BusinessMirror January 25, 2021

‘20 SIN TAX DIPS TO P261B

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Monday, January 25, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 106

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P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 20 pages |

ON LOCKDOWNS, BANS No new jobs seen for 20% of displaced workers

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

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@BNicolasBM

OVERNMENT’S excise tax collections on “sin” products dipped to P260.58 billion in 2020 as Covid-19 induced lockdowns and the imposition of alcohol bans dampened consumer demand.

By Cai U. Ordinario

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Based on preliminary data obtained by the BusinessMirror, total sin taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs went down by 3.27 percent last year from P269.4 billion in 2019.

Despite this, the government was able to exceed its 2020 revised sin tax collection goal of P235.3 billion that the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) adopted on July 28 last year.

Nonetheless, excise taxes collected from alcohol and sweetened beverages were both down yearon-year while the government managed to take more excise taxes last year from tobacco compared to 2019.

Finance Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa Habitan said the imposition of the lockdown amid the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with an alcohol ban in most jurisdictions caused the decline in sin tax collections.

Tobacco draws big share

“Matindi lang ang smokers, kahit ECQ [enhanced community quarantine], naninigarilyo pa rin [The smokers are just more persistent, they continued to smoke even under an ECQ], though at a slower pace,” Habitan said in a message to BusinessMirror.

Among the sin products, the government collected the most from tobacco last year at P148.45 billion. This was slightly higher by 0.58 percent from P147.6 billion in 2019.

See “Sin tax,” A12

Sto. Niño images were paraded around Iloilo City on Sunday for the annual Dinagyang Señor Santo Niño Religious Motorcade. This year’s observance was much more subdued than past years owing to the pandemic-induced health protocols, but the few who went out raised their Sto. Niño images, hoping that their sadsad prayers will be heard. The Iloilo City Government shared the virtual celebration with devotees of the child Jesus all over the globe. In photo above, right, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas led the lightning ceremony of Casa De Emperador at Festive Walk in Mandurriao district during the Celebration of Dinagyang Digital 2021. ARNOLD ALMACEN/Iloilo City Mayor's Office

PESO exchange rates n US 48.0470

@caiordinario

IVEN existing mobility restrictions, around 20 percent of those who lost their jobs last year may not be able to find new employment this year, according to a former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary.

In a presentation at the Ateneo Eagle Watch forum “Preparing your Business and Institution in Prioritizing for Recovery,” Cielito F. Habito, Senior Fellow at the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (Acerd), said around 22 percent of workers last year became “idle” due to lockdowns imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Those who became idle came from the agriculture, industry, and services sectors. However, Habito said, most of those workers who stopped working last year came from the services sector.

“This has been the major hit really when it comes to people in the economy, it’s the jobs that were hit. And under these circumstances, 20 percent of workers will not find work and so it will continue to be the biggest challenge because of complications such as poverty and social welfare,” said Habito, a former chief of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

Habito said that while farm jobs rose by 432,000 based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) last year, industry and services jobs declined.

The PSA data showed a total of 2.55 million jobs were lost last year ‚with 2.09 million in the services sector and 896,000 in the industry sector.

n japan 0.4643 n UK 65.9926 n HK 6.1984 n CHINA 7.4382 n singapore 36.3442 n australia 37.2989 n EU 58.4540 n SAUDI arabia 12.8091

Continued on A5

Source: BSP (January 22, 2021)

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DOLE, UAE execs to work on HSW deployment revival

By Samuel P. Medenilla

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@sam_medenilla

ABOR officials are set to meet with a contingent of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next month for the possible resumption of the deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSW) in the Arab country.

Among the issues they will discuss are the provisions of the standard employment contract (SEC) of UAE-bound HSWs, according to Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III. He said the talks may eventually lead to the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) if UAE will finally decide to accept the SEC. “The high-level delegation will arrive on the first week of February for possible signing of the MOA,” Bello told BusinessMirror in an SMS.

Deployment requirement

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said the MOA is necessary before the government can allow the normal deployment of Filipino HSWs to UAE. “The SEC is needed to ensure the protection of our OFWs there,” Olalia said.

In 2014, the UAE government enforced its own SEC for foreign HSWs, which did not contain the provisions mandated by Philip-

pines laws.

This issue effectively halted the deployment for Filipino HSWs to UAE. Since then, both parties have negotiated to harmonize the provisions of their respective SECs.

Government-facilitated recruitment

Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani, however, noted that even after the SEC matter, some Filipino HSWs were still able to travel to UAE through illegal recruitment channels.

Such “backdoor deployment” was either being done in the country’s international airport by unscrupulous recruiters and government personnel, or through “third” countries, which serve as staging point for UAE-bound Filipino HSWs. Citing international reports, Geslani said the UAE government is bent on curbing such illegal deployment of migrant HSWs in its territories.

Among the measures adopted by the UAE government, he said, was to take over from the private recruitment agencies the task of facilitating the hiring of foreign HSWs in its territories.

He said the government-togovernment scheme will now make it easier for the Philippine gover nment to negotiate for better protection for Filipino HSWs, who will be employed in UAE.

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Strong performer PHL peso seen weaker as dollar demand rises

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By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad

HE Philippine peso—which has been the most robust emerging market currency in the past two years—is expected to lose some strength this year amid the resurgence of dollar demand.

St a nd a rd C h a r tered Ba n k (StanChart), in a recent press event, projected the local currency to trade at P49.5 against the greenback by the end of the year. This is about 3 percent weaker than the current trading level of P48.

“We think the dollar/peso is going to go slightly higher, not materially, but we do expect slight weakness in the Philippine peso this year,” said Divya Devesh, the bank’s foreign exchange research head for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) region and South Asia.

With the expectation of the economy opening up further, Devesh said imports are likely to see a rebound as well. “As imports pick up, I think the dollar demand comes back into the picture,” he explained, noting that this would weigh on the value of the peso this year.

T he StanChart analyst explained that last year’s contraction

in imports was among the major supporting factors for the peso.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country’s total imported goods declined by 24.5 percent to $77.63 billion as of November 2020 from P102.88 billion year-on-year.

“2020 was largely a year of import contraction.... In 2021, we expect that to reverse,” Devesh added.

The local currency may also be overvalued now, Devesh explained, after gaining some momentum the past years.

On the last trading day of 2020, the peso ended at P48.02, which is about 5 percent stronger than its P50.63 closing on December 27, 2019. This is the local currency’s strongest finish in the past four years.

“Peso now is quite strong in valuation terms and most metrics probably suggest that peso is overvalued,” he said. “Although, we can discuss and debate as to how much overvaluation there is because you can get different answers depending on which variable you look at.”

“Peso does not enjoy a very strong support from real rates at this point,” he added, noting the accommodative monetary policy stance of the Monetary Board.

Devesh is expecting the peso to

further weaken to P50 against the dollar next year.

On Friday last week, the peso settled at P48.085 against the greenback, which is 0.06 percent weaker than its closing on the previous day. The peso:dollar exchange has gone up by around six centavos or 0.1 percent year-to-date.

RCBC Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said that the peso has remained relatively strong despite the recent decline in value. The local currency has been consistently below the P48.10 levels for two months already, he noted.

“However, these would be offset by any pickup in importation, including some hedging for the payment of imports, also as the economy further recovers/re-opens from lockdowns,” he said in a recent report. Ricafort pegged immediate resistance within P48.10 to P48.12 levels.

Inflation uptick not worrisome

Despite projecting higher inflation this year, StanChart Economist for Asia Chidu Narayanan is not worried by the uptick in consumer price growth, given the low base in 2020.

“It [inflation] is not going to be driven by increased activity or by overheating of the economy,” he explained during the same briefing.

For 2021, the foreign bank expects inflation to average at 3.5 percent. The figure is anticipated to go down to 3 percent next year.

The forecast is higher than the 2.9 percent average in 2021 projected by economists surveyed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Narayanan said the economy should watch out for the impact of typhoons in the second half as this can drive up inflation anew. To recall, the onslaught of typhoons in the latter part of 2020 prompted food prices to go up.

In addition, the StanChart economist noted that oil prices are expected to rise this year. This is seen to jack up transport costs as a result, he said.

The country’s annual average inflation last year registered at 2.6 percent, a little higher than the 2.5 percent in 2019. Still, it was within the government target band of 2.0 to 4.0 percent.

Consumption still low

Consumption is expected to remain low this year amid the economic slump, Narayanan said. It is only seen to return to prepandemic levels by 2022, he added.

For household spending to rise, the economist said that activities should increase as public sentiment enhances.

“For the sentiment to come back, we need daily infections to be under control,” he stressed.

At the same time, Narayanan said the employment rate should return to prepandemic levels to support private consumption.

According to PSA data, household expenditures at current prices dropped by over 6 percent to P9.68 trillion in the first three quarters of 2020 from P10.31 trillion yearon-year.

Gross domestic product (GDP), meanwhile, contracted by an average of 10 percent in January to November last year. Full-year 2020 figures will be announced this week.

StanChart projects the country’s consumer-driven economy to decline by 8.9 percent. The foreign bank is expecting a rebound in GDP of 6.1 percent and 6.5 percent this year and in 2021, respectively.

The Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee earlier forecast that GDP will sink deeper by 8.5 percent to 9.5 percent in 2020 due to protracted lockdown measures.

WIN: SIM CARD LISTING CAN NET CHILD CYBERSEX RINGS

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he mandatory registration of prepaid SIM cards is a potential mechanism that will aid the government crack down on the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC), Senator Win Gatchalian said at the weekend.

Gatchalian explained that the absence of a SIM card registration law is one of the barriers that law enforcers face when running after child cybersex offenders who use technology to shield themselves with anonymity.

As early as 2014, a study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had drawn attention to the fact that in carrying out any form of child abuse and exploitation, potential offenders utilize disposable or prepaid SIM cards, which do not require any form of registration in some countries, he said.

Senate Bill No. 176 or the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act, which Gatchalian filed as early as June 2016 and then refiled in July 2019, will require end users of prepaid SIM cards to present a valid ID and photo and to sign a control-numbered registration form issued by the service provider of the purchased SIM card. Copies of the accomplished forms shall be furnished to the same service provider and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Earlier this month, Gatchalian sounded the alarm on reports of students selling lewd photos and videos to raise funds for distance learning.

According to The Philippine Online Student Tambayan (POST), a news portal on the student sector, online payment platforms were used for these transactions.

The non-government organization International Justice Mission (IJM) has identified the Philippines as the largest known source country of OSEC cases, receiving more than eight times as many referrals as any other country identified.

The Covid-19 pandemic, however, exacerbated the country’s challenges on OSEC, with cases reaching 47,937 in 2020 from 19,000 in 2019, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles. He added that the median age of the victims was 11 years old.

“As we try to stamp out child pornography, we have to push forward all measures to fast-track the prosecution of the criminals behind this. If the SIM card registration becomes law, it will be harder for traffickers abusing our youth to hide and run,” said Gatchalian.

Limited access to computers crimps digital shift—Angara Continued from A12

While many LGUs opted to maintain

the status quo and continue with face-tofacetransactionswiththeirconstituents, he warned that the absence of digital services “poses some real problems such as what was experienced in the distribution of cash aid during the enhanced community quarantine period.”

He recalled how “thousands of people had to go out of their homes and line up at designated areas in their respective LGUs to apply and receive their cash assistance,” recalling that “this was not only a laborintensive and tedious process, but also created significant health risks on both the recipients and the government workers.”

To facilitate the transition of LGUs

to digital services, Angara earlier filed Senate Bill 1943 or the Local Information and Communications Technology Officer (ICTO) Act, creating a new position of ICTO in all provinces, cities and municipalities across the country.

This, he added, entails an amendment to Sections 443 (a), 454 (a), and 463 (a) of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, which deal with the officials of the municipal, city and provincial governments.

Under the Angara bill, ICTOs will manage the following: formulating and executing digitization plans for processes and public documents in their respective LGUs; develop, maintain, and supervise all other information and communications

technology programs and services of the LGU (including partnerships with the private sector); and collate and disseminate information regarding ICT and the services of the local government to the public.

The ICTOs must be Filipino citizens of good moral character, and have degrees from recognized colleges and universities in information and communications technology, computer science, computer engineering, data science, electronics and communication engineering, or any other course that will be directly relevant to the job.

Besides Senate Bill 1943, Angara also filed Senate Billl 1470 or the National Digital Transformation Act and SB 1764 or the Use of Digital Payments Act. Butch Fernandez

The Nation BusinessMirror

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Charter change is ultimately people’s choice–lawmaker

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

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HE chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments said the ultimate decision to change the 1987 Constitution still rests with the people, and not Congress.

This, as a ranking church leader called on political leaders to discern well their intentions and give priority to helping people recover from the crippling effects of the pandemic, instead of tinkering with the Charter. " . . . Whatever we approve in the committee and in the plenary remains a proposal until it is ratified by the Filipino people and the plebiscite called for that purpose,” said Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., the panel chairman.

“Without ratification, the Charter change still remains a proposal,” he added.

He reiterated that the proposal to amend the Constitution is limited only to its economic provisions, as specified in Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2.

The Bicolano solon explained that should the constitutional amendments be ratified, this will not mean the automatic lifting of economic restrictions, but will give the next Congress the freedom to enact legislation that is more responsive to economic conditions and realities.

“The next Congress will have its leeway and flexibility to enact legislation that conform to the present economic conditions,” Garbin said.

Meanwhile, Garbin said it is always the right time to do the right thing, especially when it comes to amending the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.

“When you speak of the timing, it is the right time. I always say it’s always the right time to do the right thing and this is the right thing to do,” said Garbin, as some members of the business sector questioned the timing of moves to

amend the Charter instead of prioritizing other economic bills.

According to Garbin, the House leadership expects deliberations from January to December this year, with the plebiscite to be conducted together with the 2022 national elections.

The lawmaker called unfounded the concerns by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Makati Business Club (MBC) that the House would be distracted by efforts to change the Constitution, citing Congress’s outstanding record in fast-tracking vital measures to address the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to stimulate the economy.

Prior to the global pandemic, both the PCCI and the MBC had submitted separate position papers in favor of lifting the restrictive economic provision of the Constitution, Garbin said.

Possible

DEPUTY Speaker Rufus Rodriguez, meanwhile, disagreed with Senate President Vicente Sotto lll that Charter change (Cha-cha) is “next to impossible” under the present Congress.

“The Cha-cha the Senate president is talking about is wholesale revision of the Constitution.

That is not what we envision. What Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and the House are proposing is limiting Cha-cha to the basic law’s economic provisions that restrict foreign investor participation in businesses in the country,” he said.

He said the proposal calls for just adding the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to those provisions so that Congress would have the power to alter the restrictions when the economic situation warrants.

Rodriguez welcomed Sotto’s statement that the Senate may be open to considering Velasco’s limited economic amendment proposal provided the proper procedure was followed and no political change was considered.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Monday, January 25, 2021 A3

DA-led panel to study MAV hike for pork imports formed

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

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HE Department of Agriculture (DA) has created an interagency committee to track pork shortage in the country and determine the additional minimum access volume (MAV) allocation for pork imports.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar issued Special Order 76 creating the committee that is expected to submit to him a recommendation no later than February 1.

The committee will determine the increase of the pork MAV, which enters at a lower tariff of 30 percent, and the schedule for its importation and arrival.

“In the exigency of the service and to provide data-driven assessment to establish the existence of shortage and determine the volume of additional MAV allocation through the MAV Plus Mechanism and at the same time ascertain the period when the MAV Plus may be imported, an interagency committee is hereby created,” Dar said in the document.

The committee will be chaired by Agriculture Assistant Secretary Noel A. Padre, who is also the director of the DA’s Policy Research Service.

The members of the committee are: National Meat Inspection

First on the table is to strengthen the local price coordinating councils (LPCCs) for them to clamp down on wholesalers, traders and retailers, who unreasonably jack up prices and take advantage of the current tight supply situation in pork and vegetables.

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Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar Service Executive Director Reildrin Morales, Bureau of Animal Industry Director Ronnie Domingo, MAV Executive Director Jane C. Bacayo and Jocelyn Salvador of the NMIS. The BusinessMirror first broke the story last week that the DA is looking at the possibility of increasing the MAV for pork to boost domestic supply and stabilize retail prices.

(Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/01/18/asfprompts-phl-to-mull-over-hikein-mav-allocation-for-pork/).

Dar initially said they are looking at tripling the current MAV of 54,000 metric tons (MT) to 162,000 MT. But Dar also confirmed to the BusinessMirror that reducing pork tariffs outright is also now on their table.

The agriculture chief said they

want to pull down pork prices to below P300 per kilogram. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2021/01/21/governmenttargets-below-p300-pork-price/).

The retail prices of pork in the market have breached the P400-perkg level due to thin domestic supply because of the disruptions caused by the ASF to local hog production.

Price freeze and ceiling

IN a related development, the DA, Department of Trade and Industry and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and several Metropolitan Manila mayors have agreed to impose “stricter measures to ease the rising prices of basic food commodities, particularly pork and vegetables.”

At a recent virtual meeting with DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos, and several Metro Manila mayors, Dar said, they agreed on “several strategies to bring down the prices of basic food items sold in Metro Manila public markets.”

First on the table is to “strengthen the local price coordinating councils (LPCCs) for them to clamp down on wholesalers, traders, and retailers, who unreasonably jack up prices and take advantage of the current tight supply situation in pork and vegetables,” Dar added.

Dar said they will also require wholesalers, traders and retailers “to register” so the government could know “who they are and thereafter monitor them regularly.”

The three agencies also agreed to recommend to President Duterte the imposition of a “price freeze” on selected food items like pork, chicken, fish and vegetables.

“In particular, the DA is recommending a price ceiling of P270/kg for kasim pigue, P300/kg for liempo, and P160/kg for dressed chicken,” the DA said in a statement.

The DA added that Metro Manila mayors would also identify areas where farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) can deliver and sell their products directly through the DA Kadiwa marketing program.

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A4 Monday, January 25, 2021

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New way to detect Covid-19 expected to lower testing cost, reach more people

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By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco | Correspondent

By Samuel P. Medenilla

NEW way to detect Covid-19 infection that would be rolled out beginning today, January 25, is expected to lower costs for testing.

The Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) testing using saliva would start after it completed and passed all the requirements of the Department of Health (DOH).

“If more people would avail the saliva test, we can lower the cost in the future,” Senator Richard Gordon said.

Gordon, who is also chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), added that “While waiting for the vaccine, the saliva test could pave the way to test more students, health-care workers, factory workers, company employees and other essential workers to help stop the spread of the virus.”

The PRC received the greenlight from the DOH after the health department’s Laboratory Expert Panel gave a positive recommendation leading to the approval of the use of saliva as an alternative specimen for RT-PCR testing among PRC laboratories.

In a letter to the PRC on January 21, 2021, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III commended the humanitarian organization “for finishing the pilot implementation in a short period of time and complying with the initial recommendations provided by the department.” ”[The] DOH commends your continued support and assistance to our country in assuring that all measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 infection are being explored and studied to keep the Filipino people safe from the threats of this infectious disease,” Duque said.

The PRC has been in talks with the DOH and the Food and Drug Administration for the approval of the saliva test for public use. The health bureau recommended the

@sam_medenilla

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PRC to conduct a pilot launch of 1,000 tested samples for a full review. On January 13, Gordon led the PRC saliva RT-PCR pilot-testing.

At the moment only two PRC laboratories in Metro Manila located in Port Area and in Mandaluyong City will conduct the saliva testing while PRC labs in the provinces will start

by February.

Alternative

THE PRC said it explored saliva RTPCR test as an alternative because it is non-invasive and less-stringent.

And unlike the RT-PCR swab test, there is no need for a specimen collector to wear full personal protective equipment (PPE). It also uses less equipment and reagents, making it cheaper. The sample processing time is shorter compared to other tests as it runs only for three hours to four hours.

The saliva test was explored and developed into a study after PRC officials met in September last year with Diana Roana, a Filipino scientist working at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

The study received approval from the University of the Philippines (Manila) Research Ethics Board (UP REB) for Ethics Review Board Clearance and Approval. Afterwards, the PRC undertook a soft launch of the saliva testing at the PRC Logistics and Multi-purpose Center in Mandaluyong and tested 44 people.

A saliva-testing site was also established in Palacio de Manila in Malate, Manila, which accommodated almost 200 tests every day, on mostly overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

With the recent approval of the saliva test, the PRC said it could collect samples from different schools, companies and other collection sites for faster testing.

Number of new voters rising but Comelec has yet to meet target

UP CLOSE

A sign hangs on a metal barrier on University Avenue of the University of the Philippines’s campus in Diliman, Quezon City. UP Diliman officials announced that the campus academic oval would be closed due to the recent increase in Covid-19 cases. In an advisory, the university said the academic oval would be off limits to the public from January 23 to February 4 because of this. NONIE REYES

DAR plans to distribute 9,000 hectares of govt-owned land

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

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HE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) vowed to distribute within the year around 9,000 hectares of government-owned agricultural lands to agrarian reform beneficiaries in Busuanga in the Province of Palawan.

Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones said the agency is now pooling its resources for the biggest distribution of government-owned lands in the history of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Castriciones made the promise during the distribution of around 80

hectares of agricultural lands to 102 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) held at the Busuanga gymnasium last January 22.

He said the activity is just the first tranche of distributing the government-owned lands in Busuanga.

The land in Busuanga includes a portion of the Yulo King Ranch, which has been the subject of a petition by various farmers’ organizations in Busuanga.

The vast tract of land under the Yulo King Ranch is classified as a grazing area, which is under an agreement between the proponent and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

With President Duterte’s signing

into law of Executive Order (EO) 75, Series of 2019, on February 1, 2019, Castriciones said the DAR has immediately facilitated the process of subjecting the vast tract of land in Busuanga under the CARP. “The DAR being named as the lead agency that provides central direction and coordination for the implementation of the said executive order would expedite the process of acquiring the lands for distribution,” Castriciones said.

Meanwhile, Support Services Office Undersecretary Emily O. Padilla said that the DAR is doubling its effort so that they could finish all the backlog in distributing the lands before the President’s term ends.

VER 66,000 additional new registered voters will be able to participate in the 2022 national and local elections.

This after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the number of people who participated in its voter registration rose to 1,117,528 on January 14 from 1,053,793 a week before that.

But despite the increase, Comelec Commissioner Rowena V. Guanzon expressed her concern over the slow increase in the number of newlyregistered voters.

“We are behind our target of four million new registrants,” Guanzon said via the Comelec’s Twitter account.

Guanzon urged the still unregistered but qualified voters to participate in the activity amid the ongoing pandemic. She said the necessary minimum health standards are being strictly implemented in registration centers.

“Wear face masks and [face] shield, bring your own ballpen and go to [a registration center]; we have alcohol,” Guanzon said.

The ongoing voter registration resumed in September last year and will end on September 30, 2021.

Comelec Spokesman James B. Jimenez attributed the low turnout of their registrants to the ongoing movement restriction imposed by the government to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Jimenez said they will be launching satellite registrations in the coming days to reach out to more applicants.

The top three areas with the most number of newly registered voters are Calabarzon (167,709), Central Luzon (125,360) and the National Capital Region (117,011).

The three areas with the lowest registrants are the Cordillera Administrative Region (17,337), Caraga (34,051) and Eastern Visayas (35,478).

Congress OKs bill naming Bulacan as ‘talent’ capital of PHL Siargao Island to launch

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O provide employment and income opportunities in the area, the House of Representa-

tives has declared San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, as the “Human Resource Capital” of the Philippines.

This after the lower chamber approved on third and final reading last week House Bill 2378, which mandates that the Department of Labor and Employment, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Trade and Industry, in coordination with the city government of San Jose Del Monte, to formulate policies and implement plans and programs for the enhancement of the city’s human resources.

These plans and programs include the establishment of training centers, the delivery of skills and livelihood training programs and the promotion of quality technicalvocational education House Committee on People’s Participation Chairman Florida P. Robes of San Jose del Monte City said the city houses at least 40 relocation projects constructed by the national government through the National Housing Authority, as well as more than 150 residential subdivisions.

“However, most of the beneficiaries of the housing project are forced to sell up their properties because there are no employment and income opportunities available to them,” said Robes, the principal author of the bill. “As such, they revert back to squatting or worse, sell their houses at a lower price. And the problem continues.”

“The intent of this legislative proposal is premised on the second way, which is to provide employment and income opportunities by tapping hu-

man capabilities,” she added.

According to Robes, the Philippines ranks 46th with a score of 71.24 in terms of human capital endowment.

“Unfortunately, development of human capita l loca lly has been neglected. The skills and capabilities of our people are not put to productive use within our country,” she said. “Most of our skilled workers prefer to work abroad best of employment opportunities here.”

Citing the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Robes also said poverty incidence in the country can be addressed in two ways. One is by improving educational service to increase the productive potential of marginalized sectors. The second is to provide employment and income opportunities for the poor to afford quality education in order to compete in the labor markets.

“If this proposal is approved [into law], it will entice investments on human resource. Companies will consider establishing the businesses in the district,” Robes said. “As a human resource capital, the City will also become a haven to training institutes that will enhance the capabilities of the residents of the City as well from neighboring towns.”

The lawmaker added the approval is deemed a response to the call to alleviate poverty by tapping human resource as a means to improve the economy. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

own Covid-testing center

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

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ITH the reopening of the pristine Siargao Island to tourism, the province is set to launch its own Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) testing center and may use the saliva-based testing in the island, Rep. Francisco Jose F. Matugas II said.

Matugas of Surigao Del Norte made this disclosure several days after the successful launching of the state-of-the-art Philippine Red Cross biomolecular laboratory in Surigao City last January 12, 2021.

He said the testing center will both protect residents and incoming tourists from the spread of the disease.

“Having our own Covid-19 testing available for tourists would allow Siargao Island and Surigao del Norte’s tourism as a whole, to continue while keeping the province and everyone in it as safe as possible,” the lawmaker said.

Matugas also expressed his support for the move of Philippine Red Cross Chairman Sen. Richard J. Gordon to use the saliva-based Covid testing, which is seen as cheaper and a less invasive alternative to swab tests. (See related story).

Matugas said he believes that saliva testing is a “game-changer” in

the fight against Covid-19 as more people would be able to undergo the test at a lower cost.

“It could be a game-changer and a great relief as well to our people who are already saddled with all sorts of problems brought about by the pandemic,” Matugas said.

Gordon earlier said saliva tests yield fast results with 99.9-percent reliability. The Red Cross announced its plan to conduct 1,000 saliva-based tests in its pilot run with parallel swab testing. The results of both tests will then be compared for accuracy.

Unlike the swab test, the salivabased test could only take three hours to five hours to know the result.

The Surigao del Norte solon lauded Gordon and the Provincial Government of Surigao Del Norte led by Gov. Francisco T. Matugas for locating a suitable site for the newly-built molecular laboratory.

Matugas also cited the generosity of three mining companies for donating P18 million that was used to procure the equipment for the biomolecular laboratory. “ The establishment of this molecular laboratory is a timely development for the people of Surigao del Norte now that we have reopened our borders for tourism and have resumed travel,” the solon said.

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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Monday, January 25, 2021 A5

Rapid test kit seen boosting fight against ASF

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is investing P80 million for the mass production and distribution of a rapid test kit for African swine fever (ASF) developed by the Central Luzon State University (CLSU).

“We are allocating an initial P80 million through the DA-National Livestock Program [NLP] and Bureau of Animal Industry [BAI] to mass-produce and distribute to local government units [LGUs] the test kit, called ‘ASFV Nanogold Biosensor,’” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said in a statement.

“We commend the team from the Central Luzon State University in partnership with the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry who developed the ASF rapid test kit,” the DA chief added.

The mass distribution of the ASF test kits is part of the DA’s biosecurity and surveillance program to address the ASF situation in the country dubbed BABay ASF

or Bantay ASF sa Barangay.

Dar said part of the P80 million would be provided by the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) in partnership with other interested private firms and state universities and colleges (SUCs).

The rapid test kit was developed

by CLSU and BAI, which are “easy to use” and “can differentiate ASF virus from hog cholera and other swinerelated viruses.”

DA-NLP head and Agriculture Undersecretary for Livestock William Medrano said the CLSU-BAI team will soon acquire robotic equipment to produce the test kit.

“With this development, the DA-BAI personnel and LGU veterinarians can now administer the kit

Bloomberg News

for biosecurity measures, profiling of farms for repopulation, and surveillance and monitoring activities, at a much faster rate right at the so-called ‘ground-zero’ and more economical,” Dar said.

Group demands price freeze on meat, other agri goods

By Elijah Felice E. Rosales @alyasjah

A

CONSUMER group has called on the Department of Agriculture to issue a price freeze on farm products, especially meat, to give buyers a reprieve from rising food prices.

The Samahan at Ugnayan ng mga Konsyumer para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (Suki) asked the DA to slap a price freeze on agricultural items to avert further increases on their retail cost. The group lamented, in particular, the price per kilogram of pork at P400, as well as chicken at P170, galunggong and bangus at P180 and tilapia at P120.

Suki Spokesman Reginald S. Vallejos said in a statement last Friday that consumers are now left with no alternatives in the face of simultaneous price hikes on meat products and even vegetables.

He reminded the government millions of workers have lost their jobs to the Covid-19 lockdowns, and lowincome families may find it difficult to keep up with the price surges on food

products. In October the Philippine Statistics Authority reported some 3.8 million Filipinos are unemployed in a period when the economy has sunk into recession.

“We are forced to spend even while our wages are not improving,” Vallejos said.

Inflation last December jumped to 3.5 percent, from 2.5 percent during the same period in 2019, to mark the highest rate recorded since March of 2019. Vallejos said wages have remained the same in Metro Manila since 2018, and its value has deteriorated from all the price spikes to a little over P434, citing estimates from think tank Ibon Foundation.

When asked how long the price freeze must be in place, Vallejos said three months may be enough for consumers to manage their finances in the “new normal.”

Last Friday Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar announced the DA’s move to control the prices of pork products in Metro Manila. He said he submitted a proposal to President Duterte to hand down a price ceiling of P270 on kasim and P300

on liempo for 60 days.

The Philippines is struggling to contain the spread of the African swine fever that has claimed the lives of millions of hogs and, in turn, reduced the supply of pork.

Aside from imposing a price freeze, Suki called on policy-makers and public utility distributors to extend the deadline for paying the dues accumulated at the height of the lockdowns. Similar to the price freeze, a moratorium on electricity and water fees should be granted to consumers for at least three months, Vallejos said.

The Suki chief added the group favored the decisions of Maynilad and Manila Water to hold off any rate hikes this year, and appealed to the Villar-owned PrimeWater to commit the same.

Last November Maynilad and Manila Water said they are deferring rate increases scheduled for this year. The Metro Manila water concessionaires stated they made this decision in response to the government’s appeal for a status quo to mitigate Covid-19 pandemic’s impact especially on the poor.

No new jobs seen for 20% of displaced workers continued from a1 Transportation, food services

BASED on another survey data presented by Habito, 33 percent of transportation and storage workers lost their jobs during the crisis while 30 percent of accommodation and food services workers did not have jobs.

Further, some 29 percent of the construction, education, and manufacturing workers surveyed were jobless since the crisis, along with 25 percent working in the human health and social work as well as other service sectors.

“A big chunk of the workers went to idleness, 22 percentnotworkinginfact.Butsomeagriworkerswent to industry, we find a bit of that, and some to services, but more of industry workers and services workers going to agri and of course to idleness,” Habito said.

To prevent a significant impact on social welfare, Habito said there is a need to provide additional ayuda or subsidy for these workers.

Extending another round of ayuda will also help stimulate demand and boost the economy. Since the self-inflicted “corona coma” of the Philippine economy, consumption spending suffered significantly.

Consumption spending is the primary driver of the Philippine economy. This has also been the reason for the low inflation experienced by Filipinos last year and the contraction in GDP growth, particularly at the height of the lockdowns.

“What we need is for ordinary people to have

enough money to spend, enough to have small businesses feel it worthwhile to stay open. So we need another round of ayuda, whether or not displaced workers have been able to return to [partial] work,” Habito said in the Q&A chatbox during the webinar.

“Note that the US government made no distinction; they gave money to all. We can’t afford that, of course. BSP financing of government spending would be better than BSP pouring money into the banking system—subject to monitoring inflationary pressures,” he added.

Ibon: Hike wages

IBON Foundation Inc. proposes another solution: to increase wages. The think tank said this is still timely considering that the Duterte administration was the first post-Marcos administration to see real wages contract.

Based on Ibon’s estimates, real wages under the current administration contracted 7.2 percent.

Real wages, it explained, is the value of wages after adjusting for inflation.

At the start of Duterte’s term, real wages in Metro Manila were at P468.06. But after inflation and two wage hikes later, the value of real wages are now down to P434.47, the lowest real wage in over 8.5 years or 103 months.

“It has been more than two years or 27 months since the Duterte administration’s last wage hike to

P537 in November 2018. This is the longest period without an increase since July 2004 under the Arroyo administration when the wage increase came after a dry spell of 29 months,” Ibon said.

Since these estimates did not yet include the recent spike in commodity prices, Ibon also recommends that the government extend new cash subsidies of P10,000 monthly for at least 2-3 months when unemployment and falling household incomes are expected to remain unresolved.

Ibon said the December 2020 inflation rate of 3.5 percentisthehighestin21months,mainlyduetohigher inflation in food and non-alcoholic beverages, health and transport. It added that prices of pork, ampalaya, sitao, cabbage, carrots, string beans, tomato, potato and eggplant spiked from anywhere between P40 and P120 per kilo since December last year.

Price increases were even worse for the poorest30 percent of households nationwide who experienced a 4.3 percent inflation rate in December, Ibon said.

The think tank proposed as well price controls on food items where prices are soaring, especially amid reports of alleged exploitative pricing by wholesale and retail traders.

“It is incumbent on the government to come up with schemes to enable a wage hike that increases incomes of low-income households and which will also stimulate aggregate demand in the economy,” Ibon said.

“We can even have these test kits on standby at the port of entries for a quick sampling of the meat products entering the country,” he added.

The DA said the ASF test kit costs P3,500 which comes with all consum-

ables and is good for 10 samples. The DA added that each sample can pool a five surface swabs, saliva, or feces as long as these come from the same pen or farm for traceability. Due to this the cost per sample is only at

BOC, Naia to strictly observe safety rules for meat imports

By Recto L. Mercene @rectomercene

T

HE Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) announced over the weekend that they will strictly implement the government’s policy of requiring a phytosanitary permit for meat imports.

This came about after the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) encouraged consumers to buy meat from local stores where they can actually see what they are buying.

“Without physical access to the items being sold, consumers buying meat online have no way of knowing its quality and rely mainly on textual description and images provided by the seller,” the NMIS said.

The advisory was issued after online buying became very popular among Filipinos in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced citizens to lock themselves in their homes to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Airport authorities and the various agencies of the BAI were alerted to strictly monitor all kinds of meat and meat products arriving at the airport brought in by arriving passengers.

“We are requiring importers to submit phytosanitary and health permit before we release the shipment,” the BAI said in a statement.

Airport Customs Collector Mimel Talusan said the DA together with the BOC were ordered to strictly implement the Food Safety Act of 2013.

Special focus will be given on Section 12, which states that “imported food should undergo inspection and clearance procedures at the first port of entry to determine compliance with national regulations.”

The DA in an earlier statement alerted the public against buying meat online following the discovery of the new strain of African swine fever.

“We will confiscate any meat or meat products brought in by passengers sans permit from the concerned government agencies,” Talusan said.

P70, according to the DA. The DA said the rapid test kits utilize nucleic acid-based test and has a built-in DNA extraction and molecular amplification process that uses primers or markers, whose gene sequence was designed from the P72 gene of the ASF virus isolated from the province of Rizal.

The DA added that rapid test kit can detect the presence of ASF even through surface swabbing of pig barns and delivery trucks, saliva, and nasal swabs, feces, water, semen, feeds, aspirated whole blood, or blood-soaked swabs and even domestic flies.

The DA said the rapid test kits were tested in 32 commercial and 9 backyard farms in Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija, all of these provinces have been affected by ASF. “To ensure efficacy, the test kits were tested on surface swabs taken from nipple drinkers, walls, railings, floors, and pig ways of barns; water samples of farms; ASF contaminated floor sweepings and feeds; saliva, nasal swabs, and feces of pigs; processed, fresh and canned meat that were confiscated at the airport and domestic flies that alighted on dead carcasses,” it said.

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Monday, January 25, 2021

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In first days, Biden prioritizes action as deep problems loom

In this January 20, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

W

ASHINGTON—Inside the White House, President Joe Biden presided over a focused launch of his administration, using his first days in office to break sharply with his predecessor while signing executive orders meant as a showy display of action to address the historic challenges he inherited.

But outside the gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., there are signs everywhere that those crises are as deep and intractable as ever. The coronavirus pandemic surges, the economy teeters and Republicans in Congress have signaled objections to many of Biden’s plans.

Biden is looking to jump-start his first 100 days in office with action and symbolism to reassure a divided and weary public that help is in the offing. He also knows that what a president can do on his own is limited so he is calling for Congress to act while he is being candid with Americans that dark days are ahead.

“The crisis is not getting better.

It’s deepening,” Biden said on Friday about the impact of pandemic.

“A lot of America is hurting. The virus is surging. Families are going hungry. People are at risk of being evicted again. Job losses are mounting. We need to act.”

“The bottom line is this: We’re in a national emergency. We need to act like we’re in a national emergency,” he said.

Biden's first moments as president were meant to steady American democracy itself.

He took the oath just before noon on Wednesday in front of a Capitol that still bore scars from the insurrection that took place

precisely two weeks earlier and was aimed at stopping Biden's ascension to power. The violence underscored the fragile nature of the peaceful transfer of power and led to the historic second impeachment of Donald Trump.

Biden resisted calls to move the inauguration to a more secure indoor setting. He was intent on preserving the usual inauguration trappings as a signal that normalcy could be achieved even though there were signs everywhere that things were far from normal: a military presence that resembled a war zone, guests on the dais wearing masks, a National Mall filled with 200,000 American flags standing in for the American people who were asked to stay away because of the pandemic.

Biden was plain-spoken and direct about the confluence of crises the nation faces. More than 410,000 Americans have lost their lives to the pandemic, millions are out of work and the aftershocks of a summer reckoning with racial justice are still felt.

“You can hear this collective sigh of relief that Trump is gone, but we have no time for a sigh of relief because of the cascading crises,” said Eddie Glaude Jr., chair of the department of African American studies at Princeton University.

“We don’t want to assume that the election of Biden solves everything. The scale of the problems is immense and the question for us is do we respond at scale.”

The changes within the White House have been swift.

After Trump’s departure, his final staffers cleared out and a deep clean began. The White House had been the site of multiple Covid-19 outbreaks and, in a physical manifestation of a new approach to the virus, plastic shields were placed on desks and scores of new staffers were told to work from home.

New pictures were hung on the West Wing walls and the Oval Office received a fast makeover. Gone were a painting of Andrew Jackson and the Diet Coke button of the desk; in came images of Robert Kennedy and Cesar Chavez. But the most important symbol, the clearest break from the previous administration, came from the president himself.

When Biden sat down at the Resolute Desk to sign his first batch of his executive orders on Wednesday, he was wearing a mask. Trump had resisted wearing one, putting one on only occasionally and instead turning mask-wearing into a polarizing political issue.

Biden urged all Americans to wear a mask for the next 100 days and used his platform to model the same behavior, one of several ways he tried to change the tone of the presidency in his first few days.

Daily press briefings returned, absent the accusations of “fake news” that marked only sporadic briefings in the Trump era. Biden held a virtual swearing-in for hundreds of White House staffers, telling them to treat each other with respect or they would be dismissed, a marked change from the contentious, rivalry-driven Trump West Wing. Calls to the leaders of Canada and Mexico were made without drama.

The executive actions Biden

signed during the week were a mix of concrete and symbolic actions meant to undo the heart of Trump's legacy. Biden halted construction of the border wall, rejoined the World Health Organization and the Paris climate accord and bolstered the means for production for vaccines.

But the might of the executive actions pales in comparison to the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package that he requested from Congress. Biden has not ruled out asking Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., to push it through by tactics requiring only Democratic support. But the president, who spent decades in the Senate, hoped to persuade Republicans to support the measure.

“Leaning on executive action makes sense at the start, you can get things going and show momentum right away without waiting for Congress,” said Robert Gibbs, former press secretary for President Barack Obama. “But this is going take a while. Like it was for us in 2009, change doesn’t come overnight.”

“Everything he inherited is likely to get worse before we see improvement,” Gibbs said. “One thing you learn on January 20th is that you suddenly own all of it.”

Just two Cabinet nominees were confirmed by week's end, to the frustration of the White House. But with the Friday night announcement that Trump's impeachment trial will not begin until the week of February 8, Biden aides were optimistic that the Senate would confirm more before then.

The trial looms as an unwelcome distraction for the Biden team. But while Trump will shadow the White House, Biden aides have noted that the former president commands far less attention now that his Twitter account is gone. They have expressed confidence that the Senate can balance the impeachment proceedings with both Cabinet confirmations and consideration of the Covid-19 relief bill.

Biden has made clear that steering the nation through the pandemic will be his signature task and some Republicans believe that Trump's implosion could create an opening to work across the aisle on a relief deal.

“There is a very narrow permission structure for congressional Republicans who want to move past the Trump era and want to establish their own political identities,” said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist who was a senior adviser on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. Romney is now a Utah senator.

“There is an old saying: ‘Make the main thing the main thing.’

And the Biden White House knows that’s the main thing,” Madden said. “If they can improve the pandemic response in the next 100 days, then they can move on to other priorities, they’ll have the capital for legislative fights. But they need to get it right.” AP

U.S. and Japan defense chiefs agree to strengthen alliance

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ewly appointed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Japanese counterpart Nobuo Kishi agreed to strengthen the alliance between their two countries in a phone call early Sunday Tokyo time, Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

In the first call between the two since Austin’s confirmation on Friday, they agreed that Article 5 of the US-Japan security treaty, which obliges the US to respond to an attack on Japaneseadministered territory, applies to

East China Sea islands controlled

by Japan but claimed by China.

The defense chiefs also expressed opposition to efforts to undermine Japanese control of the uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Government ships from Japan and China frequently chase one another around the area.

On North Korea, they agreed to cooperate on working toward the complete and verifiable abandonment of the country’s weapons of mass destruction, as well as ballistic missiles of all ranges.

Austin expressed willingness to visit Japan as soon as possible, the ministry said. While agreeing on the importance of US troops stationed in the Asian nation, Kishi urged the US defense chief to cooperate in reducing the burden on local residents of hosting military bases. Pacifist Japan is reliant on the US for much of its security.

Austin and Kishi also agreed that a plan to move a US Marine base from the center of a crowded city on the southern island of Okinawa to a more remote area

was the only way of resolving the problems associated with the base, the ministry said. The plan is unpopular with islanders, most of whom want it moved off the island entirely.

The US official also spoke to South Korean counterpart Suh Wook by phone, according to South Korean defense ministry on Sunday. Austin called the USSouth Korea alliance a “linchpin” for “peace and stability” in Northeast Asia, vowing to “ further develop” the bilateral alliance.

Bloomberg News

Editor: Angel R. Calso

US reaffirms Taiwan support after China sends warplanes

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EIJING—The US has reaffirmed support for Taiwan following China’s dispatch of warplanes near the island in an apparent attempt to intimidate its democratic government and test American resolve.

The State Department on Saturday said it “notes with concern the pattern of ongoing [China’s] attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan.”

“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives,” spokesperson Ned Price said in the statement.

Washington will continue to deepen ties with Taiwan and ensure its defense from Chinese threats, while supporting a peaceful resolution of issues between the sides, the statement said.

There was no immediate Chinese response on Sunday.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said China on Saturday sent eight bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons and four fighter jets into airspace just southwest of the island, part of a long-standing pattern of Chinese incursions aimed at pressuring the government of President Tsai Ing-wen into caving to Beijing’s demand that she recognize Taiwan as a part of Chinese territory.

The latest Chinese overflight came on the heels of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, emphasizing the island's enduring position in the panoply of divisive issues between the sides that also include human rights, trade disputes and, most recently, questions about China’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden’s administration has shown little sign of reducing pressure on China over such issues, although it is seen as favoring a return to more civil dialogue. In

another sign of support for Taiwan, the island’s de-facto ambassador to Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, was an invited guest at Biden’s inauguration.

And in a final swipe at China, the Trump administration’s outgoing UN ambassador tweeted that it’s time for the world to oppose China's efforts to exclude and isolate Taiwan, drawing sharp criticism from Beijing.

Ambassador Kelly Craft accompanied the tweet with a photo of herself in the UN General Assembly Hall where the island is banned. She carried a handbag with a stuffed Taiwan bear sticking out of the top, a gift from Taiwan’s representative in New York, Ambassador James Lee. Taiwan and China separated amid civil war in 1949 and China says it is determined to bring the island under its control by force if necessary. The US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but is legally required to ensure Taiwan can defend itself and the self-governing democratic island enjoys strong bipartisan support in Washington.

Tsai has sought to bolster the island's defenses with the purchase of billions of dollars in US weapons, including upgraded F-16 fighter jets, armed drones, rocket systems and Harpoon missiles capable of hitting both ships and land targets. She has also boosted support for Taiwan’s indigenous arms industry, including launching a program to build new submarines to counter China’s ever-growing naval capabilities.

China’s increased threats come as economic and political enticements bear little fruit, leading it to stage war games and dispatch fighter jets and reconnaissance planes on an almost daily basis toward the island of 24 million people, which lies 160 kilometers (100 miles) off China’s southeast coast across the Taiwan Strait. AP

Pfizer to supply 40 million doses of Covid shots for poor countries

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fizer on Friday committed to supply up to 40 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine this year to a World Health Organization-backed effort to get affordable shots to poor and middle-income countries.

The deal is a boost to the global program known as COVAX, as wealthy nations have snapped up most of the millions of coming shots.

The commitment, announced at a virtual press conference held by the Geneva-based WHO, is seen as important because Pfizer and its partner BioNTech last month won the first vaccine emergency authorizations from WHO and the US Food and Drug Administration.

Earlier this week, WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus criticized drugmakers for seeking profits from the pandemic and mostly supplying wealthy countries.

Pfizer's 40 million doses—for a vaccine requiring two doses—are a tiny sliver of what's needed for COVAX, which aims to vaccinate billions of people in 92 low- and middle-income countries.

During Friday's news conference, Tedros said Pfizer's commitment and about 150 million doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University could enable COVAX to begin delivering doses in February, pending finalization of a supply agreement with Pfizer and emergency use approval for AstraZeneca's vaccine. He said the global program is on track to deliver by year's end 2 billion doses of vaccines previously pledged by AstraZeneca and other vaccine producers.

New York-based Pfizer Inc. had not previously committed to providing its Covid-19 vaccine to poor

countries without making a profit during the pandemic, as a couple rivals have.

However, Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech said they would provide their vaccine to COVAX at an undisclosed "not-for-profit price." The companies still must execute a supply agreement covering distribution, but the doses are to be delivered throughout 2021, starting in February.

"Today, we are proud to have this opportunity to provide doses that will support COVAX efforts toward vaccinating healthcare workers at high risk of exposure in developing countries and other vulnerable... populations," Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said.

Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, which is leading procurement and delivery of vaccines for COVAX, called the deal "a major step forward for equitable access to vaccines.” Pfizer and BioNTech said they would also help health systems handle the vaccine, which requires ultracold storage.

Many public health officials have expressed skepticism that the Pfizer vaccine could be successfully kept so cold across the globe. Pfizer has been shipping the shots in special containers with dry ice, but even in the US some doses have been thrown out because they weren't kept at the proper temperature.

Pfizer has said it's been ramping up production and expects to be able to make 2 billion doses in 2021, up from its earlier forecast of 1.3 billion doses. That long-term goal comes with a short-term cost: The company is slowing production at its Belgium factory while it makes changes needed to boost production. AP

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Michigan Mega Millions ticket wins $1.05 billion lotto jackpot

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ETROIT—Someone in Michigan bought the winning ticket for the $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot, which is the third-largest lottery prize in US history.

The winning numbers for Friday night’s drawing were 4, 26, 42, 50 and 60, with a Mega Ball of 24. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in the Detroit suburb of Novi, the Michigan Lottery said.

“Someone in Michigan woke up to life-changing news this morning, and Kroger Michigan congratulates the newest Michigan multimillionaire,” said Rachel Hurst, a regional spokeswoman for the grocery chain.

She declined to comment further.

The Mega Millions top prize had been growing since September 15, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The lottery’s next estimated jackpot is $20 million.

Friday night's drawing came just two days after a ticket sold in Maryland matched all six numbers drawn and won a $731.1 million Powerball jackpot.

T he jackpot f ig ures refer to amounts if a winner opts for an annuity, paid in 30 annual installments. Most winners choose a cash prize, which for the Mega Millions game would be $776.6 million before taxes and $557 million after taxes, Michigan Lottery spokesman Jake Harris said.

“No way!” Ryan Gabrielli told The Detroit News after shopping Saturday at the lucky Kroger. “We meant

to play the lottery but forgot to.”

Harris said the ticket holder should sign the back and keep it in a safe place.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the winning ticket holder held onto that ticket for a little bit, got their affairs in order, put together a financial plan and then reached out to contact us,” he said.

Only two lottery prizes in the US have been larger than Friday’s jackpot. Three tickets for a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot were sold in January 2016, and one winning ticket sold for a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018.

In Grosse Ile, a suburb south of Detroit, 126 people bought more than 600 tickets for the Friday drawing but didn't win the jackpot.

They hoped to win enough money to replace a publicly owned bridge on their island in the Detroit River that has been closed indefinitely for major repairs. The only other transportation option for the island's 10,000 residents is a privately owned toll bridge.

“We used this to lift our spirits and dream a little bit,” said organizer Kyle de Beausset. “Of course we’re open to any help with the bridge, but I can’t imagine the winner would want to finance it.”

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot were incredibly steep, at one in 302.5 million.

The game is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the US Virgin Islands. AP

3,000 arrested at protests demanding Navalny’s release

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OSCOW—Russian police arrested more than 3,000 people on Saturday in nationwide protests demanding the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin's most prominent foe, according to a group that counts political detentions.

The protests in scores of cities in temperatures as low as minus-50 C (minus-58 F) highlighted how Navalny has built influence far beyond the political and cultural centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In Moscow, an estimated 15,000 demonstrators gathered in and around Pushkin Square in the city center, where clashes with police broke out and demonstrators were roughly dragged off by helmeted riot officers to police buses and detention trucks. Some were beaten with batons.

Navalny's wife Yulia was among those arrested.

Police eventually pushed demonstrators out of the square. Thousands then regrouped along a wide boulevard about a kilometer (half-mile) away, many of them throwing snowballs at the police before dispersing.

Some later went to protest near the jail where Navalny is held. Police made an undetermined number of arrests there.

The protests stretched across Russia's vast territory, from the island city of YuzhnoSakhalinsk north of Japan and the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk, where temperatures plunged to minus-50 Celsius, to Russia's more populous European cities. Navalny and his anti-corruption campaign have built an extensive network of support despite official government repression and being routinely ignored by state media.

“The situation is getting worse and worse, it's total lawlessness,” said Andrei Gorkyov, a protester in Moscow. “And if we stay silent, it will go on forever.”

The OVD-Info group, which monitors political arrests, said at least 1,167 people were detained in Moscow and more than 460 at another large demonstration in St. Petersburg.

Overall, it said 3,068 people had been arrested in some 90 cities, revising the count downward from its earlier report of 3,445. The group did not give an explanation for its revision.

Russian police did not provide arrest figures.

Undeterred, Navalny's supporters called for protests again next weekend.

Navalny was arrested on Jan. 17 when he returned to Moscow from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from a severe nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin and which Russian authorities deny. Authorities say his stay in Germany violated terms of a suspended sentence in a 2014 criminal conviction, while Navalny says the

conviction was for made-up charges.

The 44-year-old activist is well known nationally for his reports on the corruption that has flourished under President Vladimir Putin’s government.

His wide support puts the Kremlin in a strategic bind—officials are apparently unwilling to back down by letting him go free, but keeping him in custody risks more protests and criticism from the West.

In a statement, the US State Department condemned “the use of harsh tactics against protesters and journalists this weekend in cities throughout Russia” and called on Russian authorities to immediately release Navalny and all those detained at protests.

Navalny faces a court hearing in early February to determine whether his sentence in the criminal case for fraud and moneylaundering—which Navalny says was politically motivated—is converted to 3 1/2 years behind bars.

Moscow police on Thursday arrested three top Navalny associates, two of whom were later jailed for periods of nine and 10 days.

Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later. Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.

Russian authorities insisted that the doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia before he was airlifted to Germany found no traces of poison and have challenged German officials to provide proof of his poisoning. Russia refused to open a full-fledged criminal inquiry, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.

Last month, Navalny released the recording of a phone call he said he made to a man he described as an alleged member of a group of officers of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, who purportedly poisoned him in August and then tried to cover it up. The FSB dismissed the recording as fake.

Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for a decade, unusually durable in an opposition movement often demoralized by repressions.

He has been jailed repeatedly in connection with protests and twice was convicted of financial misdeeds in cases that he said were politically motivated. He suffered significant eye damage when an assailant threw disinfectant into his face. He was taken from jail to a hospital in 2019 with an illness that authorities said was an allergic reaction but which many suspected was a poisoning. AP

Monday, January 25, 2021

A9

UK doctors seek review of 12-week gap policy between vaccine doses

L

ONDON—A major British doctors’ group says the UK government should “urgently review” its decision to give people a second dose of the PfizerBioNTech coronavirus vaccine up to 12 weeks after the first, rather than the shorter gap recommended by the manufacturer and the World Health Organization.

The UK, which has Europe's deadliest coronavirus outbreak, adopted the policy in order to give as many people as possible a first dose of vaccine quickly. So far almost 5.9 million people in Britain have received a shot of either a vaccine made by US drugmaker Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech or one developed by UKSwedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

AstraZeneca has said it believes a first dose of its vaccine offers protection after 12 weeks, but Pfizer says it has not tested the efficacy of its jab after such a long gap.

The British Medical Association on Saturday urged England’s chief medical officer to “urgently review the UK’s current position of second doses after 12 weeks.”

In a statement, the association said there was “growing concern from the medical profession regarding the delay of the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as Britain’s strategy has become increasingly isolated from many other countries.”

“No other nation has adopted the UK’s approach,” Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMA council, told the BBC. He said the WHO had recommended that the second Pfizer vaccine shot could be given up to six weeks after the first but only “in exceptional circumstances.”

“I do understand the trade-off and the rationale, but if that was the right thing to do then we would see other nations following suit,” Nagpaul said.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, defended the decision as “a reasonable scientific balance on the basis of both supply and also protecting the most people.”

Researchers in Britain have begun collecting blood samples from newly vaccinated people in order to study how many antibodies they are producing at different intervals, from 3 weeks to 24 months, to get an answer to the question of what timing is best for the shots.

The doctors’ concerns came a day after government medical advisers said there was evidence that a new variant of the virus first identified in southeast England carries a greater risk of death than the original strain.

Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said Friday “that there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant,” which is also more transmissible than the original virus. He said the new strain might be about 30 percent more deadly, but stressed that “the evidence is not yet strong” and more research is needed.

Research by British scientists advising the government said although initial analyses suggested that the strain did not cause more severe disease, several more recent ones suggest it might. However, the number of deaths is relatively small, and fatality rates are affected by many things, including the care that patients get and their age and health, beyond having Covid-19.

Britain has recorded 97,329 deaths among people who tested positive, the highest confirmed virus toll in Europe and the fifth-highest in the world.

The UK is in a lockdown to try to slow the latest surge of the virus, and the government says an end to the restrictions will not come soon.

Pubs, restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues

People sit and relax after receiving their Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination at Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Salisbury Cathedral opened its doors for the second time as a venue for the Sarum South Primary Care Network Covid-19 Local Vaccination Service. AP Photo/Frank Augstein

and many shops are closed, and people are required to stay largely at home.The British government is considering tightening quarantine requirements for people arriving from abroad. Already travelers must self-isolate for 10 days, but enforcement is patchy. Authorities

are considering requiring arrivals to stay in quarantine hotels, a practice adopted in other countries including Australia.

“We may need to go further to protect our borders,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday. AP

A10 Monday, January 25, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

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editorial

The Metro Manila Subway Project

T

he London Underground began operation in 1863, making it the world’s oldest metro subway system. It is as much a part of the cultural identity of the city as “Big Ben” or Buckingham Palace.

As of December 2017, 178 cities in 56 countries around the world use approximately 180 metro systems. Almost all of them incorporate both underground and aboveground railways—like the Philippines’s light rail systems—in their metro transportation network.

However, underground transportation is standard across the globe.

Line 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway opened in 1974 and is considered one of the best with the highest number of passengers at nearly 3 billion riders per year. The Shanghai Metro is the longest, with 743 kilometers of track. New York City’s has the most stations.

Underground subways are operating in Dubai, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Romania, Venezuela, and even in North Korea.

The concept of an underground subway system for Metro Manila was first proposed in 1973 by the forerunner of the current Japan International Cooperation Agency. In 1995, Bonifacio Land Development Corporation, a consortium led by Metro Pacific Investments Corp, made a successful bid to become the Bases Conversion and Development Authority partner in the development of Bonifacio Global City (BGC), the former Fort Andres Bonifacio, site of the headquarters of the Philippine Army.

After the conversion of the base for private use and ownership, another proposal was made to build a subway from Bulacan through BGC and to Bacoor. The change of ownership of BGC and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis saw that plan shelved.

In November 2017, a loan agreement was signed between President Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe for the subway, dependent on approval by government authorities. By March 2018, Japan signed the loan and in November 2018 a Japanese consortium and Metro Development Co. Ltd. got the P11 billion contract to build the line. Early in 2019, a Japanese-Filipino consortium, including EEI Corporation, won the design-and-build contract for the first three stations.

This past week, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade revealed that the P355-billion Metro Manila Subway Project will partially operate to serve commuters before the end of 2021.

Ignore for a moment the economic benefits that will accrue from this new transportation system. Let’s consider it only as a convenience or even a luxury for Manileños. The reality is that “the country’s first subway system will be financed via Japanese Official Development Assistance, with an interest of 0.10 percent per annum, payable in 40 years, inclusive of a grace period of 12 years.” The total cost of that loan over 40 years is less than 3 percent.

But there is a risk, a potentially great risk.

The reality is that both internal and external players have taken advantage of Filipinos since time immemorial. We have seen our money squandered, stolen, and put to useless purposes, the iconic “Bridge to Nowhere.” We have seen projects that started out with promise turn into a nightmare in a few short years. The Manila light-rail projects have haunted our dreams for decades.

This has been a continuing problem of “government” and not of any particular presidential administration.

The Metro Manila Subway is a game changer. It is highly visible, costly, and could be an exceptionally positive transportation system development for the NCR. Now, it is up to the government to prove itself to the people.

Outlook under Biden Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

RISING SUN

W

hen Joe Biden was confirmed as the next US president, investors responded positively, which led to a surge in Philippine share prices. After all, many believe that his administration will offer some relief to organizations and individuals who have been struggling with the economic repercussions of the pandemic.

As far as the Duterte administration is concerned, the Philippines is confident that we will continue to have a “close and friendly” relationship with the US under Biden’s leadership. This is according to Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque.

Carlos Dominguez, our secretary of Finance, affirms this position, believing that trade relations, cooperation, and investment opportunities will open up for both countries as Biden promised to “repair [its] alliances and engage with

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the effects of the pandemic. His strategy includes opening up more job opportunities, increasing racial equity, and bringing life back into the economy.

One of his plans for his Day One was to get the Covid-19 crisis under control. Biden talked about increasing testing sites and hiring more people to do contact tracing. He also wants to infuse more funds into the manufacture and distribution of vaccines so every American will get free access to it.

At least 5 million is the number of manufacturing jobs that the new president plans to create. That means investing billions of dollars in procurement, research, and technological advancement so more American products and services will become in demand around the globe. On top of

this, Biden said he will also raise the federal minimum wage.

Black and Brown communities and entrepreneurs will enjoy new opportunities in business under the Biden presidency. For example, lowinterest business loans will be made accessible to them through lending programs.

And unlike Trump, Joe Biden intends to take the issue on climate change very seriously, signing an executive order on his first day for the US to rejoin the Paris climate agreement. This is Biden’s first major action tackling global warming.

The US president intends to undo many of the past administration’s policies on the environment. He believes that quick action is necessary, as well as the inclusion and support of scientists in the work to fight climate change.

These are just a few of Biden’s numerous plans and strategies, which, of course, seem positive and beneficial for our own country and people.

We continue to hope that the change in leadership will somehow lessen the economic burden of the global community.

A good start in our 2021 transport journey

f 2020 had a lot of wrong turns and abrupt missteps in our local transport universe, then it looks like 2021—with the many good news we have heard so far after just three weeks—will be the year that liberates us from our traffic woes.

As we welcomed the New Year, we had that soft opening of the SMC Slex-Nlex connector road.

Truly a marvel, especially for someone like me who regularly travels from south to north. I even remember reading about someone comparing it to a helicopter ride crossing the metropolis. And to think that this could have been completed earlier.

its worth when road accidents and harmful emissions will dramatically decrease as projected. Good job, LTO. 2. The Metro Manila Ferry: One of the first pronouncements of MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos is his intent to revitalize the Pasig River Ferry. What makes this more exciting is the inclusion of the Marikina River route, which can provide an alternative to the commuters from that part of the metropolis going to the central business district of Makati. A good start, indeed.

3. The Pasig River Expressway: And almost simultaneously, San Miguel announced the start of its next big mega project—the Pasig River expressway, providing Metro Manila a vital east-west corridor roadway. And knowing RSA, we expect the bonus of a needed Pasig River clean up.

4. Full operations and extension of Light Rail Transit 2: Despite the difficulties of working during the pandemic, the LRTA started full operations of Line 2 this month, after

the fire incident last year that closed its three stations. This will be a big relief to our rail commuters that rely on this rail line. In addition is the completion of their new stations— Marikina and Antipolo—further providing convenience to transportweary residents in that part of Mega Manila.

5. Opening the countryside: Not to be left out in the good news department, Department of Public Works and Highways announced the completion of several major countryside projects: The Guibang-Gamu bypass road in Isabela; the Sibut Bridge in Nueva Ecija; Aluguinsan Tourism highway in Cebu; and the Urdaneta, Pangasinan bypass road, among others, bringing travel convenience and progress to these areas. With Secretary Mark Villar’s steady leadership, expect more good news to come from his department in 2021.

There are still so many transport news of note: The completion of the soon-to-be-operational Clark International Airport, expected to accommodate 8 million passen-

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the world once again.”

Some experts believe that the USChina trade war will begin to ease up and that the new president will do something about Trump’s policies on immigration. This bodes well for the local economy as more jobs— including opportunities in the BPO sector—and remittances may arise out of the changes.

During Joe Biden’s campaign, he talked about ways by which he plans to restore the US economy and help the country recover from

Black and Brown communities and entrepreneurs will enjoy new opportunities in business under the Biden presidency. For example, low-interest business loans will be made accessible to them through lending programs.

Thomas M. Orbos

STREET TALK

I

As we welcomed the New Year, we had that soft opening of the SMC South Luzon expressway-North Luzon expressway connector road. Truly a marvel, especially for someone like me who regularly travels from south to north. I even remember reading about someone’s post comparing it to a helicopter ride crossing the metropolis. And to think that this could have been completed earlier. There’s really a need to reform government bureaucracy. But let’s concentrate on the good news.

Moving on, here are other welcome transport news in January: 1. The MVIS: Finally, after close to 15 years, the Land Transportation Office’s much awaited motor vehicle inspection program goes underway, bolstering safety on our roads. Though there are rumblings here and there, understandably from displaced emission center owners, and motorists who still need to get used to the strict compliance tests, as well as initial operations tweaks, the MVIS program will surely prove

gers per year; the announcement of a new traffic signaling system in Metro Cebu, after more than two decades, providing much relief to our traffic-fatigued Cebuano brothers and sisters; the implementation of double hull boats in the busy Caticlan-Boracay corridor, assuring a safer commute to the beaches of Boracay; the launch of modern jeepneys in Pampanga by “Biyahe,” headed by former Grab president Bryan Cu, bolstering the essence of private sector initiative in this program, among others.

It seems that more good news will keep on coming this 2021. A far cry from 2020: Remember the sight of our jeepney drivers and other transport workers begging in the streets; the RFID missteps at the tollways and similarly with the cashless payments of the Edsa carousel; the lack of public transport because of the pandemic? What a relief that we are moving forward with these great news. But such is our life on the road.

We hit bumps and wrong turns, but we move on and hope that things get better. And judging from what has transpired after just three weeks in 2021, it looks like this will be a busy, exciting and fruitful transport year for all of us. After all, good will always triump over the bad!

Thomas “Tim” Orbos is currently a transport policy advisor for an international organization and worked in government on transport and urban development matters. He is an alumnus of Georgetown University and the MIT Sloan School of Management. He can be reached via e-mail—tmo45@ georgetown.edu /thomas_orbos@sloan.mit.edu

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Year after lockdown, Wuhan dissident more isolated than ever

It’s not you, it’s me Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

By Dake Kang | Associated Press

W

UHAN, China—One year after lockdown, Wuhan has long since sprung back to life—but Zhu Tao remains bunkered in his 14th-floor apartment, spending his days doomscrolling through news, playing virtual soccer on his PlayStation and feeling China is teetering on the brink of collapse.

He has blown thousands of dollars, his life savings, stockpiling beef jerky and chocolate bars, bottles of water and sacks of rice, masks, alcohol and disinfecting wipes, and a $900 solar panel.

Haunting Zhu is the fear that the virus might return—that once again, the government will conceal the truth, and once again, Wuhan will fall under lockdown.

“I’m in a state of eating and waiting for death, eating and waiting for death,” Zhu said, with a buzzcut he trimmed himself, since he does not dare to venture out to the barber.

“People like me might be the minority, but I take it very seriously.”

Zhu, a 44-year-old smelter at the city’s state-run iron and steel works, is well outside the mainstream in China. He is a hardboiled government critic, an on-and-off demonstrator, a supporter of the Hong Kong democracy movement.

He and others willing to publicly air such views are ridiculed, dismissed or silenced. They are a minority in an increasingly authoritarian and prosperous China, where there is less tolerance for protest and less appetite to do so.

Early in the Wuhan outbreak, which would later spread around the globe and kill over 2 million people, Zhu ignored state media reports that downplayed the virus and stayed home, a move that may have saved him, his wife and his son from infection.

For a few fleeting months, as public anger erupted at authorities that hid critical information on the coronavirus, Zhu felt his early caution warranted, his deep suspicion of officials vindicated.

But as winter mellowed into spring and Wuhan’s lockdown was lifted, the mood shifted. Now, the rich kids of Wuhan down pricey bottles of whiskey and bop to crashing electronica at the city’s swank nightclubs. Thousands throng Jianghan road, the city’s premier shopping street.

Once seen as prophetic, Zhu has now become a pariah, his anti-state sentiment more and more at odds with government orthodoxy. He has alienated his in-laws and neighbors and has been detained, subjected to surveillance and censored.

Bracing for another wave of infection, he wonders how it’s possible that everyone around him is carrying on with life as usual.

“This is the biggest historical event in the past century,” Zhu said.

“But everyone has gone back to their lives, just like before the epidemic. ...

How can they be so numb, so indifferent, as though they barely experienced anything at all?”

Zhu grew up in the 1980s, a politically open era in China, when teachers at times touched on concepts like democracy and freedom of speech after the disastrous tumult of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. It suited Zhu, given his self-described “very naughty, very rebellious” nature and his intellectual instincts, reflected in the way he peppers his language with literary references despite never having gone to college.

He was just a kid during the 1989 Tiananmen protests, when hundreds of thousands took to Beijing’s central square to demand democratic rights.

But in the years after the bloody military crackdown on the protesters, he read more about it, growing sympathetic even as others grew cynical, indifferent or even supportive of Communist Party rule, won over by China’s growing prosperity.

When Zhu first went online over a decade ago, he discovered others

shared his way of thinking. China hadn’t yet developed the sophisticated Internet police force that patrols the web today, and uncensored news about the government constantly exploded online.

The first controversy to catch Zhu’s eye was a scandal over tainted milk powder that killed six babies and sickened tens of thousands more. He joined chat groups and get-togethers and slowly slipped into dissident circles.

After President Xi Jinping— China’s most authoritarian leader in decades—came to power, Zhu’s views brought him more and more trouble. In 2014, he was detained for a month after donning a black shirt and a white flower at a Wuhan plaza in remembrance of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, estranging him from his teenage son.

But when a mysterious respiratory illness began spreading through Wuhan early last year, Zhu’s deepseated skepticism toward the government suddenly proved prescient.

After seeing rumors of the disease in late December 2019, Zhu began warning friends and family. Many brushed him off as an obstinate gadfly, but his wife and son stayed home, saving them from outings that would soon sicken relatives.

The first to fall ill was his wife’s aunt, who started coughing after an appointment with an eye doctor at a hospital where the virus was spreading. Next was his wife’s cousin, who had accompanied her to the same hospital. Then it was his neighbor’s mother.

Then came the lockdown, proclaimed with no warning on January 23 at 2 in the morning. Wuhan stumbled into the history books, the epicenter of the biggest quarantine in history. The virus ravaged the city of 11 million, flooding hospitals and killing thousands, including his wife’s aunt on January 24.

Zhu took grim satisfaction in being proved correct. He watched on social media as public anger exploded, reaching a fever pitch in February with the death of Li Wenliang, a Wuhan doctor who was punished for warning others of the very disease that would claim his life.

That night, Zhu was glued to his phone, scrolling through hundreds of posts decrying censorship. There were hashtags demanding freedom of speech. There was a quote from Li to a Chinese magazine shortly before his death: “A healthy society shouldn’t just have one voice.”

By early next morning, many of the posts had been purged by censors.

On his wife’s cousin death certificate, doctors wrote she died of an ordinary lung infection, though she had tested positive for the coronavirus. That deepened Zhu’s suspicions that cases were being grossly undercounted.

“I was so angry it hurt,” he said. “I had nowhere to vent my emotions.

You want to kill someone, you’re so angry, you know?”

The outbreak strained Zhu’s relationships. His neighbor, a childhood friend, quarreled with Zhu after doctors told the neighbor’s mother that she had just a regular lung infection.

“I questioned him. `How can you be sure that what the hospital told you was the truth?’” Zhu recalled.

“I said you should still be careful.”

A week later, his friend’s mother passed away. On her death certificate, coronavirus was given as the cause.

They argued the day she died, with Zhu’s friend accusing him of cursing his mother. The two haven’t spoken since. Associated Press video journalist Emily Wang and photographer Ng Han Guan contributed to this report

B

reakups almost always end with a bittersweet outcome.

When the separation is sudden and unexpected, one of the parties to the relationship usually resists and fights back. In love relationships, the politically correct “it’s not you, it’s me” breakup line leaves the other feeling particularly shocked and bewildered.

I know the feeling of being a recipient of such a line, not too many moons ago.

Such a line, I think, can alleviate a lot of guilt, especially if the breakup really was about yourself. Seemingly a polite way of breaking up, such a line is in fact a rude way of keeping the discussion down to a minimum.

According to a licensed social worker, Rachel Perlstein, “If it’s not you, it’s me, then there is less argument or opportunity to explore the differences or feelings.” But in truth, saying “it’s not you, it’s me” can mean virtually anything.

The normal response to an unexpected break up is to suck it up and weep. A different reaction, however, was generated when Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana sent a “break up” letter to University of the Philippines President Danilo Concepcion, unilaterally terminating the DND-UP Agreement on entry of cops and soldiers in the latter’s campuses. The unexpected abrogation now allows state authorities to enter UP campuses unannounced, or sans any prior notice. Instead of weeping, the UP community (students, alumni, activist groups within) was shocked, dismayed, and ready to defend this unexpected breakup without explanation.

Whatever the reason espoused by the DND Secretary, and by the President, it cannot be gainsaid that the consequence of this “breakup,” more than the mere act of ending a contract, weighs heavier in the scales of public perception and realities in Philippine society.

Essentially, this “it’s not you, it’s

me” breakup between UP and DND has opened the floodgates of fear from an imminent unauthorized presence of state security agents in the school’s premises at any given time. Considering that this same atmosphere of terror was the very element sought to be avoided by the DND-UP accord in 1989, the contract’s unilateral extinction as of last week constitutes an anathema to said objective.

All too suddenly, thoughts of abrupt arrests, or abduction, inundated everyone in and from UP. Perhaps, another Donato Continente will be picked up, forced to board a car, and brought to a place called elsewhere if only to be coerced into admitting a crime he did not commit. Continente, a staffer for the university publication, reportedly suffered this kind of fate in June 16, 1989. In a social-media post, Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes narrated that Continente was accused of killing an American soldier and was imprisoned for 14 years until the Supreme Court ruled to abbreviate his jail sentence. Now, with the DND and UP breakup, the old and alarming equation was resurrected: a campus protest plus critical thinking students equals police/military intervention.

For the strident public, the cessation of this DND-UP relationship sends the message that being overly critical of the administration, or reflect just a mere color, or breath, or hush of opposition against the administration, is subject to state

Monday, January 25, 2021 A11

reprimand. Confronted with this overtone, a student, faculty member, and employee of the University, becomes vulnerable to police and military visit in whatever form—much like having the sword of Damocles over their heads. They sit (or stand) in such a perilous position where something bad could happen to them at any given time.

While efforts to fight an insurgency by nipping it in the bud (NPA recruitment in schools) are commendable, the decision of the administration to unilaterally terminate a decades’ old agreement is suspect at this time. The unannounced entry of military agents in any school’s premises has done nothing so far but to sow fear, panic and disgust.

As a former intelligence officer, I know there are many other ways to combat the NPA recruitment in the state university or in any other institution. The termination of the DNDUP agreement comes with the horror of the stifling of academic freedom.

As a people, we are free to speak our mind, of course, within the bounds of the law. Incidentally, this breakup comes alongside a startling mindset of some law enforcement these days where due process has been thrown into the dustbins of history, unfortunately.

Relatedly, Integrated Bar of the Philippines President Domingo Cayosa said, “Diverse groups, including those who oppose government, conduct recruitment in UP as they do in many other schools. Nevertheless, what truly impels and fuels dissent is not UP or its tradition of critical thinking and activism but the injustice, corruption, incompetence, abuse and oppression, poverty or hopelessness that citizens may experience or discern.”

The administration needs to recalibrate its position and focus instead on addressing the more pressing concerns of corruption, injustice, poverty and helplessness in society, all of which have become the best marketing tools for any insurgency. Idealists, students in particular, are free to disagree with government, provided they do so peacefully. School policies in general may encourage critical thinking

and even dissent provided such are expressed in peaceful protests, rallies, and activities of similar nature.

After all, this is essentially what academic freedom is.

Freedom of choice is bestowed upon us both under the laws of men, at least in democratic societies, and under the law of Our Lord. Believers are free to fully accept the Lord as their Savior. Public officials are free to serve in an upright or corrupt manner. In the same way, students are free to choose what courses to pursue and what ideologies they want to believe in. UP students, for instance, are free to choose between a professional career in the Army or a renegade life in the insurgency movement. And no amount of state intervention can dissuade them from choosing one over the other. Once choices are made, people must, however, live with the consequences. In the Bible, Joshua 24:15 NIV tells us, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Our convictions and actions in relation thereto in connection to what the laws of men and of God mandate us to do remain as personal choices.

In our relationship with Our God, I learned that He accepts us unconditionally, even when we drift away from His love. For people to say “it’s not you, it’s me” to unilaterally abandon their relationship with Him is always true, understanding that His covenant with those who believe in Him is unyielding.

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission.

For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

UN: Covid-19 and worsening inequalities will fuel malnutrition in Asia and the Pacific

T

he economic impact of Covid-19 on the world’s most populous region is threatening to further undermine efforts to improve diets and nutrition of nearly 2 billion people in Asia and the Pacific who were already unable to afford healthy diets prior to the pandemic, says a new report published by four specialized agencies of the United Nations.

The report, “Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2020: Maternal and Child Diets at the Heart of Improving Nutrition” found that 1.9 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in this region, even before the Covid-19 outbreak and the damage it has since caused to economies and individual livelihoods. The report was published jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization. Due to higher prices for fruits, vegetables and dairy products, it has become nearly impossible for poor people in Asia and the Pacific to achieve healthy diets, the affordability of which is critical to ensure food security and nutrition for all—and for mothers and children in particular.

Food prices and available incomes govern household decisions on food and dietary intake. But the outbreak of Covid-19 and a lack of decent work opportunities in many parts of the region, alongside significant uncertainty of food systems and markets, has led to a worsening of inequality, as poorer families with dwindling incomes further alter their diets to choose cheaper, less nutritious foods.

Making nutritious foods affordable and accessible

More than 350 million people in Asia and the Pacific were undernourished in 2019, or roughly half of the global total. Across the region, an estimated 74.5 million children under 5 years of age were stunted (too short for their age) and 31.5 million suffered from wasting (too thin for their height). The majority of these children live in Southern Asia with nearly 56 million stunted and more than 25 million wasted.

At the same time, overweight and obesity has increased rapidly, especially in South-Eastern Asia and the Pacific, with an estimated 14.5 million children under 5, being overweight or obese.

Poor diets and inadequate nutritional intake is an ongoing problem.

The cost of a healthy diet is significantly higher than that of a diet that provides sufficient calories but lacks in nutritional value, showing significant gaps in the food system to deliver nutritious options to all at an affordable price. These costs are even greater for women and children, given their added nutritional needs.

The report calls for a transformation of food systems in Asia and the Pacific, with an aim to increase the affordability of, and families’ access to, nutritious, safe, and sustainable diets. Nutritious and healthy diets need to be accessible to everyone, everywhere. To ensure that happens, the report recommends integrated approaches and policies are needed. These steps are vital to overcome unaffordability issues, and also to ensure healthy maternal and child diets.

Improving maternal and child diets requires strengthening vital systems

Nutrition is vitally important throughout a person’s life. The impact of a poor diet is most severe in the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy to when a child reaches the age of 2. Young children, especially when they start eating their “first foods” at 6 months, have high nutritional requirements to grow well and every bite counts.

Mainstreaming nutrition-focused behavior change campaigns throughout these systems should lead to greater knowledge uptake and sustainability of behaviors helping people to achieve healthy diets.

Education on what constitutes a healthy diet and how to create hygienic environments at home, in schools and in the community, together with investment in girl’s education and infrastructure that underlies good water, sanitation and hygiene practices, are critical.

Therefore, providing a nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable diet for all requires coordinating with partners in the Food, Water and Sanitation, Health, Social Protection and Education systems, to collectively create an enabling environment.

Greater attention is also needed to operationalize national policies and plans to improve the delivery of health services for maternal and child diets and good nutrition outcomes. Services to improve the diets of mothers and young children should be prioritized as part of the essential package of health services needed to address undernutrition, overweight and obesity and to

achieve universal health coverage.

In the meantime, social protection efforts can protect and stabilize incomes and improve access to healthy diets during disasters and crises. At least nine governments in Asia and Pacific have established a targeted mother and child Covid-19 component in their social protection systems. However, more data collection and analysis are needed to document the effectiveness of social protection in improving maternal and child diets in the region.

Bringing everyone to the table

Food systems play a critical role in achieving food and nutrition security for all. A sustainable and nutritionsensitive food system is essential to produce diverse and nutritious foods for healthy diets. Improved efficiency and productivity of value chains can reduce the costs of essential foods to make them more affordable.

These actions are needed now more than ever because the face of malnutrition is changing in Asia and the Pacific, with highly processed and inexpensive foods readily available throughout the region. These foods are often packed with sugar and unhealthy fats and lack the vitamins and minerals required for growth and development. Consumption of these foods increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Governments need to invest in nutrition and food safety in fresh and street food markets to promote healthy diets. Regulation of sales and marketing of food for consumers, especially children, is important to curb overweight, obesity and related diseases and illness.

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Economic managers to push for MGCQ in NCR in Feb

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By Elijah Felice E. Rosales

Emerging Infectious Diseases], are ready to support the de-escalation to MGCQ,” Lopez told reporters.

Should Metro Manila transition to modified GCQ, this would be the first time the region will do so after nearly a year. Since March in 2020, the nation’s capital has been applied the strictest of lockdowns to contain the spread of the virus, and this has taken away the livelihood of millions of workers and business owners.

That’s why for Lopez, February may just be the right time for the

government to lift the GCQ on Metro Manila to complete at last the resumption of its commercial activities.

“We saw Covid cases generally also going down, from 4,000 a day, to less than 2,000 a day, by December and despite the reopening [of the economy],” Lopez argued. “No big holiday surge as well.”

In areas under modified GCQ, business establishments listed as Category IV are authorized to operate at a maximum of 50 percent capacity.

Based on IATF guidelines, Category IV is composed of entertainment industries, including bars, cinemas and theaters, as well as tourist destinations. It also covers language, driving and talent schools; libraries, archives, museums and cultural centers; travel agencies, tour operators and reservation services; personal care services; and full body massage.

Likewise, live events are allowed in MGCQ areas for as long as they comply with the guidelines on

meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions issued by the Department of Tourism.

The trade chief argued that extending the GCQ in Metro Manila will only take a toll on its people, as this will keep a select number of shops closed and, in effect, their workers out of jobs. Based on the Labor Force Survey, at least 3.8 million Filipinos are unemployed as of last October in spite of efforts by the government to permit dozens of industries to reopen.

“Prolonged economic downturn will backfire and also lead to poverty and malnutrition, affecting health issues as well and intelligence of children,” Lopez concluded.

As to whether the Philippines, and especially Metro Manila—the epicenter of the virus—is ready to accelerate its reopening from a public health perspective is a different story. The country now has more than 500,000 Covid-19 cases and over 10,000 deaths, and vaccination is only slated to begin in February.

Next to tobacco was alcohol, from which the government sourced P77.96 billion of its sin tax collections. However, this was down by 2.18 percent from P79.7 billion in the same period

in 2019. Meanwhile, excise tax take on sweetened beverages last year suffered the biggest drop to P34.17 billion, a double-digit decline of 18.8 percent from P42.1 billion in 2019.

President Duterte signed into law in January 2020 Republic Act 11467, hiking the excise taxes on alcohol and imposing new duties on heated tobacco and vapor products, in a bid to raise more revenues for the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law. In December 2017, the President also signed into law the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, which also introduced excise tax on sweetened beverages and also hike tobacco excise tax, among others.

@alyasjah

HE entertainment business in Metro Manila may just open up in time for the love month, as the government plans to relax quarantine restrictions on the nation’s capital in February.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said on Saturday economic managers will propose the lifting in February of the general community quarantine (GCQ) enforced in Metro Manila. However, he made it clear such a decision may only be reached if the region avoids a surge in Covid-19 cases for the rest of January.

“If the numbers would show continued improvement in Covid cases, the economic team, as well as most members of IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of

Sin tax…

Continued from A1

LGUS’ ROLE DEEMED ‘CRUCIAL’ IN COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

@jonlmayuga

A

S the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urges local government units (LGUs) to prepare local vaccination plans, Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano underscored the crucial role of LGUs, including local health workers in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

Preparing vaccination plans is mandated by the Department of Health (DOH) guidelines on the National Vaccination Program. Here, LGUs are to coordinate closely with their respective DOH-Centers for Health Development in preparing this plan, said DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya in a statement.

The DILG has issued Memorandum No. 2021-007 directing LGUs to craft a vaccination plan that contains the preparations of risk communication plans and conduct of early Vaccine Communication Campaign to disseminate crucial information on Covid-19 vaccination.

The plan must also include a master list of priority eligible vaccinee population; identification of possible vaccine centers, available cold chain storages, and other logistical requirements; and a master list of existing human resources and personnel needed in the vaccination program.

Cayetano, who donated grocery packs, rice and cash to barangay health workers during a simple ceremony attended by local officials at the covered court of Barangay Pinagtipunan in General Trias, Cavite, said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) must be able to depend on LGUs. “They [LGUs] are really the key if they set a good example and lay down a good

‘National Broadband Plan adoption critical to economic recovery’

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HE government was urged to prioritize the fast implementation of the National Broadband Plan to accelerate economic recovery.

The president of independent think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi), Prof.

Dindo Manhit, said this is critical in meeting the increasing demand for reliable and fast broadband services that all sectors need to sustain operations.

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the government’s broadband infrastructure blueprint to install fiber optic and wireless technologies to improve internet accessibility, broadband speed, and affordability.

Manhit said in a statement, “The innovative talent and creative skills of Filipinos is a potential that can be transformed into an economic pillar that will drive the economy in a digitalized new normal.”

He added, “Our efforts to rebuild economic momentum will not happen if the country’s digital infrastructure is not ready to deliver the broadband speeds required to support a cloud-based ecosystem.”

According to the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR) 2020, Asean governments are upgrading telecommunications infrastructure: Malaysia is spending $233 million for increasing coverage and broadband speed; Thailand, $343 million to connect thousands of villages; and Vietnam, $820 million for a 23,000-kilometer submarine cable system.

“The Philippine government should take the cue from its Asean neighbors who are already investing

aggressively to boost broadband services to world class levels.” Manhit said.

“The implementation of the National Broadband Plan should be prioritized as a critical infrastructure project in the government loan portfolio that will generate longterm benefits to public and private ecosystems,” Manhit said.

The Department of Information and Communications proposed P18 billion to implement the National Broadband Plan but was only allocated less than P1.5 billion in the 2021 national budget.

Big shift to online

Philippine telcos have reported a 500-percent increase in data usage when lockdowns started last year because of the massive shift to online services to adapt to travel restrictions and working from home.

Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu said, “While the new sites will need time to be built and fired up, the recent unimpeded permitting process has proven to be the much-needed catalyst for the telco industry. Improving the country’s state of connectivity and internet speed is a continuing effort that requires both public and private sector support.”

The Ayala-led telco is boosting investments by 250 percent in 2021 and will build 2,000 new cell towers and sites next year and expand their 5G network to more cities and municipalities in Metro Manila.

Smart Communications is allocating between P88 billion and P92 billion in capital expenditure and will expand services to the unserved and underserved areas in the country.

system. As I see it, the IATF will rely heavily on LGUs. So the LGUs just have to fund the 4th class, 5th class at 6th class municipalities because even if they have good workers, if they have no funds [that’s still a problem],”he told reporters in a chance interview during the event.

Cayetano also underscored the need to implement for better contract-tracing which he said was in the Bayanihan 1 and Bayanihan 2 law but was not immediately implemented.

He added that implementing a “third wave” of financial aid is “of great importance” to help those who lost their jobs and until now have yet to find an alternative source of income, particularly those in the informal sector.

Cayetano, accompanied by his wife, Taguig Rep. Lani Cayetano, was joined by his some of his colleagues in Congress from the Province of Cavite namely, 3rd District Representative Alex Advincula, 6th District Rep. Luis Ferrer IV, and 1st District Representative Francis Gerard A. Abaya.

Mayor Antonio A. Ferrer of General Trias thanked the Cayetanos for the support.

According to Cayetano, conducting the nationwide vaccination to fight Covid-19 is of utmost importance especially because even some health workers themselves are wary about being vaccinated.

He earlier urged some 60 barangay health workers in General Trias who graced the turnover of the donation to “listen to the experts” on the issue the vaccination program.

“If the experts say the vaccines are safe and effective, then let’s use it,” he said, adding that barangay health workers should be the first to have themselves vaccinated as well for their own protection against Covid-19.

Limited access to computers crimps digital shift—Angara

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AYING local governments’ limited access to computers hinders timely delivery of basic public services, Senator Juan Edgardo Angara has asked local government units (LGUs) to frontload the adoption of digital transformation to promptly address the problem.

“To bolster the country’s efforts in developing and implementing e-government services,” Angara asserted that LGUs should “take the lead in digital transformation for the public sector.”

The Senator observed, for instance, that shifting to digital or online services accelerated in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, asserting that the government “cannot afford to be left behind.”

One need only look into “how more Filipinos now regularly use their mobile phones and computers to shop, do their groceries, and even transact with their banks. Our government processes and services should follow suit.”

However, he lamented that only 30 percent of LGUs have taken steps to digitize their processes, noting that limited access to computers, among other findings, hindered timely delivery of local government services.

He recalled how “thousands of people had to go out of their homes and line up at designated areas in their respective LGUs to apply and receive their cash assistance," recalling that "this was not only a labor-intensive and tedious process, but also created significant health risks on both the recipients and the government workers.”

Continued on A2

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Companies BusinessMirror

Monday, January 25, 2021

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Century Properties to sell bonds

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By VG Cabuag

@villygc

he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the public offering of Antonioled real estate developer Century Properties Group Inc. (CPG) of up to P3 billion in fixed-rate bonds.

The developer’s offer involves a principal of P2 billion in 3-year paper due 2024, and an oversubscription option of up to P1 billion.

The company expects to net up to P2.94 billion from the offer, assuming the oversubscription option is fully exercised. The proceeds will be used to refinance maturing debt, fund capital expenditures for ongoing projects as well as general corpo-

rate requirements.

The bonds will be offered at face value, and will be listed and traded on the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp.

The company said it will still have to submit its final prospectus and transaction agreements to the regulators as part of the offering.

China Bank Capital Corp. was picked as the sole issue manager,

lead underwriter and bookrunner for the offer.

CPG earlier said it will diversify its product offering in the coming years, hinting its buildings will be more environment friendly.

“Recognizing that there will be economic challenges, CPG will remain strong by diversifying its portfolio for further expansion, while reducing its carbon footprint and creating buildings with the future of the planet in mind,” the company said.

“They say the only constant thing in life is change, and to respond to the changing times, Century Properties will remain agile—looking for ways on how to do things better in the service of its clients and stakeholders.

Beyond building passion which the company is known for, it will strive to have a lasting impact as it creates a new generation real estate.”

CPG said it is optimistic about the company’s prospects for this year, but it will re-align its strategies to meet

the changing consumer needs and be of better service to its customers.

Despite the pandemic, CPG launched several subdivision developments aimed at the low- to middleincome markets, as sales from its in-city vertical developments waned with just a small amount of projects in the pipeline.

The company posted P1.6 billion in reservation sales for the first half of 2020, equivalent to 1,925 homes or 651 units under its in-city vertical developments business and 1,274 house and lot units under Phirst Park Homes, its affordable housing brand.

It launched its sixth and seventh horizontal community this year—in Nasugbu, Batangas, and in Magalang, Pampanga, respectively. Phirst Park has maintained its sales momentum, posting reservation sales worth P3.12 billion from its first six projects in Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Batangas in January to June 2020.

INNOVATION CENTER The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and Huawei Technologies Philippines Inc. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) operationalizing the PCCI Innovation Center that will serve as a central hub to facilitate knowledge-exchange among the tech-savvy, start-ups and established businesses. Under the partnership signed by PCCI President Benedicto Yujuico and Huawei Philippines Vice President Daniel Guo, Huawei will provide mentorship programs in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Coding, Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IOT). Photo shows PCCI President Benedicto Yujuico (2nd from left) and Huawei Philippines Vice President Daniel Guo (2nd from right) presenting the MOU after the signing with PCCI Innovation and Technology Committee Director Ferdinand Ferrer (left) and Huawei Philippines Public Affairs Director Sally Zhou (right). The Innovation Center is housed at 8 Meridian Ave., 11/F Double Dragon Meridian Park, corner Macapagal avenue, Bay Area, Pasay City. Contributed Photo

‘New Clark terminal to serve 8.2M flyers’

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lark International Airport—Without much fanfare, the ceremonial handover of the new passenger terminal building of the Clark International Airport (CRK) was held here Friday.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA)-Department of Transportation (DOTr) accepted the certificate of completion for the new passenger terminal building from the joint venture of GMR-Megawide which constructed the building at the CRK here.

The BCDA-DOTr in turn, handed over the new passenger terminal to its operations and maintenance partner, Luzon International Premier Airport Development (LIPAD) Corp. for the final fit-out prior to opening and full operations.

LIPAD CEO Bi Young Chungunco said the new passenger terminal is designed to serve 8.2 million passengers and would be fully operational in July this year.

“We committed and we delivered. Nineteen domestic and 14 international destinations serving a total of more than 700 flights by 20 airlines,” she said describing LIPAD’s first year of

operating CRK. “We hit 4 million passengers and that is why it is time for us to move to this new terminal with a capacity of 8.2 million passengers,” she added.

Chungunco also said the old terminal would be converted into a “mass vaccination facility for 10,000 people a day.”

“We are committed to use the existing terminal to be used as a mass vaccination facility and our services to provide seamless and comfortable experience for our vaccinees our facility would be ready to vaccinate more than 10,000 people a day,” she said.

Newly elected chair of the House Special Committee on Bases Conversion, Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., emphasized CRK’s role as a catalyst of progress. “We envisioned this to be Asia’s next premiere gateway which will help foster economic growth. This is indeed a testament of the government’s goal in making Clark the next premiere metropolis of Asia and putting our country one step closer to progress and prosperity.” Ashley Manabat

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Monday, January 25, 2021

Companies BusinessMirror

Byahe targeting to expand modern jeepney services

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

STOCK-MARKET OUTLOOK Last week

Share prices fell last week after profit taking ensued as funds went back to the United States on investors’ optimism over the inauguration of US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) declined 192.63 points to end the week at 7,045.83 points.

The main index was down all week long as investors pondered on the availability of the vaccine against Covid-19 amid reports that the new Covid-19 strain is more contagious.

Value of trade was high at an average of P11.67 billion as investors decided to sell, while foreign investors were net sellers at P4.82 billion.

All other subindices ended lower—the Mining and Oil index was the hardest hit, declining by 6 percent or 626.71 points to close at 9,321.95 points.

The broader All Shares index fell 100.79 to 4,241.69, the Financials index declined 46.33 to 1,449.12, the Industrial index lost 303.91 to 9,175.10, the Holding Firms index shed 146.20 to 7,225.15, the Property index was down 126.71 to 3,568.11 and the Services index retreated 22.43 to 1,536.13.

For the week losers edged gainers 175 to 67 and 17 shares were unchanged.

Top gainers were Vulcan Industrial and Mining Corp., Altus Property Ventures Inc., Abacore Capital Holdings Inc., Pacifica Holdings Inc., Abra Mining and Industrial Corp. and Chemical Industries of the Philippines Inc. Top losers were TKC Metals Corp., Island Information and Technology Inc., Metro Alliance Holdings and Equities Corp. A and B shares, Transpacific Broadband Group International Inc., Millennium Global Holdings Inc. and Oriental Peninsula Resources Group Inc.

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@lorenzmarasigan

orporate consolidator Byahe, a transport group that was co-founded by a former Grab executive, plans to expand its modern jeepney services across the country and institutionalize a scheduled dispatch system to provide better transport solutions to Filipinos.

Brian P. Cu, the co-founder of Byahe, said his group supports the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program, noting that the modern jeepney operations with a scheduled dispatch system will make the ubiquitous transport mode “more organized and efficient.”

“Byahe was born out of a dream and a vision: to pursue PUV modernization by professionalizing the services of jeepney drivers, and to finally make commuting more convenient, safer, and more affordable for the riding public,” he said.

The service was first introduced in Pampanga on Thursday. Byahe, Cu noted, is a corporate consolidator that brings together operators in the public utility jeepney (PUJ) sector, adding that

Byahe’s jeepneys are required to have designated stops, similar to buses in first world countries.

Byahe’s fleet will also be managed under a technical platform that allows for cashless payments.

“This will ultimately benefit the commuting public. It will promote efficiency, convenience, and safety, as commuters will be able to organize their schedule and be assured of on-time transportation to and from their desired destinations,” Cu said.

He added that Byahe will “professionalize the fragmented traditional jeepney sector, allowing for improved livelihood and opportunity for development most especially for drivers.”

This includes the training of drivers as well as regular salaries.

“This means stable income for drivers and taxes for the government. The industry, once professionalized, will bring drivers to the formal economy, while operators of modernized fleets will be paying common carrier taxes,” Cu explained.

Byahe will introduce its services in Metro Manila in February, and plans to expand “to major cities throughout the year.”

This week

Share prices are expected to further decline this week as some investors are getting worried over the sharp rise in inflation, which started accelerating in November.

“Our past notes have consistently harped about the sharp rise in consumer prices in the weeks since November, the post-typhoon season. While these are mostly supply-side driven, these collectively present a twofold concern for financial markets,” broker 2TradeAsia said.

“First, policy makers have to be aggressive in their moves in the first half [of 2021] to stave off any stagflation concerns and second, discretionary consumer items may face greater headwinds, in lieu of much accelerating cost of living relative to wage growth,” it said.

This week, the US Federal Reserve is scheduled to meet for its policy meeting, while the Philippines will report its full year GDP for 2020.

“While a full year contraction is already seen to be priced in, investors are expected to look towards the fourth quarter 2020 figures to see if there will be a significant improvement compared to the preceding quarter,” Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco, senior research analyst at Philstocks Financials Inc., said.

He said the main index may test its 50-day exponential moving average, which is currently at 7,005.71 points.

“If it falls below that line, the market’s next support is seen at 6,900. Resistance, on the other hand, is seen at the 7,150 - 7,200 range,” he said.

Stock picks

Broker Regina Capital Development Corp. advised to trade the range on the stock of Merrymart Consumer Corp. as its 2-day downturn last week was arrested after it managed to climb by almost a percent towards P7.30 per share.

“There is still some leftover bullishness from when the stock welcomed the year with a strong one-day gain of 29.29 percent. However, the momentum has begun showing signs of tapering. The stock will likely continue consolidating sideways until P8.12 at least for this week,” it said.

Merrymart shares closed at P7.43 apiece on Friday.

Meanwhile, the broker advised to cut loss on the stock of Basic Energy Corp. (BSC), which fell last week and tracked the downside trend with almost all mining stocks.

“It is now on its losing streak and is on the way to fully correcting its initial rally this year.

Despite the massive selldown, BSC is still far from being oversold. Indicators are showing a spike in selling momentum as volatility continues to increase,” it said, adding that P1 is the most reliable support for the stock.

“All things considered, the stock still looks a bit too unstable. Wait for the support to hold before positioning.”

Basic Energy shares closed last week at P1.28 apiece. VG Cabuag

PayMaya increases touchpoints in PHL

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inancial technology (fintech) player PayMaya claimed on Sunday it now has “the largest footprint of financial transactions nationwide,” as it expands its touchpoints to over 200,000 — even larger than that of all Philippine banks combined.

Shailesh Baidwan, President of PayMaya, said these touchpoints enable the 28 million PayMaya users to pay, add money, cash out, or remit.

“As PayMaya continues to lead the push towards cashless for all Filipinos, it is important for us to provide them with the most expansive and reliable on-ground channels that allow them to do safe and convenient financial transactions, no matter where they are in the country,” he said.

The touchpoints include convenience stores,

mutual funds

retail merchants, groceries, department stores, food outlets, pawnshops, and Smart Padala centers, among others.

“We have built this robust ecosystem of touchpoints to help ensure that there are easily available and trusted avenues for our customers to add, transact, or move money for all their dayto-day needs,” Baidwan added.

PayMaya’s list of touchpoints is six times larger than the combined 12,371 bank branches and 22,162 ATM terminals currently operating across the country.

This also includes the 37,000 Smart Padala partner agents, which cover 92 percent of all cities and municipalities in the Philippines. Lorenz S. Marasigan January 22, 2021

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

January 22, 2021

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 PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK PHILTRUST RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FIRST ABACUS FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH

43.65 111 81 24.95 7.39 10.2 46.6 11.08 20.65 27.45 56.1 98.5 18.04 133.4 70.6 0.93 4.15 0.59 3.9 1.51 0.405 0.78 152.5

43.8 111.1 81.25 25 8.5 10.22 47 11.16 23 27.5 56.25 114.9 18.5 133.5 70.65 0.99 4.18 0.62 3.96 1.52 0.42 0.8 153.9

43.7 111.4 82.6 24.95 8.5 10.26 47.5 11.1 23.45 27.25 56.25 98.5 18 135.7 70.6 1 4.22 0.58 4 1.5 0.42 0.81 152.6

43.7 111.9 82.85 24.95 8.5 10.3 47.55 11.16 23.45 27.5 56.35 98.5 18.54 135.9 71.5 1 4.24 0.58 4 1.52 0.42 0.81 153

43.65 109.2 80.1 24.8 7.34 10.2 46.6 11.08 23 27.25 56.1 98.5 18 133.5 70.6 0.92 4.1 0.58 3.61 1.48 0.385 0.71 152.5

43.7 111.1 81 24.95 8.5 10.2 46.6 11.08 23 27.5 56.1 98.5 18.02 133.5 71.25 0.99 4.18 0.58 3.96 1.52 0.42 0.8 152.5

23,100 5,073,070 2,320,850 33,600 1,400 624,600 3,117,900 7,100 800 177,600 5,400 10 37,600 575,720 3,240 12,000 490,000 19,000 918,000 137,000 2,810,000 372,000 860

1,009,460 560,611,109 188,229,937.50 836,430 10,979 6,384,916 146,259,450 78,708 18,535 4,860,495 303,793 985 678,504 77,088,693 231,021.50 11,250 2,061,870 11,020 3,509,680 206,180 1,131,750 280,970 131,391

502,550 50,379,243 -88,259,088.00 -7,455 -3,341,642 -67,596,545 -687,915 2,812.50 -126,000 27,372,419 -50,589.50 -185,150 81,300 3,050

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 6.8 6.81 7 7.1 6.6 6.8 27,323,300 186,925,934 ALSONS CONS 1.29 1.3 1.27 1.3 1.26 1.29 11,158,000 14,275,720 ABOITIZ POWER 25.9 26 26.1 26.25 25.8 26 1,854,000 48,147,365 1.28 1.29 1.11 1.29 0.92 1.28 868,925,000 972,005,940 BASIC ENERGY 30.85 30.9 30.6 31 30.4 30.9 683,100 21,007,165 FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG 78.55 79 79.35 79.35 78.5 79 62,100 4,905,326.50 MERALCO 283.6 285 288 289.8 282.8 285 341,710 97,429,146 16.26 16.38 16.26 16.48 16.1 16.38 483,300 7,850,822 MANILA WATER 3.59 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.55 3.6 2,443,000 8,810,890 PETRON PETROENERGY 3.8 3.9 3.97 3.98 3.78 3.9 94,000 363,850 PHX PETROLEUM 11.52 11.78 11.7 12.06 11.2 11.52 142,400 1,619,008 21.4 21.45 20.75 21.5 20.5 21.4 724,200 15,305,195 PILIPINAS SHELL 10 10.1 9.95 10 9.85 10 139,200 1,379,353 SPC POWER VIVANT 13.5 14.5 13.54 13.54 13.5 13.5 6,100 82,460 AGRINURTURE 7.6 7.7 7.6 7.78 7.5 7.7 1,165,900 8,977,907 3.07 3.12 3.08 3.13 3.08 3.12 866,000 2,685,790 AXELUM 71.05 81.45 71.05 71.05 71.05 71.05 40 2,842 BOGO MEDELLIN CNTRL AZUCARERA 14.6 14.64 14 14.66 14 14.62 6,200 88,872 CENTURY FOOD 17.12 17.32 17.24 17.44 17.1 17.12 871,000 14,968,634 8.5 8.54 8.19 8.5 8.19 8.5 208,500 1,754,051 DEL MONTE DNL INDUS 7.1 7.11 7.12 7.12 7.02 7.1 1,668,100 11,822,030 EMPERADOR 9.93 9.95 9.95 9.98 9.86 9.95 548,400 5,443,472 SMC FOODANDBEV 68 68.05 68.15 68.45 67.9 68 266,000 18,103,927.50 0.64 0.65 0.65 0.65 0.64 0.65 312,000 200,350 ALLIANCE SELECT 1.64 1.66 1.66 1.67 1.61 1.66 18,410,000 30,139,910 FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA 58.2 58.5 55 59 54.95 58.5 652,750 37,688,792 JOLLIBEE 186.6 186.7 186.9 187.6 186 186.7 1,022,330 190,796,760 LIBERTY FLOUR 35.5 35.95 36.3 36.3 34.5 35.95 12,500 440,655 7.74 8.25 7.87 8.32 7.73 8.32 3,100 24,204 MACAY HLDG MAXS GROUP 6.48 6.5 6.6 6.61 6.39 6.5 522,300 3,373,884 MG HLDG 0.32 0.325 0.285 0.335 0.24 0.32 42,960,000 12,958,450 SHAKEYS PIZZA 7.45 7.46 7.65 7.66 7.4 7.46 217,700 1,634,695 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.22 1.15 1.17 5,777,000 6,722,920 ROXAS AND CO 0.135 0.142 0.131 0.143 0.131 0.143 650,000 86,790 SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA 148.1 149 148.5 150.6 146.8 149 848,630 125,837,797 VITARICH 0.94 0.96 0.92 0.97 0.9 0.96 5,785,000 5,410,570 2.22 2.3 2.22 2.3 2.22 2.3 64,000 143,500 VICTORIAS CONCRETE A 53.1 54.75 57 57 53 53 1,730 92,081 CONCRETE B 55.5 57.7 57.3 57.7 57.3 57.7 430 24,703 CEMEX HLDG 1.44 1.45 1.45 1.49 1.44 1.45 3,501,000 5,099,560 5.98 6.1 5.98 6.2 5.98 6.09 31,900 193,366 DAVINCI CAPITAL EAGLE CEMENT 13.82 14 14.2 14.3 13.6 14 173,100 2,435,598 EEI CORP 7.83 7.84 7.63 7.85 7.63 7.84 458,000 3,553,459 HOLCIM 6.69 6.7 6.85 6.87 6.5 6.69 1,041,800 6,907,623 7.88 7.92 7.75 7.98 7.75 7.92 894,600 7,002,043 MEGAWIDE 9.7 9.9 9.9 10 9.8 9.9 145,800 1,448,180 PHINMA TKC METALS 1.26 1.3 1.31 1.31 1.11 1.3 3,929,000 4,806,800 VULCAN INDL 2.02 2.04 1.7 2.17 1.6 2.02 33,906,000 65,421,710 1.81 1.87 1.81 1.89 1.81 1.87 24,000 44,310 CROWN ASIA EUROMED 2.18 2.21 2.18 2.25 2.14 2.21 387,000 838,780 LMG CORP 4.55 4.79 4.93 4.93 4.79 4.79 7,000 33,810 PRYCE CORP 5.19 5.42 5.18 5.43 5.18 5.18 5,800 30,080 CONCEPCION 21.9 22 22 22 21.85 21.9 100,800 2,206,040 2.75 2.77 2.68 2.83 2.57 2.77 17,552,000 47,331,510 GREENERGY 9.05 9.06 9.15 9.26 9 9.06 800,500 7,265,414 INTEGRATED MICR IONICS 1.28 1.31 1.26 1.36 1.23 1.31 1,987,000 2,566,930 PANASONIC 5.59 6.3 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.4 2,000 12,800 1.39 1.4 1.38 1.4 1.33 1.39 1,975,000 2,707,800 SFA SEMICON 6.83 6.84 6.71 7.16 6.5 6.84 17,077,100 116,691,705 CIRTEK HLDG

16,692,641 25,400 -33,410,995 1,942,790 -1,706,890 -2,449,245.50 -45,885,862 -3,118,192 -556,950 -52,920 1,150 4,265,560 -82,460.00 -381,815 293,410 -8,850,870.00 -575,586 67,104.00 -3,631,854.50 -6,400 -573,200 3,244,073.50 -61,126,641 -153,995 -2,092,000.00 -651,734 881,970 -46,825,793.00 -115,920 434,170 -385,712 -791,529 2,478,290 -1,232,673 113,520 -62,110 -21,900 -139,930 -2,254,418 128,380.00 2,082,566

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 1.08 1.09 0.99 1.13 0.91 1.09 182,875,000 188,259,160 ASIABEST GROUP 8.44 8.88 9.57 9.59 8.43 8.88 63,200 548,215 AYALA CORP 797 809.5 795 809.5 781 809.5 332,170 264,354,815 43.4 43.45 44.8 44.8 43.25 43.45 1,527,100 66,355,140 ABOITIZ EQUITY 9.79 9.8 9.88 9.9 9.7 9.8 4,703,300 45,923,882 ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG 2.9 2.93 2.98 2.98 2.88 2.94 2,982,000 8,682,500 ANSCOR 6.85 6.9 6.85 6.85 6.85 6.85 1,100 7,535 0.92 0.93 0.86 0.94 0.8 0.92 7,276,000 6,330,440 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.89 0.9 0.87 0.9 0.86 0.89 3,723,000 3,261,610 ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B 0.87 0.92 0.88 0.98 0.87 0.93 162,000 144,950 COSCO CAPITAL 5.35 5.36 5.45 5.45 5.35 5.36 1,086,200 5,846,170 5.3 5.33 5.38 5.38 5.28 5.33 7,299,300 38,831,580 DMCI HLDG 8.9 9 8.85 9 8.85 8.9 16,000 141,755 FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE B 2.66 4.48 2.61 4.47 2.61 3.7 42,020,000 148,742,100 FORUM PACIFIC 0.223 0.24 0.23 0.24 0.222 0.24 1,430,000 338,490 548.5 555 550 555 526 555 266,800 145,121,885 GT CAPITAL 3.7 3.87 3.69 3.7 3.68 3.7 40,000 147,480 HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT 72.6 72.95 74 74 71.55 72.95 1,782,640 129,716,890.50 LODESTAR 1.02 1.04 1.01 1.08 1.01 1.02 3,365,000 3,462,860 3.7 3.73 3.71 3.73 3.7 3.73 3,994,000 14,864,300 LOPEZ HLDG 13.14 13.2 13.38 13.38 13 13.14 3,255,000 42,767,974 LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG 0.54 0.55 0.53 0.54 0.52 0.54 594,000 313,530 METRO PAC INV 4.28 4.3 4.31 4.31 4.2 4.3 22,447,000 96,219,830 5.97 6 5.46 6 5.16 6 412,600 2,360,098 PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA 0.88 0.9 0.88 0.88 0.88 0.88 134,000 117,920 SOLID GROUP 1.24 1.25 1.21 1.24 1.21 1.24 169,000 208,310 SYNERGY GRID 309 310 312 312 309 309 600 186,450 SM INVESTMENTS 1,034 1,035 1,052 1,057 1,026 1,035 521,960 542,400,730 125.6 129 124.4 129 124.3 129 192,750 24,496,342 SAN MIGUEL CORP 0.86 0.89 0.85 0.94 0.81 0.86 258,000 220,970 SOC RESOURCES SEAFRONT RES 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.2 16,000 34,900 TOP FRONTIER 135 140 139.5 140 135 140 15,060 2,057,245 0.225 0.238 0.223 0.225 0.223 0.225 450,000 100,580 WELLEX INDUS 0.242 0.25 0.206 0.27 0.203 0.25 9,990,000 2,370,970 ZEUS HLDG

-1,397,390 42,400 -169,777,495 -40,231,510 -12,691,989 -363,510 73,740 -17,400 -1,456,150 -31,636,131 1,770 -42,425,175 -55,300 -106,165,685 -31,100 -5,565,580 -20,880,010 -17,034,400 -205,384,735 -4,718,266 24,750 -75,000

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND ARANETA PROP AREIT RT BELLE CORP A BROWN CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CEB LANDMASTERS CENTURY PROP CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON DM WENCESLAO EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE 8990 HLDG PHIL INFRADEV CITY AND LAND MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND PHIL REALTY ROCKWELL SHANG PROP STA LUCIA LAND SM PRIME HLDG VISTAMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

0.7 39.1 1.41 31.6 1.67 0.96 0.78 0.155 5.1 0.44 0.37 14.34 7.05 0.315 0.09 1.13 0.88 7.81 1.42 0.72 4.02 0.68 0.4 1.37 20.8 0.315 1.57 2.64 2.19 37.6 4.12 1.92 4.58

0.71 39.45 1.48 31.9 1.68 0.97 0.8 0.16 5.11 0.445 0.375 14.38 7.15 0.325 0.097 1.14 0.92 7.88 1.43 0.74 4.03 0.69 0.425 1.4 21 0.325 1.58 2.66 2.24 37.65 4.23 1.97 4.6

0.71 39.55 1.51 31.95 1.67 0.93 0.79 0.154 5.05 0.45 0.37 14.22 7.01 0.31 0.09 1.14 0.88 7.8 1.43 0.72 4.1 0.67 0.39 1.32 21.1 0.325 1.56 2.64 2.42 38.5 4.1 1.84 4.61

0.72 39.75 1.51 32.25 1.69 0.97 0.79 0.16 5.12 0.45 0.38 14.58 7.2 0.32 0.098 1.15 0.88 7.88 1.46 0.72 4.11 0.73 0.445 1.45 21.2 0.325 1.6 2.67 2.42 38.5 4.2 2.04 4.66

0.69 38.7 1.41 31.6 1.67 0.93 0.79 0.145 5 0.44 0.37 14.18 7.01 0.31 0.09 1.12 0.88 7.62 1.4 0.72 3.98 0.63 0.39 1.32 20 0.315 1.51 2.64 2.12 37.25 4.08 1.84 4.4

0.7 39.45 1.48 31.6 1.68 0.97 0.79 0.16 5.11 0.44 0.375 14.38 7.05 0.32 0.097 1.14 0.88 7.81 1.42 0.72 4.02 0.68 0.4 1.4 21 0.315 1.58 2.64 2.24 37.6 4.2 1.97 4.6

1,048,000 7,350,700 13,000 996,700 272,000 5,675,000 12,000 5,670,000 1,167,600 5,730,000 3,830,000 791,800 48,800 2,680,000 1,160,000 16,947,000 50,000 65,300 2,638,000 9,000 21,388,000 337,096,000 1,250,000 399,000 3,716,200 2,460,000 1,485,000 22,000 1,033,000 9,068,600 79,000 5,103,000 1,938,000

735,310 287,770,335 18,640 31,928,980 457,280 5,414,880 9,480 860,540 5,870,553 2,535,500 1,429,300 11,297,284 346,132 837,250 104,870 19,196,290 44,000 503,266 3,762,680 6,480 86,367,960 230,235,100 506,250 557,580 77,573,415 785,100 2,288,030 58,170 2,254,380 341,718,465 327,650 9,995,990 8,777,480

54,700 -85,988,020 -7,294,175 -50,100 18,620 3,950 -5,920 18,464 -289,000 -397,660 59,550 3,601,780 13,272 8,020 -25,242,980 -7,765,990 -63,000 42,600 -26,728,355 15,800 70,200 -157,962,835 -341,140 1,890,610

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 226.75 -6.13% -9.17% 0.57% -0.21% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 1.3022 -0.1% -7.22% 5.6% -0.82% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.1276 -7.68% -13.01% -0.39% -0.17% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.7912 -6.79% -7.99% n.a.

-1.58%

SERVICES First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.73 -9.87% n.a. n.a.

-1.56% ABS CBN 13.94 13.96 14.5 14.5 13.8 13.96 400,500 5,645,528 First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.9375 -3.28% -7.05% 1.24% -0.08% GMA NETWORK 5.96 6 6 6.04 5.95 5.96 375,800 2,245,780 BULLETIN MANILA 0.455 0.47 0.44 0.485 0.43 0.47 540,000 245,350 First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4 0.7536 -7.42% -9.68% -5.06% -0.82% 2,060 2,074 2,100 2,102 2,060 2,060 47,890 99,042,610 -27,457,740 GLOBE TELECOM MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 102.98 2.01% -4.42% n.a.

1.02% 1,390 1,400 1,435 1,444 1,378 1,390 225,200 314,821,700 -111,193,840 PLDT APOLLO GLOBAL 0.32 0.325 0.3 0.355 0.246 0.32 5,168,930,000 1,599,190,420 62,816,440 PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 46.8109 -4.43% -7.15% 2.56% -0.08% CONVERGE 15.48 15.56 15.4 15.58 15.4 15.56 679,000 10,500,580 7,128,106 Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 487.98 -4.26% -7.19% 1.47% -0.2% 4.96 5.04 5.47 5.48 4.92 4.96 18,755,800 93,858,720 -1,227,033 DFNN INC 12.3 12.32 12.4 12.88 12.1 12.3 42,982,700 533,907,842 25,890,676 DITO CME HLDG Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,5 1.0871 9.11% n.a. n.a.

-0.93% IMPERIAL 1.83 1.97 2.05 2.05 1.83 1.97 162,000 306,010 Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.1706 -5.21% -6.68% 2.01% 0.21% ISLAND INFO 0.148 0.149 0.154 0.154 0.111 0.149 111,910,000 14,708,340 -4,525,220 1.96 1.97 1.97 1.97 1.96 1.96 29,000 56,870 JACKSTONES Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 34.7535 -4.1% -6.46% 2.97% -0.05% NOW CORP 3.66 3.67 3.61 3.75 3.56 3.67 4,813,000 17,577,980 -256,300 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.375 0.38 0.38 0.39 0.32 0.38 45,670,000 16,536,300 367,300 Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.9123 -6.21% n.a. n.a.

-0.08% PHILWEB 2.83 2.86 2.88 2.9 2.72 2.83 1,427,000 4,023,460 -152,520.00 Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 4.7888 -3.98% -6.74% 3.37% -0.05% 8.38 8.6 9.04 9.04 8.25 8.38 55,800 478,086 -26,678 2GO GROUP 14.6 15 14.6 14.6 14.6 14.6 400 5,840 ASIAN TERMINALS

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 801.32 -3.75% -6.62% 3.4% -0.04% CHELSEA 4.72 4.73 5 5.05 4.71 4.72 5,627,000 27,500,190 -1,350,780 Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.7171 -8.92% -10.47% -1.33% -0.25% CEBU AIR 50 50.1 49.6 50.2 49.5 50.1 434,000 21,657,650 1,350,500 127.5 128.5 128.6 128.6 125.6 128.5 1,666,230 212,301,029 66,535,108 INTL CONTAINER Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.6269 -8.85% -8.6% 1.65% 0.09% 15.4 16 16 16 15.4 15.4 200 3,140 LBC EXPRESS Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.9173 -4.02% -6.91% 3.13% -0.04% LORENZO SHIPPNG 1.01 1.07 1.05 1.05 0.99 1.01 96,000 96,390 1,010 MACROASIA 6.2 6.21 6.16 6.35 6.12 6.21 1,392,600 8,653,553 -2,512,696 United Fund, Inc. -a 3.3104 -5.06% -5.8% 3.94% -0.26% 2.42 2.46 2.35 2.49 2.15 2.42 2,402,000 5,579,480 METROALLIANCE A Exchange Traded Fund METROALLIANCE B 2.35 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.8 4,000 11,400 PAL HLDG 6.59 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.55 6.59 10,000 66,128 First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 107.5284 -3.73% -6.39% 4.15% -0.02% HARBOR STAR 1.51 1.53 1.49 1.54 1.46 1.52 4,128,000 6,176,490 -362,310 Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ACESITE HOTEL 1.44 1.6 1.43 1.61 1.43 1.61 25,000 37,650 0.046 0.049 0.045 0.049 0.044 0.049 82,800,000 3,857,600 221,600 BOULEVARD HLDG ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b $1.3336 25.89% 4.47% 11.42% 10.87% 3.32 3.44 3.82 3.82 3.2 3.44 490,000 1,659,730 DISCOVERY WORLD Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.7233 21.58% 9.24% n.a.

3.02% WATERFRONT 0.57 0.58 0.57 0.59 0.56 0.58 18,780,000 10,749,520 -56,130 IPEOPLE 8.3 8.57 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 800 6,640 Balanced Funds 0.435 0.44 0.435 0.44 0.435 0.435 4,430,000 1,927,450 -13,050 STI HLDG Primarily invested in Peso securities 5.01 5.1 5.01 5.01 5 5 22,800 114,058 BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY 7.97 8 7.92 8 7.8 8 4,706,600 37,339,455 -2,843,727 ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.6796 10.24% -4.23% 0.67% 0.66% PACIFIC ONLINE 2.15 2.2 2.21 2.21 2 2.19 382,000 789,550 ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.2917 9.09% -2.97% 3% 0.28% 1.82 1.9 1.87 1.9 1.84 1.84 846,000 1,563,550 LEISURE AND RES MANILA JOCKEY 2.2 2.3 2.18 2.2 2.16 2.2 36,000 78,760 First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6257 2.56% -2.14% 1.51% -0.05% PH RESORTS GRP 2.78 2.8 2.92 2.97 2.73 2.78 16,319,000 46,056,050 614,500 First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.1984 -11.07% n.a. n.a.

-0.1% PREMIUM LEISURE 0.49 0.495 0.48 0.5 0.47 0.49 13,830,000 6,635,550 473,550 6.6 6.65 6.64 6.64 6.64 6.64 151,000 1,002,640 PHIL RACING NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.9691 2.06% -1.06% 3.18% 0.26% ALLHOME 8.95 9 9.07 9.08 8.8 9 675,300 6,047,957 284,998 PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.7915 3.16% -1.91% 2.6% 0.09% METRO RETAIL 1.37 1.38 1.42 1.43 1.37 1.37 7,239,000 10,056,830 -1,379,000 PUREGOLD 38.45 38.65 39.6 39.6 38.2 38.45 2,739,300 105,660,380 -30,289,570 Philam Fund, Inc. -a 16.9532 2.98% -1.92% 2.49% 0.1% 62.45 62.6 63 63 62.3 62.6 546,980 34,264,124.50 -9,787,328 ROBINSONS RTL 0.06% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 2.0953 0.65% -2.92% 2.11% 116.8 119.8 119.8 119.8 119.8 119.8 50 5,990 -1,198 PHIL SEVEN CORP SSI GROUP 1.4 1.41 1.4 1.43 1.37 1.41 3,621,000 5,052,460 -187,990.00 Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.5784 -3.82% -4.45% 1.43% 0.15% WILCON DEPOT 17.5 17.64 17.6 17.8 17.22 17.64 1,820,200 32,119,706 637,320 Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 1.0248 4.37% n.a. n.a.

0.22% 0.43 0.435 0.46 0.49 0.41 0.43 8,460,000 3,626,950 34,200 APC GROUP 7.05 7.35 7.04 7.34 6.99 7.34 76,200 540,028 EASYCALL Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.949 -0.77% n.a. n.a.

-0.02% IPM HLDG 5.01 5.49 5.01 5.01 5.01 5.01 400 2,004 Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.9324 -2.13% n.a. n.a.

-0.08% PRMIERE HORIZON 2.64 2.65 2.59 2.7 2.35 2.64 165,958,000 418,684,100 -3,957,180 SBS PHIL CORP 5.11 5.25 5.26 5.26 5.25 5.26 7,600 39,966 Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.892 -4.22% -5.05% 0.82% 0.48% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities

MINING & OIL ATOK 6.57 6.87 7.1 7.1 6.5 6.87 3,746,700 24,570,379 281,410 Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03913 2.19% 2.81% 2.02% 0.03% APEX MINING 1.65 1.66 1.65 1.65 1.59 1.65 6,770,000 10,968,650 -281,400 PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b $1.2293 16.89% 4.13% 8.63% 6.88% 0.0067 0.0068 0.0055 0.0072 0.0042 0.0067 118,393,000,000 679,800,800 13,931,100 ABRA MINING 6.88 6.96 6.93 6.96 6.88 6.96 972,700 6,729,069 -229,495 ATLAS MINING Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.616 15.75% 6.98% 9.78% 2.28% BENGUET A 3.15 3.25 3.14 3.25 3.14 3.25 105,000 330,960 Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.2125 8.21% 3.75% n.a.

0.87% BENGUET B 3.03 3.27 3.03 3.03 3.03 3.03 35,000 106,050 0.305 0.32 0.33 0.33 0.3 0.32 2,000,000 624,600 COAL ASIA HLDG Bond Funds CENTURY PEAK 2.88 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 5,000 14,500 Primarily invested in Peso securities DIZON MINES 8.03 8.38 8.02 8.54 8.02 8.38 55,800 449,306 FERRONICKEL 2.85 2.88 2.83 2.9 2.82 2.88 7,922,000 22,638,100 5,913,440 ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 371.52 3.73% 3.26% 2.84% 0.12% 0.355 0.39 0.39 0.41 0.36 0.39 4,170,000 1,557,750 GEOGRACE ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.9031 -0.07% 0.12% 0.18% 0.15% LEPANTO A 0.172 0.173 0.165 0.175 0.16 0.173 54,470,000 9,080,940 LEPANTO B 0.177 0.179 0.169 0.179 0.169 0.177 2,370,000 406,840 263,800 Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.2172 3.09% 4.42% 4.79% 0.08% MANILA MINING A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.01 0.012 738,300,000 8,100,000 Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.3014 3.76% 2.95% 2.48% 0.24% 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.012 22,000,000 245,800 MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES 1.6 1.61 1.55 1.64 1.55 1.6 1,651,000 2,641,140 -20,520 First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4533 4.61% 3.4% 2.2% 0% NIHAO 2.91 2.92 2.99 3.15 2.92 2.92 665,000 1,957,940 3.27% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.6517 7.37% 4.75% 0.37% NICKEL ASIA 5.42 5.43 5.3 5.44 5.25 5.43 3,780,900 20,221,813 5,806,843 0.405 0.42 0.38 0.42 0.38 0.42 480,000 186,400 OMICO CORP Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a,6 1.3229 5.98% 4.5% 2.74% 0.13% ORNTL PENINSULA 1.06 1.07 0.92 1.1 0.92 1.06 5,503,000 5,642,820 92,000 Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.9886 5.91% 4.4% 2.98% -0.31% PX MINING 4.87 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.87 4.88 499,000 2,436,550 -688,180 SEMIRARA MINING 13.16 13.26 13.24 13.26 13.08 13.26 1,088,700 14,331,938 -661,808 Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.0418 8.85% 4.15% 2.77% -0.02% 0.0077 0.0079 0.0066 0.0078 0.0065 0.0078 299,000,000 2,114,600 7,800 UNITED PARAGON Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.21 5.53% 4.84% 3.76% 0.12% 15 15.02 15.5 15.5 14.22 15.02 368,500 5,456,162 52,578 ACE ENEXOR ORNTL PETROL A 0.015 0.016 0.014 0.015 0.012 0.015 3,161,300,000 42,926,300 Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.7542 4.66% 4.09% 3.16% -0.05% ORNTL PETROL B 0.014 0.015 0.014 0.015 0.013 0.015 1,157,700,000 16,326,000 -26,600 Primarily invested in foreign currency securities PHILODRILL 0.017 0.018 0.016 0.017 0.013 0.017 3,439,900,000 52,605,900 -295,900 10.52 10.62 11 11 10.52 10.52 848,900 9,055,870 -628,368 PXP ENERGY ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $484.73 3.24% 2.83% 2.91% 0.18%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є219.36 -0.2% 0.86% 1.29% 0.08% PREFFERED HOUSE PREF A 100.2 101.9 100.1 100.1 100.1 100.1 1,500 150,150 ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2819 5.92% 4.23% 3.16% 0.12% ALCO PREF C 102.3 109.9 102.3 102.3 102.3 102.3 500 51,150 First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0265 2.32% 1.96% 1.75% -0.38% AC PREF B2R 512 514 511.5 513.5 511.5 513.5 1,650 844,075 102.1 104.4 104.4 104.4 102 104.4 980 101,112 CPG PREF A PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b $1.0909 -1.02% 0.75% 0.59% -0.16% DD PREF 101 102.5 100.5 103 100.1 102.5 760 76,541 Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.5331 4.91% 4.12% 3.54% -0.1% GLO PREF P 505.5 517 505.5 505.5 505.5 505.5 10 5,055 PREF B GTCAP 1,021 1,028 1,028 1,028 1,028 1,028 4,390 4,512,920 Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0623581 3.1% 3.01% 2.34% 0.06% 101.4 101.9 101.4 101.9 101.4 101.9 3,700 375,930 MWIDE PREF Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.2269 0.71% 2.41% 2.43% 0.1% MWIDE PREF 2A 100.8 100.9 100.9 100.9 100.9 100.9 20 2,018 MWIDE PREF 2B 101 101.7 101.8 101.8 101.7 101.7 2,630 267,503 Money Market Funds PNX PREF 3B 104 104.5 104.5 104.5 104 104.5 2,500 260,250 Primarily invested in Peso securities 1,006 1,007 1,009 1,009 1,007 1,007 7,630 7,688,365 PNX PREF 4 PCOR PREF 2B 1,017 1,040 1,018 1,030 1,018 1,030 630 643,280 -61,450 ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 129.93 3.07% 3.34% 2.58% 0.09% PCOR PREF 3A 1,092 1,093 1,092 1,093 1,092 1,093 1,650 1,803,430 First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0486 1.86% n.a. n.a.

0.05% PCOR PREF 3B 1,102 1,110 1,111 1,120 1,111 1,120 110 122,300 79 79.5 78.8 79.5 78.8 79.5 39,170 3,095,097 SMC PREF 2C Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.2978 2.44% 2.96% 2.61% 0.09% SMC PREF 2E 77 77.15 77 77 77 77 1,000 77,000 Primarily invested in foreign currency securities SMC PREF 2F 78.2 78.35 78.1 78.1 78.1 78.1 2,060 160,886 SMC PREF 2G 75.75 76 75.6 76 75.6 76 8,600 653,360 Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0531 1.43% 1.77% n.a.

0.07% 76.5 77 76.8 76.8 76.8 76.8 150,000 11,520,000 SMC PREF 2H Feeder Funds SMC PREF 2J 76.15 76.3 76.45 76.45 76.05 76.05 2,000 152,702 SMC PREF 2K 76.1 76.2 76.1 76.2 76 76.1 20,200 1,536,720 -76,100 Primarily invested in Peso securities

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d,7 1.1673 n.a. n.a. n.a.

3.34% ABS HLDG PDR 13.6 13.8 13.88 13.88 13.8 13.8 10,500 145,700 - Primarily invested in foreign currency securities

WARRANTS ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2 $0.99 -1% n.a. n.a.

1.02% LR WARRANT 0.92 0.93 0.93 0.94 0.9 0.93 550,000 503,610 17,100

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).

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

1 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 2 - Launch date is November 15, 2019. 3 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019.

4 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.). 5 - Launch date is December 09, 2019.

6 - Re-classified into a Bond Fund starting February 21, 2020 (Formerly a Money Market Fund). 7 - Launch date is July 6, 2020.

"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."

ALTUS PROP 21.35 21.45 19.6 22 18 21.45 1,382,900 27,568,837 -439,825 ITALPINAS 3.41 3.42 3.5 3.63 3.25 3.41 6,090,000 21,050,380 -345,320 KEPWEALTH 6.11 6.12 6.39 6.4 6.1 6.12 113,700 698,360 2.81 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 20,000 66,000 MAKATI FINANCE MERRYMART 7.43 7.44 7.5 7.59 7.28 7.43 15,724,600 116,663,912 3,312,871

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

FIRST METRO ETF 106.6 108 108.9 108.9 106.5 106.6 42,320 4,532,450 390,384

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance

Customs says achieved 2020 automation goals

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it achieved its goals last year to fully automate its frontline transactions and get a 100-percent accomplishment rate on its target to modernize the agency’s risk-management processes despite the challenges posed by the economic and health crises.

In a report, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero said they fully automated their frontline services by allowing the online submission of documents through its Customer Care Portal System, upgrading its electronic-to-mobile (E2M) system to computerize manual processes, and accepting online payment options.

“The E2M upgrade is continuously being developed, but critical modules are already being deployed in various ports, an online payment was established and on-line submission of documents is now integrated via the ‘customer care portal.’ Likewise, all deliverables for our priority program on improving our risk management system were also achieved on time,” Guerrero said.

He added that the bureau improved its risk-management processes last year by utilizing an electronic cargo-targeting system, enhancing its cargo selectivity system and rolling out a new, user-friendly Universal Risk Management System (URMS).

The BOC’s digitalization is being credited for the agency’s ability to seize smuggled goods, particularly cigarettes. From January 1 to December 28 last year, the BOC seized P9.7 billion-worth of smuggled goods, of which more than half, or about P5.2 billion in value, were smuggled cigarettes and other tobacco products, according to a report by the BOC in an executive committee meeting last January 4.

Meanwhile, Guerrero said major developments on customs modernization program were also implemented in various BOC offices, adding that the priority initiative will go full gear this year with the BOC’s plan to operationalize its Customs Operations Center, establish a Customs Training Institute, kick off new customs systems and continuously upgrade its E2M processes.

“The BOC will be undergoing process reengineering to improve the country’s customs administration, reduce transaction costs and enhance predictability and transparency of the clearance process this year,” Guerrero said.

Further, Guerrero said the BOC also improved its Advance Ruling process and Provisional and Transit Goods Declaration procedures, which resulted in a 91-percent accomplishment rate for this target.

On its goal to review its penalty rules, which includes a draft customs administrative order on the Manual of Penalties that was already pre-cleared by the Department of Finance, Guerrero said the bureau accomplished 90 percent of the target.

To intensify border protection, he also said the BOC achieved a higher number of apprehensions last year through the use of modern security equipment, the establishment of the Customs Operations Center, implementation of the fuel marking program and the training of personnel.

The BOC also hired 385 new employees to fill its plantilla positions and enhance the management and technical skills of its personnel through various learning, training and scholarship programs last year and enhanced its priority program on stakeholders’ engagement by improving the Customs website and conducting mostly online meetings and webinars to familiarize clients and other concerned parties on the different customs processes.

Perspectives Beware of threats lurking in the shadows

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HADOW cloud” solutions have proliferated, in our experience, and their defining characteristics are often ill-configured security controls and a lack of integration with the security and monitoring processes that the legitimate IT (information technology) function would employ.

These solutions will usually result in an increased risk of exposure for corporate data, personally identifiable information and intellectual property.

Shadow cloud solutions raised security concerns before the pandemic but the forced and disruptive shift in working patterns and rapid infrastructure changes during the pandemic have dramatically accelerated their presence.

In organizations whose security and technology teams were slow to adopt collaboration tooling to support remote working, their business teams and individual employees have turned to cloudbased solutions for collaboration, storage and continued productivity.

These applications may not be protected by multi-factor authentication or strict password policies and may not meet data localization and retention requirements. Now is the time to ensure these services are governed and monitored by corporate IT and risk professionals who understand the risks they pose and the regulatory requirements they must meet. When organizations enact efficient oversight and governance of cloud technology, staff and stakeholders will be discouraged from deploying shadow cloud solutions. Eliminating the mindset that propagates shadow cloud usage can be as effective a security control as any.

Four tips for keeping shadow clouds at bay

Address shadow cloud issues in policies and employee standards. It’s not

enough to simply ban the use of cloud solutions lacking the permission of the security team. Make business leaders accountable for the control of shadow cloud solutions and implement clear protocols and disciplinary measures as needed.

Consider blocking access to unauthorized cloud-based applications. If cloud-based file sharing is authorized, settle on one platform and govern its use. Implement permission lists including sites or platforms that are approved for access, and block all others lacking approval.

Offer stakeholders a path for approval. It’s essential to understand why users may want to “go rogue.” If employees have difficulty managing their work, collaborating or providing client services via old architecture, a rapid cloud deployment can be a smart solution. But beware! Failure to handle these requests quickly and effectively can lure users into the shadows.

Some cloud services are free or carry minimal costs to employees. But some projects can cost thousands per year.

Discourage the use of shadow cloud services by carefully managing expense reports and invoices payable to such services. While this may not limit the use of free cloud applications, shadow cloud deployments that house large or enterprise wide projects will need to seek legitimacy and funding.

The excerpt was taken from “KPMG Thought Leadership, A balancing act: Privacy, security and ethics.” © 2020 R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership and a member-firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member-firms affiliated with KPMG International Ltd., a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved.

For more information on KPMG in the Philippines, you may visit www.kpmg.com.ph.

BusinessMirror

Monday, January 25, 2021

B3

Economists warn vs upside risks despite benign inflation

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By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

CONOMISTS employed by private banks agree that inflation will likely stay benign for this year, but warned of upside risks or a recovering and reopening economy after the peak of the pandemic.

In a recent survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), bank economists’ average inflation forecast for 2021 hit 2.9 percent, slightly higher from their 2.8 percent forecast last year. Their inflation forecast, meanwhile, for 2022 was unchanged at 3 percent.

The BSP survey consists of 24 bank economists. Broken down, their average forecast for inflation in the first three months of 2021 is at 2.7 percent, before accelerating to

an average of 3 percent in the second quarter of the year.

The economists’ forecast is still below the BSP expectation of 3.2 percent for 2021, which was revised from an earlier expectation of 2.7 percent. Meanwhile, the private bank analysts’ 2022 inflation draws near the 2.9 percent BSP inflation forecast for 2022.

All BSP and private economists’ forecasts are within government’s 2-percent to 4-percent target range

for the next two years.

While analysts agree that inflation will remain benign in the near term, they warned that risks to the inflation outlook remain tilted to the upside as the economy gradually reopens.

Economists identified food supply disruptions due to the recent typhoons and the likely occurrence of weather disturbances in the near term given the La Nina condition as among the upside risks to inflation.

They also said the rebound in oil prices on the possible recovery of demand, higher consumer spending and the impact of the BSP’s monetary policy actions could all lead to higher inflation down the line.

On the other hand, there are still downside risks to the growth of consumer prices in the country. They largely emanate from a potential muted domestic demand if consumer confidence remains low and purchasing power remains weak due to a high employment rate. Economists said a strong peso against the US dollar

is also a downside risk to inflation.

Earlier this month, the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) announced that inflation hit a 22-month high level of 3.5 percent in December. BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno told reporters that this level of acceleration is still wellwithin their expectations for monetary policy.

“The December 2020 inflation of 3.5 percent was within the BSP’s forecast range of 2.9 to 3.7 percent,” Diokno said. “The BSP continues to expect inflation to settle within the target range over the policy horizon.”

The governor also said the recent uptrend in inflation is largely “transitory”, reflecting the short term impact of weather disturbances.

The Philippines’s inflation numbers have been consistently rising towards the latter part of 2020. From 2.3 percent in September, it accelerated to 2.5 percent in October, 3.3 percent in November and up to 3.5 percent in December.

GSIS pays ₧343-M insurance for chopper accident

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HE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) paid P343 million to the Philippine National Police for the insurance claim of a PNP chopper that met an accident in Laguna in 2020.

GSIS President and General Manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet turned over the check to PNP Chief Gen. Debold M. Sinas in a virtual claims settlement ceremony on January 19. “[The] GSIS immediately settled the claim after both parties acknowl-

edged the private adjuster’s report and upon PNP’s acceptance of our settlement offer for the claim,” Macasaet said during the event. “The amount is the largest insurance payout that we approved in 2020.”

The chopper, a 2017 Bell 429 Helicopter, carried eight people during the accident, including then-PNP Chief Archie Francisco F. Gamboa.

The PNP’s insurance premium payment to GSIS for the aircraft was compensated a hundredfold for the accident including the medical ex-

penses of the passengers. To date, the police agency has nine other aircrafts insured with the pension fund.

“On behalf of PNP, we would like to sincerely thank GSIS for the assistance in facilitating our insurance claim. This insurance settlement provided us the financial flexibility to procure a replacement unit to keep us on track with our requirements for air mobility. We would like to underscore the importance of insuring government assets and property with GSIS,” Sinas said. “Because of

this, government agencies like PNP are accorded protection and security for their properties.”

Republic Act 656 or the Property Insurance Law mandates government offices to insure their properties with the GSIS. “Unfortunate events like this accident teach us the value of insurance,” Macasaet said. “We hope that other government agencies follow suit and insure their properties with GSIS. Preparedness can make a world of difference.”

BIR-Valenzuela bags 2020 Lawmaker eyes new revenue top district collector award stream from digital tax law

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Revenue District Officer Rufo B. Ranario of Revenue District Office 24 or BIR-Valenzuela (center), accepts the Certification of Recognition as Top 1 District Collector of the Year (2020). The awarding ceremony was held at the BIR-RDO 25A and 25B Building, Tiaong, Guiguinto, Bulacan on January 20, 2021.

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HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)-Valenzuela City, also known as Revenue District Office (RDO) 24, headed by Revenue District Officer Rufo B. Ranario, has remained committed to fulfill its mandate and emerged as the bureau’s top district collector of the year.

The RDO 24 is one of the branches of Revenue Region 5, which covers Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon, Navotas and Bulacan.

In a recent awarding ceremony, Ranario and Assistant District Officer (Ardo) Adora B. Ambo were bestowed with a Certificate of Recognition for their accomplishment.

The certificate under Program on Rewards and Incentives for Service Excellence (Praise) stated that RDO 24 collected P4.564 billion, exceeding their goal of P4.132 billion by P432.227 million, or 10.46 percent for the year 2020.

Aside from being Top 1 district collector of the year, ValenzuelaBIR also topped the December 2020

revenue collection.

In their Certificate of Recognition signed by Regional Director Gerry O. Dumayas and Assistant Regional Director Rodrigo L. Rivamonte, the RDO 24 headed by their officers Ranario and Ambo collected P424.82 million surpassing their December target of P284.93 million

by P139.89 million, or by almost P50 million.

The awarding ceremony was held on January 20 at the Multi-Purpose Hall, BIR RDO 25A and 25B Building in Tiaong, Guiguinto, Bulacan.

Ranario said that when a district office exceeds in collection, he usually awards commendations to his staff and to the taxpayers.

“We are very thankful and grateful to our taxpayers and I also commend our people for their being steadfast,” Ranario said.

Ranario also cited the importance of Praise as a means to boost the morale of BIR workers and collectors to remain steadfast in the fulfillment of their mandated tasks. Eunice Celario

S floor deliberations on House Bill 7425 (Digital Taxation Act) resume, a lawmaker said the proposal would aid the country’s economic recovery by tapping new revenue streams.

In defending the passage of the bill, Aambis-Owa Party-list Rep. Sharon S. Garin said the government is expected to gain P10 billion upon the enactment of the measure that can be used to fund Covid-19 response projects and galvanize the country’s economic performance.

Garin added the measure is set to foster fair competition and provide equal footing between traditional and digital businesses by clarifying the imposition of value-added tax (VAT) on digital service providers.

As the digital economy grows, she maintained that rules and standards must be set in place to ensure that there is no tax leakage.

She also underscored the inequity between major non-resident foreign corporations that profit from Filipino consumers without being required by law to pay taxes, while locally-registered businesses are automatically subjected to it.

“The intention of the bill is to reduce the burden of taxpayers by simplifying payment without compromising accountability,” Garin explained.

She said the bill provides a clearcut process on how to treat digital service providers and bring within the fold of taxing authorities those who have been doing business through online platforms.

It will also enable the government to exercise regulatory powers and give consumers a sense of security, given that most digital transactions are unregulated.

The bill provides a clear definition of a liable digital service provider and requires non-resident DSPs to collect and remit the VAT on the

transactions that pass through its platform. Non-resident DSPs will also be required to register for VAT if gross sales or receipts for the past year have exceeded P3 million.

Garin also clarified that the tax to be imposed will only be on transnational digital transactions and that there is no expected increase in the price of online transactions for locally-established service providers.

For his part, House Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda, one of the principal authors of the bill, said the bill meant to introduce tax parity between resident companies and non-resident digital companies.

Salceda said that the bills aim “to level the playing field between traditional and digital businesses by clarifying the imposition of VAT on digital service providers and to generate revenues from new sources to fund the country’s efforts to recover from the adverse impact of Covid-19.”

“We will not be taxing small businesses. Ever yone mak ing P250,000 in annual income will be exempt. Everyone accredited under the Barangay Micro Businesses and Enterprises law will be exempt. And we made sure online barter will not be taxed in any way under this bill,” Salceda said. “But we will definitely begin asking foreign digital giants to start paying their fair share in the development of the Philippine economy that they benefit from.”

Salceda said that the richest 20 percent of the population will pay for 77 percent of the tax burden under the proposal.

The tax burden, Salceda added, also increases progressively as one’s income grows. Additionally, Salceda says that 62 percent of incremental VAT revenues from his bill will come from foreign companies. Jovee Marie

N. Dela Cruz

HarvardManagementUpdate BusinessMirror BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph Monday, January 25, 2021 b4

Monday, July 13, 2020 B www.businessmirror.com.ph

How to Support an Employee With

a Chronic Health Condition

By Alyssa McGonagle

I

Supporting employees with such health conditions isn’t just the right thing to do—it will help you retain them and convey the message that you value your employees as people.

In recent research, a group of colleagues and I found that conflicts between work and health management are common for workers with chronic health conditions. For example, it can be difficult for an individual working with a chronic health condition to maintain attendance requirements while also going to medical appointments and managing symptoms.

We studied four samples of workers with chronic health conditions in various occupations and found two main categories of conflict: time conflicts (where time spent working interferes with the time people need to manage their health conditions) and energy conflicts (where energy allocated to work takes away from the energy people need to manage their health conditions). We found that high levels of time and energy conflict were associated with higher levels of worker burnout.

In supporting workers with chronic health conditions, leaders at all organizational levels have an

important role to play.

To start, organizations should have formal policies in place to accommodate workers with chronic health conditions. These may include opportunities for flexible work arrangements, reduced work hours or “reduced-load work,” job task modifications and sick leave — all of which should be made available without the risk of the employees losing their health care benefits.

Health conditions manifest differently, and rarely will a onesize-fits-all approach be effective. While formal policies are important, managers should also be given some flexibility to meet their employees’ needs in creative ways. For example, a study participant had generalized anxiety disorder, which included panic attacks that would happen at work.

That person's supervisor was able to implement a creative solution to support the worker in managing anxiety-related work challenges: “After a particularly bad patch, my employer assigned me part-time assistants from other departments who were looking for extra hours.

They’re essentially on call, and I can use them to make sure tasks

PEXELS.COM

n the United States, 60 percent of adults have at least one chronic health condition: illnesses or conditions that last at least one year, require ongoing management and restrict an individual’s activities. These numbers don’t include Covid-19 “long-haulers,” or the 10 percent of those who experience lingering symptoms, including fatigue, gastrointestinal problems and chest pain, for weeks, months or longer after contracting the coronavirus.

are taken care of if they involve things that are likely to provoke my anxiety.”

While policies and special arrangements are important, employees need to feel free to use them and to ask for help when needed. Actively cultivating a supportive culture that prioritizes work-life balance and employee well-being is therefore critical.

This goes beyond just saying that employee well-being is important.

One way leaders can signal that it’s OK to prioritize health is to be open about their own health challenges and use the company’s benefits, policies or accommodations when needed.

In conjunction w ith these changes, organizations should make supportive programs available to help empower workers with chronic health conditions to navigate their challenges. My colleagues and I found that a 12-week, sixsession, one-on-one coaching program, conducted over the phone, for workers with chronic health

conditions helped them manage work challenges. In a randomized trial, we found that coaching led to improvements in resilience and well-being, along with reductions in exhaustion. Importantly, this coaching focused on empowering, strategizing and problem-solving, with the goal of improving the participants’ confidence in their ability to continue working in the face of the challenges their health conditions posed.

In a follow-up study, a colleague and I found that coaching also helped participants integrate needed health-related changes into their lives to maintain employment—for example, adopting assistive devices and accommodations they had previously resisted—and learn new ways to manage their professional identities through effective communication about their conditions.

For managers, it can be hard to know what to say or how to react when an employee discloses health issues or exhibits symptoms at work that interfere with perfor-

mance. It’s critical to train managers on supporting employees with health conditions by communicating empathetically about sensitive topics, looking for behavioral warnings and providing accommodations.

Here are some do’s and don’ts for managers navigating healthrelated conversations with their employees to supplement formal training: n DO work on building trust with employees. This will help provide a foundation for them to feel comfortable approaching you with a health-related issue later if the need arises. n DO display empathy and compassion if a worker discloses a health condition. n DON’T violate your workers' boundaries. Disclosing their conditions to you is likely anxiety-inducing for them, so pay attention and react with the level of gravity the situation deserves. Say something kind, but do not ask for details about a person's diagnosis, symp-

toms or course of illness. n DON’T be tempted to reveal your own personal issues in response to employees' health disclosures—keep the focus on your interlocutor. n DON’T catastrophize or jump to a worst-case scenario, despite what you know or think you know about a person's particular health issue. n DO listen carefully and ask what your employees need in order to continue doing their job to their (and your) expectations. Express empathy, but also keep the focus on the job. n DON’T be afraid to draw a boundary. You don’t need to commit to a course of action right away.

Talk with human resources if needed, and come up with a thoughtful solution that helps your employees manage their health conditions while also meeting necessary work targets. n DO tell your employees that the conversation does not need to end after they have disclosed an issue. Open the door for them to come to you in the future if things change. n DO point your employees to available employer-sponsored resources, such as employee assistance, disability and return-towork programs. Make a list of these in advance that you can easily access when needed.

Covid-19 has highlighted existing challenges many employees with chronic health conditions have been facing in the workplace.

Organizational leaders who support these workers by implementing formal but flexible policies, providing coaching and training managers to have sensitive conversations will send a signal that they value their employees and care about retaining them. But more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.

Alyssa McGonagle is an associate professor of psychological science and organizational science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

What to do if your team doesn’t want to go back to the office

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By Liz Kislik

s the Covid-19 pandemic continues, tensions are likely to grow while organizations whose employees have been working from home ponder a return to the office. Many knowledge workers—who have happily shed their commutes, decreased their interaction with difficult colleagues and let go of other office life frustrations—have relished the freedom, flexibility and increased productivity of working from home. But some senior leaders, who may not have confidence in their own ability to manage remote workers, aren’t necessarily on the same page.

The opinions of these leaders may be informed by anecdotal evidence that working from home is too distracting or doesn’t support group creativity. And they may share the view of Reed Hastings, the co-CEO of Netflix, who described the inability of colleagues to get together in person as a “pure negative.”

As a manager, you may now be in a tough situation, especially if senior leaders at your company have started floating requirements for employees to come back to the office. How can you support your

team if your senior leadership team remains skeptical of work-fromhome arrangements?

Here are seven approaches to help you make an effective case and come to a reasonable set of accommodations that everyone can get behind:

Focus on what your leaders care about

W hether or not employees have to go back to the office is ultimately determined by your leaders’ preferences. If your boss tends to lack sympathy for his employees' individual needs and motivations, discussing personal issues, such as a team member’s concern over exposing an elderly parent to the coronavirus, may only trigger defensiveness and dismissiveness. Instead, focus on what your leader cares about and find ways to show that remote work is beneficial to the company.

For example, you could highlight that working from home allows you to retain skilled employees who might otherwise have to leave to provide child care or because of their own health risks. You might also point out that virtual work has been a boon to recruiting talent that has been locally unavailable or hard to relocate.

Determine if their concerns are personal

Sometimes a leader’s negative feelings about one or two employees can cloud their judgment of the entire group. Ask your boss if he has the same concerns about employees he likes and approves of. I used this technique successfully with a leader who believed that employees were taking advantage of the lack of supervision granted by remote work to play hooky. Once I got her to spell out which people she believed were taking advantage of the situation and which were not, we were able to focus on what we could do to improve the unsatisfactory performance of individuals rather than having her blame and disapprove of the entire team.

Highlight the engagement of all employees, wherever they’re working

Some people are truly happier working from the office, and if it’s safe for them to be on premises, the presence of such “volunteers” can be reassuring to executives who want to see people in the office. Invite leaders to video meetings that include both in-person and remote workers, and showcase your team's achievements.

If employees have newly found free time because they aren’t commut-

ing, putting some of it into learning new skills or other forms of professional development is another way to demonstrate to the leaders your team members' commitment to the company and its goals.

Emphasize habits that make things seem as normal as possible

Some leaders can feel a sense of loss and disarray when a change outside their control disrupts rituals they’ve come to rely on. And they may unknowingly project their discomfort onto your team. If a senior leader routinely met with your team for coffee, for example, try scheduling virtual coffee hours at the old days and times, restoring as many comforting details as possible, even if you have to ship supplies to employees’ homes. Similarly, if your organization’s town halls or huddles have fallen away, reinstitute them by phone or video, or encourage your executives to hold drop-in video sessions, if they’re missing their open office hours.

Mirror leaders’ mode and rhythm of communication

Leaders who are accustomed to giving instructions by popping over to employees’ desks, catching people in the hall or who typically have a line of people waiting to see them can

feel neglected if they’re in the office but their team members aren’t readily accessible. Matching your boss's cadence and style of communication remotely might not be quite as satisfying as in-person interactions, but it will demonstrate your team’s commitment to being responsive.

Ask the leader specifically about the most desirable channel for information delivery on different subjects and preferences regarding the time of day or frequency. If it’s not an undue burden, ask team members to accommodate these preferences as a way to demonstrate presence and availability.

Encourage employees to treat company leaders as their most important customers

An emphasis on formal respect and personal interest can mitigate some leaders’ concern that employees aren’t taking their work seriously while at home. If your boss is a traditionalist, consider switching out the hoodie for a shirt or a blouse during video conferences. Employees may feel that this is inauthentic and unnecessary under the circumstances, but it’s similar to creating the right impression for a big pitch.

Reach out for organizational support

Your human resources depart-

ment can be an ally here. They may already be aware of your leadership’s tough-minded approach, and may be able to provide your boss with helpful data and research about how working from home is actually paying off for your company. Similarly, if other senior executives in your organization have adjusted their work processes and team management successfully, you could ask if they’d be willing to share their experiences with your leadership.

Given the harsh realities of the pandemic, it may feel like it shouldn’t be necessary for you or your team to make accommodations to the idiosyncrasies of your boss. And, in an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to. Yet, keeping senior leaders calm and happy is definitely part of managing up and maintaining good relationships. If your leadership is applying pressure for employees to come back to the office prematurely, and you believe there’s a balance that could work better for everyone, applying some of the approaches above may help ease the tension and create a bridge between different expectations.

Liz Kislik is the author of How to Resolve Interpersonal Conflicts in the Workplace.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Style

BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Monday, January 25, 2021

Icy makeup collection for spring includes a brow freeze

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DESIGNER Kelvin Morales with some of his avant-garde explorations.

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NASTASIA Beverly Hills has just released its Spring Collection 2021 and it’s something, in my opinion, that seems more suited for winter in terms of looks but I’m not complaining. There’s hardly an Anastasia product that I can find issue with. Their Lip Primer is one of my HG products. I also love their eyeshadow palettes. The Spring Collection 2021 features four products all in a rose gold packaging and includes a highlighter, brow freeze and two lip glosses.

Brow Freeze is a universal, long-lasting brow styling wax that claims to lift, tame and sculpt hair in place for the feathered-looking brows that’s all the rage these days. The formula is mess-free and provides long-lasting extreme hold, leaving you with full-bodied brows that are meant to last all day.

It’s better to pick up product with a spoolie than a brush, based on my experience. After I applied it on my brows, that’s when I used the brush in upward motions. I finish with a trick I learned from a makeup artist: I press on my brows with my finger.

I think it’s better to use this before any other brow product. Then you can fill in whatever gaps are there.

Iced Out Highlighter is an “all-skin tone highlighter with the perfect combination of smooth finish and ultra-beam effects for a lit from within radiance.” I expected this, based on the pan, to look glittery and powdery. When I first applied it using my finger, I was so surprised at the almost second-skin finish with a wet effect shine.

Also, Anastasia Beverly Hills claims this shade is universal and while I was initially skeptical, based on how it looks on my medium skin tone, it does seem to be universal. Iced Out is weightless and can be used even on face without foundation. It’s buildable

Experimental fashion designer launches human body-inspired collection so it can work whether you want a subtle glow or fullon shine.

Honey Diamond Gloss is a lip gloss that reflects light while giving lips a fuller look. The luminous formula ensures a nonsticky comfortable finish. This lip gloss has a flat-paddle shaped applicator that glides across the lips with ease and precision.

Crystal Gloss is more my thing. This colorless lip gloss delivers a glass-like finish that makes your lips appear instantly fuller and smoother. It also features a flat-paddle applicator for an easy and precise glide that enhances lips with a peach-scented shine.

These products are now available at www.

anastasiabeverlyhills.com with direct shipping to the Philippines.

Sometimes, I worry that I’m writing about frivolous things like makeup at a time like this when people are sick, some are jobless or homeless, and the future is uncertain. But when someone tells me that makeup is one of the things keeping her sane in this pandemic, I think it’s not frivolous at all.

Makeup may not be for everyone. But there will always be people who like it and find happiness in it.

While they may be in the minority, that’s OK. It makes me feel less guilty to still love makeup and ramble on about it. ■

Prada intros anti-uniform during all-digital Fashion Week

BY COLLEEN BAR�Y The Associated Press MILAN—No traffic jams, no rush to the next venue, no front rows—not even socially distanced. Milan Fashion Week is unfolding entirely on computer screens and social-media platforms this round for the first time ever, as the persistent virus resurgence dashed any hopes of even a handful of physical shows.

Luxury is in an enforced period of evolution in this new world order of rotating lockdowns, where virtually no one has anywhere to go. So it was a mostly captive audience that flocked to social media by the hundreds of thousands (and counting as the shows live on virtually) to watch Milan designers unveil new menswear collections for next winter, which, vaccines willing, may see a return to in-person shopping.

In its digitally conceived preview, Prada on January 17 introduced the new anti-uniform that speaks to our new intimacy in our ever-tighter circles: luxury long-johns.

The first menswear collection by the Miuccia Prada-Raf Simons collaboration announced almost a year ago was unveiled on a runway traversing spaces clad in soft faux fur in purple, celeste and scarlet.

Skinny men in tight knit union suits in graphic architecture-inspired patterns grooved in outtakes spliced into the runway show.

The union suits emphasized both the human body and freedom, elements fundamental to the collection, the designers said in notes. They were worn tightly under oversized coats and huge V-neck sweaters, or as a layer of comfort under a work suit, should the occasion arise.

“It is not often we find in fashion something that’s so flexible, with so many facets,” Prada said in a video conversation with international fashion students.

“With one piece you can express so many things, leaving open many possibilities.”

The designers said their still-new collaboration was based on the principle: if the other didn’t like an idea, it gets dropped. Or the other is won over, which was the case with Prada accepting pinstripes she has long loathed. “What I think is good, is the possibility to change my mind,’’ Prada said.

The show, like others, was broadcast on a maxiscreen in the heart of Milan’s shopping district. But with the city and region around it plunged into yet another partial lockdown, the previews attracted little

A GIANT screen streams a Prada fashion live show during the Milan’s fashion week in Milan, Italy, on January 17. AP

notice. What energy was missing from the streets of Milan was recouped on social media.

Fendi, Etro and outdoor brand Kway intended physical shows with guests, but had to scale back to closed-door runways.

Dolce & Gabbana canceled, saying the restrictions in place wouldn’t have allowed the necessary conditions for them to show.

Fendi’s collection, designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, featured quilted pieces made for easy layering, in the spirit of comfort and cocooning. Etro’s paisley took on a casual flair, in silky tops or baggy trousers paired with crossbody bags and baseball caps. Kway’s rain slickers, trenches and parkas got their fashion cred from streaks bright color and varied silhouettes.

Now, more than ever, as people have more time at home to consider how they want to present themselves to the world, fashion is less about trends, and more about individuality.

“Everybody should follow themselves,” Prada said.

“That for me is crucial, and fundamental. Clothes are an expression of your idea, of your personality.... The clothes are at the service of your life, of the person.”

FACE MIST TO KEEP SKIN FRESH AND GLOWING IS your skin beginning to feel dry and look dull? Are you just looking for the perfect product to prep your face for makeup?

A quick spritz of the new Ever Organics Ice Jeju Aloe Face Mist and Aloe Vera Face Mist (www. linktr.ee/EverOrganics) might be the answer you’re looking for.

Packed with aloe leaf extracts, Ever Organics Ice Jeju Aloe Face Mist keeps skin looking fresh, hydrated and glowing. Moreover, it soothes skin from sun damage while its cooling ingredient, the Mesembryanthemum

AVANT-GARDE fashion designer Kelvin Morales (www.kelvinmoralesph.com) explores the anatomies of the human body, as well as the essence of their touch and movement in a thought-provoking experimental collection.

“What if the human skin can be used as material for clothing without the judgmental social hiss on cannibalism? What would it look like in the modern day?” he pondered.

Fueled by this curiosity and his passion for the wide array of possible materials, the young contemporary artist, who formally honed his creativity and fascination under the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program of the De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde, set on his extensive research and embarked on crafting different boards for various moods, fabrics, silhouettes and colors.

“It helped me make a cohesive collection and get me on track,” he shared. “For me, it’s an effective way to translate energy to my works and makes it easy to understand.”

Human Leather was the end result, a 14-piece collection that exhibits the peculiar beauty of the human skin through a seamless combination and incorporation of tattoo-inspired embroideries, colorized human hair, manual hand embroidery, traditional beauty of local fabrics, and nifty bespoke details that embody the conceptual and tactile qualities of individuals.

“Clothes should be an extension of one’s self and with this collection, I took that literally,” Morales noted in his look book. “I interpreted skin as clothes and translated it into clothing that mimic that concept. This contextualizes the human body and the function of fashion in a different way, dismantling the stereotyping of beauty.”

“I wanted to highlight the diversity of human skin and equality of different races and colors,” he reiterated.

Currently, Morales is gearing up for the incoming PHX 2020-2021, an incubation project of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions and the Department of Trade and Industry for young and emerging Filipino designers to showcase their original creations and collections in Tokyo.

Crystallium (Ice Plant extract), helps fight against skin aging. It is also ideal for dry and sensitive skin.

Also available in Aloe Vera Face Mist variant, both face mist variants recently won the “Best Face Mist Category” in the Cosmo Beauty Awards.

Both face mists are 100 percent made in Korea, paraben-, alcohol- and crueltyfree, and guaranteed to deliver only the best results, whether to remedy tired-looking skin or as a prep or setting spray for makeup.

EVER Organics Ice Jeju Aloe Face Mist and Aloe Vera Face Mist

B6 Monday, January 25, 2021

102-year-old school in Sorsogon gets new SM school building

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IVING up to its commitment in providing support for its host communities in grassroots areas, SM Prime Holdings (SMPH), through SM Foundation (SMFI), turned over a fully furnished twostory, four-classroom SM school building to Basud Elementary School (BES) in Sorsogon City.

Once the face-to-face classes are permitted, the 102-year-old BES is more than ready to cater to its 570 learners from Barangay Basud and neighboring communities.

Consistent with the disaster resilient design of an SM school building, the newly turned over infrastructure has 200 armchairs with specially made chairs for left-handed students, four sets of teacher’s table/ chair, 16 wall fans, eight concave panoramic whiteboards, four wall clocks, and four washrooms with flush toilets and washbasins. A new persons with disability (PWD) ramp leading to a spacious PWD washroom complete with handrails, flush toilet, washbasin and a concrete tiled bench has been added for the comfort of PWDs. The SMFI also installed a 10-faucet handwashing facility, with a 500-liter water tank, to promote proper hygiene and to prevent the spread of harmful viruses. Moreover, a dedicated green space (with concrete tables and benches) for learners were also provided to promote environmental consciousness.

The SM School building also has a dedicated room for each of the following: a clinic, a mini library, and a guidance office.

BES school principal Joji Buelvo said, “This partnership is a great support for the Department of Education’s (DepEd) vision of providing our learners with classrooms that are conducive to learning. Sulong Edukalidad kahit sa panahon ng pandemya!”

Through SM Retail, various books for the mini library and backpacks with school supplies for the learners were donated.

SM Foundation made sure to truly touch the lives of the learners and teachers in BES as it partnered with SGV & Co and SM Retail to further spread social good in the said community.

SGV & Co., through SM Foundation, provided the teachers of BES with laptops which they can use in holding

their virtual classes.

Through SM Retail, Stationery at The SM Store donated backpacks and various school supplies for all the learners. Books, on the other hand, were donated by Henry Sy Jr. for the mini library. A mental health specialist was also invited to help teachers and parents look after their well-being and cope with the challenge of the pandemic.

SM Foundation, through its School Building Program, is an active partner of DepEd’s Adopt-a-School program. This social good initiative of SM Foundation aims to promote quality public education by building classrooms nationwide.

To date, it has turned over more than 100 school buildings to grassroots communities nationwide.

NEWLY turned over SM School Building at Basud Elementary School in Sorsogon City.

Man Ho brings new, exciting DFF bundle

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ANILA Marriott’s authentic Chinese restaurant, Man Ho is going on full speed and high spirit this New Year with their biggest and newest offer yet. Not just one or two, but get to savor your favorite dim sum whether steamed or fried at a discounted price with Dim Sum for Family and Friends (DFF) Bundle starting at P450++.

Been dreaming of plump hakaw or drooling over some chunky pork siomai? How about truffle or caviar in steamed dumplings? Savory or sweet, classic to luxurious—Man Ho’s wide range of dim sum selections can now be enjoyed in a bundle.

Choose among four special DFF Bundles to share or as a treat for yourself. Bundle A includes two pieces Pork Dumpling Siomai, two pieces Hakaw, two pieces Chicken Potstickers with Mushroom, two pieces Deep Fried Spring Roll with Shredded Chicken, and Yangchow Fried Rice topped with a choice of Pork BBQ or Soy Chicken for only P450++. Bundle B includes two pieces Pork Dumpling Siomai, two pieces Hakaw, two pieces Vegetable Spring Roll, two pieces Chicken and Shrimp Potstickers, four pieces Steamed

Rice Roll with Minced Beef and Enoki Mushroom, and Stir fried Noodles topped with Chicken BBQ or Pork Asado for only P550++. Bundle C includes two pieces Pork Dumpling Siomai, two pieces Hakaw, two pieces Chicken Potstickers with Mushroom, Steamed Rice Roll with Fresh Shrimp, two pieces Baked BBQ Pork Buns, Minced Beef Ball with Bean Curd Skin, two pieces Pan fried Radish Cake with XO Sauce, and Yangchow Fried Rice topped with Pork BBQ or Soy Chicken for only P650++. Bundle D includes two pieces Pork Dumpling Siomai, two pieces Hakaw, two pieces Vegetable Dumpling with Black Truffle, two pieces Scallop Dumplings with Black Lumpfish Caviar, two pieces Szechuan Chili Pork Dumpling, four pieces Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Pork and Cilantro, Stir fried Noodles topped with Chicken BBQ or Pork Asado, and two pieces Custard Bun for only P750++.

To complete your dim sum experience, pair it with tea. Each DFF Bundle comes with an option to upgrade for unlimited tea for P100 per person.

Choose from Chrysanthemum, a mildly sweet tea with buttery warmth or Sweet Memories, a special

blend of Iran Rose, Guang Xi Osmanthus, black, white, and green tea.

Stringent health and safety protocols are observed to ensure the well-being of all diners from frequent sanitation, social distancing practices, and contactless service.

Guided by the brand’s strong Commitment to Clean, stringent health and safety protocols are observed to ensure the well-being of all diners.

Careful and frequent disinfection and sanitation, sneeze guards, social distancing practices, QR-code enabled menu, and contactless payment via Paymaya and GCash are some of the best practices of the hotel.

Man Ho’s DFF Bundles is available daily starting January 28, 2021 for dine-in, takeaway, and pick-up from 12 nn to 4 p.m. only.

For orders, reservations, and inquiries about Man Ho, call 8988 9999 or (0917) 830 6678. For more information, you may visit the hotel’s website www. manilamarriott.com, and social media accounts in FB, IG, and Twitter @ManilaMarriott. Be updated and join their Viber Community at Make it Marriott.

Top up and transfer for a chance to win P10,000 at the ShopeePay Cashless Festival

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HOPEEPAY, an integrated mobile wallet that offers users easy access to digital payment services, launches its first-ever ShopeePay Cashless Festival this January 2128, 2021. Shoppers who use ShopeePay can enjoy free shipping, coins cashback, a chance to win P10,000, and more exclusive rewards during the promo period.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “With the launch of our inaugural ShopeePay Cashless Festival, Shopee encourages more consumers to adopt digital payments for a safer, more rewarding, and seamless shopping experience. Filipinos are slowly embracing a more cashless lifestyle, and Shopee is excited to be at the forefront of this evolution. We remain committed to providing easy access to a wide range of digital payment options such as ShopeePay to cater to Filipinos’ evolving needs.”

From January 21-28, ShopeePay users can redeem deals and rewards when they activate and top up their e-wallet.

During the promo period, users who activate their ShopeePay wallets for the first time can enjoy a free shipping voucher with no minimum spend. New free shipping

vouchers with a minimum spend of P149 will also be released daily.

Shoppers can look forward to 20% coins cashback on categories such as gadgets, home and living, mom essentials, and sports and motors.

From January 21-27, ShopeePay users get 15% cashback capped at 120 coins when they pay their bills with a minimum spend of P800. On January 28, they can get 20% cashback capped at 160 coins with a minimum spend of P800.

ShopeePay users get to enjoy P1 deals, up to 50% off on e-vouchers, and up to 15% coins cashback capped at 60 coins.

There are two ways to win P10,000: users simply have to either top-up at least P300, or transfer P1. All users can also get rewards in the form of Shopee coins or vouchers.

Score up to P20,000 worth of ShopeePay credits by joining Play & Win ShopeePay Edition on weekdays, every 5:00-6:30 PM. All successful callers on Wowowin’s Tutok to Win will receive ShopeePay credits worth P5,000 each, on top of the usual cash prize of P20,000.

For more information, visit https:// shopee.ph/m/shopee-pay.

2021 CCP 13 Artists Awards accepts nomination

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HE Cultural Center of the Philippines, through its Visual Arts and Museum Division is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Thirteen Artists Awards.

Since its first presentation 50 years ago, the THIRTEEN ARTISTS AWARDS (TAA) started as a curatorial project of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Museum under the directorship of its first curator Roberto Chabet. The TAA was created in order to showcase the works of artists who grasped to “restructure, restrengthen and renew artmaking and art thinking…that lend viability to Philippine art”. It was Raymundo Albano, the next Director of the CCP Museum and Non-theater Operations who transformed the 13 Artists into the awards program that it is today.

Nominated artists must possess the following eligibility requirements: Body of work characterized by artistic integrity, innovativeness, and forcefulness of ideas Responsiveness to contemporary realities Evidence of sustained artistic activity demonstrated by a track record of individual exhibitions and group shows for at least the past three years Engagement with contemporary

visual art forms including, but not limited to, painting, sculpture, new media, installation, performance art, photography, printmaking and digital imaging Filipino citizenship Less than 40 years old in the year of conferment or must be born 1982 onwards Art councils, art groups, heads/ deans of art schools, museum and gallery curators and directors, art critics and past Thirteen Artists Awardees may nominate a maximum of three (3) artists each.

The prizes of a Thirteen Artists Awardee include a cash grant to defray the cost of materials for producing new work for a group exhibition at the CCP Bulwagang Juan Luna (Main Gallery), which will open with the formal awarding ceremonies; A trophy designed by a 13 Artists Awardee and specially commissioned for the 2021 Thirteen Artists Awards as well as Participation in CCP's public programs of discussions, lectures, workshops and other activities.

Deadline for nominations is on March 1, 2021.

Download the nomination form from bit.ly/taa2021nominations and send completed nomination forms to: ccp. thirteenartists@gmail.com.

Take the fresh ultimate cheesy start

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MAN Ho's DFF Bundle D: wide selection of mouthwatering authentic Chinese favorites including Fried Noodles, Custard Bun, Szechuan Chili Pork Dumpling, Hakaw, Vegetable Dumpling, Scallop Dumplings with Black, Pork Dumpling Siomai, Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Pork and Cilantro good for sharing with family or friends.

INCE Dr. Peter Buck and his partners opened the first Subway sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut over more than 50 years ago, the popular sandwich brand has continued its steady growth. Today, it has branches in more than 44,000 locations around the world, including the Philippines.

Through the years, the Subway brand has been “the leading choice for people seeking quick, nutritious meals that the whole family can enjoy.” Filipinos do enjoy Subway’s made-to-order sandwiches, and this year, they will be even more delighted with the Philippine launch of its Ultimate Cheesy Garlic Bread and Ultimate Toasties.

And these are finally available here from January 6 to March 30, 2021.

Subway’s Ultimate Cheesy Garlic Bread is loaded with mozzarella cheese and toasted garlic butter and embraces fillings like the Ultimate Chicken and the Ultimate Italian B.M.T.™. Ala carte price is P149 for the regular 6-inch sub and P289 for the footlong sub.

Subway’s Ultimate Toasties are a fulfilling accompaniment to any sub or dish.

These come in Garlic Butter (set of 2 for Php 79), or Garlic Butter and Mozzarella Cheese (set of 2 for Php 89.) Other toastie flavors include: Egg Mayo & Veggie Cheese Toasties and Pepperoni & Veggie & Cheese Toasties all for Php 89 per pair.

For more information about Subway and its branches in the Philippines, follow www. facebook.com/subwayphilippines; visit their website: www.subway.com.

Marketing BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Monday, January 25, 2021 B7

IPRA Philippines’ CommuniTalks series:

Learning never stops

PR Matters

By Abigail Ho-Torres

The birth of CommuniTalks

THIS Thursday, Ipra Philippines will be holding the maiden edition of its CommuniTalks online learning series. Headlining our first foray into this space is none other than Ipra President Philippe Borremans, a veteran emergency risk communication consultant and certified trainer, who will talk about Communication Trends in 2021 and Beyond—which also happens to be the title of the webinar.

In a meeting among the speakers last week, he gave a sneak peek of what he will be discussing. What I found most interesting were his points on the impact and influence of the communication industry, not only as a result of the pandemic, but because of the many changes that the world had gone through over the years.

I’m particularly keen on hearing more about how impact and influ-

Insight: Making the advertising business model work in the year of the pandemic

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—To say that 2020 was a challenging year would be a huge understatement. The past year proved to be one of the most unforgettable years in history, mostly due to the Covid-19 pandemic that not only paused the world but also took hundreds of thousands of lives in its wake.

The seriousness of the situation forced many companies and industries to take a long, hard look in the mirror, so to speak, and reassess if they could indeed push on in its wake. One of the most affected industries was the field of advertising as brands and companies reassessed if they should continue to spend on advertising in the wake of the lockdowns imposed.

As Filipinos limited their discretionary spending, shopping habits shifted from physical stores to online, fueling a change in how brands advertised or spent their advertising budgets. The shutdown of media conglomerate ABS-CBN in mid-2020 also limited means for brands to get their messages out even as the company itself placed a bigger premium on streaming their shows on Facebook and YouTube while broadcasting on alternative channels.

AdSpark, a 917Ventures Portfolio company,

WWW.FREEPIK.COM

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INCE quarantine was imposed in March last year, I’m sure most, if not all, of us have attended a webinar or two. Regardless of profession or interest, there was surely at least one online learning session for you, mostly offered for free. We have never had so many opportunities to upgrade our knowledge and skills—at no cost to us or our organization—than we have had these past months.

Personally, I am grateful to all the organizations who ran those free learning sessions. While the company I work for did not totally remove our training budget, like many others did, we had to significantly reduce overall spending.

That meant less chances to enroll in external training programs—at a time when learning was desperately needed.

Thank God for all those free webinars, as well as the various learning resources—frameworks, templates, and market insights— that many organizations released free of charge. And we also had columns like this one, which provided insights from various points of view and experiences, on different topics under the public relations, communication, and even marketing umbrella.

ence can be adequately measured – definitely not with the use of AVEs (Advertising Value Equivalents), Borremans said. While many organizations worldwide have started to veer away from this metric, many, including local companies, continue to use this as a measure of impact.

Borremans will also touch on the rise of data-driven and science-backed communication; the evolving role of communication practitioners, particularly in the area of trendspotting; ethics and inclusion; and mental health issues hounding communication practitioners.

Meaningful discussions

CommuniTalks installment also features four Ipra Philippines members as speakers: Richard Pomar Burgos, director of the Science and Technology Information Institute of the Department of Science and Technology; Joy Lumawig-Buensalido, president and CEO of Buensalido PR and Communications; Ritzi VillaricoRonquillo, APR and IABC Fellow, a veteran consultant and coach on business communication and stra-

tegic public relations; and myself, as assistant vice president and head of Advocacy and Marketing at Maynilad Water Services Inc. Burgos’ talk, titled “Lessons Learned from a Government Agency’s Point of View,” will detail how his team at the DOST was able to advance the advocacy “science communication for all,” amid a pandemic and despite having less than 0.5 percent of the DOST budget. He summed up his key points using the now-popular acronym PPE: Pivot, Perform, Excel.

“We found out that with our ‘little mandate’ to keep a science and technology library, to communicate ‘Science for the People,’ and to capacitate our stakeholders, that we actually have a big voice.

From the numbers, we realize it was not a bad year after all. We may have lost a lot in 2020 but we did not lose the lessons. In fact, we learned a lot,” an excerpt of his talk read.

Buensalido will discuss how her agency adapted to the pandemic, citing how her maternal instinct went into overdrive, allowing her company not only to survive but thrive. She emphasized the impor-

was no different as in our fifth year of existence, we too had to determine several things. We had to make our business work during this difficult year. As improbable as it may be, we strove to hit the goals we had projected before the pandemic struck, yet as the dust settled, we realized that 2020 was the best performing year of the company to date.

As a new year dawns upon us, I would like to impart some lessons we’ve learned as we achieved success in a most unusual year.

better their lives. And in times like we live in today, that is a responsibility that we do not take lightly.

Even as the specter of a vaccine against the coronavirus begins to emerge as the proverbial light at the end of a very dark tunnel, we aim to keep doing what we do best on behalf of our partners and clients who have joined us. Pandemic or not, our core values and our beliefs remain steadfast and we will continue to offer them to brands that share those with us.

Lesson 1: It matters to keep your culture in check. Make WFH work.

Lesson 2: Even from your home offices, keep creating impactful, cutting-edge work.

Regular Zoom town halls were a priority even on the first few days of the lockdown. It was followed by engagement activities online that kept us connected despite restrictions. We had a full calendar of “quaranthings” as we moved several office activities online like our usual Thursday E-numans, brainstorm sessions, quiz nights, and even our game breaks, down to our year-end party.

Rather than attempting to go beyond what is our core business, AdSpark used the challenge that was 2020 to focus on what we do best, and that is digital marketing. It is what we do best that bonded the agency together. The webinars and ThoughtSparkers that we produced were not entered into for revenue generating purposes. Instead, we saw the need to strengthen our community, our very industry, that might have found itself rudderless at times, especially in the early days of lockdown.

In a sense, the crisis brought out a spark in us that we wanted to share with not just the people within our company, but also within our thriving creative and media circle. We recognized that by humanizing consumer data, we could spark ideas and ideals for brands that help people make choices and

Rather than shut ourselves down and tuck our collective tails between our legs, we buckled down and moved forward to produce arguably some of the best work in AdSpark’s history in 2020.

We launched over 2,350 campaigns and made a significant impact in the ever-growing medium that is digital. We placed #1 on the Twitter leaderboards for several campaigns. One of which is the #SecretNaFunSayo campaign for TM. Despite the difficulties that the pandemic wrought, we were able to push telemedicine, specifically KonsultaMD, so much so that app installation was 488 percent more than initially projected. As the year ended, we also made waves in terms of media amplification with an unforgettable campaign on behalf of RC Cola that brought many new eyeballs to the brand.

Amid the pandemic, we have successfully pivoted AdSpark to become a digital media+ agency—from thought leadership to creative ideation and performance media execution—that helps enterprises keep connected to their customers in a hyper digital world.

tance of relationships: of treating employees and clients like family, and doing everything possible to protect them.

“During a crisis situation like the pandemic, one can no longer think of achieving a perfect or normal balance between the needs of clients and the agency. We must lend our help when needed, as long as we can give it. Trust, credibility, and long, solid relationships built over time are what both the client and the agency can fall back on. It’s almost like a marriage where both parties must support and be there for each other in both good times and bad, to keep the relationship going,” she related.

“Much-needed presence and support for clients in need is something we must be prepared to give, sometimes without even counting the costs. In the end, I believe that good deeds will always go back to you,” she added.

Villarico-Ronquillo will share her insights on different communication platforms and how communicators can use these to their advantage. In her talk titled “Communication Transformed: Your Niche in the Multi-Channel

Lesson 3: Offering relevant advice as goodwill helps in building relationships.

As digital leaders in our field, we knew that the crisis impacted our partners and consumers significantly. So, as part of gearing up, we utilized our core capabilities in order to not just understand the landscape. We also gave sound recommendations to clients for free in this most critical time.

Powered by #AdSparkIntelligence, we released four ThoughtSparkers that offered an insightful look and an in-depth understanding of the rapidly changing Filipino consumer as a result of the situation we have found ourselves in. These ThoughtSparkers were “The Great Reset,” “Digital: The Flag of Freedom in 2020,” “A Portrait of the Covid-19 Crisis as Filipino,” and “The New Romantics.”

Even as we determined that the simple act of attending seminars was taken away by the pandemic, we made sure that we would not be prevented from sharing our knowledge or continuing to engage with our partners through other means. We put the spotlight on these ThoughtSparkers by turning them into roundtable discussions and exclusive webinars.

Among the 21 webinars we co-created was the previously mentioned “The Great Reset: A Roundtable on the Filipino Psyche,” that explored the unexpected trends and insights as people emerged from the quarantine. Together with Globe Business, Spark Series, sought to give a blueprint into how brands can restart their strategies into the new normal.

Growth means empathizing with clients and strengthening relationships, creating new partnerships

As the year 2020 wore on, we attempted to bring back some sense of normalcy into our lives, thus it

World,” she will discuss various channels and how these relate to your target audiences, your available resources, and your “core” as an organization.

“Who are you? Who are they [audiences]? Through the slew of many channels, whether legacy or new, it all boils down to who you are, your purpose and core, who your audiences are, and what you want to attain; where they are and what channel will fit; and what resources you have. There has to be rhyme and reason for the media choice, mix, and frequency,” she said.

Finally, I will talk about how advocacy campaigns can be made sustainable, in my presentation titled Sustainable CSR: Going Beyond Philanthropy. Among my key points are value chain integration, strategic partnerships, and the development mindset—all key ingredients of programs that can outlive and outlast their proponents.

I am a firm believer that true corporate social responsibility is intertwined with an organization’s core: its vision, mission, and values. The term CSR has been so loosely used, especially when the pandemic struck, that we sometimes forget this fundamental point. I will further expound on this on Thursday.

Please visit our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ipraphilippines/, for the registration link. This event is free of charge and is open to everyone.

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier organization for PR professionals around the world. Abigail L. Ho-Torres is AVP and head of Advocacy and Marketing of Maynilad Water Services Inc. She spent more than a decade as a business journalist before making the leap to the corporate world.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations.

Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.

was critical that we opened ourselves once more to our established clients while at the same time, forging new partnerships with those who shared our ideals. To that end, AdSpark was able to secure 88 new businesses for 2020, among them were Metrobank, Del Monte, Diageo, Netflix, foodpanda, Asia Brewery Incorporated, and Cebuana Lhuillier.

At the same time, 150 existing partnerships with AdSpark were strengthened, a testament to the strong bonds we have established as well as proof that our clients saw the value of our previous work on their behalf.

Earning the trust of our clients by following through on commitments as well as holding our partners to higher standards of excellence has enabled us to remain relevant despite the turbulent economic landscape. “AdSpark is able to keep up with fast-paced demands without compromising quality,” says one of our clients. It was a very rough and exhausting ride but thanks to our healthy collaborations we were able to stay afloat and keep sight of our true north.

The challenges that 2020 brought on were unprecedented and global in scale, and it would have been easy to just take a raincheck on the year to refocus on 2021 instead. Yes, that would have been easier but we instead chose a path that was previously uncharted. The positives that came out of that choice proved that in spite of the uncertainty that the global pandemic left all of us in, good things can still be found if one works hard enough at making it happen. No matter how big or small, no matter what phase you are in, never let your spark fade.

For more insights into how AdSpark keeps the fire lit, visit www.adspark.ph or e-mail to info@ adspark.ph

Sports BusinessMirror

B8

| Monday, January 25, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

A YEAR AFTER

Visual artists commemorate Kobe Bryant’s one-year death anniversary on Monday by painting the late basketball legend’s picture with his daughter Gianna on the basketball court of the tenement housing facility in Taguig City. Gianna died with him in a helicopter crash. NONIE REYES

BACK ON TRACK T

HE prospect of winning prize money isn’t what brings high jumper Vashti Cunningham, sprinter Andre De Grasse and other top names in track to an indoor meet in Arkansas this weekend.

Because there is none.

Instead, the athletes are going for something that feels every bit as valuable these days, and could even lead to an Olympic gold medal. It’s actual competition—much in demand with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down large swaths of their sport, and with the Tokyo Games rapidly approaching in July.

The American Track League begins a four-week indoor series Sunday at the University of Arkansas. It’s a chance for athletes to see how they stack up in a time when Covid-19 has made training sometimes difficult and traveling overseas for meets almost unthinkable.

The league—founded in 2013 to provide a condensed, fast-paced meet format—doesn’t have a major sponsor at the moment and will operate on a shoestring budget, meaning no prize money for the winners as of now.

And still, there’s a waiting list to enter.

“Everyone is so hungry to compete,” meet organizer and agent Paul Doyle said by phone.

Doyle has assembled a star-packed field of mostly North Americans. There’s Cunningham, the bronze medalist at the 2019 world championships, along with De Grasse, a threetime Olympic medalist for Canada. There’s also 2016 Olympic shotput champion Ryan Crouser, who trains at Arkansas, and Omar McLeod, the Olympic 110-meter hurdles champion

representing Jamaica who once starred at Arkansas.

“A lot of athletes are in limbo, with contracts that There will be plenty of exposure, with all four competitions— ended,” explained Crouser, who renewed a deal with Nike. held on consecutive Sundays—televised on ESPN networks. The “They’re wanting to compete and show sponsors, ‘Hey, I lineup of events changes, too, with a few—men’s and women’s haven’t just been sitting on the couch for the last 10 months.

60 meters—contested all four weeks.

I’ve been working hard.’”

The amount of support for the meet has astonished It’s also a chance to “dust these cobwebs off,” said Doyle. From fellow agents to athletes to coaches, everyone’s American sprinter and hurdler Keni Harrison, especially on board. with the Olympic Trials just five months away. This will be “Athletes that would typically be getting $20,000 to $30,000 Harrison’s first competition since July. AP to show up and race are coming just because they want to race,” Doyle said. “They’re actually thankful for the opportunity, which blows my mind and makes me really humbled.”

Doyle hoped to line up enough sponsors to reward the winners because it’s “never the intention to have athletes run for free.” But in this economy, it didn’t pan out.

To save on expenses, he’s actually hauling track and field equipment from Atlanta to Fayetteville, Arkansas, in his camper.

Usually around this time, athletes are starting to prepare their calendars for European meets and the Diamond League series. Given the travel restrictions, lining anything up has been increasingly difficult.

“The meet directors can’t risk (an invitation) by saying, ‘Let’s commit to four or five North American athletes at each event,’ only to find out three days before they can’t get on COMPETITION, not the plane,” Doyle said. “We end up with no opportunities for cash, lures big names, North American-based athletes.” including Canadian sprinter This meet also provides good exposure for the athletes’ Andre De Grasse, to the American sponsors—and potential sponsors.

Track League. AP

Go files bill institutionalizing PNG

S

EN. Christopher “Bong” Go filed before the weekend Senate Bill No. 2001, an act that would institutionalize the Philippine National Games (PNG).

Go said the bill, also called the PNG Act, aims to further promote and fulfill the long-term sports development program in the country.

“I continue my advocacy to promote sports in the country with this bill that, I know, will further the development of our sports programs and eventually shape more athletes into champions,” Go said.

One of the bill’s goals, according to Go, is to institutionalize a comprehensive national sports program linking grassroots sports promotion to

elite sports development initiatives.

“I believe that sports provides a holistic growth for our youth, promotes camaraderie and inspires nationalism—besides the fact that sports keep them away from illegal drugs,” Go said.

Go said that the bill also encourages local government officials to promote the development of sports in the countryside.

“This would cover all barangays, towns, municipalities, cities and provinces,” he said.

As compared to the Palarong Pambansa, the PNG aims to be a more inclusive national sports competition that will widen the base for talent identification, selection and recruitment of athletes, including those who are not enrolled in schools.

“This will hopefully constitute the national pool to be trained for international sports competition,” Go added.

Once this bill becomes a law, Go said the PNG’s management, coordination and implementation will still be carried out by the Philippine Sports Commission.

4 teams want to field cadets

F

OUR teams which lent their prized rookies to the men’s national team pool are hoping to utilize the Gilas cadets in the coming Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) 46th season.

Rain or Shine, Blackwater, NLEX and Terrafirma all have players in the cadets program that is geared to shore up the country’s chances when it co-hosts the 2023 International Basketball Federation World Cup. On loan to the Gilas program are 2019 top overall pick Isaac Go (Terrafirma), Rey Suerte (Blackwater), Matt Nieto (NLEX), Allyn Bulanadi (Alaska) and Mike Nieto (Rain or Shine).

The teams sent their appeal to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

Co-team owner Raymond Yu of Rain or Shine, meanwhile, said that he is hoping Ateneo guard Mike Nieto will be allowed by the SBP to play this season which is tentatively set in April.

“I think there’s a 50-50 chance he [Mike Nieto]

will be allowed by the SBP to play in the PBA,” Yu told BusinessMirror of the team’s fifth overall pick in the Gilas draft.

“He is an excellent glue guy, he has great leadership skills aside from his usual talent. So we’re hoping he can finally join us this coming season,” added Yu, who co-owns Rain or Shine with Terry Que. Blackwater Head Coach Nash Racela also wanted Suerte, the No. 2 pick from University of the East.

“Rey Suerte is our Gilas draft in 2019. It will be a welcome development if the PBA allows him to suit up for us this season. He is capable of contributing the right away,” said Racela, whose Elite booked a dismal 2-9 win-loss record in the Philippine Cup. Terrafirma Head Coach John Cardel said Go from the national pool is absolutely a long shot for now.

The PBA is expected to address the fate of the cadets when the league’s board meets on Thursday. Josef Ramos

Soundtracks, sports memories Rick Olivares | bleachersbrew@gmail.com

Bleachers’ Brew THIS past Sunday morning, the first record I spun was an old one I had—Chuck Mangione’s “Fun and Games” album from way back 1980.

Mangione, a native New Yorker, is this flugelhorn jazz artist who first scored big with “Feels So Good” in 1977. That song was first famously used in a commercial with the great Ella Fitzgerald...“is it live or is it Memorex?”

I used to see that in the old Far East Network broadcasts.

That song too was used in the Steven Seagal film, “Hard to Kill,” an episode of “Friends,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “South Park” and the film, “Dr. Strange.”

Back to “Fun and Games.”

I play that record because of the song “Give It All You Got” that was commissioned by American Broadcasting Company (ABC) for their coverage of the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York.

Do you remember ABC’s Wide World of Sports and its famous intro with Jim McKay narrating, “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” that has become a staple of sports jargon?

The line “agony of defeat” was cued to then Yugoslavian ski jumper Vinko Bogataj getting wiped out.

Just to be clear, that wasn’t at the 1980 Winter Olympics. That occurred during the 1970 World Ski Flying Championships in then West Germany.

While most people will not know Bogataj or even what happened to him, suffice to say, that he gave it all he got because since then, he—now at 72 years old—has become an award-winning artist with his works exhibited all over Europe and in North America.

That 1980 Olympics is famously known for the American men’s ice hockey team’s run to the gold medal and where they defeated the Soviet Union in the semifinals.

As stirring as that was, I also remember that being the first Olympics where China joined and successfully requested the International Olympic Committee for them to be known as “The People’s Republic of China”

while Taiwan, then designated as “Republic of China” to be known as “Chinese Taipei.”

How on Earth that happened, I will not understand.

However, imagine all those thoughts rushing to my head while listening to Mangione’s “Give It All You Got.” Music is, as they say, like a time machine that takes you back to memories you had either suppressed or forgotten. And the music associated with sports—like composer Bill Conti’s majestic “Theme from Rocky” or Vangelis’ pulse-pounding “Chariots of Fire” evoke a lot of sports memories.

Here in my opinion are the 20 best songs used or associated with sports (and in no particular order okay).

“We Will Rock You” by Queen who will also have the distinct honor of having three songs with the other being, We Are the Champions” and “Another One Bites the Dust.”

“Jump Around” by House of Pain.

“Song No. 2” by Blur.

“Sirius” by the Alan Parson Project. You have to thank the Chicago Bulls for popularizing this.

“Whoomp (There It Is)” by Tag Team “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang “Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti “Chariots of Fire” by Vangelis “Give It All You Got” by Chuck Mangione “Rock and Roll Part 2” by Gary Glitter “Eye of The Tiger” by Survivor “One More Time” by Daft Punk “What I Like About You” by the Romantics “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas “Right Here, Right Now” by Fatboy Slim “Pump Up the Jam” by Technotronic “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey “I Gotta Feelin’” by Black Eyed Peas How’s that for a sports soundtrack? If you aren’t pumped up after that—if you don’t have a cavalcade of memories rushing in—you must be dead.