BusinessMirror February 21, 2019

REVISED CORPORATION CODE SIGNED

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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RESIDENT Duterte signed into law on Thursday a landmark measure updating the decades-old Corporation Code in a bid to strengthen and simplify corporate governance standards for a more businessfriendly environment.

The timely enactment of the law is also seen to reverse the decline in the country’s ranking in the latest Ease of Doing Business Report of the World Bank, wherein the Philippines dropped from 113th to 124th

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out of 190 economies.

“I also sign today the Revised Corporation Code, which seeks to simplif y corporate governance standards and establish a more business-friendly environment that will enable corporations and other juridical entities to thrive,” Duterte said in a speech during the ceremonial signing of the measure in Malacañang.

Under the old law, Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon earlier said it is “too difficult” to open a business in the country, citing the numerous and stringent incorporation and regulatory requirements.

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business

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Thursday, February 21, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 134

‘Focus on rice import rules, not NFA overhaul’

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

HE rice liberalization law will take effect on March 5, but the government has not rolled out the new import rules that will guide traders, according to a senior official of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In contrast, inordinate focus and priority was accorded to restructuring the National Food Authority (NFA), a matter that should have been the subject of a separate law, said one critic of the rice tariffication measure.

“The real intention of the law

when you read it is to allow the importation of rice through tariffs.

The decision to insert the reorganization in the law raises questions considering the significance of the measure. NFA is not only in charge of importation but also food security. NFA’s food security functions

were also removed from the law,” lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno said on Wednesday.

Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano had a similar view.

He told the BusinessMirror that the government should prioritize the crafting of new import proce-

“The real intention of the law when you read it is to allow the importation of rice through tariffs. The decision to insert the reorganization in the law raises questions considering the significance of the measure. NFA is not only in charge of importation but also food security. NFA’s food security functions were also removed from the law.”—Diokno

HE countr y’s economic managers will formally request the Commission on Elections to exempt at least 145 priority programs and projects from the election spending ban to avoid delays in the government’s massive infrastructure program.

In an initial version of the letter addressed to Comelec Chairman Sheriff M. Abas dated February 18, the economic managers said the request is in line with the government’s commitment to increase public spending on infrastructure from 4.4 percent of GDP in 2017 to at least 6.9 percent by 2022.

“The exemption will facilitate implementation and ensure that there are no delays and disruption of these national priority projects,” read the letter, a copy of which was distributed to the media.

The letter was signed by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III and Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno.

Of the 145 programs and projects, Diokno said in a message to reporters that 59 are being implemented by national government agencies, 82 by government corporations, three by constitutional fiscal autonomy group and one by Autonomous Region in

The exemption will facilitate implementation and ensure that there are no delays and disruption of these national priority projects.”

—Economic

managers’ letter Muslim Mindanao.

Aside from these, the list also included programs and projects of Department of Public Works and Highways with FY 2019 investment targets included in the Updated 2017-2022 Public Investment Program as input to the 2019 budget preparation.

Although the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) also states that the public-works ban during elections See “Projects,” A2

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Unions’ anxieties over industry 4.0 Rene E. Ofreneo

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dures instead of focusing on the restructuring of the NFA. “What are the import rules [by March 5]? The only thing clear [right now] is that the NFA is out of the picture,” Serrano said in an interview on Wednesday.

IKE their counterparts from Europe and North America, the trade unions in the Philippines and in the Asia Pacific are worried over the displacement impact of the ceaseless technology revolution taking place in the world today.

In particular, jobs associated with the global value chains (GVCs) of the multinationals, such as semiconductor assembly, shoe manufacture and offshored customer service, are vulnerable to the threats of “re-shoring.” Adidas, which used to have a giant factory in Novaliches in the 1980s and which has some facilities in China, was able to set up in 2017 shoe factories in Germany and USA using 3D printing or additive manufacturing technology. The cheap labor advantage of Factory Asia is now being eroded by advances in robotization, automation and artificial intelligence (AI).

See “Rice import,” A2

Continued on A7

Econ managers to seek exemption from poll ban for 145 priority projects

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This discouraged investors and Filipino entrepreneurs from entering the local market.

The new Corporation Code will improve ease of doing business in the country by allowing a oneperson corporation, removing the minimum capital requirement and providing for a perpetual existence of corporation.

Since the new code allows a oneperson corporation, local business owners and investors could also stop the practice of naming the entire household as incorporators simply to comply with the stringent requirement of the law.

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SSS expects ₧30B added to its funds by new law

By Samuel P. Medenilla

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are covered by such inventory shall be furnished a copy thereof,” read a portion of the EO, a copy of which was just released to the media on Wednesday.

The DAR, Department of Agriculture and the DENR were also tasked by the President to validate the lands identified to make sure that it falls within the conditions specified in the EO.

HE Social Security System (SSS) expects an initial P30billion addition to its fund this year from the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11199, or the Social Security Act. Officials of SSS made the disclosure during the stakeholder consultation conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday.

“We expect around P30 billion will be added [to the SSS fund] for 2019 alone with the new law,” SSS Actuarial Department representative Tony Gibe said when asked by a migrant sector leader.

SSS Acting Vice President for Asia Joy A. Villacorta, however, noted the projection still does not include the additional premiums to be collected from land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) now that they are all required to become SSS members.

She said they will first wait for the completion of their consultation with stakeholders before they can compute the possible contributions of new OFW members to the SSS fund.

See “Agri lands,” A2

See “SSS,” A2

SUPER SNOW MOON This image of the Super Snow Moon was taken from the Pagasa Observatory in UP Diliman on Tuesday (February 19) night using a DSLR camera mounted on a 120mm refractor telescope, with the BusinessMirror photographer getting assistance from Pagasa astronomer Lordnico Mendoza. On Tuesday night, the moon was at perigee—the closest distance of the moon to the Earth within 356,761 kilometers. It was also called a “snow moon” because it appeared in the month of February, where the heaviest snow falls this time of the year.

‘Distribute govt-owned agri lands to qualified parties’

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RESIDENT Duterte has ordered the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to acquire government-owned agricultural lands for eventual distribution to qualified beneficiaries.

Under Executive Order 75 signed by the President last February 15, all agencies were mandated to identify lands suitable for agriculture and submit a list of these lands to DAR, indicating the location and area of

the said lands, actual use and a legal basis of ownership.

“The DAR, in coordination with the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] shall cause the preparation of an inventory of government-owned lands devoted to or suitable for agriculture and no longer actually, directly and exclusively used or necessary for the purpose for which they have been reserved or acquired. Agencies whose lands

@sam_medenilla

n JAPAN 0.4730 n UK 68.3626 n HK 6.6653 n CHINA 7.7386 n SINGAPORE 38.6702 n AUSTRALIA 37.4875 n EU 59.3596 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.9498

Source: BSP (20 February 2019 )

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BusinessMirror

A2 Thursday, February 21, 2019

Govt may tap foreign loans for ₧47-B Manila Bay rehab

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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HE government may turn to foreign loans to raise the P47 billion required for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Wednesday.

Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno told reporters in a news briefing that the government is still looking for sources of funds to bankroll initiatives aimed at cleaning up Manila Bay. “We can’t rule out the possibility of foreign loan financing.

The economic managers are constantly looking for the lowest cost of financing,” Diokno told the BusinessMirror via SMS. “Since the Manila Bay rehab is multiyear and green, we might be able to raise foreign funds [carrying] low interest rates,” he added.

Diokno also revealed that the government has already acquired a foreign grant for the crafting of the Manila Bay master plan, which is now on its second phase.

Malacañang said the money for

SSS. . .

the rehabilitation of the historic bay will likely be sourced from the Road Users’ Tax. “The money from the Road Users Tax [may be used] because we will still continue to collect tax, it’s just that the money will go directly to the National Treasury,” Diokno said.

“And if I remember right, the fund has at least P45 billion; by this time, it’s about P50 billion because we collect something like P1.5 billion every month, so we’ll see if we can tap that. The P47 billion needed is not just for one year because the rehabilitation is a multiyear activity,” he added.

The bill abolishing the Road Board, which currently manages the tax collected from road users, is now awaiting the President’s signa-

ture. The measure was transmitted to the Palace on February 8.

Cash-based budgeting

DIOKNO also said the government would still push through with the shift to cash-based budgeting despite the removal of cash-budgeting provisions in the bicameral conference committee’s version of the General Appropriations Bill.

“The content and form of the budget is an Executive decision,” the budget chief said, adding that Administrative Code of 1987 allows the cash-based budget.

According to Section 36, Chapter 5, Book VI of Executive Order 292 or the Administrative Code of 1987, “an operational cash budget shall be implemented to ensure the availability of cash resources for priority development projects and to establish a sound basis for determining the level, type and timing of public borrowings.”

“Some governments are even moving toward accrual-based systems, which are the next step after cash budgeting. We will fall far behind if we do not implement this now,” Diokno said.

The DBM said the shift to cashbased from obligation-based budgeting will hasten the implementation of projects. A cash budget would also reflect “more accurately” the annual outputs and outcomes of the government, according to Villacorta said.

Under R A 11199, SSS will raise the contribution rate of its members by 1 percent from 2019 to 2020.

The first increase is expected to take effect within the year, raising the current contribution rate from 11 percent to 12 percent.

In 2021, this will be raised to 13 percent and by 2023, to 14 percent. The last adjustment will be in 2025 at 15 percent.

The said premium rates will apply to both local and overseas SSS members.

“This [premium increase] will be our tool to further improve our services especially for OFWs,” she added.

She said they hope OFWs will be encouraged to pay their SSS premium since it will provide them with a retirement pension, as well as their new unemployment insurance benefit.

“Instead of looking at it as expense, they should consider it as a long-term investment,”

Rice imports

and the implementing rules and regulations before the law takes effect next month.

The DA official said the import procedures were not discussed during the last NFA Council (NFAC) meeting where the collegial body approved a motion to fast-track the restructuring of the food agency.

Sources told the BusinessMirror that some importers and traders are already inquiring about the import procedures, particularly the tariff payment process, under the new trade regime.

NFA OIC-Administrator Tomas R. Escarez said the food agency will stop accepting applications for its out-quota importation program starting March 5.

The rice liberalization law only states that interested importers must simply secure a sanitary phytosanitary import clearance (SPIS) from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) prior to arrival of shipments.

Sought for comment, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the importation rules for rice have not yet been finalized and will still be subject to consultation with stakeholders.

In a phone interview, Neda Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon told the BusinessMirror that the oversight agency is recommending that consultations be done according to stakeholder groups, such as farmers, millers and retailers.

This proposal, however, will still be presented to the Economic Development Cluster (EDC).

Edillon said the government aims to complete the consultations

Safeguards

law will be fully realized for the benefit of our local rice farmers,” Angara said.

He said the P10-billion RCEF seeks to provide various forms of assistance to rice farmers, such as development of inbred rice seeds, rice farm equipment and skills enhancement.

The fund, he said, will serve as a special safeguard to protect the rice industry, which will be distributed, accordingly: 50 percent for machinery and equipment; 30 percent for rice seed development, propagation and promotion; 10 percent for expanded rice credit assistance; and 10 percent for rice extension services.

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Continued from A1

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DIOKNO, a human-rights lawyer gunning for a Senate seat under the Liberal Party, told the BusinessMirror that the restructuring of the NFA should have been done via a separate measure.

Diokno said in an interview that the restructuring of the NFA could jeopardize not only the livelihood of some 6,000 workers but also the country’s food security goals.

“The real intention of the law when you read it is to allow the importation of rice through tariffs.

The decision to insert the reorganization in the law raises questions considering the significance of the measure. NFA is not only in charge of importation but also food security.

NFA’s food security functions were also removed from the law,” he said.

Diokno said a law usually accompanies the government’s policy decision to restructure or abolish a certain department. This is especially crucial for workers who depend on these agencies for livelihood.

He noted that the new law does not have provisions on what will be done to the affected NFA workers and whether they will receive separation pay.

‘Ensure RCEF reaches farmers’

BECAUSE of this, Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara prodded the Duterte administration to ensure that government support, particularly the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), provided under the law will reach farm workers.

“The government must ensure that support measures under the

Labor reacts

THE assurance from SSS, however, drew mixed reaction from labor groups.

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said it is willing to give RA 11199 a chance to prove it will be ultimately be beneficial to workers.

TUCP was particularly interested with the unemployment insurance provision of the law, which it said will be the first in the country.

“The TUCP recognizes stake-

Tariff rates

SERRANO also said the new law did not modify the applied rates on rice imports from Asean nations and outside Asean countries.

The law, Serrano pointed out, only specifies guidelines on what would be the bound rate for imported rice. The bound rate refers to the maximum tariff that a country could impose on its goods.

Under the provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AOA), a country must notify a bound rate for its imports after it converts its quantitative restriction (QR) into ordinary customs duties.

The applied tariff rate on rice imports from non-Asean countries within the minimum access volume of 350,000 metric tons is 40 percent.

This is stated in Executive Order (EO) 23 signed by President Duterte in 2017, according to Serrano.

The current tariff rate of 50 percent for non-Asean rice imports will remain, Serrano added.

Rice imports from Asean member-states will be slapped a tariff

We can’t rule out the possibility of foreign loan financing.

The economic managers are constantly looking for the lowest cost of financing . . . Since the Manila Bay rehab is multiyear and green, we might be able to raise foreign funds [carrying] low interest rates.”

–Diokno the DBM. The proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 has already been approved by Congress but it has yet to reach the desk of the President. Congress is targeting to submit the money measure to Malacañang on March 1. holders efforts to put together a package of serious reforms in improving SSS viability for better quality services to its members,” TUCP President Raymond Mendoza said.

For its part, militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno sees RA 11199 as anti-poor for imposing additional expenses on workers.

Instead of imposing additional premiums, KMU Chairman Elmer Labog said SSS should improve the efficiency of its collection to ensure the sustainability of its fund. of 35 percent as negotiated under the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (Atiga) for both in-quota and out-quota.

“Not until there are new rates, which are modified through procedures provided under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the applied tariff rates at present would remain,” Serrano said.

The country’s notification of its bound rate could be transmitted to the WTO later on, Serrano said.

RA 11203 states that the bound rate for imports from Asean would be 35 percent. The rate for non-Asean imports will be based on pertinent legal texts of the WTO under the AOA. However, Department of Agriculture (DA) Policy Research Service Chief Noel A. Padre said the Philippines has committed a 40-percent bound rate on its in-quota rice imports long ago.

WTO documents showed that the Philippines scheduled the 40-percent bound rate on in-quota imports in 2005.

What the Philippines would need to notify the WTO about is its outquota bound rate for non-Asean imports, which under the law would be at least 180 percent, Padre said.

The law stipulated that the bound rate for non-Asean out-quota rice imports could be higher than 180 if it would be determined by the Tariff Commission and approved by the Neda Board through pertinent procedures. The law gives the TC and Neda Board 45 days to undertake such process.

The 180-percent bound rate was a proposal of the DA, which it computed through the formula provided under the Annex 5 of the WTO AOA. With a report by Butch Fernandez

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Banks’ interest in TDF still rising, tenders for 7-, 14-day tenors up B ANKS’ interest in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’s (BSP) liquidity siphoning facility continued to rise on Wednesday—yielding higher bids and lower rates during the week.

Data from the Central Bank showed oversubscription in both the short and medium tenor of its term deposit facility (TDF) on Wednesday, with bids both increasing for the week’s auction.

Banks’ tenders hit P38.116 billion in the BSP’s seven-day TDF, rising from the P28.079 billion seen in the previous week and shooting above the P20 billion offered by the Central Bank for the week.

Similar movement was seen in the 14-day TDF, where banks’ bids hit P33.589 billion on Wednesday, up from the previous week’s P27.259 billion and also above the BSP’s P20 billion offering for the week.

Only the 28-day TDF deviated course, showing slightly decreased tenders during the week from the previous week’s P12.752 billion down to P9.188 billion on Wednesday. This is below the

Infra. . .

Continued from A8

(Phase I), which is the single biggest venture under BBB. DOF data show Japan is the top provider of official development assistance loans to the country at $5.84 billion, and the fifth provider of ODA grants amounting to $141.33 million.

In November 2018, the Philippines and Japan signed an exchange of notes for two documents in line with Japan’s commitment to provide around ¥205 billion (about P95 billion) in concessional

Projects. . .

Continued from A1

does not apply to ongoing public works projects before the campaign period or similar projects under foreign agreements, the economic managers still provided the Commission with a list of ongoing foreign-assisted programs and projects. This is because the OEC states that “it shall be the duty of the government officials or agencies concerned to report to the Commission the list of such projects being undertaken by them.” “[We] also provided the Comelec with a list of 384 ongoing foreign-assisted programs and projects being implemented by national government agencies that are deemed exempted from the election ban,” Diokno said in a message to reporters.

No estimate was yet provided on the total cost for these projects that will likely be exempted by the Comelec from the election spending ban.

The ban is set to take effect from March 29 to May 12.

P500-B projects

DIOKNO earlier estimated that at least half a trillion pesos of infrastructure projects are targeted to be started by the first quarter.

The country is also still operating under a reenacted budget, at

Agri lands. . .

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Within 60 days from the effectivity of the order, the DAR and the Department of Justice shall also formulate the implementing rules and regulations regarding the validation, segregation, transfer and distribution of government-owned lands.

The DAR and the DOJ shall also provide for an expeditious procedure for the resolution of protests involving the validation and segregation of government-owned lands.

Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones earlier said the order will pave the way for the distribution of government-owned agricultural lands that were supposed to have been distributed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

P10-billion offering for the week.

The TDF is one of the BSP’s liquidity absorption facilities to management circulation in the economy.

As banks bid to park funds in the BSP’s facility, the TDF effectively siphons off a part of this structural liquidity from the financial system to bring market rates closer to the BSP’s main policy rate.

Rates wound down across the board during the week, with the seven-day facility registering the biggest decline to hit 5.1248 percent during the week from the 5.1565 percent in the previous week.

The 14-day facility yielded a rate of 5.1659 percent from the 5.1828 percent in the previous week, while the 28-day facility hit 5.1822 percent from the 5.1839 percent in the previous week.

Just last week, BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo told reporters that small fluctuations in the BSP’s auction facility shows the seasonality of liquidity conditions in the country, and said that timing should be considered when observing monetary conditions. Bianca Cuaresma loans for projects under the BBB program.

The exchange of notes that was signed covers the ¥37.905-billion loan (or approximately $336.24 million) for the Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project Phase IV; and the ¥167.199-billion loan (about $1.413 billion) for the first tranche of the NorthSouth Commuter Railway Extension Project. The DFA and the Embassy of Japan signed the documents after the sixth Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

least for the first quarter of the year, since Congress has yet to submit to Malacañang the P3.757-trillion proposed national budget by March 1.

This comes as the President expressed frustration last week that the lack of skilled workers is hampering the country’s “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program.

Despite this, Diokno said in Tuesday’s briefing that the projects under the infrastructure program still show what strong efficient leadership and political will can do.

“And with the facts and numbers on the table, it is clear as day that the Duterte administration delivered,” he said.

However, he also appealed for everyone’s patience as the government is working to address the infrastructure gap.

“We recognize the urgency of the situation and we are mobilizing all resources to reverse this pitiful state of affairs,” Diokno said. “We just have to be patient because closing the infrastructure gap will take years. After all, we’re trying to fix three decades of neglect in public infrastructure.”

Through its BBB program, the Duterte administration plans to usher in the “the golden age of infrastructure,” as it aims to spend up to P9 trillion to roll out 75 flagship infrastructure projects. Bernadette D. Nicolas

The Duterte administration’s agrarian reform program or CARP 2 is anchored on the state policy to implement agrarian reform, citing Article XIII Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

Article XII Section 6, provides that the State shall apply the principles of agrarian reform for stewardship, whenever applicable in accordance with law, in the disposition or utilization of other natural resources, including lands of the public domain under lease or concession suitable to agriculture.

There are lands of the public domain that remain unclassified and are currently used for agricultural, or food production, or are suitable for agriculture.

Some of these lands remain idle and can be made productive to alleviate poverty in rural areas. Bernadette D. Nicolas

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Business

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Towering ambition: Telcos in a fren W

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

HAT if you were in the office writing reports and preparing presentations, and you suddenly remembered that you forgot to turn off your oven? It doesn’t sound like there might be a house for you to come home to, right?

With no one to help you, you now rush back to your place—not minding the risk of getting terminated—to turn the oven off and prevent a fire from consuming your home. But then traffic congestion hits you and the trains are all but functioning.

You arrive home and the smell of burning plastic wafts around your place, and the heat from the fire now becomes more real. You were able to fight the fire with your handy fire extinguisher, only to find a quarter of your house has now turned to ashes.

Now, imagine if you have the ability to turn off your oven remotely from your workstation through your mobile phone. This removes all the hassle and the stress that potentially comes from such a mishap.

This is the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), a concept that subscribes to the idea that all things are connected to and through the Internet, creating endless possibilities of remote usage and personalized functionality.

But while this is possible today, the Philippines, as with most parts of the developing world, is still far from seeing this, as IoT requires extremely fast Internet connections to work properly.

5G, experts here and around the globe say, will be the very bedrock of this concept, as it is expected to deliver speeds that are up to 100 times faster than what people experience today.

The fifth generation of cellular mobile communications, 5G is a software-defined network that essentially removes the need for cables and wires, as most of its power will come from the cloud, making it better in terms of speed and capacity than 4G. Telecommunications companies in the Philippines are gunning to commercially launch their own 5G services this year, each touting their partnerships and the remarkable steps they have taken to ready their networks for this new wave of technological advancement.

Ready, set…wait

BUT is the country really ready to start offering this new technology this year, given that the two incumbent telcos are aggressively developing their own brands of 5G? Pierre Tito M. Galla, an electronics and communications engineer, does not think so. He ranks the country’s 5G readiness as “low,” given the current state of telco infrastructure in the country.

“5G readiness requires ultradense radio networks. Unfortunately, [with] our current state of tower and cellular density, we are just barely 2G-ready, with 3G [neither] completely available nationwide nor operating anywhere close to 3G design speeds,” he told the BusinessMirror.

Out of 77 countries, the Philippines ranked 6th from the bottom of the list in terms of average 4G download speeds in Opensignal’s latest data for 2019. With only 19 Megabits per second (Mbps) of average 4G speed, the Philippines is still struggling to provide good mobile experience to its cellular users due to the lack of telco infrastructure.

This may prove to be another challenge in opening up 5G opportunities in the Philippines because in order to operate 5G effectively, tower buildup should be as con-

Out of 77 countries, the Philippines ranked 6th from the bottom of the list in terms of average 4G download speeds in Opensignal’s latest data for 2019. With only 19 Mbps of average 4G speed, the Philippines is still struggling to provide good mobile experience to its cellular users due to the lack of telco infrastructure.

tiguous as possible, with the minimum range of towers now pegged at 500 feet apart.

Based on a study made by TowerXchange—an independent community for operators, tower companies, investors and suppliers interested in emerging-market telecom towers—the Philippines lags behind its neighbors in Asia when it comes to cell-site build.

The number of unique physical cell sites in the Philippines is one of the lowest in Asia, with a combined 19,000 towers. Demand for cellular towers in the country is pegged at 70,000 sites.

China has the highest number with 1.18 million cell sites, followed by India with 450,000 and Indonesia with 76,477 cell sites; while Vietnam has 55,000; Thailand 52,483; Pakistan 28,000; Bangladesh 27,000; and Malaysia 22,000 sites.

With over 110 million mobile subscribers from the duopoly of PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc., the Philippines has the lowest tower density score in Asia, with a meager 0.14 to the 1.43 of China, Asia’s current giant.

The Philippines neither has enough nor dense tower infrastructure to operate a continuous 4G network connection, and 5G’s high infrastructure requirement will prove to be a huge challenge for telcos.

Need for more towers for 5G

TELCOS are not entirely to be blamed for the lack of telecom infrastructure in the Philippines. For many years, the two incumbents have been citing the long list of bureaucratic red tape as the culprit behind this problem.

Even Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio Jr. admitted that the problem of tower build really lies on the need to secure over two dozen permits from different government agencies, including local government units.

“There are too many permits that telcos need to comply [with] in our country that other countries do not require. In fact, in some of these countries their governments will give them one or two things that they have to comply with, then they can proceed with the building of towers. Here, they need about 27 permits before they can even start building their towers,” he said.

This means that telcos would need about eight months to comply with the requirements, acquire the right-of-way and complete the construction of one single tower.

Addressing this issue has been a top priority of the ICT department for the last 12 months. Since December, Rio has been signing almost week after week memoranda of understanding with various foreign and local tower companies in order to hasten telco infrastructure construction.

Under the deal, the tower companies will partner with the telco players—now including the budding third telco players—to pinpoint the locations of the towers that they need. The ICT department will then facilitate the security of all necessary permits from a one-stop shop that the government will set up in seven days.

The towers that will be erected will be open for any player who would want to deploy their radio

transmitters on the infrastructure.

So far, the government has signed deals with 11 common tower providers, namely: IHS Towers, Edotco, Isoc Infrastructure, iSON Towers, China Energy Equipment, Rt Telecom Sdn. Bhd., Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., MGS Construction Inc., Frontier Tower Associates Management Pte. Ltd., GNI-Tower Inc. Consortium and the American Towers Inc. “We will come up with an interagency committee to set up a one-stop shop for permits. These include the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Health, and all others that give permits. As for the local government units, we will have to persuade that this infrastructure initiative is that of national interest,” Rio said.

He added: “This is the first time that we’re going into this kind of regime, so there will be learning curves here and there.”

The government’s target is to set

up as many as 50,000 towers to complement the existing ones in government properties to remove the need for right-of-way acquisition.

“We will use, as much as possible, national real estate. For the DICT alone, we have 1,000 locations where they can put up towers. We also have more than 20,000 public schools, which can get free Wi-Fi because of this initiative,” Rio noted.

This, he added, will result in an increase in tower density to 0.5, half of the “ideal” tower density score of 1.0, which translates to one tower per 1,000 subscribers.

“Our situation is our telcos have been existing for the past 20 years and they were able to come up with less than 20,000 towers in that time period. With 5G on the awning, we need more towers, and we need to get to the tower density score of 0.5 the fastest way possible,” Rio said.

Already, industry stakeholders have been meeting for two weeks to discuss the possible locations of the new towers that will be built

for this year.

“We have 15 days for us to come up with the number of towers and their locations for this year; and relating it also with the number of towers that the government has that can be made available.

With these locations the mobile network operators can now come up with their tenders,” Rio said.

By March, a concrete list of locations and the number of towers needed for 2019 should be ready.

“The telcos will reconcile the list with our real estate, and then we will come up with a framework for that. This will result in approximately 3,000 towers in the first year. These will be given out to the 11 tower companies so they can give us their best offer for the locations,” he added.

This initiative will be a precedent to a solid common and shared infrastructure policy that the government is currently crafting.

Secretary Rio and Ramon P. Jacinto, the presidential adviser for ICT, are at odds, however, with the specifics of the proposed policy.

For Rio, Jacinto’s insistence on capping the number of tower providers would hinder the industry from attaining the development that it needs to really see the 5G vision come to life, and provide better services to consumers.

“Insofar as mobile 5G is concerned, operators know that 5G will require more tower density, which is a huge challenge for the Philippines at the moment due to the permitting issues. We are hopeful that the final terms of reference on the common tower policy be released soon so that interested parties and telco operators can start collaborating on the infrastructure build, as this will definitely take time,” Globe Spokesman Yolanda C. Crisanto said.

Telcos race for first 5G in PH

DESPITE these challenges on infrastructure, 5G will be available in the Philippines this year—at least that’s the promise of local telco players. However, their primary focus is not on mobile, due to infrastructure limits, but rath-

aderLook

sMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace | Thursday, February 21, 2019

A5

ANTON MEDVEDEV | DREAMSTIME.COM

nzy over 5G, but is the PHL ready?

er, they will launch 5G services in two very different sectors: the home and enterprise.

For Globe, the 5G game in the Philippines will start with a home broadband service that will deliver faster speeds through the cloud.

“We will do commercial launch of 5G for home by the second quarter of this year. Since it is not yet a mobile rollout, we are confident we will have a successful launch,” Crisanto said.

Globe has partnered with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics manufacturer, to deploy its first 5G product. Called Fiber Air, this product makes use of fixed location wireless radios instead of fiber to provide speeds ranging from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps.

It will be initially rolled out in urban areas, mainly in Metro Manila, where Globe’s tower infrastructure is more contiguously built.

Smart Communications Inc., on the other hand, has fired up the first two 5G cell sites in the coun-

try with the intent of developing solutions and applications for businesses in Makati City and Clark Freeport Zone.

Smart partnered with Huawei to fire up the cell site in Makati, while it tapped Ericsson for the initiative in Clark.

With 5G cell sites now live and on-air, Smart is set to test 5G’s powerful platform to develop solutions such as autonomous vehicles, connected fleets, smart buildings and factories, and be able to deliver 5G services to customers “soon.”

Legislative support

FOR electronics and communications engineer Galla, the 5G initiative is not entirely hinged on infrastructure build; it also needs policies and laws that will ensure the quicker deployment of better telco services in the country.

“We need to pass the Open Access in Data Transmission bill and, thus, encourage rapid infrastructure rollout, particularly high-density last-mile data networks, which will be needed for ultra-dense 5G

networks,” he said.

Sponsored by Sen. Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, the bill essentially promotes competition by removing requirements to enter into the data transmission business. This results in the faster authorization and registration of industry players, a technology-neutral framework, a fair and open competition in all segments of the network, and a mandated interconnection among providers.

It also aims to promote transparency in pricing, an equitable management of spectrum, and infrastructure sharing. Essentially, these provisions will lower barriers and cost to entry for data service providers, while promoting seamless connectivity, and the efficient use of resources.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III held out hopes the Upper House could pass the Open Access in Data Transmission bill when plenary sessions resume from May 20 to June 7.

“It’s possible,” Sotto told the BusinessMirror on February 20.

The Senate President clarified, however, that the bill is “still in the period of amendments.”

“My personal assessment is, [it’s a] touch and go situation,” Sotto added, but did not elaborate.

But Aquino, chairman of the Science and Technology Committee, hopes the Open Access bill will be passed when Congress reconvenes in May.

Aquino confirmed that the bill is still in plenary interpellation period, adding he’s optimistic there would be “majority support for prioritizing its deliberations and approval in the Senate” when the sessions resume.

The senator added that “advocacy groups for better internet have been working with us to help ensure that questions and clarifications regarding the bill coming from senators are resolved before session resumes.”

At the same time, the senator confirmed that their House colleagues were also working on a counterpart bill.

“In fact, the House bill has

already been approved on third reading,” Aquino said, adding that its principal sponsor in the Lower House is Tarlac Rep. Victor A. Yap.

Spectrum management

GALLA believes the 5G tack would fly if there is spectrum management reform.

“We also need to pass a spectrum management reform for equitable frequency allocation,” he said.

Spectrum management involves the evaluation of frequencies assigned to telco players, their possible re-farming, and their possible reallocation. Based on government data, PLDT holds 400 megahertz of the total spectrum holdings, while Globe has rights to 325 MHz. What remains is a swathe of 225 MHz of frequencies in the 700 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2.5 gigahertz, 3.3 GHzand 3.5 GHZ bands. These will be allocated to the future third player.

The amount of spectrum assigned to a telco has an impact on

the cost of the build capacity, overall network performance, ability to offer new multimedia services and general customer experience of wireless services.

Last, Galla said the government needs to “promote competition to spur ICT infrastructure development, particularly in rural areas where network density is not only insufficient but often insignificant.”

“If the status quo does not change, we may be 10 years behind the rest of the world,” he said.

A sad scenario that would be, given the enthusiasm with which the existing telcos are touting their planned rollouts. And given what the Philippines’s consumers have been missing out on all this time.

Indeed, going back to the original case of the absent-minded office worker with no means to use his smartphone to control his home appliances, another decade’s wait could also mean more houses burned down.

With a report by Butch Fernandez

A6 Thursday, February 21, 2019 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

‘Blind rearmament can’t be the answer’

P

EOPLE who grew up during the Cold War era know that an all-out nuclear war was the ultimate nightmare. It would kill hundreds of millions of people in seconds, and most of the industrialized world would be bombed back to the Stone Age. Cold War refers to the decades-long fight for global supremacy between the United States and the Soviet Union beginning in 1945, which resulted in international incidents that almost led the two superpowers—and their allies—to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Fortunately, the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on December 8, 1987, ended the period of intense geopolitical tension between the US and the Soviet Union. Signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the INF Treaty, which has no expiration date, called for both sides to destroy and never deploy again ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, either nuclear or conventional. A total of 2,692 missiles were destroyed under the treaty in the first three years, according to the US State Department.

If the signing of the INF Treaty was a high point for superpower arms-control efforts, Bloomberg said President Donald J. Trump’s decision to pull out of the landmark arms control pact with Russia is turning the worst fears of a dangerous weapons race into reality. The US has defended its move to pull out of the INF Treaty, accusing Russia of breaking the pact by deploying several battalions of SSC-8 intermediate-range missiles. Western military experts believed the weapon has a range of 2,000 km, which Russia denies.

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, cited recent Russian deployments that evoke a Cold War-style threat of nuclear destruction at a recent global conference of security and defense officials in Munich. Stoltenberg told Bloomberg: “These missiles are mobile, easy to hide and nuclear-capable. They can reach European cities, like Munich, with little warning.”

Meanwhile, the US and its allies are laying the groundwork to deploy new intermediate-range missiles in Europe for the first time since they were banned under the INF Treaty, a move that would prompt a tit-for-tat Russian response. With a second nuclear pact likely to expire in two years, the risks of confrontation are growing. German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced a sense of alarm that’s spreading in Europe as the US and Russia trade blame. “We’re stuck with the consequences,” she said, “blind rearmament can’t be the answer.”

Without the INF Treaty, Russia could go ahead with further deployment of the questioned missiles. Bloomberg said the US is already developing a counter-weapon, raising the possibility of a repeat of the Cold War-era arms race in Europe. The demise of the treaty would also free the US to deploy midrange nuclear weapons to counter China’s deployment of such arms, potentially escalating tensions in Asia. Trump has said that the US “must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability.”

The US has proposed replacing the INF Treaty with a broader pact bringing in other military powers, including China. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, however, said that’s unlikely. It said: “Of China’s 501 land-based missile launchers, 431 would be covered by the INF Treaty, so agreeing to a ban on intermediate-range weapons would require destroying 80 percent of this arsenal.”

The concerns about the potential for an armed buildup in Europe are amplified by the fact that New START, the last such arms control agreement still in place, is set to expire in 2021. Losing the pact without any replacement would make it impossible for either side to know whether newly deployed missiles are nuclear or conventional, said Francois Heisbourg, a former French diplomat and Defense Ministry adviser. “It means that military planners have to assume the worst, and that is very destabilizing.”

Since 2005

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business

Success or failure: What’s the difference?

John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

I

F you are thinking that this is going to be a self-help thing, not a chance. If you have reached adulthood and have not learned the “rules” for success, you are in trouble. OK, here is a refresher course, just because...

Get sleep. Eat healthy but enjoy your food. Be nice; don’t try to make enemies. Spend “healthy” but enjoy your money. Balance “work hard” with “work smart” and do both. Use common sense. Family first.

Don’t you feel more successful already?

The divide between “success” and “failure” is found by looking at economies around the world. In just a glance at a world map, you can pick out the winners and losers without much trouble.

Africa—given the benefit of the doubt and on its best day—is overall a garbage dump of poverty and pestilence. You name the problem, Africa has it in biblical

proportions: Government and private corruption? Check. Religious and tribal warfare? Check. Domestic political rivalry with dead supporters on all sides? Check. The blame-game for failure reaches back to colonization and forward to the wife of the last “president” who liked young boyfriends and designer clothes.

In most countries, the last 50 years has been spent finding generous lenders from the World Bank to the Chinese government now. In fact, unless these nations are going to wait several more generations, maybe the only solution is to declare, “We are a colony of China” and force Beijing to actually take over.

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employees, they negotiated the contract with elected officials. The officials magically could count on the union employees voting for them.

That worked for decades. But now unfunded pensions require huge tax increases or cutting future benefits.

They even have a “better” solution.

If a city has an airport, for example, just give it to the union. All profits go to pay the pensions and if in 10 years the airport crumbles to dust, the city can borrow money and build a new one. That is what they are thinking of doing in the state of Illinois to make up a $130-billion pension shortfall.

Back to the map: Look at the area bounded by the Pacific and the Indian oceans. Most everyone gets along despite many religions, languages and cultures. Government bills and debts are paid on time. The standard of living is slowly but steadily rising across all economic groups.

There must be something in the collective waters creating success.

Maybe it is common sense.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Visit my web site at www.mangunonmarkets.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stockmarket information and technical analysis tools provided by the COL Financial Group Inc.

The dramatic moment of the Marcos presidency

✝ Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Publisher

Speaking of China, this is a true success story. Look at the great strides in poverty reduction. Of course, no one wants to talk about the near-slave like conditions Chinese workers have endured making stuff for the “rich” Westerners. At least there is a “chicken in every wok” and many have two woks in their one or two new condos or apartments.

The Chinese government though has a magic secret weapon. The economy does almost anything the government wants it to do. For example, housing prices are falling and that is an economic problem.

A government in Fujian—and other places—has banned price cuts.

Developers of unsold properties have been told they cannot lower prices. The property developer cannot employ “malicious price cuts.”

Problem solved.

In the United States, politicians had problems making sure they always had enough votes at election time. The answer was simple. Make the best paying ordinary jobs be provided by local and state governments and make it mandatory that those jobs be unionized.

If the union wanted a raise or better pensions for its public-sector

T

HE dramatic moment of the Marcos presidency came just past 9 a.m. on February 24, 1986, after he finished addressing the nation over the government television station, MBS4, announcing the imposition of a state of emergency.

Unaware that the cameras were still rolling, President Marcos and General Fabian Ver argued over the use of force against the rebels.

The Philippines Daily Express recounted the exchange with this transcription in its March 2, 1986, issue: Ver: We have to immobilize the helicopters they’ve got. We have two fighter planes flying now to strike at any time, sir.

Marcos: My order is not to attack.

Ver: They are massing civilians near our troops and we cannot keep on withdrawing. You asked me to withdraw yesterday…

Marcos: My order is to disperse (the civilians) without shooting them.

Ver: We cannot withdraw all the time…

Marcos: No, no, no! You disperse the crowd without shooting them. You may use any other weapon.

This was President Marcos at his finest, in his hour of greatest peril.

That his survival in power was now at stake became clear when, at noon, the mutineers’ helicopter gunships bombarded Malacañang Palace with rockets. Marcos exposed US material involvement in this attack, in Trilogy: There were actually more than three rockets (which according to our Air Force officer who inspected the fragments were not found in the inventory of the Philippine Armed Forces) fired against us. This was confirmed by Col. Antonio Sotelo when he said in conversation with Bryan Johnson [author of The Four Days of Courage], “we sent one helicopter, one pass and he fired six rockets…

I want them gassed up now! And I want fuel for my choppers, too, was the demand of Col. Antonio Sotelo to the Clark Air Base authorities… Bryan Johnson further wrote that Clark’s US

officer responded to this demand in the time-honored manner: they dumped the whole thing in Washington’s lap…

Finally, just before 4 a.m., the Pentagon’s bureaucrats handed down the decisive ruling: Yes… All along Juan Ponce Enrile and Cardinal Sin were on the phone both to the base and Ambassador Bosworth.

Still, disdaining violence, Marcos refused to authorize, much more order, the slaughter of his enemies.

More than the threatened cut-off of American aid, he feared a civil war between his followers and foes. Neither side would prevail without grievous losses in a civil war. But the communists, with their guerrillas and armed partisans better prepared to strike, would most likely grab power.

He cannot accept a communist takeover as a consequence of defending his tenure. The people have already given him their votes; he cannot ask for the blood of those who did not.

He knew that it would be within the law to suppress the rebellion with force. But higher than the decrees of men, higher than law, is sacred life.

He knew the consequence of not using force against the rebels: his loss of power, and perhaps his own life.

In contemplation, the decision not to use firepower would be a prelude to a strategic retreat. He could depart Malacañang, temporarily. While the upheaval subsided, he would rebuild and consolidate his forces in his northern strongholds, for a counter-

attack to retake Malacañang.

The basis of that counteroffensive would be his duty to uphold the results of the snap elections, the mandate of the people and the defense of the will of the majority. But even such a legitimate cause cannot justify civil war. In the first place, elections are supposed to be a more civil substitute for war. That the losing side refuses to honor the results of an election, should be a matter for law, not guns, to resolve.

The strategic retreat he would make should be in preparation for court battles, not armed conflict.

Ergo, he would have to forswear a massive armed comeback, for that would only be today’s slaughter postponed for tomorrow, and there would still be civil war. If he now declines to fire the cannons, he would have to silence them for the rest of his life. Once he leaves Malacañang, the only way he could reclaim it would be through the force of law, not guns.

History required Marcos to summon greater courage—to resist recourse to violence. As a soldier during the Second World War, his exploits in combat earned him medals so plenty they aroused envious spirits. Valor in war, however, seemed to pale in comparison to the courage the national interest now demanded of him.

Yet, the situation seemed all so logical to the rational thinker that See “Arillo,” A11

Opinion BusinessMirror

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Rice Tariffication Law, a death Love...? Love! knell to PHL’s rice industry Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco Jr.

ALÁLAONG BAGÁ

Val A. Villanueva

BUSINESSWISE

I

T’S sad to reminisce the time when the country basked in the glory of being Asia’s agricultural hotshot. Our picturesque, verdant fields were the envy of our Asian neighbors. I think this was the main factor why—aside from the fact that we were way ahead in harnessing our lands for agricultural endeavor—the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations and the Philippine government partnered to set up the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Laguna, to spearhead the “Green Revolution” not only to combat hunger, but to find ways to increase rice production.

Since 1960, IRRI has exceeded its expectations. Its “semidwarf” rice variety saved India from famine in the 1960s. By 2005, it was estimated that 60% of the world’s rice area was planted to IRRI-bred rice strains or their iterations.

It’s ironic that, while the rest of Asia benefitted from IRRI’s genius, our country faltered and has since lagged behind our neighbors. We failed to keep pace with the way their rice production grew by leaps and bounds over a short span of time. It’s not so much about our inability to use IRRI’s technology to the fullest, but because of utter government neglect.

For decades, farmers have agonized over the miniscule government support they got in terms of investment, funding and accommodations. Another stumbling block was the non-implementation of the land reform law that weighed down heavily on Filipino rice farmers.

Having little or no income sources to pay for the land awarded to them, farmers were compelled to rent the land they tilled, incurring debts on exorbitant payment terms.

They also had to hire reapers, and usually remained in a never-ending loop of obligation to equipment owners, who are also their palay customers. To this day, unscrupulous rice traders who hoard and manipulate rice prices continue to undermine the industry on which our farmers and their families heavily depend.

Despite all these, our rice farmers make do with whatever little they have. They have weathered periods of pestilence and storm after tropical storm, even while living handto-mouth. There is, however, one storm that Filipino farmers never prepared for: Typhoon Digong.

The Duterte administration may be acting on the mistaken belief that it is doing our farmers a big favor by ending their agony. Instead of making up for the government’s blatant indifference to their plight, President Duterte has decided to pull the plug on the life support system that’s keeping our farmers barely alive. With just one stroke of a pen, he has signed the rice tariffication law, hammering the last nail on the coffin of Filipino rice farmers.

From here on, we might have to be satisfied merely waxing nostalgic about the splendor that our rice industry once was through Filipino folk music and art: Luz Morales’s ditty, ‘Magtanim Ay Di Biro,’ and Fernando Amorsolo’s various paintings of the Philippines’s spectacular rice fields.

Imposing rice tariffs and lifting quantitative restrictions on rice imports are said to be inflation busters.

But isn’t killing the livelihood of rice farmers which will lead to massive unemployment rate likewise inflationary? In the midst of last year’s runaway inflation, largely due to Duterte’s questionable tax reform program, the President in an unparalleled and possibly unconstitutional move issued Administrative Order (AO) 13 even before the passage of the Rice Tariffication Bill.

The AO gets rid of nontariff barriers in the ingress of agricultural products into the country. He even said that we can now import as much rice as we want.

The Rice Tariffication Law replaces volume restrictions and allows unlimited rice importation with a 35-percent tariff on rice imports from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and 50 percent from non-Asean countries. It takes effect on March 5 of this year, with up to P11 billion in import duties expected to be collected during its first year of implementation, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).

Duterte’s economic team acknowledges that opening the floodgates for “cheaper” rice could kill local farmers in the long run. Nonetheless, these economic advisers justified the law’s passage by saying that it would increase revenues from importation, which, in turn, could fund the agriculture sector’s attractiveness, thus improving farmers’ incomes. Unfortunately, this is highly doubtful. Over the last two decades, this overlooked sector has only received 5 percent of the national budget.

It should be noted here that the Philippine Institute for Development Studies has projected a 29percent regression in rice farmers’ incomes with a P4-drop in palay farmgate prices upon implementation of the tariffication law. This would affect four million families who depend on the industry.

The economic research group Ibon Foundation warned that the rice tariffication law “would neither improve the productivity of local farmers, lower the price of rice, nor ensure a stable rice supply unless the government gave substantial support to agriculture.”

Under the law, a P10-billion rice competitiveness enhancement fund will be taken from the tariff revenues to support Filipino farmers for six years. But Ibon said the law could not control the global prices of rice or prevent possible price manipulation by domestic rice traders.

“Global rice prices are volatile and can become very high depending on the production conditions of exporting countries. Rice production [in] Vietnam and Thailand is subsidized and incentivized, making their rice cheap. But they can decide to prioritize local consumption and ban exports, making cheap rice unavailable to Filipino consumers,” Ibon warned.

Obviously, our farmers do not need rice tariffication. They need the government to provide increased and direct budget support through land reform, the allocation of land strictly for local food production, and free irrigation.

The Duterte administration has national funds it can utilize to support price controls. In the same vein, the government also has the power to remove consumption taxes and repeal the regressive provisions of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. If Duterte were truly concerned for the welfare of Filipino rice growers and the consuming public, he would pursue and prosecute rice cartels for sabotaging our economy.

Pulling the plug on the Philippine rice industry by implementing the rice tariffication law is not the answer.

For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com

W

E heard last Sunday the paradoxical beatitude, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you...Rejoice...your reward will be great in heaven.” Now the gospel reading (Luke 6:27-38) continues that line of thought and tells us how to conduct ourselves and to love even as we live in affliction and in the face of evil.

Love your enemies CONTRADICTING the common mode of behavior, Jesus calls his disciples to love their enemies. In the world’s view of enmity, to do harm to one’s enemies is expected, just as doing good to one’s friends only is normal. Living in this sinful world, the believer is to conduct himself in a very specific manner according to his faith. First of all, he is to return good for evil and love his enemies.

Revenge is totally out. Evil for evil (“an eye for an eye”) propagates evil.

The only way to really stop evil is by doing what is good.

How is this love of enemies, this being good and doing good

concretely practiced? The vicious cycle of maliciousness is only broken by a non-violent and positive choice of goodness. “To the one who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well...Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This golden rule applies always and everywhere.

Without being solicited, we act accordingly toward everyone, offering friendship and pardon. This must be our “whole day habit”. This is what identifies us as children of the Father who is kind to all even to the wicked.

Because you are children of your father

BASICALLY, Jesus is asking his

Thursday, February 21, 2019 A7

followers to be different from the children of the world. Comparing his disciples to sinners, he points out that even sinners love, do what is good and lend to those who would do the same to them. What credit is that for Christians if they only manage to do as much? They must be more and do more by expanding the scope of their love. They should include everyone and exclude no one. The motive of Jesus’ disciples is not something derived from their antagonists, but from God. It is no longer merely the world’s law of reciprocity but the compassion and mercy of God that should move the faithful.

Our human relationship must go beyond the narrow limits of “You scratch my back; I scratch your back.” People expect a similar return to what they do to others; favors are reciprocated, compliments returned, thus balance and measures are clear. Challenging his followers to defy this way of the world, Jesus promises us the great reward in being children of the Most High. Like Father, like children: loving, merciful. Concretely this means being non-judgmental, non-condemnatory and forgiving. Judging and condemning are divine prerogatives; engaging in

Unions’ anxieties over industry 4.0

Yes, we need not give up jobs in these sectors. But it is clear: we need to strategize or re-strategize industrial development in a more holistic manner, taking into consideration the fact that the existing international division of labor in industrial production as represented by the GVCs is changing.

In the meantime, there are other issues on the technology revolution that unions are trying to air. In a meeting held in Hanoi conducted by the Asia-Pacific Organization of the UNIGlobal Union, the trade union organizers expressed the following concerns: First, jobs are becoming more precarious and employers are hiring more and more atypical or nonregular workers. This is so because the new technology renders the skills of routine workers, those in the assembly lines or those doing repetitive tasks, less and less important. As a result, the bargaining power of these workers on compensation, tenure and work hours is reduced.

Second, the non-regularization phenomenon covers too the emergof chivalry among warriors, allow him at least an honorable one. By the ancient code, the victors should be magnanimous. Cory Aquino had dangled the lure of magnanimity.

After taking her ambiguous oath of office later that day, Cory Aquino would affirm: “I would like to repeat that I am very magnanimous in victory.”

But he knew she had been fickle, and could be again—how many times did she assure Doy Laurel that she was not going to run for president even if nominated? Furthermore, was she in control of the forces seeking his ouster, or would it be better to discuss the terms of his exit with the mutiny’s leader, Minister Enrile?

He went for Enrile, whom he knew better, and who, as a fellow lawyer, could more competently discuss the legal implications of his proposals than Cory can. There

were several possibilities. Marcos could nullify the results of the snap elections, call for new elections in which he would not be a candidate, and complete his current term, up to noon of June 30, 1987, when he shall turn over the government to the new president-elect.

Or he could share power in a coalition government. Or he could accept powerless but honorific roles—as figurehead or adviser—in a transition government where the actual power would be in Enrile’s hands.

Any of these would be legal, and would avert a constitutional crisis by doing away with the need for a revolutionary government.

But by early morning of February 25, it was too late to bargain.

Enrile had already publicly committed himself to accept election loser Cory Aquino as president who was

scheduled to take her oath of office that morning.

Denied any role in a coalition or transition government, Marcos had no choice but to proceed with his own oath taking, although he knew that it would not keep him in power. The oath he took had become familiar, for it was his fourth time to recite it. Yet it was the most meaningful, if most somber, of his oath takings.

The situation added a tragic dimension as he intoned the closing portion of the prescribed oath: … and consecrate myself to the service of the nation.

In the context of history, that consecration meant sacrificing himself, for a divided nation, that it may be one again.

Continued from A1

T

HE job displacement impact of the technology revolution is fully chronicled in the following studies: n McKinsey Global Institute (2017)—about 60 percent of all occupations have at least 30 percent of constituent activities that can be automated.

continued from A10

Marcos was: if in war he had risked his life for his country, it would make no sense this time to risk his country for his life. Patriotism is not a transient act, but a commitment for a lifetime. He steeled himself: when history makes a ponderous turn, it seldom does so neatly.

In that moment, Ferdinand E. Marcos was no longer just Malakas (strong); he also became Maganda (beautiful). He became a mother, protective of her children, including those who were foolishly misbehaving.

Marcos felt that if he was to yield power, it should be done honorably.

If his enemies deny him a graceful exit, they should, following the code

Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, from 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio streaming on www.dwiz882.com.

The dialogue process should tackle the feasibility and necessity of developing fully funded and comprehensive social safety nets for all workers, vulnerable or not to the technology revolution. These safety nets should cover the rules for work under industry 4.0, such as standards of work for those working at home and those hired online. The rules on work in the physical world should be complemented by rules on work in the cyber world.

Government should insure that industry observes real or genuine social responsibility in participating seriously in social dialogue and in the implementation of social or tripartite agreements. In this regard, the Philippines usually come up with beautiful tripartite social agreements on major social and labor issues, and yet, is unable to follow up on the observance by the parties on their commitment to these agreements.

The point is that labor should be treated as a true and reliable partner. And business should be considered the business of all stakeholders. This means labor should be prepared to assume responsibility too on the issue of productivity, as demonstrated by what Japanese unions do when they sign on to the technology-related productivity agreements in some industries such as the auto industry.

If job disruptions and displacements are unavoidable, the social partners should be able to develop programs or measures that make the transition humane and least painful to those affected. Win-win adjustment measures are easier achieved if there is communication and consultation among the social partners. Is this possible in the Maharlika country?

LABOREM EXERCENS

Arillo . . .

Alálaong bagá, our human conduct must now be modeled on God as definitively revealed to us in Jesus Christ, the God who is compassionate and good to all, even to the wicked and the ungrateful. We look at Jesus and we know we must learn to love as he does, without measure, even our enemies, loving therefore like our heavenly Father—His kapuso, kadiwa! Jesus who said he was sent to bring freedom to prisoners and the oppressed (Luke 4:14-21) is evidently not pushing for passivity and inaction, or for resignation when confronted with violence and injustice, resulting in passive complicity to evil and encouraging more abuse. He is teaching us that the only way out of the mess of sin is actively God’s way, the positive way of divine love and compassion.

ing proletariat under industry 4.0 —the online freelancers and the on-demand workers such as the Grab and Go-Jek drivers. They are now considered contractors, not employees. Hence, for social security coverage, they themselves have to pay for their premium contributions. When accidents happen, they have no employers to turn to.

Third, many workers find it hard to keep up with the changes in technology. Governments often talk about skilling opportunities—upskilling, re-skilling and side-skilling—for those affected by technological changes. However, the reality is that skilling cannot happen overnight. Those aged 40 and above find it difficult to adjust to the new technology and acquire new skills in an instant or hastily developed training courses. The problem is aggravated by the failure of many employers to inform their employees in advance of forthcoming changes in the work organization even if such changes have been in their drawing boards months ahead of time. In general, there are no worker-focused transition programs, and no digital road maps for the workers.

So what are the unions’ proposals?

First, they demand that genuine and sustained social dialogue with industry and government on job and work adjustments under industry 4.0 should be undertaken.

Singapore, with its tripartite digital road maps and programs such as Future Skills for a Digital Workplace, is a good model on the conduct of social dialogue and what can be accomplished by all the social sectors working together in building up a competitive and job-full economy under the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

n Chang and Phu study for ILO on Asean (2016)—56 per cent of jobs in the five industrially developed Asean countries are at risk of automation in the next 20 years. n World Bank report on “Digital Dividends” (2016)—two-thirds of jobs in the developing world are susceptible to automation.

Is it not time for the Department of Trade and Industry to re-think industrial strategy? The country cannot rely simply on what some economists and technocrats have been proposing upgrading Philippine participation in the GVCs of the MNCs. As it is, the Philippines’s participation in industrial GVCs such as electronics and auto parts assembly is quite limited compared to Thailand and now Vietnam. With industry 4.0, the government goal of gaining more and better jobs in these GVCs is not as promising as what these technocrats and economists are saying. In the case of the call center/BPO sector, the displacement threat coming from software robotization (e.g., chat-bots) and DIY technology is very real.

them invites God’s judgment on us. If we would be forgiven, we must forgive. A forgiving, merciful spirit reveals that we actually have been forgiven and are responding to that grace by our commitment to forgive.

To reach the writer, e-mail cecilio.arillo@ gmail.com.

2nd Front Page BusinessMirror

A8 Thursday, February 21, 2019

Yen-funded infra projects top PHL-Japan meeting

O

By Rea Cu

@ReaCuBM

FFICIALS from the Philippines and Japan are set to meet in Osaka, Japan, on Thursday (February 21), for an update by the Philippine side on the progress of project approvals and the processing of financing arrangements that will provide the “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program with additional financing support from Japan.

Besides holding the seventh meeting of the Philippines-Japan High-Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation, government officials headed by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III are also set to hold a Philippine Economic Briefing the following day, according to a statement issued by the Department of Finance (DOF) on Wednesday.

Philippine officials will also repor t on the ongoing peace process in Mindanao, following the approval of the Bangsamoro

Organic Law (BOL), which will clear the way for the creation of a new Bangsamoro region.

Japan, for its part, will report on its observation mission during the Bangsamoro plebiscite and on possible additional areas of cooperation to assist in the Philippines’s peace-building programs in Mindanao.

Dominguez and other DOF officials will also visit the National Tax College Osaka Training Center, to learn from its best experiences and gain inputs on how to transform the Philippine Tax Academy

₧189.92B

The combined amount (¥398.82 billion or about $3.63 billion) of nine loan agreements signed between Manila and Tokyo since President Duterte assumed office in June 2016 (PTA) in Manila into a premier tax knowledge center and effective training arm for state officials and employees in taxation.

The DOF said the two countries likewise “expect the loan agreement for the Road Network Development Project in ConflictAffected Areas in Mindanao to be signed soon,” following the exchange of notes for this project between Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Japan Foreign Minister Tarō Kōno during the latter’s visit to Davao City on February 10.

Since its first meeting in March 2017, the High-Level Joint Committee has made substantial progress in speeding up loan approvals for Japan-supported BBB infrastructure projects, with Manila and

Tokyo so far signing nine loan agreements since President Duterte assumed office in June 2016.

Dominguez said the loan agreements, with a combined amount of ¥398.82 billion or P189.92 billion (or about $3.63 billion), are for the following projects that were signed between October 2016 and January 2019 namely: ■ Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project for the Philippine Coast Guard (Phase II); ■ Harnessing Agribusiness Opportunities through Robust and Vibrant Entrepreneurship Supportive of Peaceful Transformation (Harvest); ■ Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project; ■ Arterial Road Bypass Project (Phase III) in Bulacan; ■ New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection Project (II); ■ Metro Rail Transit Line 3 Rehabilitation Project; ■ Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project (Phase IV); ■ North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project (1st tranche of loan); and ■ Metro Manila Subway Project See “Infra,” A2

Duterte pushes joint sea patrols to fight piracy

By Manuel T. Cayon

@awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

D

AVAO CIT Y—President Duterte has ca l led on other East Asia countries

to undertake joint anti-piracy sea patrols, as he highlighted each nation’s vulnerability to the growing sea-borne threat.

“We have to be one in our patrols,” Duterte told a gathering at the SMX Convention Center here

NORTHEASTERLY SURFACE WINDFLOW AFFECTING LUZON AND VISAYAS as of 4:00 pm - February 20, 2019

commemorating the 25th year anniversary of the founding of the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga).

He added: “We are doing commerce. Our navies must be vigilant.”

“But let me very clear to the heads of states. My order to my navy is to blast them [pirates] off the Earth. If there are pirates in our territory or in the high seas, my orders are: blast them to kingdom come,” Duterte stated.

In the latter half of the decade, the Abu Say yaf Group (ASG), which has publicly announced its fealty to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, has turned to sea piracy.

It was previously known to engage in the kidnapping of foreign nationals and locals for hefty ransom, occasionally beheading captives and uploading video footage online.

“It’s just the same. They [ASG bandits] are arrested. They go to prison. You do not have witnesses because the victims, once they are freed…would not even wait for a minute to issue a statement.

They go home because they are scared. So justice seems to be an illusion. It’s a mirage actually floating in the seas,” Duterte said.

He branded the ASG as bandits with no souls. “And I am telling the military forces: finish them [ASG bandits] off.”

“So once again, Indonesia, Malaysia, we have to band together.

The world is changing, including the economy. It could go either bad or very bad or it could go well, but we will have to go into a bad level and I hope we can survive it,” he added.

Two years ago, the anti-piracy watchdog, Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, or ReCA AP, counted 59 abductions in the Sulu-Celebes Sea region, many of these suspected to be carried out by the ASG. The number was recorded between March 2016 and July the following year. And only in July 2017, the ASG executed three Vietnamese sailors.

The ReCAAP has since advised the shipping industry “to exercise extreme caution and even re-route their vessels to avoid the dangerous areas.”

www.businessmirror.com.ph

D.O.E. READY FOR OIL FIRMS’ LAWSUITS OVER UNBUNDLING CIRCULAR

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

T

HE Department of Energy (DOE) is ready to face lawsuits from oil firms opposed to the impending issuance of an overdue circular that will require them to unbundle fuel cost.

“We have no choice but to face it,” said DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella via text message on Wednesday.

The release of the circular should have happened in June last year, at just about the time the public was reeling from a surge in inflation where rising fuel prices—on account of global market movements and the higher excise tax—were cited as a key factor.

The move to compel oil companies to unbundle their fuel cost was seen as boosting transparency in pricing. However, the circular was not released in June as agency had to conduct another round of focus group discussions with the stakeholders.

The DOE is ready to issue the circular anytime soon, Fuentebella said. “The third and last public consultation was held at the end of January. We are now in the process of finalizing the circular and getting the position papers.”

The draft policy enables the unbundling of the base prices of petroleum products, namely, gasoline, automotive and industrial diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, bunker fuel oil and household and automotive liquefied petroleum gas.

This is the first time that the government, through the DOE, will require oil companies to make public the breakdown of the costs that go into the pricing of fuel.

The DOE also wants oil companies to provide a weekly notice of the price adjustments—whether decrease, increase or no adjustment—alongside the computation of their products’ components based on the elements involved in the international price movement, the biofuels cost and the operational cost recovery.

The Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association and the Philippine Institute of Petroleum (PIP) have a similar stand on the issue, according to Ippca President Bong Suntay.

The oil industry is a deregulated industry, he said. Most of the key components of oil price are already public knowledge, such as price of crude oil which is published by MOPS (Mean of Platts Singapore), carriage price or vessel, insurance and dollar exchange rate are also easily determinable.

MOPS refers to the price of finished products, such as gasoline and diesel that are sold in pumping stations nationwide.

“But there are some things

“There are some things which are proprietary to each oil company which they cannot divulge, the same being trade secrets. Divulging such would mean losing their advantage.”—Suntay which are proprietary to each oil company which they cannot divulge, the same being trade secrets.

Divulging such would mean losing their advantage,” said Suntay.

Ippca has at least 16 members comprising the country’s leading independent oil players, such as Eastern Petroleum Corp., Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc., Seaoil Philippines, Flying V, City Oil, Pryce Gases and LPGMA, among others.

When asked if his group was considering going to court to stop the implementation of the circular, Suntay said in an interview on Wednesday, “It’s an option that we will have to get a consensus from the other oil companies.”

PIP Executive Director Teddy Reyes said in an e-mail reply that the group strongly objects to the unbundling proposal, “but to date resorting to legal action is not considered yet.”

The group, composed of Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell, Chevron, PTT Philippines and Isla LPG, cited several reasons for resisting unbundling.

He said almost 90 percent of pump price cost components are published and therefore transparent. “As such, information sought by the draft circular may be derived by the DOE without necessarily requiring players’ disclosure of commercially sensitive information.

“Too much transparency will discourage investing in the country,” said Reyes, adding that local and foreign investors would want a level playing field under a deregulated setup fostering a market-driven competition.

PIP added that mandating extreme transparency in pricing “is a bane in business, pricing strategies needed to survive financially and operationally lose flexibility. “ While weekly price adjustments are almost similar to all, the eventual and final prices in the pump are market forces-based, stressed Reyes.

“Competition is very tight so competition occurs in the pump of retail stations located in common trading areas. The increments vary from one trading area to another in various locations in a town, province, region,” he added.

Moreover, Reyes said individual company decisions, particularly on how to strategize pricing is crucial to sustaining operational and financial viability.

REVISED CORPORATION CODE SIGNED Continued from A1

Moreover, the new code also allows a one-person corporation to apply for loans and grants.

The new code also introduces provisions that seek to remove the minimum number of incorporators, permit the electronic filing of reportorial requirements and attendance in meetings via remote communication or in absentia, among others— practices that were not recognized in the old law.

It also aims to strengthen corporate governance standards and provide protection to minority stakeholders by requiring among others, corporations vested with

public interest to have independent directors.

P4-B BSP dividends

IN a related development, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) also remitted P4 billion in partial dividends to the national government.

“This will come a long way [in] funding priority programs of the administration,” Duterte said.

The turnover of BSP dividends came after the President signed the amended BSP charter to strengthen BSP’s financial stability and grant it more flexibility in the exercise of its regulatory powers.

Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Melco ‘cautious’ on COD Manila growth prospects

M

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

ELCO Resorts and Entertainment Ltd. expects stiff competition in Entertainment City, the country’s main gambling site where four major integrated resort and casinos are located.

centage was 31.4 percent for the period compared with 30.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Total non-gaming revenue at City of Dreams Manila for the period was at $29.4 million, down from $31.4 million in 2017.

Geoff Davis, Melco’s chief finance officer, said the Philippine operation delivered “luck-adjusted Ebitda of approximately $61 million, representing an increase of 4 percent year-over-year.”

The luck adjusted result is calculated using the actual result plus the total unnormalized luck rate.

“The luck-adjusted Ebitda margin at COD Manila declined by approximately 120 basis points quarter-over-quarter, but increased by approximately 120 basis points year-overyear to 42 percent,” Davis said, attributing the quarter-on-quarter Ebitda margin drop to a $2-million one-time bad debt payment.

“Adjusting for that, the luck-adjusted Ebitda margin from COD Manila would have been broadly flat quarter-over-quarter,” he said.

Melco said gaming machine handle for the period hit $933.6 million, up from the prior year’s $793.3 million.

Gaming machine win rate was 5.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018 versus 5.5 percent in the previous year.

Lawrence Ho, the company’s chairman, said they are more cautious on its Philippine operations, the City of Dreams (COD) Manila. Melco owns half of the casino and is also its operator.

“The City of Dreams Manila in the fourth quarter of 2018 delivered its 12 consecutive quarters of luck—adjusted Ebitda growth.

However, due to competition in and around Entertainment City, we’re more cautious about 2019 and beyond,” he said in a transcript of the company’s earnings call.

COD Manila had a net revenue of $155.2 million during the fourth quarter of the year ending December, down 7 percent from the previous year’s $167.5 million.

It generated adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization

of $67.9 million for the period, up 26 percent from the previous $53.8 million. The year-on-year increase in adjusted Ebitda was mainly attributable to better performance in all gaming segments.

Rolling chip volume was down to $2.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018, from $2.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017.

The rolling chip win rate was 3.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, from 3.1 percent in 2017.

The expected rolling chip win rate range is 2.7 percent to 3 percent.

Mass market table games drop increased to $197.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with $189.2 million in the previous year.

The mass market table games hold per-

STI Holdings posts 9-month net income of P190 million

Phoenix, Grainsmart partner to boost LPG sales

S

TI Holdings, owner of one of the largest networks of private schools in the Philippines, recorded a net income of P190.4 million for the past nine months ending December 31, 2018.

During this period, the company generated P2 billion in gross revenues and a gross profit of P1.2 billion.

In a report submitted to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Thursday, STI Holdings said its net income was lower than the same period during the previous year, which was P311.6 million.

STI Holdings follows an April to March fiscal year, mirroring that of an academic cycle in the Philippines since the bulk of its income comes from its education services.

The company’s total assets amounted to P15.4 billion as of December 31, 2018, which is 7 percent, or P978.3 million higher than the balance as of March 31, 2018.

The increase in assets is largely attributed to the increase in property and equipment resulting from the ongoing construction projects for its schools. These projects include the construction of school buildings for the new sites of three schools. The school building of STI Santa Mesa in Manila is substantially complete and the remaining works are, likewise, expected to be finished before the end of the school year. STI Pasay-Edsa and STI San Jose del Monte in Bulacan are expected to be operational in the next few months to accommodate enrollees for the coming school year.

STI Lipa also started operations in the new building in August 2018, specifically from the ground up to the fourth floor. The remaining works from fifth floor up to the roof-deck and the basketball gymnasium at the seventh floor are expected to be completed before the end of the school year. iAcademy’s Nexus campus was also substantially completed in the same period.

STI Holdings has three subsidiaries involved in education: the STI Education Services Group (STI ESG), STI West Negros University (STI WNU) and iAcademy.

STI ESG’s network of schools totals 75 with 38 owned schools and 37 franchised schools comprising 68 colleges and seven education centers.

From offering various degrees related to Computer Science, STI ESG showed its strength beyond IT by expanding the existing programs to bachelor’s degrees in the fields of Business Administration, Computer Engineering, Hospitality Management, Tourism Management, Accountancy, Communications and Multimedia Arts, among others.

P

HOENIX LPG Philippines Inc. (PLPI) has partnered with Grainsmart Corp. to further expand the reach of Phoenix Super LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

The two signed on Wednesday a memorandum of agreement designating Grainsmart as an official channel partner that will exclusively market, distribute, and sell Phoenix Super LPG products and equipment in its stores.

Grainsmart is said to be the leading special rice grains retail chain store in the Philippines with over 300 stores nationwide.

The partnership with Grainsmart is expected to further amplify the availability and accessibility of Phoenix Super LPG in the country, PLPI said.

“Aside from our continuous aim to provide quality LPG products and services, I believe the best news about our partnership with Grainsmart is the convenience we will be able to provide for our customers,” the company said.

“Our combined network will benefit the most those who are already using and those who would like to try our brand, but

do not have easy access to it yet. Through Grainsmart, we will now be able to bring Phoenix Super LPG closer to your homes,” PLPI General Manager for Luzon Julgin Anthony Villanueva said.

For start-up businesses interested in adding complementary products in their portfolio, Grainsmart will also start offering a 4-in-1 package that includes Phoenix Super LPG and POSIBLE—a digital transaction device—along with its rice and water product offerings.

“While Phoenix Petroleum has been relentless in its pursuit of being an indispensable partner in the journey of everyone whose life we touch through various expansion strategies, we have also opened plenty of business opportunities to entrepreneurs over the years.

“The partnership with Grainsmart will provide our business partners a new option on how they can grow their businesses, expand their reach, and provide Filipinos with complementary products at the best value,” Phoenix Petroleum Chief Operating Officer Henry Albert Fadullon said. Lenie Lectura

Manulife unit launches dragon feeder fund

By Rea Cu

M

@ReaCuBM

ANULIFE Asset Management and Trust Corp. (Mamtc) has launched a new investment trust fund that enables clients to diversify their portfolio by allowing them to invest their funds in companies in Hong Kong and China.

During a news conference on Wednesday at the Discovery Primea Hotel, Mamtc President and CEO Aira Gaspar said Manulife’s Dragon Growth Equity Feeder Fund enables their investors to take advantage of China’s growth story, as its equity market is seen to be more liberalized, by investing their funds in companies in the Chinese bond market.

“With China’s rapidly changing economic structure, its equity markets will inevitably continue to liberalize and evolve. With the new Dragon Growth Equity Feeder Fund, investors can draw on the talents of our experienced and nimble team who are equipped to seize emerging opportunities and navigate China’s new investment landscape,” Gaspar said.

The fund adopts dynamic allocations in terms of equities between China and Hong Kong, taking into account changes in market conditions in both areas, government policies, industry trends, and individual hold-

ings. Kai Kong Chay, Mamtc’s senior portfolio manager for greater China equities, said there are favorable factors currently driving both the equity markets in China and Hong Kong including its robust inflow of foreign capital, strong consumer spending, and an increase in government support for its research and development.

Investors can take part in Mamtc’s Dragon Growth Equity Feeder Fund for a minimum investment of $100 or P5,000.

Mamtc Client Portfolio Management Asia Head Thierry Taglione said the company sees Chinese bonds included in global bond indices over time as the Chinese bond market is the largest in Asia.

“It’s going to take some time, but over time, China bonds [are seen] to account for around 3 percent of those indices. If you look at the size of the Chinese bond market, it’s the largest in the region,” Taglione said.

Mamtc earlier said the inclusion of China bonds into the global bond indices could be a game changer for global bond investors, a development that could lead to dramatic fund inflow into the local market.

Meanwhile, in line with the local equity market, Mamtc VP and Head of Equities Mark Canizares said it is becoming more positive as inflation has seemed to have peaked.

B1

DPWH looking at Dec to finish ₧6.55-B link road from Nlex

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

P

UBLIC Works Secretary Mark A. Villar hopes Nlex Corp. would be able to finish a link road to R-10 from the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) by year-end.

With a price tag amounting to P6.55 billion, this particular portion of Nlex Segment 10 will run from C-3 in Caloocan City to R-10 in Navotas City, providing a 10-minute access between the port area and the expressway to the north.

This announcement came as the company plans to open the first phase of Segment 10— running from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, to the new Caloocan Interchange in C-3 Road— on February 26.

“Aside from connecting Nlex to key areas in Metro Manila, the Nlex Harbor Link Segment 10 is seen to bring more opportunities in nearby communities such as generation

of employment and increase in land values,” Nlex Corp. President Luigi L. Bautista said.

Villar noted the 5.65-kilometers portion of Segment 10 will alleviate traffic congestion in Metro Manila as it will serve as an alternate corridor for motorists traveling from Central and North Luzon provinces, Valenzuela City, and Quezon City to Manila.

“The Nlex Harbor Link Segment 10 will be a traffic game changer since this will reduce travel time from C-3 to Nlex to just 10 minutes. Once opened, around 30,000 vehicles will benefit from this new road,” he said.

Citing a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Villar noted that, because of the reduction in travel time, motorists will gain significant savings in vehicle operating costs and increase their productivity as they will not need to go through heavy traffic. Jica pegged traffic-congestion losses in Metro Manila alone amount to P3.5 billion per day.

HARBOR STAR SECURES TUG-ASSIST CONTRACT WITH CHEVRON PHL

T

UGBOAT operator Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc. on Wednesday said it signed a tug-assist and mooring service contract with Chevron Philippines Inc. In its disclosure, the company said it will provide harbor assist and mooring services to tankers calling on Chevron’s terminals in Batangas, Cebu, Davao and Misamis Oriental.

“TUGS was awarded the contract after competitive bidding and selection, with nationwide presence, safety, reliability and track-record used as among the criteria. The

contract will be for three years beginning February 1, 2019,” it said.

“This is in line with TUGS direction to continually enter into exclusive service contracts with customers to guarantee recurring revenue,” it added.

In September 2017, it entered into a service contract with GNPower Kauswagan Ltd. Co. to exclusively provide the docking, undocking and emergency requirements of vessels calling GNPower’s terminal in Lanao del Norte. The contract is until September 2020. VG Cabuag

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, February 21, 2019

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

February 20, 2019

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

ASIA UNITED 59.25 59.35 59.25 59.35 58.2 59.35 12100 713897 BDO UNIBANK 129.4 129.5 128.5 130.2 128.3 129.5 4292250 555870820 BANK PH ISLANDS 89.75 89.85 89.55 89.95 89.55 89.75 1763870 158300326 CHINABANK 27.6 27.65 27.65 27.7 27.65 27.65 126200 3494565 EAST WEST BANK 12.64 12.7 12.74 12.74 12.5 12.64 488900 6179244 METROBANK 81.9 82 81.5 82 80.6 81.9 2596810 211175914.5 PB BANK 13.64 14 13.98 14 13.98 13.98 40900 572368 PHIL NATL BANK 47.05 47.1 47.65 48.4 47.1 47.1 90600 4317455 PSBANK 58.85 58.9 59 59.1 58.55 58.9 6690 394467.5 RCBC 26.75 26.8 26.8 26.8 26.6 26.75 91100 2434580 SECURITY BANK 171.4 173 170.4 174 170 173 174850 30224392 UNION BANK 61.5 62 63 63 61.5 61.8 7600 468764 BDO LEASING 2.23 2.28 2.23 2.28 2.23 2.28 34000 75920 COL FINANCIAL 17.8 17.88 17.6 17.9 17.6 17.88 31800 567472 FERRONOUX HLDG 4.46 4.49 4.49 4.5 4.42 4.49 80000 355590 IREMIT 1.45 1.54 1.49 1.5 1.49 1.5 14000 20960 MEDCO HLDG 0.46 0.47 0.465 0.465 0.465 0.465 10000 4650 MANULIFE 800 810 800 800 800 800 130 104000 NTL REINSURANCE 1.15 1.16 1.2 1.21 1.15 1.15 804000 941860 PHIL STOCK EXCH 185.2 185.9 185.2 185.2 185.2 185.2 10 1852 SUN LIFE 1800 1850 1800 1800 1800 1800 670 1206000 VANTAGE 1.14 1.16 1.14 1.14 1.14 1.14 98000 111720

INDUSTRIAL ALSONS CONS 1.54 1.56 1.54 1.56 1.52 1.54 707000 1087980 ABOITIZ POWER 35.85 35.9 35.1 36.3 35.1 35.9 1310400 47105390 BASIC ENERGY 0.245 0.249 0.25 0.255 0.242 0.245 1090000 269720 FIRST GEN 20.7 20.9 20.4 20.9 20.25 20.9 1132200 23347690 FIRST PHIL HLDG 72.6 72.9 73.1 73.2 72.65 72.65 269240 19591985 MERALCO 370.4 372 359.4 373 359.2 372 290100 107507596 MANILA WATER 26.95 27.05 27.1 27.15 26.9 27 346000 9345035 PETRON 7.09 7.1 6.86 7.1 6.86 7.1 20483300 143897447 PETROENERGY 3.71 3.79 3.78 3.78 3.78 3.78 50000 189000 PHINMA ENERGY 1.31 1.32 1.3 1.33 1.3 1.32 13257000 17428290 PHX PETROLEUM 11.72 11.8 11.7 12.14 11.7 11.8 121100 1437834 PILIPINAS SHELL 48.1 48.2 47.65 48.35 47.5 48.1 204200 9816340 SPC POWER 6.31 6.35 6.35 6.37 6.31 6.31 35700 226311 VIVANT 16 16.96 16.02 16.02 16 16 2100 33612 AGRINURTURE 16.64 16.76 16.6 16.76 16.32 16.76 552900 9226924 CNTRL AZUCARERA 16.82 17.42 17.68 17.68 16.8 16.82 31900 542010 CENTURY FOOD 15.88 16 15.62 16 15.62 15.88 3445400 54875930 DEL MONTE 6.45 6.5 6.4 6.5 6.4 6.5 16900 109766 DNL INDUS 11.48 11.56 11.52 11.56 11.5 11.56 1519000 17521668 EMPERADOR 7.62 7.69 7.61 7.7 7.61 7.62 47200 361209 SMC FOODANDBEV 99.45 99.9 97.95 100 97.95 99.45 1110000 110118321 ALLIANCE SELECT 1.03 1.04 1.02 1.04 1.02 1.04 1263000 1298520 GINEBRA 26.75 27 26.75 27 26.75 27 555200 14990350 JOLLIBEE 310.2 310.4 311 313 309 310.4 972260 301912662 LIBERTY FLOUR 50.1 59.25 50.05 59.25 50.05 59.25 2700 153356.5 MACAY HLDG 12.08 12.14 11.74 13.32 11.52 12.14 146300 1795314 MAXS GROUP 12.66 12.7 12.9 12.9 12.7 12.7 124600 1586246 MG HLDG 0.203 0.217 0.201 0.226 0.201 0.204 4000000 841920 PEPSI COLA 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.39 1.35 1.37 3018000 4098330 SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.7 12.8 12.6 12.7 12.6 12.7 15500 195450 ROXAS AND CO 1.84 1.88 1.88 1.91 1.83 1.88 412000 760750 RFM CORP 4.7 4.74 4.71 4.74 4.7 4.74 14000 65940 ROXAS HLDG 2.78 2.86 2.81 2.81 2.78 2.78 23000 64130 SWIFT FOODS 0.131 0.137 0.13 0.137 0.13 0.137 160000 21640 UNIV ROBINA 145 146.5 140.5 147.9 140.5 146.5 931300 136463577 VITARICH 1.69 1.7 1.7 1.72 1.68 1.69 3052000 5195170 VICTORIAS 2.73 2.84 2.71 2.73 2.66 2.73 107000 287840 CEMEX HLDG 2.25 2.26 2.22 2.27 2.19 2.25 14202000 31685740 DAVINCI CAPITAL 6.15 6.43 6.41 6.45 6.41 6.45 2500 16045 EAGLE CEMENT 15.86 15.88 15.84 15.98 15.84 15.88 33000 523384 EEI CORP 8.1 8.12 8.1 8.1 8.03 8.1 95500 769649 HOLCIM 9.5 9.54 9.45 9.6 9.38 9.5 1941000 18439161 MEGAWIDE 18.98 19 18.64 19.26 18.58 19 10163300 192991864 PHINMA 8.84 9.37 8.91 8.95 8.84 8.84 49100 436299 TKC METALS 1.1 1.13 1.18 1.18 1.07 1.1 518000 577940 VULCAN INDL 1.36 1.38 1.37 1.39 1.36 1.38 788000 1079040 CHEMPHIL 120.1 128 127.8 128 127.8 128 310 39676 CROWN ASIA 1.87 1.88 1.88 1.92 1.87 1.88 56000 105880 EUROMED 1.59 1.74 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.75 1000 1750 MABUHAY VINYL 3.51 3.68 3.69 3.69 3.51 3.68 9000 31980 PRYCE CORP 6.06 6.13 6.13 6.13 6.13 6.13 20300 124439 CONCEPCION 40.3 40.9 41.05 41.05 40.2 40.9 144800 5896720 GREENERGY 3.24 3.25 3.23 3.26 3.17 3.25 8363000 26952760 INTEGRATED MICR 12.58 12.6 12.24 12.6 12.24 12.58 379200 4742832 IONICS 1.75 1.77 1.7 1.78 1.66 1.77 266000 459560 PANASONIC 5.9 6.15 6.15 6.15 6.15 6.15 200 1230 SFA SEMICON 1.37 1.4 1.39 1.4 1.37 1.4 96000 133080 CIRTEK HLDG 29.1 30 28.55 30 28.3 30 97800 2896725

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 0.68 0.7 0.73 0.73 0.68 0.68 13980000 9690020 ASIABEST GROUP 23.6 23.65 22.85 23.65 22.8 23.6 55500 1283615 AYALA CORP 942.5 944 943 947.5 935 944 469450 442835360 ABOITIZ EQUITY 64.4 64.5 62.2 65.15 62.2 64.5 862880 55413494.5 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 14.16 14.2 13.9 14.28 13.9 14.2 10395700 147026434 ANSCOR 6.5 6.59 6.51 6.51 6.5 6.5 8000 52050 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.81 0.83 0.8 0.84 0.79 0.84 182000 147110 ATN HLDG A 1.38 1.39 1.38 1.39 1.36 1.38 3755000 5173540 ATN HLDG B 1.4 1.42 1.47 1.47 1.39 1.42 88000 122910 COSCO CAPITAL 7.69 7.7 7.5 7.76 7.5 7.7 2517500 19311006 DMCI HLDG 12.44 12.68 12.32 12.72 12.32 12.68 7383500 93508996 FILINVEST DEV 13.76 13.78 14.1 14.18 13.6 13.76 292500 4049256 FORUM PACIFIC 0.235 0.245 0.232 0.249 0.232 0.245 100000 24490 GT CAPITAL 1016 1019 1000 1025 1000 1019 83140 84534070 HOUSE OF INV 6.08 6.14 6.14 6.14 6.08 6.08 11400 69764 JG SUMMIT 66.4 66.7 66.4 66.7 65.7 66.7 1777630 118381971.5 LODESTAR 0.59 0.61 0.62 0.62 0.6 0.61 30000 18170 LOPEZ HLDG 5.16 5.26 5.17 5.29 5.15 5.16 472900 2447003 LT GROUP 15.4 15.42 15.06 15.42 15.06 15.42 2958300 45266946 MABUHAY HLDG 0.56 0.57 0.58 0.58 0.57 0.57 97000 55640 METRO PAC INV 4.76 4.79 4.75 4.81 4.72 4.76 13683000 65283580 PACIFICA 0.041 0.042 0.041 0.043 0.04 0.042 23500000 969800 PRIME ORION 2.88 2.9 3 3.03 2.84 2.88 4657000 13626080 PRIME MEDIA 1.17 1.2 1.17 1.17 1.17 1.17 264000 308880 REPUBLIC GLASS 2.66 2.88 3 3.3 2.6 2.87 74000 214970 SOLID GROUP 1.35 1.38 1.38 1.38 1.38 1.38 1000 1380 SYNERGY GRID 455 465 465 465 465 465 160 74400 SM INVESTMENTS 975 980 969 986 968 980 208590 203898800 SAN MIGUEL CORP 174.5 174.7 173.1 175.4 173.1 174.7 842140 147313240 SOC RESOURCES 0.78 0.8 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 56000 43680 SEAFRONT RES 2.36 2.49 2.36 2.36 2.36 2.36 16000 37760 TOP FRONTIER 276.2 283.8 286.6 286.6 270.2 283.8 22600 6369772 WELLEX INDUS 0.25 0.26 0.255 0.26 0.25 0.26 1560000 394700 ZEUS HLDG 0.32 0.325 0.315 0.325 0.31 0.325 15850000 5056850

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.88 0.9 0.89 0.91 0.88 0.9 1827000 1616960 ANCHOR LAND 10.54 10.92 10.92 10.92 10.92 10.92 100 1092 AYALA LAND 43.55 43.9 43.1 43.9 43.1 43.9 12209300 531941110 ARANETA PROP 1.84 1.88 1.86 1.95 1.82 1.88 518000 959420 BELLE CORP 2.53 2.54 2.53 2.56 2.52 2.53 1229000 3117560 A BROWN 0.79 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.79 0.79 217000 173370 CITYLAND DEVT 0.9 0.92 0.92 0.92 0.9 0.92 67000 60620 CROWN EQUITIES 0.25 0.255 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 4680000 1170000 CEBU HLDG 6.2 6.43 6.47 6.47 6.1 6.43 34200 218443 CEB LANDMASTERS 4.19 4.3 4.18 4.3 4.18 4.3 4902000 20658790 CENTURY PROP 0.49 0.495 0.495 0.5 0.49 0.495 3630000 1799800 CYBER BAY 0.415 0.425 0.415 0.425 0.41 0.415 150000 62100 DOUBLEDRAGON 22.8 22.9 23 23.15 22.8 22.8 258200 5918595 DM WENCESLAO 10.28 10.3 10.24 10.36 10.02 10.28 1216200 12393780 EMPIRE EAST 0.52 0.55 0.53 0.55 0.52 0.54 310000 164250 EVER GOTESCO 0.136 0.14 0.14 0.141 0.136 0.137 1430000 195480 FILINVEST LAND 1.5 1.51 1.51 1.53 1.5 1.5 6435000 9712720 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.22 1.24 1.25 1.25 1.2 1.22 4185000 5135460 8990 HLDG 11.94 12 11.9 12.08 11.82 12 529500 6353152 PHIL INFRADEV 2.16 2.17 2.13 2.18 2.1 2.16 2524000 5408390 KEPPEL PROP 3.65 4.49 3.65 3.65 3.65 3.65 3000 10950 CITY AND LAND 0.83 0.85 0.83 0.85 0.83 0.85 17000 14150 MEGAWORLD 5.3 5.32 5.31 5.34 5.24 5.32 21608700 114579756 MRC ALLIED 0.44 0.445 0.44 0.445 0.435 0.445 8050000 3546150 PHIL ESTATES 0.46 0.475 0.465 0.47 0.46 0.46 510000 236300 PRIMEX CORP 2.85 2.9 2.96 2.96 2.81 2.9 308000 892860 ROBINSONS LAND 23.5 23.55 24 24 23.15 23.5 7897900 184610875 PHIL REALTY 0.47 0.485 0.47 0.47 0.47 0.47 170000 79900 ROCKWELL 2 2.01 2.02 2.02 2 2.01 190000 381860 SHANG PROP 3.12 3.15 3.14 3.15 3.11 3.15 124000 386150 STA LUCIA LAND 1.42 1.43 1.4 1.44 1.4 1.43 2698000 3796900 SM PRIME HLDG 38.55 38.9 38.25 38.9 37.95 38.9 8428400 325585095 STARMALLS 6.45 6.49 6.98 6.98 6.4 6.49 1142900 7527920 SUNTRUST HOME 0.78 0.82 0.78 0.79 0.78 0.79 167000 130970 VISTA LAND 7.05 7.28 7.32 7.48 6.89 7.28 64340400 461747534

SERVICES ABS CBN 22.15 22.25 22.55 22.8 22.1 22.3 181700 4068250 GMA NETWORK 5.72 5.73 5.74 5.75 5.72 5.73 270000 1548526 MANILA BULLETIN 0.74 0.75 0.69 0.78 0.69 0.74 24999000 18575290 GLOBE TELECOM 1866 1880 1860 1905 1855 1866 68195 128366560 PLDT 1070 1100 1107 1140 1070 1070 322095 353866420 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.045 0.046 0.045 0.046 0.045 0.045 20400000 919400 DFNN INC 7.21 7.35 7.21 7.35 7.21 7.35 300 2177 IMPERIAL 1.99 2.07 2.03 2.03 1.99 1.99 105000 210820 ISLAND INFO 0.131 0.134 0.13 0.131 0.128 0.131 7480000 960610 ISM COMM 6.03 6.04 5.98 6.1 5.96 6.03 2145800 12878705 JACKSTONES 3.08 3.24 3.13 3.31 3.1 3.26 83000 259300 NOW CORP 3.03 3.04 3.02 3.06 3.02 3.03 639000 1937930 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.44 0.45 0.445 0.45 0.44 0.44 8060000 3581650 PHILWEB 3.09 3.11 3.05 3.14 3.04 3.09 421000 1301910 2GO GROUP 12.84 12.86 13.1 13.1 12.8 12.84 135400 1751074 ASIAN TERMINALS 15.22 15.76 15.76 15.76 15.22 15.22 19300 302926 CEBU AIR 84 84.2 84.5 84.7 84 84 60650 5111236.5 CHELSEA 6.2 6.21 6.12 6.28 6.09 6.2 437800 2701978 INTL CONTAINER 118.1 119 116 121 116 119 4166690 498653682 LBC EXPRESS 15.22 15.9 15.14 16 15.12 15.9 20700 323602 LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.89 0.91 0.92 0.92 0.89 0.91 118000 105650 MACROASIA 19.64 19.84 19.98 20 19.6 19.64 157100 3100988 METROALLIANCE A 2.06 2.07 2.06 2.1 2 2.06 444000 901690 METROALLIANCE B 2 2.25 2.09 2.09 2 2 34000 69500 PAL HLDG 11.4 11.5 10.9 11.64 10.9 11.5 137800 1563104 HARBOR STAR 2.96 2.97 2.82 2.97 2.81 2.97 3835000 11237840 ACESITE HOTEL 1.3 1.35 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 3000 3900 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.065 0.066 0.066 0.067 0.065 0.065 9370000 614270 GRAND PLAZA 10.44 11.64 11.04 11.04 10.2 10.4 10500 110246 WATERFRONT 0.7 0.71 0.71 0.72 0.7 0.71 1471000 1036340 FAR EASTERN U 891 900 891 891 891 891 10 8910 IPEOPLE 10.88 11 10.88 10.9 10.88 10.88 26200 285092 STI HLDG 0.72 0.73 0.75 0.75 0.72 0.72 4096000 3003790 BERJAYA 2.96 3 3.05 3.05 2.94 3 277000 821280 BLOOMBERRY 12.38 12.4 12.56 12.56 12.4 12.4 4255300 52991102 LEISURE AND RES 3.26 3.32 3.25 3.28 3.24 3.27 263000 857480 MANILA JOCKEY 4.73 4.84 4.73 4.84 4.73 4.84 101000 477840 PH RESORTS GRP 5.17 5.19 5 5.19 4.96 5.17 139400 709249 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.94 0.95 0.94 0.97 0.93 0.94 7876000 7481340 TRAVELLERS 5.56 5.6 5.52 5.56 5.52 5.56 186800 1036030 METRO RETAIL 3.01 3.02 2.95 3.04 2.85 3.01 1878000 5524540 PUREGOLD 47.75 48 48 48.15 47.05 48 3543300 169748995 ROBINSONS RTL 87.9 88 86.75 88.95 86.75 88 833370 73394992.5 PHIL SEVEN CORP 133.1 134 131 134 129 134 67350 8960898 SSI GROUP 2.23 2.24 2.17 2.24 2.16 2.24 5789000 12778890 WILCON DEPOT 14.24 14.4 14.6 14.6 14.24 14.24 2985500 42759438 APC GROUP 0.445 0.45 0.44 0.45 0.435 0.45 1210000 535650 EASYCALL 15.12 15.2 15.38 15.4 15 15.2 92900 1398596 GOLDEN BRIA 358 360 360 360 350.6 360 260 93026 IPM HLDG 7.18 7.24 7.2 7.2 7.15 7.15 800 5745 PAXYS 3.21 3.35 3.23 3.3 3.23 3.3 13000 42200 PRMIERE HORIZON 1.42 1.43 1.32 1.43 1.3 1.42 48793000 67504090 SBS PHIL CORP 8.58 8.79 8.94 8.94 8.56 8.56 6300 54750

MINING & OIL ATOK 13.04 13.46 13 13.6 13 13.4 1600 21290 APEX MINING 1.54 1.56 1.54 1.61 1.53 1.57 3945000 6215380 ABRA MINING 0.0021 0.0022 0.0022 0.0022 0.002 0.0022 819000000 1722600 ATLAS MINING 3.01 3.04 2.96 3.06 2.95 3.01 100000 297020 BENGUET A 1.3 1.47 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1000 1300 COAL ASIA HLDG 0.3 0.315 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 210000 63000 CENTURY PEAK 2.17 2.18 2.23 2.23 2.17 2.17 360000 785010 DIZON MINES 7.94 8.1 8 8.1 7.95 8.1 1400 11195 FERRONICKEL 1.48 1.49 1.54 1.54 1.48 1.48 4578000 6885440 GEOGRACE 0.28 0.29 0.28 0.29 0.28 0.285 1680000 475650 LEPANTO A 0.13 0.133 0.13 0.133 0.13 0.133 2650000 348780 LEPANTO B 0.131 0.135 0.132 0.132 0.13 0.13 190000 24720 MANILA MINING A 0.0092 0.0096 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 4000000 36800 MANILA MINING B 0.0093 0.0099 0.0093 0.0093 0.0093 0.0093 13000000 120900 MARCVENTURES 1.11 1.14 1.15 1.15 1.1 1.14 35000 39750 NIHAO 1.07 1.08 1.13 1.13 1.08 1.12 4000 4410 NICKEL ASIA 2.79 2.8 2.73 2.82 2.72 2.79 2903000 8109650 OMICO CORP 0.65 0.67 0.7 0.7 0.65 0.67 572000 377620 ORNTL PENINSULA 1 1.01 1.03 1.03 1 1 273000 278370 PX MINING 4.32 4.33 4.22 4.35 4.22 4.32 4584000 19737430 SEMIRARA MINING 22.55 22.6 22.5 22.95 22.5 22.6 628000 14238395 UNITED PARAGON 0.0081 0.0083 0.008 0.0083 0.008 0.0083 3000000 24600 ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 8600000 109700 PHILODRILL 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 2700000 33300 PHINMA PETRO 3.25 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.25 3.4 17000 55890 PXP ENERGY 14.68 14.72 14.5 14.76 14.24 14.72 1374300 20049778

PREFFERED AC PREF B1 DD PREF SMC FB PREF 2 FGEN PREF G FPH PREF C GTCAP PREF B LR PREF PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

465.2 96.8 966 102 450.2 899 1 100 1.76 75.1 76.2 73.8 74.9 73.5 72.1 72.35

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR GMA HLDG PDR

20 5.56 1.93

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ITALPINAS 4.85 XURPAS 1.43

118

203000 -8259425 7408323 14574674 19500 1363552 13141862 2208286 44654545 -7794850 -516316 1731446 -5999590 354220 -60450 -25487525 -13965076 -4187228 -73000 44000 -109658110 -677879.9997 185468 -42080 104975 5059168 -5233510 740460 -1985144 -6480 52057353.0001 105624385 -23500 9360 6339910 541115 -139024993 4160340 -92181955 -116100 -743785 -118410 262550 9180 20770 -230894 6130 235983256 -110900 133622 -4560 -471590 205400 -3040 -3328056 35760 80870 -161421 -79820 86638190 32076947 399355 2732880 -22583360 61600 -3096 -32300 -2278750 1712 6320 361200 88800 12040 2329320 640680.0001 -3219975 -865994

475.2 97 990 103.5 450.2 900 1 101 1.8 75.05 76.5 73.9 75 74 73.95 73.45

475.2 97 990 103.5 450.2 900 1.01 101 1.8 75.05 76.5 73.9 75.05 74 73.95 73.45

475.2 97 990 103 450 899 1 101 1.76 75.05 76.15 73.85 75 74 73.95 73

475.2 97 990 103 450.2 900 1.01 101 1.76 75.05 76.5 73.85 75 74 73.95 73

10 1360 10 20530 120 2010 91000 100 27000 160 21720 2510 88400 600 65000 14140

4752 131920 9900 2120960 54016 1808970 91100 10100 47760 12008 1657361 185488.5 6630055 44400 4806750 1036642.5

780290 -10800 -

20.65 5.78

20.55 5.8

20.55 5.8

20 5.79

20 5.79

119900 14000

2424525 81064

-12000 81064

1.96

1.96

1.97

1.96

1.96

82000

160750

-

4.89 1.44

4.93 1.48

4.97 1.52

4.78 1.39

4.85 1.43

646000 34121000

3142830 48939390

19500 -15405750

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

-154030 6090785 5996235.0003 -5413559 26505834 423580 29092342 -2554290 1470664 -193180 226806 -12674434 151725 30121866 -44314824 128331.5 4698 806382 512990 99540 3720 4100 30246488 1667590 -8544430 258511 9944801.0003 105301496 200 88400 15310 9808 8055 -695870 815592 -529770

475.2 97 990 103 455 900 1.01 101 1.8 75.4 76.5 73.85 75 74.5 73.95 73

WARRANTS LR WARRANT

589238 -187687515 -41984788 177360 -642788 -41140292 -82965 -100901 -628490 6026949 183964 80000 28999.9999 -

118.5

117.2

118

117.2

118

4330

508542

-

Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Animation firms to grow talent pool by 15% in ’22

A

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

@alyasjah

S the government seeks to develop the Philippine creative economy, animation firms are moving to expand their pool of talents by 15 percent over the next three years to boost the capacity of their industry.

Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. President Juan Miguel del Rosario said the animation industry is on its way to increasing its labor count, as it found better

backing from the government. Del Rosario claimed there is a need for more talents at present with international studios now paying attention to Filipino animation.

Smartphone maker to open 100 stores nationwide by June

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

S

M A RT PHONE m a ker Realme Philippines is ta k ing an ag g ressive stance in further expanding its footprint in the country, targeting to open 100 stores across the archipelago by June.

Eason de Guzman, the company’s marketing lead, said his group is bullish about the prospects of the Philippine market, as it already marked “milestones” in the last 100 days that it has been operating in the country.

“We’re going to deliver 100 kiosks nationwide from March to June. Within three months, we are going to have a massive expansion by adding more sales channels across major ma l ls nationw ide,” he said in a roundtable on Wednesday.

Realme currently has more than 1,500 stores nationwide. It is present in key regional cities nationwide, such as Baguio, Cebu, Pampanga, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos.

It also has a huge online footprint with its products available in popular e-commerce platforms Lazada and Shopee.

The smartphone maker focuses on the entry-level segment of the smartphone market. It only sells phones that are priced $300 and below. For its maiden launch, it introduced C1, a P5,990 smartphone that offers specs worth around P9,900 in the market. “ W h at w e p r o v i d e i n Realme is a smartphone experience that is valuable and enjoyable at the same time, a formula that the youth today is looking for. The Philippine smartphone market is very competitive. We’ve seen so many shifts in the past 100 days, but we are proud that Realme is making a mark in the Philippines,” de Guzman said.

Aside from its very competitive price point, its “popularity among the youth ” stems from its whole ecosystem of “exclusive perks and benefits” such as its other retail merchandise and 23 service centers nationwide.

“We hope to continue offering a richer smartphone experience with the combination of game-changing products and a community of Realme users who can learn from one another,” de Guzman added.

ABS-CBN sells 7M TVplus units

T

HANKS to the demand for better television signals, ABS-CBN Corp. reported on Wednesday it breached the 7-million mark in terms of unit sales of its set top box TVplus.

It first introduced the product, which airs free-to-air television channels aside from ABS-CBN, in February 2015, ahead of its main competitor.

“The robust sales has been steadily growing in the past years as more and more Filipinos patronize the country’s pioneering digital terrestrial television product,” a statement from the company read.

In Metro Manila alone, 7 out of 10 non-cabled homes were using TVplus as of end-August last

year, according to Kantar data.

Likewise, the number of noncabled homes with a TVplus box increased in Mega Manila to 65 percent, and those in the suburbs grew to 57 percent.

“ABS-CBN TVplus also continues to expand its signal coverage areas as part of its mission to lead the country’s migration from analog to digital broadcast by 2023,” the statement read.

T here a re 16 a rea s where TVplus has existing coverage: Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, Pampanga, Tarlac, Benguet, Cavite, Metro Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Bacolod and Davao.

Lorenz S. Marasigan

“The [six] major studios in the Philippines, which are primarily service providers, comprise about 75 percent of the total industry. They themselves have about 12,000 artists working both in production and creative stuff,” del Rosario told reporters in a recent interview.

“We would like to grow that between 15 percent and 18 percent [by] 2022,” he added.

Philippine animation recorded $29.7 million in revenue in 2016, of which $10 million was generated by animated films. Del Rosario said the industry is growing annually at about 10 percent to 12 percent.

MUTUAL FUNDS

“And I am being conservative about that,” he was quick to add, “[because] I know of studios that have grown as much as 40 percent between 2016 and 2017 and another 15 percent between 2017 and 2018.”

The industry leader claimed there is now enough support to animation coming from the government, especially with authorities apparently seeing its potential to lead the surge of the creative economy.

“Animation is in the forefront of that because we have been there for 30 years now. Animation quite honestly is an easy vehicle to typify what a creative economy is,” he said.

February 20, 2019

NAV ONE YEAR THREE YEAR FIVE YEAR Y-T-D

PER SHARE RETURN* RETURN STOCK FUNDS ALFM GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 263.46 -10.78% 2.91% 2.62% 4.45% ATRAM ALPHA OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 1.5746 -3.84% 12.94% 4.35% 9.29% ATRAM PHILIPPINE EQUITY OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. -A 4.0832 -12.26% 4.14% 1.19% 4.62% CLIMBS SHARE CAPITAL EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND CORP. -A 0.9366 -6.28% N.A. N.A. 5.18% FIRST METRO CONSUMER FUND ON MSCI PHILS. IMI, INC. -A 0.8503 N.A. N.A. N.A. 3.61% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN EQUITY FUND,INC. -A 5.4609 -8.73% 2.9% 1.97% 3.6% MBG EQUITY INVESTMENT FUND, INC. -A 123.3 4.77% N.A. N.A. 5.87% ONE WEALTHY NATION FUND, INC. -A 0.8682 -12.4% -3.85% N.A. 4.3% PAMI EQUITY INDEX FUND, INC. -A 51.48 -10% 3.9% N.A. 4.62% PHILAM STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 539.26 -9.44% 2.84% 2.03% 4.76% PHILEQUITY DIVIDEND YIELD FUND, INC. -A 1.2996 -7.86% 4.15% 5.08% 3.64% PHILEQUITY FUND, INC. -A 38.2738 -8.13% 5.12% 4.52% 4.48% PHILEQUITY MSCI PHILIPPINE INDEX FUND, INC. -A,3 1.0188 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. PHILEQUITY PSE INDEX FUND INC. -A 5.2038 -9.71% 4.7% 4.48% 4.94% PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND CORP. -A 868.52 -9.58% 4.46% 4.44% 4.83% SOLDIVO STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND, INC. -A 0.8965 -8.27% 2.51% N.A. 4.1% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE EQUITY FUND, INC. -A 4.2646 -8.35% 4.62% 3.32% 5.07% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY PHILIPPINE STOCK INDEX FUND, INC. -A 0.9993 -9.93% 4.4% N.A. 4.72% UNITED FUND, INC. -A 3.6398 -6.32% 6.08% 3.77% 3.96% EXCHANGE TRADED FUND FIRST METRO PHIL. EQUITY EXCHANGE TRADED FUND, INC. -A,C,2 116.1406 -9.29% 5.59% 5.54% 4.87% ATRAM ASIAPLUS EQUITY FUND, INC. -B $0.9873 -13.83% 8.31% 1.05% 6.26% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY WORLD VOYAGER FUND, INC. -A $1.2339 -5.16% N.A. N.A. 11.66% BALANCED FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ATRAM DYNAMIC ALLOCATION FUND, INC. -A 1.7101 -7.84% 0.19% -0.68% 3.57% ATRAM PHILIPPINE BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 2.2846 -7.33% 2.35% 1.22% 3.41% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN BALANCED FUND INC. -A 2.6184 -5.93% 0.64% -0.88% 2.93% GREPALIFE BALANCED FUND CORPORATION -A 1.3468 -8.18% N.A. N.A. 3.26% NCM MUTUAL FUND OF THE PHILS., INC. -A 1.9 -4.94% 2.17% 2.03% 3.09% PAMI HORIZON FUND, INC. -A 3.6135 -7.87% 0.74% 0.99% 2.39% PHILAM FUND, INC. -A 16.357 -7% 1.03% 1.09% 2.82% SOLIDARITAS FUND, INC. -A 2.1389 -5.38% 2.49% 2.92% 3.21% SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BALANCED FUND, INC. -A 3.801 -6.09% 2.21% 2.12% 4.1% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2028, INC. -A,D,4 0.9825 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2038, INC. -A,D,4 0.9755 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY ACHIEVER FUND 2048, INC. -A,D,4 0.9748 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DYNAMIC FUND, INC. -A 0.9626 -6.25% 1.79% N.A. 4.44% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES COCOLIFE DOLLAR FUND BUILDER, INC. -A $0.03569 1.65% 0.28% 1.73% 1.25% PAMI ASIA BALANCED FUND, INC. -A $0.9756 -9.13% 5.2% -0.34% 4.21% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ADVANTAGE FUND, INC. -A $3.5821 -3.83% 6.77% 2.06% 8.27% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR WELLSPRING FUND, INC. -A $1.0644 -5.25% N.A. N.A. 5.39% BOND FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 345.56 2.36% 2.05% 2.17% 0.63% ATRAM CORPORATE BOND FUND, INC. -A,1 1.8617 -0.59% -0.48% -0.3% 0.13% COCOLIFE FIXED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 2.9911 5.43% 5.29% 5.27% 0.68% EKKLESIA MUTUAL FUND INC. -A 2.1458 1.66% 1.27% 1.88% 0.72% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN FIXED INCOME FUND,INC. -A 2.2269 0.54% 0.28% 0.73% 0.8% GREPALIFE FIXED INCOME FUND CORP. -A P 1.5947 -1.24% -0.44% 0.33% 1.94% PHILAM BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.9235 -1.85% -0.96% 0.49% 0.09% PHILEQUITY PESO BOND FUND, INC. -A 3.5784 2.48% 0.8% 1.23% 1.74% SOLDIVO BOND FUND, INC. -A 0.9098 -0.3% -0.53% N.A. 1.93% SUN LIFE OF CANADA PROSPERITY BOND FUND, INC. -A 2.8315 1.47% 1.04% 1.58% 2.37% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY GS FUND, INC. -A 1.5725 1.07% 0.58% 1.05% 2.12% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES ALFM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $451.09 2.05% 2.14% 2.98% 0.63% ALFM EURO BOND FUND, INC. -A Є214.57 0.86% 1.39% 1.57% 0.9% ATRAM TOTAL RETURN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -B $1.1485 2.71% 1.41% 2.24% 2.02% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $0.025 1.21% 0.81% N.A. 0.81% GREPALIFE DOLLAR BOND FUND CORP. -A $1.6981 -1.65% -0.92% 0.97% 0.47% MAA PRIVILEGE DOLLAR FIXED INCOME FUND, INC. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. MAA PRIVILEGE EURO FIXED INCOME FUND, INC. ЄN.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N.S. PAMI GLOBAL BOND FUND, INC -A $1.0503 0.5% -1.06% -2.38% 1.22% PHILAM DOLLAR BOND FUND, INC. -A $2.2215 2.07% 0.86% 2.82% 2.32% PHILEQUITY DOLLAR INCOME FUND INC. -A $0.0574676 1.21% 1.02% 1.81% 0.85% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR ABUNDANCE FUND, INC. -A $2.9321 -0.32% 0.23% 2.01% 2.09% MONEY MARKET FUNDS PRIMARILY INVESTED IN PESO SECURITIES ALFM MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 121.7 3.17% 2.05% 1.69% 0.71% FIRST METRO SAVE AND LEARN MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A,5 1.0022 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. PHILAM MANAGED INCOME FUND, INC. -A 1.1858 2.16% 0.84% 0.59% 0.33% SUN LIFE PROSPERITY MONEY MARKET FUND, INC. -A 1.2255 2.89% 2.37% 1.71% 0.53% PRIMARILY INVESTED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SECURITIES SUN LIFE PROSPERITY DOLLAR STARTER FUND, INC. -A $1.0193 1.95% N.A. N.A. 0.33%

* - NAVPS AS OF THE PREVIOUS BANKING DAY ** - NAVPS AS OF TWO BANKING DAYS AGO *** - LISTED IN THE PSE.

**** - RE-CLASSIFIED INTO A BALANCED FUND STARTING JANUARY 1, 2017 (FORMERLY GREPALIFE BOND FUND CORP.).

***** - LAUNCH DATE IS NOVEMBER 6, 2017 ****** - LAUNCH DATE IS JANUARY 08, 2018 ******** - RENAMING OF THE FUND WAS APPROVED BY THE SEC LAST APRIL 13, 2018. ********* - BECAME A MEMBER SINCE APRIL 20, 2018. ******* - ADJUSTED DUE TO CASH DIVIDEND ISSUANCE LAST JANUARY 29, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, February 21, 2019

B3

B4 Thursday, February 21, 2019

LAS CASAS MAKES ITS BRAND MORE VISIBLE WITH NEW APPOINTEES BRIT INVASION AT MARCO POLO ORTIGAS

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ITH a fast-paced competition, it is, indeed, crucial for a local destination to stay on top of its game. But with quality, innovation and value for money, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar does not need to fret.

Leading the heritage resort are Romeo Alfonzo Co (in photo, left) as the general manager; and Rogelio F. Dacanay as the new assistant general manager, and food and beverage head.

Backed with his plethora of knowledge and close to thirty years of luxury and lifestyle hotel experience, Co eyes to make the brand globally competitive and be internationally known through strengthening its core—great value, thoughtful amenities, and a comfortable, relaxing environment for all its guests may it be locals or foreign visitors.

A driven hotelier and an excellent trainer, Co has shared his expertise

as general manager to both local and international hotels, including in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Bahrain and the United States. He also had his hand in contributing on the newly opened Azurro Hotel.

Meanwhile, Dacanay puts emphasis on showcasing the ineffable charm of Las Casas in all aspects, from its unique architectural treats, strategic location to its mouthwatering dining offers. Gleefully talking about the heritage resort’s opulent dining experience, he said that “it’s going to be a food for the soul.”

With his 19-year successful track record in food-and-beverage management, Dacanay reinvigorates the importance of collaboration with the people in his kitchen. More than just the creative juices, Dacanay puts equal value to empower every person under his management.

ELEBR ATE some of Br itain’s best bites and brews beg inning March 1 at t he Marco Polo Or t igas Manila. Food enthusiasts from all over the metro are invited to sample choice f lavors in the hotel ’s dining destinations as m a ster f u l ly pre pa red by t he culinary team led by Executive Chef Alisdair Bletcher.

Tickle your senses with Café Pronto’s selection of tarts and pies, which are best enjoyed at the start of the day, paired with a cup of coffee. At Cucina, a wide array of traditional dishes awaits featuring Smoke Atlantic Salmon, Ploughman’s Sa lad, shephard pies, and fish and chips.

Nothing spells British fair more than afternoon tea with scones and pastries. The Connect Lounge breathes new life to this

delightful pastime along with the seasona l feature of a refreshing Pimm’s cocktail.

A good day’s work deser ves a rewarding bite and a pint at Vu’s Sky bar and lounge. Sample choice includes British classics, like fish and chips, and bangers and mash, matched with a glass of San Miguel f o r P 6 9 9 f r o m We d n e s d a y s t o Saturday, from 5 to 9 p.m. And when the clock strikes “Gin!”, toast to a fab time while enjoying the breathtaking metroscape with your very own gin and tonic.

Discover great British f lavors at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila. For more information on ongoing promotions at Lung Hin and the hotel’s other d i n i n g d e s t i n at io n s , e - m a i l at restaurant.mnl@marcopolohotels.com.

For more infor mat ion a nd reservations on Marco Polo Ortigas, visit www.marcopolohotels.com.

CHINA BANK CLINCHES THIRD ANVIL

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HINA Banking Corp. (China Bank) was awarded with Silver A nv i l for its 2017 annua l financial and sustainability report.

China Bank Investor and Corporate Relations group head Alex Escucha and China Bank Marketing Communications head Mary Ann R. Ducanes (second and third from right, respectively) received the award at the 54th Anvil Awards recently held at Mariott Hotel.

This is the bank’s third Anvil in the Best PR Tool category. Its 2015 and 2017 annual reports were also cited with Silver Anvils.

SAVE THE CHILDREN PHILIPPINES LAUDS PASSAGE OF LAW PROTECTING CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS

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AVE the Children Philippines lauded the enactment of the law on special protection for children in situations of armed conflict (CSAC) that aims to protect minors from killings, recruitment by armed groups, rape and sexual violence.

L aw y e r A l b e r t Mu y o t , c h i e f executive officer of Save the Children Philippines, said that the new law, Republic Act 11188, protects thousands of children living through armed conf lict, particularly those in Mindanao. “ T he at roc it ies of w a r leave permanent scars on a child’s psyche due to emotional stress,” Muyot said.

Children are left with no escape from violence, in their homes, schools and in the street during armed conflicts.

The CSAC law provides penalties for the grave violations of children’s rights, including killings, intentional

and casual maiming, taking them as hostages or human shields, as well as recruitment into both government forces and lawless groups.

The law also imposes penalties on those who commit rape, sexual violence on children and women, and deny them access to humanitarian assistance, such as medical aid, food and psychosocial services.

Muyot, who served as education undersecretary, welcomed the law t h at i mposes p e n a lt ies a g a i n st parties that attack schools, as well as hospit a ls, pl aces of worsh ip, evacuation centers and public places, such as playgrounds.

“Children in conflict affected areas live through unspeakable horrors with devastating and life-changing consequences,” he added.

The law also highlights the need to protect the rights of children in

armed conflict, such as right to life, survival and development, as well as protection from all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

With 120 offices around the world, Save the Children stated in its report “Stop the War on Children,” that deaths of children below five years old reached 870,000 from 2013 to 2017, five times higher than the 175 adult fighters who died on the same period.

“Children like those we know and love are bombed, shot, starved and raped. We hope this law will i n st it ut ion a l i z e protec t ion a nd humanitarian assistance to children trapped in armed conflict areas.”

T he repor t ex plained that children’s ex per ience of conf lict ranges from killing and maiming to witnessing the destruction of their homes, schools, communities and death of their loved ones.

SITEL PHILIPPINES HAILED AS BLOOD DONATION HERO TWICE IN A ROW

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HE Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Blood Center (PBC) honored global business-

process outsourcing giant Sitel Philippines with the Apolinario Mabini Award as a Blood Donation Hero, for giving over

190 voluntary blood donations this year.

Sitel associates and their relatives count among its recipients and have benefited from the PBC blood bank.

Nemabelle Abainza, Sitel human resource manager for Shared Services, said that Sitel has been participating in the blood donation drive since 2015. “...

We have donated over 140 units of blood for NCR alone, plus more in our regional locations....” Abaninza shared.

In photo are (from left) Shiela Morales, Sitel human resources business partner; Abainza with fellow Apolinario Mabini awardees Police Superintendent Teresita V. Escamallan, chief of District Community Affairs and Development Division, Quezon City Police District; and Allan Genoraga, former Sitel human resource generalist and Gabriela Silang awardee.

Sports BusinessMirror

C1

| Thursday, February 21, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

OSAKA BEATEN IN DUBAI The two-time major champion had trouble with her serve and was beaten, 6-3, 6-3, by 67th-ranked Kristina Mladenovic at the Dubai Championships in a little more than an hour on Tuesday.

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UBAI, United Arab Emirates—Naomi Osaka lost her first match since moving up to No. 1 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings—and first since splitting from her coach.

The two-time major champion had trouble with her serve and was beaten, 6-3, 6-3, by 67th-ranked Kristina Mladenovic at the Dubai Championships in a little more than an hour on Tuesday.

Afterward, Osaka wiped away tears while speaking to reporters and discussing the difficulty of dealing with her new-found spot atop the sport.

“I don’t think I necessarily understand what position I’m in, in a way. Because last year, I wasn’t even anywhere close to this ranking.

People didn’t pay attention to me—and that’s something that I’m comfortable with,” Osaka said.

NO. 1 Naomi Osaka loses first match since splitting from her coach. AP

“I don’t really like attention,” she said. “It’s been a little tough.”

Playing a secondround match after an opening bye as the tournament’s top seed, Osaka won only 5 of 27 second-serve points, just 19 percent, and barely half of her firstserve points, 12 of 22.

She was broken seven of the nine times she served.

Mladenovic came into the Dubai Championships with a record of 0-4 in 2019.

Osaka had not competed since winning the Australian Open in January for her second consecutive Grand Slam title, a victory that also allowed her to become the first tennis player from Asia to lead the rankings.

Last week, Osaka announced on Twitter that she would no longer work with Coach Sascha Bajin, who began coaching her before last season and helped her win the US Open in September.

Osaka didn’t offer an explanation for the split at the time, but addressed it during a media availability before the Dubai tournament, saying: “Everyone thinks it was a money-related issue, but it wasn’t.... I think my reason is I wouldn’t put success over my happiness.”

In other action on Tuesday at the hard-court tournament, secondseeded Petra Kvitova—the runnerup to Osaka at the Australian Open—beat Katerina Siniakova, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4; third-seeded Simona Halep—Osaka’s predecessor at No. 1—defeated Eugenie Bouchard A MAN walks past sports murals originally painted on a wall as promotional tools for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP

Boxing official warns time fast running out to organize for Tokyo

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INDONESIA BIDS FOR 2032 OLYMPICS!

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AKARTA—Indonesia has officially joined bidding to host the 2032 Olympics following its success staging the Asian Games last year, the deputy chairman of its national Olympic committee said on Tuesday, highlighting the rising ambitions of the giant but perennially underperforming Southeast Asian nation.

Muddai Madang said letters from President Joko Widodo and the national Olympic committee were delivered to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) president in Lausanne last week by Indonesia’s ambassador to Switzerland.

“Indonesia is ready to host the Olympics,” Madang told The Associated Press. “What we need now is support from all the Indonesian people and the international community.”

Widodo, who is campaigning for reelection, made a surprise announcement of plans to bid for the 2032 games after the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang cohosted the 18th Asian Games in August, and the process has gathered momentum. The Olympics have never been held in Southeast Asia.

There were doubts Indonesia could successfully host the Asian Games, an event involving more than 10,000 athletes, but its reasonably smooth execution was praised by the IOC, paving the way for a tilt at even bigger sports events.

India is planning to bid for the 2032 games and North and South Korea have confirmed an intention to launch a joint bid. Australia and Russia have also expressed interest.

Problems with the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, a developing country that like Indonesia suffers endemic corruption, may count against the chances of the Indonesian bid.

By some estimates it cost Brazil about $20 billion to host the Olympics, the kind of bill that is likely to raise objections in Indonesia, despite projections it will be among the world’s 10-biggest economies by 2030 with a population nearing 300 million.

Tokyo is hosting the 2020 Olympics. Paris and Los Angeles have already been selected to host the following two games, in 2024 and 2028, respectively.

Antara News added that the ambassador received “a positive response” from IOC Executive Director Christophe Dubi, who promised to keep Indonesia informed regarding the Olympic host selection process.

“The IOC has recognized Indonesia’s capability while organizing the 2018 Asian Games and Para Games that were successful,” Hadad told Antara News. “I think this is quite a strong foundation.”

Indonesia’s intent to bid for the 2032 Games was first hinted by

the 2018 Asian Games Organizing Committee President Erick Thohir in June last year before President Widodo officially announced their intent in August.

“After the excellent experience of the Asian Games, we now believe that we can host the very biggest sporting event,” Widodo said at the time. “In Indonesia we believe we can host the Olympic Games 2032.”

There were, however, several issues with last year’s Asian Games, including a significant malfunction of the ticketing system which contributed to many largely empty stadiums.

Jakarta’s notorious traffic also made traveling between venues in the city problematic, though generally the Games was hailed a success.

As well as Indonesia, India have also expressed an interest in staging the 2032 event as have Australia and Germany, while officials form North and South Korea met with the IOC on Friday regarding plans for a joint bid.

Thomas Bach has appeared very open to the idea of such a joint Pyongyang-Seoul bid, repeatedly talking up the role of the Olympics in helping the Korean peace process.

In what is undoubtedly a big boost to Indonesia’s intentions though, Bach has also expressed confidence that Indonesia could host a “very successful” Olympics. AP and Insidethegames

7-6 (5), 6-4; and No. 4 seed Karolina Pliskova edged Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

No. 7 seed Kiki Bertens lost to Viktoria Kuzmova, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (6), while No. 11 Daria Kasatkina was eliminated by 20-year-old American Sofia Kenin, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

In Rio de Janeiro, top seeds Dominic Thiem of Austria, and Italy’s Fabio Fognini and Marco Cecchinato were ousted in the first round of the Rio Open clay-court tournament on Tuesday.

No. 1-seeded Thiem lost to Serbia’s Laslo Dere, 6-3, 6-3, while the second-seeded Fognini was defeated by Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime, 6-2, 6-3. Thirdseeded Cecchinato, who won the Argentina Open on Sunday, was also eliminated by Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene, 7-5, 7-6 (1).

The fifth and sixth seeds also lost their matches in the tournament. Portugal’s Joao Sousa was defeated 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

by Argentina’s Guido Pella and Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic lost to Britain’s Cameron Norrie, 6-2, 6-1.

Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, who is the fourth seed and defending champion, is expected to play later Tuesday.

Defending champion Frances Tiafoe, meanwhile, squandered an early lead and lost on Tuesday to Britain’s Daniel Evans in the first round of the Delray Beach Open, 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5, in Delray Beach, Florida.

Tiafoe, seeded No. 3, lost his third match in a row. He won the first five games and was up 4-1 in the third set but couldn’t close out the match against Evans, ranked No. 148.

Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, playing his first match after missing four months with a right-knee injury, swept Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 7-5.

No. 2 John Isner eliminated Peter Polansky 6-3, 7-6 (4). No. 4 Steve Johnson beat Jason Jung 7-6 (3), 6-4. AP

OSCOW—Time is “rapidly” running out to organize an Olympic tournament in 2020, the executive director of the International Boxing Association (Aiba) said on Tuesday amid disputes with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a breakaway group of boxing officials.

Tom Virgets told The Associated Press that boxers from poorer African and Asian countries already face losing crucial funding with the qualifying system still not confirmed.

Asked when the point of no return would be, Virgets said “we’re getting there rapidly,” ahead of planned qualifying events later this year.

The IOC froze Olympic boxing planning in November when it launched an inquiry into the association, known as Aiba, after Gafur Rakhimov was elected Aiba president.

The US Treasury Department has alleged Rakhimov is a heroin trafficker linked to organized crime and placed him under sanctions. Rakhimov denies the allegations.

Virgets argued the delay means poorer countries are reluctant to fund boxers ahead of other sports without knowing how they can reach the Olympics.

“Everyone’s sitting there saying, ‘right, where can I put my money?’” he said. “For countries like Russia, the USA and others, they just find the money to make sure the athletes get to those competitions. But what about Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Yemen?

“These people, they have national organizing committees, they have to know.

They only have X amount of dollars and they’re going to put it toward the programs where they think they have the best chance.”

The inquiry is expected to report back to an IOC session in June, three months before Aiba’s world championships decide the first Olympic places, with other planned qualifiers close behind.

Virgets said he’s preparing to file a 4,000-page report to the IOC inquiry showcasing reforms to the often-criticized judging system and more stable finances.

He wouldn’t comment when asked whether Rakhimov would consider stepping down to smooth relations with the IOC. The IOC could try to derecognize Aiba and host its own Olympic boxing event without Rakhimov. Some national boxing officials have tried to gather support for such a move but face threats of disciplinary action from Aiba.

Virgets alleged the breakaway was led by the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, whose candidate lost to Uzbekistan’s Rakhimov in November’s presidential vote. Several Western European nations have been among Rakhimov’s strongest critics, but so far no national federation—including Kazakhstan—has openly backed a split.

“If not Aiba, then who?” Virgets said. Any alternative leaders, he argued, would lack credibility and would struggle to arrange funding and drug testing for fighters.

“How do you allow that group to be in charge of anything? It’s a rogue group,” he said. “The question is could they organize a one-person parade?” AP

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FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL T

EAM Pilipinas fights for survival when it takes on Qatar in the first of the Philippines’s two crucial games in the final window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Thursday night at the Al Gharafa Sports Club in Doha.

With a ticket to the World Cup on the line, the Filipinos try to avoid elimination when they battle the home team at 7 p.m (12 a.m.

Friday, Manila Time).

The nationals are eager to bounce back consecutive defeats in the last window as its 5-5 won-lost record dropped them to fourth place behind World Cup-bound Australia (9-1), Iran (7-3) and Japan (6-4).

Kazakhstan (4-6) and Qatar (2-8),

meanwhile, hold the fifth and sixth spots in Group F behind the Philippines.

Also facing Kazakhstan on Saturday, a setback would mean instant elimination for the Filipinos.

Head Coach Yeng Guiao simply wants the team to pour everything it got.

“Everybody is serious. They are ready to make contributions,” Guiao said.

Guiao wished to get all the support from overseas Filipino workers in Qatar.

“We hope to get some energy from our fellow Filipino in Qatar. With them cheering for us, it will give us energy and motivation,” he said.

The final 12 lineup was revealed on Tuesday night with collegiate standout Thirdy

Ravena making the cut.

Naturalized player Andray Blatche is back along with June Mar Fajardo, Jayson Castro, Troy Rosario, Gabe Norwood, Poy Erram, Japeth Aguilar, Marcio Lassiter, Scottie Thompson, Paul Lee and Mark Barroca.

Blatche’s return is big for Guiao as the American’s absence in the past windows was costly for the team.

“The big difference is Andray. He came in a lot better in shape and that’s the best sign. I think he’s game-ready,” Guiao said.

“He’s somebody who understands the game really well so I think that will be our biggest advantage,” he added. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

SASO PULLS AWAY Y

YUKA SASO breaks away from a three-way tie for a three-stroke lead.

UKA SASO matched her opening day output of 70 and broke away from a three-way tie to a three-stroke lead and closer to keeping the Philippine Ladies Amateur Open crown at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Forbes Park on Wednesday.

Out to atone for her putting struggle late in the first round where she flubbed five birdie chances inside 8 feet that enabled Yosita Khawnuna of Thailand and Mafy Singson to gain a share of the lead, Saso actually failed to hit her scoring target but succeeded to wrest control as her rivals faltered one after the other with over-par scores.

“My putting was good enough but I know I can still be better,” said the reigning Asian Games gold medalist, who birdied the opening

hole for the second straight day and added three more on Nos. 7 (10 feet), 9 (20 feet) and 18 (2 feet).

She, however, failed to return a fivefooter for par on No. 3 and bogeyed Nos. 4 and 8 on errant drives and missed two birdie opportunities.

But her second one-under card at the par-71 posh layout proved enough to net her the solo lead at 140 as Khawnuna, 16, cracked under pressure and hobbled with a 73 and slipped to solo second at 143.

Singson, on the other hand, turned from impressive to mediocre as she skied to an 80 and tumbled to joint fifth with Taiwanese Sung You-chuan (74) and Inagaki Nanako of Japan (72) at 150, now 10 strokes behind.

Thai Wannasaen Chanattee and Sofia Chabon matched Saso’s 70 to seize solo third at 144 and fourth at 145, respectively, but the deficit could be too big to overcome given

THE competitors will negotiate a 200-mile race from Subic Bay down to Verde Island Passage in Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro and back to Subic Bay on the same day.

HEAD Coach Yeng Guiao wants the team to pour everything it got.

the form and confidence of the most fancied player in the fold who took a step closer to retaining the crown she won by two of Mikha Fortuna at the Orchard last year.

“There will be pressure tomorrow [today] but I would be fine if I can hole in birdies,” said the 17-year-old Fil-Japanese shotmaker.

Unlike Saso, Khawnuna and Singson sputtered when the going got tough with the Thai hitting two birdies against two bogeys and a double bogey and the Filipina bet groping for form all throughout.

“My putting and irons weren’t good,” said Khawnuna, still hopeful of putting it all together in another duel with Saso in the last 18 holes of the event organized and conducted by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines.

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, also from Thailand, fought back with a 73 but still stood too way off at 151 in a tie with Eagle Ace Superal, who carded a 75, while Nicole Abelar shot a 75 for a 152 and Rianne Malixi and last week’s W Express RVF Cup winner Junia Gabasa struggled with identical 78s for 153 and 154, respectively.

PNB Golf Cup lures big field

F

IDEL PORTILLO topped Class A with a net 69, Thomas Elazegui emerged as low gross winner with a 73 and Ding Legaspi copped the low net trophy with a 68 in the recent PNB Savings Bank Fourth Auto Dealers’ Golf Cup at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.

Medardo Reyes finished second and Lawrence Goh wound up third in Class A, while Tey Sornet topped Class B with a net 71 and Lourdes “Detsy” Laurel won Class C with net 75 in the event that featured 103 players, a majority of whom are PNB’s auto dealer partners Toyota, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Foton, Honda, Isuzu, JAC Motors, Kia, Lexus, Mazda, Mini, Subaru, Suzuki, Tata Motors and Volkswagen.

Allen Pascual and Willy Tee Ten finished second and third, respectively, in Class B, while Alex Aspillera and Don Comia were 2-3 in Class C. Jameson See won the nearest to the pin award, while Val de Leon recorded the most accurate drive, Anthony See the longest drive, Elazegui the most number of pars and Ding made the most birdies.

The event was held to strengthen the bond between PNB and its partners, as well as to show its appreciation to its partners.

“This is the fourth year that we’ve invited our valued auto dealer partners for a golf game and we hope to continue this tradition in the years to come,” said PNB Savings Bank First Vice President and Motor Vehicle Loan Group Head Jose Ramon Santamaria.

PNB Executive Vice President and Marketing and Brand Management Sector Head Jovencio Hernandez and PNB Savings Bank Acting President Mary Ann Santos led the ceremonial tee off.

Players who are non-auto dealers were also recognized in a separate game category where ATMSafe Global Benefits Group Country Manager Jimmy Reyes shot a net 71 to top the non-auto dealers division with Phintecstar consultant Jonathan Salcedo and PNB Savings Bank Vice President and Area Head Nicolas Diaz finishing second and third, respectively.

Subic to Verde Island race att A ROUND 13 local and international sailing teams will take part in the Second Standard Insurance Subic Bay around Verde Island Passage Race (SBVIP) and Subic Bay Cup Regatta from February 23 to March 2.

The six-day sailing Grand Prix lured boats from Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

The event is organized by the Subic Sailing Team and held under the auspices of the Philippine Sailing Association (PSA) and the Asian Yachting Grand Prix.

Besides the grueling offshore racing, there will also be a lot of inshore racing in Subic Bay which is part of the Subic Bay Cup Regatta, according to Subic Sailing Club Executive Director Zed Avecilla.

“One of the most exciting parts of the series is

PSC’s Ramirez: Happy moment for PHL sports

the Far East 28R One-Design Match Racing and Fleet Racing which will be part of the 30th Southeast Asian Games this November,” Avecilla said.

“This will be a practice race for our Filipino athletes who will be competing in the SEA Games,” Avecilla added.

The racing class I and II (IRC I and II) will cover 200 nautical miles with veteran campaigner, 75-footer Centennial III and skippered by Judes Echauz, picked as one of the favorites.

Echauz, also the president of the PSA, was corecipient of the Executive of the Year award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association during its annual Awards Night last year.

Centennial III will face stiff challenge from SBVIP

P

HILIPPINE Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez declared a “happy moment in Philippine sports” after President Duterte signed Republic Act 11214, or the Philippine Sports Training Center (PSTC) Act on February 14.

“We at the PSC are extremely grateful to the President for making this historic development in Philippine sports happen,” Ramirez said. The law establishing a state-of-the-art sports training facility in the country was signed by the President “to

San Juan, Navotas prevail

S

AN JUAN gave Mandaluyong a sound beating and Navotas formalized the El Tigre’s ouster with a king-sized upset of heavy favorite Manila as the two teams won in contrasting fashion in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Datu Cup on Tuesday night at the San Andres Gym in Manila.

The Knights sizzled right from the get-go, taking a 28-7 lead in the first period and never looked back in a 76-60 beating of the El Tigre.

Showing no mercy was San Juan, which led by as many as 36 points, 65-29, to practically take the fight out of Mandaluyong and notch its 19th win in 24 games.

The Knights could end their campaign on a winning note with a victory against Valenzuela

in their last game in the eliminations. San Juan is already assured of a top 4 berth that would give the squad a home-court advantage.

Navotas sealed Mandaluyong’s doom by pulling off a tough 96-92 win over host team Manila.

Despite the El Tigre’s setback earlier, the Clutch faced a must-win situation as a loss would complicate things more for them.

Good thing Coach Gabby Severino of Navotas was able to make adjustments by playing small ball.

Jai Reyes knocked in 33 points, including 14 in the third period when Navotas fought back from a 12-point deficit. His backcourt partner, Donald Gumaru, added 12 points, but more important, played a key role on defense.

PETRON, F2 SEEK WIN NO. 2

P

OWERHOUSE Petron and F2 Logistics shoot for their second straight win as they face separate foes in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix on Thursday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

The Blaze Spikers face Generika-Ayala at 7 p.m., while the Cargo Movers tangle with Sta. Lucia in the 4:15 p.m. opening match of doubleheader that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast partners.

With super imports Stephanie Niemer and Katherine Bell doing the damage, the Blaze

Spikers were off to a good start as they crushed PLDT Home Fibr, 25-19, 25-9, 25-10, in their first game in the import-flavored conference.

But Petron Coach Shaq de los Santos doesn’t want to take Generika-Ayala lightly.

“It’s going to be a tough game, their spikers, both the imports and the locals, are really good,” he said, noting that the Lifesavers are still capable of winning even with one import following the injury of Brazilian Nikolle del Rio. “They might play with just one import but we will expect and prepare for two foreign

A TOTAL of 103 players, a majority of whom are auto dealers, take part in the recent PNB Savings Bank Fourth Auto Dealers’ Golf Cup at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.

orts

sMirror

Thursday, February 21, 2019

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE T

HE developer and its associates tasked to construct the modern sports complex in New Clark City assured that facilities will be ready for the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

tracts 13 boats inaugural champion, Geoff Hill’s Smith 72 Antipodes, which set a record at 22 hours, 54 minutes and nine seconds.

Centennial III was second while Ray Ordeveza’s Excel 53 Karakoa placed third last year.

Other Centennial III challengers include Hurricane Hunter of Albert Altura, Mills 43 Custom Misty Mountain of George Hacket, veteran local campaigner Selma Star of Jun Avecilla, Germany’s Emocean I helmed by Michael Raueber, another local entry Sabad of Bobby Benares and Karakoa.

For two consecutive years, Centennial III’s perennial rival in the Subic Bay to Boracay Regatta Race Hong Kong’s Jelik of steel magnate Frank Pong is again skipping the race. promote and develop sports in the country, to achieve excellence in international sports competitions, to ensure success in the country’s quest to achieve competitiveness in the Olympic Games and to promote international amity among nations.”

The law has been a work in progress for the past two years with Ramirez hoping that “this facility can become a reality to be able to provide our athletes

“Sailing is a sport that brings people closer to nature as Boracay continues its rehabilitation, we hope that this race will remind us of the beauty of our country and our maritime treasures,” Avecilla said.

Avecilla praised Standard Insurance for again sponsoring the event.

“Their [Standard Insurance] commitment to sailing goes beyond developing top sailor athletes and coaches,” he said. “Protecting the environment is also at the heart and soul of the company.”

The boats will negotiate a 200-mile race, the same distance as the Subic Bay to Boracay event, from Subic Bay down to Verde Island Passage in Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro and back to Subic Bay on the same day.

The Verde Island Passage is a strait that separates Luzon and Mindoro, connecting the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay in Quezon province and the Sibuyan Sea in Romblon. more fighting chance in their competitions with an upgraded training facility.”

The 20-hectare sports hub will rise in Rosales, Pangasinan, in 2022 and will feature facilities for administration, sports science, medical and dormitories for athletes and coaches. There will be sports amenities for 39 Olympic and non-Olympic sports.

Doping body assures ‘clean’ Games

T

HE Philippine National Anti-Doping Organization (PHI-Nado) vowed to keep the 30th Southeast Asian Games “clean” as it asked the participating countries to implement stringent rules against doping.

In a dinner fellowship with media on Tuesday, PHI-Nado chief Dr. Alejandro Pineda Jr. said that keeping the games clean is a shared task of all the 11-nation participating members of the SEA Games.

“It’s not only the responsibility of the organizing committee to do doping controls, it should also be the responsibility of the country they originate from,” Pineda said.

The local organizing committee plans to make 1,000 doping tests in the November 30 to December 11 event.

Of the 1,000 tests, three-fourths are urine

players,” he said.

Del Rio is listed as doubtful after sustaining a sprained ankle during their match against Sta. Lucia on Saturday.

Lifesavers Coach Sherwin Meneses said even with del Rio on the sidelines, his local crew of Marivic Meneses, Fiola Ceballos and Patty Orendain will still go all out to help Kseniya Kocyvit carry the scoring load.

“We’re one import down and I need them [locals] to step up their game,” he said, adding that Niemer and Bell will definitely draw a lot of support from Mika Reyes, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Frances Molina.

“We can’t just rely on the other [import] left. We hope that the injury is nothing serious but we will have to make do with what we have right now.”

On the other hand, F2 Logistics hopes to sustain its momentum when it battles Sta. Lucia in the opener.

The Cargo Movers are playing with just one import in American Rebecca Perry, as Lindsay Stalzer is expected to arrive on Sunday from a stint in the Indonesian Proliga.

F2 Logistics Coach Ramil de Jesus pointed out the importance of his mainstays’ respective roles.

“It’s good that we survived this game but what’s important is the next games,” said de Jesus after their win over Cignal, 26-24, 21-25, 25-21, 25-14, late Tuesday.

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samples, while the remaining one-fourth will be on blood samples.

PHI-Nado will do doping tests on any of the podium finishers and athletes who will break records. The anti-doping body insisted to only do “smart-targeted testing” to maintain the precision of their work during the games.

Tom May, a director from the World AntiDoping Agency, said that besides the doping tests, education serves as an ideal tool in preventing the use of banned substances.

“I think the organizing committee must focus on key areas that will ensure clean games, and one of it should be education,” May said. “They must make sure that the athletes and the officials are fully aware of the prohibited substances list.”

Ramon Rafael Bonilla

With nine months to go before the November 30 to December 11 biennial meet gets going, infrastructure developer MTD Philippines and project partner Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said construction of the complex is now

BASES Conversion and Development Authority Vice President for Business Development Arrey Perez (left) and MTD Philippines Project Director Rear Adm. Miguel Rodriguez address questions from the media at the Mimosa Golf and County Club in Clark on Tuesday. NONIE REYES

halfway done, or about 53-percent completed.

Both vowed to finish the construction by August, or about three months before the regional meet.

“Internally it’s August 31 [deadline] for everything, including the athletes’ housing and government residences. And our deliverable to BCDA is October 30, so we have a safety net of two months,” said MTD Philippines President Engr. Patrick Nicholas David.

The MTD officer was with Arrey Perez, BCDA vice president for business development and deputy director general of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc), during the special Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum held at Mimosa in Clark on Tuesday to give updates on the construction of the modern sports complex that will served as the main hub of the SEA Games.

The construction of the 20,000-seat athletics stadium would be over by June or July at the latest, according to David, while the others will be finished even earlier.

The new sports facilities are part of Phase 1A of the New Clark City Government

LADY EAGLES SLIP PAST TIGRESSES

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

A

TENEO bounced back from its season-opening loss with a 2521, 25-18, 16-25, 25-22 victory over University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Opposite hitter Kat Tolentino unleashed 22 points on 16 attacks and four blocks, middle blocker Maddie Madayag added 15 points on nine spikes and six blocks, while Deanna Wong was as efficient by making all 17 sets for the Lady Eagles.

Ateneo Head Coach Oliver Almadro said the team showed guts to put aside Sunday’s loss to rival and defending champion De La Salle.

“I saw their resiliency after that loss,” Almadro noted after the 14-25, 17-25, 25-16, 19-25 beating from the Lady Spikers. “They recovered well because they believed they can win today.”

The Lady Eagles barely met any stiff resistance in the first two sets as the Tigresses fell to 36 errors in the game.

Rallying behind rookie sensation Eya Laure and veteran Sisi Rondina, UST unleashed a 7-0 start in the third set.

Ateneo rallied to 14-4 but UST held its ground with Minela Alessandrini making two straight aces to win the set for the España-based squad.

The Lady Eagles, however, quickly regained their composure and were all business in the fourth to get the job done.

“I just told them to show pride and show their intensity,” Almadro said.

As a rising leader in the team, Tolentino said the win meant a lot as they

THE Tigresses’ Cherry Ann Rondina flashes her veteran form against the Lady Eagles’ Pauline Gaston (9) and Isabelle Beatriz de Leon (14). NONOY LACZA

move forward in the season.

“I think the game was a good show of our character toward the end. Our team needs to work on that for the upcoming games,” Tolentino said.

Rondina had 20 points on 19 spikes for UST, which fell to 1-1 after a thrilling five-set win over Adamson University on Sunday.

In men’s play, Far Eastern University (FEU) blasted University of the Philippines, 25-13, 2518, 23-25, 25-18, and UST beat Ateneo, 25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 19-25, 15-12.

FEU and National University (NU), meanwhile, go for all the marbles in the onegame Final in the juniors football championship on Thursday at the Moro Lorenzo Field. The

Administrative Center (NGAC), and it include the track and field stadium, the 2,000-seat aquatics center and an Athletes’ Village, while being surrounded by a 1.4-kilometer river park development with bikeways and jogging paths.

“Initially, everything looked like a drawing, but now, everything has shaped up,” said David during the session hosted by the BCDA and presented by San Miguel, Tapa King and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. “We’re very confident to get the job done and deliver a world-class facility for the Filipino people.”

Perez assured the country will be well prepared to host the SEA Games, which was last staged in the Philippines in 2005.

“We will surely host the SEA Games,” said the Phisgoc officer. “Our vision to have a sports city at the New Clark City is indeed a big one,” Perez said. “We want to contribute to the rebirth of Philippine sports.”

He also mentioned the role of the Philippine Sports Commission as a major partner in developing and maintaining the sports facilities being constructed by the BCDA located in Capas and Bamban, Tarlac. match is set at 3 p.m.

The Baby Tamaraws and Bullpups battled to a scoreless draw in their two eliminationround meetings this season.

FEU-Diliman is seeking to extend its dynastic rule to nine years, while NU is trying to claim a breakthrough championship right on its second year of participation.

In the men’s division, Ateneo debuts against University of the East at 1 p.m., while UST seeks the solo lead as it tangles with Adamson University at 9 a.m.

USA Gymnastics hires NBA exec as new CEO

L

I LI LEUNG spent two years watching USA Gymnastics struggle through the aftermath of the Larry Nassar sexual-abuse scandal. A former college gymnast at the University of Michigan who still considered herself “embedded” in the sport while serving as a vice president with the National Basketball Association, Leung kept waiting for things to get better.

Only they didn’t. Leadership changed. More and more survivors stepped forward to detail their experiences at the hands of Nassar, a former national team doctor. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) began the process of stripping USA Gymnastics of its status as the national governing body.

One of the US Olympic movement’s marquee programs was rudderless and fighting for its survival.

“I was frankly very, very disappointed in terms of where the sport and the organization had gotten to,” Leung said.

So disappointed that she felt compelled to come home.

USA Gymnastics hired Leung as its new president and chief executive officer on Tuesday, a job she accepted in an effort to help the organization and the sport find a way forward.

“I have bled, sweated and cried alongside my teammates, as well as other team members and other gymnasts,” Leung said on Tuesday. “And it really broke my heart to see where the sport was. We can do better for the sport.... Our gymnasts deserve better.”

The 45-year-old Leung, who will begin her new position on March 8, competed as a member of a US junior national training team and represented the US in the 1988 Junior Pan American Games. She helped Michigan win four Big Ten titles during her college career and served as a volunteer assistant gymnastics coach while earning two master’s degrees at the University of Massachusetts. Her professional stops include stints at USA Basketball and the NBA. Now she returns to the sport she started in at age 7, hoping to prevent USA Gymnastics from being decertified by the USOC. USA Gymnastics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December in an effort to reach settlements in the dozens of sex-abuse lawsuits it faces in courts across the country from athletes who blame the group for failing to supervise Nassar, a team doctor accused of molesting them.

The 55-year-old Nassar worked at USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University for decades. He is serving an effective life sentence for child porn possession and molesting young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.

Leung said she has already spoken to USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland and that “both sides are committed to working closely to resolve the decertification request.”

“We remain hopeful, that USA Gym will be the [national governing body] going forward,” Leung said.

Hirshland called Leung “an accomplished professional” in a statement and expressed optimism about the direction of the organization under Leung’s leadership.

“I’m very hopeful that Li Li’s combination of experience and desire to lead will be a positive force for change in the lives of gymnasts all over the country,” Hirshland said.

Leung is the fourth person to hold the position of president and CEO in the last two years. Steve Penny resigned under pressure in March 2017. His replacement, Kerry Perry, lasted less than a year when she stepped down under heavy scrutiny from the USOC last September.

The organization then turned to former US Rep. Mary Bono on an interim basis last October, but she resigned after just four days, saying she felt her affiliation would be a “liability” after a social-media post by Bono criticizing Nike and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick drew widespread scrutiny within the gymnastics community.

Leung acknowledged she is well aware of the churn at the top but added, “I wouldn’t have taken this job if I didn’t think I could have been successful in it.”

USA Gymnastics surveyed more than 200 members of the gymnastics community during the process, including current or former athletes, coaches, club owners and judges.

Board Chairman Kathryn Carson said Leung “has the passion, the personal commitment and the resilience to lead USA Gymnastics at this juncture.”

Leung’s to-do list includes what she called “fair and equitable resolution” with Nassar survivors so “they can work with us to make the fundamental changes that are necessary.” USA Gymnastics has been criticized over the last two years for its tone-deaf approach.

Olympic champion Simone Biles, herself a Nassar victim, openly challenged Perry’s inability to articulate a path toward reconciliation before the national championships last August. Less than a month later, Perry was out of a job. AP

Sports BusinessMirror

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| Thursday, February 21, 2019 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

LIGHTSABER P FENCING, ANYONE?

ARIS—The international governing body of fencing is giving a qualified thumbs-up to France’s embrace of lightsaber duels.

The Associated Press (AP) reported this week on the growth of lightsaber dueling in France, after the French fencing federation gave the nascent sport its official blessing.

The International Fencing Federation, or FIE, said on Tuesday that although it doesn’t include lightsaber fencing as one of its official disciplines, it is “interested in how this new event progresses.”

Responding to AP questions sent two weeks ago, federation official Serge Timacheff said the FIE has been in touch with France’s federation about lightsaber events, rules and equipment.

By e-mail, Timacheff said: “We are always watching new trends in swordplay, and we are interested in observing the development and adoption of it in the French Fencing Federation.” AP

THE international fencing body is “interested” in France embracing lightsaber. AP

PATIENT SPIETH

By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press

M

EXICO CITY—For a brief moment, Jordan Spieth had reason to believe he finally caught a good break with a bad shot.

He was trying to hit a hard, low draw on the fifth hole of the final round at Riviera into a strong wind and a light rain. Instead, it caught the heel of his 3-wood and spun out to the right, smacked off a tree and went further back next to a fence, just beyond a white out-of-bounds stake.

Good news: The rules official said the stake was left there by accident.

“He said, ‘That’s not supposed to be there.’ He literally picked up the white stake and said, ‘This isn’t ours,’” Spieth said. “So I got it out.”

Bad news?

“I still made triple,” he said with a laugh.

Spieth can still find humor amid the worst slump of his career, or what amounts to a slump for a 25-year-old who already has 14 victories worldwide, including three legs of the career Grand Slam.

He picked up his third major in the 2017 British Open when his tee shot caromed off a spectator’s head and into

the dunes right of the 13th fairway at Royal Birkdale. He hit 3-wood after a penalty drop on the driving range, somehow escaped with bogey, and then went birdie-eagle-birdiebirdie to win.

That was 37 tournaments ago, and it’s starting to feel even longer.

Coming off the first winless year of his pro career, Spieth made a last-minute decision to play the Sony Open

in Hawaii to shake off the rust from a busy offseason that included getting married. He missed the cut.

Since then, he has opened with rounds of 65 at Torrey Pines, 66 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and 64 at Riviera. He has yet to break par on the weekend.

His best result was a tie for 35th at Torrey.

The weekends have been an issue, and Spieth said as much after he finished his first round at Riviera.

“I got off to good starts my last couple events and I need to continue to work hard to improve each day here instead of getting complacent and assuming my game is there,” he said. “It’s still not quite there tee-to-green.”

Two days later, he went into the final round in a tie for fourth, eight shots behind Justin Thomas.

He shot 81.

That triple bogey on No. 5 was only part of his troubles.

Just as the rain began, Spieth fanned a 4-iron on the second hole that sailed so far right that it went into the bushes high on the hill. He had to take a penalty drop and made double bogey. After the triple bogey on No. 5, his round really came unglued on the par-4 10th.

He made a quadruple-bogey 8, with five of those shots from the sand.

One went over the green into a plugged like near the back lip. He popped that into the middle of the sand, and his fourth shot caught too much sand and plugged under the lip. The fifth was to get back into the bottom of the bunker—plugged again—and he got that one out and two-putted for 8.

The 81 matched his highest score to par, though it wasn’t all that jolting to sign his name beneath that number on his card.

“Not when you’re 10 over after 10 and have the hardest holes to play,” he said. “I thought I played pretty well after that.”

The game is progressing.

The results—the ultimate measure in golf—are still a work in progress.

It’s one thing that Spieth is at No. 24 in the world after starting 2018 at No. 2. It’s another to realize he has played six tournaments this season and is No. 175 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Perhaps, most startling is how infrequently he’s even had a chance to win. In the last

year, Spieth has only had three tournaments where he started the final round within five shots of the lead or closer. The most recent was at the TPC Boston, where he shot 70 and tied for 12th.

It has proven to be a long road back from a year in which he struggled with his putter, and when that came around, his swing got out of sorts. Riviera was his 11th straight time out of the top 10, his longest such streak since he started in 2013.

Is his patience being tested?

“I don’t think so,” he said. “It’s something that comes with what I’m working on.”

He said at the start of the year he felt no pressure to get his game turned around quickly. He was more concerned last year when something was off in his game and he wasn’t quite sure what it was. “That’s not an easy feeling,” he said.

For five years, he did a lot right without really knowing why. And when it stopped, he had to figure it out.

Spieth pays little attention to any form of media, social or otherwise, and would prefer to keep it that way. He shared as much in Hawaii when he said, “I know what’s wrong with Jordan Spieth, and I know what’s right with Jordan Spieth. I know how to get where I want to go with my golf game and have fun doing it.”

JORDAN SPIETH pays little attention to any form of media, social or otherwise, and would prefer to keep it that way. AP

Joshua, Miller hurl insults, not leather N

JARRELL MILLER (right) shoves Anthony Joshua as they pose for photographs during a news conference on Tuesday. AP

EW YORK—Staring contests, shouting matches, some shoving. Even a near mix-up with some members of the audience.

All part of the pregame show, if you will, when heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and challenger Jarrell Miller shared a makeshift stage at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

The title fight, Joshua’s US debut, isn’t until June 1. The World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Organization belt holder is unbeaten (22-0, 21 knockouts), but has only fought in the United Kingdom, where he’s filled London’s Wembley Stadium and Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for defenses of his title. Now, it’s the Garden, an arena synonymous with boxing, but a new locale for the champion.

“I am not here to win a popularity contest. I don’t want to focus on the recognition part,” Joshua said. “That’s a losing battle. But as far as fighting around the world, I like to fight wherever the market is. In the UK, we had 100,000 coming

out and that’s why it made sense to be fighting there. At the moment, it’s brilliant to be at Madison Square Garden, with a global audience.

“Madison Square Garden is massive. Madison Square Garden is really big, brilliant. Wembley holds a lot more people, but this is something different and new territory.

“We’ve built it from the ground up in the UK, and now we’re coming over.”

He’s coming over to Miller’s backyard; the heavyweight known as Big Baby (23-0-1, 20 knockouts) is from Brooklyn.

Joshua basically shrugs when that’s mentioned.

“He gasses out, he gets hit a lot,” Joshua said of the 300-pound Miller. “He’s slow.”

Miller wasn’t slow to insult Joshua at every turn on Tuesday, calling the Briton everything from “phony” to “no role model” to a “prom queen.”

“I am ready, you have no idea,” he said. “I breathe, eat and sleep Anthony Joshua. I got a picture on my wall of Anthony Joshua. I wake up in the morning with Anthony Joshua.

“The way I got here is unconventional, something out of a fantasy book. I worked hard for this, hard. Ground it out. I got to go to war.”

Miller especially was annoyed when Joshua said he would train for the fight in Brooklyn. And as allegations from each boxer flew about alleged use of illegal substances— Miller tested positive for a banned drug in 2014—they shouted over each other into microphones at a news conference without ever really answering questions.

Miller claimed Joshua “has to have people look up to him like he is some kind of a god” while adding Joshua is “a puppeteer.”

But they were ready to make some predictions. Before leaving the stage early, Miller vowed he’ll step out of the Garden ring in June as the champion. And Joshua promised, “I am going to knock him out on June 1. He’s the softest puncher in the heavyweight division.”

“I just gave him a big paycheck and some cheeseburgers,” Joshua joked. “It was an easy promotion.” AP

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Faithful God

EAR God, every moment, You are our strength. In faith and joy we pray: Oh God, in Your truth, hear our prayer. Heal us of any fear or prejudice that causes division, isolation or harm in our communities. Imbue our elected civic and religious servant leaders with integrity, wisdom and right judgment. Strengthen the faith of catechumens and their sponsors. May the God of peace sanctify us entirely and may we be kept sound and blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

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

ONE of five waterfalls on Havasu Creek as its waters tumble 210 feet on the Havasupai Tribe’s reservation in a southeastern branch of the Grand Canyon near Supai, Arizona.

Reservations open up in February for tourists eager to snag a camping spot at the bottom of the Grand Canyon where bluegreen waterfalls appear like oases in the desert. AP

Life

REELING: RODE THE HUNDRED AND RODE THE REGION D4

BusinessMirror

Thursday, February 21, 2019

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WIL DASOVICH with family

WIL DASOVICH EXPLORES THE EXTRAORDINARY IN TAGAYTAY

MANY of his followers on social media are aware that Wil Dasovich is very close to his family. For many of his trips and travels, Wil is joined by his dad, Steve, and mom, Charry, to experience extraordinary adventures and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Wil recently embarked on a family road trip to Tagaytay, made possible by a partnership between Ford and TripAdvisor. Wil traveled in a Ford Everest from Manila to Tagaytay, identified as an extraordinary adventure destination, and explored the city’s most-visited spots and tourist attractions.

AN EXTRAORDINARY TRIP FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY THE first stop on their itinerary was a visit to People’s Park in the Sky, where they took a trip down memory lane and enjoyed a tour of the former Marcos-era mansion and a breathtaking view of Tagaytay, from one of the highest points in town. Following a brief lunch, the family descended from Tagaytay to Talisay, Batangas, where they took a boat to the base of Taal Volcano. They journeyed up to the volcano’s peak on horseback, where they enjoyed yet another picturesque view, this time overlooking the majestic Taal Lake.

After enjoying the view, the fresh air and great company, Wil and his folks capped off their day trip and returned to Tagaytay for dinner in one of the city’s most renowned dining spots, Josephine’s Restaurant. This eatery is known for its beef bulalo soup and fried tawilis, the perfect meal to share while enjoying the refreshing breeze of Tagaytay.

Tribal land known for waterfalls won’t allow tour guides

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BY FELICIA FONSECA The Associated Press

LAGSTAFF, Arizona—The thousands of tourists who travel to a remote Native American reservation deep in the Grand Canyon each year to camp near a series of picturesque, blue-green waterfalls will have to do so without the benefit of professional guides.

The Havasupai Tribe has decided not to allow outfitters to escort visitors this year down the long, winding path that leads to its small, roadless reservation and on to its main tourist draw: towering waterfalls that cascade into swimming holes that are warm year-round.

Tourists can visit the waterfalls, either by reserving a room at the tribe’s only lodge or by snapping up a coveted permit for one of its hundreds of camping spots scattered amid a creek. But starting in February, they’ll have to find their own way to the reservation’s waterfalls and caves, and carry their own food and gear.

Abbie Fink, a spokesman for the Havasupai Tribe, said the Tribal Council’s decision isn’t a reflection on the outfitters. Rather, she said the tribe wanted to manage all tourist traffic itself.

“It’s not solving a problem. It’s returning the enterprise to the control of the tribe,” she told The Associated Press.

For years, the tribe has set aside spots for tour companies, which often bought permits in bulk. The outfitters paid a licensing fee of several thousand dollars, and some had elaborate setups with gourmet meals, inflatable couches and massage therapists.

Most brought just the essentials.

Fink couldn’t say exactly how much tour guides paid or how many licenses have been issued in the past. She said the Tribal Council would reevaluate outfitter licenses for 2020.

The tribe relies heavily on tourism and estimates that between February and November, it gets 30,000 to 40,000 visitors per year to its reservation deep in a gorge west of Grand Canyon National Park that’s accessible only by foot or helicopter, or by riding a

horse or mule. The tribe does maintenance in the campground and on the trails in December and January. The tribe doesn’t allow day hikes, so visitors wanting to take in its waterfalls and other sights must reserve overnight trips in the campground or at the sole lodge.

Rooms in the lodge, which can be booked only by phone, are sold out for the rest of this year.

Reservations for 2020 start on June 1.

Permits for 2019 camping spots become available online on February 1 and were expected to sell out in minutes. People on social media have been strategizing for months about how to boost their chances, including by setting up an account early, recruiting friends and family to try to book a trip and repeatedly refreshing multiple Internet browsers.

The permits are $100 per person per night on Monday through Thursday, and $125 a night on Friday through Sunday, slight increases over last year.

The tribe grants about 300 camping permits a day, Fink has said.

Adam Henry, co-owner of Discovery Treks, books between 100 and 200 people on the Havasupai trip each year but has had to stick to offering trips in other spots of the Grand Canyon. He says that’s not always welcome news for tourists intent on venturing to the

waterfalls.

The hike takes tourists 8 miles (13 kilometers) down a winding trail through desert landscape before they reach the first waterfall. Then comes the village of Supai, where 600 tribal members live year-round.

Another 2 miles (3 kilometers) down the trail is the campground with waterfalls on both ends.

“The blue-green water is what people want to see,” Henry said. “It’s certainly a significant bummer for people who aren’t going to be able to get out there on their own.”

Christine Miller, who works with the tour guide company Wildland Trekking, said tourists can find packing lists online and videos on Havasupai to help plan their trip. The advantage to having a tour guide is knowing how to reach the sights off the main trail, including other waterfalls, caves and swimming pools.

“There are not really any good maps out there to tell you when to cross, when not to cross” the creek, she said.

The tribe temporarily suspended licenses for outfitters in 2016 in part to review the impact that supplies loaded onto pack animals had on the animals and the trail. Fink did not respond to questions about what came out of that review. ■

THE PERFECT ROAD-TRIP COMPANION THIS family adventure would not have been possible without the trusty road-trip companion that took Wil and his family safely from Manila to Tagaytay, Batangas, and back.

Performance, safety and comfort are the most important qualities Wil looks for in a vehicle when going on adventures with his family, and he found them in the Ford Everest. During the trip, he and his family drove the Everest and experienced this midsize SUV as robustly capable and ideal for family fun.

“Discovering the Everest’s impressive features and ability to conquer diverse conditions made us feel like there was nothing holding us back from our thirst for adventure. Adding to that was the new TripAdvisor, which made it easy to search for places to go, things to do and find recommendations on where to stay or eat from travel experts,” shares Wil. “We look forward to exploring more destinations in the future.”

Ford, together with TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, partnered to surface a list of extraordinary adventure destinations across Asia Pacific to encourage explorers to discover the amazing locations around them.

Recognizing the growing appeal in adventure getaways, Ford and TripAdvisor uncovered the best “off-road,” “extreme destinations” with “tough roads” using TripAdvisor’s machine learning to identify popular adventure destinations.

TripAdvisor is the one place online that allows consumers to effortlessly discover, save and share great recommendations when planning a trip. Beyond enjoying more than 702 million reviews and opinions, travelers can now get useful and relevant advice from friends, family and the people and experts they trust to plan and book the perfect trip. Features in the Ford Everest, like the Terrain Management System, SYNC and 800 mm water wading give drivers the capability to handle tough terrain, enjoy handsfree connectivity and traverse unexpected conditions while maintaining maximum safety.

Watch Wil’s extraordinary road trip on his YouTube page at www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuLAV-HLqKc&t=626s. To learn more about the Ford Everest, visit www.ford.com.ph/ suvs/everest/ or a Ford dealer nearest you.

Berlin to get single travel app for public, private services BERLIN—Travelers in Berlin will soon be able to use a single app to switch seamlessly between public transport, rental bikes, car-sharing and taxis without signing up for each service individually, officials said on Monday.

Lithuanian start-up Trafi said Berlin will be the first major European capital to get a transport app that handles billing for all services centrally and requires only a single login. Similar services are already available in Vilnius, Rio de Janeiro and Jakarta.

So-called deep integration apps, which

remove the annoyance of dealing with multiple providers, are seen as important for cities trying to prevent people from clogging up congested roads with their own cars.

“This goes in precisely the right direction,” said Andreas Knie, a mobility expert at the Social Science Center Berlin.

“Transport services need to be connected, just like cell-phone networks, so you can easily roam from one to another.”

Berlin’s aging transport system—a maze of underground lines, trams, buses and commuter rail covering an area the size of

Dallas—is straining as its population heads toward 4 million. The capital’s left-wing government has struggled in recent years to integrate new services such as ride-hailing firms, car-sharing companies, free-floating bikes and scooters into the existing infrastructure, some of which dates back to the 19th century.

Knie was skeptical that large transport companies like Berlin’s publicly owned BVG, which counts more than a billion passengers a year, are willing to do anything that might endanger their business model.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether smaller companies will get an equal footing in the app, including to valuable real-time data on how customers are moving through the city. Two large car-sharing companies, Daimler’s car2go and BMW’s DriveNow service, and ride-hailing giant Uber are notably absent from the starting lineup, though more than a dozen smaller rivals are already on board.

Trafi said more are expected to join by the time the app, called Jelbi, launches this summer. AP

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Thursday, February 21, 2019

Entertaining BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

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Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Ellen Page, 32; Jennifer Love Hewitt, 40; William Baldwin, 56; Kelsey Grammer, 64.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Consider your options and map out your course. Having an understanding of what it is you want to achieve will make it easier to reach your destination. An opportunity to improve your living arrangements, make a move or mix the old with the new to come up with a plan that leads to success looks promising. Your lucky numbers are 2, 7, 18, 24, 32, 35, 47.

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A scrumptious taste of Thai cuisine from the streets

BY PAULINE JOY M. GUTIERREZ

CUTTING the ribbon: Siam Sukh Jai owner Destiny Marie Dimagiba (left), Grace Mindanao of SCMC (right) and Khun Urawadee SriphiromyaCharge d’Affaires of The Royal Thai Embassy Manila. ROY DOMINGO

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t put on the brakes when you should be speeding up. Nothing will happen if you don’t take charge and put your plans in motion. Recognition and advancement are within reach. Celebrate your good fortune with someone special. ★★★

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Emotional matters will disorient your perception of what’s really at stake or happening. Take a closer look at what’s transpiring; you’ll see who is being honest with you. ★★★★★ CANCER (June 21-July 22): Express your thoughts and desires. Discussing what you want to see happen will bring you closer to your dreams. A partnership will take a favorable turn and encourage you to take the initiative to improve the way you live your life. ★★

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Stick to the rules, and take pride in what you do. Note how others respond before you make decisions.

Anger will not help you get ahead, but patience and wisdom will. ★★★★

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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Get involved in activities that will get you moving and motivated to make self-improvements, new friendships and better relationships with the people who have stood by your side through thick and thin.

Romance will enhance your life. ★★★

your preference.

“All our dishes are made with the spirit of Thai home cooking. We use only the freshest ingredients possible, and we import from Thailand the natural herbs and spices that allow us to be true to the taste [of authentic Thai food],” said Des. She added that every order is cooked fresh and comes without MSG or artificial flavors. They flew in a Thai chef to head the preparations of the dishes.

“When you experience Thai cooking in a hotel or someplace that’s extremely polished, the food will, of course, be very well-polished,” said Digs, “[Household and street food cuisine] may not be as perfect...but it’s those little quirks tucked in the dishes here and there that tickle your palate.”

packs a lot of heat with a just a tiny hint sweetness. It uses green herbs for color and coconut milk to bring the dish together. Meanwhile, Tom Yum Goong brings in another level of heat even at the mildest spice level. This hot-and-sour shrimp soup is spiced with galangal, kaffir lime leaves and chilis.

For the most part, there are many traditional Thai dishes that aren’t spicy as there are a lot of regional variations.

The Som Trap Goop served in the restaurant, for one, is a twist on the classic green papaya salad that is perfect for those looking for a more timid flavor. There’s also the crispy Thai omelet that resembles our okoy and the Vietnamese banh xeo. This omelet is made of scrambled eggs, flavored with seasoned minced pork and fish sauce. The Pad Thai or stir-fried rice noodle dish finds the middle ground between sweet and savory, and is served with nuts and chili powder on the side so you can season it to

■ Siam Sukh Jai Thai Home Cooking is at S Maison, Marina Way, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. For details, call 821-6141.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t miss out on an opportunity because someone is bullying you into taking on responsibilities that don’t belong to you. Make changes that will stop others from interfering in your productivity and ability to live life your way. ★★★

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Socialize, travel and spend more time with people who inspire you to express your opinions and pursue your creative dreams. Engage in playtime to discover what brings you peace of mind. ★★★

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Be careful who you share your secrets with. Your reputation will be on the line if you are too open and trusting. Focus on personal improvements, not trying to change or impress others. ★★

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Look past the chaos to focus on what’s real. Learn from what others do, and make a point to offer only what’s feasible and what you are willing to part with. Nurture the relationships that matter, and let go of things you no longer need. ★★★★★

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A change at home or to your surroundings will give you positive reinforcement that you are doing what’s best for yourself. Expand your interests, as well as your friendships, and learn all you can that will contribute to reaching your goal. ★★★★★

More reasons to love them donuts MOST would agree that Filipinos have a sweet tooth.

Whether as a snack or as a gratifying ending to a delicious meal, a sweet treat is just the thing to cheer us up. It is no wonder that a bite or a box of Dunkin’ Donuts can easily put a smile on anyone’s face.

A popular destination for such sweet treats, Dunkin’ Donuts—which has added Dingdong Dantes to its roster of celebrity ambassadors that include Derek Ramsay and Piolo Pascual—unveils delectable flavor-filled bars, called Delicious DD Bars, available in five delightful flavors. The dark

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HILE Bangkok has a well-established reputation in upscale cuisine, it is most popular for its Chinatown/ street food district, considered among the best such pockets in the world. Even for a capital whose economy ranks as the sixth among Asia’s richest cities, some of its best meals are found outside the realm of fine dining.

The Thai street food culture is predominantly a reflection of the country’s household cooking tradition, and “homeyness” remains an integral part of its charm. In the Philippines, a restaurant called Siam Sukh Jai Thai Home Cooking in S Maison, Pasay City, seeks to serve food as the owners experienced it in Bangkok—in homes and streets.

Digs Dimagiba, who was once country director for Facebook in the Philippines, cofounded the restaurant with his wife, Des. Both lived in Thailand from 2000 to early 2010s. “When we finally returned to Manila in 2014, we longed to have the Thai food that we came to love, and we wanted to share it to Filipinos,” said Digs, who admitted Siam Sukh Jai Thai started out as a passion project than a business venture. The restaurant’s menu is a mix of familiar Thai favorites like Pad Thai Noodles, Thai Green Curry and Tom Yum Goong soup, as well as relatively low-profile comfort food like the Thai Omelette and Papaya Salad.

Thai food is widely known for its strong flavors, and one key component that Digs and Des invest in when it comes to flavor is heat. “We try to balance everything. Essentially, a Thai dish that is spicy should be served spicy, otherwise it will lose some of its authenticity. [Diners] wouldn’t experience it the way it should be experienced,” said Digs.

Gaeng Khiao Waan Moo, or Thai green curry,

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Look for an opportunity, and jump at the chance to make a positive change. Refuse to let someone put you down or discourage you from following the path that leads to greater freedom to think and do as you please. ★★★

chocolate-y Éclair; the coffee-sprinkled Tiramisu; the kreme-filled, Hazelnut-flavored Split Royale; the exquisite Matcha; and the fruity, white chocolate Lady Finger.

Best of all, you can combine these Delicious DD Bars with your favorite classic and premium donuts.

For P299, you can get five DD Bars with six Classic Donuts. Or for the same price, get three DD Bars with two Premium Donuts and six Classic Donuts.

Now that is a sweet treat, whether it is the Valentine season or not.

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Situations will get blown out of proportion. Listen carefully, and don’t say anything if you want to avoid being held accountable. Facts matter, and it will be necessary to make sure that your words are not twisted or misconstrued. ★★ BIRTHDAY BABY: You are expressive, questioning and opportunistic.

You are friendly and generous.

‘food cravings’ BY GREG JOHNSON The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Tolerate 6 Adventurous journeys 11 4 homophone 14 Passover meal 15 Kindled again 16 Single-helix mol.

17 Half shell appetizer topped with bacon 19 And so forth: Abbr.

20 ___ and aah 21 Not home 22 Experience sorrow 24 Like Obama’s presidency 27 Hard to climb 28 Dessert with a stale ingredient 32 Put on a long face 35 Lab maze animal 36 Actress Saldana 37 Makes firewood 38 Carrey or Caviezel 39 “Carmen” composer 41 Nacho cheese, e.g.

42 Poet buried in Baltimore 43 Venice waterways

44 48 49 53 55 56 57 58

Stuffed, leafy entree Fine and dandy Unknown quantity Improvise “Absolutely!”

Kanga’s son Catcher’s cry?

Financially greedy, or a hint to 17-, 28- and 44-Across 62 Weasley of Gryffindor 63 Canadian crooner Michael 64 V birds 65 Steamy resort 66 Face-to-face exams 67 Rinsed (off) DOWN 1 Wide neckwear 2 Under 3 Pocatello’s state 4 Blue voter, briefly 5 IV sites 6 Psychological injury 7 Relaxation’s partner 8 Peyton’s QB brother 9 Boy ruler of Ancient Egypt

10 11 12 13 18 23 25 26 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 38 39 40 42 43 45 46 47 50 51

Stashed away College event incentive Like games at a sports bar Marathon, e.g.

Prepped an apple Roadside bomb, for short 1/16 cup: Abbr.

Significant spans “Marked” e-mail Less wet Christmas carol Receives Flexible power letters Terra-cotta “Pet” Head of Chiquita?

Baby such as 56-Across Lip soother ___ many words FedExCup group What stripes and polka dots do Swampy mud With hands on hips Certain daisies Presses for Like Odin and Thor

52 53 54 55 59 60 61

Teased, with “with” Some are civil Pancake chain Shout Orlando Magic’s org.

“Eww” Opposite of paleo-

Solution to yesterday’s puzzle:

Parentlife BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Thursday, February 21, 2019

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FROM left: Collages I made from The Illustrated Discovery Journal by Sarah Ban Breathnach which led me in my 20s to “re-sketch” my life to goals that matter most to me...raising a loving family, creating art, teaching, feeling confident, being playful, energetic and happy. The last photo is the latest book I read, Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel.

Can we ‘re-sketch’ our lives?

MOMMY NO LIMITS

MAYE YAO CO SAY

mommynolimits@gmail.com

A

T times we catch ourselves asking, “Is this where we imagined ourselves to be?” Are we as lucky, happy, wealthy and healthy as we hoped to be? In a more philosophical questioning: Is there any person who can say they are content and want nothing more?

Since I was in high school, I always wrote about peace and “stillness.” I often considered a calm life as my ultimate goal. It might be because of our tumultuous family life. It might be because I was afraid of the feelings of unexpected ups and downs.

Whatever it was, I associated contentment with nonturbulence.

Looking back, life has been an ongoing “thesis.” As much as I pursued business tools from books and schooling, I always found it of primordial importance to seek what would matter the most in my life. So, far

earlier than reading business books, I enjoyed letting time fall off a cliff in a bookstore’s philosophy or self-help aisle. As I read, I found myself challenging my original “life premises.” As I challenged them, I unearthed childhood “non-negotiables.” The result is I have been able to “re-sketch” my life at various points.

The Illustrated Discovery Journal by Sarah Ban Breathnach was a useful guide for me in my 20s to discover my authentic self. It took me years to do the collages. I took my time to cut out clippings from magazines. I would do each section in intervals that sometimes spanned months. The result is a life reference guide that I still use today. This process took out that “resume” view on seeing one’s life and realizing that our own lens bears more importance.

I have shared my lessons from this book in early 2017. But in lieu of “re-sketching,” above are the collages that helped me realize it’s okay to want more and feel more at the same time.

HBR’s 10 Must Reads—On Managing Yourself is a book with articles from different business gurus. I love How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton M. Christensen. Here, the author challenges everyone to explore these three questions: “How can I be sure that I’ll be happy with my career?” “How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source of happiness” “How can I be sure I’ll stay out of jail? [How can I

live my life with integrity?]

It highlights Frederick Herzberg’s assertion that “the most powerful motivator isn’t money; it’s the opportunity to learn, grow in responsibilities, contribute and be recognized.” It further states: “If you’re not guided by a clear sense of purpose, you’re likely to fritter away your time and energy on obtaining the most tangible, short-term signs of achievement, not what’s really important to you.”

The articles I particularly liked were “Managing Oneself” by Peter F. Drucker, and “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy. Drucker posits that to build a life of excellence, one must reflect on one’s strengths, how one works, his or her values, one’s sense of belonging and what one may contribute. Schwartz and McCarthy’s four dimensions of personal energy is something I continue to use like a personal “balanced scorecard” today. These include physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy.

I was entering my 30s when I read this book. My husband and I just had our first child. My work was short of demanding that I had to return to work only a month after my C-section. I was pushed by this book to “allocate” my time, energy and talent in accordance to my “life’s strategy.”

Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel was my most recent reading on this topic. Originally, I bought this as a gift for a millennial. Then I got interested in the

drawing, mapping exercises and the excerpts from great philosophers in between sections. This book leads one to deconstruct, open one’s points of view, reconstruct one’s life and create maps, lists, poetry or a manifesto as a concrete expression.

I believe this exercise of “re-sketching” has no age boundaries. Even if one is at a senior age, one can still redesign one’s life. It does not mean the life lived in prior years was a mistake. It just means that circumstances or one’s personality might have changed.

Today, my measure for life contentment has changed tremendously. It is no longer one-dimensional. I realized “stillness” is not the goal. It is part of a life spectrum that one must undergo. Contentment is no longer just one goal. Why? Because if contentment were a goal, then it means I always have to chase after it. For every “re-sketch” in my life, I realized I wanted to “measure my life” on my own terms and metrics. For every “life iteration,” I looked back and saw the most worthy “action plans” were when I gave attention to my spirit, mind and body.

I was able to “re-sketch” because I never saw the process as damning my previous chapter as a mistake. I “re-sketched” because I knew there’s still so much more that what lies ahead. The result is an “unapologetic life” that fuels me with more energy; and a far courageous outlook that allows me to pursue meaning more than stillness.

Happy re-sketching, everyone! ■

Unicef goodwill envoys Anne, Daphne speak up on key issues concerning children

BY PAULINE JOY M. GUTIERREZ UNITED Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) conferred on February 7 the formal title of Unicef National Goodwill Ambassador to longtime celebrity advocates Anne Curtis and Daphne Oseña-Paez.

Paez was appointed Unicef Special Advocate for Children in 2010 and Curtis was named Unicef Celebrity Advocate for Children in 2014. Both have actively worked with the organization since 2010 and 2009, respectively. Paez’s scope of work mainly focused on infant and maternal health, while Curtis was early childhood care and development.

They joined child rights advocate Gary Valenciano, who was the first recipient of the title in the country in 1997, and high-profile global names, such as David Beckham, Orlando Bloom, Jackie Chan, Liam Neeson, Shakira and Lily Singh are in the long list of Unicef Goodwill Ambassadors and Advocates.

As envoys, they play a critical role in raising awareness on the needs of children by fronting fundraising event, as well as educating the community on key issues concerning children on behalf of the agency.

Paez and Curtis made statements during the Unicef press event regarding the call for collective actions to fight measles and reexamine the lowering of the minimum criminal age of responsibility.

Earlier this month, the Department of Health through Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III declared a measles outbreak in Metro Manila following the 550 percent increase in patients

contracting the virus from January 1 to February 6 compared with the same period in 2018.

“This is why it is important to have proper immunization, and also dealing with the parents and health-care workers and centers,” said Curtis. “It should be a priority because I understand that a lot of children are getting affected by the measles outbreak.”

There have been 55 deaths from measles recorded at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, most of them children aged three months to four years old.

In a tweet dated February 3, Paez said that children should be immunized and protected from the preventable disease: “No child should be dying from measles. Please have your kids vaccinated,” she urged.

An estimated 2.5 million Filipino children who were not vaccinated against measles remain at risk of getting the disease, cited Unicef in a World Health Organization (WHO) report.

“Vaccination to prevent measles is available free of cost in government health centers. The measles vaccine is safe and effective, and has been successfully used in the Philippines for more than 40 years now. Measles in children is deadly and can cause longterm complications and disabilities which can seriously impede development and potential in our children,” Unicef Philippines Deputy Representative Julia Rees said in a press statement.

In a similar vein, both Unicef ambassadors have spoken up with regards to the lowering of the age of criminal liability from 15 years old to 9 years old after the House committee on

UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassadors Daphne Oseña-Paez (left) and Anne Curtis-SmithHeussaff (right) with Unicef Philippines Representative Lotta Sylwander.

justice approved the bill on final reading in January that would amend Republic Act 10630. The counterpart measure in the Senate remains pending.

“After having worked with young children this year, I’m determined to work more with those on their way to adulthood,” Curtis said.

“As you may know, I’ve been speaking about the debate on the lowering of the age on criminal responsibility. I was alarmed by this issue and that’s what prompted me to speak from my heart out of genuine concern for the children.”

The host/actress was pertaining to an earlier Twitter post where she said: “At that age [9], they are still very much children. They still have a chance to change their ways if they happen to cause or get into any trouble, instead of being sent to jail and sentenced as an adult.”

Curtis said that during her discussions with Unicef, she “learned that if the current laws are to be fully implemented, there would be no real need to lower the age.”

Unicef Philippines Representative Lotta Sylwander told BUSINESSMIRROR that this recent move by the Philippine Congress is headed against the worldwide system regarding juvenile accountability.

“The goal is to increase the age of criminal liability, not lower it.”

Sylwander noted that the crime rate involving minors has gone down worldwide.

Paez said the current law still needs to be fully implemented: “So I think in keeping with what Unicef is advocating, a restorative justice for young people and keeping the [criminal age threshold at 15] and not to lower it, in fact, make the

current law work. Because it works, it’s a good law. It just hasn’t even been fully implemented. So give it a chance.”

She cited scientific studies showing that brain function reaches maturity only at around 16 years old, affecting children’s reasoning and impulse control. She said, “This is [just not] something you read on briefing notes, but [see] in the field.”

Paez shared her encounters with children in conflict with the law as part of her voluntary work with Unicef: “I got to see both [the] government and private sector run programs dealing with restorative justice—children in conflict with the law. I actually met one child who was able to turn his life around. I spoke with some of these children, and with a lot of them I completely forgot they were even CICLs.”

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Thursday, February 21, 2019

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Rode the hundred and rode the region REELING

TITO GENOVA VALIENTE

titovaliente@yahoo.com

I

N less than a week from now, the 11th Cinema Rehiyon will begin in Dumaguete. It is an annual gathering of filmmakers that respond more to the label “regional” rather than the contested “independent” brand. It is an interesting turn in the phenomenon of naming, because these filmmakers that are going to be in this charming southern city believe that being from the regions sets them apart from the mainstream, the commercial. The latter is from Manila, the avowed central site of cultural development until challenged by those in the former—the location of the periphery, of the marginal.

From February 25 to its March 1 closing day, filmmakers—basically young of age—will be converging in designated places to screen their films and to view the films from the other regions. Most of these filmmakers know each other. Most of these films are in the languages of their localities. Tagalog cinema is represented by regions that speak Tagalog— Bulacan, Batangas, Laguna, etc.

Mother tongues abound in Cinema Rehiyon, a fact that should alert educators who still subscribe to the lie that there is only one mother tongue in a region. For example, the Bicol contingent will have a filmmaker from Sorsogon whose languages are different from the languages in Naga (with some towns) and Albay (and some towns), these sometimes arrogantly believing theirs is the official regional language. Nah. There are no official languages in regional cinemas. The festival is an exercise in the splendor of languages in this country. If there is one word to describe Cinema Rehiyon, it is a “revolution.” True, the idea of Cinema Rehiyon sprang from people in the center but there is no stopping the artists of the

regions from creating a new Cinema Rehiyon, one that responds to the verities of the places, and the conditions of the filmmaking in these.

These films that are going to be shown in designated venues in Dumaguete are themselves winners and/or representatives of the smaller regional film festivals in various regional sites: “Pelikultura” in Calabarzon, “Pasale” in Bicol, “Cinemagis” in Northern Mindanao, “CineKasimanwa” of Northern Visayas, just to cite a few. While in their origins, these films went through a competition; the [national] Cinema Rehiyon is noncompetitive.

This film concourse is a project of the Executive Committee of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Lately though, the committee has worked on some programs and activities with the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Thus, for the first time, within the week of Cinema Rehiyon, the FDCP is sponsoring a forum of Cinema Rehiyon festival directors. This will take place over two days.

There is also a reason for this partnership with FDCP, and it is the celebration of the hundred years or so of Philippine cinema. An official proclamation has already been released by Malacañang designated September 2019 as the beginning of the year-round observance of the centenary of the Philippine cinema.

If one is to draw a line from the recognized beginning of Philippine cinema, which was the screening of the Tagalog film Dalagang Bukid in 1919, then it is clear where the directions of this country’s film industry is heading. It is not a unilineal evolution but a multilineal one, with trajectories that do not necessarily affirm a national cinema.

For, as film scholars from Nick de Ocampo to Patrick Santos articulate and problematize, “what is national cinema?”

And so, here we are at the cusp of remembering and making festivities out of the 100 years or so of Philippine cinema and looking at the trajectories being offered by regional cinemas. Each regional filmmaking has a different origin, an altogether different direction. If these regional films lead to the creation of cinemas for the nation, then so be it. But it will be a complex project. The films from the region will be serving identities that may not be “national.”

The films from the regions may even—and should—

Viva Live presents ‘Playlist’ at Araneta GET ready for over-the-top singing, lots of rocking, and a grand sing-along time as Viva Live brings the famed soloists of the biggest bands in Philippine pop music history in Playlist: The Best of OPM on March 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Araneta Center, Quezon City.

All set for their first gig together are the voices of the hit machines that formed the Pinoy’s romantic soundtrack during the 1980s and 1990s. These are Joey G. (“Forevermore,” “So Many Questions”), Jinky Vidal (“Before I Let You Go,” “So Slow”), South Border’s Jay Durias (“Rainbow,” “Kahit Kailan”), Ice Seguerra (“Pagdating ng Panahon,” “Para Lang Sa ’Yo), Juris Fernandez (“A Love to Last a Lifetime,” “I’ll Be There for You”) and Meds Marfil

of True Faith (“Perfect,” “Huwag Na Lang Kaya,” “Muntik Nang Maabot ang Langit”). Joining them in this very special concert is rising star Janine Teñoso of the

big hit “Di Na Muli.”

Tickets to Playlist: The Best of OPM are now available at TicketNet (911-5555, www.ticketnet. com.ph).

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ returns for Season 3 on June 6 exclusively on HBO Go HBO Asia will be premiering the third season of the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning hit drama series The Handmaid’s Tale on June 6 across Asia, exclusively on HBO Go, with three new episodes, and subsequent episodes released every Thursday.

The 13-episode third season of The Handmaid’s Tale is driven by June’s resistance to the dystopian regime of Gilead and her struggle to strike back against overwhelming odds. Startling reunions, betrayals and a journey to the terrifying heart of Gilead force all the characters to take a stand, guided by one defiant prayer: “Blessed be the fight.”

The Handmaid’s Tale comes to Hulu from MGM Television and is created, executive produced and written by Bruce Miller. It stars Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley and Bradley Whitford.

And so, here we are at the cusp of remembering and making festivities out of the 100 years or so of Philippine cinema and looking at the trajectories being offered by regional cinemas. question these centuries-old colonized invention of nation and national identity.

Be that as it may, the existence of films other than those shamelessly claiming to be national cinema, may really be good for us to understand where we are, what we are and where we are heading.

As to the centenary, some historians, perhaps, will question any thread that links regional cinemas to those films made by people from the empire of Manila film productions.

Well, there are two personages being honored as we think of the 100 years of Philippine cinema: Jose Nepomuceno and Honorata “Atang” de la Rama.

There are two significant photos of these two persons available in archives. The first photo is that of Jose Nepomuceno, which appeared on Cine-Mundial, the Spanish-language version of Moving Picture World Magazine, in October 1922. The photo comes under the heading “Cronicas Filipinas” or Philippine Chronicles.

Another line says: Peliculas nacionales que llevaron

al mundo el mensaje del progreso de Filipinas (National films that brought the message of progress of the Philippines to the world).

Nepomuceno is described thusly: Sr. Jose Nepomuceno, fotografo, operador de la Malayan Movies, autor de varios producciones de asuntos locales y corresponsal de la Casa Pathe de America, que esta haciendo mucho por desarollo de la cinematogra�ia en este pais (Mr. Jose Nepomuceno, photographer, operator of Malayan Movies, author of several productions of local affairs and correspondent of Casa Pathe de America, which is doing much for the development of cinematography in this country).

In the National Library, there are documents attributed to Atang de la Rama. Some of these contain rare photos, many of which show Atang long after she did the very first Filipino film, which is now the reason for this centenary. In these photos, we see the artist active in society. There is one photo showing Atang in a dark terno looking hip in dark sunglasses.

She is standing on a makeshift stage, delivering what looks like a speech. The other photo shows her with others as they pull the strings to reveal the marker honoring her husband, the labor leader, poet and activist, Ka Amado Hernandez.

Interestingly, that 1922 photo of Jose Nepomuceno is in the collection of photographs given by Atang de la Rama to the National Library.

In a period when the Americans were using cinema to create a colonial image for Filipinos, Jose Nepomuceno opted to make films with Tagalog titles, based on zarzuelas and dramatizing, however rigid, Filipino values and beliefs.

As for Atang, it took more than 10 years for her to be recognized as a National Artist since the inception of the award. While other artists were singing operas, Atang was a star of the silver screen of Filipino cinema, fighting for kundiman and other local song forms.

Nepomuceno and Atang de la Rama fit perfectly well in the scheme of things as ordained by regional cinemas. The films from the region tell the world about us and our notion of nations the way Nepomuceno did; the subversive qualities of these films from the periphery would have consoled and assured Atang de la Rama who was herself a rebel with her husband about the future of arts for the people. ■

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Thursday, February 21, 2019 E1

Beyond borders, breaking barriers with the European bloc’s envoy in PHL

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By Recto L. Mercene

@rectomercene

INCE its founding in November 1, 1993, the European Union (EU) has grown into a monolithic organization of 28 member-countries, boasting of a $16-trillion gross domestic product (GDP)—almost one-fourth of the entire world’s.

The aggrupation came about after decades of struggles between neighbors, which culminated in the bloodiest of all: the Second World War. Eventually, they decided not only to promote peace but also unify its economic and monetary system, combat discrimination, break down barriers to trade and borders, encourage technological and scientific developments, as well as champion environmental protection, among others.

Today that avowed “unity” is threatened by the departure of the United Kingdom. The so-called “Brexit-eers” say it is not what the peoples of the EU voted for—and

it could keep the UK tied to the bloc indefinitely, without any say on its rules.

Ambassador of the EU Delegation to the Philippines Franz Jessen, who has been posted in the country for the last four years, helped make sense of the complexity of Brexit. During a BusinessMirror Coffee Club forum early this month, he made the assurance that the EU will remain intact even if the UK eventually cuts its cord with the mainland.

“The EU will survive with clearly 27 member-states,” he assured. “I think everybody is very sad…of the decision the UK has made. But that’s their decision.”

As a background, the EU’s original founders are Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The UK came aboard only in the early 1970s, allegedly, as a way to avoid its economic decline. Its percapita GDP, relative to those of the EU founding members, declined steadily from 1945 to 1972. However it had stabilized between 1973 and 2010.

In 2017 the British government contributed £13 billion to the EU budget, while EU spending on the UK amounted to only £4 billion.

Despite Brexit, Jessen said the Philippines’s trade with the remaining 27 countries would remain substantial, that “it would not be affected very much [despite] a relatively large member-state such as the UK leaving.”

His reassurance: “It is one country out of 28. It means that the statistics would not be dramatically different from what they were used to.”

From the Philippine perspective, the envoy said, “You would probably see an EU that is pretty much similar to what you’ve used to know.”

“I’m [upbeat in] the Year of the Pig to see how we can take our relationship further ahead,” Jessen mused.

The soft-spoken diplomat said there are two things the EU wants from the country—one of which is

economic interaction. He said the country is very important for the EU, being “one of the biggest partners in [our] economic activities in terms of foreign direct investments.”

“We have traditionally been the biggest in terms of trade and traditionally No. 2; sometimes No. 3, [or] bigger.”

The Danish diplomat likewise pointed out that the EU is a major source of employment and job creation for Filipinos, and it is his duty to look for ways of doing it better on the economic front, not simply by talking about it, “but [by] actually doing it on the ground.”

According to the ambassador, there are 800,000 overseas Filipino workers in all of Europe, of which 300,000 are seafarers aboard EUflagged ships. About 23,000 highly paid Pinoy officers captain them.

‘Moving forward’

IT was at this juncture that the EU ambassador stated the second purpose of his diplomatic presence in the country, which is about “moving forward.”

Jessen, who has a doctorate degree in Economics from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the United States, popular-

ly known as Virginia Tech, revealed that EU officials are discussing a new paradigm called “geographical indications [GI].” The concept basically recognizes traditional products from their place of origin.

He explained, for instance: “‘Bordeaux wine’ means that it originated from Bordeaux, a city in southwestern France. You know where it’s produced, and it satisfies certain traditional production criteria.”

The Philippines also practices GI on intellectual property of products such as mangoes from Guimaras, an island adjunct of Iloilo City in the Visayas.

“The advantage for the producers is that their products can be sold at a higher price because people are better informed: ‘This is wine from Bordeaux, or a fruit from Guimaras,’ and they are prepared to pay a little bit more than they would for another kind of wine or another mango.”

He admitted that from his point of view, GI is a very practical kind of cooperation between his region and our country. “How do we make this system work so that your products are recognized and can command a higher price in the EU market and vice versa?”

Jessen transitioned by saying that

the EU has more ambitious free-trade agreements that he would like to have activated. “The region has the technology, know-how and capital, and you have the young labor force with [ever-improving] skills. It’s something we can benefit [from] in Europe by outsourcing most of our production through the Philippines.”

The envoy further explained the developments over at the European economic bloc: “When you look at the figures, you probably would have seen that the UK covers about 6 to 7 percent of EU trade in a normal year. We can easily grow by [that much], or more, in terms of bilateral trade. The overall figure would not be dramatically influenced by Brexit.”

On the other hand, the marine products such as tuna that we export to Britain, as well as others, “will depend very much on the agreement the UK had with the EU.” “It’s a bit too early to talk about the complete influence. What I can say is that ‘EU 27’ will not change.

You’ll have the same access as before, we’ll have the same consumers, the same biases and you’re trading in the same currencies.”

Continued on E2

Envoys& BusinessMirror

E2 Thursday, February 21, 2019

EU, DOE energize off-grid Mindanao households

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HE European Union (EU) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are pushing ahead with the lighting of off-grid communities, which would benefit close to 100,000 households, especially in the Bangsamoro region.

The EU Delegation’s Head of Development Cooperation Enrico Strampelli and DOE Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella spearheaded the commemoration of the switch-on ceremony for solar power of electrification and livelihood projects.

Both the EU and the DOE support these initiatives through the Access to Sustainable Energy Program (Asep).

The EU provided a €60-million (P6 billion) grant to the Philippine government for the implementation of a program that would increase the share of indigenous and renewable sources in the energy mix while expanding the access to electricity services in remote

areas and populations, as well as pursue new energy-efficiency strategies.

The ceremony represents the powering of households in Sitio New Mabuhay and thousands of households in other off-grid areas in the country. It also highlights the productive use of renewable energy for increased income generation in rural communities.

Under the Asep’s Photovoltaic (PV) Mainstreaming program, about 40,500 solar home systems, each with a 50-watt peak capacity, will be installed in remote off-grid communities in various provinces in Mindanao.

To date, the SHS installation has been completed in Sitio New Mabu-

hay, Barangay Little Baguio in the Municipality of Malita, Davao Occidental.

About 100 recipient households are already enjoying the benefits of superior lighting from solar PV. Asep is being carried out as a partnership between the EU and the DOE. Other key stakeholders include the National Electrification Administration, Energy Regulatory Commission, National Power Corp., electric cooperatives and local governments.

Earlier the EU urged local stakeholders to tap its available funding for sustainable and reliable energy projects.

EU Project Manager for Cooperation Section Willy Hick said during the Energy Smart 2018 event of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines that Asep provides investment support for innovative energy solutions.

One of Asep’s three components is to provide a €21-million investment support package for pro-poor and climate-resilient innovative business solutions in the power sector.

Hick said the EU urged stakeholders such as electric cooperatives, communities and entrepreneurs,

among others, to submit their proposals for projects intended to help provide electricity to rural communities, particularly in Mindanao.

Under the Asep, the EU grants a €7-million technical assistance and capacity building for reform, as well as another €29-million investment support through the World Bank, to provide 40,000 solar-home systems in Mindanao.

In total, it provides €57 million to help the Philippines promote sustainable and reliable energy.

“We wish to extend the program,” Hick confirmed, and noted that the Asep will run until this year.

For future interventions, Hick said the EU aims to promote a “blending instrument,” which is a combination of loans and grants as investment support for viable businesses and projects that will generate new connections and additional power capacity.

He added that the EU will still be assessing the feasibility of “blending operations” and opportunities in the renewables sector in the country. This will be under the Electrification Financing Initiative, or the ElectriFi program of the EU, which is being rolled out in countries in Africa. DOE, Kris Krismundo/PNA

EU, ILO launch supply-chain project

EU Delegation in Manila-Trade Section Head Maurizio Celini (seated, from left), Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco A. Lagunzad III and ILO Philippines Director Khalid Hassan JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA

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HE International Labor Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU) recently launched the €262,000 (about P15.7 million) Responsible Supply Chains in Asia (RSCA).

The three-year initiative is part of the EU’s €900-million funding, which covers six countries: China, Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, and is being jointly implemented with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

“For the Philippines, the ILO is focused on one sector, [which is] agriculture. In some countries, such as Thailand, three sectors are covered,” said ILO-RSCA National Project Coordinator Ruby Bañez.

The funding consists of research and training programs for both public and private sectors, with priorities on big companies, as well as small and medium enterprises employing workers in the field of agriculture.

“We’re going to do a research to look at the decent work challenges in the specific sector we have selected. Under agriculture, we will also select a subsector, which is food commodity,” Bañez confirmed

with the Philippine News Agency.

She said a dialogue among different sectors will be introduced to create “multistakeholder partnerships” aimed at crafting a concrete plan of action on responsible business conduct and supply chain in the country.

Khalid Hassan, director of ILO Philippines, noted that along the supply chain, businesses may buy raw goods and materials without knowing that those were made under unfair and unsafe working conditions.

Figures show that in the Philippines, more than half of the 2.1 million child laborers are in agriculture. “ These are complex issues, which require joint efforts and networks to implement sustainable solutions at the level of macro policies and enterprises,” Hassan explained.

“The project will help advance sustainable and inclusive growth by encouraging businesses to adopt policies and practices in the areas of human and labor rights, [as well as] environmental protection standards in line with international instruments,” he added. PNA/Joyce

ALACAÑANG has appointed former defense secretary Avelino Cruz as Special Envoy of the President to the European Union (EU).

President Duterte signed the appointment paper of Cruz on January 21, but it was released to the media the Wednesday after.

Cruz served as defense chief under the administration of former president and current House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Maca-

pagal-Arroyo. He will be Duterte’s special envoy to the European bloc until December 31, 2019.

Duterte has also nominated Leo Herrera-Lim and Christopher B. Montero as ambassadors to Denmark and Brunei Darussalam, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Cook Islands has been added as concurrent jurisdiction of Ambassador to New Zealand Jesus S. Domingo, who is also exercising the same coverage over Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

Exec hails Duterte’s PTFoMS creation Ex-defense chief named special envoy to EU M A MBASSADOR Franz Jessen lauded President Duterte’s move to form the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) in addressing media concerns in the Philippines.

“The PTFoMS is indeed a welcome development,” Jessen said in his speech, delivered by the EU Delegation’s Head of Development Enrico Strampelli, during a multistakeholder consultation on the Philippine Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists (PPASJ).

He also cited the participation of various government agencies—including the police and military, as well as media organization and lawyers.

“We hope [the PTFoMS] will successfully resolve many issues that continue to hound journalists and help resolve with finality the murders [involving them] in the country,” the envoy said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of Denmark Jan Top Christensen recognized the role of PTFoMS in improving the country’s ranking in the Global Impu-

nity Index from third, which was at No. 5 before Duterte formed the task force, as recently reported by the Community to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

He also took the opportunity to commend other “progressive reforms” in the country, particularly in health; finance, such as tax reform; and infrastructure, such as the ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program.

Representatives of local and international journalists’ organizations, nongovernment or-

ganizations, government agencies that already included PTFoMS and academe have participated in the crafting of the PPASJ. Philippine National Commission for Unesco Secretary-General Lila Ramos-Shahani also praised the hard work of PTFoMS, headed by Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, to address the country’s CPJ ranking.

The EU and Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cofinanced the event. Jelly Musico/PNA

Ann L. Rocamora

Earl Jed Roque/PNA

Beyond borders, breaking barriers with the European bloc’s envoy in PHL Continued from E1

New realities, developments

THE multilingual Danish ambassador, who speaks nihongo and a slew of other European languages, thought his posting in the country would be smooth sailing; that it would just be as simple as building on his predecessor’s legacy.

“I had not expected that the ‘twists’ and ‘turns’ would be so strong as they were,” he admitted; then added, “It was a challenge, but it’s a nice kind. Yes, it is.”’

That debacle came in the form of a miffed Duterte, who refused to accept the P383.64million (€6.1 million) aid arising from the EU-Philippines Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA).

In a previous interview, Jessen was asked if the agreement had ever been formalized.

“It was, in the sense that we had the TRTA, a document that actually had to be signed by the end of the year. And that was returned to us unsigned.”

However, the good ambassador did not feel offended by the President’s rejection of the aid. He admitted that in the course of the debate about the issue, “more questions have been asked and traditional points of view were challenged in a way that they were not previously.”

“I think it [begs the question of whether] we were really doing the best.”

He answered the rhetoric by saying: “Maybe, [it was because of the] old habits of doing things as we used to do without sort of adjusting to new realities and new political developments not only here in the Philippines but also in Europe.”

Instead of criticizing, Jessen, once an assistant professor in the Economics Department of the Odense University in Denmark, said: “Sometimes I feel that the Philippines is at the forefront of a num-

AMBASSADOR of the EU Delegation to the Philippines Franz Jessen

ber of international developments, and it makes it more exciting because things are happening here a bit earlier in some areas than what is happening in other areas in the world.”

“So I think with the election of Duterte, you can see some of the things he is pushing [for, which are] later on repeated in other countries,” the diplomat opined.

First time fascinated

DURING his nearly 48-month tour of duty in the country where he had gotten “involved” in our new brand of politics, Jessen feels that Duterte’s ascension to office “makes it exciting to be here,” as the diplomat feels that he is at the forefront of certain developments.

The EU’s top envoy in the Philippines met the president in Davao City shortly after the latter assumed the highest office in the land. He remembered seeing long lines

of people wanting to see the then-newly installed chief executive and felt spellbound by what he saw.

“I was clearly, of course, fascinated the first time I met Duterte after he had been elected.”

After some lengthy discussions with the former Davao mayor, Jessen left with a positive impression of his host. “To [have spent] time with him was very promising.

He clearly had caught the interest of voters in a way I think many political observers did not expect.”

He said he had heard how the President would run the country, as well as the leader’s optimism about the way it would be done.

“I think many people in the Philippines are also trying to understand all the changes that have happened in the last 31 months and what they mean for the country and its future.”

&Expats

envoys.expats.bm@gmail.com | Thursday, February 21, 2019 E3

EMBASSIES, EVENTS, ETC.

Russia to welcome trade mission

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HE Department of Agriculture (DA) is organizing a trade mission in hopes of penetrating the huge and previously unexplored market of Russia, as well as other member-countries of the Russian Federation.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said the trade mission will include delegates from the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

With three fisheries companies already exporting their products to the Russian Federation, Piñol said, the Philippines is now working on

marketing more agricultural products to the vast market—including coconut oil, bananas and shrimps, among others.

Ambassador of Russia to the Philippines Igor Khovaev visited the office of the agriculture secretary on February 6 to finalize ar-

rangements for the planned visit of the Philippine delegation to Moscow later this month.

“The engagement will include the signing of an implementing agreement between me and Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev, which would spell out specific areas of engagements between [our countries],” Piñol said.

He added the agreement is based on a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between him and then-Agriculture Minister Alexandr Takchev during the visit of President Duterte to Moscow in May 2017.

Under the MOA, Russia will buy up to $2.5 billion worth of Philippine agricultural products.

This overshadows the $46 million worth of exports the Philip-

pines currently ships to Russia every year.

P i ñol noted t h at t he ne w agreement would identify the areas of engagement between the two countries—including the investments by Russian business groups in the development of agriculture and aquaculture in the Bangsamoro Area.

During their meeting, he conveyed to Khovaev “the interest of the Philippines in importing fertilizers, wheat and modern farm machinery from Russia [as well as] the other member-states of the Russian Federation.” “[The ambassador] said that as soon as he receives the official communication from the DA through the Department of Foreign Affairs [DFA], he will immediately work on

PHL-Hungary discuss agri, T water management matters T

AMBASSADOR of the Russian Federation Igor Khovaev makes a courtesy call on President Duterte. PNA PHOTO

the arrangement of the trade mission,” Piñol further stated.

The agriculture chief said he already informed Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. of the planned trade mission.

The planning of the trade mission was primarily prompted by the efforts of the DA to find new

markets for its coconut products in the face of very low prices of coco oil in the world market.

He said the Philippines is interested in importing fertilizers, wheat and modern farm machinery from Russia, while the latter is interested in importing coconut products, bananas and seafood. Lilybeth Ison/PNA

Fil-Chinese biz chamber backs rice tariffication

OP diplomats of Hungary and the Philippines have sought to increase Budapest and Manila’s cooperation in agriculture and water management.

During a bilateral meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Friday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. said these could serve as main areas of cooperation between the two nations.

With Hungary’s exports to the Philippines reaching 71 percent of its target in the first 11 months of 2018 alone, and given its focus on Southeast Asia as part of his country’s “Eastern Opening” policy, Szijjártó is optimistic that trade between the two states will further increase in the following years.

“The food industry and water management could be the flagship areas for exports,” he said during a joint press conference with Locsin.

At the same time, top Philippine diplomat relayed Manila’s gratitude to Budapest for its support to the Christian communities and its donation to the victims of the recent bombings in Jolo, Sulu.

Szijjártó said the assistance is to express Hungary’s solidarity with the Philippines and signify its commitment to the global fight against Islamic extremism.

Hungary was among the first to offer assistance and provide about P1.89 million in emergency aid to help the injured and the families of the victims in January’s Jolo city blast.

Prior to his bilateral meeting with Szijjártó, Locsin gave a lecture on Philippine foreign policy at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Budapest, where he explained before Hungarian policy makers, business leaders, and

HE Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCII) has joined other business groups in expressing full support for the law imposing tariffs on rice imports in lieu of quantitative restrictions.

The chamber believes the law is a “much-needed reform” that will ease negative effects of inflation especially on the poorest of the poor, the Department of Finance (DOF) revealed in a statement.

In a letter to President Duterte, the FFCCCII said the rice tariffication bill would benefit the lowest-income families, as this staple accounts for a hefty part of their daily household expense.

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Hungary’s Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó DFA PHOTO

members of academe developments that have been taking place in the Philippines, including the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs as a renewal of the country’s “solemn responsibility to protect the law-abiding against the lawless by any means efficient.”

“Rather than putting states in the dock as presumptively guilty of human-rights violations, we might seriously consider invoking instead the great power— and, therefore, the great responsibility—of states to protect human rights and punish their violation,” the DFA chief said in his speech.

“No serious state will violate human rights to govern. So why not ask states to help protect human

rights—foremost among which is the right to be safe from crime? Do not presume to threaten states with accountability for a tough approach to crushing crime,” he added.

According to the Philippine Embassy in Budapest, the secretary was also scheduled to call on Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Laszlo Kover. He is also slated to visit the headquarters of the Hungarian Water Technology Corp.

After Hungary, Locsin is to proceed to Germany to participate in the Munich Security Conference. There, he is tabbed to meet the Filipino community and inaugurate the newly built Philippine Embassy in Berlin.

DFA/Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA

Germany helps boost renewable energy

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HE Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized the help extended by the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) in advancing renewable-energy use in the country for cleaner and more sustainable power.

GIZ has provided the Philippines technical and financial assistance through a three-year project, “Shaping and Implementing the International Climate Regime” or SupportCCC II. The project began in 2015 and culminated last week.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said GIZ has played an instrumental role in boosting the deployment and use of renewable

energy in the country.

“For three consecutive years, the Philippines ranked first among 125 countries in terms of energy environmental sustainability. This couldn’t have been achieved without the strong collaboration among the different Philippine government agencies, as well as technical and funding support from our international partners like GIZ,” Cusi affirmed.

The DOE noted that the partnership with GIZ has also helped the Philippine government manage the increasing amounts of variable renewable energy, adapt power planning, as well as facilitate capacity building for energy stakeholders, such as the grid operator and the

distribution utilities on the grid integration of variable renewable energy.

Aside from these, the partnership was able to provide assessment of the state’s power planning process, policy review on feed-intariff and net metering for renewable energy, cost-benefit analysis of the energy sector through the renewable-energy country diagnostic tool, and analysis of the Negros Island’s solar situation.

SupportCCC II is a followthrough on the earlier project Support to the Climate Change Commission in implementing the National Climate Change Action Plan, which was also implemented

by GIZ. Kris Crismundo/PNA

“Rice is the staple food of our nation and it comprises almost 20 percent of the household expense of low-income households. We believe that by removing the import quotas on rice and replacing them with tariffs, the price of rice will significantly be lower as there will be competition, and the lack of available cheap rice will no longer be an issue,” the FFCCCII said in a letter signed by its president, Domingo Yap. A copy of the letter was also sent to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, who believes that this import liberalization measure will help the government further ease inflation.

The group, likewise, pointed out that the rice tar-

iffication bill will ensure that local farmers would also benefit from this consumer-friendly measure through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which will provide them with assistance programs, loans, grants and aid needed to modernize rice farming, as well as funds for the development of inbred rice seeds and skills enhancement.

“This measure is a much-needed reform that will help our countrymen,” the FFCCCII said ahead of the President’s signing into law of the rice tariffication bill.

Earlier, a joint statement was signed by nine other business organizations which also expressed their support for rice tariffication. DOF

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

E4 Thursday, February 21, 2019

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European businessmen to visit PHL in search of opportunities E UROPEAN entrepreneurs are organizing at least two business missions to the Philippines this year, with the aim of forging trade and investment opportunities in the construction and wastemanagement sectors.

European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Executive Director Florian Gottein said the initial delegation, which will involve representatives of about 50 companies, would visit within the first quarter of the year.

Gottein explained that the firms comprising the first trade mission are mainly from the field of waste management. Most of these firms get funding from the European Union (EU), particularly from big economies like Germany.

Another European business delegation from the construction sector will visit in November to participate in this year’s Philconstruct—one of the country’s leading construction events.

The ECCP executive said European companies are interested in the country’s infrastructure projects in view of the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

Gottein noted that ECCP will help these firms by linking them up with potential partners and customers.

In September last year, 52 companies from Europe’s healthcare sector visited the country—the region’s largest business delegation so far to the Philippines.

“We remain very optimistic. This country has a huge potential; one of [them] is the demographics,” ECCP President Nabil Francis said.

Francis shared that since there are still headwinds due to external factors, European businesses in the country will proceed with cautious optimism.

He added that the ECCP would help foster good relations between European and Philippine enterprises to develop new business opportunities both ways. Kris Crismundo/PNA

EU cites BusinessMirror’s ‘Mission: PHL,’ nominates works for Project of the Year

EUROPEAN Union Ambassador Frank Jessen speaks at the BusinessMirror Coffee Club early in February

A

FEW weeks back, European Union (EU) Ambassador Frank Jessen, in a BusinessMirror Coffee Club session, lauded the newspaper in its efforts to highlight the embassies and the diplomatic community in the Philippines, through their various chambers of commerce and industry such as the ECCP. Jessen was pertaining to the BusinessMirror’s Mission: PHL Envoys&Expats Awards, which will recognize countries and development aid agencies that have been actively participating in the growth and development thrusts of the country.

The ambassador said, “It is a good initiative of your company. We will actively support Mission: PHL in the [EU] Delegation’s capacity by joining the Project of the Year recognition that will put the spotlight on our many endeavors as a participant in the Philippines’s continuing thrust as a well-developed country.”

He was referring to the following projects nominated by the embassy of the EU: Access to Sustainable Energy Program (or Asep; related story on page 2: EU, DOE energize off-grid Mindanao households); Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in the Asean Project; Establishment of Model Recovery Clinics (Voluntary Outpatient-Based Medical Treatment Facilities for Drug Users); Spaces for Peace: Strengthening the Protection of Children in the Province of Maguindanao; Strengthening Civil Society Participation in Social Enterprise Education and Development; and the Zero-Carbon Resorts toward Sustainable Development of the Tourism Sector in the Philippines and Thailand.

BusinessMirror

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February 21-27, 2019

HOW THE TOP HEALTH-FOOD TRENDS

WILL CHANGE IN 2019

VRP Medical Center receives Ulirang Mandaleño Special Award

I

N celebration of the 74th Liberation Day and 25th Cityhood Anniversary of the city of Mandaluyong, Mayor Carmencita A. Abalos bestowed the Ulirang Mandaleño Special Award to Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center during the Liberation Ball 2019 held at the Wack-Wack Golf & Country Club on February 7, 2019.

The award was presented to VRP “for having passed on its good name for generations as a leading healthcare facility in existence for more than half a century that it has become a byword and landmark in the city.”

This honor is also another feather in VRP’s cap coming on the heels of the institution’s ISO re-accreditation in 2018. The special recognition—a first for an institution—further reaffirms the medical center’s commit-

Polka Dotz

F

OR some, it is lucky to wear polka-dots on a new year. For some, it spelled a Dance Fitness Party. Last January 26, Tagaytay has heard loud noises, not from firecrackers but from a playlist of dance music as BusinessMirror Health & Fitness magazine, together with Anytime Fitness Tagaytay and Fora Mall, presented Polka Dotz—a two-hour Zumba event led by BusinessMirror Health & Fitness brand ambassadors. The Philippine Twiinz: Alec Pang and Manny Licsi.

The duo, 2015 Zumba Worldwide Video Competition winners (SigueMoviendo), was joined by other licensed Zumba instructors (ZINs)—Diovimer General, Arnel Paed, Marge Badal and Ted Jimenez, the Anytime Fitness Fora Mall ZINs and many more. It was a spectacle to behold. Cheers to a healthy 2019.

2 Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019

ment to quality health care, as it also coincides with the 46th founding anniversary this month of the only Level 3 private hospital in Mandaluyong City.

Shown here receiving the award

from City Mayor CarmencitaAbalos are (3rd and 4th from left) VRP Medical Center’s Mrs. Victoria P. Vergel De Dios and Mrs. Irma P.E. Potenciano, President and Chairman Emeritus, respectively.

Health&Fitness

is published and distributed free every Thursday by the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing Inc. as a project of the BusinessMirror.

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BURNOUT IS REAL

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BUT CAN BE PREVENTED

By Henrylito D. Tacio

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ROWING up in General Santos City, Rain Rivera Ramas came to Metro Manila in 1996 to work in one of the country’s noted companies. To prove that he had what it takes to become successful, he got so engrossed with his work in the corporate world.

“I worked six days a week, spending almost 12 hours in the office,” he said, adding that sometimes he had no time for himself. “My daily commute from Quezon City to Makati was an average of two hours per way.”

Although it was so strenuous and exhausting, he persevered. “The pay was good, the perks were great, but the work was demanding,” he said.

When he was at the office, he had to battle the three Ps: politics, protocol and pressure.

“It was a glamorous job, but it slowly lost its glitter as fast as my blood pressure rose,” he admitted. Until one day, his temper just popped. “So, I resigned,” he said.

Now, he is back in his hometown running his own business—Rain Ramas Design Source—“with stress levels just a small fraction of how it was before.”

“Burnout is nature’s way of telling you you’ve been going through the motions, your soul has departed; you’re a zombie, a member of the

4 Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019

walking dead, a sleepwalker,” wrote Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man. Dictionary defines burnout as “a state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by a prolonged period of stress and frustration.” It is also described as “a complete depletion of energy or strength.”

More often than not, burnout is job-related. Dr. David Ballard, of the American Psychological Association described job burnout as “an extended period of time where someone experiences exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance.”

Here’s an explanation from the web site helpguide.org: “Most of us have days when we feel helpless, overloaded, or unappreciated—when dragging ourselves out of bed requires the determination of Hercules.

If you feel like this most of the time, you may be burned out.”

The Canada-based Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the

Workplace identified the following as signs and symptoms that an employee may be experiencing burnout: reduced efficiency and energy, lowered levels of motivation, increased errors, fatigue, headaches, irritability, increased frustration, suspiciousness, and more time spent working with less being accomplished.

According to the Center, severe burnout can result in self-medication with alcohol and other substances, sarcasm and negativity, and debilitating self-doubt. Left unattended, burnout may result in a number of outcomes, including: poor physical health, clinical depression, reduced job satisfaction, decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, increased risk of accident, poor workplace morale, communication breakdown and increased turnover.

Dr. Hans Seyle, acknowledged as the “Father” of the field of stress research, having gained worldwide recognition for introducing the concept of stress in a medical context, said burnout doesn’t happen overnight.

Generally, it has three stages: The first stage, which is the “alarm stage,” is called the “fight or flight” phase. This happens when a person faces a challenge or a difficult situation.

“Resistance stage” is the second stage, which has a longer span than the first stage. It is also the stage in which a person deals with issues more on a psychological basis.

The third and final stage is the “exhaustion stage.” During this stage, Dr. Seyle explained, the “alarm stage” returns and causes extreme fatigue, disease, disability and even death.

These days, burnout is a common concern. “Often, it’s the pace of our lives that creates this problem,” wrote Dr. Frank Lipman, a physician who wrote Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again.

According to Lipman, cultural and environmental stressors have compounded what he called the “total load” of what a person can handle without blowing his top. “We never turn off—we’re on our phones and computers and televisions all the time,” he said. “Apart from the food we eat, which is not helping, apart from the normal stresses we may have been under for years—a bad boss, a bad relationship—we have this added layer of technology that is making everything worse.”

Jill Metzler Patton, in an article published in the web site experiencelife.com, quoted Dr. Roberta Lee, vice chairman of integrative medicine at the Center for Health and Healing on New York City, that contemporary lifestyles of people today contribute to a “perfect storm” for chronic stress. “Burnout represents the most depleted end of the stress continuum,” the doctor said.

As to burnout sufferers, Lee said: “You’re a vacuous presence.” She went on to explain: “It’s not that you don’t

“Burnout at its deepest level is not the result of some train wreck of examinations, long call shifts, or poor clinical evaluations. It is the sum total of hundreds and thousands of tiny betrayals of purpose, each one so minute that it hardly attracts notice.When a great ship streams across the ocean, even tiny ripples can accumulate over time, precipitating a dramatic shift in course.”

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want to be present; you do. It’s kind of like the ICU [intensive care unit] version of stress.”

While no one can escape from burnout, however, it can be prevented. As one of the chapters of the book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Dr. Richard Carlson suggested: “Prevent Burnout.”

“Work-related burnout is an enormous, disruptive and often expensive problem for millions of people,” Carlson wrote. “To put it bluntly, people get sick of and fed up with their jobs and crave a better, different, or more satisfying life.”

The award-winning author, who is also behind Slowing Down to the Speed of Life and You Can Be Happy No Matter What, admitted that there’s no way to guarantee the prevention of burnout, “but there are things you can do to put the odds in your favor.”

Balance and growth—these are the two things needed for a person not to experience burnout. “If you talk to people who aren’t burned out, you’ll discover that most of them strive to have a balance life and to be growthoriented,” Carlson explained. “This means that while they work hard,

-Richard Gunderman, professor at the Medical Humanities and Health Studies at Indiana University compete well, strive for excellence, and have very specific, often lofty goals, they nevertheless insist on having a life outside of work—they enjoy and spend time with their families and friends, they exercise or enjoy hobbies, they value their free time, and strive to make a contribution to their community apart from their work.

“In addition, people who avoid burnout are constantly attempting to better themselves and to grow, not

just professionally, but spiritually and emotionally, as well. They attend workshops or classes, they learn new things, and are open-minded. They strive to overcome their own blind spots. They have a fascination with learning and a zest for life. They are curious and enjoy listening to others.”

That may be easier said than done.

But, on second thought, why not start now before it’s too late? “A good place to start is to evaluate your priorities

apart from work,” Carlson suggested.

“If you had to pick, what would be most important? Would it be to volunteer some time or learn to meditate? Is it your spiritual life that’s most important? Would it be to exercise on a regular basis, or something else entirely? Whatever it is, take a look at your calendar and begin to carve out the time. Anything is better than nothing.”

Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019 5

FITNESS RULES

By Greggy H. Romualdez

Four things that make us undesirable at the gym T HE gym or health club is a place where likeminded people congregate to meet their fitness goals and strive to be better versions of themselves. We may be motivated by different reasons, take on varying workout programs and exercise philosophies.

Having bad hygiene

JUST because we sweat buckets doesn’t mean we have to smell the part and inconvenience others by scattering our body odor all over the place. Applying an anti-perspirant or deodorant is a basic courtesy we must afford others in the gym if we anticipate that our body’s natural scent may

be particularly overpowering. Wear clean, fresh clothes when working out.

Don’t be that person that others avoid being around due to bad hygiene.

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Be that as it may, all of us who hit the gym would want to peacefully coexist with fellow gym denizens.

Good behavior and proper etiquette is key. Here are four things we should avoid doing, if we wish to not be labeled an undesirable gym denizen.

Working out while sick

PEOPLE hit the gym to stay fit and healthy. If you’re feeling under the weather and don’t happen to be in tiptop shape but still don’t want to skip gym time—whether it be a cold, cough, sore eyes and whatnot—you run the risk of infecting others and further exacerbating your own condition. No one wants to catch what you have. Sneezing and coughing your way through a workout does

not exhibit a positive fitness mindset. It only makes you inconsiderate.

Working out while sick is not a good idea for you, and for others.

Leaving equipment all over the place

SHARED facilities and equipment

are there for everyone’s benefit.

Dumbbells, gym mats, barbells and plates have their designated storage areas. This makes it easier for members to seamlessly access gym equipment. Leaving equipment where they should not be disrupts this orderly system. Besides, a dumbbell left in the middle of nowhere can cause a person to trip and result in a nasty accident. No one admires that guy who stacks heavy plates on the barbell and just leaves it there after he’s done.

Sweating waterfalls

SWEATING is inevitable when working out. However, others are oblivious to the puddles they are creating and the trail of sweat they leave behind on gym machines.

Make sure to wipe down equipment after use. Also, bring a gym towel to wipe yourself off and spare others the trouble of having to deal with sweat drenched machines and benches.

The key to proper gym etiquette is mindfulness. As with most things in life, let us be considerate of others so we can coexist and harmoniously reach our respective fitness destinations.

6 Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019

7 TIPS

TO BECOMING A HEALTHY AND

SUCCESSFUL FREELANCER

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HE number of people who decide to leave their desk job to become a freelancer is increasing steadily. Even though a freelancing lifestyle has plenty of benefits, you need to learn how to be happy in this new setting.

organized. So make a new folder every time you start a project. This is particularly important if you are into professional writing services, because you will end up with a lot of files.

Folders will help immensely in the long run because it will be easier for you to track your work, including ongoing projects.

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with other 4Socialize freelancers.

So, to avoid falling into the stress trap, you need to add a couple of new habits to your daily routine. Balancing your work and free time is just the beginning. There are many other guidelines for freelancers to lead healthy and happy lives.

1Find your office space.

Once you decide to become a freelancer, you will very likely work from home. While there are other options, such as a coworking space, having an area in your home where you feel relaxed and ready to work is important. You can decorate it with plenty of details that will keep you on track, such as a whiteboard above your desk, etc. Just make sure it is quiet with no distractions nearby.

organized and 3Be meet your deadlines.

One common mistake among freelancers is taking on too many projects they just cannot finish on time.

It is sometimes better to have fewer clients because you will meet your deadlines more easily. Plus, your work will be of high quality, so your clients are more likely to be satisfied with it.

You also need to keep your computer

The freelancing community is vast, and they often have meetups. So, don’t be a lone ranger who doesn’t go out at all.

Meeting fellow freelancers from your area can open up new business opportunities, and you might learn a lot of useful things, especially if you just are starting out. Browse the Web for meetups near you or head out to the nearest coworking space.

5Be active.

If you work from home, you already know how difficult it is to make yourself exercise and eat healthy food. You might get a huge project that will take hours and hours to complete, which means you will not have any time for yourself.

Freelancing is stressful, and regular exercise can relieve the tension.

Plus, you don’t have to go to a gym to be active. Many home exercise programs out there can be done in your living room. Yoga is an absolute favorite among freelancers because it

stretches your muscles, which might feel tight after sitting for hours in front of a computer. So move around.

Your mind will be clearer and ready to tackle any assignment.

6Get enough rest.

Getting enough sleep is crucial for everyone if they want to perform well on their job. Pulling an all-nighter is alright sometimes, but make sure you rest well regularly. Eight hours of sleep is ideal, but some of us might not have that luxury. You still might be able to function properly when you sleep for six or seven hours. If you are having trouble sleeping, try doing yoga before bed or meditating. Another trick that works for some people is listening to audio books as you try falling asleep.

7Go on a vacation.

Since you are the boss, you can choose the time when you can go on a vacation. Everyone needs a couple of days off to recharge their batteries and get back to work with confidence and a positive attitude. So take some time off and don’t think about the job. Instead, focus on doing things that you love and enjoy every single moment of it. You either can stay at home or visit a city you haven’t seen before. And make sure you stay away from the computer.

Source: www.bewellbuzz.com

2Create a schedule.

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Being your own boss means you also are in charge of your schedule. Now that you have set up your home office, it is time to create a schedule that will make you more productive.

Find out which hours work for you, and go from there. Some freelancers prefer to work in the morning.

So, if you are an early bird, you can get everything done before the afternoon. Being organized and working at the same time everyday will make you more efficient, and you will be able to separate your job from your free time, even though you are working from the comforts of your home.

Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019 7

HOW THE TOP HEA

WILL CHAN

Y

EAR 2018 was packed with different healthfood trends, but the most popular ones involved plants. The vegan lifestyle gave birth to the flexitarian, and environmental issues are cemented in the public conscience. Is this set to continue in 2019?

Well, yes. Environmental issues are the No. 1 priority for 2019, and health-food trends are going to be based around plants, eco-friendly packaging, and eating “retro” food like our grandparents.

Before we take a look at 2019’s health-food trends, let’s recap on what graced your plates in 2018.

What food trends were hot in 2018?

FIRST off—we wanted to know exactly what was in our food.

n Labels

THE transparency of food labels was given a huge boost when the US Department of Agriculture demanded better labels on seafood sustainability, Fair Trade certification and animal welfare.

Then, in December 2018, the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard was announced. This standard requires food manufacturers, retailers and importers to disclose all bioengineered food—which we know as GMO foods.

Becoming more aware of what the food industry serves up was a huge topic in 2018, with many of us actively searching labels for poor nutrition and welfare standards in favor of better quality and environmentally friendly products.

n Edible flowers

PEOPLE are often surprised that you can eat flowers, thinking of them as decorations or sweet-smelling gifts. But edible flowers are plants, and they were sprinkled on meals in abundance. Lavender, hibiscus and pansies adorned restaurant meals and Pinterest cocktail recipes.

Flowers are full of healthy vitamins and antioxidants. They can lower blood pressure and fight

8 Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019

heart disease. So let’s hope this health-food trend lasts into 2019.

n Mushroom powders

ALREADY a staple in vegetarian and vegan diets, mushrooms were given a technological boost and turned into powders for easy consumption.

Reishi, lion’s mane and chaga fungi were stirred into tea and coffee by folks looking to boost their well-being and mood. Mushrooms contain beneficial chemicals that potentially fight cancer, boost the immune system and calm stress.

n ‘A matcha made In heaven’

AND speaking of tea—matcha lost none of its popularity in 2018.

This green tea powder, packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, made a healthy and tasty change from coffee. Studies show it helps with weight loss, as it’s practically devoid of calories and it fires up your brain and metabolism.

How will food trends change in 2019?

2019 looks set to take 2018’s health diet trends even further with a firm emphasis on plants and environmental health.

the planet 1Putting first.

Food trends for 2019 are gathering pace, and leading the way is our demand for eco-friendly packaging.

Plastic is out. We want a container, straw or microwavable dish that decomposes and doesn’t float around in the ocean for 500 years.

Manufacturers have taken note, and they’re pushing out eco-friendly packaging.

Your local shop will offer paper grocery bags, and sandwiches will be

protected by beeswax wraps in 2019.

Check out the stainless-steel straws or biodegradable paper straws that will start to replace the current plastic ones. You’ll be encouraged to bring out your own reusable cup and cutlery to restaurants too.

Saving our planet is the top health-food trend for 2019, and it can’t come soon enough.

Hot on the heels of the eco-friendly packaging trend is plant-based food.

2Plant-based diets.

The popular rise of vegan food is set to continue into 2019.

Restaurants and fast-food outlets are already offering plant-based alternatives as health-conscious folks steer clear of cheap meats and factory farmed animal products.

Studies show that plant-based diets reduce the likelihood of heart dis-

ease, including heart attacks, stroke, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, all of which are fueled by poor food intake.

A plant-based diet is popular because people want the flexibility to eat meat if they want to. Plant-based doesn’t mean going fully vegan—it means choosing a plant-based alternative when you want too. So that’s a mushroom burger or a Quorn fillet instead of chicken nuggets. Expect to see meatless meat options everywhere in 2019.

3CBD—What? cannabis?

Cannabis is set to be the next big thing in 2019.

Cannabis going mainstream is all about CBD oil.

CBD oil is a compound derived from the cannabis plant. It isn’t psychoactive and it won’t get you high.

It’s legal and can boost your health.

ALTH-FOOD TRENDS

NGE IN 2019 lead to healthy weight loss when done sensibly.

Our grandparents knew that eating fat is good for you, but they tended to burn fat off with a more active lifestyle.

The internet and sedentary jobs mean we don’t carry out as much activity as they did, but healthy fats still remain healthy.

For example, omega-3 fatty acids improve your hair, teeth and skin condition, but not everyone likes to eat fish.

6Snack yourself happy.

One of the biggest pitfalls to a healthy diet is hunger. When we’re hungry, snacks are always on our minds. Bring on 2019’s trend of healthy snacks.

Healthy upgraded snacks are set to be the next big health-food trend.

Instead of breaking your diet at the workplace vending machine or buying a chocolate muffin in Starbucks, you can snack safely with the knowledge that you aren’t breaking your diet.

Even chips are going slim line with organic avocado oils, and you’ll see free-range, GMO-free plant-based snacks in every supermarket.

Bear in mind that these healthy snacks aren’t always good for you—if

4A gut feeling.

Gut health is set to be a big trend in 2019.

Studies show that poor gut health

7Collagen boosting.

Collagen plays a big part in the health and vitality of our skin, and studies show that boosting collagen can lead to a better appearance and improved self-confidence.

Collagen is a protein that can be eaten, as well as applied to your skin.

Manufacturers make collagen supplements from meat and fish sources and sell it as a powder that can be added to drinks.

You’ll probably spot a coffee shop selling collagen-infused protein shakes this year.

2019’s health-food trends are eco-friendly

2019 is set to be the year where we ditch packaging that damages our environment, we turn towards plants as a main source of nutrition and we infuse our drinks with health-boosting powders such as CBD, MCT and collagen sources.

Whatever you choose to eat this year, keep yourself healthy with a sensible balance of vitamins and minerals, and get plenty of exercise.

Source: www.bewellbuzz.com

brought about by a low-quality diet lacking in fiber and the overuse of antibiotics leads to a poor gut biome.

Healthy bacteria in your gut can help prevent inflammation, support weight loss and boost your overall well-being.

In 2019 we’ll see more products available that boost gut health, including prebiotics, probiotics, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi and kombucha.

You’ll also spot gut-healthy probiotics making their way into mainstream foods like granola.

5Get fat.

Healthy fats have been a popular food-diet trend for years, but 2019 looks set to push it through the roof with the ever-popular keto diet.

A keto diet focuses on low carbohydrate intake that makes your body burn fat instead of glucose. This is called “burning ketones,” and it can

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Studies show that CBD is packed out with chemicals that soothe anxiety, aches and pains, inflammation and eczema. Its available as edible CBD oil, or CBD-infused creams and moisturizers.

Adding a spoonful of CBD oil to morning coffee or hot chocolate is a super-simple whole-body health boost. Expect to see this trend ramp up in 2019 as people look for no-hassle ways to improve their health.

(Editor’s note: The use of CBD oil is allowed in the US and some other countries, but here in the Philippines, the proposed Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, which seeks to legalize medical marijuana for medical purposes, is pending before the Philippine Senate.)

you’re hungry, snacking on fruit and nuts is a better option.

Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019 9

GENERIKA DRUGSTORE

RECOGNIZED AT THE 54TH ANVIL AWARDS

G

GENERIKA Drugstore Senior Artist Augustine Pangan (from left), Marketing and Communications Head Allyn Sta. Maria, President and CEO Dino Francisco, VP for Operations Jay Ferrer, and PR Officer Carol Cerveza

10 Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019

ENERIKA Drugstore was recognized by the Public Relations Society (PRSP) in the recent 54th Anvil Awards Gabi ng Parangal in the category PR Directed at Specific Stakeholders: External Consumers for its Nationwide Libreng Konsulta. Generika Drugstore’s simultaneous Nationwide Libreng Konsulta (free medical consultation) served over 20,000 patients in one day as part of it 15th anniversary efforts. The Gabi ng Parangal was held on January 30, 2019 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.

Generika Drugstore is the pioneer in the retail of generic medicine, established in 2003 with the mission of providing access to Quality affordable health care. Generika Drugstore is a member of AC Health— a whollyowned subsidiary of Ayala Corp., and serves as the portfolio company for its health-care businesses. To learn more about Generika Drugstore, visit www.generika.com.ph.

A GIFT FOR INDIGENT CHILDREN WITH CANCER G LOBE Telecom and partners donated P1.4 million to Philippine General Hospital-Pediatric Hematology-Oncology section. Sometime in 2016, the doctors at the PGH and the PGH Medical Foundation Inc. saw the need to renovate the Hematology-Oncology Clinic at the Cancer Institute.

While PGH is recognized as the national university’s hospital, the facilities were far from being conducive for healing.

“When I came in 2013, the clinic was in disarray—sirasira ‘yung sahig ng clinic [the clinic’s floor was dilapidated] at madumi siya (it was dirty),” related Dr. Ana Patricia Alcasabas of the PGH Cancer Institute, the section head of Pediatric HematologyOncology. “After visiting other hospitals, even here in the Philippines, I saw the need to renovate our outpatient clinic.

However, it seemed impossible as we did not have any budget for this.”

According to Dr. Alcasabas, the outpatient clinic sees around 400 children with cancer each month. The most common diagnoses are leukemia, brain tumors, eye cancer and bone cancer. Of these, about 300 children have to undergo procedures such as IV chemotherapy, bone marrow aspirations and lumbar taps in the clinic.

“Natatakot ang mg abata ‘pagpumupunta sila dito, kasi tutusukan sila sa likod [the children are scared when they come to the clinic because of the injections].

We wanted a clinic environment that promotes well-being and positive energy,” she said.

After consulting with the PGH Medical Foundation headed by its president, Dr. Telesforo Gana Jr., it was decided that they would pursue the project and solicit the help of Globe Telecom. At that time, Globe was already actively participating in the foundation’s gift-giving activities.

Together with its various partners and

THE procedure area

customers, Globe was able to raise and donate P1.4 million for the rehabilitation of the Hematology–Oncology Clinic. The project concept started in December 2016 in line with the company’s Create Courage Star Wars-themed campaign which strongly demonstrated the resilience of children in the face of adversity and encouraged the public to help via donations through prepaid load or charges to their postpaid bill.

“We are proud to have our partners, employees and customers step in to participate in this worthwhile undertaking.

We hope that through this project, we can all bring hope to the patients at the PGH Pediatric Hematology—Oncology clinic,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe senior vice president for Corporate Communications.

The newly renovated clinic was turned over to the PGH management team recently. During the turnover ceremonies, partners were awarded certificates of appreciation for their invaluable contribution to the project and were given jars of atchara (pickled papaya) specially prepared by the parents of pediatric cancer patients. Guests were also treated to a special dance number performed by a select group of pediatric cancer patients.

The Walt Disney Company-Philippines contributed to the project by sharing their Star Wars designs and sponsoring the printing of all wall sticker artworks.

The designs were carefully chosen and customized by artists from Globe Creatives and Visual Management team to fit the overall look and feel of the clinic.

DR. Carmencita Padilla (from left), Chancellor, UP Manila; Dr. Jorge Ignacio, Chair, Cancer Institute; Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, Director, Philippine General Hospital; Veronica Cabalinan, Country Head, The Walt Disney Company-Philippines; YolyCrisanto, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Chief Sustainability Officer, Globe Telecom; Rossy Anne YabutRojales, Creative Director, Hurray Interior Design Group; and,Dr. Lorna Abad, Chair, PGH Department of Pediatrics

The names of the consultation rooms were also patterned after key Star Wars characters like Rey, Darth Vader, Han Solo and Princess Leia. There is also a height chart with various characters in it. The designs were made very colorful to serve as “happy distractions” for the children who undergo treatment at the clinic.

Hurray Interior Design Group, a partner of PGH Medical Foundation, also did their part by ensuring that the interiors and overall vibe of the clinic are aligned with what Globe and the foundation envisioned. At the same time, SBS Philippines Corp. sponsored the clinic’s medical equipment. Other partners were Amdocs and Singtel.

Dr. Alcasabas said they are happy to see the smiles on the children’s faces when they step into the clinic. “The clinic has two parts. The first is the consultation area where we discuss the cancer

diagnosis with the family and the other is the procedure area. This is where the patients get their chemotherapy infusion while they watch television or read books. There is also a part where procedures are done. The spaceship designs on the ceiling provide a positive distraction for them (from anxiety and fear) as they await the anesthesiologist and oncologist. The doctors and some adult patients, too, are also happy with the way the center turned out.” It’s a happy place that gives comfort,” she said.

The hospital is also looking forward to partner with Globe in their future projects, which include, among others, plans to further their research to improve treatment for cancer patients and coming up with standard operating procedures.

For more about Globe Telecom, visit www.globe.com.ph or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

“LUKE SKYWALKER’S” cubicle for checkups and consultations

Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019 11

AROMATHERAPY

WWW.FREEPIK.COM

DECODED

Conclusion

A

ROMATHERAPY means “treatment using scents.” Essential oils are the building blocks of aromatherapy. There are over 300 of these very special substances that are extracted from variety of plants, herbs, roots or fruits, flowers, a trees, bark, grasses and seeds with distinctive therapeutic, psychological, and physiological properties, which improve and prevent illness.

It is a holistic treatment of caring for the body with pleasant-smelling botanical oils such as rose, lemon, lavender and peppermint. The essential oils are added to the bath or massaged into the skin, inhaled directly or diffused to scent an entire room.

12 Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019

Aromatherapy is used for the relief of pain, care for the skin, alleviate tension and fatigue and invigorate the entire body. Essential oils can affect the mood, alleviate fatigue, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.

When inhaled, they work on the

brain and nervous system through stimulation of the olfactory nerves.

Let’s talk more specific ally on how certain oils can help you.

Peppermint

THE health benefits of peppermint oil include its ability to treat indigestion, respiratory problems, headache, nausea, fever, stomach, and bowel spasms and pain. Due to the presence of menthol, menthone and menthyl esters, peppermint and peppermint oil find wide applications in manufacture of soap, shampoo, cigarette, toothpaste, chewing gum, tea and ice cream. n Indigestion: Peppermint oil is very helpful in digestion. Often people put a few drops of peppermint oil in a glass of water and drink it after their meal due to its digestive proper-

ties. It is carminative and therefore helps in removing gas. Peppermint oil is a good tonic for those who have a low appetite. It also helps during motion sickness and upset stomach.

Preliminary research has proved that peppermint oil in the combination of caraway oil can be used for treating heartburns. n Dental care: Peppermint oil, due to its antiseptic properties, is useful for dental care. It removes bad breath and helps teeth and gums deal with germs. No wonder, it is added in numerous toothpastes. It is also useful for treating toothaches. n Respiratory problems: Menthol, which is present in abundance in peppermint oil, helps in clearing the respiratory tract. It is an effective expectorant and therefore provides instantaneous, though temporary,

relief in numerous respiratory problems, including nasal congestion, sinusitis, asthma, bronchitis, cold and cough. As a result, it is used in numerous cold rubs. When these cold rubs are rubbed on the chest, they remove nasal and respiratory congestion immediately. n Nausea and headache: Peppermint oil is a good home remedy for nausea and headache. Applying peppermint oil in diluted form on the forehead is known to remove headache. n Stress: Like most other essential oils, peppermint is able to provide relief from stress, depression and mental exhaustion due to its refreshing nature. It is also effective against anxiety and restlessness. n Irritable bowel syndrome: The muscle relaxing property of peppermint oil has been found to ease irritable bowel syndrome. This has been validated through preliminary scientific research though the exact mechanism is still unknown. n Antispasmodic: Peppermint oil is very effective for gastroscopy, colonoscopy and during double-contrast barium enema. It is applied intraluminally. Further benefits of peppermint oil due to its antispasmodic properties are being studied. n Urinary tract infection: Peppermint oil can be used for treating urinary tract infection (UTI). However, thorough scientific studies are yet to be conducted to confirm this. n Pain relief: Peppermint oil can be used externally for providing relief from pain. It is believed that the presence of calcium antagonism in peppermint oil aids in removing pain.

It is cooling in nature and therefore helps reduce fever. n Immune system: Peppermint oil increases your immunity to diseases and therefore helps you in preventing a number of diseases. n Blood circulation: It also improves blood circulation. n Hair care: Peppermint oil is very useful for hair care as it gives a cooling effect to the head, and removes dandruff and lice. n Skin care: Peppermint oil contains Menthol, which is good for skin.

It gives a cooling effect. Further, it nourishes dull skin and improves oily skin.

anxiety. Being an antidepressant, patients of acute depression or who are undergoing rehabilitation can be given routine and regular doses of this essential oil to bring hope in their lives. This oil is widely used in aromatherapy and invokes positive thoughts, spiritualism and feelings of joy, happiness and hope. n Antiphlogistic: It may calm down a patient of high fever by sedating the inflammation caused by fever.

It can also be beneficial in other cases of inflammations caused by microbial infection, ingestion of poisonous stuff, indigestion, dehydration, etc. n Antiseptic: This is the most fragrant and perhaps a majestic way (Just imagine treating wounds with oils of rose instead of those ordinary antiseptic lotions) to treat your wounds and protect them from being septic and catching infections. n Anti-spasmodic: It efficiently relieves spasm in respiratory system, intestines and muscular spasms in limbs. It also helps cure convulsions, muscle pulls, cramps and spasmodic cholera which are caused due to spasms. n Antiviral: Getting a protection from viruses or getting yourself vaccinated against all of them is a tough task, since some of them change their disguise every time they return and make a fool of our immune system, like our old friend who gives you cold and influenza. So what to do? Better use an antiviral, which behaves as a shield against any virus that comes. Here is one such shield. n Aphrodisiac: Better I don’t try explaining this property of rose oil!

Right from Cupid himself to modern day’s high-tech lovers, everybody knows how roses are indispensable in romance. The very scent of it can arouse you. It boosts up libido and invokes romantic feelings, which are essentials for a successful sex. n Astringent: The astringent property of rose oil has many benefits. It strengthens gums, hair roots, tones and lifts skin, contracts muscles, intestines and blood vessels, thereby

giving protection from untimely fall of tooth and hair, wrinkles, loss of firmness of intestines and muscles of abdominal area and limbs associated with age and above all, helps stop flow of blood from wounds and cuts by contracting the blood vessels. This astringent property can also cure certain types of diarrhea. n Bactericidal: It is a good bactericide. It can be used in treatment of typhoid, diarrhea, cholera, food poisoning and other diseases, which are caused by bacteria. Further, it can cure internal bacterial infections like in colon, stomach, intestines and urinary tract, as well as external infections on skin, ears, eyes and in wounds. n Cholagogue: It promotes flow of bile from the gall bladder and helps regulate the acid level in the stomach, as well as in the blood, thus keeping you safe from problems like acidity and acidosis. This bile also helps in digestion of food, together with the acids secreted into the stomach. n Cicatrisant: This property of rose essential oil can be of great interest for those who care a lot about their looks. It makes the scars and after marks of boils, acne and pox, etc., on the skin to fade away. This includes fading of stretch marks and surgery marks, fat cracks, etc., associated with pregnancy and delivery. n Depurative: It purifies blood by helping removal and neutralization of toxins from blood. Once your blood is purified and free of toxins, you are protected from nuisances like boils, rashes, ulcers, skin diseases, etc. n Emenagogue: This is yet another beneficial property of rose oil.

It stimulates the hormone secretions, which trigger off menstruations. It is particularly effective on those who are suffering from obstructed and irregular menses. It also eases cramps, treats nausea, fatigue and reduces pains associated with the menstruations and postmenopause syndrome. n Haemostatic: This property of the essential oil of rose can be very useful for people who are suffering from hemorrhage (bleeding, external

or internal) after an injury or surgery.

This speeds up clotting or coagulation of blood and stops bleeding and can save the life of such patients. n Hepatic: It simply means it is good for the liver’s health. It keeps it strong, functioning properly and protected from infections. It also treats problems like excess flow of bile and acids, ulcers, etc. n Laxative: There cannot be a laxative with a better scent than this and I will bet it on, if not for its laxative properties. It can serve as a harmless and effective laxative with a beautiful smell and without any adverse side effect. It actually influences the intestinal and anal muscles to help clear bowels. n Nervine: It acts as a tonic for the nerves. It gives them strength to bear shocks and protects them from disorders resulting from age, injuries, etc. It won’t let your hands tremble or let you go nervous when saying those three magic words to your dream girl for the first time, of course, with a rose in your hand. n Stomachic: Rose oil is a stomachic, too. It soothes stomach, sedates inflammations in it, helps it function properly and protects it from infections. It also protects it from ulcers, which often happen due to overproduction of acids and their release into the stomach. n Uterine: This can take care of many feminine problems, such as uterine discharges, tumors, bleeding, irregular menses, etc. It purifies the uterus too and keeps it functioning properly as a woman ages and can push away the time of menopause. n Other benefits: It regulates hormone production and helps balance them. It is one of the best oils, which can give you a shining, fresh and youthful skin. Its aroma keeps you charged and feeling happy. It promotes circulation, takes care of the heart, reduces blood pressure and helps cure headaches, asthma, dehydration and effect of loo (very hot winds), leucorrhea and certain infections.

Source: www.bewellbuzz.com

Rose

WWW.PIXABAY.COM

THE health benefits of Rose Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties like anti depressant, anti phlogistic, anti septic, anti spasmodic, anti viral, aphrodisiac, astringent, bactericidal, cholagogue, cicatrisant, depurative, emenagogue, haemostatic, hepatic, laxative, nervine, stomachic and uterine. n Anti depressant: Rose oil boosts self-esteem, confidence, hope and mental strength and efficiently fights depression. This can be very helpful to drive away depression from those who are suffering from depression due to any reason. This also relieves

Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019 13

HEALTHY FINDS

n BE PROTECTED. GET VACCINATED

Dr. Jocelyn Yambao-Franco, Pediatric Department chairman, “Most of all, this is a message to everyone to protect themselves from preventable diseases by having themselves immunized.”

The Department of Health (DOH) has declared a measles outbreak on February 6 at the National Capital Region (NCR) and has expanded this to other areas in Luzon, Central and Eastern Visayas.

According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the incidence of measles, locally known as tigdas, in the NCR has increased by 550 percent from January 1

to February 6, 2019, compared to the same period last year, thus, the need to scale up response, strengthen surveillance and immunize all unvaccinated children against measles.

Measles is a viral, highly contagious disease transferred from person to person by sneezing, coughing, and close personal contact. Signs and symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes/conjunctivitis, fever, and rashes lasting for more than five days.

Persons who lack immunity and are exposed to this infection can acquire the disease. Just like any viral infection, measles can best be prevented by immunization.

n HEART, MIND AND BRAIN SUMMIT HELD

“In an attempt to cope with stress, some individuals adopt unhealthy lifestyles or behaviors such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake or even overeating,” Sison said. He explained that exploring how the brain manages stress and discovering why stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease would enable doctors to develop new and effective ways of managing chronic psychological stress. This, in turn, can help doctors identify at-risk individuals so that they can undergo routine screening and optimal stress management.

The effect of stress on doctors was one of the topics discussed during the summit. A study by the American Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic found that compared with the general US population, physicians worked on average 10 hours more per week, displayed higher rates of emotional exhaustion and reported lower satisfaction with work-life balance. According to Sison, physicians who are stressed are prone to make mistakes in patient care. “This is something we do not

want.” He urged doctors to first recognize and manage their own stress levels so that they can provide optimal patient care.

Collantes warned that “stress is one of the major risk factors for heart attack and stroke.” Añonuevo agreed.

“Aside from hypertension, high cholesterol and smoking, cardiologists also need to consider stress in assessing the cardiovascular risk of their patients.”

According to Salazar, stress is actually a vague word, noting that stressors and their effects vary across individuals. He explained that there are currently no standardized and validated parameters to quantify stress; as such, assessing stress levels is done on an individualized basis.

“But it is clear that uncontrolled and prolonged stress negatively impacts virtually all the organs of the body.”

Reyes asked his colleagues “to listen to what our patients are not telling us. This can help us identify depression and dementia. By listening closely to our patients, we can become better doctors.”

AMID the high incidence of measles cases in the country, Manila Doctors Hospital has taken the initiative to launch “Be Protected. Get Vaccinated,” a campaign to fight the spread of measles and protect its medical and nonmedical staff. The immunization campaign also covered the families, relatives and friends of MDH staff whose age ranges from six months to 44 years old.

“We are spearheading this activity to encourage other health-care institutions to protect its personnel from contracting the measles in the line of duty,” said

RESEARCH shows that many individuals with cardiovascular disease have increased levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, while those who suffer from mental illness are at a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. This indicates a clear need for heightened screening and preventative care for patients with cardiovascular and neurological illnesses.

To help shed light on this important issue, Sandoz Philippines Corporation gathered Filipino cardiologists, neurologists and psychiatrists for its first-ever Heart, Mind and Brain Summit. Held recently at the Ascott Hotel Makati, the summit served as a venue for local specialists in cardiology, neurology and psychiatry to discuss the intimate, intricate and underestimated relationship between the heart, the mind and the brain.

“In line with the Sandoz mission to improve and extend people’s lives, we are honored to collaborate with Filipino cardiologists, neurologists and psychiatrists in unraveling the interaction between the heart, mind and brain, and the most basic risk factor, which is stress,” said Eleanor Lopez, country head of Sandoz Philippines Corp., the local subsidiary of generics global leader Sandoz.

Featuring an interactive discussion format, the summit centered on an expert panel discussion of a hypothetical case study involving a doctor, which highlighted the interrelation between hypertension, stroke, depression and dementia. Cardiologists, neurologists and psychiatrists in the audience asked questions from the panel and shared their insights during the open forum.

The expert panel consisted of Dr. Gerardo Carmelo Salazar, consultant neuro-psychiatrist at the Lucena United Doctors Hospital and Medical Center; Dr. John Añonuevo, consultant interventional cardiologist and chief, Section of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH); and Dr. Epifania Collantes, consultant neurologist and stroke specialist at the Manila Doctors Hospital and UP-PGH. The summit’s moderators were Dr. Antonio C. Sison, consultant psychiatrist at St. Luke’s Medical Center and Medical Towers Medical City, and consultant dermatologist at the Skin and Cancer Foundation Inc.; and Dr. Don Robespierre Reyes, consultant cardiologist and editor in chief of The Heart News and Views, the official magazine of the Philippine Heart Association.

14 Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019

SANDOZ Philippines Corp. gathered Filipino cardiologists, neurologists and psychiatrists for the country’s first-ever Heart, Mind and Brain Summit last November 24, 2018 at the Ascott Hotel Makati to discuss the intimate, intricate and underestimated relationship between the heart, the mind, and the brain. Photo shows (from left) Vina Lourdes Jurado, Cardio Product Manager, Sandoz Philippines Corp.; Dr. Antonio C. Sison, consultant psychiatrist at St. Luke’s Medical Center and Medical Towers Medical City, and consultant dermatologist at the Skin and Cancer Foundation, Inc.; Noel delos Reyes, head of Marketing, Sandoz Philippines Corp.; Eleanor Lopez, country head, Sandoz Philippines Corp.; Dr. EpifaniaCollantes, consultant neurologist and stroke specialist at the Manila Doctors Hospital and UP-PGH; Dr. Gerardo Carmelo Salazar, consultant neuropsychiatrist at the Lucena United Doctors Hospital and Medical Center; Dr. Don Robespierre Reyes, consultant cardiologist and editor in chief of The Heart News and Views, the official magazine of the Philippine Heart Association; and Amy Rose Arugay, CNS product Manager, Sandoz Philippines Corp.

BULLETIN BOARD

FAMILY STAYCATION AT MAKATI DIAMOND RESIDENCES

AT the heart of one of Metro Manila’s bustling spaces is Legazpi Village where Makati Diamond Residences is located. The area is filled with great spots to eat, shop and play while still preserving a relaxed vibe, especially on the weekends.

Stay at a 41-square-meter Studio with kitchenette or get additional living and dining spaces with a 64-sq-m one-bedroom suite. Both rooms come with complimentary welcome snacks and drinks, complimentary Wi-Fi and local city calls, and access to the health club, including a

24-hour gym, daily TRX classes and an indoor lap pool.

Every morning you can wake up to an exciting selection of breakfast options. Dine at Alfred for continental choices at the buffet or a Japanese or Chinese Set. Filipino flavors can be found at the deck, with the option for al-fresco dining.

Guests may also use the Dining Card, a unique amenity that lets you enjoy your breakfast any time of the day at nearby partner restaurants, such as Bizu, Mary Grace, Max’s Restaurant, Pancake House, Subway, Wildflour Café + Bakery,

Italianni’s,Bulgogi Brothers, Persia Grill, Queens at Bollywood, and The Belle & Dragon.

Enjoy Philippine history, culture and arts by using your complimentary admission passes to Ayala Museum. Avail yourself of the audio guides to learn more about Philippine Textiles or our Ancestors’ Gold or sample the Diorama Virtual-Reality experience. Make sure to pass by the Ayala Museum Shop on your way out and get 5-percent off on select items. The museum is located within the award-winning Greenbelt complex, which is also home to top local and international brands.

Book seven days early through www.makatidiamond.com and get a 20-percent discount on your stay. Avail yourself of the Family Weekend Promo from February 23 to 25, 2019, August 24 to 26, 2019, and November 1 to 3, 2019, by using promo code FAM2K19. For more information and other offers, visit www.makatidiamond.com/ special-offers.

Makati Diamond Residences is at 118 Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City 1229. For more information, call +632317-0999, e-mail reservations@makatidiamond.comor visit www.makatidiamond.com. Check facebook.com/MakatiDiamondResidences or follow @makatidiamondresidences on Instagram for more updates.

SHERATON MANILA EXTENDS 50% OFF ON BREAKFAST BUFFET MORNINGS just got better. The newly opened Sheraton Manila Hotel extends its incredible 50-percent off on breakfast buffet until March 15, 2019. For half the price, indulge in their allday dining and buffet restaurant, S Kitchen, for every start of the day all throughout the week.

As they say, “eat like a king for breakfast.”

The widespread buffet at Sheraton Manila is fit for royalty at only P725. Catch morning staples such as sausages, corned beef, honey glazed ham, baked beans and of course, crispy bacon. The smell of freshly baked breads fills the entire restaurant, while the assortment feeds any appetite—from whole wheat, gluten-free, and flavored muffins and croissants. Several interactive live stations will get anyone in the mood, with eggs cooked as desired or omelets stuffed with any preferred condiments. Pancakes, waffles and French toasts are personalized to please with multiple toppings or syrups to choose from.

What’s not to skip are the Filipino dishes—

definitely S Kitchen’s best! It’s like waking up at home—a five-star one—with comforting local favorites such as pork tocino, beef tapa, daing na bangus, tortang talong, and longganisa from Lucban and Vigan provinces. To warm up, there are arroz caldo and champorado made from rich cacao. Breakfast a la Filipino is definitely not complete without the side dishes, including steamed okra, bagoong, tofu, dilis, chicharon, atchara, and the list goes on! Balikbayan and foreign travelers alike are in for a treat as they relish in how Filipinos start their day.

If these sound like a lot already, well that’s just half of what S Kitchen has to offer. It’s a buffet experience after all with the salad bar, cold cuts, cheeses, fresh seafood, cereals and dim sum. Discerning palates will enjoy other international cuisines from the Asian and Indian stations. Adding an exclamation point are the booster drinks from freshly squeezed fruits such as Slim and Trim (celery and green apple) and Berry Lean (banana, raspberry and orange).

How can your day go wrong with that kind of breakfast experience? There is no way anymore.

Time to put this at the top of your to-do list or bring those morning meetings over at Sheraton.

Just don’t forget to make reservations, call (02) 902-1800.

For more information, visit their web site www.sheratonmanila.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter @sheratonmanila, and Instagram @manilasheraton.

Health&Fitness February 21-27, 2019 15