BusinessMirror March 20, 2021

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Saturday, March 20, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 160

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

M

ANG Rudy was busy one early morning this week fixing a busted taillight of his three-wheeled electric-powered tricycle (e-trike).

Maintaining his e-trike is essential for the retired electrician.

He relies on the light transport equipment in going to the market as a service vehicle and bringing his grandchildren from home to the gate of their village and back.

Electric-powered vehicles (EVs) are slowly but surely gaining use and popularity in the Philippines against the backdrop of an aggressive drive by green groups for an environment-friendly mode of transport to help reduce the country’s carbon footprint and fight climate change.

They are easy to maintain and, most of all, do not consume costly fuel, says Mang Rudy, no matter if most, if not all, of the replacement parts of the unit in case of a breakdown are imported.

“Battery charging takes only six hours. It’s enough to bring me to the market and back,” he said in Filipino.

He would have spent at least P120 every time he goes to the market and back commuting, as drivers of passenger tricycles—his preferred mode of transport amid threats of Covid-19—have been overcharging passengers.

For Mang Rudy, his e-trike is also environment-friendly and it is not as noisy as a car or a conventional motorcycle, which means less annoying noise pollution.

The EV revolution that is catching most developed countries across the globe, however, is barely being felt in the Philippines. Still considered as a nascent transport industry in the country, the EV fever in the Philippines is mostly on e-trikes. Electric-powered cars or trucks are still widely considered as novelty items.

The transition to EVs from motor vehicles powered by internal combustion engines is faced with huge challenges, though. The lack of infrastructure, for one, limits the commercial appeal and mobility of EVs. But there’s a bigger factor that is not yet included in the equation.

Rudy said his e-trike’s battery unit is expiring anytime soon. This means he should be ready to shell out at least P1,500 to acquire a brand-new lithium-ion battery to supply power to his vehicle.

“Battery life is thee years, the vendor told me. But some I know complained that their battery is no longer useful after two years.

I don’t know how long mine will last,” he said.

Reshaping the battery value chain

FINLAND-BASED Akkurate Oy, a provider of agile battery consulting and engineering services, said that for a long time, batteries have been making peoples’ lives easier.

The problem is that people are using these in an unsustainable way.

This can become an even bigger problem in the near future with the automotive industry gearing up for a full switch to electricity transport.

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digital solutions. It is specifically developed to support a better battery value chain and accelerate sustainable and low-carbon economic growth.

“Its diagnostics provide facts on battery health and performance, allowing companies to plan maintenance or replacement well in advance, and yet preventing potential safety issues. Features like centralized surveillance, better battery performance, lifetime prediction, support in possible quality issues, improved safety and help with recycling and repurposing, all contribute to a holistic battery life cycle management,” it said.

Via e-mail, Lauri Pulkkinen, one of the cofounders of Akkurate, said disposing of the e-waste from lithium-ion batteries is difficult, given the sheer volume of batteries that will reach end-of-life.

Experts weigh in on emerging PHL’s shift from gas-powered vehicles to EVs

Learn and adapt

THE Philippines, Pulkkinen believes, must learn and adapt to the challenge if it is to embrace the transition from fossil fuel-dependent motor vehicles to environment-friendly EVs. Asked if the Philippines can learn and adapt to the challenge, he said: “Yes, I think that is a global challenge: that everybody needs to adapt and learn.”

To be better prepared to prevent the problem of e-waste from electric vehicles, all stakeholders and companies in the battery value chain—from raw materials to cell production, battery usage to recycling—need to start collaborating to make batteries sustainable, he said.

“As we did in Finland, our government launched a national battery strategy that also supports common European climate and sustainable targets,” Pulkkinen said.

Pulkkinen said huge volumes of end-of-life EV batteries could be either recycled to collect and reuse valuable materials of lithium-ion batteries or use them in second-life applications—for example, stationary energy storages that could be used to store renewable energy or support EV charging or other possible new business models.

Diagnose Technology, he said, could be utilized as a software platform for holistic battery life cycle management.

Comprehensive plan, study needed

GREENPEACE Philippines campaigner for Energy Transition Khevin Yu said there’s a need to study the impact of EVs. He said while the shift to EV appears to be enticing at face value, the transition in the public transport sector, such as from Pinoy jeepney to e-jeepney and tricycles to e-trikes may pose a problem in the future.

A TRADITIONAL fossil fuel-dependent tricycle shares the road with its battery-powered counterpart on Boracay island. JACKMALIPAN | DREAMSTIME.COM

CONSTANTINO: “If one merely replaces private cars with electric vehicles, even if done 100 percent, we will address only the needs of the tiny minority. Currently only 12 percent of Metro Manila households own their own cars. This means we need electric public transport, for sure, but maybe we need even more of other means of mobility.”

New and ambitious climate objectives, hence, require a reshaping of the entire battery value chain.

Citing industry analysts’ prediction, not less than 2 million tons per year of EV batteries are

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 48.6730

reaching the end of their life in 2030, Akkurate said.

Akkurate added that throwing all these means a “colossal” amount of waste, while a large portion can easily be repurposed. The batteries that fail to make the cut may have to undergo recycling process because many valuable raw materials can be reused for new batteries.

“Recycling is the key to reducing the environmental impacts of battery use throughout the life cycle,” Akkurate pointed out.

‘Battery passport’

THE European Battery Alliance (EBA) is creating its own competitive and sustainable battery cell manufacturing value chain, proposing a so-called “Battery Passport.”

The initiative will bring together leading stakeholders across the entire battery value chain and enable resource efficiency across the battery life cycle.

Manufacturers that reach a

Continued on A2

certain transparency and traceability threshold will be allowed to carry a seal of quality. And from July 1, 2024, “only rechargeable industrial and electric vehicle batteries for which a carbon footprint declaration has been established can be placed on the market.”

Meanwhile, European member states are also proposing their own measures.

A Finnish working group proposes in its National Battery Strategy 2025 seven objectives: growth and renewal of the battery and electrification cluster; growth of investments; promotion of competitiveness; increased international awareness of the strategy, responsibility; definition of key roles in the sector’s new value chains; and promotion of circular economy and digital solutions.

DOLE

Diagnose tech by Akkurate

AKKURATE believes that its Diagnose Technology is one of these

n JAPAN 0.4469 n UK 67.8112 n HK 6.2684 n CHINA 7.4812 n SINGAPORE 36.2258 n AUSTRALIA 37.7508 n EU 57.9987 n SAUDI ARABIA 12.9788

Source: BSP (March 19, 2021)

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A2 Saturday, March 20, 2021

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Americans have $1.7 trillion to burn in ‘revenge-spending’ binge

By Kim Bhasin, Reade Pickert & Gerald Porter Jr.

S

elers, had hoped it’d come in time to bolster Valentine’s Day sales in February. That didn’t work out, but it’s better late than never.

Bloomberg News

HOPPERS are out for vengeance.

A year into a pandemic that’s devastated lives, jobs and the economy, those who are lucky enough to have disposable income are ready to go out and splurge—even if they still have nowhere to go in that stunning dress or those brand-new sneakers. Some are calling this “revenge spending.”

US retail sales are near record highs and employment and vaccinations are on the rise. Americans have amassed a massive stockpile of excess savings—Bloomberg Economics estimates it to be about $1.7 trillion since the beginning of the pandemic through January.

And that’s about to be bolstered by a new round of stimulus payments.

As the economy reopens, consumer spending over the next two quarters is likely to be the strongest such period in at least 70 years with a rebound in services leading the way, according to economists at Wells Fargo & Co. “A lot of the snapback in spending will come from those more leisure expenditures—your discretionary expenditures,” said Shannon Seery, an economist at Wells Fargo. Those are the areas that “we really expect to bounce back once the economy returns to some semblance of normal.”

Revenge spending was seen as early as last April in China after the government began easing back to normalcy after the nation was the epicenter of the coronavirus pan-

demic in its early days. The impact on companies was clear: US jeweler Tiffany & Co.’s China sales surged 90 percent in May from the year prior, while Hermès, the French luxury label known for its $10,000 handbags, raked in $2.7 million in one day from a store reopening in Guangzhou.

China has been recovering ever since, even as the virus continues to rage across Europe and North America. The reopening of the nation’s domestic travel corridors sparked a tourism revival, with locals visiting destinations like Macau and Hainan. They’ve been spending so much there that brands like Ralph Lauren Corp., Estée Lauder Cos. and Coach are all scrambling to open more stores.

There’s universal hope that there’ll be a similar fervor in the US, too.

While the US economy will likely reopen gradually over the course of 2021, the federal government is already starting to distribute stimulus checks. Research suggests one-time payments boost spending more than steady payments that lead to a higher income.

‘Definitely ready’

PEOPLE walk through the Union Square Greenmarket in New York March 10, 2021. NOAM GALAI/GETTY IMAGES

“This round of stimulus is coming at the same time that the economy is properly reopening,” said Michelle Meyer, head of US economics at Bank of America Corp. “If you have a lot in your bank account already, you don’t have very much debt to pay off, you probably do feel more comfortable spending the stimulus check.”

Previous round

EVEN the previous round of $600 stimulus checks, which were less than half the size of the incoming $1,400 payments, helped drive a January spike in discretionary purchases. US retail sales jumped by the most in seven months amid increased spending on clothes,

electronics, home furnishings and more. Department stores saw a nearly 21 percent increase in sales from the prior month.

And there’s room to grow, since sales at many types of stores and restaurants remain below their pre-pandemic levels. While spending has eased from January’s breakneck pace—in large part due to severe winter weather—the new round of direct checks will give fresh support to consumers. The $1,400 payments could give restaurant sales a lift for up to seven weeks, according to an analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence.

It may take slightly longer for the wealthiest to shell out cash like they once did. The top 10 percent

of earners account for nearly half of personal outlays in the US, according to calculations by Wells Fargo. These consumers, who have been forced into saving because of social distancing, are likely to come out in full force as the health crisis subsides and herd immunity is reached, Meyer said. Almost half of US consumers, meanwhile, said they’d buy little luxuries in the next six months. Over a third said they’d go in on even bigger, more expensive products, according to a survey from Accenture.

US retailers from discount clothing stores to luxury jewelry boutiques have been waiting for this for months. Signet Jewelers Ltd., owner of Jared and Kay Jew-

THE CEOs of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Coty Inc. and TJX Cos., which operates TJ Maxx, have each mentioned the prospect of revenge shopping boosting business in the coming months. Poshmark Inc., an online resale marketplace, said sales of summer dresses doubled in February from the previous month. CEO Manish Chandra said it’s an early sign that the population is ready to get out and spend.

“That to me tells us that we are getting ready for something,” said Chandra. “I think we’re all ready for that. America’s definitely ready and the world seems to be ready as well.”

It’s not just retailers—those around the airline industry are referring to “revenge travel.” United Airlines Holdings Inc. CEO Scott Kirby expects a sustained increase in demand because “people already bought a new car, did a home repair.” This means “a lot more available to spend in ’22, ’23, ’24 for leisure demand,” he said during a recent event.

Rileigh Christenson, a 23-year-old in Elk Rapids, Michigan, who works in marketing, said she’s extremely ready. She’s committed to taking a dream vacation with her boyfriend after waiting to do something—anything—for the past year. They started putting aside money until they had a few thousand dollars to blow once the virus recedes.

“I randomly saw someone on TikTok who was in Alaska and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m pulling the trigger,’” Christenson said.

“It’s happening as soon as it’s safe.”

An e-waste ‘garbage trap’ Continued from A1

Because of that, he said, there’s a need for more study on its potential impact.

“There should be a comprehensive plan about this from the Department of Transportation,” he said.

Yu added e-waste from discarded batteries of EVs is also something to worry about.

“One of the concerns in the use of EVs is congestion. The ewastes from EVs are also a cause of concern because we still don’t have a recycling facility for these types of battery,” Yu pointed out.

Systems thinking

RENATO REDENTOR CONSTANTINO, executive director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, said while e-waste is certainly a critical issue, it is not the main issue in addressing the transportation problem.

“We need to tackle transport as a systems issue, which requires systems thinking,” he said.

“If one merely replaces private cars with electric vehicles, even if done 100 percent, we will address only the needs of the tiny minority.

Currently only 12 percent of Metro Manila households own their own cars. This means we need electric public transport, for sure, but maybe we need even more of other means of mobility,” he added.

According to Constantino, there’s a need to promote active transportation as regular, mainstream options instead of alternatives.

“This means focusing on support for bicycle commuting and pedestrian-centric urban planning and development. Less energy used, less waste, more efficient means to move people, instead of our decades-long fixation towards

moving cars,” he said.

EPR

A welcome move but…

GERRY ARANCES, executive director of the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development, said the sustainable transition in the transport sector and the entry of EVs is a good indication towards a more sustainable transport system.

However, he said, first off, there’s a need to prioritize the development of sustainable mass transport system as a primary mode of transportation in the country to not just address sustainability in the sector, but also equity issues, since the majority of the riding public is in the workingclass strata of society.

“Secondly, we need to develop policies revolving around the maintenance and disposal, among many others, of EV batteries, to ensure that by pursuing sustainability in this sector we do not create new sustainability problems, especially in the disposal or recycling of waste materials from these batteries, including batteries for solar rooftop PV (photovoltaic) systems which is now expanding as well,” he said.

The huge challenge

EV batteries are expected to add to the already huge amount of ewaste being produced by the Philippines.

The Global Environment Report showed that the country generated approximately 3.9 kilograms of e-waste per capita last year. Also in 2019, the Philippines generated a total of 32,664.41 metric tons of waste from electrical and electric equipment (WEEE) based on a report by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

Proper disposal of e-waste remains a huge challenge as these hazardous materials end up in

AN electric tricycle, or e-trike, touted as a greener alternative to traditional tricycles, ferries passengers on Taft Avenue in Manila. ROY DOMINGO

open dumps and landfill facilities, even as the national policy and regulatory framework for the management of electronic waste or e-waste have long been in place.

Proper disposal of e-waste begins with proper waste segregation and the implementation of the socalled 3Rs, which means reduce, reuse and recycle.

The Philippines, apparently, is not effective in reducing its e-waste or in reusing them. Worse, there is still no recycling facility in the Philippines, as far as lithium-ion battery use is concerned.

National policy

THE EMB under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said that as early as 1990, the Philippines already had a

national and regulatory framework on e-waste management with the enactment of Republic Act 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act. The law seeks to regulate the importation, manufacture, processing, handling, storage, transportation, sale, distribution, use, treatment and disposal of toxic chemicals and hazardous wastes that pose risks to human health and the environment.

Two years after the law was enacted, the implementing rules and regulations were issued under DENR Administrative Order 1992-29.

However, like Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, RA 6969 remains poorly implemented. Ewaste are often sold as junk and end

up in junk shops where they are dismembered to salvage parts before being discarded as ordinary waste.

DENR Undersecretary for Planning, Policy and ForeignAssisted Projects Jonas R. Leones said there’s an ongoing initiative by the EMB in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

A facility in Caloocan City, he said, is now buying e-waste, but these are mostly from electrical appliances and electronic equipment.

“We buy from the recyclers TV and computers and other e-waste, but these do not include lithiumion batteries from EVs,” he said.

He admitted that the e-waste from lithium batteries, or similar batteries used in EVs, are not yet on the radar of the DENR.

WHILE the Philippines has no facility for recycling lithium-ion batteries yet, Leones said that as a policy, the DENR is now pushing for EPR or extended producer responsibility, which would most likely cover EV batteries.

“We have a principle for EPR or extended producer responsibility, which is part of a circular economy we are pushing in the DENR. Under the principle of EPR, manufacturers or producers will take back their waste,” Leones explained.

Asked to weigh in on the issue, Crispian Lao, vice chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), said the technology worldwide to viably treat and recycle EV batteries is not on the scale yet, and while the local battery recycling sector (Philippine recyclers) is exploring it, there are no concrete plans in the near future just yet.

He cited a need to develop infrastructure for the batteries of EVs, including waste recycling, and agrees with Leones that one way of addressing the challenge posed by e-waste from the batteries of evehicles entering the Philippines in the future, with its limited capacity to deal with e-waste, is the application of EPR. “I know that the DENR is pushing for extended producer responsibility where the manufacturer or producer has a recovery program for their waste,” said Lao, a private-sector representative for recycling in the NSWMC. Meanwhile, he thinks that government agencies like the Department of Energy, which is aggressively promoting EV, together with the DOTr and the DENR, should also look at the potential problem of EV batteries before going all-out for EVs.

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Task force okays saliva test for Boracay tourists

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By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

OURISTS and holiday makers can now take a Covid-19 saliva test, instead of the nasal swab RT-PCR test, for entry into Boracay Island.

The quicker and less expensive test method was approved in Thursday’s meeting of the Boracay InterAgency Task Force (BIATF), chaired by Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, who was on the island for the meeting. The saliva test, however, must be taken only at medical facilities and establishments approved by the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat, who attended the meeting via Zoom.

For now, only the Philippine Red Cross is accredited

by DOH to administer the saliva test. But Romulo Puyat told the B usinessM irror, she will propose to the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to expand the number of accredited medical facilitates “to include the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.”

The BIATF also approved a resolution to extend its term of office “until the BIDA (Boracay Industry Development Authority) is passed,” said Interior Undersecretary Epimaco V. Densing III in a separate Viber message. The resolution will be submitted to President Duterte for his approval, Densing added.

The House of Representatives is currently deliberating an unnumbered substitute bill creating BIDA as a government-owned and-controlled corporation (GOCC), which many island stakeholders have opposed.

In the Senate, there are several Senate bills also proposing to set up a Bida but with ordinary regulatory powers. Several multi-sectoral groups in Boracay have opposed the House’s Bida-as-a-GOCC bill, because it duplicated functions of many government agencies.

Even the Department of Finance took issue with said House bill for creating an unnecessary agency that will give fiscal incentives that government is now truing to rationalize. (See, “More groups nix House’s Boracay GOCC plan,” in the BusinessMirror, March 12, 2021.)

Densing informally met with some of the multisectoral groups on Wednesday and said, “Kakampi namin

sila [BIATF supports them].”

“As the fate of the BIDA bill lies in the hands of our legislators and to the wisdom of our President, let us give special attention nonetheless to its creation as a regulatory agency. Bottom line, the main concern of this task force is to ensure the sustained protection of the island and its environment, so then we may leave it in a pristine state for the next generation.

Then thus, after them, let it be our legacy. My dear colleagues I remain in my stand to ensure that profit will no longer lord over environmental protection,” said Cimatu in his opening remarks.

Minors allowed to fly

Romulo Puyat, meanwhile, also recommended to the IATF that persons below 15 and above 65 years old traveling from Manila to Boracay should not be restricted from going to the airport and flying since Boracay is under Modified General Community Quarantine, as long as the passenger has a valid plane ticket.

On Wednesday National Task Force (NTF) spokesman Retired General Restituto Padilla backtracked on his earlier announcement of a ban on minors from traveling.

The DOT chief clarified the supposed ban after she received messages from anxious friends and netizens who had already booked vacations with their children this Holy Week.

Padilla’s text message to her reads: “Just a clarification. I stand corrected. The NTF allows minors to travel with their families point to point. The only restriction is their movement within Metro Manila, especially to malls and crowded areas consistent with the announcement of the MMDA [Metropolitan Manila Development Authority]. Thank you! They may also avail of domestic air travel with their families especially during the season of lent and their academic break.”

Even Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto said in her latest Executive Order ICR 34 dated March 16, 2021, amending earlier prescribed GCQ guidelines: “Persons younger or older than the permitted ages, may leave home only for indispensable reasons, specifically... [iii] for purposes of air/sea travel as shown on prebooked tickets/...” The Ninoy Aquino International Airport is in Pasay.

FDA grants E.U.A. to Russia shot as PHL virus cases rise by record

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he Philippines on Friday logged its highest number of Covid-19 cases in a single day since the pandemic began last year, recording at least 7,103 new infections and bringing the total number of cases in the country to 648,066.

This developed as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo announced that Gamaleya’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine has been granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) also on Friday.

The Philippines adds to a growing list of countries to grant emergency approval to the Russian jab, which has shown 91.6 percent efficacy in clinical trials.

“The vaccine shall be administered only by vaccination providers, and used only to prevent Covid-19 in individuals aged 18 years and older,” Domingo said.

Sputnik V is approved for use in 52 countries with total population of over 1.4 billion people. The jab ranks second among coronavirus vaccines globally in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators.

Sputnik V, if was gathered, could be stored in a conventional refrigerator, thus eliminating the need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure.

Record-shigh cases

The additional cases surpassed the previous record set at 6,598 on August 10 last year.

As of 4 p.m. of March 19, 2021, the Department of Health (DOH) also recorded 390 recoveries and 13 deaths.

Of the total number of cases, 11.3 percent (73,264) are active cases, 86.7 percent (561,902) have recovered, and 1.99 percent (12,900) perished.

Five laboratories were not able to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System on March 18, 2021.

With the highest number of cases recorded, the DOH strongly urged the public anew to adhere with the minimum public health standards.

“Just continue to stay at home and only go out when necessary,” the DOH told the public.

The OCTA Research Team earlier warned that

Covid-19 cases could reach as high as 11,000 new infections per day by the end of March 2021.

If not mitigated, the group said, it could overwhelm hospitals with 100 percent occupancy of all beds by that period.

‘Circuit breaker’ measures

The government has activated its “circuit breaker” measures and restricted business operations and inbound airline travel amid the record rise in cases.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) issued Resolution 103, imposing the said measures in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) to limit public movement.

“There is no lockdown, which is the notion of a circuit breaker as applied in Singapore. But we recalled [the orders] opening our industries,” Roque said during an online news briefing on Friday.

Mass gathering restrictions

Under Resolution 103, the government temporarily suspended the operations of driving schools, traditional cinemas, video and interactive game arcades, libraries, archives, museums, and cultural centers, limited social events, and accredited establishments of the tourism department were also temporarily suspended until April 4, 2021.

Meanwhile, the IATF also limited the number of participants for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibits events, as well as religious gatherings to 30 percent of venue capacity.

For religious gatherings, the number of participants could be increased to 50 percent based on the suitability of their localities.

The number of clients in dine-in restaurants, cafes, and personal care services were also reduced to 50 percent capacity.

IATF also suspended cockfighting in both GCQ and modified GCQ areas. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco and Samuel Raphael Medenilla

Philippine Red Cross receives rescue boat donation from Capex Cargo President and CEO Engr.

Vergil Bargola to help hasten rescue operations and relief efforts in times of emergencies.

PRC receives rescue boat donation to hasten relief, rescue efforts in times of emergencies

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hilippine Red Cross receives rescue boat donation from Capex Cargo President and CEO Engr. Vergil Bargola to help hasten rescue operations and relief efforts in times of emergencies.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the foremost humanitarian organization in the country that has been actively and deeply involved in saving lives and alleviating human suffering receives three rescue boat donations amounting to P300,000 each.

The three rescue boat that comes with four life vests were turned over at the PRC national headquar ters.The additional rescue boats will provide assistance to hasten relief efforts in times of calamities and beneficiary of this donation will be PRC Quezon City chapter.

The rescue boats are donated by Engr. Vergil Jurado Bargola, the president and CEO of Capex Cargo, VeMomBro E Commerce, VJB Construction Corp., and president of Rotar y Club of Kamuning Quezon Cit y.

PRC President and CEO Sen.r Richard Gordon praised the efforts of Engr. Bargola for his help and support to help alleviate human suffering, especially in times of emergencies. “Ang karagdagang rescue boats na ito ay malaking tulong upang mas mapabilis natin ang pagsagip sa buhay ng mga tao . Malaking tulong ito lalo na sa panahon ng bagyo na kung saan maraming kababayan natin ang nasstranded sa mga bubong sa di inaasahang pagbaha sa kanilang mga lugar ,” Gordon said.

Saturday, March 20, 2021

A3

Remove ‘regulatory overlap:’ Finance chief backs changes to PDIC charter

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

F

inance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III is backing the approval of proposed amendments to the charter of state-run Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) that seeks to remove the “regulatory overlap” of the Department of Finance-attached agency and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

D ominguez, who sits as chairman of PDIC B o a rd o f D i re c to r s, to l d s e n ato r s o n Fr i d ay that BSP should be the “only one regulator for banks” so that PDIC could focus on its mandate as deposit insurer and liquidator.

The finance chief added it would also be best to transfer PDIC as an “attached corporation to the BSP ” to ensure better coordination between the two agencies.

“By sharpening the focus of the PDIC to that of a ‘pay box’ for insurance claims and as liquidator of failed banks, we will ensure even better institutional efficiency than what we have at present. All regulatory functions, such as the issuance of cease-and-desist orders relating to unsound banking practices will be ceded entirely to the BSP. This will help prevent

confusing functions and confounding signals to the industry,” he said during the Senate’s Committee Hearing on the proposed measure.

At present, Dominguez also pointed out that liquidating is “not being done efficiently” by PDIC. “You know at this point in time, they have around 30,000 individual titles of property to liquidate. At the rate that they have been doing it, it’s gonna take them forever to do the proper liquidation. That’s why we’re also asking for exemption from the Bulk Sales Law,” he said.

Asked about the value of these 30,000 individual titles of property, PDIC President and Board of Directors Vice Chairman Roberto B. Tan revealed during the hearing that they currently have an estimated book value of real-estate assets of over P19 billion.

Apart from the removal of regulatory overlap between PDIC and BSP, Dominguez said, he is also in favor of the proposed amendments providing the PDIC Board of Directors the flexibility to adjust the maximum deposit insurance coverage periodically based on prevailing economic indicators, such as elevated inflation rates or sharp currency fluctuations.

The last time the PDIC’s deposit insurance coverage

was increased was 12 years ago, he recalled.

“The proposed amendments remove the tedious process of passing a law each time the maximum coverage needs to be adjusted. They will also do away with the requirement of a BSP-determined financial crisis to make a routine adjustment in the insurance coverage levels. In other words, the proposed bill will make the PDIC more responsive to the constantly changing financial landscape,” he said.

Moreover, D ominguez said the proposed amendments also included giving the PDIC Board the flexibility to set up insurance coverage for new technology-driven financial products, as well as for depositors in Islamic banks. This amendment, he said, would ensure adequate protection of depositors in the Islamic banking system and other financial services and could also lead to expansion of banking services in the country and broaden financial inclusion.

Further, the finance chief also supported the alignment of compensation structure of PDIC with other government-owned and -controlled corporations, which will provide base pay structures that are comparable with the private sector.

“With the proposal, the government will be able

to adhere to its policy of equal pay for work of equal value,” he said.

Dominguez said the amendments will also clarify the application of the Dividend Law to the PDIC in remitting portions of its income to the Bureau of the Treasury, adding that a new clause on dividend remittances will be added to the PDIC Charter to provide the corporation the flexibility it needs to ensure that it has sufficient funds to pay insurance claims, if needed.

“Overall, the proposed amendments are reasonable.

These will ensure that the PDIC will be fully capable of protecting our people’s hard-earned savings. The bill will also help in revitalizing our economy over the long term,” he added.

For his part, Tan said they recognize the need for the proposed amendments in their charter to help them prepare for the new challenges posed by the changing financial landscape.

“Given that we are now in the global pandemic and we are now moving forward, there may be developments in the banking sector which may require an effective response for regulators to make sure that stability and the soundness of the banking system is maintained,” he said.

DICT to fast-track digital infrastructure projects

T

he Depar tment of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in partnership with consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines, has launched a close monitoring initiative “Telecom Tower Watch” to address delays in the building of digital infrastructures in face of soaring demand for broadband services.

In a recent online forum organized by think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi) on “Building Digital Infrastructure for a Digital Philippines,” Stratbase ADRi President, Professor Dindo Manhit said that “Telecom Tower Watch is a multisectoral initiative to help push the fast development of digital infrastructure in the Philippines and will promote the transparency and accountability of all relevant parties in accelerating the building pace of telecommunications towers nationwide.”

“Building a robust broadband backbone is a long-term infrastructure asset that would boost the country’s competitiveness in an emerging digital economy and indispensable, not just to survive this crisis, but to rebound and push for an acceptable pace of recovery,” Manhit said.

In his keynote message, DICT Undersecretary for Digital Philippines Emmanuel Caintic said, “The current digital infrastructure of the country is still not enough to realize an affordable and fast Internet connectivity. One of the major issues we have identified is the regulatory constraints that hinder telecommunications companies to further invest in infrastructure of the country.”

In line with the initiative, Caintic said that DICT will launch an online portal to assure that registration of companies engaged in the business of establishing or operating the shared cell towers are properly monitored for all parties concerned.

“The system shall present dashboards that showcase the status of each registration and application submitted so they will actually know which particular application is getting stranded at which particular point, and which agency all the way to the area and to the location,” Caintic said.

In the same forum, Globe Telecom Vice President for Site Acquisition and Management Vince Tempongko said that telcos in general “have already been spending close to half its revenues. We would need help of the government to fast-track even further our requirements.”

Tempongko said, “We were able to get 1,900 permits from July to November 2020 and this is almost six times more than what we got in the same timeframe in the previous year. This allowed us to build 1,300 cell site towers in 2020. This is 18 percent higher than what we built in 2019, again this is in spite of the almost three-month ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] period that we experienced last year.”

Smart Communications Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, Atty. Roy Ibay, pointed out several problems regarding some local government units (LGU) despite the directives of the Joint Memorandum Circular and Bayanihan II to speed up permitting timelines.

Atty. Ibay said, “Some LGUs are still imposing unjust, excessive, oppressive, and confiscatory regulatory fees. When you protest, they basically use that non-payment of this regulatory fees to withhold issuance of building and other local permits.”

He pointed out that some LGUs and barangays continue to impose requirements and fees counter to the provisions under the Joint Memorandum Circular on Power Permitting and the Bayanihan Act II law.

CitizenWatch Philippines Convener Orlando Oxales said that the Telecom Tower Watch project

will establish a regular venue for close monitoring and troubleshooting of unnecessary delays in the building of all telecommunications towers and related projects.

Oxales said, “Telecom Tower Watch will have an online awareness campaign and a series of consultative meetings that would gather government, private sector, and other stakeholders to tackle issues, find solutions, and align strategies

towards the fast expansion and upgrading of the country’s digital infrastructure.”

“Telecom Tower Watch will make these processes transparent to the public. If there are parties that are causing undue delay, getting that out to the public is in itself a big deterrent,” Oxales said.

In reaction, Stratbase non-resident fellow and InfraWatch PH convener, Atty. Terry Ridon said,

“What’s most important is for national government, civil society and the private sector to work together to basically resolve this problem.

“If it means that we have to engage in different forms of initiatives to really make sure that the President directives on expediting and raising the level of service is undertaken at the soonest time, I think all of us should definitely work together,” Ridon said.

BusinessMirror

A4 Saturday, March 20, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS NO.

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS POSITION

24/7 BUSINESS PROCESSING INC. 7/f Capella Bldg. L-3&4 B2, Asean Drive Filinvest Alabang Muntinlupa City

NO.

32.

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY DE TROIJE, ERIC JAN LOUIS Dutch

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS POSITION

NO.

SITE MANAGER

1.

CHEN, PAOBING Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

BYTE COMPUTER INT’L TRADING INC. Alabang Zapote Rd. Rsti Compound Pamplona Uno Las Piñas City

2.

HE, SHIWEI Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

33.

3.

HU, CHAOJUN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

C3/CUSTOMERCONTACTCHANNELS PHILIPPINES LTD. 11/f, 17/f, 18/f, 19/f, 20/f Bonifacio One Technology Tower 3030 Rizal Drive Cor. 31st St. Bgc Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

4.

LI, BING Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

34.

5.

LI, CHUNSHENG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

CAPSLOCK INC. 7th & 8th Flr. Y Tower Bldg. Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal Brgy.

076 Pasay City

6.

LI, SHUO Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

KIM, SUNGTAK South Korean

SHAIKH, JAMAD MOHAMMED IFTIKHAR Indian

www.businessmirror.com.ph

MANAGER

DIRECTOR-IT INFRASTRUCTURE

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY

POSITION

NO.

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY

POSITION

66.

WU, WEICHAO Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

105.

LE THUY DUONG Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE TECHNICAL OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

67.

YAN, QIN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

106.

PHAM HONG QUAN Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE TECHNICAL OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

68.

ZHANG, PENG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

107.

THOI KIM PHUONG Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE TECHNICAL OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

69.

DENG, WEIJIN Chinese

IT TECHNICAL MANDARIN

LOKI TECHNOLOGY, INCORPORATED L-29 Joy Nostalg Center Adb Avenue, Ortigas Center San Antonio Pasig City

70.

JING, PENG Chinese

IT TECHNICAL MANDARIN

108.

71.

LIU, XIAOMEI Chinese

IT TECHNICAL MANDARIN

MARUBENI CORPORATION 8/f L.v Locsin Bldg. Ayala Cor. Makati Aves. San Lorenzo Makati City

72.

LI, BO Chinese

MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE

35.

CAI, BANGXIN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

7.

LI, DAN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

36.

CHEN, LEILEI Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

8.

SUN, CUNXIANG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

37.

CHEN, ZAIJIN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

WANG, XIAODONG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

38.

JIA, WEI Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

39.

LI, DAN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

74.

WEI, ZHIJIAN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

40.

LI, XIAOBO Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES PHILS. INC. U-5302, 53/f Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor., V.a. Rufino St. Bel-air Makati City

41.

PAN, FAQIANG Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

75.

42.

WANG, LEI Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 9/f 100 West Building Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City

WU, MENGDIE Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

76.

CUI, ANTAI Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

77.

FAN, RUOLIN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

78.

GU, YUXIN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

79.

HONG, LIQIANG Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

80.

JIANG, AILING Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

81.

KUANG, GUANGFENG Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

82.

LI, XIN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

83.

LI, YINGYING Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

84.

LONG, FANG Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

85.

LYU, WEIZHEN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

86.

MA, HE Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

87.

WEI, YING Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

88.

XIAO, PEI Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

89.

XU, FENG Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

90.

ZHANG, RUIBIN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

91.

ZHU, JIA Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

92.

ZOU, QINCHEN Chinese

93.

94.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

WEN, LINA Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

YUAN, XIANGTIAN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

ZHAO, XIYU Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CHINESE ACCOUNTS)

ZHANG, XIN Chinese

MANADARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

ABOITIZ POWER CORPORATION Nac Tower 32nd St. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio Taguig City 15.

OTAEGUI DANIEL Australian

TECHNICAL SPECIALIST FOR PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

ACCENTURE, INC. 7f Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1 Pioneer St Mandaluyong City 16.

GATES, SAMUEL JOHN Australian

SERVICE DELIVERY OPS SR. MANAGER

AIG PHILIPPINES INSURANCE, INC. 30/f Philamlife Tower 8767 Paseo De Roxas Bel-air Makati City 17.

WONG, GARY American

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D. Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street Tambo Parañaque City 18.

HTET HTET Myanmari

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

19.

LI, ZHIBIN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

20.

WANG, LIYUN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

21.

WANG, HAIYANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

WANG, RUIHE Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

ZHONG, YIQIANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

22.

23.

BEST RELIABLE RESOURCES CORP. Ub 111 Paseo De Roxas Bldg. Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City 24.

DEI, NOFAR Israeli

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER

BIG EMPEROR TECHNOLOGY CORP. Eastfield Center Cbp1, Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City 25.

GAO, JIE Chinese

MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE

26.

KONG, MINGHUA Chinese

MANDARIN LANGUAGE SPECIALIST

27.

LI, JUAN Chinese

MANDARIN LANGUAGE SPECIALIST

LIU, QINGLONG Chinese

MANDARIN LANGUAGE SPECIALIST

28.

BLUE AURORA SOLUTIONS INC. 283 Haig St. Daang Bakal Mandaluyong City 29.

GARCIA BELLIDO, EDUARDO Spanish

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

30.

LOZANO HEREDERO, DIEGO Spanish

PROJECT MANAGER

BOSKALIS PHILIPPINES INC. R-5008-b12/f A-place Bldg. Cbp Coral Way Drive Brgy. 076 Pasay City 31.

ABRAHAMSE, ARJEN STOFFEL Dutch

FINANCE MANAGER

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

YU, ZE Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

ZENG, MIN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

ZHANG, XIAOQIAN Chinese ELVIN WONG Malaysian

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

CHINA DATANG OVERSEAS INVESTMENT CO., LTD. PHILIPPINES REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE 3/f Salcedo One Center 170 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City 48.

TIAN, HAO Chinese

49.

WANG, ZUOQING Chinese

50.

WANG, LEI Chinese

DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER GENERAL MANAGER

51.

BUSINESS STRATEGY HEAD

DEXIN INTERNATIONAL IMPORT AND EXPORT CORP. 534 Tomas Mapua St. 029 Bgy. 298 Santa Cruz Manila 52.

LIAO, JINQUAN Chinese

CHINESE CARGO OFFICE AGENT

53.

LIN, HUABIN Chinese

CHINESE CARGO OFFICE AGENT

54.

LIU, YANG Chinese

CHINESE CARGO OFFICE AGENT

55.

WANG, JUNRU Chinese

CHINESE CARGO OFFICE AGENT

56.

WANG, ZHIJIAN Chinese

CHINESE CARGO OFFICE AGENT

57.

XU, JINLIN Chinese

CHINESE CARGO OFFICE AGENT

58.

ZHONG, FEIHONG Chinese

CHINESE CARGO OFFICE AGENT

FAREAST OUTSOURCE PROCESSING INC. 7th, 8th, 9th Flr. Nu Tower Moa Coral Way Brgy. 076 Pasay City 59.

CHENG, JIACHANG Chinese

73.

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

LIU, WENTAO Vanuatuan

MANDARIN GRAPHIC AND WEB DEVELOPER

YOSHIDA, HIROFUMI Japanese

SALES CONSULTANT

REPRESENTATIVE TO AXIA POWER HOLDINGS PHILIPPINES CORPORATION

MEGA-WEB TECHNOLOGIES INC. 6,7,8,9,10,11/f Met Live Bldg. Edsa Cor. Macapagal Blvd. Brgy.

076 Pasay City 110.

CAO, JIAN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

111.

CHE, HAIBO Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

112.

DAI, WEI Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

113.

DUAN, YUJUN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

114.

HU, XINYUE Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

115.

HUANG, YUNPENG Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

116.

JIANG, PENG Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

117.

JIN, SHAN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

118.

LEI, JUN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

119.

LI, QI Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

120.

NARENTUYA Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

121.

NI, TIANKUN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

122.

OU, FUHUA Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

123.

SHI, LIANGWEI Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

124.

TAN, YINHUA Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

125.

WANG, XIAOQING Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

126.

WANG, HUASHENG Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

127.

XIE, YAQI Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

AYE MWAY Myanmari

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

128.

LANH THI THAO Vietnamese

ZHANG, RONGZHEN Chinese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

129.

ZHAO, JINBO Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

130.

ZHENG, JINXIONG Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

HAMMERTIME CONSTRUCTION INC. Unit 203-s3 2nd Flr. Fbr Arcade Bldg. #317 Katipunan Ave. Loyola Heights 3 Quezon City

PROJECT MANAGER

CREDITACCESS PHILIPPINES FINANCING COMPANY INC. (ONEPUHUNAN) 42nd Floor One San Miguel Ave. Condominium San Miguel Ave. Ortigas Center, San Antonio Pasig City BOA, MARCO Italian

FORMUNIA CORPORATION Units A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a.

Rufino St. San Lorenzo Makati City

109.

ASAKO, TATSUSHI Japanese

XU, WEILIN Chinese

BI, JIANJUN Chinese

COST CONTROL MANAGER

DIRECTOR OF PHILIPPINES ENTERPRISE CHANNEL BUSINESS DEPT.

JDB MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTANCY CORP. 107 T & D House Magallanes St. 069, Bgy. 655 Intramuros Manila 95.

LI, MINGHUA Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

96.

TANG, LIN Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

97.

WANG, JIACHENG Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

98.

YANG, KAO Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

LOGICDOSE INC. 19f Marco Polo Ortigas, Sapphire Road Ortigas Center San Antonio Pasig City

METAL ONE CORPORATION 14/f L.v. Locsin Bldg. 6752 Ayala Avenue San Lorenzo Makati City 131.

NERIKI, TAKESHI Japanese

GENERAL MANAGER

MF CONSULTANCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC. Unit 1001 10/f Antel 2000 Corporate Centre 121 Valero St. Belair Makati City 132.

CHEN, ZEHUI Chinese

CHINESE SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS OFFICER

133.

YANG, ZHENREN Chinese

CHINESE SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS OFFICER

60.

HAO, LIRAN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

99.

LIN, WEIJIA Chinese

61.

LI, QI Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

100.

ZHANG, WEI Chinese

CHINESE SYSTEM ANALYST

MINDSCAPE CREATIVES INC. Unit 19-o, Burgundy Corporate Tower 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City

62.

LI, SHAOQIANG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

101.

WONG FONG TENG Malaysian

MALAYSIAN SYSTEM ANALYST

134.

TRAN THI KIM HUY Vietnamese

MANDARIN HUMAN RESOURCE SPECIALIST

63.

LU, ZHILONG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

102.

MING, LIANGLIANG Chinese

MANDARIN IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

135.

ZHOU, MINGYUE Chinese

MANDARIN MARKETING SPECIALIST

64.

SUN, HONGXIA Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

103.

TANG, YU Chinese

MANDARIN IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

136.

LI, SIQI Chinese

MANDARIN OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

65.

WANG, PANDI Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

104.

KYAW OO Myanmari

TECHNICAL SUPPORT ASSOCIATE (MULTILINGUAL)

137.

CHEN, DEHENG Chinese

MANDARIN TECHNICAL SUPPORT

CHINESE SYSTEM ANALYST

The World

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Saturday, March 20, 2021

A5

Cops on Atlanta shooting: ‘Nothing is off the table’ A T L A N T A — Po l i c e s a i d Thursday that “nothing is off the table” in the investigation of the deadly shootings at two Atlanta massage parlors, including whether the slayings were a hate crime.

Those attacks and a third one near the suburban town of Woodstoc k k i l led eight people a nd prompted President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to change their plans for a previously scheduled trip to Atlanta. The pair postponed a political event in favor of meeting Friday with Asian American community leaders.

A 21-year-old white man, Robert Aaron Long, is charged with murder in Tuesday’s slayings. Six of those killed were women of Asian descent.

“Our investigation is looking at everything, so nothing is off the table,” Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said at a news conference.

The Cherokee County Sheriff ’s Office said it also was investigating whether the killings were hate crimes.

Georgia lawmakers last year passed a hate crimes law that allows additional penalties to be imposed for certain offenses when motivated by a victim’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender or disability. A hate crime is not a standalone crime under the law, but it can be used to add time to a sentence once someone is convicted of another crime.

I nve s t i g ator s b e l ie ve L on g had prev iously v isited two of the Atlanta massage parlors where four of the women were killed, Hampton said.

Long told police that the attacks were not racially motivated.

He claimed to have a sex addiction, and authorities said he apparently lashed out at what he saw as sources of temptation.

L on g ’s s t at e me nt s s pu r re d outrage and w idespread skepticism in the Asian A merican community, which has increasingly been targeted for v iolence during the coronav irus pandemic.

Cherokee County Sheriff ’s Office spokesman Capt. Jay Baker also drew criticism for say ing Long had “a really bad day” and “this is what he did.”

Sheriff Frank Reynolds released a statement Thursday acknowledging

After dropping off flowers Jesus Estrella, left, and Shelby stand in support of the Asian and Hispanic community outside Young’s Asian Massage on March 17, in Acworth, Ga. Asian Americans, already worn down by a year of racist attacks fueled by the pandemic, are reeling but trying to find a path forward in the wake of the horrific shootings at three Atlanta-area massage businesses that left eight people dead, most of them Asian women. AP that some of Baker’s comments stirred “much debate and anger” and said the agency regrets any “heartache” caused by his words.

“In as much as his words were taken or construed as insensitive or inappropriate, they were not intended to disrespect any of the victims, the gravity of this tragedy or express empathy or sympathy for the suspect,” Reynolds said, adding that Baker “ had a difficult task before him, and this was one of the hardest in his 28 years in law enforcement.”

Baker was replaced Thursday as spokesman for the investigation, according to a statement from a county spokesman who said she would be handling future media inquiries about the slayings.

The sheriff ’s statement did not address a 2020 Facebook post that appeared to have been written by Baker promoting a t-shirt with racist language about China and the coronavirus. Baker has not commented on the post, which was taken down Wednesday.

Meanwhile, law yer J. Daran Burns issued a statement saying he had been appointed to represent Long. He offered condolences to the victims’ families and said he was working on Long’s behalf “to investigate the facts and circumstances” surrounding the slayings.

Long waived his right to an initial hearing in Cherokee County Magistrate Court on his lawyer’s advice, the statement said.

Biden and Harris had already

been scheduled to travel to Atlanta to tout the $1.9 -tr illion Cov id-19 relief bill, but the trip took on new meaning after the shootings. The v isit also comes amid an intense debate over voter rights in Georgia.

Biden and Harris, the first vice president of Asian descent, will instead meet with Asian American leaders to discuss threats against the community, meet with other local leaders and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for an update on the pandemic.

Also Thursday, Biden directed that f lags be f lown at half-staff through sunset Monday in honor of the dead.

Hundreds of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, meanwhile, turned to social media to air their anger, sadness, fear and hopelessness. The hashtag #StopAsianHate was a top trending topic on Twitter hours after the shootings Tuesday evening.

“I think the reason why people are feeling so hopeless is because Asian Americans have been ringing the bell on this issue for so long.... We’ve been raising the red f lag,” said Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood, executive director of the At lanta-based A sian A mer ican Advocacy Fund, which does political and advocacy work across Georgia.

Many also were outraged that the suspect, 21-year-old Long, was not immediately charged with hate crimes.

US, China spar in first face-to-face meeting

A

NCHORAGE, Alaska—Top US and Chinese officials offered sharply different views of each other and the world on Thursday as the two sides met face-to-face for the first time since President Joe Biden took office.

In unusually pointed public remarks for a staid diplomatic meeting, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi took aim at each other’s country’s policies at the start of two days of talks in Alaska. The contentious tone of their public comments suggested the private discussions would be even more rocky.

Th e m e e t i n g s i n A n c h o ra g e we re a new test in increasingly troubled relations between the two countries, which are at odds over a range of issues from trade to human rights in Tibet, Hong Kong and China’s western Xinjiang region, as well as over Taiwan, China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea and the coronavirus pandemic.

Blinken said the Biden administration is united with its allies in pushing back against China’s increasing authoritarianism and assertiveness at home and abroad. Yang then unloaded a list of Chinese complaints about the US and accused Washington of hypocrisy for criticizing Beijing on human rights and other issues.

“Each of these actions threaten the rulesbased order that maintains global stability,” Blinken said of China’s actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and of cyber attacks on the United States and economic coercion against US allies. “That’s why they’re not merely internal matters, and why we feel an obligation to raise these issues here today.”

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan

amplified the criticism, saying China has undertaken an “assault on basic values.”

“We do not seek conflict but we welcome stiff competition,” he said.

Yang responded angrily by demanding the US stop pushing its own version of democracy at a time when the United States itself has been roiled by domestic discontent. He also accused the US of failing to deal with its own human rights problems and took issue with what he said was “condescension” from Blinken, Sullivan and other US officials.

“We believe that it is important for the United States to change its own image and to stop advancing its own democracy in the rest of the world,” he said. “Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States.”

“China will not accept unwarranted accusations from the US side,” he said, adding that recent developments had plunged relations “into a period of unprecedented difficulty” that “has damaged the interests of our two peoples.” ‘There is no way to strangle China,” he said.

Blinken seemed taken aback by the tenor and length of the comments, which went on for more than 15 minutes. He said his impressions from speaking with world leaders and on his just-concluded trip to Japan and South Korea were entirely different from the Chinese position.

“I’m hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we’re reengaged,” Blinken retorted. “I’m also hearing deep concern about some of the actions your government is taking.”

Underscoring the animosity, the State Department blasted the Chinese delegation for violating an agreed upon two-minute time limit for opening statements and suggested it “seem[ed] to have arrived intent on grandstanding, focused on public theatrics and dramatics over substance.”

“America’s approach will be undergirded by confidence in our dealing with Beijing—which we are doing from a position of strength—even as we have the humility to know that we are a country eternally striving to become a more perfect union,” it said.

US-China ties have been torn for years, and the Biden administration has yet to signal whether it’s ready or willing to back away from the hardline stances taken under Donald Trump.

Just a day before the meeting, Blinken had announced new sanctions over Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong. In response, China stepped up its rhetoric opposing US interference in domestic affairs and complained directly about it.

“Is this a decision made by the United States to tr y to gain some advantage in dealing with China?” State Councilor Wang Yi asked. “Certainly this is miscalculated and only reflects the vulnerability and weakness inside the United States and it will not shake China’s position or resolve on those issues.”

Trump had taken pride in forging what he saw as a strong relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. But the relationship disintegrated after the coronavirus pandemic spread from the Wuhan province across the globe and unleashed a public health and economic disaster. AP

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

A6 Saturday, March 20, 2021

PHL forest products defy fall in export receipts in Jan–PSA

P

HILIPPINE forest products collectively registered doubledigit growth in January 2021 freeon-board export receipts, outshining all other major types of goods shipped from the country.

PCCI to govt: Let private biz buy vaccines

T

HE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has asked the national government to allow the private sector to directly procure coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines from accredited sources.

PCCI made the statement Wednesday in its intent to help the government to speed up the rollout of the vaccine program.

“We urge [the] government to allow the private sector to import vaccines without restrictions or conditions so we could move quickly and efficiently in vaccinating more people,” PCCI President Benedicto Yujuico said.

Yujuico said the inoculation program should be accelerated amid the rising Covid-19 cases “to ensure the safety of our workers and people, improve consumer confidence and hasten the recovery of our economy.”

He added the country could not afford another lockdown as this will be fatal to economic recovery.

“We have to keep pace with our neighbors, which except for Indonesia, have lower infection rates than us and yet are ahead of us, including Indonesia, in implementing the vaccination program. We cannot risk being left behind again and revert to being the ‘basket case’ of Asia,” Yujuico said.

The PCCI has also called on the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track the review of applications for emergency use authorization for the Covid-19 vaccines.

Earlier, the National Task Force Against Covid-19 said only the government can procure the coronavirus vaccines.

Since the Covid-19 vaccines are not yet for commercial use globally, vaccine makers only deal with the government for the procurement of the vaccines. PNA

Forest products’ total January receipts grew 12.1 percent to $31.35 million this year from almost $28 million only during the same month in 2020, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data released this week showed.

However, 2021 receipts covering outbound shipments of total agrobased products, mineral products, petroleum products, special trans-

actions and even re-exports shrank 22.7 percent, 33.7 percent, 98.8 percent, 5.0 percent and 26.3 percent from 2020 levels, respectively.

Receipts for manufactured goods also shrank by less than 1.0 percent this year.

Outbound shipment of forest products contributed to the $5.49 billion total in January 2021 receipts

Dearth in shipping containers adds to global trade turmoil

from all major types of goods that the country exported then.

That total is 5.2 percent lower than the country’s $5.79 billion receipts from such exports in January last year.

Fanning the Januar y 2021 growth in forest product export receipts were outbound shipments of lumber, plywood and others, PSA

data showed further.

Suc h shipments generated receipts worth $17.49 million, $8.34 million and $5.52 million, respectively.

Those receipts are correspondingly 8.8 percent, 19.2 percent and 12.7 percent higher than the shipments’ $16.07 million, $7 million and $4.90 million in 2020. PNA

JAPAN EXPORTS DROP AMID LUNAR HOLIDAYS AND COLD U.S. WEATHER

US and elsewhere binged on computers and equipment to work at home or decorate their houses, and imports of masks and other pandemic-related goods soared.

R ising exports from China then led to a flood of orders for new containers, in some cases doubling the price to more than $3,000 for a standard 20-foot box. CIMC said it has added 5,000 workers since September last year and even ran some production lines through the Lunar New Year holiday last month.

Output rises

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HE world’s biggest makers of shipping containers are scrambling to meet a surge in demand for the metal boxes that shuttle some 90 percent of the goods around the global economy.

A trade boom in the second half of last year caught the container producers—mostly Chinese companies—by surprise as the pandemic threw the existing supply of about 25 million boxes off their normal routes. The manufacturers have been ramping up output ever since, but they’re unable to alleviate shortages that have underpinned soaring freight rates for six months.

The problem resembles those in the car industry, where automakers cut computer chip orders early in 2020 expecting a slump in sales, only to see household consumption prove resilient. The container tightness and port congestion that’s accompanying it may extend into the second half of 2021, with recoveries in the US and European economies expected to keep demand high for Chinese goods.

“There should be enough boxes to cope with the level of demand in normal conditions,” according to Simon Heaney, senior manager of container research at Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd. “The problem is that box usage has ex-

tended because of all of the delays, meaning its takes longer to release units back to the next customer.”

On the backfoot

THE container manufacturing industry didn’t enter 2020 in a good position, with production and sales in China dropping in 2019, according to a written interview with China International Marine Containers Co., the world’s largest manufacturer.

There was also a huge surplus of boxes, with the equivalent of more than 3 million empty 20foot containers at Chinese ports at the end of March last year and 1.2 million in storage at container manufacturers, Li Muyuan, vice president of the China Container Industry Association, said in an interview with Chinese media earlier this year.

That surplus, combined with the expectation that trade would collapse as Covid-19 spread globally, caused a slump in orders to Chinese container manufacturers, which account for more than 90 percent of the world’s supply. There were almost no new orders for the industry in the first five months of 2020, CIMC said Thursday in their e-mailed response to questions.

However, the situation reversed around mid-year, as consumers in the

PRODUCTION rose to 300,000 20foot equivalent units in September, then to 440,000 in January, according to Li. But that’s not been enough to make up for the fact that there aren’t enough used boxes being returned from overseas to China to be refilled and re-exported.

Ocean carriers that own or lease most of the containers in use are aggressively trying to get boxes back to Asia from the US, according to Ken Hoexter, a transportation industry analyst at Bank of America in New York. But the current tightness in transportation markets will continue at least through the middle of the year or later, he said in an interview last week.

The shipping industry is trying to play catchup but the combination of extremely low inventories, port congestion in the US, increasing consumer demand, the lack of any downtime in China during the curtailed Lunar New Year and now the Biden administration’s $1.9-trillion stimulus package will extend the shortages, he said.

Even with rising output of new containers, the situation won’t get better until June when vaccine rollouts will ease the pandemic and boxes start coming back to China, Mai Boliang, CEO and chairman of CIMC, told Chinese state TV in early March. Bloomberg News

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APANESE exports fell in February for the first time in three months, dropping more than economists expected, as the timing of Lunar New Year holidays cut business days in China, while the coronavirus and extreme weather weighed on other key markets.

The value of overseas shipments slid 4.5 percent from a year ago, the finance ministry reported on Wednesday. Exports to the US and Europe declined at a faster pace than in January, while gains to China slowed sharply.

Due to reduced business days in Asia during the holidays, weaker shipments may not indicate as big a slowdown as the figures suggest, but trade still didn’t hold up as well as economists expected.

Analysts predicted a much smaller 0.2-percent drop.

Exports are especially key for the recovery now because declining consumer spending is seen pushing Japan’s economy back into contraction this quarter amid a renewed declaration of emergency that has lasted for more than two months in the Tokyo region.

Key insights

ECONOMIST Hiroaki Muto at Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. said Japan’s exports were probably a little stronger than they look, with February’s weaker results likely the result of temporary factors including

extreme-cold weather in the US and tighter lending conditions in China, in addition to the holidays.

“Cold weather doesn’t last forever and China won’t put on the brakes too far,” Muto said, adding that the stimulus package recently adopted in the US will start to support the global economy soon, with world growth accelerating next quarter.

For Japan, reports on machinery orders and factory production suggest the recovery could return to a solid footing once the emergency ends, which is likely to happen this weekend, according to local media.

Although the Lunar New Year holiday weighed on business across Asia in February, demand from China has been providing key support to Japan’s exports and overall recovery for months. A recent drop in the yen against the dollar is adding another tailwind for Japanese makers of cars and electronics, boosting the value of repatriated income and making their products more competitive.

What Bloomberg Economics says...

“Japan’s merchandise trade was distorted by shifts in demand around the Lunar New Year holidays in China and other economies in February [versus in January last year].

Smoothing out the bumps over the first two months of 2021, export growth probably slowed from its December pace.” Yuki Masujima/Bloomberg News

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NHCP unveils Suluan Quincentennial Marker of Magellan’s 1521 expedition

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ACLOBAN CITY—The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) unveiled on Tuesday the first of the 34 historical markers in Guiuan, Eastern Samar to celebrate the 500th anniversary (quincentennial) of the first circumnavigation of the world. the Philippine route of the MagellanElcano expedition is in solidarity with the international project of tracing the route of the unprecedented achievement of humanity and science, which proved that the world was indeed round,” the NHCP said.

From March 16 to October 28, 2021, 34 historical markers will be unveiled in the Visayas, Palawan, and Mindanao. At least 10 of these historical markers are in Leyte and Samar provinces.

It was on March 16, 1521 when the first people to voyage around the planet (Magellan-Elcano expedition) reached Samar.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) Eastern Visayas regional office said this happened after their death-defying voyage from the Atlantic and then across the Pacific for almost four months.

The expedition first saw the landmass of Suluan Island but did not land there. They waited for the next morning and landed at Homonhon

THE “First Contact” between the crew of Ferdinand Magellan and locals in Guiuan, Eastern Samar as illustrated by artist Derrick Macutay. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines unveiled on March 16, 2021, the first of the 34 historical markers in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world. PHOTO COURTESY OF NHCP

Island, which was uninhabited at that time. They managed to gather some food and water on the island, according to historians.

“About 500 years ago, Magellan and his crew landed in Guiuan. We showed to them our hospitality and kindness.

We welcome everyone that visits our place and we feed them. This is the heritage of kindness and the heritage of humanity from our ancestors 500 years ago,” said Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday.

The expedition also began our Filipino ancestors’ contribution to the achievement of science and humanity, DOT Eastern Visayas Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said in a social-media post.

“Filipino poet and writer Luis Francia described this episode as a revival of their lives, if not their fortunes, referring to the expedition. Because two days later, our ancestors from Samar discovered Magellan and his men at Homonhon Island, now under the jurisdiction of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, needing help. Compassion was exhibited by our ancestors, which gave hope to Magellan and his crew,” she posted.

Since last year, the National Quincentennial Committee of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines has planned activities for the quincentennial celebrations but some non-religious activities may not proceed due to movement restrictions. PNA

In pandemic, Navajo community steps up for vulnerable citizens

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EESTO, Arizona—For as long as Raymond Clark has lived alone on this quiet stretch of the Navajo Nation under the watch of the “Praying Mountain,” he has depended on everyone yet no one.

The 71-year-old has no vehicle or running water but is content hitchhiking and carrying jugs down a dusty washboard road to replenish his supply. He works at home in

Teesto painting murals and silversmithing, but friends often stop by.

Or at least they did before the pandemic. Now, rides and visits are scarcer in an area with no grocery store or gas station and where homes sit far apart.

The sense of community, though, never faded. With residents urged to stay home, tribal workers, health representatives and volunteers have stepped up efforts to ensure the

Of captions and subtitles

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

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HEN watching any film or video, I automatically click on the subtitle option. Subtitles are written translations of a film’s dialogue or narration superimposed on the screen, thus allowing you to read along and follow the actors as they speak in their native language, be it French, Russian, Farsi, Spanish, whatever.

I have grown to love captions and subtitles (except for auto-generated English captions which are often lousy transcriptions.) It’s not because I have a hearing disorder, it’s because with captions/subs, I can better comprehend the dialogue or the voiced narration.

While initially designed to help deaf people follow the dialogue or narration in a film or video, subtitles or audio transcriptions have many benefits even for people with normal hearing.

Many people actually hate captions or subtitles. They find it irritating or difficult to read titles while watching the images at the same time.

Cinema purists would argue that subs clutter the aesthetics of the images.

The actress Helen Mirren was quoted as saying: “The vast American public will not accept films with subtitles.” This was seconded by film critic Alissa Wilkinson when she said: “Americans just don’t like reading subtitles,” explaining why she had doubted that the Academy would give the Oscar award to the Korean film Parasite.

That’s too bad for Americans or any hater of subtitles. As Bong Joon-ho, the director of Parasite quipped during his acceptance speech at the Oscars: “Once you overcome the 1-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so

Chinese traders’ group asks for review of Sinovac EUA to include senior citizens

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

A

By Sarwell Meniano

The unveiling of the Suluan Quincentennial Marker in Suluan Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar coincided with the arrival of the Spanish Navy training ship Juan Sebastian Elcano.

The ship was named after the captain of the 17 remaining crew of the original 245-member Armada de Maluco (a.k.a., Magellan-Elcano expedition) that completed the first circumnavigation of the world.

A meeting between the Philippine Navy and Spanish Navy took place immediately after the unveiling in Suluan, according to NHCP’s official Facebook page.

BRP Apolinario Mabini welcomed the Juan Sebastian Elcano. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana represented the Philippines and was accompanied by the Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas.

The ship anchored near Manicani Island in Guiuan at around 4 p.m. A fluvial parade organized by the local government followed.

“The marking of the 34 sites of

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, March 20, 2021 A7

most vulnerable citizens get the help they need.

“Our grandmas and grandpas teach us, you have to give back to your people,” said Sophia Francis, secretary for the Teesto Chapter, one of 110 tribal precincts that make up the vast reservation that extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

“We have to help our elders. We have to help the community.”

Clark is among hundreds who many more amazing films.”

I say amen to that. I have an eclectic taste when it comes to films. I specially love watching foreign films, as long as they are subtitled right. This is why I developed the skill of watching images and reading the subs all at once. It’s a skill probably akin to being ambidextrous, which enables a gifted individual to write simultaneously with left and right hand.

Thanks to my acquired visual dexterity, my appreciation for great cinema has vastly expanded through the years. I now watch a lot of narrative and documentary films from other countries.

Because of subtitled DVD films from Hollywood, I can now better appreciate the dialogue of classic films

by American filmmakers, which I have watched before. Much of the dialogue spiels were lost to me then.

But with the aid of subtitles I have discovered that some of the words were not as I perceived them.

Subtitles in American films are especially helpful when it comes to films featuring Marlon Brando, Robert de Niro, and Sean Penn. These socalled Method actors sometimes just mumble their lines. And then there’s Sylvester Stallone who slurs his lines unintelligibly.

Have you tried watching American comedy without subtitles? The

live within the rural chapter, which functioned as a community lifeline even before the pandemic.

On a recent day, he stepped outside his home in the midst of juniper trees and greeted a trio of Teesto Chapter employees who were unloading firewood from a flatbed trailer. It was unseasonably warm, but Clark knew he’d need the wood for frigid days ahead.

Felicia Fonseca/Associated Press jokes, the pacing, the tone, the gags, the payoff in most any given American comedy show would go over the head of the average Filipino viewer who has to mentally translate the English words into native Tagalog.

I am also extremely grateful for subs when watching films that have actors who speak English with Australian, Southern American, British cockney, German, Indian and African accents.

Without subs and captions, you will find yourself struggling to track the diverse medley of tones and inflections, even minor details about places and names mentioned in the dialogue.

You know who enunciate words clearly and can be understood without the need for subs? British actors who were former Shakespearean actors on stage: Olivier, Burton, O’Toole, Scofield, Plummer, Nicolson, McKellen, Jacobi, Mirren, Dench, Blanchett, Branagh, Nicolson, Cumberbatch and others of their elite class.

Speaking of Shakespeare, thanks to subs, we can now follow his plays’ poetic dialogue in all their iambic glory while watching the videos. May I add that we can now also follow and understand what’s going on in such classic operas as Magic Flute, Aida, Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, because of the English translations of arias and dialogue. But of course this is just me probably being carried away

GROUP of Chinese businessmen in the country has appealed to the government’s pandemic task force to reconsider the emergency approval for Covid-19 vaccines from China that excludes their use to the aging population.

“Since we have preference for Sinovac that is developed using traditional ways, we are also requesting the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force] for the reexamination of Sinovac’s emergency use authorization [EUA] for the seniors or elderly ages 60 and above,” Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) President Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong said at the recent virtual “Pandesal Forum.”

Developed by Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech, it was the first coronavirus vaccine delivered to the Philippines last month after the company secured approval from local drug regulators.

Upon issuance of the EUA, the local Food and Drug Administration announced that Sinovac could be used among clinically healthy individuals aged 18 to 59 years old.

“Many of the Philippines’s top active entrepreneurs and even leaders of our Federation, like me, are senior citizens,” he said, which is why they should not be exempted from getting the Chinese jab.

In fact, he said that there have been some well-publicized Sinovac vaccinations of people above the 59 age limit, such as Brazilian football legend Pele, who is 80 years old; Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, 78 years old; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 67 years old; and Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, 63 years old.

“Many of our Federation officers who are entrepreneurs and philanthropists are seniors too and they are very hardworking and very active. And so, we hope that this restriction would be lifted so that we seniors in the business sector could be vaccinated, so that our entrepreneurs could continue to take risks, invest and help in Philippine economic recovery,” Lim said.

Another senior person of high prominence, he noted, is Pope Francis, who has been citing the importance of immunization in the fight against this global pandemic, urging everyone to be vaccinated and as a trying-hard erudite show-off.

It turns out that reading subs is an effectiveEnglishvocabularybuilder.Lately, I learned words like plinking, scoffs, sniffles and even how to pronounce them right. For example, that’s how I learned the proper way to pronounce “awry.” It’s like being in speech training.

This is why I now require my grandkids to click on the subtitle option whenever they watch anything on DVD or streaming media. We have in fact become a subtitles family. We never like to watch movies without subtitles. Even with Hollywood films, we would rather wait for the official subtitled versions. The same with any content on streaming platforms.

As an aside, it is definitely possible to learn another language by watching TV with subtitles. I can now parlez vous a little bit in French. I am happy that the little Spanish I learned in college has expanded just by watching films from Spain and Argentina.

By the way, when watching a film with good subs, you can turn down the volume and still follow the story.

This way, you can watch videos in sound-sensitive environments or in your bedroom when your better half or partner is already fast asleep.

Is there a difference between a subtitle and a caption? To me they are the same but for definition’s sake, subtitling is used as a means of translating a

reminding people of their moral obligation to receive the Covid-19 vaccines to protect not only their own lives but those of others.

“We at FFCCCII believe it is our moral obligation to not only be vaccinated, but to come out in public to help our government to promote public acceptance of vaccines. Indeed, we can only win this pandemic if we unite ourselves, and think of what’s best for our fellowmen,” the FFCCCII leader said. “Let’s not spread the virus of division. Instead, let’s spread hope, optimism and unity so we can start our Philippine economic recovery soonest and continue moving forward.”

Their organization, according to him, fully supports the government’s ongoing national vaccination program, which targets to inoculate 70 million people or two-thirds of the population this year.

In doing so, the FFCCCII has plans to buy 500,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines for economic frontliners to safeguard the entrepreneurs and workers who are at the forefront of Philippine socioeconomic development.

“Now that the vaccination of medical frontliners and uniformed personnel has started, our Federation would like to request the IATF to also allow the vaccination of our country’s economic frontliners such as entrepreneurs with their employees and workers nationwide, most especially the MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises],” Lim said.

MSMEs comprise 99.5 percent of registered businesses operating in the country and they generate 62.4 percent of employment opportunities nationwide.

“They are the most affected by the pandemic and having a vaccination program for our economic frontliners would give confidence to restart and further open up most businesses. As the backbone of the Philippine economy, they play a big role in reviving our economy amid the pandemic, and in restoring and creating jobs,” he said.

Lim disclosed that their planned undertaking will be financed by voluntary donations and purchases by their over 170 Filipino Chinese chambers and trade organizations nationwide.

He added that they will partner with major hospitals in the country and the vaccinations will take place in auditoriums or other conducive sites near any health-care institutions.

medium into another language so that speakers of other languages can enjoy it. Captioning, on the other hand, is more commonly used as a service to aid deaf and hard of hearing audiences.

By the way, I found out that subtitling is now becoming a cottage industry. My daughter recently told me about wanted ads for captioning and subtitling jobs. What a way to make a living; you get to watch movies while at work!

For those who are still reluctant to embrace subtitles, consider this added benefit. Neurologists say that reading subtitles actually exercises your brain more because your brain is doing two complex things at once: trying to put together what you are reading while at the same time gathering information of what you are seeing in the film or video.

So thank God for subtitles, or sous titres in French, untertitel in German, and sottotitolo in Italian. As windows and bridges to understanding, subtitles deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. Because of the almost infinite range of movies that I am now able to watch, they enable me to mentally travel and transcend cultural and linguistic barriers that used to keep human beings apart.

As for seniors like me, captions and subtitles keep the brain and eyes wonderfully engaged, keeping the inevitability of mental decline at bay.

Education BusinessMirror

A8 Saturday, March 20, 2021

‘Space’s the limit’ for PHL’s nanosatellite developer

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HE Philippines can expect more great things from Engr. Marloun Pelayo Sejera, who played a major part in the development and deployment of the country’s nanosatellite Maya-2.

The Maya-2 cube satellite (CubeSat) was launched into space just last month, but the Mapúa University Electronics and Communications Engineering alumnus was deeply involved in building two other nanosatellites prior.

Maya-2 is the country’s second nanosatellite activated from the International Space Station (ISS) in February 2021 under the fourth Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite (BIRDS-4) project. Sejera is one of three Filipino minds behind its creation; the other two are Izrael Zenar Casople Bautista and Mark Angelo Cabrera Purio.

The nanosatellite was successfully deployed into orbit from the ISS on March 14. Its main mission is to store and forward data from space. The satellite to captures data transmitted from ground sensors, and sends them to ground stations for data analysis.

Sejera beamed with pride as he watched the Cygnus-15 spacecraft’s launch on February 21, which carried the Philippine satellite: “It was a relief when Cygnus-15 successfully docked the ISS.” Specifically, Sejera was in-charge of building the communications subsystem for the nanosatellite, as well as its Automatic Packet Reporting System—a radio-based system that encodes real-time digital information transmission. The subsystem makes sure the nanosatellite has a reliable communication transmittal with ground stations, ensuring continuous satellite missions.

University training

SEJERA shared that his learning experience and academic life in Mapúa University equipped him with necessary training and developmental

Off-campus education bill hurdles 2nd reading

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HE House of Representatives has approved on second reading a measure seeking to regulate the conduct of off-campus educational activities by both public and private schools.

During the plenary session on March 10, the chamber passed via voice vote House Bill 8737, or the proposed Off-Campus Education Act, which Representative Jose Enrique Garcia III of Bataan principally authored.

The bill states that off-campus educational activities undertaken outside the premises of the institution are considered curricular or noncurricular.

It seeks to mandate the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to identify and accredit venues or destinations where educational institutions may hold offcampus activities.

Both government institutions shall also be mandated to designate government offices, local government units, and private entities as Knowledge Resource Destinations: facilities or entities that have activated their social, natural and human resources, as well as established a learning program suitable for off-campus activities.

Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA

skills in building Maya-2.

“Mapúa has been very supportive and involved from the beginning of my career in nanosatellite development. They opened the opportunity for me: from teaching, being one of the Philippine delegates in the Small Satellite Mission workshop in India, and now, my involvement in the BIRDS-4 Project,” Sejera said.

In November 2017, Sejera was invited as a Philippine delegate to attend a short course held in Dehradun, India. This was funded by the Department of Science and Technology and the Asean. The workshop further piqued the interest of Sejera in satellite development and gave him a clearer point of view of what he wanted to pursue with regard to his graduate studies. He was then able to join the BIRDS-4 Project in 2018, with Mapúa serving as his stepping stone.

In early 2018, the university was informed about the capacitybuilding initiative of the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite Program, where three Filipinos were chosen to be sent to Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) in Fukuoka, Japan.

Sejera felt the opportunity came at the right time, so he applied immediately for the program and underwent a careful selection process.

He shared he was fortunate enough, and at the same time truly honored, of his selection as one of the delegates to represent the country.

The program gave the participants the opportunity to study Space Engineering and build the Philippines’s second CubeSat through the BIRDS-4 project, which is now known as the Maya-2.

“The support that I got from

ENGR. Marloun Pelayo Sejera MARK ANGELO PURIO

Mapúa is very essential in pursuing my doctorate at Kyutech,” he added.

“Having been involved in the project, Mapúa will be able to participate in the dissemination of space, science and technology, and satellite development in the country.”

‘BIRDS’ in space

IT was the Philippines’s second time to join Kyutech’s BIRDS project—an interdisciplinary satellite project for nonspace-faring countries. The country first joined in the BIRDS-2 project that developed and deployed Maya-1 in 2018.

For t wo years, par ticipants learned to design, develop, and operate 1U CubeSats. The knowledge and experience the participants gained in the project could, in turn, be passed on when they return to their respective countries.

The BIRDS-4 project kicked-off in November 2018. The team is composed of 14 students from various

countries: three from the Philippines; two from Paraguay; four from Japan; and one each from Nepal, Turkey, Sudan, France and Egypt.

Sejera pointed out that under the program, he and other participants were able to deliver a number of satellites to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in October 2020.

“Despite cultural differences and work habits, the team was able to work harmoniously toward a common goal,” Sejera explained. “We can surely expect more brilliant minds to crop up in the coming years, as the Filipino spirit remains persevering, resilient, passionate and driven. These traits and attitudes will surely help Filipinos excel further and leave their marks in society.”

He concluded: “Think outside the box and expand your horizons.

As the great Albert Einstein said: We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Globe, American Bar Assoc. advance responsible Web use

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LOBE Telecom has partnered with the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI) and its Access to Justice and Support for the Rule of Law in the Philippines (ACCESS) Project to train representatives from civil society, academe, as well as members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines on delivering the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP) to promote responsible Internet use.

The DTP is a series of capacitybuilding workshops organized by Globe to educate the youth and other stakeholders about digital citizenship and the responsible use of technology. The sessions have been made more relevant by the current pandemic, where all sectors are now heavily using online platforms daily.

The ABA cohosted Globe’s DTP session in February, which trained close to 100 participants to become

DTP ambassadors who will, in turn, educate the public on proper online behavior, with the aim to create a more open, inclusive and safe online environment.

This collaboration was made possible through ABA-ROLI’s ACCESS project, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In partnership with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), ABA-ROLI is currently identifying new areas for collaboration in ensuring vulnerable Filipinos have access to legal information and services.

“We are happy to see various sectors embracing the advocacy of digital citizenship, especially at these times when the use of the Internet has become all the more prevalent in our everyday lives,” said Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications and Chief Sustainability Officer

Yoly C. Crisanto. “This helps ensure that with the rise of digital transformation, Filipinos are equipped with soft skills needed to keep themselves protected while online.”

ABA-ROLI Senior Program Manager Liezl Parajas also noted the importance and timeliness of the collaboration between the ABA-ROLI and Globe, especially because of the forced migration to online platforms.

“Participation in the DTP by legal professionals from the government, private sector and civil society boosted their fundamental skills and broadened their awareness of [operating] more effectively and securely in our increasingly digital world,” added Parajas. “More important, Globe’s DTP training emphasizes online responsibility with these common-sense principles: Think before you click, verify before you believe, and pause before you post.”

Security Bank’s classrooms project bags a Silver Anvil

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EC U R I T Y B a n k Fou nd a tion’s flagship corporate social responsibility program “Build a School, Build a Nation: The Classrooms Project” recently bagged a Silver Anvil at the 56th Anvil Awards.

According to the foundation, the program has been helping the gov-

ernment address classroom shortage by constructing units in areas where Security Bank has presence.

It aims to improve the quality of education through the provision of training opportunities for teachers and school heads.

“The legacy that Security Bank wants to leave behind through our

‘Classrooms Project’ is the improvement of the learning conditions and academic performance in public schools all over the country,” said Chairman Rafael Simpao Jr. of Security Bank Foundation. “[We hope] to create a brighter tomorrow for the next generation of Filipinos through better education.”

Editor: Mike Policarpio

Filipino martial arts, games, culture featured in Madrid public school

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ADRID—The Philippine Embassy in this Spa n ish c it y conducted a workshop at a public school on March 5 to promote traditional Filipino games, martial arts and culture.

The embassy, represented

by Consul Mikhal de Dios and Cultural Assistant Karen CaroTrujillo, also saw the participation of Dr. Raphael Angelo Gonzalez, who is a member of the Filipino community in Madrid and frequent contributor to the embassy’s activities.

The Colegio Público San Juan Bosco—a bilingual public school in the Autonomous Community of Madrid—hosted the event. The embassy had been invited to present by Camille Urmatan, a Filipina working as an auxiliar de conversacion or language assistant for English at the school.

During their visit, the embassy team taught more than 160 schoolchildren, ranging from three to 12 years old, for more than four consecutive sessions. De Dios, with the assistance of Dr. Gonzalez, gave demonstrations on the Filipino

national martial art and sport of arnis, then invited the students to join them in learning some of its basic techniques.

Caro-Trujillo then taught the students the traditional sangkayaw or coconut-shell race, which proved very popular, especially with the younger children. After that, the team distributed educational materials—including a primer on common Filipino phrases, a text of Bahay Kubo with lyrics in the original Filipino and translated into Spanish, Philippine flaglets and paper dolls which featured figures from the story of Magellan and Lapu-Lapu’s encounter. They were produced by the National Quincentennial Committee.

After spending the morning teaching the students, the embassy’s team met with School Director Roberto Femenía Lozano, who was given a Fiesta Filipinas kit and a Filipiniana doll.

Femenía and his fellow teachers expressed their appreciation to the embassy for the visit, and remarked that the students immensely enjoyed learning about the Philippines. DFA

IBM, partners’ programs spell out social impact

I

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

BM recently formed partnerships with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), Department of Education-National Capital Region (DepEd-NCR), Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP) and Project Inclusion Network to further “Big Blue’s” global education efforts in helping close the digital skills gap while enhancing socioeconomic development.

According to IBM, the partnership with PBSP aims to create at least two schools under the Pathways in Technology Early College High School system, and expand the use of its open-variation type this year.

P-Tech is a public-education model that prov ides highschool students from underserved backgrounds with the academic, technical and professional skills, as well as credentials needed for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based jobs which may warrant more than a high-school diploma, but not necessarily a university degree.

Taguig City University hosts the first local P-Tech school. It opened in 2019.

“These initiatives—being the first of its kind in the Philippines—are very timely, as the education sector continues to reinvent teaching and learning in the current pandemic,” Executive Director Rey Laguda of PBSP said. “Moreover, the inter nship and work placelear ning oppor tunities offered by industry partners can further help students to gain right skills they will need for the professional world.”

“IBM has redef ined t he education model with P-Tech and Open P-Tech. Through our partnership, we can help to create a focused analytics strand in senior high school that will lead to an associate degree in data engineering, data science, or [artificial in-

telligence (AI)],” Sherwin M. Pelayo, cochairman of AAP’s Policy, Research and Insights Council, ex plained. “ W hile AAP is advocating that certain analytics jobs require the rigors of higher education, there is a high demand for entry-level jobs that can be filled immediately.”

DepEd-NCR will be deploying Open P-Tech, a free digitaleducation platform focused on teaching learners emerging technologies and professional skills. Selected Open P-Tech modules, such as the introduction to AI, communications, and design thinking, will be embedded into the basic education curriculum for Grades 8 to 12. More than 400 DepEd-NCR educators have been oriented on this project, which will rollout in 101 NCR public schools, estimated to benefit around 55,000 learners.

The Open P-Tech program has been designed to democratize technology by curating and simplifying content for more than 223,000 learners and teachers in more than 137 countries. It follows a noncurriculum format to enable fundamental learning and foster STEM careers.

“IBM’s collaboration with partners across sectors is key in ensuring we are able to cast a wider net in providing learners—both students and professionals—with equal access to quality education on the emerg ing technolog ies and professional skills relevant to the digital era and marketplace,” said President and Country General Manager Aileen Judan-Jiao of IBM Philippines. “We look forward [for] more like-minded organizations to join us in making a difference with IBM’s socialimpact programs.”

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Saturday, March 20, 2021 A9

Go straight to a Southern sanctuary

SEDA Nuvali lakeview is the perfect spot for bikers to rest and recharge.

Camp N Trail Systems is a six-hectare biking and adventure park FB home page

Story & photos

by Bernard L. Supetran

I

am firm believer that not all hotels are created equal.

They may have the similar features and amenities, mouthwatering dishes, star ratings, convincing online reviews, and well-rehearsed pleasantries of its staff.

But there are certain attributes which cannot be replicated—the property’s corporate soul, the natural warm hospitality of its frontliners, and the all-important location, location, location. In these departments, Seda Nuvali stands out and can even edge even the urban five-star hotels as a staycation sanctuary in the Metro’s southern suburb.

Strategically located at Nuvali Evoliving, a novel eco-city development by Ayala Land Inc., the hotel offers a merry mix of countryside ambiance, modern lifestyle, and everything in between.

This four-star, 150-room hotel affords guests an inimitable resort-like feel—stunning views of the Evozone Rain Garden, the beautifully landscaped man-made lake, Mount Makiling, open spaces, Tagaytay Ridge, lush tree canopies, and a master-planned estate which blends perfectly with the natural environment.

The rain garden, which is engineered to be a rainwater catchment basin, has become a habitat to some 20 bamboo varieties, seven

BIKING at Nuvali Evoliving Center is open to the public all-day, every day.

SEDA Nuvali poolside is good for laps and surrounded by gardens.

types of trees, and at least six species of birds, which have made this zone a birdwatching spot.

As the enviable halfway point of Manila and Tagaytay, Seda has endeared itself to urban families and corporate executives who want a relaxing getaway or a productive business event away from the concrete jungle. And since most of Metro hotels have been designated as quarantine lodging facilities, Seda is the logical option for leisure guests.

NUVALI Evozone Rain Garden has wide open spaces and biking trails.

In recent months, the hotel and Nuvali have seen an exponential rise of bicycle and big bike enthusiasts who have made the area a destination or pit stop for their two-wheel journey.

While the pandemic has ironically contributed to the phenomenal popularity of this recreation, the leisure estate has actually positioned itself as a haven for environment-friendly transportation, much like other Ayala development. This principle of

sustainability is evident in its extensive and scenic purpose-built bike lanes, jogging and walking paths around the sprawling area to promote physical well-being and help reduce air pollution from motor vehicles.

A recipient of the prestigious accolades from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an internationally recognized green building certification system, as well as the Department of Tourism’s Anahaw

Environmentally Sustainable Hotels and Resorts, the hotel embraces a sustainable philosophy with green initiatives that impact its stakeholders. Unlike its counterparts elsewhere, Seda Nuvali takes pride in being a natural hub for a wide array of guest activities such as outdoor sports, and discovery of heritage and culture, on top of the typical lazy staycation binging within the premises.

With its proximity to the other attractions in Santa Rosa, the hotel

is an ideal jump-off point in exploring on bikes Enchanted Kingdom and the city’s old población which boasts of its ornate Spanish-era welcome arch, well-preserved ancestral homes, and public plaza which have seen the town’s evolution from a genteel to a gentrified community, and the St. Rose of Lima Church, home of the city’s Peruvian patron saint.

An emerging tourist belt in the old town is the lakeshore road along the placid Laguna de Bay, which has been hiding from plain sight for so long.

With a distance of just about 50 kms from Makati, Seda Nuvali is a mid-distance pedaling distance away passing through the Manila South Road in Muntinlupa, San Pedro, Biñan, and Santa Rosa which teem with intriguing Old World sights and sites.

The hotel hopes to bolster its being a hub of outdoor-oriented and fun-loving families with the recent opening of the Camp N Trail Systems, a 6-hectare biking and adventure park which taps into their active spirit. Situated 7 kms away, the new facility is a haven for newbie and seasoned bikers, as well as adrenaline junkies with its zipline and hanging ropes course.

Watersport aficionados, meanwhile, can glide and slice the water at Republic Wakepark, a wakeboarding mecca with 2 lakes, plus beginner classes and ramps for experts.

With the world-class service of a homegrown hotel brand, excellent location, and solicitous personnel who consider you part of the family, Seda Nuvali is undoubtedly your southern sanctuary worth coming back to again and again.

Pal turns 80, committed to stay aloft and serve the public

P

hilippine Airlines, celebrating its 80th anniversary, assured the flying public of its staunch commitment to continue serving the public as flag carrier as it works toward full recovery of the airline and the travel sector.

PAL President and COO Gilbert Santa Maria said: “Our message to our country and the world: Buhay pa tayo. Andito pa tayo. At hindi tayo aalis. [PAL is alive, we’re still here, and we’re here to stay]. This great lady— Philippine Airlines—will stay aloft while she is in our care.”

Santa Maria issued this state-

ment after a dawn eucharistic celebration welcoming PAL’s 80th anniversary on March 15.

The open air mass, held at the grounds of the south wing of Naia Terminal 2, was attended by management officials and representatives from various PAL departments and guests.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the flag carrier has been focusing on repatriation and cargo transport efforts, as well as rebuilding its network of commercial flights on key international and domestic routes.

PAL carried home 310,000 of the displaced 420,000 over-

PAL Executives at 80th Mass

seas Filipinos to their respective provinces from March 2020 up to the present. Within the same period, tens of thousands of foreign nationals flew back to their home countries via PAL. At pres-

Rev. Fr. Jose Winston Margate

ent, the airline is airlifting shipments of anti-Covid vaccines to various areas in Mindanao, Luzon and the Visayas.

The flag carrier has restored regular commercial flights to

the US, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and several Asian countries, as well as most of its domestic trunk and inter-island routes.

As a fitting cap to his mes-

sage, the PAL President read the Knights Templar Motto: “Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini tuo da gloriam [Not for us, My Lord, not for us, but to your Name give the glory].”

A10 Saturday, March 20, 2021 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

NETFLIX TESTS OUT A POSSIBLE PASSWORD-SHARING CRACKDOWN

NETFLIX is testing a way to crack down on password sharing. AP

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THIS photo provided by Google shows the Nest Hub. Sleepsensing technology will be a key feature on Google’s next generation of its Nest Hub, a 7-inch display unveiled on March 16. AP

/

THIS March 29, 2018 file photo shows the Facebook logo on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York’s Times Square. AP

NEW YORK—Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing.

The popular streaming service has been using popups to ask some users to verify their account via e-mail or text, or to “verify later.”

“If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,” the screen reads, according to Streamable.com, which first reported the test.

The test comes as streaming

services proliferate and more people share passwords and services. Netflix confirmed the test, but did not say how many people were part of the test or if it was only in the US or elsewhere.

“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” the company said in a statement.

On the most basic plan, which costs $9 monthly, users can only stream on one screen at a time. The most popular plan,

Google gets into sleep surveillance with new Nest Hub screen S

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE The Associated Press

AN RAMON, California—Google’s next Internet-connected home device will test whether consumers trust the company enough to let it snoop on their sleep.

New sleep-sensing technology will be a key feature on Google’s latest version of its Nest Hub, a 7-inch smart screen unveiled on Tuesday. Like the previous generation, the $100 Nest Hub can display pictures and video in addition to fielding questions and handling household tasks through Google’s voiceactivated assistant. It also doesn’t feature a camera.

But the latest Nest Hub’s new trick may help differentiate it from similar devices, such as Amazon’s Echo Show, while also providing a springboard for Google to get more involved in helping people manage their health.

If you allow it, the device will also monitor your sleeping patterns from your bedside, negating the need to wear a fitness device or any other potentially bothersome gadget in bed. The feature, which Google intends to offer for free through at least this year, relies on a new chip Google calls Soli, which uses radar to detect motion, including the depth of a person’s breathing.

The Nest Hub is supposed to generate weekly sleep reports with easy-to-understand breakdowns on the length and quality of sleep, how frequently the user gets up at night and snoring and coughing frequency, along with tips developed in consultation with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Google says it honed the technology by studying 15,000 sleeping people over a combined 110,000 nights. That kind of help may sound appealing to the millions of people who have trouble sleeping. But the feature may also raise privacy concerns—especially given Google’s long history of online surveillance to collect personal details such as interests, habits and whereabouts to help sell the digital ads that generate most of its revenue.

It also underscores Google’s obvious intent to

extend its tentacles into new areas of people’s lives in its relentless quest to make more money, said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a consumer and privacy rights group.

“Google’s goal is to monetize every cell of your body,” Chester said.

The sleep sensing feature will remain free through the rest of this year, but Google could eventually sell it as a subscription service, acknowledged Ashton Udall, Google Nest’s senior product manager.

The company may also eventually tweak the feature to work with its FitBit line of fitness devices, which Google took over in January. That $2.1 billion purchase has raised concerns that Google could use those gadgets to peer more deeply into people’s personal health.

Google is emphasizing the privacy protections built into the sleep sensing feature. For starters, users will have to turn it on themselves. The Nest Hub will also have controls that Google says will make it clear when sleep tracking is on and to make it easy to delete data from the device. All audio will be kept on the device, meaning it won’t be sent to Google’s data centers, although other sleep information will be provided to generate the analysis and reports. None of the information collected through the sleep sensing feature will be used to sell ads, Udall said.

But Chester is skeptical about that pledge.

Knowing an individual’s sleeping patterns, for instance, could help Google know when a person is feeling anxious or sick, Chester said, and those insights could influence which ads to show. ■

which is now $14 monthly, allows two simultaneous streams; the $18 premium plan allows 3. But there has never been a limit on sharing an account when you aren’t streaming at the same time.

Competition has definitely heated up in entertainment streaming, with recent entrants running from Disney+ in 2019 to Paramount+ most recently.

Still, Netflix remains the one to beat with more than 200 million subscribers globally. AP

Smartphone brand heats up summer EVERYONE is in for the hottest summer, as popular smartphone brand Oppo marks the season with treats ongoing until March 23 at concept stores and official dealer partners nationwide.

Consumers who purchase the Oppo A12 3GB are entitled to a free 3-in-1 Gift Box loaded with cool items from Oppo, while A12 4GB comes with a free Hikvision 32GB TF Card, and the A15s 4GB comes with a free Hikvision 64GB TF Card.

Meanwhile, consumers who purchase the latest Oppo Reno5 4G and Reno5 5G get a free TG113 Bluetooth Speaker. This freebie is applied to each smartphone purchase and is available until supplies last. The latest A15s offers value-for-money featuring daily connectivity and productivity essentials, plus a 13MP AI triple rear camera ideal to perfectly capture moments with your friends and family.

The latest Oppo Reno5 Series is a coveted smartphone upgrade for gaming and content creation.

The series is built with features perfect for creativity needs such as the 64MP AI Quad Camera for clearer, crisper shots plus smart AI features like Dual-View Video, AI Color Portrait, and AI Video Highlight useful for no-editing-needed social-media posts.

Both 4G and 5G variants are built with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of ROM for smoother performance in gaming sessions that are made even smarter with AI features such as Bullet Screen Message, a feature that provides in-game notification messaging, and Gamer Mode, a feature where it lets you temporarily tune out interruptions so you can focus on winning your game.

More information is available at www.oppo.com/ph.

THE Oppo Reno 5 Series

Facebook to label vaccine posts to combat Covid-19 misinfo LONDON—Facebook is adding informational labels to posts about vaccines as it expands efforts to counter Covid-19-related misinformation flourishing on its platforms.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog post on Monday that labels will contain “credible information” about the vaccines from the World Health Organization. They will be in English and five other languages, with more languages added in coming weeks.

“For example, we’re adding a label on posts that discuss the safety of Covid-19 vaccines that notes Covid-19 vaccines go through tests for safety and effectiveness before they’re approved,” Zuckerberg said.

The social network is also adding a tool to help get users vaccinated by connecting them to information about where and when they can get

their shot.

Facebook and Instagram have been criticized for allowing anti-vaccination propaganda to spread and for being woefully slow in weeding out the misinformation, often with fact-checks, labels and other restrained measures.

“This announcement falls well short of what is needed to solve the crisis of anti-vaccine lies polluting social-media users’ timelines,” said Imran Ahmed, CEO of the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate, a critic of socialmedia companies’ handling of hate speech and misinformation.

“Facebook and Instagram still do not remove the vast majority of posts reported to them for containing dangerous misinformation about vaccines,” Ahmed said. “The main superspreaders of anti-vaccine lies all still have

a presence on Instagram or Facebook, despite promises to remove them. And the evidence suggests that the way Facebook applies labels to misinformation posts has minimal impact.”

For years, Facebook and other social platforms have allowed anti-vaccination propaganda to flourish, making it difficult to stamp out such sentiments now. And their efforts to weed out other types of Covid-19 misinformation—often with fact-checks, informational labels and other restrained measures, has been woefully slow.

The Associated Press recently identified more than a dozen Facebook pages and Instagram accounts, collectively boasting millions of followers, that have made false claims about the Covid-19 vaccine or discouraged people from taking it. Some of these pages have existed for years. AP

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Saturday, March 20, 2021 A11

Fights, camera, action: Getting into the streaming game XENDIT RAISES NEW CAPITALIZATION TO SCALE UP DIGITAL PAYMENTS INFRASTRUCTURE IN ASEAN, PHL

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor INDONESIAN firm Xendit has raised $64.6 million in a Series B round led by Accel to deliver more secure and reliable economic success in Southeast Asia and, at the same time, propel the growth of its recently launched operations in the Philippines.

Southeast Asia is a massively complex region, according to Xendit chief executive officer and cofounder Moses Lo. “Trying to build the businesses of tomorrow on yesterday’s infrastructure is holding Southeast Asia’s businesses back,” he said. Given this situation, Xendit chief operating officer and cofounder Tessa Wijaya underscored that the region needs access to a dependable payments infrastructure of its own.

“Xendit’s platform will supercharge the region’s incredible digital economy, ensuring the next generation of businesses can soar,” she noted.

The fastest-growing digital payments infrastructure for Southeast Asia is quickly bolstering businesses of all sizes, processing more than 65 million transactions with $6.5 billion in payment value annually.

Xendit provides them all with payment solutions to set up and go to market quickly, including processing payments, running marketplaces, disbursing payroll and loans, and detecting scam.

With these, businesses can access best-in-class fraud detection with a privacy-forward approach, a quick-to-implement API deploying in just a matter days, and a world-class 24/7 customer service.

“This latest investment will enable Xendit to scale our digital payments infrastructure quickly and provide millions of small and medium-sized businesses across Southeast Asia with an on-ramp to the digital economy,” Lo said.

Among other key initiatives, it will also accelerate further the development of its newly established business in the Philippines which, like Indonesia, is a complicated and fragmented market that requires innovative, hyper-localized solutions to payment ecosystems.

“With the support of forward-thinking regulators like the BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas], the Philippines has seen widespread adoption of digital payments over the last year,” said Yang Yang Zhang, managing director of Xendit Philippines.

“We feel strongly that Xendit is best poised to ensure that all Filipino businesses—from enterprises to SMEs [small and medium enterprises]—have easy access to world-class payments infrastructure to help them rapidly adapt to this shift in consumer behavior.

We are so excited to play a role in the Filipino economy’s recovery from the Covid pandemic and set the stage for the next inflection point in its growth,” she added.

To date, Xendit has raised a total of $88 million in funding. Accel led the latest round with added support from YCombinator. The company is the first from Indonesia to go through the latter’s accelerator program, and was named one of YCombinator’s top 100 companies of 2021.

T

HE other day, I somehow got redirected to the Facebook Gaming page. No, I wasn’t searching for “sando gamers” (a totally different topic I want to write about). And there on the screen was the description: “Pennywise vs Tito Ed Caluag”—15ft virtual versions of them on an NBA 2K court, teaming up with “Bossing” Vic Sotto, Vice Ganda, Jollibee, Ronald McDonald—and some other characters. It was weird until the next feed showed Gerald Anderson taking on Joshua Garcia in a wrestling ring.

Another gamer was dressed up like a jeepney driver (the Good Morning towel was a giveaway) playing some sort of simulation driving with a Jeepney—while on the next screen was someone driving a Victory Liner bus along the edge of a cliff.

So imagine my relief when I was directed to Megan Young’s channel. Yes. Miss World 2013 Megan Young.

But you know the craziest part of it all? There were hundreds, even thousands of people watching them live with several thousands more sharing and liking their content.

Besides YouTubers, and TikTok-ers, game streamers are among the most watched personalities online. Names like Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Turner “Tfue” Tenney have become streaming icons, while here in the Philippines we have Alodia Gosiengfiao, GLOCO, Dexie Diaz, Kristine Santamena, MoyMoy Palaboy, Biancake, Megan Young and ChooxTV, among the most-watched gamers.

Of course, follower counts equate to the millions of dollars earned by these top streamers. Gaming is a $120 billion industry, and live video game streaming constitutes a growing slice. So if you have a knack for playing games and could make it entertaining enough to get you fans, game streaming might just be that side hustle you need to try.

Getting into streaming isn’t that complicated and doesn’t take a fancy stream setup to get started.

All you need is a decent spec-ed PC, a fast Internet connection, a good keyboard, headset, gaming mouse, microphone and you are good to go.

This also means you don’t actually have to spend all your savings to build a start-up streaming rig. If you want to explore the exciting world of streaming or even just level up your gaming gear, there’s a new brand, called Vertux, that offers a full lineup of gaming peripherals.

Designed in Dubai, Vertux takes your gameplay to greater heights with stylish accessories such as keyboards, mice and headphones, plus cooling pads, headphone stands and microphones without breaking the bank and, more importantly, won’t make you look like a noob.

The keyboard that came bundled with your PC might be good enough for chatting, e-mail and updating your social media, but if you want to get serious about your gaming, you need a keyboard that’s

engineered for high-performance and reliability, even after years of heavy use and abuse. The Vertux Tantalum is a high-performing mechanical keyboard which provides precision with 100 percent antighosting keys and a customizable RGB illumination of 16.8 million colors. From one mechanical keyboard to another, Vertux Tungsten is a hyper-action gaming keyboard with six customizable modes that let you enjoy every game depending on your mood. Vertux RaidKey, on the other hand, is a 104-key keyboard that parades itself as the ultimate gaming keyboard which features blue mechanical switches for the response and tactical feel gamers always look for.

Vertux Vendetta is a keyboard-mouse combo with an ergonomic design and programmable macro keys; it has GX rubber dome switches and RGB lighting feature with 9 modes for a more immersive gaming session.

Lightning quick reflexes are crucial for gamers, so that means you need a mouse that can match your reactions and give you a competitive edge and impeccable accuracy. Vertux Cobalt has 6 programmable buttons for easier customization, letting you score an advantage with its high-tracking accuracy and up to 4800 DPI that delivers ultimate performance combined with your skill. Sporting classic white and black variants, the Dominator and Drago let you feel a whole new level of control beyond expectations with its four on-the-go DPI settings to let you one-up your competitors. An unassuming alternative is the Sensei—a USB-wired gaming mouse that helps you to play to your full capacities.

With up to 3200 DPI, it boasts of LED backlight and comfortable buttons and scroll wheel. Make sure to also pair your Vertux mouse with a progaming mousepad. Flexing a stylish, unseen design, Vertux Glider features 2.4G wireless transmission technology which allows lag-free gaming experience.

For more seamless wrist action, the FluxPad has an optimized low resistance anti-friction slim LED technology that gives you greater tracking performance and superb precision.

Nothing puts you in the middle of the action than a great pair of headphones. Vertux’s high-definition noise-isolating headsets like the Havana boast of a powerful, high-density 50mm speakers to let you hear every detail even during the most intense gaming situations. The unrivaled sound quality is paired with seven rainbow colors which you can control to match your gaming setup.

The Denali offers a one-touch on/ off button and a high-grade mic ensuring clear conversations between teams. Vertux even has a headset named after Manila that offers reliable 40mm speaker drivers for perfect competitive gaming sessions.

And after those intense gaming sessions, rest it securely on the Vertux Extent. This 3-in-1 headset stand with built-in mouse bungee, USB ports and LED lights is a great way to make your gaming table classier.

A dedicated microphone is also important when streaming via PC to make sure your commentary is crystal clear. The Vertux Sphere is a high-grade professional gaming microphone with a cardioid polar pattern that picks voice from the front and eliminates noise from other directions to let you sound your best. Vertux also has a couple of Streamer

series microphones—the Streamer-3 and Streamer-2 offers standout performance with its easy-tilt microphones and a cool LED backlight feature that makes it eye-catching for gamers. The anti-vibration Vertux Vertumic-1 minimizes interference making your voice richer for streaming, voice calls and recording.

For those moments when you just want to blast out those in game effects—Vertux has an impressive pair of wireless speakers. First is the Vertux Rumba, a water-resistant housing that creates an impenetrable seal keeping the music alive even when outdoors. Its “AuraSync” LED lights provide a dazzling display that enhances any gaming setup. Next is the Vertux SonicThunder-50, an ultra-powerful gaming audio system with Bluetooth v5.0. It has two 10W satellite speakers and a 30W subwoofer that delivers rich, directionally accurate audio needed for highperformance gaming. If you choose to game using your laptop, make sure to grab a cooling pad like the Vertux Glare that features a robust cooling technology with a fan speed controller for optimum performance.

It even has an LED screen and rainbow lights in a sturdy aluminum design that carry laptops up to 17”.

Vertux is available in selected retail stores nationwide and at their official stores at Shopee, Lazada, Zalora and Grab.

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

Sports BusinessMirror

A12

| Saturday, March 20, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

PSA HAILS TOLENTINO T

HE man who bravely led Philippine sports during its darkest hours will be honored by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) when it recognizes the top performers and achievers of 2020 next week.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino will receive the President’s Award during the virtual San Miguel Corp.Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night at the TV5 Media Center on March 27.

Acting in his capacity as congressman from Cavite’s eighth district, Tolentino convinced his colleagues at the House of Representatives to include a P180-million item to the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act 2 that benefited athletes and coaches on the national team.

Under the House version of Republic Act 11494, members of the national squad began receiving their monthly allowances in full starting November last year after their stipend was cut in half when government decided to channel funds to its Covid-19 pandemic campaign.

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino The passing of the Bayanihan Act 2 also allowed national team members to receive—retroactive—the 50-percent cut from their allowances dating back to July, while at the same time providing them a one-time P5,000 pandemic assistance.

“Even before the din of the victorious Philippine campaign in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games was over,

HARMIE FAVORED AT LPGT EAGLE RIDGE

H

ARMIE CONSTANTINO steps up her build-up for the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Eagle Ridge Championship unfolding Tuesday, expecting three days of exacting challenge not only from a compact field she humbled the first time out but also from the Norman course ready to test the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) cast’s mental toughness.

Constantino upstaged Princess Superal with clutch shots and putts to win her first pro tournament in last week’s ICTSI Eagle Ridge Challenge at Aoki but the former national amateur standout is aware of what lies

ahead while stressing the need to be in top shape for another stab at LPGT glory.

“The win only showed how much work I have to put in for the next tournament,” said the former University of Georgia stalwart, whose routine includes a two-hour workout on the range and gym work. “At home, I do some putting.”

That should make her A-ready for the P400,000 championship, together with Superal, who is also priming up for a payback and a return to the podium after back-to-back runner-up finishes following an emphatic victory in the first of two Riviera bubble

he [Tolentino] proceeded to lead the way for Philippine sports through uncertainty and darkness wrought by an invisible and merciless adversity in 2020,” said PSA President Tito Talao, sports editor of the Manila Bulletin.

“If for that alone, the PSA President’s Award is most sincerely presented to Rep. Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino, president of the Philippine Olympic Committee,” Talao added.

Tolentino will be one of the select special awardees to be recognized by the country’s oldest media organization in the event co-presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Cignal TV, with 1- Pacman Party-list, Chooks-to-Go and Rain or Shine as major backers.

The virtual Awards Night, to be hosted by Gretchen Ho and Carlo Pamintuan, will be aired on March 28 at One Sports+ from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The 57-year-old Tolentino, a former councilor and mayor of Tagaytay City, is in great company as previous recipients of the President’s Award include world champion and Tokyo Olympics-bound gymnast

Carlos Yulo, the unbeaten National University Lady Bulldogs, Gilas Pilipinas 3.0, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Chairman Emeritus and Philippine Basketball Association team owner Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ateneo men’s basketball team and world pool champions Rubilen Amit, Dennis Orcollo and Lee Van Corteza, among others.

As a testament to his leadership, Tolentino was given a fresh, four-year mandate at the POC last November. He was previously elected to take over the remaining term of former POC President Ricky Vargas, who tendered his irrevocable resignation in 2019.

Upon his reelection, the POC chief lobbied in the Senate, through his brother Senator Francis Tolentino, the appropriation of about P900 million in the 2021 national budget to bolster the training of the country’s national athletes. A separate version in the House of Representative was earlier passed.

Before the year ended, Tolentino was reelected to a third four-year term as president of the International Cycling Federation of the Philippines or PhilCycling.

tournaments late last year that marked the return of the circuit after an eight-month hiatus due to pandemic.

Multi-titled Chihiro Ikeda and Lucy Landicho also signed up for the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.-organized event after missing the action at Aoki, both ready to crowd the favorites for top honors in the 54-hole championship.

The likes of Daniella Uy, Chanelle Avaricio, Cyna Rodriguez, Marvi Monsalve, Gretchen Villacencio and Pamela Mariano are also out to spoil the big guns while Pauline del Rosario, who held off Superal to snare the other Riviera diadem, is confident she could put it all together this time after grappling with her long game and irons at Aoki.

Emphasis will also be on stamina, particularly at the onset of summer with the wind likewise tipped to come into play the way it did at Aoki, guaranteeing a spirited battle not just of shotmaking, but also of wits and guts right in the first round.

HARMIE CONSTANTINO

EUMIR FELIX MARCIAL steps up on his focus on Tokyo.

OLYMPICS, NOT PRO FIGHT, TOPS ON MARCIAL’S PRIORITIES

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By Josef Ramos

OR Zamboanga City pride Eumir Felix Marcial, a second professional fight does not rank high in his priorities for now.

Tops on the list, the 25-year-old Marcial said, is the Tokyo Olympics where he fights in the men’s middleweight class.

“We are not prioritizing any fight in the pros and that’s even a recommendation of Sir Sean [Gibbons],” Marcial told BusinessMirror on Friday morning. “As of now, the preparation for the Tokyo Olympics is really our priority, our focus.”

“Sir Sean told me pro fights can wait for now and after the Olympics, there’s no problem,” he added.

Marcial first and only pro fight was against Andrew Whitfield last December 16 in Los Angeles, California. He won by unanimous decision.

MP Promotions President Gibbons said Marcial would be sparring with different foreign boxers in four-month rundown to the Olympic.

“So far, we’re throwing a lot of different bigger amateur guys for Eumir, somebody who can emulate Ukrainians,

Russians and Kazakhs—and all of those stances,” Gibbons said. “That’s the idea three times a week of sparring.”

Marcial has been under the watchful eyes of world-renowned trainer Freddie Roach at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles since October.

Marcial has been sparring with unbeaten Diego Pacheco, who stands a tall 6-foot-4 over the 5-foot-8 Filipino, along with Gabe Rosado, Russian Artur Akavov and Eric Priest.

“We will try to look at different things come April we’ll step up on the training level depending on his progress,” Gibbons said.

Gibbons said Marcial’s next professional fight would only happen after “he wins the Olympic gold medal.”

Gibbons also confirmed Marcial will join the national team in a tournament in India but dismissed his ward catching up with the training camp in Thailand because of travel restrictions.

Gibbons said they are in close coordination with the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines on Marcial’s progress.

The Olympics are set from July 23 to August 8.