BusinessMirror July 06, 2021.pdf

‘PHL’s dip in new Covid cases bucks trend’

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

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S nations in Southeast Asia face threats of delayed recovery due to surges in Covid-19 cases, Moody’s Analytics said their outlook for the Philippine economy is taking a turn for the better due to the decline in cases in recent weeks.

In a recent analysis on Southeast Asia’s economic recovery, Moody’s Analytics—the research arm of Moody’s Group—said the resurgence in Covid-19 cases in countries “keeps denting” the region’s path to recovery.

Moody’s Analytics economist Katrina Ell, however, said that the Philippines bucks that trend as the country saw a decline of fresh cases in recent weeks.

“Spikes in Covid-19 infections in Indonesia and Malaysia are taking wind out of the expectation that economic recoveries there will gather steam into 2022.

Meanwhile, the outlook for the Philippines has improved as the pace of new coronavirus cases has declined,” Ell said.

In June this year, Moody’s Analytics tagged the Philippine economy’s situation as “worrisome” as the country’s battles the resurgence of the virus, particularly in key areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) and surrounding cities.

On Monday, the Department of Health (DOH) said the total number of cases in the country reached 1,441,746 after 5,392 new cases were confirmed during the day.

“The outlook for the Philippines

has improved. The country has seen a decline in daily new infections after breaking records in the region earlier this year. New cases fell from a peak of more than 11,000 daily to half that level now,” Ell said.

The economist also said that the country’s retail activities are expected to gradually pick up in line with eased restrictions from mid-July.

“Declining Covid-19 cases in the Philippines pave the way for its economic recovery as retail activities start to pick up. However, the country needs to step up its vaccination efforts, as the sluggish campaign leaves it vulnerable to fresh resurgences,” Ell said.

The Philippines’s improving outlook comes in contrast with key economies in the region.

“The coronavirus wave is raging in parts of Southeast Asia, with Indonesia and Malaysia seeing an unprecedented surge in daily infections. Indonesia reported a record high of 24,836 new infections on Thursday. The spike since late June came after the Eid al-Fitr holidays, which saw mass movement of migrant workers,” Ell said.

“Malaysia trails this number, but daily new infections continued to exceed the 6,000 mark. In both cases, this development takes wind out of the expectation that these economic recoveries will gather steam into 2022. The bottom line is that until infections are under control, movement control orders of varying severity will be imposed and will hurt domestic demand,” the economist added.

PHL END-MAY DEBT UP 24.5%, BREACHES P11T

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n Tuesday, July 6, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 265

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 22 pages |

Abulhasan Ibama, who has lived in Baseco, Tondo, Manila, for 19 years, is one of the recipients of a housing unit at Basecommunity. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Monday inaugurated the Basecommunity housing project, the in-city townhouse project for poor families, giving homes to 229 families. The project, with 229 two-story units of 42 square meters floor area, is one of City Hall’s housing projects for indigent families. Construction on Basecommunity started in December 2020. NONIE REYES

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By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE national government’s outstanding debt breached the P11-trillion mark in May as it ballooned to a new record high.

The government’s debt stock as of end-May hit P11.07 trillion, soaring by 24.5 percent from P8.89 trillion a year ago, according to the data from the Bureau

of the Treasury.

The Treasury said a strong peso prevented the debt stock from further swelling, resulting in a slight month-on-month uptick of 0.7

percent from P10.991 trillion as of end-April this year.

Year-to-date, the nationa l government’s outstanding debt swelled by 13 percent from the end2020 level of P9.795 trillion.

Domestic borrow ings comprised 71.5 percent of the total debt stock while the remaining 28.5 percent came from foreign sources.

Broken down, domestic debt as of end-May reached P7.9 trillion, jumping by 31.2 percent from P6.03 trillion a year ago.

It was also 1.3 percent higher

than P7.8 trillion as of endApril this year as a result of the net issuance of government securities.

Meanwhile, domestic debt also surged 18.2 percent from P6.69 trillion as of end-2020.

On the other hand, external debt climbed to P3.16 trillion, a 10.5-percent increase from P2.86 trillion a year ago due to the appreciation of the peso against the US dollar and the net repayment of foreign loans amounting to P0.22 billion.

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‘Taal imperils power assets in Batangas’

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

I

N response to a possible eruption of Taal Volcano, an econom ist-l aw ma ker on Monday called on the national government to make preparations to save energy and manufacturing sectors in Batangas area.

“The most probable national challenge that could arise out of the Taal eruption is damage to the energy and

manufacturing sectors. These industries are highly concentrated around the area. We have to have contingencies,” said House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda of Albay.

According to Salceda, the energy sector is particularly at risk.

“All of our natural gas power plants and several geothermal, coal, and biomass power plants are in Batangas. Power rates are already at elevated levels, year-on-year. The

PESO exchange rates n US 49.1660

reserves are very thin. So, we have to prepare, and see which power generators can be tapped from outside the area to fill in the grid’s demand in case the worst possibility takes place and Taal actually erupts violently,” he added.

Use CREATE

The lawmaker said the Board of Investments (BOI) and the Department of Energy (DOE) should use the Corporate Recovery and Tax

Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law to diversify power sources.

“All in all, there are 20 power plants in Batangas. They account for 5,255.9 MW of installed capacity, or 30.9 percent of the Luzon grid. This very high concentration of power sources in an area prone to the same set of hazards is something we need to address with power supply diversification,” Salceda said.

PHL READY FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION DESPITE GAPS IN DIGITAL TRADE

By Cai U. Ordinario

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@caiordinario

ESPITE the gaps in digital trade, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) believe the country is ready for digital trade integration with the Asia-Pacific region.

In a recent webinar hosted by the PIDS and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, DTI Assistant Secretary for Digital Philippines and E-commerce Lead Mary Jean Pacheco said the country is well-positioned in digital trade in the region.

Pacheco said the Philippine digital trade integration in the region would be fast-tracked given high market demand; increased private investments

in telecommunications, e-commerce and digital payments; and government reforms.

“We are built for this [digital integration]. The Philippine market is a huge and fastgrowing, predominantly young middle-class population, which uses the Internet the most. We have substantially digitalized small and medium enterprises that are known for resiliency and creativity,” Pacheco said.

Ban on aliens a challenge

In a study, a research team from PIDS led by Senior Research Fellow Francis Mark A. Quimba found that banning foreign firms on some electronic commerce and electronic retailing is a major challenge to the Philippines’s digital trade integration with the Asia-Pacific.

Continued on A2

Continued on A2

n japan 0.4428 n UK 68.0359 n HK 6.3316 n CHINA 7.5967 n singapore 36.4868 n australia 36.9925 n EU 58.3650 n SAUDI arabia 13.1095

Source: BSP (July 5, 2021)

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Court clears Bong Revilla of graft raps in PDAF case

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By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE Sandiganbayan has cleared Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. of 16 counts of graft charges filed against him in connection with the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) also known as pork barrel scam.

In the 196-page decision written by Associate Justice Geraldine Econg, Sandiganbayan Special First Division granted the demurrer to evidence filed

by Revilla due to insufficient evidence against him.

“The court hereby resolves to

grant the demurrer to evidence of accused Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla, Jr. in Criminal Case Nos. SB 14-CRM0267 to 0282, and dismiss these cases against him on the ground of insufficiency of evidence against him,” the decision said.

“The bonds posted by accused

Revilla are hereby ordered released, subject to the usual accounting and auditing procedures.

The hold departure order issued against them are also set aside and declared functus officio,” the decision added.

However, the court denied the same motion filed by alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

“The court hereby resolves to deny the demurrer to evidence of accused Janet Lim Napoles in Criminal Case Nos. SB 14-CRM0267 to 0282 as the matters she raised therein are simply a rehash of the arguments she raised in her motion to supress evidence and the motion for reconsideration, which were both previously resolved by this court,” the antigraft court said.

Meanwhile, the graft charges against Revilla’s former aide, Richard Cambe, were dismissed following his death in April.

In a statement posted on his Facebook, Revilla said the Sandi-

ganbayan, “by granting him demurrer to evidence and dismissing all the charges against me, validates what we have known from the very beginning—that all the accusations against me have no basis and any leg to stand on.”

“After eight long years, nangibabaw nang tuluyan ang Iyong hustisya! . . I am not, and never have been involved in graft and corruption. This is the reason why I did not run; I did not hide; and did not evade the judicial system. I put my trust and my life in our Courts,” he added.

In 2018, the Sandiganbayan acquitted Revilla of plunder also in connection with the pork barrel scam.

But in 2019, the Office of the Ombudsman asked the Sandiganbayan Special First Division to issue a writ of execution to compel Revilla to settle his civil liability based on the anti-graft court’s December 7, 2018 decision in the lawmaker’s P224.5-million plunder case.

‘Taal imperils power assets in Batangas’ Continued from A1

“The tool most immediately available to us and the next ad-

ministration is CREATE. Subject to industry classification in the Strategic Investment Priorities

Plan, power plants could qualify for income tax holidays of 4-7 years, plus enhanced deductions

of 5 years, plus 2 years if in areas recovering from armed conflict or a major disaster, plus 3 years ITH if relocating from NCR to all other areas. That is up to 17 years of incentives,” Salceda explained.

The lawmaker said DOE and the BPI should come up with strategies to encourage power generation companies to diversify their production bases and use CREATE to make such diversification financially viable.

‘Reimagined’

Meanwhile, Salceda also cited the need to revive his proposal of “reimagined” development for the Taal area.

“We really need to go for more adaptive development in the area.

In January 2020, when Taal also saw increased activity, I proposed a comprehensive framework for enhanced reconstruction of the Taal area, or the South of Manila Growth Corridor [SMGC],” Salceda said.

He said the idea to encourage development outside the danger zone, by putting up the necessary infrastructure support, economic incentives, and policy direction for more resilient development.

“We used the model in Albay, when we built new roads and other infrastructure within a master plan called the Guinobatan-Camalig-Daraga-Legazpi [Guicadale] Economic Township, which was the largest most ambitious government-initiated geostatic intervention of moving people and firms out of harm’s way into safe development communities,” Salceda explained.

“We established at least 40 relocation communities. New housing subdivisions are being developed within its area, while commercial and recreational spaces are laid out with road networks linking up with several towns and cities around an additional 87,000 hectares of upland areas.

This is to ease population density in areas near Mayon which are susceptible to lahar and other hazards. The same model can be applied to the Taal area,” Salceda added.

Salceda earlier filed House Bill 5977, or the proposed Taal Eruption Recovery Rehabilitation and Adaptation (TERRA) Act, which aims to develop a long-term socioeconomic reconstruction program for communities most directly impacted by Taal’s activity, embedding adaptation in infrastructure and social investments.

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PHL READY FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION DESPITE GAPS IN DIGITAL TRADE Continued from A1

This is significantly felt by retail trade enterprises with paid-up capital of less than $2.5 million since this sector is prohibited from having any foreign equity.

“Electronic commerce represents an important part of digital trade, which means that bans on foreign investment can impede the digital economy’s growth, thereby making digital trade integration difficult,” the researchers said.

The PIDS said the Philippines also implemented policies that discourage foreign bidders from participating in public procurement. W hi le foreig n pl ayers are allowed, their participation is “either highly restrictive or discouraging.”

The researchers said one example is requiring foreign consultants to transfer their technology and knowledge in order to be hired under public procurement.

Further, they said foreig n bidders also participate at a disadvantage because of domestic preference and foreign equity restrictions. “This suggests that public procurement for digital goods and services are skewed towards domestic bidders, which may have an adverse effect on competition,” they added.

In addition, the researchers said restrictions in the Philippine telecommunications sector prevent foreign firms from growing. This, they said, undermines the growth of the digital economy.

These restrictions include the need for telecommunication entities to secure a legislative franchise from Congress and a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the National Telecommunications Commission before they are allowed to operate.

“The telecommunications sector serves as the bedrock of the digital economy, so the sector’s performance affects multiple industries.

Despite the telecommunications sector already having been dereg-

ulated in 1995, barriers to entry form an ill-conducive environment for the sector’s growth,” the PIDS researchers said.

Meanwhile, the DTI official stressed the importance of an “all of e-government approach,” where various government agencies have their initiatives to push for digitalization in the country.

She said that “agencies shall continue to exercise their mandates under the law, but with a shared vision and goal to ensure the growth of e-commerce.”

Another priority of the government, according to Pacheco, is investing in human capital, particularly on digital skills, saying that “digitalization of human capital is critical” in the country’s digital transformation.

Pacheco also stressed the importance of supporting start-ups in the country, noting that “funding support is needed to help innovators expand and gain more traction.” She said the funding for e-commerce innovation and technology investment is included in the road map.

“Both the legislative and executive branches of the government have formulated policies to address access to reliable, stable, and fast Internet services. [The] government [also] made [the issuance of permits and licenses to] telecommunication towers easier,” Pacheco explained.

Earlier this year, the DTI launched the E-commerce Philippine 2022 Road map, which highlights the accessibility and convenience of e-commerce.

Through the roadmap, Pacheco said the country hopes to have a million e-commerce enterprises from the estimated 500,000 enterprises in 2020.

In terms of infrastructure, Pacheco noted the importance of Internet connectivity in promoting digital transformation within the government.

PHL END-MAY DEBT UP 24.5%, BREACHES P11T Continued from A1

The Treasury said these had off-

set the P5.24-billion revaluation in the peso value of debt denominated in other currencies, such as euro and Japanese yen.

The external debt of the national government as of end-May, however was 0.7 percent lower from P3.18 trillion recorded in the previous month but 1.8 percent higher than P3.1 trillion posted in December last year.

The total guaranteed obligations of the national government, meanwhile, dropped by 8.4 percent to P426.59 billion in May from P465.88 billion a year ago.

It also declined by 6.9 percent from P458.35 billion in December last year and shrank by 1.9 percent from P434.74 billion in the previous month.

The decline in guaranteed debt was attributed to net redemption of both local and foreign guaranteed obligations. Local currency exchange rate fluctuations also further lowered the peso value of external guaranteed debt by P1.76 billion and P0.18 billion, respectively. Domestic outstanding guaranteed debt settled at P233.01 billion, down by 3.2 percent from P240.8 billion in May 2020.

Likewise, it also fell by 8.4 percent from P254.42 billion as of end-2020 and by 2.3 percent from P238.53 billion as of end-April this year.

In terms of external guaranteed debt, it settled at P193.58 billion, a 14-percent contraction from P225.08 billion a year ago and 5.1 percent lower than the end-2020 level of P203.93 billion. It also slid by 1.3

percent from P196.21 billion as of end-April this year.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) economist Michael Ricafort said outstanding debt continued to rise on the back of increased government spending despite reduced revenue collections.

Ricafort also expects higher outstanding debt in the coming months due to increased government spending given the preparation for May 2022 elections and the need to purchase Covid-19 vaccines and booster shots.

Apart from this, he also pointed out that outstanding debt will further swell after the government recently borrowed $3 billion (about P145.7 billion) by issuing dualtranche dollar-denominated global bonds.

“Further reopening of the economy especially if more Covid-19 vaccine doses arrive and [are] rolled out would help narrow the budget deficit and reduce the need for more borrowings with more tax revenue collections and less government spending on financial assistance under the various Covid-19 programs,” Ricafort said.

For this year, the national government has set a P3.1-trillion borrowing program.

Finance Secretar y Carlos G. Dominguez III has said the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio this year is expected to reach 58.7 percent. This is below the 60-percent international threshold but higher than the country’s 14-year-high debt-to-GDP ratio last year at P54.6 percent.

The Nation BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Tuesday, July 6, 2021 A3

6-day period of mourning as C-130 crash fatalities rise to 52

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By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM & Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

HE military went on official mourning on Monday by putting the Philippine flag at half-staff in all of its camps across the country as it began its investigation into the crash of a C-130 plane in Sulu on Sunday where nearly half of the soldiers onboard perished.

The six-day mourning—where the country’s tricolor is placed at half-mast in all camps and military installations around the country —was ordered by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Cirilito Sobejana who was on his way to Sulu following the mishap involving the military’s troop and cargo transport plane.

The Department of the National Defense (DND) and AFP both said that the ill-fated aircraft has 96 military personnel in its flight manifest, excluding the three pilots and five aircrew.

Both also reported that out of the official number, 49 soldiers died in the mishap the mishap, while 49 others were injured or wounded. Three civilians, who lived near the crash site, were also killed while four others were injured. The fatality count

climbed Monday evening after the military reported that two soldiers who were earlier reported injured expired while undergoing treatment in a Zamboanga hospital.

Although the official investigation is already ongoing, the military initially reported that the plane, with tail number 5125, was attempting to land at the airport in Jolo, Sulu, when it crashed past 11 a.m., Sunday, at Sitio Aman, Barangay Bangkal in the town of Patikul, also in the province.

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) said the ill-fated C-130 plane, which took off from the PAF’s headquarters at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City for Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City, and subsequently ferried personnel to Sulu, figured in mishap “upon its landing in Jolo.”

A statement from the military’s Joint Task Force-Sulu said the military

aircraft was carrying “new privates” or newly recruited soldiers who were “enroute to Sulu” when it crashed, which the military described as one of its worst aviation accidents yet.

The task force said in the same statement released through its spokesman Lt. Jericca Angela Manongdo that according to witnesses, a “number of soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash.”

Military spokesman Major Gen. Edgard Arevalo, during a news briefing, said that witnesses accounts were among the subjects of the investigation focused on why the military plane crashed, even as the plane’s “black box” is being searched from the crash site.

The site is currently secured by the Army’s 45th Infantry Battalion and the PAF’s Tactical Operations Group-11, while scene of the crime operatives from the Philippine National Police are also undertaking their own investigation.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has called on the public to refrain from speculating on the condition of the aircraft pending the results of the investigation. Arevalo explained that while the plane was not brand new, it was in a very good condition.

The military spokesman said that the C-130 has 11,000 flying hours left before it should have undergone maintenance checkup, as he debunked speculations that the aircraft was “defective.”

The military has four C-130s in its inventory, including the

crashed aircraft. Currently, one of the aircraft is grounded, while the remaining two are undergoing preventive maintenance.

Late last month, a newly acquired S70i Black Hawk helicopter crashed while on a night flight training at the Crow Valley target range in Tarlac, and in January this year, a Huey helicopter also crashed in Bukidnon.

PAF’s fleets of Black Hawks and Hueys remained grounded until today as a precautionary measure, and while investigations have not yet been completed.

Arevalo said that all of the remains from the crash site have been recovered but that they are yet to be fully identified as the ill-fated C-130 was burned, with only its tail having been spared by the fire.

He assured that all the families or relatives of those who perished from the crash will receive the necessary assistance and benefits that they are entitled with, including those wounded and even the civilians.

Pressed about the crash, Arevalo said that what is left to be determined is why the C-130 went out of the runway, and they would also look into allegations that it was overloaded.

He assured that the military would be transparent in its investigation.

Renewed push for PAF modernization

FOLLOWING one of the country’s deadliest military aviation accidents, the House of Representatives on Monday vowed to push for the aircraft fleet modernization of PAF.

This developed as Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro and Ang Probinsyano Rep. Ronnie Ong expressed their deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who perished from the crash.

“There are simply no words that can be said to console those left behind by our brave military personnel, as well as the three civilians who died as a result of this disaster,” Velasco said.

Velasco also vowed to help the PAF replace the lost C-130 and to support its efforts to upgrade and modernize its fleet.

Congress was supposed to include the purchase of more C-130 planes in the 2021 national budget, but there was not enough time to deliberate on the modernization of the PAF’s fleet when Velasco took over as Speaker in October last year.

“I can only give my word that we in the House of Representatives will include in the 2022 budget the modernization of the PAF’s fleet as well as ensure the proper training of personnel in handling modern equipment,” Velasco said.

Romualdez, for his part, said full government assistance and benefits should be extended to the loved ones of our fallen soldiers and survivors the soonest time possible.

“The House of Representatives will await for a full report from the Defense Secretary who had ordered an investigation into this tragic incident,” he said.

“After receiving the report, rest assured that we will exhaust all means possible to make sure that our soldiers and men in uniform are safe from harm and their welfare protected,” the majority leader added.

Also, Rodriguez is urging the Department of National Defense (DND) and the military to extend all possible help to soldiers who died or were injured in the C-130 plane crash in Sulu.

He also requested for a list of victims from Cagayan de Oro, “my office will also give assistance to their families.”

“My heartfelt and sincere condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers and crew and civilians, and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured, all of whom prepared to bravely defend our nation,” he said.

“It is with deep sadness that this tragedy took the lives of many young soldiers and injured dozens, most of whom are residents of Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental,” he said.

Rodriguez said the DND and Armed Forces should assist the civilians and their families as well.

“They have to determine the cause as soon as possible. By most accounts, the C-130 is a safe transport plane,” he said. Also, Rep. Ong said he joins the nation in mourning for soldiers and the civilians who perished in the C-130 crash.

“I also pray for the quick recovery of those who were injured. This tragedy should remind us of the daily perils faced by our soldiers and their sacrifices to serve our country and our people,” he added.

A4 Tuesday, July 6, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

Study pushes liberalization of hospital ownership to boost Philippine health-care system

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

IBERALIZING hospital ownership in the country is key to doubling the number of hospital beds within the next two to four decades, according to the state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

In a study, titled Regional Health Integration and Cooperation in the Philippines, PIDS Research Fellow Valerie Gilbert T. Ulep and Research Analyst Lyle Daryll D. Casas said allowing 100 percent foreign hospital ownership would help close the gaps in health infrastructure in the country.

Based on data, Ulep and Casas said, the Philippines, a middle-income country, has one bed per 1,000 population. This rate is similar to most low-income countries in the world.

“The government needs to attract both domestic and foreign investments to help the government in closing health infrastructure gaps in the medium to long term,” Ulep and Casas said.

“Increase equity threshold for hospital foreign investments to 100 percent. The government may want to impose this especially in provinces where there is dire need,” they added.

Apart from this, Ulep and Casas recommended that the government should provide tax breaks for hospital investments for both local and foreign investments, particularly building facilities in provinces.

The authors said the government should also accelerate investment approvals for health infrastructure, services and the purchase of medical equipment.

These steps, the authors said, would help attain the goals set by the 2020-2040 Health Facility Development Plan (HFDP) of the Department

of Health (DOH).

The HFDP, therefore, identifies the immense role of the private sector to complement scarce public resources.

Based on the study findings, public spending on health made by the Philippine government is one of the lowest in the Asean region. The authors noted that based on 2018 data, public spending on health was $46 per capita.

This, Ulep and Casas said, is considered low relative to other middleincome countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia in the region. Thailand and Malaysia spent four times more than the Philippines.

The PIDS researchers also noted that the country’s public spending on health was about 1.5 percent of GDP, significantly lower than Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.

Singapore spent the most at $1,262 per capita followed by Malaysia, $194 per capita; Thailand, $188 per capita; Vietnam, $65 per capita; and Indonesia, $56 per capita.

“The country’s poor performance in improving health outcomes brought by a number of barriers in the different elements of the health systems infers the need for robust domestic reforms in order to liberalize the country for cross-border health integration,” the researchers said.

Apart from these, the researchers also recommended strengthening the implementation of digital

health strategies.

This means developing telemedicine by passing into law the eHealth Systems and Services Bill. Telemedicine is still in its infancy in the Philippines but could provide a means for greater regional integration in terms of health services.

The authors also recommended the development and implementation of a well-thought medical tourism program.

This means identifying a niche in medical tourism. The government can focus on making the country a wellness center, especially for the elderly by offering aging and retirement homes that can help create communities with the ecosystem that promotes health communities.

The authors said the government plans to build a niche in aesthetics, dental service, and wellness services.

However, Ulep and Casas said the competition in these areas is tight in the region.

Further, the country should strengthen and complement the establishment of three mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) that would allow greater mobility of health professionals in the Asean region.

This also means the country should not restrict the practice of health-care providers in the country to Filipino residents.

The MRAs, which allow physicians, nurses, and dentists to physically move freely throughout the Asean region, were designed at a time when these professionals had to be physically present in host countries.

This can already be remedied through the use of technology. The authors said limiting the MRA to the physical presence of professionals in host countries “defeats the purpose of MRAs, which is to harmonize practice across the region.”

“Expert discussions regarding this matter should be initiated, as this could help augment the country’s health system, while establishing regulations to safeguard the public’s safety, which is of utmost importance,” the authors said.

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Are governance, risk management and compliance and data protection converging?

By Henry J. Schumacher

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ATA protection has gained prominence in recent times, driven by digitalization, increased awareness of consumers about data infringements, as well as, the enforcement of laws. In extending operational compliance, data protection encompasses more than information security—it covers how the organization collect, use, disclose and store data.

These processes must be governed with the right policy, with risks assessed, adequate protection measures to mitigate the risks, sustained effort and an effective response plan, which you hopefully have in place!

Increasingly, it becomes evident that data protection and governance risk and compliance (GRC) are converging due to high-profile breaches reported recently. The breaches, especially from the organization’s third-party vendors, imply that there are gaps or risks within the GRC initiatives in the or-

ganization that was not addressed and was exploited by hackers.

It is thus, critical for organizations to understand the nuances and the data protection laws better to navigate the change in the environment, from business planning to effective engagement with stakeholders to managing the risks in the organization more effectively.

Given this situation, it is good to see that the National Privacy Commission (NPC) is pushing for amendments to the Data Privacy Act (DPA).

NPC Commissioner Raymund Liboro said the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology approved the substitute bill to amend the DPA, which would give the NPC additional powers, such as the authority to issue summons, subpoenas, contempt powers, and to impose administrative penalties.

Under the bill, there are provisions redefining sensitive personal information to include biometric and genetic data and political affiliation and clarifying the extraterritorial application of the DPA when processing personal data of Philippine citizens and/or residents is concerned.

The proposed amendments likewise cover changes in criminal penalties under the DPA to give the courts the option to decide on either imposing imprisonment or slapping fines.

“In the last five years, the NPC has laid down privacy in the Philippines with a clear road map. In our drive to become a data privacy

resilient country, we have adopted a responsive regulatory approach characterized by raising awareness, strict compliance, and enforcing the law. To do this, we find a need to amend the current DPA to keep up with the changing times,” Liboro said.

It is obvious that consumers have to become more aware of how to exercise their data-subject rights.

They may need experts who offer consumers an efficient and automated way to secure those rights as a service. It is good that these experts are available, to assist management, to train the employees and to explain what automation tools are available to protect organizations from data breaches.

It is also important to understand that data should not be allowed to be extricated without compensation—it’d called digital dignity! As a data subject I must have the right to know what my data is worth.

Should you need assistance in training or in the selection of automation tools for Data Protection Officers (DPOs) and beyond, let me know; you can reach me at hjschumacher59@gmail.com

P.S. While I was putting the article together, BusinessMirror published “The Broader Look” with the title PHL URGED TO DO MORE IN PROTECTING POROUS DIGITAL ‘BORDERS’, on July 1, 2021.

If you have not read the informative piece, I suggest you do it now-https:// businessmirror.com.ph/category/thebroader-look/

DOLE to extend aid to family of Fil-Am who perished in Florida condo collapse

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday said it is ready to extend assistance to the family of a Filipina who died following the partial collapse of a condominium building in Surfside, Florida last month.

Citing a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), Labor spokesman Rolly Francia confirmed Maricoy Obias-Bonnefoy, 69, and her husband were among the 22 fatalities from the incident on June 24, 2021.

Her remains were finally recovered by authorities last week.

“We in the Department of Labor condole with the family of our citizen

who died in Florida,” Francia said in an online briefing on Monday.

Francia said Bonnefoy has no record with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) as an active overseas Filipino worker (OFW).

“Nevertheless, since she our citizen, our POLO is ready to facilitate whatever aid her family will need,” Francia said.

Amid limited electricity supply, Napolcom approves recruitment of 434 professionals to the PNP ERC asks PCCI to support ILP M

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

T

HE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has asked the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) to participate in the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) to help augment the limited power supply of Distribution Utilities (DUs).

On Monday, the ERC said it has sought the assistance of PCCI to encourage its members to join in the program.

“The ILP is a scheme adopted by the Commission wherein customers may enter into an agreement with their DU to voluntarily disconnect from the power grid for a limited

period whenever the power supply is constricted. The ILP also allows customers to operate their generating sets and collectively reduce electricity drawn from the grid when power interruptions are imminent,” said ERC Chairman Agnes VST Devanadera.

The ERC established the ILP rules in 2010 and subsequently amended the rules with the most recent revisions in 2019. Under the ILP, companies who are willing to participate will be requested to reduce their demand for particular hours in a day when the power supply in the system is not enough.

If and when PCCI agrees, the ERC said this will help address the

supply deficiency projected in the coming weeks.

The Department of Energy (DOE) said there is a possibility of tight supply conditions resulting to yellow and red alerts in the upcoming weeks and one of the identified immediate action to mitigate the effects of the foreseen supply deficiency is the activation of the ILP. “We seek the assistance and support of the PCCI to encourage their members, especially the commercial and industrial customers, to participate in the ILP to help augment the limited power supply considering the possible power interruptions in the coming months,” Devanadera added.

ORE professionals from various fields are seen to join the Philippine National Police (PNP), according to National Police Commission (Napolcom) Vice Chairman and Executive Officer (VCEO) Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on June 15, 2021. The announcement came after the commission en banc, headed by Napolcom Chairman and the Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año, approved Napolcom Resolution 2021-0612.

The resolution grants the Chief PNP with authority to recruit doctors, lawyers, and IT experts for lateral entry to the police service to fill the 434 vacancies in the police organization for the ranks of Police Captain and Police Lieutenant under the calendar year (CY) 2021 Lateral Entry Program for Technical Officers.

“The PNP Lateral Entry Program is aimed to strengthen the human resource and technical capability of the police organization in managing present and future challenges,” Vice Chairman Aguirre said.

Aguirre added that the recruitment of the Medical Officers and Medico-Legal Officers is intended to augment the present medical work force of the PNP mobilized to address the current pandemic. They will also be utilized to speedily resolve forensic cases and facilitate medical processes.

Meanwhile, the hiring of legal officers is the PNP’s response to the government’s relentless campaign against criminalities, which require the support of dedicated lawyers in every PNP office/unit.

IT Officers to be appointed are expected to further strengthen

the PNP’s information technology capability in order to meet the technological and digital communication requirements of the police service under the so-called new normal.

Aguirre stressed that the PNP shall only process applicants for positions which are identified by the PNP with career path; those who are included in the Index of Occupational Services, Occupational Groups, Classes and Salary Grades of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM); and those with approved qualification standards by the Napolcom and confirmed by the Civil Service Commission.

“The PNP is enjoined to strictly observe the existing guidelines and procedures in the processing of Lateral Entry applicants,” Aguirre pointed out.

DENR proposes sanitary landfill to address Cavite’s garbage woes

D

EPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has appealed to local government units (LGUs) in Cavite to help address the worsening garbage problem by proposing the establishment of a sanitary landfill and improve solid waste management in the province.

Cimatu said the poor solid waste management in Cavite is affecting government’s effort to rehabilitate

Manila Bay, noting that uncollected garbage find their way into rivers that drain to Manila Bay. Cimatu, chairman of the Manila Bay Task Force, along with some DENR officials met with Cavite Governor Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla and several mayors in the province to appeal for the local officials’ help and cooperation in addressing solid waste, as well as water quality management issues, especially in the six major river systems in the province.

The meeting was held at the Oasis Hotel in Imus on June 24. Local chief executives of the cities of Cavite, General Trias and Trece Martires, and the municipalities of Amadeo, GMA, Indang, Mendez, Naic, Silang, and Tanza also attended the meeting.

Also present during the meeting were City Environment and Natural Resources Officers; Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officers; and representatives from the Provincial Environment and Natural

Resources Office, Manila Bay Coordinating Office, and regional offices of the DENR, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Environmental Management Bureau, and Department of the Interior and Local Government.

During the meeting, DENR Calabarzon Regional Executive Director Nilo B. Tamoria identified Cavite’s six major rivers as Imus River, Zapote River, Rio Grande-Ylang-Ylang River, Cañas River, Labac River and Maragondon River, all of which empty out

into the historic bay.

“We cannot complete the rehabilitation of Manila Bay if we will not solve the garbage problem in the province. There is a very big connection between that,” Cimatu said in a news statement.

“The only way for us to solve the problem of Manila Bay is to solve the garbage problem and water quality of the rivers in Cavite,” he added.

Remulla said solid waste management is the No. 1 problem of Cavite

when it comes to the environment, as he noted that an estimated 50 percent of solid waste in the province goes to its rivers accounting to approximately 2,000 tons a day, of which 90 percent goes to Manila Bay. According to Remulla, 21 of the 23 cities and municipalities of the province “do not have the capacity to put up their own solid waste facility because of the limitations of land.” He appealed for the DENR to help in setting up a sanitary landfill. Jonathan L. Mayuga

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 A5

House prepares for Duterte’s last Sona on July 26

P

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

@joveemarie

REPARATIONS for President Duterte’s final State of the Nation Address (Sona) is in “high gear” in the House of Representatives, the leader of the lower chamber said on Monday.

In preparing for the si xth Sona, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said a series of initiatives have been initiated to highlight the legislative accomplishments of the Duterte administration.

The last Sona of President Duterte will be conducted on July 26 inside the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.

“Even before the pandemic hit, we were able to pass laws on univer-

sal health care, free tertiary education, establishment of Malasakit centers, expanded maternity leave, free public Internet access and the Bangsamoro Organic Law, to name a few,” Velasco said.

At the height of the pandemic, Velasco said, Congress and the Executive worked together to produce pieces of legislation designed to help address and cushion the socioeconomic impact of the ongoing public health crisis, such as the Bayanihan laws, General Appropriations Act of 2021, and Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act. “Most of our colleagues in Congress agree that we should give credit where it’s due, and the truth

is that there were a lot of key legislative measures enacted during PRRD’s [President Duterte] term,” Velasco said.

Velasco also rallied House members to take part in the pre-Sona campaign dubbed as “Sa Lahat ng Pagbabago, Salamat Pangulo! [A Pre-Sona Tribute by the 18th Congress],” which features the priority programs and policies implemented in the different legislative districts across the country under the Duterte administration.

The Speaker has designated Pangasinan Fourth District Rep. Christopher de Venecia as project director for the undertaking. A focal person was also assigned in each region and in the party-list coalition.

House lawmakers, particularly those belonging to the supermajority coalition, were tasked to produce 60 to 90 second videos using the theme “Mula sa Inyong Kongreso, Progreso para sa Pilipino.”

On the actual day of the Sona, July 26, a multimedia exhibit will be put up in the North and South Wing lobbies of the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. A tableau of President Duterte’s accomplishments will also be set up at the rear entrance of the Main Building where the Chief Executive will make his way into the plenary to deliver his final Sona.

More attendees

MEANWHILE, House Secretary

General Mark Llandro Mendoza said the lower chamber is expecting more Sona attendees this year.

“We are looking around 150 to 200 [people] inside the plenary this year but this depends on final decision of IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force For the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases] and the Palace,” he said. “We are hoping that those attendees are already [fully] vaccinated,” he added. According to Mendoza, both chambers of Congress and Palace are regularly coordinating for the last Sona.

He also said only government media will be allowed to cover the event inside the Batasang Pambansa.

Senate awaits Pacquiao’s return to open inquiry into DSWD, other ‘anomalies’

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

& Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

S

ENATE probers would rather wait for Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao to return from his August 21 boxing bout in the United States before opening any inquiry into Pacquiao’s allegations of corruption under the Duterte administration that the boxer-senator lodged against four agencies.

This, even as Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the investigating Blue Ribbon Commit-

tee, assured that senators sitting in the probe panel are ready to mount an investigation into alleged anomalies at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Energy (DOE).

Gordon admitted he found it awkward, “if not irregular” for his committee to start the inquiry without Pacquiao, the main accuser.

He, however, assured the awaited Blue Ribbon inquiry in aid of crafting remedial legislation, will

be convened soon as the senator-boxer comes home to enable the accuser to supply additional evidence to back up his initial allegations of anomalies at the four major departments.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, said the Department of Justice-Task Force Against Corruption (DOJ-TFAC) is ready to receive any complaint from Pacquiao with regard to his claim of various corruption activities involving several departments of the government.

In a text message to reporters, Guevarra also stressed that Pacquiao may bring his complaint di-

DOH rushes to aid Taal evacuees, control Covid spread

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

T

HE Department of Health (DOH) Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) has deployed a total of five Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) teams that will provide psychosocial support to the communities of the 12 municipalities affected by the continuing eruptions of Taal Volcano.

“Disasters such as this can affect an individual’s emotional instability including stress reactions, anxiety and trauma. We have to assist these individuals and give them support and guidance in order for them to cope and be able to reorganize their lives,” said OIC-Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco.

The teams will be providing psychological first aid to affected evacuees, including senior citizens and persons with disabilities in the evacuation centers in the towns of Alitagtag, Balayan, Balete, Laurel, Agoncillo, San Nicolas, Talisay, San Jose and Tanauan in the province of Batangas.

“With the proper mental health support, they can be assisted with compassion, knowledge, and respect,” Sydiongco stated.

The MHPSS teams are composed of doctors, psychologists, health promotion officers and nurses trained in providing psychological first aid and mental health and psychosocial support.

To ensure that there will be no transmission of Covid-19, a mass vaccination was also conducted.

Mass vaccination

SECRETARY Francisco T. Duque III led the mass vaccination on Monday together with the Batangas provincial government were also conducted in the town of Agoncillo targeting around 1,200 Taal evacuees who were residing in the evacuation centers since July, 1, 2021.

The Batangas provincial disaster risk reduction and management office estimated about 1,034 families or 3,450 individuals are now in evacuation centers in Nasugbu, Balayan, Agoncillo, Balete, Laurel and Alitagtag.

At least 608 families or 2,230 individuals are staying with their relatives in nearby municipalities as of July 5, 2021.

Taal Volcano in the province of Batangas is still under Alert Level 3, which means there is magmatic unrest, or movement of magma that

may further drive succeeding eruptions according to Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The DOH also said evacuees will also be closely monitored using antigen tests and more vaccines will be allocated in areas affected by the unrest of Taal Volcano.

“Antigen test kits had been distributed already...allocation of vaccines will be increased,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media forum on Monday.

Vergeire said that they expressed hope that “by vaccinating individuals and also monitoring them through antigen test and symptomatic monitoring, we would be able to prevent transmission.”

Dr. Voltaire Guadalupe, Center for Health Development (CHD) Region 4A, meanwhile, assured that Covid patients were already isolated since the start of the unrest.

“At present, there are only few cases. Our health workers already know them. There are no new cases reported so far,” Guadalupe said.

Guadalupe added that they would continue to vaccinate individuals eligible to receive anti-Covid shots.

According to the Department of Education, 16 schools are currently being used as evacuation centers.

Davao City ramps up vaccination thrust to stem virus surge

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

D

AVAO CITY—More than 20,000 workers and members of the transport sector were vaccinated over the weekend as the city ramps up its Covid-19 vaccination program to stem the surge of infections.

The business-process outsourcing (BPO) sector also vaccinated some 1,700 of its personnel, also in its bid to jump-start a wider inoculation program in an industry-based vaccination program started here for the A4 and A5 priority group, composed mainly the workers and those who have to go out to earn a living amid the pandemic.

The city has already achieved its target of a daily vaccination of 10,000 and has opened its weekend to continue vaccinating the A4 priority group and some communities in the A5 group, expecting these groups to

swarm the vaccination centers owing to their sheer number.

Priority Group A4 are the public and private school teachers, workers from the tourism sector, private companies, mall employees, and members of the transport sector. To divide them, the city has established an industry-based inoculation.

The city government has scheduled the A4 group in different vaccination hubs, the city information office said. It said 2,459 doses were allocated to the tourism sector and the Philippine Coast Guard at Waterfront Insular Hotel; 2,000 doses for Boysen at Sasa Warehouse; 3,000 doses for Davao Colleges and Universities Network; 3,000 doses for Philippine Women’s College and University of Mindanao Bolton Campus; Some 1,300 doses for the Davao Association of College Schools; 1,300 doses for Ateneo de Davao University; 1,500 doses for San Miguel Brewery

workers at Davao Doctors Hospital; 4,000 doses for the Department of Education at various schools jab sites; 800 for the transport Group at AgroIndustrial Foundation College; 1,000 for the Chinatown Development Council at Chong Hua School; and, 4,000 for workers of Abreeza Mall, Gaisano Mall, SM, and NCCC Malls.

The BPO sector has announced it has vaccinated 1,711 employees here for the first dose during the threeday industry-based vaccination activity at Felcris Centrale, from June 30 to July 2.

“It was good, as of last night, we have vaccinate 1,711 in three days.

It was a volunteer-based vaccination.

We have participating companies to send volunteers. We observed in the first and second day, we could do more kasi pinapabilis namin ang process [we hastened the process],” BPO Association of Davao Inc. President Eric Manalastas said.

rectly to the Ombudsman if he believes he has enough evidence or to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).

“I’m sure Sen. Pacquiao knows his options. If he has sufficient evidence on hand, he may cause the filing of anti-graft charges directly with the Ombudsman or the DOJ,” Guevarra said.

“If he thinks that further investigation is necessary, he may refer the matter to the PACC [if presidential appointees are involved] or to the TFAC [for all others],” the DOJ chief added.

Guevarra also indicated that the

TFAC would be willing to investigate any corruption allegations, regardless of the intention of the complainant.

Gordon added that senators sitting in the probe panel are also keen to dig deeper into the anomaly raised by Pacquiao, indicating readiness to expand the inquiry to cover other agencies also alleged to be graft-ridden, even as they need to wait for Pacquiao to return from his latest boxing bout set to take place in Las Vegas.

According to Gordon , the Blue Ribbon Committee, on its own, is empowered to mount an inquiry

into government anomalies, even without a plenary referral, such as reported irregularities.

But Gordon said he would find it “awkward, if not irregular,’’ when an accuser who threw the charges against erring officials linked to government anomalies would not appear at the inquiry.

For his part, Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon affirmed that undertheSenateRules,onlytheBlueRibbon Committee, chaired by Gordon, is empowered to embark on an inquiry “motu propio” (on its own) even without a resolution calling for a Senate investigation.

A6

News BusinessMirror

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

DFA ramps up processing of passports in NCR amid rising pandemic demand

By Recto Mercene

A

@rectomercene

mid the rising demand for Philippine passports during the pandemic, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Monday it would open five application sites in five malls in Metro Manila.

Brigido Dulay, undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs, said these locations are: SM Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA, SM Aura, Robinson’s Place Las Piñas, and Robinson’s Place Magnolia.

He said applicants may file via online at www.passport.gov.phl, adding the temporary passport venues are now open to operations.

The DFA official said plans are afoot to open sites outside of the National Capital

Region (NCR). However, he said the DFA is still considering where to locate them, how to provide the equipment, and the personnel who would be manning these sites.

“This will resolve the current backlog and address the high demand for passports,” Dulay said during an online news briefing, adding that Foreign Affairs Secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr. gave him the marching order to expedite the processing of Filipino

passports despite the pandemic.

The five sites in Metro Manila are open from Monday to Saturday and would be active until September 2021.

Each of the sites has the capacity to accept 500 applicants daily, “on top of the regular appointments slots at the Aseana and all Consular Offices all over the Philippines,” Dulay said.

He revealed that in total the DFA processes about 177,500 passports daily, coming from all consular offices across the country.

The DFA expects that by the end of September, it would have processed about 77,500 applicants for the newly established sites.

Dulay said the pandemic has slowed down the passport application and processing worldwide. He said the adoption of quarantine measures in the NCR Plus areas has halved the number of DFA personnel going to their respective offices.

Before the pandemic, the DFA has been processing 13,000 passport applications a day, but due to government health restrictions, the number of applications has been halved. Dulay said the department had to reduce its work force and cut the capacity of walk-in applicants inside the consular offices.

Currently, the DFA can only accommodate 6,167 slots a day, he said.

“This is also true in our embassies abroad, where each host country has its own protocol that the DFA personnel must follow.”

Dulay said there was a huge backlog in all Consular Offices, especially in places like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where many Filipino-American citizens have applied for dual citizenship to go around the existing protocols that disallows foreigners from coming into the country for fear of importing the new Covid-variants “The root of the backlog is the pandemic, because embassies and consulates are also visitors and our people must follow the host country’s proto-

cols. If they say lockdown, then we’re helpless.”

For those with urgent need to travel like children, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, OFW and the like, Dulay advised the public, to e-mail them, while the alternative for those with urgent request can e-mail at oca.cl@dfa. gov.ph. to request for a slot.

Undersecretary Dulay appealed to the public to wait for the situation to stabilize if there’s no urgent need to travel to free up more slots.

Dulay discouraged the public to avoid getting the services of travel agencies or those presenting themselves to have connections with the DFA, saying “applying for appointment is free, but they have to go to legal and official web site.”

He said the DFA is aware of groups taking advantage of the public promising to expedite their applications for a fee, but warned that these syndicates are hard to trace because they conduct their modus online and are difficult to trace.

DFA statistics showed that the demand for passport has been growing for the past two years, Dulay said, but added that they expect a downturn soon, “since we have issued a 10-year passport, while the demand for renewal of those with shorter terms would soon disappear.

The passports at Aseana and the NCR would be available after 12 working days from the time of application, while the “turnaround” time in the provinces would be a bit longer because the DFA relies on local air transportation to bring the passports from Manila, which are sometimes delayed due to bad weather.

For those paying online, “the slots are automatic, in a few minutes it’s finish all the way to the appointment,”Dulay said, but for those whose payments have to be confirmed, the slots are available “as soon as the applicants are able to complete the requirements, or less than an hour,” Dulay said.

Tailwind spoils first OFW flight to Subic

By Henry Empeño

S

Correspondent

UBIC BAY FREEPORT—Strong tailwinds encountered by a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight over the Subic Bay Freeport had prevented the landing here on Monday of the first batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arriving under a government program to bring home workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, quoting a report from PAL, said the tailwind, or wind blowing from behind the aircraft, “was not within limits.”

Instead, Flight PR5683, which was scheduled for landing at the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) at 10:43 a.m. on Monday, landed at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark Freeport, Eisma said.

The diverted flight was the first of the six PAL arrivals expected at the SBIA this month under a government program to ferry home mostly overseas workers.

PAL Flight PR5683, which originated from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, carried 309 returning OFWs, two seamen, and one Returning Overseas Filipino (ROF).

Eisma said, however, that despite the flight diversion, its passengers will have the obligatory quarantine at accredited hotels and accommodation establishments in the Subic Bay Freeport.

The SBMA said last week the schedule of PAL flights to Subic to be on July 5, 7, 15, 17, 25, and 27.

Each PAL Airbus A330 flight will have an average of 230 passengers, mostly OFWs from Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

The arrival of OFWs via Subic is in line with the policy of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to impose a limit for all international airports in the country to accommodate just 1,500 passengers per day. Accord-

ingly, PAL has distributed its flights to various airports in the country.

Eisma said that with the OFW flights, Subic is once more “in a unique position to be of service to the Filipino nation, particularly repatriated workers, who long to be home but were hindered by pandemic restrictions.”

She pointed out that Subic also began serving as a Crew-Change One-Stop-Shop hub since September last year to help bring home stranded Filipino seafarers or send them back to work after some vacation.

Eisma said the PAL flights would create “positive impact on local tourism that would also redound to the benefit of workers, business establishments, and service operators in our communities.”

Accommodation facilities outside the free port may also have the opportunity to take in any overflow that may ensue, she added.

Under the scheduled PAL flights here, arriving passengers would be quarantined for seven to 10 days in Subic hotels and accommodation facilities accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and certified by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ ).

SBMA OIC-Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao said his office has been in close coordination with the BOQ to ensure that all health safety protocols would be in place and strictly enforced at the Subic airport for the arrival of PAL flights.

Yambao said the SBMA has also synchronized its efforts with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to ensure seamless processing of passengers, as well as with PAL to meet its requirements.

He pointed out that the Subic airport is being developed since last year to accommodate passenger, as well as corporate aircraft under a P91.3-million package to upgrade equipment and improve facilities in the Subic airport.

BusinessMirror

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ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5-10/f Tower 1 Pitx Kennedy Road Tambo Parañaque City

CHONG HUANG KUN Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 1.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking

JIN, HONGLI Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 2.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking

LI, LIWEN Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 3.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking

ZENG, SHIYANG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 4.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking

MO, XINYU Employee And Labor Relations Specialist Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

5.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

12.

Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

13.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

14.

15.

6.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

LUO, WUYAN Mandarin Customer Service 7.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

16.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language

8.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read and write and type fluently in Mandarin language.

17.

9.

Brief Job Description: Design and implement business strategies, plans and procedures

18.

10.

Brief Job Description: Interviews, hires and trains marketing staff members

Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

19.

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

20.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree of Business Management, Marketing, Communication and related field.

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

FLASH EXPRESS SOFTWARE (PH) CO., LTD. INC. 9th Flr. Arthaland Century Pacific Tower 5th Avenue 30th Street Cor. 4th Avenue Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

11.

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

ZHANG, SONGYAN Mandarin Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints.

YANG, LILI Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 21.

25.

Basic Qualification: job-relevant degree, 5 years’ experience in same or related position, multilingual Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: job-relevant degree, 5 years’ experience in same or related position, multilingual Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree, 5 years’ experience in same or related position, multilingual

26.

27.

HUIDING, RICHARD Senior Project Manager 28.

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

Brief Job Description: Enters customer and account data and keeping and maintaining information confidential.

29.

CHANG, CHIA-YUN Chinese It Support Specialist

30.

22.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree, 5 years’ experience in same or related position, multilingual

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist (CITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

PHAN DINH LINH It Support Specialist

24.

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

31.

Brief Job Description: Software developer depends on the needs of the company, organization, or team they are on. Others develop applications that make it possible for people to perform specific tasks on computer.

CHUA YONG IIN Chef De Cuisine, Chinese Production 32.

Brief Job Description: Assist the executive chef with his responsibilities for the day to day running of the Chinese Production Kitchen

LEE, SOO HYUN Host, Business Development - Korea Brief Job Description: Locates, develops and acquires new business and capture new premium players

HONG, INSUNG Manager, Business Development - Korea 34.

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien language.

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

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien language.

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

Basic Qualification: Relevant experience s in depth analysis of installation processes and project management Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Basic Qualification: Must be a College degree in any fields; At least 1-2 years of working experience in the related positions; Ability to maintain high level of confidentiality.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be bachelor’s/ college degree in any fields; At least 1-2 years of working experience in the related positions; Ability to maintain high level of confidentiality.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be Bachelor’s/ College degree in any fields; At least 1-2 years of working experience in the related positions; Ability to maintain high level of confidentiality Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Promote VIP services and products for Korean premium customers of City of Dreams Manila and The Li Ying Club

Basic Qualification: Minimum 8 years professional experience in a fine dining outlet of a 5-star hotel brand, extensive knowledge of Chines Cuisine and Techniques Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: At least 2 years proven experience in VIP Services and/or premium player fields and in gaming marketing field Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: Promote VIP services and products for Korean premium customers of City of Dreams Manila and The Li Ying Club Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower C4 Rd. Edsa Ext. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

35.

36.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 37.

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien language.

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

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

MELCO RESORTS LEISURE (PHP) CORPORATION City Of Dreams Manila Aseana Ave. Cor. Roxas Blvd. Tambo Parañaque City

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

Brief Job Description: A customer service representative supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. They are the frontline support for clients and customers and they help ensure that customers are satisfied.

PARK, SUNG HO Software Developer

33.

Basic Qualification: Must be a Chinese and fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and Fukien language

Brief Job Description: A customer service representative supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. They are the frontline support for clients and customers and they help ensure that customers are satisfied.

LI, GUOHUA Customer Service Representative

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

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

Brief Job Description: Ensure to properly manage the execution of installation to ensure quality and safety are properly complied

KIM, SUNHO Customer Service Representative

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer questions about services or products; Excellent Mandarin communication skills.

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien language.

MAGKING SERVICES CORPORATION Unit 5d Rose Industries Bldg. #11, Pioneer Street Kapitolyo Pasig City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in MANDARIN/FUKIEN and at least college level with related BPO experience.

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

JARDINE SCHINDLER ELEVATOR CORPORATION 20th Floor Insular Life Fcc Tower 1 Alabang Muntinlupa City

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

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

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

VOONG NHIT BAU It Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customers questions about services or products/ Excellent Mandarin communication skills.

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

TRI THI THU HANG It Support Specialist

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

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 10/f Aseana I Bldg. Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park Tambo Parañaque City 7/f Aseana I Bldg. Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park Tambo Parañaque City

23.

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

Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree, 5 years’ experience in same or related position, multilingual

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION TANG MY LINH It Support Specialist

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

IRISBLOOM INC. Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg. 19 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City

PEI, XINYU Chinese It Support Specialist

HUNG, CHEN-CHE Assistant To Pdd Brief Job Description: Under administrative direction, directs, manages, supervises, and coordinates the activities and operations of the human resources division within the deputy director’s office, including labor relations, recruitment and selection, classification and compensation, training and employee development, employee benefits, workers’ compensation, liability, and safety programs; coordinates assigned activities with other divisions, departments and outside agencies; and, provides highly responsible and complex administrative support to the deputy director for people.

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

ZHANG, JUAN Mandarin Customer Support Representative

ENERGREEN TECHNOLOGY INC. Unit 2902-c, 29/f West Tower Psec Exchange Road Ortigas Center San Antonio Pasig City

LEE, HEUNGSEON Marketing Director

Brief Job Description: Enters customer and account data and keeping and maintaining information confidential.

GAO, WENTING Mandarin Customer Support Representative

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

Basic Qualification: Has knowledge on design and implement business strategies, plans and procedures

Basic Qualification: Job-relevant degree, 5 years’ experience in same or related position, multilingual

No.

INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION Ground, 2nd, 3rd And 4th Floor Eight West Campus Mckinley West Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

CTI PILIPINAS, INC. 1500 2/f Rm. 200-d S&l Bldg. Roxas Blvd., 072 Bgy. 668 Ermita Manila MITSUKURA, MAKOTO Chief Operating Officer

Brief Job Description: Develops and administers training programs for employees, assesses training and development needs for organizations, helps individuals and groups develop skills and knowledge, creates training manuals, presents in-person training sessions, monitors training for effectiveness.

XU, YE Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read and write and type fluently in Mandarin language.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

FREEMOVED INC. 40/f Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a Rufino St. Bel-air Makati City

CRIMSON TULIP BPO INC. 2 Flr. Sta. Lucia Business Center Marcos Highway Dela Paz Pasig City

NIU, LIDONG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Responsible for overall hiring strategy of the organization to ensure our teams consist of a diverse set of qualified individuals and ensures the staffing needs of the company are being met, with a long-term talent strategy in mind SU, JIE Training Manager

BIG EMPEROR TECHNOLOGY CORP. Eastfield Center Cbp1, Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

CHE, YU Mandarin Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Responsible for overall hiring strategy of the organization to ensure our teams consist of a diverse set of qualified individuals and ensures the staffing needs of the company are being met, with a long-term talent strategy in mind CHEN, QIQI Talent Acquisition Specialist (international)

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

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for overseeing the overall operational processes of a department and ensuring that the team members adhere to the highest quality standards and efficiency. They strategize efficient techniques to maximize the productivity and performance of the staff to deliver customer satisfaction and increase the company’s brand reputation to the public. They also coordinate with clients, respond to inquiries and concerns, and resolve any complications related to the process and project management procedures.

ZHANG, HAORAN Talent Acquisition Lead

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.

Brief Job Description: Assists with labor relations and human resources matters, gathering, collecting, and maintaining documents and records required for contract and policy development, investigations, and negotiations.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

SHIH, AN-NI Systems And Process Support Supervisor

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

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D. Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street Tambo Parañaque City LIU, XIAOJUAN Chinese Customer Specialist

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 A7

38.

ANTONIUS Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HENDRA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HUANG, LIJIANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, JIANHONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak , Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

A8 Tuesday, July 6, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

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NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LIOU, JYUN-WEI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries SUN, JIE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WAN, XIANYU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries XU, XINXIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YAN, HE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YOU, JING Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHANG, YONGHAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZOU, ZHIQIANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZOU, CONGYE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HUANG, XIAOLANG Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIN, QUANSHENG Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIU, PENGTAO Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries XIE, YANQING Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries CHEN, BENXIN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service CHEN, XIONGTAO Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service DING, SIYUAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service GUO, QIANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service HE, XU Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service WANG, WENZHI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service XU, AIMEI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service ZHANG, JIE Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

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

No.

62.

63.

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60.

Brief Job Description: Assist in formulating strategies to develop the global corporate banking franchise in the branch, via promotion of new products and identifying new business opportunities in the market.

TAKAHASHI, SHINYA Director / Head Of Strategic Planning

61.

Brief Job Description: Plan the branch’s strategies, directions and business plans.

Brief Job Description: Input and tracking of planned maintenance work orders in CMMS system, management of materials

Brief Job Description: Responsible for facility and persons on board, risk management, compliance with safety management

BRUMMER, PIETER WILLEM ADRIAAN Production Supervisor 65.

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

Brief Job Description: Familiar with production systems, responsible for operations on facility and production team

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak , Read and Write Chinese Language

EUCHENHOFER, STEFAN MARKUS Managing Director 66.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to Speak , Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

67.

68.

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

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

69.

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

70.

Brief Job Description: Managing Project progress and maintaining overall supervision on all equipment or software

HU, SIJIE Business Lending Development Officer 71.

Brief Job Description: Develop business proposals, analyze current and past expenses, develop creative strategies

ZOU, ZHIFENG Business Lending Development Officer 72.

Brief Job Description: Develop business proposals, analyze current and past expenses, develop creative strategies

SUN, KELONG Chinese Customer Service Representative 73.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 XIAO, TAO Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: 4-year College/University degree in Economics or related business course, N1 Level fluency in Nihonggo Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Basic Qualification: 15 to 20 years of profound management experience with sales and rental business model in formwork industry. University Degree in Engineering or comparable studies

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or related field, two or more years of CSR experience, The ability to communicate, lead a team and solve problems Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or related field, two or more years of CSR experience, The ability to communicate, lead a team and solve problems Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business management or related field • Five or more years of operations supervisor experience • Great leadership and management style • The ability to communicate, lead a team and solve problems

Basic Qualification: Must possess at least a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics technology, IT or any related field at least 5 years solid work experience; with background on application projects; knowledge on product management.

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74.

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, Preferably 6mos1year Lending Development experience

DELVENAKIOTIS, CONSTANTINOS Vice President For Property Services 79.

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

SHIMIZU PHILIPPINE CONTRACTORS, INC. King’s Court Bldg. 1 5/f 2129 P. Tamo St. San Lorenzo Makati City

SHIBAZAKI, YOHEI Construction Manager 75.

Brief Job Description: Ensure safety standards and procedures are met and build projects are delivered on time and to budget.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in English and Japanese Language; At least 10 years’ experience in construction field/degree holder.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in English and Japanese; Experience in Construction/Degree holder.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in English and Japanese Language; At least 10 years of experience in construction field/degree holder.

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for short term and long term planning of the operations and maintenance of the property including capital budgeting and expenditures

Basic Qualification: With at least 18 years of progressive international work experience in the operations and maintenance of the property with renowned brands of resorts/hotels Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES (PHILIPPINES) INC. 8th-12th, 14th & 15th Floors Panorama Tower 34th St. Cor. Lane A Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

BHATTACHARYA, ARANI Head Of Finance - Asean Region 80.

Brief Job Description: Overview of overall ASEAN finance including TCS Philippines, TCS Malaysia, TCS Indonesia, TCS Thailand, TCS Hongkong, TCS Taiwan.

Basic Qualification: Must have 20+ years of experience working in multiple geographies such as Japan, Singapore, Brazil, and working multiple functions and roles in finance. Must be an experienced professional with internal accounting, tax, and compliance knowledge Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

THERMAX INSTRUMENTATION LIMITED Unit 3 9/f Galleria Corporate Center Edsa Ugong Norte 3 Quezon City RAMANATHAN, MURUGAVEL Distributed Control System Operation Incharge 81.

Brief Job Description: To control and administer the operating personnel in shift BALA SUBRAMANIAN, VELAYUTHAM Instrumentation Inspection And Assessment Manager

82.

Brief Job Description: He is responsible in ensuring safety of plant equipment and manpower in the 5MW Biomass Plant of the company

Basic Qualification: Degree/diploma in Engineering (Mechanical) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Degree/Diploma in Engineering (Instrumentation) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

TOPAZBLITZ INC. Unit No. Unit 2c, Flr. No. 4/f, One E-com Center Building Bldg. Ocean Drive St., Mall Of Asia Complex Subd. Zone 10, Barangay 076, District 1 Pasay City YANG, ZHEN Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative 83.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer question about services or products excellent mandarin communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

TRIVES TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Tower 4 Bayport West Naia Garden Residence, Naia Road Tambo Parañaque City LIN, XIAOJUN Mandarin Customer Support Representative 84.

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

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

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

TWILIGHTBIZ INC. 40/f Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor. V.a Rufino St. Bel-air Makati City

LIANG, HUIQIN Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 85.

Brief Job Description: Developing, implementing sales strategies, client service, plan and analyzing sales data

HE, YANGXIAO Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative 86.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers; give customers information about products or services

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer question about services or products excellent mandarin communication sills / good organizational skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer question about services or products excellent mandarin communication sills / good organizational skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZEEHANS TECHNOLOGY INC. 9/f Bpi-philam Life Bldg. 6811 Ayala Ave. Bel-air Makati City

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

Brief Job Description: Oversee specialized contractors and other personnel.

They schedule and coordinate all construction processes so that projects meet design specifications; Ensure that Projects are completed on time and within the budget.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

SURESTE PROPERTIES INC. The Executive Offices, Solaire Resort & Casino 1 Asean Avenue, Entertainment City Tambo Parañaque City

Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, Preferably 6mos1year Lending Development experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Overseeing business activities, improve over-all business function, train head of business department, manage budgets, develo strategic plan, create policies and communicate business goals.

IMAMURA, YUJI Senior Construction Manager

Basic Qualification: Diploma in Energy, MOME, OGUK, OPITO BOSIET Certificate; 20 years offshore experience

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

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

Basic Qualification: 4 year College/University degree, preferably a MBA degree and/or CFA charter, N1 level fluency in Nihonggo

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English

Brief Job Description: Monitor the day-to-day operations within the company, such as market data on a local, regional or national level, through the use of Mandarin native language, to senior professionals in China, Taiwan and other Mandarin speaking counterpart and clients

MASON, PAUL EDWARD Senior Director Of Data Centre Services - Apac

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

77.

RAHI SYSTEMS INC. Level 26-a Rufino Pacific Tower 6784 Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Diploma in Energy, MOME, OGUK, OPITO BOSIET Certificate; 20 years offshore experience

Brief Job Description: Formulate overall strategy, managing people and establishing policies.

ASAKAWA, SHUN General Manager For Business Development

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Serves customers by providing product and service information and resolving product and engaged to provide significant support, though the use Mandarin native language, to senior procurement specialist professionals in China, Taiwan and other Mandarin speaking counterpart and clients

LUO, ZHIHUA Operations Supervisor (mandarin Speaking)

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English

Brief Job Description: Serves customers by providing product and service information and resolving product and engaged to provide significant support, though the use Mandarin native language, to senior procurement specialist professionals in China, Taiwan and other Mandarin speaking counterpart and clients TAO, WEILI Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak , Read and Write Chinese Language

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English

Brief Job Description: Leading the subsidiary with all its staff and develop and implement strategic initiatives

MENG, LEI Mandarin Customer Service Representative

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

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

76.

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

Basic Qualification: Diploma in Energy or warehousing and stocks inventory, OGUK, OPITO BOSIET Certificate; 5 years’ experience in maintenance

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION EGUCHI, SHINICHIRO General Manager

PH GLOBAL JET EXPRESS INC. 11th Floor, The Marajo Tower 26th Street Cor. 4th Avenue Bgc Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak , Read and Write Chinese Language

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak , Read and Write Chinese Language

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

No.

PERI-ASIA PHILIPPINES, INC. 5/f Jd Yower Mbp Ayala Alabang Muntinlupa City

MUFG BANK, LTD. Oledan Square 15/f 6788 Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City TAKAHASHI, TOMOYUKI Director / Deputy Department Head Of Global Corporate

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

VAN ZYL, MARK AURET Offshore Installation Manager

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

XIAO, QINFANG Chinese Customer Service

LEE YANG KIT Maintenance & Materials Administrator

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

NPG PTY LTD Unit B 6f First Global Bldg. 122 Gamboa St. San Lorenzo Makati City

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION Sky Garage Bldg. Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City Tambo Parañaque City

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

KUROTANI, TAKASHI Marketing Coordinator 87.

Brief Job Description: Manage all affiliate programs through all phases, including brainstorming, launch, maintaining, trafficking, marketing, reporting, optimization, and analysis.

Basic Qualification: Multilingual (English+Thai/ Japanese/Chinese/Bahasa), with five years digital marketing experience, and solid SEO/SEM/Lifecycle marketing skills.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 *Date Generated: Jul 5, 2021

In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on July 03, 2021, the foreign nationals namely, CAI, DONG, WU, ZHAOZHI, ZHAO, CHEN; WU, JIAQUAN, ZHOU, WENTING, YE NAING @ KHAUNG TAR WEIN; YANG, SHENHUI, MENG, XIANGHUAN, , LYU, QUAN YE, CHANGWEN under NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION located at 1331 Pearl Plaza Bldg., Quirino Ave., Tambo, Parañaque City, Metro Manila, should have been published on 28 August 2020, 01 September 2020 and 17 December 2020 respectively.

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

Please inform DOLE-NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in English and Japanese Language; At least 10 years of experience in construction field and college graduate.

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

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

News BusinessMirror

A10 Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Govt has ₧1.08-B fund for Taal Volcano-affected folk

By Samuel P. Medenilla

T

@sam_medenilla

HE government still has a P1.08 billion stand-by fund to assist people who were affected by Taal Volcano’s recent spewing of toxic fumes, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In an online press briefing last Monday, Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista disclosed the amount is already available in their field offices as well as their National Resource and Operation Center.

Specifically for their central office, he said they have a P209.28-million fund as well as 294,272 food packs to be distributed to communities affected by the recent activity of the volcano.

Bautista noted the resources will be deployed in local government units (LGU) which will need help from the national government for its Taal Volcano response.

“If one region will need aid, for example, they exhausted their stock of food and nonfood items, our nearest field office will help them,” Bautista said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

(Phivolcs) hoisted Alert Level 3 for Taal volcano due to its magmatic unrest, which could cause a explosive eruption.

Face mask donations

Last Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 3,141 people were evacuated f rom the “ highrisk” towns of Agoncillo, Laurel, San Nicolas and Lemery in Batangas.

The Metro Manila Council donated 7,500 doses of Covid-19 vaccines for the evacuees to increase their protection against the illness.

Concerned over the exposure of the people in Batangas to the toxic materials from Taal volcano, the Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Commission (Lasac) appealed for the donation of more N95 face masks.

“We will continue to appeal for help as we expect that, in the coming days, the estimated number of internally displaced persons will continue increasing,” Lasac Communi-

cations and Advocacy Officer Renbrandt Tangonan said in a radio interview.

Currently the Archdiocese of Lipa has stockpiled an initial 5,000 pieces of N95 masks. Of these, 1,655 pieces have been donated to the municipalities of Agoncillo and Laurel.

Labor impact

In a related development, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is closely monitoring the impact of Taal’s activity on workers.

L a b or s p ok es m a n R ol ly Francia said they hope the development will have minimal impact on the labor sector since it has yet to affect major industrial zones.

As of Monday, he said their field office in Region 4-A had yet to report any labor displacement from the recent activity of Taal.

“But if and when our field office in region 4-A recommends the provision of assistance to the evacuees...[we] will...provide accordingly,” Francia said.

Sarangani Bay restocked with 1.5-M bangus fries

www.businessmirror.com.ph

What made the C-130 crash?

The Palace wants to know

T

he government is now investigating the cause of the crash of the military plane, which crashed in Sulu over the weekend.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ordered a probe into the crash of the C-130 plane, which killed at least 50 military personnel and civilians on the ground and injured 49 others.

He noted among the issues to be looked into is why the newly acquired aircraft of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) malfunctioned.

To recall, a newly acquired Black Hawk chopper also crashed in Tarlac last month.

Roque said President Duterte would first wait for the outcome of the investigation before deciding what to do with the rest of the Air Force’s new air assets.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo lamented the incident, which killed several soldiers.

“We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the relatives and friends of those who died while we pray with the families for the speedy recovery of those injured,” Panelo said in a news statement.

He called for prayers for the victims of the mishap.

For its part, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) urged the public to remember the contribution of the said soldiers.

“As the old saying goes, our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them,” FFW President Sonny Matula said.

“The sacrifices of these workers in the defense establishment will always be remembered by a grateful nation,” he added. Samuel P. Medenilla

Fuel prices rise for five weeks in a row, except for kerosene

By Lenie Lectura

O

@llectura

il companies will hike pump prices for the fifth consecutive week.

They announced Monday that gasoline prices will go up by P0.60 per liter and diesel by P0.10 per liter. Meanwhile, kerosene prices will go down by P0.05 per liter.

The price adjustment takes effect at 6 a.m. of Tuesday, July 6, the Pilipinas Shell, Seaoil, Caltex, PetroGazz, PTT Philippines and Phoenix Petroleum announced.

The year-to-date price adjustments stand at a total net increase of P12.35 per liter for gasoline and P10 per liter for diesel.

Oil firms adjust their pump prices weekly to reflect movements in the world oil market.

Based on DOE (Department of Ener-

gy) monitoring, international oil prices climbed to their highest since October 2018 on expectations that demand growth will exceed supply.

Reports disclosed that OPEC+ is currently holding crude production at 6.2 million barrels per day(MMB/D), below October 2018 levels and intends to taper this output cut to 5.76 MMB/D in July.

“The global market demand is estimated at 1.7 million barrels per day in the third quarter. OPEC + is still meeting if they will return 400,000 barrels per day out of the 5.9 million barrels per day of supply that was restricted.

Slowly, they will return it but for now discussions stand at 400,000 only,” said DOE Oil Industry Management Bureau Director Rino Abad.

The upward trend in local pump prices are likely to remain until supply becomes stable, added Abad.

ISIS evil still threatens world–Locsin in Rome meet Continued from A14

In photo at the dispersal ceremony are FHI personnel, BFAR regional officials, municipal and barangay officials. Contributed photo

A

round 1.5 mi l lion bangus fries produced and donated by the A lsons Group, through its Finf ish Hatcher ies Inc. (FHI), were released recently at Sarangani Bay in Ma lapatan tow n to help replenish the dw ind ling fish popu lation that cou ld be attr ibuted

to il lega l fishing and overfishing.

FHI operations manager Dorie Ticao said the activity is a regular cor porate social res p on s ibi l it y prog r a m to help the government in its effort to ensure the sustainability of aquatic resources in the Sarangani Bay, one of

the countr y’s top protected sea sc apes a nd ke y m a r i ne biodiversity areas.

Last June 2017, FHI also released giant lapu-lapu spawners at the marine protected area in Maasim town to help replenish the grouper (lapulapu) population in the western part of the bay.

Meanwhile, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 12 director Alfeo Piloton said that the seeding of the Bay is in line with the Department of Agriculture’s Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita initiative, as part of the national government’s food security priority agenda.

current situation without its historical context can easily give the impres-

sion that it is the present administration that is to blame, and not mentioning current initiatives can further give the impression that we are not doing anything about it.”

Briones, meanwhile, has assured parents and learners that the DepEd is addressing the challenge of quality in basic education.

“I identified this as our biggest reform challenge as soon as I assumed the position of Secretary. Our reform initiatives in the curriculum, the learning environment, and teacher professional development are all ongoing. We are preparing with a consortium of partners a comprehensive professional development program on assessment with focus on emerging literacies measured at the international level. We are preparing the Basic Education De-

velopment Plan for 20222030. Our partners in education reform know these.”

Briones stressed that joining international assessments is critical to understanding what we need to address.

She stressed that the World Bank itself acknowledges in its report that “the Philippines’ recent participation in three crossnational large-scale assessments presents a great opportunity to understand the state of basic education and guide the countr y in pursuing critical reforms needed to enhance the education system.”

Briones concluded: “ The results of these assessments are available for all to study and analyze. But for those who represent themselves to be true partners of DepEd in education reform, we hope that such studies are fair.”

Manila’s highest envoy led the Philippine delegation to the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS. Members of the Philippine delegation included Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs Brigido J. Dulay, National Security Council Deputy Director General Damian L. Carlos, Philippine Ambassador to Italy Domingo P. Nolasco, and Police Attaché PCol. Romeo Macapaz.

The meeting was hosted by Italy and was cochaired by Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and United States Secretary

of State Antony J. Blinken.

This was the first in-person meeting at the ministerial level since the last one held on February 6, 2019 in Washington DC. A total of 13 deputy prime ministers and 37 ministers attended the meeting in person.

In his intervention, Locsin affirmed the Philippines’s commitment to the Coalition and to the group’s efforts in stamping out ISIS. The 83-member Global Coalition was established in September 2014 with the goal of degrading and ultimately defeating Daesh/ISIS. The Philippines became the 75th member of the Coalition in 2018.

DOT CHIEF: LGUS HAVE FINAL OK ON DepEd hits WB use of old data in report on education TOURISTS SANS COVID TESTING Continued from A14

Giving a snapshot of the

Continued from A14

We cannot afford to have a situation wherein we open and close destinations. That will not help the tourism industry at all.”

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, “The risks of SARSCoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated people cannot be completely eliminated where community transmission of the virus is widespread. Vaccinated people could potentially still become infected and spread the virus to others.” (https://bit.ly/3AtRsrG)

Wear a mask, wash your hands

Interior Undersecretary Epimaco V. Densing III was firm though on the removal of the testing before travel requirement as expressed in the IATF resolution. “Of course the health experts made their inputs.

That policy was fully discussed during the IATF meeting.”

As such, he stressed, “If a person is fully vaccinated, no more test before travel. W hat I’m confirming is upon arrival. Because some [LGUs] still require antigen tests.”

On CDC’s opinion that vaccinated individuals can still be Covid carriers, Densing said, ‘W hat is important is the practice of minimum public health standards,” such as wearing of masks, physical distancing, and washing of hands.

In her news statement, Romulo Puyat said while the easing of travel restrictions would encourage individuals who have successfully completed their Covid-19 vaccination to finally go on holidays, she also warned against producing or presenting fake vaccination cards or RT-PCR results in opened tourism destinations.

She urged LGUs “to ensure that only tourists with legitimate vaccination cards and BoQ certifications, and legitimate RT-PCR results [if the LGU requires such test] be allowed to enter the country’s reopened destinations. By practicing responsible tourism and observing health and safety protocols, the DOT is confident that the industry will recover to the benefit of everyone, particularly the communities highly dependent on tourism.”

A12 Tuesday, July 6, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Delta variant: Dangerous and continues to evolve

T

he dreaded Delta variant was first detected in India in October 2020. Since then, it has rapidly surpassed the other strains to become the most transmissible Covid variant. In May, the World Health Organization declared the Delta variant a “variant of concern.” WHO uses the designation when it sees evidence that a Covid variant is more transmissible, causes severe illness, or reduces the effectiveness of vaccines or treatments.

The Delta variant is currently the greatest threat to the global attempt to eliminate Covid-19. Currently, it is spreading in about 98 countries, causing a surge of cases that prompted governments to introduce new lockdowns.

Luckily for us, there is so far no reported local case of the Delta variant in the country, according to DOH Epidemiology OIC-Director Alethea de Guzman. She said the absence of local cases of Delta, Delta Plus or even Gamma variant in the country could be attributed to the government’s strong border control, “which is like a lockdown, buying the government some time to push the number of infections down and significantly increase vaccination coverage.”

Earlier, Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-dela Paz, executive director of the University of the Philippines Manila-National Institutes of Health, reported the existence of 17 Delta variant cases in the country—all from returning international travelers. She clarified, however, that there is no local case recorded yet—per the latest genome sequencing result.

From the Associated Press: “The latest alarming coronavirus variant is exploiting low global vaccination rates and a rush to ease pandemic restrictions, adding new urgency to the drive to get more shots in arms and slow its supercharged spread. The vaccines most used in Western countries still appear to offer strong protection against the highly contagious Delta variant, now spreading in more than 90 countries.”

From Bloomberg: “South Africa’s resurgence of Covid-19 is setting record numbers of new daily cases, centered in Johannesburg and driven by the Delta variant, health officials said Sunday. More than 26,000 new cases were reported on Saturday, up from 24,000 the previous day, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, surpassing the highest number of new cases in previous waves and quickly bringing many hospitals to capacity.”

In Thailand, a Bloomberg report said the Delta variant is surging rapidly across Bangkok and now accounts for 70 percent of new infections in the Thai capital. On Sunday, Thailand reported 5,916 new infections and a further 44 deaths, with the third wave of the outbreak showing no sign of easing.

From The Washington Post: “Los Angeles County public health authorities are urging unvaccinated and vaccinated people alike to don masks again inside restaurants, stores and other public indoor spaces because of the growing threat posed by the more contagious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus.

The high-profile move by the county of 10 million marks an abrupt shift in tone after states and localities have dropped most mask mandates and social distancing requirements in recent weeks.”

Indonesia is currently racing to inoculate as many people as possible as it battles an explosion of Covid-19 cases that have strained its health care, according to an AP report. “Fueled by travel during the Eid holiday in May, and the spread of the Delta variant, the most recent spike has pushed some hospitals to the limits. Over the past two weeks, the seven-day rolling average of daily cases rose from over 8,655 to 20,690. Even those numbers are an undercount, with almost 75 percent of provinces reporting a testing rate below the recommended benchmark of 1 test per 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.”

WHO warned last week that the trio of easier-to-spread strains, insufficiently immunized populations, and a drop in mask use and other public health measures before the virus is better contained will delay the end of the pandemic. “The Delta variant is positioned to take full advantage of those weaknesses,” the agency said.

For our safety, let’s heed the WHO warning and continue observing health protocols. We have to do our part to avoid Covid infection because “every case is an opportunity for the dangerous virus to mutate and become more transmissible.”

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THE Entrepreneur

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olid health and economic indicators have recently emerged to show that our country is bouncing back after a long battle with the pandemic. The lesser number of daily active Covid-19 cases, the increasing percentage of Filipinos who have received vaccines against the viral disease and the rising number of jobs in the Philippines are all welcome news.

While the Covid threat remains, especially from more infectious variants, we could heave a sigh of relief for now and take comfort in knowing that our hospitals are no longer as full and burdened as in the previous months.

The number of active Covid-19 cases dropped below the 50,000 mark in the fourth week of June, from more than 200,000 active cases in the third week of April. Although it had something to do with the redefinition of the word “active,” the drop was still drastic and should be highlighted.

It seems we are finally getting the upper hand in the campaign against Covid-19, with the daily recoveries exceeding new infections some of the times. The trend has resulted in the decline in active cases. If this continues, we could further bring down the number of active cases to 30,000 and eventually to 10,000.

The lower figure will give authori-

ties the confidence to fully reopen various economic sectors, including services and tourism, to bring back more jobs to our people.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported that some 5,839 Covid patients on June 30 recovered from the disease, bringing the total recoveries to 1.34 million. The agency reported 4,509 new cases on that day, putting the active cases at 48,649 or 3.4 percent of all cases.

More Filipinos, though, are losing their lives after contracting the disease. Total casualties as of June reached 24,662, or 1.75 percent of all infections. While the government considers the country’s cumulative case fatality rate low, the more than 24,000 deaths is a large number that we should not ignore, especially as the count continues to rise.

Hopefully, we could significantly lower the Covid morbidity rate in the coming weeks, as vaccination picks up and more hospital beds become

available. Per the DOH as of June 30, the National Capital Region had 42-percent occupancy of the total 1,200 beds in intensive care units (ICU); 39-percent occupancy in 4,900 isolation beds; and 35-percent occupancy in the 3,500 ward beds. Only 31 percent of the region’s 1,100 ventilators were in use.

These numbers are better than the national average. For the whole Philippines, about 3,500 ICU beds registered 55-percent occupancy; 19,500 isolation beds at 47 percent; 12,200 ward beds at 44-percent; and 2,800 ventilators at 34-percent utilization.

As I have written several times in this space, we need to open more health-care facilities, especially in Covid hotspots in Visayas and Mindanao to make sure patients are isolated, treated and given ample time to recover, without infecting others.

The second reason that gives us hope for economic recovery is the government’s massive vaccination drive that has already administered 10 million doses as of last month. The supply sought by the private sector will finally arrive in July. By government’s estimates, over 27 million vaccine doses will reach the country until August.

We are poised to make the biggest headway in the vaccination drive in the next two months. If we can sustain this pace of vaccination rollout, we may achieve our target of inoculating 70 million Filipinos, or the entire adult population, by the end of the year.

Inoculating all our adult popula-

tion, including more than 40 million workers, and compliance to government’s health protocols will enable the economy to significantly rebound from the impact of the disease and even exceed our pre-pandemic performance. Countries such as China and Vietnam, for example, have already recovered from the pandemic as early as the second half of 2020.

The employment picture in May supports this optimism. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show the unemployment rate eased to 7.7 percent in May from 8.7 percent in April, as the number of jobs increased by 1.45 million with the easing of the quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.

The number of jobless individuals decreased by 408,000 from 4.14 million in April 2021 to 3.73 million in May 2021. At the same time, total employed individuals reached 44.72 million in May 2021, up 1.45 million from April’s tally of 43.27 million.

The optimist in me says that we are slowly but surely making progress in the fight against Covid-19 and in reopening the economy. The economy is on the mend, as secondquarter gross domestic product figures will show next month. The daily Covid-19 cases are declining, especially in Metro Manila, while the vaccine rollout is expected to accelerate between August and December.

The economy and the nation should grow from strength to strength from hereon.

For comments, e-mail mbv.secretariat@gmail. com or visit www.mannyvillar.com.ph.

Delta variant creates emerging markets gap as outperformers hit

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Senior Editors

Creative Director Chief Photographer

Health and economic indicators are intertwined

By Colleen Goko, Netty Ismail & Maria Elena Vizcaino Bloomberg Opinion

A

handful of emerging-market currencies have held onto gains versus the dollar this year. That list may shrink in the coming weeks as the highly contagious Delta variant forms a new fault line for developing nations.

Countries that are lagging behind in vaccination rates—such as South Africa and Russia—may feel the pressure as they tighten restrictions that will hurt economic activity, according to Credit Agricole CIB. Once the best performers of 2021, the rand and ruble were among those that knocked an index of emerging-market currencies lower in June for the first time in three months.

“Achievements in terms of vaccination will increasingly be a differentiation factor among emerging markets in the second half,” said Sebastien Barbe, head of emergingmarket strategy at Credit Agricole.

“The impact of the further spread of the virus variants will vary significantly depending on vaccination rates,” as well as economic and politi-

cal factors, he said.

Both the South African rand and Colombian peso are feeling the pain from a spike in Covid-19 cases, which is keeping expectations for tighter monetary policy at bay. The virus is also wreaking havoc on their economies: tighter restrictions are pressuring a South African economy that’s reeling from its worst contraction in a century, while Colombia’s decision to shelve a plan to raise taxes earned it a rating cut to junk from Fitch Ratings.

The currencies of South Africa and Colombia are the most vulnerable as their central banks aren’t hiking rates “to build up a real rate cushion” against the US, according to Ed Al-Hussainy, a senior interestrate and currency analyst at Colum-

bia Threadneedle Investments in New York. Adding to the pressure: the prospect of higher fiscal spending and risk of outflows after yieldhungry global investors flocked to the nations’ assets this year, he said.

In comparison, the Brazilian real and Mexican peso will be more resilient as their central banks tighten policy, he said. The real has outpaced all of its developing peers this year even as Covid-19 cases remain at record highs.

The spread of the Delta strain is also taking its toll on Southeast Asia.

MUFG Bank Ltd. expects sluggish tourism revenue to weigh on Thailand’s baht. Meantime, Indonesia’s rupiah fell to its weakest since April as the country imposed the strictest curbs yet on the economic centers of Java and Bali.

Deepening divisions

Only a few developing nations— Chile, China, Israel, the UAE and the Central and Eastern European countries—have inoculated close to half of their populations, the level seen as needed to curb the spread of

the Delta variant, Bank of America Corp. said in a report Friday. Most major emerging markets should get there by year-end, including Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Turkey, said David Hauner, head of cross-asset strategy at BofA. South Africa is the outlier, he said, with only about 5% of its population vaccinated. At the current rate, it would take until 2023 for the nation to reach 50 percent. In Colombia, only 11 percent of the population is fully vaccinated—a lower proportion than in Chile, Mexico and Brazil.

Economic data bears out the division: purchasing managers’ indexes in Russia and South Africa, along with those in Asian nations with relatively low vaccination rates, fell in June. Those in Eastern Europe and Latin America, where inoculation programs are more advanced, mostly rose.

That may increase pressure on developing-nation central banks to remain accommodative, another negative for currencies as the Federal Reserve starts discussing the See “Delta,” A13

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 A13

Export sales under EO 226 Four generations of Aquinos Atty. Mabel L. Buted

Manny F. Dooc

Tax Law for Business

TELLTALES

T

he recent issuances on the value-added tax (VAT) treatment of sale transactions made to enterprises enjoying tax incentives, especially those registered and located in special economic zones, are causing confusions. Even experts on the matter have varying opinions. Let me not add to that confusion, although I have my own opinion on the matter. In the meantime, I’ll limit this discussion to what is considered export sales under Executive Order (EO) 226 as it applies to export processing zones.

Claiming that the conditions— successful implementation of an enhanced VAT refund system and the payment of all pending refund claims as of December 31, 2017 by December 31, 2019—as provided in the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law for the imposition of 12 percent on certain items (3 types of transactions for sales of goods and 2 for sales of services) of zero-rated transactions had been met, RR 09-2021 now seeks to impose 12 percent VAT on these five items of zero-rated sales. These sales previously treated as VAT zero-rated will now be subject to the 12 percent VAT. That includes the sales considered exports under EO 226.

And what are considered export sales under EO 226, which are now subject to VAT on the assumption that the enhanced VAT refund system have been satisfied? Does this include sales to entities enjoying tax incentives, such as those registered and located in economic zones?

EE 226 provides an enumeration of the transactions that are treated as exports. The VAT regulations adopted the same list, except for a few, which are excluded. And these sales transactions considered as constructive exports include sales to export processing zones.

A reference to a few cases decided by the Courts affirmed the classification of sales to ecozone registered enterprises as constructive exports.

In Commissioner of Internal Revenue v.

Seagate Technology (Philippines) Inc. (GR 153866, February 11, 2005), the Court declared that sales to the export processing zone, even without being actually exported, shall in fact be viewed as constructively exported under EO 226.

TheCourtnotedthatanecozone— indubitably a geographical territory of the Philippines—is, however, regarded in law as foreign soil. This legal fiction is necessary to give meaningful effect to the policies of the special law creating the zone. The Court also noted that the ecozone within which the taxpayer is registered is managed and operated by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as a separate customs territory. This means that in such zone is created the legal fiction of foreign territory. And following the cross-border principle of the VAT system, no VAT shall be imposed to form part of the cost of goods destined for consumption outside of the territorial border of the taxing authority. If exports of goods and services from the Philippines to a foreign country are free of the VAT, then the same rule holds for such exports from the national territory to an ecozone. Thus, sales made by a VAT-registered person in the customs territory to a PEZA-registered entity are considered exports to a foreign country.

Delta. . .

Continued from A12

withdrawal of stimulus. It may also deepen the divide between emerging and developed markets. That’s already showing: a Bloomberg index of developed-market stocks has beaten its emerging-market counterpart by a factor of almost two since the start of the second quarter.

Even more industrialized nations, such as the UK, are struggling to contain the virus, despite relatively tight restrictions and

It is not only the Courts that declared the sales to ecozone registered enterprises as VAT zerorated, being constructive exports under EO 226. The BIR itself, in a number of issuances, described the sales to ecozone registered enterprises as export sales entitled to the VAT zero-rating.

It is not only the Courts that declared the sales to ecozone registered enterprises as VAT zero-rated, being constructive exports under EO 226.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue itself, in a number of issuances, described the sales to ecozone registered enterprises as export sales entitled to the VAT zero-rating. Specifically for PEZA registered enterprises, the BIR, in Revenue Memorandum Circula 74-99, clarified that the sales of goods made by a VAT registered supplier from the customs territory to a PEZA registered enterprise are indirect exports subject to zero percent VAT. In recognizing the VAT treatment as zero-rated, the BIR used the classification of export sales under EO 226 as the basis. In effect, the BIR recognized the sale of goods to PEZA registered enterprise as export under EO 226. Note that this has no counterpart provision for sale of services. But just the same, the circular treated the sales of services to PEZA registered enterprise as zero-rated, not as an export sale under EO 226 because that only pertains to goods, but under the “cross border doctrine” of the VAT System.

Thus, for a long time, sales of goods and services to PEZA registered enterprises or to ecozone registered enterprises in general had always been enjoying VAT zero-rating.

And this had always been the rule until these recent issuances were made. On the assumption that the enhanced VAT refund system had in fact been successfully established, then there is no doubt that constructive exports under EO 226 may now be subject to the 12 percent VAT. But shouldn’t the sale of services be spared from the imposition of the 12 percent VAT? Services do not fall under the category of exports under EO 226. And should they not therefore remain as zero-rated under the same justification provided in RMC 74-99?

The author is a senior associate of Du-Baladad and Associates Law Offices (BDB Law), a memberfirm of WTS Global.

The article is for general information only and is not intended, nor should be construed as a substitute for tax, legal or financial advice on any specific matter. Applicability of this article to any actual or particular tax or legal issue should be supported therefore by a professional study or advice. If you have any comments or questions concerning the article, you may e-mail the author at mabel.buted@ bdblaw.com.ph or call 8403-2001 local 312.

vaccine progress. The latest surge in infections across many developing economies—in many cases not yet driven by the new strain—suggests that “outcomes could be far worse now,” Deutsche Bank AG said in a report.

“We are watching the resurgence of infection numbers closely,” said Witold Bahrke, a Copenhagen-based senior macro strategist at Nordea Investment. “It is one of the factors that leads us being underweight EM currencies, especially due to its potential impact on the EM-DM growth differential.”

Conclusion

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he Aquino political dynasty has produced two presidents, five senators and several members of the House of Representatives. Two presidents came from the illustrious family— Presidents Cory and PNoy. It has produced five Senators, namely: Ninoy, Agapito (Butz), Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Noynoy and Bam. Jesli Aquino Lapus and Herminio Aquino served in the House. And we have not seen the last of them.

Benigno Aquino Sr. represented the 2nd generation of Aquinos in government. After finishing his law at UST and passing the bar in 1914, he practiced law in Tarlac. He married Maria Urquico, the daughter of a very wealthy rice merchant who practically owned all of the town of Tarlac (now Tarlac City). Maria studied in a convent school in HK and spoke English flawlessly with a British accent. She was one of the first CPAs in our country and was a great tennis player. Benigno Sr. brushed up with his English and took up the game to be always with her. He lost all matches against Maria but he won her heart.

Benigno Sr. boldly plunged into politics in 1919 at age 24 as an independent Nacionalista candidate. He challenged a formidable incumbent, Congressman Jose Espinosa, also a former governor of Tarlac. He was underage but no one questioned it, a horror that twice visited his son Ninoy whose elections as a local official and as a senator were challenged by his political rivals. Many perceived him to be an anti-American, but he was only a staunch nationalist who wanted to see his country free from any foreign domination. In 1928, Benigno Sr. accused the Americans of using English as the official language in schools and the courts. He averred: “To my mind, one of the tragedies of present-day thinking in this country is the desire to use our general plan of public instruction as an instrument for the Americanization of our

customs, our mannerisms, and our way of expressing ourselves… Even our hearts are now beating and our souls sighing in the Anglo-Saxon way.” He was a leading member of the House and the Philippine Senate during the formative years of our government. He served as the Majority Leader of the House and was considered as a successor of Manuel Roxas for the speakership. He was a member of the powerful Steering Committee, which liaised with and advised the Philippine Commission during the American occupation.

Despite his deficiency in the use of the English language, he served as a Resident Commissioner of the Philippines to the US to help secure our independence. He was instrumental in efforts led by Osmeña and Roxas (OsRox mission) to secure the passage of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Law, the first Philippine independence law enacted by the US Congress. He was sent to the US to help pass an independence act, which would favor Quezon but he ended up backing the OsRox-supported bill. The running joke at that time was that Benigno Sr. left for the US as Quezon’s envoy; he returned as an Osmeña boy. After serving as President Quezon’s Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, he regained his old seat in the House and was poised to capture the speakership, this time with the support of Quezon. However, fate intervened when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor.

Benigno Sr. suffered a serious set-

back when he served the Japanese Puppet government. His thinking was that achieving independence for our country, whether won or given by the US or Japanese, should be our primordial consideration. In exchange for working with the Japanese, he insisted that we should be immediately granted our freedom. He was the Speaker of the National Assembly during the Japanese occupation and played a prominent role in the Japanese Puppet government, together with President Jose P. Laurel, Jorge Vargas, Claro M. Recto and others. Benigno Sr. was charged with treason after the war and was imprisoned in Muntinlupa while being tried by the People’s Court. Eventually, he was granted bail and he returned to his home in Concepcion, Tarlac. He hardly visited Manila except for his trial and other important events. On December 20, 1949, Benigno Sr. and son, Ninoy, came to Manila to watch their province mate, Tirso del Rosario, fight for the world bantamweight title against Mexican Manuel Ortiz. In the fourth round, Ortiz landed a series of hard blows that floored the Filipino challenger. Benigno Sr. jumped up but he suddenly slumped on his seat suffering from a heart attack. He died heartbroken at 53. But that tragic event was not the end of the Aquinos’ odyssey. Political successes and personal tragedies, joys and sorrow alternately visited the Aquinos in the succeeding years.

We are all familiar with what happened to the 3rd Aquino generation led by Ninoy and Cory and siblings Butz and Tessie Oreta in the Senate. Equally colorful was the 4th, headed by PNoy and Bam Aquino, the son of Ninoy’s brother Paul. Their political lives are well-publicized and more recent for Filipinos not to know them. Ninoy led the opposition during the Martial Law years and paid dearly with his life upon his brave return to regain our freedom. His wife, Cory, and his brother continued the struggle, which culminated in the People Power uprising in 1986. Our democracy was restored with the martyr’s wife at the helm of our government. When our democracy and economy were floundering, PNoy, representing the fourth generation, captured the presidency, declared

war against corruption, instituted “daang matuwid” and promoted the rule of law. They all had risked their lives, property and honor in defying the tyrants and demagogues of their era. In terms of dedication to public service and devotion to our country, no Filipino family has offered more than the Aquinos.

The Aquinos’ saga had its highs and lows. It’s the name that was highly revered during Don Mianong’s exploits as a military commander and guerilla leader during the Philippine Revolution against Spain and the US. His son, Benigno Sr., was a luminary in the political firmament during the Commonwealth years and was one of the brightest political stars during our fight for independence from the US. He was considered as the political heir of Quezon and Osmeña.

When the 2nd World War ended, the Aquinos’ fame and fortunes were at their lowest ebb. The name was in disrepute and Benigno Sr. was tried for treason. Don Mianong, Benigno Sr. and Ninoy—grandfather, son and grandson of direct line—enjoyed fame and power at the zenith of their career. Descending from a prosperous family, they all married to the beauty and wealth of their generations. Don Mianong to the Tañedos, Benigno Sr. to the Urquicos and Ninoy to the Cojuangcos—the richest during their time whose real estate holdings encompassed the entire province of Tarlac. The other common denominator among the three was that they all suffered persecution from the government and were all incarcerated, but Ninoy underwent the severest trial.

The long line of Aquinos who have selflessly served our country has enshrined their names in the hearts of their countrymen. Present and future progenies may continue their heroic work. Public service runs in their DNA and they are not strangers to struggle and sacrifice. We pray that there will always be an Aquino who will answer his nation’s call to prove that the Filipinos are worth dying for, living for and fighting for. As President Cory has written: “... the fight will never end, the threats will never fade, and vigilance cannot ever be relaxed in the protection and defense of our freedom.”

Scale, details of massive Kaseya ransomware attack emerge

By Frank Bajak | AP Technology Writer

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OSTON—Cybersecurity teams worked feverishly on Sunday to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack on record, with some details emerging about how the Russia-linked gang responsible breached the company whose software was the conduit.

An affiliate of the notorious REvil gang, best known for extorting $11 million from the meat-processor JBS after a Memorial Day attack, infected thousands of victims in at least 17 countries on Friday, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers, cybersecurity researchers said.

REvil was demanding ransoms of up to $5 million, the researchers said. But late Sunday it offered in a posting on its dark web site a universal decryptor software key that would unscramble all affected machines in exchange for $70 million in cryptocurrency.

Earlier, the FBI said in a statement that while it was investigating the attack, its scale “may make it so that we are unable to respond to each victim individually.” Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger later issued a statement saying President Joe Biden had “directed the full resources of the government to investigate this incident” and urged all who believed they were compromised to alert the FBI. Biden suggested Saturday the US would respond if it was determined that the Kremlin is at all involved.

Less than a month ago, Biden pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop giving safe haven to REvil and other ransomware gangs whose unrelenting extortionary attacks the US deems a national secu-

rity threat.

A broad array of businesses and public agencies were hit by the latest attack, apparently on all continents, including in financial services, travel and leisure and the public sector — though few large companies, the cybersecurity firm Sophos reported.

Ransomware criminals infiltrate networks and sow malware that cripples them by scrambling all their data. Victims get a decoder key when they pay up.

The Swedish grocery chain Coop said most of its 800 stores would be closed for a second day Sunday because their cash register software supplier was crippled. A Swedish pharmacy chain, gas station chain, the state railway and public broadcaster SVT were also hit.

In Germany, an unnamed IT services company told authorities several thousand of its customers were compromised, the news agency dpa reported. Also among reported victims were two big Dutch IT services companies—VelzArt and Hoppenbrouwer Techniek. Most ransomware victims don’t publicly report attacks or disclose if they’ve paid ransoms.

CEO Fred Voccola of the breached software company, Kaseya, estimated the victim number in the low thousands, mostly small businesses like “dental practices, architecture firms, plastic surgery centers, librar-

ies, things like that.”

Voccola said in an interview that only between 50-60 of the company’s 37,000 customers were compromised. But 70 percent were managed service providers who use the company’s hacked VSA software to manage multiple customers. It automates the installation of software and security updates and manages backups and other vital tasks.

Experts say it was no coincidence that REvil launched the attack at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, knowing US offices would be lightly staffed. Many victims may not learn of it until they are back at work on Monday. Most end users of managed service providers “have no idea” whose software keep their networks humming, said Voccola.

Kaseya said it sent a detection tool to nearly 900 customers on Saturday night.

The REvil offer to offer blanket decryption for all victims of the Kaseya attack in exchange for $70 million suggested its inability to cope with the sheer quantity of infected networks, said Allan Liska, an analyst with the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Although analysts reported seeing demands of $5 million and $500,000 for bigger targets, it was apparently demanding $45,000 for most.

“This attack is a lot bigger than they expected and it is getting a lot of attention. It is in REvil’s interest to end it quickly,” said Liska. “This is a nightmare to manage.”

Analyst Brett Callow of Emsisoft said he suspects REvil is hoping insurers might crunch the numbers and determine the $70 million will be cheaper for them than extended downtime.

Sophisticated ransomware gangs on REvil’s level usually examine a victim’s financial records—and insurance policies if they can find them— from files they steal before activating the ransomware. The criminals then threaten to dump the stolen data online unless paid. In this attack, that appears not to have happened.

Dutch researchers said they alerted Miami-based Kaseya to the breach and said the criminals used a “zero day,” the industry term for a previous unknown security hole in software.

Voccola would not confirm that or offer details of the breach—except to say that it was not phishing.

“The level of sophistication here was extraordinary,” he said.

When the cybersecurity firm Mandiant finishes its investigation, Voccola said he is confident it will show that the criminals didn’t just violate Kaseya code in breaking into his network but also exploited vulnerabilities in third-party software.

It was not the first ransomware attack to leverage managed services providers. In 2019, criminals hobbled the networks of 22 Texas municipalities through one. That same year, 400 US dental practices were crippled in a separate attack.

One of the Dutch vulnerability researchers, Victor Gevers, said his team is worried about products like Kaseya’s VSA because of the total control of vast computing resources they can offer. “More and more of the products that are used to keep networks safe and secure are showing structural weaknesses,” he wrote in a blog Sunday.

AP reporters Eric Tucker in Washington, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Jari Tanner in Helsinki and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

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DepEd hits WB use of old DOT CHIEF: LGUs HAVE data in report on education FINAL OK ON TOURISTS

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By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco | Correspondent

DUCATION Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones has demanded an apology from the World Bank, for issuing an education report which made use of “old data” and not informing the government before its release to the public.

The DepEd chief claimed the Bank’s report on the poor performance of Filipino learners in three international assessments “has inflicted harm” on the Department of Education (DepEd) and the government.

“If DepEd is to continue to regard the World Bank as a true development partner in education, I believe DepEd deserves a public apology. No less,” Briones stressed adding, “It is public knowledge that governments of member nations own and direct the World Bank. The function of the World Bank is to serve the development interests of its members, not to inflict harm.”

Briones demanded for an apology after a number of newspapers, on July 1, carried stories about a World Bank Report on the poor performance of Filipino children in three international assessments that DepEd joined in 2018 and 2019. Among these international assessments was the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA, the results of which were published in 2019 yet.

“Since then, the Department of Education has initiated reforms strongly supported and financed by the government, local partners, country partners and multilaterals. A loan agreement for a major program to address teacher upskilling (Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project or TEACEP) is being negotiated with the World Bank itself.

These developments are not mentioned at all in the report,” Briones lamented.

She noted that the use of 2019 old PISA data was admitted by the Senior Economist of the World Bank in a note to an Undersecretary of Education, thus: “Please know that the full report contents are derived from published PISA scores and I hope this can be useful in your response to those asking questions; these are not new findings but data that have been previously published when PISA was published.”

Briones noted that the World Bank admits to one error. This, Briones said, is the release of old data based on 2019 PISA scores to the public without informing DepEd. “Thus, DepEd and the Philippine govern-

ment were subjected to public censure and criticism. Even if done inadvertently, the World Bank has inflicted harm on DepEd and the government,” she added.

Omission of initiatives

The second and more important error which the World Bank inflicted on DepEd, Briones cited, was its “omission” of the initiatives which were being undertaken even before the PISA results came out, and are being refined further based on analysis of the results of PISA and the other international assessments.

“These initiatives involve not only the government but concerned members of the national and international community as well, including the World Bank. Aside from the involvement of national government agencies other than DepEd, such as the Department of Finance, local, national and bilateral partners are also pitching in,” the DepEd official further said.

Likewise, Briones pointed out that the report also lacked “historical context.”

“The quality of education, at all levels, is a product of a long historical process. The World Bank itself is a party to this historical evolution, being a lender for major reform programs, such as the USD100-million Program for Decentralized Educational Development (PRODED) from 1981 to 1986, the USD113-million Third Elementary Education Project (TEEDP) from 1997 to 2006, the USD200-million National Program Support for Basic Education (NPSBE) from 2006 to 2011, and more recently, the USD300-million Learning Equity and Accountability Program Support (LEAPS) from 2014 to 2018.

Continued on A10

SANS COVID TESTING

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

@akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

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OURISM officials from the government and private sector issued messages on caution as the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) decided to allow fully vaccinated persons to travel interzonally. An individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving either the second dose of a two-dose vaccine, or a dose of a single-dose vaccine.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said local government units (LGUs) will still have the last say whether or not they will accept vaccinated tourists in their leisure destinations without a negative RT-PCR test result.

In its Resolution 124-B, the IATF on July 2 said: “For interzonal travel allowed under the pertinent resolutions of the IATF and provisions of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines, as amended, the presentation of a Covid-19 domestic vaccination card duly issued by a legitimate vaccinating establishment, or certificate of quarantine completion showing the holder’s vaccination status as may be issued by the Bureau of Quarantine, whichever is applicable, shall be sufficient alternatives to any

testing requirement (before travel or upon arrival) which the [LGU] of destination may require. Provided, that the traveler shall undergo health and exposure screening upon arrival in the [LGU] of destination. Provided further, that this shall likewise apply to fully vaccinated senior citizens.”

‘Present authentic documents’

In a news statement on Monday, Romulo Puyat said, “The decision to accept vaccination cards as an alternative requirement for Covid-19 test is, however, within discretion of the LGU, subject to their own protocols and requirements.”

Tourism Congress of the Philippines Jose C. Clemente III told the BusinessMirror the new resolution of the IATF has again caused confusion among tour operators and travel associations.

“While we welcome any initiatives to make traveling around the country more convenient for our tourists, there is still need to exercise extreme caution as the virus is still with us. Moreover, only a small percentage of our population has been vaccinated so far and medical experts believe fully vaccinated persons can still act as carriers.”

He urged travelers to “please present genuine vaccine cards. At the same time, we also urge LGUs to strictly implement health and safety protocols to avoid surges.

Continued on A10

SUPs still on banned list–DENR official

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

@jonlmayuga

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LASTIC coffee stirrer and soft drink straws will not be saved by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as the two single-use plastic (SUP) products will soon be banned as Non-environmentally Acceptable Products.

This was stressed by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) (DENR) Undersecretar y for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns Benny D. Antiporda.

“They will still be on the NEAP list because the majority of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) members voted to include them in the NEAP,” Antiporda told the BusinessMirror.

Ocean conservation advocacy nongovernment organization (NGO) Oceana Philippines is set to press charges against NSWMC officials, including heads of concerned government agencies, for their failure to come up with a NEAP list more than 20 years after the enactment of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. The group blames (SUPs) for the worsening ocean plastic pollution.

Further studies needed

OVER the weekend, a DOST official said further studies are needed before making any recommendation for inclusion of plastic coffee stirrers and soft drink straws in the NEAP. At a virtual news conference held last July 1, Rey L. Esguerra, DOST- Industrial Technology Development Institute Chief Science Research Specialist, said the DOST undertook rapid assessments on plastic coffee stirrer and soft drink straw. However, Esguerra said these assessments contained foreign data.

“We want to make sure that any of the recommendations that we make will have a very sound basis,” Esguerra was quoted as saying during the news briefing. “That

is why they were initially considered but still we need to validate the entire environmental impact of these products and their alternatives before we make a conclusion on the declaration [on their inclusion in NEAP].”

DOST-ITDI Director Annabelle V. Briones said the agency has identified “life-cycle assessment” as one of the tools as a possible basis for NEAP declaration.

Life-cycle assessments

BRIONES added that life-cycle assessments may benefit stakeholders to make adjustments or modifications in their importation, manufacture, processing, distribution, sale and post-consumer activities.

She said the DOST-ITDI is currently working on several SUP items that have been recommended by the NSWMC as NEAP. These are plastic spoons, forks, knives and plastic bags with less than 15 microns thickness.

Aside from life-cycle assessment of NEAP candidates, the DOST-ITDI also conducts economic impact assessment and health effects of plastic products before making any recommendation for their inclusion in NEAP. In his brief speech during the press conference, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said the DOST remains at the forefront in providing technologies, programs and projects that will address the issues and concerns on the environment, including solid waste management.

“Over the past 11 years, or since 2010, DOST has provided a total amount of P532 million to support 146 projects that seek to address environmental challenges,” De la Peña said. “These projects have been implemented in various parts of the country and with the different institutions as partners and implementers of the research projects and the technologies that have been generated by these projects have been adopted in various levels.”

According to Dela Peña, the DOST maintains an equal consideration of all sectors in the implementation of its projects.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. delivers his intervention at the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS on June 28, 2021 in Rome. The 83-member coalition was established in September 2014 with the goal of degrading and ultimately defeating Daesh/ISIS. The Philippines became the 75th member of the coalition in 2018. PHOTO FROM PHL EMBASSY IN ROME

ISIS evil still threatens world–Locsin in Rome meet

By Recto Mercene @rectomercene

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HE ISIS is “far from destroyed,” and has resurfaced in other parts of the world after being driven out of Middle East havens, so all nations desiring to be rid of the evil force must continue cooperating, the Philippines’s top envoy said at a recent global forum on the terrorist threat.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., noted that, “It had taken the Coalition six years to take back Raqqa. It took us six months,” referring to the time it took Philippine military authorities, with some help from allies, to rout the ISIS when it tried to overrun Marawi City in 2017.

Locsin made the statement as his intervention during the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ ISIS

on June 28, 2021 in Rome.

In 2017, a homegrown extremist alliance swore allegiance to ISIS, and, on May 23 of that year, launched a takeover of Marawi.

The siege took government troops by surprise.

The Philippine military waged ground assaults and airstrikes to defeat them, in fighting that dragged on for five months, from May to October 2017.

The Battle of Marawi marked the first time that militants aligned with Islamic States (IS) joined forces to claim territory in Asia-Pacific, notably with combat techniques and media strategies imported from IS’s operations in Syria and Iraq.

Locsin, however, said the territories once in the grip of terrorists “have been liberated, along with those who survived ISIS.” He said Christians were especially marked out for murder and mutilation;

their children gang-raped and burned alive in iron cages.

“The rest were sold into sex slavery in countries that allow it. Religion didn’t matter; the same fate was reserved for all who fell under ISIS sway. ISIS is about nothing but submission—not to God but ISIS.” “And it is far from destroyed. When the Caliphate was driven out of the Middle East, it moved to the Philippines.” The former UN Ambassador said Marawi fell to ISIS. “200,000 Muslims fled and found refuge with Christians and Muslims along the length of the Philippines.”

What followed, Locsin recalled, “was 6 months of artillery fire, drone strikes, and ground attacks. After we ran out of drones, we resorted to door-to-door fighting to take back the city.”

Continued on A10

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

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Petron oil refinery in Bataan resumes operations–Ang

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By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

etron Corp., the country’s largest oil refining and marketing company, on Monday said it has resumed its refinery operations in Bataan last month.

“Yes, refinery and petrochemical plants running now,” Petron President Ramon S. Ang said via text message.

The company temporarily closed down its 180,000-barrel-per-day refinery in May and reopened it in October 2020. It again ceased refinery operations last February 10.

Ang said commercial operations of its refinery resumed last June 1.

Petron’s Bataan refinery was granted approval as a registered enterprise by the Authority of the

Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) in December last year. This will benefit the company through better timing of payment and accurate tax base for value added tax.

The company also announced on Monday that it is looking to issue up to P50 billion in fixed rate bonds.

It filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the shelf registration of up to P50 billion worth of peso fixed rate bonds to be offered to the public in one or more tranches during the period

of shelf registration. Petron said it will initially offer up to P18 billion worth of bonds.

Proceeds will be used to fund the oil firm’s general funding requirements.

The oil firm appointed BDO Capital & Investment Corporation as Sole Issue Manager and the group of BDO Capital & Investment Corporation, China Bank Capital Corporation, Philippine Commercial Capital, Inc., PNB Capital and Investment Corporation, and SB Capital Investment Corporation as joint lead bookrunners and joint lead Underwriters for the first tranche of the bonds.

Petron booked P1.73 billion in net income in the first quarter, a turnaround from the P4.9-billion net loss posted in the same quarter last year and higher than the P1.2 billion net income in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Ang said the oil firm will “continue to deliver good performance

unless there is a strict lockdown again.”

Petron Chief Financial Officer Emmanuel Eraña said the oil firm has yet to completely overcome the impact of the pandemic as restrictions continue to be implemented worldwide. He is, however, hopeful of gradual recovery, which is evident in the upward trajectory of volume and income performance of the oil firm in the first quarter.

Petron has set aside P11 billion for its 2021 capital expenditures (capex), higher than the P8.5 billion it allocated last year. The amount covers its ongoing construction of steam generator plants, strategic retail network expansion, and maintenance requirements. Petron has put up 14 new stations in the first quarter with plans to build more for the rest of the year.

This year’s capex will be financed by a combination of internal cash generation and external financing sources.

NOW to expand customer base

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

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ollowing NOW Corp.’s acquisition of additional shares in NOW Telecom Co. Inc., the latter announced that it has set its sights beyond its enterprise clients.

NOW Corp. Chairman Mel Velarde said his group will soon offer “pre-5G broadband speed of up to 2 Gbps…to the residential and consumer markets through fixed wireless access and mobile cellular devices.”

“NOW Telecom’s licenses and its evolving business plan, which is a work in progress with Nokia, would allow us to offer gigabit speed to

Daimler, Volvo, Traton form truck charging venture

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aimler AG, Volvo AB and Traton SE plan to set up a joint venture for a highperformance charging network for battery-electric trucks and coaches across Europe to keep up with tightening regulation in the European Union.

The manufacturers will spend 500 million euros ($593 million) for at least 1,700 charging points by about 2027 that’ll be powered by green energy, according to a statement on Monday. The number of points should grow significantly over time through additional partners as well as public funding, the founding companies said, who’ll own equal shares in the venture.

“We are laying the necessary foundation in making a break-through for our customers to make the transformation to electrification by creating a European charging network leader,” Volvo Chief Executive Officer Martin Lundsted said in the statement.

The truck industry, relying heavily on diesel engines, faces tightening emission regulations as part of Europe’s so-called Green Deal, which aims to reach climate neutrality by 2050. While the availability of charging stations for electric passenger cars is increasing in many regions, a public infrastructure for heavy-duty, long-haul vehicles is essentially nonexistent so far.

“It is vital that building up the right infrastructure goes hand in hand with putting CO2-neutral trucks on the road,” Daimler Truck Chief Executive Officer Martin Daum said. BloombergNews

both fixed and mobile cellular broadband subscribers,” Velarde said in a statement.

The NOW Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Nokia that provides for the “expansion” of Now’s current broadband network through 5G standalone technologies last December.

The agreement also provides for the creation of a commercial framework agreement through the development of various 5G use cases that may be applicable to the Philippine market.

“This NOW-Nokia Agreement on 5G Collaboration shall bring about the multi-gigabit broadband Internet era in the Philippine Telecom,

Media and Technology markets.

Now’s strategy is clear: to expand its current guaranteed service to highend markets via 5G Fixed Wireless Access and extend this compelling customer experience to consumers via 5G mobile cellular broadband service,” said Velarde.

He added that NOW’s 5G standalone network will deliver “enhanced mobile broadband and ultra-low latency” that may support augmented and virtual reality applications, 8K video streaming, and other use cases for enterprise, government, and households.

NOW Corp. announced last Friday its subscription of 1 million primary common shares in Now Telecom at

a share price of P600 each or about P600 million.

NOW Telecom is gearing for a public listing, appointing Unicapital Inc. as manager and advisor for its debut on the stock exchange and its corporate restructuring program. It also plans to offer 5G services through its cellular mobile telecommunications system franchise.

The NOW Group previously affirmed its interest in the third telco license, but backed out on the day of the auction for the frequencies.

It has since branded itself as the “fourth telco,” a claim that resulted in penalties from the bourse for “misleading the investing public with its claim.”

Ayala starts own vaccination drive

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mployees from Ayala’s various business units have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, which forms part of the first tranche of the 1 million doses worth about P1 billion secured by the group via tripartite agreements with the government.

The group launched on Monday the Ayala Vaccination and Immunization Program at the Makati Stock Exchange and UP-Ayala Land Technohub simultaneously.

This will be followed by other ceremonial vaccinations on July 8 at Ayala Malls Manila Bay and BGC Parkade.

Ayala aims to inoculate 3,500 individuals this week, including employees and their dependents who belong to the A1 and A2 categories.

“While the reported number of Covid cases has been improving, the fight against Covid-19 continues,” said chief human resources officer John Philip Orbeta, who was also the first to receive the Ayala-ordered vaccine.

“With the arrival of our first tranche of pre-ordered vaccines, we continue to support our national government’s vaccine program, emphasizing the importance of being vaccinated and having that added layer of protection for ourselves and our loved ones.”

A number of Ayala employees were vaccinated against Covid-19 as early as March. Doctors and healthcare workers of QualiMed Hospital Sta. Rosa were the first medical frontliners outside of

Ayala employees who received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on July 5. Photo from www.ayala.com

Metro Manila to receive vaccines from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health.

Through partnerships with local government units led by AC Health, Ayala employees who belong to the economic frontliner (A4) category have been receiving Covid-19 vaccines since June 14.

The group has since established A4 vaccination sites in Quezon City, Taguig, Parañaque, Makati and Sta. Rosa, Laguna out of a total of 24 sites nationwide.

To date, about 6,000 Ayala employees have been vaccinated through local government partnerships. “ T hrough tr ipartite agreements with the government, Ayala has secured 1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines for its various

communities. Ayala created the AVIP to encourage and facilitate the vaccination of employees [direct and outsourced], retirees, registered employee dependents, household staff, and partners. We are targeting to administer these vaccines by year-end,” AC Health President and CEO Paolo Borromeo said.

Other conglomerates have also started their own vaccination program.

San Miguel Corp. launched on June 16 its program to inoculate its 70,000 employees. The conglomerate ordered P1 billion worth of vaccines from AstraZeneca and Moderna.

The MVP Group, or the companies led by Manuel V. Pangilinan, has also started the vaccination program for its 60,000 employees last Friday. VG Cabuag

Lucio Tan Group opens Pasay vaccination facility

LT Group (LTG) President Michael G. Tan (2nd from left) leads the formal opening of the Lucio Tan Group’s vaccination center with a daily capacity of 1,500 jabs. Joining the simple opening rites are (from left to right): Dr. Alberto Rivera (LT Group of Companies Covid Czar); Tan; Office of Civil Defense Assistant Secretary Hernando Caraig, Jr.; Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III; PNB President and CEO Wick Veloso; Jopin Romero, Project Lead Adviser - A Dose of Hope Initiative, Go Negosyo; Pasay City Health Officer III Malou San Juan; and Eva Melea Pasagui, from Go Negosyo. Contributed Photo

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T Group, Inc. (LTG), the holding company of taipan Lucio Tan, formally opened its vaccination center last July 3 at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay City.

With a daily capacity of 1,500 jabs, the vaccine facility seeks to inoculate over 55,000 executives, employees and third party service providers of the Lucio Tan Group.

This is the first of the 25 vaccination facilities that the group plans to open nationwide.

LTG President Michael G. Tan and PNB President Wick Veloso led the ceremonial opening of the vaccination facility with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello and Civil Defense Assistant Secretary Hernando Macaraig, Jr. In simple remarks, Tan said over 90 percent of the conglomerate’s employees signed up for vaccination.

“We plan to continue our campaign to achieve 100 percent by yearend,” he said.

LTG purchased 100,000 doses of Moderna and 160,000 doses of Astra Zeneca—80,000 of which will be donated to government.

Tan said that through its private vaccination centers, LTG is creating another line to help ease the queue for government’s free vaccines.

To formally kick off the vaccination drive, PNB’s Wick Veloso took the first jab, followed by other company executives and employees.

Tan said the opening of LTG’s vaccination site is a testament to the firm’s efforts to support government in its fight against the pandemic.

“By next month, we will launch a nationwide campaign to encourage the general population to get vaccinated,” he added.

ABS-CBN shows to air in Africa

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s part of its multiyear agreement with StarTimes, ABSCBN Corp. said on Monday that two of its hit action series will be shown via the pay TV services of the digital TV operator in the SubSaharan region.

In a statement, the Lopez-led media and entertainment company said its action series “Brothers (Ang Probinsyano)” and “Fists of Fate (Sandugo)” will be shown in African countries including South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Madagascar.

“It is part of a multiyear volume agreement,” an ABS-CBN representative said on Monday. “ABS-CBN entertainment shows have been airing in Africa for many years through our free TV and pay TV partners in different African countries.”

ABS-CBN is strengthening its content distribution business across the globe. In 2020, it sold 16 titles

to various foreign networks in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Its international distribution is available in 50 territories worldwide.

At home, its shows are aired via the Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z, and Jeepney TV, and are streamed on YouTube, Facebook, iWantTFC, TFC, Netflix, WeTV, and iflix.

The listed media conglomerate lost its bid for the renewal of its Congressional franchise in 2020, and has since been buying block time from other broadcasters.

Last month, the company reported that its net loss widened in the first quarter, as revenues continued to drop. Based on its quarterly report disclosed to the stock exchange, the Lopez-led broadcaster recorded a 158.7-percent widening of its net loss to P1.944 billion from P751 million the previous year. Lorenz S. Marasigan

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Companies BusinessMirror

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Rockwell Land expects office market to recover in 2 years

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By VG Cabuag

@villygc

roperty developer Rockwell Land Inc. on Monday said the Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected the Philippine office market, but the company expects the segment to fully recover within the next two years.

The company noted that its Rockwell Workspaces, its brand for offices both for sale and for rent, maintains a strong occupancy rate and enjoys a higher capital appreciation because of its proven track record and strategic locations.

“In the past five years before 2020, rental rates have been steadily increasing in Makati CBD [Central Business District] and vacancy stood at 5 percent. Within the sought-after Rockwell Center in Makati, 1 Proscenium is expected to command rental rates at par with the CBDs, as seen in other devel-

opments by Rockwell Workspaces,” the company said.

The company recently launched its 1 Proscenium, its newest office tower made for the professionals in Rockwell Center, Makati City. This latest development adds to their portfolio of workspaces, which include Rockwell Business Center Ortigas, Rockwell Business Center Sheridan, Santolan Town Plaza, and 8 Rockwell.

The company said 8 Rockwell capital values have appreciated by 90 percent from its original purchase price. “ This makes 1 Proscenium

an ideal real estate investment both to diversify one’s portfolio.

Office spaces in the building are also available to companies for lease,” it said.

Located within the Proscenium at Rockwell, 1 Proscenium is a 21-floor LEED-certified building with a typical layout of 640 square meters of flexible office spaces fit for business needs. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the exclusive community, while a cafe at the mezzanine is fit for quick coffee breaks.

The company said it has 100 percent back-up power, with exclusive access via an RFID card system, 24-hour CCTV monitoring and security and property management teams on standby 24/7.

The new office building utilizes the latest variable refrigerant flow

mutual funds

July 5, 2021

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itasoy International Holdings Ltd. shares t u mble d t he most since 2008 amid online calls for a consumer boycott in China, following a stabbing attack on a Hong Kong policeman last week that local media said was carried out by a company employee.

The soy-milk producer saw its shares tumble as much as 15 percent. The topic “Get out of Mainland, Vitasoy” had 120 million readers by Monday, according to the Weibo social media platform, after an internal memo at Vitasoy extended condolences to the attacker’s family.

Hong Kong’s National Security Department, which investigates offenses that endanger national security, is now probing the July 1 incident that occurred on a busy street in one of the city’s most popular shopping districts.

The case has put a spotlight on the growing tensions between local residents and the police, which has been criticized for employing excessive force in pro-democracy protests that roiled the city before the pandemic.

The national security po-

lice cautioned citizens from mou r n i ng t he at t ac ker ’s death, calling the incident a domestic terrorist attack on the 24th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule.

T he soy-mi l k producer pledged to support the investigation. It also said on a Weibo post on Saturday that the internal memo was sent without its approval. Vitasoy did not immediately respond to a Bloomberg request for comment Monday.

The stabbing took place in the city’s busy Causeway Bay shopping district. The unnamed 50-year-old man used a knife to wound a male police officer from behind before turning it on himself, an attack caught on video. He was later pronounced dead, while the police officer was hospitalized.

The company was established in 1940 in Hong Kong.

Two thirds of its revenue was generated from the mainland last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The company operates production facilities in Foshan and Wuhan, according to company website. Bloomberg News

per share

Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

224.92

8.2%

-3.71%

-3.71%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.4342

34.63%

-0.15%

1.66%

9.23%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.1022

9.92%

-7.97%

-5.98%

-0.98%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.7818 9.31%

-3.8% n.a.

-2.75%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.7646 11.34%

-2.52% n.a.

11.46%

-1.01%

3.1%

-1.5%

-1.83%

0.18%

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4 0.7261

2.79%

-5.02%

-6.24%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

101.12

-2.09% n.a.

-0.8%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

46.0765

9.8%

-1.8%

-2.6%

-1.65%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

483.76

8.35%

-1.85%

-2.97%

-1.07%

18.76% n.a. n.a.

-0.54%

26.12%

Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,5

1.0914

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.1587

9.89%

-1.92%

-2.13%

-0.81%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

34.3

10.55%

-1.48%

-1.58%

-1.35%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.8932

8.15% n.a. n.a.

-2.17%

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

4.6959

9.95%

-1.95%

-1.99%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

790.84

10.53%

-1.05%

-1.95%

-1.35%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.7207

10.66%

-5.25%

-4.96%

0.25%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.5744

8.1%

-3.63%

-3.35%

-1.36%

-1.35%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.9031 9.89%

-1.42%

-2.1%

-1.59%

United Fund, Inc. -a

-1.96%

-1.19%

-1.07%

-0.84%

-1.38%

3.2834

9.52%

-4.44%

Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 106.1574

10.52%

-1.3%

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

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

July 5, 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 EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FIRST ABACUS FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG MANULIFE NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE VANTAGE

46.25 114.3 89.2 25.5 10.62 49.45 11 19.66 22.75 55.95 21 123.9 76.5 1.46 4.29 0.6 3.09 1.3 0.395 910 0.69 209 2,410 0.96

46.5 114.6 89.4 25.55 10.66 49.5 11.1 19.68 22.8 56 21.2 124 77 1.5 4.37 0.61 3.17 1.42 0.405 976 0.72 212 2,500 1

46.15 115.4 89.65 25.75 10.36 48.9 11 19.68 22.55 55.95 22 122.7 77 1.53 4.38 0.6 3.2 1.31 0.395 976 0.7 209.2 2,500 0.96

46.5 116.6 89.65 25.75 10.8 49.7 11 19.68 23 56 22 125.4 77 1.59 4.39 0.6 3.2 1.31 0.405 976 0.72 212 2,500 0.96

46.15 114.3 89.05 25.45 10.34 48.9 11 19.68 22.5 55.95 20.5 122.6 76.2 1.44 4.3 0.6 3.09 1.3 0.395 976 0.68 209.2 2,500 0.96

46.25 114.3 89.4 25.55 10.66 49.5 11 19.68 22.75 56 21 124 77 1.5 4.3 0.6 3.09 1.3 0.405 976 0.72 212 2,500 0.96

5,700 1,530,410 319,830 90,100 1,058,500 1,609,600 3,000 1,700 338,900 920 747,800 553,260 15,850 596,000 179,000 450,000 4,000 35,000 260,000 30 135,000 340 5 20,000

264,305 176,229,552 28,595,261.50 2,304,255 11,240,878 79,596,920 33,000 33,456 7,735,930 51,519 15,719,640 68,801,805 1,216,487.50 909,430 778,610 270,000 12,580 45,520 103,800 29,280 93,350 71,996 12,500 19,200

83,725 -71,489,308 -1,083,410 -595,275 -531,276 -7,309,635 116,475 -1,681,520 6,761,221 507,769.50 -15,590 73,100 -

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 8.46 8.47 8.5 8.52 8.43 8.47 10,384,600 87,994,919 ALSONS CONS 1.3 1.34 1.36 1.36 1.3 1.3 1,285,000 1,690,440 25.25 25.3 24.85 25.4 24.85 25.25 1,622,000 40,863,005 ABOITIZ POWER 0.78 0.79 0.8 0.8 0.77 0.79 31,572,000 24,679,650 BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN 30.3 30.35 30.15 30.55 30.15 30.3 305,700 9,266,605 78 78.2 78.75 78.75 78 78.2 51,240 4,007,053.50 FIRST PHIL HLDG 281.8 282 282 283.4 281.8 282 63,420 17,907,168 MERALCO MANILA WATER 18.6 18.7 18.66 18.86 18.56 18.7 1,600,500 29,984,194 PETRON 3.59 3.6 3.34 3.6 3.32 3.6 6,488,000 22,782,690 4.05 4.13 4.13 4.13 4.1 4.1 16,000 65,750 PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM 12.5 13 12.86 13 12.48 13 30,300 389,852 PILIPINAS SHELL 20 20.05 19.98 20.35 19.96 20 805,100 16,139,597 12.34 12.38 12.4 12.4 12.3 12.34 76,300 941,930 SPC POWER VIVANT 17.62 18.28 18.46 18.5 17.6 17.6 7,800 140,784 AGRINURTURE 6.2 6.25 6.2 6.33 6.16 6.25 2,228,900 13,826,569 2.92 2.96 2.96 2.96 2.91 2.92 136,000 396,960 AXELUM 13.4 14.2 14.2 14.2 13.4 13.4 4,200 56,840 CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD 23.5 23.6 23.45 23.95 23.1 23.6 1,041,500 24,326,390 14.94 15.02 14.9 15.06 14.74 14.94 399,700 5,974,786 DEL MONTE 8.56 8.63 8.65 8.7 8.43 8.63 2,239,400 19,161,984 DNL INDUS EMPERADOR 12.16 12.18 12.2 12.32 12.02 12.16 1,100,700 13,384,500 82.6 84 82.95 84 82 84 270,960 22,561,772.50 SMC FOODANDBEV 0.65 0.66 0.65 0.67 0.64 0.66 34,000 22,030 ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG 1.37 1.38 1.38 1.4 1.37 1.37 5,000,000 6,869,930 GINEBRA 97.95 98.9 99.05 100 98 98.9 24,700 2,452,014 216.6 216.8 213 217 212.8 216.8 557,230 120,436,652 JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR 30.25 31.4 31.45 31.45 31.35 31.35 2,400 75,350 MAXS GROUP 6.85 6.87 6.87 6.87 6.78 6.85 127,900 871,126 0.29 0.295 0.29 0.295 0.29 0.29 880,000 255,950 MG HLDG MONDE NISSIN 16.86 16.88 17 17.12 16.74 16.88 13,795,300 232,876,312 SHAKEYS PIZZA 8.4 8.42 8.32 8.45 8.25 8.42 28,500 238,545 1.03 1.04 1.04 1.04 1.04 1.04 277,000 288,080 ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP 4.7 4.71 4.68 4.72 4.68 4.7 44,000 206,800 SWIFT FOODS 0.153 0.154 0.15 0.155 0.148 0.153 21,130,000 3,199,330 146 146.9 146.3 146.9 144.5 146.9 523,350 76,371,068 UNIV ROBINA 0.86 0.87 0.86 0.87 0.86 0.87 1,696,000 1,472,530 VITARICH CONCRETE A 52.3 55.4 52.05 52.05 52.05 52.05 20 1,041 CONCRETE B 59.9 62.8 59.9 59.9 59.9 59.9 500 29,950 1.36 1.37 1.31 1.37 1.31 1.36 5,752,000 7,775,670 CEMEX HLDG DAVINCI CAPITAL 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.12 3.04 3.06 1,249,000 3,841,230 EAGLE CEMENT 15.5 15.56 15.34 15.5 15.34 15.5 890,500 13,783,564 8 8.05 7.8 8.05 7.8 8.05 252,100 2,005,934 EEI CORP HOLCIM 7.34 7.35 7.29 7.4 7.29 7.35 1,787,200 13,128,271 MEGAWIDE 7.27 7.28 7.09 7.28 7.05 7.27 3,001,000 21,616,803 14.02 14.2 13.8 14 13.8 14 39,600 551,744 PHINMA 1.05 1.06 1.06 1.07 1.05 1.06 127,000 134,520 TKC METALS CROWN ASIA 1.73 1.74 1.74 1.75 1.72 1.73 352,000 608,290 1.97 2 2 2.01 1.96 2 108,000 214,800 EUROMED MABUHAY VINYL 5.2 5.27 5.27 5.27 5.26 5.27 7,100 37,416 PRYCE CORP 5.38 5.4 5.38 5.39 5.38 5.39 76,700 413,165 CONCEPCION 21.5 21.6 21.9 21.9 21.6 21.6 4,700 101,550 4.41 4.45 4.45 4.55 4.33 4.45 16,269,000 72,631,660 GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR 10.54 10.58 10.12 10.66 10.12 10.54 2,191,300 23,034,912 IONICS 1.12 1.14 1.1 1.17 1.1 1.12 1,069,000 1,207,110 5.79 5.8 5.75 5.8 5.73 5.8 25,600 147,037 PANASONIC SFA SEMICON 1.5 1.52 1.41 1.62 1.41 1.52 23,886,000 36,450,590 CIRTEK HLDG 5.58 5.6 5.8 5.84 5.53 5.58 10,616,700 59,703,692

-1,511,699 -566,240 -970,930 387,260 -43,560 1,219,054.50 -1,420,996 -67,432.00 239,810 -9,370,570 5,411,837 2,880 -8,056,205 -3,108,258 219,129 -696,266 -1,900,217.50 -13,000 16,660 751,602.50 46,157,156 185,724 9,997,074 3,360 117,300 92,420 12,294,667 -29,950 -680,000 242,400 -7,750,000 813,690 -614,964 498,489 -140,000 -46,710 -66,990 -346,100.00 -197,440.00 897,130 -5,098,079

HOLDING & FRIMS

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year

First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.9504

Vitasoy shares tumble amid boycott calls

inverter air-conditioning system

by Samsung.

As a green building, 1 Proscenium makes use of energy efficient LED lights and low-consumption water fixtures. It has operable windows as well, that not only allows greater air circulation but is also energy efficient with its use of passive ventilation.

Within the exclusive Proscenium community in Rockwell Center, the building has privacy and the convenience of nearby retail areas. It is also bike-friendly, and affords accessibility with the Pantaleon Bridge nearing completion, which will connect Makati City to Mandaluyong.

“These features contribute to what makes an office space safe and adaptable in light of the pandemic,” the company said.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

$1.2675

30.23%

7.7%

8.58%

5.37%

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.8083

30.49%

12.5%

12.57%

8.1%

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

1.6909

7.35%

0.72%

-1.69%

1.34%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.2615

7.88%

0.27%

-0.78%

-1.05%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6288

6.63%

1.11%

-0.39%

0.07%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.1971

4.01% n.a. n.a.

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

5.35%

2.51%

0.45%

1.9727

0.44%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.7196

4.17%

1.63%

-0.77%

-1.81%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

16.6691

4.98%

1.75%

-0.75%

-1.58%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.0796

5.89%

0.43%

-0.49%

-0.69%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.5475 5.42%

-0.56%

-1.76%

-0.72%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9927

2.59% n.a. n.a.

-2.92%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.9176

4.32% n.a. n.a.

-3.33%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.906

5.83% n.a. n.a.

-2.9%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

7.03%

0.69%

0.8938

-0.88%

-1.95%

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

$0.03809

-0.86%

3.14%

1.25%

-2.63%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

$1.1334

15.1%

4.21%

4.85%

-1.46%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.7568 22.74%

9.5%

8.79%

5.4%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.219 11.58%

5.51%

4.85%

1.41%

0.38%

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

372.49

1.73%

3.21%

2.43%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9283

-0.73%

1.17%

0.18%

1.47%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.23

1.16%

3.76%

4.32%

0.48%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2637

-1.7%

2.24%

1.22%

-1.41%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4422 -0.44%

3.29%

1.67%

-0.45%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

4.4854

-3.15%

4.42%

1.24%

-3.22%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a,6

1.322

1.75%

4.18%

2.76%

0.06%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.9806

0.59%

4.46%

2%

-0.51%

-0.76%

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA REPUBLIC GLASS SOLID GROUP SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP SOC RESOURCES TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

1.11 7.11 813 42.3 10.38 4.17 6.9 1.03 0.7 0.71 5.33 6.84 8.11 0.295 626 3.96 64.2 5.64 4.1 0.92 3.4 12.82 0.53 3.93 3.62 3 2.87 1.26 1,015 117 0.77 138 0.29 0.243

1.12 7.26 816 42.5 10.4 4.18 6.98 1.04 0.71 0.73 5.35 6.85 8.15 0.31 629.5 4.08 64.25 5.79 5.56 0.94 3.43 12.9 0.55 3.94 3.65 3.01 2.88 1.29 1,020 117.1 0.78 140 0.3 0.248

1.11 7.3 807 42.55 10.3 4.15 7 1.09 0.71 0.71 5.38 6.72 8.11 0.3 620 4.18 62.5 5.64 5.56 0.93 3.34 12.82 0.53 3.94 3.57 3.08 2.88 1.26 1,014 116 0.77 140 0.295 0.246

1.12 7.3 820 42.8 10.48 4.2 7 1.1 0.72 0.74 5.38 6.87 8.15 0.3 634.5 4.18 64.4 5.75 5.56 0.95 3.4 12.98 0.55 4.01 3.57 3.08 2.88 1.26 1,022 117 0.78 140 0.3 0.265

1.07 7.1 807 42.2 10.3 4.1 6.98 1.02 0.71 0.71 5.33 6.72 8.11 0.295 618 3.9 62.5 5.64 5.56 0.92 3.34 12.82 0.53 3.92 3.56 2.93 2.88 1.26 1,013 116 0.77 140 0.285 0.24

1.11 7.11 816 42.3 10.38 4.17 6.98 1.04 0.71 0.73 5.33 6.85 8.15 0.295 629.5 4.08 64.2 5.75 5.56 0.94 3.4 12.82 0.55 3.93 3.57 3 2.88 1.26 1,020 117 0.78 140 0.3 0.243

13,410,000 2,400 89,960 617,500 2,055,400 5,302,000 7,800 8,734,000 1,204,000 47,000 1,074,800 14,326,200 23,900 330,000 120,510 224,000 1,416,550 4,600 5,500 758,000 1,104,000 989,400 664,000 25,177,000 30,000 2,013,000 8,000 13,000 128,575 62,320 47,000 1,000 890,000 32,140,000

14,661,840 17,088 73,410,780 26,152,015 21,373,848 22,115,850 54,512 9,092,710 855,260 33,500 5,767,402 97,733,558 194,461 98,350 75,781,530 901,970 90,643,360 26,364 30,580 701,910 3,753,360 12,751,502 363,720 99,320,110 107,040 5,984,530 23,040 16,380 130,543,270 7,271,821 36,470 140,000 257,500 8,153,990

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.67 0.68 0.69 0.69 0.66 0.68 704,000 473,410 ANCHOR LAND 7.47 7.99 7.46 7.47 7.46 7.47 200 1,493 37 37.2 36.7 37.2 36.7 37.2 1,867,700 69,347,600 AYALA LAND 1.18 1.22 1.24 1.24 1.18 1.18 39,000 46,080 ARANETA PROP AREIT RT 36.75 36.8 36.8 36.8 36.5 36.8 202,700 7,447,085 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.44 1.42 1.42 1,804,000 2,566,100 BELLE CORP A BROWN 0.92 0.94 0.93 0.95 0.93 0.94 2,189,000 2,038,770 CITYLAND DEVT 1.06 1.07 1.05 1.07 1.04 1.06 2,636,000 2,785,310 CROWN EQUITIES 0.135 0.136 0.135 0.137 0.135 0.136 1,940,000 262,820 6.28 6.98 6.13 6.13 6.13 6.13 18,700 114,631 CEBU HLDG CEB LANDMASTERS 3.73 3.75 3.8 3.82 3.73 3.75 862,000 3,258,250 CENTURY PROP 0.51 0.53 0.52 0.53 0.5 0.53 47,086,000 24,072,350 12.08 12.18 12.16 12.18 12 12.18 427,900 5,184,794 DOUBLEDRAGON DDMP RT 1.99 2 2 2 1.98 2 5,157,000 10,276,750 DM WENCESLAO 7.14 7.15 7.15 7.2 7.05 7.15 54,200 384,330 0.305 0.315 0.31 0.315 0.305 0.305 1,490,000 457,500 EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO 0.49 0.495 0.51 0.53 0.485 0.49 184,273,000 92,376,865 FILINVEST LAND 1.11 1.12 1.12 1.13 1.11 1.11 2,310,000 2,585,700 0.88 0.89 0.91 0.91 0.88 0.89 79,000 69,630 GLOBAL ESTATE 8990 HLDG 7.15 7.18 7.2 7.3 7.15 7.15 26,000 186,519 PHIL INFRADEV 1.4 1.41 1.4 1.43 1.4 1.41 414,000 583,360 1.83 1.85 1.84 1.86 1.82 1.83 1,228,000 2,253,590 CITY AND LAND 3.25 3.26 3.22 3.27 3.22 3.26 16,483,000 53,615,270 MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED 0.415 0.42 0.415 0.42 0.41 0.42 16,880,000 7,004,800 PHIL ESTATES 0.69 0.7 0.69 0.71 0.67 0.69 26,940,000 18,530,270 3.24 3.25 3.11 3.28 3.1 3.24 620,000 1,993,220 PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND 17.74 17.88 17.8 17.9 17.72 17.88 2,203,500 39,326,622 PHIL REALTY 0.415 0.42 0.415 0.43 0.41 0.42 7,100,000 2,968,700 1.56 1.57 1.55 1.57 1.54 1.57 229,000 357,170 ROCKWELL 2.65 2.69 2.65 2.65 2.65 2.65 32,000 84,800 SHANG PROP STA LUCIA LAND 2.85 2.9 2.9 2.96 2.82 2.9 1,268,000 3,651,210 37.05 37.3 37.15 37.3 37 37.3 2,908,700 108,169,515 SM PRIME HLDG 3.82 3.89 3.93 3.94 3.8 3.89 26,000 100,530 VISTAMALLS SUNTRUST HOME 1.62 1.66 1.64 1.67 1.6 1.66 826,000 1,343,700 3.83 3.84 3.76 3.89 3.76 3.84 1,668,000 6,390,780 VISTA LAND

SERVICES ABS CBN 12.08 12.26 12.7 12.7 12.08 12.08 592,200 7,310,266 GMA NETWORK 14.52 14.54 14.5 14.58 14.3 14.52 1,363,700 19,721,202 0.44 0.47 0.455 0.47 0.445 0.445 160,000 73,050 MANILA BULLETIN GLOBE TELECOM 1,919 1,920 1,888 1,940 1,888 1,920 67,190 128,896,540 PLDT 1,320 1,327 1,327 1,330 1,316 1,327 61,745 81,851,010 0.178 0.179 0.18 0.18 0.178 0.179 117,320,000 21,016,790 APOLLO GLOBAL 22.55 22.8 22.35 23 22.35 22.55 3,334,900 75,640,520 CONVERGE DFNN INC 4.48 4.5 4.44 4.57 4.26 4.48 1,876,000 8,283,840 DITO CME HLDG 8.85 8.86 8.99 9 8.81 8.85 6,935,300 61,470,979 1.67 1.68 1.67 1.68 1.67 1.68 9,000 15,090 IMPERIAL NOW CORP 2.63 2.65 2.99 3.15 2.61 2.65 15,749,000 43,404,330 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.47 0.475 0.48 0.49 0.47 0.475 9,670,000 4,636,250 2.42 2.43 2.45 2.45 2.43 2.43 36,000 87,670 PHILWEB 2GO GROUP 8.38 8.5 8.51 8.52 8.35 8.36 29,400 248,635 ASIAN TERMINALS 14.7 14.88 14.96 14.96 14.9 14.9 1,600 23,876 3.09 3.13 3.07 3.14 3.06 3.14 443,000 1,365,980 CHELSEA 53 53.1 53.1 53.5 52.75 53.1 386,540 20,517,903 CEBU AIR INTL CONTAINER 164 165 165 165.3 164 164 1,019,960 167,865,229 17.24 18.36 18.36 18.36 17.24 18.36 1,300 23,532 LBC EXPRESS MACROASIA 5.52 5.53 5.35 5.62 5.35 5.52 2,421,500 13,390,407 METROALLIANCE A 2.28 2.3 2.15 2.33 2.15 2.3 1,104,000 2,479,730 2.16 2.35 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 5,000 10,750 METROALLIANCE B HARBOR STAR 1.22 1.24 1.21 1.24 1.21 1.24 104,000 126,830 ACESITE HOTEL 1.95 1.97 1.95 1.97 1.95 1.97 47,000 92,190 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.135 0.136 0.134 0.142 0.131 0.136 702,060,000 96,314,740 3.12 3.13 3.13 3.15 3.13 3.13 64,000 200,420 DISCOVERY WORLD WATERFRONT 0.59 0.6 0.61 0.61 0.59 0.6 1,337,000 801,490 CENTRO ESCOLAR 6.51 6.67 6.6 6.6 6.51 6.51 2,000 13,081 0.39 0.395 0.4 0.4 0.385 0.395 11,720,000 4,522,950 STI HLDG 5.29 5.44 5.22 5.47 5.22 5.45 8,000 42,112 BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY 6.41 6.45 6.43 6.52 6.41 6.41 9,221,600 59,536,000 2.05 2.1 2.05 2.06 2.05 2.05 89,000 182,910 PACIFIC ONLINE LEISURE AND RES 1.62 1.63 1.62 1.63 1.61 1.63 432,000 700,160 PH RESORTS GRP 1.9 1.91 1.92 1.97 1.89 1.91 2,394,000 4,598,660 0.42 0.425 0.42 0.43 0.42 0.425 2,450,000 1,041,950 PREMIUM LEISURE 8.05 8.09 7.98 8.2 7.93 8.09 6,403,100 51,976,421 ALLHOME METRO RETAIL 1.43 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.42 1.43 1,216,000 1,740,720 PUREGOLD 41.85 41.9 41.5 41.9 41.45 41.9 1,433,200 59,862,385 56.4 56.65 55.6 56.65 55.45 56.65 1,470,120 82,254,676.50 ROBINSONS RTL PHIL SEVEN CORP 95.5 95.8 96 96.05 95.8 95.8 19,550 1,876,617 SSI GROUP 1.23 1.24 1.24 1.24 1.22 1.23 3,378,000 4,162,190 21.6 21.65 21.25 21.7 21.25 21.65 2,702,900 58,293,310 WILCON DEPOT APC GROUP 0.395 0.4 0.39 0.395 0.39 0.395 3,030,000 1,192,100 EASYCALL 6 6.15 6.01 6.01 6 6 77,500 465,060 426.4 440 425.2 440 425.2 440 520 228,504 GOLDEN MV IPM HLDG 5.7 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 1,500 8,625 PRMIERE HORIZON 1.63 1.64 1.65 1.66 1.63 1.63 6,113,000 10,010,380 4.21 4.34 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.3 127,000 536,900 SBS PHIL CORP

MINING & OIL

1,945,760 4,260 -18,019,305 -15,044,255 -2,216,224 21,800 -23,900 -33,500 -3,617,789 5,445,908 22,172,100 36,320 18,928,548 -10,215,388 308,000 -5,410,590 410 -11,112,305 -642,505 -127,400 124,800 -3,114,595 731,860 69,750 200 33,750 320,610 -10,130 -1,001,780 49,750 7,200 -386,190 -102,070 14,140 13,260 -23,388,800 -50,100 264,580.00 161,760 -5,023,436 3,750 1,550 -29,200 5,532,185 -69,210 95,110,320 5,460,605 -11,530 -11,383,940 265,900 -301,613 -329,180 99,900 -8,500 307,000 -3,573,491 11,092,936 -19,894 -1,089,420 -160,300 -21,491,852 161,900 237,990 -8,600 -29,302,417 -773,810 24,268,100 -22,764,169 -1,581,115 -3,077,870 20,535,575 210,320 -

ATOK 8.47 8.5 8.52 8.68 8.5 8.5 675,600 5,798,232 28,396.00 1.63 1.64 1.61 1.64 1.61 1.64 885,000 1,443,490 -23,530 APEX MINING 6.49 6.5 6.4 6.49 6.32 6.49 796,500 5,128,386 463,412 ATLAS MINING BENGUET A 5.82 5.84 5.45 5.85 5.4 5.84 470,900 2,729,306 5.51 5.69 5.65 5.7 5.61 5.68 170,400 964,647 BENGUET B Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.0377 0.86% 4.77% 1.65% -0.41% COAL ASIA HLDG 0.31 0.315 0.305 0.31 0.305 0.31 180,000 55,600 CENTURY PEAK 2.84 2.86 2.84 2.86 2.84 2.86 11,000 31,440 25,760 Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.2162 1.27% 5.52% 2.3% 0.32% DIZON MINES 6.6 6.77 6.86 6.86 6.77 6.77 9,500 64,324 2.49 2.5 2.47 2.57 2.47 2.49 1,447,000 3,642,440 497,970 FERRONICKEL Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.7503 0.29% 4.78% 1.59% -0.27% GEOGRACE 0.345 0.35 0.365 0.37 0.345 0.345 2,300,000 830,050 -73,000 LEPANTO A 0.162 0.163 0.164 0.166 0.161 0.163 29,580,000 4,819,730 0.161 0.168 0.167 0.17 0.167 0.168 1,300,000 218,240 -25,050 LEPANTO B Primarily invested in foreign currency securities MANILA MINING A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 20,200,000 222,200 MANILA MINING B 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.012 10,900,000 126,400 ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $486.18 2.6% 3.2% 2.18% 0.48% 1.21 1.23 1.21 1.24 1.21 1.23 196,000 237,730 12,100 MARCVENTURES 1.5 1.51 1.58 1.62 1.5 1.51 1,461,000 2,232,330 31,900 NIHAO ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є220.14 2.24% 1.12% 1.07% 0.44% NICKEL ASIA 5.46 5.47 5.59 5.7 5.45 5.47 6,459,000 36,088,052 -1,004,193.00 0.415 0.42 0.41 0.42 0.41 0.42 170,000 70,600 OMICO CORP ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.1918 -2.2% 2.37% 1.19% -6.92% ORNTL PENINSULA 0.99 1 1.01 1.01 0.99 1 531,000 529,080 9,900 PX MINING 6.7 6.77 6.81 6.99 6.7 6.7 2,049,600 14,039,516 -3,437,939 First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0261 0.38% 1.85% 0.86% -1.88% 16.78 16.8 16 16.82 15.98 16.8 5,120,200 85,124,414 15,707,760 SEMIRARA MINING 0.0096 0.0097 0.01 0.01 0.0096 0.0097 61,700,000 599,320 UNITED PARAGON PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b $1.0477 -2.06% 0.43% -0.99% -4.12% ACE ENEXOR 19 19.1 18.32 19 18.26 19 263,800 4,889,332 ORNTL PETROL A 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 28,700,000 347,100 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 22,200,000 266,400 PETROL B ORNTL Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.5071 2.6% 5.37% 1.98% -1.12% PHILODRILL 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 26,200,000 314,400 PXP ENERGY 8.05 8.06 8.1 8.19 8.06 8.06 218,800 1,768,346 -819 Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0629847 3.95% 3.55% 2.19% 1.07%

PREFFERED Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.176 -0.03% 3.03% 0.7% -1.48% HOUSE PREF B 101.5 101.7 101.5 101.5 101.5 101.5 500 50,750 HOUSE PREF A 100.5 101 101 101 100.6 101 3,690 371,510 Money Market Funds 526 534 526 534 526 526 1,370 720,700 AC PREF B1 ALCO PREF B 100.9 103.5 103.5 103.5 103.5 103.5 50 5,175 Primarily invested in Peso securities AC PREF B2R 523 530 523 523 523 523 3,900 2,039,700 51.75 52 51.7 51.8 51.65 51.75 612,550 31,694,300.50 -26,152,747.50 CEB PREF ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 130.33 1.67% 3.03% 2.53% 0.4% 100.9 102 102 102 101 101 610 61,720 DD PREF FGEN PREF G 109 110.8 110.9 110.9 110.8 110.8 2,050 227,342 GLO PREF P 504 505 505 505 504 505 1,870 944,170 First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0531 1.09% n.a. n.a.

0.48% 1,000 1,015 1,000 1,000 992 1,000 305 303,850 GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B 1,017 1,030 1,030 1,030 1,030 1,030 11,840 12,195,200 Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.3054 1.7% 2.83% 0.68% 2.55% MWIDE PREF 101 101.2 101.5 101.5 101.1 101.2 2,380 240,740 100.7 101.8 100.7 100.7 100.7 100.7 3,000 302,100 MWIDE PREF 2B Primarily invested in foreign currency securities PNX PREF 3B 105.1 106.8 106.8 106.8 106.8 106.8 10 1,068 PNX PREF 4 1,005 1,006 1,006 1,006 1,006 1,006 610 613,660 Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0577 1.21% 1.66% n.a.

0.5% 1,030 1,031 1,030 1,037 1,030 1,031 150 154,635 PCOR PREF 2B PCOR PREF 3A 1,115 1,116 1,115 1,115 1,115 1,115 1,430 1,594,450 Feeder Funds PCOR PREF 3B 1,146 1,165 1,169 1,169 1,168 1,168 60 70,085 78.95 79.2 79.8 79.8 78.95 79.5 57,920 4,578,527.50 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F 78.85 79.5 78.95 78.95 78.8 78.8 1,000 78,841.50 Primarily invested in Peso securities SMC PREF 2H 78 78.5 78 78 78 78 14,800 1,154,400 76 76.3 76 76 76 76 11,200 851,200 SMC PREF 2J Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d,7 1.2881 n.a. n.a. n.a. 14.03% SMC PREF 2K 76 76.5 75.95 76.5 75.85 76.5 74,310 5,647,035 -

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 12.04 12.4 12.4 12.4 12.04 12.04 30,200 366,416 -33,676 ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2 $1 7.53% n.a. n.a.

2.04% GMA HLDG PDR 13.02 13.1 13 13.1 12.9 13.02 171,800 2,235,086 -599,510

WARRANTS LR WARRANT 1.86 1.9 1.88 1.95 1.86 1.86 500,000 943,960 -13,020 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.

ALTUS PROP 17.26 17.3 17.32 17.78 17.14 17.3 72,400 1,247,034 8,630 4 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.). 5 - Launch date is December 09, 2019.

ITALPINAS 2.5 2.52 2.51 2.55 2.48 2.52 503,000 1,258,030 15,000 5.09 5.33 5.33 5.33 5.33 5.33 200 1,066 KEPWEALTH 6 - Re-classified into a Bond Fund starting February 21, 2020 (Formerly a Money Market Fund). 7 - Launch date is July 6, 2020.

MAKATI FINANCE 2.55 2.69 2.57 2.57 2.57 2.57 2,000 5,140 MERRYMART 4.1 4.11 4.15 4.2 4.1 4.11 6,354,000 26,371,490 192,730 "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

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

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." FIRST METRO ETF 106.6 106.7 106 107.4 105.8 106.7 39,980 4,248,308 116,345

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance

Some alternative loans in the Philippines

I

T is said that if we can avoid having debt, we should avoid having debt. However, when the economy is in bad shape and when available resources are constrained, borrowing takes place in order to make ends meet.

In the Philippines, if the banks will not be able to provide loans, citizens can still borrow. There are various alternatives that can be explored. The sources can be found in the public and private sectors.

The Home Mutual Development Fund or Pag-Ibig offers loans. PagIbig is quite popular for its housing loan. Members can borrow up to P6 million with low interest rates and with a long repayment term.

There are certain eligibility conditions that have to be met in order to avail of the loan. The applicant must be an active member with at least 24 months savings. The applicant must also not be more than 65 years old at the date of loan application and not more than 70 years old at the date of loan maturity.

The applicant must have the legal capacity to acquire and encumber real property. The applicant should have no Pag-Ibig loan foreclosed, cancelled, bought back or voluntarily surrendered. In case the applicant has an existing Pag-Ibig housing account or short-term loan, payments must be updated. The loan can be used for purchases of residential lot, residential house and lot, townhouse or condominium unit. It can also be used for house construction, house improvement, refinancing and combined loan purposes.

Pag-Ibig also offers short-term loans. One example is the multi-purpose loan. It is a cash loan designed to help members with any financial need. A member will be allowed to borrow up to 80 percent of the PagIbig regular savings and processing can be as fast as only two days. Another example is the Calamity Loan. It is a cash loan facility to assist members who reside in areas declared under a state of calamity. The interest is at a level of 5.95 percent per annum. It is payable within 24 months and has a deferred first payment.

Apart from government agencies, various loan alternatives are available in the Philippines among private sector entities. One example would be employee loans extended by companies. The amounts and terms of the loans differ across the economic sec-

Genesis Kelly S. Lontoc

personal finance tors and companies. Employee loans can provide benefits to employees especially for those who may find difficulty in getting loans from traditional sources. If developed well, employee loans can potentially lead to better employment relations and less stress.

Cooperatives also provide loans.

According to the International Cooperative Alliance, cooperatives are described as people-centered enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members to realize their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations. According to the Cooperative Development Authority, there are around 18,065 operating cooperatives in the Philippines. Cooperatives add great value in extending loans especially in areas and sectors that are not covered by the different banks.

Various other lending and financing institutions are present in the Philippines that cater to the needs of both citizens and businesses. Applications can be fast and easy. In many cases, it would only take days and not weeks for the entire process. Loans can be provided even without any collateral. Many of these institutions also have online presence. However, the price of these benefits could be in the form of higher interest rates and also possibly tight payment duration. Careful thought from the borrower is needed.

When availing of a loan, hopefully the use of the loan makes it good debt and not bad debt as much as possible.

This means that the loan should be used for those things that enhance value over time. When availing of a loan, a repayment plan must be determined at the onset since reputation is more valuable than any amount of wealth. Loan options must be studied since informed decisions are the best decisions.

Gemmy Lontoc is a registered financial planner of the RFP Philippines. To learn more about personal financial planning, attend the 90th RFP program this June 2021. To inquire, e-mail info@rfp.ph or text <name><e-mail> <RFP> at 0917-6248110.

Firms offer installment terms for online sellers

H

OMEGROWN finance sector players announced signing a deal offering card-free installment solutions for online retailers in the country.

In a statement last Monday, Payment system operator Paynamics Technologies Inc. (PTI) announced a ‘strategic partnership’ with financial technology (fintech) First Digital Finance Corp. (FDFC) to “give local online retailers more options and flexibility with their finances especially during the pandemic.”

The partnership particularly allows PTI merchants to pay for their purchases in installments and pay either bi-weekly or monthly over three, six, nine, or 12 months with monthly interest rates between 0 percent to 3.49 percent through FDFC’s “buy now pay later” application “BillEase.”

Merchants can also offer a true 0 percent annual percentage rate (0 percent APR) by default or limited time, according to PTI. For example, a P30,000 purchase could be split into P3,300 over 6 months or P1,650 bi- weekly with 1/3 upfront payment, interest-free.

“This partnership with Paynamics is a critical part of our mission in providing better and more accessible card-free installment options to Filipinos; the majority of them are currently uncarded and underserved,”

FDFC Co-Founder and CEO Georg Steiger was quoted in the statement as saying.

“Our collaboration accelerates this mission by enabling us to offer our buy now pay later solution to more merchants with their extensive network and thousands of merchants relying on their fast and secure payment gateway,” Steiger added.

To avail of the program, merchants need to provide a valid ID at the checkout in the app to sign up.

Installments will be shown in actual amounts with no hidden fees and no surprises. The buy now, pay later option is available for purchases ranging from P500 and up with a 15-day or up to 12 months payment plan.

“We want to help more merchants drive their businesses by adding a complementary payment option that solves one of the barriers to conversion: price. Our partnership is about adding inclusivity and increasing shoppers’ affordability to our merchants’ checkout,” PTI CEO and Co-Founder Mylene Chua Magleo said.

“Having immediate access to credit at the point of sale is an important feature needed for businesses to grow today and what makes this solution unique is that it’s completely cardfree, customers can be eligible without having to sign up for a credit or debit card,” Magleo added.

BusinessMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Tuesday, July 6, 2021

B3

Government raises nearly ₧1B from closing businesses

T

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collected almost a billion in taxes after temporarily shutting down 207 commercial establishments for violating the tax code.

The bureau’s tax haul under its “Oplan Kandado” program in the first five months of the year reached P995.04 million, BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel SD. Guballa said.

Guballa reported to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III in a

recent Department of Finance executive committee meeting that the BIR padlocked 36 establishments in May alone and collected P37.3 million in back taxes.

The BIR official also said they filed 26 complaints for preliminary

investigation before the Department of Justice (DOJ) involving P702.73 million in estimated tax liabilities.

Apart from this, the BIR also filed eight cases before the Court of Appeals involving P1.04 billion in estimated tax deficiencies in May this year.

In 2020, the BIR’s “Oplan Kandado” program led to the closure of 209 establishments and the collection of P607.87 million in taxes.

Under the “Oplan Kandado” program, business operations of noncompliant taxpayers will be suspended and their establishments will be temporarily closed if they are found to have violated certain tax laws.

Grounds for suspension or tem-

porary closure of business under the program include failure to issue receipts or invoices by a value-added tax registered or “registrable” taxpayer, failure to file a VAT return, understatement of taxable sales or receipts by 30 percent or more of the correct amount thereof in the case of a VAT-registered or registrable taxpayer; or failure to register, according to Revenue Memorandum Order 3-2009.

For this year, BIR is tasked to collect a total of P2.081 trillion, up by 23.4 percent from P1.686 trillion downscaled target last year.

As of end-May this year, it has collected P874.5 billion, equivalent to 42.03 percent of its full-year collection target.

BTr raises ₧15B from T-bills sale despite rise in rates

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HE Bureau of the Treasury fully awarded P15 billion in Treasury Bills (T-bills) on Monday despite the rise in rates that was triggered by concerns June’s inflation in June will breach government’s target.

All tenors fetched higher average rates compared with the rates in the previous auction but still lower than the secondary market rates.

The auction was thrice oversubscribed as total submitted bids hit P49.3 billion.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon attributed the rise in rates to “better PMI [Purchasing Managers’ Index] reading for June; yet still lingering concerns on Delta variant and inflation still above target.”

The Philippine manufacturing sector climbed back to growth territory in June, after travel restrictions were eased to support the local economy. In its latest report on the Philippine PMI, global think tank IHS Markit Ltd. said the country posted a PMI of 50.8 in June, up from the 49.9 reading in May. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno also expects inflation to likely hit 4.3 percent in June, still above the ceiling of the annual government target range of 2 percent to 4 percent.

Diokno said higher prices of domestic petroleum products along with the upward adjustment in electricity rates and a slightly weaker peso continue to put upward pres-

sure on the price basket during the month. However, these could be partially offset by the decline in prices of key food items such as rice, meat and fruits due to improved supply conditions.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has so far detected 17 cases of the more transmissible Delta variant from incoming international travelers.

The Department of Health, however, said there is still no local case of the said variant.

During the auction, the 91day T-bills’ average rate stood at 1.044 percent, rising by 1.3 basis points from 1.031 percent in the previous auction. The debt paper attracted tenders amounting to P16.55 billion, more than thrice

the P5-billion offer.

The 182-day debt paper’s average rate rose to 1.351 percent, climbing by 1.9 basis points from 1.332 percent previously. Bids submitted for the security hit P16.11 billion, also more than triple the P5-billion offer.

For the 364-day T-bills, the average rate went up by 0.6 basis points to 1.568 percent from 1.562 percent in the last auction. Tenders for the tenor reached P16.66 billion, equivalent to more than three times the P5-billion program.

For July, the Treasury has set to borrow P235 billion from the local debt market, slightly bigger than the P215 billion it programmed in June.

Bernadette D. Nicolas

Gold shines anew after CB AUB, Globe unit expand buying drops to decade low joint digitization offering

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ENTRAL banks may be regaining their appetite for buying gold after staying on the sidelines for the past year.

Central banks from Serbia to Thailand have been adding to gold holdings and Ghana recently announced plans for purchases, as the specter of accelerating inflation looms and a recovery in global trade provides the firepower to make purchases. A rebound in buying—which had dropped to the lowest in a decade—would bolster the prospects for gold prices as some other sources of demand falter.

“Long term, gold is the most significant guardian and guarantor of protection against inflationary and other forms of financial risks,” said the National Bank of Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic recently announced the central bank intends to boost holdings of the precious metal to 50 tons from 36.3 tons.

Bullion has come under pressure this year as higher bond yields made the non-interest bearing haven seem less attractive to investors. After recovering in April and May, gold fell by the most in more than four years last month as the Federal Reserve turned more hawkish and the dollar strengthened.

‘Marvelous’ diversifier

THE recovery in global trade is bolstering the current accounts of emerging market nations, giving their central banks the option of buying more gold. Higher crude prices are also boosting bullion purchases by oil exporters, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, according to James Steel, chief precious metals analyst at HSBC Holdings Plc. That’s likely to continue, he said.

“If a central bank is looking at diversifying, gold is a marvelous way of moving out of the dollar without selecting another currency,” he added.

The precious metal added 0.2 percent to trade at $1,791.64 an ounce by 9:52 a.m. London time. A slight softening of the dollar and technical momentum from rising past its 100-day moving average helped it make the gain.

In a bullish scenario, as the global economy rebounds, central bank buying could reach about 1,000 tons, Aakash Doshi and other Citigroup Inc. analysts wrote in a report. The bank’s forecast is for purchases to climb to 500 tons in 2021 and 540 tons next year. That’s below the twin peaks above 600 tons in 2018 and 2019, but a significant advance on the 326.3 tons purchased last year, according to World Gold Council data.

About one in five central banks intend to increase their gold reserves over the next year, according to a survey by the WGC published last month.

Central banks are one component of physical buying that’s helping to counter hefty investor outflows from exchange-traded funds, said Standard Chartered Plc’s precious metals analyst Suki Cooper.

“Geopolitical tensions, the need for diversification and heightened uncertainty have continued to buoy interest in gold reserves,” said Cooper. Bloomberg News

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SIA United Bank (AUB) announced it has expanded its collaboration with a Globe Telecom Inc. subsidiary to boost digitization efforts among merchants and online sellers in the country.

The bank said on Monday that the partnership was made between AUB’s online order acceptance solution PayMate BOTTY and the new GLife inside the GCash e-wallet app. GCash is being operated by Globe subsidiary Globe Fintech Innovations Inc. (GFII).

AUB First Vice President and Cards and Acquiring Business Group Head Magdalena V. Surtida said the partnership will enable existing PayMate BOTTY merchants to offer their products and services in GLife.

AUB launched PayMate BOTTY, an online order acceptance solution, to enable merchants to accept orders and digital payments via web, Facebook and Facebook Messenger. With PayMate BOTTY, merchants can display their digital menu, take orders, accept digital payments, and integrate these with delivery for a seamless online order fulfilment.

GLife is GCash’s new feature that inte-

grates mini apps from multiple brands inside the GCash dashboard to make transactions and payments with trusted merchant partners just made easier. “With GLife, one of the newest services offered by GCash, our PayMate BOTTY merchants can now also do fully automated selling via the GCash app, in addition to via Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and their website”, Surtida said.

“Through GLife, we are bringing the merchants closer to our 40 million GCash customer base. Our customers do not need to use another app to order food or retail goods. With GLife, we want to cater to a wide variety of merchants representing lifestyle brands, restaurants, service providers, and specialty stores. Our program partnership and integration with PayMate BOTTY will bring more merchants to GLife,” GFII President and CEO Martha Sazon said.

The AUB-GFII partnership started in 2019 when AUB became GFII’s first banking partner in merchant acquiring.

“This is aligned with our shared aspiration to digitally close the gap between the GCash users and AUB PayMate merchants,” AUB President Manuel A. Gomez said.

BOND BURDEN Commuters pass by flags of the People’s Republic of China. Financial strains among Chinese property developers are hurting the Asian high-yield debt market, where the companies account for a large chunk of bond sales. That’s widening a gulf with the region’s investment-grade securities, which have been doing well amid continued stimulus support. Yields for Asia’s speculative-grade dollar bonds rose 41 basis points in the second quarter, according to a Bloomberg Barclays index, versus a 5 basis-point decline for investment-grade debt. They’ve increased for six straight weeks, the longest stretch since 2018, driven by a roughly 150 basis-point increase for Chinese notes. Bloomberg News

B4

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

Art

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Today’s Horoscope

❶ Ball and Chain, James Clar, 20102021, car headlights, chain, LED lighting, 41”x41.5”x44”

By Eugenia Last

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CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Kevin Hart, 42; Tia Mowry, 43; Tamera Mowry, 43; Sylvester Stallone, 75.

PHOTOS FROM SILVERLENS

❷ Form 1, Luis

Antonio Santos, 2021, oil on canvas, 48”x72”

Happy Birthday: Consider your options and what will put you in your comfort zone. Explore creative endeavors that are engaging and broaden your perspective on what’s possible and how best to fulfill your dreams. Refuse to let outsiders interfere with your plans. Change begins with you; follow your heart, and put your energy where it counts. Don’t take unnecessary health risks. Your numbers are 3, 14, 22, 25, 32, 38, 43.

❶

❷

The state of in-betweenness Continual Record 1, Micaela Benedicto, 2021, silver-toned photogram in acrylic box, 14”x11”

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hree solo shows that each deal with themes of transition and passage to some degree fill the latest exhibition lineup of Silverlens.

The shows are on view until July 24 online at www.silverlensgalleries.com and on-ground at the gallery’s Makati space. In line with the city’s guidelines, Silverlens will not be accepting walk-in guests. Gallery visits could be scheduled through bit. ly/Visit-Silverlens. For more information, contact info@ silverlensgalleries.com or 0917-5874011.

‘Share Location,’ James Clar Filipino-American light and media artist James Clar found himself on the move once again.

The artist explores the relationship between art and technology, engaging with a range of media from installation, performance and sculpture. From 2006 to 2012, Clar’s studio was based in Dubai, where he became an active participant in the arts and culture scene of the globalized city. From 2012 to 2020, he moved his studio back to New York, where he began developing his light systems to create visual sculptural works that combine light and technology during his time at New York University.

Last year, Clar transitioned his studio once more from New York to Manila. It was during that period when Clar developed artworks for his new solo show, his first as a represented artist of Silverlens, titled Share Location.

Inspired by the GPS function of digital devices, the exhibition challenges the notions of presence and

connection during these most unusual times. The pandemic not only cripples our mobility in moving from Point A to Point B. At its worst, this crisis forces us to question our place in Point A altogether, transforming our queries of where to introspections of why.

Perhaps this is what Clar implies with his mixedmedia installation, titled Ball and Chain. Made with car headlights and LED lighting, the artwork communicates the idea of an overbearing weight that limits something far greater than physical movement.

Elsewhere, the artist captures moments, sights and experiences that were mostly inaccessible during the height of the lockdown. He presents them in the digital space where we, more than ever before, now spend most of our time. Airport terminal TVs reflect our longing to reach places in A New Day/A New Light.

A virtual canine roams free in Run Dog Wild, while a person skips and slides on a wet street in Hey I’m Walking Here.

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d

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Do what feels right and makes you happy. Take responsibility for your life and your livelihood. Step into the spotlight if it will help you reach your objective. Don’t let anyone meddle in your financial, legal or personal concerns. HHH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Pay attention to improving your relationships using honesty and integrity to ensure positive results. Work toward better health habits. Limit overspending and taking on responsibilities that don’t belong to you.

Choose to be fair, not generous and frivolous. HHHH

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‘Threshold,’ Luis Antonio Santos THE fourth one-man show of Luis Antonio Santos with Silverlens stands on the idea of a threshold, the strip of wood, metal or stone forming the bottom of a doorway and crossed in entering a house or room.

Santos usually dwells in these spaces, in the tension between contradictions. He engages with themes relating to identity, using a variety of more established media such as oil painting, screenprinting, and digitally manipulated photography, combined with innocuous materials.

For Threshold, the artist presents artworks that function as demarcation marks, not so much in setting boundaries of defined concepts but in implying the presence of such, if at all.

Void and the Form series, for instance, are canvas paintings of dark drapes, which are often associated with the function of veiling objects in the process of completion. Santos presents the images in a way where the cover—not the covered—is, in itself, the point of interest. The oil-on-canvas creations are worked from a three-dimensional sculptural object,

The first session allows the registrants to build jewelries out of classic motifs such as the curvilinear okir or okyir designs. It covers discussions on the universal history of jewelry, its purpose and its relevance today.

The second day teaches attendees to modify traditional batik-made fabrics into pastel-colored contemporary designs and patterns inspired by Philippine flora and fauna. The class delves on the history and creative process of the craft as well as the modified materials necessary for innovating it.

Hosted by the Design Foundation and Arts and

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When in doubt, take a step back and let matters unfold naturally. Don’t feel pressured to get involved in something that is costly or doesn’t line up with your beliefs. HHH GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take better care of yourself, and avoid unpredictable situations. Pay attention to detail, and respectfully present your thoughts. Offer others the truth, and stand behind your word. HHH

captured as a photograph for reference, and then recaptured as a painting that looks like something actual.

‘Volume,’ Micaela Benedicto Artist, architect and musician Micaela Benedicto returns to Silverlens for her second solo show with the gallery.

Since entering the field of visual arts at the turn of the last decade, Benedicto has been working with three-dimensional constructions and photograms to examine the ambiguities of space, memory and loss. The artist remains in this pursuit in her new exhibition, titled Volume.

What is seen in the featured artworks are the artist’s familiar geometric subjects, presented with what appears to be a filter of an aged photo, evoking a sense of memory. What is hidden, however, is the

Continued on B5

Batik jewelry and fabric workshops go online THE Southeast Asian artisanal craft of batik is spotlighted in back-to-back public workshops which aim to create and promote indigenous Filipino textiles and rekindle the ancient Philippine weaving heritage on July 7 and 14.

Both sessions guide the participants how to utilize batik as a new method of image-making and its incorporation in the contemporary creative industry.

It provides opportunities for material exploration apart from the conventional wax and the tjanting method, which utilizes a pen-like tool to apply hot wax.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Reach out to someone who can offer sound advice. Clear up a work-related situation before agreeing to something that may stand between you and a job prospect. Personal improvements that give your image a boost will be heartening.HHHH

Culture Cluster of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, the workshops are facilitated by jewelrysculpture artist and art educator Minnette “Ming” Ong-Moya, who currently teaches foundational courses at the Benilde School of Design and Arts.

The webinars feature a music repertoire meticulously handpicked by DJ Agnes Macasaet, one of Manila’s pioneer lady DJs and also an art and design educator.

The classes on July 7 and 14 will be held via Zoom, and will run from 3 to 5 pm. Interested participants may register at forms.gle/3h1aRqFiSLYXE4aZ7.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Nothing will be as it appears. Double-check information, and don’t rely on others to be reliable. Spend more time on details, and use your imagination to outsmart someone who offers an exaggerated point of view. Change only what’s necessary. HH

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Stand alone and finish what you start. You’ll require discipline if you want to make headway. Don’t listen to someone who cannot validate or support the truth.

Choose peace over chaos, and you’ll come out on top.

Romance is favored. HHHHH

h

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ll face opposition if you are too open regarding your intentions. Changes you make at home will improve your lifestyle and your relationship with someone close to you. HHH

i

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Leave nothing to chance. State the facts and proceed to the finish line. Your strength and courage will be assets and motivate others to help you reach your objective. Don’t give in to situations that tempt you. HH

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Cut your overhead and free up cash for something you want to do that will improve your life and your relationship with someone close to you. Trust your intuition to help you make the right decision, not an outsider trying to manipulate you. HHH

k

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Spend more time at home or with someone who makes a difference in your life. Discussions will lead to plans that will add stability to a meaningful relationship.

Listen to your heart, and follow and aim to reach your goal. Romance is featured. HHHHH

l

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Sensitive issues will erupt if you don’t choose your words wisely. Someone you think you can trust will let you down or lead you astray. Verify the information you receive before passing it along. HHH Birthday Baby: You are curious, perceptive and appealing.

You are enticing and believable.

‘contain yourself’ by jared v. goudsmit The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 * 5 Apt rhyme for “trim” 9 Widen, as one’s nostrils 14 Strong of Ben 10 15 Game akin to bingo 16 Primate such as Madagascar’s ayeaye 17 “Goodness me!”

18 Flowt sandal maker 19 River mammal 20 Taboo topic (Hint: Start by reading this answer’s middle 8 letters) 23 Acts as peacemaker 24 Boxing venue 27 “Yes, monsieur!”

28 “___ a trap!”

29 ___ carte 31 Ride the breeze 34 Final mistake that contributes to a failure (...middle 4 letters) 38 Speak at length 40 The Matrix hero 41 Lugged along 42 Song originally dedicated to Marilyn

Monroe (...middle 6 letters) 5 Comic ___ (font in many memes) 4 46 “What’d I tell ya?”

47 Craft kit initials 48 Snitch 50 One of 50 in America 52 Admirable sort 57 Having divided loyalties (...middle 6 letters) 59 Religion for Malcolm X 62 Stockpile in a zombie movie 63 Idyllic garden 64 Take suddenly 65 Like excellent eyesight 66 “Woe is me!”

67 Mental fogs 68 Like, forever 69 ___ mortal DOWN 1 Leave angrily, with “off” 2 Sierra Nevada lake 3 Ready for a duel 4 Goodfellas actor 5 One with reservations 6 Café con ___

7 Ancient Peruvians 8 It isn’t made of green cheese 9 Burns rubber 10 “I’ll handle it” 11 Qty. 12 Feel remorse over 13 Bark up the wrong tree 21 ___ de cologne 22 “So long, old chap!”

25 1990s commerce treaty 26 Crop circle creator, some say 28 Privy to 30 No ifs, ___ or buts 31 Dazzles 32 Sagittarius : archer :: ___ : ram 33 Diamond side 35 No more than 36 Finder’s ___ 37 Ran low on energy 39 When meetings wrap up 43 Conked out 44 Fantasy creatures that hoard gold 49 Pokemon protagonist Ketchum 51 Stupefy 52 Short appearance in a movie

53 Lightbulb unit 54 Throw for a loop 55 Unambiguous 56 On pins and needles 58 Word after “crumb” or “crab” 59 Suffix with “self” 60 Briny deep 61 Congresswoman Cheney Solution to Friday’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

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Modern take on classic, timeless love story on prime time GMA IS love really so powerful and great that it can move mountains and weather any storm? Can a person truly live through insurmountable odds and cross the world—no matter how wide the distance or how much time has passed—just to be with the person they hold dear?

GMA delights viewers with the enthralling tale of a romance between two individuals whose love has always been opposed by forces, and how fate always brings them back together in the much-awaited prime-time series The World Between Us, which premiered on July 5.

Three of the country’s most in-demand and highly talented actors headline the drama series. Alden Richards plays Louie Asuncion, the intelligent orphan who has a penchant for inventing gadgets, and who will work his way up to prove that he is worthy of Lia’s love. Award-winning actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith stars as Lia Libradilla, the lovable and compassionate youngest member of an affluent family who will fall for Louie despite their differences. Tom Rodriguez essays his most offbeat role yet as Brian Libradilla, the headstrong heir of the Libradilla family who never sees Louie as his equal and disapproves of his affection for Lia. Alden, who at first felt apprehensive to take on the role of Louie, admits that his character’s depth prompted him to accept the project: “When we started reading the script, iba ’yung binabasa mo na siya from naririnig mo lang ’yung kuwento. That started the fire within me to create this character na very relatable. With the cast, the story, the director, I think this is going to be one of my best teleseryes in five years.”

Jasmine reveals what is the secret behind her undeniable on-screen chemistry with Alden, “Pareho kaming in love sa characters namin and sa story nilang dalawa, so that makes the chemistry so much easier kasi ramdam mo ’yung kilig ng character mo. We’ve done projects before and although short period lang ’yun, it was still enough to build a good foundation. I’m grateful kasi it’s been so fun and easy to work with Alden.”

Meanwhile, Tom says he’s hooked with the complexity of his character: “At first glance, it may seem like mahirap makarelate kay Brian. But as I read the script even more, one thing became so clear—that he’s a wounded person. Having been wounded myself in my life, maybe not to the same extent that he has, mas na-curious ako what makes him that way. I realized that he’s only hungry for love and affection.”

Playing equally vital roles are two of the country’s finest dramatic actresses: Dina Bonnevie as Rachel Libradilla, the matriarch of the Libradilla family and CEO of Prime Mobile who has a strong moral compass; and Jaclyn Jose as Yachie Delgado, the loving and protective matron of the Libradilla family who is full of wisdom yet keeps a dark secret.

Making this series even more compelling is a compelling cast that includes Sid Lucero as Eric Carlos, Lia’s twofaced childhood friend who secretly fancies her; Kelley Day as Audrey Villacer, the fierce and confident young executive from Next Phone who will develop romantic feelings for Louie; Yana Asistio as Jackie Carlos-Libradilla, Eric’s sister and Brian’s wife who is also Lia’s close friend; Jericho Arceo, and Donn Boco.

The World Between Us also features the special participation of Glydel Mercado as Clara Asuncion, Louie’s doting and supportive mother whose death will fuel his son’s drive to strive harder for his dreams.

The soap is under the supervision of the GMA Entertainment Group headed by senior vice president for the Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, and first vice president for Drama Redgie A. Magno. The creative team is led by creative director Aloy Adlawan, creative consultant Agnes Gagelonia-Uligan, creative head Dode Cruz, and head writer Glaiza Ramirez.

Directed by Dominic Zapata and assistant director Aya Topacio, The World Between Us airs weeknights on GMA primetime. Viewers abroad can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV. It will also be available for streaming via iQiyi International or IQ.com for subscribers in the Philippines.

• Tuesday, July 6, 2021

B5

Phylicia Rashad draws critics and dismissal calls for defending Bill Cosby

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By Ashraf Khalil The Associated Press

ASHINGTON—Phylicia Rashad has found herself embroiled in controversy after expressing public support for Bill Cosby’s release from prison, with some prominent Black voices calling for her dismissal as dean of Howard University’s College of Fine Arts.

It remains to be seen whether Rashad’s position at Howard is in jeopardy, but the university quickly distanced itself from her comments.

Rashad, who played Cosby’s wife for years on the family sitcom The Cosby Show, was named dean of the college with great fanfare this year. Cosby was released from prison on Wednesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction, ruling that Cosby’s agreement with the previous district attorney in 2005 should have prevented him from being charged in the 2018 case.

After the ruling, Rashad tweeted a picture of Cosby, with the message: “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted—a miscarriage of justice is corrected!”

The tweet drew an immediate online response with a few expressing support but many others attacking Rashad for defending a man accused of drugging and raping multiple women over a period of decades.

Some of the harshest critics called for Rashad to be removed from her post, saying her apparent indifference to serial sexual assault allegations made her unfit for a position of authority over students.

Jelani Cobb, a Columbia University journalism professor and frequent New Yorker magazine contributor, tweeted directly to Howard University, bluntly stating: “This person should not be a Dean.”

Rashad’s support for Cosby is not new. She had publicly defended him during his years-long legal battles. But the rise of the #Metoo movement and her new position at a prominent educational institution have contributed to the intense backlash as Cosby goes free.

Hours after her tweet on Wednesday, Rashad sent out a clarification, stating her sympathy for all

PHYLICIA RASHAD

survivors of sexual assault but not mentioning Cosby or his case.

“I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth,” she wrote. “Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.”

In a statement, Howard acknowledged Rashad’s clarification and said her initial tweet “lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault.

Personal positions of University leadership do not reflect Howard University’s policies. We will continue

to advocate for survivors fully and advocate their right to be heard.”

Rashad is a prominent Howard alumnus, and her appointment as fine arts dean was hailed as a homecoming, with Howard Provost Anthony K. Wutoh stating that her “passion for the arts and student success makes her a perfect fit for this role.”

Cosby, 83, had served nearly three years of a threeto-10-year sentence for drugging and violating Temple University sports administrator Andrea Constand in 2004. After his release, he tweeted that he has always maintained his innocence and thanked his fans, supporters and friends who stood by him. n

POPULAR music acts SB19 and Ben & Ben.

SB19, Ben & Ben redefine music collaboration

The state of in-betweenness Continued from B4 tedious, scientific process by which these pieces are created.

Benedicto exploits the alchemical properties of metal and paper to construct the artworks. The effect registers never-to-be-completed processes of ruination, frozen in mid-transformation. As the exhibition note reads: “The photographs in this exhibition have no proper subjects. There is only the photosensitive paper exposed using the photogram method to a localized light source. Prior to exposure, the paper is cut and folded into three-dimensional forms, then disassembled once the photograph is captured. The resulting photograph is both less than and more than a picture or image.”

Thus, framed and hanged on the gallery walls are not the products, but the very process itself. n

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

JUST weeks after releasing its newest single “MAPA,” the fiery boy group SB19 has agreed to play beautiful music with another hot music group, Ben & Ben, and take this heartfelt song into a totally new dimension.

And days after the music video was aired, their version of “MAPA” has been topping the music and iTunes charts in many countries. Just 24 hours from its release, it ranked first immediately in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and here in the Philippines. It is also in the top tier of the music charts in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Canada and New Zealand.

“It’s a beautiful song about our parents, and it is such an honor to go into our first collaboration with

SB19 for the band version of ‘MAPA,’” Ben & Ben posted on its widely followed social-media accounts.

For its part, SB19’s Justin said that the group is certainly happy re-recording the song with Ben & Ben, “a group we have the highest respect for musically.”

“The boys of SB19 had this idea to do a band version of the song ‘MAPA,’” shared Roslyn Pineda, Sony Music country general manager for the Philippines. “And Ben & Ben said yes in a heartbeat.

When the two groups finally performed onstage, it was pure musical magic!” SB19’s Pablo added, “We want our fans and the general listening public to get a different vibe when they hear this new collaboration.

The original version is more mellow, while this new one gives the song a rich and happy kind of vibe, hopefully making the listeners feel more uplifted once they listen to the song.”

“We were involved with the collaboration process.

SB19 gave us complete musical and creative freedom to arrange the song, only giving additional comments to help make some parts flow better. Pablo was directly coordinating and constantly giving updates, and the suggestions he gave greatly helped us during the final recording sessions,” shared Miguel Benjamin Guico, one of the lead vocalists of Ben & Ben.

A much admired group, Ben & Ben certainly knows how to play its cards right. Prior to this magical collaboration with SB19, it has also previously teamed up with Moira de la Torre on the song “Paalam” and South Korea’s Day 6 member Young K with the hit “Leaves,” which trended on top of Korea’s streaming sites right after the song dropped on various music platforms.

Not one to rest on their laurels, Ben & Ben has started talks with Filipino-American Grammy and Oscar winner H.E.R. for a possible collaboration in the near future. “Just being able to connect with her, and talk to her, it’s surreal. And to hear her tell us that we should be working on something together, wow—if that happens, it will be a dream come true,” exclaimed Guico.

To promote this landmark collaboration between SB19 and Ben & Ben, the bigwigs of the project decided to shoot the music video at the historic and newly renovated Manila Metropolitan Theater, a national treasure where some of the most illustrious Filipino artists have performed in the past.

The song “MAPA” continues to make music history a week after its release, and could stay on top of the charts for many more weeks. Indeed, SB19 and Ben & Ben have truly redefined musical collaboration.

B6 Tuesday, July 6, 2021

SSS reports 12.3 million paying members as of May 2021

Laus Group CEO Lisset Laus-Velasco named 2021 Ford Dealership Honoree

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AMPANGA-BASED business conglomerate Laus Group of Companies (LGC) adds another laurel to its achievements as the company’s chief executive, Lisset LausVelasco, is honored as a Dealership Honoree in the 2021 Salute to Dealers bestowed by American multinational automaker Ford Motor Company.

Lisset is one of the six honorees of this prestigious global award, out of 80 dealers around the world that were nominated and is the only woman this year who was selected based on their business performance, ethics, and impact on the community. She is the only honoree from the Ford International Markets Group and the second Ford dealer principal from the Philippines to win this award.

LGC, which Laus-Velasco leads, operates Ford Pampanga from the city of San Fernando, among its other branches. The award affirms Ford Pampanga and LGC’s commitment to outstanding products and service as well as its community programs which are all geared to herald countryside development to the Central Luzon region, as envisioned by LGC founder Levy P. Laus.

Guided by the company’s commitment to customer care and passion for cars, Laus-Velasco has steered Ford Pampanga and all LGC dealerships to success, while enabling its customers and employees to flourish in support of Pampanga’s development.

“Progress is a central foundation in the way we do business. But we view progress not as something to keep within our company, but as an opportunity to share with our community. We always aim to champion progress in providing diversified sources of comfort, luxury, leisure, and financial security to our customers and employees. This honor from Ford Global recognizes the effort of everyone at LGC who has made inclusive progress a mission in doing great work,” Laus-Velasco shares.

Empowering education, health, and sustainability

AS CEO, Laus-Velasco has institutionalized corporate social responsibility programs for LGC, with education as the main anchor. Its most recent initiative is the broadcast of an educational television program for San Fernando’s kinder to second-grade students through the LGC-owned CLTV36. The program, called Alpha

LAUS Group of Companies CEO, Lisset Laus-Velasco was conferred as one of the 2021 Salute to Dealers Honoree

by Ford Motor Company Basa, is a Filipino language-based reading program that aims to make young children fluent readers in Filipino through a gamebased system using carefully designed flashcards and books. Additionally, LausGroup’s CLTV36 station has also become a platform to reach more students at home, airing K-12 programs under TeleSkwela for all participating parents, teachers, and students in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bulacan, and Bataan.

The Levy P. Laus Foundation has also strengthened their commitment to send and support deserving young Kapampangans to school amid the pandemic. Currently, over 2,000 employees of the LausGroup are given annual access to educational loans to fund their dependents' education aside from existing scholars of the foundation.

LGC has also organized numerous feeding programs in support of children’s nutrition, as Laus-Velasco believes that good health and education go handin-hand in providing the young with opportunities for economic mobility.

These feeding programs were held in various sites across Pampanga, with some done in partnership with Rise Against Hunger, a non-governmental organization working to eradicate hunger through community empowerment.

The company is also shaping its sustainability thrust in acknowledgment of the rapid environmental changes

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a volunteer at the Naga City Remote Translation Office (RTO) of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He added, “The New World Translation in Bicol restored the name of God—Jehova (Jehovah)—to the more than 7,000 places in the Bible where other Bicol translations have substituted it with titles such as ‘Kagurangnan (Lord).’”

The translators put forth earnest effort to ensure that the translation is clear, accurate and easy to read and understand. Israel Aves, another volunteer at the Naga City RTO noted, “A good translation makes the message it contains understandable to

and non-banks, internet banking, mobile facility, My.SSS account and SSS Mobile App via PayMaya and BPI Online.

Employers can also make over-thecounter SSS contribution payments through partner banks, and via internet banking thru the banks’ web facility, and eGov BancNet and non-bank collecting partners. They are also reminded that a Payment Reference Number (PRN) is needed when remitting SSS contributions. Information on how to generate PRNs may be accessed through this link http://bitly.ws/e9Vj. The complete list of SSS payment partners is available in this link http://bitly. ws/e5Kc. For more information, visit any of the following SSS social media accounts like the SSS official FB Page at “Philippine Social Security System – SSS”; SSS Viber Community at “MYSSSPH Updates”; Instagram at “mysssph”; twitter at “PHLSSS” and YouTube at “MySSSPhilippines.”

happening across the globe. LGC is currently invested in its BalikBaterya Program in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). All replaced vehicle batteries coming from LGC dealerships are sent to car battery dealership partners for recycling. The proceeds are then designated for donation to an organization, which LGC eyes to be in the education sector.

Nurturing community ties in the future

“WE have reached milestones in the implementation of our community programs but we also admit to still having our work cut out for us. This recognition from Ford Global only intensified the spark of our company to continue to bring development and unparalleled product and service excellence to our stakeholders.

The communities that we serve can expect LGC to be a partner as we all drive to new challenges and achievements in the future,” Laus-Velasco quips.

The Salute to Dealers is a Ford Motor Company initiative that honors Ford dealers across the globe who champion business integrity, exemplary products and services, and the upliftment of their respective communities. Lisset LausVelasco is joined by other honorees composed of Ford dealers from the United States, China, and Canada.

Jehovah’s Witnesses releases Bible in the Bicol dialect

EHOVAH’S Witnesses released the Bagong Kinaban na Traduksiyon kan Banal na Kasuratan (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures) in the Bicol dialect on June 20, 2021. In a special virtual meeting, Denton Hopkinson, a representative of the Philippines Branch Office of Jehovah’s Witnesses, announced that the digital format of the complete New World Translation in Bicol could be downloaded for free at jw.org, the official website of the Witnesses.

“It took a group of six translators more than seven years to complete the translation work,” said Joseph Mendioro,

T

HE Social Security System (SSS) recorded over 12.3 million paying members as of May 2021, 13.6 percent lower than the 14.2-million count in the same period of last year.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio attributed the decline in paying members to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed some establishments to close their businesses and let go of their employees.

The latest paying member tally comprises 9.6 million employed members, accounting for 78% of the total. It is followed by 1.9 million voluntary paying members, 476,000 self-employed members, and 333,000 Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) members.

“PSA data as of April 2021 showed that about 3.44 million Filipinos are jobless. It appears to hold water, particularly if we compare this with the SSS data that about 3.28 million members failed to pay their monthly contributions in 2020. To assist our members in this period of financial uncertainty, which affected their payment capacity, we extended contribution payment deadlines by up to five times since the start of the government-imposed lockdowns in March 2020, so they can maintain their active membership,” Ignacio explained.

The SSS chief also reminded members and employers that several SSS payment channels are available for secure and convenient remittance of contributions.

They have the option to make use of overthe-counter transactions in partner banks

sincere people regardless of their background. Clear, common and readily understood expressions are preferred over terms that are rarely used by the average person. The New World Translation in Bicol achieved this by using more contemporary terms than archaic ones.”

Expressing her appreciation for the release of the New World Translation in Bicol, Nerissa Tiangco from Albay said, “This is a wonderful gift from God wrapped with love!” Michael Dañas, a native Bicol speaker from Camarines Sur exclaimed, “God is showing us how much He loves us because He wants to talk to us in the language of our heart!”

The complete revised version of the New World Translation has now been translated to seven dialects in the Philippines including Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Pangasinan, Tagalog and Waray-Waray.

Leynard Rodulfa, spokesperson of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Philippines, said, “Translation work, even in the languages of minority populations, has been a key aspect of our public service for many decades.” He explained, “The translation, publishing, and printing work of the Witnesses are all supported by voluntary donations.

This allows the Witnesses to make the New World Translation available in over 200 languages worldwide free of charge.”

VENICE GRAND CANAL MALL RECEIVES SAFETY SEAL. The country’s most romantic mall, Venice Grand Canal in McKinley Hill, receives its Safety Seal certification from the city government of Taguig. The Safety Seal certification is issued by local governments and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to buildings and establishments that are compliant with the Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS) set by the government. Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano (4th from left) hands over the ‘Safety Seal’ certification for Venice Grand Canal Mall. Accepting the seal are Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Head of Marketing and Business Development Tefel Pesigan-Tolentino (2nd from left) and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Head Graham Coates (3rd from left).

At the forefront vs COVID-19, Lucena LGU accords SM Lucena city’s first Safety Seal

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OGNIZANT of the city’s premier mall’s consistency in combating COVID-19, the City Government of Lucena accorded its first Safety Seal to SM City Lucena on Friday, July 2, 2021.

Mayor Roderick “Dondon” Alcala led the posting of the seal at the mall’s entrance, effectively informing the clientele of the safety measures for their benefits constantly being carried out by staff and management of the business establishment.

In his appreciation speech, Senior Assistant Vice-President Engr. John Jason Terrenal assured that putting the people in the community in their top priority, they vowed commitment to ensure their safety while in the mall’s premises.

He added that their safety and health protocol officers as well as the sanitation team are always on duty to make sure all health protocols are implemented.

He also assured the city government

by bringing safe malling a notch higher by “collaborating with the LGU and other government offices and underwent rigorous inspection to ascertain our compliance to the safety standards.”

SM City Lucena has proven its utmost cooperation for the LGU’s various undertakings that will promote safe and secure mall experience, particularly since the start of COVID-19 pandemic.

The mall’s management is always abreast of the local IATF’s latest advisory, echoing them to their tenants and making sure the tenants comply with the guidelines.

Mayor Dondon Alcala is accompanied

by Executive Assistant Mark Alcala and City Tourism Officer Arween Flores.

They were graciously joined by SM top brass in the region including Juan Marius Cortez, Regional Operations Manager and Assistant Mall Manager Engr. Russel Alegre.

LUCENA City Mayor Roderick “Dondon” Alcala (center-right) with Exec. Asst. Mark Alcala (2nd from right) and City Tourism Officer Arween Flores (right) award the city’s first Safety Seal to SM City Lucena, certifying the mall’s compliance with health standards set by the government to ensure public health and safety amid the pandemic. Witness by Senior Asst. Vice-President for South Luzon Engr. John Jason Terrenal (center-left), Regional Operations Manager Juan Marius Cortez (2nd from left) and Asst. Mall Manager Engr. Russel Alegre.

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

The World

Malaysians suffering amid virus lockdown fly white flag for help

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UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— When Mohamad Nor Abdullah put a white flag outside his window late at night, he didn’t expect the swift outpouring of support. By morning, dozens of strangers knocked on his door, offering food, cash and encouragement.

Malaysia’s nationwide lockdown to curb a coronavirus surge was tightened further on Saturday, banning people in certain areas from leaving their homes except to buy food and necessities.

It lurched Mohamad Nor into desperation. He ekes out a living by selling packed nasi lemak, a popular dish of coconut milk rice with condiments, at a roadside stall every morning, but that income has vanished and government aid was insufficient.

The white flag campaign that emerged on social media last week aims to help people like Mohamad Nor, who is 29 and was born without arms. By chance, he saw the campaign on Facebook and decided to try to seek help.

“It was so unexpected. So many people reached out to help, support and also encouraged me,” Mohamad Nor said, sitting in his dingy room amid boxes of biscuits, rice, cooking oil and water that were swiftly donated to him. He said kind Samaritans offered to help pay his room rental and that the assistance should be enough to tide him through the next few months.

The #benderaputih campaign began as Malaysian society’s response to rising suicides believed l i n ked to econom ic h a rd sh ips caused by the pandemic. Police reported 468 suicides in the first five months this year, an average of four a day and up sharply from 631 for the whole of 2020.

Social media posts urged people to hoist a white flag or cloth to signal they needed immediate help “without having to beg or feel embarrassed.” Scores of food retailers and celebrities have responded with offers of help and many Malaysians have driven around their neighborhood to find white flags.

Thousands of people have lost their jobs since Malaysia enacted various curbs on movement, including a coronav ir us state of emergency that has suspended

Parliament until August 1. The strict national lockdown imposed on June 1 is the second in more than a year.

Coronavirus cases in Malaysia have jumped to more than 778,000 cases, nearly seven-fold from the whole of last year, with over 5,400 deaths.

Reports of families receiving speedy help after raising a white flag have warmed the hearts of Malaysians. A single mother and her teenage daughter who survived on biscuits for days were fed by neighbors, an indebted hawker on the verge of ending his life received cash help to start anew, a Myanmar refugee family who survive on just one meal a day were given instant food supplies.

While many hail the white flag movement as a show of unity and solidarity, not all agree.

A lawmaker from an Islamist party, which is part of the ruling coalition, attracted public anger when he told people to pray to God instead of waving a white flag in surrender. A state chief minister slammed the campaign as propaganda against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government.

It has sparked copycats. An animal association encouraged financially strapped people who couldn’t afford to feed their pets to display a red flag.

A nt i-gover nment protesters launched a black flag campaign over the weekend, with opposition lawmakers and others putting up black flags on social media to demand the premier to resign, for an end to the emergency and for Parliament to reopen. Police, however, reportedly said they are investigating the black flag campaign for sedition, public mischief and misuse of network facilities for offensive purposes.

Muhyiddin, who took power in 2019 after political maneuvers brought down the former reformist government, faces intense challenge from the opposition and within his own coalition. Support for his leadership cannot be tested with parliament suspended.

James Chin, an Asian expert at Australia’s University of Tasmania, said the white flag movement could fuel public anger over a perceived inept in the government’s ability to manage the crisis. AP

BusinessMirror

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

B7

South Africa’s new coronavirus infections surge to record levels

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OHANNESBURG—South Africa’s resurgence of Covid-19 is setting record numbers of new daily cases, centered in Johannesburg and driven by the Delta variant, health officials said Sunday.

More than 26,000 new cases were reported on Saturday, up from 24,000 the previous day, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, surpassing the highest number of new cases in previous waves and quickly bringing many hospitals to capacity. More than 13,800 Covid-19 patients are currently in South African hospitals where some facilities are canceling elective surgeries to free up beds and health care workers.

South Africa’s official death toll has risen above 63,000, although statistics on excess deaths suggest the country’s actual number of virus fatalities may be more than 170,000.

South Africa’s 2 million cases account for more than 30 percent of the cases reported by Africa’s 54 countries, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

President Cyril Ramaphosa last week increased restrictions to try to reduce the spread of the virus, including extending a nighttime curfew, banning the sale of alcohol, closing many schools and stopping travel into and out of Gauteng, the country’s most populous province that includes Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria. Gauteng accounts for more than 60 percent of the new cases and officials fear other provinces and cities will soon follow.

After a slow start, South Africa’s vaccination drive is picking up pace

but is still far behind developed nations. To date, more than 3.3 million of South Africa’s 60 million people have received at least one jab of the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The inoculation campaign started with health care workers, those aged 60 and over, and schoolteachers. On Monday police can get a jab and soon those 50 and over can too.

The nation’s Health Products Regulatory Authority on Saturday authorized the vaccine manufactured by China’s Sinovac, providing that it submits final results of ongoing clinical studies.

Neighboring southern African countries including Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are also struggling to cope with a surge of infections.

Key developments:

S. Korea reports over 700 new cases SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea has reported 711 new cases of the coronavirus as infections continued to grow in the greater capital area.

It was the third straight day of over 700 and the highest daily jump for a Monday since early January, when the country was enduring its worst wave of the virus.

Usually a smaller number of cases are reported at the start of the week, due to reduced testing on weekends,

and the country’s caseload may grow faster over the next few days.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said around 550 of the new cases came from the populated Seoul metropolitan area, where officials delayed a planned easing of social distancing measures to cope with a rise in transmissions.

Cases were also reported in most of the major cities and towns ac ross t he cou nt r y, i nc lud i ng Busan, Daejeon and the North and South Gyeongsang provinces.

Health experts have relaxed concern over relaxed attitudes on social distancing and criticized the government for sending wrong signals by announcing plans to allow for larger gatherings and longer indoor dining hours.

Prime Minster K im Bu-ky um during a virus meeting on Sunday urged public vigilance and tighter implementation of preventive measures. He criticized labor unionists for going ahead with an anti-government march attended by thousands in Seoul on Saturday despite official pleas to cancel the gathering.

The government had planned to relax social distancing restrictions nationwide at the start of July, raising the cap on private social gatherings from four to six people and allowing restaurants to extend indoor dining by two hours until midnight.

But officials in Seoul and nearby areas have held off the new rules as infections rose.

The country has so far reported 160,795 cases, including 2,028 deaths. About 30 percent of the population have received at least one dose of vaccines.

Moscow reports 25,000 new cases MO SCOW— R u s s i a on Su nd ay reported more than 25,000 new cases of coronavirus infection,

Pope ‘reacted well’ to intestinal surgery T V

the largest number since Januar y, as the countr y faces a shar p surge over the past month.

The national coronavirus task force said 663 patients died, down from the previous day’s 697, which was a record high.

The tally of 25,142 new cases was more than 2.5 times as high as daily new infections in early June. Moscow, St. Petersburg and the region surrounding Moscow accounted for about half the nationwide total cases.

Although the Kremlin says authorities are not discussing a lockdown, Moscow has imposed restrictions including requiring restaurant and bar patrons to show a code certifying they have been vaccinated or received a negative PCR test.

T h rou g hout t he p a nd e m ic , Russia has recorded 5.61 million infections and 137,925 deaths.

Indonesia’s entry requirement JAK ARTA, Indonesia—Indonesia is requiring foreign visitors to be fully vaccinated as one of the entry requirements as the country tries to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Ganip Warsito, National Task Force for Covid-19 Mitigation Chief, said Sunday that starting on July 6, both foreigners and Indonesian nationals entering the country have to show digital or physical proof that they have been fully vaccinated.

The obligation to show vaccination cards can be excluded in some cases, including diplomatic visas and service visas, and during official visits at ministerial level.

The government is also extending the quarantine time for foreign travelers from five days to eight days.

Indonesia recorded 27,233 new Covid-19 cases and 555 deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours.

It brings the total to 2,284,084 cases and 60,582 death tolls as of Sunday. AP

Taiwan’s push to shortcut vaccine approval brings out risk concerns

AT IC A N C I T Y— Po p e Francis “reacted well ” to pl a n ned i ntest i n a l su r ger y Sunday evening at a Rome hospital, the Vatican said, without giving much detail about the pontiff ’s condition.

In a statement late Sunday, a Holy See spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said the 84-year-old Francis had general anesthesia during the surgery necessitated by a narrowing of the large intestine.

The written statement, which came shortly before midnight, was notable for its scarcity of medical detail.

Bruni didn’t say how long the surgery lasted, nor for how long the pope was unconscious under anesthesia.

Also not immediately clear was how long Francis would stay in Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic hospital, although he was expected to convalesce for a few days in a private 10th floor apartment suite reserved for popes.

“The Holy Father, admitted in the afternoon to A. Gemelli Polyclinic, underwent in the evening planned surgery for a diverticular stenosis of the sigmoid” portion of the colon, Bruni said in the brief written statement. “The Holy Father reacted well to the surgery conducted under general anesthesia,” the spokesman said, noting there was a four-person surgical team, plus a four-person anesthesiologist team.

A stenosis is an abnormal constriction or narrowing. The sigmoid portion of the large intestine extends from the end of the descending colon to the rectum.

In this July 4, file photo, Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives to recite the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican. In a brief announcement Sunday afternoon the Vatican said Pope Francis has gone to a Rome hospital for scheduled surgery for a stenosis, or restriction, of the large intestine.

AP/Alessandra Tarantino

Gastroenterologists say the sigmoid segment is a common location for a diverticular stenosis.

The main surgeon was Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the director of Gemelli’s digestive surgery department.

Among those present in the operating room was the official papal physician, whom Francis t apped e a rl ier t h i s ye a r. T he pope’s prev ious physician had contracted Covid-19 and died at Gemelli while hospitalized for cancer treatment.

It was a remarkable end to a day that began publicly for Francis when, during his traditional Sunday appearance to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, he cheerfully announced he would go to Hungary and Slovakia in September.

T he pope made no mention of his impending surger y, but headed shortly after his window appearance to the hospital. At the

end of his public remarks from an Apostolic Palace window, Francis told the crowd: “And please, don’t forget to pray for me.” Then he added, sounding casual, almost wistfully: “ Thanks, ciao.”

A couple hours after he was admitted, reportedly arriving with little escort and no fanfare, the Vatican revealed that Francis had been diagnosed with a narrowing in the large intestine.

A week ea rl ier, Fra nc is h ad used h is sa me Su nd ay appea r a nce to a sk t he publ ic for spe c i a l prayers for h i msel f, wh ic h m ay h ave been rel ated to t he pl a nned su rger y.

“I ask you to pray for the pope, pray in a special way,” Francis had asked the faithful in the square on Ju ne 27. “ T he pope need s your prayers,” he said, adding his thanks and saying “I know you will do that.”

A diverticulum is pouch-like protrusion through the muscular wall of the intestine.

When diverticula become inflamed—a common condition, especially in older people—part of the intestine can sometimes narrow and surgery might be required, according to gastroenterologists. Such surgery can be performed under general anesthesia, possibly with a laparoscopic intervention. Sometimes a re-sectioning of the affected part of the intestine is needed.

Francis is in generally good health, but he did have part of one lung removed as a young man.

He also suffers from sciatica, in which a ner ve affects the lower back and leg, a painful condition that has forced him at times to skip scheduled appearances.

The pope had a particularly demanding set of appointments l a st week , i nc lud i ng celebrat ing a Mass on Tuesday to mark the Catholic feast day honoring Saints Peter and Paul, and later in the week, presiding at a special prayer ser vice for Lebanon.

On June 28, he also had a long private audience at the Vatican with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. T hroughout a l l those engagements, Francis appeared to be in good spirits.

Get-well wishes began arriving immediately for Francis. Italian President Sergio Mattarella, as soon as he landed in Paris for a state visit in France, offered an “affectionate thought” on behalf of all Italians. Mattarella said he was wishing for “a good convalescence and even a speedier recovery” for the pope. AP

AIPEI, Taiwan—At the end of May, Chen Pei-jer, a member of an expert committee in Taiwan to evaluate Covid-19 vaccines for use on the island, resigned.

Chen’s resignation came after he learned that Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration planned to take a regulatory shortcut in approving two vaccines being developed in Taiwan.

The shortcut would allow the shots to be given to people for emergency use before the vaccines have finished the final stage of testing.

The proposed shortcut comes as Taiwan scrambles to get vaccines amid its worst outbreak of the pandemic, and has also recorded its first cases of the highly contagious Delta variant originally found in India. Supporters say the shortcut is needed because Taiwan is in a real crunch, and they argue that the move could soon become more common worldwide. That’s because as more vaccines roll out, it’s getting increasingly difficult to conduct the usual tests of a vaccine’s efficacy.

But as Chen’s resignation shows, the proposed move has also raised concerns about the risks, chiefly regarding whether people might be given a vaccine that ultimately is shown not to work.

“This is a shortcut, and this has to do with President Tsai (Ingwen)—we don’t have enough vaccines, and the ruling party is very anxious,” said Chen, referring to the president’s remarks in May saying the first batch of domestically made vaccines would be ready in July. Those remarks were viewed by some as putting pressure on regulators before interim data was even analyzed.

Tsai has since revised her comments to say July is a goal, and she

hopes the first batch will be ready by then.

Chen, a member of Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, a top governmentbacked research institute, said he resigned because he felt politics had interfered with what should be an independent, scientific process. He also felt the proposed shortcut didn’t have enough scientific evidence or global recognition to justify it.

Vaccines that are in use globally have gone through a final stage of clinical trials—large, carefully designed studies in which the vaccine is given to people who are monitored against a non-vaccinated group to see if the former are more protected from the disease.

Taiwan’s shortcut would give emergency-use approval to two vaccines before those studies, although the two shots have gone through first and mid-stage testing just like other vaccines. Instead, the makers would have to demonstrate that the vaccines generate antibodies against Covid-19 at the same level as the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has already been approved for use in Taiwan.

There is growing evidence that the level of antibodies in a person’s blood means a certain level of protection from Covid-19, but it is not definitive.

Taiwanese experts who support the approach say there’s sufficient evidence and urgency as the island battles an ongoing outbreak. It has vaccinated just 4 percent of its population of 24 million people and has struggled to get doses because of a global supply crunch. As of Sunday, the Covid-19 death toll has jumped to 686 people, from only about a dozen prior to the current outbreak. AP

Sports BusinessMirror

COURTESY CALL

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| Tuesday, July 6, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner Wille Marcial pays a courtesy call to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos recently at the agency’s headquarters in Makati City. The two officials discussed ways to forge a stronger coordination and cooperation particularly during this time of the pandemic.

EJ WRAPS UP EURO SORTIE E

By Josef Ramos

J OBIENA closed out his pre-Olympic sortie with a fourth-place finish at the Wanda Diamond League Stockholm leg on Sunday.

But for Obiena, there’s nothing much to worry about.

“He’s tired and wasn’t 100 percent, but he [Obiena] managed to jump consistently at the 5.80-meter mark,” his dad, Emerson, told BusinessMirror on Monday. “That means there’s still a lot of hope for EJ to go beyond 5.90m at the Olympics.”

The elder Obiena knows his soup being a former pole vaulter himself with a Chiang Mai 1995 Southeast Asian Games silver medal displayed prominently at

their home in Tondo.

Obiena managed 5.82m and finished outside of the podium of the event world record holder Armand Duplantis won with a leap of 6.02 meters.

The US’s Sam Kendricks booked 5.92m for the silver and so did Renaud Lavillenie, but the Frenchman was relegated to the bronze medal.

Obiena toured Europe during pandemic year 2020 joining various competitions

PHL pair reaps experience in Thai beach volley tilt

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HE Philippines’ Jayrack De La Noche and Alexander Iraya put up a gallant stand before losing to Iran-2’s Amir Reza Zamani and Armin Kami, 12-21, 16-21, to bow out of contention in the Third Asian U19 Beach Volleyball Championships in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, on Monday.

Dela Noche and Iraya displayed a better performance in the second set and kept Zamani and Armin Kami within reach, 11-14, before the Iranians asserted their might for the straight sets win.

Iran-2 was in attack mode in the first set where they raced to an 11-4 lead they never relinquished.

Iran-2 wound up with a 1-1 won-lost record to advance to the quarterfinals with unbeaten Thailand 1 in Pool A. The Filipinos, sent in the tournament by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Rebisco, finished its pool play campaign with a 0-2 card.

Dela Noche and Iraya said

they learned valuable lessons from their international debut.

“We will bounce back next time, we will be a better team,» said Dela Noche, who thanked their coaches Dondon Verayo and Teshi Ea for motivating them.

‘Thank you for those who supported us and watched the matches online,» he added.

Up next for Dela Noche and Iraya is a stint in the Fourth Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships on July 12 also in Nakhon Pathom.

All three Thailand teams made it to the quarterfinals, which also features two Iran pairs, two Kazakhstan squads and an Australian duo.

THE Philippines’s Alexander Iraya tries to score against Iran-2’s Amir Reza Zamani.

and hiked his pre-Games tuneup he highlighted with a gold medal at the Taby Stav Gala Street Pole Vault Competition also in Stockholm with a 5.80-m percormance.

Obiena has yet to break the 6.0m ceiling but his father said his son is under no pressure because of his consistency in his previous tournaments.

“We are hopeful that he can breach 5.90m, which is our target,” Emerson Obiena said. “We have a greater

chance if our batting average is high.”

“Pole vaulting is unpredictable, anything can happen,” he said.

Obiena returned to Formia, Italy, to wrap up his last phase of training under coach Vitaly Petrov. He will fly to the Tokyo Olympics on July 23.

The pole vault competitions in Tokyo start on July 31 at the National Stadium.

Obiena cleared 5.70m at the Folksam Grand Prix in Sweden last June 3 but still won gold, beating Rio Olympics gold medalist Thiago Braz da Silva (5.6m) and third placer Norway’s Paul Haugen Lillefosse (5.60-m) Obiena tallied a total of five golds, four silvers and three bronzes in his European sojourn.

Duplantis tried to reset his 6.18m world record on Sunday, but failed in three attempts.

EJ OBIENA finishes outside the podium in Stockholm but that’s the least of his worries.

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The new Awesome VINCENT JUICO @VJuico, Instagram vpjp_j, vince.juico@gmail.com

SPORTS WITHOUT BORDERS AWESOME is a six-time US Amateur Boxing Champion and a fourtime Golden Gloves Champion.

Talking to Cam F. Awesome on my program “Sports For All” last Saturday gave me an impression that he’s the kind of guy that just keeps going. That he never looks back.

In 2013, Cam legally changed his name from Lenroy Thompson

to Cam F. Awesome after he was suspended because he didn’t send an email to the US Anti-Doping Agency, letting them know of his whereabouts to make himself available for drug testing.

You can say that Cam F Awesome was a fresh start, an awesome start if you will. Cam said Lenroy Thompson was depressed, overweight and bullied. Cam F.

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ANNY PACQUIAO finally landed in Los Angeles on Monday and according to international matchmaker Sean Gibbons, the sitting Philippine senator is ready to hit the road and punish the mitts as he prepares for his fight against Errol Spence Jr. next month.

“The Senator looks amazing, he looks prepared and looks ready to go to work,” Gibbons told BusinessMirror on Monday.

“Tomorrow morning, he’ll go to the Wild Card Gym and reconnect with Freddie Roach.”

Pacquiao, 42, fights undefeated International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council welterweight champion Spence on August 21 (August 22 in Manila) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“It’s more on conditioning in the next couple of days, and then sparring later in the week,” Gibbons, who hasn’t seen Pacquiao for more than a year, said.

Chief trainer Buboy Fernandez and assistant trainer Nonoy Neri were with Pacquiao in the PAL flight that was reverted to the Haneda Airport in Japan after the pilots found out that a sick man was on board.

With the Los Angeles immigration desks closing at midnight, beyond the PAL flight’s ETA, the pilots had no recourse but to return to Manila. Pacquiao and company managed to catch a plane

Harmie targets second victory at resumption of ladies tour

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ER rousing pro debut abruptly halted by tour suspension due to surge of coronavirus cases in NCR Plus, Harmie Constantino gets the chance to resume her drive for another Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) crown when the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Sherwood Ladies Challenge is fired off Wednesday at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Trece Martires, Cavite.

But the diminutive former national team standout said she is more relieved than thrilled heading to the 54-hole championship which

marks the second restart of the circuit, which took another break last March following a long hiatus last year due to the outbreak of the global health crisis.

“Super thankful that tournaments are finally resumed,” said Constantino, who held off multititled Princess Superal to mark her pro debut with a two-stroke victory in the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Challenge at the Aoki course before play was suspended.

Like everybody else, Constantino stayed in game shape during the lull in anticipation of the tour resumption with the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. lining up a four-tournament calendar under

GAC Motor official mobility partner of cycling road Trials AC Motor Philippines recently inked a partnership with the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) to become the official mobility partner of the PhilCycling National Trials for Road set this Saturday and Sunday at the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone in Pampanga.

As the event’s official mobility partner, GAC Motor Philippines will be providing its fleet of vehicle line-up—the GA4 1.3 AT sedan, GA8 2.0 GL executive sedan, GS3 1.3 AT sub-compact SUV, GS4 1.5 AT compact SUV, GS4 4x2 Premiere SUV, and the GS8 4x2 Sport SUV—for the use of race officials and executives.

Pacquiao all set for training in US

“We thank PhilCycling for choosing us as the event’s official mobility partner for the 2021 PhilCycling National Trials for Road,” said Wilbert Lim, President and CEO of GAC Motor Philippines. “We ensure that the executives and marshals of the organization will have a positive

experience in our portfolio.”

Races will be in Men and Women Individual Time Trial and Criterium on Saturday and Road on Sunday.

The race will start and end at the Clark Parade Grounds, while the ITT races are set at 24.6 kms for the men and 18 kms for the women, the crite-

strict health and safety guidelines enforced by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Games and Amusements Board, keeping the country’s touring pros busy for the next five weeks.

“During the long break, I would work out and train three-to-five times, go the gym, do short game and putting drills and play twice a week,” added the former University of Georgia mainstay.

She hopes to put them all in harness against a field also raring to get going on a course, kept in championship condition all-season long, tipped to test not only the field’s shotmaking skills but also their rium will be over a 2.3-km circuit at the Clark Parade Grounds while the road races will be on a 24.6-km loop (six laps for the men and four laps for the women).

Apart from fleet service, spectators and guests will also have a chance to see and check out the vehicle display of GAC Motor Pampanga and GAC Motor Tarlac, which will be placed also at Clark Parade Grounds.

MEMBERS of the Go For Gold Continental Cycling Team pose with GAC Motor Philippines’s top of the line models.

Awesome was a new lease on life.

Cam F. Awesome was another chance, a chance at redemption to redeem himself.

Cam has been vegan since 2008. He lost a bet on Manny Pacquiao when he fought Timothy Bradley with Bradley winning a controversial decision so Awesome went vegan and lost 86 lbs from 277 to 191. He feels healthy and he feels stronger now.

In a November 2019 article on Yahoo Sports, Awesome’s view on motivational speakers, “My message felt not as authentic,” Awesome said. “I don’t like the term ‘motivational speaker,’ because it’s watered down. But too many people who are doing it haven’t really done anything. What have they accomplished? I looked at it

like I had done something in my life, and I walked away. So I felt like I needed to set a goal and try to do something again.”

From the same article, his thoughts on mental toughness and resiliency, “You think you have fast hands and you think you’re quick and you’re strong, but you sign up for a fight and all of a sudden, you have someone in front of you who matches what you have,” Awesome said. “He’s just as fast and just as quick and just as strong. That’s where mental toughness and resiliency comes in.

You find out who crumbles under that pressure and who finds a way, and that applies to so many things in life. “[Floyd] Mayweather, say what you want about him, he finds a

way. If we learned anything from his fight with Zab Judah, it’s that one way or another, he’ll find a way to get the job done. Andre Ward is the same way. On paper, maybe he’s not so super impressive, but the greatest trait he has is his ability to find a way to win.”

Speaking of fast hands, Errol Spence, the man Pacquiao will be facing on August 21 was a former roommate of his and he picks Spence because of his high boxing IQ, knockout power in both hands, and his strength.

Awesome’s boxing style different and unique. He will make you miss and hit you to score points since it’s amateur boxing. Opponents will tire running after him for three 3 minute rounds.

The objective of boxing, in my

to Los Angeles on Sunday.

CASIMERO VS RIGONDEAUX REIGNING World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero will face Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux—instead of WBC bantamweight titleholder Nonito Donaire Jr.—on August 14 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson City, California.

International matchmaker Sean Gibbons made the confirmation on Monday, adding the supposed Casimero-Donaire duel was clouded with intrigues.

“Donaire volunteered his services for a unification fight [with Casimero], so we accepted it,” Gibbons said. “And then they came out with a million excuses that they don’t want to fight.”

Donaire canceled his fight with Casimero after he and his wife-manager Rachel accused the Casimero camp of refusing to heee the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) testing.

Gibbons denied the Donaires’ claim.

“The promoter of a fight controls the testing of the fight, the promoter will coordinate with it,” Gibbons said. “We’re in the WBC VADA program, which can test you 365/24/7, so we received the VADA paperwork finally on Friday morning and then returned it the next day before we enrolled on Saturday afternoon.” Josef Ramos mental toughness given its natural layout punctuated by bunkers.

Superal, for one, is out for a payback with the P750,000 event put up by ICTSI also serving as part of the 2019 LPGT Order of Merit titlist’s buildup for the resumption of her campaign in the Step Up Tour in Japan in October.

Expect the likes of Daniella Uy, Marvi Monsalve, Chanelle Avaricio, Sunshine Baraquiel, Apple Fudolin, Sheryl Villacencio and Gretchen Villacencio to likewise go all out in pursuit of a breakthrough in the event which also features amateurs Rev Lizbeth Alcantara, Burberry Zhang and Jane Jeong.

Sarah Ababa, meanwhile, returns to the very course where she posted her first and only victory in the circuit, hoping to draw some motivation in an attempt to snap a six-year title spell while Chihiro Ikeda expects to come out strong, completely healed from a hand injury that has hampered her past campaigns.

HARMIE CONSTANTINO is more relieved than thrilled heading to the 54-hole championship which marks the second restart of the circuit.

opinion is not to knockout your opponent, it is making him miss and making him pay dearly for the miss.

On the world governing body for boxing removing headgear in amateur boxing fights, Awesome doesn’t seem to care, and I think it’s because his style doesn’t change whether with or without headgear.

After last night’s conversation with Cam, my learning and takeaways was not to hold back, Awesome obviously doesn’t. He’s got his own ways of working, his own ways and methods of how he does things but he’s willing to listen.

“I’m willing to do anything that I don’t want to do, to get things I don’t have,” he said.