BusinessMirror February 22, 2022 by BusinessMirror

‘Close borders, cut Omicron exposure risk’ By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

LOSING the country’s borders is one of the most immediate courses of action the government must take to prevent the latest Covid-19 variant, Omicron, from reaching Philippine shores, according to local economists. T he new var iant is a threat, e s p e c i a l l y w it h t he hol id ay s coming up and more foreigners being a llowed to travel to the Philippines, De La Sa lle Universit y economist Mar ia Ella Oplas told BusinessMirror. The holidays usually bring in Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are eager to spend Christmas

with their loved ones, while foreigners living in temperate regions usually want to relax in tropical countries like the Philippines. This year’s influx of OFWs is expected to be heavier since many of them were unable to come home for the holidays in December 2020. “My recommendation is to protect the borders. Do not allow people with a history of travel to countries with positive cases to enter,” Oplas said. “We should be more restrictive. [We have to be] more protective in terms of our measures.” Oplas said that while this will be a setback to some industries, this is a fair measure considering that this could help prevent placing the country in another strict lockdown,

which, she said, the economy can no longer afford. “It is better that we do protective preventive measures than get exposed again. We have a lot to lose,” Oplas said. “We should do it now so that we can open just before Christmas. If it gets contained, we can open it again.” Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) Associate Director Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes said closing the country’s borders would be effective but should still adhere to the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO). What is needed, Peña-Reyes told this newspaper, is for travel restrictions to be put in place swiftly and

for government to be proactive in imposing them. Previous instances when the country had the opportunity to impose travel restrictions did not prevent the spread of Covid-19. That was mainly because the decision was not made immediately, he said. “Kung papatay patay [If we’re slow] and we get caught flat-footed, [that’s risky] We were too reactive instead of proactive before. We should learn from that,” PeñaReyes said. “It’s a delicate balancing act. We need to push testing and tracing to be properly informed of our decisions. Blanket/shotgun approaches could have dire consequences on the economy.” See “Omicron,” A2

DE-LINK EU BORROWINGS TRADE PERKS NATL GOVT FROM BIZ FOR 10POLITICS—PHL MOS DIP TO P2.75T w w

Tuesday, February29, 22,2021 2022Vol.Vol.1717No.52 No. 137 Monday, November

PHL reports new avian flu Omicron risk outbreaks in C.spurs Luzonrevival farms of quarantine EXCLUSIVE rules in PHL

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE national government’s gross borrowings as of end-October shrank by almost 6 percent year-on-year to P2.75 trillion.

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

Latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed that the government’s gross borrowings during the 10-month period fell by 5.99 percent from P2.92 trillion a year ago. With only two months left for this year, the latest figure is already equivalent to 89.6 percent of its P3.07-trillion borrowing program. Broken down, gross domestic borrowings from January to October settled at P2.23 trillion, down by 5.08 percent from P2.35 trillion in 2020. The bulk of the amount was PEOPLE walk past the mural of Gat Andres Bonifacio at Manila City Hall Underpass. sourced from Fixed Rate Treasury The country will celebrate the 158th birth anniversary of Filipino revolutionary Bonds (P1.19 trillion), followed by hero Gat Andres Bonifacio on Tuesday, November 30. ROY DOMINGO short-term borrowings from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas or BSP (P540 A LIGHT Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) employee holds a sign informing passengers that they can avail themselves of Covid-19 vaccines at the LRT 1 station. LRTA, which operates the LRT, mounted the billion), Retail Treasury Bonds/Prevaccination drive at select stations of the rail line as part of efforts to expand vaccination coverage. myo Bonds (P463.3 billion), Retail Onshore Dollar Bonds (P80.84 bilBy Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad lion). In the same period, there was By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas dating its registry following the them. This allows everyone to see also a net redemption of Treasury @jearcalas enactment of the Coconut Farmwho are listed in the registry and if Bills amounting to P43.94 billion. ers and Industry Trust Fund law. farmer doesn’t see his name then he Net debt redemption means ORE than 3 million Rosales explained that about shall coordinate with the PCA imthere were more debts repaid comcoconut farmers and 500,000 coconut farmers and mediately,” he explained at a recent pared to the amount borrowed durCai U. Ordinario “For the the workers are now regisworkersBywere added to the PCA’s dialogue withPhilippines, coconut farmers. ing the period. @caiordinario best way to finance future tered with the government’s reg2018 list that had about 2.5 million “On the other hand, if people Meanwhile, gross foreign bordeficits is to restore istry, which serves as the basis coconut farmers and farm workers. would see names on economic the list and rowings in the same period also HE Philippines needs to growth to slightly the for the number of people to be The PCA’s next step is to conthey think they are above not coconut contracted by 9.7 percent to P518.7 post GDP growth of 7 to prepandemic norm—positive covered by the utilization of the duct an exclusion-inclusion profarmers or their details are incorbillion from last year’s P574.4 billion. percent annually in the 7rect, to they 8 percent per itannum if P75-billion coconut levy fund. cedure 8by making the updated can report to the PCA This was raised through global next six years in order to regain possible—or higher—to be Philippine Coconut Authority farmers’ registry public, providfor immediate action,” he added. bonds (P146.17 billion), program what the economy lost during ableThe to lower debtnoted stabiliz(PCA) Deputy Administrator Roel ing everyone the opportunity to PCA the official that loans (P139.98 billion), euro-dethe pandemic, according to an ing primary balance to levels M. Rosales said about 3.11 million check the veracity of the list, Rothe completion of the initial list nominated bonds (P121.97 billion), economist consistent with financing the coconut farmers and farm worksales added.from the University of coconut farmers registry would a project loan (P86.41 billion), and of “The the Philippines Schoolinofpublic Ecorequired ers have been registered with the list will be posted be just inbroad-based time for the growth expected yen-denominated samurai bonds nomics (UPSE). —and employment—enhancgovernment since it started upspaces where people can easily see rollout of coconut levy-funded (P24.19 billion). Philippine Chamber of Comtiming of the EU move was maniIn a presentation on Moning expenditure stimulus of a See “Borrowings,” A2 merce and Industry (PCCI) President fested by another business leader, day at the #PILIpiLUNAS2022 maximum of 2 to 3 percent of George Barcelon said in a virtual Federation of Filipino Chinese webinar, UPSE Associate ProGDP per annum for the next US 50.4600 ofn Commerce JAPAN 0.4374& nIn-UK 67.2329fessor n HK 6.4722 Reside n CHINA SINGAPORE 36.8968 AUSTRALIA forum on Monday that there is no n Chambers Renato Jr. 7.9013 said n several years,” Residensaid. reason to take away the Philippines’s dustry Inc. (FFCCCII) President this level of growth annually, Reside said the next administrade incentives with the EU, as the Henry Lim Bon Liong. or higher, could help finance tration will have to face primary issues raised were not new. “How come now that it is only future deficits. risks for the Philippines which “I hope this is not being politiduring election time that they are Reside said higher growth include low GDP growth; fiscal cized. This is the election year we coming with these threats?” he said. is needed because the next adrisks from adverse interest rates, are heading,” Barcelon said. Barcelon said they are aware of ministration must allocate 2 to exchange rate or off-balance “We feel that if all the clamoring the impact of removing the trad3 percent of GDP annually in the sheet shocks; and external risks for suspension of these privileges ing perks for the country’s exports, next six years as fiscal stimulus such as foreign interest rates and was done two, three years ago, why hoping that it will not come to that to regain the jobs lost during the recessions abroad. do it now?” he asked. extent. pandemic. See “GDP,” A2 A similar concern about the See “De-link,” A2

P25.00 P25.00 nationwide nationwide || 22 sections sections 20 20 pages pages ||

n n

HE Philippines lost its bird-flu free status after the government reported its first confirmed outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) Type A subtype H5N1 that killed over 42,000 quails and ducks in four Central Luzon farms. The Philippines made the formal notification of its first recorded HPAI A(H5N1) outbreaks to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) last February 18, which was made public by the international body on Monday, February 21. The Philippines’s notification showed that a total of 78,280 quails and ducks were susceptible to the disease, with 98 confirmed cases across four outbreaks in Bulacan and Pampanga. The notification revealed that HPAI A(H5N1) killed 42,245 birds while the remaining 36,035 birds were “killed and disposed of” by the government as part of its control measures. The outbreaks were confirmed by the Animal Disease Diagnosis Reference Laboratory (ADDRL) of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the country’s national laboratory, programs as President Dutertelast February 12. is expected to sign the industry The outbreaks early as development planstarted in earlyas2022. January 6, 2022 with samples from Rosales said the PCA will not the suspected farms being tested from

OVER 3-M FARMERS LISTED FOR P75-B COCO LEVY FUND

USINESS leaders aired hopes on Monday that the European Union’s (EU) call for the Philippines to address human rights issues—a factor seen potentially affecting their trading relationship— will not be made into a political matter ahead of May’s elections.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.3140

WHAT IT TAKES TO GET BACK: 7-8% GDP GROWTH IN 6 YRS

stop updating its list of coconut farmers and enjoined them to register in order to reap the benefits of the decades-long idled coconut levy fund. “We will not stop at 3.1 million. We hope that more individuals will register in our coconut farmers registry,” he said. The updating of the coconut farmers registry is mandated by Republic Act (RA) 11524 or the Coconut Industry Trust Fund Act. See “3-M farmers,” A2

January 10 to February 11, based on the Philippines’s notification. By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla Ongoing outbreaks

THE Philippines noted that the outNTER NATIONA L concerns breaks are still “ongoing,” adding over the possible spread of the that it will submit weekly follow-up more infectious Omicron Coreports regarding the matter. vid-19 prompted The variant Philippines noted the thatgovthe ernment to reimpose mandatory source or origin of the infection refacility-based for all mains “unknownquarantine or inconclusive” as arriving passengers in the country. of its February 18 reporting to the Acting Presidential spokesperOIE. sonThe Karlo B. Nograles government has announced undertaken on Sunday that the Inter-Agency various domestic control address the Task Force for the Management outbreaks that included disinfection, of Emerging Infectious movement control, officialDiseases disposal of carcasses, by-products and waste, (IATF) suspended the implemenquarantine, screening, stamping out, tation of its Resolution No. 150surveillance and within the A (s.2021), outside effectively imposing containment and orfor theallprotection stricter protocols inbound zone as well as zoning. travelers. The Philippines noted that it150will To note, IATF Resolution still apply wild control measures such A had allowed fully vaccinated as surveillance within outside non-visa travelers fromand Green List the containment and or the areas to enter the countryprotecwithtion out zones. the need for facility-based

quarantine as long as they secure Four outbreaks negative Reverse Transcription-

The Philippines’s report showed that Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTthe four outbreaks were recorded in PCR) test within 72 hours prior one backyard quail farm in Mexico, to their departure. Pampanga, two commercial quail “Except for countries classified farms in Candaba, Pampanga, and as ‘Red,’ the testing and quarantine one commercial duck farm in Baliprotocols for all inbound internauag, Bulacan.

tional travelers in all ports of entry See “Avian,” A2 shall comply with the testing and quarantine protocols for ‘Yellow’ list countries,” Nograles said, citing the provision of IATF Resolution No. 151-A. He noted Hong Kong, which has confirmed a case of the Omicron variant, will also fall under the Yellow list countries. The suspension of the rules for “Green List” countries will be in effect from November 28, 2021 to December 15, 2021. Continued on A2

36.2807 n EU 56.5758 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.4531

n JAPAN 0.4462 n UK 69.7563 n HK 6.5789 n CHINA 8.1120 n SINGAPORE 38.1205 n AUSTRALIA 36.7767 n EU 58.1028 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.6757

Source: BSP (November 26, 2021)

Source: BSP (February 21, 2022)

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Tuesday, February 22, 2022

PHL’s exports of ‘strategic goods’ rise to $4.5B in ’21

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad

HE Philippines sold more strategic goods—or products deemed to have military importance—last year to foreign markets, most of which were shipped to the United States.

In a news statement on Monday, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that revenues from strategic goods exports rose significantly to $4.5 billion last year from just $3.6 million in 2020, according to reports submitted by the exporters to the department’s Strategic Trade Management Office (STMO). About 98 percent of the exports were information security systems, equipment and components. The rest was accounted for by semiconductors and integrated circuits. Bulk or 60 percent of the strategic goods were sold to the US, followed by Japan (21 percent), Singapore (5 percent), South Korea (4 percent) and China (3 percent). “We are pleased that through

the efforts of DTI and its partner agencies in the National Security Council-Strategic Trade Management Committee (NSC-STMCom), we have been able to leverage our strategic trade regulatory regime in order to convince more manufacturers to engage in strategic goods export,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said. This, he said, is “in line with the Strategic Trade Management Act’s (STMA) mandate of promoting economic growth by facilitating trade and investment in strategic goods while also meeting the country’s international obligations to implement effective measures aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.”

Tr ade Undersec ret a r y Ce ferino Rodolfo agreed that the growth in strategic goods exports owed to increased confidence in the country as “a safe and secure investment location for strategic goods manufacture and crossborder trade.” “We value the confidence that investors have placed upon us because this will pave the way for the full economic recovery of the country,” he added.

To 49th from 86th

THE 2021/2022 Peddling Peril Index (PPI) report showed that the Philippines jumped to 49th rank from 86th place previously after scoring 482 points. This made the country the most improved nation in the implementation of strategic trade control. The PPI report rates 200 countries based on their strategic trade control adoption and implementation. Among the five super criteria under the PPI, the Philippines saw the biggest improvement in ability to prevent proliferation financing. Score for this pillar rose to 113 from 29. “We worked closely with exporters to ensure their compliance with regard to existing policies such as the STMA. This initiative facilitated the export of strategic goods

which resulted to additional revenues for the exporters,” DTI-STMO Director Luis M. Catibayan. The DTI reported that the intangible transfers of technology, a subset of strategic goods, yielded $650,000 worth of new investments last year, including nuclear energy contracts won by business process outsourcing companies. The DTI-STMO has issued 13 export authorizations and registered 46 companies that seek to engage in or currently involved in crossborder trade of strategic goods. In a statement last month, Lopez said the DTI is ready to enforce the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), an international pact that seeks to prevent illicit conventional arms trade, following its recent Senate concurrence. “The Philippines has once again demonstrated its commitment to effectively regulate the transfer of conventional weapons, ammunitions/munitions, and their parts and components thereby enhancing the country’s international credibility in the cross-border trade of such items,” he said. Lopez noted that the Philippines became the first Asean member state to ratify the multilateral treaty, which came into force in 2014. The country signed the pact in 2013.

Avian...

Continued from A1 About 14,290 quails were susceptible to HPAI A(H5N1) in the identified backyard quail farm in Brgy. San Antonio, Mexico, Pampanga with 4,522 quails dying of the disease while 9,768 were culled by the government. The Philippine report showed that 47,000 quails were susceptible to the disease in a farm in Brgy. Dalayap, Candaba, Pampanga while another 10,040 quails were susceptible in a commercial farm in Brgy. Mangga, Candaba, Pampanga. Of the total quail population in the two outbreaks in Candaba, Pampanga, about 37,723 quails died due to the disease while the remaining 19,317 alive quails were culled to contain the spread of bird flu. The lone outbreak in a commercial duck farm in Brgy. Barangka, Baliuag, Bulacan had a total susceptible duck population of 6,950 with all of them being culled to contain the outbreak. This is the first official record of the HPAI A(H5N1) outbreak in the Philippines. The previous strains of bird flu outbreaks confirmed by the government, such as those in 2017 and 2020, were HPAI A(H5N6).

Meat...

Continued from A12

Latest price monitoring reports by the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed that frozen pork kasim/pigue in Metro Manila ranges from P210 per kilogram to P240 per kilogram while its fresh counterpart sells from a low of P300 per kilogram to a high of P380 per kilogram. Frozen pork liempo in Metro Manila wet markets sells from P240 per kilogram to P280 per kilogram, while fresh pork liempo ranges from P330 per kilogram to P400 per kilogram, according to DA reports. Last year, Dominguez disclosed he favors extending the validity of the government’s 200,000 metric ton (MT) minimum access volume plus (MAV+) program for pork until the end of 2022. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/12/13/doffavors-extending-validity-ofpork-mav/)

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De-link...

Continued from A1

Over 6,000 product lines

THE Philippines was granted the Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) perks in 2014, providing zero duties on 6,274 products or 66 percent of all EU tariff lines. Among the local products where tariffs are eliminated upon entering the EU are tuna, pineapple, bicycles, textiles and garments and footwear. According to its recent resolution, the European Parliament earlier asked “to set clear, public, time-bound benchmarks for the Philippines to comply with its human rights obligations” under the GSP+. For his part, Bon Liong noted, meanwhile, “As we need to export to them, they also need our products also. It is a two-way affair.” Nonetheless, Lim Bon Liong said that should GSP+ be removed, local exporters can offset the potential losses with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). As such, he called for the ratification of the trade deal so the Philippines can benefit from it already. RCEP, which entered into force last month, is a free trade agreement among Asean countries and their trading partners including Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. This represents 30 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) or $26.2 trillion.

Lopez backed

BOTH business leaders also backed Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez’s statement on the matter. “I believe he [Lopez] eloquently answered the question. There is no reason to take that trade privilege away from our country when they’re still talking about the same issue,” Barcelon said. Lopez earlier said the Philippines w i l l l i kely reta in its market access and trade incentives with the economic bloc. He stressed that the countr y has a dialogue mechanism with the EU to address issues and

GDP...

concerns that can impact their trading partnership. In addition, the country is compliant with the 27 international core conventions on human rights, labor, environment and good governance, the trade chief said. As for Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria A. Concepcion, he sees the upcoming elections providing a clean slate between the country and the economic bloc. “I believe as we elect new leaders, there will be a reset in relationships. I’m optimistic that the issue can be resolved with this election coming in,” he explained.

Economic aspect

CONCEPCION, Barcelon and Lim Bon Liong are optimistic that the country’s next top leader will prioritize the economy in the road to recovery from the pandemic. “I think it is very clear that all of them agree that the economy is vital to their presidency. They will be open to ideas,” the Go Negosyo founder said. Concepcion added that many of the candidates are also leaning towards the reopening of the economy. “We do believe that whoever wins knows what is good for the nation. We can see that...they are pretty grounded on what is needed in our country’s economy,” Barcelon added. Meanwhile, all of them pushed for further easing of the mobility restrictions, calling for a transition to the more relaxed Alert Level 1 by March. Lim Bon Liong, however, stressed the need to be “cautious enough to contain the virus” still. “We are in favor of lowering ...the alert level but cognizant of the fact that Covid is still around,” Barcelon said, stressing the need to put in place health protocols to avoid a surge in cases. The PCCI official also asked the government to ensure the availability of transportation for the public to allow more mobility.

Continued from A1

The biggest risk for the Philippines, however, Reside said, is protracted, uneven and slow economic growth. In order to address this, he said, the country needs to grow the economy more consistently. While the country can still afford to borrow to finance “productive expenditures,” Reside cited the need to monitor interest rates that could further increase the cost of borrowing for the Philippines. “My research suggests that a feasible fiscal stimulus that will support a broad-based, sustainable economic recovery, that would take the country reasonably close to potential—full employment —output would be in the order of around a maximum of 2 to 3 percent of GDP per annum spread over at least the next six or more years,” Reside said.

Risks, recommendations

TO raise additional revenues, Reside said the next administration should continue tax reform measures. Those under the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA), for instance. would be crucial in the next six years. The PIFITA, he said, would help simplify the taxation of passive income, financial services, and transactions. It will also harmonize the tax rates on interest, dividends, and capital gains, and the business taxes imposed on financial intermediaries. Reside also recommended real property valuation reform which seeks to adopt internationally accepted standards, rationalize the process of valuation, and help create a single valuation base for taxation. The next administration, he

said at the open forum, “should focus on public investments in the most productive sectors that I would think, given what we went through, these would be infrastructure, education, and the health sector. I think those are the things that we need to focus on at the moment. Apart from these, UPSE Associate Professor Cielo Magno said the next administration should strengthen institutions and efforts to implement a comprehensive social protection program. The national government is now finalizing the social protection floor (SPF) and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) is doing the analysis of the impact of the implementation of such a measure. Neda Undersecretary for Planning and Policy Rosemarie G. Edillon said the thrust of the SPF will be within a “comprehensive framework of social protection [that is] encompassing preventive, promotive, protective and transformative.” Meanwhile, UPSE Assistant Professor Adrian Mendoza said apart from strengthening institutions, the next regime must beef up support for Science and Technology as well as innovation to boost the manufacturing industry. Other guests at the webinar, including Trade Undersecretary R afaelita A ldaba agreed with Mendoza and said efforts to push forward the country’s inclusive innovation strategy. Aldaba said efforts to innovate are vital to help diversify exports and bolster the domestic market base, as well as to modernize agriculture and move more workers to the formal from the informal sector.

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Green groups bat for ‘strong’ treaty against plastic pollution By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

S governments from over 190 countries meet next week to tackle plastic pollution and other ecological-related problems, environmental groups advocating for a zero waste and toxics-free society on Monday pitched the call for a “strong” treaty that will address what it describes as a “planetary plastic pollution crisis.” The EcoWaste Coalition, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), and Mother Earth Foundation (MEF) expressed high expectations for a strong plastics treaty when governments meet online and in Nairobi, Kenya for the resumption of session of the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2). The meeting will decide whether countries should start negotiating for a global agreement on plastic pollution and the mandate of the international negotiating committee (INC) to be established, if ever, for this purpose. “All eyes will be on UNEA-5.2 to see how governments, including our own, will come to an agreement on a robust negotiation mandate that will speed up not decelerate the required global action to stem the tide of toxic plastic pollution,” Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition said in a statement. Lucero insisted that a strong treaty should focus on the full plastic lifecycle and not be restricted to plastic waste or marine litter, ban toxic chemical additives in plastic and end the recycling of such hazardous substances in plastic, prohibit polluting waste treatment or disposal methods, including waste-to-energy incineration, promote compulsory not voluntary or corporate-led interventions, hold plastic manufacturers and chemical producers financially responsible, and provide financial resources for implementation and monitoring. As proposed in the draft resolution submitted by the governments of Peru and Rwanda and co-sponsored by several memberstates, including the Philippines, the

mandate of “the INC is to develop an international legally binding agreement based on a comprehensive approach to prevent and reduce plastic pollution in the environment, including microplastics, by promoting a circular economy and addressing the full lifecycle of plastics from production, consumption, and design to waste prevention, management, and treatment.” “We appreciate the co-sponsorship by the Philippine government of the Peru-Rwanda draft resolution, and we expect our country’s active participation in the deliberations,” Atty. Mark Peñalver, Executive Director, IDIS, said. “A strong treaty will help in curbing the toxic threats in each stage of the plastic lifecycle to public health and the environment, including biodiversity and the climate,” he added. For her part, Sonia Mendoza, chairman of MEF said the strong treaty should also aim to cut down on plastic manufacturing, “knowing that the unrestrained growth in plastic production translates to an upsurge in the use of fossil fuels and toxic chemical additives.” “A globally agreed reduction target on plastic production is also essential in promoting eco-friendly alternative delivery models such as reuse and refill systems, biodegradable packaging, etc. toward a truly circular and Zero Waste society,” Mendoza added. Meanwhile, the groups urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), other national government agencies, and local government units (LGUs) to carry out policies and regulations that will prevent and reduce plastic pollution at the source. Specifically, the group highlighted the need for Congress to pass comprehensive legislation banning singleuse plastics and imposing Extended Producer Responsibility, and for the National Solid Waste Management Commission to issue the long-overdue list of non-environmentally acceptable product and packaging materials for prohibition and phase-out in line with Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

PHL Embassy in Poland deploys consular team to Lviv, Ukraine

HE Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, has dispatched a consular team to Lviv, Ukraine, to enable faster coordination with the Filipino community and relevant authorities in the country. The move is also to guarantee immediate assistance to Filipino nationals. The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw exercises jurisdiction over Ukraine. Lviv is a city located in the western part of Ukraine, close to the Polish border. Two personnel from the Embassy, composed of a Consul and an Assistance to Nationals Officer, in coordination with the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kyiv, arrived in Lviv last Thursday. The Embassy team immediately established an emergency contact base. The two were also directed to monitor the situation in Ukraine as well as connect with the Filipinos in

the country who have registered with the Embassy. On the first day of the mission, the Embassy team sent off two Filipino nationals on their repatriation flight from Lviv to Manila. It also met with two groups of kababayans who temporarily relocated to the Lviv area from Kyiv as precautionary measure. Another group of Filipino nationals temporarily relocated to the Ivano-Frankivsk area from Kyiv was also met by the Embassy team. The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw keeps close coordination with the DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs and the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kyiv in arranging the repatriation of Filipinos who have chosen to avail of the Philippine government’s voluntary repatriation program from Ukraine.

One dead, 2 hurt as PNP chopper crashes in Quezon By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

N H125 Airbus helicopter of the Philippine National Police (PNP) crashed on Monday in Real, Quezon, killing one of its three crew members. A news statement issued by the PNP through its Public Affairs Office chief, Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Balba, said the chopper, with registry number RP-9710, went missing for two hours after it took off at the Manila Domestic Airport in Pasay City at around 6:17 a.m. The aircraft was manned by three policemen identified as Lt. Col. Dexter Vitug, pilot; Lt. Col. Michael Melloria, co-pilot; and crew member Pat. Allen Noel Ona. Balba said the helicopter was en route to Northern Quezon on an administrative mission. At around 8:05 a.m., rescue teams from the PNP, Bureau of Fire Protection and local government units reached the crash site at Barangay Pandan, Real, Quezon and evacuated the three personnel. Balba said Vitug, Melloria and Ona were taken to a private hospital in Infanta, Quezon, where they are undergoing treatment. At around 2

IBP slams slaying of Batangas lawyer

HE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has denounced the February 17 slaying of Batangas lawyer Reginald Michael Manito and called on law enforcement agencies to immediately find the perpetrators of the crime. In a news statement issued on Monday, the lawyers group said Manito became one of the 70 lawyers, prosecutors and judges who were killed under the Duterte administration. Manito, who was running for a seat in the city council, was shot dead inside his office in Sto. Tomas City, Batangas by still unidentified gunmen last Thursday. The IBP noted that Manito was handling several cases for free under the IBP Batangas Chapter prior to his death. “It is not wrong to defend the rights of the people, particularly the victims who have no means to hire the services of a counsel…It is disheartening to see that instead of giving him praises and appreciation, what he got was two bullets in the head,” the IBP said. The IBP is asking the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to immediately determine the motive behind his killing and bring those responsible to justice. Earlier, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has also launched its own probe into Manito’s killing. The CHR also urged the government “to ensure greater protection of lawyers and all agents of law to enable them to do their duty without fear of retaliation.” Joel R. San Juan

17 cops in ‘Bloody Sunday’ ops face prelim probe

HE Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to start today, Tuesday, the preliminary investigation against 17 policemen who were earlier charged with murder in connection with the killing of activists couple Ariel Evangelista and Ana Mariz Lemita-Evangelista during the so-called “Bloody Sunday” operations on March 7 last year. The 17 police were summoned to appear at 2 p.m. today before a panel of investigating prosecutors tasked

to determine the existence of probable cause to warrant the filing of murder charges against the policemen before the trial court. The panel is composed of Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Marmarie P. Satin-Vivas, Prosecution Attorney Hegel Jasper Balderama and Assistant State Prosecutor Glacy Tabirara. Likewise, the panel required the policemen to appear for the continuation of the preliminary investigation on March 1.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Tuesday, February 22, 2022 A3

The policemen who are set to appear in today’s preliminary investigation are Lt. Col. Joseph Nandu Jr., Lt. Arjay Santos, M/Sgt. Rafael Roque, M/Sgt. Mark Tolentino, S/Sgt. Elvern Cacatian, S/Sgt. Rodel Sillacay, S/Sgt. Edgar Brinas, Cpl. Aldrin Gabrillo, Cpl. Allen Lugue, and Patrolmen Julio Bautista, Ray Boom Boom Dalingay, Grizzly Paras, Rogelio Ninolla, Ruel Tenoso, Rich John Melniel Tumacder, Renzo Santos and Mark Lester Padul. Joel R. San Juan

PHOTO shows the wreckage of the Philippine National Police H125 Airbus helicopter that crashed in Real, Quezon, on Monday morning, leaving a policeman dead and two others injured. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIG. GEN. RODERICK AUGUSTUS BALBA, PNP-PIO

p.m., he said he had been informed that Ona had died. Balba said reports reaching the PNP Command Center indicated that the crash site was approximately 30 kilometers from the town proper of Real.

“The PNP National Headquarters has grounded the entire fleet of H125 Airbus Police helicopters while an investigation is under way in coordination with CAAP [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines], DOTr [Department of Transportation] and

other concerned agencies,” he said. There were reports quoting the CAAP that the aircraft was on its way to Balesin to pick up PNP chief General Dionardo Carlos, but Balba and the PNP leadership has yet to confirm it.

A4 Tuesday, February 22, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

Amid fuel price hikes, solon hits DOE’s ‘dilly-dallying’ in implementing SPR plan By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

@joveemarie

OLLOWING the 7th upward adjustment this year alone in the local pump prices of gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products, a senior lawmaker on Monday lashed out at the Department of Energy (DOE) for acting at a “seemingly snail’s pace” on its long-planned national strategic petroleum reserve (SPR). Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, in a news statement, said SPR is needed to ensure an adequate inventory of fuel in the domestic market. “It’s rather disgusting that years after the SPR has been considered by the government as an option, the best that energy officials can say at this time of skyrocketing fuel prices is that they are set to study it,” said Villafuerte. Pump prices of petroleum products have risen by about P8 to 10 per liter since last year. In 2022 alone, seven consecutive weeks of price spikes since January have driven up the retail cost of fuel to about P64 per liter of regular gasoline and P54 for a liter of diesel. According to Villafuerte, fuel prices are expected to go up this week for the 8th consecutive time in 2022 as the international benchmark

Brent crude rose to $93 per barrel last week and Dubai crude—the reference for pricing in Asian markets—settled at $91. Citing reports, he said the retail cost of gasoline might increase by another 95 centavos to P1.05 per liter this week, and that of diesel by 55 to 65 centavos a liter. Villafuerte vented his frustration as Rodela Romero, director of the DOE Oil Industry Management Bureau, told a “Laging Handa” public briefing at the Palace last week that her office had proposed the crafting of a law that will grant DOE the power to put up an SPR, either for commercial or for strategic reasons to address supply disruptions. She was quoted in the media as saying that the DOE seeks to find out in a proposed study the project cost to establish the SPR, along with its ideal capacity, withdrawal schedule and priority sectors to be served. According to Romero, the DOE is reviewing a new term of reference (TOR) for a rebidding for the procurement of a consultancy service that will conduct the study. “The DOE is not even doing the study yet; it is still at the stage of preparing to conduct such a study,” Villafuerte said. “So when do

we expect the SPR to be up and running when the DOE is merely posed to conduct a study at this point?” “There is no sense of urgency here,” he said. “The DOE must do a lot more—and do it much faster—than just to plan a study on the SPR. Had this department accelerated its plan to establish an oil reserve, we probably wouldn’t be having the kind of supply and pricing problems now that [we] have jacked up fuel prices seven times in less than two months,” Villafuerte said. Last June, Villafuerte reiterated his call for the establishment of the SPR after observing that the vaccine-driven economic recovery in the United States (US) and Europe had started to ease travel restrictions and an increase in demand anew for fuel. Under Executive Order (EO) No. 134, Series of 2022 and DOE Circular 2003-01001, oil companies and bulk suppliers are required to maintain a sufficient minimum inventory of petroleum. Villafuerte noted that even the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) had warned that an oil price spiral could lead to higher inflation, given that the country remains a net food and oil importer.

DAR launches ‘Buhay sa Gulay’ project in Zamboanga del Norte

O help alleviate poverty in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) recently launched the urban vegetable gardening program “Buhay sa Gulay.” The project is implemented under the agency’s Farm Business School, a program for farmers to effectively manage their farm produce and optimize their profitability, said DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) II Rizzel Villanueva. Initially, the Sipaon Agrarian Reform Farm-

ers Association (SARFA) received starter kits from DAR. The group was chosen to receive the aid to jumpstart the project in the area, Villanueva said. The starter kits include an electric water pump, two knapsack sprayers, two bluewater barrels, two garden hoses, four plastic sprinklers, and six bolos. Varieties of vegetable seeds were also supplied to them. “We hope that by launching this project, the SARFA, which is located in Sipaon, Rizal, will expand into Sipaon Agrarian Reform Farmers

Cooperative [SARFCO] in the near future, as almost all big businesses begin as a small group,” Villanueva said. PARPO I Alfonso Tan challenged the SARFA members to put into practice what they have learned from Farm Business School for their crops and farms to flourish. The activity was attended by Mayor Fiona Marie Manigsaca, Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Angela Patac, SARFA President Lope Culanag, and DAR and SARFA officials. Jonathan L. Mayuga

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Anti-trust: Are we failing to protect consumers?

By Henry J. Schumacher

HAT can we do better in 2022? This question applies to us as individuals as much as it applies to companies and regulators. Being familiar with the challenges of digitalization, automation and limits in data protection, what changes are needed to address the demanding challenges in society confronting us. Nothing will improve by itself, on the contrary. The number of countries with liberal democracies has been going down for years and the number of autocracies—in contrast—moves up continuously. We still have not reached the equal participation of all society groups in developing political, economic, and social changes in countries; on the contrary, social inequality grows with the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer and the middle class getting smaller. To shape a fairer and more just world, it is essential that competition regulators are charting a new course. Even if they can’t find Big Tech guilty of “harming” consumers, Big Tech needs to be regulated for abusing their positions as middlemen and controlling the markets they operate in. But Big Tech is so large that normal consequences don’t make much of a dent in their bottom line. Looks like competition regulators may have no choice but to try to break up companies…or accept the status quo.

Rise of the monopsonists

REGULATORS need to target “monop-

sonies”—companies that control most of the market and can cheat sellers (as opposed to consumers). Big Tech companies like Meta and Google offer many of their services for free to consumers, but they require rich fees or permissions from outside brands that are trying to use their platforms for prominent listing or to host ads. Apple and Google act as middlemen between brands and consumers through their respective marketplaces, which many developers call economically unfair. Amazon acts as a “gatekeeper” for much of online retail while controlling 40 percent of the entire US commerce market. The pressure point with each of these companies (and others that represent Big Tech) is that they do all of this while also promoting their own goods and services, which are sometimes in competition with the companies they’re exerting market power on. No one company should have all that power. The issue is also, “How do you actually curb these companies’ power?” Fines barely make a dent (though they keep coming), and stopping further M&A (mergers and acquistions) seems to be difficult; Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft made a collective 616 companies acquisitions in the past 10 years! Regulators in Europe, the US and other regions are realizing that large tech companies have become very powerful and collected huge amounts of data, while rules on their behavior lag. Legislation could be quite a significant game changer for the way digital platforms are regulated. Regulators’ growing interest in digital platforms is likely accelerated by regular reports of new high-profile data breach scandals. It will be essential that the private sector in the Philippines works closely with the National Privacy Commission to safeguard fair competition, and the Philippine Competition Commission to safeguard privacy factors associated with data. I hope we don’t come to this conclusion: antitrust regulation of Big Tech is a decade too late. Feedback would be most welcome; contact me at hjschumacher59@gmail.com

DOTr and DBM pressed to hasten release of transport sector subsidy By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

EN. Nancy Binay on Monday pressed the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to hasten the release of awaited fuel subsidy for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers reeling from continuing spikes in gasoline prices. Also at the Senate, Sen. Imee Marcos prodded concerned Duterte administration officials to come up with “a longer-term solution” to rising crude oil prices that render inadequate fuel subsidies for PUV drivers, farmers, and fisherfolk. In a news statement, Marcos aired concerns that “world events could push up fuel prices beyond what we have seen in the past seven weeks.” “How long will fuel subsidies last?” Marcos asked, noting that from mid-November, the three-month average price of Dubai crude has reached $79.83 per barrel, just 17 cents short of the $80 level. She expects that this will “trigger the release of fuel subsidies” to PUV and delivery drivers under the Pantawid Pasada Program in the 2022 national budget. Taking up the cudgels for the affected public transport operators, Binay nudged the DOTr and DBM officials concerned to ensure the awaited subsidy quickly reach the intended beneficiaries. In a news statement, Binay badgered officials of the two departments to ensure quick delivery of the fuel subsidy to intended sectors, including drivers of public jeepneys and buses, tricycle, taxi and full time ride-hailing delivery service. The senator specified the P2.5 billion allocated in this year’s national budget as fuel subsidy for the public transport sector.

Binay’s initiative was prompted by the statement of Budget Undersecretary Tina Rosemarie Canda that there was basis to grant the government fuel subsidy in the wake of the recent increase in average prices of Dubai crude oil. Canda, however, clarified the subsidy fund could not yet be released due to incomplete documentation sent by DOTr. Still, the senator pressed for the timely fund release to intended recipients if only one document is awaited to enable government to grant the aid in time of need. Binay appealed to the DOTr to complete the required documents in order to get the program under way. She voiced hopes that the two agencies concerned can make the adjustments as soon as possible, noting that PUV drivers continue to bear the burden of unabated increase in petroleum, eventually passed on to commuters, as well as consumers. Marcos, for her part, affirmed that farmers and fisherfolk are likewise “entitled to P500 million in fuel subsidies” from the Department of Agriculture. The senator noted that “business activity is projected to return to pre-pandemic levels later this year, but global oil supply may not be able to meet higher fuel demand.” Marcos expects that “oil-exporting countries would want to recoup the losses they incurred during the pandemic before increasing their oil output at a faster rate.” At the same time, the senator added the looming “threat of a war between Russia and Ukraine.” Marcos, however, expects that any Western sanctions on Russia’s oil exports will reduce world supply and push up the price of oil from the Middle East, “which is our main source of oil imports.”

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Lacson-Sotto tandem presents solution to stabilize food supply

HE tandem of Sens. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III vowed anew that their administration will buy half of the total produce of Filipino farmers nationwide to stabilize food prices if they will be elected as president and vice president in the May elections. The two candidates renewed their commitment of purchasing 50 percent of the country’s total agricultural output during a dialogue with farmers in Nueva Ecija recently. Sotto explained that it was his proposal that the government buys annually half of the total produce of Filipino farmers at a “fair price” to ensure that they get the correct profit while being able to stabilize food prices nationwide. Sotto added that his proposal was “acceptable” to Lacson and would also be subjected to tweaks or changes by formerAgricultureSecretaryandsenatorial candidate Emmanuel F. Piñol. Piñol is part of the senatorial slate of Lacson and Sotto in the May elections. “Since a lot of money is wasted by the government, my proposal to help the farmers is that the government will buy 50 percent of the output of all farmers nationwide. At present, the government is only buying 2 percent, it is not even 5 percent,” Sotto said. “If the government buys 50 percent of the total farm output, it will be able to stabilize the prices. The farm-gate prices would be fair to the farmers. It all boils down to

money,” Sotto added. Sotto added that the farmers will be liberated from the traders if the government will be the one directly buying and selling their produce. “The price of rice, vegetables and other commodities will be stabilized because there will be a government price that farmers can rely on and it is easy to market their produce through that way,” he said. Piñol threw his support behind Sotto’s proposal, pointing out that buying farmers’ produce does not mean the government will lose money just to support Filipino farmers. Piñol explained that the government may set up government-owned regional food consolidation centers where the produce bought by the government from the farmers will be sold directly to the consumers. “We can set up regional food consolidation centers, operate it as a corporation—government-owned corporation—so that we can reposition food and commodities in other parts of the country. Like say for example, squash,” he said. “The price of squash in Mindanao is P3 per kilogram but is being sold at P25 per kilogram once it reaches Iloilo. So, the farmers lose as well as the consumers in Iloilo. What if we set up a regional food consolidation center operated by the government that will buy that ‘kalabasa’ at a fair price, distribute it in Iloilo at a fair price then there will be food stability,” he added. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

UP stats experts cite ‘pervasive abuse’ of survey methodologies

By Cai U. Ordinario

@reneacostaBM

OUR former senators and 12 retired senior government officials endorsed on Monday the presidential bid of Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo. The former government officials issued a statement urging Filipinos to vote for Robredo, who, survey, show, is lagging behind presidential frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., as the country’s next elected leader. “We strongly believe that VP Leni is the most qualified and trustworthy presidential candidate who has the political will to rebuild our sordid

past, engender hope and inspiration among our people regardless of social standing, and bring about change that has long eluded us,” the statement read. Among the signatories were former Senator and retired AFP Chief of Staff Rodolfo Biazon, former Senators Ramon Magsaysay Jr., Sergio Osmeña III and Wigberto “Bobby” Tañada. Former senior lawmakers, former Cabinet secretaries and heads of government agencies and governmentowned and -controlled corporations also signed the statement. Robredo’s latest endorsers cited her character and said the country needs a leader “who puts great pre-

UPSTAT faculty members called out individuals such as vloggers and organizations, including media companies, who conduct surveys with unclear methodologies. The faculty expressed their dismay with the “cavalier disregard for the principles of data gathering” by those undertaking kalye surveys and “suspicious online surveys.” These include PR companies, private individuals, and media organizations. “Data collection processes may also generate bias, such as when an interviewer purposely affects the answers of the respondents. Biased methodologies will only give biased results,” the faculty members said in a news statement. “Thus, we call on

mium on transparency, accountability, and collaboration.” The former senators and government officials recalled her “timely, efficient, and innovative implementation” of her own pandemic response plan that included the Vaccine Express, free testing Swab Cab service and the Bayanihan E-Konsulta telemedicine platform. Robredo’s campaign team said the endorsement was the latest expression of support to her candidacy, noting that during the previous weeks, the media has reported endorsements from 600 Catholic bishops, priests, deacons and nuns; and more than 100 artists and 137 economists.

Mayor Isko gets virtual endorsement from BARMM chief minister Ebrahim

ANGSAMORO Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al-hajj Murad” Ebrahim virtually endorsed Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer Isko Moreno Domagoso when he greeted him as “our incoming president” during Moreno’s courtesy call to members of the BARRM government on Monday. “Pagbati kay Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, our incoming president, welcome sa Bangsamoro government,” Murad said to Moreno. As such, Ebrahim, who is also chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said he is looking forward to working with Moreno as BARRM faces the challenging task of sustaining the momentum of the process towards lasting peace in Mindanao.

Ebrahim stressed the need to continue the programs and reforms uplifting the plight of the Bangsamoro people, especially during the extended transition period, to honor the sacrifices and services of the Bangsamoro people who went through so much pain and suffering in their struggle for justice. Last October 28, President Duterte enacted Republic Act 11593, which reset the first election in the BARMM to May 2025, effectively extending the Bangsamoro transition period from June 30, 2022 to June 30, 2025, when the first set of elected officials shall have taken their oaths of office. “It is a challenging task because we ourselves are transforming from a revolutionary government bureaucracy,” Ebrahim pointed out as the

MILF is also transitioning from an armed group to a social movement. Besides the many challenges of operating a ministerial parliamentary government under a presidential unitary system, he said a more challenging task ahead is the period of “Normalization.” “But as you can see, marami pang kulang, kasi itong transition is not only for the government, but also there is another track which is more challenging, which is the normalization track,” Ebrahim pointed out. Under the “normalization period,” MILF combatants will be decommissioned along with their weapons as major milestones of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) are achieved. Recognized MILF camps will also be transformed into productive economic zones.

KMP to presidential aspirants: Pursue ‘genuine’ land reform

ARMERS’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Monday urged presidential candidates to prioritize the demand of Filipino land tillers for genuine land reform and lasting peace. This developed as nearly a hun-

dred farmers from Hacienda Murcia in Tarlac trooped to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Central Office in Quezon City to seek the agency’s urgent intervention and action on a disputed 132-hectare agricultural land. “Presidential aspirants must pres-

@caiordinario

NLINE and so-called “kalye” surveys, particularly those broadcasted on social media platforms, may be biased and should prompt the public to be critical of the results, according to the University of the Philippines School of Statistics (UPSTAT).

Ex-senators, former govt execs throw support behind Robredo’s Palace bid By Rene Acosta

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 A5

ent and make public their categorical stance on land reform and free land distribution,” according to KMP Chairman Danilo Ramos. “A genuine agrarian reform program is the first step to achieving a just and lasting peace in the country,” he said. Jonathan L. Mayuga

the public to be critical of surveys in this respect. Do not immediately accept survey results as they are.” UPSTAT faculty members said surveys are conducted and reveal facts, beliefs, sentiments and opinions based on the representation of a population. However, in order to generate results that are above board, the methodology should not be biased. Part of ensuring the absence of bias is in sample selection, which could only favor a segment of the population. UPSTAT pointed out there is more to survey credibility than the margin of error. The public needs to consider how the sample population was chosen and which sectors of the

population have been selected to participate in the survey. Other indicators of proper survey implementation control are the events surrounding the period of data gathering; neutrality or professionalism in the tone of the interview done by enumerators; and other control mechanisms that ensure the accuracy of protocols in data collection. “We, the faculty members of the University of the Philippines School of Statistics, speak and lend our collective voice to call out the pervasive abuse of survey methodologies by some entities doing their own brand of research, and promoting them in social media,” UPSTAT faculty members said. “We are dismayed by their cavalier disregard for the principles of data gathering. We also witness PR companies, private individuals, and even some media organizations publishing results of surveys with unclear methodologies,” they added. However, UPSTAT faculty members expressed their appreciation to reputable organizations that maintain and uphold the highest standards in conducting survey research. They called on these organizations to help in promoting critical understanding of survey results in the Philippines. The faculty mem-

bers also said they hope that surveys will be used for “illumination and sound decision-making.” Last year, in his presentation at the 20th Jaime V. Ongpin Annual Memorial Lecture on Public Service in Business and Government, Philippine Institute for Development Studies Senior Research Fellow Jose Ramon G. Albert said online and kalye surveys are not always statistically reliable. Albert added methodology, which involves stopping people on the street and getting their opinions, will not lead to a representative result, or a reflection of the entire exercise. Relying even on Google Trends, Albert said, may also yield unreliable results. He said results on Google Trends would significantly be affected by the words used in these posts, which may skew results on who is leading Google Trends. He noted that trolls might also inflate data on these big data sources “who are employed by all sides of the political spectrum.” The employment of the trolls, he said however, would depend on the size of the election “war chest” of a candidate. Albert said it is important for firms and other institutions to be transparent with their methods, including the identity of the financier of the survey.

BusinessMirror

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ACCENTURE, INC. 7f, Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1, Pioneer St, City Of Mandaluyong

SURIYARAMANATHAN, ANAND Service Delivery Ops Lead Sr. Manager

Brief Job Description: Assign all work assignments, commit the team to the work, manage the quality of the work and drive the people management activities, automation, innovations, and digitization within the team. Build strong client business relationships. Ensure execution of delivery work across one or more clients or portfolios, leading service delivery strategy across all locations where the services are provided. Support sales opportunities and ensure the feasibility of the proposed solutions and delivery of the solution by leveraging accenture’s full capabilities.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Skill name – expected proficiency level; acceture delivery methods (adm) p2 – proficient. Accenture delivery tools p2 – proficient. Account management p1 – novice. Client relationship development p3 – advanced. Contract compliance execution p2 – proficient. Contract management p1 – novice. Cost management p3 – advanced. Cost to serve management p1 – novice. Demand management p3 – advanced. Offering acument p2 – proficient. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ARBEIT INFOTECH INC. Level 10-1 One Global Place 5th Avenue, 25th Street, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: DINESH KUMAR Strong project management Project Manager - Consultant skills with quality control and vendor management 2. Brief Job Description: experience. The role is to support the consulting engagement that will deliver the definition of the target organization. Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 ARMORED TRANSPORT PLUS, INCORPORATED #251 Unit 401, Edsa, Wack-wack Greenhills, City Of Mandaluyong HATIM OSMAN HUSSEIN ELTOUM Director Of Operations Basic Qualification: - Master’s degree in the Brief Job Description: related field; • Establish resourcing standards and levels for all operational - relevant number of activities 3. experience in managing cash • manage operational policies procedures, processes and in transit business standards, quality & continuous improvement standards & culture • assist in strategic directions for major industrial Salary Range: conflict and negotiations • identify and maintain all Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 operational structures to best meet organisational requirements BAUER FOUNDATIONS PHILIPPINES, INC. Unit A To K 12/f Cyberone Bldg., 11 Eastwood Ave., Eastwood City Cyberpark, Bagumbayan, Quezon City SHARMA, HARISH Basic Qualification: Deputy Project Manager with civil engineering background 4. Brief Job Description: Manage project site within the contract requirements/ Salary Range: company policies Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 BIGCAT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS, INC. 18/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Avenue Cor. Rufino Street, Salcedo Vill., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: ASTRI SILVIA SOEMARIYO Degree holder; must fluently Bahasa Indonesian Language-Officer Customer Service speak and write Vietnamese 5. language to cater foreign market Brief Job Description: Initiate conversation to uncover customer’s needs; promote Salary Range: business & product Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must CINDY LAURENSIA fluently speak and write Bahasa Indonesian Language-Officer Customer Service any of Vietnamese, Bahasa 6. Indonesian, Thai, to cater Brief Job Description: foreign market Initiate conversation to uncover customer need, promote business and product Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must SANDY fluently speak and write Bahasa Indonesian Language-Officer Customer Service any of Vietnamese, Bahasa 7. Indonesian, Thai, to cater Brief Job Description: foreign market Initiate conversation to uncover customer need, promote business and product Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must SUSAN MARIA SETIADI fluently speak and write Bahasa Indonesian Language-Officer Customer Service any of Vietnamese, Bahasa 8. Indonesian, Thai, to cater Brief Job Description: foreign market Initiate conversation to uncover customer need, promote business and product Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must TIO MARTIN SUTANTO fluently speak and write Bahasa Indonesian Language-Officer Customer Service any of Vietnamese, Bahasa 9. Indonesian, Thai, to cater Brief Job Description: foreign market Initiate conversation to uncover customer need, promote business and product Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: DENG, PEIYING Degree holder; must fluently Mandarin Language-Officer Customer Service speak and write Vietnamese 10. language to cater foreign market Brief Job Description: Initiate conversation to uncover customer’s needs; promote Salary Range: business & product Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must JAIKUM, KITTIYAPORN fluently speak and write Thai Language-Officer Customer Service any of Vietnamese, Bahasa 11. Indonesian, Thai, to cater Brief Job Description: foreign market Initiate conversation to uncover customer need, promote business and product Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: KIANGKAEW, SUPAKIT Degree holder; must fluently Thai Language-Officer Customer Service speak and write Vietnamese 12. language to cater foreign market Brief Job Description: Initiate conversation to uncover customer’s needs; promote Salary Range: business & product Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must KONGNAK, SAHARAT fluently speak and write Thai Language-Officer Customer Service any of Vietnamese, Bahasa 13. Indonesian, Thai, to cater Brief Job Description: foreign market Initiate conversation to uncover customer need, promote business and product Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN THI MY DUYEN Degree holder; must fluently Vietnamese Language- Officer Customer Service speak and write Vietnamese 14. language to cater foreign market Brief Job Description: Initiate conversation to uncover customer’s needs; promote Salary Range: business & product Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: DO HUU TOAN Degree holder; must fluently Vietnamese Language-Officer Customer Service speak and write Vietnamese 15. language to cater foreign market Brief Job Description: Initiate conversation to uncover customer’s needs; promote Salary Range: business & product Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION TA THI YEN Vietnamese Language-Officer Customer Service

16.

Brief Job Description: Initiate conversation to uncover customer need, promote business and product

PHAM THI HOAI Vietnamese Language-Supervisor Customer Service 17.

Brief Job Description: Initiate conversation to uncover customer need, promote business and product

NGUYEN THI THANH THAO Vietnamese Language-Supervisor Marketing 18.

Brief Job Description: Identify, develop and implement new strategies for selling products or services

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

19.

20.

MA, TENGFEI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must fluently speak and write any of Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesian, Thai, to cater foreign market Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must fluently speak and write any of Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesian, Thai, to cater foreign market Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Degree holder, must fluently speak and write any of Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesian, at least 24 months of relevant experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese, Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can operate Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: High school graduate in Chinese, Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can operate Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CAPSLOCK INC. 7th & 8th Flr. Y Tower Bldg., Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal Ave., Barangay 76, Pasay City VI THU HOAI It Support Specialist 21.

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Shall answer incoming calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware WAI MU TING It Support Specialist

22.

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problem with computer software and hardware DEXIN INTERNATIONAL IMPORT AND EXPORT CORP. 534 Tomas Mapua St., 029, Barangay 298, Santa Cruz, City Of Manila

23.

WU, XIAOGANG Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentation

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese Language/Writing and Speaking Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese Language (Writing and Speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Have skills in Chinese documentation Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DIVERSIFIED TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL, INC. 10/f Unit B, Robinsons Cyber Sigma, Lawton Avenue Mckinley West, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig NISHIKAWA, HITOSHI Basic Qualification: Adviser, Solutions Design Sales 24. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Business Development, Post merger integration Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 EAST WEST AGEAS LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION 15th Flr. One World Place, 32nd St. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig CHEN, ZHEN Chief Financial And Risk Officer 25.

Brief Job Description: Manage all aspects of financial accounting, reporting and control function, design and maintain the risk management framework.

GRANDTECH SUPPORT SERVICES INC. 4/f U-2c One E-com Ctr. Bldg., Ocean Drive, Barangay 76, Pasay City 26.

27.

LI, WENZUO Site Technical Support- Mandarin Brief Job Description: Reporting urgent maintenance and repair tasks ZHANG, LIQUAN Site Technical Support- Mandarin Brief Job Description: Reporting urgent maintenance and repair tasks

HAMMERTIME CONSTRUCTION INC. Unit 203-s3 2nd Flr., Fbr Arcade Bldg., Loyola Heights, Quezon City HU, BANGCHAO Mandarin Site Technical Officer 28.

29.

Brief Job Description: Assist in the monitoring and supervision of site work to ensure compliance of technical specifications, contractual and statutory obligations as well as safety regulations requirements including stipulated quality of equipment and workmanship LIANG, XIAOBIN Mandarin Site Technical Officer Brief Job Description: Assist in the monitoring and supervision of site work to ensure compliance of technical specifications, contractual and statutory obligations as well as safety regulations requirements including stipulated quality of equipment and workmanship LIU, CHENG Mandarin Site Technical Officer

30.

31.

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Basic Qualification: At least Bachelor’s Degree, At least 25 Years total work experience in the financial sector with the last 10 years spent in the senior leadership. Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with at least 3-5 years of working experience in the related field; fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with at least 3-5 years of working experience in the related field; fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with at least 3-5 years of working experience in the related field; fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with at least 3-5 years of working experience in the related field; fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION XIONG, MAOLIN Mandarin Site Technical Officer

32.

33.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with at least 3-5 years of working experience in the related field; fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College / bachelor degree with excellent communication skills

Brief Job Description: Will be in charge of managing sales by developing business Salary Range: plans, meeting planned and coordinating with marketing Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 department. HOTEL SPECIALIST (MANILA), INC. Conrad Manila, Moa Complex, Seaside Blvd. Cor. Coral Way, Barangay 76, Pasay City YOGESWARAN VEEREASAMY Basic Qualification: Director Of Operations Must be a graduate of management or other related Brief Job Description: course; must have a 10 yrs. Of 34. To organize and oversee the daily operations of our company. work experience You will be the one to ensure that our business is wellcoordinated and productive by managing its procedures and Salary Range: coaching its people Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 7/f Aseana I Bldg., Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park, Tambo, City Of Parañaque CHEN, SHILONG Chinese IT Support Specialist Basic Qualification: A Chinese and fluent in Brief Job Description: Chinese writing and speaking 35. The Chinese IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member language of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality Salary Range: IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 clientele. DAI, MACHUNXU Basic Qualification: Chinese IT Support Specialist Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Brief Job Description: 36. Fukein Language The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of Salary Range: the IT division and is responsible for providing IT support of Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 enterprise throughout the Chinese clientele LI, XIAOMING Basic Qualification: Chinese IT Support Specialist Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Brief Job Description: 37. Fukein Language The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of Salary Range: the IT division and is responsible for providing IT support of Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 enterprise throughout the Chinese clientele LIU, ZHIFAN Basic Qualification: Chinese IT Support Specialist Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Brief Job Description: 38. Fukein Language The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of Salary Range: the IT division and is responsible for providing IT support of Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 enterprise throughout the Chinese clientele LUO, JIAHAO Basic Qualification: Chinese IT Support Specialist Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Brief Job Description: 39. Fukein Language The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of Salary Range: the IT division and is responsible for providing IT support of Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 enterprise throughout the Chinese clientele NGUYEN NGOC THU TRUC Basic Qualification: IT Support Specialist Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Brief Job Description: 40. Fukien language The IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Salary Range: Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele. TRAN THI MY HANH Basic Qualification: IT Support Specialist Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Brief Job Description: Fukien language 41. The IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Salary Range: Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele. TRINH HIEN LUAN Basic Qualification: IT Support Specialist Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Brief Job Description: Fukien language 42. The IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Salary Range: Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele. JDB MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTANCY CORP. 107 T & D House, Magallanes St. 069, Barangay 655, Intramuros, City Of Manila MA, DANCHAO Basic Qualification: Strategic And Facilitation Officer Must be fluent in Chinese language. 43. Brief Job Description: Your primary function is to help the company and its Chinese Salary Range: clients to generate more income for the company. Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 JIANGSU DIBANG CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2106-a West Tower, Psec Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig Basic Qualification: WANG, HONGJI Fluent in mandarin and English Assistant Project Supervisor language both in written and verbal. Must familiar in expert Brief Job Description: planning and administrative 44. Performing administrative tasks such as preparing invoices. writing and reporting skills Estimates scheduling meeting responsible for assisting to manage and monitoring sites safety and control of materials Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: WEI, RUIDI Fluent in Mandarin and English Mandarin Chief Financial Officer language both in written and verbal, must familiar in expert 45. Brief Job Description: planning and administrative Assist with high level decision about policy and strategy. writing and reporting skills Help with recruiting new staff members when necessary, supervise financial reporting and budgeting team Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHOU, YAPENG Fluent in Mandarin and English Mandarin Chief Financial Officer language both in written and verbal, must familiar in expert 46. Brief Job Description: planning and administrative Assist with high level decision about policy and strategy. writing and reporting skills Help with recruiting new staff members when necessary, supervise financial reporting and budgeting team Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and LERDPEERAKORN, NANTANIT English language both in Project Supervisor written and verbal, must be familiar in expert planning and 47. Brief Job Description: administrative writing and Coordinate project management activities resources reporting skills. equipment and information. Provide analytical support to manager in executing assigned projects. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.- PHILIPPINE GLOBAL SERVICE CENTER 23/f Net Plaza, 31st St. E-square Zone, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

BusinessMirror

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ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

WADE, CHRISTOPHER STEVEN Executive Director - Compensation 48.

Brief Job Description: • Role is responsible for design and implementation of compensation and benefits programs inclusive of healthcare and wellness, insurances, retirement plan, annual compensation processes and job analysis.

PRADYUMNA RAVEESH Operations Director 49.

Brief Job Description: This role is responsible for overall management and oversight of an Operations function, including planning, strategy, structure, budget, and resource allocation.

KAJIMA PHILIPPINES INCORPORATED 12/f, Makati Sky Plaza 6788 Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati KAJI, SHINYA Manager 50.

Brief Job Description: Interface with client, consultant, architect, sub-contractor, suppliers & head office YAMAMOTO, KAZUNORI Manager

51.

Brief Job Description: Interface with client, consultant, architect, sub-contractor, suppliers & head office

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: • Deep HR functional expertise of 10+ years including vendor management experience. Understanding of compensation and benefits design principles and excellent analytical capabilities. • Ability to work within a highly matrix multinational organization to effectively drive change. Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above Basic Qualification: Strong leadership skills with demonstrated success in managing complex operational functions Extensive experience in managing multiple functions and or sites Develops and implements operational plans, actions and programs in support of long term-business objectives and within budget Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: At least minimum of 10 years pro-active experience in managerial position Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above Basic Qualification: At least minimum of 10 years pro-active experience in managerial position

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above LIGHTNING FINANCING COMPANY INC. 12/f Unit 1206 The Trade And Financial Tower, 7th Ave Ave. And 32nd St. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: ZHANG, XIAOFANG Must have a minimum of 10 Operations Manager years of relevant working experience in business 52. Brief Job Description: development Over-all management of the country’s business development strategies Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 LUFTHANSA SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 8th Floor Aeon Center, Northgate Cyberzone, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa Basic Qualification: LEE, JUYUN Excellent in verbal and Customer Service Consultant written communication skills 53. especially in Korean language Brief Job Description: Assist customer with all travel related services & customer Salary Range: enquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MARKETROLE ASIA PACIFIC SERVICES, INC. 26/f, 27/f, 28/f The Enterprise Center Tower 1, 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: DINH THI LIEN Can speak Chinese / Mandarin Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff fluently 54. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LEI, CHUANGHONG Can speak Chinese / Mandarin Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff fluently 55. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LUU UYEN LE Can speak Chinese / Mandarin Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff fluently 56. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: PAN, XIA Can speak Chinese / Mandarin Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff fluently 57. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: YOU, WEIHUA Can speak Chinese / Mandarin Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff fluently 58. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: ZHENG, CHUNWEI Can speak Chinese / Mandarin Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff fluently 59. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MCP FINANCE INC. 8th Floor Three/neo Building 3rd Avenue Corner, 30th St. Crescent Park West Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: TAKENAKA, RYOTA Proficient in Japanese and President/chief Executive Officer English. Background in the 60. shipping industry Brief Job Description: Lead the company and report to the board of directors and Salary Range: its committees Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City Basic Qualification: LE VAN GIAP Able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 61. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIN, XIMEI Able to speak, Read, and Write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 62. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, WEIMOU Able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 63. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: MOE MOE Able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 64. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN DUC QUAN Able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 65. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN TUAN ANH Able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 66. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN XUAN TRUNG Able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 67. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: PHUNG VAN DAN Able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 68. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: SU SU HLAING Able to speak, read, and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 69. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

70.

71.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION SWE SWE MYINT Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YANG, CHENG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

79.

Brief Job Description: Identify business opportunities to generate revenue, improve profitability and help business grow.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f, Pearl Marina Building Pacific Drive, Don Galo, City Of Parañaque YANG, TAI-MING Taiwanese Customer Service Basic Qualification: College graduate 72. Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries handling complaints Salary Range: provide solutions process customer account and file Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 documents DONG THI BICH PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Basic Qualification: College graduate 73. Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries handling complaints Salary Range: provide solutions process customer account and file Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 documents NGUYEN MANH TIEN DUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Basic Qualification: College graduate 74. Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries handling complaints Salary Range: provide solutions process customer account and file Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 documents PHILIPPINE ASIAPACIFIC AVIATION AND TOURISM CORP. 1001 One Global Place, 5th Avenue Corner 25th St. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and TANG, DENGYUE English language both in Senior Director Manager written and oral. Must be familiar in expert planning ang 75. Brief Job Description: administrative writing Manage program administration tracker such as vendor service agreement expiration Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PRIMUS@KNOWLEDGE SPECIALISTS, INCORPORATED 3rd Flr. Oac Bldg., San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig LIANG, ZHONGQIU Basic Qualification: Chinese Project Manager Fluent in Mandarin and English language both oral and written. 76. Brief Job Description: With extensive background in telecommunication Salary Range: multinational company. Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 RGB LTD. (PHILIPPINE BRANCH) 15/flr. R Magsaysay Ctr, Roxas Blvd. 076, Barangay 699, Malate, City Of Manila Basic Qualification: EDWARD CHEN YEW FUNG Experience in Field of Marketing Assistant Territory Manager and operation 5 Years or more in Management in an 77. Brief Job Description: International Business Setting To manage operations and develop business opportunities of the branch office, To serve as liason contact with the head Salary Range: office Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 SHIMIZU PHILIPPINE CONTRACTORS, INC. King’s Court Bldg. 1, 5/f 2129 P. Tamo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Japanese national / with 10 years’ experience in KOKUBUN, MAI construction field / able to Assistant Manager For Business Development read, write and speak English and Japanese fluently with 78. Brief Job Description: experience in marketing, sales, Responsible for supporting an existing client base as well planning and prospecting and as expand the current base with new initiatives for the closing skills. construction industry.

NAKAMURA, TAKESHI General Manger For Business Development

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Japanese national / with 10 years’ experience in construction field / able to read, write and speak English and Japanese fluently with experience in marketing, sales, planning and prospecting and closing skills.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION TIANYU TECHNOLOGY INC. 14/f Socialdesk Tower, H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati NGUY VAN SON IT Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

87.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it supports of enterprise Salary Range: systems throughout the Chinese clientele. Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TL FORWARDING SERVICE (PHILIPPINES) CORPORATION Perry’s Bldg., Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Pascor Drive, Santo Niño, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: Must possess a minimum of KIMURA, KAZUHIKO 10 years combined leadership Operations Senior Manager experience including five 88. to eight years in a senior Brief Job Description: management Responsible for the development and management of integrated, strategy aligned departmental work plans Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 TPPH-FHCS, INC. Teleperformance Center, Ayala, Corner Sen. Gil J Puyat Avenue, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: JOLLY, RAHUL Over 18 years in operations Division President, Travel And Hospitality management, project management & strategic 89. Brief Job Description: planning in ITES/BPO sector. Work closely with global business development leadership across regions in pursuit of new logos. Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above TRIVES TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Tower 4 Bayport West, Naia Garden Residence, Naia Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: JIA, ZHIJIAN Able to speak and write in Mandarin Customer Support Representative MANDARIN and at least college level with related BPO 90. Brief Job Description: experience. Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: YUAN, XIAOWEI Able to speak and write in Mandarin Customer Support Representative MANDARIN and at least college level with related BPO 91. Brief Job Description: experience. Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 VOLENDAY INC. U1406 14/f Pacific Star Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Cor. Makati Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati LOH WAI HON Civil Electrical And Mechanical Solution Employee Basic Qualification: To provide consulting, Brief Job Description: technical and advisory services 92. To be customer interface for product inquiry, to update and present the project delivery progress; to lead knowledge Salary Range: sharing to local team to communicate with head quarter Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 research and development; to handle data analysis and data mining task YFT DOCUMENT FACILITATION SERVICES Room No. C-06 23/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: TING, WANG Proficient in Microsoft office Marketing Specialist suite, Adobe creative suite and CRM CMS software, excellent Brief Job Description: written and verbal and written 93. Contribute to the marketing effectiveness by identifying SKIKK for foreign clients with short-term and long range issues that must be addressed, marketing background provides information and recommends options and course of action Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ZAPPORT SERVICES, INC. 36/f Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati BRUCE VINCENT VALENTINO LEE Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer 94.

95.

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

SHOPEE PHILIPPINES INC 37/f Net Park, 5th Avenue E-square Crescent Park West Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: With 1-2 years’ experience. CHEN, YI-TIEN In technical field and holds Associate, Business Development (SBS-Retail Analytics) a Bachelor’s Degree in Management, Business Brief Job Description: 80. Administration or similar Development supermarket campaign theme and mechanics relevant field. identity potential product and be able to forecast on trend and upcoming sale Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 SKYLUCK CORPORATION #360, Unit 243 Shaw Center Mall, Shaw Blvd., Addition Hills, City Of Mandaluyong Basic Qualification: Can speak and write fluent HONG, GIPYO Korean language and Korean Technical Support Staff preferably six (6) months 81. experience in office staff Brief Job Description: Apply diagnostic utilities to aid in troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SOJITZ G AUTO PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit Gc15 Edsa Grand Residences, 75 Corregidor St. Edsa 1, Ramon Magsaysay, Quezon City Basic Qualification: KIYOFUJI, YUGO At least Bachelor’s Degree in President / Chief Executive Officer Business management, Able to fluently speak and write in Brief Job Description: Japanese, With N1 Japanese 82. Oversee all operations and business activities and ensure Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), alignment with overall strategies set to achieve business goals At least 10 years work experience and objectives. Strong understanding of corporate finance, in the automotive industry. familiarity with diverse business functions, including sales and marketing. Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 TANZILA TRADING INC. U-29 3/f Bac., Bagong Milenyo F.b. Harrison St., Barangay 76, Pasay City Basic Qualification: YANG, YI must be flexible, analytical Business Development Analyst and good communicators. In the next few sections, we look Brief Job Description: at the academic requirements, Develop, implement and communicate metrics reporting professional certifications and 83. processes and documentation across plants and companies soft skill requirements for BA in collaboration with operations, marketing and sales roles. Fluency in English and functions, fluency in English and Korean language is a must. mandarin language is a must. Leading and executing various projects with senior leadership primarily related to the evaluation of possible growth Salary Range: strategies or driving operational improvement. Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 GHANIE, LESEDI LEONARD Basic Qualification: Trade Marketing Specialist Strong knowledge of consumer industry. Strong range Brief Job Description: management. Ability to think Creating and implementation of a trade marketing strategy. 84. critically and creatively. Fluency Managing brand awareness across various categories and in English and Tswana is a must. products. Develop, implement and communicate metrics reporting processes and documentation across plants and Salary Range: companies in collaboration with operations, marketing and sales Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 functions, fluency in English and Tswana language is a must XU, CHAO Basic Qualification: Trade Marketing Specialist Strong knowledge of consumer industry. Strong Brief Job Description: range management. Ability to Creating and implementation of a trade marketing strategy. think critically and creatively. 85. Managing brand awareness across various categories and Fluency in English and products. Develop, implement and communicate metrics Mandarin is a must. reporting processes and documentation across plants and companies in collaboration with operations, marketing and sales Salary Range: functions, fluency in English and Mandarin language is a must Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TELEPHILIPPINES INCORPORATED Edsa Central It Center 2, United Street Corner Edsa, Greenfield District, City Of Mandaluyong Basic Qualification: PADILLA, SULTAN Can read, write and speak Technical Support Representative French language fluently. Has a solid technical background Brief Job Description: 86. and extensive experience in Handles concerns of customers regarding printers and using computer tools scanners and other Epson products. Responds to customer inquiries and questions based on detailed product Salary Range: knowledge acquired. Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

96.

97.

98.

99.

100.

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties CELLCILIA MANDA Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties DENNYS HENDYWAN Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties EVAN JONATHAN Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties FERRY FRANS Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties KIKI PUTRA GUNAWAN Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties LEONARDO RICHIE VALENTINO LEE Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties PERNANDO ISKANDI Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer

101.

102.

103.

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties

Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

*Date Generated: Feb 21, 2022 Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication. Please inform DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A8 Tuesday, February 22, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

News BusinessMirror

Malacañang ensures assistance to Covid-stricken OFWs in HK By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

alacañang assured on Monday that the government has provided assistance to all overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who were infected with Covid19 in Hong Kong.

In a news statement issued, Acting Presidential Spokesman Karlo B. Nograles said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) coordinated with a non-government organization (NGO) in Hong Kong to make sure all of concerned OFWs are confined in isolation facilities. “Our POLO immediately provided them with food, hygiene kits and power banks to allow them to communicate while waiting for calls from the Center for Health Protection and HK Labour Department,” Nograles said. Likewise, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)

also extended US$200 (P10,000) to the infected OFWs, which was distributed by POLO.

Inhumane treatment

The Palace issued the statement amid news reports that infected migrant workers, including OFWs, were being dismissed by their employers and then abandoned to sleep on the streets and parks in Hong Kong as it deals with the latest resurgence of Covid-19 cases. The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) was alarmed by the said “inhumane treatment” of OFWs in Hong Kong and demanded that the

government immediately rescue them from their plight. “The Philippine Consulate confirms that Filipinos are among the many domestic workers being abandoned and being denied treatment after testing positive for Covid 19,” FFW said in a statement. “Philippine authorities must acknowledge the serious problem and step in. Government should save the lives of our OFWs in distress, after all, it keeps on harping that OFWs have saved the economy.”

Closely monitored

IN a virtual news briefing on Monday, International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) Alice Q. Visperas disclosed there were 41 OFWs who got infected with Covid-19 in Hong Kong. Of which, only two were brought to the hospital to get medical treatment while the rest were asymptomatic and stayed in isolation facilities. All of the infected OFWs were given aid by the POLO. Visperas said two of the OFWs were initially reported to be terminated by their employer, but upon coordination by POLO with their employer, the two were allowed to

10 cops charged in slaying of ex-Biliran solon’s bodyguard yield to Albay police

en policemen allegedly involved in the killing of a former bodyguard of ex-Biliran Rep. Glenn Chong have surrendered in Albay on Monday, the Bicol police said. The 10, who were among the 21 policemen accused in the killing of Richard Santillan, yielded to the Legazpi City Police Station in Albay after three years of hiding. A statement from the Police Regional Office 5 identified the former policemen as S/Sgt. Julius S Villadarez; S/Sgt. Richard Raagas; Cpl. Arthur Gerard Ignacio; Pat. Napoleon Relox; Pat. Jordan Antonio; Pat. Marvin Santos; Pat Terry Anthony

Alcantara; Pat Efren Areola Jr; Cpl. Merwin Macam; and Cpl. Diogenes Barrameda Jr. All of them are former members of the Police Regional Office 4B and PNP Highway Patrol Group. Santillan and another victim, Gessamyn “Minmin” Casing were killed on December 10, 2018 in Barangay San Andres, Cainta, Rizal The National Bureau of Investigation, which investigated the case, has filed a complaint of double murder against the policemen before the Department of Justice, which found probable culpability of the suspects. The NBI declared that the killings

of Santillan and Casing could have been a “rubout” although the policemen maintained that they died during a shootout. The PRO-5 said the 10 policemen who yielded have pending warrants of arrest for two counts of murder that was issued by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 99 in Antipolo City. It said that the policemen also surrendered in order to respond to the charges against them and defend themselves from possible charges. PRO-5 director Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo assured he would help in the speedy disposition of the court case. Rene Acosta

DepEd allots ₧6.5M-fund for ‘Odette’-hit schools By Claudeth S. Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

he Department of Education has allocated a total of P 6.5 million, through the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS), to respond to the immediate needs of schools that suffered heavy non-infrastructure and infrastructure damages due to typhoon Odette (international code name: Rai). “We urgently deployed support in the schools and offices in Palawan as they were the hardest-hit province in the MIMAROPA region, according to our Rapid Assessment of Damages Report (RADaR),” Edu-

cation Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said. The DepEd chief added that they would ensure that the schools and the learners could return to a sense of normalcy “as soon as possible.” In the allocated fund, P 5.5 million will go to clean up and minor repair activities of 274 schools in the Division of Palawan and Puerto Princesa City. The P 1 million general support fund can be used for the provision of learners and teachers’ kits (with hygiene-related items), emergency school feeding, the conduct of Psychosocial First Aid (PFA), and other immediate needs as identified by the region.

A total of 460 teaching personnel are trained in PFA to address issues and concerns of learners and personnel experiencing psychoemotional distress brought by the onslaught of typhoon Odette. PFA is currently ongoing for learners and personnel. DepEd Quick Response and Recovery Team (QRRT) members, headed by the DRRMS, visited the affected schools in Puerto Princesa City, municipality of San Vicente, and Roxas Central District last February 7 to 10 to verify the reported damages and further assess its immediate needs and capacity critical for learning continuity and early recovery.

Face shield just optional on election day in sub-AL4 areas under new Comelec rule

HE wearing of face shields for voters during election day is now voluntary in areas lower than Alert Level 4, according to the Commission on Elections. This is according to the “New Normal Manual” issued by the poll body at the weekend. It states that wearing of such equipment will now only be voluntary in areas under Alert Level 3, 2, 1, the lowest in terms of public health risk related to Covid-19. Prior to the new policy, Comelec required, under its Resolution No. 10727, the wearing of a face shield

and facemask for voters who enter voting centers on election day. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez earlier said the faceshield requirement was being reviewed, so it will be compliant with the Memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea in November. The New Normal Manual, meanwhile, retained the other minimum health standards protocols for voters, including wearing of facemask, temperature checks, and practicing social distancing. “ Those with a temperature

of 37.5 degrees Celsius must be brought to the Medical Personnel. If evaluated to be with fever, voters may proceed to the IPP (isolated polling place) to vote,” Comelec said. They will then proceed to the Voters’ Assistance Desk to get a precinct and sequence number before going to the polling place to cast their votes. “Voters will be required to sanitize their hands at the sanitation station before entering the polling place,” Comelec said. Samuel P. Medenilla

go back to work. “You cannot be fired from your work after you get infected with Covid-19. It is not a valid ground for termination of employment and we know the Hong Kong Ministry of Labor is very strict with that policy,” Visperas said. “Those who were reported to be sacked or terminated is not true because those workers have already completed their [employment] contract,” she added.

Homebound

Visperas said over half of the infected OFWs were actually homebound after they already finished their employment contract. However, after being tested prior to their flights to the Philippines, it was revealed they were positive for Covid-19 and thus must undergo quarantine. Many of them, Visperas explained, were forced to wait for isolation facilities, which could accommodate them since many of such establishments in Hong Kong were already fully occupied. She noted upon the recovery of the said OFWs, she said the government

would help in their repatriation, while those who still have “active employment contract” will return to their employers.

Deployment restriction

Due to the recent influx in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong, its authorities decided to temporarily shut down its borders to migrant workers, including OFWs. Visperas said the concerned recruitment agencies will provide aid to the affected OFWs until they could finally fly to Hong Kong. Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) head Bernard P. Olalia said they are currently waiting for an advisory from Hong Kong, when it will reopen its doors to migrant workers. “Once allowed, deployment will proceed but accompanied with stricter compliance with protocols of host countries and strict monitoring of deployed OFWs,” Olalia told the BusinessMirror in a Viber message. According to the latest government data, there are currently over 220,000 OFWs in Hong Kong. Most or 90 percent of them are household service workers.

DHSUD aims to build permaculture housing projects for Baguio ISFs By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

he socialized permaculture housing project in the country’s Summer Capital could provide housing for hundreds of informal settler families (ISFs) across Baguio City, according to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD). DHSUD Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario said the Luna Terraces Permaculture Community in Barangay Irisan would be the first-ever socialized permaculture housing community in the city. The DHSUD said the 1.8 hectare socialized permaculture housing project being developed by the National Housing Authority (NHA) is expected to build homes for 237 ISFs. “This is exactly our vision in the housing roadmap wherein we create decent living spaces in resilient and sustainable communities,” Del Rosario said during the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the project. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Library (NAL) said

permaculture is a contraction of the term “permanent agriculture,” which was coined by Australian Bill Mollison in the late 1970s. Permaculture, the USDA NAL said, is an alternative agriculture system that aims to “produce an efficient, low-maintenance integration of plants, animals, and people and structure... applied at the scale of a home garden, all the way through to a large farm.” Inspired by the definition, the DHSUD said the project is designed to be sustainable with livelihood programs in permaculture incorporated for the residents. It will feature a 10 building condominium-type housing facility, with the first two buildings having 62 units. The project will also use developers’ incentivized compliance to the balanced housing program. Del Rosario said the project is in line with DHSUD’s mandate of capacitating Filipino families, especially those in the lowincome bracket, to have access to decent, safe and more affordable housing.

Oil firms raise gas, diesel, kerosene prices anew By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

OCAL pump prices are on the rise for the eight consecutive week. Oil firms announced Monday that gasoline prices will increase by P0.80 per liter, diesel by P0.65 per liter and kerosene by P0.45 per liter. This week’s oil price hike will take effect at 6 a.m. of Tuesday, February 22. Oil firms said the latest round of oil price hike reflects movement in the world oil market. The Department of Energy (DOE) said last week it was looking at forming a task force that will focus on how the country would address possible oil supply disruptions. “We are organizing an oil con-

tingency task force to address those supply disruptions whether internal or external,” said DOE Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) Assistant Director Rodella Romero. The DOE and the Philippine National Oil Company are also studying the implementation of the Philippine Strategic Petroleum Reserve Program (PSRP). The PSRP aims for the country to have a government-owned reserve of crude oil, finished petroleum products and biofuel reserve to enhance the security of fuel supply in the country and address a severe international supply interruption or to implement the Targeted Fuel Relief Program.

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Namfrel urges ‘transparency’ in appointment of poll execs

N election watchdog is urging President Duterte to be “transparent” in the selection and appointment of the incoming three new top officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) by releasing to the public the list of nominees for the said positions. The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said the President could then “invite” the public to provide inputs on the candidates before finally appointing the new commissioners of the poll body. Namfrel said the process would ensure that “the most qualified and competent” candidates will be selected to lead the poll body. “A transparent appointment process, with focus on qualifications and suitability for the job, will help dispel concerns that the Comelec as a constitutional body will be composed of individuals that only come from the President’s hometown, or who are inside the President’s inner circle,” Namfrel said. Namfrel was referring to criticisms from some groups on how most of the remaining Comelec commissioners came from Duterte’s home turf in Davao City. “An open process will help reinforce public trust in the Comelec as an institution,” Namfrel said. Namfrel issued the statement to stress the importance of filling up the three vacancies in the Comelec en banc with only less than three months before the 2022 national and local elections. This after Comelec Chairman Sheriff M. Abas and Comelec Commissioners Antonio T. Kho Jr. and Rowena V. Guanzon retired earlier this month. Reacting to the Namfrel’s appeal, Acting Presidential Spokesman Karlo B. Nograles assured that the Duterte’s selection process to replace the retired commissioners will be transparent and will go through “stringent merit-based vetting process.” However, he did not disclose if the shortlist of candidates would be released to the public as requested by Namfrel. Samuel P. Medenilla

DOH logs 1,427 additional Covid-19 cases on Monday

he Department of Health (DOH) on Monday logged 1,427 additional Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 3,653,526. There were also 3,269 recoveries and 79 deaths. Of the 1,427 reported cases, 1,389 (97 percent) occurred within the recent 14 days (February 8 to February 21, 2022). The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were National Capital Region (318 or 23 percent), Region 4A (168 or 12 percent) and Region 6 (159 or 11 percent). Of the total number of cases, 1.6 percent (58,657) are active, 96.9 percent (3,539,106) have recovered, and 1.53 percent (55,763) died. There were 104 duplicates removed from the total case count. Of these, 98 are recoveries. Moreover, 52 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation. All laboratories were operational on February 19, 2022 but 5 labs were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System. Based on data in the last 14 days, the five labs contribute, on average, 0.1 percent of samples tested and 0.3 percent of positive individuals.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

News

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PHL benefits from foreigners’ ‘revenge travel’–tourism execs By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

@akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

HILIPPINE tourism appears to be on the upswing, as foreign nationals go on revenge travel mode.

Many local stakeholders interviewed by the BusinessMirror were surprised at how quickly foreign tourists have responded to the reopening of the country just last February 10. Latest data from the Department of Tour ism (DOT) showed the ar r iva l of 25,035 tou r ists i n d if ferent a i r por ts across the countr y. Of these arrivals, foreign tourists outnumbered balikbayans ( homecoming Filipinos) at 13,621, accounting for 54.4 percent of the total, while balikbayans were at 11,414. T he data from Februar y 10 to 20, 2022 covered arrivals at the air ports in Manila, Cebu, Mactan, and Clark. Americans led the pack at 5,516; followed by Canadians at 1,366; British 918; Australian 891; South Korean 859; Vietnamese 572; Japanese 459; German 447; and French 208, to name a few. Cleofe Albiso, managing director of Megaworld Hotels and Resorts said, “We have welcomed more than a hundred foreign guests in the first week since the opening in February 10 from visa-free countries. We expect though that the next couple of months will be a gradual transition as confidence in travel will slowly build up.” She added, their foreign guests come from the US, Canada, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and Asian countries.

Brits in Boracay

For his part, Jose C. Clemente III, president of Rajah Tours Philippines said, “I have arrivals already starting in March; the volumes aren’t that much yet—4 pax here, 2 pax there—but it’s better than expected.

They’re coming from the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada. Canada is very robust. Everyday we receive inquiries, mostly FITs (free independent travelers).” (See, “Canadian tourists are first through the PHL’s doors,” in the BusinessMirror, February 10, 2022.) He said these are “revenge travelers. They just need to get out of their countries and travel to a warm country. So far, we’re the only country in Southeast Asia which is really open to tourists, with no quarantine or tests upon arrival. So it’s a pleasant surprise. I’ve talked with other stakeholders also; they’re also experiencing the same thing. Yesterday I slept at 3 am answering all these calls and emails from foreign buyers and travelers wanting to come here already.” Over in Boracay Island, restaurateur Nowie Potenciano said he met British tourists just last week, while walking around Station 1 and at D’Mall. “There were two of them, a young man and a woman. They came from England and they said they didn’t have a difficult time getting into the country.” At Sheraton Manila, general manager Anna Vergara shared that they have an American couple who paid the extra $2,000 to rebook their tickets to Manila, when they found out the Philippines was reopening on February 10. “ They were originally scheduled to arrive on February 19 but rescheduled their f light to February 12, as they were afraid arrivals protocols might change again,” she said. The couple are meeting their employees from Baguio and Manila as they have a business enterprise in the country.

Cleofe Albiso

Boost expected from global meet

She added, the hotel is looking forward to the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit this April 20-22, which will be held at the ballroom of the Manila Marriott Hotel. “We’re hoping to get 30-40 percent occupancy [from the delegates],” or about 156 of their total 389 rooms. Some 600 delegates are expected to arrive for the said summit, which will gather CEOs of the largest and most prominent international travel and tourism companies from airlines, hotels and resorts, travel agencies, tour companies, global distribution system, transportation, and allied enterprises; as well as Tourism Ministers and officials from international organizations, such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Addie Capinding, Director of Sales and Marketing for Hotel Okura also shared her surprise at how quickly foreign tourists have responded to the reopening of the country. “We’ve been monitoring our online reservations and we have bookings from international clients in May and September, the ‘ ber months’ and from as far as Switzerland and the Netherlands.” The hotel also has a Japanese business traveler arriving this week. She added, “It’s surprising because after 2-3 years of travel restrictions, they choose to come here.”

Palace hopeful PHL can keep GSP+ perks despite EU reso By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

AL AC AÑANG is confident the country could retain its Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) from the European Union (EU) despite the renewed questions on its compliance with human rights obligations. In a statement on Monday, Acting Presidential spokesperson Karlo B. Nograles said the government has already been talking with the EU to address the alleged prevalence of human rights violations in the country. “The actions taken by the government

in this regard are a clear demonstration of our compliance with conventions on human rights, labor, and good governance, among others,” Nograles said. In fact, he said the country will be welcoming the GSP+ monitoring mission from the EU Commission before the end of the month, citing information from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The concurrent Cabinet Secretary made the assurance after the European Parliament recently issued a new resolution warning the country could lose its inclusion in the GSP+ due to the said violations. GSP+ exempts 6,200 Philippine products

from tariffs in EU member countries. The Parliament demanded for a “timebound benchmark” from the government so the country will be allowed to retain its GSP+ privilege. Nograles urged the European Parliament to reconsider such assessment and “look through the eyes” of Filipinos in determining the country’s compliance to human rights. “The President is at the tail-end of his administration and—despite the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic—is poised to step down with the highest satisfaction, approval and trust ratings of any post-Edsa Chief Executive,” Nograles said.

Bongbong-Sara UniTeam caravan gets rousing welcome in Caloocan

EARING its consistent message of unity for the whole country, the BBM-Sara UniTeam recently “succeeded in uniting South and North Caloocan,” with supporters attending the ticket’s campaign rally or standing along the roadsides to wait for their caravan to pass by. To show the city’s support for the UniTeam, Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan and his son, Congressman Dale “Along,” organized a caravan and rally, where Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and his running-mate Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte spoke about their vision for the country. The people of Caloocan affirmed the Malapitans’ commitment of support for the UniTeam, with the Marcos camp estimating that more than a million residents went out of their homes to show their support. Many had cellular phones ready to take photos or videos as the caravan came in sight, later posting these on social media. Marcos and the Malapitans led the caravan going around South Caloocan, taking off in front of the Toyota showroom along Balintawak at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The caravan went around Gen. Malvar, Tirad Pass, Gen. Tirona, West Service Road (North Diversion Road), Malolos Avenue, Zapote, Gen. Tinio, Edsa, Monumento, Samson Road, Sangandaan, A. Mabini, 10TH Avenue, and 8th Avenue in South Caloocan before Marcos and the team took a break for lunch in front of the main city hall. After lunch, the caravan headed towards the Caloocan Sports Complex in North Caloo-

The BBM UniTeam caravan is swarmed by supporters on Samson Road in Caloocan. PHOTO FROM BBM-SARA UNITEAM CAMPAIGN can to regroup for another round, this time in North Caloocan and with Sara Duterte joining the caravan. Some of the UniTeam’s senatorial bets like former defense chief Gibo Teodoro and guest Robin Padilla joined the afternoon caravan. The caravan went around Caloocan at snail’s pace, as the cars could only move slowly through thousands of people on the streets. In North Caloocan, the caravan traversed Malapitan Rd. (Saranay), Congressional Rd., Vicas, Camarin Rd., Almar, Camarin Rd., Zapote, Durian St., Sampaloc St., Kiko, Ilang-Ilang St., Capt. Somano Rd, Barugo Rd., Phase 1 Bagong Silang, Langit Rd., Tala Hospital, SVF Ave., St. Joseph Barracks Rd., and Mallaria Rd. Before the caravan arrive at the rally venue,

almost a hundred thousand supporters were already patiently waiting, while thousands more continued to troop without let-up to the place. A cashier at a nearby mall said hordes of people were already lining up for entry hours before the venue, a fenced vacant property where a subdivision is set to rise, was opened. “Many lined up to enter Villa Alessandra since early morning. They said they wanted to make sure they can sit near the stage or near where they can see BBM as he goes up the stage,” one of the marshalls said. The capacity of the venue is big, as it was meant for a subdivision. The marshall estimated that more than 200,000 can fit in, but because of the pandemic, there were restrictions on the numbers allowed inside.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

PHL exporters seek to boost exports to Canada as Asean mounts FTA bid By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@TyronePiad

OLLOWING Asean’s launching of trade negotiations with Canada, the local exporters now want to expand their market access to the North American country in a bid to increase their product shipments as they seek recovery from the pandemic. In a news statement on Monday, Philippine Ambassador to Canada Rodolfo Robles said that “this is an opportune time indeed to negotiate a trade deal with Canada which is looking for new markets and supply of intermediate goods.” He said the free trade agreement (FTA) between the economic bloc, which includes the Philippines, and Canada is expected to be “modern and comprehensive.” As such, the trade deal is anticipated to factor in the emerging trade realities, e-commerce, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the value chains. In November last year, the Asean announced that it will pursue an FTA negotiation with Canada during the 10th Asean Economic Ministers-Canada Consultation. The talks are expected to start this year. A joint feasibility study in 2018 showed that the Asean economy will benefit from an FTA with Canada, projecting an increase in GDP of $39.4 billion. This growth is supported by tariff liberalization, reduction of non-tariff barriers and enhancements in trade facilitation. The Philippines, according to the same study, stands to gain a 2.63-percent GDP increase from the trade deal, which is equivalent to $7.4 billion. Robles added that the FTA could also contribute additional $37.9 million to the country’s export.

Drawbacks

Meanwhile, Robles also pointed out that while the Philippines will generally benefit from an FTA with Canada, some industries may deal with some drawbacks. “The real challenge is to identify the sectors and provide them with assistance until they are able to find new business models that will work to their advantage. Trade creates wealth and expands economies through specialization,” he explained. Senior Trade Commissioner of the Embassy of Canada Guy Boileau, on the other hand, stressed that an FTA will reduce if not eliminate tariffs on certain products exported to Canada. These include coconut oil, articles of leather and appliances, he noted.

Apart from boosting bilateral trade, Boileau said that the FTA will also allow both countries to “share information, share expertise and address irritants before they might even become possible disputes.” “And we talk about services. Services is a huge area of opportunities, as well as on the investment side,” he added.

Growing demand

Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CanCham) president Julian Payne noted that Canada is looking to import more products, including those of Philippines' agrifood and electronics exports. “As the two countries recover from downturns due [to] the pandemic, there will be opportunities for increased Philippines exports to Canada. When a free trade agreement is entered into by the Philippines and also includes Canada, Canada exports will become more competitive with those from other countries already in [the] free trade agreement that covers Canada, such as the Comprehensive Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership [CPTPP],” he said. CPTPP, signed on March 8, 2018, is a free trade deal involving Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. The Asia-Pacific trade pact was launched by the United States to rival economic giant China, but former President Donald Trump withdrew their position in 2017. Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo earlier confirmed that the Philippines signified its interest to join the CPTPP and wrote to New Zealand, the depository country of the FTA. Rodolfo also identified five target export products that the Department of Trade and Industry would like to secure in the deal: automotive parts, garments, agricultural commodities, processed agricultural products and plant-based meat alternatives, and electronics. Meanwhile, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Peter MacArthur noted that the Philippines is Canada’s fifth biggest non-FTA trading partner. Among the primary exports of the country to Canada are auto parts, information and communications technology, appliances and agricultural products, he enumerated. “Your country has a trade surplus and enjoyed a trade surplus most years with my country that includes services trade,” MacArthur said.

Bishops’ forum, Sen. Gordon alarmed by ‘Doc Naty’ case

ORE groups, and a senator who has consistently advocated justice for victims of crime and for the marginalized have added their voices to calls for the humanitarian treatement and release of community doctor Maria Natividad “Naty” Castro, who was arrested on February 18 at her home in San Juan City and whisked off to detention in Agusan del Sur, where charges have been filed against her, including allegations she is a ranking recruiter for the New People’s Army (NPA). The Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) in a statement strongly condemned the arrest of the physician and human rights defender, by elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The EBF said in a statement it “also denounces the systemic repression by the Duterte government by weaponizing the law against political dissents, victimizing human rights defenders and activists by red-tagging, planting of evidence and/or concocted lies in order to file trumped-up cases with the State security forces as henchmen.” Castro, Secretary General of KarapatanCARAGA, “is a staunch human rights defender and a medical doctor providing much needed health services in Lumad communities in Mindanao. As an undaunted human rights defender, she diligently participated in human rights campaigns—both nationally and internationally, even in the United Nations Human Rights Council [UNHRC],” said the EBF. “Human rights advocacy and defense is not a crime. It is a laudable moral imperative in a situation of tyranny and repression. That her arrest and detention on trumped-up cases even without the benefit of the right to preliminary investigation, the impunity in the conduct of arrest against established procedures and denial of access to counsel by family and lawyers are reprehensible.” The EBF urged the government to release Castro and drop the cases against her and against other human rights defenders. Earlier, the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) denied Castro has any links with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been tagged as a terrorist group by the government. The FLAG was tapped to represent Castro in the kidnapping and serious illegal de-

tention charges filed against her before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur. According to earlier reports Castro was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Branch 7 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur. “As a health worker, she has served both the rich and the poor in various areas in Mindanao. Many years ago, Dr. Naty helped the Lumad who were victims of militarization by bringing them to the United Nations [UN] in Geneva and speaking for them to seek help. She has helped set up community health centers and programs in Mindanao,” the the FLAG said. “Doc Naty also reserves all her fights to pursue legal remedies against those police officers who violated her rights with impunity and went against established procedure when they took her from her home in San Juan on Feb. 18, 2022, denied her access to counsel and family, and transported her without notifying any family member or counsel,” the FLAG said.

Gordon’s appeal

Senator Richard J. Gordon earlier expressed grave anxiety and deep concern over the disappearance of Castro, whom her relatives could not locate after her arrest in San Juan City. Gordon, who authored and sponsored Republic Act No. 9851 or An Act Defining and Penalizing Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity, said that Castro’s incommunicado status violates the Constitution which states that “(2) No torture, force, violence, threat, intimidation, or any other means which vitiate the free will shall be used against him. Secret detention places, solitary, incommunicado, or other similar forms of detention are prohibited.” He addeed that if the charges are true, for the sake of argument, Castro is still protected by the Constitution and laws which presumes innocence, which allows consultation with family and/or lawyers, and which prohibits secret detention places, among others. “I urge Secretary of Justice Menardo Guevarra and Chief PNP Dionardo Carlos to look seriously into this matter and ensure that this continuing violation of the Constitution and Dr. Carlos’ rights cease immediately,” Gordon stated.

A10 Tuesday, February 22, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

Our best way out of the health crisis

mericans are sick and tired of both the pandemic and related restrictions, and some state governors believe the Covid-19 pandemic is reaching the endemic phase as infections are going down fast. They are increasingly saying it’s time that the nation learned to live with Covid, much like it lives with the flu. From the Associated Press: “California became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Thursday of a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and business shutdowns. The milestone, nearly two years in the making, envisions a return to a more normal existence with the help of a variety of initiatives and billions in new spending to more quickly spot surges or variants, add health-care workers, stockpile tests and push back against false claims and other misinformation.” The key phrase is “billions in new spending,” which will enable the state to keep its nearly 40 million residents safe. Newsom’s plan sets specific goals, such as stockpiling 75 million masks, establishing the infrastructure to provide up to 200,000 vaccinations and 500,000 tests a day in the event of an outbreak, and adding 3,000 medical workers within three weeks in surge areas. Newsom’s administration came up with an acronym to capsulize key elements of its new approach: SMARTER. The letters stand for Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education and Rx, a reference to improving treatments for Covid-19. The British government announced on Saturday plans to scrap all Covid restrictions as part of a plan for “living with Covid.” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the legal requirement to isolate for at least five days after a positive Covid-19 test will be replaced with advisory measures, and the coronavirus will be treated more like the flu as it becomes endemic. The new plan foresees vaccines and treatments keeping the virus in check. “Covid will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms,” Johnson said. More countries are reopening their borders: Jordan on Thursday said it was easing Covid restrictions on foreign visitors in an effort to revive its tourism industry. Starting March 1, it said visitors would no longer be required to take a PCR test before entering the country or take another PCR test upon arrival. But visitors will have to sign a pledge to get tested if they feel Covid symptoms and agree to self-isolate if they contract Covid-19. Israel announced Sunday that it would allow unvaccinated tourists to enter the country beginning next month. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that foreign tourists, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, would be required to take PCR tests before their flights and upon landing. The rules go into effect on March 1. Australia on Monday opened its international borders to all vaccinated tourists, nearly two years after it first imposed one of the world’s strictest Covid-19 travel restrictions. The Philippines last week also reopened its borders to foreign visitors. Travelers from visa-free countries, however, must present proof of vaccination and negative PCR test results taken within 48 hours prior to departure. The Department of Health recorded 1,923 new infections on February 19, the lowest tally of new Covid cases in 2022. The 7.9 percent positivity rate on Saturday was also the lowest since December 28, 2021. With cases going down fast, are we now ready to move past the crisis phase into an endemic phase where we, like in other countries, will learn to live with Covid? Presidential adviser for Covid-19 response Vince Dizon earlier said the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 is already crafting a pandemic exit plan. “I think we will begin with the transition in February. We just need to bring down the cases to the levels that we had in late last year, below 1,000 cases per day, then we can begin the process of transitioning from a pandemic framework to a more endemic framework,” Dizon said. Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., NTF chief implementer and vaccine czar, said an intensified Covid-19 vaccination program is crucial to the country’s smooth transition from pandemic to an endemic phase. He cited a recent analysis of some global health experts that said unvaccinated persons are prone to carrying virus mutations. “We cannot have safe transition from pandemic to endemic if not everyone is vaccinated,” Galvez said, adding that those who have availed themselves of the booster doses have gained added protection against the dreaded disease, even with the presence of new Covid variants.

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THE Entrepreneur

he coronavirus may stay with us forever in its mildest form but judging from the government’s response in January and this month, I can safely say the Philippines managed to overcome the worst that the pandemic can inflict on the population. The government did not panic, kept the economy mostly open and recalibrated its response to the Omicron threat. The population as a whole deserves credit for containing the Omicron variant. Filipinos kept their masks on, practiced social distancing in public places and mostly refrained from attending huge gatherings and similar super-spreader events. The discipline is a tacit display of the bayanihan spirit for which Filipinos are known for all over the world. The Philippines can even now plan a pandemic exit and welcome the new normal because of our declining daily Covid-19 cases and low hospitalization rates. We are opening to foreign tourists, introducing inperson classes and at the same time widening our vaccination coverage. The Philippines is ready to transition to the new normal with caution as our guiding principle. But the country cannot just yet declare victory against Covid-19, not with what is happening to our neighbors.

Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand—our major trading partners—are experiencing the peak of the Omicron infection and it may take them a few weeks more before they can reduce their Covid-19 cases to manageable levels. The Philippines, perhaps, is luckier than our neighbors for experiencing the Omicron contagion early in January. The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte reacted positively to the virus strain by protecting both the population and the economy. It opted for granular lockdowns and allowed the economy to function as normal as possible without resorting to strict quarantine measures. As a result, the Philippines weathered Omicron and contained its spread. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III declared last week that the

Time for belt-tightening?

Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace Angel R. Calso

Chairman of the Board President Advertising Sales Manager Group Circulation Manager

Manny B. Villar

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Senior Editors

Creative Director Chief Photographer

The Philippines is doing well against Covid-19

John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

‘S

aint Nicholas was a 4th-century Greek Christian bishop in the region of Lycia in Turkey. Nicholas was known for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes.” “The modern character of “Santa” is based on traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas. Santa Claus originated in Western Christian culture, who is said to bring children gifts of toys and candy or nothing, depending on whether they are “nice or naughty.” Modern politicians—and especially during the campaign season —tend to model themselves more after “Santa Claus” than St. Nicholas. It is unlikely that any woman was saved from a life of prostitution by

any candidate’s campaign for office. However, the “Santa Claus” model holds strong. Notice: Bring “toys and candy or nothing,” depending on whether they are naughty or nice, “nice” being making sure the candidate is elected. In the past two months we have heard promises—in no particular order—of government general ayuda, financial assistance to fisherfolk, farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises, and tourism-related businesses. Also, zero-interest loans

Philippines has already crossed the crisis stage of the Omicron surge, citing improvements in the two-week growth rate and the average daily attack rate (ADAR) of the strain, as well as the low health-care utilization nationwide. I can only agree with Secretary Duque based on prevailing health data. Covid-19 cases in the Philippines, per the data of the Department of Health, were down in November to December last year until the emergence of the more virulent Omicron strain. The two-week growth rate of the virus, however, was minus 81 percent as of last week, while the ADAR stood at 7 cases per 100,000—considered low-risk by health experts.

Fitch endorsement

Meanwhile, I am pleased to learn that Fitch Ratings is standing by the country’s economic performance. Fitch still maintained its credit rating of “BBB” for Philippines, which is a notch above the minimum investment grade, and kept a negative outlook instead of a downgrade. The Philippines has kept the same rating from Fitch throughout the pandemic, despite a wave of rating downgrades for several other countries during the same period. I welcome the Fitch decision—it simply means the Philippine economy is doing okay despite the many challenges posed by Covid-19. Fitch is keeping its faith in the Philippines. The economic recovery, according to Fitch, “should be

Somebody, actually everybody, is going to be doing a lot of “belt-tightening” for the next two years, and that time frame is with fingers crossed. The reality is that there is no way that all those wonderful gifts are going to be delivered no matter how nice the election goes. to the lowest economic groups, Build, Build, Build in general, build hospitals in particular, and universal health care. To ease the financial impact to consumers because of the pandemic, reduce taxes on petroleum and electricity and give scholarships for students in medicine and allied courses. Those are just some of the “gifts” and there is presumably a lot of candy if voters are nice. The real Santa Claus accomplishes his gift-giving with the aid of elves, who make the toys in his workshop at the North Pole and flying reindeers who pull his sleigh through the air. The winning candidate will do the job at the Malaca-

supported by a pick-up in vaccination rates (92 percent of 54 million target individuals had been fully vaccinated as of December 2021), falling Covid-19 infection numbers, normalized economic activity— particularly in services—after tight containment measures in 2020 and part of 2021.” Fitch virtually endorsed the handling of the economy by the Duterte administration. The Fitch report said that the fiscal and monetary policy response, strong infrastructure spending and resilient remittances and exports are boosting the recovery. As I’ve written in this column before, the next president of the Philippines will be lucky to inherit a well-managed economy despite the odds. Congress, under President Duterte’s term, passed several game-changing economic reforms, namely the amendments to the Foreign Investments Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act and Public Service Act, which are all designed to further open the economy to foreign investment. The new administration will implement these economic reform measures, which I expect will contribute to a strong Philippine recovery. Our economic prospects are brightening up everyday—and defeating Covid-19 is just the beginning. For comments, send e-mail to mbv_secretariat@vistaland.com.ph or visit www.mannyvillar. com.ph

ñang workshop with the aid of the Congress. The taxpayers are the reindeers that pull the Presidential Sleigh. All those financial promises should be filed under “Good luck with that.” Because of reduced revenues and increased spending, the government budget deficit will be about 7.5 percent of gross domestic product, double pre-Covid. Candidates were asked about the “Government Debt to GDP,” which has increased from about 39 percent to over 60 percent. However, that ratio is almost meaningless and is used only to try to quantify the reduced revenue and increased spending. Otherwise, it is only for “economists” to try to sound knowledgeable. Japan’s debt to GDP is 260; Argentina’s is 102. Which country do you think defaulted on its sovereign debt in 2020? However, the Philippine government must recover its financial stability and strength just as it was forced to do after the 1997 Asian and the 2008 Global Debt crises. “Santa” See “Mangun,” A11

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Electing a majority president

The one thing that unites Filipinos

Manny F. Dooc Lyca Balita

TELLTALES

he Philippines is an archipelago. Our different islands have different cultures, dialects, and histories, to the extent that some are people of their province first before they are Filipinos. It’s a beautiful thing most of the time: our country is so colorful, and it’s a great adventure to travel and experience our different islands. But this variety is sometimes a source of conflict. What makes a Filipino anyway? Why are certain areas always the center of attention, when there are so many other parts of the Philippines? Do our history books do justice to other cultures?

ithout counting the 1986 snap presidential contest between President Ferdinand E. Marcos and challenger Cory C. Aquino since the final number of votes obtained by the two protagonists was never settled, our last majority elected president was President Marcos when he overwhelmingly defeated Senator Sergio Osmeña, Jr. in the 1969 presidential election. Marcos garnered 5,017,343, or 62.24 percent, votes against Osmeña’s 3,043,122, or 37.75 percent, votes. While a dozen candidates ran for president that year, 10 of them were nuisance candidates. Only the bets of the two major parties, NP’s Marcos and LP’s Osmeña, were the serious contenders. In fact, not one outside the two main rivals obtained 1,000 votes out of 8.2 million who voted in that election.

Onwards

Regardless of the pros and cons of this variety, however, Filipinos are always united by one thing: a common enemy. Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil. We’ve united against colonizers. We collectively fight anyone who says or does anything bad to a Filipino. We create hype in favor of Filipinos in international competitions and tournaments (especially when it comes to sports, singing, and pageants, it seems). And most of the time, we win. As long as there’s a common enemy, we all wear our Filipino caps and march hand in hand, all in the name of Pinoy Pride—and it’s an amazing thing to witness and be a part of. But every six years, these two sides of variety and unity create a dangerous hybrid. During presidential elections, smaller groups merge and create common enemies out of others. And during this upcoming election, this conflict has intensified immensely because of recent history. We don’t need to pretend that there isn’t a battle between two colors trying to defeat each other. It’s a strange conflict because both sides are using the same period of history, with both facts admitted, yet with different conclusions. But it’s terrifying because our uniting factor —a common enemy—is being used to divide us, when there shouldn’t be such a huge divide in the first place. And we’re so good at this—dividing the country by creating enemies out of our fellow Filipinos. A quick scroll on any social media platform would reveal probably a majority of the posts to be political, with most being a diss at another candidate or his or her followers. Families are unfriending one another, friends are publicly arguing in

Mangun. . .

Continued from A10

will not have many gifts as both the elves’ and the reindeers’ wallets are drained. It is easy to say “that the next administration could set its sights on relatively untaxed sectors. The viability of carbon tax, wealth tax, a levy on cryptocurrencies, removal of all exemptions from 12-percent value-added tax payments, as well as further hikes of excise taxes on cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, and sugary beverages.” George Harrison had the normal politician’s “revenue enhancement” plan in 1966. “I’ll tax the street, I’ll tax your seat, I’ll tax the heat, I’ll tax your feet.”

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 A11

comments sections, and influencers are losing supporters over political beliefs. Alienation and ad hominem remarks are the greatest weapons today. Some argue that opinions should be respected, while others contend that some opinions have such far-reaching implications that they shouldn’t be tolerated at all. So, now, we have an election where campaigns are focused on destroying the other candidate and relationships, rather than emphasizing why our chosen candidate would give us the best chance at progress. But how should we vote? Should it be with the aim of benefiting our own smaller circle, or the whole country? Where should our loyalty lie: with our smaller groups, or with the rest of the Philippines? Perhaps we would make better decisions if we stepped back and changed the message. It wasn’t the other color that has caused poverty, inequality, deaths, and all our frustrations with the state of the country. These effects were always rooted in factors such as corruption, apathy, and endless utang na loob—these are the common enemies. If only we saw elections as a chance to fight these vices and institutions, rather than as an intensified family-versus-family or color-versus-color affair, we’d end up with a better government. When the results are out and the dust settles, would we be proud of the means we used and the future we created? The point is this: Filipinos are so good at defeating common enemies, but hopefully, we pick the correct one. Clearly, in a battle between Filipinos, there is only one loser anyway: the Filipinos themselves.

Perennial candidate Pascual Racuyal officially placed third behind Marcos and Osmeña by posting 778 votes. Practically, it was a 2-party presidential contest in 1969 between the NP and the LP. Thus, it was relatively easy for a popular incumbent president to collect more than 50 percent of the votes cast in the election. Marcos was an oddson favorite over Osmeña that the former even defeated his opponent in his home province of Cebu. An Osmeña losing in his bailiwick was unheard of since the Province of Cebu had been the bastion of the clan’s political power since the Grand Old Man of Cebu, Don Sergio Osmeña, Sr., entered politics. Marcos rode on the overwhelming mandate given to him by the people and this marked the early success of his administration. As the only president who won a reelection in office since Manuel L. Quezon, Marcos enjoyed unprecedented public support, which he could have parlayed to improve the people’s lot. Instead, he abused his immense power and ensconced himself in office until he was unceremoniously ousted from Malacañang after two decades of

For feedback, send an e-mail to lyca.balita@ gmail.com

ven before the campaign period began, campaign expenditures have been flooding the campaign trail, and as most of the candidates would claim, bulk of these expenditures are financial aids from their generous friends and supporters. Well, whether these expenses are sourced from the candidate’s own pocket or financial aids, they are bound to observe the cap that they should spend for an election campaign.

Somebody, actually everybody, is going to be doing a lot of “belttightening” for the next two years, and that time frame is with fingers crossed. The reality is that there is no way that all those wonderful gifts are going to be delivered no matter how nice the election goes. Likewise, there is no way that the government is going to avoid increasing taxes and fees to generate revenues. Be prepared by increasing your financial wisdom and decreasing your financial laziness. The coronavirus has caused “long Covid symptoms.” The pandemic response will cause “long lockdown pain.” E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.

authoritarian rule. Since our autonomy from the US, no president before or since had been given the chance to serve his country as a majority president. Marcos squandered his opportunity and instead of occupying an honored place in our pantheon of heroes, he belongs in the dustbin of history. Now his namesake and only son is the runaway frontrunner for the presidency. All election surveys show Bongbong Marcos ahead of his political rivals by a mile. Bongbong Marcos garnered 60 percent of the votes in the last Pulse Asia survey conducted last month just before the official start of the election campaign for president. VP Leni Robredo copped 16 percent, followed by Senator Manny Pacquiao and Mayor Isko Moreno with 8 percent apiece and Senator Ping Lacson with 4 percent. Even if you combine all the votes of his four principal opponents, BBM’s votes exceed their total votes. If elections were held today, BBM would win by a landslide and would replicate his father’s achievement as a majority president. He appears to have widened his lead over his political adversaries compared to the last Pulse

Asia polls held last December. This should be a cause for alarm for the opposite camps. Big and influential leaders in the national and local scenes are now lining up behind the Unity Ticket. The Enriles of Cagayan, the Albanos and Dys of Isabela, the Ortegas of La Union, the Remullas of Cavite, Mandanas of Batangas and many others who have joined the bandwagon. Much earlier, two former presidents, President Erap Estrada and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, have thrown their support to BBM. In the face of all these, Robredo and company should leapfrog if they want to catch up and stay competitive. Only 76 days are left before the elections and time is definitely running out. The political marriage of the Marcos and Duterte camps has formed a formidable force. The much-vaunted Solid North and the firm South support for Duterte represent an impregnable alliance. The Marcos-Duterte ticket is a lethal combination with each family sired by strongmen—one a former president and the other the incumbent— who had formed legions of loyal political allies who have consistently supported their political journeys through the years. The love and fealty of their followers have been passed on to their political heirs who now enjoy their unqualified support. If each commands a core support of 25 percent, easily BBM can muster 50 percent of the votes. Ramping it up to reach a majority would be the easy part. And to think that President Rodrigo R. Duterte has yet to join the campaign. Unity, the theme of BBM’s campaign, has a universal appeal. It eclipses BBM’s dark past—his affinity to the atrocities and corruption of the odious Marcos Sr.’s regime. It helps reinforce the premise that the sins of the father should not visit the son. BBM’s campaign strategy of taking the high ground without attacking his political opponents plays to the crowd and elicits approval from

Utilizing unutilized campaign contributions Atty. Rodel C. Unciano

Tax Law for Business

Under the Tax Code, donations are subject to donor’s tax. But based on the same Code, any contribution in cash or in kind to any candidate, political party or coalition of parties for campaign purposes shall be governed by the Election Code. And pursuant to the Omnibus Election Code as well as under Republic Act 7166, any contribution in cash or in kind to any candidate or political party or coalition of parties for campaign purposes shall not be subject to the payment of any donor’s tax. As circularized in Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 38-2018 and as reiterated in RMC 31-2019, only

those donations or contributions that have been utilized or spent during the campaign period as set by the Commission on Elections are exempt from donor’s tax. Donations utilized before or after the campaign period are subject to donor’s tax and not deductible as political contribution on the part of the donor. On the part of the recipient-candidate, campaign contributions are not included in the taxable income of the candidate to whom they were given, the reason being that, such contributions were given not for the personal expenditure or enrichment of the concerned candidate,

but for the purpose of utilizing such contributions for the campaign. Therefore, in order to be considered as exempt from income tax, the contributions must be utilized to cover a candidate’s expenditures for his/ her electoral campaign. Unutilized/excess campaign funds, that is, campaign contributions net of the candidate’s campaign expenditures, shall be considered as subject to income tax, and must be included in the candidate’s taxable income in the income tax return filed for the subject taxable year. Therefore, the excess unutilized financial aid received by a candidate should be reported as part of his taxable income and the corresponding tax due therein should be paid accordingly. But can the candidate use such excess and unutilized campaign fund at his disposal? In one forum, a candidate openly admitted that he has kept unto himself the excess campaign contributions he received during the past elections but paid the corresponding income tax due on the said unutilized campaign contributions. Is that legally permissible? Donation is, essentially, a contract. So, as to whether or not the candidate can keep the unutilized campaign fund for his personal use would largely depend upon the agree-

ECB shift may also end world’s longest-running subzero rates By Morten Buttler & Christian Wienberg Bloomberg Opinion

he world’s longest experiment in negative interest rates may be coming to an end, as officials in Denmark prepare to follow possible increases in borrowing costs in the neighboring euro zone. With European Central Bank officials abruptly signaling a shift toward a more hawkish policy this month, economists now expect Nationalbanken in

Copenhagen to raise interest rates in lockstep with their counterparts in Frankfurt through 2023. Benchmark borrowing costs could then turn positive for the first time since 2014. That would draw to a close an era that saw Danes pioneer a cutting-edge approach subsequently followed from the euro region to Japan. Asset prices responded, with Denmark’s benchmark stocks index outperforming Europe’s Stoxx 600 in eight out of the past 10 years, and house values rising 40 percent higher between 2014

the audience. It’s also prudent of him not to take part in debates or interviews where he may only mess up his campaign. BBM obviously believes that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” He’s well ahead in the game, so why would he risk it. What can the rest of the field do? Throw the towel and concede? Withdraw in favor of the candidate with the best chance of winning? Every candidate has waded far from the shore and has gotten wet neck-deep to go back to the beach. Maybe everyone like Pacquiao will stay in the ring and hope to land a lucky punch before the final round ends. Hope springs eternal. They should not be disparaged by the survey results. At this stage of the game in the 2016 campaign, Mayor Duterte was nowhere in sight. His name was not mentioned in the same breath as VP Jojo Binay, Senator Grace Poe and Secretary Mar Roxas. He only loomed large at the final stretch of the election campaign after Grace Poe was distracted by the foundling issue, Binay by the corruption charges, and Roxas by the alleged deficiencies and incompetence of the Aquino administration, which he represented. Duterte’s rating only peaked 2 or 3 weeks before the election. President Duterte’s “cinderella-finish” in 2016 should motivate BBM’s challengers to overcome his huge number. No lead is insurmountable if a candidate finds his groove. Every presidential bet will be against BBM. Every effort shall be made to deny him the presidency. The legal battle to disqualify him is far from over despite the initial Comelec decisions in his favor. But as VP Leni has said, she intends to defeat BBM in an election, not in the courtroom. If opponents fail in their efforts to stop BBM, or to shave his wide lead over them, we may have the next majority elected president since 1969 when BBM’s own father won by a landslide against Serging Osmeña. Let’s pray that their similarity ends there.

and 2021. At one point, mortgage rates even turned negative. Much like elsewhere, the policy left citizens divided over the impact. Banks, whose profits came increasingly under pressure, said in 2019 they may no longer shield individual depositors from negative deposit rates. That prompted clients to slow saving and invest, sometimes in riskier assets, raising concerns about households’ exposure to market shocks. “For many, the negative rates have been an abnormality and I’m sure that especially the banks will be happy to

see them go away,” Frederik Engholm, chief strategist at Nykredit, said. Still, “when we see rates going positive again, there’s a risk that some homeowners might get squeezed,” he said. In Denmark’s unusual mortgage market, lenders operate as brokers and make money collecting fees that have steadily increased over the years. That’s one reason central bank Governor Lars Rohde has said he’s not worried about lenders’ ability to cope with subzero policy. Officials, though, have said that neg-

ative rates function more or less the same way as very low ones and that it hasn’t yet discovered a floor for how deep it can cut. The central bank, whose monetary policy focuses on stability in the krone, first delved below zero in 2012. It took a brief interlude in positive territory in 2014 before then moving down again as the ECB went negative. The Swiss National Bank, Sweden’s Riksbank and the Bank of Japan also adopted the policy. Nationalbanken’s key mandate is to defend a 2.25 percent band around an exchange rate of 7.46038 against

ment of the donor and the candidate. This is so because the rights and obligations of the donee arise from a contract. But under the Civil Code, donation may be revoked, at the instance of the donor, when the donee fails to comply with any of the conditions which the donor imposed upon the donee. Therefore, if the donation was intended to fund a campaign and the condition imposed, which was to fund a campaign was not complied, there is a basis for the donor to revoke the donations made. In this case, the donor may demand that the donations made be returned by the donee to the donor. But, of course, this is a concern between the donor and the doneecandidate, which they can very well resolve by themselves. The author is a partner of Du-Baladad and Associates Law Offices (BDB Law), a member-firm of WTS Global. The article is for general information only and is not intended, nor should be construed as a substitute for tax, legal or financial advice on any specific matter. Applicability of this article to any actual or particular tax or legal issue should be supported therefore by a professional study or advice. If you have any comments or questions concerning the article, you may e-mail the author at rodel.unciano@ bdblaw.com.ph or call 8403-2001 local 140.

the euro. In practice, it has only tolerated moves within 0.1 percent. It uses currency interventions and changes its policy rate to steer the krone. The central bank doesn’t have an inflation target, although one of its other mandates is to “contribute to the stability of the financial system.” Looking back at the whole policy, Jan Storup Nielsen, chief analyst at Nordea Markets in Copenhagen, reckons its scope and duration has shown just how determined Denmark is to keep its currency stable.

A12 Tuesday, February 22, 2022

PALACE PUSH FOR NATIONAL I.D. IN GOVT AGENCIES HAILED By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

ALACAÑANG’S directive to all government establishments to integrate the National ID in their processes and services could promote wider use of the PhilSys, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). PSA said the Palace recently issued Memorandum Circular No. 95 which directs all government agencies and governmentowned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) to identify services, processes, identification systems, and databases for PhilSys integration. The directive, the PSA said, also covers departments, bureaus, offices, government financial institutions (GFIs), chartered institutions, and state universities and colleges. “The PSA welcomes this directive. Through this memorandum circular, we anticipate the partaking of the various public establishments in providing seamless, more secure, and more convenient transactions to every Filipino,” said Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General. The integration of the PhilSys Number (PSN), Philippine Identification (PhilID) card, and other key features of the

PhilSys in government institutions is expected to enable online and paperless transactions and remove duplicates from registries. “We hope that with this development, more private institutions will follow suit in recognizing the PhilID for easier and safer delivery of services to every Filipino,” said Assistant Secretary Rosalinda P. Bautista, Deputy National Statistician of the PhilSys Registry Office. Under the circular, government agencies are tasked to prioritize the development of their two-year PhilSys Integration Plans, containing timelines for integration, responsible units, budget for implementation, and the inclusion of PhilSys in their strategic plans and programs. Agencies are also mandated to coordinate and enter into agreements with the PSA for effective and efficient implementation of PhilSys integration, particularly on authentication processes and proper control of the PhilID. The PhilSys Integration Plans are to be submitted within 60 days from the effectiveness of Memorandum No. 95—or by 08 April 2022—to the PhilSys Policy and Coordination Council (PSPCC), the policymaking body for the implementation of Republic Act No. 11055 or the PhilSys Act, for monitoring.

Liberal mining policies to lure foreign investors back to PHL–COMP By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

ITH the recent policy moves by the Duterte administration, the mining industry’s big players said the Philippines is back on the radar of foreign mining investors. Chamber of Mines of the Philippines chairman Michael T. Toledo said for one, Australian investors welcomed the recent decisions of the Philippine government to ease mining policies, raising the possibility of a renewed influx of foreign capital in the sector. “Recent policy moves by the Philippine government are expected to boost investor confidence in its mining sector while unlocking the country’s vast mineral resources responsibly and equitably,” Toledo said. Toledo is currently the chief operating officer of Silangan Mindanao Mining Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Philex Mining Corp. Mining is a pillar of Australia’s economy, Toledo noted, and industry there is showing signs of potential boom, with investments surging and metal prices still soaring. In separate statements, The Philippines-Australia Business Council (PABC) and Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC) said recently that the consecutive decisions of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to lift the 4-year-old ban on open pit mining for the extraction of copper, gold, silver, and complex ores, and the removal of the moratorium on new mineral agreements between the government and private contractors, are clear signals that the Philippine mining sector is again open for business for local and foreign direct investment. “This is good news for the mining sector which hasn’t seen any major investments since 2016 due to tighter government regulation. Renewed investor interest in mining could lead to fresh capital inflows that could unleash the industry’s

Meat importers insist pork MAV+ needs to be extended

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

HE Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita) is backing the extension of the expanded minimum access volume (MAV+) on pork to ensure the country’s supply of the meat product until local hog raisers totally recover from African swine fever t(ASF).

The group made the position in expectation of stiffer competition in the global meat market as the world’s largest pork producers face threats from ASF while other porkimporting countries like Vietnam plan to lower their tariffs to augment their pork supply. Mita said they expect global pork prices to “significantly increase” starting summer due to tightening supply in key pork-producing countries in Europe and North America, and in China. “We believe the country needs the MAV+ to continue until our domestic production recovers. This has been our position from the very beginning,” the group said in a recent letter to Tariff Commission and key cabinet secretaries.

‘3-5 years to rebuild’

“EVEN if a swine flu vaccine were available today, the producers themselves have admitted that it will take at least 3-5 years to rebuild our pig population back to pre-ASF levels. Until then, the only alternative is clearly imported meat,” the group added. The pork MAV+, created by Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) 133, expired last January 31 alongside the end of the MAV calendar year 2021-2022. The group’s letter was sent to Tariff Commission Chairperson Marilou P. Mendoza, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua.

Mita said the Philippines will be “hard pressed” to compete for imported pork supply starting July 1 when Vietnam reduces its pork tariffs to 10 percent from 15 percent, as the neighboring Southeast Asian country beefs up its pork supply. The group added that pork demand from ASF-affected countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and South Korea continue to increase. Furthermore, Mita explained that other factors are causing “inflationary pressure” globally. These include logistical bottlenecks, with freight costs nearly doubling for frozen meat, rising oil prices, rising grain and feed prices as well as rising labor costs. Given this situation, Mita proposed that both the pork MAV+ and even the lower pork tariffs be extended so that the Philippines can compete in the global pork market and stabilize meat prices. “The market conditions that necessitated the issuance of both orders (EO 133 and 134) still exist today and so there is a need to continue with MAV+ and lower duties beyond the mandated expiry dates,” the group said. Duterte’s EO 134 lowered pork tariffs until May 17 of this year. Mita also explained the low utilization of the pork MAV+, contradicting claims by certain quarters

that the import program was a failure in pulling down domestic pork retail prices. “Local producers are quick to point out that approximately 40 percent of the MAV+ volume remains utilized; cold storage inventory is high, but retail prices have not come down significantly. For these reasons they’ve declared the MAV+ program to be a failure that is only killing local industry,” it said. “Non sequitur. Many shipments have been delayed more than a month due to Covid-19. Containers arriving in March and even April would have otherwise qualified for MAV+ were it not for the delays,” it added. The group said “many retailers” are selling imported pork, which are cheaper than locally-produced ones, as domestic pork and “pocketing the extra margin.” “The DA’s [statistics] will show that pork imports increased 227 percent in 2021. In fact, many of our members were selling pork primals for several months at near breakeven, or even at a loss,” Mita said. “ T herefore, c heap pork i s available even today from the importers. On the other hand, doesn’t the high retail price of pork that is clearly driven by the cost of local fresh meat, infer that the local producer is in fact able to sell his livestock profitably?” Mita added. See “Meat,” A2

huge potential,” Toledo said. Since the government tightened mining rules, only Philex has decided to go ahead with its investment plan to develop, beginning this year, a starter mine that would cost $224 million. The Silangan copper-gold prospect in Surigao del Norte is expected to produce gold and copper in early 2025.

5th-most mineralized

THE Philippines is the fifth-most mineralized country in the world, with the third-largest deposits of gold, fourth for copper, and fifth for nickel. Around one-third of the country’s land area has mineral potential but only one-tenth of that is covered by mining tenements. Estimated to be worth around $1 trillion in value, these resources remain underground. “Mining is one industry that truly highlights the complementarity between Australia and the Philippines,” said APBC President Rene Cabrera in a statement. “The Philippines has vast untapped natural resources; Australia is a global expert in minerals development and production underpinned by responsible mining practices sought by the Philippine government and community. The potential for rewarding opportunities has always been there,” he added. Philex had initially sought foreign investors to fund a grander development of Silangan, but failed to find one largely because of uncertainty in government policy. Philex will issue stock rights, use reserve funds and borrow from banks to fund the Silangan project. Toledo said, however, that Philex isn’t closing its doors to investors, both local and foreign, who may want to infuse fresh for the development of the Silangan project. “It now depends on valuation and commercial terms, compliance with government regulations, and the strategic value that the potential investors will bring into the success of Silangan.” he said.

HEALTH Action for Human Rights members hold a protest and news conference outside the Philippine General Hospital in Manila to demand the release of Dr. Maria Natividad Castro, who was arrested on February 18, 2022, in San Juan City and whisked off to detention in Agusan del Sur, where she faces charges of multiple kidnapping and serious illegal detention in Caraga. The Commission on Human Rights has said Castro was “red-tagged” for her work in the communities, but authorities insist they have a solid case against her. Story on page A9, "Bishops’ forum, Sen. Gordon alarmed by ‘Doc Naty’ case." ROY DOMINGO

Caritas tells voters: use ‘LASER’ to pick bets By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

ARITAS Philippines has urged voters to make use of the “LASER test,” when picking the candidates they will vote for in the 2022 National and Local Elections (NLE). The social advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said LASER stands for the lifestyle, action, supporters, and election conduct and reputation of a candidate. Caritas Philippines national director and Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin M. Bagaforo disclosed the acronym could serve as criteria for the “circle of discernment” of each

diocese, which will comprise the clergy and the laity. “It is our sacred duty to know our candidates well. Let our choices be a reflection of our life-earned values. Let us choose who among them will help us be better, not the one who only promises instant gratification,” Bagaforo said in a statement posted on Caritas Philippines’ website.

Non-partisan

THE prelate noted the Church, while non-partisan, can never be neutral on social and moral issues. “We will proclaim what is true, just, and right. That is our moral obligation. That is why we will speak and act in favor of human rights,

the sacredness of life, ecology, and the truth, among others.” Bagaforo said. He stressed this point when he clarified the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (SLP) endorsement of the presidential bid of Vice President Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo. He noted that while he respects the decision of SLP on the candidacy of Robredo, he said the position is not shared by the CBCP, which he said remains non-partisan.

Guidance for the clergy

IN a related development, CBCP vice president, Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert C. Vergara reminded members of the clergy to become prudent in disclosing their preferred

candidates in the 2022 polls. The prelate noted that while members of the clergy are free to pick the candidate they will support, it is better they not disclose it to the public. “If you will do it publicly, you are crossing borders, that we do not know the consequences,” Vergara said in an interview with Churchrun Radio Veritas. He noted such action could compromise their mission and advocacy of the Church, which they should push for. Instead of disclosing the identity of their candidates,Vergara urged the clergy to just share their value system in making their decision on who to vote for in the 2022 NLE.

Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

SM Prime income jumps 21% despite flat revenues By VG Cabuag

@villygc

hopping mall operator SM Prime Holdings Inc. on Monday said its income last year grew 21 percent to P21.8 billion from P18 billion in 2020, despite posting flat revenues. Revenues for the period came in at P82.3 billion, almost the same as the previous year’s P81.89 billion, as mobility curbs continued to affect its shopping malls. For the fourth quarter alone, its income reached P6.2 billion, some 70 percent higher than the previous year’s P3.63 billion, while revenues grew 20 percent to P25.5 billion from the previous year’s P21.2 billion. “As we begin to see the result of the joint effort by the government and private organizations to manage the pandemic, SM Prime is

set to pursue business expansions with broader funding options available locally and internationally. We will continue to work with the government in helping the nation rebound from the challenges in the past two years,” Jeffrey C. Lim, SM Prime president said. SM Prime’s residential business unit, led by SM Development Corp. (SMDC), had P45.9 billion revenues, lower than the previous year’s P46.5 billion. SMDC’s sales take-up reached P98.9 billion in 2021, flat from the previous year’s P99 billion.

SMDC launched eight new highrise and mid-rise condominium buildings as well as house and lot residential projects across the country in 2021. These consist of Sands Residences in Manila, Ice Tower in Pasay, Gold Residences in Parañaque, Twin Residences in Las Piñas, Joy Residences in Baliuag, Bulacan, Cheerful Homes 2 in Mabalacat, Pampanga, Calm Residences in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and Glade Residences in Jaro, Iloilo. SM Prime’s Philippine mall business reported P24.1 billion in revenues in 2021, slightly higher than the previous year’s P23.6 billion. Local malls’ rent income improved by 6 percent to P23 billion from P21.8 billion in the previous year. The company launched two new malls last year, SM City Daet in Camarines Norte and SM City Grand Central in Caloocan. SM Prime also opened MOA Square, the commercial space beside the SM Mall of Asia which houses the first IKEA store in the Philippines

CESI expands customer base By Lenie Lectura @llectura

iticore Energy Solutions Inc. (CESI), a licensed retail electricity supplier (RES) and an affiliate of Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC), said Monday its customer base grew by 2.5 times at end-2021. This includes two new contracts for the supply of renewable energy to several facilities of a real estate logistics company and two of its subsidiaries in Luzon until 2023. The logistics services giant company first tapped Citicore in November 2021 to deliver 0.6 MW, followed with a second contract in December the same year to deliver another 4.5 megawatts (MW). This brings to 5.1MW the total renewable energy (RE) capacity delivered to its partner’s facilities, which includes the Tutuban Mall in Manila. The extended power supply

contract signals the start of a longer-term partnership between the company and Citicore to serve the growing needs of the real estate and logistics industry. “The increasing collaboration with various industry players reflects the growing consciousness to shift to clean and renewable energy among consumers. It is likewise a strong testament to CREC’s capability to provide steady and reliable supply of renewable energy to a diverse set of customers and clients coming from our diverse portfolio, which also provides us with a distinct advantage,” said Oliver Tan, president and CEO of Citicore Energy REIT Corp. Tan said that as the Citicore Group expands its scope in the RE sector, the company is confident of getting a significant share of the market considering its strong and sustainable agro-solar-social platform. “We do not just offer environmentally-friendly solutions, but

agriculturally-beneficial and socially- responsible technologies and methodologies as well, a complete ESG package for the customer and the community,” Tan added. CREC currently operates eight solar plants across the country with an aggregate installed capacity of 163 MW, all of which are 100 percent contracted. Through CESI, which is qualified under the Department of Energy’s the Green Energy Option Program, CREC can directly supply consumers with renewable energy sources they prefer, such as solar. Since 2020, CREC’s clientele— both directly through offtake agreements and indirectly through CESI—have steadily increased from 2016 to 2020. In December last year, CESI said it sealed contracts with Liberty Flour Mills Inc., Provera Nutritional Solutions, Corp., Limchua Development Corp., Succeed Asia Ventures Inc., and Ground 18 Realty Corp.

ACEN launches energy storage project

C Energy Corp. (ACEN), the listed energy platf o r m o f t h e Ay a l a Group, has switched on the country’s first hybrid solar and energy storage project. The 2x20 megawatt (MW) energy storage facility is adjacent to ACEN’s 120MW Alaminos solar farm in Laguna. The project is configured to help manage internal electricity demands, store electricity when the solar plant is generating power but demand is low, and provide rapid power charging when the demand is high. It will also provide ancillary services to the national grid. “We are delighted to start the operations of ACEN’s very first battery energy storage project,” said ACEN President Eric Francia. “We will be looking to increase our investments in storage as the technology increases its viability and competitiveness.” He further said that the

40 MW energy storage project will allow the company to evaluate opportunities to store energy more effectively across ACEN’s portfolio, with the aim to provide a sustainable and reliable energy source for the country. The facility holds 24 batter y containers with SAFT 2.5 MWh lithium-ion batteries, enough to power about 20,000 homes and avoid 35.87 MTCO2e emissions per year. “We are taking advantage of battery storage technology’s fast response, scalability and ease of integration into our renewable projects,” said Jose Maria Zabaleta, ACEN’s Chief Development Officer. “With the Alaminos Energy Storage project, we can harness renewable energy more effectively amidst its variability while improving the operating capabilities of the grid and ensuring high reliability.” The A laminos Solar and Storage hybrid facility is nota-

ble for its pioneering Sustainability Hub, where the plant is surrounded by Ayala Land’s Carbon Forest, a woodland reserve that acts as a carbon trap and home to biodiversity. A plastic recycling facility has also been integrated to pilot the circular approach, diverting plastic waste from landfills to be upcycled into eco-bricks and to be used in building facilities within the plant. And with a future Eco Learning Center already underway, ACEN aims to create awareness on various climate action programs such as nature-based solutions which are essential for the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems. ACEN’s A laminos energy storage project is expected to help the company achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, on its way to becoming the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia. Lenie Lectura

and the biggest IKEA in the world. SM Prime’s international mall business, mainly in China, reported a 20 percent increase in revenues at 800 million yuan (around P6.49 billion) in 2021 from 700 million yuan last year. SM Prime China malls’ net income grew more than double to 200 million yuan from 100 million yuan in the previous year. The increase was due to a quick return to normalcy in China after the spread of the Covid-19 in the first quarter of 2020. SM Prime’s other businesses, which include offices, hotels and convention centers, reported consolidated revenues of P6.6 billion in 2021, 4 percent higher from 2020. The commercial properties business segment recorded P5 billion revenues, 5 percent higher from the previous year, while the hotels and convention centers business segment generated P1.6 billion in revenues. The company opened Park Inn by Radisson-Bacolod in the last quarter of 2021.

PayMongo secures $31M in funding F

intech start-up PayMongo on Monday said it secured $31 million (around P1.6 billion) in Series B funding from various investors, including the local venture capital firm of the Gokongwei family. The company said it secured investments from Justin Mateen’s JAM Fund, local venture capitalists ICCP-SBI Venture Partners and Lisa Gokongwei’s Kaya Founders, together with existing investors Global Founders Capital and SOMA Capital. Also joining the round are founders of top European fintech unicorns and startups Qonto, Viva Wallet, Billie, and Scalable. The round brings the company’s total funding to close to $46 million (P2.36 billion), following a $12-million Series A round in 2020 and a $2.7-million seed round in 2019. “This investment is a testament to our growth and the continued growth of our merchants. With this Series B, we will invest further in our merchants’ successes by giving them more means to move money seamlessly online,” company CEO and cofounder Francis Plaza said. Since closing its Series A in September 2020, PayMongo has grown its merchant by three times and its monthly transaction volumes by fourfold. While it caters to businesses of all sizes, the company aims to achieve sustainable growth by serving small,microandmedium-sizedenterprises, which account for 99 percent of businesses in the Philippines and have historically been underserved by traditional payment providers. “As one of PayMongo’s first investors, I’ve seen their path from simplifying payments for a handful of businesses to now being a company that thousands of mer-

chants depend on for their day-to-day operations,” said JAM Fund and Tinder founder Justin Mateen. PayMongo said it will scale its operations by strengthening its current payments infrastructure and venturing into more financial services. This involves building products such as disbursements, capital lending, “buy now, pay later,” subscriptions and recurring payments, among many others. It will likewise explore how the Philippines can serve as a springboard for the digital transformation of financial services in other emerging markets. “While payment acceptance is crucial, it is just one of the many services that entrepreneurs need to build a successful online business. Our goal is to create a one-stopshop for all these financial needs in the broader Southeast Asian region, starting with the Philippines,” Plaza said. According to a report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, the Philippine digital economy is predicted to grow to $40 billion by 2025, having registered the fastest growth rate in Southeast Asia throughout the pandemic. Its growth in recent years has been led by companies and consumers adopting digital platforms and services to embrace the shift to e-commerce. “As the oldest operating VC firm in the Philippines and having invested in Silicon Valley since the 90s, we see the importance of fintech as a foundational layer for the digital economy. As PayMongo revolutionizes business-to-business payments in our country, they will expedite the growth of many more industries,” Miguel Encarnacion, managing director of ICCP-SBI Venture Partners said. VG Cabuag

Companies BusinessMirror

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Globe: Telco builds, digital ventures to create more jobs

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

he chief of telco giant Globe Telecom Inc. vowed to “help buoy” Philippine economy this year through infrastructure builds and network upgrades, saying these initiatives will help generate jobs, and enhance the digital experience of Filipinos. Globe President Ernest L. Cu said the group is “further ramping up activities across its portfolio this year,” including its digital ventures. “We will continue to build, innovate and make our products and ser vices more accessible. With all of the Globe Group, we will win as one on the road to a new and better normal,” he said

in a statement. Cu cited ventures, such as fintech GCash, which has over 51 million users, telehealth provider KonsultaMD, as well as online grocery platform PureGo as examples of ventures that will help in Globe’s commitment to support economic recovery. Aside from this, Globe plans to build over 1,200 towers in

PAL taps NTT Data for digital transformation

egac y car r ier Phi lippine Airlines (PAL) said on Monday it has partnered with tech company NTT Data Philippines to implement SAP solutions in the airline. The partnership will help “modernize the company’s key business processes—finance, procurement, supply chain, and human resources,” Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez, the airline’s CFO, said in a statement, “A true digital transformation will strengthen interdepartmental collaboration and promote sound decisionmaking as we tackle the challenges of global competition. This will benefit our customers who look to us for reliable service as the nation’s flag carrier and largest international airline,” he said. Through the partnership, PAL will leverage NTT Data’s global IT services and complement it with SAP’s intelligent enterprise solutions, allowing the Filipino airline to hasten its digital transformation initiatives. NTT DATA takes on the task of effectively integrating multiple SAP solutions – SAP S/4HANA (ERP) on Microsoft Azure (hyperscale of choice), SAP SuccessFactors (HxM) and SAP Concur (Expense

Management System) into PAL’s respective processes, banking on NTT DATA’s extensive experience and proven capabilities in SAP implementation and management. Pocholo Reyes, president of NTT DATA Philippines, said: “We are proud to be Philippine Airlines’ innovation partner to accelerate their digital transformation. Our team is committed to the success of PAL’s transformation journey by implementing NTT DATA & SAP solutions to help them increase operational productivity, enhance enterprise decision-making capabilities, and improve employee experience.” PAL expects the new business solutions from NT T DATA and SAP to help equip its leaders with the right data at the right time to make sound decisions that will allow the airline to quickly adapt to change. “ T his project w ill help make PAL stronger, more agile and more resilient as we continue to fulfill our mission of bridging the Philippines and the world with our signature Buong Pusong Alaga or heartfelt service,” Alvin Kendrich Limqueco, PAL Senior Vice President for Supply Chain Management, said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

2022, as well as expand its fixed line network. Globe has set a P89-billion capital expenditures (capex) program for 2022 to bankroll the construction of more cell sites, upgrade existing ones, deploy 4G and 5G radios, and add more fiber lines across the country. Last year, Globe aggressively expanded its fixed line and wireless networks, building 1,407 new cell sites, upgraded over 22,300 mobile sites, installed more than 2,000 5G radios, and installed 1.4 million fiber-to-the-home lines. “Globe is a constant ally of Filipinos as we collectively face a persistent pandemic. They can count on us to provide products

and services that support their needs in the midst of our changed reality, when most of our activities have gone virtual,” Cu said. The company reported that it netted P23.7 billion in profits last year, a 27-percent increase from P18.6 billion the year prior, thanks to the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act as well as the gain from the sale of investment in its subsidiary, Mynt. Its core net income stood at P21.2 billion, which is 9-percent higher than the year prior, fueled by the 4-percent increase in net income to P151.5 billion, but this was partially offset by the effects of Typhoon Odette to its total operating expenses of P76.6 billion.

mutual funds

February 21, 2022

NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

237.09

8.72%

-3.73%

-1.31%

1.72%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.5912

19.67%

0.25%

2.44%

-4.39%

9.38%

-7.3%

-4.03%

1.58%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.7651 -0.62%

-6.88% n.a.

1.14%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.756

-4.22% n.a.

-1.93%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.2891

First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a

5.2793

7.75% 11.59%

-1.52%

0.47%

1.86%

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.7937

12.89%

-3.37%

-2.92%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

92.48

-8.96%

-9.26% n.a.

-2.07%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

48.5777

8.28%

-2.35%

0.15%

0.94%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

509.14

8.51%

-2.29%

-0.24%

1.69%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.3767

21.66%

1.6%

2.29%

1.5%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

37.1441

10.99%

-1.38%

1.15%

1.5%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9681

11.14%

-2.16% n.a.

2.84%

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

5.0232

9.42%

-1.61%

0.85%

1.26%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

836.77

8.96%

-1.68%

0.78%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.7643

9.99%

-5.38%

-2.15%

1.55%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.8231

10.1%

-3.92%

-0.54%

1.26%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9532

8.47%

-2%

0.53%

United Fund, Inc. -a

8.82%

-1.73%

1.36%

1.54%

3.4901

Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a

1.1981

13.96% n.a. n.a.

1.33%

0.92%

3.04%

1027.05 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Exchange Traded Fund (shares) First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c

112.7284

9.37%

-1.42%

1.27%

1.12%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$1.1162

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.7071

-18.25%

3.88%

4.26%

-0.91%

-5.27%

11.33%

9.45%

-7.54%

Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a

1.6793

1.28%

-0.82%

-0.46%

-0.75%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.2958

3.21%

0.13%

0.63%

6.69%

1.03%

1.66%

1.17%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.7226

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.2115 NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

2.0257

4.53%

9.81% n.a. n.a. 2%

2.02%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.7839

2.58%

1.32%

0.9%

0.5%

16.9529

2.69%

0.98%

0.85%

0.64%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.1429

4.67%

-0.1%

0.8%

1.01%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.6683 5.23%

-1.39%

0.27%

0.58%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

-0.04%

0.82%

1.36%

0.9672

11.67%

1.2%

0.45%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a

0.9781

-1.68%

-0.41% n.a.

-1.18%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a

0.9444

3.15%

-1.46% n.a.

-0.01%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a

0.9353

4.19%

-1.76% n.a.

0.15%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a

$0.03591

-6.94%

0.19%

0.38%

$1.075

-11.27%

3.33%

3.05%

0.74%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.5167 -5.24%

7.95%

6.87%

-5.94%

3.7%

3.21%

-4.68%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,2 $1.1425 -5.37%

-5.35%

Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

373.94

0.62%

2.66%

2.45%

-0.1%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.8865

-0.95%

0.44%

0.09%

0.1%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2452

0.85%

2.74%

3.76%

0.04%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2276

-1.06%

-2.83%

1.25%

1.22%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4188 -0.91%

2.79%

1.75%

-0.3%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

-5.9%

3.49%

1.24%

-1.13%

4.346

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a

1.3215

0.08%

3.68%

2.85%

0.18%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.9521

-0.48%

3.38%

2.56%

-0.35%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

-0.56%

1.0224

-0.92%

3.97%

1.93%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1825

-0.5%

3.99%

3.1%

-0.15%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

-1.11%

3.17%

2.42%

-0.28%

1.7257

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$487.31

0.56%

2.6%

2.3%

-0.46%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є217.84

-0.77%

0.49%

0.78%

-0.99%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.1462

-7.84%

-4.79%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0254 -3.42%

-0.1%

0.68%

0.53%

0.4%

-2.31%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

$0.975

-9.85%

-2.48%

-1.71%

-4.67%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.383

-5.38%

2.36%

1.67%

-4.9%

$0.0615184

-1.68%

2.27%

1.63%

-1.24%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $2.9941 -6.1%

0.67%

0.42%

-6.32%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a

Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) 131.37

0.98%

2.57%

2.54%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

1.0594

0.98%

1.86% n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Peso Starter Fund, Inc. -a,1 1.3183

1.49%

2.46%

2.52%

0.14% 0.16%

0.21%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0614

0.7%

1.35% n.a.

0.08%

Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a

46.0842 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a 1.3289

10.98% n.a. n.a.

-3.9%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (units) ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a

$0.9288

-6.18% n.a. n.a.

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

February 21, 2022

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

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL IREMIT NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH

1,286,230 334,415,301 176,254,886.50 1,344,535 6,652,875 124,773,845 3,768 28,347,024 11,211,414 30,472 1,227,090 108,396,211 10,570,849.50 1,184,650 212,820 7,470 5,360 1,461,938

1,196,310 -71,892,689 -41,615,335.50 -1,262,639 -7,502,091.50 -85,214 2,800 17,040 30,991,676 -202,641.50 -196,600 6,480

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 8.59 8.6 8.99 9.03 8.52 8.59 15,401,600 133,120,899 ALSONS CONS 1.04 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.03 1.05 114,000 117,500 ABOITIZ POWER 36.15 36.5 36.05 36.5 35.5 36.5 1,745,200 63,030,830 0.51 0.52 0.53 0.54 0.51 0.52 4,608,000 2,406,270 BASIC ENERGY 26.25 26.5 26.6 26.8 26.1 26.25 716,900 18,834,045 FIRST GEN 70.9 71 71.2 71.2 70.85 71 35,620 2,526,909.50 FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO 363.6 365 363.6 365 359.4 365 286,090 103,986,852 MANILA WATER 22.4 22.45 22.35 22.45 21.8 22.45 282,400 6,235,980 PETRON 3.32 3.33 3.45 3.45 3.3 3.33 1,171,000 3,925,500 10.12 10.78 10.78 10.78 10.78 10.78 5,200 56,056 PHX PETROLEUM 12.46 12.6 12.56 12.6 12.4 12.6 4,384,900 54,562,692 SYNERGY GRID 19.22 19.36 19.54 19.54 19.22 19.22 62,800 1,213,300 PILIPINAS SHELL SOLAR PH 1.85 1.86 2.06 2.06 1.86 1.86 523,375,000 1,019,222,470 VIVANT 14.32 16 16 16 16 16 1,000 16,000 AGRINURTURE 5.15 5.16 5.15 5.18 5.05 5.16 804,900 4,146,150 2.8 2.85 2.8 2.85 2.8 2.85 382,000 1,072,200 AXELUM 13.02 13.7 13.4 13.5 13.4 13.5 2,200 29,610 CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD 24.55 25 24.85 25.15 24.55 24.55 1,183,000 29,485,675 DEL MONTE 15.86 15.88 16 16 15.8 15.86 67,500 1,070,274 DNL INDUS 8.16 8.17 8.24 8.24 7.94 8.17 2,380,500 19,206,456 19.96 20.1 20.2 20.2 19.96 20.1 4,404,600 88,386,169 EMPERADOR 68.9 69 69.1 69.4 68.7 69 272,140 18,777,118 SMC FOODANDBEV 0.77 0.78 0.81 0.81 0.76 0.77 66,619,000 51,813,340 FIGARO COFFEE ALLIANCE SELECT 0.63 0.64 0.64 0.64 0.6 0.63 206,000 129,750 FRUITAS HLDG 1.21 1.24 1.22 1.24 1.2 1.24 4,164,000 5,104,960 GINEBRA 109.8 110 110.8 110.8 109.6 109.8 12,130 1,336,432 246 248 247.2 248 241.2 248 404,200 99,259,358 JOLLIBEE 1.38 1.39 1.43 1.43 1.37 1.39 4,229,000 5,864,360 KEEPERS HLDG 6.5 6.58 6.54 6.59 6.47 6.5 53,700 348,718 MAXS GROUP MG HLDG 0.151 0.16 0.151 0.16 0.151 0.16 20,000 3,110 MONDE NISSIN 15.52 15.62 16.1 16.24 15.52 15.52 18,641,100 292,803,698 SHAKEYS PIZZA 8.46 8.47 8.62 8.62 8.4 8.47 664,600 5,630,495 0.63 0.65 0.65 0.67 0.64 0.64 472,000 306,780 ROXAS AND CO 4.54 4.55 4.5 4.54 4.41 4.54 28,000 126,650 RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG 1.02 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.05 8,000 8,400 SWIFT FOODS 0.101 0.102 0.102 0.102 0.101 0.101 670,000 68,240 UNIV ROBINA 124.7 125 126.5 126.5 124 124.7 1,183,190 147,882,672 0.65 0.66 0.69 0.69 0.6 0.65 3,943,000 2,499,070 VITARICH 2.4 2.54 2.42 2.42 2.4 2.4 27,000 64,960 VICTORIAS 45.85 57.95 45.85 45.85 45.85 45.85 100,000 4,585,000 CONCRETE B CEMEX HLDG 0.98 0.99 1.02 1.02 0.97 0.99 20,831,000 20,730,250 EAGLE CEMENT 13.88 14 14.2 14.2 13.86 13.88 1,500 20,942 EEI CORP 6.13 6.2 6.13 6.22 6.13 6.22 9,600 58,859 6.21 6.29 6.26 6.29 6.18 6.29 361,700 2,261,776 HOLCIM 5.27 5.28 5.53 5.53 5.24 5.27 346,100 1,841,242 MEGAWIDE 20.8 20.95 21 21 20.6 20.75 8,200 170,170 PHINMA TKC METALS 0.77 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 9,000 7,020 VULCAN INDL 0.91 0.93 0.95 0.95 0.91 0.92 4,182,000 3,874,120 CROWN ASIA 1.72 1.73 1.75 1.75 1.72 1.72 157,000 270,850 1.32 1.41 1.32 1.32 1.31 1.31 7,000 9,190 EUROMED LMG CORP 3.8 3.93 3.81 3.81 3.8 3.8 100,000 380,030 MABUHAY VINYL 4.3 4.44 4.45 4.45 4.45 4.45 2,000 8,900 PRYCE CORP 5.83 5.94 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 19,800 116,820 CONCEPCION 21.75 22 22 22 22 22 1,500 33,000 1.93 1.95 2.03 2.03 1.9 1.95 5,987,000 11,671,660 GREENERGY 8.2 8.3 8.78 8.78 8.18 8.2 5,396,500 44,580,762 INTEGRATED MICR 0.74 0.75 0.72 0.75 0.72 0.74 330,000 243,400 IONICS PANASONIC 6 6.09 6.09 6.09 6.09 6.09 2,100 12,789 SFA SEMICON 1.21 1.22 1.22 1.26 1.2 1.21 1,728,000 2,114,200 CIRTEK HLDG 3.78 3.79 3.85 3.9 3.79 3.79 1,944,000 7,428,600

-13,274,395 18,006,575.00 36,400 -4,284,855 3,545 23,918,608 875,725 132,350 -54,978 4,465,782 -401,960 1,278,300 631,874 -75,600 -4,397,680 1,600 1,446,073 10,829,161 -10,164,584.50 19,630 -126,142 33,536,890 987,430 -66,172 -67,487,646 -5,178,867.00 173,000 -63,458,104 6,800 36,000 -4,838,760 1,376,928 31,254 46,850 -24,200 497,940.00 669,110 18,720 207,280

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA SOLID GROUP SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

44.85 134.5 99.6 26.55 9.46 59.85 9.42 18.28 19.94 56.5 20.9 117.3 100.7 2.1 4 0.79 0.68 215.2

0.9 859.5 60.3 12.86 8.33 0.94 0.64 0.66 5.21 8.46 7.12 0.25 594 3.61 62.2 6.52 0.59 2.96 9.24 3.81 2.79 1.21 0.98 859 108 119.1 0.275 0.175

45 135 99.75 26.6 9.51 60 9.75 18.3 19.96 57.5 21 117.4 102 2.16 4.08 0.83 0.71 224

0.91 860 61.2 12.9 8.39 0.95 0.65 0.69 5.22 8.49 7.27 0.27 596 3.75 62.8 7 0.6 2.97 9.25 3.82 2.94 1.23 1 860 110.2 123.4 0.3 0.177

44.8 134.6 99.5 26.6 9.5 60.3 9.42 18.22 20.55 57.6 21.3 117.1 104 2.13 3.95 0.83 0.67 224.8

0.89 860.5 61.2 12.76 8.33 0.94 0.7 0.68 5.21 8.5 7.25 0.25 585 3.75 62 7 0.6 2.96 9.46 3.85 2.94 1.19 1.02 850 107.2 119.1 0.275 0.181

45.2 135.3 100 26.6 9.51 60.6 9.42 18.28 20.55 57.6 21.35 117.5 104.9 2.17 4.09 0.83 0.67 224.8

0.91 860.5 61.45 12.94 8.38 0.94 0.7 0.71 5.24 8.54 7.25 0.255 596 3.75 62.8 7 0.63 3.1 9.46 3.85 2.94 1.24 1.02 878 110.2 119.1 0.275 0.185

44.8 133.2 98.8 26.2 9.44 59.7 9.42 18.22 19.96 56 20.9 114.6 94.95 2.05 3.92 0.83 0.67 215

0.89 854.5 59.65 12.6 8.33 0.94 0.63 0.65 5.21 8.27 7.12 0.25 569 3.75 60.55 7 0.6 2.96 9.21 3.75 2.94 1.19 1 843 107.2 119.1 0.275 0.177

45 135 99.7 26.55 9.51 60 9.42 18.28 19.96 56.5 20.9 117.4 101.9 2.15 4.09 0.83 0.67 224

0.91 860 61.2 12.9 8.38 0.94 0.65 0.66 5.22 8.49 7.12 0.255 596 3.75 62.8 7 0.6 2.96 9.25 3.82 2.94 1.22 1 860 110.2 119.1 0.275 0.177

28,600 2,482,990 1,767,770 50,600 703,200 2,080,240 400 1,555,800 557,200 540 58,400 928,750 105,790 554,000 54,000 9,000 8,000 6,750

3,048,000 108,520 642,680 866,300 16,400 9,000 11,529,000 1,310,000 1,468,100 5,503,700 2,200 80,000 261,440 1,000 1,685,870 1,900 354,000 90,000 8,300,700 20,180,000 3,000 192,000 214,000 1,588,390 94,770 130 30,000 2,150,000

2,752,630 93,200,970 38,951,838.50 11,115,896 136,850 8,460 7,575,290 869,850 7,662,447 46,259,844 15,914 20,150 153,495,115 3,750 104,966,877.50 13,300 212,430 272,100 77,106,147 76,913,640 8,820 233,540 216,440 1,366,423,960 10,324,431 15,483 8,250 394,910

PROPERTY

Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

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-4.25%

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU). 1 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last July 8, 2021 (formerly, Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc.). 2 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last November 25, 2021.

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

ARTHALAND CORP 0.62 0.63 0.61 0.62 0.61 0.62 147,000 90,500 ANCHOR LAND 5.71 6.17 5.71 5.71 5.71 5.71 200 1,142 AYALA LAND 39.45 39.7 39.75 39.8 38.6 39.7 12,116,400 476,773,335 4.63 4.65 4.86 4.91 4.6 4.63 7,256,000 33,930,950 AYALA LAND LOG 0.95 1.01 0.98 1.02 0.96 1.02 132,000 128,040 ARANETA PROP AREIT RT 51.1 51.5 50 51.9 49.6 51.5 2,126,500 108,612,955 A BROWN 0.93 0.95 0.93 0.96 0.93 0.95 1,796,000 1,700,640 CITYLAND DEVT 0.73 0.74 0.74 0.74 0.74 0.74 54,000 39,960 CROWN EQUITIES 0.097 0.102 0.097 0.102 0.097 0.102 5,580,000 541,360 2.93 2.96 2.93 2.97 2.92 2.96 284,000 837,000 CEB LANDMASTERS CENTURY PROP 0.42 0.425 0.425 0.425 0.425 0.425 3,400,000 1,445,000 10.3 10.38 10.2 10.38 9.97 10.38 1,372,400 14,014,153 DOUBLEDRAGON DDMP RT 1.78 1.79 1.79 1.8 1.78 1.79 7,094,000 12,704,010 DM WENCESLAO 6.93 6.94 6.9 6.93 6.88 6.93 15,100 104,531 EVER GOTESCO 0.3 0.305 0.305 0.31 0.305 0.305 10,010,000 3,066,100 7.54 7.55 7.52 7.58 7.5 7.55 8,152,800 61,451,385 FILINVEST RT 1.1 1.12 1.1 1.12 1.1 1.1 3,266,000 3,629,020 FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE 0.93 0.95 0.95 0.95 0.95 0.95 15,000 14,250 8990 HLDG 13.5 13.64 13.6 13.68 13.56 13.66 115,800 1,576,836 GOLDEN MV 600 634 605 635 605 634 500 310,725 1.04 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.04 1.04 468,000 487,510 PHIL INFRADEV CITY AND LAND 0.85 0.87 0.83 0.87 0.83 0.86 474,000 405,010 3.29 3.3 3.3 3.35 3.25 3.29 13,631,000 44,814,180 MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED 0.27 0.275 0.28 0.285 0.265 0.275 15,520,000 4,324,900 MREIT RT 20.4 20.45 19.96 20.5 19.8 20.45 2,554,900 51,743,634 PHIL ESTATES 0.465 0.47 0.47 0.475 0.465 0.465 4,610,000 2,159,700 2.13 2.14 2.12 2.15 2.08 2.15 1,752,000 3,709,710 PRIMEX CORP 7.94 8 7.59 8.1 7.58 7.94 7,915,900 62,345,167 RL COMM RT 19.38 19.44 19.5 19.62 18.92 19.44 7,036,000 136,084,132 ROBINSONS LAND PHIL REALTY 0.234 0.235 0.249 0.255 0.234 0.234 3,610,000 872,620 SHANG PROP 2.57 2.62 2.62 2.62 2.62 2.62 1,000 2,620 STA LUCIA LAND 2.77 2.89 2.75 2.9 2.71 2.77 27,000 74,290 39.4 39.9 38.2 39.9 37.65 39.9 12,883,100 502,932,805 SM PRIME HLDG 0.61 0.65 0.65 0.65 0.63 0.63 10,000 6,320 SOC RESOURCES VISTAMALLS 3.65 3.79 3.78 3.78 3.78 3.78 4,000 15,120 SUNTRUST HOME 1.05 1.06 1.06 1.08 1.06 1.06 244,000 258,660 VISTA LAND 3.27 3.31 3.35 3.35 3.21 3.27 1,577,000 5,165,970 SERVICES ABS CBN 12.96 13 13.3 13.3 12.82 13 52,600 678,970 GMA NETWORK 14.14 14.16 14.26 14.3 13.98 14.14 662,100 9,316,642 MLA BRDCASTING 9 9.37 9.98 9.98 9.98 9.98 300 2,994 2,678 2,700 2,700 2,726 2,620 2,700 96,740 259,373,710 GLOBE TELECOM 1,781 1,782 1,782 1,790 1,746 1,782 100,615 178,944,610 PLDT 0.065 0.066 0.065 0.066 0.064 0.065 60,720,000 3,938,180 APOLLO GLOBAL CONVERGE 26.9 27 27.5 27.5 26.5 26.9 8,148,800 219,305,915 DFNN INC 2.27 2.29 2.27 2.3 2.27 2.27 18,000 41,010 DITO CME HLDG 6.61 6.65 5.91 6.72 5.9 6.61 68,585,800 431,108,266 1.6 1.64 1.62 1.64 1.59 1.64 27,000 43,550 JACKSTONES NOW CORP 1.25 1.26 1.28 1.28 1.26 1.26 619,000 784,680 0.38 0.385 0.39 0.395 0.38 0.38 5,390,000 2,064,800 TRANSPACIFIC BR 2GO GROUP 7.38 7.39 7.5 7.5 7.34 7.38 7,300 54,528 ASIAN TERMINALS 14 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 1,300 18,460 CHELSEA 1.8 1.82 1.75 1.84 1.74 1.8 890,000 1,607,400 49.05 49.3 48.75 49.55 47.55 49.3 1,377,600 67,412,475 CEBU AIR 212 213.8 212 217 211.4 212 392,630 83,496,996 INTL CONTAINER LBC EXPRESS 21.7 21.75 21.75 21.75 21.75 21.75 2,000 43,500 LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.9 0.92 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 1,558,000 1,402,200 MACROASIA 5.63 5.64 5.73 5.85 5.62 5.63 998,400 5,688,399 1.02 1.07 1.08 1.08 1.02 1.02 18,000 18,840 METROALLIANCE B HARBOR STAR 0.83 0.85 0.83 0.83 0.83 0.83 21,000 17,430 DISCOVERY WORLD 1.7 1.73 1.72 1.73 1.7 1.7 203,000 346,630 WATERFRONT 0.465 0.49 0.475 0.475 0.465 0.47 1,490,000 702,150 IPEOPLE 6.76 7.29 7.29 7.29 7.29 7.29 300 2,187 STI HLDG 0.34 0.35 0.345 0.35 0.34 0.35 840,000 292,950 1.34 1.36 1.36 1.36 1.33 1.36 74,000 98,840 BELLE CORP BLOOMBERRY 6.8 6.83 6.94 6.94 6.69 6.83 4,671,500 31,748,076 1.77 1.79 1.84 1.84 1.8 1.8 16,000 29,140 PACIFIC ONLINE LEISURE AND RES 1.42 1.45 1.55 1.55 1.42 1.42 2,146,000 3,108,120 PH RESORTS GRP 1.02 1.03 0.92 1.05 0.91 1.03 13,506,000 13,422,420 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.435 0.445 0.445 0.445 0.435 0.435 17,000,000 7,444,300 2.17 2.24 2.2 2.25 2.11 2.24 606,000 1,321,770 PHILWEB ALLDAY 0.52 0.53 0.55 0.55 0.52 0.52 24,556,000 13,145,500 BERJAYA 5.66 5.86 5.86 5.86 5.66 5.66 39,400 223,024 ALLHOME 8.98 9 8.92 9.1 8.85 9 286,900 2,585,811 METRO RETAIL 1.42 1.43 1.42 1.43 1.42 1.42 550,000 781,560 36.6 36.65 35.9 36.75 35.55 36.65 881,400 32,133,870 PUREGOLD 59.6 59.75 61.4 61.4 58.1 59.75 397,770 23,770,432 ROBINSONS RTL 82.55 83 83.05 83.05 82.55 82.55 11,430 948,429 PHIL SEVEN CORP SSI GROUP 1.13 1.14 1.12 1.14 1.12 1.13 188,000 212,270 WILCON DEPOT 28.2 28.25 27.5 28.2 27.3 28.2 3,429,600 96,126,100 APC GROUP 0.25 0.26 0.265 0.265 0.25 0.25 880,000 230,050 4.1 4.4 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1 10,000 41,000 EASYCALL IPM HLDG 6.6 6.99 6.75 7 6.7 6.99 3,400 22,899 MEDILINES 1.14 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.11 1.16 8,223,000 9,356,530 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.71 0.72 0.77 0.78 0.71 0.72 43,175,000 31,830,340 SBS PHIL CORP 4.12 4.25 3.98 4.25 3.9 4.25 256,000 1,037,950

MINING & OIL ATOK 5.8 5.9 5.99 5.99 5.99 5.99 1,000 5,990 APEX MINING 1.62 1.63 1.67 1.74 1.63 1.63 4,623,000 7,719,830 6.58 6.59 6.61 6.63 6.57 6.58 425,600 2,804,308 ATLAS MINING 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 52,000 270,400 BENGUET A BENGUET B 4.83 5.2 4.82 4.82 4.82 4.82 24,000 115,680 COAL ASIA HLDG 0.26 0.27 CENTURY PEAK 2.7 2.8 2.6 2.89 2.6 2.8 113,000 324,840 DIZON MINES 5 5.19 5.34 5.34 5.34 5.34 100 534 2.54 2.55 2.53 2.57 2.5 2.55 7,076,000 17,829,490 FERRONICKEL 0.197 0.2 0.198 0.204 0.197 0.2 170,000 33,870 GEOGRACE 0.165 0.166 0.17 0.172 0.165 0.165 14,170,000 2,382,020 LEPANTO A LEPANTO B 0.166 0.17 0.174 0.176 0.166 0.17 840,000 141,700 MANILA MINING A 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.01 75,300,000 781,000 MANILA MINING B 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.01 6,400,000 64,300 1.63 1.64 1.65 1.73 1.64 1.64 6,843,000 11,478,250 MARCVENTURES 0.98 0.99 0.98 0.99 0.98 0.99 114,000 112,080 NIHAO NICKEL ASIA 7.25 7.26 6.89 7.27 6.89 7.25 19,474,300 138,800,453 ORNTL PENINSULA 0.93 0.94 0.97 0.97 0.93 0.93 1,729,000 1,629,180 PX MINING 5.48 5.49 5.7 5.74 5.49 5.49 1,924,900 10,863,924 26.85 26.9 26.7 27.1 26.1 26.9 1,733,900 46,214,990 SEMIRARA MINING 0.0072 0.0074 0.0072 0.0074 0.0072 0.0074 14,000,000 101,200 UNITED PARAGON 26.6 27.05 28 28 26.45 27.05 309,900 8,322,800 ACE ENEXOR ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 13,800,000 166,300 ORNTL PETROL B 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 1,000,000 12,000 PHILODRILL 0.0093 0.0096 0.0095 0.0095 0.0092 0.0093 14,000,000 130,500 5.85 5.88 5.9 5.9 5.75 5.85 260,100 1,511,720 PXP ENERGY PREFFERED HOUSE PREF A 99.9 101 101 101 101 101 1,000 101,000 AC PREF B1 504 519.5 504 504 504 504 120 60,480 BRN PREF A 104 105 105 105 105 105 750 78,750 48.05 48.3 48 48.3 47.8 48.1 17,100 822,240 CEB PREF CPG PREF A 101.6 102 101.3 102 101.3 102 500 50,685 DD PREF 100.4 100.5 100.6 100.6 100.3 100.5 1,890 189,771 EEI PREF B 110 110.3 110 110 110 110 1,000 110,000 GTCAP PREF A 993 1,010 993 993 993 993 3,140 3,118,020 JFC PREF A 1,000 1,002 1,000 1,002 1,000 1,002 10 10,010 1,001 1,015 1,005 1,015 1,001 1,015 85 85,345 JFC PREF B MWIDE PREF 2B 100 101.9 101.9 101.9 101.9 101.9 210 21,399 MWIDE PREF 4 100 100.5 100 100.5 100 100.5 6,640 667,070 PNX PREF 3B 100.5 101 101 101 101 101 2,020 204,020 PNX PREF 4 983 990 981 996 981 990 1,210 1,199,840 PCOR PREF 3A 1,060 1,070 1,069 1,070 1,069 1,070 630 673,990 1,077 1,130 1,130 1,130 1,130 1,130 5 5,650 PCOR PREF 3B SMC PREF 2H 75.9 76 76 76 76 76 3,500 266,000 SMC PREF 2I 78.3 79 79 79 79 79 6,300 497,700 SMC PREF 2J 76.4 77.25 76.4 76.5 76.4 76.4 500 38,206 SMC PREF 2K 76 76.95 76 76.05 76 76 16,500 1,254,010 54 55 54.95 55 54.95 54.95 6,650 365,673 TECH PREF B2D PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS GMA HLDG PDR 13.98 14.06 14.3 14.3 13.94 13.98 72,700 1,016,094 WARRANTS TECH WARRANT 0.85 0.86 0.92 0.94 0.85 0.86 3,625,000 3,165,110

-45,300 -2,376,350 -2,853,818.50 4,209,614 1,240,378 -3,486,534.00 48,723,545 5,925,366.50 -65,240 12,419,104 10,602,410 143,737,805 1,735,277 -7,400 61,245,785 2,613,880 55,281,895 37,000 -17,000 -802,295.00 1,174,420 -6,930 -915,000 6,049,401 1,308,230 16,600 -5,502,130 -14,269,576 4,700 -3,195,300 18,700,736 -53,933,178 49,000 123,546,905 -998,160 -27,341,910 -8,085,695 649,880 -95,171,785 0 107,970,176 45,360 3,690 -18,310 13,848,440 1,321,914 -43,500 -327,555 -71,400 13,700.00 9,253,249 -9,000 44,200 -64,900 -7,059,850 -260,880 1,474,258 -21,300 -5,640,325 9,948,731 -792,650 -30,780 64,183,175 2,650 21,680 231,980 5,900 661 28,000 4,363,890 -9,900 296,550 53,100,125 -23,160 -98,362.00 6,191,165 72,000 177,630 576,675 50,400 79,200 -281,050

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ALTUS PROP HAUS TALK ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MERRYMART XURPAS

16.96 1.04 1.08 2.87 2.11 0.415

17.38 1.08 1.13 3 2.12 0.425

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

FIRST METRO ETF

112.1

112.4

17.7 1.08 1.13 3 2.14 0.435

17.7 1.09 1.13 3 2.15 0.435

16.96 1.04 1.08 3 2.1 0.41

16.96 1.08 1.13 3 2.12 0.415

106,700 3,043,000 409,000 3,000 2,141,000 3,180,000

1,822,562 3,210,730 450,870 9,000 4,547,620 1,337,300

15,430 -5,310 2,120 162,000 -4,250

113 113 111.5 112.1 7,210 810,035 114,331

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Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Inflation re-cast herds T-bill rates on upward slope

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

DJUSTMENTS in inflation rates for this year and the next herded Treasury-bill rates on an upward slope in Monday’s auction as well as prompted the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) to evaluate government’s borrowing tack.

Maslow’s personal finance

MERIC AN Psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed a model in the 1940’s to provide rationalization on the nature of human needs. The model is best represented by a pyramid with the more essential needs situated at the bottom of the pyramid. These needs can be categorized into three: basic (bottom); psychological (middle); and, self-fulfillment (top). It’s possible to use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in personal finance since a household’s consumption and allocation of financial resources can be categorized into the same group of needs. Knowing essential needs will provide an additional guide to a household when allocating their financial resources. Examples of basic needs are physiological and safety needs. Physiological needs include food, water, shelter and clothing. In the context of personal finance, one can think of the physiological needs as the nondiscretionary expenses that the household should allocate financial resource to maintain the upkeep of the household. In relation to this, one may consider the housing amortization and utilities expenses as an essential component as well under shelter category. Examples of safety needs, on the other hand, are emergency funds and insurance coverage that are necessary to provide cushion from financial impact should something happen to a household. Computation for appropriate emergency fund can be based on the monthly expenses of the household and stability of income source while a reliable and competent financial advisor will help in determining ample insurance coverage a household needs. The next level in the hierarchy is for psychological needs under which are social belongingness and self-esteem. Social belongingness refers to a person’s need to be in an interpersonal relationship or involvement in a group, whether big or small. Self-esteem, on the other hand, is the need of an individual to getting recognition or status and respect from others. How do these things relate to personal finance? When having these psychological needs fulfilled (as it should be–completely ignoring these may be detrimental to the long-term welfare of the household), it is important to be aware of the financial implications of each choice taken. A household must not overstretch its financial resources just to gain acceptance from a group or respect/ recognition from others.

John Hero Salvador

personal finance An example of such is taking out unsustainable loans to get either a house or car just to impress people or to keep up with the Joneses. A couple of ideas to remember when fulfilling psychological needs is to consider financial opportunity costs for each choice taken and to align the household’s established values with the people they are associating with to ensure that psychological fulfillment will be sustainable in the long run. Also, we should all not forget that we cannot please everyone and, as such, we should focus our efforts to be in excellent relationships with people that matter most. The final level in the hierarchy is self-actualization or selffulfillment. In Maslow’s framework, this refers to reaching the full potential of an individual. In the topic of personal finance, one can consider this to be about the pursuit of goals that matters most to the individual or a household. We should remember that goals should not be limited to material things just because we are talking this model in the context of personal finance. These goals are subjective and may vary even in level of priority from one household to the other. Being modeled after a pyramid structure, one cannot pursue important financial goals without first meeting the physiological and psychological needs. In other words, an individual or a household will have a hard time achieving their financial goals without being able to address management of their basic needs and having support and encouragement from the people that they consider important to them. We may have different goals in life and, with proper utilization of financial resources, we will be able to achieve whatever it may be. What’s important is not to lose sight of our other needs and to share the journey with the people that matter to us most. John Hero Alfonso Salvador is a registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. To learn more about personal financial planning, attend the 94th RFP program this March 2022. For inquiries, e-mail info@rfp.ph or text <name><e-mail> <RFP> at 0917-6248110.

The Treasury sold P15-billion in T-bills on Monday’s auction, which was more than twice oversubscribed. Tenders for the T-bills on offer amounted to P35.9 billion. “Rates rose following upward adjustment for inflation this year and increasing tension in Ukraine,” National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon told reporters following the auction. With these recent developments, including the possible rate action from the US Federal Reserve in its meeting next month as well as the results of its sale of Retail Treasury

Bonds, De Leon said they will have to “calibrate” the domestic borrowing program for March, including the size and tenors of government securities the Treasury would offer. For this year, the government is aiming to raise P2.2 trillion, of which 75 percent will come from domestic sources. Last Thursday, the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) decided to keep all monetary policy settings unchanged, stressing the need for continued prudence amid evolving uncertain-

ties around global and local growth. This despite its projection of higher inflation for this year and for 2023. (See “Key rates stay as BSP keeps track of risks,” BusinessMirror Feb. 17, 2022) For this year, the BSP now forecasts inflation to average 3.7 percent, up from its previous outlook of 3.4 percent, due to the higher global commodity prices — particularly of oil products. Nonetheless, the inflation forecast is still within the government’s target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for the year.

Meanwhile, the inflation rate next year is seen by BSP to average at 3.3 percent, higher than the 3.2-percent forecast earlier. The 91-day T-bills fetched an average rate of 0.899 percent, jumping by 8.9 basis points from 0.81 percent. Likewise, the 182-day T-bills average rate climbed by 9.1 basis points to reach 1.157 percent from the previous auction’s 1.066 percent. Lastly, the 364-day T-bills averaged 1.568 percent, posting an increase of 9.3 basis points from 1.475 percent.

BTr registry covers P1.9-T worth of govt properties

ON-financial government properties estimated to be worth P1.9 trillion have so far been covered in the Bureau of the Treasury’s (BTr) National Asset Registry System (NARS) as of end-2021. Most of the new entries in the consolidated database of non-financial, strategically important state assets were 5,819 properties, mostly from the attached agencies of the Department of Transportation, with a combined value of P361 billion, a report by the Bureau of the Treasury read.

As of December 31, 2021, total asset count in the NARS list covered 380,817 properties, including roads, bridges, school buildings, power plants, towers, hospitals and irrigation facilities. “We will continue to expand the coverage of the NARS to improve the oversight and management of nonfinancial public assets,” National Treasurer Rosalia De Leon said in her report. Several acquired properties forfeited in favor of the government were endorsed to the Privatization and Management Office for dispo-

Investors lap up RCBC’s ₧14.75-B Asean bonds By VG Cabuag

@villygc

NVESTORS trooped to the bond listing of the country’s eighthlargest bank by asset, which saw its offer five-times oversubscribed from the minimum issue size of P3 billion. Indeed, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) received strong demand after listing on Monday its P14.75 billion in Series E Asean Sustainability Bonds due 2024 at the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. The bonds carry a coupon rate of 3 percent per year. The Yuchengcoled bank concluded its offering last February 11. According to RCBC, it will use the proceeds from the offer to support asset growth, refinance maturing liabilities and other general funding purposes in line with its sustainable finance framework. The bonds form part of RCBC’s P100-billion bond and commercial paper program. The offering marks the seventh time that the bank has tapped the peso bond market and brings the total amount raised by RCBC from all bonds issuances since 2019 to P86.8 billion, which it said was a record amount for the bank. The Hong Kong and Shanghai

Banking Corp. Ltd has been mandated as the sole lead arranger and bookrunner. RCBC Capital Corp. was named financial advisor for this transaction. Selling agents were HSBC and RCBC. The sustainability bonds that RCBC issued last year worth P17.87 billion have been cited by a financeoriented magazine as being the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) sustainability bond issuance out of the Philippines in 2021 and the only peso-denominated sustainability bond floated last year. Last March 31, RCBC listed its P17.87 billion in 2.5 years and 5.25 years Series-C and Series-D Asean Sustainability Bonds. Rates were pegged at 3.2 percent for the Series-C and 4.18 percent for Series-D per annum, to be paid quarterly in arrears. RCBC claims to be the first universal bank “to publicly commit to defunding new coal-fired power plants in the country.” It said it also took the lead in financing some of the Philippines’s and the region’s biggest “green infrastructure” and renewable energy projects, while involving itself in pioneer capacitybuilding activities to contribute to the Philippine commitment to the Paris Agreement.

sition, De Leon added. Uses of the NARS data include supporting the National Indemnity Insurance Program. The NIIP aims to provide adequate and comprehensive insurance protection to socio-economically important government assets against perils such as typhoons, floods, storm surges, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The NIIP was one of the recommendations of the Interagency Committee on Government Property Insurance. Aside from the BTr, the committee is composed of representatives from the Govern-

ment Service Insurance System, the Department of Budget and Management and the Insurance Commission. In 2017, the BTr launched the NARS to maintain a reliable inventory of the national government non-financial assets and help in the monitoring, inspection and validation and management of assets under custody. To enhance the NARS, the BTr is working with development partners such as the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Bernadette D. Nicolas

China tells state firms, banks to bare exposure to Ant Group

HINESE authorities told the nation’s biggest state-owned firms and banks to start a fresh round of checks on their financial exposure and other links to Ant Group Co., renewing scrutiny of billionaire Jack Ma’s financial empire, according to people familiar with the matter. Multiple regulators, including the banking watchdog, recently told institutions under their oversight to closely examine all exposure they had to Ant, its subsidiaries and even its shareholders up to January, said the people, asking not to be identified as the matter is private. Those people described this as by far the most thorough and wide-ranging look into deals with Ant and said institutions were told they must report findings back as soon as possible. It was unclear what triggered the new scrutiny or whether it will lead to any actions or conclusions by regulators, the people said. The National Audit Office is leading the initiative, two of the people said. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the top auditor didn’t immediately respond to requests seeking comment. Ant declined to comment.

More than a year after the Chinese government snuffed out the biggest initial public offering in history by Ant, Beijing has showed no letup in a crackdown that has snowballed into an assault on every corner of China’s technosphere. Officials have handed out billions of dollars in antitrust fines to end the domination of a few heavyweights as President Xi Jinping pushes for more “common prosperity.” Chinese technolog y shares slumped for a second session Monday, with Tencent Holdings Ltd. sinking 5.2 percent due to renewed fears Beijing may roll out more restrictions for private enterprise. Meituan lost $26 billion of market value on Friday after China issued new guidelines asking for food delivery platforms to cut fees, underscoring that investor angst over the nation’s tech giants remains high. The regulations and probes have pummeled the shares of firms such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which owns a third of Ant, and Tencent, as well as dented their profits and growth and forced some to shelve listing plans. The Hang Seng Tech Index is trading near its lowest level versus its 12-month forward earnings and sales forecasts. Bloomberg News

BOC to accept scanned certificates of origins

HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) is still accepting scanned copies of certificates of origin under various free trade agreements (FTA) as a special measure amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The measure intends to facilitate trade despite community quarantines and other restrictions aimed at reducing the risk of stakeholders

and government employees’ exposure to the virus. Deputy Commissioner Edward James A. Dy Buco, head of the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group, said in a memorandum dated February 3 that BOC is keeping the 30-day arrangement amid mobility restrictions that stakeholders in the country and

its FTA partners face due to the pandemic. Dy Buco issued the memorandum in response to the letter from Bureau of International Trade Relations (BITR) Director Angelo Salvador M. Benedictos dated January 31, 2022. Benedictos was following up on the BITR’s “request for updates on

the current arrangements for the acceptance of scanned copies of Cos under ATIGA [Asean Trade in Goods Agreement] and other Asean+1 [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] FTAs (i.e., number of days on which the original copies of Cos are required to be submitted to BOC, whether 30 days or 3 days after importation.”

BPI optimistic consumer spending to rise on eased restrictions, new Covid landscape By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

ANK of the Philippine Islands (BPI) expressed optimism that consumer spending will increase further this year following the uptrend in the country’s mobility on the back of eased restrictions, lower cases and better vaccination rates. In a statement last Monday, BPI Executive Vice President and Con-

sumer Banking Head Ginbee Go said the OneBPI’s prospects on higher recovery on consumer spending is bright given the country’s better vaccination and booster rates―on top of the improving mobility―as monitored from the country’s performance in the Google Mobility Index. “While Omicron has set us back early this year, we see consumer spending really moving up better in the coming months,” said Go, refer-

ring to the Covid-19 variant that has spiked the number of cases starting in January this year. “We are now seeing that our recovery from it is now in the light,” she added. OneBPI refers to the merger of BPI Family Savings Bank (BFSB) with its parent company, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), which officially took effect at the beginning of the year. The merged bank said it is set to

start its migration, integration, and transition (MIT) in March this year. “In terms of loan growth, we are aligned with the BSP’s outlook of about 5 percent to 7 percent this year. By our own estimates, we will see consumers gaining loan growth while corporate loans will continue to be muted,” Go said. Meanwhile, non-performing loans (NPLs) are expected to “plateau” this year, as the economy opens

up, more jobs are created again, and business starts picking up. “Generally, we see NPLs to be moderate and better managed, plateauing in 2022,” said Go, adding that NPL formation would probably be modest as some sectors in the industry would have a late recovery. As consumer spending and consumer loans are seen to increase this year, Go said OneBPI would be able

to provide its clients a more seamless digital and physical experience. The MIT, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, is set to start in March, with seven branches of BFSB migrating into the system of BPI and with several tranches to be initiated during the year. OneBPI will have close to 800 branches by the end of 2022 through the combined branch networks of BPI and BFSB.

Art

BusinessMirror

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

www.businessmirror.com.ph

‘Klimatotohanan’ asks: ‘Can art help save the planet?’ ❷

HE fortnightly webcast series of non-profit organization The Climate Reality Project Philippines, titled Klimatotohanan, joins the celebration of National Arts Month this February by centering its most recent episode on one question: “Can art help save the planet from the prevailing climate emergency?” The episode, titled “Can Art Help Save the Planet? Pinoy Artivists Stepping Up the Fight Against Climate Change,” gathered Filipino artists to talk about their experiences from dedicating their works to raising awareness and forwarding the discourse about the climate crisis. For multi-awarded muralist and activist AG Saño, art indeed has the capacity to spark action that could change the course of history. “Art has changed the world,” he said, “There are a lot of freedoms we enjoy now, not just as Filipinos, but as human beings because of art.” Saño’s oeuvre includes more than 900 murals worldwide that depict peace and nature. He is also deeply involved in art movements that utilize art for the benefit of the environment, including “Dolphins Love Freedom” and “Climate Pilgrimage.” The latter is dedicated to walking thousands of kilometers across Asia-Pacific and Europe to connect with communities to create dialogues and grassroots actions. “The best results after a decade of doing this are that I would find out that some of the young people I painted with pursued marine biology, fine arts, etc.,”

Saño said. “They were able to translate that spark or inspiration into really concrete things that they could use as fuel for this fight.” Part of the discussion as well was digital artist and educator Bricx Martillo Dumas. He considers the arts as the easiest way to make people understand what’s happening in the environment and the world. Dumas talked about his winning entry in the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference art competition “Digital Art 4 Climate,” titled Nexus. The piece features a bright red background and a hand holding a cigarette between its fingers, while clutching on its palm a plastic bag with a straw. On the end of the plastic, however, is a blue tail of a fish. “This is to emphasize plastic pollution in our ocean waters,” he said. Meanwhile, OPM legend Noel Cabangon talked about the ability of music to promote awareness on key societal issues such as human rights and the environment. His hit song “Kanlungan,” for example, poignantly narrates the decline of the environment through the years. “Music is not just for entertainment,” Cabangon said. “It’s a tool to bring forward our causes. Every generation should be able to produce artists that will continue this [climate] advocacy.” Contemporary and experimental filmmaker and visual artist Martha Atienza believes Filipino artists have a lot to uncover, should they choose to talk about local environmental issues. She cited herself as an example, having witnessed coastal areas change and coastlines disappear. Atienza has done several projects that focus on environmental issues. Gilubong ang Akong Pusod sa Dagat is a film that follows the lives of local seafarers to initiate dialogue on environmental and socioeconomic realities in their communities. Another is Our Islands 11°16'58.4"N 123°45'07.0"E, which pushes the audience to confront climate change as seen in the seabed of dead corals. Creating these films inspired Atienza to launch the GoodLand Association, an initiative that aims

to provide more sustainable battery solutions to compressor divers, and to set up a Bantayan Protected Area that will also generate alternative livelihood opportunities. Lastly, the webinar featured multi-awarded theatre director Dr. Dennis Gupa, who emphasized the need to cultivate a discourse on human and nonhuman relationships, where humans are not located at the apex of power. “We have inherited so much from this capitalist society, neoliberal society in which we position human-centric the idea of materiality and money. But we don’t question where things are created from,” he said. “Art can deconstruct that idea of possession by generating new questions so that we can elevate our consciousness into something more critical.” The last portion of the episode asked the speakers about the best ways to engage fellow artists, especially the younger ones, in climate action. “We should start with ourselves,” said Dumas. “If there’s time, go out and see the problems we face.” For Saño, it’s by creating opportunities, especially for younger artists who feel they are not empowered to make initiatives. “We could also give them the projected truths that scientists say we should expect in the near future, dahil sila haharap sa mga ginawa ng mga naunang henerasyon, mga korporasyon,” he said. “There’s not enough time and choice but to step up. It sounds unfair but it’s the reality and we have to step up to the plate and take charge.” Klimatotohanan’s celebration of National Arts Month continues tomorrow in an episode, titled “Never Too Young to Lead: Emerging Pinoy Artists Reimagining Climate Action”. It will feature youth Filipino activists who are “using visual artworks, literary pieces, performances, and other forms of creative work to communicate the climate crisis and mobilize solutions within their networks.” The episode will air tomorrow, February 23, at 5 pm, on Facebook Live via www.facebook.com/ climaterealityphilippines/. n

Today’s Horoscope By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Drew Barrymore, 47; Thomas Jane, 53; Jeri Ryan, 54; Kyle MacLachlan, 63. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: A positive approach to life, love and happiness starts by following your passion. Take hold of your future, and delve into something that brings you joy. Explore your talents and express your desires. Take a leap of faith by putting your heart and soul into what you want to achieve. Take responsibility and be grateful for the success you achieve. Your numbers are 3, 12, 22, 28, 32, 36, 41.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Observe, assess and respond with compassion. Nurture relationships instead of building a wall of separation. Be willing to adjust and compromise, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you. An open dialogue will help you maintain peace and justice. HHH

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Change things up, and everything will fall into place. Be open to suggestions and eager to put muscle behind your dreams, hopes and wishes. Share your feelings, and be willing to try something new. Love and romance are favored. HHH

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Set reasonable goals that you can achieve by yourself. Depending on others will lead to disappointment. Don’t get caught up in an emotional situation that causes problems at work or can affect your position, reputation or peace of mind. HHH

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Dig in and enjoy. You’ll discover talents you didn’t know you have and make connections that can change your life. Pay attention to what others say and do, and the information will lead to personal growth and self-improvement. Nurture meaningful relationships. HHHHH

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Recognize what’s going on around you, and participate in what’s beneficial. Don’t make a change or sign up for something for the wrong reason. Follow the path that empowers you to reach your goals, not one that tends to stifle your plans. HH

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You can make a difference if you concentrate on positive change, assist those who require help and look on the bright side of any situation. Take physical action and push for what you want to achieve. HHHH

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): An intellectual approach will outweigh physical action. Anger will not help you bring about positive change, but kindness and consideration will encourage others to see things your way. Be reasonable and ready to move forward alone if necessary. HHH

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Communication can make or break a deal or plans you want to pursue. Be open to suggestions, and accept changes that encourage others to feel comfortable. Home improvements and creative projects will help you overcome emotional setbacks. HHH

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Keep your life decisions simple, direct and doable. Use intelligence regarding money matters and when dealing with a friend, relative or peer who is out of control or in a negative space. Innovative suggestions and hands-on help are favored. HHH

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Jump in and make the changes that will brighten your day, surroundings and relationships with those you love and respect. How you deal with others, and the incentives you offer, will alter the path you follow.HHHH

‘Resonant Earth’ at Silverlens PRESENTING works by Joseph Gabriel, Hanna Pettyjohn and Pam Quinto, Resonant Earth prospects the possibilities of contemporary ceramics in extrapolating a cosmopolitan and modernist history of craft. The exhibition takes its cue from a 1961 essay by painter Fernando Zobel de Ayala, titled The First Philippine Porcelain. The essay historicizes the porcelain manufacturing company La Porcelanica, which was founded by the painter’s father with the help of Japanese industry experts, and which facilitated the training of Filipino apprentices. Only one artifact has been documented to survive from the company and Zobel has annotated it in the essay identifying it as “an interesting

Each work for the exhibition uses Earth from these different locations and responds to different aspects of the medium’s technology and stylistic and material circulation. In the hands of these artists and in the almost alchemical transmutation of raw clay into ceramics, Earth becomes resonant—mobilized to speak to and converse with the prolific contexts of artistic agency, art historical contingencies, and the discursive conditions of imagining the future of Philippine porcelain. Resonant Earth is on view until March 26 at Silverlens Galleries, 2263 Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City.

example of Philippine craft ideals during the first decades of the twentieth century.” From this singular object and the contexts of production to which the essay alludes, the exhibition asks the artists to consider the made thing and its annotation as archive. The exhibition in this sense proposes an interfacing of the artistic, art historical, and the curatorial to speculate on ceramics as contemporary form—able to problematize its own artistic history and suggest its trajectories. Working from different sites (Manila, London, Dallas), the artists’ practices embody contemporary ceramics as a cosmopolitan enterprise.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A reserved attitude will help deter an emotional situation. Go about your business and immerse yourself in projects that ease stress. Refuse to let what others do or say put you in a funky mood or lead you into an unwanted battle. HH

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Look over your money situation, and adjust to ensure you can afford your lifestyle. Be cautious when it comes to shared expenses and joint ventures. Balance and integrity will make a difference when working alongside others. HHHHH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are demonstrative, playful and ambitious. You are astute and aggressive.

‘swinging celebration’ BY DESIREE PENNER & JEFF SINNOCK The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Bed wear, briefly 4 Place for mascara 8 Pretty poor grade 13 Sea creature that rhymes with “seal” 14 Neckwear for Fred of Scooby-Doo 16 Like the Blarney Stone 17 Golf ball prop 18 Bejeweled topper 19 Barely managed 20 James Bond or Jason Bourne (In this clue’s answer, see letters 9-6) 23 Moocher 24 Winter Olympians in goggles 27 John, in Britain 28 “...yadda, yadda, yadda” 30 Some jabs in boxing 33 Hidden danger (...letters 9-5) 36 One of the Mannings 37 Too showy 38 Santa ___ winds 39 Train conductor’s cry (...letters 5-2) 42 Gives a bit 44 Certain mobsters

45 46 48 51

Item in a pod Disgraces Wipes away Change in what’s happening, or a theme hint 54 Renaissance Faire instruments 57 Crop up 58 Bit of body art, in slang 59 Debate topic 60 More ghostly 61 Kind of trip for the conceited 62 Fruits that taper upward 63 “Shall we?” reply 64 One at the gym? DOWN 1 Hamsters and others 2 Army autos 3 Catch some Z’s 4 Ricky Martin and Alex Rodriguez, for two 5 Cheesy bagel choice 6 1-10, e.g. 7 Dance at a Jewish wedding 8 Worthiness of respect

9 10 11 12 15 21 22 25 26 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 37 40 41 42 43 45 47

Shield Extremely fun, as a party Type of port for a thumb drive Like a wallflower Makes it? Filly’s counterpart Barely make it Showed in syndication, say Spot to testify IRS experts Rachel’s sister ___ Island (onetime arrival point for immigrants) Smut Sheep’s bleat The “O” of SOS, supposedly Like 1, 3, 5, 7... One who’s toast No expert Puzzles Animals on Canadian nickels Lack of hardships Like favorite stations on a car radio Partner of Crackle and Pop

48 49 50 52 53 54 55 56

Submit a tax return online PC key above Shift All the world, to Shakespeare Exam given face-to-face Octagonal street sign Something to gloss over? Employ Grp. with full-body scanners

Solution to today’s puzzle:

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Show BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II tests positive for Covid; mild symptoms L

BY JILL LAWLESS The Associated Press

ONDON—Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday and is experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, Buckingham Palace said, adding that she still plans to carry on working. The diagnosis prompted concern and get-well wishes from across Britain’s political spectrum for the famously stoic 95-year-old. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a fixture in the life of the nation, the queen reached the milestone of 70 years on the throne on February 6, the anniversary of the 1952 death of her father, King George VI. She will turn 96 on April 21. The palace said the queen, who has been fully vaccinated and had a booster shot, would continue with “light” duties at Windsor Castle over the coming week. “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines,” the palace said in a statement. People in the UK who test positive for Covid-19 are now required to self-isolate for at least five days, although the British government says it plans to lift that requirement for England this week. Both the queen’s eldest son Prince Charles, 73, and her 74-year-old daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, contracted Covid-19 earlier this month. Charles has since returned to work. There are also thought to be several recent virus cases among staff at Windsor Castle, where the queen is staying. Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said the queen would likely be given one of several antiviral drugs that have been approved in the UK to treat Covid-19. “If you do get them early enough, it does reduce the risk of severe disease developing, so I would imagine any doctor for a patient in their 90s would be considering giving these antivirals,” he said. A host of senior British politicians sent get-well messages on Sunday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “I’m sure I speak for everyone in wishing Her Majesty The Queen a swift recovery from Covid and a rapid return to vibrant good health.” Health Secretary Sajid Javid wrote that he was “wishing Her Majesty The Queen a quick recovery,” while opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer wished the queen “good health and a speedy recovery. Get well soon, Ma’am.” Elizabeth has been in robust health for most of her reign and has been photographed riding a horse as recently as 2020. In the past year she has been seen using a walking stick, and in October she spent a night in a London hospital for unspecified tests. The queen’s doctors ordered her to rest after that and she was forced to cancel appearances at several key events, including Remembrance Sunday services and the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow,

JESSICA SOHO covered Afghanistan in 2002 as the war was raging. The trip nearly cost her and her team’s lives when a landmine accidentally exploded.

‘KMJS,’ country’s most watched, most followed

Scotland, in November. This month she returned to public duties and has held audiences both virtually and in person with diplomats, politicians and senior military officers. During one exchange caught on camera last week, she walked slowly with a stick and said “as you can see I can’t move” in apparent reference to her leg. The queen delivered two televised messages to the nation early in the pandemic in 2020, and has sought to lead by example. She let it be known she had been vaccinated, and last year sat alone during the funeral of her husband of 72 years, Prince Philip, because of coronavirus restrictions. Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said members of the royal family are probably more concerned than the queen about her situation. “I would guess that she will be matter-of-fact about the diagnosis in a way perhaps that the people around

her are less matter-of-fact,” he said. The queen has a busy schedule over the next few months of her Platinum Jubilee year, and is scheduled to attend in-person public engagements in the coming weeks, including a diplomatic reception at Windsor on March 2 and the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 14. On March 29, she has a remembrance service at Westminster Abbey for Philip, who died in April 2021 at 99. Public celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee are scheduled over a long weekend June 2-5, with festivities including a military parade, a day of horse racing and neighborhood parties. The queen is the latest monarch from around the world to catch Covid-19. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 82, and Spain’s King Felipe VI, 54, both tested positive for the illness earlier in February and had mild symptoms. ■

Mikael Daez takes on a new hosting adventure

A NEW show on GMA, The Best Ka! is being promoted as an information entertainment program that will highlight Guinness world record-holders from all over the planet. Tasked to handle the hosting chores is the gorgeous Mikael Daez, a loyal contract artist of the network. “For the pilot episode, we needed to hype the show, so the program executives thought it best that my wife Megan and I would be the hype,” he burst out in laughter then continued, “Seriously, it has been a long time since we both hosted a show together, so it was a double blessing for me that in my first solo hosting job on GMA, my wife also came in as my cohost.” Mrs. Daez is also very excited for her husband. “Mikael has been quietly hoping to be assigned a show where he can further hone his hosting and communication skills, and we are thankful that GMA thought of giving him this break.” Now based in Subic, the couple feels that they made the right move. “Life is so much more stress-free where we live now. It has been a couple of months and I can truly say that Megan and I are both enjoying this new environment. Also, the air is cleaner, the beaches are nearer, and we have access to almost anything that we were used to in the big city.” Daez shared that they live in an old house, and they will slowly renovate, part by part, if needed.

“Right now, we are enjoying the peace and quiet, the many wonderful discoveries of living in the province. Subic is now our home and we enjoy the long drives to and from Manila if there is work, like this new show, and other important things to attend to.” The 34-year-old Daez admitted that being entrusted to host a program all by himself has been a dream he secretly wished for. And he also opened up about a mentor he held so dearly who planted the seeds for him to know the foundations of hosting. “The late, great director Freddie Santos was the one who trained me. He was the first one to give me a hosting workshop, laying down all the things I needed to know about hosting and how to value and constantly improve this skill.” Santos, considered a theater luminary, passed on in 2020 after battling a lingering illness. Daez added that his hosting will not be the usual “intro the video clip” type that we often see on television. “It will definitely be more dynamic and the segments will be concept driven. We will not only feature out-of-this-world feats and records. We will also be injecting gags and entertaining sketches to the program.” For the coming episodes, Daez excitedly shared that travel will be an essential part of his hosting job. “I have expressed to the program managers my willingness to travel, to go out of the box, and I am so open to discover more about places I haven’t been to.” Describing himself as a “more open person” especially now that he is married, Daez constantly reminds himself to embrace more of life’s adventures. “Sometimes, all we need to do is simply go with

the flow, to just allow ourselves to experience new adventures, and to be grateful for these adventures and opportunities that open up in our lives.” These are exciting times indeed for the very gifted Mikael Daez.

GMA’s multi-awarded newsmagazine program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) is still the most watched news and public affairs program on Philippine TV and the most followed Philippine TV program on Facebook. For the fourth consecutive year, KMJS is the favorite Sunday viewing habit of Filipino families with a strong 19.4 percent average NUTAM (National Urban TV Audience Measurement) people rating, equivalent to 9.4 million viewers on prime time, based on Nielsen Philippines’s data for 2021. The show has 27 million followers on Facebook, the highest among Philippine TV program accounts in the country. Last year alone, its online engagements reached over 164 million. It is also the leading show that drives traffic to GMA Public Affairs’ YouTube channel. In 2021, KMJS’s videos generated over 6 billion combined views on Facebook and YouTube. Its topics continue to trend weekly on Twitter. “Our goal is to continue connecting and interacting meaningfully with both our TV audiences and online followers and subscribers. But what we‘re really most proud of are the lives we helped change for 2021,” program host Jessica Soho said. Through KMJS, two families—the Sifiatas of Rizal and the Mullenos of Bulacan—managed to correct what could have been a sad fate for their newborn babies: getting switched at birth in the hospital. The story scored 17.2 million views on Facebook and made KMJS the Philippine winner for the Best Infotainment Category in the Asian Academy Creative Awards. Then there’s the story of 11-year-old Reymark from Sultan Kudarat who plows the family’s field of radishes with his horse. Viewers were so moved with his story, they donated enough money for the boy to stop working and just concentrate on his studies until he finishes college. His family now has a brand-new house and a more steady source of income. Twenty-twenty one also saw the return of the Taliban into power. The almost 20-year-old video of Jessica’s coverage in Afghanistan in 2002, which nearly cost her and her team’s lives when a landmine accidentally exploded, was posted in the KMJS web site and got 20 million views. “This proves that not only are Filipinos global citizens but we do care about what’s happening in other parts of the world,” Jessica added. Twenty-twenty one has also been most rewarding for KMJS. The program was a finalist at the 2021 New York Festivals’ Documentary: Social Justice category for its Babaeng Tinaga sa Mukha (The Woman Slashed on Her Face) segment, and was given a Special Citation under the Best Adult Education/Cultural Program category last year in the Catholic Mass Media Awards after having been elevated to the Hall of Fame status as Best News Magazine in 2020. For the third time, KMJS was also named the Most Outstanding Magazine Show at the Gawad La Sallianeta Awards. And like she has done for the past years, Jessica again paid it forward in 2021 by helping judge entries in two international award-giving bodies that champion good TV Journalism: the Emmy Awards and and the New York Festivals TV and Film Awards. More information is available at www.gmanetwork. com and www.gtv.ph.

B6 Tuesday, February 22, 2022

NHMFC opens new office at Diliman, Quezon City

AATC inaugurates fourth A350 FFS, offers more simulators capacity

ZAKIR Hamid, General Manager; AATC Captain Quay Chew; Eng. Senior Vice President Flight Operations, SIA Valerie Manning Senior Vice President, Training and Flight Operations Services, Airbus

HE Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC) has inaugurated its fourth A350 Full Flight Simulator (FFS). This sees AATC offer more A350 simulator capacity than any other training centre in the world. The addition also consolidates AATC’s position as the largest Airbus-operated flight crew training centre in the company’s global network, with two A320, two A330, one A380 and four A350 simulators. AATC also hosts one ATR 72-600 FFS. The focus on the A330, A350 and A380 reflects the popularity of Airbus widebody aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region, with

nearly 900 in service and around 220 currently on order for future delivery. AATC is a joint venture owned 55 percent by Airbus and 45 percent by Singapore Airlines (SIA). At almost 10,000 square meters in size, the facility at Seletar Aerospace Park is part of the Airbus Flight Training Network and serves the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Since operations began in April 2016, AATC has successfully attracted 69 airline customers. AATC has the capacity to offer type rating and recurrent training courses for up to 10,000 trainees per year. SIA is also the world’s largest operator

of the A350, with 58 aircraft in service across its network as of February 2022. In addition, SIA has confirmed its purchase of seven A350F freighter aircraft. In tandem with its partner, AATC’s build-up of A350 flight crew training capacities are a response to an increasing demand from airlines customers in the region. “The Asia-Pacific region has traditionally been the largest market for Airbus widebody aircraft. This has been further confirmed with the success of the A350 which is now flying with 16 airlines from the region. Our joint investment with SIA to offer comprehensive flight crew training services nearer to the home bases of airlines in the region has been extremely well received. We are pleased to continue our successful partnership at AATC,” said Valerie Manning, Senior Vice President, Airbus Training and Flight Operations Services. “As the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A350, SIA views AATC as a centre of excellence for A350 pilot training. Our strategic partnership continues to grow as the demand for air travel is picking up. AATC’s latest A350 Full Flight Simulator will continue to help SIA and other operators keep pace with the latest training requirements, while supporting Singapore's position as a leading aviation hub,” said Captain Quay Chew Eng, Senior Vice President Flight Operations, Singapore Airlines.

Get-to-know Honda PH teenage champ Jakob Sablaya

OR 16-year old Jakob Sablaya, taking the road less traveled proved to be a journey that was worth the risk. A teenage rider hailing from Antipolo, he developed his love for motorbikes at the age of 6, where most kids of his time would prefer gadgets or simply letting the time go by with an online game. Growing up seeing his father race and compete in motorbike events, it wasn’t surprising that motorsports became a big part of his childhood and now considered as one of the young riders to watch with the country’s leading motorcycle manufacturer, Honda Philippines Inc. (HPI). Sablaya’s first-ever shot at serious racing was in 2018, when he joined the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup or HPDC. A program designed to discover young riders with exemplary skills for motor racing, it also aims to carefully hand pick vibrant and potential talents who can be trained to become professional riders competing internationally someday. “With Jakob’s outstanding determination, discipline, and grit, it wasn’t surprising that he won for two consecutive years,” said

JAKOB Sablaya

Honda Philippines Inc. MC Planning Department Manager, Hervic Villa. Aside from his stellar performance, Jakob’s passion and love for the sport are two attributes any athlete can’t fake. “While Honda ensures to provide an ideal race bike, rigid training, and supportive team, it’s the rider’s character that will truly stand the test of time. Hard work is always a crucial step in becoming an excellent racer.” Juggling his time between school and practice is no easy feat, yet Jakob is managing to find a balance for both with the support and inspiration of his parents, especially his father.

Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup

SABLAYA considers 2019 as the beginning of his riding career, as he was able to be part of the Asia Talent Cup Selection and represent the Philippines in Malaysia. But as for him, being a part of the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup stepped up the plate as an athlete. “I am so thankful to be a part of the HPI Team kasi lagi sila naka suporta sa akin physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. “They help me pursue my

dreams sa sports na napili ko, and they give me a lot of motivation too.” Using two of Honda’s models CBR150R and Supra GTR150 for all his races, Sablaya is quite impressed by their unique built-to-performance qualities. “Yung Supra GTR150, sobrang smooth at lakas ng takbo kahit naka stock lang yung bike. While for the CBR150, he said: “Sobrang sarap gamitin dahil naka slipper clutch na sya, at yung shock din nya, walang hassle sa mga likuan.” HPI Motorsports adviser Hitoshi Ito affirms that these sophisticated breed of models fit the Filipino lifestyle, possesses superbly built all-around character, and highly-powerful to deliver on the road. “While HPI continuously commits to support and hone more potential talents, consumers can look forward for more products that’s built on quality,” he said. Honda’s “The Power of Dreams” philosophy is rooted to its core values of creating advance technology products and bring it with excellence to the market. For more details, visit www.hondaph.com. or contact the following numbers (02)8581-6700 to 6799, and mobile 0917884-6632.

HE National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) recently opened its new office at the ground level of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Building along Kalayaan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City. DHSUD Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario, who also chairs the NHMFC Board of Directors, led the ribbon-cutting and blessing of the new office, which also coincided with DHSUD’s 3rd anniversary on February 14, 2022. NHMFC President Carlo Luis P. Rabat said that the celebration of DHSUD’s 3rd anniversary also marks a milestone for NHMFC as this is also the day that the corporation inaugurates and opens its first One-Stop Shop in Quezon City. “We want to bring our services closer

to our stakeholders. With the opening of this NHMFC One-Stop Shop, our borrowers and clients in this area and nearby cities and provinces are assured of easier access, safer and convenient transactions with NHMFC even under the new normal”, he added. Housing loan borrower’s transactions such as loan status, application for loan restructuring, and payment or settlement of monthly amortizations, will be accommodated in this branch. Appointments booked online thru NHMFC’s official Messenger account, email address or thru telephone calls will also be accepted here. For borrowers who wish to view the status of their accounts online, the “My NHMFC Online Access” (My NOA) kiosk is conveniently installed in the office entrance.

DHSUD Sec. Eduardo Del Rosario (6th from left) led the opening and blessing of the new NHMFC One-Stop Shop in Quezon City. Joining him are, from left: NHMFC Vice Presidents Luisa Favila, Carolina Cortez, Romeo Roldan and Ma. Victoria Alpajaro, NHMFC Executive Vice President Livia Alicia Ramos, DHSUD Usec. Marylin Pintor, Father Kiev Dimatatac, and DHSUD Usec. Albert Dela Cruz, Sr.

Cosco Capital Group, ICD strengthen ESG initiatives

OSCO Capital, Inc., together with its publicly listed subsidiaries Puregold Price Club, Inc. and The Keepers Holdings, Inc., are committed to strengthening its ESG framework to bolster the Group’s environmental sustainability initiatives, institutionalize social responsibility programs and adhere to highest standards of good governance. The Lucio Co-led companies have collaborated with the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). In a special joint meeting of the boards of directors of Cosco and its listed companies, ICD Fellow Alexander Patricio discussed the importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and how these programs can become integral part of its corporate culture which in the long run can make the group even more sustainable, viable and relevant. The Group meanwhile reported initial ESG initiatives which are already in place. Puregold showed strength in gender equality and inclusivity, with women comprising 60 percent of its workforce and 61 percent of

managers and executives. It demonstrated robust support for grassroots communities where it operates. Puregold employees are up to 98 percent local hires, while it has over 660,000 sari-sari store members under the Tindahan ni Aling Puring program all over the country. All Puregold stores have converted to 100%-LED main lighting in 2021 to greatly reduce energy consumption. Meanwhile, S&R is steadily shifting to solar power with 50 percent off all its stores now being powered by solar panels. An increase in crossdock operations in 25 percent of business operations delivered distribution efficiencies and reduction of CO2 emission by 36 percent. The grocery chain operator has also stepped-up its campaign to reduce single-use packaging, with plastic bag usage down from 66 perccent to only 51 percent in 2021. The chain’s 135 wastewater treatment facilities are compliant with the Clean Water Act and the Group has initiated a rainwater catchment and gray water venture to reduce overall potable water demand.

TUDOR and Nic Von Rupp rip it up Nazaré

UDOR goes to Nazaré (again) and this time is joining forces with Nic Von Rupp, a Portuguese local legend big wave surfer. The World Surf League (WSL), with whom TUDOR partners on its two epic Big Wave events, has issued a green alert for the second time this season! The TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge presented by Jogos Santa Casa is happening again and this time TUDOR will be in the water too, on the wrist of Nic. Big wave surfing is an uncompromising and unforgiving sport; a pursuit for the bold and a true reflection of the spirit that has driven TUDOR since its inception. TUDOR’s #BornToDare signature celebrates the adventures of daring individuals who, over the years, have achieved the extraordinary on land, ice, in the air and underwater, with a TUDOR watch on their wrists. The #BornToDare spirit is supported globally by artists and sportswomen and men alike, whose remarkable achievements are the result of a fearless and visionary approach to life. With Nic Von Rupp joining the ranks of the extraordinary personalities of the TUDOR family, the brand further cements its global involvement with surfing and strengthens its daring message. Born in 1990, to a German/American father and Swiss mother, and raised in Sintra, Portugal, 9-year old Nic began surfing. When he turned professional, Nic began traveling globally on the World Qualifying Series where he truly excelled, leading him to being named “European Surfer of the Year” in 2013. His confidence in the water made him hungry for the ultimate challenge that the sport could offer and so he entered the dangerous realms of competitive Big Wave Surfing. In the last five years Nic has proven himself as one of the leading figures in the world of big waves, pushing the limits of

what is possible at death defying breaks such as Nazare, Maverick’s and Jaws. Nazaré is a tranquil fishing town north of Lisbon. In 2010, Garrett McNamarra surfed a 24-meter giant wave and Nazaré instantly became world-famous and the cliff-top vantage point of Fort de São Miguel Arcanjo, became an iconic image of daring, extreme sports. McNamarra had previously been tipped-off by a bodyboarder friend and though a little skeptical, visited the surf spot. The rest is history. The unique configuration of the sea bottom at Praia de Norte in Nazaré, with its combination of sandy bottom and immense underwater canyon that channels all the power of the ocean, generates the tallest waves ever surfed by humans. Some say that if a 30-meter wave is ever surfed, it will be at Nazaré. The intimidating power of these waves makes Nazaré a tow surfing spot, meaning that surfers are taken to the peak, launched and picked-up after the ride by jetskis, which also keeps the surfers safe.

The World BusinessMirror

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Australia welcomes back tourists with toy koalas

ANBERRA, Australia—International tourists and business travelers began arriving in Australia with few restrictions on Monday, bringing together families in tearful reunions after separations of two years or longer forced by some of the most draconian pandemic measures of any democracy in the world. Australia closed its borders to tourists in March 2020 in a bid to reduce the local spread of Covid-19, but on Monday removed its final travel restrictions for fully vaccinated passengers. Tearful British tourist Sue Witton hugged her adult son Simon Witton when he greeted her at Melbourne’s airport. “Seven hundred and twenty-four [days] apart and he’s my only son, and I’m alone, so this means the world to me,” the mother told reporters. “I don’t want to let go. I really don’t want to let go. Oh, it’s just beautiful. Thank you for having me back. We are just so grateful, so, so grateful,” she added. Travelers were greeted at Sydney’s airport by jubilant well-wishers waving toy koalas and favorite Australian foods including Tim Tams chocolate cookies and jars of Vegemite spread. Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan was on hand to welcome the first arrivals on a Qantas flight from Los Angeles, which landed at 6:20 a.m. local time. “I think there’ll be a very strong rebound in our tourism market. Our wonderful experiences haven’t gone away,” Tehan said. Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said all travelers’ vaccination status would be checked before they arrived to avoid a repeat of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa debacle. Djokovic was issued with a visa through an automated process before he left Spain to compete in the Australian Open in January but was deported after he arrived in

Melbourne because he was not vaccinated against Covid-19. Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said she expected tourist numbers would take two years to rebound to prepandemic levels. “This is a really great start,” Harrison said. “This is what the industry had been asking us for, you know, just give us our international guests back and we will take it from there.” Qantas on Monday was bringing in passengers from eight overseas destinations including Vancouver, Singapore, London, and Delhi. The Sydney-based airline’s chief executive Alan Joyce said bookings had been strong since the federal government announced two weeks ago that the country was relaxing restrictions. “It has been tough two years for everybody in the tourism industry, but today is really one of the big steps on the way back to a full recovery so we are very excited about today,” Joyce said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 1.2 million people had visas to enter Australia with 56 international flights due to touch down in the first 24 hours of the border reopening. Australia on Monday reported 17,736 new Covid-19 infections in the latest 24-hour period and 34 deaths. Australia’s death toll since the pandemic began is 4,929. Australia imposed some of the world’s toughest travel restrictions on its citizens and permanent residents in March 2020 to prevent them from bringing Covid-19 home. Travelers had to apply for an exemption from the travel ban, but tourism wasn’t an accepted reason. International students and skilled migrants were prioritized when the border restrictions were relaxed in November in response to an increasing vaccination rate among the Australian population. Tourists from New Zealand, Japan and South Korea were also allowed in early. AP

First hydrogen train in Japan set to hit the rails for test run

apan’s largest railway company will begin testing the country’s first hydrogen-fueled train next month in a step toward the nation’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The two-car “Hybari” train—a combination of hybrid and the Japanese word for a lark—cost about 4 billion yen ($35 million) to develop and can travel up to 140 kilometers (87 miles) at a top speed of 100 km/h on a single filling of hydrogen. East Japan Railway Co., which developed the train in partnership with Toyota Motor Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. plan to use them to replace its diesel fleet and look to export markets. Commercial services should begin in 2030. Japan has made hydrogen a key clean-energy source to reach net

zero. Toyota is aiming for a tenfold increase in the production of hydrogen-fueled Mirai cars with its second-generation model, while more fuel-cell buses and commercial vehicles are on the road. The government has said it aims to boost hydrogen’s usage amount to 20 million tons by 2050, while energ y companies like Iwatani Cor p. and K awasaki Heav y Industries Ltd. are trying to build hydrogen supply chains to bring down its price. Europe has been a pioneer in hydrogen trains, with Germany rolling out the world’s first train built by Alstom SA in 2018. Siemens AG and Deutsche Bahn AG are developing new regional trains and special fueling stations and will test them in 2024. Bloomberg News

Hong Kong departures soar to pandemic high

ong Kong recorded 27,703 departures from the city in the week ended Feb. 20, pushing the weekly net outflow of people to its highest level since the Asian financial hub imposed strict quarantine measures at the start of the pandemic, according to government data. Of those who left last week, 72 percent departed through the airport, with the rest via the two crossings to mainland China that are currently open, according to Hong Kong Immigration Department figures. While thousands of residents have been steadily leaving Hong Kong in the last two years due to the city’s Covid-Zero measures and the ongoing political crackdown, the recent surge in people crossing into the mainland underscores the city’s fading appeal as the number of infections soars. A net 21,698 people left the city last week, compared with a net inflow of 11,461 people in the same week last year. The total number of departures in the week ended Feb. 20 increased 37 perceny from the

week before. On Sunday, the city reported more than 6,000 daily infections for a second day in a row, with the government signaling that even tighter social restrictions are under consideration. Current restrictions include a two-person outdoor gathering limit, a nighttime ban on dining-in in restaurants and gym closures. Inbound travel also continues to be tightly restricted, with bans on flights from nine countries including the UK and US and on transit travel from everywhere except Taiwan and mainland China. Hong Kong saw a record outflow of 89,200 residents in 2021, leaving its population at about 7.39 million, according to government data. That maintains the 1.2 percent rate of population decline set at the end of 2020, the biggest drop in at least six decades. The city’s government attributed the drop in part to fewer people coming to work and study due to strict border controls.Bloomberg News

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

US: Russia closer to invading Ukraine after rescinding troops pullout pledge

YIV, Ukraine—Russia on Sunday rescinded earlier pledges to pull tens of thousands of its troops back from Ukraine’s northern border, a move that US leaders said put Russia another step closer to what they said was the planned invasion of Ukraine. Residents of Ukraine’s capital filled a golddomed cathedral to pray for peace. Russia’s action extends what it said were military exercises, originally set to end Sunday, that brought an estimated 30,000 Russian forces to Belarus, Ukraine’s neighbor to the north. They are among at least 150,000 Russian troops now deployed outside Ukraine’s borders, along with tanks, warplanes, artillery and other war materiel. The continued deployment of the Russian forces in Belarus raised concern that Russia could send those troops to sweep down on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, a city of about 3 million people less than a three-hour drive away. In what appeared to be a last-ditch diplomatic gambit brokered with the aid of French President Emmanuel Macron, the White House said US President Joe Biden has agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin as long as he holds off on launching an assault that US officials warn appears increasingly more likely. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration has been clear that “we are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are set to meet on Thursday in Europe—as long as Russia does not send its troops into Ukraine beforehand. “We are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war,” Psaki said in statement. “And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon.” In Kyiv, life outwardly continued as usual for many on a mild winter Sunday, with brunches and church services, ahead of what Biden said late last week was an already decided-upon Russian attack. Katerina Spanchak, who f led a region of eastern Ukraine when it was taken over by Rus-

sian-allied separatists, was among worshippers crowded into the capital’s St. Michael’s monastery, smoky with the candles burned by the faithful, to pray that Ukraine be spared. “We all love life, and we are all united by our love of life,” Spanchak said, pausing to compose herself. “We should appreciate it every day. That’s why I think everything will be fine.” “Our joint prayers will help to elude this tragedy, which is advancing,” said another worshipper, who identified himself only by his first name, Oleh. A US official said Sunday that Biden’s assertion that Putin has made the decision to roll Russian forces into Ukraine was based on intelligence that Russian front-line commanders have been given orders to begin final preparations for an attack. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive intelligence. The United States and many European countries have charged for weeks that Putin has built up the forces he needs to invade Ukraine—a westward-looking democracy that has sought to move out of Russia’s orbit—and is now trying to create pretexts to invade. Western nations have threatened massive sanctions if Putin does. US officials on Sunday defended their decision to hold off on their planned financial punishments of Russia ahead of any invasion, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called passionately Saturday for the West to do more. “If you pull the trigger on that deterrent, well then, it doesn’t exist anymore as a deterrent,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told Fox on Washington’s sanctions threat. Russia held nuclear drills Saturday as well as the conventional exercises in Belarus, and has ongoing naval drills off the coast in the Black Sea. The announcement that Russia was reversing its pledge to withdraw its forces from Belarus came after two days of sustained shelling along

Israeli PM: Iran nuke deal will bring ‘more violent’ Mideast

ERUSALEM—Israel’s prime minister on Sunday criticized an emerging deal over Iran’s nuclear program, saying it would be weaker than a previous agreement and would create a “more violent, more volatile Middle East.” World powers have been negotiating in Vienna in a bid to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which was left in tatters after the Trump administration, goaded by Israel, withdrew. The original deal granted Iran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Israel vehemently opposed that accord and has urged negotiators to take a hard line against Iran in the current round of talks. In a speech to Jewish American leaders Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that Iran has used the interim period to march ahead with its enrichment of uranium to levels approaching weapons grade. He also noted the 10-year limits on enrichment and other key aspects of Iran’s nuclear program in the original deal are set to be lifted in 2025— just two and a half years from now. That “leaves Iran with a fast track to militarygrade enrichment,” Bennett told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. In the meantime, he said that lifting sanctions right away will deliver billions of dollars to Iran to spend on hostile proxy groups along Israel’s borders. “For Israel and all the stability-seeking forces in the Middle East—the emerging deal as it seems is highly likely to create a more violent, more volatile Middle East,” he said. He repeated his pledge that Israel will not allow Iran to become a threshold state and said Israel would not be bound by a new deal. “We have a clear and un-negotiable red line: Israel will always maintain its freedom of action to defend itself,” he said. Bennett delivered a similar message earlier in the day during the weekly meeting of his Cabinet. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy. It strongly opposed the 2015 deal and has watched with trepidation as the current talks have carried on. It says it wants an improved deal that places tighter restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program and addresses Iran’s long-range missile program and its support for hostile proxies along Israel’s borders, like the Lebanese militant Hezbollah. Israel also insisted that the negotiations must

be accompanied by a “credible” military threat to ensure that Iran does not delay indefinitely. Under the strong encouragement of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump withdrew from the original deal in 2018, causing it to unravel. Since then, Iran has stepped up its nuclear activities—amassing a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that goes well beyond the bounds of the accord. Despite Israel’s support for Trump’s withdrawal, prominent voices in the country have said in retrospect that the move was a blunder. In Iran, meanwhile, the Iranian parliament’s news agency, ICANA, reported that 250 lawmakers in a statement urged President Ebrahim Raisi and his negotiating team to obtain guarantees from the US and the three other European counties that they won’t withdraw from the deal after it is renegotiated. Iran’s hardline-dominated parliament has the power to approve or reject any proposed agreement between Iran and the other parties in Vienna. The United States has participated in the current talks indirectly because of its withdrawal from the original deal. President Joe Biden has signaled that he wants to rejoin the deal. Under Trump, the US re-imposed heavy sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Tehran has responded by increasing the purity and amounts of uranium it enriches and stockpiles, in breach of the accord—formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. But the country’s steps away from its obligations under the accord have alarmed its archenemy Israel and world powers. Tehran has started enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity—a short technical step from the 90percent needed to make an atomic bomb, and spinning far more advanced centrifuges than those permitted under the deal. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told participants at the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday that the talks have come a long way over the past 10 months and “all elements for a conclusion of the negotiations are on the table.” But he also criticized Iran for stepping up its enrichment and restricting inspections by monitors from the UN nuclear agency. Iran’s foreign minister said that it’s up to Western countries to show flexibility and “the ball is now in their court.” AP

a contact line between Ukraine’s soldiers and Russian-allied separatists in eastern Ukraine, an area that Ukraine and the West worry could be the flashpoint in igniting conflict. Biden convened the National Security Council at the White House on Russia’s military buildup around Ukraine. White House officials released no immediate details of their roughly two hours of discussion. “We’re talking about the potential for war in Europe,” US Vice President Kamala Harris said earlier Sunday at a security conference in Munich, Germany, that saw urgent consultations among world leaders on the crisis. “It’s been over 70 years, and through those 70 years... there has been peace and security.” Zelenskyy on Sunday appealed on Twitter for a cease-fire. Russia has denied plans to invade, but the Kremlin did not respond to Zelenskyy’s offer Saturday to meet with Putin. After a call with Macron, Putin blamed Ukraine—incorrectly, according to observers there—for the escalation of shelling along the contact line and NATO for “pumping modern weapons and ammunition” into Ukraine. Macron, a leader in European efforts to broker a peaceful resolution with Russia, also spoke separately to Zelenskyy, to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and to Biden. Blinken intentionally raised the prospect of a Biden-Putin summit in interviews with US television networks on Sunday, in a bid to keep diplomacy alive, a senior US official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss US reasoning. Blinken said that Biden was “prepared to meet President Putin at any time in any format if that can help prevent a war” and the US official said Macron had then conveyed the offer of talks to Putin—conditioned on Russia not invading—in his phone calls with the Russian leader. Tensions mounted further, however. The US Embassy in Moscow issued an advisory urging greater caution by Americans in Russia overall. “Have evacuation plans that do not rely on US government assistance,” it warned. Immediate worr ies focused on easter n Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting the pro-Russia rebels since 2014 in a conflict that has killed some 14,000 people. In the eastern Ukraine regions of Lugansk and Donetsk, separatist leaders have ordered a full military mobilization and sent more civilians to Russia, which has issued about 700,000 passports to residents of the rebel-held territories. Claims that Russian citizens are being endangered might be used as justification for military action. AP

Leak gives details on over 30,000 Credit Suisse clients

ERLIN — A German newspaper and other media on Sunday said a leak of data from Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second-biggest bank, reveals details of the accounts of more than 30,000 clients—some of them unsavory—and points to possible failures of due diligence in checks on many customers. Credit Suisse said in a statement that it “strongly rejects the allegations and insinuations about the bank’s purported business practices.” The German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said it received the data anonymously through a secure digital mailbox over a year ago. It said it’s unclear whether the source was an individual or a group, and the newspaper didn’t make any payment or promises. The newspaper said it evaluated the data, which ranged from the 1940s until well into the last decade, along with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and dozens of media partners including The New York Times and The Guardian. It said the data points to the bank having accepted “corrupt autocrats, suspected war criminals and human traffickers, drug dealers and other criminals” as customers. Credit Suisse said the allegations are “predominantly historical” and that “the accounts of these matters are based on partial, inaccurate, or selective information taken out of context, resulting in tendentious interpretations of the bank’s business conduct.” The bank said it had reviewed a large number of accounts potentially associated with the allegations, and about 90 percent of them “are today closed or were in the process of closure prior to receipt of the press inquiries, of which over 60 percent were closed before 2015.” As for accounts that remain active, the bank said it is “comfortable that appropriate due diligence, reviews and other control related steps were taken in line with our current framework.” The bank also said the law prevents it from commenting on “potential client relationships.” Switzerland has sought in recent years to shed its image as a haven for tax evasion, money laundering and the embezzlement of government funds, practices carried out through the misuse of its banking secrecy policies. But those laws still draw criticism. AP

Sports

YUKA’S IN TOWN

BusinessMirror

Yuka Saso gamely answers questions from media mostly in Tagalog with pure Filipino accent during a press conference organized by the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. on Monday afternoon at the Solaire Resort and Casino. So why’s she in town? Saso says there’s no better place than home for her to acclimatize to the region’s weather as she prepares for two Ladies Professional Golf Association tournaments in Thailand and Singapore. NONIE REYES

| Tuesday, February 22, 2022 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

ODD BEIJING GAMES END Multi-stage cycling returns in March FIREWORKS explode over the National Stadium or Bird’s Nest during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics on Sunday night in Beijing. AP

NOVAK DJOKOVIC is upbeat a day before the start of the Dubai championship. AP

Djokovic: I’m well prepared as I can possibly be for Dubai

UBAI, United Arab Emirates—Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic said on Sunday that despite weeks away from competition and emotional distress over his recent detention and deportation, he feels he’s at his “peak” as he returns to tour. The world’s top male tennis player sounded an upbeat note in a press conference a day before the start of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis championship, Djokovic’s first tournament since being ejected from Australia and missing the year’s first Grand Slam event over his vaccination status. “It wasn’t really difficult for me to pick up a racket and go out and practice the sport and just play,” he told reporters. “I’m as well prepared as I possibly can be.” Djokovic’s presence brings an unusual amount of scrutiny to the annual tournament near Dubai International Airport and authorities also apparently took extraordinary steps of their own. Organizers blocked most photographers and videographers from Djokovic’s news conference without explanation. Earlier, security guards were out in force at Djokovic’s practice, questioning reporters who tried to grab a glimpse of him serving and swinging on the court. These restrictions were not in place, the guards acknowledged, for any other players. Organizers were not immediately available for comment. The saga of Djokovic’s canceled travel visa on the eve of the Australian Open drew intense interest around the world, shining a light on how public officials approach pandemic restrictions and exemptions. The dramatic legal dispute also took a personal toll. AP

EIJING—A pile of figure-skating rubble created by Russian misbehavior. A new Chinese champion—from California. An ace American skier who faltered and went home emptyhanded. The end of the Olympic line for the world’s most renowned snowboarder. All inside an anti-Covid “closed loop” enforced by China’s authoritarian government. The terrarium of a Winter Games that has been Beijing 2022 came to its end Sunday, capping an unprecedented Asian Olympic trifecta and sending the planet’s most global sporting event off to the West for the foreseeable future, with no chance of returning to this corner of the world until at least 2030. It was weird. It was messy and, at the same time, somehow sterile. It was controlled and calibrated in ways only Xi Jinping’s China could pull off. And it was sequestered in a “bubble” that kept participants and the city around them—and, by extension, the sporadically watching world—at arm’s length. On Sunday night, Xi and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach stood together as Beijing handed off to Milan-Cortina, site of the 2026 Winter Games. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” kicked off a notably Western-flavored show with Chinese characteristics as dancers with tiny, fiery snowflakes glided across the stadium in a ceremony that, like the opening, was headed by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Unlike the first pandemic

Olympics in Tokyo last summer, which featured all but empty seats at the opening and closing, a modest but energetic crowd populated the seats of Beijing’s “Bird’s Nest” stadium. It felt somewhat incongruous—a show bursting with color and energy and enthusiasm and even joy, the very things that couldn’t assert themselves inside China’s Covid bubble. “We welcome China as a winter sport country,” Bach said, closing the Games. He called their organization “extraordinary” and credited the Chinese and their organizing committee for serving them up “in such an excellent way and a safe way.” By many mechanical measures, these Games were a success. They were, in fact, quite safe—albeit in the carefully modulated, dress-upfor-company way that authoritarian governments always do best. The local volunteers, as is usually the case, were delightful, helpful and engaging, and they received highprofile accolades at the closing. There was snow—most of it fake, some of it real. The venues— many of them, like the Bird’s Nest and the Aquatic Center, harvested from the 2008 edition of the Beijing Olympics—performed to expectations. One new locale, Big Air Shougang, carved from a repurposed steel mill, was an appealingly edgy mashup of winter wonderland and rust-belt industrial landscape. TV ratings were down, but streaming viewership was up: By Saturday, NBC had streamed 3.5 billion minutes from Beijing, compared to 2.2 billion in South Korea in 2018. There were no major unexpected logistical problems, only the ones created deliberately to stem the

spread of Covid in the country where the coronavirus first emerged more than two years ago. And stemmed it seemed to be. As of Saturday, the segregated system that effectively turned Beijing into two cities—one sequestered, one proceeding very much as normal— had produced only 463 positive tests among thousands of visitors entering the bubble since January 23. Not surprisingly, the state-controlled media loved this. “The success in insulating the event from the virus and keeping disruption to sports events to a minimum also reflected the effectiveness and flexibility of China’s overall zeroCovid policies,” the pro-government Global Times newspaper said, citing epidemiologists who say “the Covid-19 prevention experience accumulated from this Olympics can also inspire Chinese cities to adjust their policies.” Look deeper, though, and a different story emerges about these Games. Internationally, many critiqued them as the “authoritarian Olympics” and denounced the IOC for holding them in concert with a government accused of gross human rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs and Tibetans in its far west and harsh policies against Hong Kong democracy activists off its southeastern coast. Several Western governments boycotted by not sending any official delegations, though they sent athletes. For its part, China denied such allegations, as it typically does, and featured a Uyghur as part of its slate of Olympic torch-carriers for the opening ceremony February 4. AP

Curry books 3s record, James sinks winner in All-Star Game

LEVELAND—Stephen Curry got another three-point record. LeBron James got another All-Star win. Not a bad night in Ohio for the two All-Stars from Akron. “It’s right on the nose of how it should go,” Curry said. Curry turned boos to oohs and aahs with the greatest long-distance shooting performance in All-Star Game history, then James made a turnaround jumper that gave Team LeBron a 163-160 victory over Team Durant on Sunday night. Curry made 16 3-pointers and scored 50 points, two off Anthony Davis’s record. He was clearly hunting it, asking on the sideline during a sizzling third quarter how many points it would take.

On a night both players were among the greats of the game who were honored during a halftime ceremony celebrating the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) 75th anniversary team, Curry and James showed why they continue to stand out among today’s best. Curry, who earlier this season became the NBA’s career leader in three-pointers, missed his final attempt beyond the arc that would have allowed him to surpass Davis. But with James’s team needing a basket to reach the target score of 163 points, they couldn’t afford to keep feeding Curry. So James pulled up from deep on the right side for the winning bucket, making him 5-0 in the format where the leading vote-getters in each conference draft teams. AP

Boss Emong tops Commissioner’s Cup

(1,800 meters) scheduled next month at the Santa Ana Park in Naic, Cavite, and the 2022 Philracom Chairman’s Cup (2,000 meters) at the Metro Manila Turf Club in Malvar, Batangas. Longshot veteran stakes campaigner Shining Vic owned by Mar Tirona upset his highly-touted rivals in the Commissioners’ Cup Division II 1,600-meter race. He beat Shining Vic, Isla Puting Bato, Victorios Colt and Batang Cabrera. The progeny of Benhur Abalos’s champion Ibarra out of Cleave Hill was sent off as the seventh choice out of eight runners with a mere backing of P5,172 out of the almost P270,000 sales in the Doubles betting.

STEPHEN CURRY makes 16 three-pointers and scores 50 points. AP

AIZA EJE’S Boss Emong raced almost unchallenged to rule the Philippine Racing Commission’s (Philracom) Commissioners’ Cup on Sunday at the San Lazaro Business and Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite. Jockey Dan “Jackhammer” Camanero steered Boss Emong to a two lengths victory over Leonardo “Sandy” Javier Jr.’s Super Swerte, negotiating the 1,600-meter race in one minute and 40 seconds on clips of 24-24-25-26.

The Dance City out of Chica Una grey progeny bred by noted horseman Antonio “Tony” Tan Jr. won for its connections the top purse of P 1.5 million. Super Swerte banked P500,000, while War Cannon earned P250,000 and Best Regards P125,000 for finishing third and fourth, respectively. With the win, Boss Emong took the first step in the quest for the 2022 Triple Cup which has a P1.5 million added bonus should one horse sweep all three legs—2022 Philracom Classic

HE LBC Ronda Pilipinas hold its 11th edition with 13 teams seeing action in a 10-stage race kicking off in Sorsogon City on March 11 and concluding in Baguio City on March 22. George Oconer leads heavy favorite Philippine Navy Standard Insurance and defend the title he won in the 10th anniversary edition of the annual cycling spectacle two years ago. Ronald Oranza, the 2019 champion, will skipper the loaded Navy squad that is also composed of El Joshua Carino, Ronald Lomotos, Junrey Navarra, John Mark Camingao, Esteve Hora and Jeremy Lizardo. The other teams to watch out for are Go for Gold—led by Dominic Perez, Jonel Carcueva and Boots Ryan Cayubit—and Excellent Noodles— bannered by Santy Barnachea and Jan Paul Morales, who have won five Ronda crowns between themselves. Also seeing action are Philippine Army, Team Nueva Ecija, Dreyna, Eagle Cement, Champ Café, Bike Kings Laguna, Vantage Ilocos

Norte, VPharma, Team Quezon Province and Team Ilocos Sur. A total of P3.5 million will be given away as cash prizes with P1 million going to the general classification champion, P400,000 to the runner-up and P200,000 to the second runner-up. The team champion gets P200,000 in the race presented by LBC Express Inc. and supported by MVP Sports Foundation, Quad X, Twin Cycle Gear, Standard Insurance, Print2Go, Elves Bicycles, Elitewheels, Orome, Maynilad and Garmin. Petron Boy Kanin, Green Planet Bikeshop, Prolite, Black Mamba, Lightwater and LBC Foundation are also backing the event along with the PhilCycling and Games and Amusements Board. Ronda opens with the Stage One Individual Time Trial and Team Time Trial on March 11 in Sorsogon followed by the 163-kilometer SorsogonLegazpi City Stage Three on March 12 and the 189.1-km Legazpi-Daet Stage Four on March 13. It will be followed by the 212-km Daet-Lucena Stage Five on March 14 and 157.4-km Lucena-Tagaytay Stage Six on March 15. After a one-day break, the race will wind up with the 180.4-km Tarlac-Baler Stage Seven on March 17, 174.4-km Baler-Echgue (Isabela) Stage Eight on March 18, 193.2-km Santiago, Isabela-Baguio Stage Nine on March 19 and Baguio City Stage 10 Criterium on March 20.

Fajardo ready to answer call for flag, country

By Josef Ramos

IX-TIME Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo will heed the call for flag and country— anytime and anywhere—even for the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) World Cup qualifiers second window starting on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I miss playing for the Philippine team. If given the opportunity, I am willing to represent our nation anytime,” Fajardo told BusinessMirror on Monday afternoon after the Beermen’s practice at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo. “I miss those days. I always love playing for the Philippine team.” But Fajardo isn’t on the Gilas Pilipinas national pool which is composed mostly of TNT Tropang Giga players under Coach Chot Reyes and a sprinkling of cadets, among them Dwight Ramos, Thirdy Ravena and naturalized player Ange Kouame. Fajardo said he believes the

team under Reyes could beat world No. 30 South Korea on Thursday, No. 80 India on Friday and No. 27 New Zealand on Sunday and South Korea again on Monday in the Group A tussle. “I believe they can do it— nothing is impossible. They have to trust each other and team work,” said the 6-foot-11 Fajardo, who was with Gilas in the historic Fiba World Cup campaign in Seville, Spain, in 2014. “I’m just here anytime if they need me Sidelined by a broken tibia in his right leg two years ago, the 32-year-old San Miguel Beer center returned last July after missing the entire 2020 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup bubble in Clark. Now on his seventh game in the Governors’ Cup, he’s been averaging 15.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. “My injury two years ago was just a thing of the past now. I am very healthy,” he said. “I can dunk the ball now very easily.”

Virtual PSA Forum on athletics

HE virtual Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum holds an extra session on Tuesday featuring the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA). PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico bares the association’s plans and programs of the association for the rest of the year including the campaign of the Filipino athletes in the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games and the Hangzhou Asian Games, as well

as other international meets where the country will participate. The session starts at 10 a.m. The weekly Forum is presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Amelie Hotel Manila and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. The forum takes a break to give way for the Annual Awards Night set on March 14 at the Diamond Hotel.