Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are eager to spend Christmas
this could help prevent placing the country in another strict lockdown,
this newspaper, is for travel restrictions to be put in place swiftly and
quences on the economy.” See “Omicron,” A2
NATL GOVT BORROWINGS PHL BANANA EXPORTS FOR 10 31%, MOS A DIP TO P2.75T DOWN 5-YEAR LOW w w
Monday, January 29, 31, 2021 2022 Vol. 17 No.52 No. 115 Monday, November
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P25.00 P25.00 nationwide nationwide || 22 sections sections 18 20 pages pages ||
By Bernadette D. Nicolas By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
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Omicron risk Water Tiger spurs revival may not be of quarantine so kind to rules in PHL Pinoys in ’22
@BNicolasBM @jearcalas
HE Philipnational HE government’s pines’s gross of its exports borrowings as of prized bananas last end-October shrank year plunged by 31 by almost percent percent to 6a five-year year-on-year low of $1.123 to billion P2.75 trillion. as the industry was plagued Latestlogistical data from the Bureau of the with Treasury showed that the governproblems and during the ment’s gross borrowings 10-month period fell by 5.99 percent stiffer competition, from P2.92 trillion a year ago. resulting inmonths left for With only two this year, the latest figure lower volume ofis already equivalent to 89.6 percent of its shipments. P3.07-trillion borrowing program.
Broken down, gross domestic borrowings from January to October settled at P2.23 trillion, down by The double-digit decline of ba5.08 percent from P2.35 trillion nana exports last year marked the in 2020. second consecutive year of sagging The bulk of the amount was performance by one of the country’s sourced from Fixed Rate Treasury top agricultural products, historiBonds (P1.19 trillion), followed by cal Philippine Statistics Authority short-term borrowings from Bang(PSA) data showed. ko Sentral ng Pilipinas or BSP (P540 PSA data obtained by the Busibillion), Retail Treasury Bonds/PrenessMirror showed the counmyo Bonds (P463.3 billion), Retail try’s full-year banana exports last Onshore Dollar Bonds (P80.84 bilyear was $521.012 million lower lion). In the same period, there was than the $1.644 billion recorded also a net redemption of Treasury in 2020. Bills amounting to P43.94 billion. The value of total banana shipNet debt redemption means ments last year was lowest since there were more debts repaid comthe $1.128 billion recorded in 2017, pared to the amount borrowed durPSA data also showed. ing the period. The total volume of bananas Meanwhile, gross foreign borexported by the Philippines last rowings in the same period also year reached 2.419 million metric contracted by 9.7 percent to P518.7 tons (MMT), which was 36.46 perbillion from last year’s P574.4 billion. cent lower than the 3.808 MMT This was raised through global recorded volume in 2020. Likebonds (P146.17 billion), program wise, historical PSA indicated the loans (P139.98 billion), euro-devolume of banana shipments last nominated bonds (P121.97 billion), year was the lowest in the past a project loan (P86.41 billion), and five years. yen-denominated samurai bonds (P24.19 billion).
Top market: Japan See “Borrowings,” A2
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
I T
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
PEOPLE walk past the mural of Gat Andres Bonifacio at Manila City Hall Underpass. The country will celebrate the 158th birth anniversary of Filipino revolutionary FILIPINOS spendBonifacio nearly half year online and more DOMINGO hero Gat Andres onthe Tuesday, November 30. ROYthan a third of that time is spent on social media, says Brusselsbased marketing and advertising consultant Sortlist. This makes the Philippines the country that spends the most time online and on social media. See boxed story below.
NTER NATIONA L concerns @akosistellaBM over the possible spread of the Special to the BusinessMirror more infectious Omicron Covid-19 variant prompted the govHE year of the Water Tiger ernment to reimpose mandatory may not bode well for the facility-based quarantine for all Philippines, as the character arriving passengers in the country. of the animal may get the better of Acting Presidential spokesperus, and will likely result in arguson Karlo B. Nograles announced ments, misunderstandings, and on Sunday that the Inter-Agency breaks in relationships. Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) suspended the implementation of its Resolution No. 150A (s.2021), effectively imposing stricter protocols for all inbound travelers. To note, IATF Resolution 150A had allowed fully vaccinated non-visa travelers from Green List areas to enter the country without the need for facility-based quarantine as long as they secure negative Reverse Transcription“METAL is like magnet—it represents Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTconnections—connecting people,prior and PCR) test within 72 hours to their departure. therefore its absence indicates many “Except for countries classified them. This allows everyone to see programs as President Duterte forms of separation.” as ‘Red,’ the testing and quarantine who are listed in the registry and if is expected to sign the industry —Feng shui practitioner Marites Allen protocols for all inbound internafarmer doesn’t see his name then he development plan in early 2022. tional travelers in all ports of entry shall coordinate with the PCA imRosales said the PCA will not “Tigers are very energetic. They shall comply with the testing and mediately,” he explained at a recent stop updating its list of coconut don’t want to be kept caged and quarantine protocols for ‘Yellow’ dialogue with coconut farmers. farmers and enjoined them to regBy Cai U. Ordinario “In today’s world the mawhen provoked, they will attack list countries,” Nograles said, citing “On the other hand, if people ister in order to reap the benefits @caiordinario jority of day-to-day tasks are with swiftness,” said popular feng the provision of IATF Resolution would see names on the list and of the decades-long idled coconut completed online and this isn’t shui practitioner Marites Allen. The No. 151-A. they think they are not coconut levy fund. “We will not stop at 3.1 ILIPINOS spend nearly half a bad thing, but it’s important Tiger is the third in the 12-animal He noted Hong Kong, which has farmers or their details are incormillion. We hope that more indithe year online and more that we remind ourselves that Chinese zodiac cycle, and begins on confirmed a case of the Omicron rect, they can report it to the PCA viduals will register in our coconut than a third of that time is there is more to enjoy than just February 1. variant, will also fall under the Yelfor immediate action,” he added. farmers registry,” he said. spent on social media, according social media and online browsThe Philippines’s main destilow list countries. The PCA official noted that The updating of the coconut to a Brussels-based marketing and ing,” he added. ny chart also shows an excess of The suspension of the rules for the completion of the initial list farmers registry is mandated by advertising consultant. The top 10 economies, apart wood and water, some earth and “Green List” countries will be in of coconut farmers registry would Republic Act (RA) 11524 or the Based on a study by Sortlist, from the Philippines, include fire, but an absence of metal. “The effect from November 28, 2021 to be just in time for the expected Coconut Industry Trust Fund Act. Filipinos spent 10 hours, 56 minBrazil, Colombia, South Africa, missing metal element will result December 15, 2021. See “3-M farmers,” A2 rollout of coconut levy-funded utes per day online or 166 days Argentina, Malaysia, Mexico, Inin a tendency for people to act and Continued on A2 per year. Of this time, four hours donesia, Thailand, and Taiwan. do things independently; thus, and 15 minutes are spent on social In terms of the percentage of more division rather than partper day which population who usenthe in- ARABIAnership,” she BSP explained. nmedia SINGAPORE 36.8968is equivalent n AUSTRALIA the 36.2807 n EU 56.5758 SAUDI 13.4531 Source: (November 26, 2021) to 65 days in a year. ternet, Taiwan had the highest “ Met a l i s l i ke m ag net — it This placed the Philippines as at 90 percent of its population represents connections—conthe country that spends the most using the internet followed by necting people, and therefore its time online and on social media. Argentina at 80 percent and Braabsence indicates many forms of Sortlist estimated that 67 percent zil at 75 percent. separation.” of the country’s population use The data also showed the averOn the upside, Tigers, in genthe internet. age person spent around 52,925 eral, are also a symbol of bravery “Over the past 18 months or so minutes scrolling social media and independence. we have spent more time behind each year. This translates to 36 “They are great adventurers a screen than ever. As a result of days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes on who never back down from life’s the pandemic, many people have social media. challenges. Thus, they represent been forced to work from home, creativity, dynamism, and power,” Sports games spend copious amounts of time she said. on Zoom calls and used their SPORTS games are also the apps free time to scroll social media taking up the most of people’s Misfortune Star 5 and utilize the array of apps at time, as the average user spends HOPEFULLY, those positive Tiger our disposal, but all of this time around 23 minutes on these apps, traits rub off on us this year, espespent online can build up,” Nicofollowed by casual gaming at 21 cially since the “Misfortune Star las Finet, Co-Founder and CMO minutes. 5” is present in the country’s chart at Sortlist, said. See “Pinoys,” A2 from February 1, 2022 to January 21, 2023.
OVER 3-M FARMERS LISTED FOR P75-B COCO LEVY FUND PHOTO BY FERLI ACHIRULLI KAMARUDDIN | DREAMSTIME.COM
By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas
dating its registry following the enactment of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund law. Rosales explained that about 500,000 coconut farmers and workers were added to the PCA’s 2018 list that had about 2.5 million coconut farmers and farm workers. The PCA’s next step is to conduct an exclusion-inclusion procedure by making the updated farmers’ registry public, providing everyone the opportunity to check the veracity of the list, Rosales added. “The list will be posted in public spaces where people can easily see
PINOYS SPEND MOST TIME ONLINE, ON SOCIAL MEDIA M ORE than 3 million coconut farmers and workers are now registered with the government’s registry, which serves as the basis for the number of people to be covered by the utilization of the P75-billion coconut levy fund. Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Deputy Administrator Roel M. Rosales said about 3.11 million coconut farmers and farm workers have been registered with the government since it started up-
JAPAN was the country’s top importer of bananas last year, accounting for 38.14 percent of the total volume of exports last year, per PSA data. T he Ph i l ippi nes e x por ted 923,060.755 MT of bananas to Japan last year—34.75 percent lower compared to the 1.414 MMT recorded in 2020. In terms of value, banana exports to Japan fell by 31.92 percent year-on-year to $486.422 million from $714.517 million. China was the second biggest buyer of bananas from the Philippines as it imported 907,440.895 MT of the fruit worth $387.427 million, according to PSA data. The volume of banana exports to China declined by 25 percent year-on-year while the value of total shipments plunged by 21.57 percent on an annual basis.
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.4600
See “PHL banana,” A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.3930
n JAPAN 0.4374 n UK 67.2329 n HK 6.4722 n CHINA 7.9013
F
See “Water tiger,” A2
n JAPAN 0.4456 n UK 68.8101 n HK 6.5976 n CHINA 8.0693 n SINGAPORE 38.9957 n AUSTRALIA 37.1344 n EU 57.2878 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.6982
Source: BSP (January 28, 2021)