analyze-paralyze.

I can get things done, may resulta, may pruweba.”

Lacson’s agenda If elected president, Sen. Lacson vows to end corruption by implementing “internal cleansing” against inept, corrupt and undisciplined government employees and officials in his first 100 days of office—similar to his campaign when he became chief of the national police.

“We are all afraid of robbery, but every election we vote for a thief,” he said, “For the longest time, we have witnessed how corruption, the worst form of thievery destroys our nation.”

According to Lacson, his leadership will also focus on the current pandemic, poverty, joblessness, country’s huge debt, challenges in education sector and end the programs that wasting the people’s money by implementing a budget reform. Lacson said the government underspent P300 billion yearly.

As pandemic response, Lacson proposed P260 billion to implement the Universal Healthcare Act. He vowed to support MSMEs through a fiscal stimulus package. He also pushed for a “Reformed 4Ps” to reduce poverty.

Lacson said all these platforms will be science-based and data-driven.

On infrastructure, Lacson said he will involve the private sectors in the projects through the revival of PPP or public-private partnership as the country is already in huge debt.

Asked why he should be the next president of the Philippines, Lacson said, “to the Filipino people, when dust is settled in the warzone, I hope I can present myself as the leader we need.

Competent, qualified, with the wealth of experience.”

Pacquiao’s focus Presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao, meanwhile, said he has a 22-point agenda for his administration.

This agenda will focus on fighting corruption, economic and growth development, employment, housing, agriculture development, infrastructure development, judicial reform, war on drugs in a right way, sports development, strengthen international treaty agreements, health care, improved Internet signal, and renewable energy development.

“You need free education, free education until you finish any course [in college]. No more miscellaneous

[fees], absolutely free until you finish the course,” he said. Pacquiao said he would push for a one-gadget -per-student ratio.

As this allowed him to finish his studies, Pacquiao said he will give more support to the A lternative Learning System.

On agriculture, Pacquiao vowed to support farmers and fisherfolk by providing them state of the art machineries and equipment. He said increasing productivity of this sector is crucial, noting the “shame” in an archipelago importing huge volumes of fish, as the government is now doing.

The senator said he will focus on boosting non-tax revenues than imposing more taxes to fund the programs of his government. He noted the government’s over reliance on tax revenues, which are always drained by corruption, while non-tax revenues contribute only a fraction to the coffers.

Pacqu i ao suppor ted cont i nuation of the Bui ld, Bui ld, Bui ld program as “these [projects] are big help to economic development and grow ing economy.” The senator said he w ill expand the railway project in General Santos City and Zamboanga in Mindanao.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, said he deserves to be elected as the next president because he knows the face of poverty as he lived it.

“Marami nang namuno sa ating bansa na sinasabing matatalino, pero mas lalong dumaming naghihirap na Pilipino [Many of those who led us have been called brilliant, yet even more Filipinos have become poor],” he said.

“In the same way I once dreamt of lifting my family out of poverty, so do I aspire to uplift the Filipino nation and provide a good future for our people,” he concluded, speaking in Filipino.

Robredo’s programs For her part, Robredo said her programs will focus on addressing poverty and more employment for the Filipino people.

If elected, Robredo said she will push for programs strengthening Filipino industries while protecting small businesses.

Robredo vowed to remove discrimination in jobs, “We will eliminate discrimination, no matter how old you are, no matter what you have accomplished, you have the right to work.”

Robredo said one of her programs is to address malnutrition through a strengthen 4Ps program, and monitor the nutrition of children in their first 1,000 days.

She said the yearly allocation for the health sector will be increased under her leadership and tertiary hospitals set up in each region and province.

She vowed to give benefits for frontliners and make sure all barangay health units are adequately supplied.

According to Robredo, her administration will earmark at least 6 percent of the GDP for the education sector.

On infrastructure, she will continue the current BBB program but wants rural development prioritized, as the Philippines’s economic progress also depends on the countryside.

Also, she will include water resources, public transport, reconstruction of housing projects in calamity-hit areas, connectivity, and shift to technologybased resources in the BBB. The only woman candidate in the presidential election race repeated her mantra: “I am very ready to face the challenge of becoming President. And this 2022, the last man standing will

he Philippines’ biggest bankers’ group boosted cooperation with the government and sought new laws against cybercrime, as losses due to these illicit activities hit P1 billion during the pandemic.

The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) signed on Friday a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Justice to bolster information sharing and collaboration against cybercrimes.

The bankers’ group will also organize more information campaigns on cybersecurity.

Ramon Jocson, vice chairman of the BAP’s cybersecurity committee, said the money lost to cybercriminals continued to rise, and banks do not shoulder all losses as some incidents involve clients who gave away personal identification or one-time passwords.

The bankers’ group is pushing to update a decade-old cybercrime law, enacted when most crimes involved stolen automated teller machine cards in contrast to the now prevalent phishing, Jocson said. It’s also seeking the enactment of a bill against so-called mule accounts, he said.

“As banking and financial transactions are made more convenient and accessible to millions of Filipinos, so has it led to the increased sophistication on how crimes are perpetrated,” BAP President Wick Veloso said. “To us in the banking industry, this means that we always have to be one step ahead.”

Bloomberg News

still be a woman.”

De Guzman’s plans Labor leader Leody de Guzman detailed plans for the economy, workers and contractualization and businesses.

According to De Guzman, he will allocate P125 billion to support MSMEs affected by the pandemic so they can bring back laid-off workers.

He vowed to empower workers by leveling the salary of workers in Metro Manila and provinces, saying contractualization will end under his administration by abolishing manpower agencies.

De Guzman also vowed to end the implementation of Rice Tariffication Law to support local farmers.

To help fund government recovery programs, the labor leader said his administration will push for the proposal imposing a 20 percent “wealth tax” on the top 500 richest Filipinos.

Also, De Guzman said he will push for independent foreign policy, saying, in Filipino. “We will forge agreements with countries that respect our sovereignty, our territorial integrity...The benefits from such agreements must be fair, mutual.”

On BBB, De Guzman said he will continue certain infrastructure projects, particularly in Mindanao.

“I agree with the continuation of President Duterte’s program on the railway.

That is one of my priorities, to develop mass transport, not only in Mindanao but also in other provinces,” he said.

De Guzman also vowed to recover the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth, “Yung mga ninakaw nila, bawiin natin, ito ay panibagong dagdag na pondo para sa ating bayan.”

On why he should be the next president of the Philippines, De Guzman said: “Subukin natin ang lider ng manggagawa na bitbit ang plataporma hanggang sa kasalukuyan. Kailangan natin ng bagong pulitika ng masa, hindi lang ng iilan. Ako dapat ang mahalal bilang pangulo sapagka’t lahat ng klase ng pangulo sa nakaraan, naranasan natin. Yung mga bilyonaryo, elitista.”

Meanwhile, all the presidential candidates also signed their pledge to participate in peaceful, clean and fair 2022 elections.

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

Deus Ex Machina: Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo unveils memoir

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

F

ormer President Gloria MacapagalArroyo on Wednesday unveiled her memoir entitled “Deus Ex Machina.”

In a virtual launch with members of her family, former members of her Cabinet and close friends, both in and outside of politics, Arroyo said she decided to write her book to share her experiences in politics and correct some of the misconceptions about her.

In a video interview, Arroyo said she had been asked by many people to write her memoir since former presidents traditionally write theirs.

“Traditionally, former presidents write their memoirs to provide a record of their time in office.

Many people were also asking me to write my memoirs, for some to correct the many misconceptions that keep getting repeated, and for many others because of my experiences both in politics and as the daughter of a President,” she said.

In explaining her choice of title, Arroyo said “Deus ex machina is a plot device in ancient Greek drama whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence.”

“In realpolitik there is no deus ex machina.

But for those who trust in the Lord, there is, and it’s called Divine Providence. Divine Providence has played such an important role in my career, and I refer to it in several instances in the memoir, interchangeably with the more secular term deus ex machina. It was my brother Boboy who suggested using it in the title,” he added.

During the launch, Arroyo read an excerpt of her book in which Divine Providence or Deus Ex Machina played a big part—her placing 13th in the 1992 elections and her subsequent topping the senatorial elections in 1995, which in turn led her to be considered a vice presidential candidate in the 1998 elections.

“When I ran for senator in 1992, 24 Senate seats were up for grabs. The top 12 would serve for 6 years and the next 12, 3 years. In the first half of the campaign, the surveys did not show me in the Magic 24 group. A supporter from Iloilo, Sandra Sarabia Gorriceta, told me that her son studying in Manila was not even aware of my candidacy,” said Arroyo, citing her book.

“In the second half when the local candidates officially started their campaigns, I jumped up to

MWSS, water firms extend help to ‘Odette’-hit regions

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yphoon “Odette” (international code name: Rai), the strongest typhoon to hit the country last year affected, a total of 2,366,309 families or 8,409,602 persons.

According to Situationer Report No. 39 posted on the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) website, 11 out of the country’s 17 regions were affected.

A total of 531 cities and municipalities were affected of which 361 were declared under the state of calamity. Houses, roads and bridges, communication lines, agriculture, power and water supply were damaged. Government efforts to immediately extend assistance to the affected population were reinforced by private sector initiatives.

Among those who extended assistance included companies in the water sector industry, namely, Manila Water Company Inc. (Manila Water), Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad), San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

To ensure access to safety potable water, Manila Water President JV Emmanuel “Jocot” de Dios deployed a mobile treatment plant (MTP) to Siargao. It was in Siargao Island where typhoon Odette made its first landfall on December 16, 2021.

The MTP is capable of treating and converting any type of raw water into potable water. It can produce up to 3,000 liters of drinkable water per hour and can operate up to 12 hours daily. Various areas in the province of Surigao del Norte were also recipients of safe water brought by Manila Water tankers with a capacity of 10,000 liters of water per trip.

Manila Water has distributed almost 23,000 liters of water to 5,000 residents in Siargao. Other typhoon-affected areas such as Cebu and Bohol also benefited from Manila Water’s mobile treatment plants as the company dispatched two MTPs and several water tankers.

For his part, Manila Water Foundation President Donato C. Almeda who is also Manila Water Chief Regulatory Officer also ordered the speedy distribution of bottled water and hygiene kits in Bohol, Cebu, Dinagat Island, Palawan, Siargao and Southern Leyte. Project partners for this endeavor were the Philippine Coast Guard, P&G Safeguard Philippines and other business units of Manila Water, namely, Boracay Water, Clark Water and Laguna Water.

Continued on A6

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo number 17 and then number 14 in the surveys.

Imagine my elation when the vote canvassing opened and the initial returns catapulted me into seventh place, then fifth place among candidates.

But over the long weeks of canvassing, from 5th place I slid back to 7th place, then 8th, then 9th, then 10th and then for a long time, I rested at 11th place, then to 12th, before ending at 13th place, just missing 12th place by a few thousand votes, for a three-year rather than a six-year term,” she added.

Arroyo continued, “I was elected as threeyear-term senator in 1992, bitter that I missed a six-year term by a small margin. Little did I know that within a decade, I would become president, which might not have been if I had been able to reclaim those few thousands of lost votes in 1992 and squeaked into a six-year Senate term in 12th place. As number 12 winner in 1992 rather than top placer in 1995, I would have been just another reelectionist senator in 1998 and not the winning candidate for vice president. I would not have been the constitutional successor to the Presidency in 2001. Divine Providence.”

Arroyo said the book has seven parts, which starts from her birth and marriage to her entry in politics to Edsa One to her years in the Department of Trade and Industry until she topped the senatorial elections. Part 4 of the book is her entry into the presidency while Parts 5 and 6 are her years as president. The last part is her post-presidency until she took her oath as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Continued on A6

News

Saturday, February 5, 2022 A5 BusinessMirror Boris Johnson’s key aides quit, leaving the Premier on the brink

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he crisis engulfing Boris Johnson’s government deepened as four top aides quit, with one unleashing a devastating attack on his judgment.

The UK prime minister’s chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield, and his principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds both resigned on Thursday, as did his director of communications, Jack Doyle.

But perhaps the most damaging was the exit of Munira Mirza, one of his longest-standing allies, who quit as head of the policy unit in protest over a “scurrilous” remark Johnson made about opposition rival Keir Starmer.

One former minister talked about Johnson’s premiership with a hint of melancholy, as if it was already effectively over. Another Tory MP said that Mirza’s resignation was a huge blow to Johnson. A third said that her letter made it clear that there is now an organized plot against the premier and it may well succeed in bringing him down.

“Very clear that Munira Mirza thinks that the PM should go and, by resigning and publishing this letter, she is trying to facilitate that,” former Conservative minister David Gauke, who was removed from the parliamentary party by Johnson during the wrangling over Brexit in 2019, said on Twitter. “Nearly everyone draws a line at some point.”

The pressure for Johnson to step down has been increasing among members of his Conservative party after a series of missteps and allegations he and his team held rule-breaking parties during the pandemic.

Johnson is also grappling with escalating tensions over a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine, and a growing cost-of-living squeeze on households.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on Thursday unveiled a 9 billion-pound ($12 billion) package of measures that only partially offsets a 54 percent hike in domestic energy bills announced by the energy regulator Ofgem.

Meanwhile the Bank of England increased its key

interest rate by 25 basis points to 0.5 percent in a bid to contain the fastest inflation in three decades.

‘Last days of Rome’

Asked by Channel 4 News if Thursday’s developments felt like “the last days of Rome,” Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke, a member of Johnson’s cabinet, replied: “The last days of Rome, I think, were more fun.”

The so-called partygate scandal is being investigated by the police and has seen support for Johnson’s Tories—and his own personal ratings— plummet. At least 14 of his members of Parliament have called on him to resign or said they’ve lost confidence in him. Others have said they’ll reserve judgment until the police reach their conclusions.

Johnson’s administration was censured on Monday for “failures of leadership and judgment” in a civil service investigation into the lockdown gatherings, which had to be watered down so as not to prejudice the criminal probe.

Amid the fallout, Johnson promised to “fix it,” including by overhauling his office. Yet Johnson told 5 News he was “sorry” to lose Mirza, who he described as a “wonderful colleague for a long time” and praised for doing “an outstanding job.”

On Wednesday, three more Tory MPs submitted letters calling for a vote of no-confidence in him.

That would be triggered if the number reaches 54— or 15 percent of the total. The running tally remains private until the threshold is reached.

Savile slur

In her resignation letter, Mirza cited Johnson’s accusation that Labour Party leader Starmer—in a former role as director of public prosecutions— was personally responsible for allowing serial child-sex abuser Jimmy Savile to escape justice, according to the Spectator magazine.

“This was not the usual cut and thrust of politics; it was an inappropriate and partisan reference to

a horrendous case of child sex abuse,” Mirza said in her resignation letter, according to the Spectator magazine. Mirza began working with Johnson when he became London mayor in 2008.

Adding to the sense of crisis, Sunak—one of the favorites to succeed him—offered only a lukewarm defense of Johnson in a televised press conference, even as he said the premier “has my support.”

“I wouldn’t have said it,” Sunak said in reference to the Savile remark. Asked if Johnson should apologize, he replied: “It’s a question for the prime minister rather than me.”

Johnson had taken aim at the Labour leader in the House of Commons on Monday, as he responded to the report into the pandemic parties. Trying to rally his MPs during a heated session, the prime minister accused Starmer of spending most of his time in his previous role “prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile.”

But the comment backfired, and led to a storm of criticism because Starmer was not personally involved in the Savile case.

Former Tory Cabinet Minister Amber Rudd told ITV the comments were a “Trumpian response to try and deflect from himself and use something so outrageous that people will talk about that rather than the big issue.” AP

A6

Saturday, February 5, 2022

News BusinessMirror

Russia’s Putin courts China’s Xi for help in showdown with West

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ussia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping hold their first in-person meeting in more than two years Friday as the two presidents find themselves increasingly aligned against a common adversary.

Their summit in Beijing is a conveniently timed show of solidarity on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics.

The Russian leader is using the occasion to court his increasingly powerful neighbor to help offset the US’s alliance network, describing the two countries in an interview with Chinese state media as playing an “important stabilizing role.”

The 38th one-on-one exchange between the two long-tenured authoritarian leaders comes as the US and Europe warn of punishing sanctions if Russia invades neighboring Ukraine, something Moscow insists it isn’t planning to do. With growing political, military and economic frictions between China and the US, both Moscow and Beijing see an advantage in drawing closer together to support each other on the world stage.

Putin is easily the most high-

profile among the 21 world leaders attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Games, with Australia, Canada and the UK joining the US’s “diplomatic boycott” over China’s human rights record. Beijing has repeatedly accused Washington of seeking to politicize the global sporting event, while using Putin’s visit to tout closer ties with Moscow.

“The speed and scale of their rapprochement is accelerating,” said Alexander Gabuev, head of the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Russia in the AsiaPacific program.

That represents a strategic challenge for US President Joe Biden, who’s sought to focus his administration on the geopolitical contest with China even as Putin repeatedly forces him to devote time and resources to Russia. Although China hasn’t recognized Putin’s 2014 an-

nexation of Crimea and has urged all sides to show restraint in the present crisis over Ukraine, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call last week that Russia’s “legitimate security concerns should be taken seriously and addressed.”

China and Russia “coordinated their stances” on issues including Ukraine, Afghanistan and the Korean peninsula at talks in Beijing on Thursday between Wang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement. Lavrov also updated Wang on progress in Russia’s security talks with the US and Nato, it said.

China is already Russia’s largest trading partner and trade jumped by one-third to a record $140 billion last year, according to the Kremlin, driven by rising energy consumption and commodity prices. The two nations have set a goal of reaching $200 billion in trade by 2024, while Russia has faced increasing US and European Union sanctions over Crimea and its backing for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The focus has expanded to hightech fields such as aerospace. Putin, at his annual news conference in December, highlighted joint development of advanced weapons including planes and helicopters, as well as

cooperation in space, where Russia and China plan to build a research station on the moon.

The rift between Russia and the West is prompting Moscow to “speed up cooperation” with Beijing, in particular in high-tech spheres at risk of sanctions, said Anastasia Pyatachkova, an expert from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

“Foreign policy coordination between Russia and China is based on close and coinciding approaches to solving global and regional issues,” Putin said in a commentary published Thursday by China’s official Xinhua News Agency. “Our countries play an important stabilizing role in today’s challenging international environment, promoting greater democracy in the system of international relations to make it more equitable and inclusive.”

Putin noted Russia’s long-term oil and gas supplies to China, and said the two countries had plans for “a number of large-scale joint projects” to ensure energy security. As Europe relies on Russia for about 40 percent of its gas supplies, the Biden administration and allies have been scouring the world to secure alternative sources in case a conflict erupts over Ukraine, including by reaching out to Beijing. Bloomberg News

Bill creating Boracay super body BIDA won’t get support of Leni, Manny, Isko

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

Special to the BusinessMirror

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he proposed legislation to set up a managing authority over the crown jewel of Philippine tourism, the Boracay Island in Aklan, has its fans and detractors among the presidential candidates.

Of all the presidential candidates who showed up at the KBP Presidential Forum #PanataSaBayan on Friday, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and labor leader Leody de Guzman said they would enact the bill into law.

Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso said they would not support the Boracay Island Development Authority (BIDA) bill.

Last September, the House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 9826 creating BIDA as a powerful government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCC), to which many island stakeholders are opposed. The Senate, which has its own BIDA versions, has yet to deliberate on their bills and that of the House version.

During the forum, Robredo said, “I won’t sign it. While I agree that it is important to have a tourism authority to manage Boracay, I don’t agree that stakeholders and the local government unit will lose their voices. All efforts

must be exerted to fix it, but it should be ensured that the views of the people who will be affected will be respected.”

Pacquiao said, speaking mostly in Filipino, “First, we should trust in the powers of the DOT [Department of Tourism] and the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources].

I suppose DOT has enough powers to care for and improve Boracay. Second, there should be consultations with the people if they want it [BIDA] or not; it depends on the LGU [ocal government unit] if they want it. As for me, do we still need it when the DOT is already there, focused on them? The DOT can just partner with the local government so they could focus on the development and improvement of any destination.”

For his part, Domagoso, also speaking partly in Filipino, said he would not sign the bill. “First, it’s just not the views of the stakeholders that should be heard; the profits earned there should remain with the local government. It’s only appropriate that they enjoy the marine resources, tourism, mineral resources of their respective local governments. I do believe there [are] enough laws already addressing tourism regulation. I think we should not add to government spending by not adding another bureau, when there are existing proper and effective, and local governments that benefit from

the livelihood and businesses in that area. Let us not fix something that is not destroyed. National government should support the local government in that area.”

Lacson, however, said he would sign the BIDA bill: “Yes I will [sign the bill], because this is an essence of the tourism industry. Let’s give a chance to the tourism area to have a tourism estate mentality, where it could attract and really develop tourism especially in Boracay, which is popular all over the world.

And because we still have a pandemic, Boracay can seek domestic tourists.”

De Guzman said the BIDA bill, if enacted into law, is a way to develop the tourism sector, “which will potentially help the economy recover faster.

We need it [Bida bill]. We must ensure though the participation of the community so all the voices of those involved in the projects which will undertake will be heard.”

Several Cabinet secretaries, notably Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Berna Romulo Puyat, opposed the bill when it was in Congress.

Members of the Boracay Interagency Task Force (BIATF), chaired by Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, along with other government agencies did not support the creation of a Boracay Island Development Zone as envisioned by the said bill. (See, “New bill on Boracay Island

regulatory authority opposed,” in the BusinessMirror, February 28, 2021.)

Dominguez said the proposed Boracay ecozone is “inconsistent with the government’s ongoing policy to streamline and rationalize the government corporate sector and bureaucracy as a whole.” He underscored the need for more coordination among government agencies in dealing with Boracay’s issues, instead of creating a new GOCC or ecozone.

Stakeholders on the island believe congressmen with the ear of President Duterte, including his son Paolo, railroaded the passage of the BIDA bill in the Lower House, which morphed from a regulatory authority in the mold of the current BIATF, to a super power government firm that will “manage, develop, preserve, and rehabilitate” the island, giving it control over Barangay Caticlan, the municipality of Malay, “and the entire area occupied by the airport, which extends to the municipality of Nabas.”

The bill also gives BIDA the power to “contract, lease, buy, sell, acquire, own or dispose movable and immovable, as well as personal and real property of whatever nature, including shares.” Taxes earned in Boracay will revert to the Boracay authority, and deprive the Malay government of means to sustain the municipality, according to stakeholders.

Deus Ex Machina: Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo unveils memoir Continued from A5 She also said it took her around nine years to finish writing her memoir because of the difficulties she encountered when she started writing it during her hospital arrest.

“It took so long during my incarceration, firstly with the long recovery period from my three surgeries.

Secondly, with access to computers and the Internet prohibited, the research required personal interviews with visitors when I felt well enough, and through hard copies of documents; and the writing had to be done manually, on yellow pad, or with an electric typewriter. Editing and corrections were literally cut and paste,” she said.

“Then when I was acquitted and released, I became very busy and the writing went to the backburner.

When I became Speaker it stopped altogether. I resumed working on it after my term in Congress ended.

When I resumed, the extensive revisions with the editor happened.

My brother Boboy suggested having two editions: a short one for casual readers, only 200+ pages with large font size, and a second more extensive one that researchers can use as reference material.

The one we’re launching is the short version,” she added.

When asked about her proudest moment, the former President said it is her being a devout Catholic and economist more than a politician.

During her Presidency, Arroyo said she took painful but necessary fiscal reforms like the E-VAT, which helped the country survive the global financial crisis during her administration.

“One of the things I am most proud of is my role in ending our decadesold cycle of economic booms and busts. I left the Presidency with 38 quarters of uninterrupted economic growth, so our economy was ready to grow further under the presidencies of my successors,” she said.

She added, “[s]o under the watch of my two presidential successors, we have begun to catch up with the Asian tigers. And when we finally put the pandemic behind us, I am confident that our next President will take us to the next economic level, where we can look to our neighboring countries with heads held high as economic equals. This sense of anticipation of good things to come is most rewarding. I am thankful to God that He gave me the opportunity to make a contribution to our progress as a nation.”

Arroyo said she is hopeful that with her memoir, people will “know her better and how honored she is to have been given the chance to serve the Filipino people.”

“This is my story, as simply as I can put it, so that you can know me better as a person. That’s why it’s short as memoirs go, and I apologize especially to those Cabinet members whose contributions to my presidency were not yet included in this earlier edition. I have started writing the longer edition, and I hope that the 100 persons in this book launching, who were all important in my life and career, can tell me how they would like to be remembered in my book.

To you and to all, thank you for the honor of serving the Filipino people as President,” she said.

Arroyo said she is now writing the Part 2 of her book.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

MWSS, water firms extend help to ‘Odette’-hit regions Continued from A5 Meanwhile, Maynilad President Ramoncito S. Fernandez deployed Maynilad MTPs along with the manpower to operate these MTPs that can produce a total of 43,000 gallons of water per day for typhoonaffected areas. It also donated P6.5 million cash aid through the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and One Meralco Foundation for Odette survivors.

Leading the charge for Maynilad’s timely assistance to typhoonaffected areas was Maynilad VP for Corporate Communication Marie Antonette De Ocampo who made a round-the-clock trip to the Visayas on New Year’s Eve via PAL/ PAL Express.

In her FB post on December 31, 2021, De Ocampo wrote: “Mission accomplished for Maynilad and our kapatids in the MVP group of companies Marge Macasaet Barro of the Makati Med Foundation and Jeffrey O. Tarayao of One Meralco Foundation after we turned over our donation earlier today for the communities affected by typhoon Odette to the Office of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas [OPAV], represented

by Undersecretary Anthony Gerard Gonzales. Huge thanks to PAL/PAL Express for this partnership. Sleepless at Mactan Airport yet big smiles behind the masks.”

Around 10,000 bottled water were also sent to the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Palawan and Surigao del Norte. For her part, MWSS Administrator Leonor “Bobby” Cleofas ordered the deployment of the agency’s mobile water treatment plant that was first dispatched to Talibon, Bohol, the hardest hit municipality in the province.

According to MWSS, its MTP can pump from streams and is capable of treating compromised water, recycle floodwater into purified, potable state at rate of 4,000 liters per hour. A team of volunteers traveled to the Visayas led by Engr. Jose Escoto, Department Manager, and Field

Operations Management of MWSS. Accompanying him were Engr. Wilson Baluca, Engr. Joseph Burdeos, Mr. Wilfredo Gonzales, Mr. Ramil Ochavillo, Mr. Willie De Guzman, and Mr. Cenon Ordoña. They were tasked to provide potable drinking water to the residents of the devastated area.

Affected families in the municipality numbered 20,947 or 62,841 individuals. MWSS supplied a daily average of 21,300 liter containers of potable water, four sorties of water tank with 2,000 liters capacity and two static tanks refilling to affected barangays in Talibon.

The team stayed in Talibon from four days after which they traveled 95 kilometers to service the water supply needs of Albuquerque, another municipality in Bohol. Typhoon Odette has affected 2,841 families or 8,523 individuals in Albuquerque alone. MWSS treated about 15,000 liters, which were distributed to residents. With the surge in Covid infections in the area, MWSS also ensured potable water supply to the rural health unit in the municipality and refilling three static tanks with 1,500 liter capacity.

On the other hand, SMC President Ramon S. Ang, whose subsidiary Luzon Clean Water Development Corporation (LCWDC) is the third concessionaire of MWSS, has extended over P35 million worth of food and water donations to provinces hit by typhoon Odette aside from donating 24,000 liters of water from LCWDC’s Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project.

SMC also partnered with the Armed Forces on an extended feeding program through its AFP Mobile Kitchen, which brings hot meals, including donated SMC food products, to various locations all over Cebu.

Emerging from the devastation and rebuilding on what has been left by the calamity, victims are confident they can rise again with the assistance extended by government and the private sector.

OurTime BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Creation of National Center for Geriatric Health and Research Institute approved

By Filane Mikee Cervantes

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ANILA—A National Center for Geriatric Health and Research Institute (NCGHRI) will soon be created to ensure that holistic health services are available to all senior citizens all over the country.

During Monday’s plenary session at the House of Representatives, a total of 201 lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill 10697, which would establish dedicated medical facilities and geriatric specialty centers in every region of the country.

House Committee on Health Chairperson Angelina Tan said the NCGHRI would be mandated to establish, operate, equip, and maintain an integrated medical institution specializing in geriatric health services.

Geriatrics is a branch of medicine that focuses on the health care of elderly people through the prevention and treatment of their

diseases and disabilities.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, the author of the bill, said specialized geriatric care will lower the average length of hospital stay among elderly patients from 7.3 days to 6.7 days, minimize hospital costs to around P50,000 per patient, and improve the overall care of senior citizens.

Velasco further argued that a hospital specializing in geriatric care can help bridge the persistent shortage of geriatricians in the Philippines since it can become a training ground for doctors who seek to pursue a specialization in geriatric health.

It will also establish geriatric health as a viable field of specialty and incentivize new and upcoming doctors to become geriatricians.

“This bill seeks to make the country’s commitment to universal health care more genuinely felt by the elderly population and give our almost 10 million senior citizens the quality health care they rightfully deserve,” he said. PNA

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, February 5, 2022

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House approves bill that increases centenarian cash gift to ₧1 million

By Filane Mikee Cervantes

M

ANILA—A measure seeking to grant additional benefits to Filipino centenarians hurdled third reading approval at the House of Representatives.

D u r i ng Mond ay ’s ple n a r y session, the chamber approved House Bill 10647 with 193 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and no abstention.

The bill proposes amendments to Republic Act 10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016.

Under the bill, those who reach the age of 101 years old shall receive cash gifts worth P1 million on their birthday, as well as a letter of felicitation from the President.

Under the law, the current amount given to Filipino centenarians is P100,000.

Bukidnon Representative Manuel Zubiri, one of the authors of the bill, said not many Filipinos live up to age, thus only a few get to enjoy the benefits of the law.

Zubiri said the bill proposes to expand the coverage of the law by including the Filipino octogenarians and nonagenarians.

“To provide our beloved senior citizens the motivation to live longer, as well as to aid them the means to purchase medicines and other necessities, this bill seeks to expand the coverage of Republic Act No. 10868 to include those Filipinos who have reached the age of 80 and 90 years old,” he said.

The bill provides that all Filipinos who reach the age of 80, 85, 90, and 95 years old shall receive P25,000 and a letter of felicitation from the President.

HOUSE members approved House Bill 10647 with 193 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and no abstention. The measure will grant P1-million cash gift to every elderly Filipino who reaches the age of 101 years old.

The National Commission of Senior Citizens shall be the lead implementing agency.

The funding for the implementation shall be sourced from the annual General Appropriations Act. PNA

Senior citizens and health workers priority for Covid testing in Baguio SSS gives pensioners until March

to comply with face-to-face ACOP

By Liza Agoot

B

AGUIO CITY—The city’s top health official on Thursday said senior citizens and health workers remain as the priority sectors in Covid-19 testing efforts.

City Health Services Office chief Dr. Rowena Galpo, in a phone interview, said this is in compliance with the Department of Health’s (DOH) directive prioritizing health workers, the elderly, and persons with comorbidities in the testing, as the country sees a surge in Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.

“Priority testing for health care workers is being done for surveillance purposes to plan for adequate health system capacity,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said senior citizens and persons with comorbidities are amongvulnerablesectors,thustheneed for testing and to determine if they can be given drugs against Covid-19.

She said antigen testing is encouraged when symptomatic and when reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing is not available.

Galpo added that for the rest of the population who are asymptomatic, testing is only done to confirm Covid-19 infection after exposure to a positive case.

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PNA PHOTO

She said based on the DOH guidelines, testing is optional if there are no symptoms, but quarantine is advised as well as monitoring of symptoms.

The city government uses sensitive antigen test kits, which Mayor Benjamin Magalong said are 99 percent efficient. This means a person who tested positive in antigen test is already regarded as Covid-19 positive and is required to undergo isolation.

For the rest of the population with Covid-19 symptoms, testing is still

France probes ‘revolting’ claims of shoddy, rapacious care homes

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ARIS—France’s government pledged Wednesday to investigate what it called “absolutely revolting” allegations that a world leader in care for older adults has been putting profit before quality, rationing food and other items for nursing home residents.

Orpea, with more than 1,100 care homes in 23 countries, has vigorously denied the accusations of shoddy and rapacious care which have battered its stock-market value in Paris this week and are contained in an investigative journalist’sbookpublishedWednesday.

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal described the alleged practices described in the book as “absolutely revolting” and said “reading such things leaves a knot in the stomach.”

Attal said the government is considering launching an independent investigation to inspect “the entirety of the Orpea group.”

“Our elders deserve respect,” he said. “Tolerating such schemes in our country is out of the question.”

Although Orpea is a private-sector company, the allegations are putting French ministers on the defensive because they risk throwing the spotlight back on the France’s elderly care policies, after nursing homes

saw atrocious suffering in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid-19 infections devastated older generations before vaccinations curbed death rates in nursing homes and helped restore freedom for elderly residents who were often kept isolated in what some described as prison-like conditions. The pandemic has claimed nearly 130,000 lives in France, with 27,400 dying in care homes.

With President Emmanuel Macron facing re-election in April, the three-year investigation into the business of elderly care by journalist Victor Castanet has been seized upon

by Macron’s election rivals. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is calling for a parliamentary enquiry into the private management of care homes.

Orpea, in a statement, contested the book’s allegations as lies. It noted that France’s care-home sector is subject to “strict regulation and regular controls by public authorities.”

Among those quoted in the book was a former Orpea nursing home employee who alleged that sanitary protections for residents were rationed to three a day in the care unit with a “terrible smell of piss” where she worked. AP

optional to confirm the health status after the onset of symptoms. However, immediate isolation, home care, and teleconsultation are advised.

Meanwhile, the number of Omicron coronavirus variant cases in the city has climbed to nine, after seven more cases of the highly transmissible variant were recorded.

In an update, Aileen Refuerzo, city information officer, said this was based on the January 25 biosurveillance report received by the Department of

Health (DOH)-Cordillera from the Philippine Genome Center (PGC).

Refuerzo, meanwhile, said all of these cases have already recovered.

Last week, the city recorded its first two Omicron cases.

Prior to the DOH-Cordillera’s confirmation, Mayor Magalong earlier said they have already assumed that the Omicron variant is already in the city, considering the rapid increase in the number of infections that started earlier in January. PNA

HE Social Security System (SSS) has given an ultimatum to the 3 million pensioners to comply with the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners (ACOP) until March 31, 2022 as it announced the return of face-to-face confirmation. Failure to comply means their monthly pension stops on the following month.

Senior citizen and journalist Emmanuel Geslani said that the other methods of the SSS for ACOP compliance is through mail, drop, courier, online or through chats with the SSS staff by enrolling in the MYSSS account.

Many SSS pensioners are not techies, and many of them especially in the provinces do not have computers to file online, and completing the ACOP form assuming they are able to get one is cumbersome for the pensioners.

The requirements that Geslani opposed is the inclusion of a medical certificate in the envelope containing the ACOP application, two IDS, self declaration of non-marriage, and signatures of the bank manager or the Barangay chairman when filing through mail or drop box.

The requirement of a medical certificate will be a burden to many pensioners who will have to spend for the medical exam, and they might have difficulties or are unable to see a doctor in their localities.

SSS removed the face-to-face confirmation of its pensioners amid the pandemic and due to the rise in alert levels in the country.

The agency suspended the ACOP for almost two years as a concession to the pensioners. However, from October 1, 2021 to March 31,2022 pensioners are now required to confirm their existence through the different methods like mail, drop box or online.

The IATF has downgraded the NCR classification to alert level 2 and expects to go to Alert Level 1 by the end of February. Hopefully, the relaxations of alert levels with follow in other areas in the country.

It is now the right time for SSS to return to the face-to-face confirmation for the benefit and ease of millions of pensioners. After all, the elderly who deserve more in life should not be burdened by bureaucratic systems.

Inspired by her mother, Isabel Allende publishes ‘Violeta’

By Gisela Salomon The Associated Press

M

IAMI—Shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began, Isabel Allende suffered one of the greatest losses of her life: The death of her mother.

On Tuesday, the Chilean author published “Violeta,” a novel that begins and ends with an epidemic and that covers the last 100 years of history through the eyes of a grandmother inspired by her mom, Panchita, one of the women who marked her the most.

Violeta, a strong woman who manages to overcome innumerable obstacles, gradually reveals details of her family and love life to her grandson Camilo, whom she has raised since the day he was born.

Set mainly in the Chilean Patagonia, with moments in Argentina, Miami and Norway, the novel deals with a wide range of themes, from feminism and verbal abuse, human rights violations and homosexuality, to amorous passions, infidelity and even global warming.

Throughout its almost 400 pages, it also reviews socialist movements, communism, military dictatorships in the Southern Cone and democracies.

“Violeta, like my mother, was a person, a beautiful woman, that wasn’t very aware of her beauty. She was smart, visionary, talented, with good ideas to make money,” Allende, 79, says in an interview in Spanish from her home in California. “She takes all the chances, whether it’s her love life and the life she wants to lead.... The difference is that my mom always depended financially on someone.”

So Violeta, the woman who says to her grandson that her life is worth telling not so much for her virtues as for her sins, is partly Allende’s mother, partly herself and “a lot of imagination.”

The novel, published in the US by Ballantine, a Penguin Random House imprint, begins at the time Panchita was born, during the so-called Spanish flu of 1920, and ends at the time she died, during the coronavirus in 2020. Allende goes through the almost centenarian life of a woman born to a conservative and wealthy Chilean family, a status that changes radically when the Great Depression leaves them homeless.

The original idea for the book arose after the death of Allende’s mother. Knowing that the two had had a very close relationship and got to exchange thousands of daily

letters, some of Allende’s friends suggested that she wrote a book about her mother’s life. The novelist was still too emotional to see her mother with the needed distance to write about her.

Months passed and, when she felt stronger, she began “Violeta” inspired by her mother, but with a marked difference: The protagonist is a woman who supports herself and a good part of her family with her businesses.

The character of Camilo, a mischievous and rebellious grandson who Violeta raised and who later became a priest, is inspired by the Chilean Jesuit priest Felipe Berríos del Solar, a social activist critical of the church who fights against inequality and segregation and whom for years has been a “very close friend” of Allende. The author dedicates the book to him, her son Nicolás and her daughter-in-law Lori, her “pillars” at her old age.

And from those conversations between a writer who describes herself as “completely agnostic and feminist” and a progressive priest emerged Camilo, to whom his grandmother Violeta confesses her admiration and tells him that he is the biggest love of her life. In real life, Allende feels the same way for her son Nicolás.

Perhaps that is also why a large part of the anecdotes of the character’s childhood are those of her son, who after having made his first communion in a religious school in Venezuela told Allende that he did not believe in God and did not want to go to church anymore, the author recalls.

Throughout her life, Violeta is marked by death: That of her mother; her daughter Nieves, the mother of Camilo (a young drug addict inspired by Jennifer, one of the daughters of Allende’s ex-husband Willy Gordon); her governess Miss Taylor and a lover, Roy. The writer herself experienced the death of her 29-year-old daughter Paula in 1992, and that partly helped her with the character.

“I could describe that terrible pain of seeing your daughter die because I had lived it,” says Allende, who in 1994 published the memoir “Paula” in honor of her daughter.

Along with love, violence, women’s strength and the absence of fathers, death is a recurring theme in Allende’s books, from “The House of the Spirits” to “A Long Petal of the Sea.” This time, the message she wanted to convey was what she saw as her mother got older and run out of friends and loved ones.

Education BusinessMirror

A8 Saturday, February 5, 2022

House speaker: Baybayin ‘revival’ instrumental for PHL’s resurgence A

Editor: Mike Policarpio

Retired diplomats, public servants join DLS-CSB Councils of Advisers

P

ROMOTING and preserving indigenous and traditional writing systems would help in the country’s resurgence.

This is according to House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, who hailed on February 1 the third reading approval of the bill seeking to promote, protect and preserve baybayin as well as other Philippine indigenous and traditional writing systems as part of the country’s cultural treasures.

The House of Representatives voted to approve on final reading House Bill 10657, or the proposed “Philippine Indigenous and Traditional Writing Systems Act” with 197 affirmative votes.

“Lost, but not forgotten: Baybayin, together with other indigenous and traditional writing scripts, should be preserved and promoted as part of the country’s resurgence,” Velasco said in a statement.

He explained that baybayin is an ancient syllabary script, which

means “to spell,” and noted that it is one of at least 16 different writing systems that were used by early Filipinos prior to the Spanish era.

“It is time for our country to revisit our past through one of its cultural remnants, our indigenous and traditional writing systems, including the [said] pre-colonial writing system…” Velasco averred.

The house speaker acknowledged baybayin and other indigenous writing scripts as representations of Filipino tradition and national identity.

“There is a need to promote, protect, preserve and conserve Philippine indigenous and traditional systems as tools for cultural development, for instilling national pride, [as well as] for protecting Filipino cultural heritage and identity,” Velasco said.

He added that promotion and

VELASCO

preser vation of these writing systems are a must in order to “generate greater awareness of indigenous and traditional scripts and to foster a wider appreciation of their significance and beauty.”

The bill seeks to require the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education to include writing systems in relevant subjects of basic and curricula, as well as to create an elective or specialized course in higher education.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts shall be the lead policy-making unit for the promotion of Philippine Indigenous

and Traditional Writing Systems.

The bill also aims to promote and preserve indigenous and traditional writing systems by creating and supporting activities that promote awareness of such, mainly during “Buwan ng Wika” (Language Month), as well as similar occasions and events.

Other measures to promote and preserve these writing systems could be done through the conduct of seminars, conferences, conventions, symposia, as well as a good record-keeping of relevant documents and the preservation of oral evidence on these writing systems.

Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA

UST lecture allays concerns, urges wider Covid-19 vaccination efforts

STERLING roster of retired Philippine ambassadors, dedicated chief executives and noteworthy public officials were recently welcomed as members of two Councils of Advisers (COA) of the School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).

The COA supports the goal of the inclusive and innovative institution to shape future leaders in the fields of international affairs and diplomacy, governance, public administration and management through combined theory and practice.

The practitioners, according to DLS-CSB offer expert advice on the educational curriculum and plans of Benilde SDG’s two programs: Diplomacy and International Affairs, as well as Governance and Public Affairs. They take part in substantive meetings and exchanges with fellow public administrators and academicians who share their common goal of creating a positive impact on diplomacy and governance education in the Philippines. They likewise champion the industryacademe partnership through networking, which bridges the community of learners and sector authorities.

Trustees for the Diplomacy and International Affairs are esteemed veteran ambassadors Marilyn Alarilla (formerly assigned to Turkey); Minda Calaguian-Cruz (envoy to

Australia); Luz Palacios (former chief of mission); Antonio Rodriguez (was ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Thailand, and dean of the diplomatic corps); and Monina CallanganRueca (diplomat designated in Hungary).

The COA for Governance and Public Affairs includes Mayor Victor Ma. Regis “Vico” Sotto of Pasig City; political scientist and former dean of the University of the Philippines Diliman-National College of Public Administration and Governance Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr.; Manila Water Co. Inc. East Zone Enterprise Regulatory Affairs Director Atty. Jo Kristine Celera-Revil; Institute of Politics and Governance Executive Director Arline Santos; and Cavite Provincial Administrator Alvin Mojica.

“The COA provides [a key] contribution to the various programs in Benilde because of their expertise, experience, and excellence [in] their respective disciplines,” DLS-CSB SDG Dean Gary Ador Dionisio, DPA stated. “Their impeccable and untarnished publicservice records from their local and global assignments are key lessons that students should learn and live by. Their actual experiences in their fields of specializations will be a vital reference for future research and enhancement of the disciplines of diplomacy, international relations, governance, and public administration.”

Mapua, key partners to pioneer university-based innovation hubs

M FR. Austriaco

W

ITH misinformation currently rampant, the decision to get vaccinated may still be daunting for some people. Often, this choice may be influenced by faith and religion, particularly in the Philippine context.

With the theme: “Solidarity, Equity and the Global Challenge for Universal Access to Vaccination,” microbiologist-priest Fr. Nicanor Austriaco OP, PhD, SThD and independent health-reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon provided clarity on obtaining anti-Covid-19 jabs through a free, publicly available webinar.

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) College of Science, led by Dean Professor Rey Donne Papa, PhD; in collaboration with the UST Center for Theology, Religious Studies and Ethics; Uniharmony Partners Philippines; and the USTCoVAX Awareness Team organized the webinar to show how Covid-19 vaccination is an acceptable initiative across different faiths and beliefs.

“The Covid-19 Vaccines and the Common Good” was delivered by Fr. Austriaco, who is UST-CoVAX

DR. Leachon

Awareness Team lead investigator and Department of Biological Sciences professor. “Each individual has a responsibility toward the common good, and must consider it when making decisions.”

He emphasized that “according to St. Thomas Aquinas: ‘We must… desire the common good more than the individual good; this way, we are more like God.’”

Common good

THE prelate explained: “As more people get vaccinated, the transmission rate goes down. Being fully vaccinated not only protects the people who are jabbed, but also the people around them—particularly the elderly and the vulnerable, which is why the choice to get the vaccine leads to the common good.”

To il lustrate, Fr. Austr iaco shared that in Providence College in Rhode Island, United States, where he also teaches, full capacity in-person classes with masks are already ongoing. The student, employee, and faculty population have a joint 97-percent vaccination rate. For the collegiate community, herd immunity—a level of

population immunity where viral transmission is stopped—has been achieved.

“With the substantially high vaccination rate, even their cafeteria now operates in full capacity… in a few weeks, the mask mandate will be lifted,” he said.

Recommendations

TO break the cycle of lockdowns, the Health Education Reform Order (Executive Order 595) author, Philippine College of Physicians past president and UST College of Science Class of 1981 alumnus Dr. Tony C. Leachon discussed recommendations in his talk: “How to end the pandemic in the Philippines.”

Aside from increasing the testing, tracing, and treatment efforts, Dr. Leachon said that the primary considerations to focus on include emphasizing proper ventilation, subsidizing tests, creating a network of health facilities from barangays to tertiary hospitals, and improving health workers’ compensation.

Leachon also added the following: providing timely and complete case data, having clear and consistent messaging, improving

mass-public transportation and safety measures, making vaccination processes simple and transparent, as well as providing economic stimulus and relief for households during lockdowns.

The panel of reactors was composed of experts from different perspectives: Most Rev. Edwin Del a Pena, DD — c ha ir of t he Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines; Dr. Aldrin Penamora— Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches Commission on Justice, Peace and Reconciliation executive director-pastor; Prof. Macrina A. Morados—University of the Philippines Institute of Islamic Studies dean; Arumanon-Manuvo Chieftain Timuey Lito Palma—ancestral domain tribal impahalad; and Pastor Alvaro O. Senturias Jr. of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines Cosmopolitan Church.

The interfaith discussion had common ground in its encouragement of vaccination.

The Second Albertus Magnus Faith and Science lecture was held via Zoom and livestreamed on the UST Facebook page.

A PÚA Un iversit y h a s entered into a tripartite agreement with Digital Pilipinas (DP) and the Department of Science and TechnologyPhilippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOSTPCIEERD) to establish an innovative education technology ecosystem, or edutech, through the mass adoption of emerging technologies.

The DOST-MAPUA Think and Tinker Laborator y-Technolog y Business Incubation (TBI) program aims to support new enterprises in developing products and services that utilize emerging technologies to promote innovation by providing needed resources and support— including the use of its facilities, mentoring and networking, as well as business matching to help them mature.

“We thank the DOST for the TBI program,” President Dr. Reynaldo Vea of Mapúa said during the recent virtual launch of this academeindustr y-government partnership. “We hope to contribute to the eTechnology commercialization significantly, and we will strive to mobilize Mapúa’s talents: not only our students, but also our faculty members, researchers, graduate schools, and undergraduates to support the incubation initiative.”

According to PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit, Mapúa is among the universities supported by the DOST-PCIEERD under its Higher Education Institution Readiness for Innovation

and Technopreneurship Program by creating the TBI. DP Convenor Amor Maclang noted that the movement is proud to back them up to “pilot their university-based innovation hubs.”

She said: “Digital tools are [changing] key elements of the education spectrum. Understanding how they are disrupting teaching and learning will give us the knowledge which tools to use and how best to implement them.”

Maclang, who is also the convenor of the World Fintech Festival, trustee and executive director at Fintech Philippines Association, as well as cofounder of GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications Inc., was designated as advisor to the Mapúa Technology Business Incubator (MTBI).

The parties agreed to develop collaborative Research and Development projects—including the creation of microcertification courses within the DP Academy in cooperation with the MTBI. “In Digital Pilipinas, most professors will be practitioners in the industry. Teachers today take their own industry experience for granted, so what they teach is academic, not the real world,” pointed out Marco Yuchengco Santos of Mapúa University. “Working with DP and its partners, we can find a new venue for industry practitioners to teach what is happening in the workplace. The industry practitioners know what the market needs because they experience it themselves.” Roderick L. Abad

tographs for Grade 3; and inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words in stories for Grade 5.

Since its rollout in Januar y 2021, a total of 9,125 teachers have attended the training sessions conducted using digital learning tools such as Kahoot!, Mentimeter and Quizziz to inspire teachers to adapt to new teaching modalities in their classes.

Karen Kae Rota, a teacher in Catmon Elementary School in Ormoc City, shared how her students loved the videos: “They told me

that the videos helped them better understand compound words and context clues. They also loved the interactive engagement of viewers through the [built-in] questions and games.”

As of December 2021 an estimated 10.6 million Filipino students have watched the videos either through the Knowledge Channel or various platforms. SBFI, KCFI and ADMU aim to enhance the program for the current school year to address the other findings of the impact assessment.

Security Bank Foundation commits to improving reading competencies

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ART of its advocacy to improve the quality of education and reading competencies of Filipino learners, Security Bank Foundation Inc. (SBFI) successfully rolled out its Ready, Set, Read! video series for elementary students, in partnership with the Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) and Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU).

The program involved the production of English reading educational videos and training of teachers on new strategies to help

enhance students’ reading skills relevant to distance learning delivery. The videos were distributed through the Knowledge Channel, and accessible on l ine t hrough Facebook, YouTube, and partners’ web sites. Said materials are also available offline through KCFI portable media libraries donated to thousands of schools nationwide.

“The challenges of 21st-century education and this pandemic have encouraged us to partner with the [KCFI and ADMU] to produce videos on English Reading competen-

cies aligned with the Department of Education curriculum. We focused on English Reading to address the findings of global student assessments that Filipino learners lag in reading comprehension versus their international peers,” explained Melissa Aquino, SBFI trustee and corporate secretary.

To gauge the effectiveness of the program, an impact assessment was administered in the form of a student examination facilitated by the trained teachers. Out of a sample size of approximately 3,000

students, 90 percent exhibited the minimum required prof icienc y level in English Reading.

During the pilot implementation in School Year 2020-2021, Ready, Set, Read! rolled out 20 videos focused on four competency areas where students need to develop based on surveys conducted by SBFI and focus-group discussions among teachers. These include predicting possible ending of stories for Grade 1; making inferences and drawing conclusions as well as interpreting graphs, tables, and pic-

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Saturday, February 5, 2022 A9

Bato ni Ningning: the Rock Star of San Vicente B

Story & photos by Ardee P. de los Angeles

ato ni Ningning is an iconic rock on top of a hill found in Barangay Sto. Niño in San Vicente, Palawan. The name was coined from a TV show featuring a character named “Ningning” and how this area with the huge boulder became her playground. We felt that a trip to San Vicente, Palawan, would not be complete if we missed out on this visit to Alimanguan town.

We traveled to this barangay to see and experience the majestic views of Sto. Niño and San Vicente’s long beach. The trip provided us with magnificent panoramas of the countryside. The roads were paved at first, then we traveled on dirt roads for the last leg of the trip. It was explained to me that this is the city separating the barangays by means of the road conditions. No complaints there, we were in Palawan, so everything was good. Our kilometer zero is Peak View Resort, located right in front of the beach, and about less than an hour drive from San Vicente airport.

Barangay Sto. Niño

AN integral part of tourism is the community. The locals provide expertise and great service to guests. The “Tabang para sa Kabataan” group, along with the staff and owners of the Peak View Resort, Attorney Joel Pe and wife, Junebeth, showed us the true meaning of hospitality in the islands of Palawan. Peak View felt like home rather than just a resort. As they say, “arrive as our guests—leave as our family.” Cliché or not, I did feel like a part of the family at the end of the day.

The community welcomed us with open arms and served us a sumptuous seafood lunch. After a quick tete-a-tete with the leader of the youth group, Hads Francisco, I have learned that the officers and members of their organization will be guiding us up the nearby hill to enjoy the views in the late afternoon.

The hills are alive

Alive are the hills with the sound of the youth talking, having fun and me huffing and puffing my way as we go up the hill to see Bato ni Ningning. I was tired from the morning’s activities, but I didn’t care.

Tourists can take motorbikes up to the

HOMELY Peak View Resort serves with warm hospitality.

top, but we chose, as a group, to just walk and enjoy the views. I did take in all the views as I could as I stopped to rest and take pictures. We encountered several people on motorbikes as they went up and down the hill, being careful that they don’t run us over. The weather was breezy and it drizzled for a while. All in all, the short climb took about 15 to 20 minutes.

The view from the top was breathtaking. I would do the climb all over again.

The backdrop was the beaches of Irawan and you can also see the Long Beach as it peeks through the hills. It was windy and the weather was just perfect for this outdoor activity. The youth group brought along water bottles for us, something I only thought about when we reached the site. It is once again, the community that takes care of its guests.

Going down, of course, was a lot easier.

Sturdy and reliable legs, plus gravity, will do the work. We managed to get back to the resort right before nighttime. We had enough time to rest for a bit, take a shower and get ready for the evening socials.

Guests can walk to the beach straight from the resort.

There’s an uphill hike leading to Bato ni Ningning.

THE Peak View staff treats each guest as part of their family.

Community dinner

It was time for dinner and we were told that the youth group prepared a small presentation for us. They didn’t disappoint with a gallery of well-rehearsed performers who performed an ethnic dance. We also learned more about the Tabang Para sa Kabataan group. I observed that they have a lot of programs to assist and help the people of the barangay. Indeed, it all starts with the youth. I have no doubt that the next leaders of this town will come from this group.

What followed was an unforgettable feast of seafood and barbecue as we moved further into the night with good-natured banter and fellowship. It was great to meet

BATO ni Ningning is the popular boulder and spot on top of the hill.

the family of the resort’s owners, and the other members of the neighborhood.

There is nothing like good food, great company and being close to the beach. The sound of the waves is calming as I take in

WONDERFUL views on the way up to Bato ni Ningning.

everything this experience has to offer.

This was our last night here and we are making each minute count.

The tourism industry includes the community of each place we visit. The events

and the people always manage to leave an imprint on my gallivanting heart. After all these, I can say that San Vicente, Palawan, is surely one of my favorite destinations.

We will return and explore more of it.

Hong Kong welcomes the year of the Tiger

T

Robust Tiger Gift Set 1

Dong Lai Shun Sichuan Spicy Seafood Poon Choi

Joyous Spring Ladybird Gift Box

he Chinese New Year is a very important time for many Asian countries. Similar to how Filipinos celebrate Christmas, the festivities leading up to Chinese New Year are extravagant and enjoyed by all members of the family. This year, Hong Kong presents a colorful and “new normal” joyfulness to welcome the auspicious “Year of the Water Tiger.”

To kick off the activities during the Chinese New Year festival, many visit the temples to pray for blessings and good luck. To start the year with good fortune, Hong Kongers like to go to pray at Wong Tai Sin Temple, or Dai Sian, the busiest temple in Hong Kong.

The devotees come to pray for health blessings from the Taoist deity Huang Daxian. People would also come to pray for various other things, but most commonly good fortune from Tai Sui, the Guardian God of the Year.

This year, the temple is hosting a special online event where visitors can pray and send their wishes through their site.

The platform was created to accommodate foreign tourists and those who

are unable to come visit in person.

Those who wish to send in their prayers can fill-up the form which will then be collected and included in the regular Taoist rituals held at the temple.

Another key feature of the Chinese New Year celebration are the delectable, hearty meals served and enjoyed with the family. Traditional dishes made during the new year are believed to bring forth a number of blessings beyond their delicious tastes.

An example of this is Poon Choi, a special dish from Chinese restaurant Dong Lai Shun and The Royal Garden.

“Poon Choi,” is a popular auspicious food enjoyed during the Chinese New Year that is believed to bring abundance and wealth in the New Year. This Cantonese dish consists of a number of exquisite ingredients such as pork, beef, chicken, duck, abalone, shrimp, dried mushrooms, fishballs, squid, and vegetables.

The restaurant features four variations of poon choi dishes, prepared exclusively during the festive season.

The classic Mutton Poon Choi consists of four types of mutton along with 18

other ingredients. For vegetarians, the Golden Vegetarian Poon Choi primarily consists of carrots and tofu, along with 19 other premium vegetables that leave a delicious taste not too heavy on the stomach. The Sichuan Spicy Seafood Poon Choi is served with their signature Dong Lai Shun hot sauce and is made with 18 kinds of seafood, perfect for those with a love for all things spicy.

The last dish is truly a Chinese New Year menu item: the Royal Garden Supreme Poon Choi, created by Chef Ho Wai-shing from 16 auspicious ingredients, including braised abalone, fish maw, whole scallop and more.

Despite not being able to celebrate the new year in Hong Kong, there are surely a lot of other ways to celebrate and ring in the year of the tiger from our homes.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board hopes that Filipinos will have the opportunity to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong soon. Follow news about Hong Kong tourism and catch features on favorite local spots at Discover Hong Kong.

A10 Saturday, February 5, 2022 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

The term ‘fake news’ is fake

Broadcast journalist Kara David and Google News Initiative teaching fellow Trinna Leong at the #FYTCOVID19 webinar.

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AST week, I sat through a two-day webinar titled “#FYTCOVID19: Fighting vaccine misinformation” and learned from Google News Initiative teaching fellow and former journalist Trinna Leong that the term “fake news” is fake and the right word is “misinformation.”

Leong said misinformation is disseminated in a “deliberate effort to manipulate or influence.”

I remember that as a Bangko Sentral reporter in the 1990s, when we had no access to the Internet, I had shoe boxes of index cards that I used to factcheck. We didn’t have TikTok, Twitter, Wikipedia or Rappler. We checked facts by manually from files, encyclopedias, newspaper libraries or actual people.

I also had clippings of my old articles for reference.

During the webinar, Leong shared some tips on how to verify claims. One is to use search engines such as Google. Another way to verify information is by looking at the social media time stamp. You can do an image search and normally, if a photo has been posted online, you can find it and get information about it.

Another way to check facts is via reverse image/ video search. To do this, click on the image and choose the option “Search Image with Google Lens.”

You can also search via Google Images, where you can either paste an image URL or upload a photo and see where else it has been published. Aside from Google, Leong said you can also use Bing, Yandex and TinEye to search for images.

Geolocation allows you to trace the image’s whereabouts and verify if the information took place at the location mentioned. To do this, simply go to Google Maps and use the street map. Click the yellow man icon and it will show you blue lines and dots showing the location’s most recent photo captures.

Other search engines you can use are Baidu (for China), Mapillary or Bing.

“If the photo doesn’t have landmarks or emblems, you can look for clues such as street signs shop fronts, statues or monuments, unique architecture and licenses of vehicles,” said Leong.

For videos, “details can be important and pausing the video can help.”

During the first day of the webinar, Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho of the Department of Health talked about the government’s vaccination program.

“Vaccination is like a practice or rehearsal. It prepares our body for the time when we meet the real virus.”

Ho tackled the belief of certain sectors that the vaccine is an experiment.

“We can’t say this is an experiment because there are studies and data from those studies. Data is also continuously being collected so scientists can learn more about the disease. We are among the many people all over the world who are already vaccinated,” said Ho. The DOH official said the worldwide rollout of the vaccine was calculated so the public had nothing to fear. For instance, it took a while for those 12- to 17-year-olds to be vaccinated because scientists were still studying the effects the vaccine could have on them. Only when it was confirmed to be safe for that age group did the vaccinations start. The same is true for the five-11 year old age group.

Another misconception about the vaccine is that it will give you complete immunity against Covid-19.

Like the polio vaccine, the Covid-19 vaccine saves those inflicted with the disease from severe symptoms.

“The promise of the vaccine is we won’t suffer severe Covid symptoms and we won’t have to be intubated or sent to the ICU. The vaccine also promises that we won’t die because of Covid,” said Ho. Some people also believe the Covid-19 vaccine can cause infertility. Ho said a study tested vaccinated men for their sperm and its mobility and the results showed there was no effect. A similar study was conducted among women and the vaccine didn’t affect their fertility as well, said Ho. The vaccines, the official said, are also safe for pregnant women. A study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, did not find any connection between the Covid-19 vaccine and a reduced chance of conceiving.

The study included data on 2,126 women, ages 21 to 45, in the United States and Canada. The women enrolled in the study from December 2020 through September 2021, and the researchers (Amelia Wesselink and her fellow researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health and other institutions across the United States) followed up with them through November 2021.

The researchers didn’t find major differences in conception rates per menstrual cycle between unvaccinated and vaccinated couples in which at least one partner had received at least one dose of the vaccine. The results were similar when the investigators looked at factors that could potentially influence the results, such as whether study participants or their partners received one or two doses of a vaccine, the type of vaccine they received, how recently they were vaccinated, whether they were American or Canadian, whether they were health-care workers, or they were couples without a history of infertility, the National Institutes of Health said in a press release.

So, yes, I checked the information Ho shared during the webinar and found them to be true.

Huawei Philippines opens pre-orders for new flagships

PlayStation-maker Sony is escalating its competition with Xbox-maker Microsoft by buying the video game studio behind one of Xbox’s hit games.

Sony’s PlayStation buys Bungie, game studio with Xbox ties BELLEVUE, Washington—PlayStation-maker Sony is escalating its competition with Xbox-maker Microsoft by buying the video game studio behind one of Xbox’s hit games.

Sony Interactive Entertainment said Monday it would spend $3.6 billion to buy Bungie Inc., an independent game publisher based in Bellevue, Washington. Bungie makes the popular game franchise Destiny and was the original developer of Xbox-owned Halo.

Microsoft bought Bungie in 2000, but later spun off the game studio in 2007 while retaining intellectual property rights to the Halo franchise.

Sony is one of the world’s biggest video game companies, but Microsoft has been ramping up its gaming ambitions, most recently by announcing plans to buy high-profile game publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.

Acquiring the owner of titles like Call of Duty and Candy Crush would immediately put Microsoft ahead of Nintendo as the third-biggest gaming company in global sales, behind Japan’s Sony and Chinese tech giant Tencent.

Xbox’s top executive, Phil Spencer, told news site Axios last year that “we’ve learned a lot” since letting go of Bungie. Spencer on Monday tweeted his congratulations to PlayStation for “adding a talented team” to its game studios.

Bungie started in Chicago in 1991 and made its early hits, such as Myth and Marathon, for personal computers. It now employs about 900 people and is based not far from Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Sony’s video game division is centered in San Mateo, California. AP

AS the Year of the Tiger unfolds, Huawei brings in a new era of smartphone aesthetics and mobile photography. Following its preorder announcement, the IT giant officially released the flagship king Huawei P50 Pro and the most beautiful foldable smartphone P50 Pocket with a generous amount of freebies.

The Huawei P50 Pro and P50 Pocket are equipped with the latest imaging technology for users to enjoy unrivaled camera performance.

These are also designed in collaboration with haute couture designer Iris van Herpen. Moreover, both introduce a new True-Form Dual-Matrix camera system which offers a perfect combination of form and function. And equipped with advanced imaging processors, Huawei

XD Optics and XD Fusion Pro Image Engine for users to enjoy improved image clarity, high dynamic range, and intelligent computational photography.

The new powerhouse smartphones come preinstalled with AppGallery, the official app store for Huawei devices. Users can download from a growing selection of top apps and enjoy exclusive giveaways, rebates, and coupons.

Consumers who pre-order the Huawei P50 Pro from February 4 until February 10, or P50 Pocket from February 4 until February 17, will enjoy special freebies that range from Huawei FreeBuds 4 (worth P7,999) to Huawei Watch 3 (worth P18,999), along with vouchers and VIP services. More information can be found at consumer.huawei.com/ph.

THE Huawei P50 Pro and P50 Pocket

Harnessing the power of social media for eye health

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

SOCIAL media will play a huge role to promote the importance of eye care in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

In a recent virtual forum, titled “How can 2030 In Sight support eye health beyond Covid?,” Dr. Harvey Uy, president of the Vitreo Retina Society of the Philippines, said the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of social media and digital technology in promoting their advocacy. “We will use social media to spread awareness among Filipinos across all generations,” Uy said.

“By harnessing the power of digital technology and perseverance, we hope we can make strong connections with the right people,” Uy added.

Dr. Noel Chua, chairman of the National Committee Sight Preservation, agreed with Uy. “Social media is the best tool to promote our relevant cause. Moreover, our priority is to reach out to the marginalized and to our partners in government, media, nongovernment organizations and the eye-care stakeholders,” Chua pointed out.

Chua also said there were challenges during the initial implementation of the initiative such as deprioritization of eye health, with health facilities focusing on treating Covid-19 patients or increasing

vaccination coverage, which resulted in limited access for other patients; non-Covid patients avoiding hospitals due to fear of being infected; and lack of educators to communicate and promote eye health, especially in rural areas.

“The pandemic has greatly worsened existing inequalities in access to eye-care services,” Chua explained.

For the youth sector, Chua said they will focus on their common eye ailments such as refraction and astigmatism. Meanwhile, cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetes will be the main concern for the elderly.

With the implementation of Universal Health Care, Chua stressed that eye care would get a great boost as it can provide funding for this program.

Ruth Kuguru, regional communications and patient engagement head for Novartis, said broadening the partnerships will enable their capabilities to promote their advocacy. She added forming partnerships with experts in their fields will be pursued. “We will be partnering with companies expert in artificial intelligence, machine learning and Big Data,” Kuguru said.

With their added capabilities, Kugurus said they would have greater capabilities to tackle the problems from the ground up.

Convened by the International Agency for

Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in collaboration with Novartis, the virtual forum was aimed to consolidate partners’ efforts in building on the key takeaways from the one-year Collaboration to Preserve Sight results.

“2030 In Sight is the IAPB strategic plan to end avoidable sight loss for the next decade. It takes the evidence and know-how generated over the past 30 years, leverages the significant political momentum that eye-health stakeholders have generated, and lays out an ambitious approach that will guide their work until 2030 and beyond,” said Amanda Davis, chair of International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), Western Pacific.

Its three key objectives are that by 2030, 1) no one experiences unnecessary or preventable sight loss and everyone can achieve their full potential; 2) eyecare and rehabilitation services are accessible, inclusive and affordable to everyone, everywhere, whenever they are needed; and 3) people understand the importance of caring for their own eye health and demand access to services, free from the weight of any social stigma.

On the positive side, the Collaboration to Preserve Sight initiative has revealed many opportunities to reshape the whole health-care system in general and shift health priorities to eyecare services in particular.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Saturday, February 5, 2022 A11

“FYT-ING” MISINFORMATION WITH GOOGLE

S

Shares of Facebook parent Meta plunge 22% on lower profits

By Barbara Ortutay The Associated Press

NEWLY renamed Meta is investing heavily in its futuristic “metaverse” project, but for now, relies on advertising revenue for nearly all its income. So when it posted sharply higher costs but gave a weak revenue forecast late Wednesday, investors got spooked— and knocked almost $200 billion off the valuation of the company formerly known as Facebook.

Meta’s shares fell 22.6 percent to $249.90 in after-hours trading. If the drop holds until the market opens Thursday, the company’s overall value, known as its market capitalization, is on track to drop by a figure greater than the size of the entire Greek economy, based on data from the World Bank.

The metaverse is sort of the Internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described it as a “virtual environment” in which you can immerse yourself instead of just staring at a screen. Theoretically, the metaverse would be a place where people can meet, work and play using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices.

But building it is not likely to be cheap.

Meta invested more than $10 billion in its Reality Labs segment—which includes its virtual reality headsets and augmented reality technology—in 2021, contributing to the quarter’s profit decline. It expanded its workforce by 23 percent, ending the year with 71,970 employees, mostly in technical roles.

Another problem: Recent privacy changes

by Apple make it harder for companies like Meta to track people for advertising purposes, which also puts pressure on the company’s revenue. For months now, Meta has been warning investors that its revenue can’t continue to grow at the breakneck pace they are accustomed to.

Meta said it expects revenue between $27 billion and $29 billion for the current quarter, below the $30.2 billion analysts are forecasting.

TOP me if you’ve heard this one.

Bill Gates and Big Pharma were somehow responsible for the novel coronavirus. In the first few months of the pandemic, wild conspiracy theorists pointed to the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist as the one who created the virus and patented it so they can come up with vaccines that could control people by injecting microchips or a quantum-dot spy software.

As if they needed more info after everything you’ve posted on social media.

Others said the coronavirus originated from the “bat-eating” Chinese people, supporting the false and racist claim with photos of people eating bats or slurping bat soup. OK, the Chinese may be known for some really “exotic” dishes—and the same can be said of Filipinos and many other nationalities— but characterizing the virus as a product of weird eating habits is both inaccurate and wildly offensive. Or maybe they created it in a lab?

Why pay for an antigen test when this simple test is enough? If you can’t hold your breath for 10 seconds without coughing, then you are positive for the coronavirus. But don’t worry, you can simply drink hot water (your stomach acid will do the rest) or inhale hot air from a hairdryer to help rid of the virus. You might want to try a “miracle cure” like Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), a bleach-based product that has been touted by anti-vaxxers for years, as an effective means of warding off coronavirus. In truth, the only thing it is effective at is making you vomit, give you diarrhea, or acute liver failure if ingested in large amounts.

Since the pandemic broke out, so has the misinformation about Covid-19 and the vaccines that

have been developed to fight it. Conspiracy theories even call it a “plandemic” that is being delivered via the new 5G cellular networks.

Hoaxes and fake news have become as regular as the shows and movies that debut on streaming platforms—ranging from very creative (celebrity deaths linked to the vaccine), amusing (magnets sticking to people’s arms after they get vaccinated) to the downright absurd (vaccines will turn people into monkeys). I even recall a relative telling us that we’d die within two years because we got Sinovac— which, come to think of it, is still better than dying alone in a hospital within a week of getting Covid.

Coincidentally, just as the 12 apostles initially spread the word of the Lord, anti-vaccine misinformation on social media could be traced back to 12 online influencers. These influencers were said to be behind 65 percent of the anti-vaccine misinformation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Sadly these false claims are frequently boosted by politicians and scholars, too.

In an article from npr.org, these figures are wellknown to both researchers and the social networks and include anti-vaccine activists, alternative health entrepreneurs, and physicians. Some of them run multiple accounts across the different platforms and often promote “natural health” or sell supplements and books. The claims from the so-called “Disinformation Dozen” range from “denying that Covid exists, claiming that false cures are the way to solve Covid and not vaccination, decrying vaccines and decrying doctors as being in some way venal or motivated by other factors when they recommend vaccines.”

As much as social networks try to crack down and filter fake news, it’s our responsibility to make

sure that we verify the information we share to our networks or private chat groups.

Last week, I attended an online webinar, called “#FYTCOVID19: Fighting vaccine misinformation” organized by FYT and Google. FYT is a community-oriented independent media outfit established by journalists Atom Araullo, Rupert Ambil, Voltaire Tupaz and Zak Yuson. During the webinar, Google News Initiative teaching fellow Trinna Leong stressed the importance of fact-checking information before sharing it. (See related story in this section.)

Differentiating misinformation from disinformation, Leong said misinformation refers to information that is false or inaccurate, and the person sharing it usually has no idea that it is not true.

Disinformation, on the other hand, is misinformation that is created or disseminated “in a deliberate effort to manipulate or influence.”

Even if your only intention is to pass on a viral video or an article you read, misinformation could cause real harm and has led to the death of an untold number of people. She then shared several tips on how to become a “Google sleuth” teaching participants how to fact check an article and trace the source. Here are a couple: 1. Use search engines to verify news: It’s very easy to click that share button, but it’s also just as easy to use search engines like Google to verify the source of the news first and check if the information has already been fact-checked by trusted organizations.

The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter brings together the growing community of fact-checkers around the world and advocates of factual information in the global fight against misinformation. The #CoronaVirusFacts / #DatosCoronaVirus Alliance, for example, unites more than 100 fact-checkers around the world in publishing, sharing and translating facts surrounding the coronavirus. The World Health Organization classifies this issue as an “infodemic”—and the Alliance is on the front lines in the fight against it.

Another tool is Google Fact Check Explorer which compiles the different fact checks that have been published by these IFCN organizations.

2. Filter using search operators: Simply typing a single word can yield hundreds or even thousands of pages. Using these search operators can give you more accurate results. Did you know you can add a “+” or “-” sign to the term to include/exclude specific terms from the results? If you are searching for the automobile brand, type in “jaguar +car +automobile”; if you are searching for the animal, use“-car or -automobile” instead.

You can also use basic Boolean operators like “AND” and “OR” to combine search terms or use quotation marks to limit the search to an exact phrase.

If you only want to get results from one specific web site, add the web site name to the search term— for example: “site:businessmirror.com.ph “digital life.”

Besides fighting Covid-19 misinformation, Google also seeks to provide extra protection against online threats to at-risk organizations and individuals during the upcoming 2022 Philippine elections.

Google is inviting Philippine human rights, elections monitoring, and media organizations as well as individual journalists to apply to Project Shield. Project Shield, created by Jigsaw and Google, provides free unlimited protection against DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, a type of digital attack used to censor information by taking web sites offline.

Project Shield filters out malicious traffic using Google’s infrastructure and DDoS tools. If a web site is targeted by a DDoS attack, Google’s servers will block attacking traffic to keep the web site up and running.

Shift to eco-conscious lifestyle with Globe eSIM and Eco-SIM TOP telco Globe (www.globe.com.ph) encourages its customers to further support sustainable living and contribute to reversing environmental damage through two eco-friendly subscriber identification module (SIM) options: the eSIM and Eco-SIM. With its very small size, the effect of SIM cards on the environment may seem insignificant. However, their combined weight represents an estimated 20,000 tons of plastic and other polymers consumed each year.

The situation prompted Globe to look for alternatives that meet its ambition to cut electronic and plastic waste, and reduce carbon footprint.

The company is at the forefront of environmental sustainability, enabling programs that support climate action.

The eSIM is a digital SIM embedded in certain mobile phone models. Globe was the first company to offer it in 2018 as an alternative to traditional SIM cards.

Apart from being environment-friendly, eSIM technology allows for additional innovative capabilities such as the ability to manage multiple profiles using different mobile numbers on just one device and effortlessly switch lines for any purpose that fits their lifestyle.

Plus, eSIM now allows for gadgets beyond the mobile phone like smartwatches to be connected under one mobile number. This revolutionary technology was recently made available to the Apple Watch cellular. As such, Globe postpaid iPhone users are now able to go out and stay connected even without having their iPhone on-hand.

To avail of a Globe eSIM, Postpaid customers can simply request at any Globe Store nationwide.

On the other hand, the new Eco-SIM card is made from 100 percent recycled materials using refrigerator interiors, the first of its kind to be commercially launched in Asia. Developed by Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, the card

was introduced to Globe postpaid mobile subscribers beginning the fourth quarter of 2021.

“Being eco-conscious doesn’t mean sacrificing on progress. As with the eco SIM and eSIM technologies, Globe postpaid customers are able to enjoy the latest technological advancements in telecommunications and lessening their carbon footprint at the same time,” said Coco Domingo, vice president for Postpaid and International Business.

PHOTO BY FIRMBEE.COM ON UNSPLASH

Sports BusinessMirror

A12

| Saturday, February 5, 2022 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Hidilyn and co. motivate Asa

MILLER TAKES FRIDAY OFF SKIS, JOINS TEAM PHL IN ‘BIRD’S NEST’

THE Olympic focus is back on China for a Covid19-tinged Games. AP

Y

Y

ANQING, China—ASA MILLER expressed gratitude to Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz for her inspiring words for these Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

“It really means a lot to me,” Miller told BusinessMirror on Diaz’s message of motivation and patience.

“She’s really an amazing athlete. I am really super motivated after watching her capture the Olympic gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.”

The 30-year-old Diaz advised the 21-year-old Filipino-American alpine skier based in Portland to “just go on and don’t regret anything,” reminding him that “it doesn’t matter how many times he tries as long as he’s very dedicated to the sport he loves.”

Diaz debuted as a 17-yearold at the 2008 Beijing Games, the same age when Miller first qualified for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang four years ago with figure ice skater Michael Martinez.

It took Diaz three more Olympics to finally achieve her goal of bringing home the country’s first Olympic gold medal.

“She’s very, very successful in her game, it means a lot. So I hope I can use it as motivation to perform well in my upcoming two races, I hope to follow up on her success,” he said.

Miller and the weightlifting champion met online ahead of the Beijing Games during a meeting with Philippine Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission members Diaz, Nikko Huelgas (triathlon), Jessie Lacuna (swimming), Sam Morrison (taekwondo), Petecio, Francesca Almonte (softball) and Jake Letts (rugby).

“I got to talk to her before I came here via Zoom call and it’s so nice to meet all of them, too,” Miller said.

Josef Ramos

‘Tagasanay ng Isport’ in ‘Rise Up, Shape Up’

T

HE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) presents Gintong Gawad 2021 “Tagasanay ng Isport” awardee Amihan ReyesFenis in the latest episode of “Rise Up Shape Up” on Saturday.

Coach Reyes-Fenis served as an International Gymnastics Federation Brevet International Judge for rhythmic gymnastics. She also trains winning gymnasts in both national and international competitions and has been recognized as an outstanding coach in the 2011 Palarong Pambansa.

She rose to the top of the academic ranks, serving as Master Teacher, Department Chairman and eventually Department of Education Principal in various public schools in Rizal.

The PSC supports the hard work and effort of sports coaches nationwide as they are partners in training, developing, and nurturing athletes to their full potential.

“The presence of inspiring women in grassroots sports help in PSC’s work with local communities in developing sports excellence and producing top-performing national athletes,” PSC Women in Sports oversight Commissioner Celia Kiram said.

The “Tagasanay ng Isport sa Komunidad” award is conferred to a coach and teacher whose efforts and initiatives open doors of hope and opportunities for every child to excel in sports and life.

Gintong Gawad is a national awards platform that celebrates and pays tribute to ground-breaking, inspiring, notable, timeless, outstanding contributions to the promotion and development of women and sports at the grassroots level.

The awards include Ina ng Isport, Babaeng Atleta, Modelo ng Kabataan; Babaeng Atletang may Kapansanan, Modelo ng Kabataan; Babaeng Tagasanay ng Isport; Babaeng Lider ng Isport sa Komunidad; Kaagapay ng Isports sa Komunidad; Produktong Pang-Isport na Natatangi at Makabago; and Proyektong Isport Pang-Kababaihan.

SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA B

EIJING—Long before the global pandemic upended sports and the world in general, the 2022 Winter Olympics faced unsettling problems.

It started with the fact that hardly anybody wanted to host them.

Beijing ended up solving that problem, but only after four European cities thought about it and dropped out, mostly because of expense and lack of public support. In the end, it was a race between two authoritarian countries.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) narrowly chose China’s capital and its mostly bonedry surrounding mountains over a bid from Kazakhstan.

“It really is a safe choice,” IOC President Thomas Bach said after the balloting.

Some seven years after that fateful vote, the world will find out if Bach was right. Starting with Friday’s opening ceremony at the lattice-ribboned Bird’s Nest Stadium, the spotlight will be trained on China, a country with human-rights record that troubles many, an authoritarian government and a “zero-tolerance” policy when it comes to Covid.

It will be trained on what figures to be the most closed-off, tightly controlled, hard-to-navigate Olympics in history.

Mikaela Shiffrin and Norway’s cross country champion Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, to name a few—that we’ll remember most.

But there has been so much to process in the lead-up. And there’s no pretending that the International Olympic Committee’s decision to bring its biggest show to a country that is facing ever-increasing scorn from democracies in the West—a country that has been on a virtual lockdown since shortly after it sprouted the world’s first cases of Covid-19 more than two years ago—

The build-up has turned the idea of “making it to the Games” into as much of a logistical and sometimes moral conundrum as a competitive one.

“This is one where you can do your absolute best but you kind of have to juggle your sanity and being able to perform at the Olympics, and not lose your mind beforehand,” US moguls skier Hannah Soar said.

To be sure, if the two-and-ahalf weeks of skiing, skating and sliding turn out to be like most Olympics before it, then it will be the athletes such as Hannah Soar— and snowboarder Chloe Kim, skier

does not bring with it some stark considerations: Human Rights. Led by the United States, a number of Western democratic countries are staging a diplomatic boycott of the Games to protest what the US and humanrights groups have called the genocide of some 1 million Uyghurs in China’s far western Xinjiang province.

Dignitaries won’t attend, but athletes still will. German slider Natalie Geisenberger was among those who considered not coming, but then decided to make the journey, along with some 2,900 athletes from

around 90 countries. Her conclusion: “We athletes have absolutely nothing to do with the decision to award the Olympic Games to Beijing—the [IOC] decides and we athletes are presented with a fait accompli.”

Health and safety. To try to prevent the spread of Covid, China will run these Olympics in a “closed-loop” system. All participants will be tested daily. None will be allowed out of the hotels and venues that are cordoned off from the city and mountains where the Games will take place.

Participants will be placed in isolation if they test positive, and the stakes of a system that has not been clearly spelled out to everyone were on display when Belgian skeleton racer Kim Meylemans turned to social media Thursday and gave a tearful explanation of her situation.

Tennis player Peng Shuai. Her plight touches on almost all the sore points involved in bringing these games to this country: The Chinese champion’s safety has been in question since she accused a former high-ranking government official of sexually assaulting her. Some of the few signs that she might be OK have come courtesy of the IOC, which has shown pictures of Bach in video meetings with Peng. The IOC has indicated it will meet with Peng during the Olympics, but its previous meetings have brought forth as many questions as answers. AP

Djokovic describes Australia visa ordeal ‘unfortunate event’

B

ELGRADE, Serbia—Novak Djokovic described his detention and deportation from Australia that prevented him from defending his Australian Open title as an “unfortunate event” and thanked the Serbian president for his support.

An 11-day saga over Djokovic’s entry visa ended with the Serb being deported for failing to meet Australia’s strict Covid-19 vaccination requirements.

The top-ranked tennis star met with Serbian President Aleksandar

Vucic on Thursday and described the events in Australia as “unexpected, to say the least.”

“I wanted to meet with you today because, primarily as a citizen of Serbia, I felt a great need to thank you for great support that you, as the president of Serbia, gave me, as well as all state institutions during the unfortunate events in Australia,” Djokovic said.

“Although I was alone in detention, and faced with many problems and challenges, I wasn’t feeling lonely. I had

NOVAK DJOKOVIC (left) shakes hands with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade. AP

TNT TROPANG GIGA TO REINFORCE GILAS IN FIBA QUALIFIER

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HE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) approved on Friday a recommendation for TNT Tropang Giga to reinforce the national team for the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) World Cup qualifiers first window from February 24 to 28.

PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio and PBA

Commissioner Willie Marcial made the announcement in an online news conference where they also confirmed a February 11 resumption of the stalled Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

“I am very pleased to say that the PBA will once again adjust its schedule to allow players from TNT to play [alongside] Gilas not only for the window but also during practices,” Vargas said. “I think there will be time for TNT to serve its role for Gilas.”

Select players from TNT will join Dwight Ramos, Juan Gomez de Liño, SJ Belangel, Tzaddy Rangel, William Navarro, Jaydee Tungcab and naturalized player Ange Kouame in training.

Panlilio said that the national team will be assembled beyond the February window for a pool that will train until next year when the country hosts the Fiba World Cup. “I asked coach Chot [Reyes] already because we have to see what that team will look like and whether there will be some PBA players,” Panlilio said. “I think the PBA is open if we identify a handful of players.”

Marcial said that while the FIBA games are ongoing at the Araneta Coliseum, the league will play at the Ynares Center in Antipolo from February 24 to 28.

“There’s no stopping of games in the PBA,” Marcial said. Josef Ramos

huge support primarily from my family, all of the close people in my life, entire Serbian nation, many people with good intentions from the region and the world.”

He did not speak about details of the events in Australia, promising to give his “version” later.

Djokovic’s meeting with the increasingly autocratic Vucic drew criticism from some of his fans in the Balkan country, where he is generally considered an icon and a hero. The critics say Vucic used the event to boost his popularity ahead of general elections scheduled for April. AP

By Josef Ramos

ANQING, CHINA—Asa Miller skipped training at the National Alpine Skiing Centre on Friday to rest his muscles following three consecutive days of practice session since arriving here on Monday morning.

Also, Miller looked forward to bearing the country’s colors at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics which was scheduled on Friday night at the iconic National Stadium in Beijing which is also called “The Bird’s Nest.”

“While skiing comes in short bursts of energy, it’s extremely taxing on muscles and I’m choosing to let my body heal to hopefully alleviate some of the small pains I’m experiencing currently,” said Miller, an Economics major at the Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah.

His father Kelly Miller agreed.

“We decided to take today off, some rest for his sore muscles,” Kelly Miller said from the Yanqing Olympic Village before they boarded a bus for the two-hour trip to “The Bird’s Nest,” which also hosted the opening and closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics 14 years ago.

The young Miller underwent twohour training sessions—alternating on the giant slalom and slalom of men’s alpine skiing—at the competition venue on the slopes of Xiaohaituo Mountain.

His competitions are scheduled on February 13 and 16.

The Millers will meet up with Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Chef de Mission Bones Floro, Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation President Jim Apelar who will also join the parade of athletes that highlights the one-hour and 40-minute opening ceremony that starts at 8 p.m.

The Philippines walks into the 80,000 seat stadium at No. 69 among 91 participating nations with Miller again playing the flag-bearer’s role in his second straight Olympic appearance.

“It’s good that we started with the slalom skis,” said Miller, who thanked the Philippine Sports Commission led by Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez for supporting his campaign here. “We’re starting to adjust to the snow and it’s different from where I normally ski, but it’s all good.”

Alpine skiing, one of 15 disciplines on the Games program, will be held at the National Alpine Skiing Centre on the slopes of Xiaohaituo Mountain.

The Millers said they will decide on Saturday morning whether to return to the mountain or strategize on the skiers game plan on Saturday.

“We’ll decide on how Asa feels later,” Kelly Miller said.

It wasn’t immediately known how many fans will be allowed at “The Bird’s Nest” for the opening ceremony although organizers announced that 150,000 spectators will be invited to attend the events in two of the three clusters of venues in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. The alpine skiing and sliding sports in Yanqing will be held without fans.

Plans to sell tickets to international visitors were also scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Three-time Academy Award nominee Zhang Yimou is again directing the opening and closing ceremonies of these Winter Olympics as he did in the 2008 Summer Games. He withheld information on the show but said the entire ceremony will be “simple, safe and splendid.”

At least 3,000 performers, most of which are teenagers are participating in the opening ceremony.

ASA MILLER talks with Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino during a break in training earlier this week.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

ALTERA KARNA BUSINESS CORP. Unit No. Unit A & O Flr., No.5/f Eighty One Bldg. Newport Bldg. St., Barangay 183, Pasay City

1.

EDDY LAM YUAN KHAI E-commerce Consultant (Chinese Speaking) Brief Job Description: Provide suggestions to clients.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Computer Applications / Can Multi-Task and Keen to Details Able to Speak Chinese and English Fluently

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

SETH, AMIT Business Unit Manager 16.

Brief Job Description: Manage the sales and marketing team and develop activities for OTC products for the Philippines independently.

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

2.

YONG KET JI E-commerce Consultant (Chinese Speaking) Brief Job Description: Provide suggestions to clients.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Computer Applications/ Can Multi-Task and Keen to Details/ Able to speak Chinese and English Fluently

ASIAN TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INC. 11/f Tower 2, Double Dragon, Macapagal Blvd., Barangay 76, Pasay City CHOI, YEOJIN Customer Service Representative 3.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions JANG, SUNAM Customer Service Representative

4.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions JEONG, YUNA Customer Service Representative

5.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions KIM, DOEON Customer Service Representative

6.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions KIM, HYUNSOO Customer Service Representative

7.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions KIM, YEONGJAE Customer Service Representative

8.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions LEE, CHANGHEE Customer Service Representative

9.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions LEE, SUNKWAN Customer Service Representative

10.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions PARK, HEEMIN Customer Service Representative

11.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions RYU, HANSEOK Customer Service Representative

12.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions SONG, KIMOON Customer Service Representative

13.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions

SONG, SEOEUN Customer Service Representative 14.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

LIN, LIJUAN Mandarin Software Quality Assurance Analyst

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

17.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: you shall managing a team of mandarin staff including programmers, analysts and support specialists, evaluating the functionality of systems, consulting computer users to ascertain needs and to ensure that facilities meet user or project requirements, selecting and purchasing appropriate hardware and software, managing IT budgets, ensuring software licensing laws are followed, implementing and managing security or integrity and backup procedures, scheduling upgrades, providing user training, support, advice and feedback, testing and modifying systems to ensure that that they operate reliably managing secure network access for remote users, keeping up to date with new technology, designing maintenance procedures and putting them into operation training new staff. Ensure software packages contain no errors by analyzing development data, regularly interpret data and analysis in Mandarin.

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

DYKO Operation Analyst 18.

Brief Job Description: Study, review and analyze quantitative data and provide reports to Operations Supervisors and Managers

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

LI, XIN Chinese Speaking Cabling Infrastructure Technician 19.

Brief Job Description: Installs Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, and fiber optic cabling system

SELBY, FINEAS LUKE Technical Consultant 20.

Brief Job Description: To render technical/consultancy advice on monitoring international accounts, staffing patterns and work linkages; to supervise, analyze, revise, and improve implementation of related system development to ensure their functional effectiveness.

GEORGE, ROGER Senior Director, Training And Development 21.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the design, development, implementation and assessment of learning and development strategies, projects, programs, staff and supporting technologies and materials for one or more key business functions

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

BIT PLANET GAMES EAST INC. Level 10-1 One Global Place, 5th Avenue Corner 25th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 22.

15.

Brief Job Description: Conduct and do all the functions and duties as the general manager in the management, supervision, monitoring of the activity of the Bit Planet Games East Inc.

Basic Qualification: Associates in Fine Arts Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BUERGLI PHARMA, INC. U-204 One Corporate Plaza, 845 A. Arnaiz Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: College graduate and seven (7) years in technical consultancy for development systems and staffing patterns internationally.

23.

Brief Job Description: Directs the AR management functions as head of a Center of Excellence, Business Line, Mega Center, and/or many small integrated clients. This includes the execution of multiple business processes, such as assigned billing, customer service and collections program(s). Responsible for leading and managing staff and subordinate leadership including virtual employees. The position also involves achieving and sustaining excellent productivity and accuracy. Prepares and administers applicable budget and ensures all spending is within budgetary guidelines

Basic Qualification: 4-year college degree in Education, Business, Healthcare Administration or related area or equivalent work experience; master’s degree preferred

CHEN, CHAO Ceo/a Office Lead Advisor 24.

25.

Brief Job Description: Forecast and calculate it system costs; research new technology and grasp evolution direction of it core.

YAN, ZIJIAN Procurement Lead Advisor

26.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin/English language, creating & maintaining Chinese client relationship Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Provide operational support and thought leadership; analyze costs of procurement and suggest methods to decrease expense.

Basic Qualification: Master in computer science.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Master of business administration.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Master of business administration.

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

DYNAMIC STUDIO TECHNOLOGY INC. 5th To 10th/f Platinum Tower Building, Aseana Ave. Cor. Fuentes Street, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque HUANG, JIAWEI Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative 27.

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

ZHANG, FENG Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative 28.

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

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/Good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

FASHION BUZBD, INC. Unit No. Sc 03-04 Flr. No. 2nd Baclaran Bagong Milenyo Bldg., F.b. Harrison St. St. Zone 10, District 1, Barangay 76, Pasay City

29.

ISLAM ABDALLA MOHAMED IBRAHIM AHMED Marketing Manager Brief Job Description: Handles all concerns/matter in marketing department.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in English; College Graduate.

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

FIBERHOME PHILS., INC. U-19d 19/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati WANG, JUNHANG Platform Manager 30.

Brief Job Description: responsible for prioritizing and supporting of multiple consumers facing products

Basic Qualification: fluent in mandarin and English language both verbal and written Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

FLASH EXPRESS SOFTWARE (PH) CO., LTD. INC. 11/f Cybersigma, Lawton Ave., Mckinley West, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig CHEN, YUAN Operations Supervisor 31.

Brief Job Description: To conduct periodic reviews of the fixed asset schedule to determine dispositions and supervise the work of assigned team member to ensure efficiency and effectivity CHINVARUN, NARIN Senior People Business Partner Specialist

32.

Brief Job Description: Analyzes trends in metrics in partnership with the group to develop solutions, programs, and policies

SAE-NGOW, PUNNAPA Senior People Business Partner Specialist 33.

Brief Job Description: Analyzes trends in metrics in partnership with the group to develop solutions, programs, and policies WONGWALAIMAS, PIYA Shop Planning Manager

34.

Brief Job Description: Liaise with planning officials and advise the business on planning policy and regulation, ensuring that compliance is met and managing all new developments

Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree/ 5-10 yrs. Supervisory/managerial experience in logistics or operations/ multilingual Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree/ 5-10 yrs. Supervisory/managerial experience in logistics or operations/ multilingual Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree/ 5-10 yrs. Supervisory/managerial experience in logistics or operations/ multilingual Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree/ 5-10 yrs. Supervisory/managerial experience in logistics or operations/ multilingual Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

HELLOCONNECT, INC. 7/f Inoza Tower, 40th St., Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

OBATA, ATSUHIRO Customer Care Specialist - Japanese 35.

Brief Job Description: Being the first point of contract for out customers, sharing passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences at all opportunities.

Basic Qualification: With management experience, customer sales, sales, marketing and advertising; with solid ID Skills, self-motivated; with bachelor’s degree Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

HI-SEAS CO. LTD. INC. 8th Floor, Jd Tower, Commerce Avenue, Mbp, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

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

LI, JINGHUA Consultant 36.

DIGISPARK TECH CORP. Unit 701 Fss Building I, Scout Tuason Corner Scout Castor, Laging Handa, Quezon City

Brief Job Description: Give business and technical recommendation to ensure up to date advancements in telecommunications industry.

JIANG, HUA It Lead Advisor

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

Basic Qualification: 4 year college degree in Business Administration, Finance, or Health Administration or equivalent experience; MBA preferred; 7 - 10 years’ experience directing a multi-facility healthcare business office or financial services call center

Brief Job Description: Conducting and updating database and using customer relationship management system

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

DITO TELECOMMUNITY CORPORATION 11/f Udenna Tower, Rizal Drive Cor. 4th Ave., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

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

CONIFER GLOBAL BUSINESS CENTER INC. 8th Floor Citi Plaza Building, 34th St. Cor. Lane D Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

ALEXANDER, ARUN Sr. Director Of Operations

THOMPSON JR, KENNETH REED President, Chairman Of The Board, General Manager

Basic Qualification: College graduate excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English with the experience in designing & installing highfunction communication network connections

CLOUD EMPLOYEE APAC, INC. Unit A 29/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

Basic Qualification: Extensive experience and good working knowledge of operational procedures and policies; ability to communicate fluently with Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and English speaking clients

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION XU, MUYANG Marketing Executive

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

Basic Qualification: you shall managing a team of mandarin staff including programmers, analysts and support specialists, evaluating the functionality of systems, consulting computer users to ascertain needs and to ensure that facilities meet user or project requirements, selecting and purchasing appropriate hardware and software, managing IT budgets, ensuring software licensing laws are followed, implementing and managing security or integrity and backup procedures, scheduling upgrades, providing user training, support, advice and feedback, testing and modifying systems to ensure that that they operate reliably managing secure network access for remote users, keeping up to date with new technology, designing maintenance procedures and putting them into operation training new staff. Ensure software packages contain no errors by analyzing development data, regularly interpret data and analysis in Mandarin.

CHINA COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES PHILIPPINES CORPORATION 21st Floor Menarco Tower, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

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

No.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

Basic Qualification: Diploma in business management or MBA; proven track record of setting up a new business in the Philippines in an MNC.

CASPO INCORPORATED 43/f, 45/f, 49/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Avenue Corner V.a. Rufino Street, Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

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

A13

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

BZC IT SERVICES INC. 3f Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

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

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Brief Job Description: Management, company’s representative in foreign clients, disseminator

Basic Qualification: Great experience in international managerial, deep knowledge of related field, speaks and reads mandarin and English.

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

BusinessMirror

A14 Saturday, February 5, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LAO, YINGXIONG Executive Manager

37.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

Brief Job Description: Management, company’s representative in foreign clients, disseminator

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Great experience in international managerial, deep knowledge of related field, translator and speaks mandarin and English.

38.

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

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

HAN, LEI Mandarin Project Manager 39.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Manager will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

YI, BINGJIE Mandarin Project Manager 40.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Manager will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

51.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin Project Manager, Familiarity, knowledge and awareness on Machinery and Heavy Equipment use by company, Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan.

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

ASABA, YOSHIYUKI Executive Officer For Product Infrastructure 52.

41.

Brief Job Description: track main industry trends in through blogs, micro blogs and forums RHANI Indonesian/Bahasa Customer Service Representative

42.

Brief Job Description: Track main industry trends through blogs, micro blogs and forums.

GWYNN, JONATHAN DAVID New Zealander Senior Marketing Consultant

43.

Brief Job Description: Provide services & consultation w/ complete analysis, research & planning ANDRIIANOV, DMITRII Russian Senior Marketing Consultant

44.

Brief Job Description: ensures that the product supports the company’s overall strategy and goals

45.

Brief Job Description: Assist the project manager and supervisor in the planning and implementation of project Facilities the definition of project scope goals and deliveries HIRA SINGH Assistant Project Supervisor

46.

Brief Job Description: Assist the project manager and supervisor in the planning and implementation of project Facilities the definition of project scope goals and deliveries NAVDEEP Assistant Project Supervisor

47.

Brief Job Description: Assist the Project Manager and Supervisor in the planning and implementation of project. Facilitate the definition of project scope, goals and deliverables PARVINDER Assistant Project Supervisor

48.

Brief Job Description: Assist the Project Manager and Supervisor in the planning and implementation of project. Facilitate and definition of project scope, goals, and deliverables

49.

Brief Job Description: Provide daily support of various computer systems including answering questions, analyzing problems, and quickly forming solutions to return systems to proper operation.

Brief Job Description: Develop, execute and oversee procedures, policies and related training plans for project management and infrastructure administration.

CHEN, YA-WEN Mandarin Speaking-finance Assistant 53.

Brief Job Description: Process and repair financial business; Help oversee and manage accounts; create, send and follow up invoices

TANG, RUO-TSZ Mandarin Speaking-finance Assistant 54.

Brief Job Description: Process and repair financial business; Help oversee and manage accounts; create, send and follow up invoices

Basic Qualification: college graduate, speaks and write fluently (Mandarin & English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

OMANA HERNANDEZ, MARIA EUGENIA Collector 56.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, speaks and write fluently Korean & English, Mandarin) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

PAEZ AZUAJE, LYLIANS MARLENE Collector 57.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 6 mos. to 1 year marketing cons. exp.

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

58.

59.

Brief Job Description: Has complete knowledge and expertise in the role of logging and resolving disputes

CANO MINERA, JORGE RONALDO Process Expert 60.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in English Language in Both written and Verbal With working knowledge in Construction

Brief Job Description: Read and reply to correspondences of both internal stakeholders and customers within SLAs as defined for the specific communication channel

HERRERA VANEGAS, DIEGO ANDRES Process Expert

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in English language both written and verbal, with working knowledge in construction

Brief Job Description: Has knowledge of standard work routines and methods, general facts, and information SILVA JACINTO, MARGARETE Disputes With Voice Coordinator

Basic Qualification: Fluent in English Language in Both written and Verbal With working knowledge in Construction Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: • Responsible for the management and collection of outstanding customer accounts, whilst maintaining the highest level of customer service UMANA DE SANCHEZ, ANA GLADYS Collector

Basic Qualification: college graduate, speaks and write fluently (english) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Brief Job Description: Has knowledge of standard work routines and methods, general facts, and information

61.

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

Brief Job Description: Assist customers with their issues keeping close communications with co-worker locally or overseas to ensure prompt handling of exceptions or concerns

HERNANDEZ SOLORZANO, NURY LUZANGELA Senior Collector

50.

Brief Job Description: • Oversight & governance of Business Resiliency program for location • Support Crisis management efforts • Planning, testing and reporting for Resiliency program

Basic Qualification: Provide timely feedback to customer regarding disputes queries, invoice information

Basic Qualification: Provide timely feedback to customer regarding disputes, queries, invoice information Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Provide timely feedback to customer regarding disputes queries, invoice information Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Analyze disputes received (basis target allowed) understand what customer is disputing for

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

63.

Brief Job Description: Supervision and control of the general accounting functions and responsibilities, department’s goal.

JANG, MINSU Korean Information Technology Specialist 64.

Brief Job Description: Ensure that it systems meet demands and data storage is secure; resolve co-workers issues with it systems.

Basic Qualification: • Strong background in Business Continuity Plan/ Resiliency and Crisis management in Financial services • Approximately 10+ years in Business Continuity Plan/ Crisis Management domain • Stakeholder engagement across teams in Philippines, India and US/Asia Pacific Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

JUDD WISY GROUP INC. Unit 2c One Ecom Bldg., Ocean Drive, Mall Of Asia Complex St., Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City

KIM, JUNSOO Korean Information Technology Specialist 65.

Brief Job Description: Ensure that it systems meet demands and data storage is secure; resolve co-workers issues with it systems

KIM, SANGJUN Korean Information Technology Specialist 66.

Brief Job Description: Ensure that it systems meet demands and data storage is secure; resolve co-workers issues with it systems

Brief Job Description: Manage the marketing department staff; direct marketing strategy; keeping informed of new trends.

KIM, MICHA Korean Operations Manager 71.

Brief Job Description: Manage the overall operations of the company; market the company and prepare plans.

YUN, KYUNGHYUN Korean Operations Manager 72.

Brief Job Description: Manage the overall operations of the company; market the company and prepare plans.

LEE, CHANDOO Korean Sales Manager 73.

Brief Job Description: Hire and train sales team members; set quotas and reach sales targets; develop process to drive sales.

OH, YUJIN Korean Sales Manager 74.

Basic Qualification: Assist customers with their issues and inquiries Keep close communication with colleagues locally and overseas to ensure prompt handling of exceptions or concerns

BENNY Indonesian Customer Service Representative 75.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Actively follow up with payments and assist with the disputes handling process

76.

77.

78.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can relate well, speak and understand Korean; leadership skills especially with Koreans Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can relate well, speak and understand Korean; leadership skills especially with Koreans Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can speak and relate well especially to Korean nationals.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 2 years’ experience; can speak and relate well especially to Korean nationals.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can speak and relate well especially to Korean nationals.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can read and write Korean language; leadership skills especially with Koreans Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 2 years’ experience; can read and write Korean language; leadership skills especially with Koreans.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; ability to lead to meet quotas; excellent leadership skills specially with Koreans.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: 2 years’ experience; ability to lead to meet quotas; excellent leadership skills specially with Koreans.

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

Brief Job Description: Identifying and assessing customer’s need to achieve satisfaction

Basic Qualification: Graduate of bachelor degree, willing to work in high pressure environment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years Bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be 4 years degree course in any course, willing to work in high pressure environment Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate of Bachelors degree, must be fluent in English and Indonesian language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NEO INCORPORATED North Tower Centrum Bldg., Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque FANG, YUPENG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 79.

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

CHIA PEI YING Chinese Speaking Business Analyst 80.

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

NG KOK SOON Chinese Speaking Business Analyst 81.

Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can relate well, speak and understand Korean; leadership skills especially with Koreans

Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can relate well, speak and understand Korean; leadership skills especially with Koreans

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

TANTRI Principal Staff Officer

Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; ability to analyze financial data; excellent leadership skills especially with Koreans.

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

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

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

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

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

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Monitor payment application and supply relevant updates to the OTC team

Brief Job Description: Hire and train sales team members; set quotas and reach sales targets; develop process to drive sales.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

MPOTECH DIGITAL SYSTEM INC. 2/f 331 Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

MAI MAI INFO TECH INC. 9/f Double Dragon Plaza Tower 3 Bldg., Macapagal Ave. St. Zone 10 District 1, Barangay 76, Pasay City

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for. Fluent to Chinese Mandarin is an advantage

70.

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

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

JIN, HO SUK Korean Finance Supervisor

Brief Job Description: Manage the marketing department staff; direct marketing strategy; keeping informed of new trends.

LEE, JINHO Korean Marketing Manager

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

62.

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.- PHILIPPINE GLOBAL SERVICE CENTER 23/f Net Plaza, 31st St. E-square Zone, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

JAIPAL, ROHAN CHRISTANAND Business Resiliency Director

Basic Qualification: Regularly engages with customer via phone, To ensure the timely payment of invoices and the resolution of any dispute queries

Brief Job Description: Manage the marketing department staff; direct marketing strategy; keeping informed of new trends.

KIM, JAEWON Korean Marketing Manager

Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills in Mandarin; Proven finance asst. experience

Basic Qualification: Fluent in english language in both written and verbal.

With working knowledge in construction

Brief Job Description: Customer support on their account statement and how to use our tools to better understand their accounts

68.

Basic Qualification: Excellent in written and verbal communication skills in Mandarin; Proven finance asst. experience

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

Brief Job Description: Ensure that it systems meet demands and data storage is secure; resolve co-workers issues with it systems.

BAEK, JOO HYUNG Korean Marketing Manager

69.

55.

Brief Job Description: Manages and Collects outstanding customer accounts whilst maintaining the highest level of customer

67.

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

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION PARK, JINWOOK Korean Information Technology Specialist

Basic Qualification: Bachelor graduate or advance study.

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

MORALES VERA, EDUARDO JOSE Car Collector Spanish Speaker

No.

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

MAERSK GLOBAL SERVICE CENTRES (PHILIPPINES) LTD. Levels 6-8 North Wing, Estancia Offices, Capitol Commons, Meralco Ave., Oranbo, City Of Pasig

JIU ZHOU TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. 31/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

CHUNG, CHANG-HSU Chinese Technical Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Candidate must possess at least Bachelor’s/College Degree in Marketing.

Detailed oriented. Can work independently.

Excellent in written and oral communication skills.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin Project Manager, Familiarity, knowledge and awareness on Machinery and Heavy Equipment use by company, Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan.

JIANGSU DIBANG CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2106-a West Tower, Psec Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig BALWINDER KAUR Assistant Project Supervisor

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

LOVEHOME SERVICES CORPORATION U-11 E Tower 1, Oceanaire Res., Barangay 76, Pasay City

J-NA ALLOUT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS CORP. 3/f Lipams Bldg., #48 President Avenue, B. F. Homes, City Of Parañaque CAI, ANBANG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Research and identify marketing trends and opportunities. Assess pricing and competitive behavior.

Monitors/track product movement. Prepares forecast and inventory reports.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

LIKHA-IT INC. U-102 Tower G/f Makati Cinema Square, Don Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

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

INSPIRING PG INC. 3f Filhome Builders Center, #68 Dona Soledad Avenue Better Living Subdivision, Don Bosco, City Of Parañaque

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ZHANG, JING Marketing Assistant

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

INFOVINE INC. 8th, 9th, 10th/f Aspire Corporate Plaza Bldg., Macapagal Blvd. St., Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City WANG, YAO Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk

No.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

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

CHEN, GUOSHENG Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 82.

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

CHEN, YUNXING Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 83.

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

CHUNG PHUNG DUY Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 84.

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

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: with at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: with at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LI, GUANYU Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk

85.

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

LI, WEIWEI Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 86.

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

NG TIAN SONG Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 87.

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

QIU, DONGER Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 88.

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

TIAN, JIANKANG Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 89.

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

YAN, BIN Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 90.

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

ZHAO, YI Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 91.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

Basic Qualification: with at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

100.

Basic Qualification: with at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

ZHANG, XUELIN Mandarin Construction Supervisor 101.

102.

92.

93.

94.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

ZHANG, MIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

ZHANG, YU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer Support and Data Bases Services KAO, YI-CHAN Taiwanese Customer Service

95.

Brief Job Description: knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

103.

96.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs.

Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

LI, GANG Mandarin Structural Supervisor

Basic Qualification: with at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Structural Supervisor will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

104.

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

SONG, XIAODONG Mandarin Survey Supervisor

97.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs.

Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

105.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with good oral and written communication skills

106.

107.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: customer support and data base services

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

FACHRY WIKANDA HADIWIJAYA Customer Service Representative 98.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs.

Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

108.

109.

GABRIEL HARRISON Customer Service Representative 99.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs.

Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

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

Brief Job Description: Customer Support and Data Bases Services

ZHANG, XUEPING Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Support and Data Bases Services

Brief Job Description: Providing team with stimulating and supportive environment, and minimize cost & labor by reviewing schedules and inventory use

SHINSUKE, KAICHI Project Director Brief Job Description: Controlling the training and development of the staffs

BUI THE HUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 110.

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

HOANG ANH QUAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

111.

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

NGUYEN THI DUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

112.

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

NGUYEN THI THOAI LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

113.

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

PHAN DANG DAT Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

114.

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

PHAN HOANG HAI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

115.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

VU VAN TUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 116.

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

T ONE CHINA CONSTRUCTION THIRD BUREAU CORPORATION 99 Dasmarinas St., San Nicolas, 026, Barangay 282, San Nicolas, City Of Manila YANG, LEI Chinese Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Fire & Safety Engineer 117.

Brief Job Description: Implements mechanical/electrical/plumbing/fire and safety activities on-site base on approved plans, drawings and project schedule ZHANG, DUHUA Chinese Rebar Foreman

118.

Brief Job Description: Examine and inspect work progress and equipment to verify safety and ensure that specifications are met.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree, licensed civil engineer and with 3-4 years experienced in construction company Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must have previous supervisory experience at least 3 years.

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

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Contract Supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

TOTAL GAMEZONE XTREME INCORPORATED #172, C Raymundo Ave., Maybunga, City Of Pasig

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

TOUCH AND TAKE LIFESTYLE INC. Unit No. U-58 Bac Bagong Milenyo Plaza Bldg., F.b Harrison St., Barangay 76, Pasay City

119.

GONG, DAOYONG CSR - Mandarin Speaking Translator

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese.

Brief Job Description: Customer service using Chinese language.

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

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Design Manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

120.

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

TREASURE CUISINE INCORPORATED 2/f Oceanaire Condo., L7 B Central Business Park, Barangay 76, Pasay City

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Structural Supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Survey Supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with good oral and written communication skills

121.

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

Basic Qualification: Preferably 10 years of experience in construction field, able to read, write and speak English fluently Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Preferably 10 years of experience in construction field, able to read, write and speak English fluently Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

122.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Supervise and participate in cooking and baking and the preparation in food.

LIN, CHUNG-HSIAO Avp For Marketing 123.

Basic Qualification: Knowledge in computer and experience in Chef Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledge in computer and experience in Chef Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Direct reporting to President and CEO. Overall head of Marketing Division. Organize and manage a strong marketing team

Basic Qualification: Male, 35 to 45 years old; With at least 5 years’ experience in the field of Brand Management, International Trading, Marketing activities and designs; Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

URBANDIDEAS INC. Unit 17-m Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati DONG, HONGTAO Mandarin Team Leader 124.

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin

Brief Job Description: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team

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

WAN HAI LINES (PHILS.), INC. 18/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati LU, HSUEH-HUA Executive Vice President 125.

Brief Job Description: Overseeing and managing the whole business operations of Wan Hai Lines In the Philippines HSIEH, YU-DA Vice President - Operation

126.

127.

Brief Job Description: Overseeing and managing operations business of Wan Hai Line in the Philippines

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management

HSIAO, SHAN-YI Vice President - Sales Brief Job Description: Acquitting sales lead/account to meet up target quota

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

WIKITECH SERVICES INC. Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., 191 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati LIU, BANG Mandarin Marketing Specialist 128.

Brief Job Description: Undertake a market analysis to include details on the market characteristics and competitor characteristics LIU, HAIQUN Mandarin Marketing Specialist

129.

Brief Job Description: Undertake a market analysis to include details on the market characteristics and competitor characteristics WANG, HONGTAO Mandarin Marketing Specialist

130.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Supervise and participate in cooking and baking and the preparation in food.

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

UNI-PRESIDENT (PHILIPPINES) CORPORATION 10/f High Street South Corporate Plaza, Tower Ii, 26th St. Corner 11th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Responsible in all concerns of the client.

PAN, JIE Chinese Cuisine Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with good oral and written communication skills

Basic Qualification: Fluent in English, College Graduate

HUSSAIN, HARIS Marketing Executive

LONG, BEIBEI Chinese Cuisine Specialist

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

SOMI UNLIMITED SOLUTIONS, INC. 10/f Tower 2 Double Dragon Plaza Bldg., Edsa Corner Macapagal Ave. St. Zone 10, District 1, Barangay 76, Pasay City

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

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

LYE SIN SIONG Customer Service Representative

KANTA, MIKI Area Manager

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

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

No.

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

SHIMIZU PHILIPPINE CONTRACTORS, INC. King’s Court Bldg. 1, 5/f 2129 P. Tamo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

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

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Survey Supervisor will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Construction Supervisor, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

SA RIVENDELL GLOBAL SUPPORT, INC. 9-11 Flr., The Biopolis Bldg., Macapagal Blvd., Barangay 76, Pasay City

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

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

CUN LY NGA Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Design Manager will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

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

OMNIWEALTH ENTERPRISE INC. 17th Flr. Citibank Square Bldg., No. 188 Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Eastwood City Cyberpark 3, Bagumbayan, Quezon City

AU QUY KHANH Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Contract Supervisor will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

LUO, YAWEN Mandarin Design Manager

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 8/f Ecoplaza, 2305 Don Chino Roces Ave., Magallanes, City Of Makati WU, YOUQUAN Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Construction Supervisor will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

BAI, TIAN Mandarin Contract Supervisor

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Basic Qualification: with at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

POWERCHINA PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2101 21/f Bdo Equitable Tower, 8751 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

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

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

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming calls. Generate sales leads. Identify and assess customers’ needs.

Handle customer complaints. Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies.

A15

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

PHAM THAO LINH Customer Service Representative

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Brief Job Description: Undertake a market analysis to include details on the market characteristics and competitor characteristics YU, HAIYANG Mandarin Marketing Specialist

131.

Brief Job Description: Undertake a market analysis to include details on the market characteristics and competitor characteristics LIU, YANG Mandarin Team Leader

132.

Brief Job Description: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team

Basic Qualification: Proficient language skills and skills match to job Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient language skills and skills match to job Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient language skills and skills match to job Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient language skills and skills match to job Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient language skills and skills match to job Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Feb 4, 2022

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR