BusinessMirror January 19, 2022

No need yet to revise full-yr targets–Neda

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

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HE tightening of mobility restrictions in many parts of the country due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant is not enough reason for the government to revise its full-year economic performance targets, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

In a briefing on Tuesday, Neda Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon said it was “too early” to revise full-year targets and that many economic developments, which she hoped would be positive for the economy, are bound to happen in the next 11 months.

Before 2021 ended, the economic team expressed confidence the country could move to Alert Level 1 status by January 2022. However, with the latest wave of Covid-19 cases, the opposite happened and many parts of the country were placed under Alert Level 3 status right after the holidays.

“It’s still early days to be discussing revising the growth targets and we think it’s something that we can easily [overcome].

There’s still enough time to catch up,” Edillon said.

Government’s confidence when it comes to its catch-up plan is grounded on three things—a more balanced Alert level implementation; vaccination; and the overall

improvement in the government’s ability to manage the pandemic.

Edillon said from a general lockdown, the government was able to move down to granular lockdown and then to home lockdown. This has allowed greater economic activity to happen despite the rise in cases.

In terms of vaccination, Edillon said highly urbanized cities such as Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao have recorded high vaccination rates. This has contributed to the number of people who continue to work and consumers who continue to spend, boosting the economy.

Vaccination vital

that vaccination remains critical for the country. She said that while the country’s Covid-19 cases as of January 16 was 250 percent higher than the country’s peak with the delta variant, many of these cases do not lead to severe or critical illness.

Data showed that nationwide, only 0.62 percent of Covid-19 cases represent severe and critical cases.

The share is much lower at 0.2 percent of cases when it comes to Metro Manila which has the highest number of infections.

She attributes this largely to the ability of the government to continue vaccinating Filipinos. By

Edillon noted in her presentation

See “Neda,” A2

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Wednesday, January 19, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 103

DTI PEGS INVESTMENT APPROVALS AT P1T IN ‘22 n

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 18 pages | 7 days a week

MORE JOB HIRING SEEN FOR TECH, SALES, BIZ MANAGEMENT, FINANCE

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A MEMBER of the PNP-Highway Patrol Group inspects the vaccination cards of bus passengers on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City as the government implements a “No Vaccine No Ride” policy, banning unvaccinated persons from public transport to stem the Covid-19 surge in the National Capital Region. NONOY LACZA

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

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@Tyronepiad

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is upbeat that it will hit P1 trillion worth of investment approvals in 2022 despite missing last year’s target as several projects are currently in the pipeline and awaiting approval for incentives.

See “DTI,” A2

HE job market this year is expected to be flooded with opportunities from technology, business management and sales and finance amid the growing shift to digitalization, according to a study by a professional recruitment consultancy firm.

The top trends are also being driven by the establishment of new businesses and the growth of the financial sector, Robert Walters Philippines noted in its Salary Survey 2022.

“These three trends will result in the high demand for professionals with experience

in business management and sales operations, tech talent with expertise in automation, data analytics, cloud, and 5G, and workers skilled in risk, finance operations, and front office,” Robert Walters Philippines Country Manager Nic Sephton-Poultney said.

He warned, however, that there may be a lack of talent supply given the great demand for said jobs. The official added there may also be a shortage of qualified professionals for some jobs, particularly in technology given that it is “ever-evolving.”

See “Hiring,” A2

‘Private-sector innovation key to 1st World goal’

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F the Philippines were to become a first-world country in a generation, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said efforts to innovate starting from the private sector will be a crucial step.

At the inaugural meeting of the Finance Executive Institute of the Philippines on Tuesday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the country can become an upper

middle income country in the next two years.

But this progress must be sustained if the country is to become a first world nation in a generation’s time. He said innovation, which will increase the country’s productivity, will be a must.

“In the next two years the Philippines will likely enter the upper middle income country studies, which is a level of development that can only be sustained and

bring us to a high income level in the next generation if we innovate. If we are to simply copy or assemble products or t wo things similarly without any innovation, then we will hardly grow and become a high-income country,” Chua said.

This, he said, will require the help of the private sector and focus of the current and next administration. Chua said the private sector and the government

should work together to enhance human capital development by improving health and education outcomes.

He stressed the need to improve logistics as well as the way products are manufactured through better factory settings and business processes. Chua said all parties must also pursue good governance.

See “Innovation,” A2

PESO exchange rates n US 51.2780 n japan 0.4475 n UK 69.9893 n HK 6.5820 n CHINA 8.0781 n singapore 38.0401 n australia 36.9714 n EU 58.5133 n SAUDI arabia 13.6669

Source: BSP (18 January 2022)

A2

BusinessMirror

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Neda. . .

Comelec: Tracking social-media campaigns of bets now easier

Continued from A1

mid-February or a month from today, Edillon said, the government would be able to administer 119 million vaccine doses.

“We’ve been through this before, we think we are now much better at managing these risks,” Edillon said.

Proof of these efforts is the National Action Plan Phase 4 Scorecard created by the Recovery Cluster of the National Task Force for Covid-19, which is under the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). This is consistent with the goals of the NAP Action Plan.

The latest data showed the country’s NAP4 score continued to improve to 6.98 out of a perfect score of 9 in November, from 4.9 in October and 4.42 in September.

“We expect better December numbers and some reduction in January [but] by how much, we don’t know yet,” Edillon told reporters.

Neda earlier said the NA P scorecard is a better gauge of the country’s performance as it includes factors such as infection management, vaccine rollout, and socioeconomic recovery that better tells the situation on the ground.

This is consistent with the aim of the NAP Phase IV Action Plan to balance the economic and health needs of Filipinos through what it called a “safe reopening of the economy.”

By Samuel P. Medenilla

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@sam_medenilla

HE Commission on Elections on Tuesday said it will now be able to closely monitor online campaigns of candidates for the 2022 polls as more social-media platforms start regulating such activities.

In a v ir tua l inter v iew, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez disclosed that aside from tech giant Google, videofocused social-media application TikTok also decided not to accept political ads for the May 9 polls.

He noted that while social-networking site, Facebook, decided to still accept ads from candidates and political parties which will participate in the

2022 National and Local Elections (NLE), it made it easier to track down such activities.

Facebook decided to put up a political ads library, which will archive every ad put out by every candidate as well as the record of their boosted and promoted posts, according to Jimenez.

With the new tool, Jimenez said, they could check if such materials will be registered in the respective Statement of Contribution and Expenditures (SOCE) of each candidate.

Comelec said the new developments will make it easier for them to ensure that candidates comply w ith their campaign spending limits during the 2022 NLE. Aside from social-media platforms,

Jimenez said they will also look into the activities of “fan sites” to determine if such platforms are being used by some candidates to indirectly promote themselves.

“There will be different rules for accounts like that. But ultimately the bottomline is if we see a channel or account is acting like a campaign outlet, then we will take steps to include them in the regulatory framework,” Jimenez said.

“Meaning to say it will depend on the pattern of use of these channels,” he added.

To note, Comelec only started regulating the social-media accounts and web sites of candidates through Comelec Resolution (CR) No. 10488 during the 2019 polls as its usage for political ads became more prevalent.

Prior to the said issuance, there were no official guidelines for Comelec to check online campaign political ads.

DOH rolls out pharmacy vaxx sites on Jan. 20

DTI. . .

We are working closely with local government units,” she added.

Meanwhile, Cabotaje reported that as of January 17, 2022, a total of 118,944,889 doses were already administered covering 100.34 percent of the A1 priority group, or the workers in the frontline health services with at least one dose and 91.96 percent of those fully vaccinated.

Lagging behind in the vaccine coverage are the EA3 group or pregnant women, with only 19.49 percent of those with at least one dose and 12.15 percent of those fully vaccinated; while 22.75 percent of the Pediatric A3 or 12-17 years old with comorbidities, with at least one dose and 15.57 percent of those fully vaccinated were covered.

Overall, she said the coverage of individuals with at least one dose is at 81.59 percent and 70.54 percent of those fully

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, in a statement on Tuesday, expressed optimism following the reports of an uptick in foreign direct investment (FDI) net inflows in the country.

“Buoyed by 2021 FDI results as well as the healthy pipeline of strong investment leads—both foreign and domestic, and with the reforms that we are anticipating to still be passed in the next months, we are confident of hitting P1 trillion in BOI [Board of Investments] approved investments this year,” the DTI official said.

Citing data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), DTI noted that FDI net inflows increased to $855 million in October 2021 from $430 million year-on-year. This is the fifth consecutive month that FDI figures registered growth.

In January to October 2021, meanwhile, FDI rose to P8.1 billion from $5.5 billion in the same period in 2020.

“The data released by the BSP are consistent with the figures of the BOI, where a surge of foreign investments by 218 percent was recorded last year. This goes to show that the pandemic did not stop the flow of foreign investments into the country and we are looking forward to getting more in 2022,” Lopez said.

Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo, meanwhile, said that investment leads last year are expected to come into fruition by the second or third quarter of 2022.

For example, he said a major P155-billion telecommunication project is awaiting approval from the Fiscals Incentives Review Board.

Other projects in the pipeline also include a new domestic shipping operator; new operator of electric vehicle charging stations; three new operators of telecommunications infrastructure; a new producer of animal feeds; and a cement manufacturer.

Rodolfo, in addition, is also seeing more investments in hyperscalers and Covid-19 medicines, among others.

The BoI said it will prioritize more investments in green and sustainable projects and renewable energy such as hydro and solar plants this year, in addition to road infrastructure, innovation and digitalization.

Last year, the BoI, an attached agency of DTI, approved 235 projects amounting to P655.4 billion, which is below its P905-billion target in 2021 and P1.02 trillion worth of investments greenlighted in 2020.

Among the major projects approved last year are the P81.1-billion Makati City Subway Project and P25-billion Calatagan Cement Plant, BoI noted.

The agency attributed the lower investment approvals to “the rise of Delta cases and extended investors timeline for finalizing studies, decisions, and registrations.”

“Because of the global surge in the Delta variant and now with the emergence of the Omicron variant, these resulted [in] global setbacks in economic recovery, which then translated to the implementation of stricter protocols in the country. We were hit hard during the second quarter and the early part of the third quarter last year,” Rodolfo added.

Continued from A10

vaccinated.

The DOH targets 100 percent of the eligible population or 111 million individuals with primary vaccination series and with booster or additional dose in 2022.

HCW benefits

On the health-care workers (HCWs) benefits, Assistant Secretary Maylene Beltran said a total of P16.188 million was released as of the latest while P7.98million Special Risk allowance (SRA) was disbursed for 496,314 HCWs. More than P401 million was disbursed for meals, accommodation, and transportation (MAT) allowance for 106,115 HCWs. On the latest Covid-19 situation, DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Thea de Guzman said the increase in cases is present in all regions and all provinces, highly urbanized cities (HUCs) and independent component cities (ICCs).

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Initiatives

Continued from A1

The BoI said it continued helping businesses to remain operational amid the pandemic.

The agency, for example, said it pushed for the implementation of work-from-home arrangement for the information technology-business process management sector and a policy “allowing the movement of Income Tax Holiday [ITH] for businesses affected by exceptional circumstances for businesses to optimize incentives availed.”

Other initiatives include repurposing of the manufacturing sector for personal protective equipment, local vaccine manufacturing and Covid-proofing activities.

In terms of policies, the BoI said it also backed measures expected to attract more investments.

These include the amendments to the Public Service Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act and Foreign Investment Act.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Hiring. . .

Continued from A1

For technology, the firm expects the following skill sets to be in high demand this year: machine learning design, development, installation, testing and maintenance.

The accounting and finance sector will be needing more financial controllers, business partners and tax managers, the survey revealed. In addition, the industry is seen to hire more professionals with project management experience, especially those who were involved in digital transformation and automation.

As for banking and financial services, the report said companies will look into employing professionals that had participated in developing digital products, finance and investments and risk and compliance amid the accelerated shift to digital platforms by financial institutions.

“With the ongoing digital transformation and rise of power plants in the country, there will be demand for roles in digital marketing and advertising, fintech sales, renewable energy sales, digital sales, and e-commerce management,” the study pointed out.

Lastly, companies are expected to hire human resource personnel equipped with skills in stakeholder management, employee engagement and performance management.

This, as the “the move from physical to virtual workplaces demands for continuous engagement of employees to maintain high productivity and performance,” the survey explained.

Employee needs Sephton-Poultney explained that companies should be able to provide a competitive salary and benefit package to attract employees, especially those who have niche skills.

According to the survey, 68 percent of the respondents identified compensation and benefits as priorities when looking for a job in the country.

“When it comes to offers, we see more candidates looking at base salaries and no longer at allowances or variable bonuses like before,” he said.

More important, health-care benefits that cover even the employees’ dependents are also primary considerations. He said that some job hunters will likely accept a slightly lower salary if it includes health-care coverage for their entire family.

Hybrid setup Apart from salary and benefits, the Robert Walters official said that it will bode well for companies to offer remote and hybrid working arrangements as well, given that more are now accustomed to them amid the mobility restrictions.

“We encourage hiring managers to accommodate flexibility or work-from-home arrangements, as it is a factor in both attracting and retaining employees in 2022,” he said. “We have seen many employees leave or candidates reject offers when organizations require them to work in the office with no option for hybrid or work-from-home arrangements.”

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranked second next to Singapore in terms of remote work setups as the preference over on-site work, the firm noted.

Salary expectations Meanwhile, the survey revealed that mid-to-senior level employees can expect a salary hike of 4 percent to 8 percent this year mainly because of inflation, Sephton-Poultney said.

“What is important to note is organizations would prioritize individuals that are strong performers. If you are a strong performer and you are staying in a current organization, you can expect it all. If you are an average performer, you can probably expect it maybe a little bit later than that,” he said.

If such employees will not receive the salary increase, he sees a chance they will look for another company that can offer more pay and benefits like health care and transportation allowance.

“The reality is, money does talk,” he said.

For job movers, the study said they can expect to have 15-20 percent salary increase.

The employees in niche and technical positions, on the other hand, can ask for a 30-percent or 35-percent hike in salaries.

“We have seen exceptionally high salary increments of up to 70 percent for job movers in tech positions because of the war for talent in the Philippines,” Sephton-Poultney added.

Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

Innovation. . .

Continued from A1

“The key to sustaining our growth and becoming a high-income country in the next generation is to increase productivity and this is a big role for the private sector,” Chua said.

These efforts should be the focus of the country along with addressing the pandemic and making sure the economy recovers as well as addressing climate change.

Chua said climate change is “inevitable” and the country must prepare for stronger flooding or typhoons in the future. He said this is behind the government’s current efforts to place climate change adaptation and mitigation as the cornerstone of the country’s policy framework.

“We hope we can work together in the coming months and that the next administration will continue. The first is continuing our coverage from the Covid-19 pandemic or should I say endemic, the second is increase productivity, and the third is to respond to climate change,” Chua said.

Cai U. Ordinario

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

The Nation BusinessMirror

DHSUD and REBAP accord signals ‘intensive’ drive vs land scammers

By Cai U. Ordinario

monies of victims) before they prepare a narration of what transpired and the violations committed under PD 957 or the Subdivision and Condominium Buyers Protective Decree and RA 9646 or the Real Estate Service Act, and other laws governing the real-estate industry.

The findings and documentation will then be submitted to REBAP’s national office for evaluation. Cases with sufficient merits will be forwarded to DHSUD for coordination of legal proceedings and apprehension through the authorized agencies.

REBAP 2022 Chairman Armando Jim Ordonez Jr. vowed the full support of REBAP to stop the promiscuous practice of “kolorums” in the sector.

“With this agreement that we graciously accepted and supported, I am quite confident that our members will be emboldened to proactively participate in this laudable campaign. We

must put an end to these ‘kolorums’ that not only harm the unsuspecting public lured into transactions that lead to the loss of their hard-earned money, but also the economy as no tax is paid to the government in illicit real-estate sales,” Ordonez said.

Del Rosario and REBAP 2021 Chairman Emily Duterte and President Benevici Castro recently signed the MOA tapping REBAP as institutional resource partner in the TWG that shall institutionalize the department’s “intensive” drive against real estate scammers.

The TWG was formed through the Joint Memorandum Circular on the formation of Anti-Illegal Real Estate Service Practices Inter-Agency Task Force, in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, among other national government and law-enforcement agencies.

DOH reports ‘upward’ trend in Covid cases in the regions

“Pero kung tiningnan natin overall, ‘yun pong most common lineage pa rin is Delta [But if we are going to look at it overall, the most common lineage is still Delta],” Vergeire said. She stressed, however, currently, the “predominant” is Omicron, especially among genome samples from NCR. Vergeire said there are provinces/ cities that tends mimic the NCR Covid case spike.

With these development, Vergeire urged localities with lower vaccination the need to prepare hospital capacity in advance. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

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@caiordinario

he Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines Inc. (REBAP) to fight realestate scammers.

DHSUD said under the agreement, REBAP broker-members of REBAP, would serve as monitors of illegal practices and submit documentary pieces of evidence to the Technical Working Group (TWG) formed to curb illegal real-estate practices.

Specifically, DHSUD said REBAP will look into sales, leasing, joint ventures, among other related activities of unlicensed/unaccredited/unregistered individuals through information campaigns

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he Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday reported that there is an “upward” trend in Covid-19 cases in other regions, but stressed that the country’s health-care system is still at “moderate level capacity.”

At an online media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that case increase affects all island groups, the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus, and the rest of Luzon, which all have “larger case data now than the

in the practice of their profession.

“I would like to thank REBAP for their support to our campaign to go after illegal real-estate groups who are victimizing our homebuyers...with your help, we can further strengthen our force to go after them and ensure that less and less homebuyers fall prey to their schemes,” DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said.

“REBAP will certainly boost our campaign on the ground with their network nationwide. We will continue to work with relevant stakeholders in the human settlements and urban development sector to finally put an end to this crime,” he added.

The agreement also provides for the specific procedures that will be followed by the “monitors.” They must first observe the violations, document these and secure pieces of evidence (e.g., media posting, defective flyers, testi-

Delta experience” in September 2021 when cases peaked.

On Tuesday, the DOH also logged 28,471 additional Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 3,270,758.

Vergeire noted the steep increase in NCR hospital admissions.

“We must take care of our most vulnerable people first. With the increasing number of hospital admissions in NCR the past week, with bed utilization now

at 60 percent and ICU utilization at 58 percent, it is important to mitigate the risks of Omicron with the new protocols.

This will ensure protection for the most vulnerable and the entire system,” Vergeire said adding that in the latest whole genome sequencing run 97 percent of samples tested were Omicron.

“So, ibig sabihin po [So, this means that], this is predominant currently in this time [or] period that we have now,” Vergeire added.

A4 Wednesday, January 19, 2022 A3

Senate swiftly OKs House bill on fixed term of AFP officers

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

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he Senate, opting to adopt without amendments the House-approved bill providing three-year fixed terms for the Chief-of-Staff and other top-ranked officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), paved the way for its early submission to President Duterte for signing into law.

In sponsoring the enabling bill for the Senate’s final approval during Monday’s session, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said an initial headcount showed senators unanimously agreed to front-load passage of the enabling legislation with the Senate adopting en toto House Bill 10521 fixing the term of AFP chief and other high-ranking officers.

Lacson, chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, confirmed that an early caucus headcount already indicated the unanimous vote to adopt the proposal.

The senator said this means the bill can already be submitted to Malacañang for President Duterte to sign it into law, as there was no need to convene a Senate-House conference committee usually tasked to reconcile Senate-Houseapproved bills prior to submission for signing into law by the President.

As proposed, apart from the AFP Chief-of-Staff, there would also be three-year terms from date of appointments of the AFP Vice Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, as well as the Commanding Generals of the Philippine Army and Philippine Air Force, Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy, Unified Command Commanders and the Inspector General.

In addition, the Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy is given a four-year term, but should not be beyond 58 years old.

For the other military officers with the rank of brigadier general, commodore up to lieutenant general, the mandatory retirement age would be 59 years old.

The move to push for fixed terms in the AFP leadership was intended to stop the “revolving door” policy, or having shortterm designed to accommodate by appointing a Chief-of-Staff to serve only short term a few months before retirement, noting that 11 AFP Chief-of-Staff headed the AFP in nine years of the Arroyo administration and six military chiefs during the PNoy Aquino administration, while the Duterte administration already had 11 new AFP chief.

A4 Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Economy BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Dar signs CNI to import 60,000 MT of fish, plug Q1 supply shortfall

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

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@jearcalas

griculture Secretary William D. Dar said he has approved the importation of additional 60,000 metric tons (MT) of small pelagic fishes to plug the shortfall in the country’s fish supply in the first quarter.

Dar disclosed on Tuesday that he made the decision to ensure that the country has sufficient fish supply and prevent rising cost of the protein product, which he noted is the one of the key contributors to nationwide food inflation. He revealed that he signed and issued the certificate of necessity (CNI) of 60,000 MT of small pelagic fishes for first quarter consumption last January 17.

The agriculture chief explained that he approved the additional fish imports despite the recommendation by the multi-sectoral advisory body National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) not to allow additional import volume since the country has “sufficient supply.”

He noted that NFARMC convened last week and made its recommendations accordingly.

Citing estimates made by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Dar pointed out that the country has a “potential” fish supply deficit of about 119,000 MT this first quarter.

Dar emphasized that the NFARMC is just a “recommendatory” body and pointed out that as the agriculture chief he has the responsibility to allow imports or

not to ensure the country’s food security.

The NFARMC is the country’s highest policy-making advisory multi-stakeholder body when it comes to the fisheries sector.

Existing rules and regulation stipulated that the agriculture secretar y must consult the NFARMC for matters related to the fisheries sector, including importation.

“The NFARMC is a body that has the recommendary responsibility. Let me use that word: recommendary responsibility,” he said.

“At the end of the day we take responsibility in terms of ensuring food security, in this case fish supply of small pelagic fishes,” he added.

The BusinessMirror earlier reported that the government is

mulling over more fish imports this year to ensure sufficient supply and avert price increases in the market following the devastation caused by Typhoon “Odette” (international code name Rai) to the fisheries sector.

The fisheries sector recorded about P3 billion in damage and losses, making it the worst hit industry by Odette, Dar said.

Dar enumerated the factors he considered in issuing the 60,000-MT CNI which include the P3-billion losses incurred by the fisheries sector, curbing the contribution of fish to rising food inflation, and persisting logistical problems hindering the smooth transport of food products from one area to another.

“The fisheries subsector is the number one subsector badly hit

by Odette. The capacity of our

fishermen to catch will be in question,” he said.

“We also continue to see inflation and high prices of fish, which is second to pork in terms of contribution to overall food inflation,” he added.

The BusinessMirror broke the story earlier this month that Dar greenlighted the importation of 11,015 MT of small pelagic fishes to augment fish supply in Odette-hit areas to prevent possible price spikes due to shortage.

Dar signed and issued last December 30, 2021 the CNI to import 11,015 MT of frozen small pelagic for wet markets “for the benefit of the consuming public.”

The volume was the unused portion of the approved 51,246 MT of small pelagic fish imports out of the earlier approved CNI of 60,000 MT of frozen small pelagic fishes for wet markets in August 2021.

Dar noted that several sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPS-ICs) covering a volume of 2,441 MT were not

used by importers and were surrendered to the government, leaving a total unused volume of 11,015 MT. Dar explained that he issued a new CNI for the remaining volume to augment fish supply in areas affected by Odette. Under existing rules and regulations, the agriculture secretary must issue a CNI prior to allow any fish importation for wet market consumption.

“There is still a necessity to import the remaining volume of 11,015 metric tons of frozen small pelagic fish for wet markets in order to augment the shortage in the supply of fish especially in areas affected by the Typhoon Odette,” Dar said in the CNI he signed last December 30.

“In order to ensure national food security taking into consideration public welfare, the importation of 11,015 MT of frozen small pelagic fish for wet markets is hereby certified as necessary which shall be distributed to the Visayas and Mindanao only,” Dar added.

Bello: Workers should be exempted from DOTr’s ‘no vax, no ride’ policy

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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orkers should be exempted from the “no vaccine, no ride” policy being implemented by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for public-utility vehicles (PUV), according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said the rule does not apply to employees since they

are rendering “essential service” to the economy.

“If you stop that [worker mobility], how will businesses continue? If there are no businesses, there will be no economy. That is why our workers are exempted,” Bello said during an online news briefing on Tuesday.

He also cited the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) Resolution 148-B, which “requires” workers to be fully vaccinated before they could go

to work onsite.

The same issuance allows unvaccinated workers to report in their offices provided they undergo regular testing for Covid-19.

Bello said law enforcers should allow workers to ride PUVs as long as they present their company IDs. “What we need is more information to inform the implementing agencies about this exemption to the general rule of ‘no vax, no ride’ policy especially for our workers,” Bello said.

DOLE issued the “clarification” amid reports some workers who are unvaccinated or yet to get their second Cov-

id-19 jab were banned from riding PUVs to work.

Labor groups condemned the said policy for being discriminatory and anti-poor and demanded for its immediate abolition.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said such restriction is necessary to ensure the protection of the unvaccinated since they are more likely to get hospitalized if they get infected with Covid-19.

However, he noted the IATF will discuss on Thursday if the restriction for those with incomplete Covid-19 shots will also be exempted from the “no vaccine, no ride” policy.

Ex-VP Binay urges natl govt to move swiftly on plight of ‘Odette’ victims

F

ormer Vice President and senatorial aspirant Jejomar C. Binay has called on

the national government to immediately address the needs of survivors of typhoon “Odette”

(international code name Rai) “to prevent a humanitarian crisis.”

“The pandemic should not be an excuse for neglecting the survivors of typhoon Odette. While it is true that the pandemic caught us off guard almost two years ago, typhoons occur every year. Government agencies should have learned their lessons from Typhoon “Yolanda” [international code name Haiyan]. There should be no excuses,” Binay said.

The former vice president issued the statement as the United Nations (UN) issued a call over the weekend for more aid to areas severely affected by typhoon Odette.

More than a month after the typhoon battered parts of Visayas and Mindanao, the UN said survivors still do not have access to food, drinking water and shelter.

Binay said concerned government agencies should address reports of deaths attributed to poor and unsanitary living conditions, especially the lack of access to clean water.

“These deaths could have been prevented with timely intervention,” Binay said.

“Until now, the affected residents are still struggling to survive. Government needs to act immediately if we want to prevent a humanitarian crisis,” he added.

The former vice president said national government agencies should have been prepared for stronger typhoons, after climate

change experts named the Philippines as one of the country’s vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Aside from immediate provisions for food, water and shelter, the former vice president added that government should begin preparing a comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation program for the severely affected areas.

The plan should take into account the need for climate resilient housing, decent and sustainable jobs and livelihood opportunities support for affected businesses, and other basic needs, he said.

Government agencies should also ensure that all government aid for Typhoon victims and for local governments are released and received on time.

For typhoon victims living in government housing projects, Binay proposed suspension of mortgage payments.

He added that collection of payments owed to Pag-IBIG Fund, GSIS, SSS should also be suspended, or these agencies could declare an amnesty for payments.

The UN said 2.7 million Filipinos were forced from their homes by Typhoon Odette, while the International Labour Organization (ILO) placed the number of displaced workers at around 2.2 million.

A UN official had compared typhoon Odette’s impact on livelihood and infrastructure to Yolanda.

Local pharma company takes a step closer to manufacture Covid-19 pill

L

ocal pharmaceutical firm Lloyd Laboratories is now a step closer to manufacturing the Molnupiravir, a drug developed by MSD to treat Covid-19 patients, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Last Monday, FDA Office-in-Charge Director General Oscar G. Gutierrez, Jr. announced they already submitted the final draft of the guidelines for Locally Manufactured Drugs for Covid-19 to the Department of Health (DOH) for clearance.

Among the salient points of the new guideline, he said, is the inclusion of good marketing practice (GMP) inspection for the concerned manufacturer.

“Although the [Molnupiravir] capsule will be made here in the Philippines, the active pharmaceutical ingredient it will contain will be imported,” Gutierrez explained.

“So it is important for us to monitor the quality of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, which will be supplied to Lloyd,” he added.

Until the new guidelines are approved

by DOH, Lloyd will still not be allowed to manufacture Molnupiravir.

“In the absence of the locally manufactured guidelines or EUA [Emergency Use Authorization], we will continue our

pre-assessment [of Lloyd],” Gutierrez said.

More applications

In a related development, Gutierrez reported that nine additional companies are now applying for Special Certification for their self-administered Covid-19 antigen test kits on January 13 and 14, 2022.

He said this was aside from the applications from Clearbridge Medical Philippines Inc. at MOHS Analytics Inc. as early as January 9. 2022.

All of the said applications were already forwarded to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to undergo “performance validation” before they could be certified.

The certified products will finally allow the manufacturers to sell their products in the local market, according to Gutierrez.

FDA said it would continue to conduct quality tests for the said products even after they secure the needed certification to ensure their consistent quality.

“We will still collect samples [of the said products], which we will send to RITM so it could be tested,” Gutierrez said.

DOH will also be issuing the necessary guidelines for the use of so-called homebased test kits. Samuel P. Medenilla

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Angel R. Calso

The World BusinessMirror

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

A5

Omicron cripples South American hospitals as health workers fall ill In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote address for the 2022 World Economic Forum virtual session in Beijing on January 17. Xi called for greater world cooperation against Covid-19 and pledged to send an additional 1 billion doses of vaccine to other countries, while urging other powers to discard a “Cold-War mentality” at a time of rising geopolitical tensions—a veiled swipe at the United States. Huang Jingwen/Xinhua via AP

China’s Xi renounces ‘Cold War mentality’, pushes cooperation

G

ENEVA—Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that his country will send an additional 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to other countries, calling for global cooperation to tackle the pandemic and other challenges while urging other powers to discard a “Cold-War mentality”—a veiled swipe at the United States.

Xi touted China’s efforts to share vaccines, fight climate change and promote development in the opening speech of a virtual gathering hosted by the World Economic Forum. The online event is being held after the group put off its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Efforts to battle the global outbreak that has claimed over 5.5 million lives and upended the world economy and climate change were prominent themes Monday.

In a panel session on the virus, Moderna’s CEO said the vaccine maker was working on a singleshot booster for both Covid-19 and the flu, while US infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci lamented as “very disturbing” the reluctance of many Americans to follow basic measures like maskwearing and getting vaccinated.

Xi, who hasn’t left China since the coronavirus emerged in early 2020, said his country has exported more than 2 billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and international institutions. He announced plans to provide an additional 1 billion, including a donation of 600 million doses to Africa and an extra 150 million to Southeast Asia.

By comparison, managers of the UN-backed COVAX program to ship vaccines to developing countries announced over the weekend that it has now delivered 1 billion vaccine doses.

Xi touched on standard themes from previous international addresses, including responding to trading partners’ complaints by promising to open China’s statedominated economy wider to private and foreign competition.

His comments come as tensions between the United States and China have simmered on topics like Taiwan, intellectual property, trade, human rights and the South China Sea.

“We need to discard Cold War mentality and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes,” Xi said through a translator. “Protectionism and unilateralism can protect no one.... Even worse are the practices of hegemony and bullying, which run counter to the tide of history”—terms Beijing has used to describe US policy and actions.

“A zero-sum approach that enlarges one’s own gain at the expense of others will not help,” he added. “The right way forward for humanity is peaceful development and win-win cooperation.”

Xi said China “stands ready to work with” other governments on climate change but announced no new initiatives and offered no resources. He said it was up to developed countries to provide money and technology.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took up the environment in his address, pledging his country’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

India’s growth in the next 25 years will be “green and clean, and also sustainable and reliable,” he said, stressing its commitment to solar power.

While Xi and Modi touted environmental efforts, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ratcheted up his concerns about the use of coal—both China and India are big users—in his call for “real climate action in developing countries.”

“Emissions must fall, but they continue to rise,” Guterres said in his address, appealing for debt relief for developing countries needing help weaning off coal.

Guterres pointed to his call for “coalitions” to help foster a clean energy transition, highlighting US-Chinese efforts to provide China with “adequate technologies” to accelerate that shift.

“India doesn’t like the coalition, but India has accepted several bilateral forms of support, and I’ve been in close contact with the US, UK and several other countries to make sure that there’s a strong project to support India,” he said.

Guterres said the past two years had shown that the world needs to cooperate to halt climate change, achieve global economic recovery and beat the pandemic. AP

B

RASILIA, Brazil—The coronavirus’ Omicron variant starting to barrel across South America is pressuring hospitals whose employees are taking sick leave, leaving facilities understaffed to cope with Covid-19’s third wave.

A major hospital in Bolivia’s largest city stopped admitting new patients due to lack of personnel, and one of Brazil’s most populous states canceled scheduled surgeries for a month. Argentina’s federation of private healthcare providers told the AP it estimates about 15 percent of its health workers currently have the virus.

The third wave “is affecting the health team a lot, from the cleaning staff to the technicians, with a high percentage of sick people, despite having a complete vaccination schedule,” said Jorge Coronel, president of Argentina’s medical confederation. “While symptoms are mostly mild to moderate, that group needs to be isolated.”

It wasn’t supposed to be this way: South America’s vaccine uptake was eager once shots were available. About two-thirds of its roughly 435 million residents are fully immunized, the highest percentage for any global region, according to Our World in Data. And health workers in Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina have already been receiving booster shots.

But the Omicron variant is defying vaccines, sending case numbers surging. Argentina saw an average 112,000 daily confirmed cases in the week through January 16, up from 3,700 a month earlier. Brazil’s health ministry is still recovering from a hack that left coronavirus data incomplete; even so, it shows a jump to an average 69,000 daily cases in the same seven-day period, up 1,900 percent from the month before.

Omicron spreads even easier than other strains, and is already dominant in many countries— among them, Brazil and some parts of Argentina. It also more easily infects those who have already been vaccinated or infected by earlier versions of the virus. Early studies show Omicron is less likely to cause serious diseases than the Delta variant, and vaccination and booster shots still offer strong protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death.

Lesser severity leaves South America’s residents loath to give up their long-awaited summer that, so they were told, would mark a return to normality after full vac-

cination. The enduring pandemic often seems an afterthought to people who are out and about, and don’t glimpse how Omicron has started affecting medical staff.

Beaches were packed this weekend in Argentina and Brazil.

Matías Fernández Norte, a surgeon at the Hospital de Clínicas in Buenos Aires, told the AP that the high number of professionals on leave has generated “physical and spiritual fatigue, in addition to the stress of dealing with a patient on the edge.”

“You feel like you are living a parallel reality. In the street you meet a world that doesn’t seem to feel the pandemic,” he said. “Sometimes it feels like people have forgotten. Unfortunately, that’s what we feel.”

Brazil’s council of state health secretariats estimates that between 10 percent and 20 percent of all professionals in the health network—including doctors, nurses, nurse technicians, ambulance drivers and others in direct contact with patients—have taken sick leave since the last week of 2021.

“We are having trouble making the schedules,” said the council’s director, Carlos Lula.

The press office of Rio de Janeiro state’s health secretariat told the AP that about 5,500 professionals have left their jobs since December. All elective surgeries scheduled in the state health network have been suspended for four weeks. As for urgent care, relocations and overtime are being used as stopgap measures.

“Forty percent of our staff is on sick leave,” Marcia Fernandes Lucas, health secretary for the municipality of Sao Joao de Meriti, in Rio’s metropolitan region, told the AP in her office.

“We are able to work with these 60 percent by redeploying them [between health centers].”

Public hospitals in Bolivia are operating at 50 percent-70 percent capacity due to the high number of infections among health-care workers, according to the Bolivian doctors’ union. In Santa Cruz, the country’s most populous city, the Children’s Hospital is overwhelmed—but less by its number of patients than the amount of

Australia reports record Covid deaths, hospitals under stress

M

ELBOURNE, Australia —Australia reported a record high of Covid-19 deaths Tuesday, and its second-largest state declared an emergency in hospitals to cope with surging patient admissions and a staffing shortage due to the coronavirus.

The 74 deaths occurred in its three most populous states. New South Wales reported 36, Victoria reported 22 and Queensland 16. The previous daily record was 59 coronavirus-related deaths on September 4, 2020.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said there were signs that

New South Wales’ infection rate was peaking and Victoria was near a plateau.

The New South Wales government has ruled out a return to lockdown to counter the highly contagious Omicron variant. In October, Sydney ended a 108-day lockdown because the population of Australia’s most populous city was largely vaccinated.

Another lockdown would have “substantial consequences for men and women right across the state in terms of being able to provide food on the table for their family,” state Premier Domonic Perrottet told

Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Victoria declared an emergency for hospitals in its state capital, Melbourne, and several regional hospitals from midday Wednesday because of staff shortages and a surge in patient admissions. About 5,000 staff are absent because they are either infected or close contacts.

“We’ve reached a point in our healthcare system where it’s juggling extreme workforce shortages…alongside a vast number of patients with Covid-19 who require hospitalization, alongside that an extraordinary workforce that are absolutely exhausted,”

Acting Health Minister James Merlino said.

An emergency declaration means additional capability and capacity need to be mobilized to receive an influx of patients.

Some hospital staff may be recalled from leave and more services will be deferred.

Physiotherapists and medical students will be asked to take on nursing duties.

It is the first time the emergency has been activated in multiple hospitals across the state.

More than 2,700 people have died with Covid-19 in Australia, which has a population of 26 million. AP

staff falling ill, according to Freddy Rojas, its vice director. Last week, the facility stopped admitting new patients.

“There has been a collapse, because we don’t have replacements,” said José Luís Guaman, interim president of the doctors’ union in Santa Cruz.

Such is the risk of medical services grinding to a halt in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province—the country’s most populous—that health workers have been allowed to return to work even if coming into contact with someone infected, provided they are asymptomatic and vaccinated. Other provinces in Argentina are expected to adopt the same rules in the coming days, in line with the health ministry’s recently issued guidelines.

Similar measures are being enacted by authorities in France and the US, where Omicron has been putting hospital systems to the test for weeks.

Chile has seen a constant increase in its number of cases,

prompting the reactivation of public- and private-sector hospital beds, but so far the country hasn’t experienced hospital overload. Peru has also seen its numbers rise, but its facilities aren’t yet suffering.

The Pan American Health Organization said Wednesday it expects Omicron to become the predominant coronavirus variant in the Americas in the coming week.

Ten countries in the region—especially in the Caribbean—didn’t reach the goal set by the World Health Organization to have 40 percent of citizens fully vaccinated by end-2021.

While a smaller fraction of people develop serious illness from the highly-transmissible variant, the crush of contagion and resulting strain on hospitals means Omicron shouldn’t be underestimated, said Lula, of the Brazilian health secretariat council.

“People have to understand that the argument that Omicron is ‘mild’ is false,” Lula said. AP

A6

BusinessMirror

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ALL OUT MULTI-MEDIA SOLUTIONS CORP. Unit 2302-a West Tower, Pse Centre, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig JIN, BYOUNGSOO Marketing Consultant 1.

Brief Job Description: Manage the Promotion and Service of the company that offers JUNG, TAEMIN Technical Support Specialist

2.

Brief Job Description: Maintenance and Monitoring of Computer hardware computer systems and applications

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking, Reading and Writing Korean and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

AMAZON OPERATION SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. B21 Three E-com Moa Complex, Harbour Drive Cor. Bay Shore, Brgy. 076, Pasay City CHEN, JIAN Investigation Specialist I 3.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for a wide range of duties related to the investigation and elimination of online ecommerce risk.

DUONG QUOC HUY Mandarin Software Quality Assurance Analyst

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking REading and Writing Korean and English

8.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BALLET PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION, INC. 4/f Ccp Bldg., Ccp Complex Roxas Blvd., Barangay 76, Pasay City

4.

MARTYNYUK, MIKHAIL Artistic Director Brief Job Description: Choreograph pieces, training of dancers

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

Basic Qualification: Years of experience and choreographer

5.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for planning and overseeing projects to ensure they are completed in a timely fashion and within budget

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

LIAO, ZHIPENG Mandarin Software Quality Assurance Analyst

Basic Qualification: At least two (2) years of working experience in the related field.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 9.

BLOOMBERRY RESORTS AND HOTELS INC. Solaire Resort And Casino, 1 Asean Avenue, Entertainment City, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

ANG JIA YEE Host, Premium Services - China / Sea 6.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for new member acquisition on casino floor and provided premium services to patrons within assigned locations

Basic Qualification: College graduate or above, ability to effectively communicate in English and mandarin in both written and oral forms

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

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

10.

7.

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

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

CRONYX INC. No. 4th-10th Flr. Yinhope Bldg., Dela Rama Cor. Zoili Hilario St., Seascape Village, Ccp Complex Subd. Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City HOU, YIMING Chinese Speaking Admin Associate

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

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

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

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

15.

LIU, YULONG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 11.

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

16.

17.

12.

13.

Brief Job Description: Provide valuable information about products and services to consumers

18.

LI, WEN Mandarin Site Technical Officer Brief Job Description: Preparing and following general maintenance schedule

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: The Chinese Customer Service Officer is a first point of contact for the company’s Chinese clients. The primary role of Chinese Customer Service Officer within the team is to respond to a variety Chinese client’s requests and inquiries via telephone or via live chat NAI JUN HONG Customer Service Officer

19.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese Customer Service Officer is a first point of contact for the company’s Chinese clients. The primary role of Chinese Customer Service Officer within the team is to respond to a variety Chinese client’s requests and inquiries via telephone or via live chat NGUYEN VAN QUYEN Customer Service Officer

20.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese Customer Service Officer is a first point of contact for the company’s Chinese clients. The primary role of Chinese Customer Service Officer within the team is to respond to a variety Chinese client’s requests and inquiries via telephone or via live chat

ZUO, ZONGKE Mandarin Customer Support Representative 21.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

14.

ZHENG, YINGCAI Translator Brief Job Description: Language translation from Mandarin to English

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 DATACLICK INTERNATIONAL CORP. E. Rodriguez St., Roxas Blvd. St., Barangay 3, Pasay City

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

DYNAMIC STUDIO TECHNOLOGY INC. 5th To 10th/f Platinum Tower Building, Aseana Ave. Cor. Fuentes Street, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque BI, WEN Chinese Speaking Program Designer 22.

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

DUAN, FANG Chinese Speaking Program Designer 23.

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

FANG, YULIN Chinese Speaking Program Designer 24.

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

LIU, CHENGMIN Chinese Speaking Program Designer 25.

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

XIONG, QI Chinese Speaking Program Designer 26.

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

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

ENTRATA HOTEL SERVICES, INC. (CRIMSON HOTEL, FILINVEST CITY MANILA) Entrata Urban, Complex Filinvest, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

DAHUA VENTURES INC. 231 Rm. 8/f Co Ban Kiat Building Ii, J.luna St., 027, Barangay 287, Binondo, City Of Manila Basic Qualification: 2years experience in managing and directing sales team, expert in language translation in Mandarin to English, can speak and write Mandarin and English fluently.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

DEXIN 999, INC. Red Hotel No. 345, Edsa Cor. Don Carlos Revilla St., Barangay 147, Pasay

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: The Chinese Customer Service Officer is a first point of contact for the company’s Chinese clients. The primary role of Chinese Customer Service Officer within the team is to respond to a variety Chinese client’s requests and inquiries via telephone or via live chat HOANG THI DIU Customer Service Officer

CURRENTCORE SERVICES INC. Unit 2c, Flr. No. 4f, One Ecom Center Bldg. Ocean Drive St., Barangay 76, Pasay City MENG, XIANGZHU Mandarin Field Marketing Officer

Brief Job Description: The Chinese Customer Service Officer is a first point of contact for the company’s Chinese clients. The primary role of Chinese Customer Service Officer within the team is to respond to a variety Chinese client’s requests and inquiries via telephone or via live chat DAO THI PHUC Customer Service Officer

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

Brief Job Description: The Chinese Customer Service Officer is a first point of contact for the company’s Chinese clients. The primary role of Chinese Customer Service Officer within the team is to respond to a variety Chinese client’s requests and inquiries via telephone or via live chat ZHANG, ALEI Chinese Customer Service Officer

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LIU, KUNHONG Chinese Customer Service Officer

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

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

CHEN, QIAO Mandarin Software Quality Assurance Analyst

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

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

BEE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PH INC. 12th Floor, U1206 The Trade And Financial Tower, 7th Avenue And 32nd Street, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

WONG, HUNG HO Project Manager

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PASDELOUP, NICOLAS JEAN-FRANCOIS Executive Pastry Chef 27.

Brief Job Description: Accountable for daily pastry operations and its overall success, develops, designs and creates new ideas and items for the pastry kitchen.

Basic Qualification: Minimum of 5 years experience as executive pastry chef in a 5 star hotel; a degree from an educational institution in Culinary Arts.

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

GAMEOPS INC. Unit 2501-2505 One Corporate Center, J.vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

REY LOPEZ, VICTOR Bilingual Game Operations Specialist

28.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

Brief Job Description: Supporting the operations of Online Games, Managing the communities of players, Summarize and translate English daily topics/issues and reports into Spanish and vice versa. Collaborate closely with team members to accomplish team goals; Report and escalate critical issues for prompt resolution. Any task analogous to the foregoing

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Candidate must possess at least a High School Diploma, Vocational Diploma/ Short Course Certificate, Bachelor’s/College Degree, any field Language Proficiency Levels: Applicant must have the ability to understand German/ French/Spanish used in everyday situations, and in a variety of circumstances to a certain degree. Must be flexible in terms of schedule. Must have strong work ethic, be a Team Player, responsible, detail oriented, dedicated to see challenging projects through to completion. Excellent knowledge of office tools (office suite) required, computer savy.

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

No.

39.

NGUYEN THI HUE Chinese Speaking Brand Marketing Specialist 40.

LI, JIANYANG Logistics Manager For Retail, Service Warehouse And Delivery Project

29.

Brief Job Description: in charge of logistics development planning and logistics network planning; oversee the logistics environment, customs policy, tariff, preferential policy analysis and research; establish the quality of the delivery team & operation’s organization and mechanism; manage the logistics service provider to establish smooth operation mechanism; ensure business operations comply with internal and external regulations; control logistics costs to avoid waste of costs in warehouse, delivery, and customs clearance

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

CHEN, ZHENYU Procurement Manager For Indoor Business Solution (IBS) Project

30.

Brief Job Description: in charge of the end-to-end procurement process and management; negotiate with supplier for contract of terms; plan the project procurement strategy according to each project situation; manage supplier resource during project delivery period; manage the company’s business conduct guideline policies; complete supplier performance evaluation and set up supplier qualification and phase out strategy; complete new supplier qualification according to business or project requirement;

Basic Qualification: has expertise in procurement process, evaluation requirement and policy, etc.; has good experience in supplier management, business negotiation, supplier resourcing, project management and troubleshooting; able to organize business operation, implement plans and manage human and physical resources; knowledgeable in various corporate multiple system operation, especially in supplier relationship management (srm), onepro, isdp, etc.;must have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical design manufacture and automation; highly proficient in chinese and english language

41.

GULATI, JATIN Corporate Strategy Advisor 31.

Brief Job Description: Support the board and top Management on the matters related to strategy and execution for the group.

Basic Qualification: More than 15 years of strategy advisors experience across industries

SUNG, EUNJIN IT Consultant 42.

HIMORI, ISAO Japanese Marketing Consultant 32.

Brief Job Description: Work with corporate management to improve, plan & implement effec. strategies CHO, KWANG HYUN Korean Marketing Consultant

33.

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

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

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

43.

44.

34.

Brief Job Description: Working with clients to identify their unique investment goals

Basic Qualification: Confident decision making abilities Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KAISER DYNASTY TRADING CORP. Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., 191 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati BONG VUI HUN Chinese Speaking Brand Marketing Specialist 35.

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

CHIA, ANGEL AN-PEI Chinese Speaking Brand Marketing Specialist 36.

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

LI, FAN Chinese Speaking Brand Marketing Specialist 37.

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

LI, XIJUN Chinese Speaking Brand Marketing Specialist 38.

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

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

45.

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

Brief Job Description: Design IT systems and networks ensuring the right architecture and functionality

KU, WON MO Marketing Officer 46.

Brief Job Description: Develop strategies, programs and policies to promote tourism as preparations for re-opening of tourism

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing Korean and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

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

53.

54.

CHANDALA, SAMUEL DOMINGOS Content Analyst - Portuguese 55.

47.

Brief Job Description: Translating and answering client queries in Bengali language

56.

KIM, JIHYEON Vice President

57.

48.

Brief Job Description: Provides global direction for the company by developing short term and long term financial and operational goals

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

NANTAI TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 3rd Floor Net One Center Building, 26th Street Corner 3rd Ave., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

ZHANG, JIAJING IT Technical Support 49.

Brief Job Description: Maintains the computer networks of all types of organizations, providing technical support and ensuring the whole company runs smoothly.

Basic Qualification: With bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or any related course with a minimum of 1 year IT experience and able to speak and write in MANDARIN. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NEW CENTURY BOOKS & GENERAL MERCHANDISE Lot 36 Blk. 13, Azalea St., Sto. Niño De Maligaya Park District 1, Barangay 177, City Of Caloocan KOLTON, RYAN MITCHELL Consultant 50.

Brief Job Description: Quarterly evaluation of the marketing strategies implemented

Basic Qualification: Must be a market specialist Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

ONPOINT CORP. Unit Ug-11 Ug/f Cityland 10 Tower 2, 154 H.v. Dela Costa Cor. Valero Sts., Bel-air, City Of Makati QIU, FUMING Mandarin Coordinator

51.

Brief Job Description: Typically works under a mandarin manager to maintain office equipment, physical space, and telecommunication system for a single building.

Handles building equipment emergencies on an ongoing basis and serve as a liaison between company employees and outside contractors called in to fix problems.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate. Fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese Language.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Atleast 1 year experience related to the position.

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

PAYMAYA PHILIPPINES, INC. 6/f Launchpad, Reliance Cor. Sheridan, Highway Hills, City Of Mandaluyong

KADAVA, HARI KRISHNA Senior Product Manager For Banking-as-a-service (baas) 52.

Brief Job Description: Develop and execute a domain product strategy across paymaya’s core banking system and API banking services working with our existing channels & horizontal teams such as financial crime prevention, identity and authentication.

Brief Job Description: Answering inquiries, resolving problems, fulfilling requests, and maintaining data base

JI, SUZHEN Chinese Customer Service Representative 58.

Brief Job Description: Answering inquiries, resolving problems, fulfilling requests, and maintaining data base

PAN, GUIFANG Chinese Customer Service Representative 59.

Brief Job Description: Answering inquiries, resolving problems, fulfilling requests, and maintaining data base

ZHANG, JINLIANG Chinese Customer Service Representative 60.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Has experience in scrum/ agile methodology, project/program management.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree, Proficiency in English and any of the above mentioned languages, amenable on any shift Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Brief Job Description: Answering inquiries, resolving problems, fulfilling requests, and maintaining data base

Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, preferably 6mos1year customer service experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, preferably 6mos1year customer service experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, preferably 6mos1year customer service experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, preferably 6mos1year customer service experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, preferably 6mos1year customer service experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SCHENKER PHILIPPINES, INC. Sabrina Cmpd. Km. 19, West Service Road, Marcelo Green, City Of Parañaque RÜLKE, THOMAS Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate

Brief Job Description: Answering inquiries, resolving problems, fulfilling requests, and maintaining data base

HUANG, QINGYUAN Chinese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reasing and writing korean and english

MNK.SOFT CORPORATION Unit 2504 Discovery Center, San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

Brief Job Description: Processes and maintains data accurately and in a timely manner into Refinitiv database using technical and financial knowledge

HAN, YONGYI Chinese Customer Service Representative

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

Basic Qualification: Expertise in Bengali language

Basic Qualification: At least 5 years of work experience as product owner, product manager, program manager or equivalent role required

RIGHT CHOICE FINANCE CORP. 5e-1 Electra House Bldg., 115-117 Esteban Street, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

MAKLOOK CORPORATION 7th/f Sun Plaza Bldg., Shaw Blvd. Cor. Princeton, Wack-wack Greenhills, City Of Mandaluyong AHAMED, MD KAISER Bengali Language CSR

Brief Job Description: work closely with the team and stakeholders to plan and organize deliverables accordingly to fulfill project delivery from inception to finish - in relation to their subject matter expertise.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

REFINITIV ASIA PTE. LTD. - PHILIPPINE BRANCH Ground Floor, 18/20 Building Upper Mckinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

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

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

Brief Job Description: Work with the business technology and support groups such as risk and compliance financial crimes information TRIVEDI, SHREYAS Technical Project Manager

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing Korean and English

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing Korean and English

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION MIDHA, NITISH Senior Product Manager For Risk & Fraud

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading, and writing Korean and English

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

No.

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

KP JOEUN CONSULTANCY INC Unit 7 Goldland Millenia Tower, Escriva Drive Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

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

Brief Job Description: Review product performance against client requirements so as to provide optimal product CHOI, HYUN IL Technical Support Specialist

JQ INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION INC. Unit 9 & 10, 2f Bttc Centre,, 288 Ortigas Ave., Greenhills, City Of San Juan LAN, LINGYUN Investment Consultant - Mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Perform product demonstrations for both prospective Korean clients as needed YOO, DAJUNG Marketing Consultant

Basic Qualification: Atleast college graduate, speak and write Korean fluently Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Analysis on call logs in order to discover any underlying issues or trends NAM, SUN JUNG Marketing Consultant

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

J-NA ALLOUT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS CORP. 3/f Lipams Bldg., #48 President Avenue, B. F. Homes, City Of Parañaque

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

KINDOSAR PROCESS SOLUTIONS INC. Unit 5d, Rose Industries Bldg., Pioneer St., Kapitolyo, City Of Pasig

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 ISOC HOLDINGS, INC. Unit 601-609 Hanston Bldg., Don F. Ortigas Jr. Road, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

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

ZHU, BAOCHANG Chinese Speaking Brand Marketing Specialist

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES PHILS. INC. U-5302, 53/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor., V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: has experience in logistics planning particularly in routing and warehouse layout planning; has computer programming skills; with expertise on supply chain management; knowledgeable retail logistics e-commerce logistics, service logistics supplier management; with technical skills in simulation modelling, lean improvement (seven wastes, standard operations, value stream analysis, intelligent vehicle packaging design and optimization methods, etc.) and data processing technology with python

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

A7

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

LU, ZIYUN Chinese Speaking Brand Marketing Specialist

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

61.

Brief Job Description: Manage the strategic, operational, and tactical activities for the country to ensure successful revenue productivity, and profitability levels.

Basic Qualification: At least 15 years working experience in the logistics industry. At least 10 years management experience.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

SHSY ELECTRIC POWER CORPORATION 3/f Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

62.

YANG, DAIWU Chinese Site Manager Brief Job Description: Participating in scheduling for a project.

Basic Qualification: Excellent skills in Project Management, AutoCAD, SketchUp and MS Office Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

SKY DRAGON GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES CORP. 2f-5f, Unit 710 Shaw Blvd., Global Link Center, Wack-wack Greenhills, City Of Mandaluyong

63.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin, both oral and written

WU, QI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer relations service provider

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

SPEED QUALITY TECH INC. 20/f Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati

64.

YANG, XUAN Mandarin Customer Service Specialist Brief Job Description: Customer service

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written 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 MEHMOOD, IMRAN Project Manager 65.

Brief Job Description: Manage the delivery progress and issues of the local assistant; implement the management requirements during delivery; handle the issues raised by the local project manager; implement the project management process; maintain regional customer.

Basic Qualification: To provide consulting, technical and advisory services Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

ZTE PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 1201 & 1202 12th Floor Fort Legend Towers, 3rd Ave. Corner 31st St., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

66.

HAO, JINHU Fixed Network Technology Manager Brief Job Description: Provides Technical Guidance for fixed network

Basic Qualification: College Graduate of four year course Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Jan 18, 2022

Basic Qualification: At least 5 years of work experience as a product owner, product manager, program manager, or an equivalent role required.

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

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A8 Wednesday, January 19, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Best way to solve malnutrition problem

T

he number of Filipinos dying of malnutrition hit a record in January to October 2021, according to the latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (See, “10-month malnutrition deaths soar 40% in 2021, record high,” in the BusinessMirror, January 17, 2022). The statistics agency said 4,844 Filipinos died in the 10-month period compared to 3,514 fatalities in the same period in 2020. The latest figure is the highest since 2006 when deaths due to malnutrition breached 2,000.

Prior to 2021, deaths caused by malnutrition have been rising, according to the PSA. Before 2019, deaths reached 3,645 and 3,582 in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Malnutrition deaths, as defined by PSA, covers those caused by kwashiorkor, nutritional marasmus, marasmic kwashiorkor, and unspecified severe protein-energy malnutrition. It also covers deaths caused by protein-energy malnutrition of moderate and mild degree, retarded development following protein-energy malnutrition, and unspecified protein-energy malnutrition.

The PSA report is lamentable as these deaths are preventable. All we need to do is to strengthen mechanisms in place to ensure that the poor have access to nutritious food and health interventions, particularly during the pandemic. Those who lost their jobs during the pandemic were forced to scrimp on food and to resort to eating unhealthy but cheap items to ease their hunger pangs. While instant noodles and canned sardines are plentiful and readily available, these products do not provide all the nutritional needs of a growing child.

Unfortunately, a joint report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Children’s Fund indicated that the ranks of those who have limited access to food in the country expanded in 2020. The report titled “2021 Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition,” revealed that the number of food-insecure Filipinos rose by more than 2 million to 46.1 million in 2020. Of the 46.1-million food-insecure people in the country, the FAO-Unicef report estimated that 4.3 million Filipinos experienced severe food insecurity last year, up from the 3.4 million recorded in 2019 (See, “Food-insecure Pinoys up to 46.1 million—UN report,” in the BusinessMirror, December 27, 2021).

As the pandemic drags on and businesses are affected by the mobility restrictions, the ranks of those experiencing food insecurity may expand in the coming years. What’s worse is the physical and mental development of children will be severely affected if they are continuously denied access to nutritious food and timely health intervention. An increase in the number of sickly kids and adults will drain the government’s health fund and make it more difficult for the Philippines to reach the goal of achieving upper middle income status.

A number of economists have urged policy-makers to prioritize giving direct assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises, and provide more ayuda to those who lost their jobs. Extending assistance to MSMEs, which employ more than 90 percent of workers in the country, will allow them to retain their employees even during the pandemic. The best way to solve the country’s malnutrition problem is to create jobs for all Filipinos.

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SSS assistance to Typhoon Odette victims thru the Calamity Assistance Package Aurora C. Ignacio

All About Social Security

T

yphoon Odette, which brought total devastation in several areas in the provinces of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao a week before Christmas, is really heartbreaking as a number of people have completely lost their homes and properties and even resulted to fatalities.

During this season, as in the previous years when calamities strike, SSS is always there to lend a helping hand to our kababayan, especially to our members and pensioners who were greatly affected by such massive destruction.

SSS will start offering its Calamity Assistance Package to members and pensioners affected by Typhoon Odette starting January 14, 2022, which will run until April 13, 2022.

This program includes the Calamity Loan Assistance Program (CLAP), Three-Month Advance Pension for SS and EC Pensioners, and Direct House Repair and/or Improvement Loan for members who are residing in the areas affected by Typhoon Odette (MIMAPORA, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas,

Northern Mindanao and CARAGA) as declared by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Calamity Loan Assistance Program

The Calamity Loan Assistance Program (CLAP) is for member-borrowers whose residence is in the areas affected by calamity, and in other areas to be declared under a State of Calamity by NDRRMC and for those who suffered losses or damages to their properties in the said calamity-stricken areas.

To avail of the program, the members: 1. Must be registered in the SSS web site (My.SSS facility) to facilitate filing of online application.

2. Must have at least 36 monthly contributions, six of which should be posted within the last 12 months prior to the month of filing of application.

3. Must be residents of the calamity declared areas and suffered damages/losses to their properties.

A resident, for the purpose of CLAP, is one who has a home address or property at the calamity-stricken area.

4. Have not been granted any final benefit, i.e., permanent total disability or retirement.

5. Must not have an outstanding Loan Restructuring Program (LRP) or CLAP. 6. If employed, the employer must certify the CLAP application thru online My.SSS facility.

The loan amount shall be equivalent to one monthly salary credit (MSC) computed based on the average of the last 12 MSCs (rounded up to the nearest thousand) or the amount applied for, whichever is lower.

The payment terms and deadline are as follows: 1. The loan shall be payable within two years in 24 equal monthly installments.

2. The loan amortization shall start on the 2nd month following the date of the approval of the loan.

3. Payment deadline shall be on

or before the last day of the month following the applicable month.

4. In case the payment deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, payment may be made on the next working day.

The service fee of 1 percent of loan amount is waived. The loan shall be charged an interest rate of 10 percent per annum until fully paid, computed on a diminishing principal balance, and shall be amortized over a period of 24 months. Pro-rated interest from the date of loan granting up to the end of the month prior to first amortization month shall be deducted from the loan proceeds.

Any excess in the amortization payment shall be applied to the outstanding principal balance of the loan. Amortization not remitted on due date shall bear a penalty of 1 percent per month. A delay of a fraction of a month shall be charged a full month penalty.

Three-month advance pension for SS and EC pensioners

This is available for existing SS retiree, disability and survivor pensioners, and EC disability and survivor pensioners whose residence is located in the calamity areas declared by the NDRRMC. Eligible for this program are the following: See “SSS,” A9

In tiny Wyoming town, Bill Gates bets big on nuclear power

K

By Brady Mccombs & Mead Gruver | Associated Press

EMMERER, Wyoming—In this sleepy Wyoming town that has relied on coal for over a century, a company founded by the man who revolutionized personal computing is launching an ambitious project to counter climate change: A nationwide reboot of nuclear energy technology.

Until recently, Kemmerer was little-known for anything except J.C. Penney’s first store and some 55-million-year-old fish fossils in quarries down the road.

Then in November, a company started by Bill Gates, TerraPower, announced it had chosen Kemmerer for a nontraditional, sodium-cooled nuclear reactor that will bring on workers from a local coal-fired power plant scheduled to close soon.

The demonstration project comes as many US states see nuclear emerging as an answer to fill the gap as a transition away from coal, oil and natural gas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Many residents in Kemmerer, where the population of 2,700 is little-changed since the 1990s, see the TerraPower project as a muchneeded economic boost because Rocky Mountain Power’s Naughton

power plant will close in 2025. The plant employs about 230 and a mine that supplies coal exclusively to the plant—and is also at risk of closing if it can’t find another customer— almost 300.

“Kemmerer needs something or it’ll become a dust bowl,” said Ken Spears, a 69-year-old retired coal mine worker whose family has depended on the mine and power plant for generations.

Spears was among a group of men who gathered recently in a downtown bar, Grumpies, near a park with statue of James Cash Penney and his first store. They played pool near an antique piano and signs reading “Let’s go Brandon” and “Trump 2020 No More Bull...”

Kemmerer is a quaint town of oldtime storefronts and rolling hills, off the beaten path other than for occasional tourists who pass through on

“If we can show that the plant can be built affordably and on time, we’ll have orders for additional Natrium reactors even before the first one starts up. In the 2030s, there will be massive demand for this kind of power,” Levesque said.

a slower, more scenic route to Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. Residents speak proudly of the coal heritage, quiet lifestyle and easy access to open lands where they can fish, hunt and hike. A river that is iced over in the winter runs through town nearby a railroad track that is down the hill from neighborhoods of older houses where families of deer roam at sunset.

Wyoming has the biggest coal industry in the US by far. Trump won the state with some of his highest margins, almost 70 percent, in 2016 and 2020 on promises to shore up coal mining. Yet concerns about TerraPower’s unusual, coal-replacing nuclear plant seem few and far between in this town.

“This isn’t a Chernobyl-type thing,” said Spears, wearing a cam-

ouflaged jacket and University of Wyoming cap with the buckinghorse-and-rider logo. “Kemmerer needs something.”

The US nuclear industry has been at a standstill, providing a steady 20 percent of the nation’s power for decade amid the costly and timeconsuming process of building huge conventional nuclear plants.

Only one new commercial nuclear project, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar No. 2, has come online in the US in the past 25 years.

By cooling the planned Kemmerer reactor with liquid sodium, a metal that boils at a temperature much higher than water and solidifies at well above room temperature, TerraPower says its relatively small, 345-megawatt plant, able to power about 345,000 homes, will be safe and less expensive than conventional, water-cooled nuclear plants. The company’s Natrium plant will use a simpler and less expensive system of unpressurized coolant and vents not dependent on electricity to halt fission during an emergency.

The approach isn’t new. Russia has had a commercial sodium-cooled reactor in use at full capacity since See “Bill Gates,” A9

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Bloomberg funds city programs to build new urban solutions

B

‘Mangkukulam’ and libel

any act, omission, condition, status or circumstances tending to cause the dishonor, discredit or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to blacken the memory of one who is dead, is libelous.

The issue was whether the statements attributed to the accused may be considered libelous imputations.

The Supreme Court explained that a “mangkukulam” is a witch, or one who practices witchcraft as the term is derived from the Filipino word “kulam,” which means “witchcraft, sorcery” while “mang” is “a prefix used to express oneself in or assumption of.”

The English term “witch” means one who practices the black art, or magic; one regarded as possessing supernatural or magical power by compact with an evil spirit, especially with the devil; a sorcerer or sorceress.

“Witchcraft” is the practice or art of witches; the practice of black magic; sorcery; enchantments; intercourse with evil spirits; also an instance of such practice.

“Sorcery” is the use of power

gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits, especially for divining; divination by black magic; necromancy witchcraft.

The Supreme Court stressed that the word “mangkukulam” is undoubtedly an epithet of “opprobrium.”

To say that complainant is a witch and sorceress, the Supreme Court said, is to impute to her a vice, condition or status that is dishonorable and contemptible since it accuses her of having employed the black art; of possessing supernatural power by reason of a covenant with evil spirits; and of having trafficked with the devil.

According to the lower court, to call another a “mangkukulam” or “witch” is not a malicious imputation because nobody believes anymore in witches and witchcraft in this modern age.

The Supreme Court, however, pointed out that the truth of the statements are open to question since the very declarations made by the accused attest to the contrary.

In any event, the imputed vice or defect need not be real or existing in order that the imputation may be punishable; and imaginary vice or defect is sufficient.

While belief in the existence of witches may have become passe, the terms “mangkukulam” and “witch” have accepted meanings from which it is clear that they are terms of derision, and for one to be so labeled is to be an object of contempt, even of odium.

The complainant was also called an aswang, which is defined as an injurious and evil character believed

2016 and such designs have been tested in the US. TerraPower plans to make its plant useful for today’s energy grid of growing renewable power. A salt heat “battery” will allow the plant to ramp up electricity production on demand, offsetting dips in electricity when the wind isn’t blowing and sun isn’t shining.

“It should provide a more useful reactor, really, for operating on a grid that has a much greater amount of wind and solar than in the past,” said TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque.

At peak capacity, the plant could generate 500 megawatts, enough for 500,000 homes, he said.

The project will cost up to $4 billion, half of it from the US Department of Energy, but costs should come down as demand for carbonfree energy grows and more are built, said Levesque.

“If we can show that the plant can be built affordably and on time, we’ll have orders for additional Natrium reactors even before the first one starts up. In the 2030s, there will be massive demand for this kind of power,” Levesque said.

One downside: The plant’s fuel, at least at first, would need to come from Russia. The plant will require uranium fuel enriched to 20%, four

times higher than in conventional nuclear plants. The US doesn’t currently enrich fuel to that level for commercial power.

For that matter, Levesque pointed out, about one-fifth of conventional nuclear fuel also is imported.

So far, concerns in Wyoming about the project have been few. The Wyoming Outdoor Council, noting the declining cost of solar and wind power, points out that nuclear remains costly and sodium-cooled in other countries have had leaks leading to fires and shutdowns.

In between games of pool at Grumpies bar, Colt Quintard, a 30-year-old coal mine worker, said he isn’t as convinced as others the nuclear plant will be as big a boon to the community.

He fears many of the plant’s fulltime workers will come from out of town due to the training needed and others will live in larger cities and commute. He’s open to getting training to work at the nuclear plant, but said more likely he’ll have go back to working around the county as a diesel mechanic, keeping him from being able to see his two-year-old daughter each night.

“I don’t think this community is going to benefit from it the way a lot of people think it’s going to,” said Quintard. “Change is going to happen, regardless. There is nothing we can do.”

Rocky Mountain Power employee Crystal Bowen has no such misgiv-

ings, saying the plant should allow her and others with Rocky Mountain Power to shift to jobs at the new plant. Bowen said her online research about the nuclear technology eased any concerns.

“It was pretty shocking, back in 2019, when we heard that the fate of the plant wasn’t as long-lived as we thought,” said Bowen, who works in payroll and is a lifelong resident of the community. “I did not want to have to leave. I have children here.

I have parents here and the idea of having to move to another location was pretty scary.”

She added: “I don’t know if Kemmerer would have survived if we lost the power plant and the coal mine.

It may have just turned into a ghost town.”

TerraPower has pledged to train workers so anyone interested can transition to working at the nuclear plant when it opens, said Rodger Holt, manager of the Naughton coal plant.

Kemmerer beat out three other Wyoming cities for the nuclear plant: nearby Rock Springs, Gillette in a coal-rich northeastern part of the state and Glenrock in east-central Wyoming. The Naughton plant employees, with experience on equipment such as generators that are used in both coal and nuclear plants, were a major reason for putting the plant in Kemmerer, according to TerraPower.

The plant remains years off— 2028 is the current estimate—but

Improvement Loan Program is open for SSS members who are currently employed, self-employed, voluntary, and OFW members, whose residence is located in the disaster area and whose house was destroyed/damaged due to Typhoon Odette.

To qualify: 1. Applicant must be an SSS member; 2. Applicant must have a total of at least 24 monthly contributions, three of which are within the last 12-month period prior to the month of filing of the application; 3. Age of applicant is not more than 60 years old at the time of filing of application; 4. Applicant has not been previously granted a House Repair and/ or Improvement Loan by the SSS; 5. Applicant has not been granted final SSS benefit nor was refunded SSS contributions; and 6. Applicant and his/her spouse

(if applicable) must be up-to-date in the payment of all other existing Ioan/s with the SSS. The maximum loanable amount is P1 million subject to repricing every five years.

The processing fee shall be waived. Late payments shall be charged a penalty of 1.5 percent of the amount due for every month of delay or a fraction thereof until updated or fully paid.

For loan amount of up to P450,000, interest rate is 8 percent per annum, while for loan amounts over P450,000 up to P1 million, interest rate is 9 percent per annum.

For the payment terms, the amortization period shall be in multiple of five years with a maximum term of 20 years, plus six months moratorium, but shall in no case exceed the economic life of the house/improvement, after repair and/or improvement are introduced, as determined

by the SSS, and the difference between the age of the applicant and 65.

There shall be six months moratorium in monthly amortization and interest payments. The loan amortization shall commence on the 7th month and shall be payable in equal monthly amortization during the term of the loan.

The filing of application shall be as follows: n For applicants in NCR—to be filed at MLD, SSS Main Office. n For applicants outside NCR— to be filed at Housing and Acquired Asset Management Team/Section, as follows: n San Pablo in Southern Luzon. n Cebu in Central Visayas. n Bacolod in Western Visayas. n Davao in Southern Mindanao. n Cagayan de Oro in Northern Mindanao. n Zamboanga in Western Mindanao.

Dennis Gorecho

Kuwentong Peyups

By Glenn Gamboa | AP Business Writer

loomberg Philanthropies is supporting the innovative solutions of 15 cities to try to get others to use them as blueprints to battle the world’s urban problems.

The winners of this year’s Global Mayors Challenge, announced Tuesday, span 13 nations and will make their solutions available to cities worldwide to replicate. They will each receive $1 million and technical support from the philanthropic organization of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to help develop and expand their programs.

They range from using technology to support tree maintenance in Sierra Leone to creating new farm models in the Philippines and addressing the opioid crisis in New Jersey through a public-private partnership that quickly delivers medication to reverse opioid overdoses.

“As the world works to address the profound public health and economic effects of the ongoing pandemic, cities can implement innovative ideas at a pace that national governments simply can’t match,” Bloomberg, the billionaire founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P., said in a statement. “Our 15 winners offer bold, achievable plans to improve health, reduce unemployment, empower women, and more.”

The winning program in Turkey was inspired by the tradition of askıda ekmek, which dates to the Ottoman Empire and translates to “bread on the hook,” Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said. Some customers would pay for extra bread that bakers would put “on the hook” to let people know it was available to those who could not afford it.

Imamoglu transformed the concept into a network of mutual aid that allows donors and recipients to remain anonymous. He said the pay-it-forward program created a “feeling of solidarity” among people in Istanbul, whether they were giving or receiving.

It comes amid soaring consumer prices that have made it difficult for people in Turkey to buy basic goods.

The program started with utility bills, allowing those who wanted to help to check a city website to see the amounts of water and natural gas bills that needed to be paid.

About $14 million in utility bills have been paid through the program since it began last year, Imamoglu said. Istanbul’s program then expanded to include scholarships for university students and packages that support new mothers and their children.

“I’m very happy to be able to introduce such a system because this project, it can go on forever, it’s very sustainable and renewable,” Imamoglu told The Associated Press through an interpreter, adding that if it would be adopted by other cities around the world, he would feel like “a very powerful angel.”

SSS. . .

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SS and EC retiree, permanent total disability, and survivor pensioners, who are living in calamity-stricken areas declared by the NDRRMC. SS and EC partial disability pensioners, who are living in calamity-stricken areas declared by the NDRRMC. They may apply for the advance pension for the remaining months of the partial disability pension but not to exceed the threemonth period.

SS and EC pensioners who have availed themselves of an advance pension for the previous calamities and whose pensions are still suspended may avail themselves of the three-month advance pension for “Severe Typhoon Odette,” provided that the advance pension will not exceed three months at any time.

James Anderson, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation programs, said the organization has high hopes for Istanbul’s program because “it’s government acting as a platform to make it easy for people to be good neighbors.”

Anderson said it was difficult to pick from the 50 finalists, who developed programs last year during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The winners “really represent the spirit of city innovation, the positive legacy that has come out of a very, very difficult period of time,” Anderson said.

Kim Norton, mayor of Rochester, Minnesota, said she wanted her city’s program to be bold. The home base of the Mayo Clinic and the $5.6 billion public-private Destination Medical Center decided to address two major issues—a lack of jobs for women of color, who were disproportionately displaced by the pandemic, and a shortage of construction workers.

They found only 1 percent of the construction jobs for Destination Medical Center went to women of color, even though they make up 13 percent of the population.

Rochester’s program encourages the industry to hire women of color and offers mentorship, training and support—including help with child care.

“It is vitally important for the businesses in my community to be successful, that we have a workforce able to repair our streets or build a new building, or, probably most desperately, build affordable housing for our community,” Norton said. “And we know we’re not alone in that need.”

Considering all the construction jobs to be funded by the Biden administration’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill, what Rochester has learned could inform other cities.

“I have a 12-year-old daughter, and I hope that she sees this program and can look at herself differently,” said Karen Martinez, a field office assistant for the Education Minnesota union who worked on the initiative. “It’s hard for people to shift their mindsets. But once you have a pathway, once you have a model, once you see people who have gone through it, that shifts minds.”

The full list of winners are: Amman, Jordan; Bogotá, Colombia; Butuan, Philippines; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Hermosillo, Mexico; Istanbul, Turkey; Kigali, Rwanda; Kumasi, Ghana; Paterson, New Jersey; Phoenix; Rochester, Minnesota; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Rourkela, India; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Wellington, New Zealand.

SS Retiree pensioners who have no existing loan under the Pension Loan Program (PLP) are qualified to apply for the three-month advance pension. The pensioner shall submit the properly accomplished Application due to Calamity/Disaster duly certified by the Barangay Chairman. In case Part II of the form is not accomplished, the pensioner shall submit a certification from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or NDRRMC that he/she is affected by the calamity.

Member-pensioners may file their Application for Assistance due to Calamity/Disaster starting January 14, 2022 until April 13, 2022 at any SS branches. Monthly pension shall automatically resume after the three-month period.

Direct Repair and/or Improvement Loan

The Direct House Repair and/or

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 A9

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ilia Cuntapay, dubbed “Queen of Philippine Horror Movies,” was especially mentioned in a mangkukulam story during one of our Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) lectures.

With her long white hair and scary old lady appearance, our lecturer cited Cuntapay in describing one of the parties involved in a legal case where the accused called the complainant a “mangkukulam.”

Cuntapay rose to fame for her role in the 1991 horror movie Shake, Rattle and Roll. She died in 2016 at the age of 81 due to a spinal cord illness.

The dispute narrated by our lecturer came close to the 1966 Supreme Court case of People v. Sario (GR L-20754-20759) where informations charging the crime of oral defamation were filed against four accused for allegedly having called complainant a “mangkukulam.”

The accused also attributed to her the death through witchcraft of three persons. They added that complainant inherited her power of witchcraft from her father and that she had probably bequeathed it to her child.

According to Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code, the public and malicious imputation of a crime, or a vice or defect, real or imaginary, or

Bill Gates. . .

continued from A8

to be capable of assuming various and different forms, especially that of a dog, and harassing usually in the depth of night women who are about to give birth.” The term, like “mangkukulam,” is an offensive and malicious one.

The order of dismissal appealed from was set aside, and the cases returned to the lower court for further proceedings.

Kulam is also featured in the anime Trese that touched upon the country’s rich folklore. It is the story of a mandirigmang-babaylan who assists the Metro Manila police in solving supernatural crimes.

The country’s supernatural folklore is incredibly diverse and varies from region to region.

Kulam is black magic that specifically targets people who have committed a wrong. The mangkukulam either harms an effigy to cause corresponding harm to the victim, or physically “sends” objects into the victim’s body. The methods are activated by chants, spells, or symbols.

All members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines are required to complete every three years at least 36 hours of MCLE activities. This is to ensure that they keep abreast with law and jurisprudence, maintain the ethics of the profession and enhance the standards of the practice of law.

Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 0908-8665786.

already has triggered interest in real estate and “breathes new life into the town,” Mayor Bill Thek said.

Gates’ reputation as a global supporter of developing and distributing vaccines—against Covid-19, malaria and other diseases that have killed millions worldwide—also have earned him skepticism in Wyoming, a deeply conservative state among the least vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Gates, the famous co-founder Microsoft, started Bellevue, Washington-based TerraPower in 2008 and is chairman of its board. When asked about the billionaire, most in town held their tongues.

Thek laughed when asked and said he didn’t want to “pick apart Bill Gates” and said “everyone knows who Bill Gates is,” while reminding that the US government will pay for half of the project.

“He’s put his money into this and that’s it, period,” Thek said.

One thing Gates and Thek agree on: TerraPower’s planned Natrium plant could be key to cleaner energy not just for Kemmerer and Wyoming, but the world.

“I’m not really on that bandwagon that everything is going to be green,” said Thek, who describes himself as a conservative. “But I’m absolutely for saving our environment. If we get in on the ground floor of being part of saving and making our environment better, I’m all for that.” Gruver reported from Cheyenne.

SSS will offer the CLAP for its members and the Three-month Advance Pension to its pensioners until April 13, 2022, while the Direct House Repair and Improvement Loan will be open to qualified members for one year until October 13, 2022.

The Philippines is prone to typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural calamities due to our geographical location. When disaster strikes and leaves the country devastated, we unite as one and offer any assistance we can extend. Whatever these may bring into our lives, we Filipinos will always rise from the trauma of such difficulties.

Stay healthy and safe!

Aurora C. Ignacio is SSS president and chief executive officer.

We welcome your questions and insights on the topics that we discuss. E-mail mediaaffairs@sss. gov.ph for topics that you might want us to discuss.

A10 Wednesday, January 19, 2022

PHL ’21 PALAY OUTPUT BREACHES 20MMT–D.A.

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HE Ph i l ippi nes’s u nmilled rice output last year breached the 20-million metric ton (MMT) mark—making it the highest volume on record— despite the over P2.5-billion damage caused by Typhoon Odette to the rice industry, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said.

In a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, Dar said the country met its target of producing at least 20 MMT of palay last year, which is 3.09 percent higher than the current record of 19.4 MMT recorded in 2020.

“In rice production, in spite of Typhoon Odette, in 2021 we will get a new record harvest surpassing the 2020 record harvest of 19.4 million metric tons,” he said.

“We are seeing a breach of 20 MMT. This will now be a new record harvest of rice production in the country,” he added.

In the first week of January, the Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier estimated that palay output last year could have reached at least 19.95 MMT. The department arrived at the projection by combining the 12.55 MMT output recorded in the January to September period and the forecasted fourth-quarter harvest of at least 7.4 MMT. The DA rolled out numerous measures to boost domestic rice production last year, which it organized under the so-called Phi l ippine Integ rated R ice

Program (PIRP).

The PIRP includes the annual national rice program of the DA, the rice competitiveness enhancement fund (RCEF) and the rice resiliency project (RRP), which covers non-RCEF areas/ beneficiaries.

“In all, the country’s rice industry is on the right track, as we observe the mid-term anniversary in March 2022 of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) that saw implementation of the annual P10-billion RCEF support to rice farmers,” PIRP Director Dionisio Alvindia said in an earlier statement.

The DA said since the rollout of the RCEF, the average palay yield in beneficiary areas has increased to 4.26 MT per hectare from 3.64 MT, while production costs declined to P11.52 per kilogram from P12.52 per kilogram.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier reported that the country’s rice self-sufficiency ratio in 2020 improved to 85 percent from 79.8 percent in 2019 on the back of the recordhigh harvest.

The PSA defines SSR as the “magnitude of production in relation to domestic utilization.” It is the extent to which a country’s supply of commodities is derived from its domestic production, or the extent to which a country relies on its own production resources. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

NGCP expects thin power margins from April to June

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By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

DAY after the Department of Energy (DOE) said that it does not expect yellow alerts in Luzon this year, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Tuesday that operating margins were forecast to be thin from April to June this year.

This means that yellow alerts could be issued.

A yellow alert is issued by the NGCP when excess power is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s regulating and contingency requirement, pegged at the time at about 495 megawatts (MW) and 647MW respectively.

Luzon, it stressed, could experience thin power supply this summer due to higher demand in the new normal. Thus, it highlighted the need for policies supporting demand side management to en-

sure adequate power during the presidential elections in May. “On paper, there appears to be sufficient supply to meet demand; but the plan on paper, the GOMP [Grid Operating and Maintenance Program], is not always followed.

It is when there are unscheduled shutdowns and derations, and extensions of maintenance duration, that grid operations may be disrupted enough to warrant the issuance of a grid alert status,” explained NGCP. The Department of Energ y (DOE) forecasted a total peak demand of 12,387 MW for Luzon to occur in the last week of May, a 747MW increase from the actual 2021 peak load of 11,640MW which occurred on May 28, 2021.

For Visayas, the peak demand occurred in December, mainly due to the activity brought about by the holiday season, while in Mindanao, the peak demand occurred in August.

“Thin operating margins [power

in excess of demand, which is used to manage and balance the grid], is forecasted in the Luzon grid from April to June due to increase in demand during the summer, which includes the critical election period,” the NGCP warned.

NGCP’s role

AS the transmission service provider, NGCP said it could only give an overview of the current supply and demand situation, and endeavor to dispatch any and all available grid resources. It, however, stressed, that it cannot intervene on matters concerning power generation.

NGCP has submitted the GOMP to the DOE, which approved it last January 10.

The GOMP is the consolidated preventive maintenance schedules of power plants.

In compliance with the directive of the DOE, no maintenance shutdowns were scheduled during the summer months. “NGCP, in compliance with its mandate, coordinated with the generation and distribution sectors so that we could optimize and rationalize our own maintenance schedules, to ensure sufficiency, at least on paper, of power supply throughout the year,” the company said.

However, as early as January, some generating units extended their maintenance shutdowns while others derated to decrease their committed generation output. As a result, yellow alerts were issued last January 10 and 11.

A red alert status, meanwhile, is issued when supplies are insuf f icient to meet consumer demand and the transmission

grid ’s regulating requirement.

Red alerts

RED alerts were issued over the Luzon Grid last May 31, June 1 and 2, when a similar round of extended and unplanned maintenance shutdowns and derations occurred, depleting excess supplies and leading to rotational power interruptions implemented across the entire Luzon.

To alleviate possible power shortages, NGCP appealed to policy makers to immediately explore demand side management strategies to mitigate any possible power supply issues in the coming summer months, especially at or around the time of the presidential elections.

NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid, led by majority shareholders and Vice Chairman of the Board Henry Sy, Jr. and Co-Vice Chairman Robert Coyiuto, Jr. The DOE met with NGCP last week to discuss the country’s power demand and supply outlook for the year.

“The goal of these meetings is to make sure that all power sector stakeholders are aligned for CY2022. The availability of stable and reliable power supply is of grave importance—there should be no surprises this year, especially given our continuous battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, regions that have been affected by Typhoon Odette are rebuilding themselves, and of course, because we are in an election year,” DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said in a statement.

Basic education spend of PHL trails regional, aspirational peers

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

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ESPITE a steady increase in the government’s education investments, a study released by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) found the country’s basic education spending levels still lagging behind its regional and aspirational peers.

PIDS Senior Research Fellow Michael Abrigo, author of the study, said the Philippines only spent 60 percent of Indonesia’s public spending per student for primary education and 72 percent of their investments per student in secondary education.

This, despite the country’s per capita income accounting for 84 percent of the per capita of Indonesia, Abrigo noted. “[The increase in public spending on education] is an important feat but still behind the 4- to 6-percent benchmark [set] by the Education 2030 Incheon

Declaration,” Abrigo said.

However, the study noted that “greater education spending does not automatically lead to better schooling outcomes” and “greater resources may be needed to raise schooling quality, especially in resource-poor settings.”

Increasing resources, Abrigo explained, may be “difficult to achieve as per capita education spending is intimately linked with a country’s economic development and fertility levels.” Thus, he said, the government might consider improving schooling quality by optimizing the translation of inputs to outputs.

A more important challenge for the government, he said, is to identify and scale cost-effective education interventions that better translate resource inputs to desired education outcomes.

“Raising education spending per capita may therefore entail more than rallying resources for the education sector but also ensuring that robust

economic opportunities are available to improve average household incomes, as well as assisting households to achieve their desired fertility levels,” Abrigo said.

15-year record

THE results showed that over the past 15 years, total education expenditures in the Philippines increased by 6.4 percent annually.

Moreover, education spending as a share of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has also increased—from 5.8 percent in 2005 to 7.5 percent by 2019. The public sector spending on education likewise increased from 2.1 percent in 2005 to 3.1 percent of GDP in 2019.

The PIDS study used the recent National Transfer Account estimates for the Philippines and countries around the world to uncover and describe trends in global education financing, with a particular focus on the Philippines as a case study.

DOH rolls out pharmacy vaxx sites on Jan. 20

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HE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said pharmacies and clinic that will be tapped as vaccination sites to expand the government’s vaccination program will collect minimal administration fee as cost of services from vaccinees.

During the briefing of the House Committee on Health chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina “Helen” Tan, Health Undersecretary and National Vaccination Operations Center Chair Myrna Cabotaje said the government will roll out the vaccination program in pharmacies on January 20.

“We are still discussing [how much

is the administration fee]. It’s the admin fee for patients, the vaccinees.

Like in private sector for our regular vaccination. We give the vaccines free but there is small administration fee.

We are negotiating that portion,” she said.

“If they don’t like [to be vaccinated] in the pharmacy, they can go to LGUs [vaccination centers], it’s totally free. Maybe for short term they [pharmacies] can waive administration charges, but for long term it will be hard for them because they have to pay the vaccinators, who will be out of their regular job,” she added.

Cabotaje said the government will

roll out the program first in select pharmacies in National Capital Region.

“We are starting to roll out the strategy. On January 20 we will have rollout in identifying pilot sites one from Mercury [Drug],” she added.

Cabotaje also assured the public doctors will still do health screening before the vaccination.

“Two ways. Pre-screening before going to the pharmacy, or there is doctor that will screen. Or self-screening and then we will also train our paramedical to do some screening and there will be a doctor that will be available for adverse events.

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Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

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Govt orders Davao Oriental mining firm to halt operations

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By Manuel T. Cayon | Mindanao Bureau Chief @awimailbox

AVAO CITY—The government halted the operation of a mining company in Davao Oriental following the discoloration of the river waters, which indicates a sudden discharge of soil extracts from the mountain mines to the waterways.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) ordered the mining company on Monday to immediately stop its operations that allegedly caused the recent siltation incident along the Pintatagan River and Maputi River in the municipality of Banaybanay, Davao Oriental, according to a statement from the office of Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang.

The order was prompted by a communication from Dayanghirang to the MGB after the river waters turned orange, which was blamed for the fish kill along the rivers.

Dayanghirang said the MGB order of stoppage of operation was confirmed by MGB Director Wilfredo G. Moncano.

The MGB Central Office has already “given instruction to its regional office to issue the Stoppage Order to the company to give way to a joint detailed investigation to find out the causes and the means to mitigate the damages,” the provincial office quoted Moncano as saying.

The regional Department of Environment and Natural Resources posted on its website that it has served the “cease and desist order”, a “notice of violation” and a “show cause” also on Monday to Riverbend Consolidated Mining Corp./ Arc Nickel Resources Inc. (ANRI) in

Banaybanay, Davao Oriental.

The DENR XI said this was the company involved in the recent siltation incident in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental on January 14.

“The said incident happened at Mapagba and Pinatatagan Rivers in Banaybanay after heavy rains occurred for more than 12 hours with an accumulated rainfall intensity of 88.1 mm on January 13 as per Pagasa Tagum Station,” the DENR XI statement said.

It said the “potential source” of siltation and discoloration along said rivers was attributed to the active mining activity of the said company. It said this was based on the initial investigation and assessment of DENR-XI’s composite team from DENR-XI Regional Office, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-XI), Environmental Management Bureau (EMBXI) and the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Lupon that was conducted last January 15.

The investigation also revealed that the heavy and continuous rain last January 13-14 “pushed overburden materials that contributed to the overflowing of silt pond, draining towards the said river”.

It said the MGB-XI “has issued

a show cause with cease and desist order to the mining company while EMB-XI issued a Notice of Violation.”

Strict monitoring

DENR-XI Regional Director Bagani Fidel A. Evasco said the company was ordered to immediately address the issue “and the implementation of which shall be subject to strict monitoring."

“Our legal team is also evaluating further action with regards to any of the violations and we will assure a strict implementation of the environmental laws. Penalties and fines are also being considered,” Evasco said.

It said the DENR XI and the affected local government of Banaybanay would conduct regular monitoring of the area until the incident is addressed.

“Further evaluation is being conducted as to the extent of environmental impact but rest assured that we, in DENR XI, together with EMB, MGB, PENROS and CENROS have made appropriate actions to address the matter in coordination with other government agencies and LGUs,” Evasco said.

Dayanghirang said the MGB has assured him that “the company will not be allowed to resume until corrective measures are done, and the appropriate sanctions are imposed.” He said the mining company has informed him that it was “working on mitigation measures to control the water discoloration and siltation, as well as to enhance the environmental mitigating measures”.

“While these mining companies help generate income, provide livelihoods for the locals, and help the country recover its economy, the provincial and the national government are firm on their stand not to allow these mining companies to operate recklessly and destroy the environ-

ment,” he said.

“Irresponsible mining is unacceptable as it poses serious, longterm threats to communities and waterways. The preservation and conservation of the environment should come first above everything else,” he added.

The Riverbend Consolidated Mining Corporation/Arc Nickel Resources, Inc. (ANRI) operates a “Nickel Laterite Mining Project Project” in Barangays Puntalinao, Causwagan, Pintatagan, Maputi, Panikian, and Mahayag, all in the municipality of Banaybanay. It was granted a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement in June 2016 with a project area of 6,363.3368 hectares.

Ban open-pit mining

Environmental groups under the Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment (Kalkasan-PNE) on Tuesday called for stricter mining regulation that would go beyond mere suspension of mining operations in the case of Riverbend.

Because of the incident, Kalikasan-PNE urged the government to reinstate the late Environment chief Regina Paz L. Lopez’s open-pit mining ban.

“This mine spill spells more mining disasters to come “if we do not reinstate the open pit mine ban and new mining application moratorium that President Rodrigo Duterte passed,” the group said.

According to Kalikasan-PNE, despite safety certifications from mining companies, such incidents will still happen.

“This is the myth of so-called responsible mining, with companies like Riverbend Mining being the norm rather than the exception."

The group noted that the now red-orange waters of the Maputi River reflect the destruction that large-scale mining causes. With a report from Jonathan L. Mayuga

SMC steps up efforts to revive rivers C

onglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) on Tuesday said it plans to remove a total of 1 million tons of silt and solid waste from the Tullahan-Tinajeros river system by June.

The company has committed to clean up and rehabilitate the 27-kilometer river system and help mitigate flooding in Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela and other flood-prone areas.

San Miguel President and CEO Ramon S. Ang expressed confidence the company can achieve its target in four to five months, with current daily dredging output already at 3,000 tons per day.

Total extraction output from June 2020 to date has already reached 653,434 tons.

The company's P1 billion river cleanup initiative, which it conducts in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, complements other flood mitigation efforts in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela.

“Throughout the pandemic, and through many typhoons that have passed, our clean-up team has been relentless in their efforts to remove

waste and silt from the Tullahan River. We’re encouraged by the big, positive changes we’ve already seen after just over one year of cleaning up the river. That’s why we have steadily built up our extraction capacity, bringing in more equipment and employing more people to help,” Ang said.

He said that throughout the worst typhoons that came at the tail-end of 2020 and throughout 2021, no major flooding in usually flood-prone areas, was observed. Floodwaters that did manage to make it into streets also subsided much faster, compared to previous years, he said.

Ang said this was due to the deepening of the Tullahan river, which allowed it to carry higher volumes of floodwaters out to the Manila Bay, as well as the installation of new and more efficient pumping stations by government.

“The improvements we’ve seen in 2020 and 2021 have proven that we can better manage flooding if we just keep our rivers clean, and if we maintain an efficient, effective, and responsive flood mitigation system. It will not work if we don’t have both components, and if there is no

Toyota to pare back February output plan

oyota Motor Corp. is cutting its February production by around 20 percent due to chip shortages, the Nikkei newspaper reported Tuesday, though that output target is still up from a year earlier.

The world’s top-selling automaker plans to assemble 700,000 units in February, down 200,000 from its

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support and cooperation from the communities. We hope that in the coming years, as we continue our cleanup and rehab efforts for the Tullahan river, we can enjoin more people to take up and support this cause of keeping our rivers clean."

Ang said that the company is gearing up to expand its other major river rehabilitation initiative, its P2billion cleanup of the Pasig River, which has been ongoing for more than six months.

The company will ramp up its Pasig River rehabilitation initiative with the hiring of more personnel and acquisition of new equipment in the coming months, to boost flood mitigation for Metro Manila. These new equipment will also be used for its river cleanup efforts in Bulacan.

Ang is confident that the company will exceed its own 600,000ton yearly target waste extraction from the Pasig River, or 50,000 tons per month.

To date, the project has removed 178,300 tons of waste from the river, called as the number one most polluted river in the world, accounting for a huge chunk of the planet’s ocean junk plastics. “For the Pasig

River initiative, we are targeting a higher daily output of 3,000 tons in a span of three years. That's 3 million tons in all. Just like in Tullahan, we will continue to adjust our targets as needed, and also prioritize flood-prone areas near these rivers,” Ang said.

Additional equipment are expected to arrive in March, which include those donated by NYK Line of Japan.

Last year, San Miguel and NYK signed an agreement that will allow the shipping and logistics company to donate $1.5 million over a fiveyear period to buy additional equipment needed for the project.

“Flood mitigation is a primary consideration in cleaning up these rivers, but keeping them clean over the long-term will yield so much more benefits. These include improved marine biodiversity and even economic opportunities in tourism and transportation, which our people can enjoy. Getting to this stage will however entail continued close collaboration between all stakeholders, including local government units and the communities along the river,” Ang said. VG Cabuag

original goal for the month, Nikkei reported Tuesday without citing a source. That compares with 668,001 units Toyota produced in the same month a year earlier. A spokesperson for Toyota declined to comment on the automaker’s future production targets. Toyota is pushing to ramp up production to make up for lost

output last year during the peak of supply chain disruptions. With a goal of churning out 9 million vehicles for the fiscal year ending March, Toyota had announced plans to produce 800,000 vehicles this month, up from the number of units it shipped the same month a year earlier. Bloomberg News

Davao City’s iconic souvenir shop shuts down after 56 years

Aldevinco Shopping Center, Davao City's iconic souvenir shop, closes after five decades. Photo by Manuel T. Cayon

D

avao City—One iconic place here for visitors and travelers has ceased operations after five decades of providing a one-stop shopping center for souvenirs, the owner of Aldevinco Shopping Center has announced.

The one-story souvenir shopping center is located right at one of the busy intersections in downtown Davao. Aldevinco shuttered its store on December 31 to give way to a highrise condominium.

Its owner, Alsons Development and Investment Corp. (Alsons Dev) announced that Aldevinco “quietly closed its doors, ending the iconic local landmark’s five-decade history of operating along CM Recto St. and Roxas Ave.” “But as they say, when one door closes a new one opens; the same can be said for the Aldevinco tenants as they prepare to move to their new and upgraded home, Poblacion Market Central."

Construction of the Poblacion Market Central along C. Bangoy Street in the former location of the Madrazo Fruit Stand, about 100 meters to another intersection from Aldevinco, was finished last year.

Alsons Dev said 66 percent of its

tenants in Aldevinco, or 59 out of 90 stores, would transfer to the new Poblacion building. Some stores in Aldevinco had transferred to a nearby shopping area.

The company said it would continue Aldevinco’s legacy of promoting local and Mindanaoan culture, heritage, and identity through the Poblacion Market Central.

“In line with this, Poblacion’s seminal debut was hosting Mindanao Art 2021, the biggest celebration of creativity featuring the works of over 300 artists from all over the region, which attracted thousands of art enthusiasts last October,” it said.

“It is in the same vein that Poblacion Market Central reopened its doors last December to hold its first-ever Christmas event entitled Pasko sa Poblacion, where a curated mix of some of Davao’s best art, retail and food brands were invited to set up pop-up shops. Local artists, artisans, and entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to showcase their works and products as the perfect gifts for Christmas while providing customers with an exciting array of shopping and dining choices.” Manuel T. Cayon

Miguel Bernas is new president of Nexplay

T

ech startup Nexplay, an esports ecosystem company founded by Filipinos, has appointed as president and co-founder business leader Miguel Bernas, who aims to usher the company into its latest funding round and the expansion of its business.

Bernas, a veteran executive who has 25 years of global media industry experience, will lead strategy and corporate governance, as well as spearhead fundraising as the company moves towards its Series A investment round.

“The games industry in the region and in the Philippines is at an inflection point,” said Bernas. “Aside from further expanding our esports ecosystem, we also plan to venture into the high-growth area of Web3.0, NFTs and blockchain gaming. In the same way that games leaped from arcades to the home, from desktop devices to mobile handsets and from offline to online, blockchain technology will be the next revolution in gaming.”

Bernas has worked with big brands such as MTV, CNBC, Singapore’s Mediacorp, and digital media pioneer Yahoo! He has also led marketing teams in global and the Asia Pacific roles at Nokia, Singtel and PayPal. “Miguel has been part of our team, backing us when all we had was a prototype and being one of our earliest investors,” said Gabriel Benito, CEO and Founder of Nexplay. “To have him step up into a more active role and bring his global media experience to Nexplay will be a huge benefit to the team.”

Already operationally profitable with revenues growing at 150 percent year-on-year, Bernas said Nexplay “is looking to bolster its esports ecosystem and enhance its professional esports teams and content creator offerings to brands and advertisers.”

Nexplay brands itself as “Southeast Asia’s premier esports ecosystem comnpany” that also owns multiple esports teams including the popular Nexplay Evos. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Asia’s richest man buys robotics startup

B

illionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd. is buying an Indian robotics startup as the conglomerate scales up automation across its businesses, from e-commerce to new energy.

Reliance paid $132 million for a majority stake in Addverb Technologies Pvt, which uses robots to make e-commerce warehouses and energy production more efficient, Sangeet Kumar, the startup’s co-founder and chief executive officer, said in a phone

interview on Tuesday.

Ambani, Asia’s richest person, is investing in technology as competition from rivals such as Amazon.com Inc. intensifies in India’s booming ecommerce market. Addverb already works in dozens of warehouses across Reliance’s empire, including online grocer JioMart, fashion retailer Ajio and internet pharmacy Netmeds, deploying robotic conveyors, semi automated systems and pick-by-voice software. Bloomberg News

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Medilines renews contract with Siemens Healthineers

M

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

edilines Distributors Inc., the medical equipment supplier, on Tuesday said it renewed its distribution deal with Siemens Healthineers for another three years.

“Our partnership with Siemens Healthineers started in 2016 and is now on its third renewal. This reflects Siemens’ confidence in Medilines’ established name in the Philippine healthcare industry, market dominance, and proven expertise in providing high quality medical devices to hospitals nationwide,” Medilines Chairman Virgilio Villar said.

Siemens Healthineers is a worldleading medical technology company that specializes in diagnostic imaging devices.

The contract involves the sale and distribution of Siemens Healthineer’s flagship division—diagnostic

imaging devices, such as CT scans, MRIs and X-rays, among others, as well as specialized molecular imaging equipment like PET CTs. Medilines has also sold and distributed equipment from Varian, which is now a Siemens Healthineers company following its acquisition in April last year.

Varian is an American company specializing in innovative cancer care technologies and solutions like the linear accelerator. This high-tech machine is used for radiation treatments for patients with cancer. Over the years, Medilines and Siemens Healthineers, together, sold majority of the current installations of linear accelerators and imaging systems for radiation therapy in the Philippines from as far north as Baguio General Hospital to down south in Cotabato Regional Medical Center.

Medilines is currently installing more linear accelerators in Cebu, Dagupan and Iloilo, and is also preparing to install

in Philippine General Hospital. The company is also about to finish an installation in Sacred Heart Medical Center in Pampanga, one of the biggest privately-owned cancer centers in Central Luzon.

In the last five years, Medilines has sold more than 10 units of linear accelerators nationwide. To date, Medilines holds the title of distributor with the most number of installations of linear accelerators in the Philippines.

In 2020, Medilines said it had a 90-percent market share in the distribution of cancer therapy equipment in the country, citing third party research firm, Ken Research.

The company expects to retain its dominance in this growing category, which contributes around P1 billion in the company’s sales every year in the past years, as it is set to install at least five more linear accelerators this year.

Medilines said it expects to grow this segment by more than 20 percent versus last year.

In this renewed partnership, the companies share a vision to improve access to patient care and to build a world without fear of cancer.

“Medilines believes all Filipinos deserve better cancer-fighting solutions as this disease is one of the top three causes of mortality in the country,” it said.

Cancer therapy equipment is just one of the products that Medilines has been distributing for Siemens Healthineers. Since 2016, Medilines has also sold and distributed more than 60 different kinds of highquality diagnostic imaging products from Siemens.

These imaging equipment enable hospitals to diagnose the causes of the patients’ health problems. Medilines is currently installing CT scans in hospitals in Samar, Davao, Bukidnon, Quezon Province, Laguna, Pampanga and Iloilo.

For Covid-19 patients, CT scans are useful in diagnosing the extent of the virus’ infection. X-ray machines are also part of the covid response.

mutual funds

January 18, 2022

NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

231.07

0.44%

-4.44%

-1.47%

-0.87%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.6389

23.53%

3.54%

3.83%

-1.52%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.201

0.97%

-7.93%

-4.23%

-1.14%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.756 -6.49%

-7.26% n.a.

-0.07%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0 .7624 2.32%

-4.21% n.a.

-1.1%

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

5.127

2.3%

-2.56%

0.35%

-1.07%

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

0.7729

1.06%

-4.28%

-3.17%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

94.44

-8.17%

-8.17% n.a.

0.01%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

47.3749

-0.18%

-3.16%

0.07%

-1.56%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

496.35

0.27%

-2.9%

-0.44%

-0.87%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.3888

17.02%

1.9%

3.03%

2.4%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

36.2397

2.76%

-2.08%

1.12%

-0.97% -0.97%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9323

0.56%

-3.55% n.a.

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

4.8843

0.59%

-2.46%

0.71%

-1.54%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

815.78

0.41%

-2.47%

0.67%

-1.54%

0.7427

2.16%

-6.21%

-2.43%

-1.32%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.729

1.49%

-4.31%

-0.77%

-1.23%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.9297 - 0.05% United Fund, Inc. -a

3.3897

1.06%

-2.8%

0.44%

-1.57%

-2.65%

0.99%

-1.38%

-1.33%

Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

1.1697

5.13% n.a. n.a.

0.6%

1006.84 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Exchange Traded Fund (shares) First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 1 09.787 0.7%

-2.25%

1.16%

-1.52%

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

$1.1451

-12.33%

6.08%

5.61%

1.65%

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.7855

4.47%

15.08%

11.02%

-3.3%

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

1.6882

-0.14%

-0.64%

-0.26%

-0.22%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.2776

-1.48%

-0.15%

0.11%

-0.17%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6775

1.07%

0.4%

1.59%

-0.5%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.2129

6.34% n.a. n.a.

NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

1.75%

1.95%

2.002

1.04%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.7494

-1.75%

1.33%

0.84%

-0.42%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

16.7741

-1.7%

0.87%

0.76%

-0.42%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.1101

-0.2%

-0.42%

0.72%

-0.53%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.618

0.39%

-1.47%

0.13%

-0.8%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

6.27%

0.07%

0.73%

0.2%

0.9561

1.87%

-0.73%

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

0.9798

-4.74% n.a. n.a.

-1.01%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a

0.9343

-2.55% n.a. n.a.

-1.08%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a

0.9225

-2.19% n.a. n.a.

-1.22%

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

$0.03722

-4.32%

1.65%

0.97%

-1.9%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0777

-10.59%

4.12%

3.64%

0.99%

2.01%

10.75%

8.09%

-2.36%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,2 $1.1776 -1.12%

5.69%

4.1%

-1.75%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.6886

Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) 374.69

0.91%

2.87%

2.57%

0.1%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.886

-0.84%

0.51%

0.02%

0.07%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.248

0.98%

2.91%

3.87%

0.12%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2521

-1.95%

1.76%

1.46%

0.03%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4289 -0.87% 4.4053

3%

1.81%

0.12%

-4.91%

4.38%

1.5%

0.22%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a

1.3225

0.11%

3.84%

2.89%

0.26%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.9865

0.02%

3.8%

2.73%

0.52%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.0295

-1%

4.27%

1.94%

0.13%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1941

-0.22%

4.39%

3.21%

0.21%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

-0.79%

3.56%

2.6%

0.29%

1.7357

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

$489.06

1.09%

2.87%

2.42%

-0.1%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є219.49

0.01%

1.03%

0.95%

-0.24%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b

$1.1958

-5.73%

1.83%

1.53%

-0.67%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0259 -1.52%

1.32%

0.87%

-0.38%

-0.98%

-0.98%

-1.39% -1.82%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

$1.0086

-7.2%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.4602

-2.33%

3.93%

2.21%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.062264 -0.01%

2.93%

1.95%

-0.05%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1244 -2.45%

2.62%

1.05%

-2.25%

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

131.29

1.07%

2.71%

2.55%

0.08%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0585 0.97% n.a. n.a.

0.08%

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

0.08%

1.3166

1.47%

2.54%

2.53%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0608

0.75%

1.41% n.a.

0.02%

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

47.55 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a 1.3748

18.16% n.a. n.a.

-0.59%

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

$0.96

-3.03% n.a. n.a.

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

January 18, 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 CITYSTATE BANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK PHILTRUST RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE

4,300 191,250 1,364,790 176,035,399 1,087,450 103,255,695.50 131,600 3,403,695 100 840 196,300 1,877,434 994,290 58,340,402 100 930 91,900 1,848,450 1,100 62,830 160 16,496 25,500 509,600 598,750 67,025,973 322,470 32,614,974 9,000 14,850 7,000 28,730 30,000 97,480 2,000 1,600 60,000 17,500 560 118,990 155 434,000

-30,896,153 6,209,321 0 8,050,548 -344,385 -11,874,682 20,298,863 434,000

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 9.55 9.56 9.55 9.64 9.54 9.56 7,522,800 72,129,143 ALSONS CONS 1.06 1.08 1.07 1.08 1.05 1.08 474,000 507,220 31.8 31.95 31.2 32.2 30.9 31.8 3,254,800 103,603,490 ABOITIZ POWER BASIC ENERGY 0.55 0.56 0.56 0.57 0.55 0.56 4,931,000 2,751,890 28.05 28.1 28.1 28.2 28.1 28.1 1,390,400 39,076,555 FIRST GEN 70.2 70.25 70.25 70.8 70.2 70.2 184,900 12,981,023.50 FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO 313.4 313.6 309.4 314 309.4 313.6 102,500 32,097,626 25.6 26 26 26.45 25.6 26 2,768,200 72,181,950 MANILA WATER PETRON 3.24 3.28 3.3 3.3 3.24 3.24 2,769,000 9,040,880 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 1,000 4,200 PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM 10.56 10.8 10.84 10.84 10.84 10.84 1,000 10,840 SYNERGY GRID 13.14 13.16 13.1 13.2 13.1 13.16 2,006,200 26,400,910 19.14 19.16 19.1 19.2 19.06 19.16 201,100 3,849,818 PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER 13.98 14 13.92 14 13.88 14 155,100 2,161,116 1.59 1.6 1.59 1.64 1.55 1.6 182,139,000 288,984,420 SOLAR PH 4.79 4.8 4.86 4.87 4.74 4.8 718,000 3,462,840 AGRINURTURE AXELUM 2.86 2.9 2.86 2.9 2.86 2.9 154,000 445,830 13 13.68 12.98 13 12.98 13 1,800 23,380 CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD 27.4 27.45 27.5 27.6 27.4 27.4 1,039,900 28,565,565 15.12 15.28 15.28 15.4 15 15.12 62,800 953,108 DEL MONTE DNL INDUS 8.5 8.51 8.65 8.75 8.47 8.51 14,182,700 121,173,459 EMPERADOR 19.38 19.4 19.6 19.72 19.32 19.4 4,441,300 86,787,450 68.7 69 69.5 69.5 68.6 69 112,210 7,726,630.50 SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT 0.62 0.63 0.62 0.62 0.62 0.62 4,000 2,480 FRUITAS HLDG 1.24 1.26 1.24 1.26 1.21 1.26 14,280,000 17,713,450 124 124.5 124 126 124 124 136,240 17,006,896 GINEBRA JOLLIBEE 230 230.6 225 231 225 230 434,710 99,765,026 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.48 1.43 1.45 7,671,000 11,117,880 KEEPERS HLDG LIBERTY FLOUR 26.2 27.95 26.2 26.2 26.2 26.2 300 7,860 MAXS GROUP 6.36 6.4 6.46 6.46 6.4 6.4 174,900 1,123,126 0.143 0.148 0.148 0.148 0.143 0.148 60,000 8,780 MG HLDG MONDE NISSIN 16.7 16.76 17.14 17.22 16.7 16.7 12,020,900 203,352,650 9.54 9.56 9.74 9.74 9.54 9.54 186,800 1,791,832 SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO 0.64 0.66 0.65 0.67 0.65 0.66 2,543,000 1,661,310 RFM CORP 4.64 4.65 4.65 4.65 4.63 4.63 128,000 593,080 1.03 1.1 1.14 1.14 1.12 1.12 5,000 5,620 ROXAS HLDG SWIFT FOODS 0.102 0.107 0.101 0.102 0.101 0.102 1,210,000 122,360 126 126.1 126.7 126.8 125.7 126 3,499,690 441,126,284 UNIV ROBINA VITARICH 0.7 0.72 0.71 0.72 0.7 0.7 981,000 696,000 CONCRETE A 44.15 49 48 48 48 48 2,800 134,400 1.05 1.06 1.04 1.06 1.04 1.05 1,912,000 2,001,010 CEMEX HLDG EAGLE CEMENT 14.66 14.82 14.8 14.8 14.72 14.74 252,200 3,731,786 6.37 6.45 6.5 6.5 6.37 6.45 368,900 2,359,809 EEI CORP 5.43 5.64 5.7 5.7 5.42 5.43 176,300 983,979 HOLCIM MEGAWIDE 5.11 5.14 5.1 5.15 5.05 5.14 414,700 2,111,396 20.2 20.5 20 20.5 20 20.5 20,000 403,200 PHINMA TKC METALS 0.79 0.8 0.78 0.79 0.78 0.79 46,000 36,330 0.86 0.87 0.86 0.88 0.86 0.88 240,000 209,720 VULCAN INDL CROWN ASIA 1.72 1.73 1.74 1.75 1.73 1.73 286,000 495,110 EUROMED 1.37 1.47 1.49 1.49 1.49 1.49 31,000 46,190 5.66 5.7 5.78 5.78 5.7 5.7 31,200 177,848 PRYCE CORP GREENERGY 2.14 2.17 2.18 2.2 2.13 2.17 4,902,000 10,550,910 9.95 10 9.99 10 9.8 10 1,236,100 12,310,460 INTEGRATED MICR 0.72 0.73 0.73 0.73 0.72 0.73 30,000 21,880 IONICS PANASONIC 5.84 6.05 5.77 6.06 5.77 5.96 14,300 84,651 1.09 1.11 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 5,000 5,450 SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG 3.94 3.95 4 4.04 3.93 3.94 1,282,000 5,087,880

11,297,489 2,680,405 -52,990 0 3,639,512.00 -31,735,965 -4,998,840 -8,336,326 -1,411,790 27,323,390 3,186,110 -173,960 2,352,480 -39,905,471 38,564,602 -1,752,324 -409,830 -6,355,309 -8,347,660 389,030 311,000 -24,719,990 -1,678,530 528,110 -583,800 -258,628,306 8,400 -3,150 3,654,902 -1,911,530 43,895 -324,251 -1,662,260 -119,880 63,420

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP 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 JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PRIME MEDIA SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP

1,119,260 -8,841,655 7,253,806 19,364,156 -3,784,220 2,713,278.00 -727,135 -2,326,960 16,908,603 1,122,758.00 -41,363,530 -18,435,695 713,976

HOLDING & FRIMS

44.05 129.5 94.8 25.85 6.76 9.55 58.85 8.86 20.15 56 103.1 19.98 111.9 101.1 1.65 4.06 3.21 0.8 0.285 213 2,800

0.92 5.35 858 60.35 12.56 7.76 0.89 0.5 0.475 5.15 8.49 7.17 0.265 562 60.5 0.63 3.12 10.06 3.9 1.18 955 112.3

44.5 130 95 25.9 8.4 9.56 58.9 9.3 20.2 57.5 112.9 20.4 112 101.2 1.7 4.11 3.31 0.84 0.325 214 2,810

0.94 5.94 866 60.85 12.58 8.3 0.91 0.51 0.51 5.16 8.5 7.3 0.285 567 60.55 0.66 3.17 10.08 3.91 1.2 968 112.5

44.5 127.2 94.9 25.8 8.4 9.65 57.6 9.3 20.2 57 103.1 19.98 112 101 1.65 4.12 3.32 0.8 0.285 212 2,800

0.93 5.35 853 60.5 12.48 8.2 0.89 0.48 0.5 5.15 8.54 7.5 0.265 557 59 0.65 3.12 10 3.9 1.2 950 112

44.5 130 95.2 25.9 8.4 9.66 58.9 9.3 20.25 57.5 103.1 20.4 112.3 101.2 1.65 4.12 3.32 0.8 0.325 214 2,800

0.96 5.35 866 61.7 12.62 8.78 0.91 0.54 0.53 5.15 8.65 7.5 0.265 568 60.5 0.66 3.12 10.06 3.95 1.21 968 112.3

44.4 126.4 94.1 25.8 8.4 9.54 57.6 9.3 20.05 57 103.1 19.96 111.7 100 1.65 4.06 3.21 0.8 0.285 210 2,800

0.9 5.35 850.5 60.2 12.48 8.2 0.89 0.48 0.5 5.14 8.46 7.17 0.265 557 58.9 0.62 3.12 10 3.89 1.18 946 111.7

44.5 130 95 25.9 8.4 9.56 58.9 9.3 20.15 57.5 103.1 20.4 112 101.2 1.65 4.11 3.31 0.8 0.325 214 2,800

0.94 5.35 866 60.85 12.56 8.3 0.91 0.51 0.5 5.15 8.5 7.2 0.265 567 60.5 0.63 3.12 10.06 3.91 1.2 968 112.3

12,339,000 100 84,290 658,550 4,118,000 3,600 129,000 2,990,000 1,130,000 2,471,200 2,986,500 112,600 50,000 137,440 1,540,970 94,000 10,000 571,900 14,007,000 24,000 152,340 30,080

11,496,590 535 72,514,650 40,074,504 51,792,708 30,128 114,830 1,516,800 576,100 12,724,753 25,446,876 813,891 13,250 77,768,795 92,716,684 59,650 31,200 5,743,520 54,764,620 28,390 146,451,300 3,370,476

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.6 0.63 0.6 0.63 0.6 0.63 7,000 4,250 AYALA LAND 35.9 35.95 35.75 35.95 35 35.95 3,801,200 135,847,135 6.25 6.29 6.22 6.35 6.15 6.29 4,547,400 28,433,465 AYALA LAND LOG ARANETA PROP 0.97 1.03 1 1.04 1 1.02 204,000 209,060 49.95 50 50 50.2 49.6 50 326,300 16,317,700 AREIT RT 0.77 0.8 0.77 0.8 0.77 0.8 159,000 122,870 A BROWN CITYLAND DEVT 0.74 0.75 0.74 0.74 0.74 0.74 39,000 28,860 0.098 0.102 0.102 0.102 0.098 0.102 11,050,000 1,082,980 CROWN EQUITIES CEB LANDMASTERS 2.89 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.88 2.89 245,000 708,190 0.4 0.405 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 3,770,000 1,508,000 CENTURY PROP 7.14 7.16 7.18 7.18 7.1 7.14 115,900 829,022 DOUBLEDRAGON DDMP RT 1.81 1.82 1.79 1.81 1.79 1.81 12,618,000 22,694,540 6.76 6.78 6.68 6.78 6.68 6.78 105,100 712,568 DM WENCESLAO EMPIRE EAST 0.255 0.26 0.265 0.265 0.265 0.265 110,000 29,150 0.305 0.315 0.305 0.315 0.305 0.31 2,380,000 731,900 EVER GOTESCO 7.66 7.7 7.85 7.85 7.6 7.7 3,834,000 29,427,000 FILINVEST RT FILINVEST LAND 1.1 1.11 1.11 1.11 1.09 1.1 1,593,000 1,751,290 0.92 0.93 0.91 0.92 0.91 0.91 53,000 48,240 GLOBAL ESTATE 8990 HLDG 11.36 11.6 11.64 11.9 11.36 11.36 417,200 4,784,624 1.15 1.16 1.14 1.17 1.14 1.15 182,000 209,120 PHIL INFRADEV CITY AND LAND 0.89 0.9 0.89 0.9 0.89 0.9 30,000 26,900 MEGAWORLD 3.19 3.2 3.18 3.22 3.16 3.19 4,754,000 15,191,950 0.231 0.234 0.231 0.235 0.23 0.231 4,820,000 1,119,240 MRC ALLIED MREIT RT 22.4 22.45 22.2 22.7 22 22.45 1,409,300 31,456,200 OMICO CORP 0.34 0.35 0.34 0.35 0.34 0.35 160,000 54,700 0.49 0.495 0.49 0.495 0.49 0.495 1,240,000 612,100 PHIL ESTATES PRIMEX CORP 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.2 2.11 2.14 669,000 1,436,720 8.6 8.61 8.75 8.79 8.58 8.6 4,573,900 39,650,185 RL COMM RT ROBINSONS LAND 19.22 19.28 19.2 19.28 19.12 19.28 3,144,500 60,302,770 PHIL REALTY 0.198 0.208 0.198 0.199 0.198 0.199 510,000 101,420 1.48 1.52 1.48 1.52 1.48 1.52 45,000 66,640 ROCKWELL SHANG PROP 2.58 2.6 2.58 2.59 2.55 2.59 160,000 411,500 34.6 34.85 34.4 34.85 34.15 34.85 3,906,600 135,213,560 SM PRIME HLDG VISTAMALLS 3.62 3.7 3.62 3.7 3.62 3.7 3,000 10,940 SUNTRUST HOME 1.09 1.12 1.08 1.12 1.08 1.12 31,000 33,680 3.53 3.54 3.5 3.53 3.49 3.53 312,000 1,098,760 VISTA LAND

SERVICES ABS CBN 13.26 13.4 13.24 13.4 13.16 13.4 76,500 1,013,426 GMA NETWORK 14.88 14.9 14.9 14.9 14.68 14.88 848,800 12,529,712 9.05 10.36 9 9.8 9 9.8 3,500 32,140 MLA BRDCASTING GLOBE TELECOM 3,350 3,354 3,298 3,360 3,292 3,354 20,220 67,396,210 1,880 1,881 1,861 1,881 1,861 1,881 54,270 101,955,670 PLDT 0.075 0.076 0.076 0.077 0.074 0.075 61,180,000 4,607,440 APOLLO GLOBAL CONVERGE 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 31.25 31.3 2,370,500 74,356,890 2.37 2.41 2.44 2.48 2.36 2.41 481,000 1,146,890 DFNN INC DITO CME HLDG 5.22 5.23 5.16 5.42 5.16 5.23 21,596,500 113,759,966 1.7 1.77 1.7 1.78 1.7 1.78 2,000 3,480 JACKSTONES NOW CORP 1.5 1.51 1.48 1.59 1.45 1.5 3,588,000 5,415,290 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.34 0.345 0.345 0.355 0.34 0.34 9,920,000 3,445,200 7.45 7.5 7.45 7.5 7.3 7.5 16,000 119,310 2GO GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS 13.62 14 13.9 13.9 13.62 13.62 7,900 108,802 1.62 1.63 1.67 1.67 1.63 1.63 655,000 1,074,880 CHELSEA CEBU AIR 42.1 42.2 42.15 42.8 41.9 42.2 273,600 11,552,215 INTL CONTAINER 211 211.4 206 212 204.2 211.4 2,133,900 447,649,984 22.15 24.65 21.75 24.7 21.75 24.7 300 6,820 LBC EXPRESS LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.91 0.92 0.91 0.91 0.91 0.91 14,000 12,740 5.2 5.22 5.26 5.26 5.1 5.2 3,099,400 16,112,381 MACROASIA 1.05 1.11 1.11 1.12 1.11 1.11 68,000 75,960 METROALLIANCE A HARBOR STAR 0.86 0.88 0.87 0.87 0.86 0.86 148,000 127,460 1.8 1.85 1.8 1.85 1.8 1.85 26,000 46,850 DISCOVERY WORLD WATERFRONT 0.47 0.48 0.47 0.47 0.47 0.47 800,000 376,000 BELLE CORP 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.34 1.32 1.32 200,000 265,080 6.45 6.47 6.38 6.55 6.38 6.47 2,941,400 18,929,000 BLOOMBERRY PACIFIC ONLINE 1.76 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 4,000 7,200 1.3 1.31 1.29 1.33 1.25 1.31 3,599,000 4,538,120 LEISURE AND RES PH RESORTS GRP 0.73 0.74 0.74 0.75 0.73 0.74 335,000 247,060 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.435 0.44 0.435 0.435 0.435 0.435 1,100,000 478,500 5.65 5.75 5.65 5.65 5.65 5.65 100,000 565,000 PHIL RACING PHILWEB 2.02 2.04 1.96 2.04 1.96 2.04 940,000 1,889,310 0.61 0.62 0.62 0.63 0.61 0.62 39,584,000 24,505,780 ALLDAY BERJAYA 5.51 5.59 5.5 5.51 5.5 5.51 41,100 226,267 ALLHOME 8.8 8.84 8.8 8.84 8.79 8.8 1,059,300 9,321,842 1.4 1.41 1.37 1.41 1.37 1.41 268,000 375,120 METRO RETAIL PUREGOLD 37.45 37.5 37.9 37.95 37.35 37.5 3,133,200 117,777,555 57.85 58 58.5 58.55 57.25 58 968,610 56,447,174 ROBINSONS RTL PHIL SEVEN CORP 86.5 90 86.5 90.5 86 90.5 1,710 147,140 SSI GROUP 1.08 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.07 1.09 703,000 755,330 28.1 28.15 28.7 28.7 28.05 28.15 2,562,100 72,238,530 WILCON DEPOT APC GROUP 0.23 0.235 0.226 0.23 0.226 0.23 790,000 181,410 4.11 4.47 4.48 4.48 4.04 4.1 15,000 63,400 EASYCALL MEDILINES 1.15 1.16 1.18 1.2 1.13 1.15 3,758,000 4,340,890 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.52 0.53 0.51 0.53 0.51 0.52 2,907,000 1,513,400 3.88 3.95 3.92 3.95 3.9 3.95 37,000 145,700 SBS PHIL CORP

MINING & OIL

ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ATOK 6.03 6.18 6.02 6.18 6 6.18 11,000 66,231 1.71 1.72 1.65 1.76 1.64 1.72 20,456,000 35,098,830 APEX MINING ATLAS MINING 6.04 6.05 6.03 6.06 6.01 6.04 783,800 4,737,015 5.15 5.3 5.05 5.05 5.05 5.05 4,200 21,210 BENGUET A BENGUET B 4.93 5.15 5.15 5.15 5.15 5.15 12,000 61,800 COAL ASIA HLDG 0.265 0.285 0.265 0.285 0.265 0.285 60,000 16,500 2.7 2.75 2.75 2.75 2.75 2.75 20,000 55,000 CENTURY PEAK DIZON MINES 4.64 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.4 5,200 28,080 2.19 2.2 2.28 2.29 2.18 2.19 19,197,000 42,546,830 FERRONICKEL 0.191 0.2 0.196 0.2 0.191 0.199 240,000 47,100 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.135 0.137 0.138 0.139 0.135 0.137 2,660,000 362,860 0.135 0.142 0.136 0.136 0.136 0.136 280,000 38,080 LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A 0.0094 0.0096 0.0096 0.0097 0.0096 0.0096 15,000,000 144,100 0.0094 0.01 0.0095 0.0096 0.0095 0.0095 40,000,000 380,400 MANILA MINING B 1.31 1.32 1.34 1.38 1.32 1.32 1,303,000 1,741,740 MARCVENTURES NIHAO 0.99 1 1 1 1 1 100,000 100,000 5.8 5.81 5.93 5.93 5.76 5.81 7,358,700 43,036,844 NICKEL ASIA ORNTL PENINSULA 0.78 0.79 0.79 0.79 0.78 0.78 195,000 153,790 5.38 5.43 5.45 5.52 5.36 5.43 1,388,300 7,599,811 PX MINING 24.7 24.75 25.25 25.3 24.7 24.75 1,141,500 28,529,485 SEMIRARA MINING UNITED PARAGON 0.0069 0.0072 0.0072 0.0072 0.0072 0.0072 3,000,000 21,600 32.1 32.15 33.55 33.55 32 32.15 219,000 7,120,305 ACE ENEXOR ORNTL PETROL A 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.011 2,300,000 24,000 ORNTL PETROL B 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 200,000 2,200 0.0094 0.0095 0.0095 0.0095 0.0094 0.0095 46,000,000 436,900 PHILODRILL PXP ENERGY 6.01 6.03 5.89 6.01 5.88 6.01 88,600 530,194

PREFFERED HOUSE PREF B 100 101.8 100.5 100.5 100.5 100.5 4,000 402,000 HOUSE PREF A 100.8 101 101 101 101 101 1,000 101,000 520 524.5 520 520 520 520 30 15,600 AC PREF B2R BRN PREF A 103.2 104 103.2 103.3 103.2 103.2 1,000 103,225 41.7 41.8 41.8 42 41.7 41.8 54,900 2,293,060 CEB PREF 100.9 101.7 101 101 101 101 25,310 2,556,310 DD PREF EEI PREF B 106.4 107 106.4 107 106.4 107 6,430 687,710 102.1 104.5 105 105 105 105 10 1,050 FGEN PREF G GTCAP PREF B 1,015 1,045 1,045 1,045 1,045 1,045 10 10,450 1,009 1,010 1,010 1,010 1,010 1,010 5 5,050 JFC PREF B MWIDE PREF 2A 99 100.4 100 100 100 100 540 54,000 MWIDE PREF 2B 99.7 101 100.9 100.9 100.9 100.9 1,000 100,900 99.1 100 100.4 100.5 100.4 100.5 9,500 954,710 MWIDE PREF 4 PNX PREF 3B 100.8 101 101 101 100.7 100.7 3,000 302,750 998 999 999 999 998 999 420 419,470 PNX PREF 4 PCOR PREF 3A 1,050 1,060 1,047 1,060 1,047 1,060 590 618,165 PCOR PREF 3B 1,100 1,144 1,140 1,140 1,140 1,140 320 364,800 75.85 76.5 76.5 76.5 76.5 76.5 20 1,530 SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I 79.25 79.4 79.4 79.4 79.4 79.4 500 39,700 77 77.1 76.5 77 76.5 77 5,620 429,940 SMC PREF 2J SMC PREF 2K 75.85 76 75.85 75.85 75.85 75.85 500 37,925 TECH PREF B2D 53.2 53.65 53.5 53.5 53.5 53.5 8,300 444,050

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 12.6 13 12.6 12.6 12.6 12.6 100 1,260 GMA HLDG PDR 14.26 14.3 14.22 14.28 14.2 14.26 49,700 707,338

WARRANTS TECH WARRANT 0.9 0.93 0.91 0.95 0.9 0.93 423,000 385,040

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."

7,113,620 5,970,625 429,000 4,883,015 -913,150 17,393,933 -519,160 -455,950 1,223,610 104,724,796 -5,210,298 5,160 -722,704 356,300 4,350 582,290 7,486,160.00 3,341,765 33,172,947.50 -146,235 -39,087,805 77,890 36,760 -227,040 55,000 -7,668,110.00 33,320 -361,300 -827,173 33,915 -1,053,115 -1,908,630 -590 -913,440 914,550 10,600 -

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ALTUS PROP -1.03%

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).

3,000 8,761,935 -11,561,649 -13,300 28,860 -28,890 -36,000 203,415 787,610 -31,000 1,966,807 -973,500 95,148 568,840 -1,902,855 -69,300 -5,446,055 24,126,462 15,954,050 536,220

HAUS TALK ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MERRYMART XURPAS

18.82 1.59 1.11 2.81 2.3 0.42

19 1.6 1.12 2.93 2.31 0.43

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

FIRST METRO ETF

111.4

111.5

18.86 1.65 1.12 2.9 2.38 0.475

19.02 1.71 1.12 2.9 2.38 0.51

18.82 1.56 1.1 2.9 2.3 0.405

18.82 1.6 1.12 2.9 2.3 0.425

6,000 70,778,000 477,000 7,000 6,263,000 29,010,000

113,464 115,544,010 531,710 20,300 14,538,020 13,241,000

1,422 -40,400 144,520 137,920 55,750

110.8 111.8 110.8 111.4 11,300 1,258,554 11,115

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Entrepreneur

Contagion boosts rise of ‘influencers’ in consumer marketing

W

hether by a mere accident or a providential act, the pandemic has opened new paradigms and approaches in doing business in the so-called new normal.

Blogapalooza Inc. chief executive officer Hazel Bernadette Gapuz told the BusinessMirror in an online interview that the pandemic made marketers realize and be aware that, influencers are the new way to reach their consumers more effectively.

The Ateneo de Manila and University of the Philippines alumna recalled the days when it was so difficult for them to engage with their communities because there were quite few who understood the creator economy and the impact that influencers could have on business bottom lines.

“I think it was only during the pandemic that everyone started to realize the power that influencers hold,” Gapuz, fondly called Ace by her colleagues and friends, explained.

Surprisingly, Blogapalooza’s staff more than doubled in number, and their clientele also grew exponentially. To cope with the increased workload Gapuz and her team introduced improvements in their internal systems to accommodate the demand for influencer marketing executions from many different brands and partner agencies. Blogapalooza Inc. is the country’s leading influencer marketing company, with more than 10,000 community members to date.

Potential of the influence economy

The influence economy is happening now and businesses and organizations engage with influencers and personalities to move their agenda forward, whether it be as simple as getting a marketing message across for awareness, establishing desirability of a product, persuading people to buy, or sometimes grander things like organizing huge hyperlocal movements or even winning national elections.

Gapuz said people nowadays are starting to realize the impact that influencers can do for any agenda that they wish to push forward. “We’ve moved to an economy that values social capital more than marketing capital and where power has shifted from authorities to communities,” Gapuz said.

“I believe we’re already in the era of the creator economy. I’d consider this an industrial revolution and a historical event, as we are yet to witness another massive transformation as creatorship continues to thrive and flourish,” Gapuz added.

She thinks the advertising industry would also agree that most influencers actually hold “truth in advertising” in high regard, as influencers would want to have a say in the way that their content is produced and published whenever they would work with brands.

To have a good working relationship with influencers, Gapuz said they should be provided with important information about the campaign, including the goals, the personality of the brand, key messages, mandatories and pegs, and other valuable information to help them come up with content that would align with the campaign and

BusinessMirror

Fashion entreps cling to ‘padayon’ spirit to face pandemic challenges

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

D GAPUZ

work with their audience as well.

Although the word “authenticity” is being used so loosely every time the topic of influencers is discussed, Gapuz believes the adage “truth in advertising” is an unspoken rule practiced by most influencers by being authentic in the way they talk about themselves and the brands that they work with.

The early years

AT 22, Gapuz became an entrepreneur when she bought a small siomai food cart franchise with her small savings from her corporate job.

Being a fledgling entrepreneur, Gapuz dabbled into so many things to find out what would work for her.

Later, she found out that things became too difficult for her to handle as she was also taking her masters in business administration and managing a restaurant, which ran for two years until it was forced to close down because of the food park trend.

She believes a lot of entrepreneurs also experienced similar challenges when they’re starting. For Gapuz, trying to minimize expenses as much as possible was the top agenda.

Gapuz was also a multitasker referring herself to as the CEO, or the “chief everything officer,” because she would really do everything herself first from meetings with clients, pitch presentations, writing checks for suppliers, lining up to collect check payments and queuing them up in the bank right after, maintaining all hard copy and soft copy records, compliances. “I was literally all over the place. I loved the energy, the dynamism of the work that I do, the learnings that I got to pick up along the way.”

Patience pays off

Being in the business for the past decades, Gapuz has been able to develop harmonious and closer ties with content creators and influencers from various regions in the country. She adds the regional influences and content creators that they have played vital role as they have brought growth and value to Blogapalooza.

Gapuz shared she waited for 10 years before Blogapalooza experienced tremendous growth like the one that happened during the pandemic. She is looking forward to seeing the influencer marketing industry grow bigger moving forward.

“I cannot express my happiness and satisfaction that finally, the seeds that we have planted from a decade ago have gone so deep in their roots and we are starting to harvest the fruits of our labor.” Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, January 19, 2022 B3

@brownindio

Contributor

espite the myriad of challenges posed by the lingering Covid-19 pandemic, young social entrepreneur Isabela Blancas has imbibed the spirit of padayon (to carry on in Bisaya) to help others, even as her own enterprise—One Closet—was also affected by the contagion.

Nevertheless, Blancas and One Closet carried on by tapping their network of donors and volunteer fashion designers and seamstresses to provide personal protective equipment to health-care workers (HCWs).

“We donated a total of 837 PPE coveralls to frontline doctors and nurses in Butuan and around 4,000 more to doctors and nurses in Pangasinan, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna and Bicol. With friends’ help, we managed to send a huge bolt of PPE fabric to Davao from Manila through a private aircraft to General Santos and then a private pick-up truck to Davao. Up to now, I’m astonished how my family and friends did all these.

It was through God’s grace and intervention, I’m sure about that,” she told the BusinessMirror.

For her efforts, Blancas was recently cited by Human Nature, a well-known local social enterprise, through its first-ever Bangon Awards, as the recipient in the Youth Got Heart category. Human Nature also awarded other social entrepreneurs in different categories.

“They recognized what One Closet has done in helping others, especially during this pandemic,” Blancas recalled.

Through campaigns like the Bangon Awards, Filipino social enterprise Human Nature seeks to encourage other businesses to likewise use their profits and policies to uplift lives.

“It’s time to celebrate modernday heroes: Those who have risen to

help others rise, those who inspire us with their faith and perseverance.

Those who tend the spark of courage we all still hold in our hearts, fanning them into flame,” Human Nature said.

As it lingers, the challenge brought by the pandemic was so immense that Blancas and her fellow small entrepreneurs were more and more affected. But they kept pushing. Blancas’ family and friends held trunk shows or bazaars, which generated P140,000 in gross sales, generated by 26 small entrepreneurs (and they got to keep 100 percent of the sales) at three events organized by One Closet and friends. “We also helped artists with an online art sale—from the P250,000 gross sales by 12 artists, 70 percent of sales went to the artists and 30 percent to purchasing relief goods for micro entrepreneurs and artists,” she said.

As the much feared “donor fatigue” set in on their benefactors, Blancas and her friends had to explore other means of raising funds.

As a response, One Closet ventured into making fashion PPEs for the protection of ordinary people, making these PPEs pretty by incorporating inaul, an indigenous fabric from Mindanao.

Their Manila-based friends warmly received their PPEs. One Closet then went into making lace church veils. “This was really a personal thing—I had wanted other women to strengthen their faith through a tradition that resonated

IN first photo, the model carries a bag designed by Gina Bagasbas and blouse from Melvin Lachica. The dress in second photo is made of Mindanaon Silk by designer Melvin Lachica of CDO. Third photo shows the dress collaborative creation of One Closet’s Johnbert Hubahib and Tine Montejo. The model’s neckpiece is from the Trading Post.

Photos courtesy of Kevin Dulay

with me. Profits from these endeavors funded our next projects,” said Blancas.

Personally, Blancas said her family carried on with helping others even in a small way. In fact, she kept asking her parents if the family had the resources to be able to sustain their advocacy.

Notwithstanding, her parents urged their daughter to continue what she is doing and “they never fail to tell me that we are lucky to have enough, not plenty, for our needs and for others’ as well.”

“They remind me that sharing in these trying times is our moral obligation,” she said.

One Closet would sponsor trade fairs and conduct photo shoots for the purpose of promoting local enterprises. She said One Closet owed a debt of gratitude to their partners notably its photographer friends and owners of local restau-

rants and hotels for the venues of their shoots.

Despite these “interesting times,” Blancas said she is amazed at how her fellow small entrepreneurs remain undeterred. “They continue to seek comfort in the hope and in their own determination that things will get better if they have the drive to strive,” she said.

As the economy prepares to reopen, Blancas described social entrepreneurs as the breed that goes beyond merely surviving. She said the obstacles have toughened their breed as it drives them to work harder for their dreams.

This notion has inspired Blancas and made her proud of her fellow entrepreneurs. She hopes their latest photo shoot together with partners KD Visuals and Almont Inland Resort may be able to reach people who would take a liking to the beautiful products through an online platform.

Despite the odds stacked against them, Blancas and her fellow entrepreneurs can respond by saying padayon. “We have to keep going to thrive in our small businesses and in the business of doing good.”

Innovation Award for entreps set next month

By Roderick L. Abad

@rodrik_28

Contributor

T

O help bolster entrepreneurship in the country, the Shell LiveWIRE Program supports the 2022 Benita and Catalino Yap Foundation (BCYF) Innovation Award (BIA) that will recognize outstanding individuals or groups that have launched out-of-the-box solutions with a strong, measurable impact on their operations.

At stake is a cash grant that will help start-ups and small-to-medium-sized businesses to expand their markets, upgrade their systems, or bring about positive change in their communities.

The award forms part of the BCYF’s Comprehensive Social Development Program, which is dedi-

cated to research, education, events, and developmental social enterprise.

It was established as a result of the meeting of different organizations, especially those with young leaders who have made breakthroughs that improved their business operations and created value to their stakeholders.

The BYCF’s goal of honoring people or organizations who have made significant impacts in sectors like governance, education, tech, and industry is aligned with the vision of the global flagship enterprise program of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.

“Innovation is essential to the development of industries as well as Shell’s commitment to power progress for the nation,” said Pilipinas Shell’s Country Social Performance

and Social Investment Manager Conrad Parizal.

“The LiveWIRE program has supported more than 20 enterprises in the Philippines and fueled start-ups with offerings that can solve longstanding socio-economic challenges. Our partnership with the BCYF shows Pilipinas Shell’s commitment to the continuous discovery and empowerment of courageous visionaries who can make radical beneficial changes through power, sustainability, and entrepreneurship,” he added.

Any member of an organization or business can join the 2022 BIA with no cost involved. Self-nomination is encouraged.

One of the BIA’s main criteria is that the nominee’s innovation must have been implemented in a viable, functioning, and registered orga-

nization during its last five years or earlier.

Also, the nominated person or group must have at least two years of profitable operations both on the Profit & Loss and Cash Bases. Their innovation must have a visible, vital consequence on the company’s bottom line.

The deadline for the submission of entries will be on February 4.

Judging will be held on February 11. During the awarding ceremony on February 25, Pilipinas Shell’s award will be given to participants cited for doing excellent work in the categories of energy, environment and circular economy, and local prosperity.

For more details, visit BIA’s official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bcyfoundation/ posts/5738168636254575

Locad CEO Robertz to share insights to MSMEs on how to go global, regional

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OCAL business owners and their counterparts in the region can learn how to establish, build, manage, and expand their global and regional presence on the web from a top ranking official of a cloud logistics platform and e-commerce integrator.

Following his recent talk at the Amazon Southeast Asia (SEA) Seller Summit 2022 held in Singapore,

Locad Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Constantin Robertz will share again his insights during the online sessions of the e-commerce conference in Malaysia and the Philippines on January 19 and 20, respectively.

“The learning, insights, cases, and trends that will be shared during this event could be game-changing for business owners who want to

scale and make their mark in the ecommerce space, especially here in Southeast Asia,” he said.

During the last two legs of the summit, Robertz will also discuss how their end-to-end fulfillment service has been helping local businesses grow in the region.

Locad is a cloud logistics network that fulfills e-commerce orders for entrepreneurs and enterprises, com-

mitted to shortening transit times, providing lower shipping costs, and taking customer delivery experience to the next level.

Aside from this company, more than 30 Amazon experts and successful online sellers will also share their expertise on how to build a popular and profitable brand in the e-commerce space.

There will be workshops that will

focus on advertising, brand building, shipping and fulfillment, as well as how to navigate selling and selling globally during the upcoming event.

Participants who register for the summit will receive exclusive resources and offers via a virtual goodie bag to be sent via e-mail. For registration, log on to https://try.golocad. com/locad-amazon-sea-seller-summit/.

Roderick L. Abad

Locad Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Constantin Robertz

Banking&Finance

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 • Editor: Dennis D. Estopace

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BusinessMirror

Diokno: Digital ubiquity may abate consumer-price uptick

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By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

HE wider adoption of digitalization, particularly of banks’ financial services, may help bring down the overall growth of consumer prices in the country, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

In a speaking engagement, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said aside from monetary and fiscal policies, technological advancements can help keep prices low and stable over the long-term.

In particular, making payments and transactions more convenient through digitalization reduces the

costs of production and distribution for businesses in the country.

“Digitalization is one of the huge changes that will have an effect in lowering inflation in the long run,” Diokno said.

The governor also said digitalization will make it easier for consumers to gather information on products

and services and make informed purchases.

“These forces encourage competition among enterprises to capture or maintain market share, which in turn helps keep consumer prices low and stable,” the central bank governor said.

Under its Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap (DPTR) 20202023, the BSP pursues the twin goals of converting at least 50 percent of all retail transactions into digital and of assimilating at least 70 percent of the population into the formal financial system by 2023.

The share of digital payments to total financial transactions reached 20.1 percent in 2020 from 14 percent in 2019 and only 1 percent in 2013.

“I am very confident—because we are ramping up the use of digital payments—that by the end of my term, we will reach the 50-percent

target,” the Governor said.

Earlier this month, Diokno warned of a potential “temporary” uptick due to the recent typhoon that ravaged the Visayas.

In particular, the governor said supply disruptions and agricultural damages from typhoon Odette will likely result in a “temporary uptick in the prices of food items and other necessities over the near term.”

“As with previous episodes of natural disasters, the effective implementation of non-monetary government intervention measures to ensure adequate domestic food supply must be sustained in order to mitigate potential supply-side pressures on inflation,” the governor earlier said.

Diokno said the BSP will incorporate the typhoon’s impact into its projections once firm estimates become available.

Investors ignore Fed posture; buy ₧35B in T-bonds

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HE Bureau of the Treasury fully awarded P35 billion in new 10-year Treasury Bonds (T-Bonds) as investors shrugged off fears of multiple rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve.

Bids for the security amounted to P72.2 billion, making the auction more than twice oversubscribed.

The debt paper fetched a coupon rate of 4.875 percent, above the 3.92-percent average rate from the previous auction in July last year.

However, National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon said the rates ended up lower than the secondary benchmark-rate for the tenor, prompting them to make the full award.

De Leon also said the country was in a “completely different landscape” in the last auction.

“Oversubscription more than twice amount on offer and rates lower than secondary for 10-yr tenor. [Investors] defied fears of Fed multiple increases,” De Leon’s clipped message

to reporters read.

The Treasurer attributed investor sentiment more to the assurance from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) monetary authorities would keep rates stable to help the country clamber out of an economic chasm.

“Thanks to [BSP] Gov [Benjamin Diokno] assuaging market he won’t hike until economy on solid recovery path. And they need to deploy liquidity. Inflation concerns have also eased,” De Leon’s message read.

The Treasury also decided to open the tap facility for an additional P5billion offering.

In December last year, monthly inflation eased to its lowest for 2021 at 3.6 percent due to cheaper food and transport costs. For this month, the Treasury is set to borrow P200 billion from the local debt market.

For this year, the national government programmed to borrow P2.47 trillion, down by nearly a fifth from P3.07 trillion. Bernadette D. Nicolas

Pinoy’s wallets robust in Q4 2021, poll bares

By Roderick Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

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AJORITY of Filipinos polled by TransUnion Information Solutions Inc. in November last year weren’t worried about their financial status amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

This was the result of the technology firm’s consumer pulse survey for the fourth quarter of 2021.

A total of 1,089 adults in the Philippines were engaged in TransUnion’s survey that focuses on the impact of the health crisis on personal finances, spending and debt. The study was conducted from November 1 to November 8, 2021.

Released last January 18, the results revealed that 59 percent polled reported a current decline in their income due to the health crisis. This was lower than the 64 percent polled in the third quarter of last year who said their incomes declined.

This trend is the same in terms of the participants’ insights as nearly half or 46 percent of those polled—8 percent lower than 54 percent in the third quarter of last year—believe their household income (HHI) will decrease in the future

due to Covid-19.

The bullish economic outlook, per the research, could be attributed to the heightened vaccination initiative of the government and the private sector, Transunion said.

From the 64 percent of respondents who said they had been fully vaccinated, 13 percent agreed they have never experienced a decline in their HHI because of the pandemic.

Also, about 44 percent expect less negative impact in the future compared to 50 percent who said they do not plan to get vaccinated. For those indebted, nearly half or 46 percent of the total households polled expect they could not pay their current bills and loans in full.

As regards the sources of fund used to settle their debts, the most popular ways used by the respondents are savings (42 percent) and partial payments (45 percent).

Personal loans (37 percent), mortgages and home loans (33 percent) and credit cards (27 percent) topped the list of debts and loans that respondents wouldn’t be able to meet.

More than half, or 52 percent, of those

polled said they believe it’s vital to have access to credit and lending products to reach their financial goals. Only 35 percent said they had sufficient access to them. Nearly half or 44 percent have plans to apply for credit this year; 51 percent of these are Millennials.

About 93 percent of respondents believed in the importance of monitoring credit, with 69 percent of them doing so at least once a month.

From October to December of last year, the poll found out that many of the participants have a cautionary attitude towards spending.

In fact, more than half or 52 percent of them said they had cut back on optional spending with 47 percent saying they had saved more in an emergency fund.

When it comes to purchasing behavior, e-commerce seems to keep its momentum into the New Year with 47 percent of those surveyed revealed they’ll increase their number of online transactions in the next three months.

For vigilant consumers, online fraud continues to be a very worry for them, especially around the holidays, with 95 percent of them saying they were con-

cerned about being victimized by digital fraud during the 2021 holiday season.

Half of the number of respondents said they had been targets of online fraudsters in the last three months.

Millennials and Gen X are the most targeted at 54 percent and 52 percent, respectively.

They reported that the two most common tactics for digital fraud schemes were phishing (44 percent) and thirdparty seller scams on legitimate online retail sites (39 percent). Such findings were consistent across the demographics surveyed.

“From financial health to the disruptions in daily living, the lives of millions of Filipinos have drastically changed and continue to change due to Covid-19,” TransUnion Philippines President and CEO Pia L, Arellano said. “As an ongoing study, [the company] continuously strives to develop a comprehensive understanding of the financial impacts of the pandemic as well as to harness the information to better inform consumers, businesses and other stakeholder decisions as the pandemic continues to impact our daily lives.”

RCBC’s ₧17.87B sustainability bonds receive award

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

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uchengco-led Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) has been cited by the Hong Kong-based Asset Publishing and Research Ltd. (APRL) for the lender’s sustainability bonds issued last year worth P17.87 billion.

APRL’s media format “The Asset” magazine awarded the lender with the “Best Sustainability Bond” in 2021, according to RCBC.

“The Asset” noted how the bond issue was 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 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 President and CEO Eugene S.

Acevedo said the bond issuances demonstrated the bank’s commitment to sustainable development and environmental protection despite the challenging market environment.

RCBC is the first universal bank to publicly commit to defunding new coalfired power plants in the country.

It also took the lead in financing some of the Philippines’ and the region’s biggest green infrastructure and renewable energy projects, while involving itself in pioneer capacity-building activities to

contribute to the Philippine commitment to the Paris Agreement.

The annual “Triple A” recognition by “The Asset” magazine is considered one of the most prestigious awards for banking, finance, treasury and the capital markets, according to RCBC. As the financial multi-media group with the widest reach among Asian issuers and global institutional investors, the APRL medium “has unparalleled insight,” which forms the foundation of its annual awards, RCBC added.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

EXCLUSIVE

Govt hopeful 2nd auction of 5 luxury cars to get bids

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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FTER the first auction drew no bidders, the national government will attempt to auction off for the second try five luxury cars seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in May and June last year.

If this one’s successful, the government expects to raise at least P29.087 million.

The most expensive luxury car up for public auction on January 24 is the 2008 Ferrari Scuderia 430 with a floor price of P23.225 million.

Other vehicles up for auction are: the 2001 Porsche Boxster with a floor price of P1.798 million; a 2011 Mercedes E220 (P1.492 million); a 2001 Mercedes SLK55 (P1.324 million); and, a 2001 Mercedes SLK350 worth P1.248 million.

The public auction will be conducted by the recently-formed Inter-Agency Auction (IAA) Committee at the auction room of the Bureau of the Treasury in Intramuros, Manila.

If a failed bidding is declared, the terms and conditions of the public auction state that item of the sale lot shall be re-offered after five calendar days upon the publication in the official website and or social media page of the participating agencies and posting in a conspicuous place of the BOC headquarters.

However, Customs Assistant

Commissioner and Spokesman Vincent Philip C. Maronilla clarified that holding another public bidding is not the only option the bureau can take. Maronilla said the BOC may instead opt for a negotiated sale if the IAA committee declares a failed bidding.

For a negotiated sale to be considered, Maronilla said there should at least be two failed public biddings. “[Holding another public auction] is still an option because we are not precluded to go to a third or fourth [public bidding] as long as that is still a viable option rather than a negotiated sale,” Maronilla told the BusinessMirror.

In December last year, the IAA Committee—composed of representatives from the BOC, Bureau of the Treasury and the Land Bank of the Philippines—declared a failed bidding during the first public auction of the luxury cars as these didn’t receive any bid.

The government’s disposal of luxury vehicles seized by the BOC through public auction came after Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III ordered the bureau to do so.

Previously, smuggled vehicles were destroyed instead of being auctioned off as the BOC followed President Duterte’s directive.

In 2018, Duterte said he wanted to do away with the public auction of smuggled luxury cars as he alleged that smugglers take advantage of the auction to buy the vehicles at a cheaper price.

Nothing is forever

“Bad times have a scientific value.

These are occasions a good learner would not miss.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

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lot of analyses and forecasts have been done on the lingering Covid-19 infection. It is this young century’s most impactful global public health issue. While expert opinions and other scientific researches have been shared, everything seems to be on scientific assessment. It is subject to empirical process requiring a long period of monitored studies/researches. Meantime, life must go on.

A significant consequence of the pandemic is on the person’s mental health. On January 13, the Social Involvement Committee of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex) Foundation sponsored a timely webinar on the topic of Understanding Happiness and Suffering with Dr. Antonio T. Fernando as a resource person. Dr. Fernando is a visiting psychiatrist, academic and former monk based in Auckland, New Zealand.

His talk was very engaging that led those who attended to discern.

Among the nuggets of thoughts he shared are what he called “The Five Remembrances”: 1. I am subject to aging. There is no way to avoid aging.

2. I am subject to ill health.

There is no way to avoid illness.

3. I am subject to death. There is no way to avoid death.

4. Everyone and everything that I love will change and I will be separated from them.

5. My only true possessions are my actions and I cannot escape

Finex free enterprise Conchita L. Manabat their consequences.

Dr. Fernando also expounded on “The Eight Worldly Winds:” pleasure and pain; gain and loss; fame and shame; and, praise and blame.

Some 400 attended the webinar via zoom and accessed through the Finex’s Facebook page as of the end of the session’s “Questions & Answers” portion. May I quote noteworthy remarks expressed on the webinar: 1. I enjoyed the program and learned a lot (I did not know I am not a happy person until I joined the webinar).

2. If you knew that you are not happy, just remember what Dr. Fernando told us; that everybody is suffering.

In the end of Dr. Fernando’s talk, he quoted Viktor E. Frankl: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.”

Let us choose to be happy!

Conchita L. Manabat is the President of the Development Center for Finance. A past President of Finex and past chairman of the International Association of Financial Executives Institutes (Iafei), she serves as the chairman of the Iafei Advisory Council.

She is a member of the Consultative Advisory Groups of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants.

Standard Chartered Bank backs SOS Children’s Villages for youth employability

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HE Philippine business of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) announced it has partnered with SOS Children’s Villages Philippines to provide the nongovernment group’s members “with decent employment and alternative sources of income through partnership development and various

capacity-building interventions.”

“As the bank celebrates its 150th anniversary in the Philippines this year, SCB reaffirms its commitment to lifting participation–improving the lives of people by providing equitable access to financial education and seed funding for youth-led businesses, especially busi-

nesses led by young women and those with disabilities,” the lender said.

The bank said it expects its donation will benefit more than 1,400 young individuals, including young women and those with learning, mental and physical disabilities.

The bank said the project will pilot

at least five business centers as venues for entrepreneurial training and establish partnerships with the government and private sector organizations for youth employability projects. Some of these projects include youth mentoring, soft-skills training, capacity building, organizational skills training and re-

productive-health awareness. It will also support digital up-skilling of the youth beneficiaries as technological innovation is a critical lever to sustainability.

A simple turn-over of donation ceremony was held recently at the SOS Children’s Village in Alabang.

“We believe that everyone should

have access to opportunities and be able to realize their full potential. Yet, there are many young people who live on very low-income or out of work and that’s just not good enough,” SCB Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing Head Mai Sangalang was quoted in a statement as saying.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Image BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Wednesday, January 19, 2022

B5

Retaining talent: What drives your team members? Part 2 PHOTO BY CHRISTINA @ WOCINTECHCHAT. COM ON UNSPLASH

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VEN with an excellent performance management program, above industry standard incentives, and a pleasant working environment, you can still lose valuable team members. This is because these are all extrinsic motivators which can only go so far in retaining your talent. Even with all of these perks and benefits, people will still leave your team.

We have looked at extrinsic motivators last week and the different ways you can use them.

However creative your total benefits package is, these do not guarantee that you will retain your talent. You need to complement your extrinsic motivators with intrinsic ones—motivators that are within their control, and are a result of their own decisions. These are factors that drive your team to act and do the work because they find fulfillment in the work in itself.

First, you need to start with the right talent for your team. You need to identify how your team works and the prevailing team culture that you have developed. This is important if you want new members to fit in. In assessing possible members of the team, the required skills set is the minimum.

You also need to look if their personality goes well with the rest of the team. A good people manager needs to evaluate how potential members will complement the working style and temperaments of their existing team. Once they become part of the team, you can start looking at the different intrinsic motivators you can use to retain them.

The most basic of all intrinsic motivators is one driven by biological functions. You cannot expect somebody to do their work well when they are hungry or if they feel unsafe. If you recall Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, physiological needs form the base of the other needs. This means providing a good compensation and benefits package that is acceptable to them. It is easy to lose people when their only motivation is compensation because there will always be other organizations with better compensation.

In an earlier job, I lost several team members because of better benefits and it became all the more disheartening to know they would be receiving better compensation that I was getting at the time even in the higher position I had. Your first consideration in identifying intrinsic motivators are your team’s salaries. As part of your market monitoring, you need to benchmark with other organizations in the same industry so you can discuss with your HR the best compensation package for new team members, and even discuss salary adjustments for existing team members. Because once one of your team members discover greener pastures, they will be tempted to find out more and eventually leave.

Others are not motivated by salary alone but by altruistic reasons. They do the work because

they are happy doing it, as in the case of nonprofit organizations and volunteer groups where salary is not their primary motivation. You can use this motivation to appeal to your team’s sense of being able to help someone because of their work. As a course developer before, my team and I would sit in training sessions and see firsthand how our materials helped adult learners understand new tools and processes, and how they became better at what they did. This encouraged my team to find value in what they do and help them strive to become better course developers. As a people manager, you also need to show the impact of your team’s work in the lives of others, so they find meaning and purpose in what they do.

Some people are compelled to express themselves artistically. I have never been artistic, nor have I considered myself to be particularly artistic. But last year, I was forced to create my own materials for my team’s communication project.

Since I was only using PowerPoint, I had to make do with it to make a number of animated videos.

Surprisingly, I had fun doing them and I used different animation styles. Sometimes, you need to push your team out of their comfort zones so they can explore how creative they are in problemsolving. Give stretch assignments that continue to challenge your team’s creativity.

Other people find motivation from developing their skills or learning something new simply because they want their curiosity satisfied. These

people find satisfaction from using a new tool or process, and using it to make their work easier.

Keep them motivated by asking their opinion on problems or issues you encounter and involving them in the decision-making process. Doing so will make them feel valued and appreciated, and help keep you grounded on the team’s general sentiment.

Some people are driven to succeed because of a set goal. Your role as a people manager is to identify the personal and professional goals of your team and, provide the necessary support for them to succeed, especially their career development. Knowing their personal goals will help you forecast factors that might make them leave, but helping them in their professional goals will help keep them engaged and productive. Helping your team achieve their goals and succeed is the true mark of being a good people manager. And when they see how supportive you are for them to succeed, it gives them the added motivation to not just do more but excel as well.

As a people manager, you will consistently find yourself torn between the organization’s bottom line with your team’s needs and wants.

Motivating your team and keeping them engaged involves a balance of knowing your team’s engagement drivers with the company’s business objectives, and how you reconcile both in your team’s deliverables. And you do this by finding the right mix of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators to keep your team at the peak of their game.

Moved to give the best WHEN the going gets tough, medical frontliners get moving. Since day one of this pandemic, medical frontliners have been risking their well-being to save lives. White Coat Manila (www.whitecoatmanila.com) recently released a video reflecting the daily struggles of these individuals (youtu.be/hugfw6SMOAo).

“We want our medical professionals to know that we see them and we feel them. Being a medical professional myself, I understand the challenges they go through on a personal level. We wanted this to open the conversation on what inspires and motivates our superhero frontliners to continue to suit up and show up during this ongoing pandemic,” said Dr. Nikki ChanOngkingco, co-founder of the leading brand of scrub suits and medical coats in the country.

White Coat Manila’s recognition of the needs of the medical frontliners extends beyond just producing the video, as evident in their line of MoveTech scrub suits. Created to disrupt the antiquated medical wear clothing industry, the new scrub suits combine technical performance features with unparalleled comfort and style. It is the first in the country to have five of the most sought-after properties in medical clothing: ultra-lightweight, four-way stretch, water-resistant, crease-resistant, and anti-microbial Ruco-Bac-coated.

The ultra-lightweight property of MoveTech scrubs addresses the need for comfortable garments under the layers of medical grade PPEs. Medical professionals

working in hospitals usually have shifts ranging from eight to 72 hours, so comfort is really a must.

The four-way stretch property provides total ease of movement. Sometimes, medical professionals need to bend, squat, hold certain angles in a surgery setting, and having a fabric that can stretch with them as they move provides more comfort and efficiency than the usual twill or cotton blended with polyester material.

The water-resistant property takes care of the need for stain-resistance so when liquids unintentionally spill, the frontliners can continue with their work without the interruption of changing clothes. The crease-resistant property addresses the need to look fresh and presentable through a long shift. And last but not the least, the anti-microbial Ruco-Bac-coating inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeast, algae, and other microorganisms that cause odor and fabric damage. So, the coating is for odor protection as well as to increase the durability of the scrubs.

MoveTech scrubs are flattering across all body types and genders, and are available in classic and trendy styles.

White Coat Manila’s products are 100 percent proudly Filipino-sewn. “Employing skilled local sewers and providing other ancillary jobs through our growing brand is our little way of taking part in nation-building and in contributing to the county’s efforts to recover from the pandemic,” shares Dr. Ongkingco.

What is wishcycling?

Two waste experts explain

By Jessica Heiges

University of California, Berkeley

WISHCYCLING is putting something in the recycling bin and hoping it will be recycled, even if there is little evidence to confirm this assumption.

Hope is central to wishcycling. People may not be sure the system works, but they choose to believe that if they recycle an object, it will become a new product rather than being buried in a landfill, burned or dumped.

The US recycling industry was launched in the 1970s in response to public concern over litter and waste. The growth of recycling and collection programs changed consumers’ view of waste: It didn’t seem entirely bad if it could lead to the creation of new products via recycling.

Pro-recycling messaging from governments, corporations and environmentalists promoted and reinforced recycling behavior. This was especially true for plastics that had resin identification codes inside a triangle of “chasing arrows,” indicating that the item was recyclable—even though that was usually far from the truth. In fact, only resins #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, or PET) and #2 (high-density polyethylene, or HDPE) are relatively easy to recycle and have viable markets. The others are hard to recycle, so some jurisdictions don’t even collect them.

Wishcycling entered public consciousness in 2018 when China launched Operation National Sword, a sweeping set of restrictions on imports of most waste materials from abroad.

Over the preceding 20 years, China had purchased millions of tons of scrap metal, paper and plastic from wealthy nations for recycling, giving those countries an easy and cheap option for managing waste materials.

The China scrap restrictions created enormous waste backups in the US, where governments had under-invested in recycling systems. Consumers saw that recycling was not as reliable or environmentally friendly as previously believed.

An unlikely coalition of actors in the recycling sector coined the term “wishcycling” in an effort to educate the public about effective recycling. As they emphasize, wishcycling can be harmful.

Contaminating the waste stream with material that is not actually recyclable makes the sorting process more costly because it requires extra labor. Wishcycling also damages sorting systems and equipment and depresses an already fragile trading market.

Huge waste management companies and small cities and towns have launched educational campaigns on this issue.

Their mantra is “When in doubt, throw it out.” In other words, only place material that truly can be recycled in your bin. This message is hard for many environmentalists to hear, but it cuts costs for recyclers and local governments.

We also believe it’s important to understand that the global waste crisis wasn’t created by consumers who failed to wash mayonnaise jars or separate out plastic bags. The biggest drivers are global. They include capitalistic reliance on consumption, strong international waste trade incentives, a lack of standardized recycling policies and the devaluation of used resources. To make further progress, governments and businesses will have to think more about designing products with disposal and reuse in mind, reducing consumption of single-use products and making massive investments in recycling infrastructure.

THE CONVERSATION

B6 Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Okada Manila partners with Diageo for exclusive rights to display and sell John Walker Master’s Ruby Reserve

2021 International Finance Awards hails Joey R. Garcia as Best F&B CEO

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IGHT8ATE President and Chief Executive Officer Joey R. Garcia was named Best F&B CEO in the Philippines by the prestigious International Finance Awards (IFA).

IFA’s Leadership Awards recognizes exceptional leaders that drive business growth and demonstrate excellence in business leadership, strength, ingenuity, knowledge, and foresight.

Garcia has over 30 years of experience and a proven track record of exceeding profitability goals, turning around underperforming markets, and driving increase in revenues and market shares.

Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic especially in the F&B industry, Eight8Ate stood out not only with positive gains but with long-term growth strategies that safely secure its sustainable future. Garcia and his team redefined in-store experience to make daily operations more responsive to the emerging needs of consumers, and resilient to any future challenges.

The Eight8Ate team also enhanced customer satisfaction and sought to provide more reasons to be excited about F&B retail and consumption, such as offering new healthy food options in its menus.

More than just a food brand

EIGHT8ATE responded to the call of the pandemic and helped provide livelihood through the Accredited Conti’s Delight Shopper Program, bringing relief and delight to those looking for alternative sources of income in difficult times. The “pasabuyers” are trained to properly handle and transport Conti’s cake orders to preserve their quality and condition upon being received by buyers. This way, loyal Conti’s patrons can be assured of the quality

EIGHT8ATE President and CEO Joey R. Garcia is an Innovator in Philippine F&B. of the products they receive through delivery while at the same time ensuring continuous livelihood for displaced workers doing “pasabuy” services.

The company has also supported over 3,000 of its own team through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To help alleviate pressure and hardship off employees, Eight8Ate provided temporary support schemes such as food relief, and a motorcycle and bike loan program to increase the team’s access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable means of transportation in the face of lockdowns.

“Receiving this Leadership Award would not have been possible if not for my hardworking and dedicated team. I am immensely grateful for their support, unwavering commitment to customer delight, and innovative thinking which

allowed us to thrive and grow despite the pandemic. We will keep on delighting our customers by elevating their experience through innovations and good food that brings smiles in every bite.” said Garcia.

Udenna Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dennis A. Uy said, “Joey is a true innovator, revolutionizing the Philippine F&B scene by fortifying well-loved Conti’s Bakeshop and Restaurant, and Wendy’s. He serves as an inspiration to many, myself included, with his outstanding leadership, and his strong passion for food and sharing delight to customers and communities.”

The future beyond the pandemic looks bright for Garcia and the Eight8Ate team as they are poised with resilience and sustainability, not only for their business but for its valued stakeholders and foodloving Filipinos.

UnionBank rolls out Bank on Wheels in Cebu to help typhoon-affected customers

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N a bid to aid the victims of Typhoon Odette in their journey toward recovery, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) recently deployed its "Bank on Wheels" (BOW) mobile banking facility in Cebu, to provide customers with easy access to much needed basic financial services.

BOW is UnionBank's 5G-capable banking kiosk in a van, designed to bring the Bank's trailblazing technology and innovation directly to its customers. It is a mobile version of its first-in-industry fully digital banking branch, The ARK, allowing

customers to experience the features of the said branch potentially anywhere in the country.

Cebu residents were able to use the automatic teller machine (ATM) inside the kiosk that enabled them (UnionBank cardholders) to do balance inquiry, withdrawal, funds transfer, and bills payment transactions.

With the cash recycler machine (CRM) also inside the kiosk, the Cebuano UnionBank customers were in addition to the transactions mentioned earlier, were able to do card-less withdrawal as well as

cash deposit for both carded and cardless transactions. Non-UnionBank cardholders, on the other hand, were able to do balance inquiries and cash withdrawals.

Housed in an air-conditioned and internet-connected facility, both machines replicate the fully digital banking branch experience, ensuring security and ease during transactions.

The BOW moved to various typhoonaffected areas to make its features accessible to as many banking customers as possible.

“In the wake of Typhoon Odette’s devastation, many banking customers in Cebu and other affected areas were left with little to no access to basic banking services. Committed to address this urgent concern, we deployed BOW while we worked on restoring the bank’s ATM network in these areas,” said UnionBank’s SEVP, CTOO and CTO Henry Aguda.

In the aftermath of the typhoon, UnionBank's ATM availability in disaster-stricken areas was cut to only 21 percent. But through the Bank's agility and superior digital banking capabilities, availability of its ATMs was up to 64 percent after just one day. As of writing, 97 percent of the Bank's ATMs in the said areas are now operational.

“UnionBank will go the extra mile to serve the needs of our customers especially in times like these,” said Henry Aguda. “We take our corporate social responsibility and business continuity very seriously, and customers can rest assured that their banking needs will be met even in the most difficult of situations.”

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KADA Manila recently announced its partnership with Diageo (Prestige) Philippines for the rights to display and sell the rare edition John Walker Master’s Ruby Reserve aged 40 years. With only 398 bottles produced for its loyal patrons worldwide, 2 bottles will be available in the Philippine market through this milestone partnership and available exclusively for at Okada Manila for its Reward Circle members.

The John Walker Master’s Ruby Reserve is a rich, perfectly balanced 40-year-old Scotch, made in celebration of Master Blender Jim Beveridge’s ruby anniversary at Johnnie Walker.

The two bottles of John Walker Master’s Ruby Reserve is on display at Okada Manila’s Casino High Limit area until February 17, 2022.

The two highly coveted John Walker Master’s Ruby Reserve bottles are being offered at PhP 1.8M++ each and exclusive only to Okada Manila’s Reward Circle members covering all tiers and no points need to be earned.

Okada Manila’s Reward Circle membership is open to guests who are 21 years old and above for free. Members enjoy exclusive rewards, privileges, and upgraded benefits

throughout the property.

Touted as Manila’s grand icon, the 42-hectare Okada Manila is known for its top tier facilities and services. Quickly gaining its popularity as a premier destination for hospitality and entertainment, the integrated resort has 993 exceptional accommodations ranging from 55sqm deluxe rooms to 1,400-sqm villas complemented by extraordinary amenities.

It sets the new gold standard for five-star luxury with its many distinct innovations that combine advanced technology, topclass amenities, environment-friendly architectural planning, and world-class entertainment options, all delivered with the kind of exemplary service that personifies the unique blend of JapaneseFilipino hospitality.

Cargill partners with CARE PH for RCCE project to increase Covid vaccination rates in the country

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ARGILL and CARE Philippines, have collaborated with non-government organizations and business partners, to boost the vaccination rates in select areas of Bulacan Province, Batangas and South Cotabato by the end of 2021 through the COVID-19 Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) and Vaccination Roll-Out project. This vaccine advocacy project is expected to reach about 260,000 people.

More than a year after the Philippines launched its efforts for mass vaccination against COVID-19, there is still much work to be done to achieve population protection. The National Task Force against COVID-19 released statistics showcasing a slowed down rate of administering shots last October with only 375,773 compared to 523,018 of August 2021.

A possible reason could still be the existing hesitancies from Filipinos about vaccination, with only 61% of the population being willing to be vaccinated based from a survey released by the Octa Research group last October 22.

The Social Weather Stations conducted a survey to find out what the possible reasons are why Filipinos are unwilling despite being offered a free vaccination.

The fear of possible side effects ranks as number one in the list followed by old age, being diagnosed with comorbidities and belief in reports of fatality.

“In Cargill, putting people first has always been a part of our values. And this value of caring for people goes beyond our employees and extends to those in the communities where we live and work.

Through the RCCE and Vaccination RollOut Project, we aim to tip the scale in favor of population protection from COVID, thus allowing ourselves and our communities to bounce back from this pandemic,” said Christopher Ilagan, Cargill Philippines’ Corporate Affairs Director.

The RCCE and Vaccination Roll-Out Project, which is being implemented in Malolos City, Baliwag and Pulilan in Bulacan Province, Sto. Tomas City in Batangas, and General Santos City in South Cotabato, aims to support 30 barangay local government units (BLGUs) to increase their capacities in implementing COVID-19 policies and help encourage their residents to get vaccinated.

More than 2,450 barangay officials, health workers and members of the peacekeeping team have already been trained by medical

professionals to further spread information and provide communication about the risks of COVID-19 and vaccination benefits.

Support was also given to BLGUs with low vaccination rates by providing free transportation for vaccination to residents - especially women, PWDs and the elderly - from far-flung areas of the covered locations. Incentives were also given, like rice, food and hygiene kits, to encourage other community members to participate.

In alignment with the proclamation that 30 November - 01 December and 1719 December 2021 as National Vaccination Days, the RCCE Project in Batangas and Bulacan provided free rides to 2,420 individuals from far flung barangays to the vaccination sites, free snacks and sanitary kits and distribution of information, education and campaign materials. The Community Health Educators (CHEs) hired and trained by the project also provided additional health manpower during the vaccination events at the selected barangays. Additionally, about 4,000 community members received rice and hygiene kits incentives from the project.

Among these community members whom the project assisted to be vaccinated, more 700 of them confessed that previously, they are hesitant to take the shot but through the community education conducted by the project, they were encouraged to get vaccinated.

Romy M. Pagaduan, the chairperson of Barangay Ligaya, General Santos City said that the project has made it easier for them to convince their residents to get vaccinated. He shared that his barangay is among those which have low vaccination rates due to people being less-informed, if not misinformed, about COVID-19 and the vaccines. “We now have the right answers to their questions especially those that were drawn from information they got from social media and rumors spread in the barangay”, he said.

The project is led by CARE Philippines and being implemented with Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE) and Sarangani Province Empowerment for Community Transformation Forum (Spectrum) in General Santos City, Southern Tagalog People’s Resource Center (STPRC) in Batangas and CARE Philippines in Bulacan with participation from Cargill employees across all these areas.

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 B7

Property sector to ‘roar’ in 2022

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By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

he year of the Tiger will see the local property sector roaring and regaining its lofty stature, according to property analysts.

Citing data from First Metro Securities Brokerage Corp., Claro Cordero Jr., director and head of research, consulting and advisory services, Cushman and Wakefield told the BusinessMirror the next 12 to 24 months will bring good times for the Philippine property sector boosted by a better operating environment and eased mobility while the increase in the rate of vaccination is seen to aid a sustainable economic reopening.

The residential segment, according to Cordero, will experience a boom propelled by the stable household purchasing power, labor market recovery, and continuous flow of overseas Filipino remittances, as well as the availability of credit to consumers. Moreover, the easing of restriction will lead to faster pickup of sales in the retail segment and will finally put the rental reprieve to a halt. While it is observed that rental charges are at currently 30 percent to 50 percent of the normal levels, “landlords were now reevaluating rental concessions rather frequently to allow them to price in the recovering operating environment.”

Meanwhile, Colliers Philippines Associate Director Joey Bondoc expects the rise in remittances of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would spur growth in residential demand. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that remittances in September 2021 reached $2.7 billion (P135 billion), up 5.2 percent YOY. For 2022, BSP forecasts a 4-percent growth in remittances.

Colliers believes the country’s

work force population led by the millennials will sustain demand for integrated communities. “The concept of building offices, condominiums, malls, schools and hospitals within one community satisfies the millennials’ demand for greater mobility and convenience,” Bondoc said.

After two consecutive quarters of year-on-year (YoY) decline, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’s (BSP) Residential Real Estate Price Index (RREPI) posted a growth of 6.3 percent in Q3 2021, with condominium units posting a price increase of 13.6 percent YoY while the prices of townhouses grew by a massive 37.1 percent YoY. Modest decline was recorded in duplex housing units by 0.2 percent YoY while single detached/attached houses contracted by 4.2 percent YoY. The improvement in the overall RREPI was a result of the slight recovery of residential property demand due to brighter economic prospects while the low-interest rate environment boosted the new residential property loans by 51.1 percent YoY in Q3 2021. Residential prices in the National Capital Region also exhibited a faster growth by 11.4 percent YoY as compared to residential units outside Metro Manila which grew by 4.9 percent YoY. Bondoc said the recovery of residential prices gathered speed along with the better-than-expected performance of the economy beginning in Q3 2021, encouraging an increase in residential transactions.

Going digital towards growth Bria Homes, a subsidiary of Gold-

LG announces call for entries for LG Ambassador Challenge

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lobally renowned electronics giant LG, announces call for entries to the Philippines’ LG Ambassador Challenge. The program, initiated globally with Korea Friends of Hope International, is a first in the Philippines and a part of LG’s commitment to help the Filipinos through social contribution activities that deliver sustainable growth to local communities.

The LG Electronics Ambassador Program is an annual social initiative founded in Bangladesh in 2017 which was expanded to other South Asian countries last year. Individuals and organizations are invited to submit ideas and solutions for local issues. The best, realistic, and workable proposals are awarded LG Ambassador status and provided with grants and donations to implement their work even further.

LG Philippines Managing Director Seungjae Kim shares his excitement about the program “For global companies like LG Electronics which operates in more than 100 locations worldwide, it is crucial that we participate in initiatives to promote mutual growth with local communities and build a company that works with our stakeholders for a better future.

This is a trailblazing initiative that looks for innovative programs that can uplift and improve the livelihood of Filipinos. Potential ambassadors are invited to shed

light and identify problems, and offer tangible, workable solutions for the betterment of lives.”

Under an overarching vision that sees various aspects of society working together to achieve a better life for all, the program is open to all groups that strive to solve social problems and alleviate poverty through LG products and technologies. It is a unique opportunity for individuals, groups, and organizations to make a difference.

The selection process will be based on the necessity, effectiveness, efficiency, specificity, and feasibility of the project. Make a difference and become an LG Ambassador today.

Competition period is extended until January 31, 2022.

See f f mec ha nics: Ind icate project entry name and location in subject title, and all project entries shall include the entry form format: name; designation; organization; telephone number; mobile number; e-mail address; program location; project description; Why should LG finance your project; budget (detailed 100-day implementation plan required, including unit price, quantity and timeline): For supporting documents, pit all photo and photo captions into a single word file and landscape orientation for video attachment/s, and submit the digital format entry in not more than 20MB to e-mail address: mktg-ph@lge.com.

Bria’s virtual tours take prospective clients—from anywhere in the world—to the developments of their choice and help them visualize what their new home would look like.

PHirst Park Homes Tayabas showroon

en MV Holdings, took the digital route to remain competitive despite the pandemic.

Eduardo Aguilar, president and COO of Bria Homes told the BusinessMirror transitioning to digital by boosting its online presence and allowing virtual transactions to thrive enabled the company to continue selling its products to the affordable market.

“To date, Bria Homes’ strong digital connections steadfastly ensure its prospective homebuyers’ safety as the latter explore the vast range of options Bria Homes

offers. Imagine getting a glimpse of any of Bria Homes’ 50-plus residential projects from the security of their homes by immersing in Bria’s 360 Virtual Tours,” Aguilar said.

The official virtual tours also offer prospective clients from anywhere in the world to check the developments of their choice and help them visualize what their new home would look like.

In response to the rising demand for vertical living, Aguilar said Bria will accelerate construction this year of its vertical villag-

es. “Primed to cater to the needs of mobile young professionals and starting families, these midrise condos will offer cozy and intimate co-living in elegant walk-up buildings where residents will be encouraged to forge small, tightly knit communities,” he explained.

Apart from featuring compact, efficiently laid-out living spaces, Aguilar said the Bria vertical villages will have a fine set of amenities rarely offered in economical midrise condos such as communal clubhouses with function halls, swimming pools and spacious play

areas, and complete gym facilities. There will be jogging paths, landscaped gardens, and walkable green spaces to encourage residents to engage in active and holistic lifestyles.

He said all vertical projects will be strategically located to allow residents to have easier access to economic centers.

Aguilar is confident the company will be one of the property market’s best performing companies in 2022 moving forward.

“Bria Homes takes pride in offering the best value-for-money housing to all aspiring Filipino homeowners,” Aguilar said. “As the pandemic continues to reshape the way Filipinos spend or invest their money, our resolve to deliver well-designed homes of choice to prospective buyers can only grow stronger.”

Meanwhile, PHirst Park Homes recently launched its ninth development and the farthest project in the south as of 2021. “This is a 23-hectare development. This will be the future home of around 2,000 Filipinos here in Tayabas, Quezon,” shared PPHI General Manager for Tactical Sales Robert Gil during the launch of PHirst Park Homes Tayabas.

The property launch also presented the beauty of Tayabas and the grandeur of PPHI properties.

This four-part “amazing-race” inspired digital miniseries, participated by online influencers and PPHI employees, unveiled the different activities that adventure-seeking homeowners can appreciate inside PPHI Tayabas.

The unique launch did not only showcase the fascinating ecological wonders of Tayabas, Quezon, it was also an avenue that recognized the rich heritage and culture of the city.

“We’ve been all over the North, we’ve been all over the South. And we will continuously develop and provide the units we call beautiful, complete, and affordable homes in the whole country,” Gil said.

The Best of Bayside and City Living at SMDC’s Sail Residences

Enjoy the benefits of a world-class development in a premier location

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luxurious vacation desired by people from across the world is usually one that’s spent on grand cruise ships or first-class private yachts. The relaxation, family-friendly atmosphere, food, pampering, and entertainment such an experience offers are truly unmatched and unforgettable. Plus, you get to admire the natural beauty of the waters surrounding you.

Now, such a trip doesn’t have to be just a once-in-a-lifetime event.

With SMDC’s Sail Residences, a world-class, privileged lifestyle by the bay is now within your reach.

High-quality features, high-quality life With four exquisite towers in a 2.2-hectare property right at the heart of the Mall of Asia complex, Sail Residences offers residents the opportunity to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle that comes from

living in one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic districts. Sail Residences’ architecture is inspired by a sailboat deck, with bay view glass balconies and a three-level viewing deck where one can enjoy the breathtaking views of the Manila Bay Sunset. Inside each tower are impressively appointed, hotel-like lobbies adorned with sculptures and nautical-inspired design details.

Country club amenities are integrated into the development which include an expansive Sshaped pool, an outdoor jacuzzi, gazebos, and al-fresco lounges. A lush central garden has a sailboatinspired fountain, a tree court, a wooden walkway deck, and playgrounds. The piece de resistance of the amenity area is the central clubhouse, which houses a wellappointed gym on the 2nd floor that looks out to the resort-like amenities.

Luxurious living in an exceptional location W ith sweeping views of the world’s most iconic bay and its stunning sunset, SMDC’s Sail Residences defines premium living. It combines a world-class location and a premium development to establish a distinctive address, where residents can enjoy the best of bay and city living at the same time. Whether it’s to reach the airport, the Metro’s central business districts, or any of the entertainment destinations, you’re never too far away at Sail Residences.

The 60-hectare integrated community of the SM Mall of Asia complex is home to the most exciting commercial, leisure, and retail developments, such as the SMX Convention Center, the MOA Arena, the MOA Seaside Boulevard, and the Bay Amusement Park. Michelin-star restaurants and premier degustation spots

are also just minutes away at the SM Mall of Asia, S Maison, Conrad Manila, and the nearby Entertainment City. Just a walk away from it all, SMDC’s Sail Residences allows its residents to enjoy the unparalleled convenience of being at the center of everything.

For homebuyers and real-estate investors looking for a premier development in a dynamic location, Sail Residences is the perfect choice. Not only does it allow residents to live an opulent lifestyle, but it is also an excellent investment opportunity, offering unmatched capital appreciation opportunities because of its prime location.

Live the lux life you deserve in the country’s most exciting location at Sail Residences.

For more information about SMDC ’s Sail Residences, visit www.smdc.com/properties/sailresidences/.

Olympian Nievarez leads 6-silver medal haul in virtual Asian rowing tournament

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OKYO Olympics veteran Cris Nievarez led a six-silver and two-bronze medal haul in the Asian Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships held over the weekend to drumbeat a potential Philippine participation in the World Indoor Championships set late next month.

Nievarez clocked six minutes and 25.90 seconds to bag silver in the men’s under-23 2,000-meter event that lured 15 participants and won by Hongkong’s Ho Yin Wong.

Showing potential besides the 21-year-old Nievarez was Kristine Paraon, only 19, who clinched silver medals in the eighth-athlete women’s under-23 500-meter and 2,000-meter events.

Also claiming silver medals for the Philippine Rowing Association (PRA) were Zuriel Sumintac in men’s lightweight 500 meters and Ateneo rowers Joachim de Jesus in men’s lightweight under-23 500 meters and Alyssa Go in women’s lightweight under-23 500 meters.

Christian Joseph Jasmin (men’s lightweight 2000 meters) and Kharl Julianne Sha (women’s lightweight under-23 500 meters) provided the bronze medals.

“We are very satisfied with the performance of our rowers that despite the Covid-19 pandemic that limits faceto-face and actual training on the water, they stayed in competitive form,” PRA president Patrick “Pato” Gregorio said.

“We are looking forward to the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi and the Asian Games in Hangzhou later this year, and this is a good start for the team as they gear up for these major international competitions,” Gregorio added.

Nineteen rowers—12 men and seven women—took part in the virtual competition that was staged for the second straight year because of the pandemic, according to PRA treasurer Magnum Membrere.

“We are happy and proud of the results,” national team head coach Edgardo Maerina said. “These medals inspire the entire team to work harder this year.”

The Asian Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships was organized by the Asian Rowing Federation and hosted by the Hong Kong China Rowing Association. The competition is one of several sanctioned events for qualification to the World Rowing Indoor Championships originally set in Hamburg, Germany, but was decided to go virtual on February 25 and 26.

The other members of the team were Karl Julliane Sha, Joanie Delgaco, Amelyn Pagulayan, Athens Greece Tolentino, Van Maxilom, Edgar Ilas and Ateneo’s Emmanuel Joseph Obaña, as well as coach Con Fornea. Tolentino is the son of Olympian Benjamin Tolentino.

The team competed in a bubble setup from the PRA quarters at the La Mesa Dam in Quezon City.

Sports

Hanoi organizers bare timelines for postponed 31st SEA Games

BusinessMirror

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RGANIZERS of the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee reaffirmed Vietnam’s hosting of the delayed games from May 12 to 25 following Tuesday’s first chef de mission meeting that was held online because of travel protocols wrought by the Covid-19 omicron variant spike early this month.

“It’s certainly a go for the SEA Games in Hanoi in May,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who attended the meeting with Team Philippines chef de mission Ramon Fernandez.

“Pre-Games formalities and timelines were presented, as well as soft copies of the Games manual were distributed to the members,” said Tolentino as the countdown to the Games, originally scheduled from November 21 to December 2 last year, ticked at 114 days on Monday.

With the entry by numbers done last January 12, Tolentino said Hanoi set

B8

| Wednesday, January 19, 2022 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

EARLY EXIT FOR LEYLAH

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ELBOURNE, Australia—The Australian Open started well for second-seeded Daniil Medvedev, one of the biggest potential beneficiaries of Novak Djokovic’s deportation.

Aiming to be the first man in the Open era to win his second major title on his next Grand Slam appearance, Medvedev had a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over Henri Laaksonen on Tuesday in the first round at Melbourne Park.

Defending champion Djokovic was already back in Serbia, two days after losing his legal challenge to stay in Australia despite being unvaccinated against Covid-19, when Medvedev went onto Rod Laver Arena and raced through the first set in 26 minutes.

Nobody has dominated on that court like Djokovic, who was unbeaten in the nine finals he reached at the Australian Open. Medvedev was the most recent recipient of one of those beatings, losing last year’s championship match.

But he avenged that with his breakthrough major title at the US Open, where his victory meant Djokovic’s bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam finished one win short.

“I like pressure,” he said. “Always want to do better than I did last year (but) it’s not going to be easy.”

That’s something Leylah Fernandez has had to confront.

The 19-year-old FilipinoCanadian lost, 6-2, 6-4, to 133rdranked wild-card entry Maddison Inglis in her first Grand Slam match since her runner-up finish at the US Open.

Fernandez made 30 unforced errors, dropped her serve three times and hit only eight winners on 1573 Arena against Inglis, who converted her third match point to complete her very first win in the main draw of a major.

“Today was just not a good day.

Too many mistakes,” Fernandez said.

She lost in the first round at last year’s Australian Open to then defending champion Sofia Kenin.

HIDILYN TAKES EJ’S ‘6’ A

By Josef Ramos

SIAN men’s pole vault record holder Ernest John “EJ” Obiena has fellow Tokyo Olympian Hidilyn Diaz—the country’s first Olympic gold medalist no less—at

his side as he recovers from a knee surgery ahead of his sport’s indoor season that opens later this month.

“Always believe that you can do it because you know, and I know with no doubt, that you can do it,” Diaz told an online radio program re-

Djokovic loser from the start MY heart also goes to Novak Djokovic. He knew he had a losing cause. Still, he fought for it all the way to the ramparts of a court not totally under his control: the court of law. Had the battle been contested in a tennis court, he might have won it—by even a rout, maybe.

Unfortunately, he had been in an arena totally alien to him.

Still, he plodded on, unmindful of the snare that awaited him in the darkness of uncertainty.

And the inevitable happened.

After almost two weeks of fighting for his visa so that he could defend his Australian Open crown, he lost—as expected.

The stark lesson is crystal clear: If you can’t fight City Hall, what more with government?

For that was all there is to it.

Djokovic had taken on the Australian government. A stance as winless as Pacquiao’s bid for the presidency.

But amid all this, I have a confession to make. In a way, I share Djokovic’s battle cry: The cause worth fighting for is the lost cause.

For, only in fighting for a lost cause that you fight with all your might, with all your heart, with all your soul—as

FILIPINO-CANADIAN Leylah Fernandez succumbs to too many unforced errors. AP For Fernandez, the venue and the vibe were a long way from her run to the final at Flushing Meadows, where she lost to Emma Raducanu.

Raducanu was scheduled to play later Tuesday against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens. AP cently, adding that she’s confident the 26-year-old Obiena could defend his gold medal at the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games in May and finally snare that mint in the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.

Obiena remains in Baden Wurttemberg, Germany, where he is recovering from a surgery to repair a minor meniscus tear on his left knee last Wednesday. He is expected to start his indoor campaign at the Init Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany, on January 28, and at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan, from February 11 to 13.

Diaz didn’t mince her words in enDIAZ

THE national rowers—(standing, from left) coach Con Fornea, Mirielle Qua (training pool), Allysa Go (training pool), Karl Julliane Sha, Joanie Delgaco, Amelyn Pagulayan, Athens Greece Tolentino, Zuriel Sumintac, Cris Nievarez and Van Maxilom and (sitting, from left) Joachim de Jesus (training pool), Kristine Paraon) training Pool), Emmanuel Joseph Obaña (training pool), Christian Joseph Jasmin and Edgar Ilas—strike a pose after the online competition.

Djokovic so proudly did.

There is no other fight more satisfying than the unwinnable one—if only because you are fighting for something that you honestly believe is the right path.

If you come down to it, the Djokovic visa saga was shot full of ironies.

The Australian government gave Djokovic a visa, only to cancel it upon his arrival in Melbourne.

A judge overturned his government’s decision and restored Djokovic’s visa.

The government’s immigration minister stepped in, getting the nod of three Federal justices in revoking for the second time—and with finality—Djokovic’s visa, a verdict that even drew a three-year ban for Djokovic to enter Australia as provided for by law.

A known anti-vaccine foe, Djokovic had gotten a visa when officials of Tennis Australia, organizers of the Australian Open, provided the Australian government with a medical exemption for the world No. 1 from Serbia.

However, a medical exemption applies only to returning residents of Australia and not to visitors like Djokovic.

So, was Djokovic given false hopes of entering Australia

by Australia’s tennis officials—only to be eventually kicked out by a government that originally granted him a visa?

And what if Djokovic had taken the jab as required by Australian law?

Apparently, Djokovic, in refusing to budge, favored pride over yielding to government powers.

In essence, the lost cause carried with it the loss of a 10th Australian Open crown, the vanishing of a record 21st Grand Slam and, yes, the evaporation of no less than $1 million in prize money.

Yes, he lost everything. Except his ego.

THAT’S IT I have this hunch that Mark Magsayo (23-0, 16 KOs) will defeat Gary Russell Jr. (33-1-0) on Sunday (January 23 Manila time) in New Jersey, USA, and become the newest Filipino world boxing champion.

a February 12 distribution date and March 12 deadline for the submission of accreditation forms.

The deadline for the submission of entries by names, Tolentino added, is set for March 12, after which the chefs de mission will meet again, most likely face-to-face, on March 18.

The POC submitted a 627-athlete (Note: corrected 627 athletes from previous 626) entry by numbers for the Games with Filipino athletes competing in 39 of the 40 sports on the Hanoi program.

The Philippines is not competing in xiangqi or Chinese or elephant chess but is fielding athletes in bodybuilding which is making a comeback in the SEA Games after getting scrapped because of rampant doping.

The medical and doping control handbooks, Tolentino said, are due one month before the opening ceremony on May 12, while the Accreditation Center in Hanoi will open on April 25.

Vietnam set a May schedule for the Games to give Cambodia enough window for its firtst-time hosting of the multi-sport competition in February 2023. The Philippines is the reigning overall champion of the biennial Games following a successful hosting of the 30th edition in 2019.

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (top left) and chef de mission Ramon Fernandez (bottom right) attend the first chef de mission online meeting for the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games on Tuesday.

couraging Obiena amid a crisis with his national sports association.

“You can win a gold medal [even] in the Olympics and I believe you can easily do it,” Diaz added. “There are times you ask ‘why?’ There are times also that you want to give up, especially when you have an injury.

But you have to think of the people around you, those who believe in you and never give up.”

“You have to keep going to overcome the challenges,” added Diaz, OBIENA

PBA board to determine Govs’ Cup fate in crucial meeting next week

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PHILIPPINE Basketball Association (PBA) Board of Governors’ meeting will determine the fate of the indefinitely suspended Governors’ Cup, league commissioner Willia Marcial bared on Tuesday.

“The [PBA] board will meet next week to determine the plan or plans for the resumption of the Governors’ Cup,” Marcial told the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum. “By next week, we’ll get to see the light.”

The Governors’ Cup returned to the Smart Araneta Coliseum with fans already in the stands at 50 percent capacity but was suspended on January 6 because Metro Manila was placed under Alert Level 3 because of the spike in infections with

Tapales up for world title fight

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ARLON “NIGHTMARE” TAPALES is bracing for his biggest fight so far against unified world super bantamweight titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan sometime in April in a still undetermined venue in the United States.

Tapales, 29, a former World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight titlist, thanked the International Boxing Federation (IBF) for elevating him as the mandatory challenger only last January 4 against the undefeated southpaw champion.

“I’m dreaming of this fight for a

long, long time. I want to face the best of the best or the best ever,” Tapales told BusinessMirror on Monday, stressing the fight won’t be easy because Akhmadaliev is a “strong and durable foe.”

“Based on what I saw on videos, Akhmadaliev is an in-and-out fighter and he has great stamina,” said Tapales, who is trained by Ting Ariosa and Ernel Fontanilla. “He knows how to adjust very well.”

Tapales is coming off a second round stoppage of Japanese Hiroaki Teshigawara last December 13 in an IBF world title eliminator at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson City. He improved

who will also defend the SEA Games and Asian Games and is bound to go for the only mint missing from her collection—the world championships.

Diaz added: “I really understand you, the trials you’ve been in. It’s very difficult to be a national athlete, but always remember you’re doing it for our country.… Don’t give up, whatever they say about you, always remember that you can do it.”

Obiena thanked Diaz, who will turn 31 on February 20, for her inspiring words and told the 30-yearold four-time Olympian that she’ll succeed in her campaign this year.

“I want to see Ate Hidi defend her SEA Games and Asian Games gold medals and win a second gold in Paris 2024,” Obiena said. “She’s a beacon for us athletes, a role model to all of us Filipinos, and her achievements and journey make us all do better and push for greater heights.” the Covid-19 omicron variant.

Marcial said that he already had an initial discussion with PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas on the Governors’ Cup, which the league could either resume in a bubble or in a closed-circuit environment that needs the approval of government health authorities.

Scrapping the conference—or the 46th season for that matter—is also an option, Marcial said.

Marcial, however, stressed that hopes of resuming the conference soon emerged after the Games and Amusement Board endorsed the PBA’s request to go on under allowed health protocols with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. to 35-3 won-lost with 18 knockouts.

The 27-year-old Akhmadaliev, who holds the IBF and World Boxing Association super bantamweight belts, is unbeaten in 10 fights with seven knockouts.

Akhmadaliev won the titles over American Daniel Roman in January 2020 in Miami, Florida, and defended his belt against Japanese Ryosuke Iwasa via technical knockout in March 3 Tashkent and Jose Velasquez of Chile via unanimous decision in November 19 in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 2021.

The Top Rank promotion fight between featherweight Jeo Santisima and Joet Gonzalez on February 5, meanwhile, was rescheduled to March 4 at the Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California. Josef Ramos