Cabangon named Asia’s influential and exemplary leader in business
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ALC Group Chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon (right) accepts the recognition as Asia’s Influential and Exemplary Leader in Business. Joining him onstage is Dr. Ronnel Ybañez, President of the Asia’s Influential Leader Awards, during the ceremony held at Okada Manila on February 16, 2024.
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LC Group of Companies Chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon was recognized as Asia’s Influential and Exemplary Leader in Business. The award was bestowed upon him at the Asia’s Influential Leader Awards held on February 16, 2024, at Okada Manila. The Asia’s Influential Leader Awards recognizes outstanding individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and made significant contributions to their respective fields. The award acknowledged Cabangon’s outstanding leadership and contributions to the business community. Among the distinguished awardees were prominent figures including BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr.—Asia’s Influential
Leader for Good Governance; Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia—Asia’s Influential Figure in Election Law; DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy —Asia’s Influential Leader in ICT Innovation and Digital Inclusion; Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President and CEO Atty. Agnes Devanadera - Asia’s Remarkable Influential Female Leader; and Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. Chairman Joseph C Sy—Mining Leadership Excellence Award. In a st atement, Caba ngon thanked the awarding committee, emphasizing that the honor belonged not just to him but to his father Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, and the entire ALC Group. “ To the award-giving body, thank you. I am deeply honored
and humbled to accept this award alongside highly respected government officials and business leaders. But I must say that this recognition is not solely mine to claim. This is for my mentor, my father, Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, and for the ALC Group of Companies,” he remarked. Cabangon started to gain valuable experiences working alongside his father in their family businesses when he was as young as high school. Upon completing his bachelor’s degree at De La Salle University, his father sent him to the United States to manage two gasoline stations with convenience stores. For four years, he worked as a gasoline boy while overseeing their convenience stores.
Despite initially pursuing a law degree at the University of Santo Tomas upon his return to the Philippines, he heeded his father’s call to help him manage their businesses, foregoing his legal studies. His journey was deeply influenced by the lessons learned from his father, which continue to guide his approach to leadership and life. Cabangon is the chairman of the ALC Group of Companies, a conglomerate founded by his father, spanning across different industries including media, insurance, pre-need services, car dealership, banking and finance, pawnshops, hotels, real estate development and management, and memorial care, among others.
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‘HIGHER WAGE’S IMPACT: RATE HIKE, SME DAMAGE’ H w
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By Cai U. Ordinario
Monday, February 19, 2024 Vol. 19 No. 127
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 20 pages |
@caiordinario
IGH minimum wages could spur new rate hikes by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and cause small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to close shop, according to local economists.
tional wage increase of P100 daily in the private sector, because of its damaging effects on the national economy,” FEF said in a statement. FEF said the Senate should not disrupt the decision-making process when it comes to wages. The economists said this is done through the Regional Wage Boards. They said the Regional Wage Boards take into account the interests of both employers and workers and the different cost and employment situations of various regions. See “Higher,” A2
PANAGBENGA, AND THEN SOME Every February, Baguio City comes alive with a series of celebrations that draw even more visitors to the popular Pines City. Curtain raiser for the celebrations is the opening parade of the Panagbenga Festival on February 3, 2024. A total of 6 participants for the street dance competed at the Melvin Jones Grandstand at the opening rites. See story below left, boxed. MAU VICTA
BAGUIO IN FEBRUARY–ON LOVE, FESTIVALS AND A HOMECOMING By Marilou Guieb
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T’S that time of the year again when the temperature dips to chill the bones and the festive fever rises to its peak. Panagbenga indeed can be called the festival of festivals when colors of fire and hues of pastels swirl in street dances and barren grounds in the city come alive with instant landscape gardens so pleasing to look at. The month-long festival is a festival for the senses—visual delights in the aesthetics of gardens and floral parades, the vibrant sound of gongs, lyre and drums that fill the air, the gastronomical treats offered by Baguio’s known chefs and best secrets, and the scent of flowers can’t be
missed as the essence of the festival is in the blossoms by itself. As the calendar suggests, the city, like the meaning of Panagbenga—a season of blossoming—wakes up to the line-up of activities the festival offers. And being a month of love, the sense of touch is ever present, with lovers and friends and family strolling hand-in-hand to relish what the festival offers. Panagbenga opened on February 1 with a ribbon cutting to mark the entry to the space of 11 landscapes—the silent splendor of the festival—and the opening of Baguio Blooms, Market Encounter, a flora and flavor fair on the other extreme, a bustling chaos of exciting products to explore. See “Baguio,” A2
Govt workers’ PhilHealth contributions now up 5% By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
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OVERNMENT employees’ monthly health insurance premium (HIP) contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 have now increased to 5 percent. This, after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issued a circular letter to government agencies, including state universities and colleges (SUCs), constitutional offices, government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and local government units (LGUs) on the guidelines for the adjustment in the share as employer for contributions to PhilHealth. The guidelines are pursuant to Section 55 of the General Provisions under the FY 2024 GAA, which states that any proposed increase in government and employee contributions may only be implemented after consultation by the agency
concerned with the DBM. Effective February 15, monthly premium contributions for FY 2024 to 2025 of employees with an income of P10,000 to P100,000 above rose to 5 percent, according to DBM Circular Letter No. 2024-3. The 5-percent adjustment also applies to those with a monthly basic salary (MBS) of P10,000 (income floor) to P100,000 (income ceiling) with a monthly premium from P500 to P5,000, as computed directly based on the MBS. Those with monthly salaries worth P100,000 and above will have a fixed monthly premium of P5,000, based on PhilHealth Circular No. 2019-0009. Currently, the premium rate is at 4 percent, which was supposed to be at 4.5 percent in 2023 since the government deferred the implementation, saying the country is still recovering from the “socioeconomic challenges” of the pandemic. See “Govt,” A2
EXPLAINER »B4
CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS: REEXAMINING AMERICA’S IDENTITY AS A CHRISTIAN NATION
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.0000 n JAPAN 0.3736 n UK 70.5656 n HK 7.1618 n CHINA 7.7810 n SINGAPORE 41.6171 n AUSTRALIA 36.5344 n EU 60.3400 n KOREA 0.0422 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9325 Source: BSP (February 16, 2024)
CREATIVE ILLUSTRATION:ED DAVAD
In a statement, the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) warned against passing a P100 national wage increase that could lead to “damaging effects” on the economy. Last week, a bill providing for a P100 increase in daily minimum wage hurdled the second reading at the Senate. (See:https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/02/14/ p100-daily-minimumwage-increase-bill-hurdles2nd-reading/). “We, the Foundation for Economic Freedom, firmly oppose Senate Bill No. 2534 [SB 2534] mandating a na-