BusinessMirror July 22, 2022

ADB raises 2022 PHL growth forecast to 6.5% from 6%

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE WORLD ›› A11

UK WEATHER TURMOIL SPURS CALLS TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE

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HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) raised its growth forecast for the Philippines to 6.5 percent this year on the back of a better-than-expected first quarter performance and robust

consumption spending in the second half of 2022.

In its Asian Development Outlook Supplement (ADOS) released on Thursday, ADB raised its GDP growth forecast from the 6 percent it initially estimated in April 2022.

It may be noted that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released

the official first-quarter GDP estimates of the country, which reached 8.3 percent, in May 2022.

ADB Philippines Country Director Kelly Bird told BusinessMirror that the increase in consumption spending will also allow the economy to post a growth of 6.5 percent or better this year. For 2023,

ADB maintained its 6.3-percent forecast.

“Our growth rate for 2022 takes into account the projected inflationary effects for this year, though offsetting some of the rebound in consumer spending in the second See “ADB,” A2

BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business Friday, July 22, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 287

BIZ GROUPS SEND WISH LIST OF BILLS PRE-SONA P www.businessmirror.com.ph

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P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 24 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

By Andrea E. San Juan

HILIPPINE business groups and foreign chambers are recommending the passage of 24 priority legislative measures in the incoming 19th Congress.

In a letter sent to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. on July 20, business groups and foreign chambers advocated legislative reforms which they recommend the government seek to enact in the 19th Congress.

The letter was sent ahead of the President’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the opening of the 19th Congress’s first regular session. Copies were given the incoming House Speaker and Senate President and key Cabinet officials.

The key legislative measures on their list are: Liberalization of Foreign Equity Restrictions in the Constitution; Open Access in Data Transmission; Ease of Paying Taxes; Promotion of Digital Payments.

The groups are also asking the government to seek the enactment of amendments to the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) for Hybrid/ Flexible Work Schedules.

Freedom of Information; Property Valuation and Assessment Reform; Capital Income and Financial Taxes Reform; amendments to the BuildOperate-Transfer Law/ Public-Private Partnership Act and the Secrecy of Bank Deposits law, are also among the bills being pushed by the local and foreign business groups.

The groups are also seeking the enactment of National Unemployment Insurance; Department of See “SONA,” A2

PENDING TOURISM BLUEPRINT STYMIES TPB MARKETING PUSH

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM

Special to the BusinessMirror

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HE Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) is still waiting on the Department of Tourism (DOT) to approve the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) for 2022-2028 to be able to draw up the marketing strategies needed to attract their target markets.

Sources who attended the meeting between Tourism Secretary-designate Christina Garcia Frasco and TPB officials led by Chief Operating Officer Ma. Anthonette Velasco-Allones on July 18, told the BusinessMirror, “The TPB can’t finalize its strategic marketing program because there is no revised NTDP. So it’s

A REPAIR crew paves a potholed portion of Commonwealth Avenue, designated a “no rally zone” by police authorities, in preparation for the first State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday, July 25, 2022. NONOY LACZA

unable to focus its marketing as there is still no decision on which portfolios should be promoted.” The Tourism Secretary chairs the board of directors of the TPB, which is the marketing arm of the DOT. The NTDP is a medium-term roadmap outlining how the Philippines can achieve tourism competitiveness by marketing high-quality products and destinations.

It also includes strategies to enhance connectivity from international airports to the Philippines, among the domestic ports, as well and improve infrastructure.

The NTDP 2022-2028 was drawn up in the last months of former Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat, but was sent back to the developers for revision after

Pag-IBIG releases nearly ₧52-B home loans in H1

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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TATE-RUN Home Development Mutual (Pag-IBIG) Fund released nearly P52 billion in home loans in the first half of this year, marking another record-high for the agency.

Pag-IBIG Fund’s home loan releases amounted to P51.96 billion from January to June this year, eclipsing the agency’s previous record of P44.34 billion in the same period last year.

Pag-IBIG Fund Of f icer-In-

Charge Vice President for Loans Originations Group Mary Annette R. Samano said the home loans they disbursed in the first semester financed a total of 47,184 housing units in the same period.

“For these six months of 2022, we posted a P51.96 billion total takeout. Again it’s a history for the Pag-IBIG Fund for the first six months of the year,” Samano said during the BusinessMirror Coffee Club webinar on Thursday.

Last year, Pag-Ibig Fund surpassed the P100-billion mark in total home loan releases even amid

See “TPB,” A2 See “Pag-IBIG,” A2

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.2770 n JAPAN 0.4071 n UK 67.4311 n HK 7.1693 n CHINA 8.3287 n SINGAPORE 40.3883 n AUSTRALIA 38.7523 n EU 57.3012 n KOREA 0.0429 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9772 Source: BSP (21 July 2022)

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BusinessMirror

Friday, July 22, 2022

₧1.3B worth of expiring Covid jabs, private sector’s burden

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By Andrea E. San Juan

half of the vaccines acquired are shared with the government, who at that time “was hindered by regulatory roadblocks that prevented the purchase of a treatment that was still awaiting FDA approval.”

Each AstraZeneca jab, the Go Negosyo founder said, is estimated to cost at least $5 each, while Moderna shots were bought for $26.83 for each dose.

As of July 21, Concepcion said, the total expiring vaccines in private sector warehouses went down from 1,516,040 to 1,488,380. The

breakdown is as follows: AstraZeneca (623,680) and Moderna (864,700).

“We have to learn from this. I think what really contributed was the lack of clear rules on the vaccines: who is allowed to take the vaccines, and the ability of some bodies to move swiftly with science and the reality on the ground,” said Concepcion.

Concepcion stressed, “the lack of urgency with some bodies is still affecting the whole vaccine rollout.

This shouldn’t be the case as we move forward.”

The Go Negosyo founder has been appealing for second boosters to be allowed for members of the workforce who are as young as 50 years old.

“The private sector has already proven that it is willing to get vaccinated. There is no need for mandates when it comes to the private sector,” added Concepcion, while he agrees that first boosters must be the primary focus, and the private sector must be allowed to use the vaccines it paid for.

As experts at ACE (Advisory Council of Experts) suggested, Concepcion said, that pandemic response should

not be business-as-usual. “We should consider the impact on the whole of society, the weight of the evidence coming from countries who have the studies and the data, the variants, and the challenges of rollout on the ground,” he said.

Concepcion added that factors like the return of in-person classes and the vulnerability of the workforce should also be considered in the deployment of vaccines.

Government units, he said, have to be attuned and should be part of the solutions moving forward.

He reiterated that many countries around the world have already found that persons younger than 60 can benefit from second boosters, and suggested that the Philippines follow the lead of those who have studied the merits of second boosters.

“Second-booster vacc inat ions using mRNA vaccines were allowed in the Philippines only in mid-May, two months after the US CDC updated its own guidelines to include even those as young as 50 years old,” read the Go Negosyo statement on Thursday.

Disaster Resilience Creation and amendments to the E-commerce Act. It’s worth noting that the local and foreign

business groups are also recommending that the government seek the enactment of a Pandemic Protection Act. Last month,

the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and its attached agencies said they are pushing for approval of the bill in a bid to strengthen the stockpiling of critical health products such as personal protective equipment (PPE).

Local business groups and foreign chambers are also seeking the enactment of Holiday Rationalization Act; Philippine Airports Authority Creation; and amendments to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) Charter.

Moreover, they are lobbying for the enactment of amendments to the 25-yearold Intellectual Property Code, which the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is also advocating to help the country keep pace with global legal and technological developments while boosting its attractiveness for tech businesses.

There are also recommendations to enact the Philippine Pension System Portability and Strengthening; Apprenticeship Program Reform; Agricultural Lands Ownership Easing; the repeal of Commonwealth Act 138 (Flag Act); International Maritime Trade Competitiveness Act; and Satellite-based Technologies Promotion Act. Among the 24 bills mentioned, seven bills reached the advanced stages of approval in the 18th Congress: the Liberalization of Foreign Equity Restrictions in the Constitution; Open Access in Data Transmission; Ease of Paying Taxes; Promotion of Digital Payments; Property Valuation and Assessment Reform (Tax Reform Package 3 under the previous administration’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program); Capital Income and Financial Taxes Reform (Tax Reform Package 4); and Department of Disaster Resilience.

As the groups congratulated the President and Vice President for winning the elections, they said in the letter that they look forward to working closely with the Marcos-Duterte administration and the 19th Congress.

In relation to this, the groups seek to work with the government in pursuing the advocated reforms and others that will generate substantial impact in achieving inclusive growth through job generation, increased investment, poverty reduction, and improved global competitiveness.

Signatories to the letter are: American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines; IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines; Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines Inc.; Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc.; Makati Business Club; Management Association of the Philippines; Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc.; and Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc.

O Negosyo founder Jose Maria A. Concepcion III said the Covid-19 vaccines worth more than P1.3 billion that are expiring by the end of July are losses incurred only by the private sector.

In a statement on Thursday, Concepcion clarified that the vaccines set to expire by the end of July are the losses incurred only by the private sector and do not yet reflect the vaccines it donated to the government.

“We donated AstraZeneca vaccines to the government,” said Concepcion on Thursday.

He said the expiring vaccines were acquired by the private sector through the tripartite agreement A Dose of Hope, which was formed in October 2020.

Under the tripartite agreement,

SONA. . .

Continued from A1

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ADB. . .

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half. However, the economy is expected to maintain strong growth momentum that would keep growth at or above 6.5 percent this year,” Bird said in an email.

ADB also raised its inflation estimates for the Philippines to 4.9 percent this year and 4.3 percent next year. In April, ADB estimated inflation would average 4.2 percent this year and 3.5 percent.

These, Bird said, are consistent with global inflation expectations. But he expressed confidence that the recent hike in interest rates by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) would stem inflation increases.

In June 2022, inflation reached 6.1 percent, the highest since October 2018 when inflation reached 6.9 percent. The rise in commodity prices was driven by food and fuel prices.

(Full story here: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/07/06/june-inflation-at-61-as-food-prices-surge/) “The main factors underlying this increase in inflation are coming from the supply side, through the disruption to global supply chains from the Covid-19 pandemic and commodity supply shocks caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. BSP’s increase in its policy rate should adequately mitigate rising inflation expectations going forward,” Bird told BusinessMirror.

Overall, the ADB said the country’s growth would also be driven by the large public infrastructure projects that are under way, as well as a slew of private sector indicators.

These include the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), industrial production, and imports, all of which “continue to expand.”

However, PSA data showed the Volume of Production Index in May grew only 1.9 percent (story here: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/07/08/manufacturingproduction-posts-1-9-growth-in-may/) while the country’s trade deficit widened by 78.6 percent (Story here: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2022/07/12/ costly-fuel-food-to-bloat-trade-gap/).

Nonetheless, Bird said, the legislative reforms such as the Public Service Act, retail sector and foreign investment combined with other reforms such as the tax measures TRAIN and CREATE would allow the economy

Pag-IBIG. . .

Continued from A1

the Covid-19 pandemic.

For 2021, Pag-IBIG Fund released home loans worth P97.28 billion. And, with interim releases for loans for house construction and renovation amounting to P3.5 billion, total releases have reached P100.8 billion—the highest amount ever released by the agency in a year.

The amount disbursed last year grew 58 percent compared to the P63.75 billion released in 2020 and has surpassed by 16 percent the P86.74 billion released in

TPB. . .

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consultation with national tourism stakeholders groups. It is pending final approval by the new DOT chief and tourism stakeholders.

Will she stay?

FRASCO failed to respond to this paper’s query on whether she was inclined to have Velasco-Allones retained at her post, as the latter’s term of office already expired on June 30. It was extended to July 30 due to the transition from the Duterte to the Marcos Jr. administration.

A lawyer by profession, VelascoAllones was well-liked by tourism stakeholders, who had appreciated her energy and “out-of-the-box thinking” to market Philippine destinations to both domestic and foreign tourists. During the pandemic, it was TPB which funded free RT-PCR tests to enable Filipinos to visit domestic destinations. The TPB board will have to appoint an officer-in-charge in case the COO post is vacated.

Under Republic Act 9593 (Tourism Act of 2009), the Tourism Congress of the Philippines recommends to the President the five TPB board members to represent accommodation enterprises; travel and tour services; land, air and sea tourist transport services; conventions and exhibitions services and suppliers; and other tourism enterprises. In turn, it is the board which

to grow faster.

“Earlier reforms setting up the Philippine Competition Commission and ARTA have created a competitive investment framework and should encourage further foreign investments in the Philippines, lift the manufacturing and industry sectors, and sustain the Philippines’ growth rate above 6 percent. Going forward, further specific sector reforms in utilities will be necessary to maximize the gains from these recent reforms,” Bird added.

Meanwhile, ADB lowered its economic growth forecast for developing Asia and the Pacific to 4.6 percent this year due to slower expansion in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), more aggressive monetary tightening in advanced economies, and fallout from the continued Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The outlook compares with a projection of 5.2 percent issued by ADB in April. The bank also raised its forecast for inflation in the region, amid higher prices for food and fuel.

Developing Asia and the Pacific is continuing its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to ADB’s Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022 Supplement, released today. Many countries are easing mobility restrictions, which is strengthening economic activity.

However, growth has slowed in the PRC, the region’s largest economy, due to disruption from new Covid-19 lockdowns, as well as weaker global demand.

Inflation in developing Asia and the Pacific is predicted to accelerate to 4.2 percent this year, compared with a previous forecast of 3.7 percent.

However, inflation pressure in the region as a whole is still lower than elsewhere in the world.

For 2023, ADB lowered its economic growth projection for the region to 5.2 percent from 5.3 percent, while raising the inflation forecast to 3.5 percent from 3.1 percent.

Growth forecasts for some subregions were upgraded. The outlook for Southeast Asia was raised to 5 percent this year from 4.9 percent amid increased domestic demand due to more relaxed Covid-19 restrictions.

The forecast for the Caucasus and Central Asia was raised to 3.8 percent from 3.6 percent, as some economies in the subregion have withstood the economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine better than expected. In the Pacific, rebounding tourism in Fiji helped the subregion’s growth outlook improve to 4.7 percent from 3.9 percent.

2019, the agency’s previous record-high.

Of the total home loan releases in the first half of this year, Samano said socialized housing loans for low-wage earners comprised P3.67 billion or 7.07 percent.

These socialized housing loans financed 8,471 units, equivalent to 17.95 percent of the total.

However, the amount of socialized housing loans released by the agency was down by 21.2 percent than the P4.66 billion disbursed in the same period last year.

Last year, socialized housing loans released by Pag-IBIG Fund hit P9.71 billion, surging by 37 percent from P7.1 billion in 2020.

chooses the TPB COO.

Travel app improved

DURING their meeting, Frasco underscored the need to maximize the use of Travel App 2.0, an application that highlights key and emerging destinations in the country.

The digitalization of tourism products and offerings, she stressed, is a priority of the Marcos administration. Travel App 2.0 was softlaunched by the TPB recently, after tweaks to its forerunner “Travel Philippines” were made. The app is supposed to contain the most up-todate info on local destinations including possible entry rules, tourism activities and products, and how to get there.

The new DOT chief also instructed TPB officials to reach out to the local government units (LGUs) and exhaust all assistance possible in their tourism-related requirements, particularly in the lesserknown and underdeveloped destinations, “to equalize opportunities for tourism marketing and promotion.”

Frasco wants to strengthen projects and programs granted by the TPB to LGUs, by exploring tourism areas and communities that could be further improved. The DOT regional offices were supposed to have validated in the last two years “tourism circuits,” which include new products and neighboring provinces that can be marketed to travelers as major destinations. A list of the validated tourism circuits have also yet to be turned over to the TPB for marketing, said sources.

Economy BusinessMirror

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DA indefinitely extends moratorium on laboratory fees for avian flu tests

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HE Department of Agriculture (DA) has extended indefinitely its moratorium on laboratory fees for avian influenza (AI) tests for certain transactions to encourage local poultry producers to secure farm certification amid bird flu threats in the country.

Agriculture Undersecretar y for Operations and Chief-ofStaff Leocadio S. Sebastian issued DA Administrative Order (AO) No. 21 series of 2022 that aut hor i zed t he e x tension of moratorium on the charging of laboratory fees for AI tests.

The extension of the moratorium covers AI tests for local transport by the Animal Disease Diagnosis and Reference Laboratory (ADDRL) of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratories (RADDLs).

Furthermore, the AO stipulated that the extension of the moratorium is only applicable to the following transactions: new application for farm certification; renewal of farm certification; and local transport of live poultry, poultry products and by-products as endorsed by provincial and city veterinary offices of the independent cities and veterinary offices in NCR. The last moratorium on AI lab test fees by ADDRL and RADDLs expired last June 30.

“The previous moratorium was issued to support and give ample time to all clients to register their poultry facilities and other poultryrelated facilities while strengthening AI surveillance and reporting,” the AO read.

“The DA continually supports and encourages our local poultry industry stakeholders to comply with the government requirements while securing food safety and security, in compliance to the Republic Act [RA] 8485 as amended by RA 10631, R A 10631 or the Food Safety Act of 2013, other DA issuances related to the previously

mentioned laws,” it added.

The DA noted that it has allowed the movement of poultry-related commodities subject to “additional safety measures such as but not limited to AI testing” to “ensure supply chain continuity and local food sufficiency,” while preventing further spread of AI Type A subtypes H5 and H7.

“This Order shall take effect upon signing shall still be in effect until revoked in writing,” the document dated July 19 read.

The Philippines culled nearly 300,000 birds, mostly chicken layers, to prevent the spread of AI in the country, BAI data as of June 24 showed.

A total of 286,934 birds were culled by the government, of which 66.38 percent or about 190,468 were chicken layers, according to BAI data.

BAI data showed that the government also culled 47,667 ducks, 27,574 quails, 750 native chickens and 575 other birds. The attached agency of the Department of Agriculture said a certain farm owner conducted a pre-emptive culling of 19,900 broiler breeders.

The agency said the government has indemnified affected poultry farmers who received a total of P24.831 million. Based on its latest tally, BAI said bird flu cases in the country were confirmed in 95 barangays in 53 municipalities across 14 provinces in eight regions nationwide.

The BAI said 133,160 birds died due to the disease, bringing the total death count (mortalities and culled) to 420,094 birds.

Chicken layer accounted for the bulk of the recorded mortalities as of June 24 at 64,772 followed by quail at 55,616.

As of June 24, there were 10 ongoing bird flu cases out of the 142 confirmed cases nationwide.

The government has resolved 132 bird flu cases since the resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in February.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

US agri exports to PHL to reach record-level $3.8 billion this year

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

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HE United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Services (USDA-FAS) is keen that American agricultural exports to the Philippines this year would reach a record level of over $3.8 billion, its administrator said.

USDA-FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley said he is “especially” optimistic for US agricultural exports to the Philippines this year for two reasons: value of goods have been high and demand for American agricultural goods have not waned.

“I am always optimistic but I’m especially optimistic for this year for a couple of reasons. First, obviously we talked about value, prices have been somewhat high. Second, demand has not really fallen off so we do think that those projections would hold true,” Whitley told reporters recently.

“I do think inflationary pressures on food and agriculture prices will allow the Philippines to open up the markets even further. Our products are safe and we think, without any unfair trade barriers, we can increase our exports. I think we will hit the

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@llectura

N environmental non-profit think tank has reported that the Philippines has emerged as the only country in the region that has registered a 42 percent jump in CO2 emission from coal power generation since the signing of the 2016 Paris Agreement.

In its July 6 report, Ember said that among the 10 Asean member-states, five countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam—or the “Asean 5,” make up 89 percent of the region’s total electricity generation. Their combined numbers make their contribution crucial to achieving clean energy transition in the region.

Further, solar and wind only make up 4 percent of Asean 5 electricity, compared to 10 percent globally. By 2030, Ember said the five countries’ share would go up to only 11 percent of the total generation.

By 2030 Vietnam is expected to generate 18 percent solar and wind in total, the Philippines 16.5 percent, and Thailand 9.6 percent. Malaysia and Indonesia would reach 3.4 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

The numbers, Ember said do not align with the Internaitonal Energy Agency (IEA) net-zero pathway. It added that recent trends show that if clean energy cannot keep up with the rising demand, fossil fuels will take over.

“This is not enough to meet the rapidly rising demand for power and to put the region on the IEA’s 1.5 degree pathway. In fact, the report shows that clean power is not keeping pace with electricity demand.

The Asean 5 saw their electricity demand

target [$3.5 billion], I really do,” Whitley added.

The Philippines is the US’s eighthlargest market for agricultural exports, averaging $3.1 billion annually in the past five years, according to the USDA. In a recent Global Agricultural Information Network report, the USDA-FAS in Manila projected that US agricultural exports to the Philippines this year would grow by 8 percent to a record-high of $3.834 billion from last year’s $3.55 billion.

“Despite shipping challenges, the United States remains the largest exporter of food and beverages. Post forecasts US food and beverage exports to grow 8 percent in 2022 with strong opportunities for milk, cheese, meat, poultry, baked products, fruits, vegetables, wine, and pet food,” the USDA-FAS Manila said. (Related story:https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/07/11/us-agency-phl-fbsales-could-rise-6-to-26b-in-22/) Whitley noted that the US has been setting record export value of agriculture products to the Philippines for the past two years, indicating the “reliability” of the US suppliers even in times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This was during Covid and this was during supply chain disruptions.

We’re excited to hear they value reliability and we’re excited to offer that characteristic from our agriculture industry,” he said.

“The number one word we heard is reliability. In this time of uncertainty and unprecedented inflation hitting all sectors of the economy but especially the agriculture sector, we know our trading partners are looking for reliable suppliers and American agriculture has proven to be a reliable supplier during unprecedented circumstances,” he added.

Whitley was in the Philippines, leading a US delegation for a four-day trade mission that sought to expand export prospects of US agriculture products to the Philippines. Together with Whitley was a delegation of representatives from 29 US agribusinesses and farm organizations as well as state agriculture officials.

“The Philippines is an excellent market for US farm and food products, and we look forward to introducing a diverse group of companies and organizations to new export opportunities there,” Whitley said in a statement last week before the July 18 to 21 trade mission.

“US brands sell very well in the Philippines, where consumers regard our products as safe, reliable and of good quality. The United States has enjoyed a long and prosperous trading relationship with the Philippines and this mission is an ideal opportunity to further expand our exports there,” Whitley added.

The USDA said participants during the four-day trade mission would “engage directly with potential buyers, receive in-depth market briefs from FAS and industry trade experts, and participate in site visits.”

Some of the agribusinesses and organizations that present during the trade mission are California Blueberry Commission, California Milk Advisory Board, Flying Horse Services Inc., Food Export Association of the Midwest USA, Food Export USA, Groceries USA, National Pork Board, US Grains Council, and US Livestock Genetics Export Inc., among others.

Aside from the 29 agribusinesses and organizations, the USDA said representatives from various US state agencies, particularly those involved in agriculture and food, were also part of the trade mission to the Philippines.

DENR, Korea explore tie up on satellite monitoring of Philippine environment

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HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Republic of Korea are exploring collaboration on the use of communication satellites to monitor and protect the environment in the Philippines similar to the model being used in Korea.

Korea is already using two systems for real-time monitoring of the environmental and weather conditions through satellite imagery and meteorological stations, according to Korean National Assembly Representative JO Myung-hee during her recent visit to the Philippines.

The visit to the DENR last July 13 was a pivotal meeting to intro-

Asean countries, including PHL, urged anew to ditch coal, switch to renewables

By Lenie Lectura

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Friday, July 22, 2022 A3

rise by 22 percent from 2015 to 2021. Less than half of that [39 percent] was met with clean electricity. Half [48 percent] was met with fossil fuels. This led to a 21 percent rise in power sector CO2 emissions,” it said.

Ember cited the Philippines’s solar and wind power installations represent only 2.6 percent of total generation in 2021, compared to 4 percent Asean-wide and 10 percent globally. Based on the power sector development plan, the Philippines’s solar and wind share in the region will only increase to 16.5 percent by 2030.

From 2015 to 2021, Ember said electricity demand in the country rose wherein only 12 percent has been met with clean electricity, while electricity from coal generation met 88 percent of the demand. The remaining 3 percent was met with gas generation.

“The rise in clean electricity generation was driven by growth in solar and wind which saw a near-double increase in generation. On the other hand, coal power generation increased by 75 percent. Accordingly, its share jumped from 27 percent to 47 percent. It was the only country among Asean 5 to see a rise in coal generation every year since the Paris Agreement,” it said.

Under current government policies, solar and wind are projected to supply only one tenth of total electricity generation in 2030. Ember Asia electricity data analyst Uni Lee said this is not nearly enough to meet the rapidly growing demand. “Rapid scaling-up of solar and wind and grid modernization is going to be a crucial piece of the puzzle to solve the climate crisis in this region.”

duce state-of-the-art technologies for the collection of data to monitor the environmental conditions on the ground.

In a news release, DENR-Foreign Assisted and Special Services (FASPS) Director Dr. Al O. Orolfo acknowledged satellite technologies and high-resolution images significant role in the management and protection of natural resources and the environment.

Orolfo and other DENR senior officials, namely, Lawyer Ernesto D. Adobo Jr., former Officer-in-Charge (OIC), DENR, and Maria Elena A. Morallos-Manila, Director of the Knowledge and Information Systems

Service (KISS) during her visit, welcomed JO Myung-hee.

Present also in the meeting is Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Philippines Office Assistant Country Director Kim Younlee.

There are two ongoing KOICAfunded projects with the DENR. One is the Establishment of an Integrated Water Resources Management and Information System for the Pampanga River Basin Phase 2 (IWRMIS II) implemented by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).

The other project is the Enhancement of Marine Litter Management

in Manila Bay (EMLM) to be spearheaded by the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO).

Representative JO Myung-hee is looking forward to this collaboration as well with other Philippine government agencies such as the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and Pagasa.

At present, the Philippines’s capability to monitor ground and surface conditions are through local weather stations of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and the Geographic Information System (GIS) which generates analyses dependent on a particular location or coordinates on the ground.

A4 Friday, July 22, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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Senate bill doubles government workers’ PERA from P2K to P4K

By Butch Fernandez

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@butchfBM

ONGRESS was asked to frontload passage of an enabling legislation doubling government workers’ Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) from P2,000 to P4,000 to enable 1.8-million state employees to cope with the double-whammy triggered by skyrocketing fuel prices amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

In filing Senate Bill No. 60 (SB60), Senator Francis Escudero also sought to “provide automatic yearly adjustment” in state workers allowance “equivalent to any increase of the annual inflation rate” to meet their needs.

Stressing that the proposed double allowance was intended to provide economic relief for government workers, Escudero explained he filed a bill that will “raise to P4,000

from P2,000 the PERA of some 1.8 million government employees as a way of helping them cope with higher prices brought about by the lingering Covid-19 pandemic and fuel hikes.”

As filed, Escudero recalled the PERA bill was originally introduced in the early 1990s as “a subsidy granted to all government workers as a form of assistance to help make ends meet in the face of economic crisis, as well as higher prices.”

Moreover, he asserted “higher gasoline prices, higher transportation fares and higher prices of basic commodities since PERA’s inception have proven that PERA augments the earnings of a government worker not just as an emergency allowance, but as a major source of additional funding to be able to afford basic commodities.”

As proposed in the Escudero bill, he noted that PERA will still “cover all civilian government employees both in the local and national level whether appointive or elective, and whether occupying regular, contractual, or casual positions, whose positions are covered by Republic Act No. 6758, or the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989.”

The senator added, “It shall also cover military and uniformed personnel, except for those who are stationed abroad that are already receiving overseas allowances.”

Under Senate Bill 60, the first year of the augmented allowance’s implementation, the funds necessary for PERA of national and local government agencies shall be charged against savings estimated at P62 billion, representing unreleased appropriations and other

programmed appropriations.

Thereafter, the Escudero bill also provides that “the amount necessary shall be provided in the annual General Appropriations Act [GAA].”

In addition, Escudero explained that “looking after the welfare of government employees was among the commitments” he made during the election campaign in recognition of the government employees’ role in creating a bureaucracy that is efficient and effective.

At the same time, Escudero is batting for increased PERA even as he expressed support for the plan of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to “streamline and reorganize the bureaucracy seen to save P14.8 billion in annual government expenditure.”

He, however, noted, “the DBM plan is on the right path, even as the

Pinay cleaner jailed for blackmail in Singapore

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome @maloutalosig

A

FILIPINA cleaner was sentenced to two-month imprisonment for blackmailing her employer-turned-ex-lover in Singapore by threatening to expose their relationship and show his wife snapshots of his genitals.

Melissa Bariga Cuizon pleaded guilty of criminal intimidation, prompting the Singaporean court to sentence her to jail for eight weeks on Monday, July 18, 2022, Today digital news portal in Singapore reported.

The report said the complainant, a Singaporean married man, met the Filipina online when he was looking for the services of a part-time housekeeper on Facebook.

Bariga Cuizon started working for the Singaporean on January 6 this

year. Then after a few weeks, the two began having a consensual sexual relationship and even exchanged “sexual photograph of themselves” to each other, Today quoted the prosecutor as saying. Then on February 5, Cuizon asked the Singaporean if she lend her S$3,500 (more than P120,000). “[Cuizon] lied that it was meant to repay a loan from a loan shark where she acted as a guarantor. The truth was, Bariga Cuizon wanted to use the money to repay a friend from whom she had borrowed money,” Today wrote.

The Singaporean man refused, prompting Bariga Cuizon to threaten him that she would send the snapshots of his private parts to his wife and expose their relationship.

“The man did not budge,” Today reported.

It was not clear if the Filipina had

indeed sent the photo to his wife.

But then she sent the nude photographs to another man, a certain “Adrian Wong” whom she allegedly had an online relationship.

Adrian Wong used the photographs and tried to blackmail the Singaporean.

These threats were used as part of the evidence in the complaint of the Singaporean man.

Anyone found guilty of criminal intimidation can be jailed for up to two years or a fine, or both in Singapore. The court’s sentence against Bariga Cuizon apparently was lighter as the court needs to consider another criminal charge against her, i.e. distributing intimate image.

Distributing intimate images or recordings is also a criminal offense in Singapore and punishable by imprisonment for up to five years, a fine, caning or any combination of the three.

DOJ chief calls for ‘improvements’ in criminal justice system

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

N

EWLY appointed Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla called for the “improvements” in the criminal justice system as he noted that the current 25 percent conviction rate for cases filed in courts could not be considered a passing rate.

In a joint news briefing with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. at Camp Crame in Quezon City, Remulla said the 25 percent conviction rate is an indication that enforcement and prosecution are not working well together.

“The conviction rate right now is less than 25 percent for cases filed in criminal courts and this includes plea bargaining, which means we are not really getting a passing rate. This is

not a standard that we can live with.

We have to change this drastically,” Remulla said.

He stressed that getting high conviction rate would be a good deterrent against criminality.

However, based on the 2021 annual report of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the National Prosecution Service, the prosecution arm of the DOJ, has maintained a high prosecution rate, with 92 percent of cases successfully prosecuted and resulting in convictions.

The report also showed 88 percent of cases for preliminary investigation resolved within the prescribed period.

“What is really needed is the certainty of punishment and when the conviction rate is very low then the certainty of punishment goes down, then the criminals have a heyday, an easy time with the law,” Remulla

pointed out.

To address this predicament, Remulla said the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the DILG are looking into the possibility of coming out with a program for the retraining of law enforcement units in both remedial and substantive law such as on conducting surveillance, effecting an arrest, preserving the scene of the crime, processing a scene of the crime and processing the evidence.

“All of these have to be restudied and re-inculcated and of course injected into the system in a more widespread manner meaning every police station should have that skill already from the very start…We have to have an efficient criminal justice system,” the justice chief said.

For the prosecution, Remulla noted the apparent confusion on the Rules of the Court as to the quasi-judicial function of prosecutors.

senator acknowledged, “it would be a difficult process.”

“They just have to pour in the time to study which positions are redundant or unnecessary and to make sure that those that may be affected are given proper compensation on top of whatever benefits from the GSIS [Government Service Insurance System] in order to help them get by and start anew amidst these trying economic times,” he said.

Escudero, a former governor of Sorsogon reminded, “in so far as streamlining the local government units [LGUs] are concerned, the matter should be left to the provincial, city or municipal governments themselves,” stressing that “it should be totally up to them [as] this is part of devolution enshrined in our Constitution and the Local Government Code.”

Hike in benefit for virus-inflicted workers still undergoing review

T

HE proposed increase for the one-time sickness benefit for Covid-inflicted workers is still undergoing review for now, according to the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC).

This after former President Rodrigo R. Duterte did not approve the proposal by the ECC Board earlier this year to raise the amount of the said financial aid for workers, who got infected while on duty, from P10,000 to P30,000.

“It is now being reviewed by the Board. We had to go back to the Board members who approved it for comments,” ECC Executive Director Stella Banawis said in a Viber message.

Among the factors that will be considered by the Board would be the “severity” of Covid-19 cases as well as the status of the government’s vaccination drive.

“These [factors] will be extensively reviewed to determine if the current administration will still push through with the P30,000 cash assistance for Covid-19,” Banawis said.

Currently, she said only 24,000 workers have availed of the said benefit.

Another 14,000 workers have applied for the program, but Banawis said they were unable to accommodate the said applications for now due to lack of funds.

ECC suspended accepting new applications for the Covid-related sickness benefit last January due to the said budget issues.

Banawis said their request for additional funding for the said benefit is still pending for approval with the Department of Budget and Management. Samuel P. Medenilla

EJAP mourns passing of founding chief Aydinan, cites work as journo

T

HE Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) on Wednesday issued a statement mourning the passing of its founding chairman, veteran business journalist Abrino Aydinan, who died Tuesday.

“Mr. Aydinan, who was then working for the

defunct Business Day publication, the precursor of BusinessWorld, was the one who made the bold suggestion in 1985 to create an organization of economic reporters,” said the statement by EJAP. The country’s preeminent organization of business journalists cited the account of EJAP’s history by the late Arleen Chipongian-Perez, also an EJAP Founding Member.

She had recalled that Aydinan suggested the creation of the organization since their group of 15 junior reporters would always meet after work to talk shop.

It was as simple as that, but what Mr. Aydinan did not yet realize then was that his simple suggestion would give birth to a 90-member strong institution that strives to always uphold excellence in business reporting.

“The EJAP owes much to Sir Abring and we will forever be grateful for his contribution to the industry. As EJAP’s first president, his commitment and ‘intense intellectual’ prowess is recognized

by all as the moving spirit behind EJAP during its early years,” according to Fe dela Cruz who, like Sir Abring, was a former Business Day reporter/editor.

She recalled that Sir Abring, a trade beat reporter, led journalists at the time to weigh in on the turbulent political issues of the 1980s, something business reporters rarely do.

Another Founding Member, Chi Liquicia, former Daily Express reporter and Reuters correspondent, described Abring as “tahimik pero malalim [quiet but deep]” and very credible as EJAP leader, said Chipongian’s account.

He was also director of the Department of Agrarian Reform and contributed to the success of the Cordillera Regional Consultative Commission as its chairman. “He will be remembered dearly,” she said.

In expressing deepest condolences to Aydinan’s family and friends, EJAP said in its statement: “May we all find comfort in knowing that Sir Abring and his contributions to journalism will not be forgotten.

We will always remember Arleen’s words: ‘Walang EJAP, if wala si Abring’ [There will be no EJAP if there is no Abring].

Sir Abring is survived by his wife, Socorro Queipo Aydinan; his children, Maimai-addi and Macliing Gabriel; and grandchildren, Manuel and Kurt.

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Think tank urges govt to stick to RE, shun nuke power option

By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

L

OCAL think-tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) strongly urged incoming energy secretary Raphael Lotilla to focus on renewable energy (RE) over gas and nuclear.

“Lotilla inherits the record-high power rates, dwindling energy security, and volatile supply and fuel prices that plague the energy sector today.

The Philippines tempted this kind of trouble by massively expanding coal use in the last decade. It is now doing the same with fossil gas and liquefied natural gas [LNG],” said Gerry Arances, Executive Director of CEED. From 38 percent in 2010, coal’s share in the power generation mix increased to 57 percent in 2020.

While the Department of Energy’s (DOE) moratorium on new coal power projects helped reduce the planned coal projects by nearly half, “another fossil fuel in the form of natural gas, which must be appropriately called fossil gas, and its liquid form liquefied natural gas, is touted as the new preferred fuel in the latest energy plans,” said CEED. Arances challenged Lotilla to reshape the country’s energy sector, saying RE should be his priority.

“It makes no sense that we are preparing to receive large amounts of imported LNG as global prices continue to skyrocket and no clarity if there will be sufficient fuel supply to cover the Philippines’s power needs,” Arances added.

CEED also said that nuclear “will bring more harm than good to the energy sector and consumers.”

“Peddling nuclear energy as if it is the quick fix to our energy woes is dangerous because it glosses over the fact that the barriers to and risks associated with nuclear—including financial, social, and environmental

costs—outweigh the benefits.

We are yet to see any plan on how to address costly nuclear waste disposal whose technology and upkeep required are never economical to begin with.

Why should we import fuels such as uranium and plutonium for nuclear facilities when there are far safer and affordable renewable sources we should be developing?” said Arances.

FormerPresidentRodrigo Duterte has signed Executive Order (EO) 164, which allows the country to include nuclear power in its energy mix.

The EO should be solidified with the enactment of a law that will provide for the policy and regulation of nuclear plants, as well as the creation of an agency that shall focus on the laying down the foundations necessary for the inclusion of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix.

“The next DOE chief should prioritize breaking off our overreliance on the importation of fuels—whether it be fossil or nuclear. The whole conversation about reviving nuclear is another distraction that is veering us away from the solution that is right in front of us which is renewable energy,” Arances added.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Solar and Storage Alliance (PSSA) said the energy sector is in a period of transition towards a greener grid.

“The leadership before [Lotilla] has already issued policies that put in place the mechanism for the injection of about 17 gigawatts solar energy by 2030. We will work with him in as we did in the past when solar energy was still deployed in offgrid and remote communities around the country,” said PSSA Chairperson Tetchi Capellan.

The group, she said, will continue to find ways to lower the generation cost by introducing more efficient technologies, better business processes, and applying cost-saving measures.

Modern ‘digital army’: PA sustains shift to cutting-edge tech in ground warfare

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

T

HE Philippine Army (PA) is sustaining its transformation into a “digital army” as laid out by its commanding general, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., under the military’s modernization program by acquiring and mastering the use of cutting-edge technology in modern warfare.

On Wednesday, the military’s primary ground force showcased its upgraded capabilities in the area of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting Acquisition and Reconnaissance (C4ISTAR), which was witnessed by Brawner himself, other top military officials and Israeli representatives.

Program and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The data was also cross matched with the DA’s Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers (DA-FSRF), DOLE’s Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (DOLE-Camp), and the Department of Finance’s and Social Security System’s Small Business Wage Subsidy Program (DOF-SSS-SBWSP).

“The SAP’s second tranche was distributed only in areas that remained under the enhanced community quarantine [ECQ] classification,” the report stated.

“This effectively excluded millions of first-tranche recipients who live in non-ECQ areas but nonetheless are part of the targeted 18 million families considered to be at risk of going hungry and impoverished due to loss of livelihood and incomes,” it explained.

T

HE latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 83 percent of Filipinos believe that the worst of Covid-19 is over.

According to SWS, this percentage is higher as compared to the 80 percent surveyed in December 2021 and almost twice as high to the 44 percent when SWS first asked the question in a similar poll in May 2020.

The SWS survey, using face-toface interviews conducted on April 19 to 27, stated that most of those who expressed that “the worst is behind us” were from Mindanao with 86 percent, Metro Manila with 82 percent, Balance Luzon with 82 percent, and Visayas with 81 percent.

The social protection programs of the government aimed to address the financial difficulties of Filipinos which peaked when the government implemented the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in 2020.

Official government data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the unemployment rate shot up to 17.6 percent while underemployment increased to 18.9 percent in April 2020.

The country’s employment rate declined to only 82.4 percent in that month. The Labor Force Participation Rate hit a record low of 55.7 percent in April 2020.

SocialWatch and Oxfam said the hardships of Filipinos were also compounded by the lack of Covid-19 test kits, making these prohibitive. Further, hospitals were barely able to contain the surge in coronavirus cases.

New DENR chief vows ‘ethical stewardship’ continued from a16 According to Yulo, the DENR will strive to make sure that legislation is evidence-informed and policies and programs involve consultation with our stakeholders.

“Lastly, we strive for efficiency but also technical excellence in the conduct of our work, especially in government transactions, the use of our resources, and the digitization, hopefully, and modernization of our management systems. This will enhance the delivery of service and ensure the level of performance and the impacts that we want to achieve,” she said.

Natural resources accounting

THE DENR chief also emphasized the agency’s crucial role in the accounting of the country’s natural resources.

That accounting, she said, will take place “very very soon” as the new administration’s agenda

moving forward planning begins.

“This will in fact involve the use of science and technology, as well as the use of financial management and economics. That means we will have to work across the different Departments to achieve that foundation,” she said.

Yulo-Loyzaga added that as DENR chief, she would like to build resilient communities along with other government agencies, to the risk-sensitive and balanced development of resources along with natural, rural, and urban transect.

“These resources are part of our national patrimony. We need to treasure them and measure what we value,” she said.

She said the DENR will work with cities which she described as engines of growth that depend largely on the ecosystems that support them to ensure inclusive development.

According to Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad, the demonstration of the Army’s capabilities in C4ISTAR operations was carried out by the PA’s Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Command and Control Communications, and Cyber Systems (OG6).

The integration demonstration by the PA of its recently acquired C4ISTAR, which include a new battle management system platform, was carried out at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, in coordination with officials of Israel’s Elbit Systems.

From howitzers to tanks, systems and technologies, Israel has been providing and sharing stateof-the art weapons and communications system to the Army, and even radar and missile systems to

the Navy and Air Force.

Elbit Systems signed in 2019 a multimillion contract to help improve and upgrade the Army’ C4ISTAR proficiency in three components. The project also includes the delivery of unmanned aerial systems.

The use, operation and upgrading of the military’s C4ISTAR capability through the delivery of modern equipment were a major overall component of the Armed Forces of the Philippines revised modernization program.

Trinidad said that during the demonstration, the OG6 also simulated a tactical operations center by using C4ISTAR equipment.

Meanwhile, teams from the PA’s First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) and the Indonesian Army’s Komando

Cadangan Strategis Angkatan Darat (Kostrad) continued to sharpen their interoperability and capabilities in a broad range of military operations in the ongoing Training Activity Indonesia-Philippines (TA DOLPHINE XIV-2022) in West Java, Indonesia.

Trinidad said the TA DOLPHINE XIV-2022,whichisbeinghelduntilJuly 24,focusesontheexchangeofinformation, tactics, technics and procedures in counterinsurgency operations.

FSRR Chief of Staff Col. Samuel G. Yunque, during the staff exchange, discussed urban operations that focused on the Battle of Marawi, while Kostrad Deputy Intelligence Assistant Col. Muhammad Aidi shared lessons learned in their campaign against the Free Papua Separatist Movement in West Papua.

83% of Pinoys believe worst of Covid-19 is over–survey

Millions left out of Covid loan-funded aid programs continued from a16 Meanwhile, the P200-billion SAP distributed anywhere from P5,000 to P8,000—depending on the locality’s minimum wage rate—in two fund tranches in April and May 2020.

However, for the second tranche, at least 2.7 million families were excluded from the emergency cash assistance while some 200,000 beneficiaries were found to be ineligible.

The report added that only 3.2 million families of the 5-million waitlisted families that were left out in the first tranche, and were supposed to be included in the second tranche, were enlisted in the program.

The report also claimed that at least 842,014 families received duplicate assistance. These families were identified after they were cross-matched with databases of the DSWD’s Emergency Subsidy

Friday, July 22, 2022 A5

Climate emergency

L OY Z AG A , mea nwh i le h ig hlighted the need to combat the c l i m at e e m e r g e n c y t h r o u g h practical climate change adaptation measures, and the use of science to approach national and local scales impacts of climate change.

“We live in a multihazard environment. Not just from natural hazards, but from industrial and natural technological hazards as well,” she explained. “ T he compounding of this hazard has led to the development of systemic risk and threat to our entire social and economic system. Finally, we should strive to continuously protect our indigenous species as part of our natural heritage and at the same time harness these resources for the benefit of our country,” she said.

There were 1,440 poll respondents nationwide with 360 each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao with sampling error margins of ±2.6 percent for national percentages and ±5.2 percent for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The SWS survey showed that 16 percent feared that “the worst is yet to come.” This is lower are compared to the 19 percent in December 2021.

“On the other hand, the percentage of those fearing ‘the worst is yet to come’ is slightly higher in the Visayas [18 percent], Balance Luzon [18 percent], and Metro Manila [17 percent] than in Mindanao [12 percent],” the SWS survey showed.

On the other hand, 88 percent of Filipinos are worrying about catching Covid-19, 74 percent a great deal worried, 14 percent somewhat worried and 12 percent “a little wor-

ried/not worried,” 4 percent a little worried, 8 percent not worried that anyone in their immediate family might catch Covid-19.

“Compared to past SWS surveys, worry about catching Covid-19 is much greater than worries about catching previous viruses such as Ebola, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS],” the survey, released on July 20, said. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

BusinessMirror

Friday, July 22, 2022

A6

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

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

LUU VAN CUONG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 1.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.

NGUYEN CHI THANH Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 2.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.

NGUYEN THI HAI YEN Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 3.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.

NGUYEN THI THU HONG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 4.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.

PHAM THE CUONG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 5.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.

SAM A LAY Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 6.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.

VONG KIM HUONG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 7.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.

VONG LE QUAN Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 8.

Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.

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

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

9.

Brief Job Description: Maintain and enforce a documented system of accounting policies and procedures; oversee operation of accounting process

SUN, XIAOLEI General Manager 10.

Brief Job Description: Manage business operations. Develop and implement business plans

B AND G AND C PREMIUM ENTERPRISES INC. #0041, Tatalon St., Ugong, City Of Valenzuela

KASUYA, YASUTAKA Design Engineering Manager 12.

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.

13.

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

ZENG, KE Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant 14.

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

QIU, ZHIHAO Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant 15.

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

CHEN, KUN Chinese Speaking Technical Consultant 16.

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: Expand communication skills and negotiation skills within company, customers and suppliers

VONG CON LIN Chinese Speaking Marketing Consultant

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

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

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

LU, YUSHAN Chinese Speaking Technical Consultant 17.

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

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.

TONG THI TUYET Chinese Speaking Technical Consultant 18.

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.

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

Basic Qualification: Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin and Fukien, 1 year experience in an executive position Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

WANG, TENG Chinese Speaking Technical Consultant 19.

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

ZHANG, YAO Chinese Speaking Technical Consultant 20.

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

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

LEHEU, KILLIAN Civil Project Coordinator, Infrastructure, Preparation, And Innovation Facility - 02 Water (flood Control) 23.

Brief Job Description: Civil project coordinator shall be responsible for providing direct support to the team leader, sub-team leader and designated civil project coordinator lead of the project.

Basic Qualification: Japanese Nationality Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

RAVEL, LEO THEOPHILE Civil Project Coordinator, Infrastructure, Preparation, And Innovation Facility - 02 Water (flood Control) 24.

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

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

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

VI HANG NGA Operations Associate 25.

26.

27.

28.

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

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

29.

30.

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

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

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

21.

BAE, JUNGIL General Manager Brief Job Description: Supervise the company

Basic Qualification: Trading doors and windows

31.

32.

33.

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

EGIS INTERNATIONAL S.A. - PHILIPPINE BRANCH OFFICE Unit 708, 7/f Citystate Center, 709 Shaw Blvd., Oranbo, City Of Pasig

BEGIN, SHONA JEANNE Civil Project Coordinator, Infrastructure, Preparation, And Innovation Facility - 02 Water (flood Control) 22.

Brief Job Description: Civil project coordinator shall be responsible for providing direct support to the team leader, sub-team leader and designated civil project coordinator lead of the project.

Basic Qualification: Minimum of 5 years’ experience in eu standard, flood mitigation, and water infrastructure projects.

Degree in engineering specializing in management of public water services.

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

Basic Qualification: Minimum of 5 years’ experience in eu standard, flood mitigation, and water infrastructure projects.

Degree in engineering specializing in management of public water services.

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Minimum of 5 years’ experience in eu standard, flood mitigation, and water infrastructure projects.

Degree in engineering specializing in management of public water services.

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible In Conducting Accurate Individual Verification Of The Details Provided By The Candidate With The Respective Source On A Timely Manner Within The Agreed Service Level Agreement

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

FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC. Ri Rance Ii Bldg., Block 2 Lot 3 Aseana City, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

FIRST ADVANTAGE PHILIPPINES, INC. 7-8th Floor Kingston Tower, Acacia Avenue, Mbp, Ayala, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

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

Brief Job Description: Civil project coordinator shall be responsible for providing direct support to the team leader, sub-team leader and designated civil project coordinator lead of the project.

CHEN, SHENGMIN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

LI, ZHAOJUN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service

LIU, ZHIWEI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

LU, XUE Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

TRAN AI NGOC Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

WANG, WEI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

WEI, HANXIANG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

DURATECH SYSTEM WINDOWS INC. D-868 Tropical Ave, Bf Int’l, B. F. International Village, City Of Las Piñas

Basic Qualification: Can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin and Fukien, 1 year experience in an executive position Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

No.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, speaks and write fluently (English & Korean)

DOMINUS VISA CONSULTANCY INC. 37th Floor Lkg Tower,, 6801 Ayala Avenue,, Bel-air, City Of Makati

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: Responsible for receiving, inspecting and documenting items

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

DENSO PHILIPPINES CORPORATION 9/f & 10/f Filinvest One, Northgate Cyberzone, Filinvest City Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

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

AMPROPERTY INTERNATIONAL LTD. CO. Level 10-01 One Global Place,, 5th Avenue And 25th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

ZHANG, MING Controller

11.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION HA, WOO YOUNG Import Manager

www.businessmirror.com.ph

34.

35.

ZHENG, TAO Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

JIANG, LI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

NGUYEN THI CAM LINH Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

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

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

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

36.

37.

38.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION SONG, ZHENYU Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

TSALKO, TATIANA Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

WANG, YANCONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

39.

Brief Job Description: Post changes to computerized or manual control records, release documents, and notify affected departments.

49.

40.

Brief Job Description: Oversee the technical aspect of the Sales Department. Coordination to Japanese suppliers for the technical considerations and requirements of the customers. Preparation of reports for any product deficiencies for implementation of corrective actions and preventive measures.

Brief Job Description: Resolve high volume of support requests from internal sales teams in a fast, precise, and professional manner

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

BUI LE HA NINH Vietnamese Customer Support Senior Specialist 50.

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

Basic Qualification: At least 1-2 years of working experience; Fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

Brief Job Description: Resolve high volume of support requests from internal sales teams in a fast, precise, and professional manner

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Sales, Law or Social Science, At least 5+ years of work experience in automotive and electronics industry, Must be fluent in Japanese language, with excellent market & industry awareness, negotiations, and numerical skills, technical knowledge and comprehensive understanding on automotive, and electronic parts and raw materials, the ability to identify and follow up on leads, exceptional skills in selling products and closing deals, sales promotion techniques Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

41.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

DUAN, HONGYAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service

42.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

GU, YU Mandarin Speaking Customer Service

43.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

LANG, YANYIN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service 44.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

WAN, LIANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service 45.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

ZHAO, PENGWEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Service 46.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

GALANTE, KENDALL MARGARET Vendor Performance Manager, Google Customer Solutions - Manila

51.

Brief Job Description: Drive SMB customer acquisitions through effective business partnering and overall support of our vendor operations to meet and exceed business goals. Review and evaluate the service quality of our vendor against contracted SLAs. Partner with vendor management team to develop programs for business representatives and productivity improvement.

NANG THANDAR SHWE Chinese Speaking Customer Financial Officer 52.

QUAN, QIUXIA Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information About Product And Services

47.

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

VONG MY PHAN Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 48.

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

CHAI CHANG HONG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 53.

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

LIN, WEI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 54.

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

MAO, RUYI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 55.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin SAN CAM DENH Chinese Speaking Admin Associate

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 56.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 THAI DOANH DOANH Chinese Speaking Admin Associate

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

57.

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

SEKI, KYOSUKE Multilingual Customer Service Representative 58.

Brief Job Description: Track Main Industry Trends In China Through Blogs, Micro Blogs And Forums

LEE, OH SUNG Korean Customer Service Representative 61.

Brief Job Description: Track Main Industry Trends In China Through Blogs, Micro Blogs And Forums

PARK, HOUNGSIK Korean Customer Service Representative 62.

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

LEE, HO YOUN Korean Marketing Consultant 63.

Brief Job Description: Track Main Industry Trends In China Through Blogs, Micro Blogs And Forums

DOAN THI ANH THU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 64.

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

NGUYEN DIEU LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 65.

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

FUNADA, MAHO Airport Operations Assistant Manager Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good In Oral Communication And Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Assist the station manager in handling airport operations and ground handling

Brief Job Description: Outstanding in resolving conflict, has patience, and adaptability to assist Japanese clients. With exceptional positive attitude and Customer service skills towards Japanese Clients.

JE, HWAJEONG Global Services Associate II - Korean Bilingual

67.

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

LI, DONG Chinese Customer Service Representative 59.

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

Brief Job Description: The Global Services Associate will work to resolve global client inquiries, concerns and issues regarding HR processes and policies through phone, email, web-form, and chat. As a Global Services Associate you will work to meet all expected service levels and business performance goals, performing a whole range of services and fully documenting all cases in the Case Management system. You will also support the J&J employees and HR community regarding all inquiries related to employee programs and services, HR policy, process, and procedures including navigational support working with the Team Lead of Contact Center on customer concerns.

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

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

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate speaks and write fluently (Korean, English and Mandarin) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks And Write Fluently (English And Korean) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, speaks and write fluently (English and Vietnamese) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, speaks and write fluently (English and Vietnamese) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate; 5 years’ broad experience in aviation operations & ground handling; Excellent written & verbal communication skills in Nihongo (N1 Certificate)

Basic Qualification: Demonstrates customer orientation and excellent customer service skills.

Can speak, read and write in Korean and English.

Strong organization skills, attention to detail and follow through to resolve any outstanding issues.

Strong written and verbal communication skills; manages internal communications and external/client communications with detailed support and assistance. Demonstrated understanding how work and local activities integrate with other HR functional work and in alignment with HR standards. Discretion, integrity, confidentiality and discernment.

Excellent telephone manner with clear, concise and professional interpersonal skills.

KJHG LOGISTICS CORPORATION 436 San Fernando St., Binondo, 027, Barangay 287, Binondo, City Of Manila KE, SIXIE Vice-president 68.

Brief Job Description: To lead, guide, direct and evaluate the work of other executive leaders, including assistant vice president, senior directors and managers.

Basic Qualification: Demonstrate leadership presence and maturity.

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

LUFTHANSA SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 8th Floor Aeon Center, Northgate Cyberzone, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

KANG, CHAEYEON Customer Service Consultant 69.

Brief Job Description: Assist customer with all travel related services & customer enquiries

Basic Qualification: Excellent in verbal and written communication skills especially in Korean language Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

METALEXPERTS INC. 6/f Cyberzone Bldg., #11 Eastwood Cyberpark City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City

70.

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate speaks and write fluently (Korean, English and Mandarin)

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks And Write Fluently (English And Korean)

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

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

Basic Qualification: Experience in Management, strong personal and judgment, with good oral communication skills specifically Japanese and English speaking.

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

JOHNSON & JOHNSON INTERNATIONAL (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD. Edison Road, Barrio Ibayo, Merville, City Of Parañaque

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

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks And Write Fluently (English And Korean)

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

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

JAPAN AIRLINES INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD. 2/f Oledan Square, 6788 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

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

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

GOC PHILIPPINES, INC. Unit 25-b Net Lima, 5th Ave. Cor. 26th St., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

60.

INFOVINE INC. 8th, 9th, 10th/f Aspire Corporate Plaza Bldg., Macapagal Blvd. St., Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

GLOBALLGA BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING, OPC Ground Level, Level 2-5 Floor, Silver City 4, Ortigas East, Ugong, City Of Pasig

Basic Qualification: Experience in sales within the media or online industry. 8 years of vendor management experience, working with vendors to drive key results, managing lead generation and inbound sales lead activities, understanding the sales funnel and how to drive favorable business outcomes. Experience running large scale operations and centers of excellence. Experience analyzing key business results and driving outcomes. Ability to work nonstandard work hours as needed

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION KIM, DONG RAN Korean Customer Service Representative

66.

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

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

No.

GRAND EVEREST HOLDING INC. 16/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Strong communication and problem-solving skills. Goal and customerservice oriented.

Extensive background on Sales, Engineering, Product Management, and other Client Services

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

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Strong communication and problem-solving skills. Goal and customerservice oriented.

Extensive background on Sales, Engineering, Product Management, and other Client Services

GOOGLE SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 19/f Uptown Place Tower I East 11th Drive Uptown, Bonifacio, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

FUWEALTH SERVICES INC. 18/f Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati BAO, HANBIN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

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

A7

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

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

FURUKAWA SANGYO KAISHA PHILIPPINES, INC. U-1004,10/f Orient Square Bldg., Don F. Ortigas Jr., Rd., Ortigas Ctr., San Antonio, City Of Pasig

NAKAJIMA, HIROKI Sales Technical Analyst

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

KANG, CHANGGU Korean Customer Support Senior Specialist

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

FULL CHARGE SERVICES, INC. U 801 State Center Bldg., 333 Juan Luna St., 027, Barangay 287, Binondo, City Of Manila LI, YANCHEN Order Configuration Controller Specialist

No.

Friday, July 22, 2022

BRASLAVSKII, VLADIMIR Admin And Marketing Officer Brief Job Description: Evaluate & Optimize Marketing & Strategies

LIANG, XIAOTAO Chief Technical Adviser 71.

Brief Job Description: Research and Development of companies short and long term plan, strategic planner.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 3 years experience as Admin and Marketing Officer Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate preferably 3 years experience.

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

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

36.

37.

38.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION SONG, ZHENYU Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

TSALKO, TATIANA Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

WANG, YANCONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

39.

Brief Job Description: Post changes to computerized or manual control records, release documents, and notify affected departments.

49.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

BUI LE HA NINH Vietnamese Customer Support Senior Specialist 50.

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

Basic Qualification: At least 1-2 years of working experience; Fluent in Mandarin/basic English.

40.

Brief Job Description: Oversee the technical aspect of the Sales Department. Coordination to Japanese suppliers for the technical considerations and requirements of the customers. Preparation of reports for any product deficiencies for implementation of corrective actions and preventive measures.

Brief Job Description: Resolve high volume of support requests from internal sales teams in a fast, precise, and professional manner

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

41.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

DUAN, HONGYAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service

42.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

GU, YU Mandarin Speaking Customer Service

43.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

LANG, YANYIN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service 44.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

WAN, LIANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service 45.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

ZHAO, PENGWEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Service 46.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

GALANTE, KENDALL MARGARET Vendor Performance Manager, Google Customer Solutions - Manila

51.

Brief Job Description: Drive SMB customer acquisitions through effective business partnering and overall support of our vendor operations to meet and exceed business goals. Review and evaluate the service quality of our vendor against contracted SLAs. Partner with vendor management team to develop programs for business representatives and productivity improvement.

52.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information About Product And Services

CHAI CHANG HONG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate

LIN, WEI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 54.

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

47.

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

VONG MY PHAN Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 48.

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

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

MAO, RUYI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 55.

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

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

SAN CAM DENH Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 56.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

THAI DOANH DOANH Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 57.

GLOBALLGA BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING, OPC Ground Level, Level 2-5 Floor, Silver City 4, Ortigas East, Ugong, City Of Pasig

QUAN, QIUXIA Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking

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

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

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 costumer needs 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 costumer needs

LEE, OH SUNG Korean Customer Service Representative 61.

Brief Job Description: Track Main Industry Trends In China Through Blogs, Micro Blogs And Forums

PARK, HOUNGSIK Korean Customer Service Representative 62.

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

LEE, HO YOUN Korean Marketing Consultant 63.

Brief Job Description: Track Main Industry Trends In China Through Blogs, Micro Blogs And Forums

DOAN THI ANH THU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 64.

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

NGUYEN DIEU LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative 65.

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

FUNADA, MAHO Airport Operations Assistant Manager Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good In Oral Communication And Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Assist the station manager in handling airport operations and ground handling

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

JE, HWAJEONG Global Services Associate II - Korean Bilingual

67.

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

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

SEKI, KYOSUKE Multilingual Customer Service Representative 58.

Brief Job Description: Outstanding in resolving conflict, has patience, and adaptability to assist Japanese clients. With exceptional positive attitude and Customer service skills towards Japanese Clients.

Basic Qualification: Experience in Management, strong personal and judgment, with good oral communication skills specifically Japanese and English speaking.

KE, SIXIE Vice-president 68.

59.

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

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate speaks and write fluently (Korean, English and Mandarin) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks And Write Fluently (English And Korean) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, speaks and write fluently (English and Vietnamese) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, speaks and write fluently (English and Vietnamese) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate; 5 years’ broad experience in aviation operations & ground handling; Excellent written & verbal communication skills in Nihongo (N1 Certificate)

Basic Qualification: Demonstrates customer orientation and excellent customer service skills.

Can speak, read and write in Korean and English.

Strong organization skills, attention to detail and follow through to resolve any outstanding issues.

Strong written and verbal communication skills; manages internal communications and external/client communications with detailed support and assistance. Demonstrated understanding how work and local activities integrate with other HR functional work and in alignment with HR standards. Discretion, integrity, confidentiality and discernment.

Excellent telephone manner with clear, concise and professional interpersonal skills.

Brief Job Description: To lead, guide, direct and evaluate the work of other executive leaders, including assistant vice president, senior directors and managers.

Basic Qualification: Demonstrate leadership presence and maturity.

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

LUFTHANSA SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 8th Floor Aeon Center, Northgate Cyberzone, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

KANG, CHAEYEON Customer Service Consultant 69.

Brief Job Description: Assist customer with all travel related services & customer enquiries

Basic Qualification: Excellent in verbal and written communication skills especially in Korean language Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

METALEXPERTS INC. 6/f Cyberzone Bldg., #11 Eastwood Cyberpark City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City

70.

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate speaks and write fluently (Korean, English and Mandarin)

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

KJHG LOGISTICS CORPORATION 436 San Fernando St., Binondo, 027, Barangay 287, Binondo, City Of Manila

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

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks And Write Fluently (English And Korean)

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

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

LI, DONG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: The Global Services Associate will work to resolve global client inquiries, concerns and issues regarding HR processes and policies through phone, email, web-form, and chat. As a Global Services Associate you will work to meet all expected service levels and business performance goals, performing a whole range of services and fully documenting all cases in the Case Management system. You will also support the J&J employees and HR community regarding all inquiries related to employee programs and services, HR policy, process, and procedures including navigational support working with the Team Lead of Contact Center on customer concerns.

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

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

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

JOHNSON & JOHNSON INTERNATIONAL (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD. Edison Road, Barrio Ibayo, Merville, City Of Parañaque

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

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks And Write Fluently (English And Korean)

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

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

Basic Qualification: With At least 6 Months Customer Service Experience/Good in Oral Communication and Written

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

JAPAN AIRLINES INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD. 2/f Oledan Square, 6788 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

INTEGRITY GLOBAL GROUP, INC. 2/f-3/f Ayala Malls Circuit, A.p. Reyes Ave., Carmona, City Of Makati

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

GOC PHILIPPINES, INC. Unit 25-b Net Lima, 5th Ave. Cor. 26th St., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Brief Job Description: Track Main Industry Trends In China Through Blogs, Micro Blogs And Forums

INFOVINE INC. 8th, 9th, 10th/f Aspire Corporate Plaza Bldg., Macapagal Blvd. St., Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City

53.

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

60.

66.

NANG THANDAR SHWE Chinese Speaking Customer Financial Officer

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION KIM, DONG RAN Korean Customer Service Representative

GRAND EVEREST HOLDING INC. 16/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Experience in sales within the media or online industry. 8 years of vendor management experience, working with vendors to drive key results, managing lead generation and inbound sales lead activities, understanding the sales funnel and how to drive favorable business outcomes. Experience running large scale operations and centers of excellence. Experience analyzing key business results and driving outcomes. Ability to work nonstandard work hours as needed Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Strong communication and problem-solving skills. Goal and customerservice oriented.

Extensive background on Sales, Engineering, Product Management, and other Client Services

GOOGLE SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 19/f Uptown Place Tower I East 11th Drive Uptown, Bonifacio, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

FUWEALTH SERVICES INC. 18/f Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati BAO, HANBIN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Strong communication and problem-solving skills. Goal and customerservice oriented.

Extensive background on Sales, Engineering, Product Management, and other Client Services

No.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Sales, Law or Social Science, At least 5+ years of work experience in automotive and electronics industry, Must be fluent in Japanese language, with excellent market & industry awareness, negotiations, and numerical skills, technical knowledge and comprehensive understanding on automotive, and electronic parts and raw materials, the ability to identify and follow up on leads, exceptional skills in selling products and closing deals, sales promotion techniques

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

FURUKAWA SANGYO KAISHA PHILIPPINES, INC. U-1004,10/f Orient Square Bldg., Don F. Ortigas Jr., Rd., Ortigas Ctr., San Antonio, City Of Pasig

NAKAJIMA, HIROKI Sales Technical Analyst

Brief Job Description: Resolve high volume of support requests from internal sales teams in a fast, precise, and professional manner

A7

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

KANG, CHANGGU Korean Customer Support Senior Specialist

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

FULL CHARGE SERVICES, INC. U 801 State Center Bldg., 333 Juan Luna St., 027, Barangay 287, Binondo, City Of Manila LI, YANCHEN Order Configuration Controller Specialist

No.

Friday, July 22, 2022

BRASLAVSKII, VLADIMIR Admin And Marketing Officer Brief Job Description: Evaluate & Optimize Marketing & Strategies

LIANG, XIAOTAO Chief Technical Adviser 71.

Brief Job Description: Research and Development of companies short and long term plan, strategic planner.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 3 years experience as Admin and Marketing Officer Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

Basic Qualification: College Graduate preferably 3 years experience.

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

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City

BusinessMirror

Friday, July 22, 2022

A6 A8

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

72.

73.

74.

75.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION DANG THI MY DUYEN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

GUO, DIANBO Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

TAN, YUHUA Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

ZHONG, YUQING Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

BE NAM NHI Customer Service Representative 76.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

BE VAN HUONG Customer Service Representative 77.

78.

79.

80.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

BUI NGOC MAI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

BUI XUAN HUNG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

CHANG NHOC SIN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

CONG HUYEN NHU Customer Service Representative 81.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

DAM THI KHUYEN Customer Service Representative 82.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

DANG THI CHUNG Customer Service Representative 83.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

No.

88.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

89.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

90.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

91.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

92.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION DUONG VAN CHUNG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

HA THI NGUYET Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

HA THI TRANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

HOANG THI HONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

HOANG THI HUE Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

HOANG THI HUONG Customer Service Representative 93.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

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

HOANG THI THAM Customer Service Representative 94.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

HOANG THI THOI Customer Service Representative 95.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

96.

97.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

98.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

99.

100.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

HOANG VAN DUAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

HOANG VAN DUC Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

HOANG VAN NGOC Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

HOANG VAN THANH Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

LAU QUI TAM Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

No.

105.

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

106.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

107.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

108.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

109.

110.

DIEP THI MAI Customer Service Representative 84.

85.

86.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

DINH THI TRANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

DINH TUAN NGOC Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service

101.

LE DINH THIEN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

111.

102.

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English

112.

103.

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

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

113.

87.

Brief Job Description: Customer service.

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

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

104.

LUC VAN THANH Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service.

MAI THI XOAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

NGUY THI THUY Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

WILDIAN WIN CAPRIO Indonesian Customer Service Representative

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

114.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

115.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

116.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

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

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

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

CESLIN STEVANI KARO KARO Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

HOCK LI Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

MIRNA AMBARWATI Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

ZAHRA DINA Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems.

BURHAN NURWAHID Indonesian- Marketing Officer Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

FERDY Indonesian- Marketing Officer 120.

DONG VAY THANH Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

SUPARDI Indonesian Customer Service Representative

119.

LE THI VAN ANH Customer Service Representative

MAC VAN THUOC Customer Service Representative

NOVELA SIMON Indonesian Customer Service Representative

118.

LE THI BE HIEN Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

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

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

LY VAN NGUYEN Customer Service Representative

ANDY SURYA PRATAMA SULTANTO Indonesian Customer Service Representative

117.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

MPOTECH DIGITAL SYSTEM INC. 2/f 331 Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

LUONG THI HANG Customer Service Representative

NGO VAN TAN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Provide product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems

Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 5 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 5 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Graduate 5 years bachelor degree with critical thinking and problem solving skills.

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

Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 Years Bachelor Degree With Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Graduate 4 Years Bachelor Degree With Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NEO INCORPORATED North Tower Centrum Bldg., Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

CHEN, QIYANG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 121.

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

LAI, WENWEN Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 122.

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

LI, HAIAO Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 123.

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

LIU, HAO Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 124.

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

LIU, XIAOLIN Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 125.

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

NGUYEN THI HONG NGA Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 126.

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

WANG, QI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 127.

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

WANG, ZIWEN Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 128.

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

WEN, DONGHAI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 129.

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

ZHOU, LIANG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 130.

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

131.

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

MAGRET FENNY Chinese Speaking Program Designer 132.

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

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

136.

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

137.

138.

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

139.

MACQUILLIN, RENE Headmaster 140.

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

141.

142.

143.

133.

134.

135.

Brief Job Description: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

SAI AUNG MAIN Myanmari Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

TRAN VAN TUY Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Brief Job Description: The headmaster carries out the school objectives & the policies of the board.

HU, ERWEI Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

NAMRAT, NONGKRAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

SUWANNALERT, PIYACHAT Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

SEO, HYUKJIN Korean Customer Support Staff 144.

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

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

146.

Brief Job Description: Field incoming help requests from end users via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner JO, UN Korean Technical Support Staff Brief Job Description: Apply diagnostic utilities to aid in troubleshooting

PARK, HYUN SOO Korean Technical Support Staff Brief Job Description: Apply diagnostic utilities to aid in troubleshooting

RUZIANA BINTE MOHAMAT ROSEY BRAVO LEE Consultant 147.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Computer Application With Good Oral and Written Communication Skills

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

150.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Fluent in English, Preferably 6mos-1year Customer Service Experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Coordinate md oversee implementation of corporate-driven creative and globally recognized visual merchandising strategies across all merchandise business units in the stores nationwide to ensure alignment and compliance.

148.

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

Brief Job Description: In charge of the full route for plant construction from electrical, instrumentation and automation point of view, starting from engineering stage to the plant commissioning and start up. The electrical manager shall be responsible of all supervisors’ team coordination, subcontractors follow up, planning and progress follow up, safety and quality procedures, and decisions making to ensure the best performance and quality results during the construction of the plant.

Brief Job Description: In charge of the full route for plant construction from electrical, instrumentation and automation point of view, starting from engineering stage to the plant commissioning and start up. The electrical manager shall be responsible of all supervisors’ team coordination, subcontractors follow up, planning and progress follow up, safety and quality procedures, and decisions making to ensure the best performance and quality results during the construction of the plant.

Basic Qualification: Advanced course of study in educational leadership.

151.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Computer Application With Good Oral and Written Communication Skills

152.

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

Basic Qualification: Can speak and write fluent Korean language

153.

154.

Brief Job Description: Participates in the development and implementation of software configuration and data management standards, processes, systems, and tools

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At Least Five(5) Years Technical and Related Experience in the Field; Fluent in Mandarin/ Chinese Language

Brief Job Description: Participates in the development and implementation of software configuration and data management standards, processes, systems, and tools

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At Least Five(5) Years Technical and Related Experience in the Field; Fluent in Mandarin/ Chinese Language

Brief Job Description: Participates in the development and implementation of software configuration and data management standards, processes, systems, and tools

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

TOUEI CAD DESIGN CORPORATION 3/f Unit B Valero Side, Ba Lepanto Bldg. 8747 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati

ODASHIMA, ATSUSHI Admin Manager 155.

Brief Job Description: Translation both to Japanese/English; To deal with paperwork, payment, and scheduling for both in the Philippines and in Japan.

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

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

SUEZ INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINE BRANCH Unit Lz-2 19f Tower 1 Highstreet South Corporate Plaza, 9th Ave. Cor. 26th St., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Basic Qualification: Graduate from technical college/bachelor’s degree from Japanese.

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

UNIONDIGITAL BANK INC. 41f Union Bank Plaza,, Meralco Ave. Cor. Onyx Road,, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

Basic Qualification: Minimum 8 yrs.’ experience in marketing/ advertising in a midsenior executive position from an agency, financial institution, FMCG or tangent industry

NATH, MUNMUN Chief Marketing Officer 156.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business/marketing; minimum of 20 years of experience; must have strong experience on various retail business across Asia pacific in global markets; adept on global standards for visual merchandising, proficient in apac languages.

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

Basic Qualification: At Least Five(5) Years Technical and Related Experience in the Field; Fluent in Mandarin/ Chinese Language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak and write fluent Korean language

Basic Qualification: More than 15 years with extensive site & engineering experience; extensive management experience as engineering discipline leader and site discipline leader; extensive management experience as commissioning team leader; large experience on water treatment plants sector is a plus.

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

YAP YUIK JUIN Configuration Management Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak and write fluent Korean language

Brief Job Description: Participates in the development and implementation of software configuration and data management standards, processes, systems, and tools

YAN, NIE Configuration Management Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Computer Application With Good Oral and Written Communication Skills

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

Basic Qualification: At Least Five(5) Years Technical and Related Experience in the Field; Fluent in Mandarin/ Chinese Language

TAN, HUI Configuration Management Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Computer Application With Good Oral and Written Communication Skills

Basic Qualification: More than 15 years with extensive site & engineering experience; extensive management experience as engineering discipline leader and site discipline leader; extensive management experience as commissioning team leader; large experience on water treatment plants sector is a plus.

SUPREME CHENGHAO MANAGEMENT OPC Level 26-a Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

LUO, JUN Configuration Management Specialist

SPEEDWELL INC. 5/f King’s Court 2 Bldg., 2129 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

SHI, JIANFA Chinese Speaking Business Consultant

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CALDERON VAZQUEZ, IKER EIA Manager

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

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Computer Application With Good Oral and Written Communication Skills

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

SM RETAIL INC. Sm Retail Headquarters Bldg., J.w. Diokno Blvd Cor Bayshore Ave St., Moa Subd., Barangay 76, Pasay City

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

Basic Qualification: Customer support and data base services

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Fluent in English, Preferably 6mos-1year Customer Service Experience

SKYLUCK CORPORATION #360, Unit 243 Shaw Center Mall, Shaw Blvd. Penthouse Shaw I.t. Center, Addition Hills, City Of Mandaluyong

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

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

149.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Fluent in English, Preferably 6mos-1year Customer Service Experience

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

SAINT-ELLIER, CLEMENT ROGER PATRICK Deputy Project Manager

SA RIVENDELL GLOBAL SUPPORT, INC. 9-11 Flr., The Biopolis Bldg., Macapagal Blvd., Barangay 76, Pasay City

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

Brief Job Description: Oversee and maintain the quality management system, ensure the quality of site installations

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Fluent in English, Preferably 6mos-1year Customer Service Experience

No.

REEDLEY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (RIS), INC. 2, C.j. Caparas St., Ugong, City Of Pasig

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

Brief Job Description: Oversee project budget development and budget monitoring

NAY LIN AUNG QA & CME Assistant

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

Brief Job Description: Plan, coordinate and oversee the technical engineering activities of the company

ROLFE, MARC ALAN Project Delivery Director

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

Brief Job Description: Plans, organizes, coordinates and directs the district utility management program

ISLAM, MD SHARIFUL Engineering Director

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 8/f Ecoplaza, 2305 Don Chino Roces Ave., Magallanes, City Of Makati ZHAI, SHILONG Chinese Customer Service

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

PHIL-TOWER CONSORTIUM INC. Unit S-08 Eco Tower Bldg., 32nd St. Cor. 9th Ave., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

HETTIARACHCHI, KASUN SAMEERA Energy Management Director

A9

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

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

145.

ZOU, YONGZHI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Friday, July 22, 2022

Brief Job Description: Drive growth in revenue by increasing sales through successful marketing for the entire organization

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

WELL TREASURE PHILIPPINES INC. Unit No.602-p, Flr., No.6/f Five E-com Center Bldg. Blk. No.18 Pacific Drive Ext. Mall Of Asia Complex Subd. Zone 10, Barangay 76, Pasay City

SEKINE, MAI Japanese Customer Support 157.

Brief Job Description: Outstanding in resolving conflict, has patience, and adaptability to assist Japanese clients. With exceptional positive attitude and Customer service skills towards Japanese Clients.

Basic Qualification: Experience in Management, strong personal and judgment, with good oral communication skills specifically Japanese and English speaking.

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

*Date Generated: Jul 21, 2022 Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

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

BusinessMirror

Friday, July 22, 2022

A10

Republic of the Philippines

13

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Regional Office No. IV-A 4th Flr. Andenson Bldg. II, Brgy. Parian, Calamba City Telefax No.: (049) 545-7362

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

July 22, 2022

NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION/S FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT/S (AEP/S)

1

ESTABLISHMENT BOLIM AUTOPARTS PHILIPPINES, INC.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL, POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

14

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

LEE, CHAE HA

Basic Qualification:

General Affairs Manager

Must possess bachelor’s degree in Human Resource or Management and at least 10 years of relevant experience

Lot 2, Block 10, Phase 1, CEZ, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

KANG, CHUANTONG

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Salary Range:

Notice is hereby given that the following companies/employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s: NO.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

KOU, CHONGYANG

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

LI, SIYUAN

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Manage and supervise general the regulation matters of the company

15 Salary Range:

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Php150,000 - Php499,999 2

BOLIM AUTOPARTS PHILIPPINES, INC. Lot 2, Block 10, Phase 1, CEZ, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

JANG, JUN GEOL

Basic Qualification:

Production Planning and Control Manager

Must possess bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or any Engineering course with at least 10 years of relevant experience

Brief Job Description: Forecast production needs that align with business objectives

CANON BUSINESS MACHINES (PHILIPPINES), INC.

16 Salary Range:

KAIEDA, MASARU

Basic Qualification:

Information Technology Department Staff Manager

With experience with network administration

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range:

Manage, plan and evaluate IT and electronic data operations

Php150,000 - Php499,999

GREENKRAFT CORPORATION

CHUSOMPOP, KAMTHORN

Basic Qualification:

Technical Consultant

Over 10 years of work experience in waste management and recycling facilities

9118 Gateway Business Park, Delos Reyes St., Javalera, City of General Trias, Cavite

5

INOUEKI PHILIPPINES, INC. 2f Panorama Bldg. 5-6, South Science Ave., Laguna Technopark, Don Jose, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

6

KWANG TA ELECTRIC PHILS. CORP. 30 Lot 4, Southcoast Industrial Estate, Bancal, Carmona, Cavite

7

LEADING SUCCESS (PHILS.) GARMENTS INC. Bldg. 1, 2 & 3, GMBP, Maduya, Carmona, Cavite

8

MMS BULKSHIP MANAGEMENT (PHILIPPINES), INC. 302 MMS Bldg., Old Nia Road, Bayanan, City of Bacoor, Cavite

17

Oversee and train personnel in order to improve production facilities of bailing stations and reduce the incidence of costly breakdowns of bailing machines

Salary Range:

TOBARI, HARUO

Basic Qualification:

Php90,000 - Php149,999

With few years of managerial experience

Assist the President in the over-all operations of the company

Php90,000 - Php149,999

TAN TIAN KHONG

Basic Qualification: With bachelor’s degree and have experience in managing a company

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Salary Range:

ZHOU, HOULIN

20

Basic Qualification:

Marker Technical Consultant

Knowledge in CAD-drawing

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Salary Range:

Design garment markers base on garment specification details

Php90,000 - Php149,999

LOKA, RADHAKRISHNA NARASAIAH

Basic Qualification:

Training Consultant

With experience in international maritime transportation and knowledge in international training requirements

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

22

Brief Job Description: Salary Range:

PYAR MEE

Basic Qualification:

Burmese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

CHEN, MINGXIANG

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

23

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

FAN, RUYU

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

24

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Brief Job Description: Salary Range:

12

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

HOU, MAOQI

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

XU, MINGQUAN

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

ZHANG, LONG

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

ZHANG, SHUAI

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

ZHENG, JINGANG

Basic Qualification:

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description: Salary Range:

21

Salary Range:

11

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Php60,000 - Php89,999

Salary Range:

10

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

Brief Job Description: Supervise factory workers and ensure that factory operation run smoothly

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Php150,000 - Php499,999 9

PAN, LIANG

Salary Range:

Salary Range:

Manage and coordinate inhouse/outsource training module

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Brief Job Description:

Brief Job Description:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Salary Range:

19

Factory Manager

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

18

Brief Job Description:

Vice-president

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Salary Range:

Lot 4, Phase 1B, FPIP, Ulango, City of Tanauan, Batangas

4

Brief Job Description: Salary Range:

Php150,000 - Php499,999 3

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

25

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

DEWI

Basic Qualification:

Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

HORMAN

Basic Qualification:

Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

PHILLIP

Basic Qualification:

Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

VIVI

Basic Qualification:

Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

WANDY

Basic Qualification:

Indonesian Customer Service Representative

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Brief Job Description:

Salary Range:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php30,000 - Php59,999

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

TheWorld BusinessMirror

Friday, July 22, 2022

A11

UK weather turmoil spurs calls to adapt to climate change

By Danica Kirka & Jill Lawless The Associated Press

L

ONDON—Britain’s recordbre a k i n g he at w ave h a s spurred calls for the government to speed up efforts to adapt to a changing climate, especially after wildfires created the busiest day for London firefighters since bombs rained down on the city during World War II. The country got a break Wednesday from the dry, hot weather that is gripping much of Europe as cooler air moved in from the west. Forecasters predict London will reach a high of 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, down from the national record 40.3°C (104.4°F) set Tuesday at Coningsby in eastern England.

Even so, travel was disrupted for a third day as rail operators repaired damage caused by the heat, and firefighters continue to

mop up hotspots at the scene of Tuesday’s fires.

Britain needs to prepare for similar heat waves in the future because manmade carbon emissions have already changed the climate, said Professor Stephen Belcher, chief scientist at the Met Office, the UK’s national weather service.

Only aggressive emissions reductions will reduce the frequency of such events, he said.

“Everything is still to play for, but we should adapt to the kind of events we saw yesterday as an occasional extreme event,” Baker told the BBC. Climate scientists have been surprised by the speed at which temperatures in Britain have risen in recent years and the widespread area affected by this week’s event.

Thirty-four locations around the UK on Tuesday broke the country’s previous record-high temperature of 37.8°C (100°F), set in 2019.

The weather walloped a country where few homes, schools or small businesses have air conditioning and infrastructure such as railroads, highways and airports aren’t designed to cope with such temperatures. Thirteen people, including seven teenage boys, are believed to have died trying to cool off after getting into difficulty in rivers, reservoirs and lakes.

Fifteen fire departments declared major incidents as more than 60 properties around the country were destroyed on Tuesday, Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse told the House of Commons.

One of the biggest fires was in Wennington, a village on the eastern outskirts of London, where a row of houses was destroyed by flames that raced through tinder-dry fields nearby. Resident Tim Stock said he and his wife fled after the house next door caught fire and the blaze rapidly spread.

“It was like a war zone,’’ he said.

“Down the actual main road, all the windows had exploded out, all the roofs had caved, it was like a scene from the Blitz.”

The London Fire Brigade received 2,600 calls Tuesday, compared with the normal figure of about 350, Mayor Sadiq Khan said, adding that it was the department’s busiest day since the World War II. Despite lower temperatures on Wednesday, the fire danger remains high because hot, dry weather has parched grasslands around the city, Khan said.

“Once it catches fire it spreads incredibly fast, like wildfires like you see in movies or in fires in California or in parts of France,” Khan told the BBC. Phil Gerigan, leader of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s resilience group, said wildfires are an emerging threat tied to climate change that is stretching the capacity of fire departments. Britain may

need to expand its capacity to fight wildfires, adding more aerial tankers and helicopters, he told the BBC. “As we look towards the future, it’s certainly something that the UK government and fire and rescue services need to consider,” he said.

“Have we got the capability, the assets, to be able to meet what is a significantly emerging demand?”

Wildfires continue to spread destruction in other parts of Europe.

Nearly 500 firefighters struggled to contain a large wildfire that threatened hillside suburbs outside Athens for a second day as fires burned across a southern swath of the continent.

A respite from the severe heat he lped i mprove cond it ion s i n France, Spain and Portugal, countries that have battled blazes for days.

Britain’s travel network also suffered during the hot weather, with Luton Airport briefly shut down by

a heat-damaged runway and trains forced to run at reduced speeds because of concerns the heat would warp rails or interrupt power supplies.

Some d isr upt ions rema ined Wednesday as crews worked to repair power lines and signaling equipment damaged by fire. Passengers were advised to check before traveling and only travel when necessary.

Among those struggling was Lee Ball, 46, who was trying to travel with his wife, Libby, and 10-year-old daughter, Amelie, from Worcestershire to London to get to Brussels for an Ed Sheeran concert. Their train was cancelled with less than 30 minutes notice, so they drove to another station—and waited.

“I’ve been up since 4:30 a.m., anxious, trying to get an answer from anywhere we can,’’ he said.

Communication from the train companies has been “appalling,” he said.

TheWorld BusinessMirror

A12 Friday, July 22, 2022

Italy’s prime minister resigns after government implodes

By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

R

OME—Italian Premier Mario Draghi resigned Thursday after key coalition allies boycotted a confidence vote, signaling the likelihood of early elections and a renewed period of uncertainty for Italy and Europe at a critical time.

Draghi tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella during a morning meeting at the Quirinale Palace. Mattarella’s office said the president had “taken note” of the resignation and asked Draghi’s government to remain on in a caretaker fashion.

Draghi’s government imploded Thursday after members of his uneasy coalition of right, left and populists rebuffed his appeal to band back together to finish the legislature’s natural term and ensure implementation of the European Union-funded pandemic recovery program.

Draghi told Parliament’s lower chamber on Thursday that he was heading to see President Sergio Mattarella, suggesting his resignation was imminent. Among his options, Mattarella could ask Draghi to stay on in a caretaker role until an early election.

Instead, the center-right parties of Forza Italia and the League and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a confidence vote in the Senate, in a clear sign they were done with Draghi’s 17-month government.

Italian newspapers on Thursday were united in their outrage at the surreal outcome, given Italy is dealing with soaring inflation and energy costs, Russia’s war against Ukraine and outstanding reforms needed to clinch the remainder of the EU’s 200 billion euros in recovery funds.

“Shame,” headlined La Stampa on the front page. “Italy Betrayed,” said La Repubblica. “Farewell to Draghi’s Government,”

said Corriere della Sera.

Mattarel l a had rejected Draghi ’s original resignation last week when he first offered it after the 5-Stars boycotted a confidence vote tied to a bill aimed at helping Italy endure soaring inflation and energy costs. Mattarella asked Draghi to return to Parliament to brief lawmakers on the situation, which he did on Wednesday in appealing to party leaders to listen to the calls for unity from ordinary Italians.

While the next steps were unclear, the outcome suggested Mattarella could dissolve Parliament, paving the way for early elections as soon as late September or early October. The legislature’s fiveyear term had been due to expire in 2023.

In briefing senators Wednesday, Draghi had appealed for the parties to heed the spontaneous appeals for unity from Italian mayors, doctors’ associations and ordinary citizens who had signed

petitions in recent days begging Draghi to stay on.

“You don’t have to give the answer to me. You have to give it to all Italians,” he said.

Opinion polls have indicated neck-to-neck percentages for the center-left Democratic Party and the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, which had remained in the opposition to Draghi’s coalition.

The Democrats had tried to salvage its alliance with the 5-Stars, but the populist party has fractured over the crisis leaving the Democrats without a strong ally heading into a possible campaign.

The Brothers of Italy has long been allied with the center-right Forza Italia of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi and the League of Matteo Salvini, suggesting that a center-right alliance would likely prevail in any election and propel Brothers’ leader Giorgia Meloni to become Italy’s first female premier.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Decades of progress in combatting global poverty now reversed–UN

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

U

NITED NATIONS—The head of the UN body promoting development is warning that the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and the war in Ukraine have led to “an unprecedented reversal” of decades of progress in combatting global poverty and hunger and ensuring quality education for children everywhere.

Collen Kelapile, who is president of the Economic and Social Council known as ECOSOC, said there is growing concern that funding for critical UN development goals including ending extreme poverty and hunger by 2030 might be neglected

by Western donor nations supporting Ukraine militarily and financially in its war against Russia.

ECOSOC’s message is: “Please, let’s not forget other pre-existing challenges.… We need to finance development.

We need to finance climate. We need to finance many other conflicts around the world,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Making a mistake and sidelining these issues, Kelapile warned, could lead to higher costs in the future if they esca late “ because there is no longer attention to them.”

ECOSOC, one of the six main organs of the United Nations, is focused on advancing development on three fronts—economic, social and environmental—and on coordinating efforts to achieve the 17 goals for 2030 that the 193 UN member nations agreed to in 2015. The UN body has 54 member nations and over 1,600 non-governmental organizations with consultative status.

Kelapile said that because of decades of development progress being wiped out, climate change causing a lot of damage, and new geopolitical tensions from the war in Ukraine leading to widespread food insecurity and an energy crisis, ECOSOC’s mandate “has never been as important as it is today.”

“It can leverage its convening power,” he said, and bring together people from

diverse backgrounds from inside and outside the United Nations with “creative and transformative ideas that can really move us forward.”

A high-level ECOSOC meeting on advancing the UN’s 2030 goals and building back better from the Covid-19 pandemic ended Monday with the adoption of a 32page ministerial declaration.

The ministers and representatives, noting that they were meeting “against the backdrop of a fragile and highly uncertain global socio-economic outlook,” committed “to accelerate action” to implement the 2030 goals. In addition to eliminating extreme poverty and hunger, they include ensuring good health for people of all ages, quality education for all children, and gender equality.

The ministers also expressed great concern that the pandemic has widened inequalities and created new obstacles to achieving the UN goals and stressed the urgency to address the impact, underlying causes and challenges exacerbated

by Covid-19.

Kelapile, who is Botswana’s UN ambassador, said in the interview last Friday that for him, “the fight against poverty and inequality is very key.”

There is a saying that “a hungry man is an angry man,” he said, citing people recently venting their anger of the lack of food and gasoline, including in Sri Lanka.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic began in early 2020, Kelapile said, financing to advance development was declining, and access to technologies for people in the developing world, especially computers and Internet access, was lacking.

T he ECOSOC president said the world’s richer nations also need to look at another impact of the pandemic—rising indebtedness of poor countries and how to alleviate it.

There are highly indebted countries whose borrowing worsened during the pandemic, Kelapile said.

“Is it fair to continue to require them to invest in controlling the pandemic and recovery, and at the same time expect them to service their debts?” he asked.

“I don’t think it’s possible.”

Key gas pipeline from Russia to Europe restarts after break

By Geir Moulson The Associated Press

B

ERLIN—Natural gas started flowing through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe on Thursday after a 10-day shutdown for maintenance, the operator said.

But the gas flow was expected to fall well short of full capacity and the outlook was uncertain— which leaves Europe still facing the prospect of a hard winter.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany had been closed since July 11 for annual maintenance work. Amid growing tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine, German officials had feared that the pipeline—the country’s main source of Russian gas, which recently has accounted for around a third of Germany’s gas supplies—might not reopen at all.

Operator Nord Stream AG said that gas started flowing again Thursday morning, and its network data showed gas beginning to arrive after the scheduled end of maintenance at 6 a.m.

Deliveries were expected to fall far below the pipeline’s full capacity, as they did for weeks before the maintenance break.

The head of Germany’s network regulator, Klaus Mueller, said Russia’s Gazprom had notified deliveries Thursday of only about 30 percent of the pipeline’s capacity. He later tweeted that actual deliveries were above that amount and could reach the pre-maintenance level of some 40 percent.

That wouldn’t be enough to resolve Europe’s energy crisis. “The political uncertainty and the 60 percent reduction from mid-June unfortunately remain,” Mueller wrote.

When Gazprom reduced the flow last month, it cited alleged technical problems involving equipment that partner Siemens Energy sent to Canada for overhaul and couldn’t be returned because of sanctions imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Canadian government earlier this month gave permission for the turbine that powers a

compressor station at the Russian end of the pipeline to be delivered to Germany.

The German government has rejected Gazprom’s technical explanation for the gas reduction, charging repeatedly that it was only a pretext for a political decision to sow uncertainty and further push up energy prices. It has said the turbine was a replacement that was only supposed to be installed in September, but that it’s doing everything to deprive Russia of the pretext to reduce supplies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Gazprom still hadn’t received the relevant documents for the turbine’s return, and on Wednesday questioned the quality of the repair work. Putin said that Gazprom was to shut another turbine for repairs in late July, and if the one that was sent to Canada wasn’t returned by then the flow of gas would decline even further.

The head of the European Union’s executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday that the turbine was “in transit” and there was “no pretext not to deliver” gas.

The Commission proposed that member countries cut their gas use by 15 percent over the coming months as the bloc braces for a possible full Russian cutoff of gas supplies.

Germany and the rest of Europe are scrambling to fill gas storage in time for winter and reduce their dependence on Russian energy imports. Germany has Europe’s biggest economy; gas is important to power its industries, provide heating and, to some extent, generate electricity.

Last month, the government activated the second phase of Germany’s three-stage emergency plan for natural gas supplies, warning that Europe’s biggest economy faced a “crisis” and winter storage targets were at risk. As of Wednesday, Germany’s gas storage was 65.1 percent full.

To make up for shortfalls, the German government has given the green light for utility companies to fire up 10 dormant coal-fired power plants and six that are oil-fueled. Another 11 coal-fired power plants scheduled to be shut down in November will be allowed to keep operating.

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

TheWorld BusinessMirror

Friday, July 22, 2022

A13

China Covid-19 cases remain high as officials warn about rising risks

C

HINA’S Covid-19 cases continued to hover around a two-month high, leaving residents of previously hard-hit areas fearful of more lockdowns and health authorities warning about the challenges ahead.

The country reported 826 cases for Wednesday, compared with 935 Tuesday, which was the highest daily tally since May 21. While most of the outbreak is hitting beyond major cities, some neighborhoods in Shenzhen implemented new lockdowns and infections in Shanghai continue to spread—spooking residents who endured previous isolation efforts.

China’s health officials said infections and deaths tied to the new BA.4. and BA.5. subvariants were likely to increase in the days to come given their fast transmission among the elderly, which already led to a rise in critical cases. They plan to focus on new mutations in the future, as most experts believe Omicron won’t be the last variant, said Dong Xiaoping, chief expert of virology at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The financial hub, which recorded 17 cases Wednesday, will require everyone to take Covid tests at least once a week until the end of August. Anyone who doesn’t

PRESIDENT elect Ranil Wickremesinghe greets supporters upon his arrival at a buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Wickremesinghe was elected president Wednesday by lawmakers who opted for a seasoned, veteran leader to lead the country out of economic collapse, despite widespread public opposition. AP/ERANGA JAYAWARDENA

Sri Lanka’s newly elected president sworn into office

By Bharatha Mallawarachi The Associated Press

C

OLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president Thursday to take charge of a nation bitterly angry he will remain in power amid an unprecedented economic crisis.

Sri Lankans have taken to the streets for months to demand their top leaders step down to take responsibility for economic chaos that has left the nation’s 22 million people struggling with shortages of essentials, including medicine, fuel and food. While the protesters have focused on the Rajapaksa political dynasty, Wickremesinghe also has drawn their ire as a perceived Rajapaksa surrogate.

The six-time prime minister had never held the top job. But he easily won the secret ballot of lawmakers Wednesday to finish the term of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country after protesters stormed his residence last week and resigned.

His appointment received mixed reactions, with some supporters lighting firecrackers while protesters continued to demand that he resign.

Wickremesinghe, 73, has wide experience in diplomatic and international affairs and has been overseeing bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.

He won the support of 134 members in the 225-member Parliament.

Lawmakers apparently considered him the safer hands to lead the nation through the crisis, despite public anger at Wickremesinghe as an example of the nation’s problematic political establishment. During demonstrations last week, crowds set his personal residence on fire and occupied his office.

A f t e r We d n e s d a y ’s v ot e , W i c kremesinghe called for politicians to work together and pleaded for the country to move on. But protesters f locked to the presidential office instead, chanting, “Ranil, go home!”

Protest leaders told reporters on Wednesday they don’t accept Wickremesinghe’s appointment and urged him to step down immediately.

Parliament’s selection goes against the “will of the people,” said Jeewantha Peiris, a protest leader and Catholic priest, adding that demonstrations against Wickremesinghe would continue.

“We are the people who sent Gotabaya home, and it’s not a difficult task for us to send you [Wickremesinghe] home,” said Tampitiye Sugathananda, a Buddhist monk and protest leader who was outside

the presidential office.

Wickremesinghe took his oath as the country’s 8th executive president Thursday morning before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at a ceremony held in Parliament in the capital, Colombo. He now can choose a new prime minister.

In an example of the troubles caused by the economic crisis, a power outage hampered live coverage of the swearingin ceremony at Parliament. An official at Parliament who spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the media said the live coverage was to be done by the state-owned Independent Television Network.

In some areas, Wickremesinghe’s supporters lit firecrackers and distributed sweets to celebrate his appointment as president, local media reported.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung wrote on Twitter that she looks forward to working with Wickremesinghe, adding, “In these challenging times, it will be essential for all parties to redouble efforts to work together to tackle the economic crisis, uphold democracy & accountability, and build a stable & secure future for all Sri Lankans.”

Wickremesinghe said Monday the negotiations with the IMF were near a conclusion and talks on help from other countries had also progressed.

He also said the government has taken steps to resolve shortages of fuel and cooking gas.

On Wednesday, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told financial magazine Nikkei Asia that the organization hoped to complete the rescue talks “as quickly as possible.”

On Monday, in his role as acting president, Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency that gave him broad authority to act in the interest of public security and order. Authorities can carry out searches and detain people, and Wickremesinghe can also change or suspend any law. Parliament can regularly review the law and it will expire without its approval.

Presidents in Sri Lanka are normally elected by the public. The responsibility falls to Parliament only if the presidency becomes vacant before the term officially ends. It has happened once before, in 1993, when then-Prime Minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was chosen by Parliament uncontested after former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, father of the current opposition leader, was assassinated.

The Associated Press writer Krishan Francis contributed to this report.

test weekly will see their health code turn to yellow, restricting where they can go.

In Shenzhen, officials locked down the Baishizhou village that features densely packed buildings where many migrant workers live. The city reported 22 cases for Wednesday, up from 19 on Tuesday.

Several streets in the village

were labeled high risk, meaning residents wouldn’t be allowed to leave their compounds or homes for seven days. Some areas had just gone through more than a week of restrictions, which lifted on July 16, due to sporadic cases.

The news of being locked down again led some residents to climb over fences to escape with luggage in tow, videos posted to social

media showed.

The majority of cases are still centered in the hotspots of the Guangxi region in the south, which recorded 187 cases Wednesday—taking its total since the outbreak there flared just over a week ago to 1,293— and the remote northwestern province of Gansu, which reported 363 new infections, taking its

current outbreak to 1,669.

Most of Gansu’s capital, Lanzhou, has been locked down for almost a week. City officials on Tuesday launched a “door knocking” campaign to rout out hidden cases, with 10,000 medical workers from around the province going home-to-home to carry out PCR testing in the city’s high and medium risk areas. Bloomberg News

A14 Friday, July 22, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

editorial

Trimming the fat

W

hen you have a huge debt, say, as heavy as P12.76 trillion, you can sharply see everything that can potentially lighten the burden—including the elephant in the room. This elephant must be good at hiding itself because it remained unseen for decades. No Malacañang occupant ever saw it, except the new tenant who wants to banish it.

The Marcos administration plans to “rightsize” the bloated bureaucracy to ensure effective governance. By eliminating redundancy and inefficiency in all government offices, the country can save at least P14.8 billion a year, according to the Department of Budget and Management.

DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman believes in the wisdom of the administration’s plan to “rightsize” government agency processes and personnel to streamline the bureaucracy’s functions and potentially cut operational costs.

She said they are now currently studying which among the 187 government agencies and government-owned and -controlled corporations, with more or less 2-million personnel, may be streamlined through merging, restructuring or abolition (Read, “DBM refining details of government plan to ‘rightsize’ agencies,” in the BusinessMirror, July 13, 2022).

The proposal for rightsizing excludes teaching and teaching-related positions, medical and allied medical positions or those in the health sector, and the military as well as other uniformed personnel, the DBM chief said.

The term “rightsizing” emerged in the 1990s when companies were trying to cut the number of employees in their workforce through careful planning and organizing of tasks, skills, and outcomes. The euphemism carries a simple message: We are recalibrating our operations to achieve our long-term goals through an approach by which we stop paying lots of you.

In government, rightsizing refers to the power of an external force that jolts public servants from their existing state of inertia after a wonderful discovery that the bureaucracy is, in fact, wrong-sized. In other words, the human load in government has grown too heavy for taxpayers to carry.

The move to “rightsize” a “wrong-sized” bureaucracy is good because government inefficiency imposes unnecessary costs on all of us. The DBM chief said: “The overarching objective of this is to have a smaller bureaucracy that is agile and responsive to modern times. In addition, this program will fix agencies that have repetitive functions or overlapping functions.”

There are 1,597,973 career employees and 157,451 non-career employees in government, according to the Civil Service Commission. At least 449,748 workers are under job orders and 132,630 more are in contract service in some government offices.

What is hard to understand is the fact that there are 177,994 vacant permanent positions in government. Two possible answers: Hiring managers are waiting for “suitable” applicants to fill up these permanent positions, or, nobody among the 582,378 job order and contract of service workers who have been working in government offices for years are qualified to get a permanent job.

Senator Sonny Angara, reacting to the DBM’s plan to ask Congress to give President Marcos authority to rightsize the bureaucracy, said it’s about time for the government to do this as some agencies might have already finished their mandate. He also backed Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III’s proposal to include the Senate and the House of Representatives in the administration’s plan to rightsize the bureaucracy. “The entire government should be included in the rightsizing efforts. I think there should be no exemptions,” he said.

To protect the government employees that might be displaced by the administration’s rightsizing move, Angara said the government must offer reasonable benefits. He said the dissolution or merging of government agencies should not be done overnight considering the current challenging economic environment. “Affected employees should be advised two or three years before the rightsizing takes effect because it is hard for some of them to find jobs,” Angara said.

Livio Di Matteo is a Canadian economist specializing in public policy, health economics, public finance and economic history. In his book, Measuring Government in the 21st Century, he presents evidence that large government can hurt economic growth. Presenting a vast array of international evidence that show lessons to be learned in providing efficient government services, he said governments would do well to seek examples of how to provide more and better services while reducing the cost to the tax-paying public.

Let’s all support the Marcos administration’s plan to rightsize the bureaucracy, and hope that a smaller government could achieve better outcomes for the Filipino people.

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Consultations with the MSME sector Sonny M. Angara

Better Days

I

N preparation for the 19th Congress, my office recently convened a consultative meeting focused on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in line with our Tatak Pinoy advocacy. The roundtable discussion was headlined by former Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion and attended by officials from various government agencies, MSME mentors, and small business proprietors. The avowed aim of the meeting was to give the attendees a venue to sound off on their views and recommendations on how the Go Negosyo Act (RA 10644) could be further improved, nearly a decade since it was enacted.

The need to initiate such dialogue was necessary because, in the intervening years, much has happened to exacerbate the plight of many Filipino MSMEs. For instance, the Covid-19 pandemic forced many of these small businesses to scale-back their operations, downsize, or worse, shutdown altogether.

Despite numerous challenges, Filipino MSMEs still muster the courage to continue carrying the responsibility of providing jobs and income for their fellow Filipinos. Truly, MSMEs play a vital role in the Philippine econ-

omy, as they comprise 99.5 percent of all businesses and employ up to 63 percent of the country’s workforce.

However, they contribute only 36 percent of value-added to the economy— a gap that is only expected to worsen if MSMEs are not able to offer better products and services and keep up with shifting ways of doing business around the world.

Former Secretary Joey Concepcion emphasized the three “Ms”— mentorship, money, and market— that must be embraced by the Go Negosyo Act moving forward. While

Harnessing Filipino social capital for economic growth and development

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the mentorship component has been operationalized through various programs over the years, Sec. Concepcion said that this can be taken a step further by putting greater emphasis on entrepreneurship in school curriculums so that learners will acquire skills to encourage and allow them to start a business. Moreover, it is crucial for the economy to remain open while preventing strict lockdowns amid the pandemic to enable money to flow among MSMEs so that they can repay their debts and restructure. The market also presented an opportunity for MSMEs to shift to digital transactions as Filipino consumers, who initially resisted electronic payments, now widely use e-wallet services.

Resource persons from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) pointed to possible amendments that would make the registration process for online businesses easier given that these have flourished during the pandemic and would make those in the informal sector become part of the formal economy.

There was also the suggestion of extending tax breaks to e-commerce fledglings in the first few years of their operations.

Meanwhile, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) raised that enhancing the “bankability” of MSMEs must

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itizens’ unity and cooperation are essential for economic growth and development. Meaningful social relations and trust among people build on social capital, or from what Fukuyama defines as “an instantiated set of informal values or norms shared among members of a group that permits them to cooperate with one another.” Social capital is specifically related to trusts, norms, and social networks and is as valuable as physical, human, financial, and natural capital.

United and collaborative communities are where markets flourish and where governments shine in achievement. Market competition may bring about efficiency, but it is cooperation, in general, that builds societies, brings progress, and nurtures civilizations. Conflicted communities hinder market transactions in the economy and make government a battleground for political power instead of serving the public trust.

Filipinos have low social trust.

In the World Values Survey 2019, on the question of whether most people in one’s own country can be trusted, the Philippines scored only

5.3 percent in the affirmative as compared to Thailand at 28.9 percent, Singapore at 34.4 percent and China at 63.5 percent. Philippine society has a long history of social division. Regionalism took root even after independence, but new types of fragmentation have emerged in Philippine society. These are built on: 1) economic inequalities; 2) social injustices, 3) inaccessibility to quality education for many and wide differences in educational outcomes; 4) corruption, political dynasties, and bad governance; and 5) the promotion of class conflict in social media worsened by disinformation and

fake news.

As measured by the Gini index, economic inequality has slightly improved for the Philippines from its peak of around 47.8 in 2000 to 42.3 in 2018, and to 44.1 in the first half of 2021. This remains the highest in the Southeast Asian region. Moreover, available measures that capture top incomes in various surveys suggest that the gap between the rich and the majority of the population is one of the largest in the world.

Social justice in terms of implementation of the rule of law and the respect for property rights must apply to every citizen, whether rich or poor. For many decades, the justice and property rights system has favored the wealthy, resulting in an ever-widening income gap between the upper and lower classes. Our rank in the rule of law Worldwide Governance Indicator increased from the 35th percentile in 2010 to 42nd in 2015, only to drop again to 32nd in 2020. This indicator captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and, in particular, the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the effectivity of the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence.

Good-quality education is mostly accessible to the upper and middle

be pursued. For one, the BSP cited the Philippine Personal Security Act (RA 11057), as it reduces the cost of lending by promoting the use of movable assets like inventories and crops as an acceptable collateral. On the other hand, the Credit Information Corporation (CIC) said that they have been lobbying for the use of “reputational collateral” or factors that indicate the behavior of MSMEs such as their repayment rates and the requirement of a single loan application form to make credit more costeffective and accessible. In building MSMEs creditworthiness, both the BSP and the CIC concur that financial literacy sessions and debt advisory services should be extended to micro enterprises.

On the private sector’s side, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and microfinance institution CARD MRI echoed the grievance of MSMEs on the persistent red tape they encounter when it comes to registration and other processes. FFCCCII added that government agencies must expedite their digitalization programs to cope with the changing times as many billing and receipt systems are now done online. CARD MRI pressed that MSMEs must also be supported through sufficient See “Angara,” A15

classes. The rest of the population suffers from an educational system that has performed poorly vis-à-vis other countries. Fifteen-year-old students in the Philippines scored lower in reading, mathematics, and science than those in most of the 77 countries and economies that participated in the Program for International Student Assessment 2018.

Over 80 percent of Filipino students did not reach a minimum level of proficiency in reading, which is one of the largest shares of low performers among all PISA-participating countries and economies. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia are way ahead of us.

Social trust (especially in relation to government) has been declining also because of rampant corruption that hampers the delivery of basic social services to citizens. Our rank in the control of corruption in terms of the Worldwide Governance Indicator increased from 23rd percentile in 2010 to 40th in 2015, then dropped to 34th in 2020. This corruption indicator captures perceptions of the extent to which public power is exercised for private gain, including both petty and grand forms of corruption, as well as “capture” of the state by elites and private interests.

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Apolinario M. Mabini: Triumph Assassinating histories of mind over matter Tito Genova Valiente

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Manny F. Dooc

TELLTALES

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ne of the brightest minds that served the first Philippine Republic under General Emilio Aguinaldo was Apolinario Mabini. It was not an accident that he was dubbed the Brains of the Revolution since he was gifted with a powerful intellect and mastery of political craft, which had guided our republic during its birth. Unlike Andres Bonifacio, Aguinaldo and many other heroes who fought on the battlefields, Mabini wielded his intellectual prowess and mighty pen to oppose foreign invaders. Despite his physical condition, he was never daunted neither by the Spanish invaders nor the American colonizers until his death. Mabini had not fired a gun or wielded a bolo against any invaders who trampled our shores, but his contribution to gain our country’s freedom is immense.

In his 30s at the prime of his life, Mabini was struck with polio, a debilitating disease that paralyzed half of his body. However, his disability did not prevent him from serving our country. It was a case of triumph of mind over matter. He was the legal consultant and constitutional adviser of the revolutionary government. Thus, he was known as the “Sublime Paralytic” owing to his prominent role in the birth of our nation.

If Rizal was the brightest star of the Propaganda Movement who championed the call for reforms in our country, there was no doubt that Mabini was the intellectual of the Philippine revolution. As the foremost postwar columnist Indalecio P. Soliongco had written, “For more than Rizal, Mabini was the intellectual of the Revolution. Rizal’s highest glory was obtained during the Propaganda Movement. But during the period of stress and uncertainty of the Revolution, during that tremendous crisis that brought forth the Republic, it was Mabini, his mind and ideas, which served as the source of that intellectual guidance without which the Revolution would have been led astray—either in anarchy or in surrender.”

Mabini’s other major handicap was poverty. He was born to and raised by an illiterate peasant family but it did not deter him from acquiring an excellent education. While in high school, he worked as a houseboy for the owner of the school to pay for his education. Through scholarships, which he supplemented by working at odd jobs, including teaching Latin to students of lower levels, he completed his bachelor’s degree with honors at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

He pursued law at the University of Santo Tomas where he excelled academically. The records at the National Historical Commission showed that a law professor was greatly impressed by his thesis. After reading Mabini’s paper, his professor was quoted as saying: “The work seems to have come from the mind of a sage. I would like to live long enough to see how a mind like this will lead society.” I am certain that Mabini did not fail him.

Tomorrow, July 23, would be Mabini’s 158th birthday anniversary. He was born in Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas. He was 3 years younger than our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Unlike the more renowned propagandists like Marcelo del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Jose Maria Panganiban and others who had studied and traveled in Europe where they were exposed to liberal ideas, Mabini did not have the same privilege, but his lucid mind and sharp pen were feared and respected by both the Spanish and American colonizers. His deep understanding of how government works and his grasp of democratic principles laid down the solid foundation of our nationhood.

General Emilio Aguinaldo fully trusted him and acknowledged his brilliant legal mind. He wrote the Constitution of the Republic, which is recognized as the first in Asia. He was well read and was thoroughly familiar with the US Constitution and those of the other western countries.

Thus, the Malolos Constitution was very much his work. When the First Philippine Republic was set up, he served as the first Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Later on, Mabini was

also elected as the Prime Minister of the Philippines. He was the most influential adviser of President Aguinaldo. He drafted the presidential decrees and proclamations issued by the first president of our country. He advocated and recommended a popular democratic government, which the revolutionary government adopted.

A hero of his stature should be given greater recognition and glory. A town in Batangas was named after him; a shrine in Tanauan was constructed to mark his birthplace; some infrastructures like bridges and highways carry his name and at least one college in Bicol was founded to immortalize him.

Gawad Mabini, an award created to honor him, is given to Filipinos who have rendered outstanding foreign service. There’s no question that Mabini is a true patriot whose love for his country is second to none. In his True Decalogue, he declared: “Love your country after God and your honor, and more than you love yourself, because your country is the only paradise that God has given you in this life; the only patrimony of your race; the only inheritance from your ancestors; and the only future of your descendants: because of your country, you have life, love and interests; happiness, honor and God.” He was imprisoned by the Spanish authorities and was exiled by the Americans to Guam in 1901 when they took control of our country. Mabini correctly predicted that Spain, which was already losing the war against us, would cede our country to the new invaders. When the Filipino-American hostilities started, Mabini was one of the most wanted enemies by the Americans. He was carried on a hammock to escape the pursuing American soldiers but he was captured in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija.

He refused to pledge allegiance to the new colonizers. He was deported to Guam where he spent more than two years in exile. Three years later, he was allowed to go home to his beloved country. The American government offered him various juicy positions but he declined all of them. Instead of living in peace under American rule, he continued his advocacy to secure our independence by speaking about the political conditions in our country and writing essays promoting nationalism among our people.

He died of cholera on May 13, 1903 at the age of 38, when the epidemic hit our country. He left a great body of work, which is of great interest to all lovers of history.

His personal memoir entitled “La Revolution Filipina” gives us a better insight about the Philippine Revolution, the first armed uprising waged against the western colonial powers in Asia, and the reign of the first Philippine President, Emilio Aguinaldo.

Mabini’s face is no longer found in any of our peso bills. In the English Series of the Philippine currency notes circulated from 1949 to 1969, Mabini appeared in our one peso note. As it was the most common bill in circulation, Mabini was very popular among our people. In the Pilipino and Bagong Lipunan series launched in 1969 to 1985, Mabini appeared in the P10 bill. In 2001, the BSP stopped printing the P10 banknote. Mabini may no longer be in our wallets, but he will be forever in our hearts.

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was in the middle of Rampage (feel free to read the cruelest pun in that line), the acclaimed book written by James M. Scott on the Battle of Manila, when I learned about the assassination of Shinzō Abe.

The world as we know it was shocked.

The shock came from the sense that the killing of an important man cannot be happening in Japan, a country noted for peace and the most difficult law on gun-ownership. But it happened in broad daylight. The killer was right there behind Abe. After the shock came the tributes. Soon we learned about the record held by Abe, that of being the longest-serving Prime Minister of the country. The US government spoke of him as an able partner in world diplomacy and maintenance of global harmony whatever that notion means. His strong stand against China is manifested and his support of Taiwan clear and solid.

Abe was with us, the Filipinos and the Philippines.

Before his remains could be brought back to Tokyo, words that were not exactly acclamatory started to trickle in. I was also waiting for the political observers from this country to say their piece. But we opted to be Asians at that point: do not talk ill of the dead. The words from this country remained on the level of diplomacy, and the good relationship he has forged with Japan and the Philippines.

We also get informed of his political pedigree – a grandson of a former Prime Minister, among many other laudatory linkages – and his politics. Other documents point to his connection to Nippon Kaigi (literally, Japan Conference), an ultraconversative lobby and non-governmental organization whose members

range from right-wing to far-right.

Abe himself has been described by political observers as a right-wing Japanese nationalist.

All these criticisms were coming from foreign scholars of politics and diplomacy. In the Philippines, I could not find any critique that could balance our view of this Japanese statesman. This is a significant point to make considering the unique and controversial ties we have with Japan.

Given this gap, I decided to contact Hanna Zulueta, my former student in the Ateneo de Manila University, who has since then charted her own career as an academic.

Based in Tokyo, Hanna’s immediate reaction was that of a resident and observer: “I was shocked when I heard about it because gun violence is rare here, as you know. Also, I noticed that candidates don’t have tight security and people can really be near them so there’s no sense of danger. I remember I saw Abe years ago campaigning at Hachioji station. Some people were listening and watching him, some people were going about their own business.”

It is as a specialist in PhilippineJapan relations that we need to value the words of this woman intellectual: “Yes, Abe may have been a friend of

Friday, July 22, 2022 A15

the Philippines and Southeast Asia but we also have to remember him as an ultranationalist, a history denier.

His womenomics also wasn’t really beneficial for women.”

As days went by, the profile of the assassin was released: he held a grudge against Abe because of his support of what the reports identified as a Unification Church, another system with South Korean roots. To this, Zulueta noted developments in the Japanese society: “On social media, people were blaming the Zainichi (literally, “residing in Japan”) Koreans and the Chinese for the assassination. And some academics fear it [the situation] might embolden rightist groups and spread hate against the [Zainichi] Koreans and other minorities.”

Knowing that this Filipino intel-

lectual who is presently an Associate Professor with Toyo University, a university established in 1887 in Tokyo, is keen about feminism, I asked her stand on Abe’s womenomics not being beneficial to women. “I think there were more women in the workforce but did it also lead to more women in leadership positions?” Zulueta emphasized. She continued: “Japan still ranks low in the gender gap report (they are ranked #120 in

2022). And more women in the workplace doesn’t mean more women empowerment since they still have the double burden when they go home.”

At this point, Zulueta cited what Arlie Hochschild says about “second shift,” that part that demands women to do another domain of work once they leave the workplace.

Which brings us to what Abe is to the Philippines. Being part of a group that is noted for historical negationism, Abe’s positions include the denial of the systematic recruitment of comfort women in World War II. And I am back to Rampage. MacArthur, Yamashita and the Battle of Manila.

People caught in those histories will always connect us to each other.

In Scott’s book, a chapter talks of letters and quotes from American soldiers during the Philippine-American War: “This country won’t be pacified until the niggers [Filipinos] are killed off like the Indians.” “The only good Filipino is a dead one.” “No cruelty is too severe for these brainless monkeys who can appreciate no sense of honor, kindness, or justice.” But move to the next chapter and the villains have shifted from being Americans to being Japanese. The scene is at Bayview Hotel. It is February of 1945. Women were herded to the rooms of the said hotel. Soldiers came and dragged women out into rooms and raped them on the floor. One woman was raped so many times she had lost count. “I was raped between 12 and 15 times during that night.” More books contain accounts of these horrifying days. So, you see we are inextricably linked to each other—the US, Japan and the Philippines. Every now and then a politician in his death reminds us of this and more. Unfortunately, historical accounts can be denied in life as in death.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

Biden announces modest climate actions; pledges more to come

By Seung Min Kim & Matthew Daly The Associated Press

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OMERSET, Mass.—President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced modest new steps to combat climate change and promised more robust action to come, saying, “This is an emergency and I will look at it that way.”

The president stopped short, though, of declaring a formal climate emergency, which Democrats and environmental groups have been seeking after an influential Democratic senator quashed hopes for sweeping legislation to address global warming. Biden hinted such a step could be coming.

“Let me be clear: Climate change is an emergency,’’ Biden said. He pledged to use his power as president “to turn these words into formal, official government actions through the appropriate proclamations, executive orders and regulatory power that a president possesses.”

When it comes to climate change, he

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access to information technology infrastructure. In addition, interestfree loans, business management training, and a national MSME data center where products can be displayed were recommended by the ASA Philippines Foundation as interventions that would benefit micro

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Many politicians and interest groups have been fanning class antagonism in social media. While the exploitative economic and political elites really exist, these messages,

added, “I will not take no for an answer.’’

Biden delivered his pledge at a former coal-fired power plant in Massachusetts.

The former Brayton Point power plant in Somerset, Massachusetts, is shifting to offshore wind power manufacturing, and Biden chose it as the embodiment of the transition to clean energy that he is seeking but has struggled to realize in the first 18 months of his presidency.

Executive actions announced Wednesday will bolster the domestic offshore wind industry in the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast, as well as spend $2.3 billion to help communities cope with soaring temperatures through programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies.

The trip comes as historic temperatures bake Europe and the United States.

Wildfires raged in Spain and France, and Britain on Tuesday shattered its record for highest temperature ever registered.

At least 100 million Americans face heat advisories in the next few days as cit-

ies around the US sweat through more intense and longer-lasting heat waves that scientists blame on global warming.

Calls for a national emergency declaration to address the climate crisis have been rising among activists and Democratic lawmakers after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., last week scuttled talks on a long-delayed legislative package.

Biden said Wednesday the option remains under consideration. “I’m running the traps on the totality of the authority I have,” he told reporters after returning to Washington. “Unless Congress acts in the meantime, I can do more’’ on climate, he said. “Because not enough is being done now.’’ Biden said he’s been told that some of his legislative proposal on climate remains “in play,’’ but he acknowledged he has not spoken to Manchin.

Gina McCarthy, Biden’s climate adviser, said Biden is not “shying away” from treating climate as an emergency.

“The president wants to make sure that we’re doing it right, that we’re laying it out, and that we have the time we need

to get this worked out,’’ she told reporters on Air Force One. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who attended Wednesday’s event, said he was “confident that the president is ultimately ready to do whatever it takes in order to deal with this crisis.”

Environmental groups were less hopeful. “The world’s burning up from California to Croatia, and right now Biden’s fighting fire with the trickle from a garden hose,” said Jean Su, energy justice program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

An emergency declaration on climate would allow Biden to redirect federal resources to bolster renewable energy programs that would help accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels such as coal and oil. The declaration also could be used as a legal basis to block oil and gas drilling or other projects, although such actions would likely be challenged in court by energy companies or Republican-led states. Daly reported from

enterprises nationwide.

Entrepreneurs and GoNegosyo mentors observed firsthand how micro enterprises are hesitant to be part of the formal economy as they have a hard time not only registering their business, but also complying with several rules such as labor regulations and tax laws as these entail complicated processes and added costs. Moreover, they also called out how the Philippine

Business Databank, which is a repository for all local enterprises, must be updated as it failed to show accurate information about registered businesses.

These are just some of the insights our MSME stakeholders have shared, which we’ll take into account heading into the 19th Congress. Overall, our goal is to analyze and to include these views in the various Tatak Pinoy measures that we are currently crafting.

We hope that these conversations would snowball into wider consultations to further uplift the welfare of our Filipino micro enterprises.

coupled with disinformation, have exacerbated social and class divides and resulted in greater polarization.

On disinformation, in its survey of December 12-16, 2021, the Social Weather Stations found almost 7 of 10 adult Filipinos think the problem of fake news in traditional media and on the Internet is serious.

These sources of social divisions in Philippine society necessitate wide-ranging reforms in public spending, particularly in delivering social services, building infrastructure, implementing the justice and property rights systems, promoting transparency and accountability of government

Washington.

Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 18 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 9 as Senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 250 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.

E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara

personnel and institutions, and fostering institutional culture of the promotion of truth and combatting fake news.

Dr. Fernando T. Aldaba, Mr. Gil R. Dy-Liacco, and Mr. Joselito T. Sescon are faculty members of the Department of Economics at Ateneo de Manila University.

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Millions left out of Covid loan-funded aid programs

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE Covid-19 social protection programs financed through loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), excluded millions of Filipinos and small businesses during the lockdowns, according to a report by SocialWatch and Oxfam.

Based on the report, SocialWatch and Oxfam traced the exclusion from three key social protection programs to red tape and the focus on the assistance for formal sector participants.

The programs were the Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) for workers through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises

(MSMEs) through the the Social Security System (SSS) and the Department of Finance (DOF); and the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“The pandemic clearly presents the urgent need to review existing social policies and programs of the government and the possibility of expanding its coverage to a larger population, beyond what they cur-

rently cover. In time of a pandemic, casting the net wider would be the most humane, caring thing to do,” the report stated.

The three programs were financed by the $2.5-billion Covid-19 Active Response and Expenditure (CARES) financed by a $1.5-billion debt from the ADB; a $498-million borrowing from Jica; and a $750-million loan from the AIIB. The CAMP targeted all establishments, from micro to large, affected by the pandemic and gave a one-time financial aid of P5,000 to qualified workers. The SBWS was target-specific, with 1 million MSMEs on its radar of beneficiaries of the wage subsidy of P5,000P8,000 a month for two months.

The Social Amelioration Program provided a subsidy of P5,000 to P8,000 a month for two months to affected families and individuals.

“Everyone has been adversely affected one way or another; others more severely in terms of loss of jobs and incomes, additional family expenses, greater exposure to health risks, expanded family obligations, constrained access to services, to name a few,” the report, however, stated.

The report found that CAMP turned away nearly a million workers by the end of the application pe-

riod in mid-April 2020. SocialWatch and Oxfam noted that this was a time when wage earners struggled with income losses daily.

SocialWatch and Oxfam traced the low payout to the fact that employers waited for their employees to apply through their online application system. Employers had to apply on behalf of their employees to qualify for the assistance.

As for the SBWS, the report found that the program only reached 146,000 MSMEs and 3.59 million workers, barely 15 percent of its goal.

The two organizations also said the SBWS was “structurally biased” as it only catered and released assistance to businesses registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Social Security System (SSS) and have met their financial obligations to these two agencies for the last three years up to 20 January 2020.

“By design, [SBWS] is inherently and structurally biased against informal MSMEs which are generally not BIR- and SSS-compliant,” the report said. “In short, the SBWS has had very limited reach of the sector that it aspired to serve because it confined its scope to the regulated MSMEs.”

NEW DENR CHIEF VOWS ‘ETHICAL STEWARDSHIP’

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

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ECRETARY Antonia YuloLoyzaga vowed to implement ethical stewardship of the country’s environment and natural resources, not only to survive but to thrive, in the face of shocks and uncertainties.

Undersecretary Ernesto D. Adobo Jr. on Thursday led the ceremonial turnover by handing over the symbolic key of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to Loyzaga, the agency’s third woman secretary.

In his welcome remark, Adobo Jr. described Yulo-Loyzaga as a climate change and disaster resilience expert, adding that her nomination to the top DENR post is timely as the world struggles to limit climate change below the 1.5 degrees Celsius level.

Speaking at the turnover at the DENR offices, Yulo-Loyzaga said shocks and uncertainties are now the norms because of the impact of climate change.

“At the National Resilience Council, the definition we often use of resilience is the capacity not only to survive but to thrive in the face of shocks and uncertainties. And our environment today is typical of this type of re-

gime. Shocks and uncertainties are in fact the norm,” she said.

Yulo-Loyzaga proposed a mission that represents ethical stewardship to serve with excellence and virtue, and uphold shared environmental values, and scientific and technical excellence.

“We want a stewardship that is democratic, where stakeholders can participate; where there is transparency in the Department’s plans and decisions,” she said.

According to Yulo-Loyzaga, the DENR needs to work in silos and harness its expertise and make sure that the capabilities of the different sectors, the different bureaus, actually are in line and in support of each other.

Scientific risk-based approach

YULO-LOYZAGA said as the chief steward of the country’s natural resources and environment, she wants to invest in a scientific risk-based approach.

“We want some quantified impact metrics and hopefully, with the Department’s projects and performance, we can set the example for the economic, social, and environmental gains that are part of the mandate of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” she said.

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Padilla: PHL, China Labor group should resume talks wants PNP on WPS oil-gas devt reforms part

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HE Philippines and China must resume bilateral talks for cooperation on oil and gas development in the West Philippine Sea, to address challenges from skyrocketing prices of oil amid global developments such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla said.

He filed Senate Resolution No. 9, where he cited a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Oil and Gas Development between the Philippines and China on November 20, 2018.

That memorandum had lapsed toward the end of the Duterte administrtation.

“Now therefore, be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved, urging President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to resume the bilateral talks with the People’s Republic of China for the purposes of cooperation on oil and gas development in the West Philippine Sea,” Padilla said in his resolution.

“The Philippines requires a long-term strategy to resolve its oil dependency from foreign sources as the country is vulnerable to the negative effect of the skyrocketing oil prices dictated by the world market’s reaction to the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he added.

Padilla pointed out that the Philippines and China understand that the MOU—which former Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. recently announced had been terminated —does not pose any derogation to the Philippines’s assertion of its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. “The parties further understand that the MOU shall not be prejudicial to ‘respective legal positions’ which ‘does not create rights or obligations under international or domestic law’ and as such, there is no deroga-

tion of the Philippines’s assertion of its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Also, he said the execution of the MOU is a “valid exercise of the executive powers of the President” under Sec. 1, Art. VII of the Constitution.

Padilla added that Sec. 2 Art. XII of the Constitution allows the Philippines to “directly undertake to or enter into coproduction, joint venture or production-sharing agreements on petroleum and other mineral oils and all forces of potential energy.”

The senator said the new administration “has the opportunity to resume the bilateral talks with the People’s Republic of China for purposes of cooperation in the WPS on gas and oil development without bargaining the sovereign rights of the Philippines on the disputed territories therein.”

Padilla continued: “In view of the gains attained from the MOU where the GRP and PRC cooperated on the terms provided therein on the gas and oil development in the WPS, the new administration can further explore these common interests of cooperation to resolve the country’s oil dependency from foreign countries.”

Meanwhile, he filed Senate Bill 229 seeking to suspend excise taxes on unleaded premium gas, regular gas and diesel oil, to address the effects of rising oil prices.

Under the bill that seeks to amend Section 148 of the National Internal Revenue Code, the excise tax for these products will be automatically suspended if the average Dubai crude oil price based on the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) will reach or exceed US$80 per barrel in three months. Butch Fernandez

of SONA

A

LABOR group called on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. to include reforms in the Philippine National Police (PNP) in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) next week to boost the country’s international reputation on human-rights (HR) compliance.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) urged Marcos to initiate a review on PNP’s performance to address the concerns raised by international bodies on alleged rampant human-rights violations in the country.

“These reforms are imperative at this time as citizens were being victimized by HR violations not only once but several times in the past,” FFW said in a statement on Thursday.

Earlier, Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild pushed for a bill, which will withhold aid being extended by the United States government to the PNP until it can comply with “ human-rights requirements.”

The country was also flagged by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) among the top 10 worst countries for workers due to the alleged killings and harassments of trade unionists.

Some of the violations, FFW said, were supposedly perpetrated by the police.

“The ITUC includes reports on police interference in the exercise of Freedom of Association including harassments, arrests and killings of trade union leaders,” FFW said.

It noted even the International Labour Organization (ILO) has taken notice of the issue and has a pending request to the government to allow in a high-level mission to investigate the said cases.

“As the new administration will lay down its plans at the SONA, FFW urges President Marcos to initiate organizational self-examination and police reforms at the PNP,” FFW said.

Marcos will deliver his first SONA at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City on July 25, 2022. Samuel P. Medenilla

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Friday, July 22, 2022

Globe: Policy reforms key to attracting tech investors

G

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

lobe Telecom Inc. is asking the new administration to “implement policy changes” in the industry to attract more investments in the country’s digital infrastructure.

Ernest L. Cu, the company’s president, said digital platforms and services will act as a key driver of economic growth and recovery in the coming years.

“We know that economic recovery is foremost in the minds of government and private sector alike, and this can be fast-tracked through connectivity and the widespread availability of first-world internet services,” he said.

Globe, Cu noted, has been implementing intensive network

builds in support of the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

However, it also asked support for the push to remove persistent bureaucratic roadblocks to techdriven development.

Among policy impediments to pursue digitalization is lacking legislation requiring property developers to allocate space for telco and other ICT infrastructure in their developments, Cu said.

Both houses have failed to pass this in the last Congress. Cu expects

the measure “to be resurrected with the start of the new session.”

The proposal aims to address challenges that telcos confront in deploying cellular and broadband fiber connectivity facilities in residential areas.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has been vocal about his advocacies towards digital transformation.

He recently appointed tech expert and lawyer Ivan John Enrile Uy as the secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Cu also hopes for the speedy rollout of the National ID system to ensure SIM registration is backed by expansive availability of legitimate IDs to enable proper counter checks.

Apart from reforms in the telco industry, Cu said Globe is also pushing for the revision of the implementing rules and regulations of the EPIRA law to lower the threshold on energy use so businesses may avail of op-

tions in energy sources, among them renewables.

This, he said, will allow businesses, from large corporations to MSMEs, to use renewable energy for smaller infrastructure, including those consuming between 10 and 99 kWh. “We continue to enhance our digital solutions platform in support of the new administration’s digitalization goals. The Globe Group offers an incomparable suite of services in the digital space, from fintech and healthtech to edutech, adtech and many more, which address Filipinos’ digitalization needs,” Cu said.

In the first quarter of the year, Globe built 234 more cell sites, upgraded over 3,500 mobile sites, and installed 380 new 5G sites, leading to an increase in ultra fast 5G mobile connectivity in more areas nationwide.

Globe has set an P89-billion capital expenditures program for 2022.

Isuzu PHL aims to hike sales by 11%

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

I

suzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) is targeting to sell some 16,000 units this year, nearly 11 percent higher than the 14,424 units it sold in 2021.

The company is optimistic that 2022 will be favorable for the company despite current challenges.

“As we all know, the economy is slowly (recovering) and people are buying vehicles especially our commercial vehicles,” said IPC Assistant Division Head for Sales Robert D. Carlos on the sidelines of the company’s 25th Inaugural Anniversary celebration held Thursday in Pasay City.

Carlos said Isuzu’s Traviz light-

Samsung SDI to build battery plant in Malaysia

S

outh Korea’s Samsung SDI Co. will build a second battery plant in Malaysia to boost production of cylinder-type cells used for electric vehicles and electronics devices.

The company will spend 1.7 trillion won ($1.3 billion) on the plant, which will produce so-called 21700 batteries, referring to a 21-millimeter-wide and 70-millimeter-long cell, to “respond to increasing demand for cylinder-type batteries,” it said in a statement Thursday. Mass production will start in 2024.

The new plant will be a “starting point” for Samsung SDI to become a leader in the global battery market by 2030, Chief Executive Officer Yoonho Choi said at a groundbreaking ceremony in Seremban, according to the statement. Samsung’s investment will create more jobs and opportunities for local companies, Negeri Sembilan Chief Minister Aminuddin Harun said.

Samsung SDI, which supplies batteries to BMW AG and Volkswagen AG, had a 5-percent share of the global battery market this year through June. That ranks it sixth behind market leader Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. with 34 percent and LG Energy Solution Ltd. at 14 percent, according to Seoulbased SNE Research. Bloomberg News

weight truck boosted the company’s performance in the first half. The company sold 7,936 units in January to June.

He noted that Traviz is ideal for the delivery of merchandise to online shoppers. Aside from Traviz, he said Isuzu’s D-MAX will also help drive sales growth this year.

During the event, the company highlighted the contribution of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to the automotive industry.

“As I mentioned, it’s all about the businesses, if you can see in our 25th video MTV, we really want to compliment or give tribute to the SMEs that are really the drivers especially this pandemic,” Carlos said.

He noted that SMEs have been purchasing the Traviz and other

trucks for their businesses. “Being the no. 1 truck brand for 22 consecutive years, Isuzu is benefiting from it.”

Carlos said IPC currently has “48 dealerships and counting.” The company is targeting to expand this to 50 by the first quarter of 2023.

The company is currently renovating dealerships to make the Isuzu outlets more customer-friendly.

For his part, IPC President Noboru Murakami said IPC is preparing to venture into a more sustainable future.

Currently, Murakami said the company is installing solar panels in its plants. Isuzu is targeting to shift 22 percent of its electricity requirements to renewable energy by September.

As for the deployment of electric vehicles in the country, Carlos said the company is still firming up its plans. He said Isuzu continues to monitor developments related to government policies.

He said high electricity cost and the setting up of charging stations are some of the factors to consider in terms of deploying e-vehicles.

Last week, Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual noted that there are economic challenges associated with the roll out of e-vehicles in the country, saying there’s a need to first address “fundamental issues.”

Pascual said it will take time to set up charging stations in the Philippines, particularly since the cost of electricity and fuel remains high.

Nokia gains as profit beats estimates

T

he shares of Nokia Oyj advanced after it reported better than-expected earnings and indicated it’s on track to meet full-year guidance amid strong demand for 5G gear from phone carriers.

The Finnish maker of mobile networks on Thursday reported an adjusted operating profit of 714 million euros ($730 million) for the second quarter, beating an average analyst estimate of 640.5 million euros. Adjusted earnings per share came to 0.10 euros, more than estimated by analysts.

Its shares jumped as much as 6.8 percent, the most in almost a year, as trading got underway in Helsinki.

Nokia said its Mobile Networks unit returned to growth and “executed well” against supply-related challenges, which have continued to cause disruptions for 5G equipment vendors over the quarter. Last week, competitor Ericsson tumbled as much as 12 percent after a mixed quarterly report with revenue ahead of expectations but margin and earnings missing estimates, partly due to increasing component and logistic costs in the networks segment.

“We are currently tracking toward the higher-end of our net sales guidance and toward the mid-point of our operating margin guidance as we manage ongoing inflation and

ICTSI named top independent terminal operator

Photo shows the Manila International Container Terminal, ICTSI’s flagship operations. From www.ictsi.com

I

nternational Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) was named as the top whollyindependent global terminal operator (GTO) with a portfolio that spans all six continents, according to independent maritime research and consulting firm Drewry.

The Razon-led Filipino company currently operates 33 terminals in 20 countries, mostly in emerging markets, making it a “true Philippine economic transnational, moving knowhow, investments, goods, people and technology across borders.”

Aside from this citation, Drewry also ranked ICTSI 8th among GTOs in terms of equity twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) based on the consolidated 10.1 million TEUs it handled in 2020.

GTOs handled mostly 66 percent of the global port volumes in 2020.

ICTSI’s consolidated throughput in 2021 increased 10 percent to 11.1 million TEUs, owing to the reopening of markets and improvements in trade.

Despite the slowdown of global trade during the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ICTSI con-

currency headwinds,” Chief Executive Officer Pekka Lundmark said in the statement. “There remain risks around timing of Nokia Technologies’ contract renewals, potential Covid-19 lockdowns and the supply chain which remains challenging but is showing signs of improvement.”

The report was “stellar,” said Fredrik Lithell, an analyst at Svenska Handelsbanken AB. “Operational performance continues to be good with demand still on high levels and the first two quarters beating expectations,” he said.

Thursday’s gain in the stock price helped Nokia recoup some losses, and it’s now trading down 2.5 percent compared with a year ago. 22 analysts tracked by Bloomberg recommend buying the stock, 9 have a “hold” recommendation and none

recommend selling.

Nokia kept its full-year net sales outlook unchanged in constant currency, guiding for sales of 23.5 billion euros to 24.7 billion euros using exchange rates as of June 30.

Its comparable operating margin guidance remains at 11 percent to 13.5 percent.

Nokia also upgraded its estimate for Mobile Networks’ market growth to 5 percent in constant currencies from 4 percent seen in April. The market for Network Infrastructure will also grow 5 percent, up from 3 percent estimated previously.

Spea k ing in a n inter v iew, Lundmark indicated carriers’ 5G investments are expected to continue at a brisk pace, with “the big picture as of today unchanged and pretty robust.” Bloomberg News

tinued to expand its operations with the addition of two new multipurpose terminals in Nigeria and Cameroon, while expanding its existing operation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

According to ICTSI, its continued expansion is “anchored on its core strategy of acquisitions and greenfield developments of small- to medium-sized terminals through government partnerships while maintaining majority ownership across its global operations.”

“ICTSI takes pride in being an independent stevedore with no ties to shipping lines, state-owned enterprises, and other major industry stakeholders. Compared to hybrid operators, ICTSI’s independent nature allows it to create value across its terminals by improving efficiency through the implementation of trademark best practices,” the company said.

The company added that it recognizes the complex role of ports in the development of economies and communities where it operates, citing operations in Papua New Guinea, Australia, and Ecuador, to name a few. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Amazon breaks lobbying record amid antitrust fight

A A logo at the Nokia Oyj stand on the opening day of the MWC Barcelona at the Fira de Barcelona venue in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, February 28, 2022. Photographer: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg

B1

mazon.com Inc. spent a record $4.98 million on lobbying during the second quarter of this year as momentum intensified in Congress to pass legislation intended to crack down on technology giants.

Amazon’s lobbying expenditures increased 2.5 percent over the second quarter of 2021, according to disclosure reports filed on Wednesday.

Spending by the e-commerce behemoth was up only slightly from the first three months, when it shelled out a previous record of $4.97 million on lobbying.

The major tech companies and their trade groups spent $17.3 million on lobbying in Washington during the second quarter of this year, seeking to fend off legislation that could force them to fundamentally change their business practices.

The industry in the last quarter outspent one of Washington’s biggest donors: top pharmaceutical companies and their major trade group, which spent nearly $16 million, according to a Bloomberg tally of the top five US firms and their leading trade group.

Overall, the four biggest technology companies and their third-party groups spent $35.3 million during the first half of 2022, a 15-percent increase over $30.5 million in the

first half of last year.

The legislation, championed by Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island, would prohibit the largest tech companies from using their dominant platforms to disadvantage competitors. Another bill would ease Apple Inc. and Google’s grip over the app ecosystem, forcing iPhone and Android makers to open up their platforms to third-party app stores and apps. The giants—Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Meta Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google—have spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying to crush the legislative effort.

The spotlight is now on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who hasn’t scheduled a floor vote for the bills despite pledging to do so earlier his summer. Antitrust advocates have escalated a pressure campaign against Schumer, participating in stunts like playing ads in front of Schumer’s homes in New York and Washington. It’s unclear whether Congress will pass the legislation before the August recess. Still, the threat has caused a flurry of opposition as the companies spend tens of millions on advertising campaigns, funnel money into front groups and deploy their top executives to appeal to lawmakers directly. Bloomberg News

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Friday, July 22, 2022

Singaporean firm acquires local food delivery service

S

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

ingapore-based Society Pass Inc. has acquired Mangan.ph, the local restaurant delivery service in the Philippines with operations mainly in Central Luzon.

Founded in 2017, Mangan delivers restaurant food from over 1,200 partner restaurants through its over 200 rider network to its over 500,000 registered users. Mangan has generated more than 100,000 mobile app downloads and accumulated over 80,000 social media followers.

The company operates in Pampanga and Mangan’s geographic reach extends to 16 other cities including Angeles City, San Fernando, Clark, Dau, Mabalacat, Guagua, Lubao, Tarlac, Bataan, Magalang, Pasig, Cabanatuan, Baguio, Lipa Batangas, Antipolo City and Dagupan City.

The newly acquired business will

be integrated into Society Pass’s food and beverage group Push Delivery Pte Ltd., along with Pushkart and #HOTTAB. Society Pass declined to disclose the acquisition price. This is its second acquisition in the Philippines after February’s purchase of grocery delivery service Pushkart.

Despite the recent re-opening of the economy and the easing of multiple restrictions, online home food ordering remains the new normal in the Philippines, similar to trends in other parts of the world, the company said.

The convenience of orderingin coupled with the work-from-

home set-up and continued preference to avoid crowds encourage patrons to order as often as they did during the past two years, the company said.

“Combined w ith Pushk art, which delivers grocery food to consumers in Metro Manila, and Mangan’s operating focus in the provinces, SoPa is creating a food delivery behemoth to serve the 115 million people of Philippines.

SoPa aims to double the number of registered users to over 800,000 and drive app downloads to over 200,000 by the end of 2023,” Society Pass Philippines country manager Arbie Pagdangan said.

“We look forward to building out our next generation loyalty platform as well as opportunistically acquiring market leading companies in F&B, lifestyle, digital advertising and travel verticals in the Philippines for the rest of 2022.”

Ralph Rile, co-founder and CEO of Mangan said when they started Mangan five years ago, their vision was to deliver delicious dishes from Pampanga’s wide array of cafes and

restaurants right to the customer’s doorsteps in a “hassle-free way.”

“We have witnessed tremendous success in our initial goals, and now, aim to expand Mangan beyond Luzon Island to other regions in the Philippines. This is why joining forces with SoPa is our logical next step, and we are excited about the combined capabilities we will now bring to Mangan’s partners and customers,” Rile said.

“In a short span of time, with our easy-to-use technology interface, Mangan has established a reputation of being the top online local food delivery service, achieving over $2 million in gross merchandise value yearly,” Louie Alcantara, Mangan’s co-founder and chief technology officer, said.

Society Pass is an acquisition-focused e-commerce holding company operating seven interconnected verticals, including loyalty, merchant software, lifestyle, F&B, telecoms, digital media and travel.

It has offices in Singapore, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Angeles and Bangkok.

Suntrust majority owner to change name

S

untrust Resort Holdings Inc., the company that will operate Andrew Tan’s integrated resort and casino in Entertainment City, on Thursday said its majority owner—Suncity Group Holdings Ltd.—will change its name to bring “a new atmosphere” to its corporate image.

In its disclosure, the company said Suncity Group will change its name to LET Group Holdings Ltd. It said the new name is an acronym for Leisure, Entertainment and Taste.

“Based on the disclosure of SGHL, its Board is of the view such proposed change will better reflect the SGHL and its subsidiaries’ strategic business plan and its future development direction with the focus on tourismrelated business,” Suntrust said in its disclosure.

“SGHL’s board believes that the new name can bring a new atmosphere to SGHL’s corporate image and identity, which will help SGHL better capture potential business opportunities and benefit the future development of the group.”

In October 2019, Suntrust entered into a co-development agreement with Westside City Resorts World Inc. Under the deal, the company will finance the development and construction costs and would be appointed as the exclusive operator and manager of the operations of main hotel casino located in Manila Bayshore Integrated City in Parañaque. Total cost of development for the integrated resort and casino is about $1 billion.

Suncity Chairman Alvin Chau was arrested late last year in Macau. He was accused of establishing an online betting platform in the Philippines which offered proxy betting services

to customers in mainland China. He then funneled the proceeds to bank accounts held by Macau-based companies. Chau stepped down as chairman of the Suncity Group.

On June 17, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the amendments to the company’s primary and secondary purposes--from that of a real estate company to a tourism-oriented company authorized to engage in tourism-related businesses. Suntrust adopted its present name from the previous Suntrust Home Developers Inc., which the SEC approved last June 8. The company has two wholly-owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Macau. These are SWC Project Management Ltd and WC Project Management Ltd., respectively. Both subsidiaries are engaged in providing project management services.

In 2020, Suntrust increased its authorized capital to P23 billion from P3 billion in order to accept Suncity’s ownership to 51 percent but diluted the 42.48 percent stake of the Andrew Tan-controlled Megaworld Corp., in the company down to 34 percent.

Suntrust will give an annual rent of $10.6 million a year to the gambling arm of Andrew Tan, Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., for the lease of the main hotel and casino.

The company said the contract will run for 25 years and is renewable by another 25 years.

The Suncity Group is known to have extensive experience in the leisure and entertainment business, and is seeking investment opportunities in integrated resort projects worldwide including Cambodia, the Philippines, Myanmar, South Korea, Japan, Russia and Vietnam. VG Cabuag

mutual funds

July 21, 2022

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 200.47 -5.17% -9.87% -6.07% -13.99% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 1.2996 -4.76% -8.22% -4.13% -21.91% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.7485 -6.02% -13.44% -8.73% -15.11% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.6939 -7.36% -11.17% n.a.

-8.27% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.655 -10.36% -10.26% n.a.

-15.03% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.555 -2.58% -7% -4.17% -12.11% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.6748 -2.46% -9.57% -6.97% -13.85% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 75.73 -23.39% -14.99% n.a.

-19.8% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 41.3928 -4.48% -8.72% -4.61% -13.99% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 429.38 -5.55% -8.8% -4.81% -14.24% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.2129 8.52% -4.15% -1.63% -10.57% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 31.4752 -3.55% -7.97% -3.77% -13.99% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.8174 -3.4% -9.11% n.a.

-13.17% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 4.2878 -3.53% -8.09% -3.94% -13.57% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 714.51 -3.93% -8.15% -4.01% -13.76% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.6298 -7.37% -13.09% -7.06% -16.32% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.2018 -5.41% -10.78% -5.54% -15.2% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.8132 -4.24% -8.44% -4.27% -13.9% United Fund, Inc. -a 2.9967 -3.65% -8.1% -3.36% -12.82% Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a 0.9869 -5.85% n.a. n.a.

-15.12% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 869.89 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Exchange Traded Fund (shares) First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 96.3347 -3.5% -7.93% -3.63% -13.58% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b $0.9218 -25.49% -2.48% -2.13% -18.17% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.4638 -18.49% 3.45% 4.32% -20.72% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.5416 -7.1% -4.92% -2.82% -8.89% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.0759 -4.3% -4.38% -2.65% -9.01% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.4833 -1.82% -3.06% -1.36% -7.72% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.1921 1.53% n.a. n.a.

-8.09% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.859 -2.84% -2.03% -0.54% -7.82% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.3788 -5.89% -4.21% -2.06% -10.26% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 15.152 -5.82% -4.31% -2.11% -10.05% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 1.9429 -2.95% -4.08% -2.02% -8.41% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.2541 -4.93% -6.58% -3.06% -10.78% Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.8468 -0.91% -6.21% -2.64% -11.26% Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a 0.8924 -7.75% -5.12% n.a.

-9.84% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a 0.8114 -7.33% -8.2% n.a.

-14.09% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a 0.7989 -7.06% -8.58% n.a.

-14.46% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03324 -13.19% -3.93% -1.5% -12.39% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b $0.9127 -18.84% -3.02% -1.79% -14.47% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $3.9611 -16.35% 1.43% 2.65% -17.51% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,2 $1.0163 -15.27% -1.77% -0.08% -15.21% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 373.93 0.4% 2.09% 2.28% -0.1% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.889 -1.78% -0.23% 0.04% 0.23% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.228 -0.16% 1.85% 3.22% -0.49% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.1735 -4.06% -0.34% 0.68% -3.46% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.3963 -1.89% 1.09% 1.59% -1.22% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.1771 -7.07% -0.26% 0.48% -4.97% Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a 1.3157 -0.08% 2.56% 2.71% -0.26% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.8677 -2.87% 1.63% 2.11% -2.47% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.0075 -2.67% 2.32% 1.67% -2.01% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1249 -2.78% 1.61% 2.54% -1.96% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.6893 -3.42% 0.72% 1.84% -2.39% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $481.18 -1.14% 1.53% 1.73% -1.71% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є210.46 -4.42% -1.22% -0.1% -4.34% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.0698 -10.79% -3.37% -1.02% -11.14% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0242 -7.28% -1.86% -0.57% -6.92% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b $0.8964 -15% -6.22% -3.61% -12.36% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.2053 -12.52% -2.13% -0.23% -11.99% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0606806 -3.74% 0.73% 1.17% -2.59% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $2.7631 -13.44% -3.63% -1.75% -13.55% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 132.38 1.56% 2.25% 2.55% 0.91% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0644 1.03% 1.55% n.a.

0.63% Sun Life Prosperity Peso Starter Fund, Inc. -a,1 1.327 1.58% 2.09% 2.47% 0.87% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0644 0.61% 1.13% n.a.

0.36% Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a 44.8169 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a 1.2529 -5% n.a. n.a.

-9.4% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (units) ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a $0.8189 -17.28% n.a. n.a.

-15.58% a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago.

c - Listed in the PSE.

d - in Net Asset Value per Unit

(NAVPU).

1 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last July 8, 2021 (formerly, Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc.).

2 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last November 25, 2021.

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

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

July 21, 2022

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

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

43.5 119.5 8.05 88.6 26.7 6.94 46.4 6.57 17.88 55 19.1 90 73.55 1.62 3.45 895 0.61 171.6 2,320

44.75 121 8.39 89 26.75 6.95 46.6 6.6 17.98 56.8 19.6 90.1 74 1.7 3.48 950 0.65 174 2,400

44.95 118 8.02 89.5 26.65 6.9 46 6.6 17.82 55.4 18.92 89.1 73.5 1.73 3.5 949.5 0.61 173 2,320

44.95 121 8.2 90 26.75 6.98 47.35 6.6 18.08 55.4 19.58 90.05 75.2 1.73 3.5 950 0.61 175 2,350

44.75 117.5 8.02 88.25 26.65 6.86 46 6.6 17.82 55 18.92 89 73.5 1.7 3.5 949.5 0.61 171 2,320

44.75 121 8.05 89 26.75 6.94 46.4 6.6 17.98 55 19.58 90 73.55 1.7 3.5 950 0.61 174 2,320

2,200 2,268,670 9,800 3,291,180 51,000 376,900 2,776,700 300,000 47,400 310 71,500 613,850 51,710 80,000 22,000 20 100,000 1,170 150

98,490 272,612,184 79,055 293,896,770 1,362,015 2,603,397 129,639,020 1,980,000 851,246 17,062 1,381,456 55,143,608 3,842,712.50 136,300 77,000 18,995 61,000 202,910 348,600

INDUSTRIAL

AC ENERGY 8.52 8.6 8.4 8.61 8.4 8.6 18,575,500 ALSONS CONS 0.91 0.96 0.97 0.97 0.91 0.96 13,000 ABOITIZ POWER 31.9 32 31.9 32.35 31.8 31.9 2,170,400 RASLAG 1.78 1.8 1.79 1.82 1.77 1.78 1,422,000 BASIC ENERGY 0.395 0.41 0.42 0.42 0.395 0.41 8,300,000 FIRST GEN 17 17.14 16.98 17.18 16.7 17 162,000 FIRST PHIL HLDG 64 65 62.9 64 61.2 64 38,960 MERALCO 352.4 354.8 359 359.6 351.4 354.8 248,650 MANILA WATER 15.7 15.82 16.26 16.26 15.7 15.7 612,800 PETRON 2.95 2.96 2.96 2.99 2.96 2.96 1,033,000 PHX PETROLEUM 9.4 9.66 9.79 9.79 9.49 9.66 20,100 SYNERGY GRID 12.14 12.2 12.2 12.2 12.14 12.2 5,338,700 PILIPINAS SHELL 17.76 17.86 17.7 17.9 17.7 17.76 155,100 SPC POWER 9.31 9.4 9.11 9.4 9.1 9.4 86,800 SOLAR PH 1.62 1.63 1.61 1.63 1.6 1.63 32,327,000 AGRINURTURE 5.5 5.54 5.55 5.56 5.5 5.54 492,200 AXELUM 2.16 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.1 2.3 1,354,000 CNTRL AZUCARERA 9.1 9.9 9.2 9.2 9.16 9.2 4,700 CENTURY FOOD 23.7 23.75 23.1 24 23.1 23.7 1,036,700 DEL MONTE 13.38 13.7 13.8 13.8 13.5 13.7 3,600 DNL INDUS 7.07 7.08 7.05 7.12 7.05 7.08 4,358,200 EMPERADOR 18.96 19.08 18.92 19.4 18.82 19.08 14,735,100 SMC FOODANDBEV 42.75 42.8 43.7 43.7 42.8 42.8 222,500 FIGARO COFFEE 0.64 0.65 0.63 0.66 0.62 0.64 44,079,000 FRUITAS HLDG 1.04 1.06 1.04 1.07 1.01 1.04 1,746,000 GINEBRA 96.95 97 97.05 99.65 97 97 15,930 JOLLIBEE 212.8 214 213 215.8 210 214 299,680 KEEPERS HLDG 1.13 1.15 1.15 1.15 1.12 1.15 5,131,000 LIBERTY FLOUR 17.14 19.86 20.6 20.6 20 20 500 MAXS GROUP 4.39 4.5 4.47 4.5 4.45 4.5 144,000 MG HLDG 0.104 0.108 0.104 0.104 0.104 0.104 250,000 MONDE NISSIN 14.22 14.24 14 14.22 13.7 14.22 3,752,700 SHAKEYS PIZZA 7 7.15 6.92 7 6.91 7 60,900 ROXAS AND CO 0.57 0.6 0.59 0.59 0.57 0.58 2,893,000 RFM CORP 3.86 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 53,000 ROXAS HLDG 1.22 1.23 1.22 1.22 1.22 1.22 13,000 UNIV ROBINA 111 112 116.3 116.3 111 111 1,149,460 VITARICH 0.59 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.59 0.6 723,000 CEMEX HLDG 0.82 0.83 0.82 0.88 0.77 0.83 24,431,000 EAGLE CEMENT 12.08 12.34 12.06 12.08 12.04 12.08 24,200 EEI CORP 3.33 3.38 3.53 3.53 3.3 3.33 187,000 HOLCIM 4.85 4.9 5 5 4.85 4.9 555,000 MEGAWIDE 4.25 4.3 4.34 4.4 4.25 4.25 302,000 PHINMA 19.2 19.42 19.46 19.46 19.42 19.42 400 TKC METALS 0.66 0.68 0.66 0.66 0.66 0.66 77,000 VULCAN INDL 0.77 0.79 0.77 0.79 0.77 0.79 449,000 CHEMPHIL 125.2 149.5 125.2 125.2 125.2 125.2 10 CROWN ASIA 1.56 1.57 1.65 1.65 1.57 1.57 3,157,000 CONCEPCION 18.08 18.98 18.3 18.3 18.24 18.24 303,500 GREENERGY 1.69 1.7 1.67 1.7 1.66 1.7 9,711,000 INTEGRATED MICR 6.2 6.25 6.07 6.2 6.03 6.2 104,900 IONICS 0.68 0.71 0.68 0.73 0.68 0.73 75,000 PANASONIC 5.4 5.79 5.62 5.85 5.62 5.84 4,500 SFA SEMICON 1.42 1.43 1.46 1.47 1.4 1.42 1,198,000 CIRTEK HLDG 2.86 2.87 2.84 2.88 2.79 2.86 1,371,000

HOLDING & FRIMS

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

1.86 604 50.8 9.64 8.22 0.74 0.41 4.29 9.49 463.2 51.85 6.35 5.81 2.93 8.43 3.7 2.22 2.19 0.91 774 103 110 0.25 0.153

1.87 605 52.4 9.7 8.85 0.78 0.42 4.3 9.5 468 52 7.5 7.25 2.95 8.49 3.75 2.25 2.2 0.93 775 103.6 115 0.28 0.158

1.92 615 51.55 9.71 8.2 0.74 0.415 4.3 9.31 468 51.65 7.5 7.25 2.96 8.39 3.7 2.25 2.16 0.92 800 104 105.2 0.25 0.153

1.97 627 52.65 9.88 8.98 0.74 0.415 4.38 9.55 473.8 52.9 7.5 7.25 2.96 8.58 3.75 2.25 2.2 0.93 807.5 104 115 0.25 0.153

1.87 604 50.2 9.64 8.2 0.74 0.41 4.3 9.31 460 51.65 7.5 7.25 2.96 8.37 3.68 2.25 2.04 0.9 772 103 105.2 0.25 0.153

1.87 604 52.4 9.7 8.98 0.74 0.41 4.3 9.5 468 52 7.5 7.25 2.96 8.43 3.75 2.25 2.19 0.93 774 103.6 115 0.25 0.153

67,507,000 284,570 1,974,150 1,078,300 17,500 51,000 80,000 2,301,000 16,638,600 33,990 2,704,530 5,500 45,000 50,000 3,032,300 10,644,000 13,000 760,000 74,000 325,740 170,000 2,980 10,000 510,000

89,500 32,500,385 -60,788,202.50 -641,724 -142,570 -1,518,000 115,032 14,850 1,349,160 38,851,899.50 -2,056,639 -70,000 18,995 17,480 290,000

158,684,881 12,080 69,237,805 2,542,230 3,385,100 2,753,450 2,401,405 88,317,886 9,729,346 3,065,320 192,529 65,120,836 2,754,006 799,862 52,466,810 2,729,258 2,988,470 43,201 24,377,060 48,780 30,972,223 281,184,826 9,586,480 28,483,730 1,822,790 1,546,033.50 64,093,052 5,858,380 10,150 644,270 26,000 52,913,844 423,523 1,682,990 206,700 15,860 130,988,654 432,310 20,293,640 291,480 623,550 2,723,748 1,297,210 7,780 50,820 348,570 1,252 4,997,410 5,535,980 16,359,940 647,783 51,690 25,570 1,707,100 3,912,640

3,038,586 -8,230 5,628,945 8,950 16,800 391,118 -127,232 -1,306,338 -6,311,896 -1,365,480 4,134,630 69,456 9,110 -126,750 813,004 -8,400 -972,160 -1,962,435 -19,921,300 332,095 7,270 -1,515,963.50 9,980,086 4,789,970.00 18,733,760 -23,886 -298,710 -202,800 -26,459,151 1,467,300 -427,200 -25,478 4,300 -4,986,270 -5,521,340.00 13,640 -97,960 14,200 -48,220

129,043,290 174,976,355 102,568,243.50 10,477,477 156,880 37,740 32,900 9,894,590 157,717,182 15,917,592 141,161,129.50 41,250 326,250 148,000 25,561,464 39,535,300 29,250 1,653,970 68,170 254,978,885 17,607,300 318,900 2,500 78,030

20,906,750 32,132,230 27,338,928 -165,222 -137,394 -31,080 -327,010 13,689,751 -3,095,120 82,562,632 -879,558 4,584,540 -80,796,555 -3,405,854 -42,200 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.52 0.55 0.52 0.53 0.52 0.52 82,000 42,800 ANCHOR LAND 6 6.79 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 1,000 5,900 AYALA LAND 25.45 25.5 25.5 26.25 25.45 25.5 17,087,900 439,670,190 AYALA LAND LOG 3.1 3.12 3.16 3.16 3.06 3.1 333,000 1,034,960 ALTUS PROP 13.16 13.8 13.14 13.14 13.12 13.14 4,000 52,524 ARANETA PROP 1.4 1.42 1.37 1.42 1.35 1.42 1,289,000 1,787,810 AREIT RT 36.9 37 36.8 37.4 36.8 36.9 430,700 15,909,890 CITYLAND DEVT 0.68 0.69 0.69 0.69 0.69 0.69 15,000 10,350 CROWN EQUITIES 0.082 0.086 0.085 0.087 0.081 0.086 1,820,000 151,270 CEB LANDMASTERS 2.49 2.5 2.51 2.51 2.46 2.5 100,000 249,950 CENTURY PROP 0.38 0.385 0.385 0.385 0.38 0.38 230,000 88,400 CITICORE RT 2.4 2.42 2.41 2.44 2.39 2.4 4,737,000 11,392,970 DOUBLEDRAGON 7.8 7.9 7.83 7.9 7.71 7.8 52,300 410,394 DDMP RT 1.5 1.52 1.5 1.52 1.49 1.52 819,000 1,233,980 DM WENCESLAO 6.73 6.84 6.8 6.84 6.73 6.73 219,200 1,498,686 EMPIRE EAST 0.202 0.216 0.201 0.201 0.201 0.201 20,000 4,020 EVER GOTESCO 0.295 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.285 0.3 8,280,000 2,437,300 FILINVEST RT 6.79 6.8 6.79 6.8 6.77 6.79 1,426,900 9,696,749 FILINVEST LAND 0.93 0.94 0.94 0.95 0.93 0.93 5,056,000 4,752,040 GLOBAL ESTATE 0.83 0.87 0.83 0.83 0.83 0.83 1,013,000 840,790 8990 HLDG 9.85 10.64 9.51 10.68 9.5 10.64 38,000 382,171 PHIL INFRADEV 1.04 1.06 1.08 1.08 1.03 1.04 218,000 227,740 CITY AND LAND 0.7 0.71 0.72 0.72 0.71 0.71 18,000 12,840 MEGAWORLD 2.24 2.26 2.33 2.39 2.25 2.25 38,985,000 90,920,640 MRC ALLIED 0.184 0.185 0.178 0.185 0.178 0.185 3,560,000 652,600 MREIT RT 15.98 16 16 16.1 15.96 15.98 536,200 8,587,768 PHIL ESTATES 0.38 0.39 0.37 0.38 0.37 0.38 90,000 33,750 PRIMEX CORP 1.97 2.01 2 2.01 1.96 2.01 1,317,000 2,636,620 RL COMM RT 6.47 6.49 6.45 6.52 6.45 6.49 1,326,200 8,615,561 ROBINSONS LAND 16.68 16.96 16.9 17 16.66 16.96 1,030,300 17,313,868 PHIL REALTY 0.223 0.234 0.23 0.23 0.23 0.23 100,000 23,000 ROCKWELL 1.18 1.2 1.24 1.24 1.24 1.24 11,000 13,640 SHANG PROP 2.51 2.58 2.57 2.58 2.57 2.58 14,000 36,020 STA LUCIA LAND 2.77 3.03 3.04 3.04 3.01 3.03 42,000 127,170 SM PRIME HLDG 36.1 36.25 36.75 37.7 35.9 36.1 8,758,300 318,880,715 SOC RESOURCES 0.47 0.65 0.65 0.65 0.65 0.65 10,000 6,500 SUNTRUST RESORT 1 1.01 1.01 1.06 1.01 1.01 176,000 178,390 VISTA LAND 1.98 2.01 2.02 2.05 1.98 1.98 5,151,000 10,361,280 VISTAREIT RT 1.74 1.75 1.72 1.74 1.72 1.74 777,000 1,345,640

SERVICES ABS CBN 8.8 8.98 8.75 9.05 8.75 8.8 275,500 2,427,038 GMA NETWORK 10.38 10.4 10.28 10.44 10.28 10.38 241,800 2,512,026 MANILA BULLETIN 0.325 0.335 0.325 0.33 0.325 0.33 50,000 16,450 GLOBE TELECOM 2,180 2,208 2,242 2,256 2,174 2,208 55,955 123,547,510 PLDT 1,677 1,679 1,666 1,686 1,666 1,679 146,055 245,252,870 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.035 0.036 0.035 0.036 0.034 0.036 47,900,000 1,677,600 CONVERGE 20.75 20.8 20.85 21.25 20.5 20.8 8,631,600 179,865,790 DFNN INC 3.15 3.24 3.12 3.25 3.09 3.24 71,000 223,110 DITO CME HLDG 4.12 4.13 4.17 4.17 4.11 4.13 1,941,000 8,042,270 JACKSTONES 1.6 1.64 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 5,000 8,000 NOW CORP 1.16 1.17 1.15 1.19 1.15 1.17 11,998,000 13,929,520 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.275 0.28 0.28 0.28 0.275 0.275 1,350,000 373,100 2GO GROUP 6.3 6.76 6.26 6.3 6.26 6.3 1,100 6,922 ASIAN TERMINALS 13.6 13.92 13.98 13.98 13.9 13.9 12,900 179,630 CHELSEA 1.25 1.28 1.28 1.28 1.23 1.25 655,000 808,240 CEBU AIR 41.8 41.85 41.8 42 41.6 41.8 79,900 3,336,630 INTL CONTAINER 180.9 181 181.6 186 179.7 181 1,230,920 223,440,943 MACROASIA 4.32 4.36 4.4 4.45 4.32 4.36 226,000 988,390 METROALLIANCE A 0.89 0.9 0.94 0.94 0.86 0.89 25,000 22,260 PAL HLDG 5.47 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.6 7,000 39,200 HARBOR STAR 1.04 1.05 1.04 1.06 1.04 1.05 153,000 160,670 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.079 0.08 0.082 0.083 0.08 0.08 65,390,000 5,308,360 WATERFRONT 0.425 0.45 0.425 0.455 0.425 0.455 40,000 17,300 CENTRO ESCOLAR 6.53 6.94 6.94 6.94 6.94 6.94 100 694 FAR EASTERN U 530.5 588 588 588 588 588 90 52,920 STI HLDG 0.325 0.35 0.325 0.325 0.32 0.32 450,000 144,500 BELLE CORP 1.19 1.2 1.19 1.19 1.19 1.19 441,000 524,790 BLOOMBERRY 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.14 6.06 6.13 901,500 5,510,467 PACIFIC ONLINE 1.39 1.49 1.41 1.41 1.38 1.38 88,000 122,780 LEISURE AND RES 1.42 1.45 1.45 1.45 1.43 1.43 543,000 786,090 PH RESORTS GRP 0.81 0.82 0.83 0.83 0.79 0.81 3,240,000 2,607,650 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.4 0.405 0.4 0.41 0.4 0.4 5,220,000 2,089,500 PHILWEB 3.72 3.73 3.53 3.75 3.5 3.72 3,146,000 11,505,340 ALLDAY 0.31 0.315 0.295 0.32 0.295 0.31 32,130,000 9,939,650 ALLHOME 4.66 4.67 4.54 4.72 4.54 4.67 188,000 878,020 METRO RETAIL 1.45 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.45 1.47 626,000 917,120 PUREGOLD 29.5 29.55 29.25 29.85 29.25 29.5 1,556,300 45,902,135 ROBINSONS RTL 57.2 57.25 56.75 57.5 56.75 57.2 712,840 40,721,889 PHIL SEVEN CORP 63.65 64 63.5 64 63.5 63.65 1,240 78,952.50 SSI GROUP 1.43 1.44 1.37 1.45 1.37 1.44 7,843,000 11,153,950 WILCON DEPOT 22.35 22.8 23.35 23.5 22.25 22.35 1,630,100 36,986,915 IPM HLDG 6.3 6.97 6.4 6.4 6.3 6.3 4,500 28,535 MEDILINES 0.69 0.7 0.65 0.72 0.65 0.69 7,963,000 5,505,810 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.425 0.43 0.42 0.43 0.415 0.43 1,110,000 470,600

MINING & OIL ATOK 6.59 6.81 6.77 6.92 6.58 6.89 55,900 378,046 APEX MINING 1.44 1.45 1.45 1.48 1.45 1.45 1,934,000 2,824,380 ATLAS MINING 4.4 4.41 4.37 4.43 4.37 4.41 372,000 1,637,130 BENGUET A 5.32 5.33 5.32 5.32 5.32 5.32 100 532 CENTURY PEAK 2.65 2.72 2.7 2.72 2.7 2.72 110,000 297,700 FERRONICKEL 2.32 2.34 2.25 2.36 2.25 2.33 643,000 1,482,620 GEOGRACE 0.191 0.192 0.191 0.192 0.191 0.192 190,000 36,390 LEPANTO A 0.133 0.136 0.135 0.136 0.135 0.136 80,000 10,820 LEPANTO B 0.134 0.14 0.134 0.134 0.134 0.134 60,000 8,040 MANILA MINING A 0.0092 0.0097 0.0091 0.0091 0.0091 0.0091 10,000,000 91,000 MANILA MINING B 0.0092 0.0094 0.0094 0.0094 0.0094 0.0094 1,000,000 9,400 MARCVENTURES 1.31 1.32 1.35 1.36 1.3 1.32 4,945,000 6,535,600 NIHAO 0.9 0.92 0.9 0.92 0.9 0.92 59,000 53,400 NICKEL ASIA 5.61 5.63 5.46 5.64 5.42 5.63 7,513,600 41,868,444 ORNTL PENINSULA 0.71 0.73 0.72 0.73 0.71 0.73 133,000 96,750 PX MINING 3.16 3.17 3.16 3.18 3.15 3.17 551,000 1,747,000 SEMIRARA MINING 41.2 41.25 40.7 41.4 40.7 41.2 4,324,400 178,235,060 ACE ENEXOR 12.32 12.4 12.52 12.78 12.04 12.32 418,000 5,099,386 ORNTL PETROL A 0.01 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.011 15,900,000 181,300 PHILODRILL 0.0087 0.0089 0.0087 0.0088 0.0087 0.0088 18,000,000 158,200 PXP ENERGY 5.14 5.33 5.26 5.37 5.14 5.14 92,700 482,879

PREFFERED HOUSE PREF B 99 99.5 99.5 99.5 99.5 99.5 540 53,730 AC PREF B1 500.5 501 501.5 501.5 501 501 2,200 1,102,275 ALCO PREF D 495 502 502 502 502 502 10 5,020 AC PREF B2R 496.8 498.8 496.6 499.8 496.6 499.8 4,010 1,991,398 BRN PREF A 104 105 105 105 105 105 2,240 235,200 CEB PREF 40.55 41 41 41 41 41 6,000 246,000 CPG PREF A 101 101.5 101.5 101.5 101.5 101.5 30 3,045 DD PREF 96 98.55 98.75 98.75 98.55 98.55 340 33,522 EEI PREF A 100.6 104 100.6 100.6 100.6 100.6 150 15,090 EEI PREF B 103.6 106.5 103.5 106.5 103.5 106.5 170 17,685 GTCAP PREF B 1,000 1,014 1,014 1,014 1,014 1,014 5 5,070 JFC PREF B 951 955 955 955 955 955 110 105,050 MWIDE PREF 2A 95.05 96 96 96 96 96 1,070 102,720 MWIDE PREF 2B 97.5 100.5 100.5 100.5 100.5 100.5 20 2,010 PNX PREF 3B 99.6 100 100 100 100 100 370 37,000 PNX PREF 4 960 975 970 975 950 975 1,510 1,443,030 PCOR PREF 3A 1,030 1,040 1,028 1,028 1,027 1,027 200 205,410 PCOR PREF 3B 1,047 1,055 1,047 1,047 1,047 1,047 1,010 1,057,470 SMC PREF 2F 75.65 76 76.05 76.05 76 76 60 4,562.50 SMC PREF 2H 75 75.2 75 75 75 75 17,400 1,305,000 SMC PREF 2I 75.8 76.5 75.8 75.8 75.8 75.8 9,610 728,438 SMC PREF 2J 72.2 72.5 72 72.5 72 72.5 15,520 1,118,565 SMC PREF 2K 72.55 74 74 74 74 74 120 8,880 TECH PREF B2D 52.5 56 56 56 56 56 460 25,760

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 8.6 9.1 8.6 9 8.6 9 121,700 1,063,300 GMA HLDG PDR 10.3 10.9

WARRANTS TECH WARRANT 0.52 0.53 0.54 0.54 0.51 0.53 204,000 107,040

-60,631,240 -192,090 -52,524 6,377,685 -22,400 -1,538,850 -15,571 515,730 0 142,662 -1,745,450 -54,867 10,430 1,420 12,279,430 197,048 5,291,800 -5,809,458.00 -70,278,400 -1,060 -719,410 919,850 -25,643,850 -30,157,980 10,500 28,599,090 -1,554,520 -601,350 -245,300 151,970 -29,263,964 77,640 -12,750 1,573,471 407,310 -1,606,550 48,220 183,900 8,550 -563,010 -12,941,045 21,024,422.50 64,982.50 566,390.00 -21,157,940 -101,300 12,600 -129,060 23,260 -325,480 297,700 -226,030.00 -5,360 -109,350 15,531,139 -205,730 16,581,325 3,636.00 -

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

BALAI FRUITAS CTS GLOBAL HAUS TALK ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MERRYMART XURPAS

0.61 1 0.88 0.71 2.26 1.23 0.315

0.63 1.01 0.9 0.73 2.89 1.24 0.32

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

96.25

96.5

0.62 1.01 0.87 0.73 2.26 1.22 0.32

0.64 1.03 0.9 0.73 2.26 1.25 0.33

0.59 1 0.87 0.73 2.26 1.22 0.32

0.63 1 0.9 0.73 2.26 1.24 0.32

3,082,000 9,824,000 345,000 2,000 20,000 1,319,000 890,000

1,879,860 9,971,850 301,350 1,460 45,200 1,634,630 286,100

-3,045 -2,010 15,300 -13,490 -5,150 44,320 -

96.6 97 96.5 96.5 13,260 1,282,819.50 114,059

www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Veloso elected as GSIS’s new GM

V

ETERAN banker Jose Arnulfo A. Veloso was elected Thursday as president and general manager of the state-run pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

The GSIS Board of Trustees held the election through a special board meeting, the GSIS said in a statement.

Veloso, who has 36 years of banking experience, vowed to use what he learned from international finance and banking to contribute to nationbuilding.

“I now carry the responsibility of making sure that the retirement benefits of government employees are well-managed,” he said.

A turnover ceremony was also held at the GSIS Headquarters in Pasay wherein Veloso was welcomed by outgoing GSIS chief Rolando Ledesma Macasaet, GSIS executives and employees.

Veloso’s election comes less than a month after Malacañang announced his selection by then President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to be the next GSIS chief.

Under the law (Section 18 of the GOCC Governance Act of 2011 or Republic Act 10149), “the CEO or the highest-ranking officer provided in the charters of the government-owned or -controlled corporations [GOCCs], shall be elected annually by the members of the board among its ranks.”

Before Veloso’s appointment to the GSIS, Veloso was the president and chief executive officer of the Philippine National Bank (PNB).

Under his watch, the PNB was recognized by the TAB (The Asian Banker) International Pte Ltd. Asian Banker as the “Best Managed Bank” for demonstrating “excellence in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.” At the same time, the Singapore-headquartered publisher named Veloso as the “Best CEO” during the TAB’s annual “Leadership Achievement Awards.”

Prior to working for PNB, Veloso was an international banker who had built a wide network in international finance, especially in global banking and markets, a statement from the GSIS read. In 2012, Veloso was appointed as the first Filipino CEO at HSBC Philippines until he transferred as CEO of PNB in 2018.

“Throughout the Covid pandemic, Veloso has been directly working with leaders in the government and the banking industry to help support the overall economy,” a statement read.

A director of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), Veloso was elected BPA president until March this year.

“At BAP, he helped frame rules and regulations together with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as well as legislators with the view of helping enhance the efficiency and the effectiveness of banks and banking services—and their contribution to the overall economy.”

Veloso earned his bachelor’s degree in commerce, major in marketing management, from the De La Salle University Manila, in 1986. Bernadette D. Nicolas

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

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BOC seizes smuggled onions worth ₧12M

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By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized P12 million worth of smuggled onions at the Mindanao Container Terminal Port in Misamis Oriental.

Four containers of smuggled red and white onions were busted by the

Bureau of Customs-Port of Cagayan de Oro on July 19, marking the port’s

second seizure of smuggled goods in less than 2 weeks.

The shipments, which arrived last July 12 from China and consigned to “Primex Export and Import Producer,” were declared to be “spring roll patti [sic].”

District Collector Elvira Cruz immediately issued on July 13 a “Pre-Lodgment Control Order,” or PLCO, against the subject shipment.

A “Warrant of Seizure and Detention,” or WSD, will be issued against the shipment for violation of Sec-

tion 1400 of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. Cruz is hoping the seizure “will serve as a stern warning to unscrupulous individuals who will deprive the government of lawful revenues to stop their smuggling activities.”

Earlier this month, five containers of smuggled red onions, white onions and carrots estimated to be worth P15 million were also seized by the BOC-Port of Cagayan de Oro and the Intelligence Group

at the Mindanao Container Terminal Port.

The shipments consigned to Primex Export and Import Producer, which arrived from China on July 2 were declared as “autolysed [sic] yeast in powder form.”

Out of the P8.37 billion seized smuggled goods from January to June this year, P284.02 million were agricultural products.

Last year, the BOC seized some P28.4-billion worth of smuggled goods, of which P1.23 billion were agricultural products.

Why are people on billionaires’ list not taxed more?–senator

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

C

ITING the so-called “billionaires’ list” that comes out annually, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian is wondering why many of the names there are not on the list of top taxpayers.

Commenting on proposals to tax the rich more—some quarters want to introduce a so-called “wealth tax”—the senator said “Well, if we look at the reported billionaires’ list,” he observed that “they are not on the list of top taxpayers.” Gatchalian, to note, is expected to assume chairmanship of the Ways and Means committee when the 19th Senate opens on July 25.

He noted in a radio interview that “normally, our top taxpayers are known TV personalities, movie personalities who are so-called highprofile personalities.” Gatchalian added they often top the list of the

Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) because they “make sure to pay taxes.”

But the ones on the billionaires’ list, we don’t see them there, the lawmaker said referring to the BIR’s top taxpayers list.

At the same time, the senator stressed, speaking partly in Filipino, that “there is really a need to fix the system so that the ones who are really rich and can afford will pay higher.: “That is what we call the concept of progressivity—those who can afford should pay more.”

Asked to comment on an Ibon Foundation research that there are 2,019 billionaires in the country, Gatchalian admitted he doesn’t know the exact number but pointed to the annual Forbes list of richest individuals.

However, he observed that “when one looks at the list of top taxpayers of BIR, many of the names [on Forbes’ list] are not there,” adding that this makes one wonder.

Traits of a future director

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S a kid growing up, I have always been fascinated with anything futuristic: aliens, spaceships, galaxies, universe and the like. While these things still attract me to this day, the “futurist” in me has ventured into other topics such as trends, scenarios and foresights, to enrich my professional life.

So when I received the video recording of a webinar entitled, “7 Surprising Traits of Future Directors” from Board Pro Ltd., a board management software company in Australia, I immediately watched it with keen interest.

In the webinar panel discussion were: Paul Smith, CEO and founder of the Future Directors Institute; Lynda Carroll, CEO of the Align Group Limited; and Steven Bowman, managing director of Conscious Governance.

In the context of the webinar, “future directors” are defined as those who will be shaping the “Board of the Future” by creating the conditions for effective stewardship, good decision-making and ultimately leaving things in a better place than they found them.

Here are the seven traits of future directors that I’ve picked up from the webinar: 1. Big picture thinker. One who brings to the boardroom a wider viewpoint, a proactive approach and an impact-focused mind, as well as

Association World Octavio Peralta seeks inputs from key stakeholders and has future-thinking and scenario-planning instincts; 2. Decisive in the face of ambiguity. One who does not aim for perfection, makes use of what is available and takes the best direction based on the best information presented; 3. Assumes the best. One who puts positivity on something that can be seen as negative and maximizes the upside rather than protecting the downside; 4. Aware of biases. One who understands that individuals have their own biases and therefore does not subscribe to selective perception, i.e., the process by which individuals perceive what they want to hear in a message while ignoring opposing viewpoints; 5. Has a healthy “impostor syndrome.” One who is always exploring, is asking why, is curious and has the humility to co-create and collaborate with other stakeholders. (“Impostor Syndrome” is the persistent inability to believe that

“At yun ang nakakapagtaka dahil kahit sila ang pinakamayayaman na pamilya sa ating bansa, pero hindi naman nasa top taxpayers. Kaya meron talaga tayong dapat tignan para yung mga mayayaman o yung mga may kayang magbayad ay dapat mas malaki ang kanilang dapat bayaran.”

[And that’s puzzling, because even if they’re the richest people in the country, they’re not top taxpayers. So we really have to assess the system so that those who are really rich or can afford will pay more.]

Ofreneo’s pitch

IN June, Economist and BusinessMirror Columnist Rene Ofreneo noted that the discourse on imposing a wealth tax has attained more currency especially during the pandemic, when systemic inequalities were highlighted.

Alluding to then outgoing Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez’s pitch for the incoming Marcos Ad-

one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills); 6. Lifetime learner/teacher.

One who believes that directors are also students and has the knack to continuously acquire new knowledge, new skills and new techniques, as well as one who elevates others, not only themselves; and 7. Constructively disruptive.

One who can say “no” while everybody says “yes,” is bold to do something new in the boardroom and who innovates and does groundbreaking actions.

There are other traits also worth mentioning: equanimity: being calm in a difficult situation; “two ears, one mouth”: to listen more than to speak; high EQ (emotional quotient): to understand, use and manage your own emotions in positive ways; courage; and no barriers to exit: able to leave the board at any time.

The next ten years will need board directors who are light-years ahead.

The future needs “future directors.”

Are you up to the task?

Octavio Peralta is currently the executive director of the UN Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” E-mail: bobby@ pcaae.org.

Crypto woes spread as fallout hits another exchange

IPMEX, a cryptocurrency exchange that operates in markets like Singapore and Thailand, halted withdrawals as the fallout from a series of defaults spreads further throughout the digital-assets industry.

The Asian platform is the latest to encounter financial difficulties stemming from dealings with troubled crypto lenders Babel Finance and Celsius Network Ltd. Zipmex has $48 million of exposure to Babel and $5 million with Celsius, it said on its Facebook page on Thursday.

“Zipmex is exploring all available channels including fundraising, legal action and restructuring,” the

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Friday, July 22, 2022

company said in the Facebook post.

The exchange is in talks with new investors to raise funds for a “bailout,” Zipmex (Thailand) Chief Executive Akalarp Yimwilai said in a video on the company’s YouTube channel that has since been removed.

Zipmex joins other struggling crypto firms with operations in Singapore, including Three Arrows Capital and Vauld, even as the regulators in the city-state tighten rules to ring-fence retail investors from volatile digital assets. The Monetary Authority of Singapore said this month it will broaden cryptocurrency regulations to cover more activities amid a series of business

failures in the industry.

Zipmex has a license for digitalasset trading from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand, according to its website. In Singapore, the platform holds an exempted payment service provider permit, rather than a full license under the central bank’s new regime for cryptoasset firms.

Zipmex cited “volatile market conditions, and the resulting financial difficulties of our key business partners” as reasons for its decision, according to a tweet it sent out Wednesday. The company later partially eased the withdrawal for users of some products in Thailand.

Zipmex’s troubles underscore the perils of leveraged bets permeating in a closely interconnected industry between crypto exchanges, lenders, investors and hedge funds which has seen Celsius, Voyager and Three Arrows Capital file for bankruptcy.

Among Zipmex’s products is ZipUp+, an account that pays yields as high as 10 percent on deposits of tokens such as Bitcoin, Ether and Litecoin, and those customers will no longer be allowed to withdraw their assets and money. Zipmex said on its website that prospective users aren’t protected, as the company isn’t licensed by the MAS. Bloomberg News

ministration to raise new taxes and postpone the scheduled tax reductions for certain categories of income earners, Ofreneo noted that clearly, “more borrowing is not a viable option.”

According to Ofreneo, the national debt amounting to close to P13 trillion is “truly alarming.”

“Every Filipino, young and old, is now indebted by around P117,000.00.

The debt-to-GDP ratio is also headed towards the 70 per cent level, or 10 per cent above the globally-accepted standard of the maximum level of debt sustainability.”

However, Ofreneo said imposing more taxes or resorting “to stringent austerity measures when the times call for more stimulus spending to rev up the economy and provide amelioration assistance to the impoverished millions who gifted Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with a landslide victory” does not seem viable.

“Are there other options other

than more borrowings and more VAT and excise taxes? There is. Impose wealth tax on society’s most capable,” Ofreneo said. “In fact, wealth tax has become a prominent topic in global economic forums.”

He further explained that heavilyindebted countries that have been weakened by the Covid pandemic are being urged to enact wealth tax laws to enable their governments address the cost of the pandemic and nurse their economy back to health.

“More borrowing and more taxes only contribute to the deepening of their debt-economic crisis.”

Ofreneo noted that “the global discourse on wealth tax as an alternative fiscal measure received a boost from the world’s leading creditor, the International Monetary Fund” itself in April 2021, which “formally called for governments to consider imposing higher taxes on the wealth of the rich to cover the cost of the pandemic and economic recovery.”

BANK’S YEN FOR ART This Wednesday, July 20, 2022, photo shows Bank of the Philip-

pine Islands (BPI) Senior Vice-President and Unsecured Lending and Cards, Products and Sales Head Jenelyn Z. Lacerna (right) and Ayala Foundation Inc. Senior Director of Arts and Culture Ma. Elizabeth L. Gustilo present documents symbolizing the two agreement of the two entities for a campaign. The BPI and AFI are in partnership for a donation drive that aims to encourage BPI cardholders to donate to Ayala Foundation to promote arts and culture in the country. Photo By NONOY LACZA

BPI’s H1 income includes net gain through Create

By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

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HE Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) reported strong growth in its net income for the first half of the year, which the bank attributed to higher revenues and lower provision during the period.

The bank announced last Thursday that it was able to grow its net profit by 73 percent in the first half of 2022 to P20.4 billion.

BPI said the period’s result is inclusive of a net gain on sale of property and tax adjustments due to the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (Create) Law (Republic Act 11534).

RA 11534 seeks to amend several provisions in the old Tax Code, with a central focus on lowering corporate income tax rates and rationalizing fiscal incentives to better attract local and foreign investments in the Philippines.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Create into law on March 26, 2021, with a number of vetoed provisions. It was published in the BusinessMirror on March 27 and took effect on April 11, 2021.

BPI’s total revenues for the first half of the year increased by 19.8 percent to P57.6 billion. This was driven by the

bank’s growth in net interest income of 16.2 percent to P39.3 billion on the back of 14.4-percent loan growth and a 15-basis point expansion in net interest margin to 3.46 percent.

The bank’s non-interest income was also up 28.4 percent to P18.3 billion as fee income increased 42.2 percent.

This could have been larger, the bank said, if not slightly tempered by the notably lower securities trading gains which came off a high base last year.

On the other hand, total operating expenses for the first semester was P25.8 billion, higher by 7.3 percent compared to the previous year.

The bank said investments in technology was the main accelerator for the growth in expenses. Costto-income ratio was 44.8 percent.

In terms of provisions, BPI said it has recognized provisions of P5 billion for the first half of the year, a 23.1 percent reduction from the P6.5 billion booked over the same period last year.

It also reported an improvement in its non-performing loan 1.99 percent and NPL coverage ratio stood at 170.7 percent.

The sustained strong metrics in asset quality resulted in a continued decline in credit cost, to 66 basis points, towards pre-pandemic levels.

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Friday, July 22, 2022 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

Relationships BusinessMirror

Oat-rageous recipes to get some fiber in your body PHOTO BY MICHEILE DOT COM ON UNSPLASH

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Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Selena Gomez, 30; Rufus Wainwright, 49; Willem Dafoe, 67; Danny Glover, 76.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Explore what life offers and delve into something that fascinates you. Having an interest in things that are obscure or bring you into contact with unusual people and places will encourage you to try something new and exciting. Take in every detail; there is no need to rush to decide. Knowing what you want will eliminate regret. Your numbers are 5, 19, 23, 25, 31, 38, 42.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Make plans with someone who makes you laugh. Kicking back with friends will eliminate stress and help put situations into perspective. Avoid over-the-top behavior; you’ll learn more and have a more significant impact on others if you are moderate. HHH

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Share your thoughts and plans with passion. Go over every detail and exercise your right to put the final touches on whatever you pursue. Own your contributions and present what you have to offer with pride. A contagious attitude will pay off. HHH

I

’VE had a love-hate affair with oats.

As a young child who detested having breakfast, my Lola Ding would usually try to feed me hot oatmeal with milk to prepare me for the day’s lessons and activities in school.

In those days, people had to fire up the stove just to get their Quaker Oats, mixed with water, into an acceptable mash of a healthy meal after some 30 minutes or so of continuous stirring. So, yes, I was quite the ungrateful child for trying to resist my Lola’s pleas to “eat something!” (Gah. I can hear her voice in my head saying this.)

I would pick at my oatmeal, and in feeble compliance shove maybe two teaspoons of it in my mouth, quickly downing it with water, or with more milk. In the end, it was usually the glass of milk I finished, and left the relatively untouched oatmeal on the table, before flying off in Papa’s car to St. Theresa’s, barely making the flag ceremony as usual.

Slowly over time, as I came into adulthood, my disdain toward oats took a backseat. I would happily munch on oatmeal cookies, especially those thin ones that became the rage in the 1990s, and then as I inherited my parents’ medical conditions like their high cholesterol and hypertension, I would turn to oats a few times to return my body to tip-top shape.

Well almost. (Once a backslider, always a backslider.

Chicharon is just so yummy, innit?)

On occasion I would buy steel cut oats or rolled oats to give me some semblance of an attempt at health. But, damn, they’re just so expensive, especially that brand sold at Healthy Options. When traveling, I also make sure to bring along some Quaker Oatmeal cookies—when on long flights, you can never be sure when your next meal would be served. They also relieve me of late-night hunger pangs, in case my hotel or resort doesn’t have 24/7 room service, so it’s always good to make baon.

Oats have 7x more fiber compared to long grain white rice. (Personally, I use brown rice.) High fiber in oats lowers cholesterol and aids in digestion. It gives you a full feeling and helps stave off unnecessary unhealthy snacking, so it helps power up your day.

Studies show that Filipinos consume less than 50 percent of fiber needs every day. According to Jake Andal of the Philippine Society of Nutritionists and Dietitians, working Filipino adults consume an average of only 8 grams of fiber daily. This is waaaaay lower than the average recommended nutrient intake (RNI) of 20 to 25 grams. As such, we should not wonder why heart disease is the leading cause of death among Filipinos.

I’m glad that now, Quaker Oats sells rolled oats locally. They are the best when cooking or baking.

I used mine to make my favorite toffee chocolate cookies from a recipe I cribbed from friend Lesley Tan. I tweaked her sugar measurements though to make the cookies friendlier to those who are battling diabetes. You still need the brown sugar—I use muscovado—to make the cookies moist and chewy.

I sliced cacao tablea from Sarangani into bits—it was just sitting in my ref—but, yes, you can use pre-

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Be calm, observant and receptive, and you’ll find out what’s possible and where and how you can fit in and do some good. What you offer and how you perform will turn into your calling card among your peers. HHH

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You’ll draw plenty of attention if you pitch in and help. Putting your attributes to the test will give you a better sense of what you can do next. Put your money into whatever brings the highest return. Believe in yourself. HHHH

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You must go it alone if you want to get things done your way. The path of least resistance will tempt you when you know sticking up for yourself and doing what’s best for you are the better choices. Don’t let others limit you.

HH

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A positive attitude will encourage progress. Share information and follow through with a plan that offsets any negativity you encounter. Looking at trivial matters realistically will stifle feeling overwhelmed. A thoughtful gesture will make a good impression on someone special. HHHHH

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’ll have some expansive ideas and plans, but before you engage, make sure you have the stamina to finish what you start. When in doubt, wait until you are confident you have the backup required to get things done correctly. HHH

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Pay attention to how you present yourself and use the information you receive. Verify information before you pass it along, or you’ll pay the price. You may not relish change, but it will be beneficial in the end. HHH

packaged chocolate chips. I also included chopped almonds and pistachios in the cookie dough. You can use whatever nuts you like.

nuts. The dough should feel tacky. Chill the cookie dough in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. I usually let it stay in there for an hour.

Pre-heat oven to 180˚C, and in the meantime, take your now shiny cookie dough and roll gobs of them into golf-ball-sized balls. Lay them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. They will expand as they bake.

I bake them for 12 minutes for a chewy feel, and up to 15 minutes for a crispier bite. After baking, I added some Himalayan salt flakes on top of the cookies to lift the chocolate taste further, while enjoying the bite of the oats and nuts.

Another healthy dish I made was Overnight Oats.

I just put about 5 heaping tablespoons of the rolled oats in a bottle, a half-cup of full-cream milk (or you can use yogurt), a small packet of Stevia for sweetener, then topped it with sliced strawberries, sliced bits of Malagos dark chocolate (again just siting in my ref), and assorted chopped nuts.

I left the bottle in the ref overnight, and poured everything out in a bowl for breakfast the next day.

Yes, I eat breakfast now! Hahaha. Lola knows best!

Quaker Whole Grain Rolled Oats is available in 500-gram pouches, 1.2-kg pouches, and 1.2-kg jars in leading supermarkets and grocery stores nationwide, at super friendly prices. For more Quaker Oats recipes, go to www.quakeroats.ph. n

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup coconut sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar (or less) 1 tsp salt 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract or all-spice 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (sifted) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup rolled oats Dark chocolate chips or nuggets Chopped nuts PROCEDURE: WHISK sugar, salt and butter until smooth paste forms. (Let the butter melt naturally, while you do a bazillion of things around the house.)

Whisk egg and vanilla into the mixture, until you can get light ribbons falling off the whisk and remaining on the surface briefly before falling back into mixture.

Fold the pre-sifted flour and baking soda into the mixture.

Fold in the rolled oats, chopped chocolate bits and

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put more thought into investments and how and what you do with your cash. Building a secure platform to stand on will help you get ahead. Refuse to let emotional interference stand between you and a healthy decision. HHH

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You are heading in the right direction, but trying to take on too much or make up for someone’s incompetence will slow you down. Stop trying to fix what isn’t fixable and concentrate on promoting what’s feasible. Romance is favored. HHHHH

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Refuse to let anyone get in your way. Avoid fighting a losing battle. Use your intelligence and discipline to get where you want to go; doors will open and new beginnings will unfold. Celebrate, but be reasonable.

HH

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t overanalyze money, health or legal matters.

Distance yourself from situations to get a clear picture of what you must do to make the most of what you’ve got. Do what’s necessary and walk away from disarray. HHHH BIRTHDAY BABY: You are confident, helpful and strict.

You are protective and convincing.

H: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. HH: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. HHH: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. HHHH: Aim high; start new projects. HHHHH: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

‘case in point’ BY PAUL COULTER The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Apart from that 5 Lustrous 10 Letters on an invitation 14 First light 15 Double-reeded instruments 16 Duel tool 17 Keg? 19 Immense 20 “Snowy” bird 21 Number of Canadian provinces 22 Popular mints 23 Nebraska city that’s home to the largest indoor swamp 25 Midwest hub 27 Leg? 32 Stomach muscles, briefly 35 Ward of The Fugitive 36 Ape found in the Congo Basin 37 Pressing need?

39 Genre for H.E.R. 41 Worry ___ (Guatemalan figurine) 42 Alaska’s tallest mountain 44 Takeover 46 Name shared by two Spice Girls

47 50 51 54 56 59 61 62

Peg? Not domesticated Spread, like fingers Decrease Rowing stick Vatican-related It’s a long story “To illustrate...,” and a hint to interpreting the starred clues 64 Word after “spark” or “power” 65 Speak your mind 66 Vocal range below soprano 67 Moral transgressions 68 Exams for HS juniors 69 Briny expanses DOWN 1 Slight advantage 2 Slow, in sheet music 3 Bunch of bees 4 Win over 5 Sun, in Spanish 6 “Sure it is...”

7 Subject of many songs 8 Excited about 9 Fashion monogram hidden in “fancy

10 11 12 13 18 22 24 26 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 38 40 43 45 48 49 52

slacks” Cleric’s title Where a guest might crash Sleeveless suit part Furry family members, often Cultural value system Garb for blending in, for short Where “skyscrapers bloom” and “Cadillacs zoom,” in a West Side Story song Uproars Words between “chicken” and “king” Drew of children’s lit Ready and willing partner?

Lounge around Turturro of “he Sopranos Name that bookends “bracket” “Well, I’ll be darned!”

Many of them say “Hello!” ___ Perignon Old Italian bills Father’s nickname One-masted sailboats Woolly animals that can hum Fruit in some turnovers

53 “Big Three” conference site 54 Venomous snakes 55 Indonesian island where Nyepi is observed 57 Opera highlight 58 Flat fee?

60 Early August births, astrologically 62 Stylish dresser 63 ___ out (cancels) Solution to today’s puzzle:

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Show BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Friday, July 22, 2022

B5

Marilou Diaz-Abaya: Woman, filmmaker, National Artist—Part II

Editor’s note: Here is the second and concluding part of the author’s profile on National Artist Marilou Diaz-Abaya.

A

FTER Ferdinand Marcos was deposed, Marilou Diaz-Abaya stopped making films and turned to television. In many interviews, she admitted her TV programs brought her closer to socioeconomic and political issues. These shows were, according to her, a way of promoting and protecting democracy and its gains in our country.

Nineteen ninety-five saw the return of Marilou Diaz-Abaya to the silver screen.

Milagros was Diaz-Abaya’s film that augured her comeback as an acclaimed director. Ironically, cineastes tend to describe the film as one of her obscure films. The description has more to do with popularity than with the narrative arc of the film.

The story continues this attempt of the filmmaker to stage the contradictions in the role of women in a patriarchal society. Milagros, a prostitute serving as a maid in a family with four men, enables us to join Diaz-Abaya’s as she maps how women undermine the notion of family when it is the men and their nature to commodify things where the breakdown all begins.

For a film that is least known among her works, Milagros would win the major awards from significant award-giving bodies.

The film Milagros was another work of Diaz-Abaya to be sent as the Philippines’s entry to the Oscars. The next year, her other film Sa Pusod ng Dagat would be the counter’s entry to the said film concourse.

Sa Pusod ng Dagat is an interesting sample of Diaz-Abaya’s politics. The film brings at the center of a Philippine rural community in the 1950s a man.

Birthing is an act that by biology and sociology belongs to a woman but in Sa Pusod ng Dagat, a man inherits the work that his mother does, that of being the community midwife. The young man’s coming of age finds no link to the traditional models of masculinity but to a template of a role that breaches the boundary between female and male tasks.

The subversion of Diaz-Abaya becomes an inversion in a film that pits a community accepting a man as someone who mediates the birthing process to the belief in the “sirena.” A human group would rather embrace the lore and legend than the reality of paternal/maternal and child care. If one is still to underscore the feminism of Diaz-Abaya, it is one that considers not only the consciousness of women but that of men, as well.

In the late 1990s. Marilou Diaz-Abaya initiated a creative partnership with media giant GMA. This was the filmmaker’s period marked by films that were nothing but epic in themes and production.

Diaz-Abaya took on a project that was massive: the biopic of the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal.

The year was 1998—the centenary of the Philippine Republic. It was the right time, the right person for the celebration of the nation. Rizal, for all the docility attributed to him by non-admirers, remained a controversial figure at the turn of this century. José Rizal reawakened many things—the interest in the national hero, the contentious facts around and about Rizal and his brand of nationalism.

The film, however, was a success among critics and the general audience. Insofar as the film generated strong debates about the Filipino identity via

Rizal and his ideologies, the film was a darling for historians and teachers as well as students.

José Rizal swept all the major awards in the many film competitions in the land.

The once male bastion of directing supremacy for historical films ended with Diaz-Abaya at the helm of the grandest depiction of Rizal. Unafraid were the many new details that made the film one of the mosttalked about productions in the country—the alcohol lamp to contain the last poems of the hero, the dog in Luneta, the portrayal of Rizal as indecisive at some points. The painstaking attention to details and DiazAbaya’s remarkable obsession with research were well-documented.

In interviews, she talked of how she requested that the works of Rizal in his original handwritings, and these becoming the basis for her unlocking the persona behind the national and hagiographic portraiture. She talked of how she looked at the penmanship and noticed how smooth the strokes and the formation of sentences were when Rizal was talking about loved ones and family. She also realized how there were many erasures and words and phrases crossed out when the discourse was about nationalism and ideologies. In an era of deconstruction, postmodernism and meta-narratives, Diaz-Abaya stuck close to the old-fashioned narrative of telling a tale.

“I have always been a storyteller,” Diaz-Abaya was often quoted as saying. For a person who candidly remarked how her interest was not in films but in teaching, José Rizal was one of the teaching tools ideal for a country often asking the question of heroes.

This attitude towards the experiential more than the intellectual would be present in the other works and activities she would embark on. In the middle of her affliction as she fought cancer, Marilou DiazAbaya would return to Bohol and be with the ordinary people that made her filmmaking, perhaps not even the film, extraordinary and a learning, not a teaching, point in her life.

By 2001, the face of Cesar Montano as Rizal was fluttering on banners posted around the venerable

Iwanami Hall in Kanda, Central Tokyo. The building houses the pioneer mini-theater founded in 1968.

Described as highbrow, Iwanami Hall is one of the earlier arthouse cinemas and describes itself as excavating masterpieces from Asia, the so-called secret masterpieces. Iwanami Hall focuses on female filmmakers and political works. At the beginning of this century, Marilou Diaz-Abaya held court in this venue. She was adored by the Japanese critics and media.

In 2001, Marilou Diaz-Abaya was declared the Film Laureate of the Fukuoka International Film Festival. The Fukuoka Prize cites Diaz-Abaya as being “the vanguard of contemporary Philippine filmmakers. She conveys the Asian spirit to the world through works that depict the joy and sadness of common people with great vitality. Her superb films are indictments that harshly examine the reality of the Philippines today, and are filled with warmth and affection for the common people, surviving on their strength.” After the awarding, the filmmaker had to attend forums and deliver lectures. Preeminent Japanese critic Tadao Sato was quoted extolling how articulate Diaz-Abaya was, that she never repeated her speeches as she moved from one lecture hall to another.

The persona of Marilou Diaz-Abaya comes into full fruition in the documentary The Filmmaker on a Voyage. Here, she talks about how she always wanted to be a teacher, a film scholar and a researcher. The wishes were acted upon and fulfilled. She taught at the Ateneo de Manila University for nearly three decades, her scholarship was completed in a film school. Right after, she set up a film school with the encouragement of her family, especially her father.

The school was built on the family property in Antipolo. In interviews during the time her cancer had reached Stage 4, Marilou shared how she wanted to give all she knew about filmmaking so that when she passed on, there would be no burden, she would feel light.

It was after watching Lino Brocka’s Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, a film Diaz-Abaya described as steeped

in the social reality of Philippine society, that made her think seriously about a career in filmmaking.

Brocka together with Ishmael Bernal and Rolando Tinio formed a triumvirate of mentors/inspiration for Diaz-Abaya. Such influence could perhaps explain why someone from the upper-class would be imbued with the fervor to tell the stories of ordinary people we amorphously refer to as “the poor.”

There was always a strong, extra-cinematic component to Mariou Diaz-Abaya’s life as a filmmaker. In Muro-ami, she became involved in the lives of the Boholano cast of the film. In her last days, she visited the site again. For Bagong Buwan, DiazAbaya’s making of the film pushed her beyond the screenplay on Mindanao into a geography of peace movement and politics. She was a member of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement for Peace, the Artists for Peace, the Mothers for Peace and many other related advocacies.

For her last film Marilou Diaz-Abaya, did a movie on the Virgin of Penafrancia in Naga City. In the same documentary, Voyage of a Filmmaker, she called out attention to the direction of her philosophy and politics as she placed them in the two characters of Brutal and her last film, Ang Pag-ibig Mo. She reminded us of Monica demonstrating her material feminist perspective and Vangie, the mother in the last film, which is about Marian devotion, a feminist in the spiritual mold. The storyteller in Marilou had never ended till the last days of her life. As she said, the value of the person is found in who she loves. She loved dearly and told greatly of the lore and legends and lives of all kinds of women.

Marilou Diaz-Abaya passed away on October 8, 2012. She is survived by sons, Marc and David, actor and cinematographer, respectively, and her husband, Manolo.

Diaz-Abaya also directed television shows, such as Public Forum (1986-1995), a public affairs talk show hosted by Randy David; and Six O’clock News (1987-1992), a news satire program. She did various documentaries, including Silsilah Dialogue Movement for God’s Peace. n

‘Wish Ko Lang’ helps hard-working mother get another shot at life WITH stories that spark hope and inspiration, Wish Ko Lang continues to touch the lives of viewers here and abroad in the past 19 years—granting wishes and helping one realize their dreams every week.

From fulfilling wishes via mailed letters, the show has evolved to reach more people across the globe via social media.

On top of helping the families featured in its weekly episodes, the show is also giving chances to viewers to have their wishes come true via its “Instant Wish” segment on its official Facebook page. Every week, viewers get the chance to win by commenting on Wish Ko Lang’s official Facebook page.

On air, watching the heart-warming stories from Wish Ko Lang, hosted by multi-awarded journalist Vicky Morales, remains part of Filipinos’ Saturday viewing habit. This July 23, Lara Quigaman

banners the “Batugan” episode together with Ryan Eigenmann, Lyme Araña, Erlinda Villalobos, Wenggay Concepcion and Charles Nathan.

In the story, Marife (Lara) is a hard-working wife and mother who will do everything for her family.

Amid skyrocketing gas prices, Marife’s husband Allan (Ryan) stops working as a jeepney driver.

This forces Marife to look for sideline work aside from being a manicurist in a salon owned by Jenet (Wenggay).

Marife wants their daughter Cindy (Lyme) to finish her studies as well as to provide for her mother Carmelita’s (Erlinda) medicines. Marife even ventures into home service to increase her income.

But while Marife is bending backwards just to provide for her family, Allan seems to get used to doing nothing at all, relying solely on Marife to do all

the work. All he does is rest and drink. Carmelita tries to confront him but Allan hurts his mother-in-law in return.

Unknown to Marife, Allan has become addicted to illegal drugs. Carmelita won’t say a thing out of fear and when Cindy finds out, Allan also threatens his daughter.

Soon enough, Marife discovers this for herself.

With the help of their barangay officials, they are able to free themselves from Allan.

With all that Marife went through, the Wish Ko Lang team immediately helped to give her family a fresh start. This includes counseling sessions, business packages, and Wish Ko Lang savings for them.

Don’t miss Marife’s story this Saturday in Wish Ko Lang, 4 pm, on GMA. Viewers abroad can catch it as well via GMA Pinoy TV.

VICKY MORALES hosts the longrunning Wish Ko Lang.

B6 Friday, July 22, 2022

Experience business opportunities and innovation at FINTEX 2022 on September 8-10, 2022

RVR Award for Nation Building recommences after 2-year hiatus

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CI Manila, PHINMA Corporation, and the Asian Institute of Management RVR Center for Corporate Responsibility reconvened after a 2-year pause to continue its search to recognize outstanding business leaders who have exemplified a strong sense of entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to making lives better through the 11th Ramon V. del Rosario Award for Nation Building.

Launched in 2009, the RVR Award for Nation Building (RVR Awards) is held to honor the life and the contributions of the late JCI Manila founding president and PHINMA founder Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. (RVR) in the development of modern industries in the country. It has become a platform for honoring tycoons and trailblazers for their outstanding corporate citizenship and passion for nation-building.

JCI Manila is a premiere leadership development organization where young men join to become better leaders. It is a global organization with different chapters and the Manila Chapter is the most awarded local organization in the world.

PHINMA is a proudly-Filipino conglomerate that seeks to make lives better through successfully run and profitable businesses in education, construction materials, property development and hospitality.

Past recipients of the RVR Awards include Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip (2019), Mr. Diosdado Banatao (2018), Mr. George

THE BOARD OF JUDGES FOR THE RVR AWARD FOR NATION BUILDING, FROM LEFT: JCI Manila President Richard Lim, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., Metro Pacific Investments Corporation Chairman and President Manuel V. Pangilinan (RVR Awardee 2015), Asian Institute of Management President and Dean Dr. Jikyeong Kang, Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, PHINMA Chairman and CEO Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr., Ambassador Jesus P. Tambunting (RVR Awardee 2010), and PHINMA Chairman Emeritus Oscar J. Hilado.

S.K. Ty (2017), Mr. Henry Sy, Sr. (2016), Mr. Manuel Pangilinan (2015), Mr. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (2014), Mr. Vicente Paterno (2013), Mr. Washington Sycip (2012), Mr. Oscar Lopez (2011), Mr. Senen Bacani (2010), and Ambassador Jesus Tambunting (2010).

Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban and PHINMA Chairman and CEO Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr. led the selection process through a Board of Judges meeting held at PHINMA Plaza on June 13, 2022, the first face-to-face meeting of the committee since the COVID-19 global outbreak. This year’s awardee was selected from shortlisted nominees who were judged based on the criteria of Entrepreneurial Spirit, National or Global Impact, and

Corporate Citizenship.

Through this year’s RVR Awards, the organizing committee aims to inspire and spark hope in our people amid easing lockdown restrictions and recovery from the pandemic. The awarding ceremony will be held on July 25, 2022 at Manila Polo Club from 6:00 to 9:00 in the evening. The event will be broadcasted live and may be viewed via Facebook at the following link: facebook. com/rvrawards. More information on the RVR Awards is available on its official website: http://www.rvrawards.org.

Catch the live stream on July 25, 2022.

6pm on the following pages: https://www. facebook.com/rvrawards & https://www. facebook.com/JCIManilaph.

TMP TECH AUTOMOTIVE SKILLS CHAMPIONS ADVANCE FOR REGIONALS. Toyota Motor Philippines School of Technology (TMP Tech), a premiere automotive technicalvocational institution, wins two gold medals in the 2022 TESDA-Laguna Provincial Skills Competition. TMP Tech student Raul Cervo and alumnus Resty Gamoza, topped the ‘Automobile Technology’ and ‘Automotive Body Repair’ categories, respectively, earning spots to compete on the regional level. The competition is an annual TESDA event that promotes skills excellence among the youth, showcasing task-based and industry-based skills and competencies in various categories including automotive. This year’s wins earned TMP Tech its fourth and fifth gold medals in the same competition since it first joined in 2015. In photo are gold medalists Gamoza (2nd from left) and Cervo (2nd from right) with their TMP Tech instructors and coaches.

Gruenheim PH enriches it’s sales personnel via training seminars

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HERE’S never a dull moment if you work in a company like Gruenheim Philippines. The management team makes sure that they conduct regular training seminars for their sales personnel to motivate them to achieve not only the company’s goals but their personal goals as well.

Recently, Grueinheim Philippines conducted a training seminar for their sales personnel to further enhanced their sales and leadership skills. Gruenheim also wanted to make sure that its sales staff would be able to promote Gruenheim’s advocacies with regard to their products.

Gruenheim GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 2014 and is based in Stuttgart,

Germany and is a subsidiary of Luckner & Lahusen Group GmbH & Co. KG. It is a young and fresh trademark of highend ecological, innovative and premium home appliances. It stands for products that combine functional, timeless and puristic design with impressive technical innovations. Gruenheim products are sold worldwide exclusively by authorized

Gruenheim wholesalers.

Gruenheim’s best seller is the Gruenheim Vacuum Cleaner. The vacuum cleaner makes use of ecologically pure water filter technology. The multipurpose health cleaning machine serves as an air purifier, air disinfectant, air sanitizer, aromatizer and air medication all rolled into one.

It can also dry vacuum the floor, ceiling, wall, curtains or blinds and window screens. The vacuum cleaner can also be used to shampoo carpets, sofas, mattresses and even chairs. It has the capacity to remove 99.9 percent of harmful fine dust from the air. It is not only user-friendly; it is also energy consumption friendly.

For more information, call 0917 5984968 or email gruenheimph@gmail.com.

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ECHNOLOGY is influencing the competitive landscape for businesses of all kinds. And to thrive in a competitive landscape, businesses must be willing to adapt and change.

Execution PH believes that business innovation trends should need to transform and change into something entirely new from the regular. It’s no wonder that people never stop dreaming, and learning, searching for different ways to earn whether by putting up their own business or being an entrepreneur.

Franchise Innovation and Technology Expo (FINTEX) recognizes the need for more business opportunities for people despite the ongoing pandemic. In line with this, there will be an exciting business venture that will surely bring back the industry.

This year’s FINTEX will provide the center stage for the product lines of the exhibitors which will include franchise business, smart gadgets, packaging, mobile accessories, and automotive. It will focus on development and knowledge-building among its community of professionals, enthusiasts, and aspiring players alike. As such, visitors of this year’s event can expect the on-ground of the event activities such as product demonstrations that aims to provide attendees with an informative and exciting experience.

The show’s theme, “Thriving the New Normal and Business Opportunities'', seeks to highlight the importance of being open to change as well as the value of innovation. This applies to all kinds of businesses to gain more opportunities in the industry. Followers are encouraged to

watch for the online ‘Business Innovation Talks Seminar’ or BITS and Tech review segment of chosen brands.

FINTEX bears a strong commitment to empowering the local franchise and technological industry by setting the stage for promising B2B connections marked by the innovation of various forces and bold new concepts and ideas. On the impression of FINTEX devotion to the local industry, PASALO PH Services Senior Transferal Manager Jen Pascua remarked, “For the first year of FINTEX, it has become a useful platform for local businesses to showcase their products and services, to create new partnerships and clients’’.

As Execution wants to cultivate the potential of the Philippine franchise and technological industry, the 2nd Franchise Innovation and Technology Expo or FINTEX 2022 will be held from September 8 to 10,2022, during mall hours at the Market Market Mall in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

There is no entrance fee and the event is open to the public. For more information, visit www.executionbyoth.com/fintex and follow @fintexevents on Facebook.

PCCI holds back-to-back Seniors’Day event in Bacoor, Cavite

PCCI Cavite Inc.‘s Secretary Dennis Eusebio, Mambog IV, Barangay Captain Robert ”Obet“ Nolasco, and PCCI Cavite Inc.'s Chairman Gil Hernandez during the event.

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HE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cavite Inc., on the initiative of its chair, Mr. Gil Hernandez, and the new set of officers, has

officially relaunched its in-person outreach programs. In partnership with ADP Pharma Corporation and Flanax Philippines, they started in Barangay Mambo 4, Bacoor, Cavite, last July 16, 2022. A back-to-back Seniors’ Day event, with a dance fitness party, followed by a wellness forum “Usapang Arthritis”, and free medical consultation for Senior Citizens at Addas Greenfields Phase 2 Subdivision and at the Barangay Hall in the afternoon.

They distributed freebies in loot bags, snacks, food supplements, medicines, raffle prizes, and special awards to the senior citizen attendees, while multivitamins for kids and parent participants.

This is in cooperation with Barangay Mambog 4, headed by their Barangay Captain, Robert “Obet” Nolasco, Barangay Council, Addas Greenfield Phase 2 Senior Citizens Association, President/Co-Founder Mrs. Herminia Cejalvo, Addas Dance Fitness Group, ZTTB Elite Team, and Fit Style Page by Evensia Events Management and Consultancy Services.

Cetaphil Ultra Protect cleanses, hydrates the skin

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OW you take care of your skin matters more than you think. Nowadays, cleanliness is the name of the game, but in the rush of cleansing your body, you could be stripping your skin of natural’s moisture.

Using harsh bar soap and frequent washing leads to dry skin, which can further lead to skin irritation, roughness, and dryness.

However, there is now a better solution when it comes to hygiene. Introducing the new Cetaphil Ultra Protect, an antimicrobial cleansing bar that is the right choice to care for your skin. There are no compromises: the product combines the benefits of 99.9% germ protection and moisturization. It is designed for all skin types, especially sensitive skin.

The newest innovation of Cetaphil has 3D Derma-Mimic Technology that cleanses your skin at an antimicrobial level because of its dermatological tried-and-tested formulation that repairs and strengthens the skin barrier against water loss. Your skin is now instantly

protected and hydrated.

To celebrate the release of the newest product in Cetaphil’s science-backed roster, the #BeUltraProtected campaign celebrates the equal importance of hygiene and care with four workouts in partnership with elite boutique studios in the Metro.

The goal is to show how Cetaphil Ultra Protect can allow you to work out, sweat, and afterward reward your skin with a deep cleanse that is gentle yet effective in cleaning and nourishing the body.

The new Cetaphil Ultra Antimicrobial Cleansing Bar is now available at the official Cetaphil Philippines stores in Lazada and Shopee. You can also find Cetaphil products at Mercury Drug, Watsons’ stores, and supermarkets nationwide.

To learn more about the new Cetaphil Ultra Protect and the brand’s gentle line of products for sensitive skin, follow Cetaphil Philippines on Facebook and Instagram, or visit www.cetaphil.com.ph.

Sports BusinessMirror

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao

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OKYO—The Tokyo Olympics survived the Covid-19 postponement, soaring expenses and some public opposition.

A year later, the costs and benefits remain as difficult to untangle as the Games were to pull off.

In his speech at the closing ceremony, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said a major accomplishment of the Games was simply reaching the end.

“We did it,” Bach said. “We did it together,” he repeated, crediting the athletes, Japanese government officials, and deep-pocketed broadcasters for refashioning the Games despite no fans, disappointed sponsors, and no buzz around the city.

Organizers said the Games would drive tourism, showcase Japan’s technological prowess, and create memories similar to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The pandemic erased that.

Japan’s goal after the postponement was to get through it, mindful that Beijing was holding the Winter Olympics in China just six months after Tokyo’s close. For the IOC, it was a priority to get the Games on television and keep big sponsors—the sources of 90 percent of IOC income—happy.

“I think what the Games meant more than anything else was simply not having to deal with a cancellation,” David Leheny, a political scientist at Japan’s Waseda University, told The Associated Press.

“There were no public health disasters associated with it. I do think officials would like to have run a victory lap—if the public had been more enthusiastic about it.”

“If Japan had cancelled,” Leheny added, “there would have been a lot of discussion, particularly in the conservative media, about what it meant that we couldn’t pull it off.”

As a final act before legally dissolving the organizing committee on June 30, President Seiko Hashimoto and CEO Toshiro Muto said the price tag for the Tokyo Games was $13 billion—almost 60 percent public money. This was twice the estimated cost when the IOC awarded Tokyo the Games, but less than the $25 billion some predicted.

How to judge? Legacy or costly hangover? Is there success to celebrate, or is it simply rejoicing over not having failed?

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, on the hook for $5.4 billion in Games expenses, has campaigned to persuade the public that a halfdozen new venues have post-Games uses. Typical is a reopening ceremony next week at the canoeslalom venue, featuring a

Friday, July 22, 2022 B7

UNTANGLED AFTERMATH

paddling parade for elementaryschool students.

A center dedicated to the LGBTQ community was championed during the Games, and the Paralympics pushed Tokyo to improve accessibility around town.

The city government is holding a one-year anniversary event Saturday at the $1.4 billion National Stadium to mark the date of the opening ceremony. Athletes, high school and junior high school marching bands, and cheerleaders are to appear.

Tokyo was initially billed as the “Recovery Olympics,” but this got little play after the delay.

Government officials promised before the postponement that the Games would focus attention on an area of northeastern Japan devastated in 2011 by an earthquake, tsunami, and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency published a survey of 4,000 people, compiled by a government agency, that showed only 29.8 percent said they were grateful for government reconstruction support. Many in the region believe the Olympics sapped resources from recovery efforts.

“I almost get the impression that the Olympics have come to that very quiet period where people don’t want to talk about it or even think about it,” Aki Tonami, a political economist at Japan’s University of Tsukuba, told AP. “Any analysis of what the Olympics meant is still in the symbolic phase. We don’t really have the capacity or the bandwidth to really dig down for a more longlasting meaning.” AP

BOXING icon Manny Pacquiao and Korean DK Yoo pose during Thursday’s media conference. ROY DOMINGO

‘Pacman-Yoo’ exhibition fight for charity–Pacquiao ING legend Manny Pacquiao is fighting again—not for a world title, money nor fame, but for charity.

The 43-year-old eight-division world champion Pacquiao will figure in a six-round exhibition boxing fight against YouTuber and mixed martial artist DK Yoo of South Korea sometime in December in Seoul.

Pacquiao and the 42-year-old Yoo formally made the announcement together in a news conference in a Taguig City hotel.

It will be Pacquiao’s first fight since August 21 last year at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas where he absorbed a unanimous decision loss to Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas, who retained his World Boxing Association welterweight belt.

Pacquiao reiterated he’s retired from professional boxing but stressed his exhibition match with Yoo is purely for charity.

“As of now, my mind is already retired. This is just a charity event to help the people,” Pacquiao said. “What’s important is I’m always in good shape. I will work hard and make sure my condition is 100 percent so I can still show off my skills on the ring.”

Pacquiao’s bosom buddy and

long-time trainer and Coach Buboy Fernandez will train him for the Yoo fight, where the former senator is believed to be guaranteed of a $2 million purse.

A Korean fight promter, Fightk, is bankrolling the duel.

Pacquiao retired last year with a 62-win, 8-loss and 2-draw recorded highlighted by 39 knockouts. He said that he’ll prepare for Yoo as if it’s a championship bout, but didn’t entertain thoughts of winning by knockout.

“It’s unnecessary to go for a knockout,” he said. “What’s important is to entertain the people.”

Yoo is the founder of Warfare Combat System and is a fight coach with 654,000 subscriber in YouTube.

He said he’s fighting Pacquiao because of “respect” to the “best-ever boxer in the world,” although he said he also plans to challenge Floyd Mayweather Jr., Logan Paul and UFC’s Conor McGregor in similar exhibition bouts.

“Plain and simple—I fully respect him [Pacquiao],” Yoo said through an interpreter.

The Korean lost to retired UFC fighter Bradley Scott of England in an exhibition boxing bout last December 4 in South Korea.

Pacquiao is developing a housing area in Sarangani which he said is for the poor. He calls it the Pacquiao Village.

praying for Obiena’s success in the outdoor competition. “I am praying for at least a podium finish but I believe he belongs to those elite group of world’s best pole vaulters.”

After the qualification round, a total of 11 to 12 pole vaulters will advance to the Final on Monday (Manila time).

“Remember this is athletics and it’s really hard to make any prediction though,” Capistrano, a member of the World Athletics representing the Philippines, added.

But Capistrano admitted the favorite to win the gold there

is Swedish world record holder Armand Duplantis, who is coming off a 6.20-meter gold medal and world record performance in the last indoor World Athletics last March 20 in Belgrade, Serbia.

“He’s absolutely the most popular pole vaulter here,” Capistrano said.

Obiena—accompanied by his long-time trainer and mentor Vitaly Petrov of Ukraine—will be jumping against the world’s best pole vaulters with his 5.93-m Asian record he set last September 11 in Innsbruck, Austria during the Golden Roof Challenge. Josef Ramos

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IN CONTENTION Petro Gazz’s EJ Laure scores against Cherry Tigo’s Aiza Pontillas but the Crossovers trounce the Angels, 25-22, 25-14, 25-21, to stay alive in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, on Thursday.

OBIENA FOCUSED ON WORLDS

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HE World Athletics Outdoor Championships campaign of Asian record holder Ernest John “EJ” Obiena begins on Saturday (Manila time) when he jumps against top 31 other pole vaulters around the world in the qualification round at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) President Terry Capistrano confirmed to BusinessMirror that the 26-year-old back-toback Southeast Asian Games gold medalist has already landed in Eugene last Wednesday after an

OBIENA exhausting two weeks of training in Chula Vista, Southern California.

“EJ doesn’t want to be disturbed anymore because he’s focusing on the competition. He is in high spirits,” Capistrano said, who is

By Josef Ramos

PHL sending 144-member squad to Asean Para Games in Indonesia

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INTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, make the sign of a heart with their hands during the closing ceremony at the Olympic Stadium on August 8, 2021, in Tokyo. AP

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EYRAGUDES, France—Tadej Pogacar claimed a third stage win as he sprinted away from Jonas Vingegaard in the punishing last climb of a grueling trek in the Pyrenees on Wednesday but failed to take significant time out of the Tour de France leader.

As so often in this year’s race, the pair were in a class of their own and were left fighting each other in the brutal final kilometer up to Peyragudes airstrip.

Once Pogacar’s teammate Brandon McNulty—who paced his leader throughout the day through punishing

ARING and eager to spring into action, 144 athletes in 11 sports aim to make the flag and country proud in the 11th Asean Para Games scheduled July 30 to August 6 in Surakarta, Indonesia.

The list of the national squad bound for Indonesia was finalized over weekend, according to Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo in announcing the composition of the contingent on Thursday.

“This is a hungry team, a fighting team that is eager to showcase their skills and talent after being deprived of international competition for over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Barredo said.

“I would not be surprised at all if many of our national para athletes will strive harder than ever before in making the most of this opportunity to bring honors to our country in the 11th Asean Para Games,” he stressed.

Barredo was grateful to the Philippine Sports Commission in enabling the national para athletes to train intensively inside a bubble for over a month at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City.

“We would like to thank the PSC’s support for our national para athletes in their bubble training at the PhilSports Complex for over a month without any distractions,” Barredo said.

“This training has armed them

well for the action ahead in Indonesia,” said Barredo, who was optimistic that the PHL campaigners would be able to surpass their 20 gold, 20 silver and 29 bronze medals, good for fifth overall, in the last 2017 edition held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The track and field team has the biggest number of entries with 24, led

by Tokyo Paralympic Games veterans, thrower Jeanette Aceveda, and wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan, who was named skipper of the athletic contingent.

Next is the 22-man chess team, bannered by 2017 Malaysia Asean Para Games triple gold medalist and FIDE Master Sander Severino,

while the 12-man swimming team is spearheaded by Ernie Gawilan, who has won seven golds in the regional showcase for para athletes.

Archery has nine members, badminton eight, boccia 4, goalball 6, judo five, powerlifting eight, sitting volleyball 10, table tennis 13, while men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball has 12 and 11 members, respectively.

Fully funded by the PSC, Barredo will head the 212-man delegation scheduled to leave on a chartered flight for the Java provincial capital of Surakarta on July 26.

Pogacar wins Stage 17, won’t concede just yet ascents with an impressive effort of pure dedication—got dropped, it was time for a final showdown in high altitude.

In the steep ramp leading to the finish, Pogacar accelerated with about 300 meters left. Vingegaard countered with ease but the two-time defending champion had the final say with a final kick that helped him surge ahead and cross first, with Vingegaard on his wheel.

With just one big mountain stage

left and an individual time trial before the race reaches Paris on Sunday, Vingegaard looks set for his first Tour de France win.

But Pogacar still believes.

“I’m optimistic that I can still win the Tour,” the 23-year-old Slovenian said. “Tomorrow is a harder stage, so we can try again.”

Since his bad day in the Alps when he relinquished the yellow jersey to Vingegaard, Pogacar has been on the

attack but has not managed to make up the time he lost to his rival.

The UAE-Emirates team has also been forced to cope with many withdrawals in his team. On Wednesday, Rafal Majka pulled out of the race just before the stage start because of a thigh injury. Pogacar had already seen his support unit reduced to four riders following the earlier withdrawals of George Bennett, Vegard Stake Laengen and Marc Soler. AP

STAGE winner Tadej Pogacar, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, sprints with Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, during the 17th stage. AP

Motoring BusinessMirror

B8 Friday, July 22, 2022

Editor: Tet Andolong

The Mercedes-Benz GLB

Mercedes-Benz GLB Progressive: Your ideal partner, whatever comes

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HE GLB is the most versatile premium compact SUV of Mercedes-Benz. Long wheelbase, striking SUV design and impressive widescreen cockpit.

This compact SUV proves that it is possible to fit capability and space into a small frame.

It is both versatile and functional—your partner wherever you go and your companion to your adventure trips.

The GLB shows character

Long wheelbase, striking SUV design—the GLB demonstrates a generous take on space.

It has a distinctive SUV design that represents modern and classic Mercedes-Benz elements that makes this SUV stand out above the rest. With the Progressive design line, it

underscores the exclusivity with a simulated underguard at the front and rear in high-gloss chrome that underlines the vehicle’s off-road nature. From the front, the upright section already impresses at a first glance with its radiator grill with two single louvres. Special highlights come with LED high performance headlamps with daytime running lights and 19-inch 10-spoke light-alloy wheels.

Space is a precious thing

The GLB offers a reasonably roomy headroom and spacious cabin for the driver and

passengers, and 570L of cargo space behind the second-row seats. Whether it is people or equipment you are packing, the GLB provides plenty of options. It is a compact SUV that demonstrates how many people, things, and adventures you can pack into your next journey.

Luxurious and modern cabin

Inside the cabin, the GLB is a true SUV right down to the fine details, its eye-catching features include the seven-inch digital instrument display, ARTICO man-made leather seats, and distinctive SUV modern design elements. The 10.25-inch MBUX multimedia system in the GLB keeps you fully in the know at all times. With smartphone integration, you can easily connect your mobile phone via Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto. It gives convenient access to the most important applications on your smartphone (Spotify, Waze, etc.)

More comfort for you

Stay flexible and make yourself at home with the GLB. Transport everyday and leisure

Artico Man-made Leather Seats (Progressive)

items even more practically and safely with its large, variable loading compartment. It gives more convenience with its EASY-PACK tailgate that can be electrically opened and closed at the press of a button. The GLB raises the bar for a compact SUV that gives unprecedented comfort.

Everything that makes the GLB even safer

The GLB is packed with extensive safety and convenience features. Active Brake Assist, Active Parking Assist with 12 ul-

Zeroing in on Lite Ace, Civic & Lexus

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HE All-New Lite Ace that was launched to a smashing success last weekend can be had at P2,903.50 per week. If that’s not a steal, what is?

Industry leader Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has also transformed the iconic ride into a light commercial vehicle, making it a perfect partner for small and medium scale entrepreneurs.

“With the introduction of the All-New Lite Ace, we are responding to the long-time request of our customers for Toyota to introduce a light commercial vehicle,” TMP President Atsuhiro Okamoto said during the Lite Ace launch at Farmers Plaza in Cubao, Quezon City. “We are confident that the All-New Lite Ace is a game-changer, not just in uplifting the auto industry, but more importantly in improving the way homegrown businesses move people and goods.”

Also in attendance were TMP’s Senior Vice President and Overall Marketing Head Jing Atienza, Vice Chairman David Go and Senior Vice President Masatoshi Toiya.

TMP has pledged to make its 72-strong dealership network nationwide deliver the All-New Lite Ace to more industries across the country.

Boosted by Toyota’s signature QDR (Quality, Durability, and Reliability), the vehicle promises to ensure business continuity and avoid time and financial losses and extra expenditures for repairs.

Propped up by the alluring P2,000-plus

weekly installment to own the new Lite Ace, Toyota hopes to substantially ease the pain of cumbersome monthly payments through its Toyota Financial Services Philippines “Both the Pickup and Panel Van have heavy-duty and wide capacity, perfect for any heavy-load transportation needs,” said Toyota front-liner Sunshine Cabrera. “The Panel Van is ideal for businesses like e-commerce parcel transportation. The Dropside Pickup can be utilized for agricultural and industrial needs.”

She said TMP will continue to grow the lineup as the Aluminum Van, which is ideal for dry goods transport, and the Utility Van, fit for transporting manpower, are expected to be introduced by September 2022.

Powered by a 1.5L gasoline engine and a 5-speed manual transmission, both variants come with electric power steering and airconditioning system, SRS Airbags, Anti-lock Brake System and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) for the Panel Van. The Pickup Lite Ace retails at P570,000, the Panel Van Lite Ace at P655,000. Both come in White. Offered are free periodic maintenance for one year or 20,000kms, or whichever comes first.

50th for Civic

THE Honda Civic’s 50th year anniversary was celebrated recently with the mantra, “this car was created for citizens and cities."

Its first three years since its 1972 debut was marked by recognition of Motor Fan

trasonic sensors, and Cruise Control are standard on the GLB. The GLB is also equipped with safety technologies including Attention Assist drowsiness detection, Seven Airbags: two-stage deployment airbags for driver and passenger, windowbags for driver, front passenger and rear passengers and knee bag for driver, and ISOFIX child-seat mountings are included in the extensive safety equipment. These may be used to secure your kids in the back of the vehicle.

The Mercedes-Benz GLB 200 Progressive is the most versatile premium compact SUV because of its ample cargo space. Its powerful proportions and expressive design features lend it an unmistakable SUV character. The aesthetic design, high-class technology, and extensive safety systems represent the modern luxury of this SUV. It is available for viewing in all Mercedes-Benz showrooms in Greenhills, Bonifacio Global City, Alabang City and Cebu City. The GLB 200 Progressive line starts at P3,990,000.

You may also visit www.mercedes-benz.ph/ GLB to know more.

Magazine Japan as "Car of the Year."

The Civic, the first to meet the requirements of the 1970 U.S. Clean Air Act, continues to carry its unique traits such as exceptional handling, impressive fuel efficiency, and that sleek, confident look.

One of the highlights of the 11th generation Civic is the addition of Honda SENSING, which elevates the car’s safety to a whole new level, augmenting its nameplate as a true testament to its “Power of Dreams” slogan.

Happy 50th (July 12) to the Civic, which I first drove in New York City in 1981. Memories…

Lexus care

THERE is now a clamor for Lexus to extend its promotion to extend the “care of your car” promo that was held successfully last weekend.

Jade B. Sison said Lexus owners were given a whopping 40-percent discount on the Lexus Synthetic oil, 20 percent discount each on the Lexus BactaKlenz Service and the UV Lamp & Air Purifier Bundle, and 10 percent on UV Lamp and Air Purifier if purchased separately.

Wouldn’t it be nice, indeed, if Lexus chieftain Raymond T. Rodriguez would replicate the promo on its five Lexus dealerships at Toyota Santa Rosa, Toyota La Union, Toyota San Fernando Pampanga, Toyota MandaueSouth, Cebu, and Toyota Davao City?

PEE STOP Ramon S. Ang, fondly called RSA, deserves applause on his extraordinary award for his managerial success as Chief Executive Officer and President of San Miguel Corp. In granting the plaque of recognition, the government of France also paid tribute to RSA’s unrelenting charitable and philanthropic policies. A proud owner of BMW Philippines, RSA also shelled out billions in aid and support of pandemic concerns. Hat’s off to you, Sir. Cheers!