BusinessMirror July 25, 2020

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A broader look at today’s business n

Saturday, July 25, 2020 Vol. 15 No. 289

PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY

DATA CHAMPION

P25.00 nationwide | 12 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

IN AN UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS THAT HAS FORCED GOVERNMENTS TO TAKE THE HARD BALANCING ACT BETWEEN SAVING ECONOMIES WHILE CURBING THE SPREAD OF A DEADLY VIRUS, PEOPLE LOOK TO THEIR LEADERS FOR SIGNALS OF HOPE ON THE EVE OF THE STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS.

A MAN wearing a protective mask walks past a mural of President Duterte in Manila, March 20, 2020. AP/AARON FAVILA

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, Samuel P. Medenilla, Bernadette A. Nicolas, Cai U. Ordinario, Tyrone Jasper C. Piad & Elijah Felice E. Rosales

‘I

T’S the economy, stupid.” These four words from nearly three decades ago—coined by American political consultant James Carville in 1992— resoundingly echo these days.

The other two catchphrases Carville used to win for Bill Clinton the US presidency eerily seem relevant—“Change vs. more of the same” and “Don’t forget health care”—as the Philippines’s public health-care system and public health buckle under the weight of the coro-

navirus disease 2019 pandemic.

The economy followed soon after, with the impact of government’s measures against the pandemic nearly stalling all production and business activities. The combination of a public health crisis and the extreme measures

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 49.4110

government applied to stem its spread wreaked havoc not only on the country’s economic gains but also on the government’s economic and social targets.

The best indicator of the impact is on jobs: the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has said some 5 million people lost theirs since the Duterte administration imposed a lockdown on March 17.

Steps, protocol

IBON Foundation Inc. Executive Director Jose Enrique A. Africa said if the PSA will include those who dropped out of the labor force, total unemployment would reach 14 million, or an unemployment rate of 21 percent.

According to Africa, it is worth noting that 70 percent of

the unemployed are part of the informal sector.

The jobs data is important as these reflect consumption and consumption demand.

Inflation has remained benign; but Africa and economists, like Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) Director Alvin P. Ang, said the low pace in the increase of prices is really a reflection of weak aggregate demand.

Ang also said this reflected the low confidence in the economy. He said if the government can only ensure that protocols are clear and steps to manage Covid-19 from national to local are in place, “that is assurance enough that could boost confidence.”

He said the country cannot

wait for a vaccine to be available in order to provide assistance or employment for the millions who have lost their jobs and those who may still lose them.

Ending contractualization

THIS year’s joblessness has also placed doubts on the Duterte administration’s vow to stamp out illegal contractualization.

Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III admitted the government’s focus on the pandemic has limited the movement of labor inspectors since mid-March.

“We are not as confident with our expectation [on newly regularized workers] this year as in previous years because of the effect of the pandemic,” Bello told the BusinessMirror in a phone interview.

Former Partido Manggagawa Party-list Rep. Renato Magtubo chided Bello for such a tepid stance.

“How can they effectively carry out a drive against illegal contractualization when [the] inspection of establishments is suspended,” Magtubo said.

“Regularization of employment subject to prevailing rules and regulations can be done with or without the pandemic if only the DOLE [Department of Labor and Employment] would sustain inspection of establishments and address results of which appropriately.”

Regularization campaign

IN its last update on its regularization campaign, the DOLE said in December that it was able Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4626 n UK 62.9546 n HK 6.3749 n CHINA 7.0547 n SINGAPORE 35.6475 n AUSTRALIA 35.0522 n EU 57.3019 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.1780

Source: BSP (July 24, 2020)

NewsSaturday

SO,PA’NO NA? BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, July 25, 2020

Continued from A1

to compel companies to absorb 580,539 contractual workers since August 2016.

Of the said cumulative figure, only 166,599 came from last year, which was significantly lower compared to the number of regularized workers in 2018, which reached 320,999.

Still, even with the decline, former dean of the University of the Philippines-School of Labor and Industrial Relations (UP-SOLAIR) Rene E. Ofreneo said the number of regularized workers in the last three years is by itself already a significant feat.

Besides the declining number of regularized workers, Duterte’s decision to veto the Security of Tenure bill—which would have restricted the practice of contractual employment—left many labor groups to further doubt the chief executive’s commitment to achieve his campaign promise of ending illegal contractualization during his term.

Volunteers, contractuals

DESPITE these setbacks, labor leaders like Jose G. Matula, the chairman of the labor coalition Nagkaisa and president of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), said they will still continue to

push the government to compel companies to regularize contractual workers, especially those in the frontlines during the pandemic.

“We are urging government to regularize those health workers hired as volunteers or under contract of service to be part of the civil service, as well as the grocery cashiers and baggers supplied by agencies to malls and supermarkets, since they are also essential workers,” Matula said.

Meanwhile, Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) Chairman Sergio OrtizLuis Jr. said many establishments will have difficulty absorbing their contractual workers due to their limited business operations during the lockdown.

“Many companies are now reducing their workforce. So the issue now is not contractualization, but how to allow workers to go back to their work,” Ortiz-Luis said.

And the Labor Department is now preoccupied with the soaring figures of unemployed workers because of Covid-19, which include 127,000 local workers and 400,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Economic pessimism

HENCE, economists are less optimistic that government’s targets, particularly of increasing economic growth to 8 percent to 9 percent

next year and to reduce poverty to 14 percent, would be achieved.

Ang said the pandemic is the primary reason these targets will not be met. The government’s infrastructure project, dubbed “Build, Build, Build,” is an example.

University of the Philippines Professor Emeritus Raul V. Fabella told the BusinessMirror that projects being undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are “down to 50 percent of the revised list.”

“Majority [of the projects] have been rebooted so we need to address this Covid-19 before we can go back [to where we were before],” Ang said.

Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Research Fellow Jose Ramon G. Albert agreed, saying that all targets crafted prior to Covid-19 will not be met.

Albert said there will be longterm consequences and the government should act in order to get back on track in its development efforts.

“Of course there are repercussions; but this is why it’s important to have the right priorities, build a better environment that will lay the grounds for digitalization that will make the economy more agile,” he added.

Total food chain

IN an earlier presentation at the

House of Representatives Committee on Economic Affairs, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the government, for one, should focus on agriculture as a main driver of the economy. This means putting more emphasis on agriculture production and the entire food value chain.

Chua said this attention on agriculture will give Filipinos confidence that their basic needs are available at affordable prices.

In order for this to happen, Chua said there’s a need to thoroughly discuss the value chain, supply chain and support services needed to make production more efficient.

Since the imposition of the lockdown, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has pushed for a P66-billion stimulus package for agriculture that seeks to boost local production and utilize technology in farming and market distribution, among others.

However, only the P8.5-billion rice resiliency project (RRP) out of the P66-billion proposal has been approved and implemented by the national government. The RRP seeks to boost local rice output by at least 700,000 metric tons through the provision of fertilizer to farmers and expanding areas that would receive high-yielding quality seeds.

The question remains how the DA would sustain financial support and investment in agriculture.

Heightened risk

CHUA said the government will also have to prepare for “heightened risk of financial insolvency” of firms and industries.

Philstocks Financial Inc. analyst Piper Chaucer Tan said that the surge in bad debts is likely to impact the expansion plans of the banking industry.

This, as major industries including tourism, hotels, nonessential retail, property, restaurants, entertainment and casinos are highly exposed to default risks.

“Banks must maintain their balance sheet at a liquidity level to prevent a systemic risk in the financial system,” Tan said.

The financial sector might find it difficult to keep the balance sheet robust while expanding banking services to both resilient and vulnerable industries, he explained.

Expansion paused

BDO, in a recent interview with the BusinessMirror, said it originally planned to open 50 to 70 new branches this year.

“However, due to the pandemic and restrictions/limitations under the ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] and GCQ [general community quarantine], the branch expansion may not be completed as planned,” the bank said.

“The bank, however, intends to continue deploying new branches to the extent possible or as allowed by regulations,” it added.

Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said in May that it would halt building more branches.

The bank shelved its plans to build additional branches for BPI, BPI Family Bank and BPI BanKo due to the pandemic.

“With the exception of BanKo branches, where over three years we built 300, we had slowed down our branch build-out in the past few years, expecting that digital transactions will overtake branch transactions in a few years,” BPI added. “The lockdown has brought the tipping point forward.”

Project halted

WHILE the financial sector is pushing forward with digitalization projects, it’s the opposite for the Insurance Commission (IC).

www.businessmirror.com.ph

To help government boost its war chest against Covid-19, the IC recently gave up its P1-billion allocation for the two project components of its information and communications technology (ICT) modernization program.

The Department of Budget and Management earlier asked different departments and agencies to identify programs, activities and projects that can be discontinued so government can generate savings for its Covid-19 response.

IC Commissioner Dennis B. Funa told the BusinessMirror the allocation was supposed to be used for the improvement of the resiliency of their ICT network against cyberattacks and for harmonization of its information systems, processes and workflows on a commercial cloud- or web-based system.

“The ICT program is important to [the IC] and the insurance industry because a more secure IT [information technology] network and streamlining of operations on a cloud-based platform results in the improvement of the delivery of public service by this Commission, which is mutually beneficial for both parties especially in light of the increasing necessity for the continuous delivery of public services under remote work arrangements or ‘work-from-home’ arrangements due to the pandemic,” Funa said in an e-mail to the BusinessMirror.

Enabling players

FUNA added that “notwithstanding the benefits that could have been derived from the ICT modernization program, however, [the IC] deemed it more important to assist the President in helping save more lives during the pandemic, as the health, welfare and lives of our countrymen are more important considerations as of the moment.”

Given that industries experienced declines in insurance sales and investment income, Funa said the IC is focused on helping the insurance, pre-need and health maintenance organization industries recover from the adverse economic and financial effects of the pandemic, as well as on the industry’s pivot toward digital business.

The chief of the agency regulating the insurance sector pointed to a study that said the financial and insurance sector will suffer an almost 70-percent decline in activities.

“In this regard, we are doing everything to help the industries generate sales by allowing online marketing and selling,” he said.

Opportunities scarce

FUNA added that the IC temporarily relaxed the licensing requirements for insurance sales agents.

Funa said the second impact “is the decline in investment income.”

He told the BusinessMirror: “There really is not much choice now in terms of investment opportunities. The money held by insurance companies must generate investment income.... That cannot happen now.”

By assisting industries in their recovery from the pandemic, Funa said they believe they are also doing their share in helping the Philippine economy get back on its feet.

“If this Commission’s regulated entities are able to bounce back from the adverse effects of the pandemic, the same will translate into more Filipinos being able to avail themselves of insurance, pre-need and HMO [health maintenance organization] benefits during these uncertain times and simultaneously help jumpstart the Philippine economy,” he explained.

Priority sectors

IN order to boost growth after the pandemic and ensure that the country’s long-term vision is met, Neda Undersecretary Rosemarie G.

Edillon said there are priority sectors under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP).

These include housing and urban development, which will spur construction-related manufacturing activities, specifically those that are geared toward house construction, as well as utilities—electricity, gas and water.

Another industry is overall manufacturing, such as food processing, transport, construction materials and other manufacturing industries.

That appears to be a tall order: even before tourist destinations were closed, malls shut down and public transport units prohibited, it was the export sector that suffered first blood when the government imposed a lockdown.

When the outbreak erupted in China, the Chinese government closed thousands of factories. With China being the world’s largest trader, the closures left a hole in supply chains worldwide, including in the Philippines.

After all, the country’s imports from China last year enlarged nearly 16 percent to $25.49 billion, from $22.01 billion in 2018, PSA data revealed.

Most of these imports are raw materials and units that exporters here use to make finished products and semi-finished products.

Local manufacturing

AS such, the decline in China’s production and the disruption of global trade hurled an avalanche of setbacks on the local manufacturing sector.

Shipments from January to May declined more than 20 percent to $22.55 billion, from $28.42 billion during the same period last year.

Exports of electronic parts fell close to 19 percent to $12.48 billion, from $15.36 billion, based on PSA data.

And while figures in May improved from April, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said it would take many months before exports can return close to target levels.

However, Lopez said it is “too early” to revise medium-term objectives at the moment.

The Trade and Industry chief said he is sticking with the government’s goal for until 2022 of $122 billion worth of exports, both in goods and services.

Economic partnerships

LOPEZ said now is the best time for the Philippines to conclude freetrade agreements (FTAs) it is negotiating with economic partners, as these trade deals will secure markets for exporters, as well as reduce the tariffs they pay.

“As to changing the [2022] target, we are nowhere near discussing that,” Lopez told the BusinessMirror. “We see that this 2020 is really challenging; but we are hoping 2021 will provide us faster growth.”

“The FTAs are hopefully our solution to boost our export numbers from the slowdown that it is experiencing right now,” he added.

“We have to continue the FTA [negotiations] to revive our economy.”

According to Lopez, he views the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, for example, as key to reviving and strengthening the country’s exports.

While all these multi-track measures are well considered, helping get the economy back on its feet as soon as possible—while keeping people healthy and stopping Covid-19’s spread—is the toughest balancing act for the moment. The nation looks to Monday’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) for signals of how well this balancing act can be played out. It might as well be people asking their leaders, “SO, pa’no NA [So, what happens now]?”

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BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Palace orders probe into reported fresh anomalies among PhilHealth officials

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By Samuel P. Medenilla & Butch Fernandez

RESIDENT Duterte on Friday ordered an investigation into the alleged fresh anomalies within the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

(PhilHealth), where a reported shouting match in a virtual meeting preceded the hasty resignation of an official.

In a statement, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte designated Office of the Special Assistant to the President Undersecretary Jesus Melchor Quitain to conduct the probe.

He said this was in response to the issues raised by the agency’s anti-fraud legal officer, Thorrsson Montes Keith, who resigned and repor tedly questioned PhilHealth’s information technology (IT) related purchase worth over P2 billion.

“From what I know, the management and private board members disagreed [on the purchase],” Roque said in a television interview before issuing his statement on the issue.

In a statement explaining its side, PhilHealth said it has “yet to officially receive the letter of resignation of Atty. Thorrsson Keith. However, any grievances on promotion, which Atty. Keith applied for, can be resolved through its grievance machinery.” It framed his resignation as arising from a failure to be promoted, implying that the complaint over the IT project was a mask for a personal gripe.

Nonetheless, PhilHealth said it “takes seriously any issue on corruption, and asks Atty. Keith to substantiate his accusations so proper procedures can be initiated.”

PhilHealth also corrected reports that three executives in all had abruptly resigned after the heated exchange among officials during a virtual meeting on Thursday night.

“Head Executive Assistant Etrobal Laborte has tendered his resignation in the middle of July and will take effect at the end of August 2020 to go back to taking his PhD, while Corporate Legal Counsel Atty. Roberto Labe Jr. vehemently denied any news of his resignation,” said the PhilHealth statement.

Senate probe

Citing the urgent need for “stronger, credible and efficient” health insurance system amid the deadly Covid-19 contagion, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon pressed the need to closely protect PhilHealth’s P221-billion public fund amid allegations of “corruption and disarray” in the State agency.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, in a separate statement, also called for a full-blown inquiry into the alleged anomalies, while Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara pressed for a “special audit” of PhilHealth funds, even as Sen. Panfilo Lacson already filed the enabling resolution paving the way for the Senate inquiry into the PhilHealth mess.

Drilon warned that recent allegations of widespread corruption within the health insurance agency cannot be ignored by concerned authorities, saying the high degree of corruption within PhilHealth must be stopped as “it has reached a level akin to a state of emergency.”

The Minority Leader said the Senate leadership should prioritize the inquiry soon as regular sessions resume on Monday (July 27).

“Whatever their issues in PhilHealth are, we must protect the funds of PhilHealth to the tune of P221 billion both from corruption and disarray in the agency,” said Drilon.

In a separate statement on Friday, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Sen. Christopher Go, recalled that the panel had already conducted a series of public hearings on PhilHealth including those held even when he was not yet a senator.

“Enough is enough. I call on the PhilHealth leadership to put a stop to these issues of anomalies within its ranks. Once and for all, shape up or ship out!,” said Go. “Now that the country is in the midst of a public health emergency, all the more that we cannot let the problem fester in the agency tasked to ensure delivery of universal healthcare access to Filipinos,” he said.

“I also fully support the calls for a Senate investigation on this matter,” Go added.

“As chair of the Senate Committee on Health and as co-chair of the Congressional Oversight Committee on the implementation of the UHC law, we have to ensure the prudent use of PhilHealth funds and guarantee that every Filipino family gets appropriate, accessible, affordable, and quality health services while being protected from financial burden due to sickness.”

A3

Economist says 6% economic growth for Philippines any time soon unlikely T

DOTr vows sanctions vs. ‘reckless’ Joanna Jesh PUB driver in viral video

A

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

s the Philippine economy braces for a recession amid the coronavirus pandemic, it may not be able to see another 6-percent growth any time soon.

ING Bank Manila Economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa said in an online briefing on Friday that the gross domestic product (GDP) growth is seen to follow a “bumpy” L-shaped recovery as projections point to household spending declining this year.

After GDP growth contracted by 0.2 percent in the first quarter, ING is expecting the economy to slip further: 6.3 percent in second quarter, 5.8 percent in third quarter and 3.5 percent in fourth quarter.

The all-digital bank is seeing a base effect-induced bounce for next year, however, with an average growth of 4.875 percent, according to computation made by BusinessMirror.

“The Philippines may enter this bumpy L-recover y...bouncing off from the contraction but maybe not returning to 6 percent form any time

soon,” Mapa said.

The economist noted that the economy has been consumption-driven over the past few years, noting that it was contributing 4.4 percentage points to the average of the usual 6-percent economic growth prior to the pandemic.

However, this has changed since.

Mapa noted that household spending only grew by 0.2 percent in the first quarter as the public began dealing with concerns on cash flows due to surge in unemployment and decline in overseas remittances.

“I think the first quarter of this year showed it very clearly. Consumption is still positive but for the first time, pretty much absent,” he said.

Mapa added t hat d iscret ionar y spend i ng wa s a l so dow n a s outlook for job sec u r it y t u r ns d i m.

He e x pl a i ned t h at a n i nd iv idu a l u su a l ly spend s bec au se he or she is a ssu red of a st able sou rce of i ncome f rom t hei r c u r rent job.

This concept, however, has been altered to some as evidenced by the 17.7-percent year-on-year growth in joblessness last April, he explained.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that at least 5 million Filipinos lost their jobs that month amid the lockdown measures imposed to contain the virus.

“This does not take into account the layoffs we have seen in May and June...This could get worse pretty quick,” Mapa warned, noting that major airlines, logistics firms and micro, small and medium enterprises let go employees in the past months as well.

Apart from this, the ING Bank Manila economist flagged that remittances sent by overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are expected to be reduced amid the pandemic, which could then affect household spending.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has recently reported that OFW remittances registered a four-year low in April. Personal remittances reached $2.27 billion in April, lower than the $2.65 billion in the previous month.

This brought the four-month per-

sonal remittances to $10.49 billion, which is nearly a 3-percent drop from $10.81 billion last year for the same period.

“OFW remittances are expected to fall because they’re being sent home, they lost their jobs,” Mapa said. “Job prospects don’t look rosy either.”

Meanwhile, Mapa said that the proposed P1.3-trillion Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy (ARISE) bill can help temper losses from the crisis.

“If you look at ARISE, it is a good place to start because it covers many bases,” he said.

In a separate report by Moody’s Analytics on Friday, it noted that the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is bound for recovery next year but this will depend on many factors, including period of lockdown, global demand to boost supply chains and lifting of travel restrictions, among others.

But Moody’s warned that the Philippines may be lagging behind other countries from the region.

“All countries within the APAC region are expected to enjoy a positive economic bounce in the third quarter except for the Philippines, which has suffered the longest and strictest lockdown in the region and whose count of Covid-19 cases has accelerated this month,” it explained.

he Department of Transportation (DOTr) has “strongly condemned” the driver of a Joanna Jesh Transport public-utility bus (PUB) with license plate number CAP 5133 for gross violation of road transport rules, as captured in a video by a concerned netizen that went viral on social media.

The posted video shows the Joanna Jesh Transport public-utility bus as it speeds recklessly along the Edsa Busway, hitting several lane separator barriers as it passed by. The barriers fell on several private vehicles adjacent to the Busway as shown in the video.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has directed both the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to conduct an immediate investigation, and issue a “show cause” order on Friday to the said operator and driver of Joanna Jesh Transport PUB. Upon receipt of Tugade’s directive, both agencies have already committed to act on the matter with dispatch, institute the necessary proceedings, and will not hesitate to impose the appropriate sanctions as warranted.

“Let this serve as a warning to all our road transport partners that the DOTr, LTFRB and LTO will never tolerate this irresponsible and reckless manner of driving by authorized PUBs which poses a danger to life and possible damage to property,” the DOTr statement read. “We will apply the full force of the law,” the statement added.

Huey chopper crash kills four in Isabela

By Rene Acosta

A

Referred to PMS

When he heard of the matter, Roque said he referred it to the Presidential Management Staff, which concluded that an intensive investigation must be conducted on the IT purchase.

Keith was among the officials who were brought in to PhilHealth by Ricardo C. Morales when he was appointed as PhilHealth’s new president and CEO last year.

Roque said he already got a copy of Keith’s resignation letter from his post in PhilHealth, before the former police captain raised his concerns on the IT purchase.

“I am calling on [Keith], to help with the formal investigation, even if he already resigned to stop once and for all the corruption in PhilHelth. If he was not able to do this while he was there, he could do it now and disclose all what he knows as the anti-fraud officer of General Morales,” Roque said.

Last month, Roque started issuing statements related to PhilHealth after Morales said they might run out of funds if they will continue to implement the Universal Healthcare Law (UHC) next year because of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis.

Roque was among the principal author of the UHC.

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Department of Public Works and Highways officials and engineers hold an on-site discussion for the final phase of construction of the Estrella- Pantaleon Bridge in Mandaluyong City. The bridge project is expected to be completed by December 2020.

Two Metro mega bridge projects on track for completion–DPWH

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ublic Works Secretary Mark A. Villar has assured that despite the lockdown due to Covid-19, which hampered construction activities, the implementation of BinondoIntramuros Bridge and Estrella- Pantaleon Bridge is right on schedule.

Villar said that based on a report of Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations and Technical Services Emil K. Sadain,the DPWH sees the December 2020 completion of EstrellaPantaleon Bridge Project, while Binondo-Intramuros Bridge Project is aimed for opening by March 2021.

Sadain together with Project Director Virgilio C. Castillo of UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 inspected the two mega bridge projects crossing Pasig River.

Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge Project is now 56

percent completed, while Binondo-Intramuros Bridge Project is now 36 percent done, said Sadain.

Pouring of foundation for abutment is continuously undertaken on Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge.

Also ongoing is the piling of works for the foundation of Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, Binondo side downramp. By September, the steel bridging frame for the main bridge will be installed.

“Although we have other urgent projects during this time of pandemic, we want to ensure everyone that these bridge projects are being rushed for completion to serve the public,” said Sadain.

When completed, these two bridges will augment the 30 existing ones across Pasig River, Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway and will ease traffic along Edsa and other major roads in Metro Manila.

Makati achieves 100% enrollment in public schools, Mayor Abby says

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akati M a y o r A b b y B i n a y h a s announced that the cit y already achieved 100 percent enrollment in its public elementar y, junior, and senior high schools, for school year 2020-2021.

“I am happy to report that Makati has achieved 100 percent enrollment for school year 2020-2021 with 77,339 students enrolled to date. We have exceeded last year’s record of 76,599 enrollees,” Mayor Abby said in a news statement.

“To me, this mirrors the enthusiasm and drive of our students to continue learning. To our students, know that we are behind you all the way,” the mayor added.

Department of Education (DepEd) Makati Schools Division Superintendent Carleen Sedilla confirmed that as of July 22, 2020, public schools in the city under the supervision of DepEd-Makati, from elementary to senior high school, already registered a total of 77,339 enrollees. These include kindergar ten and Special Education (SpEd) learners.

She noted that the said figure does not include an estimated 2,000 enrollees in the Alternative Learning Education System (ALS), and around 5,000 enrollees in the Higher School ng UMak (HSU), as these were still being consolidated.

According to Sedilla, enrollment in the city’s public schools will remain open until August 24, 2020 to accommodate late enrollees.

Mayor Abby earlier announced that some 2 , 5 0 0 te a c h e r s i n M a k a t i p u b l i c s c h o o l s from elementar y to senior high school w i l l e a c h re c e i ve a b r a n d - n e w l a p to p f o r s c h o o l ye a r 2 0 2 0 - 2 0 2 1 . Th e n u m b e r m a y g o a s h i g h a s 2 , 8 0 0 to i n c l u d e n e w l y h i re d te a c h e r s, s h e a d d e d.

On July 23, Mayor Abby led the ceremonial turnover of brand-new laptops to newly hired teachers of Makati High School who are among the first batch of 280 recipients.

Last June, Mayor Abby announced that all enrollees in Makati public schools from preschool to senior high school will each receive a learner’s package, in addition to the annual freebies they are receiving under Project FREE of the city government.

Likewise, both teachers and students will receive a free daily five-hour Internet load for academic use.

The new learner’s package has an on-thego (OTG) flash drive, printed modules, and two washable face masks in a pouch. On the other hand, annual freebies under Project FREE (Free Relevant and Excellent Education) include school supplies and school uniforms. To date, the expanded Project FREE under Mayor Abby’s watch has additional items including rain gear, jacket with hoodies, reusable water tumblers, and rubber shoes, among others.

n Air Force Huey helicopter crashed while taking off in Isabela on Thursday night, killing four of the five people onboard.

Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo did not identify the fatalities, even as the military expressed its condolences to the families of those who perished.

The helicopter, UH-1D with tail number 8308, from the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing, was with five Air Force personnel onboard when it “crash landed” while taking off at the Tactical Operations Group 2, Cauayan Air Station, Cauayan City, Isabela, at around 7 p.m.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Aristides Galang

NDFP announces Agcaoili’s demise

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he head of the negotiating panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) passed away on Thursday in the Netherlands where he and other Filipino communist leaders are on self-exile.

Fidel Agcaoili died at around 12:45 p.m. (the Netherlands time) in Utrecht following a“pulmonary arterial rupture which caused massive internal bleeding,” the NDFP and communist founder Jose Maria Sison announced.

“It was not Covid-19 related,” they said.

Agcaoili had been based in the Netherlands where he joined other leaders of the communist movement, including Sison.

He would have turned 76 on August 8, according to the NDFP. “His remains will be flown to the Philippines in accordance with the wishes of his family,” the NDFP said.

Labor Secretary and former government chief peace negotiator Silvestre H. Bello III said the passing of Agcaoili was a “great loss” for all peace-loving Filipinos.

Bello described Agcaoili as a “man of honor and conviction, who was crucial in making the government’s arduous peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (NPA)-NDFP “smoother and easier” when it was still ongoing.

“We join all peace-loving Filipinos in grieving the passing of a revolutionary whose passion for peace is as ardent as his love for structural change on the land of his birth,” Bello said.

“Goodbye to a friend, a revolutionary, and a peace warrior,” he added.

The labor chief lamented Agcaoili will no longer be able to savor the completion of the peace negotiation between the government and the NDFP. I n M a rc h 2 0 1 9 , P re s i d e n t D u t e r t e officially ordered the government panel led

by Bello to terminate the peace talks due to the NPA’s alleged violation of cease-fire declarations.

Rene Acosta & Samuel P. Medenilla

Jr. said the chopper and the personnel onboard were on night flying training when the incident happened.

“The PAF will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the incident,” he said.

Arevalo said the military is mourning the death of the “two pilots, the other officer and one of the

two aircrew.”

“AFP Chief General Felimon Santos Jr. expresses deep grief and extends condolences and prayers on behalf of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the families and colleagues of the airmen who perished in this air operations mishap,” Arevalo said.

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Saturday, July 25, 2020

The World BusinessMirror

Pompeo hits ‘totalitarian’ China as tensions spike

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ecretary of State Michael Pompeo cast China’s leaders as tyrants bent on global hegemony, painting a dark portrait of the country’s direction, as tensions soar between the world’s two biggest economies.

President X i Jinping “ isn’t destined to tyrannize inside and outside China forever unless we allow it,” Pompeo said Thursday at the Richard Nixon presidential library in Yorba Linda, California.

“Securing our freedoms from the Chinese Communist Party is the mission of our time.”

Pompeo cast competition with China as an existential struggle between right and wrong, hearkening back to the language of the US-Soviet standoff during the Cold War. His remarks, at the site dedicated to the president who helped open US-China ties half

a century ago, were the culmination of a series of speeches by top administration officials about the threat from China.

“If we bend the knee now, our children’s children may be at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party, whose actions are the primar y challenge today in the free world,” he said. “ The free world must triumph over this new tyranny.”

The speech came a day after the US unex pectedly ordered China to close its consulate in Houston within 72 hours, following what it said were years

of espionage directed from the diplomatic compound against US commercial and national security assets. China rejected the accusations and vowed to retaliate.

Pompeo’s speech was built off a conviction widely held within the Trump administration and its allies in Congress that US efforts to bind China to the international system and accommodate its rise since the Nixon era have failed, and that it’s time for a much tougher approach. While Pompeo didn’t call for regime change, he came close, saying the US must “engage and empower the Chinese people.”

Taking a more pessimistic twist on President Ronald Reagan’s adage that the US should “trust but verify” in relations with the Soviet Union, Pompeo said the US needs to “distrust and verify” agreements with Beijing.

That language, along with Pompeo’s claim that Communists “almost always lie,” drew scrutiny from China experts who said it was

needlessly antagonistic and might open the Trump administration up to political attack.

Pompeo’s language “opens the door for the Biden team to ask about the verification measures in the phase one trade deal,” said Zack Cooper, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

He said the tough words “are going to make it hard for him to sit down with the leaders of the Communist party and negotiate with them.”

The location of the speech, at the Nixon library, was intentionally symbolic. Its substance, in remarks entitled “Communist China and the Free World’s Future,” was chosen to show that ultimately, the administration believes efforts at engagement by Nixon and his successors failed.

“If the free world doesn’t change Communist China, Communist China will change us,” Pompeo said. “There can’t be a return to past practices because they’re comfortable or because they’re convenient.” Bloomberg News

Portland standoff with US agents drags on after city mayor gassed

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ORTLAND, Oregon—The tense standoff between demonstrators and federal police dispatched to Portland, Oregon, dragged on Thursday after the city’s mayor was tear-gassed by US government agents as he made an appearance outside a federal courthouse during raucous protests.

Mayor Ted Wheeler and hundreds of others Wednesday night were objecting to the presence of federal police sent by President Donald J. Trump, who labeled the demonstrators as “agitators & anarchists” after Wheeler was gassed.

Also, late Thursday a federal judge specifically blocked federal agents from arresting, or using physical force against

journalists and legal observers at the ongoing Portland protests. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

US Judge Michael Simon previously ruled that journalists and legal observers are exempt from police orders requiring protesters to disperse once an unlawful assembly has been declared. Federal lawyers had said that journalists should have to leave when ordered.

“This order is a victory for the rule of law,” Jann Carson, ACLU of Oregon’s interim executive director, said in a statement.

A freelance photographer covering the protests for The Associated Press submitted an affidavit that he was beaten with batons, chemical irritants and hit with rubber bullets this week.

The ACLU lawsuit is one of several filed in response to law-enforcement actions during the protests. The state of Oregon is seeking an order limiting federal agents’ arrest powers during the demonstrations.

On Wednesday night, Wheeler, a Democrat, appeared slightly dazed and coughed and said it was the first time he’d been tear-gassed.

He put on a pair of goggles someone handed him and drank water but did not leave his spot at the front of the raging demonstration— with protesters lighting a large fire between protective fencing and the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse amid the pop-pop-pop sounds of the federal agents deploying tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the a g e nt s kn e w Wh e e l e r, a 5 7 - ye a r - o l d sixth-generation Oregonian and longtime politician, was among those in crowd when they used the tear gas.

Earlier in the night, Wheeler was mostly jeered by protesters as he tried to rally the demonstrators who have clashed nightly with federal agents. But they briefly applauded when he shouted “Black Lives Matter” and pumped his fist in the air.

Trump in his tweet attempted to ridicule Wheeler, calling him the “Radical Left Mayor of Portland, who last night was booed & shouted out of existence by the agitators & anarchists.” AP

China’s millennials drink more milk to boost immune system

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ne debate fueled by the virus is about whether to have steamed buns and congee (porridge) for breakfast, or milk and toast. It’s a serious question in China, where the government is pushing people to drink milk to get more protein, a vital ingredient in building the body’s immune system.

Parents “should prepare enough milk and eggs every morning for your children…no congee should be allowed as breakfast,” said Zhang Wenhong, a doctor at the infectious diseases department at Shanghai’s Huashan Hospital and one of China’s most outspoken critics of the nation’s diet since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Zhang’s view has some serious backing. At this year’s National People’s Congress, China’s annual meeting of parliament, a lawmaker suggested the government should make it a national strategy to encourage every person to drink at least 300 grams of milk a day— about half a pint.

The comments triggered debates on social media about whether milk provides irreplaceable nutrition, whether China’s traditional diet needs more animal protein, and how universal “lifelong milk drinking” will affect food security and the environment. The sudden focus on improving immunity could have global repercussions, from dairy farms in Australia to deforestation in the Amazon, and hurt efforts to curb climate change.

Because of its large population, China is already second to the

FrIesian dairy cows eat from a food trough on a farm in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, on June 4. Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg

US in dairy sales and is forecast to take the top spot by 2022. It’s also the third-largest producer of cow’s milk. Yet it has a lot of room to grow. Annual per-capita consumption has risen to about 34 liters, according to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation—that’s still a fraction of the 100 liters the average Australian consumes.

By 2025, China’s government expects milk production to reach 45 million tons, 30 times what it was in 1980. That will mean dedicating more farmland to raising and feeding cows, both at home and abroad.

With limited farmland in China, the increase is a global issue.

In the three decades to 2010, the amount of corn used to feed livestock in China grew sixfold and the animal consumption of soybeans ninefold. Greenhouse-gas

emissions from China’s livestock, a major source of methane, more than doubled. That may be good news for Brazil’s soybean growers but bad news for the Amazon.

China buys about three quarters of Brazil’s soybeans, a trade that has been blamed for a rise in deforestation.

Carbon footprint

Programs to promote dairy “will largely counteract the endeavors

by China’s government, people and those in other industries to reduce our overall carbon footprint,” said Jian Yi, founder of the Good Food Fund, which promotes sustainable food systems in China. They could have a “catastrophic” effect on the environment, he said.

The rise of big industrial farms has led to water contamination and threats to human health as cows are housed in cramped conditions

and routinely given antibiotics and other drugs, according to Mia MacDonald, founder of New Yorkbased nonprofit Brighter Green.

Critics of dairy consumption say that the food doesn’t prevent people from getting the coronavirus and that there are other ways to add protein to a diet. Animal welfare groups point to studies that indicate cow’s milk may contribute to health problems such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Such arguments carry little weight in China, where social media sites such as Weibo are full of posts accusing the West of double standards, pointing out that percapita protein consumption is far higher in developed nations.

On Douban.com, a social-media platform popular with millennials, a group called “If You Love Drinking Milk, Hands Up” has almost 100,000 members and over 800 chat threads. Some share their favorite brands, others post shopping receipts to prove they drink a liter of milk a day. There are even tips on how to overcome lactose intolerance: “Mix it with the same amount of water; then no problem,” one suggests.

Most of the group’s members grew up in an era since the 1980s when the government was pushing milk in TV ads. As early as 1997, the Chinese Nutrition Association updated its dietary guidance to encourage people to “have more dairy or soybean products regularly.” But there’s another factor driving dairy’s popularity—social status. Bloomberg News

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Trump scraps big GOP assembly in Florida as coronavirus rages

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resident Donald J. Trump relented Thursday to worries about the coronavirus and canceled his Florida nominating convention, the biggest event of his reelection campaign, as the host state posted record deaths from the pandemic.

“I told my team it’s time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida, component of the GOP convention,” Trump said Thursday at the White House. “We didn’t want to take any chances.”

Trump had insisted for months that he would still hold his multiday extravaganza despite worries that the gathering would become a super-spreader event. The party decided June 11 to move the convention to Jacksonville from Charlotte after North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper refused to waive socialdistancing and other measures to prevent contagion.

But just as preparations for the Florida event got underway, the state was hit with a surge of infections and now is one of the country’s hardest-hit areas, with a total so far of 389,868 confirmed cases of the virus—about 1.8 percent of the state’s population—and the number growing by an average of more than 10,000 cases a day. The state posted a record 173 deaths on Thursday.

With support plunging in public opinion polls over his handling of the virus, Trump appeared to start over this week, offering daily news conferences where he encouraged people to wear masks after disdaining them for months, and acknowledging the seriousness of the virus after minimizing its impact.

“We’re setting an example,” Trump said of the decision to cancel the convention in an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity on Thursday night. “I thought I had an obligation not to have large numbers, massive numbers of people crowded into a room.”

A Quinnipiac poll of Florida voters released Thursday showed him running 13 points behind

Joe Biden.

Yet Trump, who thrives on the large crowds that attend his rallies, was clearly looking forward to an event that would give his campaign a jolt of enthusiasm.

He tried that with a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June, his only one so far since the pandemic began in March. The event was only filled to about one-third of capacity and numerous people, including state officials, became ill.

Democrats scaled back their convention in Milwaukee earlier this summer, dispensing with the full pageantry and celebration that normally marks the nomination of a presidential candidate. The Democratic National Committee is allowing delegates to vote remotely and most of the speeches, except for the acceptance speech for Biden, will be livestreamed. Biden will speak in Milwaukee but before a limited audience.

“Unlike Trump, we followed the science, listened to doctors and public health experts, and worked through plans to protect lives,” DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement after Trump’s announcement. “That’s how we made the decision to hold a responsible convention that will bring our country together, ensure our delegates can take care of official business without risk to public health, and still shine a spotlight on our host community of Milwaukee.”

The Republicans, urged on by Trump, had persisted in planning a full convention right up until Trump’s announcement at his daily coronavirus briefing on Thursday.

He offered few details of how the GOP virtual event would work, except to say there would be a “reasonably quick meeting in North Carolina.”

“I ’ l l st i l l do a convent ion speech in a different form but we won’t do a big crowded convention per se,” he said.

“We’ll have a very nice something,” he added. “We’ll figure it out.” Bloomberg News

Experts say US economic recovery stalling and it may get even worse

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he official numbers have begun to confirm what many Americans feel in their bones: the economy is buckling once again.

Despite assurances from the Trump administration that better times are at hand, the worsening pandemic is restraining, or even snuffing out the economy’s nascent recovery.

From restaurant dining to air travel and now to filings for unemployment benefits, a growing body of evidence indicates America’s rebound from the pandemic is stalling days before hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of federal aid is set to expire.

Lawmakers may eventually iron out an agreement on a new stimulus package, but for now they remain far apart on many of the key details.

Whether the talks are ultimately successful or not, one thing is now crystal clear: Until a vaccine, or effective treatment for Covid-19 is available, the world’s largest economy will at best post tepid, uneven growth and, at worst, endure an extended period of malaise or even a depression.

“If lawmakers don’t quickly pass another sizable rescue package that includes help to state and local governments and more income support to the unemployed, then the economy will suffer another downturn—a socalled double-dip,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “Unemployment will remain in the double digits until well after the pandemic is over.”

The jobless claims report was so grim—with the ranks of those filing for benefits swelling to 1.42

million—that it even got the attention of stock investors, a group that has been blissfully impervious to bad news of late. They pushed the S&P 500 Index down 1.2 percent on Thursday, marking the biggest decline in almost a month. Shares in China, Hong Kong and Australia opened lower on Friday.

What Bloomberg’s economists say “The fiscal response to the Covid-19 recession is running out of steam just as the rising virus case count impinges on the recovery. The most critical near-term deadline is for enhanced jobless benefits, set to run out at the end of July. A range of other programs will also need to be expanded and extended if policy is to avoid swinging from recovery driver to recessionary drag.”

—Andrew Husby Democrats have proposed a $3.5-trillion package of virus relief that has already passed the House.

Senate Republicans are working on a roughly $1-trillion plan, but disagreements within the GOP have bogged down a detailed proposal.

That’s not expected until Monday, and negotiating a compromise with Democrats may run through the first week in August.

While the report also showed a decline in continuing claims that suggests hiring has picked up, the rise in layoffs from an already-elevated level is a sign the labor market is going in the wrong direction. That could make President Donald Trump’s case for reelection even tougher than polls already show.

Bloomberg News

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Companies BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 25, 2020

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SMC’s food, beverage biz recovering well as govt rebuilds better amid Covid An architect’s perspective of the Ming-Mori Techno Business Park, a joint project of the municipality of Minglanilla and joint venture Ming-Mori Development Corp., an affiliate of Cebu Landmasters. The listed company is the managing developer of this grand technology and business hub envisioned to house commercial, residential and industrial centers.

DENR issues ECC to Ming-Mori project of Minglanilla, CLI unit

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HE Ming-Mori Minglanilla Reclamation Project covering 100 hectares easily accessible to Cebu City was issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on July 22 following a comprehensive two-year review.

Th e j o i nt ve nt u re a m o n g t h e l o c a l government of Minglanilla and private consortium partners Ming-Mori Development Corp. (MMDC), an affiliate of listed firm Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI), envisions a world-class estate that will generate over 75,000 jobs in the municipality and its environs while meeting sound environmental guidelines.

Following the issuance of the ECC considered one of the major prerequisites and milestones of a reclamation project, the development will now be subject to the approval process of the Philippine Reclamation Authority.

“We hope to achieve the best balance among economic, social and sustainability goals and are pleased that our plans, which have been aligned to that ideal, passed the test of public hearings and DENR’s stringent review process,” remarked Jose Soberano III, chairman and CEO of CLI, managing developer of the project.

Minglanilla Mayor Elanito Pena said “the grant of the Environmental Compliance Certificate has brought us closer to the materialization of the reclamation project which will propel the Municipality of Minglanilla to higher heights and cements its role as a major economic player in the Province of Cebu.”

“The development project will not just modernize the landscape of Minglanilla but will also create immeasurable socioeconomic

opportunities to all people, not just for the Minglanillahanons,” the mayor added.

Following a memorandum of agreement between the Municipality of Minglanilla and Ming-Mori Development Corporation in 2013, CLI was appointed in 2015 to tap a roster of consultants with a track record in similar projects to create detailed design and engineering plans, feasibilit y and environmental studies. In 2016, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Philippine Reclamation Authority and the Municipality of Minglanilla with Ming-Mori as its private consortium partner.

Soberano disclosed that in addition to housing light industrial facilities, the future Ming-Mori Techno Business Park will be a self-contained township with residential and commercial areas.

Its proximity to Cebu City makes it an ideal location for a master-planned community with live-workplay opportunities for its residents and visitors.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that well-planned communities that offer growth prospects alongside safety and security for employees and residents are the way to go. This township’s residents will have access to those benefits and more,” he explained.

The Ming-Mori Techno Business Park will be CLI’s third estate project. Land development of the 22-hectare Davao Global township is ongoing while its planned township in Cagayan de Oro is undergoing approvals.

CLI reports that more township projects are under way in the cities of Mandaue, Tagbilaran, Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod City. In 2019, the company was awarded as the Best Developer in the Philippines by Asia Property Awards.

Security Bank raises P13.5B from bond issuance, closes offer period early

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ECURITY Bank has issued fixed-rate bonds amounting to P13.5 billion. This final issue size, the bank said on Friday, represents a significant upsize from the initial issue size of P5 billion given strong investor demand, which prompted SECB to close the offer period for the bonds early.

The two-year bonds carry a fixed interest rate of 3.125 percent per annum. Minimum denominations have been set for P1,000,000 and increments of P100,000 thereafter.

“We want to thank our investors and clients for the unwavering trust and support despite volatile times. Our bonds were met with strong demand and we had to increase our original issue size by 2.7x to accommodate the orders,” said SECB EVP and Treasurer Raul Martin Pedro.

The bonds will be issued out of the bank’s P100-billion Peso Bond and Commercial Paper Program (Program). The program was initially established in December 2018 with an aggregate amount of P50 billion and had been subsequently increased to P100 billion as approved by the Bank’s board of directors.

SECB has mandated Philippine Commercial Capital Inc. (PCCI) as sole bookrunner, and PCCI and SB Capital Investment Corp. as joint lead arrangers and selling agents for this issuance.

Security Bank is among the six largest private domestic universal banks in the Philippines by total assets (at P784.4 billion) as of March 31, 2020. It has been operating for 69 years since it was established in 1951. Security Bank has a total of 309 branches and 839 ATMs as of March 31, 2020.

Among Security Bank’s major awards received in 2019 are: The Best Retail Bank in the Philippines for 2019 by The Asian Banker and Deposit Product of the Year—“All Access Account” by The Asian Banker; Automobile Lending Product of the Year by The Asian Banker (Philippines Awards 2019) and Deposit Product of the Year by The Asian Banker (Philippine Awards 2019); Best Bank in the Philippines in 2019 by Alpha Southeast Asia and Best SME Bank in the Philippines in 2019 by Alpha Southeast Asia; and Best Bank for SMEs in the Philippines in 2019 by Asiamoney.

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AN Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) food and beverage businesses have started to recover due largely to government efforts to reopen and boost the economy, the diversified conglomerate reported on Friday.

“With the government’s easing of restrictions on transportation, the operation of business establishments, and consumption of alcoholic beverages, we’ve been recovering a lot of lost ground,” said SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang. “Recovery started around second half of May to June, when government gradually restarted our economy and kept it going,” Ang added.

Ang credited moves by President Duterte and his economic team, led

by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, to get businesses back up and running, even with limitations.

For San Miguel, Ang said, this has had a “domino effect” on smaller businesses in its supply chain.

“With consumption up, many of our own employees and those of our partners, dealers, suppliers, contract growers, and service providers are working again. On top of that, nationwide, a lot of micro, small to medium enterprises—from sari-sari stores, retailers, bottle collectors, haulers, and the like—are also able to resume their business and livelihood. This helps ensure that more Filipinos won’t go hungry and are more resilient to the impact of this crisis,” Ang said.

SMC’s food and beverage business under San Miguel Food and

Beverage Inc. (SMFB) has interests in beer and nonalcoholic beverages, food, and spirits.

San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMB), the country’s top beer manufacturer, said it was looking at better business performance entering the second half of 2020.

Since the transition to lower quarantine levels, SMB has restarted operations at production facilities nationwide, as well as the transport and distribution of its products, while strictly observing modified liquor ban guidelines in specific cities and municipalities.

The easing of restrictions has also allowed SMB’s business partners and outlets to operate on a limited scale, following DOH health standards and social distancing protocols.

Responding to crisis Through parent SMC, SMB played a significant role in responding to the crisis, helping fund donations to disadvantaged communities, local government units, medical facilities, and civic organizations.

San Miguel Foods Inc. (SMFI) has also seen improvements in its revenues starting June. While the company was able to maintain essential food production throughout the ECQ, it was still affected by the

C

Philippines. Being the airline that has never stopped flying since Covid-19 hit, it has been Qatar Airways’ mission to take people home safely during the pandemic, and we have helped more than 2 million people get home to their loved ones since February.”

The resumption of Guangzhou passenger services, he added, “is one of the significant steps taken by Qatar Airways to demonstrate our confidence in the gradual recovery of the regional travel market and global connectivity.

Since the Covid-19 crisis started, we have challenged ourselves to be at the forefront and combat the effects of this global pandemic, by volunteering our services to deliver worldwide medical supplies coordinated by Chinese embassies and consulates.”

Liquor unit rebounds SMFB liquor unit Ginebra San Miguel Inc.’s (GSMI) volumes have also increased since more areas transitioned to modified ECQ to general ECQ. From practically zero business activity in April, it was able to turn in record monthly volumes in June.

While the company temporarily ceased business activities, it reconfigured its operations to produce disinfectant alcohol, which SMC donated to hospitals and vital installations nationwide. GSMI produced and donated 1.3 million liters of alcohol, estimated at P97.1 million, as of June 25.

“It’s not just our food and beverage businesses that are starting to recover. Even Power, Infrastructure, Fuels, have started seeing improvements in their industries,” said Ang. A ng added, however, that until there is a cure for the virus, there will always be uncertainty for businesses.

“For some businesses, recovery has been strong, for others, gradual.

For some, it’s slower. I think this goes for all businesses and various

industries. However, we recognize that the threat of the pandemic is still here. We cannot go all out in terms of operations and activities.

As companies, we need to be accountable and responsible for ensuring the safety of our employees and customers,” he said.

“That is why we commend President Duterte’s economic team, led by Secretary Dominguez, for striving to strike a delicate balance between the need to keep the economy going, and the need to protect our people.

That’s a very difficult job, but we have a very capable economic team,” he added.

Ang said that for its part, SMC was fully committed to helping boost the economy. Earlier, he announced that all of SMC’s major investments in manufacturing capacity expansion and infrastructure would continue, despite the crisis.

“Right now, the most important contribution we can make to our economy is to ensure continued operations and not hold back on new investments, particularly in manufacturing capacities and infrastructure. These will generate jobs and boost both the local and national economies, making more Filipinos resilient through crises,” Ang said.

Under Ang, SMC has led private sector efforts to help government, the medical sector, and disadvantaged communities, cope with the impacts of Covid-19.

It has spent over P13 billion in response efforts, including advance tax and concession payments to government to make funds available for Covid-19 response; continuous compensation to employees and third-party providers, as well as aid in the form of life-saving medical equipment, supplies, food, and alcohol, among others.

MVP hospitals to expand Covid-19 bed capacities

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USINESSMAN Manuel V. Pangilinan has agreed to expand the Covid-19 beds in hospitals under the MVP Group to help the government address the lack of health-care facilities for Covid-19 treatment, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III and Treatment Czar Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega already talked to Pangilinan who, in turn, has committed to help in the fight against Covid-19.

“He [Pangilinan] has agreed to increase bed allocation in his MPIC [Metro Pacific Investments Corp.] hospitals all over the country to reach 20- to 30-percent bed capacity,” Vergeire said during the DOH Beat Covid-19 televised press conference.

The MPIC hospitals are: Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Mak ati Medica l Center, Davao Doctor’s Hospital, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center (Bacolod), Asian Hospital

and Medical Center, De Los Santos Medical Center (Quezon City), Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital (San Vicente, Tarlac), West Metro Medical Center (Zamboanga City), Manila Doctors Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital (Malolos, Bulacan), Marikina Valley Medical Center, Dr. Jesus Delgado Memorial Hospital (Quezon City), and St. Elizabeth Hospital (General Santos City).

She said the DOH is thankful for the help being extended by the private sector as the country battles the contagion, which has infected over 76,000 people in the country.

Earlier, the DOH announced that they are looking into giving “incentives” like tax reduction and hasten the PhilHealth reimbursement of private hospitals once they agree to increase their capacity by up to 30 percent.

Covid cases

As of 4p.m. of July 24, the DOH said the total number of Covid-19 cases rose to 76,444 after an additional 2,103 confirmed cases were logged based on the total tests done by 78

After Brisbane and Toronto, Qatar Airways launches flights to Cebu EBU joins Brisbane and Toronto as new destinations launched by Qatar Airways, the airline has announced, touting its resilience during the crisis.

Cebu services started on July 24 with three weekly flights while the airline will also resume its first China flights with a once-weekly Guangzhou service starting Sunday, July 26.

The airline’s mix of modern fuel-efficient aircraft has meant its network has never fallen below 30 destinations throughout this crisis and has enabled the airline to adapt its plans and continue adding new routes.

Qatar Air ways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to be launching a new direct service to Cebu, offering our passengers another gateway into the

closure of many food service and retail establishments and decreased foot traffic in markets.

However, it was able to implement various programs to address consumer demand and increase food availability and sufficiency.

These include the rollout of mobile stores, community selling in barangays and villages, mobilizing a network of community resellers, and utilization of online ordering platforms and home delivery.

T hroughout the quarantine, SMFI helped SMC mount the largest food donation drive in its history and perhaps, the country’s, totaling P511.1 million as of June 25.

In addition to scheduled freighter services, the carrier also operated a large number of charters and freight-only passenger aircraft to meet China’s surging demand for imports and exports.

“With the resumption of passenger flights, we will have 49 flights in total, comprising of passenger freighters, belly-hold cargo flights and freighters in and out of Mainland China each week, providing more than 2,500 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity each way,” it said.

By the end of July, the airline’s network will expand to over 450 weekly flights to more than 70 destinations with the additions of Cebu and Guangzhou.

The national carrier of the State of Qatar last operated flights to Cebu in March 2012.

Qatar Airways’ home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), has implemented stringent cleaning procedures and applied social distancing measures throughout its terminals. Passenger touchpoints are sanitized every 10-15 minutes and boarding gates and bus gate counters are cleaned after each flight.

In addition, hand sanitizers are provided at immigration and security screening points.

HIA was recently ranked “Third Best Airport in the World” among 550 airports worldwide, by the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2020.

HIA was also voted the “Best Airport in the Middle East” for the sixth year in a row and “Best Staff Service in the Middle East” for the fifth year in a row.

out of 90 current operational labs.

The DOH also reported 144 recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 24,502.

Fifteen deaths were reported.

The death toll stood at 1,879.

Of the 15 deaths, 11 (73 percent) happened in July, 3 (20 percent ) in June, 1 (7 percent) in April. Deaths were from Region 7 (13 deaths or 87 percent), Region 3 (1 or 7 percent) and Region 6 (1 or 7 percent).

Forty-nine duplicates were removed from the total case count.

Of these, 25 recovered cases and two deaths have been removed after final validation.

“Moreover, we have updated the health status of 5 cases previously reported as deaths but after final validation were all recovered. These numbers undergo constant cleaning and validation,” the DOH said.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

A6 Saturday, July 25, 2020

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

Overseas projects, engineering outsourcing seen as future of PHL construction industry

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VERSEAS projects and engineering service outsourcing (ESO) can be the future drivers of the Philippine construction industry, according to local industry experts from the government and private sector.

Construction industry players discussed the future of construction after the Covid-19 pandemic in the webinar “Seizing Construction Opportunities Under the New Normal” on July 10, 2020.

The webinar was organized by the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) and Philippine Overseas Construction Board (POCB).

“As we all know, Construction

Services sector is one of the major revenue-generating sectors of the country whether in local, or foreign business dealings. Despite a major decrease in the number of Philippine construction services exporters from over a hundred in the 1980s to 37 at present, the overseas construction industry still contributed its share to the economy: a total amount of $116.08 million,” said DTI Undersecretary for Trade Promotions Abdulgani M. Macatoman.

“Construction is set to rebound

after the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Norman Macapagal, executive vice president of EEI Corp., and concurrent president of EEI Limited Inc. While waiting for this, he said that business owners should prepare by accelerating their business transformation and exploring opportunities to work on foreign projects.

“In our company, we have been talking about changing our procedures, because they are too long, with too many signatures involved. When the pandemic came in and we were on lockdown, the procedures that we were discussing for over a year were suddenly simplified. We were forced to look at new construction techniques and methods because of the need to survive,” said Macapagal.

EEI has been doing overseas construction projects since the ’70s. For those who want to try and bid for foreign projects, he suggests studying

taxation and labor regulation of the foreign country, as well as the regulations of the POCB. Firms, he said, can then either set up a temporary branch, a permanent branch, or get a local partner to begin operations.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ernesto de Castro, president of Esca Inc. and Esca International Inc., sees engineering ESO as a high-value service that can be the Philippines’s next businessprocess outsourcing, or BPO. In 2016, ESO in the Philippines is valued at $250 million, or 1 percent of the country’s total outsourcing sector and 0.5 percent of all ESO in the world.

“We are already No. 1 in voice services, but the challenge is to move from voice to non-voice, in particular, to go into the high-value-added activities under KPO [knowledge process outsourcing] and link these services embedded to manufacturing, such as finance, design, and engineering,” said de Castro.

To develop the industry, de Castro proposed training Filipino engineers on Building Information Modeling. BIM builds intelligent models to be used in construction and is replacing CAD, or computer aided design, in other countries.

Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand are among the countries that require BIM in their projects.

Macapagal and de Castro agreed that government support is needed for the construction industry to recover after the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It has to be a joint effort because chasing projects outside is not only time consuming, but expensive. We can short-circuit that with b2b [business to business] sessions through DTI,” said Macapagal.

The DTI-EMB, POCB, Board of Investments, and DTI commercial counselors present in the event committed to working closely with the private sector to implement their suggestions.

Japan’s export slump drags on even as markets reopen

J

APANESE exports fell by more than 20 percent for a third straight month even as key markets started to reopen from virus shutdowns.

The value of Japan’s overall shipments overseas slid 26.2 percent in June from a year earlier, led by steep declines in exports of cars and auto parts, the finance ministry reported Monday. Economists forecast a 24.7 percent fall.

Although exports continued to be down sharply compared with the previous year, there were signs declines may have bottomed. Car exports halved in June compared with falls of around two-thirds in May. Overall drops in exports to the US and the EU were about 4 to 5 percentage points less than in the prior month.

Key insights

ECONOMIST Takeshi Minami at Norinchukin Research Institute said the worst appeared to be over for Japan’s trade slump, but the pace of recovery is likely to be slow, as rising infection

rates in the US and elsewhere hamper efforts to reopen. “At best, trade

will see a gradual recovery,” he said.

Japan’s reliance on exports for

growth makes its overall recovery prospects precarious. The In-

ternational Monetary Fund last month cut its outlook for Japan and the rest of the world economy, projecting a deeper recession and slower rebound than it saw just two months earlier.

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, speaking last week, said he expects Japan’s economy to improve gradually in the second half of the year, but the risks are skewed to the downside.

Improving shipments to China have helped prevent Japan’s export declines from being even worse.

Shipments to the world’s secondlargest economy dropped just 0.2 percent in June, compared with last year.

What Bloomberg’s economist says “Looking ahead, exports are likely to continue to recover in 3Q —depending on the shape of the recoveries in demand in the US and Europe. Imports should also recover at around the same pace, reflecting reduced restrictions on domestic activity.”

— The Asia Economist Team Bloomberg News

Tuna players opt for virtual, drop face-to-face meet in September

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ENER AL SANTOS CITY— Tuna industry players here will launch a series of bi-monthly virtual fora to highlight their situation and efforts to address various concerns amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andrew Philip Yu, president of the Soccsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc., said the online activities will replace the shelved 22nd National Tuna Congress, which was previously being held every September.

He said they have canceled this year’s congress, which is considered as the country’s biggest gathering of tuna industry stakeholders, “owing to the health crisis that continues to affect the global community, including the Philippines.”

“This difficult decision has been arrived at after a careful assessment of the present situation,” Yu said in a news statement.

He said they will instead hold online fora, dubbed “Oras ng Mananagat sa Panahon ng Pandemya” from September to November.

Yu said the activity is a “proactive decisive move to ensure that the challenges, issues and concerns confronting the fishing industry are actively attended to and deliberated by all stakeholders, and addressed by our global, regional, national and local partners.”

In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, he said the area’s fishing and aquaculture industry must move forward, while complying with the national government’s safety and health protocols. “[This is] to ensure that we can sustain our contribution to the Philippine economy and provide livelihood to a significant number of Filipinos,” he said. Theannualcongress,whichdrewan average of 600 local and foreign delegates these past years, had served as a venue for top industry players to discuss pressing concerns, among them the conservation and management of tuna and other critical marine resources.

It was joined by officials and representatives of various government agencies, as well as non-government groups.

At the start of the enhanced community quarantine last March due to the Covid-19 threat, tuna producers and exporters reported substantial losses due to the suspension of flights from the city to Metro Manila and other routes. PNA

Swiss watch exports may slide 30 percent this year amid pandemic

T

HE Swiss watch industry faces a 30-percent drop in exports this year as the coronavirus pandemic slashes international trav-

el and key markets outside China still grapple with the outbreak.

The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry gave the forecast

after shipments declined 36 percent to 6.9 billion francs ($7.4 billion) in the first half. A full-year decline that big would be the worst

performance in decades.

Swiss watchmakers have been struggling to find any growth this year, putting pressure on jobs in

the industry. Swatch Group AG eliminated 2,400 positions in the first half as it shrank its retail network.

One glimmer of hope has been mainland China, where exports rose 48 percent in June, paring the firsthalf decline to 15 percent.

OurTime BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Nutrition can help the elderly maintain their muscle health

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

T

HE availability of life-changing technologies and products, including diagnostics, medical devices, nutritional and branded generic medicines has made life easier for the elderly and afforded them a more comfortable life in their twilight years.

For more than 130 years, pharmaceutical giant Abbott has been leading the field in providing the needs of the elderly for better lives.

“Through our nutrition business, Abbott aims to deliver nutrition products that meet the unique nutritional and therapeutic needs of adults across the world.

Our adult nutrition science is backed by 200 clinical studies,” Dr. Jose Rodolfo Dimaano Jr., Abbott Nutrition-Medical Director and area medical director of Abbott Asia-Pacific told the BusinessMirror in an e-mail interview.

Dimaano, also the company’s spokesman, said that aside from balanced diet and daily exercise, proper nutrition is the foundation for a healthy life. He said Abbott has been developing science-based nutrition supplements that are formulated to help adults achieve their unique nutrition goals, whether that’s rebuilding muscle and strength, or recovering from illness.

“Abbott’s specialized nutritionals help those with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer and kidney disease get the important nutrients they need,” he said.

In the Philippines, Abbott continues to partner with health-care professionals to implement a nutrition care process in hospitals; drive awareness and educate patients and consumers on the importance of nutrition and muscle strength. In recent months, Dimaano said Abbott also offered nutrition counseling and enhanced home delivery of its nutritional supplements.

Used on helping senior citizens stay strong and healthy. “One of the common experiences of the elderly is a general loss of strength—muscle strength,” he said.

“Muscle is vital for the overall health of older adults. It plays an important role in maintaining our body’s structure, movement, balance and posture. It also has a role in maintaining our metabolism and even our facial structure,” he added.

In partnership with SHIELD (Strengthening Health In ELDerly through nutrition) from Changi General Hospital, SingHealth Polyclinics and Abbott, a study

DR. DIMAANO

found that every one-year increase in age over the age of 65 there’s a 13 percent higher odds of having low muscle mass.

While the SHIELD study sheds light on who may be at higher risk for low muscle mass, it also serves as a reminder for senior citizens about the importance of maintaining muscle health as we age.

Furthermore, the skeletal muscle accounts for about 40 percent of total body weight and contains at least 50 percent of all body proteins.

Dimaano said muscles play an important role in movement, strength and energy. However, there is evidence suggesting a relationship between muscle and immune function as well.

“Muscles produce and release compounds that play an important role in the proliferation, activation and distribution of some immune cells,” Dimaano said.

While additional research is needed, Dimaano pointed out that data suggest that loss of muscle mass is associated with compromised immunity and infections.

He said research conducted in older adults has shown that increased markers of inflammation are associated with low muscle mass and muscle function.

He said immunity is affected if an older adult loses more than 10 percent of his lean body mass, while a decrease of more than 30 percent can make him susceptible to pneumonia.

“Additionally, muscle is a major storage site for amino acids that are used by the body during a traumatic injury or infection,” he said.

Dimaano explained that low muscle mass coupled with inadequate protein intake may affect the body’s response to an injury or infection.

In this regard, he said maintaining or improving muscle health should be a priority.

Care home refused free tests.

Now, nearly everyone has virus

By Matthew Brown & Amy Beth Hanson The Associated Press

B

ILLINGS, Montana—It was meant to be a last line of defense to protect the most vulnerable as the coronavirus spread across the United States: Montana officials offered free testing in May for staff and residents at assisted living and long-term care facilities.

But not all of them followed through, according to state data, including a facility in Billings, Montana’s largest city, which cares for people with dementia and other memory problems. The virus has infected almost every resident there and killed eight since July 6, accounting for almost a quarter of Montana’s 34 confirmed deaths. Thirty-six employees also have tested positive.

While Montana’s rates of confirmed infections and deaths are much lower than other parts of the country, the outbreak at Canyon Creek Memory Care illustrates that even the most simple and common-sense preventive measures have sometimes gone unused during the pandemic, allowing the virus to sweep through elderly care facilities with devastating results.

“I don’t see that there’s good justification for just not testing. You’re operating in the dark,” said Chris Laxton, executive director of the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, which represents more than 50,000 long-term care professionals.

Nursing homes became the first places with fatal outbreaks in the US. Six of Montana’s earliest deaths were tied to infections acquired at another nursing home, but the state initially avoided the widespread early

outbreaks seen elsewhere in the nation.

Canyon Creek was among 45 of 289 assisted living and long-term care facilities that initially declined Montana’s call for testing.

“My impression is that the facilities believed they had all protocols in place to keep their residents safe, were doing everything possible, and there was no need [to test] because of so few cases in their area,” said Rose Hughes, executive director of the Montana Health Care Association, which represents long-term care facilities.

Canyon Creek’s operator, Koelsch Communities of Olympia, Washington, hasn’t directly said why it turned down free testing at the facility, which has seen 55 positive cases among the 59 people who lived there when the deaths began. The company says it declined to test residents after three with symptoms in April and May were put in quarantine but tested negative.

The first positive cases—a staff member and a resident—were discovered in late June, just days after Gov. Steve Bullock lifted some restrictions on care facilities. As the outbreak escalated, the Democrat issued a statewide emergency rule that made testing of staff and residents a condition for facilities to receive visitors.

Koelsch Communities, which operates in eight states, has confirmed cases in at least 13 of its 39 facilities and had reported 11 deaths in other places prior to the Montana outbreak. Five of the deaths happened in late June at El Rio Memory Care in Modesto, California.

Company spokesman Chase Salyers said those living at Canyon Creek who aren’t infected are kept separate and that testing of staff and residents will continue.

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, July 25, 2020 A7

Valenzuela senior citizens receive early Christmas gifts

A

By Roderick L. Abad | Contributor

S part of Valenzuela City’s annual giftgiving tradition to the elderly, a total of 55,466 senior citizens in the city recently received special food packs from the local government.

Dubbed as “Food Pack nina Lolo at Lola,” this initiative aims to keep the elderly population from the city’s 33 barangays happy and healthy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The food packs containing rice, canned goods, instant noodles, sugar, and a box of calcium carbonate tablets were given to beneficiaries registered with the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs.

Additional canned goods were donated

by CDO Foodsphere Inc., one of the city’s top employers and advocates for closing the hunger gap.

This special food distribution employed the food voucher distribution system, which was debuted by the city government during the initial implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in March.

To ensure that the beneficiaries comply with strict social distancing protocols, the ticketing strategy specified that food packs must be claimed only at the designated date, time and redemption site indicated on the voucher to limit the number of people at the 3S Centers where distributions were conducted.

The project also joined the roster of Valenzuela City Market on Wheels, Valenzuela City Care Bag, and the Valenzuela City Day Care Nutri-Packs as an “Alagang Valenzuelano” project in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

The “Food Pack nina Lolo at Lola” was an offshoot of the “Pasko Sa Hulyo Para Kay Lolo at Lola” to care for and pamper the senior citizens of Valenzuela.

The latter, which is one of the public service programs of the administration of Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian, gifted 54,527 elderly with two 5-kilogram sacks of rice last year.

‘Kalooban’: The Filipino’s inner core

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

I

AM an avid Filipino armchair tourist, and while watching travel documentaries, I sometimes feel a sense of cultural inferiority complex. I catch myself regretting that we don’t have magnificent ancient structures like Angkor Wat or the Borobudur temples or the Taj Mahal. We don’t have awesome pyramids like Egypt or Central America. Ok, we have the Banawe rice terraces but it’s not so breathtaking as the Great Wall of China and besides other countries have similar rice terraces carved out of mountains.

I rationalized this by attributing it to the fact that we are a young country with a short history. Come to think of it, our main ancestors settled here only some 800 years ago. Compared to China’s 5,000-year-old history, we’re still a baby in terms of cultural history.

In one chapter of his book A Heritage of Smallness Nick Joaquin pointed out that the Pinoy “works best on small scale-tiny figurines, small pots, filigree works in gold or silver, decorative arabesque. The deduction here is that we feel adequate to the challenge of the small, but are cowed by the challenge of the big. This manifests itself in our preference for buying tingi-tingi instead of in bulk. How come our economy has been lagging behind our Asian counterparts? Many analysts would probably point to the Pinoy’s inability to push beyond the small and easy into the hard and big projects.

Whatever, I still would not be so rash in belittling the Filipino. For it has slowly dawned on me that the Filipino is really not too keen on building colossal monuments or big infrastructure projects. He is not instinctively obsessed with bigness or permanence of physical exterior structures. Since time immemorial, he has been contented to live in his nipa hut or dampa, which can easily collapse in an earthquake or blown away by a strong buhawi.

The more I think about it, the more I have come to believe that his values are more inward oriented rather than outward oriented.

It comes from his cultural DNA, specifically the value of kalooban, whose root word is loob, which means the inner part.

In his book Loób and Kapwa: An Introduction to a Filipino Virtue Ethics, Jeremiah Reyes contends that loob can easily be misunderstood when literally translated into English as “inside” but which is better translated as “relational will.” It means that it is externally oriented, with kapwa

as the complementing virtue, and both are “directed toward the preservation and strengthening of human relationships.”

I prefer to believe that loob has something more to do with Buddhist inner self, his interiority.

This kalooban shapes the Filipino’s philosophy or view of life. This kalooban is the foundation of a sophisticated sense of inner values that govern his behavior and shape his character. On the outside, he is like a child, not taking anything seriously, always wanting to put fun in any endeavor. But it is a deceptive veneer. He has an inner compass and grounding that tells him what is right and what is wrong.

But then foreigners will see this interior disposition as contradictory to his image as inherently flippant. They say the Filipino never takes anything seriously. Like a child, he prefers to indulge in play. Even national tragedies become fodder for jokes.

But if one digs deeper, the reason the Filipino is a laughing culture is because of the balance in his interior being. The Philippine society has never had a need for big number of psychiatrists. It is because the Filipino has a healthy inner self.

There is a native term called palabas which means “external display.” It is meant to be a pejorative word. To the Filipino “showmanship” is to be avoided or shunned. Palabas smacks of superficiality and speaks of things without depth, hinting on insincerity or hypocrisy. It is not true or authentic. It is nothing but pabibo. Thus a person who enjoys superficiality is mababaw ang kaligayahan (He is easily pleased).

Most of the Filipino’s way of looking at life and people is related to or explained by the root concept of kalooban. The withinness or inner-ness. That is where the original Filipino resides.

The Philippine revolutionaries were motivated and guided by the ideas of kapatiran (brotherhood) and kalooban. The leaders were expected to do more than spearhead the fight. They were in effect the spiritual leaders as well. They were to maintain a kalooban or inner life that was pure. The pureness of one’s inner self is believed to affect the outcome of the events in the outside world (labas). If one is not pure inside, any anting-anting (talisman) will have no effect because such objects derived their power from the purity of one’s kalooban.

His kaloob-looban (innermost self) has

an enormous capacity to absorb afflictions and suffering, which enables him to endure misfortunes, natural calamities and even this pandemic. He will just patiently accept it all and say “talagang ganyan, tiisin muna, isasa-loob ko na lang” because deep inside, he believes it is “kalooban ng Diyos.” (God’s will.)

The value that the Filipino puts on interiority or “inner-ness” can be gleaned from the many terms that stems from the word loob, such as mabuting loob, tibay ng loob, mababang loob, bukas ang loob, kaloob-looban and many other words that show how much the vocabulary of the Filipino is centered on the inner self.

Even some idiomatic expressions or folk sayings keep alluding to the importance of this inner dimension.

“Ang may malinis na kalooban ay walang kinatatakutan” (One who is pure of heart has nothing to be afraid of).

“Maghirap na ang katauhan huwag lang ang kalooban” (It is much preferable to suffer physically than to suffer internally).

“May lakas, may loob, at may lalim” describes a banga or water jar, which to the Filipino is a metaphor for the man worthy of respect and emulation.

“Alamin mo ang nilalaman ng kanyang loob” refers to the advice not to judge a person from what you see but what he feels inside.

The kalooban is an essential inner nature­— intrinsic, given. Each person’s inner nature is in part unique to himself. To be an authentic person is to be true to one’s inner nature­—kalooban.

As you can see the Filipino has a sophisticated sense of inner values that govern his behavior. The terms he uses in everyday language serve as clues to the inner-orientation or importance given to the inner world of the individual person.

The virtue of “buo ang loob” (inner force is whole) is perhaps the reason why I strongly believe that in the face of this public health crisis that is disrupting and destroying lives around the world, the ordinary Filipino will be able to endure and survive.

After coming to terms with the concept of kalooban, the modern-day Filipino should no longer wonder why there are no towering monuments or magnificent structures that have become part of the Philippine landscape. While other cultures and civilizations have been obsessed with building physical grandiosities that are meant to impress and to awe people for generations, the Filipino has always had his sight focused elsewhere. Inside his heart, his mind, his soul.

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BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 25, 2020

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Heart of Asia is now a digital channel Globe launches exclusive deals with ZRewards

SKY Castle, a Korean drama about kids forced to excel in school, will air on GMA Heart of Asia. Top GMA actresses will voice the characters of the five strong women in the show.

I

HAVE been watching Asian dramas since the early 2000s but it was when GMA aired the Tagalized version of Winter Sonata that I really became a fan of Korean dramas. Unlike those who cringe when they watch Tagalized foreign dramas, I love them because they allow me to do something else while half-watching. I don’t need to have my eyes glued to the TV for the subtitles.

I follow the @OfficialGMAHOA account on Twitter but I didn’t realize that it was for a new channel. As it happens, the Heart of Asia channel is the new digital channel of GMA and its launch is timely because the network is marking its 70th anniversary.

Heart of Asia brings to digital TV viewers the biggest and the freshest Korean drama titles alongside the best Asian series.

I’m very excited to watch SKY Castle, the story of four women and their families. These women live in a luxurious residential area called SKY Castle in suburban Seoul. All have one ambition—for their kids to get into the most prestigious universities in Korea. SKY is actually an acronym for Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University.

Now for the fun part: GMA actresses Lotlot de Leon, Angelu de Leon, Chynna Ortaleza, Angelika dela Cruz and Sunshine Dizon will be the voices of the main female characters.

Another show to look forward to is the historical drama Dong Yi, which is about a woman who started in the palace as a water maid and later became a concubine. She would later give birth to a future king.

Love in Trouble, or Suspicious Partner, stars Ji Changwook as Gerald Noh and Nam Ji-hyun as Monique Eun in a drama about career, murder and love (of course).

The Chinese fantasy series Starry Night, Starry Sea is the story of a girl, Shen Luo (Bea Hayden), and a merman, Wu Julan (played by Feng Shaofeng).

Heart of Asia will also air the Lakorn (Thai drama) You’re My Destiny, starring Esther Supraleela as Martina.

It is the story of a law office clerk who was given the moniker “Sticky Note Girl,” and whose life changes after a one-night-stand with Paolo (Wisetkaew Sukrit), who stands to inherit the company.

Aside from Filipino-dubbed Asianovelas, Heart of Asia also offers all-time favorite Kapuso content that vary from “The Best of GMA” to various Pinoy and foreign movies.

These include Philippine TV’s first-ever epicserye Amaya, topbilled by Marian Rivera. Set in the precolonial period of the 1500s, Amaya is about a princess who is forced into slavery.

She later discovers her extraordinary powers that she uses to lead her people. Viewers can also catch the 2011 remake of Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin, starring Barbie Forteza, Joshua Dionisio, Joyce Ching and Kristoffer Martin. Meanwhile, Legacy stars Heart Evangelista and Lovi Poe together with awardwinning actress Alessandra De Rossi. The series tells the story of three daughters battling each other for their father’s name and estate.

Viewers can catch the Heart of Asia channel on the GMA Affordabox and other digital TV boxes on free-

to-air broadcast.

The GMA Affordabox does not use a Conditional Access System and none of its channels (GMA, GMA News TV and Heart of Asia) are encrypted, making these readily accessible to the viewing public via any set-top box. Other set-top boxes use CAS to restrict public access to select encrypted channels.

The GMA Affordabox also comes with added features, such as a multimedia player and a personal video recorder which its competitors do not have.

“After the recently-launched digital channel Heart of Asia, we are also looking at adding more digital channels within the year that will complement our program offerings on GMA and GMA News TV. GMA Affordabox’s sales are doing very well. Our original projection was to sell 600,000 units for the balance of the year but we are on track to exceed that projection.

Hence, we are ordering more,” said GMA Network Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon.

Meanwhile, a new user behavior study conducted

by Carousell, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing classifieds, showed that Filipinos adapted to the lockdowns around the country through selling and buying. During the lockdown period, the average Filipino made ₱55,000, selling on Carousell.

Filipinos made more than 450,000 transactions for second-hand items to earn extra money. Selling used items was a way to save for rainy days, supplement income or even cushion the blow of losing a job during the pandemic. Carousell user Jhocen sold her preloved and vintage items on Carousell and earned over ₱10,000 on Carousell during the quarantine.

But many others sold their items with a different purpose in mind. Carousell user Ashley’s was to start an initiative with a few of her friends to raise funds for those who lost their sources of income during the quarantine.

Meanwhile, Gabbi listed her second-hand clothes on Carousell to raise funds because she wanted to help daily wage earners and local businesses. There is still a lot more value to be unlocked in selling underused

items. On Carousell’s marketplace alone, Filipinos could be selling an additional ₱3.8 billion worth of second-hand items.

I remember selling my second-hand items on Carousell a few years back. It’s a good platform. If you’re someone with a lot of things at home and you think other people would be interested in treated in them, Carousell would be a good place to sell.

Second-hand marketplaces are a top-of-mind destination for certain items like women’s fashion and electronics, two of Carousell’s historically popular categories. But during the quarantine period, another popular category emerged.

Food and beverages businesses affected by the quarantine took to Carousell to continue selling their homemade delights, using the newly-launched Local F&B category, where users are able to search within a 10km radius of their location to narrow down the food nearest to them. It’s no secret that Filipinos love their food—during the quarantine period alone, chats for items in the F&B segment alone increased by 188 percent. Filipinos were both selling their homemade goods on Carousell and using it to source for their cooking and baking needs too, right down to the nittygritty of equipment such as whisks, which more than doubled in demand.

To celebrate and share the stories of Carousellers who have exemplified true grit and resourcefulness, Carousell has launched a #MakingTheBest campaign that will roll out over the next few months.

“The country’s lockdowns brought about by our efforts in flattening the curve of the virus spread have shown the need to remain interconnected while apart. We are proud to be part of facilitating these vital commercial flows of buying and selling that are crucial in these difficult times. It is inspiring to see such great entrepreneurial drive mirrored in the stories of our users, and we want to ensure that our platform continues to empower them and allow their businesses to thrive,” said Raffy Montemayor, general manager of Carousell Philippines. ■

Global-Link MP launches new division, virtual shows

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor SET to bring in-person online experience, VX Events, the newest division of Global-Link MP Events International Inc., has kicked off to enable the company combine its more than 20 years of experience in organizing trade events with the latest digital technology.

Under this, the company is launching virtual editions of four shows: Pack Print Plas Philippines VX (October 8 to 14), Hotel Suppliers Show VX (October 15 to 21), Beauty & Wellness Manila VX (October 22 to 28), and PhilConstruct VX (November 5 to 11).

“The events industry is going to continue to change for the months and years to come,” said

Patrick-Lawrence Tan, chief executive officer of Global-Link MP. “While we hope for things to go back to normal, we know we have to continue serving the needs of our clients, our exhibitors, and the people who join trade shows to generate business. VX Events is our answer to that. We’re leveraging on our experience as trade event organizers and using technology to continue doing that in a digital space.”

VX Events, according to the company, will not replace its physical, face-to-face events. In fact, Pack Print Plas Philippines and PhilConstruct are pushing through with their physical shows alongside the virtual editions.

“You really cannot compare physical events to virtual ones. Both have their own sets of

advantages,” pointed out Jing Lagandaon, chief operating officer of Global-Link MP. “While going virtual is certainly not a Band-Aid solution for us, we are serious about developing this here in the Philippines. By putting up VX Events, we are replicating the advantages and business opportunities found in physical trade shows and delivering them in a virtual space, giving people alternatives.” The firm has exclusive rights to use the platform in the Philippines. In fact, it was able to customize it further to fit the local market.

Its technology partner, EventXtra, is a developer that has served over three million guests and 10,000 events for companies and organizations including Amazon, Apple, International New York Times, Cisco, Siemens, HKTDC, and more.

Top associations in the country have already expressed their support for the upcoming virtual trade events, including the Philippine Center for Print Excellence Foundation Inc. and the Philippine Plastic Industry Association Inc. for Pack Print Plas Philippines VX, which is coorganized by Messe Dusseldorf Asia; Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines for the Hotel Suppliers Show VX; Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines for Beauty and Wellness Manila VX; and the Philippine Constructors Association and the Philconstruct Events Exhibitions & Conference Corp. for PhilConstruct VX. Each show will have limited virtual booths available. More information is available via info@ globallinkmp.com.

TELECOM giant Globe announced recently that everyone can now unlock exciting and exclusive freebies and discounts never offered before by today’s hottest and biggest brands courtesy of ZRewards by Zeal, the country’s newest one-stop shop for awesome deals. Through their web site, users from all over the Philippines can grab hold of premium and solid offers redeemable at their favorite online shops and physical stores. Best of all, there’s no strings attached. Membership is free, so the entire family can join in on the fun.

ZRewards aims to embody what it wants to deliver. For foodies, Restaurant Concepts Group Inc. (RCGI), the name behind top restaurants Barcino, Single Origin, Bluesmith Coffee, and Meat Depot, is giving out 25-percent discount coupons, the first time it has ever done so.

Diners can also indulge in international gastronomical delights from the Bistro Group and Bistronomia restaurants while at home and still get the most value out of their money.

Dine in style with Helm and Savage. Satisfy seafood cravings with Red Lobster and Fish & Co. Recreate a Spanish fiesta with Las Flores, Rambla, Tomatito, BCN by Las Flores, La Lola Churreria and El Pollo Loco. One can go Italian with Italianni’s and Osteria Daniele.

Dessert delight can be had from Coldstone, Tous Les Jours, Jipan and Goldilocks, along with other deals from Zark’s and Bo’s. Shakey’s is also unveiling an exclusive promo on ZRewards where you can get a free large thin Hawaiian Delight pizza for every purchase of their new Supercard+.

And even while in community quarantine, you can transport yourself to America with Friday’s, Denny’s, Texas Roadhouse, Hard Rock Cafe, and Buffalo Wild Wings. Those with a yen for East Asia can delight in the gustatory offerings from Modern Shanghai, Bulgogi Brothers and Watami.

For essential needs, take advantage of the wonderful deals from Unilever, Minimart, The Naturale Market, Breville, and Misso. There are also discounts to be had from Zalora, Flowerstore, The Smile Bar, Beauty Scout, Chris Sports, Grand Videoke, WOW Fiesta, and Beyond the Box. Once the community quarantine is lifted and you can finally go out, use your discounts to flex your muscles at Gold’s Gym and get yourself a makeover from Browhaus and Strip.

“We acknowledge the ever-changing needs of our customers, especially under the new normal. Because of the pandemic, consumers and businesses alike have fewer opportunities to connect with one another. That is where we come in. We envision ZRewards by Zeal as a source of discovery and delight for the consumers and a platform for merchants to reach out to their customers,” said Glenn Z. Estrella, CEO of ZRewards by Zeal.

One of the pain points right now for a lot of Filipino consumers is that looking for deals is challenging. For some brands, it includes a paid membership to a loyalty program.

For others, it entails going through dozens of websites just to find one single deal which may not even be valid or worth the effort. Deals have become even more important during the Covid-19 outbreak. As people try to manage their finances more sustainably, deals, discounts and rewards can make a world of difference.

It’s a similar situation for businesses. With the limited number of people going out, a lot of restaurants and stores need to find a way to sustain business operations. Deals are one of the few effective ways to entice customers to grab their phones and make an order. However, distributing those deals can also be problematic and costly.

Through ZRewards, it’s a win-win situation for both parties. Businesses now have another platform to meet their customers, while customers will benefit from big savings and irresistible deals under just one roof.

ZRewards by Zeal (www.zeal.ph/signup) is a brand under 917Ventures, the largest corporate incubator in the Philippines and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe.

BusinessMirror

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Saturday, July 25, 2020

Experts say Twitter breach troubling, undermines trust H

BY ZEN SOO The Associated Press

ONG KONG—A breach in Twitter’s security that allowed hackers to break into the accounts of leaders and technology moguls is one of the worst attacks in recent years and may shake trust in a platform politicians and CEOs use to communicate with the public, experts said on Thursday.

The FBI said on Thursday it is investigating the hacks, and said the high-profile accounts “appear to have been compromised in order to perpetuate cryptocurrency fraud.”

The ruse discovered Wednesday included bogus tweets from former President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Celebrities Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, were also hacked.

Twitter said the hackers used “social engineering” to target some of the company’s employees and then gained access to the accounts. The term refers to taking advantage of human nature via phishing attacks, tricking people into downloading malicious software or compromising them by offering something in return for information. Twitter did not say how its employees were compromised.

The attackers sent out tweets from the accounts of the public figures, offering to send $2,000 for every $1,000 sent to an anonymous Bitcoin address.

Cyber-security experts say such a breach could have dire consequences since the attackers were tweeting from verified, globally influential accounts with millions of followers.

“If you receive a tweet from a verified account, belonging to a well-known and therefore trusted person, you can no longer assume it’s really from them,” said Michael Gazeley, managing director of cyber-security firm Network Box. Reacting to the breach, Twitter swiftly deleted the tweets and locked down the accounts to investigate. In the process it prevented verified users from sending out tweets for several hours.

The company said Thursday it has taken “significant steps to limit access to internal systems and tools.” User passwords did not appear to have been compromised, Twitter said, so it’s not necessary for users to reset them.

Many celebrities, politicians and business leaders often use Twitter as a public platform to make statements. US President Donald J. Trump, for example, regularly uses Twitter to post about national and geopolitical matters, and his account is closely followed by media, analysts and governments around the world. The White House said on Thursday his account was secure and wasn’t jeopardized by the hacks. Twitter faces an uphill battle in regaining people’s confidence, Gazeley said. For a start, it needs to figure out exactly which accounts were hacked and show the vulnerabilities have been fixed, he said.

“If key employees at Twitter were tricked, that’s actually a serious cybersecurity problem in itself,” he said. “How can one of the world’s most used social media platforms have such weak security, from a human perspective?”

Creotec introduces blended learning innovations

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES

UNIDENTIFIED hackers broke into the Twitter accounts of technology moguls, politicians, celebrities and major companies on July 15 in an apparent Bitcoin scam. AP

Rachel Tobac, CEO of Socialproof Security, said that the breach appeared to be largely financially motivated. But such an attack could cause more serious consequences.

“Can you imagine if they had taken over a world leader’s account, and tweeted out a threat of violence to another country’s leader?” asked Tobac, a social engineering hacker who specializes in providing training for companies to protect themselves from such breaches. Tobac said companies can guard themselves against such attacks by beefing up multifactor authentication—where users have to present multiple pieces of evidence as authentication before being allowed to log into a system.

Such a process could include having a physical token that an employee must have with them, on top of a password, before they can log into a corporate or other private system. Other methods include installing technical tools to monitor for suspicious insider activities and reducing the number of people who have access to sensitive data, Tobac said.

This week’s case follows last year’s federal investigation of two former Twitter employees charged with spying on users for the Saudi government.

Several US lawmakers called on Twitter to

cooperate with authorities including the Department of Justice and the FBI to secure the site after the latest breach. “I am concerned that this event may represent not merely a coordinated set of separate hacking incidents but rather a successful attack on the security of Twitter itself,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican.

He added that millions of users relied on Twitter not just to send tweets but also communicate privately via direct messaging. Twitter hasn’t said if hackers were able to access the private messages of their highprofile targets.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told him in a private conversation in 2018 that the company was working on protecting direct messages, known as DMs, with end-to-end encryption. But that promise never materialized, Wyden said on Thursday, leaving everyone’s private messages “vulnerable to employees who abuse their internal access to the company’s systems, and hackers who gain unauthorized access.”

“This is a vulnerability that has lasted for far too long, and one that is not present in other, competing platforms,” Wyden said in an emailed statement. “If hackers gained access to users’ DMs, this breach could have a breathtaking impact, for years to come.” ■

LinkedIn laying off nearly 1,000 amid hiring slowdown NEW YORK—LinkedIn is laying off nearly 1,000 employees, approximately 6 percent of its work force globally, with unemployment in the US above 13 percent and national economies from Europe and Asia, to the Americas, shrinking due to the pandemic.

The outbreak has disrupted commerce globally, closing thousands of businesses while forcing others to furlough large numbers of employees as they await a recovery. Hiring has

slowed dramatically. The number of people applying for unemployment aid has remained stubbornly high in the past several weeks, a sign that many businesses are still shedding jobs and clouding the outlook for jobs.

The overall US unemployment rate in May was 13.3 percent, a decline from 14.7 percent in April, according to the Labor Department.

In a note to employees at the professional networking site, CEO Ryan

Roslansky said that the job cuts will hit global sales and hiring sections of the company. He said no further layoffs are planned.

LinkedIn employees in the US will receive at least 10 weeks of severance pay and a year of continuing health coverage through COBRA. Those being laid off will continue in their roles through August 21.

The company, which is owned my Microsoft, is based in Sunnyvale, California. AP

LOCAL educational content provider Creotec Philippines announced recently it will be providing online and blended learning innovations to address the new challenges in education.

Maria Zennette Fuentes, learning operations manager and HR manager, Creotec Philippines, told BUSINESSMIRRO� in an e-mail interview: “Creotec is providing online and blended learning innovations that address the challenges of the new normal in education. This one is innovative since we use augmented reality in our programs.”

As of this time, Fuentes said there are 23 schools that have already partnered with the company.

In response to the new challenges in education, Fuentes said Creotec carefully identified the challenges school owners and teachers are facing right now, and at the same not neglect the challenges learners are facing or will face given the new normal.

“There will be no face-to-face learning which can result to limited interaction of teacher and learners,” she said. She added there is also the challenge of limited resources such as computers and laptops and limited Internet connection at home. In response to this problem, Creotec is using Android-based devices.

Although there are printed materials available for home learning, Fuentes said it might result to slow feedback. And lastly, she said the biggest question is how to make learners stay engaged with the lessons.

Fuentes said, “Creotec also considered providing the non-negotiable requirements of the Department of Education [DepEd] in implementing blended and online learning to support the schools that will partner with us. This include free technical consultation, free domain name, free email facility for teachers and users, and free training for teachers.”

Although Creotec can also cater to individual families, she said the company’s current efforts are now focused on a group of learners per school since “we are racing with time and there are a lot of schools that we wanted to cover so we can help more schools and more learners.”

Aside from the online learning materials, the Creotec suite is composed of: ■ Interactive Math book empowered by Augmented Reality technology with mobile app for a gamified approach (not dependent on Internet) ■ Gamified approach in learning Araling Panlipunan Filipino subjects.

Moreover lessons are based on the most essential learning competencies given by DepEd. She added lessons for the three subjects are also available in their Learning Management System as part of the package.

LINKEDIN CEO Jeff Weiner speaks during a product announcement at his company’s headquarters in San Francisco in 2016. Weiner is now the executive chairman after 11 years as CEO of the Microsoft-owned business, with Ryan Roslansky moving up from senior vice president of product to become the CEO last June. AP

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MORE than its industry-leading QLED TV features, Samsung’s The Frame inspires creativity with customizable bezels and curated art content from galleries around the world.

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Disney cuts back on Facebook, Instagram ads

Complete TV experience and art appreciation in one CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED films and TV programs are now widely considered as art, which deserve to be seen through an exceptional TV. Visual masterpieces by some of the world’s greatest artists are also now easily accessible at home, as part of your interior design, with Samsung’s The Frame.

The company hopes to inspire art enthusiasts, interior designers and other tastemakers as it reintroduces to the country The Frame, a lifestyle TV that features QLED picture quality and functions as your living room’s piece of art at the same time.

With this latest innovation, Samsung has created a TV that is truly top-of-the-line functionally and aesthetically, one that brings video and colorful images to life as it reflects the contemporary taste of urban homeowners.

The Frame functions as a TV when it’s turned on and projects itself as art when it’s turned off. More than integrating QLED technology and other smart features that Samsung has been known for, The Frame enriches the viewing experience and appreciation even further with Art Mode function, bringing worldclass galleries to one’s home through the Art Store platform. The Art Store, which comes with a onemonth free trial, is a subscription-based database of digital art, allowing the TV’s user to curate a personal art collection from top galleries around the world and bring these masterpieces straight to the living room.

A full subscription provides unlimited access to 1,200 classic and contemporary artworks and photography from 36 galleries in 18 countries. Royal Collection Trust, Art Space, Saatchi Art, and Lumas are some of the major gallery partners of Samsung in bringing classic and modern art into your home.

Designed to look like an elegant picture frame that enhances any space, The Frame’s interchangeable accessory bezels can easily match the style or reflect the mood of one’s interiors.

These magnetic bezels—in earth tones of beige or brown and elegant black or white colors—connect effortlessly to enable the TV to blend in and fit in any décor, or stand out and draw attention to itself.

The No-Gap Wall Mount feature also helps The Frame blend in from any angle, and can be easily installed to sit flushed against the wall to hang like a real framed gallery piece. A separate Studio Stand also allows The Frame to be placed anywhere in the house, to match one’s style and taste.

More information is available at bit.ly/32M8eni.

Symphony of distraction CONTINUED FROM A11 songs from more recent artists like Ben&Ben, Moira dela Torre, December Avenue, Billie Eillish, and the latest songs of Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, etc.

Now, I don’t have a problem buying updates. At P500 for 50 songs that’s just about P10 per song, but it can be quite pricey if you only want a couple of songs from one volume. I’m such a Ben&Ben fan, but when I searched for their songs, I think I needed to buy at least 4 volumes, and that’s already an additional P2,000.

Hopefully, in the future and with the GV Smart App, you could buy songs ala carte or even by genre or artist. I don’t mind paying per song even if it would be a bit more expensive, instead of having to pay for an entire volume of 50 songs even if I only want a few. According to Grand Videoke, that would all depend on the demand.

I’m not sure how they select the songs but maybe since owners can register, maybe they could send us a list of songs to choose from, or let us make requests via the GV Smart App as well.

FINAL WORD: The Grand Videoke Symphony 3 Pro Plus lives up to its flagship price of P32,990. The Perfect Pitch feature may seem gimmicky at first, but it actually compels you to keep practicing if you are really serious about improving. I also think that the scoring system is much more accurate as I’ve tried singing loudly and it just made my score worse, unlike in other videoke systems. The GV Smart App works well and is useful if two of you are already using the mic and someone wants to reserve the next songs.

It’s definitely not cheap, and you’ll need to buy updates to have the latest song list, but if you think of it as an investment for making memories with your family and friends—now, that’s priceless. Grand Videoke products are available at more than 500 stores nationwide and through online stores like Lazada, and Shopee.

More information is available at www.grandvideoke.com. ■

MENLO PARK, California—The Walt Disney Co. has “dramatically” slashed its advertising budget on Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

It’s the latest setback for the social network, which is facing a growing advertising boycott over its policies and actions on hate speech on its platforms.

The Journal, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, said the time frame for Disney’s pullback was not clear. Disney was Facebook’s biggest US advertiser for the first six months of 2020, according

to research firm Pathmatics Inc. Disney joins hundreds of other companies that have paused spending on the service. The report did not say whether Disney is officially joining the ad boycott.

Some companies, such as Starbucks, are pulling back social media advertising due to hate speech and other concerns but have not officially joined the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign.

Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to a Sunday message seeking comment. The economic fallout from the pandemic has also cut

into companies’ advertising budgets. Facebook said it does not comment on individual advertisers. The company said in an e-mailed statement on Sunday that it invests “billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and continuously work with outside experts to review and update our policies.”

“We know we have more work to do, and we’ll continue to work with civil rights groups, [the Global Alliance for Responsible Media coalition], and other experts to develop even more tools, technology and policies to continue this fight,” Facebook said. AP

What’s behind the Twitter Bitcoin hack?

BY BARBARA O�TUTAY The Associated Press

O

AKLAND, California—Hackers broke into the Twitter accounts of world leaders, celebrities and tech moguls recently in one of the most high-profile security breaches in recent years, highlighting a major flaw with the service millions of people have come to rely on as an essential communications tool.

The intent of the hack appeared to be to steal money from unsuspecting cryptocurrency enthusiasts—in particular, by using the compromised high-follower accounts to scam people out of Bitcoin.

But it also raises questions about Twitter’s ability to secure its service against election interference and misinformation ahead of the US presidential election.

Here are some questions and answers about the breach: ■ WHAT HAPPENED—AND HOW? On Wednesday afternoon last week, the Twitter accounts of famous figures began tweeting similar messages saying they were “feeling generous” and would double any Bitcoin payments sent to an address in the tweet. Among the individual accounts affected were former President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, tech billionaires like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk and celebrities such as Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West.

Companies like Apple and Uber, which respectively have 4.6 million and one million followers, were also affected. Twitter soon locked down many accounts, including those of its “verified” users with blue check marks next to their names—a group that include many US politicians, as well as businesses, celebrities, journalists and news organizations. Twitter called the hack a “coordinated social engineering attack” by unknown people who “targeted” Twitter employees with access to the platform’s internal systems and tools.

The hackers, Twitter said, used this access to take control of many high-profile accounts and masquerade as their owners.

■ WHAT IS SOCIAL ENGINEERING? Essentially, social engineering means taking advantage of human nature. Examples include phishing attacks and other ways people can be tricked into giving out compromising information, malware attacks that get people to download malicious software, and compromising people by offering something in return for information. Twitter did not say how its employees were compromised.

■ COULD THE ATTACK HAVE BEEN PREVENTED? Twitter said late Wednesday it has taken “significant steps” to

limit employees’ access to internal systems and tools while its investigation is ongoing. But this is not the first time Twitter employees have wrecked havoc.

In 2017, a disgruntled employee deactivated President Donald J. Trump’s account for a few minutes. Last year, US prosecutors charged two former Twitter employees with spying on user data for the government of Saudi Arabia.

The incidents raise questions about Twitter’s internal security systems, and whether the company can trust employees with access to sensitive information.

■ WHAT DOES THE HACK MEAN FOR THE 2020 ELECTION? The hack might be a simple demonstration of Twitter’s weak security controls as the US heads into the 2020 presidential election, a contest in which social media is already playing a hugely influential

role. Among the political figures targeted, the hack mostly appeared to target Democrats or other figures on the left, drawing comparisons to the 2016 campaign. The White House said that President Donald Trump’s account was secure and wasn’t jeopardized.

US intelligence agencies have established that Russia engaged in coordinated attempts to interfere in the 2016 US election through social media tampering and various hacks, including targeting the campaigns and major party organizations.

While Twitter, Facebook and other social media companies have since tightened their election security systems and policies, malicious actors trying to intervene have also improved their tactics. In other words, if a Bitcoin scam was so easy to pull off, what will prevent an attack on the US election? ■

Michelle Obama to host podcast on health, relationships

BY JONATHAN LAND�UM JR. The Associated Press LOS ANGELES—Michelle Obama will let her own voice be heard on a new podcast.

The former first lady will host “The Michelle Obama Podcast” on the streaming service, the Obama’s Higher Ground and Spotify announced Thursday. The podcast will exclusively debut on Spotify on July 29.

“My hope is that this series can be a place to explore meaningful topics together and sort through so many of the questions we’re all trying to answer in

our own lives,” Obama said in a statement.

The new podcast is the first title in the ongoing collaboration between Spotify and Higher Ground, a production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama. Last year, the former president and first lady partnered with Spotify to produce exclusive podcasts for the platform.

Michelle Obama’s new podcast expects to hold candid and personal conversations with a focus on topics concerning relationships and health.

She expects to have several guests on the series including talk-show host Conan O’Brien and Valerie Jarrett, businessman and former senior advisor to

Barack Obama.

“Perhaps most of all, I hope this podcast will help listeners open up new conversations—and hard conversations—with the people who matter most to them,” she said.

“That’s how we can build more understanding and empathy for one another.”

Obama released her Netflix documentary Becoming in May. The project was an extension of her 2018 best-selling memoir of the same name and a kind of authorized filmic portrait of Obama.

Last year, she embarked on a rock-star-style tour of more than 30 cities to promote her book.

BusinessMirror

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Saturday, July 25, 2020 A11

Symphony of distraction “The Philippines is separated by 7,000 islands, and [Filipinos] speak about 187 languages, but the one thing we all speak fluently is... karaoke.”—JO KOY, COMEDIAN

F

ILIPINO singers are everywhere.

Just as Manny Pacquiao brought excitement to the sport of boxing, one of the best gifts the Philippines has given to the world is our abundance of gifted singers who never cease to amaze all kinds of audiences.

We’ve had Jessica Sanchez, Jasmine Trias and many others on American Idol, America’s Got Talent “got” the dual voices of Marcelito Pomoy, we’ve had 4th Impact on X Factor UK, Charlie Green on Britain’s Got Talent and Rose Fontanes on X Factor Israel.

Two of the most iconic rock bands chose Pinoys to be their new lead singer—Mig Ayesa for INXs while Arnel Pineda now leads Journey.

Ellen DeGeneres even had (TAFKA), the artist formerly known as Charice Pempenco, on her show a few times, with Charice also making an appearance on the hit sitcom Glee.

And, of course, on Disney and Broadway, Lea Salonga made us proud.

Did you know that singing is actually the second most favorite thing Pinoys do at parties, next only to Tupperware take-outs?

I actually, made that up—videoke ranks first.

When it comes to singing, we Filipinos are arguably among the most talented, if not the most passionate. Just look at the “biriteras” hogging the videoke mic at shopping malls or the packed videoke bars all over the country before being KJed by ECQ. Then, there’s Anne Curtis—the patron of the less vocally gifted but who was able to sell out Araneta Coliseum and all her other concert venues.

Unlike Anne, however, I’ve had a long and very secretive singing career. My singing talent is so hidden, I still haven’t found it even after all these years. Throughout the decades, only my partner and 9 other people have heard me sing in public (once in Boracay and just so we could go home).

I might not have the courage to do it in public, but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying videoke. I already lost count of the videoke players I’ve bought, but because I only got the cheap ones that cost P2,000, they barely lasted a year.

So I promised myself to get a legit videoke for my birthday—I was even looking at those coin-op setups—but because of the ECQ, it had to wait… until a few weeks ago.

And now I can finally unleash my inner Anne Curtis—wait, that sounded wrong—I mean the stillfrustrated singer in me.

THE FLAGSHIP OF VIDEOKE PLAYERS

I’VE been fortunate enough to review a lot of cool gadgets and smartphones the past months but honestly this was the one that got me excited the most: The Grand Videoke Symphony 3 Pro Plus.

Think of it as the Samsung S20 Ultra, the iPhone 11 Pro Max or the Huawei P40 Pro+ of videokes—it even

sounds like one of those flagship phones.

Let’s start with the design: As far as looks go, I think the GV S3 Pro Plus looks the most premium and would match any type of home entertainment setup you have. It initially reminded me of the WD My Cloud HDD I once had, just with a dock on both side for its wireless mics.

I like that the mics are placed upright instead of sideways, so you could easily take it out but stable enough so it won’t tip over easily. While the design isn’t new, it certainly commands attention, and is very display-worthy. It has that premium highquality finish as well, and is light enough to make it very portable. The unit comes with 2 high-quality professional microphones. They are both wireless and custom-designed for a videoke machine with a remote control pad on the mic handle. The remote on the mic allows the singer to choose the song, add it to the queue and access all the features of the device.

The wireless mics are equipped with Grand Voice Technology for loud and clear voice pickup. You can even add more mics as it has two additional 6.3mm jacks for wired mics or a wireless mic receiver.

The GV S3 Pro Plus delivers HD quality videos and sound. The built-in background videos that play together with the lyrics are shown in full 1080p HD quality, and you can choose from several themes like WOW Philippines travel, KPop, KDrama, 3D Animation, etc. If you want to add your own slideshows or videos in the background, you can load them via USB or the GV Smart App. The Dream Sound Module is what makes the Grand Videoke stand out from competitors as it offers the most realistic and detailed sound. Unlike others which just use standard MIDI or lower than CD sound quality, this dedicated Dream Sound Module is able to produce high-definition sound.

Much care was devoted to song production, with some even featuring full orchestral accompaniment and back-up singers to really make you feel that you are having a major concert right at home.

MY SINGING COACH

THE highlight feature of the GV S3 Pro Plus is called Perfect Pitch, that gives you real-time feedback and uses a 4-Point Scoring System.

They describe it as like having your own Voice Coach, without the embarrassment—until you see your final score, that is. At a time when it’s nearly impossible to go out or hire a voice coach, this feature could help or guide those who have the talent and want to be serious singers. This is the one that

Anne said helped her improve her singing.

Perfect Pitch is a mode that is similar to those rhythm games where you have to hit the bars right to get a high score, only instead of steps/or button presses, you have to match the timing and tone with our voice. The four-point scoring system is based on 4 key elements: Key Rhythm, which makes sure you hit the right note at the right time; Vibrato, to develop that seamless change of pitch; Upband, to make sure your shift to high notes are smooth; and Downband, to check how you shift to low notes.

Real-time feedback adds more excitement and gives you an in-depth look on what you need to improve to take your talent to the next level.

Unlike the previous videokes I owned, where I could easily get a score of 80 to 95 percent just by singing loudly, this Perfect Pitch was really tough, detailed and I’d say accurate about assessing our singing.

Which brings us to my next favorite feature: the Perfect Pitch Battle mode.

For the past several days, my partner and I have turned Netflix nights into videoke showdowns. With the Grand Videoke S3 Pro Plus, you can create two separate teams with your own avatars (you can even upload your own photos) and it will tally your scores for each round. It’s been both the most enjoyable and frustrating nights for me and my partner, as we have yet to get past the 65 score-mark—even though we’ve already unleashed our go-to songs: “Dancing Queen” for her and “Buttercup” for me (and we even made sure the setting was on Amateur mode!).

The GV S3 Pro Plus has more than 8,500 songs. It may not seem quite impressive, but GV’s song list isn’t padded by multiple duplicate songs from other languages which are basically unusable. Finding and choosing songs are also easy as you can simply say the song title or artist via GV Voice Command (another first), or by using the GV Smart App. There’s still a physical song book included, but using the GV App makes searching much quicker.

If Perfect Pitch makes it standout in terms of quality, the app gives

GV the edge in usability. To pair the GV Smart App, use the mic or remote to go to the Wi-Fi settings of your videoke unit and connect it to your WiFi network. It will then display a QR code which you just need to scan using your phone. Make sure your app and GV are on the same WiFi network. Open the GV Smart app and tap on the pair/connect icon you can find on the top of your phone’s screen beside the search icon. Once paired, you can use the GV App to view the entire songbook, search and add/reserve your favorite songs, or choose a song based on a format; Real Sound, Chorus, Multiplex, MTV, Medley, OPM, or Duet. You can also record your performance (up to 500 songs) and later download them to your device for sharing or review.

You can use it to access GV Air Transfer that allows you to transfer MP3s and photos from your phone which you can use for backgrounds and create fun messages to display onscreen, or take screenshots of your score and share on social media.

The GV Smart App is intuitive and very easy to use, but the look and icons could be improved as it just looks way too bright and colorful, and you can’t see the word you are typing on the search bar.

Last but certainly the most important of all is the song list. Think of song choices like the apps on your phone. Quantity is good, but quality is always better.

As I mentioned you get 8,500 songs plus the first 6 volume updates when you buy the GV S3 Pro Plus.

The default song book probably contains all the songs you want to sing, but the latest songs there are from 2017, so you need to buy the new volumes to get

Google Cloud launches new multi-cloud analytics and security solutions GOOGLE Cloud has announced new solutions across its smart data analytics and security portfolios to help accelerate customers’ ability to digitally transform with cloud computing.

Data is one of the most important assets for driving digital transformation, but is often siloed across on-premises machines, proprietary systems, or multiple clouds.

BigQuery Omni is a multi-cloud analytics solution that enables customers to bring the power of BigQuery to data stored in Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure (coming soon).

Powered by Google Cloud’s Anthos, BigQuery Omni will allow customers to connect directly to their data across Google Cloud, AWS and Azure for analysis without

having to move or copy datasets. Through a single user interface, customers will be able to analyze data in the region where it is stored, providing a unified analytics experience.

“For customers, moving data across different clouds is both cumbersome and expensive. To address this, we continue to invest in multi-cloud in an effort to democratize access to the best technologies for our customers, no matter what cloud provider they’re using today,” said Debanjan Saha, general manager and vice president of engineering for Google Cloud.

“BigQuery Omni provides enterprises with the openness and portability they need to break down silos and create actionable business insights, all without having to pay

expensive egress fees for moving data from other cloud providers to Google Cloud.”

“As hybrid and multi-cloud adoption has become the norm, enterprises are increasingly looking for data products that provide a consistent experience and lower complexity of using multiple clouds, while enabling the ongoing use of existing infrastructure investments. The launch of BigQuery Omni is an important milestone demonstrating Google Cloud’s strategy to help customers efficiently operate multi-cloud environments,” said Rick Harshman, managing director in Asia-Pacific for Google Cloud.

More information about Google Cloud products and services, including BigQuery Omni, is available at cloud.google.com.

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Sports BusinessMirror

A12 Saturday, July 25, 2020

LAKERS ON A MISSION

SOUNDTRACK OF SUMMER’S BACK—SORT OF H

By Greg Beacham

L

The Associated Press

EBRON JAMES and the Los Angeles Lakers were in rare form shortly before the coronavirus pandemic stopped the National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and they’re determined to find it again inside the bubble.

The Lakers had just beaten the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks and the rival powerhouse Clippers in the previous week before the stoppage. James had played magnificently in both games, bolstering his MVP case and leading the Lakers into the stretch with ample reason to believe they could contend for a championship.

“To be able to have our team at the top of the Western Conference and playing the way that we were playing at that time, and the way I was playing, it was definitely a good feeling,” James said.

Four months after the world changed, the Lakers are back at work in Florida’s mostly empty gyms. Almost nothing is familiar in these unprecedented circumstances, but James’ determination to win a title—his fourth, Anthony Davis’s first and the Lakers’ 17th—still burns fiercely.

“Nothing is normal in 2020,” James said.

“And who knows if it will ever go back to the way it was? But you make the adjustments and you figure it out along the way. That’s what life is all about.”

James had been dominant in nine games since the All-Star break, averaging 30.0 points, 9.4 assists and 8.2 rebounds. The NBA’s assists leader has been an outstanding facilitator of the Lakers’ offense ever since he arrived last season, and he will step back into that role when the Lakers go back to work next week, starting in a showdown with the Clippers next Thursday.

Davis has remained one of the game’s best big men in his first season on the West Coast, averaging 26.4 points and 9.4 rebounds while blocking 2.4 shots per game and asserting his case as the best defensive player in the NBA. The evident chemistry between Davis and James extends across the Lakers’ roster, which appears to have suffered none of the potential problems of being a recently assembled super

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI makes the ceremonial first pitch to kick off the New York Yankees-Washington Nationals game at the Nationals Park in Washington on Thursday. AP

LEBRON JAMES has been dominant in nine games since the All-Star break while Anthony Davis has remained one of the game’s best big men in his first season on the West Coast. AP

team. Coach Frank Vogel says his players have returned to work smoothly with a renewed focus partly made possible by the absence of normal life.

“The whole bubble has been a little bit different from what we do, but a lot the same,” Vogel said. “When you’re focused on what you need to do, you make the adjustments. It will feel a little bit different, but I think once the ball goes up, we’ll be locked in on what we normally do.”

The San Antonio Spurs, meanwhile, will try to extend the longest active playoff streak in North American major sports without LaMarcus Aldridge and with a decent mathematical chance to sneak into the final postseason spot in the Western Conference.

The 22-season run is on the mind of guard Patty Mills, along with Coach Gregg Popovich’s view that the Spurs will be more preoccupied with the future than whether they avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since a couple of months before they drafted Tim Duncan in 1997.

“It’s important,” Mills said of trying to extend the streak. “It’s one element of the big picture of the San

Antonio Spurs organization and how well the team has done over the course of a couple of decades.

“But, at the same time, you got to look at the big picture, you got to look at the future and where we are at organization-wise in trying to bridge the gap between the success the Spurs have had and where that sees us in the future.”

Aldridge had shoulder surgery in April, about six weeks after the pandemic shut down sports, and the Spurs announced last month he wouldn’t play when the season resumed.

The seven-time All-Star’s absence puts most of the burden on leading scorer DeMar DeRozan if the Spurs are to challenge eighthplace Memphis, which would only happen if they can emerge from the five-team cluster that rounds out the Western Conference in the 22-team restart.

The Spurs can force a play-in series by staying within four games of the Grizzlies, and they’ll likely have a pretty good idea right away of their chances. The first two games are against Memphis and Sacramento, which is a half-game ahead of San Antonio.

PSC, POC, NSAs formulating training protocols for Tokyo qualifiers, hopefuls

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HILIPPINE Sports Commission (PSC) and national sports association (NSA) officials are relentlessly formulating training guidelines for qualified and aspiring athletes for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

PSC National Training Director Marc Velasco has been leading the meetings with his NSA and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) counterparts with the objective of coming up with health and safety protocols covering the training of the athletes.

“The PSC recognizes the fact that our Olympic hopefuls need to maintain momentum and they could do that by going

back to focused training,” Velasco said.

Health professionals from the PSC-Medical Scientific Athletes Services Unit started meeting with NSAs last July 21 to discuss updated protocol and minimum health standards in training venues.

Actively participating in the discussions are POC Secretary-General Atty. Edwin Gastanes, Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines Secretary-General Ed Picson, Philippine Fencing Association President Richard Gomez and Philippine Rowing Association Secretary-General Jercyl Lerin.

Also joining the group are World Archery

Philippines Inc. Secretary-General Rosendo Sombrio, PhilCycling Secretary-General Atty.

Billy Sumagui and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Director for Operations Butch Antonio and Coach Jong Uichico.

Philippine Judo Federation President Dave Carter and Gymnastics Association of the Philippines President Cynthia Carrion-Norton are also with the group.

MSAS head Dr. Randolph Molo will meet officials from golf, karatedo, triathlon, skateboarding, table tennis, taekwondo, canoekayak, weightlifting and wrestling.

The PSC-MSAS will consolidate proposals

CURTAINS ROLL DOWN ON UAAP SEASON 82

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EASON 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) finally come to a close with a special live online event on Saturday with University of Santo Tomas (UST) again hoisting the biggest trophies.

The closing ceremony goes live starting at 4 p.m. on the ABS-CBN Sports web site, Facebook and YouTube accounts with a delayed telecast on Liga cable sports channel at 7 p.m.

The UAAP traditionally closes in summer but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was pushed back by several months.

UAAP Season 82 President Em Fernandez of host school Ateneo de Manila University said the ceremony will be highlighted by a message depicting unity and the league as a community.

Season 82 action in volleyball, football,

baseball, softball, athletics, tennis and 3x3 basketball were abruptly halted in February because of the imposition of strict quarantine.

The UAAP will award to UST the general championship for both high school—sixth straight—and seniors—fourth consecutive— divisions.

The Most Valuable Players in high school and college and selected athlete-scholars from the eighth member universities will also be feted.

The online gathering, according to ABS-CBN Integrated Sports head Dino Laurena, will celebrate the dedication of all athletes and the effort of the UAAP community.

“It has always been the mission of ABS-CBN Sports to honor and pay tribute to the work and dedication of athletes, no matter what the

circumstances or challenges the sports organization is confronting,” Laurena said.

Spicing up the celebration are feature performances by ABS-CBN artists Ylona Garcia and Inigo Pascual.

Sponge Cola and Itchyworms, the Pinoy rock bands that performed the official UAAP Season 82 anthem “Ang Ating Tagumpay” at the opening ceremony, will also make a special appearance.

Sticking to Season 82’s theme of “All For More,” the UAAP will also honor the schools and athletes who did charity work during the pandemic.

ABS-CBN Sports has been the official broadcaster of the UAAP since 2000.

Top British cycling team Ineos changes name again for Tour

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ONDON—The cycling team known as Sky when winning six Tour de France titles from 2012-18 got its second name change in 15 months on Wednesday.

Sky became Team Ineos before Egan Bernal’s victory in the 2019 race. Bernal

followed Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas as winners for the Britainbased team.

The team said in a statement it will be known as Ineos Grenadiers when the delayed Tour opens August 29.

The name promotes a brand of SUV designed by its billionaire owner Jim Ratcliffe which the team said will launch in 2021.

AP and Cyclingnews

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph / Editor: Jun Lomibao

from the NSAs on the resumption of training, especially for Olympic sports. They will submit a recommendation to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

With Molo at the PSC-MSAS are Dr. Janis Ann Espino-de Vera (Orthopedic), Dr. Charles Martin Corpuz (Family Medicine), Dr. Joji Quintos (Orthopedic) Dr. Pilar Elena Villanueva (Family Medicine), Dr. Victor Gaddi (Orthopedic), Dr. Arsenio Lantin (Family Medicine), Dr. William Occidental (Family Medicine), Dr. Raul Alcantara (Family Medicine) and Abigail Rivera.

ERB VINCENT closes his eyes and drifts back a halfcentury, to his boyhood bedroom in North Little Rock, Arkansas. He’s 9, trying to stay awake deep into the night, the transistor radio tuned to distant KMOX in St. Louis, listening to Cardinals baseball.

Bob Gibson’s shutouts, Lou Brock’s stolen bases and Joe Torre’s slugging made for sweet dreams. What he heard in-between pitches sounded even better.

“The muffled murmur of the crowd,” said Vincent, the associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference. “It was like the soundtrack of the summer.”

“I can hear it right now. You can make out a voice sometimes, maybe a peanut vendor or a yell,” he said. “It’s soothing, it’s reassuring.”

Probably speaking for fans all over these days, he added: “I don’t know what it’s going to sound like this year.”

No one does, really.

Major League Baseball (MLB) began its most bizarre season ever Thursday night, a 60-game sprint rather than the traditional 162-game marathon, a skewed schedule cut and carved around a coronavirus pandemic that threatened to silence the bats and balls all year.

A different model than the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League, too. Rather than keeping players and club personnel sealed in a bubble environment, baseball teams will fly around the country, raising more health concerns.

Still, that didn’t prevent young Washington star Juan Soto from testing positive for the virus. He was absent when the World Series champion Nationals hosted the New York Yankees in this year’s delayed opener.

With Covid-19 cases trending higher in every state with an MLB team except Arizona, a most fitting person threw out the ceremonial first ball in Washington: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.

“I used to play baseball as a young boy,” the 79-year-old Fauci told CNN. “I hope I don’t bounce it too much.”

He did, and way wide, not that anyone heckled him. Moments later, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit the first home run of the season, a quiet shot off Washington ace Max Scherzer.

Fans weren’t be permitted at Nationals Park or at Dodger Stadium when Los Angeles played San Francisco—or at any field. While some teams expressed hope of allowing spectators at some point, Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said skip that idea.

“I think it would be irresponsible to even think about that right now when you look at the numbers in South Florida,” the Yankees

TEAM INEOS’S Egan Bernal will be out to defend his title. AP

great said. “At this particular time we’re not thinking about bringing fans back.”

Leaving them to their own devices.

Whether you’re a two-screen fan tracking every four-seam fastball on your iPhone while instantly updating VORP and WAR stats on your tablet, or merely checking the next-day box score of your local team in the newspaper, make no mistake: This will look, sound and be odd from the start.

“Going to be 2020 coronavirus baseball,” Yankees star pitcher Gerrit Cole said.

Instead of actual fans, cardboard cutouts of their heads will fill many seats—Fox will fill stadiums with virtual fans for their national broadcasts. Players must stay socially distanced in the dugout, scattering into the stands if necessary. Some stars, like San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, aren’t playing at all because of health risks to themselves and their families.

Social justice also comes to the middle of the diamond. A Black Lives Matter stencil will appear on pitcher’s mound across the majors during the opening weekend.

Plus a few new rules. Extra innings will begin with an automatic runner on second base, just like softball games in Central Park.

And hours before the first pitch, MLB announced it would expand the playoff field this year, from 10 teams to a whopping 16 of the 30 clubs.

Still, to fantasy leaguers who’ve had their lives disrupted without a daily fix of games and more casual viewers who might catch an inning between their late-night TV news and a “Law & Order” rerun, zany baseball is better than zero baseball.

“I just can’t wait for the games to begin—for the story of this strange season to move forward from beginning to middle to end—so there is some semblance of everyday life returning,” noted historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

“And then I will leave to you and the experts to figure out the hard stuff—asterisks, etc., etc.—while I revert to my seven-year-old self, just happy to follow each game!” she said.

Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw had hoped to take part, but he was scratched from the opener at Dodger Stadium because of back issues. And the Arizona Diamondbacks announced a Venezuelan scout who worked in the Dominican Republic had died of Covid-19.

When every team swings into action, all sides were hoping for something resembling normalcy.

As much as the action, it’s the timeless rhythm of the game that attracts many.

Without getting too James Earl Jones-ish from the “Field of Dreams” cornfield, the game’s soundtrack is a key piece of the sport’s fabric.

Which is why baseball is providing stadium sound engineers with about 75 effects from its official video game—MLB The Show—to amplify the atmosphere, both at the ballpark and for broadcasts.

A mixed bag, so far.

All fine with “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch at empty Yankee Stadium during a recent exhibition game. But the familiar rustle of fans at Oracle Park in San Francisco came across more like a bunch of bees buzzing and scared off seagulls that often perch in the upper deck.

Patrick Corbin said it sounded a little more realistic at Nationals Park. Sort of.

“But then you look in the stands and no one’s there, so that’s always a little strange,” the Washington pitcher said.

Broadcasters are dealing with the same scenario.

“We are not looking to fool anybody. We realize there’s no fans there,” ESPN producer Mark Gross said.

But adding a little artificial crowd noise “below the announcers just seems to make it work and doesn’t sound quite so hollow when we are doing the games.”

Added former star-turned-ESPN announcer Alex Rodriguez: “The abnormal has become the normal.”

“It’s a year of adjustments, and I think baseball becomes the comfort food that Americans and people in this country want right now,” he said.

Makes sense to the 59-year-old Vincent.

Living and working around Birmingham, Alabama, he’s eager to root for the Cardinals.

And to hear a most comforting echo.

“That sound between a 2-0 and a 2-1 pitch.

In the fourth inning. On a Wednesday night in June,” he said. “It’s that sound, it’s the summer sound.” AP