BusinessMirror November 10, 2021

Manufacturing grows 3 digits for 6th month

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HE country’s manufacturing sector continued to post three-digit growth for the sixth consecutive month this year, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In its Production Index and Net Sales Index or Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries (MISSI) report for September 2021, the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) grew 124 percent.

However, this was the slowest since March when the VoPI posted a contraction of 73.3 percent. In August, the VoPI peaked with a growth of 533.6 percent.

“The VoPI posted a positive annual rate of 124 percent in

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September 2021. This is slower than the 533.6-percent increase registered in the previous month.

In September 2020, VoPI dropped at an annual rate of -56.7 percent,” PSA said.

The PSA said 13 industry divisions posted growth in September, led by the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products with a growth of 739.7-percent growth.

However, the growth of this industry was the slowest since April when it shrank by 32.2 percent.

Since May, the growth of this industry has been in quadruple digits. In May, the VoPI growth of this industry reached 1,367.9 percent; June, 2,945.5 percent; July, 3,598.3 percent; and in August,

which is the peak growth for the year, 3,799.5 percent.

Apart from the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products, industries that posted high VoPI growth were the manufacture of fabricated metal products except machinery and equipment at 181.5 percent; a far-third was the manufacture of computer, electronic, and optical products which grew 18.1 percent in September.

Meanwhile, PSA data showed nine industry divisions recorded decreases, led by manufacture of tobacco products with a contraction of 52.8-percent annual rate.

This was followed by the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical

preparations which retreated 24.5 percent and the manufacture of wearing apparel, shrinking by 12.2 percent.

The PSA data also showed the average capacity utilization rate for manufacturing slightly increased to 66.5 percent from 66.2 percent in the previous month.

Twenty of 22 industry divisions had more than 50-percent average capacity utilization rate.

These industries were led by the manufacture of furniture at 85 percent; manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products, 81 percent; and manufacture of tobacco products, 79 percent.

See “Manufacturing,” A2

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n Wednesday, November 10, 2021 Vol. 17 No. 33

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PHL POSTS 7.1% GROWTH IN Q3; EXPERTS SEE RISKS PHL RETAILERS EXPECT CHRISTMAS ORDER HIKE

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad

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OCAL retailers expect to book higher sales this qu a r ter compa red to earlier months due to a surge in orders amid the Christmas season, and they are preparing their logistics to meet the demand.

Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) President Rosemarie Bosch Ong, in an interview with the BusinessMirror, said that retailers are “optimistic” this last quarter because of the easing of mobility restrictions and tempered Covid-19 cases in the country.

“After months of lockdowns and being away from family,

METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto grace the inauguration of the Kalawaan Station, at Jimenez Street in Barangay Kalawaan, Pasig City, on Tuesday (November 9, 2021). The Pasig River Ferry Service now has 12 stations offering free rides to the public, on MMDA’s expectation that there’s a bigger demand for commuter space as pandemic-related alert levels have eased. Two more stations—Quinta and Marikina—are expected to open soon. NONOY LACZA

By Cai U. Ordinario

A

@caiordinario

N unprecedented surge in the number of Covid-19 cases through a new variant as well as high oil prices are among the risks that could dampen economic growth until next year, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) and local economists.

See “Q3,” A2

consumers are expected to make this Christmas season extra special this year, so retailers are preparing for a surge of sales during this period,” she said, adding that, “local businesses are confident that business will be more upbeat and livelier during this quarter.”

Ong sees the products that adhere to healthy lifestyle preferences will be on trend this season amid the pandemic.

With further adoption of e-commerce, the PR A official said that the supply chain is likely to deal with bottlenecks, especially because of the shortage in containers for shipment.

See “Retailers,” A2

BSP to stay ‘patient’ in keeping rates steady

By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

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ANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno told reporters on Tuesday that they will “continue to exercise patience” in holding the monetary policy rates at accommodative levels amid the growth in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter of the year.

“Philippines’s GDP grew 7.1 percent year-on-year in the third

quarter. This stronger-than- expected g row th—versus BSP ’s forecast of 6.2 percent, for example—increases the likelihood that the revised growth projection of 4 to 5 percent in 2021 would be exceeded,” Diokno said in a Viber message following the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) announcement.

“The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will continue to be patient with its accommodative monetary policy stance to support the economy’s full recovery,” he added.

Diokno has been keeping the handle steady on the record-low monetary policy rate of 2 percent for the entire year, despite the rise of inflation above its annual target range of 2 to 4 percent.

In an analysis piece after the GDP announcement on Tuesday, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation Chief Economist Michael Ricafort said the accommodative monetary policy measures would be “a major pillar” of the economic recovery program to spur greater demand for loans and credit.

ING Bank Economist Nicholas Mapa, meanwhile, said the upbeat performance in the third quarter of the year shows that growth is possible even during lockdowns.

He also said faster growth may give the governor room to adjust monetary policy rates in the first half of next year.

Just last month, Diokno said the BSP is staying the course in keeping the monetary policy in the Philippines accommodative See “BSP,” A2

PESO exchange rates n US 50.2410 n japan 0.4437 n UK 68.1519 n HK 6.4509 n CHINA 7.8587 n singapore 37.2901 n australia 37.2788 n EU 58.2293 n SAUDI arabia 13.3962 Source: BSP (9 November 2021)

A2

BusinessMirror

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Manufacturing. . .

Continued from A1

“The proportion of establishments that operated at full capacity [90 percent to 100 percent] was 23.1 percent of the total number of responding establishments. Meanwhile, 38.5 percent operated at 70 to 89 percent capacity, while 38.4 percent operated below 70 percent capacity,” PSA said.

The MISSI is now termed the Production Index and Net Sales Index. It is a report that monitors the production, net sales, inventories, and capacity utilization of selected manufacturing establishments to provide flash indicators on the performance of the manufacturing sector. Cai. U. Ordinario

BSP. . .

Continued from A1

to support growth amid tighter global monetary policy, rising inflation and continued risk aversion to loans by banks.

Diokno said the BSP continues to be well-positioned in handling various economic developments in the global and local economic environment amid keeping the monetary policy on record low levels for the rest of the year.

“Together with appropriate fiscal and health interventions, keeping a steady hand on the BSP’s policy levers amid a manageable inflation outlook should allow the economic recovery to gain more traction,” Diokno earlier said.

The BSP is expected to meet on November 18 for its next monetary policy setting meeting. This is the second to the last monetary policy meeting scheduled for the year.

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Amid furor on Malampaya stake sale, Shell chairman steps down

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

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N the midst of unresolved issues on the sale of the Malampaya stake, the chairman of Shell companies in the Philippines is stepping down.

“Cesar G. Romero will step down as Executive Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Chairperson of the Nomination Committee of the Corporation effective November 30, 2021,” Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC) said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

Romero was appointed President and CEO of PSPC and Country Chairman of the Shell companies in the Philippines (SciP) in November 2016 after 13 years of international assignments across London, Singapore, and Beijing.

When sought for clarification, PSPC communications m a n a ge r Ces a r A ba r ic i a said Romero “ is the President and CEO of PSPC and Chairman of Shell companies in the Philippines until end of November 2021.”

He will be replaced by Lorelie Q. Osial effective

December 1, 2021. Osial is currently the Vice PresidentFinance Process Expenditure at Shell Shared Services (Asia) B.V. “Romero will stay on until January 31, 2022 to ensure a smooth and streamlined transition and handover to Osial,” PSPC told the exchange.

Asked why Romero had to quit amid the controversy hounding the sale of Malampaya to the group of Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy, the PSPC official said Romero “opted to leave group service to focus on family matters. He will not join any company within or outside the industry.”

Besides, he added, this development is part of the “normal job rotation for all Shell staff ” which happens every four years. Romero, he added, is on his sixth year already as PSPC President and CEO and chairman of SciP. Romero’s predecessor, Ed Chua, was with the group for over 10 years.

PSPC also announced on the same day the appointments of a new executive director and assistant corporate secretary.

Rolando J. Paulino Jr. has

left Group service last September 8. Succeeding him as director is Randolph Del Valle, Vice President-Mobility, effective immediately.

Atty. Mark Hadrian Gamo has succeeded Atty. Rubin G. Cura as the new assistant corporate secretary effective immediately.

T he 4 5 - perce nt st a ke of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) in the Malampaya gas field in Palawan was sold to Malampaya Energy XP Pte Ltd., a subsidiary Uy-led Udenna Corp.

SPEX is the operator of the Malampaya gas field.

The deal, which has yet to be approved by the Department of Energy (DOE), is being scrutinized by the Senate Energy Committee led by Sherwin Gatchalian.

Gatchalian noted that the financial capacity of Udenna in acquiring SPEX is put into question over recent developments, referring to Udenna’s subsidiary PH Resorts Group Holdings Inc., which suspended its casino project in Clark due to debt and cash problems. “This is a red flag. How can we trust a company mired in debt? First, the acquisition of Udenna Corp. unit of Chevron’s 45-percent

stake in Malampaya was largely financed by loans. Now, Udenna wants to have the operating interests by acquiring Shell’s stake,” Gatchalian had said.

W hen sought for comme nt on R ome ro’s e x it , Gatchalian said, “Romero is a big loss to Shell. I talked to him about energy and oil and gas. He really knows the industry very well,” he said.

A nother subsidiar y of Ude n n a acqu i re d t he 45-percent stake of Chevron in Malampaya. The UC M a l a mpay a Ph i l ip pi nes Chevron Malampaya deal was approved by the DOE in April this year. After the deal was finalized, Chevron Malampaya was renamed UC38 LLC. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Uy, and several others face a criminal complaint over Uy’s acquisition of a Chevron subsidiary. The complainants alleged that Cusi and other energy officials “conspired to give unwarranted benefits and advantage to Uy’s Udenna Corporation and its subsidiary, UC Malampaya” for the buyout.

For its part, Udenna Corp. said no group can repeal the deals it entered into with Shell and Chevron.

Retailers. . .

Continued from A1

“As the Christmas season is fast approaching and e-commerce will still likely to be the most extensive form of retailing during this time of pandemic, retailers are already preparing and gearing up for the logistics and supply chain management,” she said.

Ong said the retailers need to team up with efficient logistics partners who can “help them provide their customers smooth transactions from the beginning of their shopping journey until the last-mile fulfilment.”

In addition, she stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy inventory level.

Ong noted that the retail industry is among the sectors adversely affected by the pandemic, given the mobility restrictions that dampened demand.

Some retailers had to temporarily stop operations or close down their stores, she said.

To keep the businesses afloat, she said retailers shifted to an e-commerce strategy amid the accelerated adoption of digital platforms in pandemic.

Fiber sector seeks solons’ aid in BSP pivot to plastic Continued from A12

Costales endorsed PhilFida’s position paper about the issue in August to the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), the Department of Agriculture’s consultative body.

In September, no less than Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar wrote BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno, endorsing the PhilFida’s position paper as adopted by the PCAF through a resolution.

“The Committee [National Banner Program Committee on High Value Crops-Fiber Crops] believes that the BSP’s plan to shift to polymer banknotes will result in economic hardships for many Filipinos dependent on abaca farming,” read Dar’s letter dated September 13, a copy of which was obtained by the BusinessMirror.

“Moreover, shifting to polymer banknotes will also be more expensive since sorting machines in banks and other financial establishments will have to be modified,” it added.

Following Dar’s communication, the central bank set a dialogue with PhilFida which was scheduled last October 25, but was cancelled at the last hour, Costales lamented. The BSP rescheduled the meeting to the second week of January 2022.

Costales pointed out that the rescheduling was made in bad faith since the central bank announced on October 25th—the supposed date of their dialogue—that it will be pilot testing the polymer banknotes in the first half of next year.

Q3. . .

Continued from A1

On Tuesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the economy grew 7.1 percent in the third quarter of the year, faster than the contraction of 11.6 percent in the same period last year. But it was slower than the 12 percent posted in the second quarter this year. (See story here: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2021/11/09/3-gdp-up-7-1-psa/) Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the only risk for the economy is a resurgence of cases which may or may not be brought by a new Covid-19 variant. He said this remains a threat even if new cases have declined and more Filipinos are vaccinated.

“It is really about an unprecedented or unknown surge or a variant. [But] we cannot use Covid-19 [as an] excuse anymore. We have lived with it for 20 months, we know what we can do and what we should not do,” Chua said.

“The main risk that I see is really a new variant that is totally unexpected. Outside that, I think we have the policy instruments and the experience to manage and help the economy grow in the last quarter and in the next year,” he explained.

2 more weeks

De La Salle University economist Maria Ella Oplas agreed that a surge in cases would harm the country’s economic prospects, and is holding off celebrating the decline in cases.

Oplas said she is waiting for two more weeks to see if easing the Alert Level led to a surge in cases or not. She said as it is, the number of people in malls and other public areas is concerning.

While she understood the yearning of people to go out and spend time with loved ones, these activities could lead to an increase in cases, Oplas said.

“It’s kinda scary with the intense yearning of people to go out, they forget to maintain social distance etc. So I’m scared,” Oplas told the BusinessMirror.

“If cases will not increase again, I see [a further] improvement in the economy. [But] until we see the result after two weeks, we are not out of the woods yet,” she said.

Ateneo Center for Research and Development [Acerd] Associate Director Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes said one of the risks right now, in relation to Covid-19, is the B.1.617.1 variant, first detected in India.

Health Undersecretary and spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier confirmed that one patient has tested positive for this particular Covid-19 variant.

“We hope that the number of severe cases and deaths do not increase. [This] might trigger yet another lockdown if we become complacent,” Peña-Reyes told this newspaper.

These concerns were shared by UnionBank Chief Economist Ruben Carlo Asuncion. Another surge in cases will automatically derail recovery. This is possible, Asuncion said, given the easing of mobility restrictions and the coming holidays. The election next year is another cause for concern, especially if politicians and their supporters are not careful.

University of Asia and the Pacific economist Victor A. Abola said the elections are the far greater risk to the economy, especially next year. The uncertainty of a Presidential election is always significant.

“The main risk to the economy is political. Any blatant cheating puts all forecasts on hold. We don’t know what some groups may do,” Abola told this newspaper via e-mail.

Oil, supply chain woes

To University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics Dean Cid L. Terosa, oil prices pose a risk to the economy as such could dampen growth.

Terosa also considered the supply chain issues being experienced globally as well as the new wave of Covid-19 infections in many Western countries as risks to the local economy.

However, Terosa said the increase in oil prices alone as well as other risks will not prevent the “upward movement of the economy.” He still expects the economy to post decent growth this year and next year.

“For 2021, there is a good chance that we can achieve the 4-5 percent target. If fourth quarter growth remains strong, the economy can even grow beyond 5 percent. For 2022, [a] 5-6 percent growth isn’t farfetched,” Terosa said.

Oplas, meanwhile, warned that the fourth quarter will likely see oil prices rising more due to increased demand. It is also likely that the reopening of many economies worldwide will increase the demand for oil.

This will come to a head given that there is a low supply owing to the colder weather in oil-rich countries. This is on top of the energy crisis being experienced by China, she noted.

“We see oil prices to be a critical ingredient to a smoother economic recovery. If it rises further and even reaches $100/barrel in 2022, this will challenge PH’s economic recovery,” Asuncion said.

However, Asuncion said that as long as supply chains, logistics, and labor remain available in advanced economies, this can “offset pressures prices overall and stunt the impact of higher oil prices.”

“Oil prices so far have been largely a function of supply provided

by Opec plus. The US has recently asked for increased supply and something has got to give,” Asuncion said.

On Neda’s part, Chua said oil prices are currently trading at around $80 per barrel and are on track to fall to $70 per barrel in the coming months and for the rest of 2022.

Chua said the government is closely monitoring oil prices and is ready to adjust growth estimates and policies.

Growth drivers

However, Chua said, growth drivers for the Philippine economy that will support the recovery include sectors that were greatly affected by the quarantine.

This means, the recovery in sectors like tourism, amusement, the “kid industry” will see even stronger recovery because of the increase in the capacity restrictions.

“I think it is very broad-based; you know Covid-19 hit the economy broad based so we are seeing a broad-based recovery in the third quarter; we expect that in the fourth quarter and also in 2022,” Chua said.

Chua remains confident that the Philippines can become an Upper Middle Income Country by the end of 2022 or early 2023.

However, if the recovery is strong, this goal, postponed due to the pandemic, may come to fruition within 2022. “I think given the strong progress, the likelihood of achieving that even within 2022 is now higher,” Chua said.

Other sources of growth, Asuncion said, include efforts to build back the economy better, partly through digitalization which has made working and learning during a pandemic crucial.

The elections, Abola said, will also be a major factor. He said election spending will be felt in the first semester of 2022.

However, Abola said, the challenge is how to sustain this until the end of 2022.

Economy BusinessMirror

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, November 10, 2021 A3

DTI hopes for US GSP renewal next year

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

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HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is hoping that its trade incentives with the United States (US) will be renewed next year.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said in a recent news briefing that he is expecting the country’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) perks to be renewed by the US, but not this year.

“Most likely mare-renew naman si GSP. Kaya lang, sa calendar nila, mukhang hindi siya mare-renew within the year. Most likely baka next year na [Most likely, the GSP will be

renewed. However, based on their calendar, it is unlikely to be done this year. Most likely, the renewal would be next year],” he told reporters.

The GSP deal is a unilateral preferential trade arrangement by the US to 122 beneficiary developing countries and least developed beneficiary countries, including the Philippines.

It aims to promote economic growth, development and trade by providing duty-free market access to about 5,000 products into the US. The program expired last December 31, 2020.

“This is important preferential arrangement with the US, taking into account that the US is our third-largest trading partner and

second export market. In terms of import sourcing, US is the fourth trading partner,” Trade Assistant Secretary Allan Gepty told the BusinessMirror earlier.

He also pointed out that the USissued trade perks give the local exporters competitive advantage to other economies.

“It is really important we have this preferential arrangement, although it is unilateral, but just the same our exporters are enjoying comparative advantage with our competitors to the US market because of this US GSP,” Gepty explained.

In addition, the trade official shared that they will be meeting with the US Trade Representatives to raise

the concerns about the pending free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations.

Rodolfo said that the Philippines would like to secure “industrial cooperation” with the US to encourage more foreign investments, especially those relating to supply chains that are “critical” to the Western country.

In April, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel G. Romualdez said that was still awaiting the go-ahead from the US Department of Commerce on how both parties will proceed with the trade deal discussions.

The Philippines has been seeking to strike a trade accord with Washington to lift tariffs on a number of export products, including

First come, 1st serve: DOLE ‘No vaccine, no aid’ stance may delay launches OFW vax campaign okay of DSWD budget–Sen. Marcos

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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T least 2,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are expected to benefit from the inoculation drive of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday with the donated Covid-19 vaccine from the Brunei government.

Labor Secretar y Silvestre H. Bel lo III said he had a lready instr ucted recr uitment agencies to br ing their unvaccinated overseas Filipino workers to avail of the free A stra Zeneca jabs.

“This will not only help accelerate the administration of the vaccines to thousands of Filipinos but will fast-track the deployment of our OFWs abroad,” Bello said in a news statement.

He noted that vaccines would be administered on a first come, first serve basis at the Labor

Governance Learning Center (LGLC) at the DOLE main office in Intramuros, Manila.

DOLE coordinated with the City of Manila to organize the vaccination drive.

Bello thanked the Brunei government for the donation since it will help protect more OFWs from the pandemic.

Last August, DOLE announced the Brunei government is requesting an exemption from the country’s existing deployment cap for Filipino health-care workers (HCW).

The Southeast Asian nation is considering the hiring migrants, preferably for its 200 nurses and 30 doctor vacancies.

As of Monday, DOLE spokesman Rolly Francia said they still have no information on the action of the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on the said request.

By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

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EN. Imee Marcos aired concerns that the 2022 budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is likely to be delayed if it agrees to adopt a “no vaccine, no aid” policy imposed under the Duterte administration in a determined bid to contain the Covid contagion.

Sitting as vice chairperson of the Senate Finance committee, Marcos was tasked to sponsor for plenary approval the P191-billion annual budget of the DSWD, of which, P115 billion was intended to bankroll the government’s 4Ps program, also known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

She conveyed mounting apprehensions by affected sectors upon learning the looming delay in approving the DSWD funding program for next year if it agrees to the recommendation of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to first impose the Covid vaccination condition prior to granting

aid to indigent sectors.

According to Marcos, she relayed this condition to the Senate leadership as she was already set to take the floor to sponsor and defend the DSWD budget bill during the plenary deliberations on the 2022 budget bill.

The senator added she had also alerted the DSWD that her fellow senators readily turned down the suggestion to adopt the no-vaccine-no-aid policy when it was first brought up.

For 2022, over P191 billion was submitted as the proposed budget, of which, P115 billion was allotted for 4Ps. As of now, sources said, the DSWD is reviewing the recommendation of the DILG to impose conditions prior to release aid to intended beneficiaries, even as it signaled they are not inclined to adopt the suggestion.

Marcos bemoaned that instead of thinking ways to squeeze the 4Ps beneficiaries, describing it as a “stupid and evil idea,” they should first confirm if the intended beneficiaries are not really keen on being vaccinated, or the free vaccine program has not yet reached their area.

House panel pushes benefits to ‘all’ HCWs amid pandemic

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HE House Committee on Health on Tuesday approved measures that seek to provide benefits to all health-care workers (HCWs) during the pandemic period.

Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, M.D., the panel chairperson, said House Bills 9640, 10198, 10285, 10331, and 10365, which were approved subject to style, will focus on continuing Covid-19 benefits to both public and private health workers.

Tan said various measures on the “Covid-19 Benefits for Health Workers Act of 2021” mandate that these benefits should remain available so long as the presidential declaration of national public health emergency is in place.

Tan also said members of her committee have unanimously approved the measures subject to consolidation and amendment.

The panel is now preparing on the substitute bill for transmittal to other committees for their own deliberations.

The benefits, the lawmaker said, would include monthly special risk allowance for all public and private health workers directly catering to or in contact with Covid-19 patients; actual hazard duty pay for all health workers serving in the frontlines; life insurance, accommodation, transportation and meals to all health workers.

Also, she said, health workers

who contract mild or moderate Covid-19 would be given P15,000 each; P100,000 for severe or critical cases; and in case of death, the amount of P1 million to the heirs.

On top of these, Tan said, additional benefits that will cover psychiatric treatment for affected health workers will also be included.

According to Tan, several benefits were given to health workers under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2, which lapsed on June 30 this year.

“2021 has been designated as the International Year of Health and Care Workers in appreciation and gratitude for their unwavering dedication in the fight against the Co-

vid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization [WHO] has launched a yearlong campaign, under the theme—‘Protect, Invest, Together,’ which highlights the urgent need to invest in health workers for shared dividends in health, jobs, economic opportunity and equity,” she said.

“The WHO has in fact called on the public to ensure that our health and care work forces are supported, protected, motivated and equipped to deliver safe health care at all times, not only during Covid-19 because they are as much needed to accelerate the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] and Covid-19 recovery,” she added.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Popcom program grants cash aid to teen moms, children in Ormoc

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

T

EENAGE mothers and their children in Ormoc City, Leyte, will now receive assistance from the government, according to the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom).

The assistance will be provided through the rollout of the social protection program for adolescent mothers and their children (SPPAMC).

Undersecretary for Population and Development Juan Antonio A. Perez III said part of the proposed amounts to be distributed under the program is to extend a monthly assistance of P500 per teenage mother. This amounts to a total of P6,000 a year.

“We are proposing P500 per month per adolescent mother. We have a request of P78 million pending in Congress to cover an initial

10,000 beneficiaries,” Perez told the BusinessMirror on Tuesday.

Popcom developed the SPPAMC based on the approved Social Protection Operational Framework and Strategy, which will include a pilot implementation of proposed interventions in select partnerLGUs, with Ormoc City being the first of them.

Perez expects other LGUs will follow Ormoc City’s lead, as Popcom has received numerous letters of intent for pilot implementation of the program in their areas of responsibility.

They are Dagupan City (Pangasinan) in Region 1; Lallo and Solana (Cagayan), Maddela and Diffun (Quirino) and Roxas (Isabela) in Region 2; as well as Mabalacat City (Pampanga) and Meycauayan (Bulacan) in Region 3.

“As a whole, the SPPAMC’s message is that all is not lost for the said marginalized members of our soci-

ety, and that their government is working to provide hope and a possible rebound toward an ideal quality of life,” Perez said.

Popcom said Ormoc City Mayor Richard I. Gomez signed the Ormoc City Executive Order (EO) 216 early this month. The EO aims to provide opportunities for education, access to health services and other assistance for residents.

Gomez said one of the threats to the development of adolescents and the youth is teenage pregnancies and this can prevent them from realizing their potential.

Popcom Regional Director Elnora R. Pulma lauded the city government for being the first local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines to collaborate with the agency for the SPPAMC. “With commendations to the city for recognizing the value of the program, I believe that Ormoc—

with the able leadership of Mayor Gomez—will encourage other LGUs in operationalizing the same in their area. They can be assured of our agency’s full and unwavering support for its successful implementation,” Pulma said.

Pulma added data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics of 2019 showed that Eastern Visayas region logged 7,000 pregnancies among teens in 2019.

There are at least eight young mothers who had already given birth when they were 13 years old. She said the SPPAMC being enabled in Ormoc City would encourage these youth to rise above their conditions, and still be productive citizens.

Perez said Ormoc City’s piloting of the SPPAMC demonstrates the government’s inclusive and holistic approach in addressing issues on teen pregnancy.

clothing products.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country’s export to the US grew by 25.1 percent to $8.91 billion in January to Sep-

tember, from $7.12 billion year-onyear. Imports from US, meanwhile, increased by 9.4 percent to $5.54 billion in the nine-month period from last year’s $5.06 billion.

The Nation

A4 Wednesday, November 10, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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DepEd confident on success of F-to-F pilot run on Monday

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

I

T’S all systems go for Monday’s (November 15, 2021) pilot implementation of the country’s face-to-face (F-to-F) classes, and Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones

has expressed confidence that the pilot run will be a success.

“Napakataas ng aming [We have high] hopes. Napakataas ng [We have high] assessment that this pilot [F-to-F] will be successful because out of 61,000 schools, we are only involving 100 schools,” Briones said at

a virtual news briefing. She likewise cited the support from other government agencies, local government units, parents, and civil society.

Although the Department of Education (DepEd) cannot really guarantee that the pilot exercise would be 100 percent safe, Briones

said that “all possibilities” were studied carefully and a very detailed contingency plan is in place.

“Sa panahon ng pandemya, mahirap magsabi...garantiya [During this time of pandemic, we cannot guarantee that it would be] 100 percent [safe],” Briones said.

However, the DepEd said that they were able to study all possibilities that might occur and that options were chosen carefully.

Physical isolation, she said, will be done if there will be a suspected or confirmed case/cases of those involved in the F-to-F classes.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in a separate interview, said that only those showing symptoms would be tested.

During the news briefing, Education

Assistant Secretary Malcolm Garma said that based on the reports of the participating regions as of November 8, 2021, 100 schools will be pushing through with the pilot implementation of the F-to-F classes.

Garma said that four schools were replaced out of the 100 pilot schools due to varying reasons. The four replacement schools were from the same regions. These are Regions 5 and 11.

“Majority of the participating schools are ready for the pilot study on November 15, 2021, as supported by their detailed implementation plans,” he said.

He added that ocular visits among identified schools would be conducted by DepEd executive and management committee members, prior to and during the pilot implementation of F-to-F classes.

Lacson wins CBCP, CHR praise after dropping death penalty bill

By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

S

EN. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson withdrew this week his authorship of the Senate bill seeking to reinstitute the death penalty for heinous crimes.

In a letter to Senate Secretary Atty. Myra Villarica, Lacson also requested that his bill, Senate Bill 27, no longer be considered for deliberation by the Senate panels concerned.

Last week, Lacson withdrew his support for the death penalty for heinous crimes, saying it is better to spare the life of a criminal than to wrongly execute an innocent person.

“Mas mainam na ang guilty ikulong ha-

bang buhay sa halip na inosente ma-execute dahil sa pagkakamali [Better that the guilty be imprisoned for life than to have innocents executed because of a wrong judgment],” he said.

He also pushed for life imprisonment and penal reforms as a better alternative, even as he supported Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III’s suggestion to confine drug lords in a “super max” penitentiary, with no means of communication with the outside world.

Lacson and Sotto earned praise from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for their stance on the issue.

DOJ chief rushed to undisclosed hospital for ‘medical observation’

By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

J

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed reports on Tuesday that he was brought to a hospital for “medical observation” as he was not feeling well.

In a Viber message to reporters, the justice chief said he is still confined in a hospital to undergo tests including an angiogram due to “breathing and fatigue

problems the past few weeks.”

Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay also told reporters that Guevarra would stay in the hospital for observation and tests.

“He was not feeling well this morning.

He was brought to the hospital. He is under observation and will undergo routine tests. He is okay now,” Sugay said.

Sugay also said the justice secretary’s workload and busy schedule might have affected his health.

Last batch: Delivery of Black Hawk helicopters now complete–Air Force

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

F

IVE S70i Black Hawk helicopters comprising the last batch of the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) procurement of these air assets have arrived in the country on Monday.

The arrival of the Polish-made helicopters under license from Black Hawk’s original US manufacturer completed PAF’s acquisition of 16 units of such choppers.

PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano said the latest delivery of Black Hawks arrived at Clark Air Base in Pampanga aboard an Antonov plane from Poland.

“The Black Hawk helicopters will boost the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ capability to conduct various op-

erations, including humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions,” Mariano said.

The first batch of Black Hawks consisting of six units arrived in the country in November last year, while the second batch made up of five units arrived in June this year and officially entered the PAF’s service last month.

In June, one of helicopters from the maiden delivery crashed in Tarlac while on a night flight proficiency training, killing all of its crewmen whose bodies were retrieved days after the mishap.

PAF has not released the results of its investigation into the crash, which happened in the vicinity of Crow Valley target range in Tarlac.

The ill-fated aircraft was attached to the 205th Helicopter Wing based in Pampanga.

3-day Covid vaccination drive seen to reach millions of 'jabless' workers

S

EN. Joel Villanueva views the Duterte administration’s threeday nationwide anti-Covid vaccination drive from November 29 to December 1 as the awaited “booster shot” needed to ramp up inoculation and hit the 50-percent target nine months after the first shot was administered.

“This ‘one time-big time’ approach is what we need,” Villanueva said, adding he expects the year-end mobilizations to “draw the hesitant and the unreached to vaccination centers.”

The senator anticipates that one priority group would be comprised by workers and job applicants, noting, “their getting a job hastens the financial recovery not only of their families but of the entire economy as well.”

He suggests that one way of reaching unvaccinated people who are “outside the digital wall” is for the Duterte government to launch vaccination caravans that will sweep through workplaces and neighborhoods “with no or poor broadband connectivity.”

Butch Fernandez

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 A5

Sara Duterte drops Davao City mayoral bid

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

D

AVAO CITY—Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Tuesday withdrew her mayoral candidacy, only hours after her younger brother, Sebastian or “Baste,” similarly backed out from his candidacy as vice mayor.

The siblings’ moves fueled speculations that the strong-willed lady mayor will run for President in 2022, either running under her party the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), or she can substitute for one of the aspirants who are allied with her father.

President Duterte has openly sought to persuade his daughter to run, but she has repeatedly said she would rather seek reelection as mayor.

Her father’s party mate and longtime aide when he was still Davao’s mayor, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, had filed his certificate of candidacy for president at the last minute on October 8, fueling suspicion he was a “placeholder” candidate of the PDPLaban Cusi wing.

“This afternoon I am withdrawing my candidacy for Mayor of Davao City.

VM [vice mayor] Baste will replace me. Atty. Melchor Quitain our Vice Mayor nominee. Just this for now. Thank you very much,” she briefly conveyed in her Facebook official page.

Davao del Norte Gov. Anthony del Rosario, spokesman of the HNP parried a query from BusinessMirror, saying “no comment” to questions if the party was privy to the withdrawal of the candidacies of the Duterte siblings.

MAYOR Sara Duterte-Carpio PNA FILE PHOTO

Sara Duterte is the incumbent chairman of HNP. Del Rosario also expectedly declined to reveal the next move of the HNP in the next few hours.

In a post on Tuesday morning, PTV, said, “Just in: VM Baste, Nagwithdraw sa iyang COC [withdrew his certificate of candidacy]…Melchor Jay Quitain Jr. In PTV News Mind-

anao, Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte withdrew his candidacy as Vice Mayor for Davao City this morning at Comelec-Davao City.”

The PTV post quoted Quitain as saying that “Comelec people” confirmed to him about the withdrawal of Baste.

City Hall insiders said Baste personally went to the Comelec office inside Magsaysay Park and withdrew his candidacy at 10:36 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Office of Mayor Sara Duterte announced it has terminated the services of chief information officer Jefry Tupas after his name figured out in a Sunday night raid of an exclusive party in a posh resort in Pindasan, Mabini, Davao de Oro. “ T he for mer cit y infor mation officer, Jefry Tupas, of the City Government of Davao was involved in a drug raid last No-

vember 6 in the Municipality of Mabini, Province of Davao de Oro. The details of the raid are known only to the PDEA [Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency] officers in Davao de Oro and Ms. Tupas. Last Sunday, Jefry signified his resignation and on the same moment he was informed that he is terminated from work with the City Government of Davao,” the City Mayor’s Office said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.

Tupas clarified he left the party one hour before the raid to ensure that he would not be late for his daily work at the City Hall. PDEA arrested 17 persons, mostly young professionals, and confiscated P1.5 million worth of party drugs.

PDEA said it conducted a buybust operation on the birthday celebrant, 33-year-old Revsan Ethelbert P. Elizalde.

BusinessMirror

A6 Wednesday, November 10, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

24/7 BUSINESS PROCESSING INC. 5th-6th-7th Flr., 81 Newport Bl Newport City, Brgy. 183, Pasay City

1.

WANG, HECUI Customer Service Representative (Chinese Accounts) Brief Job Description: Assists clients will all their concerns.

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Preferably 6 months to 1 year customer service experience. Detail-oriented and has the ability to multitask.

21.

22.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ACOM CONSUMER FINANCE CORPORATION 10/f Unit A, 45 San Miguel Bldg., No. 45 San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig YOSHIOKA, EIGO Basic Qualification: Vice President/treasurer/compliance Officer Native-level Japanese speaking and writing skills.

2.

Brief Job Description: Support specific initiatives, activities, projects and Salary Range: research commissioned by the CEO. Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 ACSTREAM MANAGEMENT INC. 2204b/2206, 22/f Pbcom Tower, Ayala Avenue, Bel-air, City Of Makati ZHANG, TIAN Basic Qualification: Mandarin Technical Support Specialist Education and experience 3.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Help develop, execute and monitor programs across a Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 variety of channels ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: AI, YULONG Able to speak, read and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 4.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: BEI, FEI Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 5.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: BUI VAN HIEU Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 6.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHONG KAI SHENG Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 7.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HENGKY ALEXANDER Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 8.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HUANG, XIAOMEI Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 9.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LE VAN CHIEN Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 10.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, GUOZHENG Able to speak, read and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 11.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LU THE CUONG Able to speak, read and write Chinese Customer Service Chinese language 12.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LUONG DAI NAM Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 13.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGO THI CAT VI Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 14.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN HUU DUY Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 15.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: NGUYEN VAN PHI Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 16.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: QI, MIAO Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 17.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: QIU, ZHIYUAN Able to speak , Read and Chinese Customer Service Write Chinese Language 18.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

19.

SONG, CHUNHONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

23.

24.

25.

20.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

27.

WANG, DEYANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Y-LAN NI YA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries YANG, YIJIAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries XU, QIANLIN Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Inspector will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

No.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION HUANG, NA Mandarin Customer Support Representative

36.

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

MO, GUANYONG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

37.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin Quality Inspector, familiarity, knowledge and awareness on machinery and heavy equipment use by company, demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan.

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

PEI, RANKAI Technical Support Engineer 39.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

QIAO, YUE Technical Support Engineer 40.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

REN, HUZHI Technical Support Engineer 41.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

SHI, YUNHAN Technical Support Engineer 42.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

SUN, RUILING Technical Support Engineer 43.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

SUN, XIJIAN Technical Support Engineer 44.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

SUN, YONGSHENG Technical Support Engineer 45.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

TAN, TIANSHU Technical Support Engineer 46.

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

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

DA PROSPERITAS HOLDING INC. 16/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati LIU, JIAYU Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative 34.

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

WANG, HONGZHI Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Assist / Help customers, give customers information about product and services

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer’s question about services or products/ Excellent Mandarin communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling customer’s question about services or products/ Excellent Mandarin communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DEXIN 999, INC. Red Hotel No. 345, Edsa Cor. Don Carlos Revilla St., Barangay 147, Pasay City

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

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

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

FUTURENET AND TECHNOLOGY CORP. Unit 2104 Robinsons Equitable Tower, Adb Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written CHEN, JINYU communication skills in Technical Support Engineer both Mandarin and English; 38. with the experience in Brief Job Description: telecommunication network Research and identify solutions to software and hardware troubleshooting issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

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

CRONYX INC. No. 4th-10th Flr. Yinhope Bldg., Dela Rama Cor. Zoili Hilario St., Seascape Village, Ccp Complex Subd.

Zone 10, Barangay 076, District 1, Pasay City Basic Qualification: CHU, JIALUN With Atleast 6 Months Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer Customer service experience Goodmin Oral 28.

Brief Job Description: Communication and Written Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: FENG, SHIQIANG With Atleast 6 Months Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer Customer service experience Goodmin Oral 29.

Brief Job Description: Communication and Written Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: GAO, JIAHUI With Atleast 6 Months Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer Customer service experience Goodmin Oral 30.

Brief Job Description: Communication and Written Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HUANG, YASHENG With Atleast 6 Months Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer Customer service experience Goodmin Oral 31.

Brief Job Description: Communication and Written Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: XI, XINGLIANG With Atleast 6 Months Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer Customer service experience Goodmin Oral 32.

Brief Job Description: Communication and Written Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 CSCEC STRAIT CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD (PHILIPPINES BRANCH OFFICE) Units A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin Structural ZHOU, HONG Maintenance Analyst, Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst Familiarity, knowledge and awareness on Machinery Brief Job Description: 33. and Heavy Equipment use The Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst will be by company, Demonstrable strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the experience in developing most profitable direction while also implementing its strategic business plan. vision, mission and long term goal.

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

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

YE, ZHAOMEI Mandarin Quality Inspector

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

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

TRAN VAN HOANG Chinese Customer Service

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

CHINA HARBOUR ENGINEERING COMPANY 5/f Rm 501 Ramon Magsaysay Center, 1680 Roxas Blvd., 076, Bgy. 699, Malate, City Of Manila Basic Qualification: Proven experience as A MANDARIN DEPUTY PROJECT SUN, ZENGMING SUPERVISOR, familiarity, Mandarin Deputy Project Supervisor knowledge and awareness on machinery and heavy Brief Job Description: 26. equipment use by company, The Mandarin Deputy Project Supervisor will be strategist demonstrable experience in and a leader able to steer the company to the most developing strategic business profitable direction while also implementing its vision, plan. mission and long term goal.

35.

SUN, HUAQIANG Chinese Customer Service

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

TAN, YAOJIAO Technical Support Engineer 47.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

TANG, XIAODONG Technical Support Engineer 48.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues: Ensure all issues are properly logged

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and english with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both mandarin and English with the experience in telecommunications network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

TANG, YIJIA Technical Support Engineer 49.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

TAO, YATING Technical Support Engineer 50.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

TIAN, JIDONG Technical Support Engineer 51.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

WANG, CHEN Technical Support Engineer 52.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

WANG, YUANHONG Technical Support Engineer 53.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

WANG, ZHAO Technical Support Engineer 54.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

WU, HAO Technical Support Engineer 55.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

WU, JINWEI Technical Support Engineer 56.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

XIERAILI AHEMAITI Technical Support Engineer 57.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

XU, HUIDI Technical Support Engineer 58.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

XU, YUBIN Technical Support Engineer 59.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

YANG, GUANG Technical Support Engineer 60.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting

No.

YI, WENLONG Technical Support Engineer 63.

YANG, JIANZHI Technical Support Engineer 61.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

64.

YANG, QIAN Technical Support Engineer 62.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

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

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

YU, ZHILEI Technical Support Engineer 65.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

YUAN, CHUNLONG Technical Support Engineer 66.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

ZHANG, HAN Technical Support Engineer 67.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

ZHANG, LINGYIN Technical Support Engineer 68.

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting

HANMI MICRONICS INC. Unit 608 Global Telecom Plaza, Pioneer Cor. Madison, Barangay Barangka Ilaya, City Of Mandaluyong Basic Qualification: JANG, YOUNGDON At least college graduate, Korean Marketing Lead preferably with experience in 69. marketing.

Brief Job Description: Agrees to accept the assigned to him/her, duly approved Salary Range: by the employer.

Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 HTTITANS GROUP CORPORATION Lot 8, Jackson St., Don Galo, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin Human Resources LIU, YANG Supervisor, Familiarity, Mandarin Human Resources Supervisor knowledge and awareness on Machinery and Heavy Brief Job Description: 70.

Equipment use by company, The Mandarin Human Resources Supervisor will be Demonstrable experience in strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the developing strategic business most profitable direction while also implementing its plan. vision, mission and long term goal.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 HYUNDAI CORPORATION U-1608 Tower One & Exchange Plaza, 6767 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Builds company image by collaborating ITH customers, government, PARK, JOON PIL community organizations General Manager and employees; Enforcing 71. ethical business practices; Brief Job Description: maintains quality service by Overall head of overseers of office. establishing and enforcing

KIM, DAEWON Finance Manager 72.

73.

74.

Brief Job Description: Will manage and oversee the flow of cash and financial activities BYUN, YOUNGWHA President And General Manager Brief Job Description: Oversee the day to day operation of the company RYU, JAE HA Sales Manager

Brief Job Description: Will manage the Sales Department of the company INTEGRITY GLOBAL GROUP, INC. 2/f-3/f Ayala Malls Circuit, A.p. Reyes Ave., Carmona, City Of Makati SUN, CHENG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative 75.

Brief Job Description: Provide information about products and service, handle returns or complains, review or make changes to customer accounts

No.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has an excellent managerial experience Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Must be well experienced in handling all departments and with excellent managerial experience Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in sales Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Good communications skills mandarin speaking and basic English, must be good to handle clients and customers Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

79.

76.

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

YIN, YUNTAO Mandarin Customer Support Representative

77.

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

ZHANG, JIAYING Mandarin Customer Support Representative

78.

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

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

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

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

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

JIANGSU POWER DEVELOPMENT & CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED Unit A&b U-8b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a LIU, HANTAO Mandarin Quality Inspector, Mandarin Quality Inspector Familiarity, knowledge and awareness on Machinery Brief Job Description: and Heavy Equipment use 80.

The Mandarin Quality Inspector will be strategist and a by company, Demonstrable leader able to steer the company to the most profitable experience in developing direction while also implementing its vision, mission and strategic business plan. long term goal.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.- PHILIPPINE GLOBAL SERVICE CENTER 23/f Net Plaza, 31st St. E-square Zone, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: 8+ years of mortgage loan originations and 12+ years of overall experience, Underwriting Certified KOLATH, SHAILEESHA preferred. Should have Mortgage Manager extensive experience in managing US Jumbo Brief Job Description: Loan Originations, strong 81.

Supports all aspects of overseeing management knowledge within the US processing supervisors and staff. Involved in and give mortgage industry Federal feedback for strategic & tactical efforts in processing and State regulatory department operating model improvements and adoption requirements. Knowledge of new tools and functionality. Interface wit of automation tools like Signavio, Alteryx, Tableau, etc.

SHAH, NIKHIL Mortgage Manager 82.

Brief Job Description: Supports all aspects of overseeing management processing supervisors and staff. Involved in and give feedback for strategic & tactical efforts in processing department operating model improvements and adoption of new tools and functionality. Interface wit

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: 8+ years of mortgage loan originations and 12+ years of overall experience, Underwriting Certified preferred. Should have extensive experience in managing US Jumbo Loan Originations, strong knowledge within the US mortgage industry Federal and State regulatory requirements. Knowledge of automation tools like Signavio, Alteryx, Tableau, etc.

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

KYNDRYL PHILIPPINES, INCORPORATED 28th Flr. One World Place, 32nd St. Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: 16-20 years IT Experience, HANDS, TIMOTHY JAMES Experience in end to end Delivery Project Executive service management (incident/Problem/ Brief Job Description: Change) quality assurance, 83.

Ensuring client needs are satisfied by constructing negotiations with partnerships between the Project Office, clients, vendors, understanding of sales and and subcontractor solution’s processes organizations, and managing the implementation of these partnerships to ensure positive customer satisfaction.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above MAGKING SERVICES CORPORATION Unit 5d Rose Industries Bldg., #11, Pioneer Street, Kapitolyo, City Of Pasig Basic Qualification: must be bachelor’s / college ZHENG, XUN degree in any fields, at least 2 Computer Technician yrs. of working experience in the related positions, ability 84.

Brief Job Description: to maintain high level of responsible for installing, maintaining and repairing confidentiality computers and networks.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: must be bachelor’s / college JIN, FENGHE degree in any fields, at least 2 Web Developer yrs. of working experience in the related positions, ability 85.

Brief Job Description: to maintain high level of responsible for the coding, innovative design and layout confidentiality of our website.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MARKETCLUB INC. 41/f Gt Tower International, Ayala Ave. Cor. H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: proficiency in handling HAO, QINGXUE customers question about Chinese Speaking Customer Service Representative services or products/ 86. excellent mandarin Brief Job Description: communication skills assist/help customers, give customers information about products or services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MEGA-WEB TECHNOLOGIES INC. 6,7,8,9,10,11/f Met Live Bldg., Edsa Cor. Macapagal Blvd., Brgy. 076, Pasay City Basic Qualification: CAI, SHUQIN Proficient in speaking, Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider reading and writing in 87.

Mandarin.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: SHI, LEI Proficient in speaking, Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider reading and writing in 88.

Mandarin.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MINDSCAPE CREATIVES INC. Unit 19-o, Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

89.

INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION Ground, 2nd, 3rd And 4th Floor, Eight West Campus Mckinley West, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig MENG, BAOJIN Mandarin Customer Support Representative

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ZHENG, JINGSHENG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting

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

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting

Brief Job Description: Research and identify solutions to software and hardware issues; ensure all issues are properly logged

YIN, WEIWEI Technical Support Engineer

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate; excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Mandarin and English; with the experience in telecommunication network troubleshooting

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 A7

HOI KAR SOON Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls LU, ZHENG Mandarin Marketing Specialist

90.

Brief Job Description: Conducting research and marketing strategies to develop areas of the business opportunities PENG, BAOQUAN Mandarin Technical Support

91.

Brief Job Description: To troubleshoot, maintain and monitor the computer system

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in MANDARIN Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in MANDARIN Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

92.

HUA, LIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

BusinessMirror

A8 Wednesday, November 10, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

93.

94.

95.

96.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LUN, HAIYU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NAUNG JAR Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries SONG, YIHANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries YAN HITE SAWT Chinese Customer Specialist Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

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

111.

112.

113.

Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services

SU, XIANGNAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services

TANG, LIN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services

114.

115.

116.

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

NOCMAKATI, INC. 8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16,17,18 & 19 Floors, Century Diamond Center, Kalayaan Ave. Cor. Salamanca St. Poblacion, City Of Makati HEO, HYUN Basic Qualification: Korean Customer Service Representative Fluently speaking in Korean and English 97.

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services inquiries; Salary Range: Identifying and assessing customer’s needs Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 KIM, GIWOONG Basic Qualification: Korean Customer Service Representative Fluently speaking in Korean and English 98.

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services inquiries; Salary Range: Identifying and assessing customer’s needs Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 NOONA BUSINESS CONSULTING SERVICES INC. 10th & 31st Floor Ore Central Tower, 9th Ave. Cor. 31st St., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: GUO, DONG Proficient in speaking reading Mandarin Marketing Specialist and writing mandarin 99.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Planning and overseeing new marketing initiatives Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 OCEANIC SYMPHONY SERVICES INC. 3/f Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati LI, LI Basic Qualification: Mandarin Team Leader Can speak Mandarin 100.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PHILS.POWER-TECH CONSULTANCY SERVICES CORP. Rm. 06 2/f Sky Freight Bldg., C Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Sto. Nino, Santo Niño, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in civil CHAO, PAI-CHUAN engineering. Fluent in Project Manager Mandarin and English.

101.

Experience in power plant Brief Job Description: construction project Coordinate and oversee power plant construction / maintenance Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 POINTER DIGITAL SECURITY PHILIPPINES INC. Rm. 438 4/f Comfoods Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Cor. Chino Roces Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati TORRANCE, NEIL RUSSELL Basic Qualification: Director-working Director Extensive years of experience in top level management 102.

Brief Job Description: Working with the director to oversee the completion of Salary Range: projects Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 SA RIVENDELL GLOBAL SUPPORT, INC. 2741, P. Zamora St., Brgy. 097, Pasay City Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer CHANG, RUIZHANG application with good oral Customer Service Representative and written communication 103. skills Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: CHOU, LI-TING Has knowledge in computer Customer Service Representative applications 104.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Customer support and database services Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer DONG, LIHUA application with good oral Customer Service Representative and written communication 105. skills Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: DONG, SIHONG Has knowledge in computer Customer Service Representative applications 106.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Customer support and database services Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: HE, MIAO Has knowledge in computer Customer Service Representative applications 107.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Customer support and database services Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer JIANG, XIAOYE application with good oral Customer Service Representative and written communication 108. skills Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer LIAO, KEBING application with good oral Customer Service Representative and written communication 109. skills Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LIU, PEIHENG Has knowledge in computer Customer Service Representative applications 110.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Customer support and database services Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LUO, SONG Customer Service Representative

No.

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

117.

118.

119.

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

Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services

WANG, YANLIN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services WU, CHING-YU Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer support and database services XUE, NA Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer support and database services YANG, CONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: customer support and data base services YANG, RUOLAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer support and database services

ZHU, NAIXIN Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst 121.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst will be strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goal.

No.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has knowledge in computer applications Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has knowledge in computer applications

131.

132.

SANTWANI, KAMLESH International Trade Officer 122.

Brief Job Description: Coordinating credit and financial activities and obtaining export & imports operations. Adviser in manners to tariff, markets, federal and foreign regulations.

133.

HUANG, PO-YEN Mandarin Customer Service Specialist 127.

Brief Job Description: Prepare product of service reports by collecting and analyzing customer WU, YU-JIE Mandarin Customer Service Specialist

128.

Brief Job Description: Prepare product of service reports by collecting and analyzing customer CHEN, YU-CHIN Mandarin Field Marketing Specialist

129.

Brief Job Description: Define aregion-specific marketing plan that supports the regional sales

LI, NIEN-TSU Mandarin Field Marketing Specialist 130.

Brief Job Description: Define aregion-specific marketing plan that supports the regional sales

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, Reading and writing mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, Reading and writing mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, Reading and writing mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, Reading and writing mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

TRIVES TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Tower 4 Bayport West, Naia Garden Residence, Naia Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

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

WANG, HUI Mandarin Customer Support Representative

134.

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Malay and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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

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

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

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

URBANDIDEAS INC. Unit 17-m Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati TAO, XIAOHANG Mandarin Accounts Staff 135.

136.

137.

138.

Brief Job Description: Ensure consistency and accuracy of customer account deliverables CUI, ZHIBIN Mandarin Technical Support Brief Job Description: Conducting electrical safety checks on computer equipment WANG, HAO Mandarin Technical Support Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and networks WANG, SU Mandarin Technical Support Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and networks

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

VIRTUS LOGIC CONSULTING AND SERVICES INC. Unit 6 27th Flr. Zuellig Bldg., Makati Ave, Cor, Paseo De Roxas, City Of Makati

139.

KOO, KYOHAN General Manager Brief Job Description: Oversees and directs the daily operations of the company.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably at least 1 year experience as general manager.

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

VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati BAI, XUETAI Bilingual Admin Support Specialist 140.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TASNIM TRADE INTERNATIONAL INC. Unit No.b-10, D-21,f-111, Baclaran Bagong Milenyo Bldg., F.b Harrison St., Barangay 076, Pasay City Basic Qualification: YTHIER, CHRISTOPHE ANDRE MICHEL college graduate fluent in Marketing Staff English 123.

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Assist in all marketing procedure Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TOPAZBLITZ INC. Unit No. Unit 2c, Flr. No. 4/f, One E-com Center Building Bldg., Ocean Drive St., Mall Of Asia Complex Subd., Zone 10, Barangay 076, District 1, Pasay City Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling WANG, BIAO customer’s questions Chinese Speaking Business Analyst about services or products.

124.

Excellent Mandarin Brief Job Description: communication skills Planning, Maintaining and Coordinate the development of primary and secondary market research Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in handling WU, SI customer’s questions Chinese Speaking Business Analyst about services or products.

125.

Excellent Mandarin Brief Job Description: communication skills Planning, Maintaining and Coordinate the development of primary and secondary market research Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TOTAL CREST BUSINESS SUPPORT, INC. 26/f & 27/f Alphaland Corporate Tower, Ayala Ave. Extn. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: WONG HOI KEN Proficient in speaking, Mandarin Admin Officer Reading and writing 126. mandarin Brief Job Description: Maintain the quality of customer service provided by the Salary Range: team Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

QIN, FEI Mandarin Customer Support Representative

SRY MFG., CORP. Unit No.240 Menlo St. Zone 10, District 1, Barangay 33, Pasay City Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree.

Highly knowledgeable in international events, changes, filing documentary and regulatory reporting according to International Trade Law at least 8 years experience in import-export company.

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

HE, XIAOLONG Mandarin Customer Support Representative

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin Structural Maintenance Analyst, Familiarity, knowledge and awareness on Machinery and Heavy Equipment use by company, Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION PANG KHEE HONG Malaysian Customer Support Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Has knowledge in computer applications

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

TONG, TIANJU Customer Service Representative

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

SINOMA CBMIPH CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION 37b Rufino Pacific Tower, Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin Project Monitoring YANG, JINCHENG Supervisor, Familiarity, Mandarin Project Monitoring Supervisor knowledge and awareness on Machinery and Heavy Brief Job Description: 120.

Equipment use by company, The Mandarin Project Monitoring Supervisor will be Demonstrable experience in strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the developing strategic business most profitable direction while also implementing its plan. vision, mission and long term goal.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: Handles administrative requests and queries from senior managers/Officers LIN, YUAN Bilingual Technical Support Specialist

141.

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancement by studying work load capacity XU, YUANTING Bilingual Technical Support Specialist

142.

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancements by studying work load capacity YU, HUIHUI Bilingual Technical Support Specialist

143.

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancement by studying work load capacity NGUYEN THI KHANH LINH Vietnam-speaking Customer Service Officer

144.

Brief Job Description: Prepares product of service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information

Basic Qualification: Excellent in speaking, Reading and Writing in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in speaking, Reading and Writing in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in speaking, Reading and Writing in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in speaking, Reading and Writing in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

WELCOME BANK (RURAL BANK), INC. Unit G 02 I Square Bldg., Meralco Ave., Antonio Village, San Antonio, City Of Pasig AN, KYOCHAN Division Head 145.

Brief Job Description: Oversees the sales & marketing department, loan center and the asset management team and the efficient management of company loan portfolio

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree/College degree in any field.

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

YI HAOJI INC. Ub 111 Paseo De Roxas Bldg., Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati WANG, ZHE Administrator (Chinese) 146.

Brief Job Description: Preparing, organizing, and storing information, in paper and digital form; dealing queries of Chinese clients on email and phone

Basic Qualification: Excellent written and verbal communication skills via phone, email, and text.

Fluent in Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZERO 1 STORY SALON INC. 2f Uptown Parade-cluster 2, 36th St. Cor. 9th Ave., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig CHA, KYUNGAH Basic Qualification: Beauty And Hair Consultant Can communicate to Korean and Filipino clients 147.

Brief Job Description: Consulting clients on hair styling options, describing the Salary Range: benefits of different hair care products like treatment oils Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 and masks. *Date Generated: Nov 9, 2021 Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

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

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

TheWorld

Over 3 million in Myanmar need ‘life-saving’ aid–UN

U

NITED NATIONS—The UN humanitarian chief urged Myanmar’s military leaders on Monday to provide unimpeded access to the more than 3 million people in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance since government forces seized power on Feb. 1 “because of growing conflict and insecurity, Covid-19 and a failing economy.”

Martin Griffiths warned that without an end to violence and a peaceful resolution of Myanmar’s crisis, “this number will only rise.”

He also urged donors to respond to the UN appeal, saying less than half of the $385 million required has been raised since the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Monday was the first anniversary of the 2020 elections in Myanmar, which “were deemed free and fair by domestic and international observers,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. They were won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party with approximately 80 percent of the elected seats in the upper and lower houses of Parliament. The military rejects the results, claiming the vote was fraudulent.

“The United Nations reiterates its call on the military to respect the will of the people and put the country back on track to democratic transition,” Dujarric said, stressing that the UN remains “gravely concerned about the intensifying violence in Myanmar” and again urges unimpeded humanitarian access.

Griffiths’ statement was issued as members of the UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Myanmar requested by the United Kingdom. Diplomats said Russia and China objected to a proposed press statement that would express concern at recent violence including air strikes and reaffirm the council’s support for the country’s democratic transition, but discussions were continuing.

UK deputy ambassador James K ariuki told reporters before heading into the meeting that Britain is particularly concerned about the buildup of military action in northwest Chin state, “and we are concerned that this rather mirrors the activity we saw four years ago ahead of the atrocities that were committed in Rakhine against the Rohingya” Muslim minority.

“So, we’re ver y keen to make sure the council is focused, and the militar y know that we’re watching,” he said.

Since Suu Kyi’s ouster, Myanmar has been wracked by unrest, with peaceful demonstrations against the ruling generals morphing first into a low-level insurgency in many urban areas after security forces used deadly force and then into more serious combat in rural areas, especially in border regions where ethnic

minor it y m i l it i a s h ave been engaging in heav y clashes with government troops.

On September 7, the National Unity Government, the main underground group coordinating resistance to the military which was established by elected legislators who had been barred from taking their seats when the military seized power, called for a nationwide uprising. Its “People’s Defense Forces” operate in many areas and have received training and weapons from some armed ethnic groups.

Christine Schraner Burgener told The Associated Press shortly before her 3 and a half year term as the UN special envoy for Myanmar ended on October 31 that “civil war” has spread throughout the countr y.

She said the UN has heard that many soldiers are on the ground conducting “clearing operations” in Chin state, and reminded the world that the military’s “clearing operation” in Rakhine state in 2017 saw villages burned down, widespread rapes and more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

Griffiths also called the situation in the northwest “extremely concerning, with an escalation in hostilities between the Myanmar Armed Forces and the Chinland Defense Force in Chin state, and with the People’s Defense Forces in Magway and Sagaing regions.”

“More than 37,000 people, including women and children, have been newly displaced, and more than 160 homes have been burned, including churches and the offices of a humanitarian organization,” Griffiths said. “Attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including humanitarian workers and facilities, are clearly prohibited under international humanitarian law and must stop immediately.”

Since February 1, he said, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes due to violence across the country, and 223,000 people remain internally displaced. “ T his inc ludes 165,0 0 0 in the southeast of the countr y and is on top of a significant population of people who were already displaced in Rakhine, Chin, Shan and Kachin states prior to the takeover,” Griffiths said. He noted that 144,000 Rohingya people are still confined to camps or living in camp-like settings in Rakhine, many since their displacement in 2012, and more than 105,000 people have been displaced in Kachin and Shan, many for years.

The UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs said he is also “increasingly concerned about reports of rising levels of food insecurity in and around urban areas, including in Yangon and Mandalay.” AP

BusinessMirror

S

Many on Wall Street assumed Musk would be selling closer to 5 percent of his stake, Ives said, but even doubling that number doesn’t cause him or his firm great concern. Ives said better to “rip the Band-Aid off now” and avoid speculation.

“Tesla remains in pole position to drive this EV adoption curve to the next level both domestically and globally with Musk & Co. leading the way,” Ives wrote in a note to clients.

Tesla has been on a roll. As of Friday, the shares had gained more than 40 percent since last month when the company announced a record profit for the third quarter. Last week, Tesla shares hit an all-time closing high of $1,229,91 per share. It’s the most valuable

A9

Apec leaders meeting to chart path forward from pandemic

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ELLINGTON, New Zealand—US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will have a rare virtual encounter this week as they gather online with other Pacific Rim leaders to chart a path to recovery out of the crisis brought on by the pandemic.

New Zealand is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum, which culminates in a leader’s meeting on Saturday. Continued outbreaks of the coronavirus and related travel restrictions have confined the meeting to the virtual realm for a second straight year.

As usual, the 21 Apec members will be seeking areas where members can cooperate on easing barriers to trade and economic growth instead of trying to settle longstanding feuds.

The focus will be on “charting a path to recovery out of this oncein-a-century crisis,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, host of the leader’s meeting, said in a statement.

In all, Apec members account for nearly 3 billion people and about 60 percent of the world’s GDP. They span the Pacific Rim, from Chile to Russia to Thailand to Australia.

Officials say they’ve made significant progress during some 340 preliminary meetings. Apec members have agreed to reduce or

eliminate many tariffs and border holdups on vaccines, masks and other medical products important to fighting the coronavirus, said Vangelis Vitalis, chair of the Senior Officials’ Meeting.

But big power frictions are the inevitable backdrop for the closeddoor summit meetings of Apec, which as an economic forum includes both Hong Kong and Taiwan in addition to communist-ruled mainland China.

Both Taiwan and China have put in applications to join a Pacific Rim trade group, the Comprehensive and Progressive TransPacific Partnership, with Beijing saying it will block Taiwan’s bid on the basis that the democratically governed island refuses to accept that it’s part of China.

Stephen Hoadley, an associate professor of politics and international relations at the University of Auckland, said Biden will be looking to reverse the course set by predecessor Donald Trump, who spurned regional trade deals with his America First foreign policy approach.

Since Biden has taken office, Washington has shifted back to a more internationalist approach to trade liberalization, supporting global and regional efforts such as the rules-making World Trade Organization.

However, Biden has kept most trade, technology and investment restrictions that Trump imposed on Chinese exports and companies in place while also moving to counter Beijing’s sway in the region.

One such effort is a recent new defense agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the US that raised eyebrows because it did not include New Zealand or other US allies. The development of nuclear submarines is a major part of the new defense arrangement, and New Zealand has a longstanding nuclear-free policy.

Hoadley said the China-US rivalry can be seen even in the way they describe the region, with China calling it the Asia-Pacific and the US having switched years ago to calling it the Indo-Pacific, to include the democratic counterweight of India—which is not an Apec member.

Apart from the geopolitical tensions simmering at all times, the pandemic has added to uncertainty in a region that has long been viewed as an increasingly important engine of global growth.

M a ny e conom ies a re st i l l struggling to emerge from the downturns that hit the region hard in 2020, stalling travel and many other activities. Prolonged outbreaks of Covid-19 infections, slow progress in vaccinations and other disruptions both to ma nufact u r ing a nd shipping have added to uncertainty and

dragged millions of the region’s most vulnerable people back into poverty.

“Unfortunately, too, there’s been rising protectionism around the globe, and that has also made for an incredibly challenging environment for us to be operating in,” Vitalis said during a media briefing.

He said there are areas of common ground, including improving environmental sustainability, and enhancing the untapped potential of Indigenous groups.

New Zealand’s Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said Tuesday that Apec should send a powerful message to the world ahead of a World Trade Organization meeting.

“We are facing the biggest economic shock in 75 years. We know that trade will be a strong driver in our recovery. We absolutely cannot afford to turn our attention away from an institution that has underpinned Apec’s work since its inception,” O’Connor said.

Ahead of the main leader’s meeting Apec will host a youth summit and its usual CEO summit featuring addresses by leaders and a keynote speech by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

Ardern and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a dialogue on how the pandemic has changed the world.

The pandemic Apec meetings lack the pomp and glamor of past in-person gatherings. No fancy shirts or gala balls. New Zealand made the decision last year to switch to a virtual summit. Malaysia also opted to host the 2020 Apec leader’s meeting online due to the pandemic. AP

Vaccination bookings shoot up as Greece sees new case record

A

THENS, Greece— Greece reported a new record high for daily Covid-19 infections on Monday as vaccination appointments shot up after new restrictions on unvaccinated people kicked in over the weekend.

Health authorities recorded more than 7,300 new infections since late Sunday—compared to the previous record of about 6,900 set Friday—amid a constant surge in cases that’s filling hospital intensive care units. Officials also registered 65 new deaths.

About 61 percent of Greece’s 11 million population has been fully vaccinated so far, which is below the European Union average.

But senior health ministry official Marios Themistocleous told a briefing on Monday that over the past seven days there’s been a 185 percent increase in first vaccination appointments, and a 200 percent surge in booster shot appointments.

“It’s a very important increase,” he said. “What has changed is the introduction

Musk: I’ll sell 10 percent of Tesla stock based on Twitter poll ILVER SPRING, Md.—Tesla shares closed Monday down nearly 5 percent after CEO Elon Musk said he would sell 10 percent of his holdings in the electric car maker—more than $20 billion worth by most calculations—based on the results of a poll he conducted on Twitter over the weekend.

According to analyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities, Musk owns about 23 percent of Tesla’s stock and has about $10 billion in taxes coming due on stock options that vest next summer.

Much of Musk’s wealth is held in shares of Tesla, which does not pay him a cash salary.

“I only have stock, thus the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock,” Musk tweeted.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

carmaker in the world with a market capitalization of more than $1 trillion. The stock fell 4.8 percent Monday to $1,162.94. It is still up nearly 65 percent for the year.

The sometimes abrasive and unpredictable Musk, whose net worth is around $300 billion, said he proposed selling the stock as some Democrats have been pushing for billionaires to pay taxes when the price of the stocks they hold goes up, even if they don’t sell any shares. However, the wording on unrealized gains, also called a “billionaires tax,” was removed from President Joe Biden’s budget, which is still being negotiated.

“Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10 percent of my Tesla stock,” he

tweeted Saturday afternoon. “Do you support this?”

Musk said he would abide by the results of the poll, which ended with 58 percent of more than 3.5 million votes calling for him to sell the stock. He did not say when he would sell the stock.

Musk is known for roiling markets with his sometimes flippant and ill-advised tweets. Last Tuesday, Tesla shares tumbled more than 3 percent after Musk tweeted that a deal to sell 100,000 Teslas to Hertz had not yet been signed.

Hertz said the cars were already being delivered.

Ives called Musk’s recent Twitter poll “another bizarre soap opera that can only happen to one company and one CEO in the world, Musk.” AP

of the new measures and the high number of infections…

But this must continue, and the pace of appointments must increase.”

Under the measures that came into effect Saturday, unvaccinated people in Greece can only enter banks, government departments and most shops if they show a recent negative Covid-19 test.

The same applies to outdoor restaurant and café areas, while only vaccinated people are allowed indoors at such establishments.

Unrestricted access is still allowed for supermarkets,

shops selling food and pharmacies. Unvaccinated people must also present two negative tests weekly to access their workplaces.

Even the powerful Orthodox Church of Greece, until now lukewarm on pandemic restrictions, last week strongly urged worshippers to only enter churches if they are vaccinated, have recovered from the coronavirus or can show a recent negative test.

The country has so far recorded nearly 800,000 infections and more than 16,300 deaths. AP

Australia announces policy to boost electric car sales

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A NBER R A , Austra lia— Australia’s prime minister on Tuesday announced plans to encourage people to buy electric vehicles weeks after his government was accused at a UN conference in Scotland of being a laggard in fighting climate change.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the price of the technology would reduce in time and offered no subsidies to buyers of electric cars.

“The costs of technology are coming down, and that means the choices available to Australians and right around the world are becoming more accessible, so our plans are all about supporting those choices,” Morrison said.

“Our plans aren’t about sending a lot of taxpayers’ money off

to big multinationals to get costs down. They’ll do that themselves.

They’ve a keen interest in doing that,” he added.

The 250 million Australian dollar ($185 million) plan would partner with private enterprise to accelerate the rollout of 50,000 charging and hydrogen refueling stations.

The conservative government expects that would result in 30 percent of new passenger and light commercial truck sales in Australia being battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric by 2030.

Less than 2 percent of new vehicles sold in Australia are electric, and the transport sector is a major reason why Australia, on a per capita basis, is one of the world’s worst greenhouse gas emitters. AP

A10 Wednesday, November 10, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Let’s all practice mindful eating

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ice is the main staple food in the Philippines. It is being consumed by more than 90 percent of the population. As the country’s most important crop, rice accounts for around 20 percent of the gross value added (GVA) of Philippine agriculture. The rice sector employs 2.5 million households, broken down into 2.1 million farmers, 110,000 workers for post-farm activities, and 320,000 for ancillary undertakings.

Just like their counterparts in Asia, Filipinos consume rice on a regular basis. So much so that it is sometimes eaten as midnight snack and paired with anything like spicy noodles and fried egg.

Per capita annual consumption of rice in the Philippines is pegged at around 120 kilograms, which is equivalent to more than two cavans. Demand for rice continues to expand as the country’s population grows by around 2 percent a year.

Since domestic production cannot keep pace with increasing demand, the country imports the staple from neighboring countries, such as Vietnam and Thailand (See, “‘Bangladesh to dislodge PHL as world’s secondlargest rice importer,’” in the BusinessMirror October 13, 2021). Of the Philippines’s annual demand, other countries supply around 5 percent to 10 percent. This means that the country spends millions of dollars every year just to meet the local demand for the staple.

Latest figures from the Thai Rice Exporters Association showed that rice sold by top rice exporters range from $328 to $471 per metric ton. The cheapest 25 broken rice, which the Philippines usually imports, usually comes from Vietnam, Thailand and India. Among the three rice exporters, India offers the lowest price at $328 to $332 per MT. As the country purchases more than 2 million MT of rice, we have to spend around $600 million just to plug the annual gap in domestic production.

While policy-makers work on trimming the rice shortfall and improving farmers’ income amid rising input costs, there are things that citizens can do to reduce the Philippines’s rice imports. For one, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) said households should avoid wastage to help achieve rice security. The 2018 Household Food Consumption Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute showed that there are about 66.8 grams of food wastes in a household. The FNRI report said 48 grams of food waste consist of cereals and cereal products.

Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), a Filipino household wastes about 1.676 kilograms of rice annually (See, “Food waste, postharvest losses where millions remain hungry,” in the BusinessMirror, October 18, 2019). This translates to a total country loss of 38.507 million kg or 38,507 MT. At an average of $350 per MT, this would cost the Philippines about $13.47 million or more than P600 million.

Apart from minimizing or eliminating food waste, households must consume healthier rice, such as brown rice, which requires less milling.

PhilRice, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, noted that brown or unpolished rice has more fiber, minerals, and vitamins, particularly B vitamins. Brown rice could help prevent obesity and the onset of lifestyle diseases, while pigmented rice such as black or red rice contains phytochemicals in the bran, which strengthen the body against chronic lifestyle diseases.

Unfortunately, wasting food has become a bad habit for a number of Filipinos. For example, many households cook more rice than they need.

But the top cause of food wastage that many of us habitually do is taking larger portions than we can eat. Let’s practice mindful eating. A spoonful of rice wasted by millions of Filipinos means huge amounts of money going down the drain.

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Astroworld deaths spur calls for independent review

By Michael Kunzelman And Juan A. Lozano Associated Press

H

OUSTON—The Houston police and fire departments were deeply involved in safety measures for the music festival where a surging crowd killed eight people, playing key roles in crowd control measures, on-site security staffing and the emergency response. The police chief even says he met with the headlining performer before the show.

Now the city’s police department is leading the criminal investigation into how the deadly chaos erupted during Friday night’s performance by rapper Travis Scott.

While a prominent local official is calling for a separate, independent review of the tragedy, experts in crowd safety say an investigation by neutral outsiders could help the city avoid potential conflicts of interest and promote transparency.

Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva declined to comment on questions about whether its close involvement in the event created a conflict or if it considered handing the probe off to an

outside agency. Such decisions are often made in investigations like police shootings.

“All of the information we have available to put out at this time has been placed out on Twitter,” Silva said.

The police department’s probe would be separate from any independent investigation ordered by County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris County’s top elected official, according to Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for the county judge’s office. Hidalgo hasn’t decided who would conduct such an independent review or how it would be done, Lemaitre said Monday.

“She wants to know if this could

have been prevented in any way,” Lemaitre said. “It’s also entirely possible that it was not preventable for whatever reason, and that’s something we would like to know, as well.”

Key questions remained unanswered after the Astroworld festival at the Harris County-owned NRG Park. Some of the lingering questions involve what the Houston police and fire departments did before, during and after a crowd surged toward the stage, killing eight people and injuring many more, with over 300 people treated on site and at least 13 others hospitalized. Other questions center on the actions of event organizers.

Officials with the Houston police and fire departments have said that part of their investigation will include reviewing whether the concert promoter and others behind the festival adhered to the plans that were submitted for the event.

Astroworld’s organizers laid out security and emergency medical response protocols for the festival in plans filed with Harris County. The

56-page operations plan, obtained

by The Associated Press, says that a decision to evacuate the event would be made by the festival director after consultation with other individuals, including the security director. Such plans were filed with Harris County and Houston and have to be reviewed

by Houston police officials.

Christopher Slobogin, director of the criminal justice program at Vanderbilt University, said an independent criminal investigation into what happened in Houston could be beneficial to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. But acknowledged that this case is different from typical situations where authorities are confronted with decisions over whether to step away from a case because of a conflict of interest.

“The actual crime was probably not committed directly by the fire department or the police department,” he said. “But at least for appearance purposes, if an independent body did the investigation I think that would be the better practice.”

See “Astroworld,” A11

Obama faults Russia, China for ‘lack of urgency’ on climate

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Aniruddha Ghosal & Seth Borenstein Associated Press

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LASGOW, Scotland—Barack Obama expressed confidence at UN climate talks Monday that the Biden administration will ultimately get its $555 billion climate package through Congress, and faulted US rivals China and Russia for what he called a “dangerous lack of urgency” in cutting their own climate-wrecking emissions.

As nations complained of lagging trust and progress in the climate talks, Obama, one of the leaders who paved the way for the historic 2015 Paris climate deal, threw in a touch of his trademark hope but admitted that “images of dystopia” were creeping into his dreams.

“There are times where the future seems somewhat bleak. There are times where I am doubtful that humanity can get its act together before it’s too late,” Obama said at the two-week-long negotiations. “[But] we can’t afford hopelessness.”

His comments came as conference leaders acknowledged Monday that many key sticking points exist after a week of talks. A trust gap between rich and poor nations has once again emerged and developing countries used the word “disappointing” when leaders talked Monday about the progress to date in the talks.

The UN climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, is the former American president’s first since he helped deliver the triumph of the 2015 Paris climate accord, when nations committed to cutting fossil fuel and agricultural emissions fast enough to keep the Earth’s warming below catastrophic levels

of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

That celebration has been replaced by worry. Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris accord. And while President Joe Biden put America back in the climate deal the Trump move set back US efforts.

Other top polluters — including China, India and Russia—are moving far more slowly on fighting climate change than scientists say is needed.

“1.5 C is on life support now, it’s in ICU,” said Alden Meyer of E3G, an environmental think tank.

Obama’s appearance sought to remind governments of the elation that surrounded the Paris accord and urge them to announce more immediate, concrete steps to put the 2015 deal into action. Optimism and unity is required to save the planet, he said.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat if your Florida house is flooded by rising seas, or your crops fail in the Dakotas, or your California house is burning.

Nature, physics, science—they don’t care about party affiliation,” Obama said. “We need everybody—even if we disagree on other things.”

Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate wrote Monday on Twitter

that she was 13 when Obama was part of rich nations who promised $100 billion a year to poor countries to help them fight global warming, but said those nations broke the promise. Nakate told The Associated Press that she wasn’t attacking the former president “but that is me speaking the truth.”

“This money was promised, but it hasn’t been delivered,” she said, adding that the $100 billion a year was the “bare minimum” for climate finance.

Despite opposition within Biden’s own Democratic party that has blocked the president’s climatefighting legislation, Obama was confident that some version of Biden’s ambitious climate bill will pass and be “historic.”

“It will set the United States on course to meet its new climate targets,” he said.

And while the rapport between US and Chinese negotiators paved the way to the Paris accord, Obama on Monday criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not joining other leaders at the climate talks in Glasgow.

“It was particularly discouraging to see the leaders of two of the world’s largest emitters, China and Russia, decline to even attend the proceedings, and their national plans reflect what appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency,” Obama said.

Obama spoke earlier Monday to a session on Pacific Island nations, including ones whose existence is threatened by rising oceans.

“All of us have a part to play. All

of us have work to do. All of us have sacrifices to make” on climate, he said. “But those of us who live in wealthy nations, those of us who helped to precipitate the problem... we have an added burden.”

No deals have been made yet on three main goals of the U.N. conference. Those are pledges to cut emissions in half by 2030 to keep the Paris climate deal’s 1.5 degree Celsius temperature limit goal alive; the need for $100 billion annually in financial help from rich countries to poor ones; and the idea that half of that money goes to adapting to global warming’s worst effects. Several other issues, including trading carbon and the transparency of national emissions commitments, also weren’t solved yet.

Representatives of 77 developing nations, along with China, said until this climate conference produces financing to help poor nations the talks can’t be considered successful.

“There is a history of broken promises and unfulfilled commitments by developed countries,” said Diego Pacheco Balanza of Bolivia.

Scientists say the Earth is only a few years away from the point where it becomes impossible to meet the goals set in the Paris accord, due to mounting damage from coal, petroleum, agriculture and other pollution sources. The last few days have seen huge protests in Glasgow and around Europe by young people and others demanding faster action from nations in fighting global warming. Associated Press reporter Frank Jordans contributed to this report.

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Strict vaccine mandate begins for Los Angeles businesses

By Christopher Weber And Stefanie Dazio | Associated Press

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OS ANGELES—Before feasting on pancakes, burgers and milkshakes inside the Fred 62 diner in Los Angeles, patrons must now fork over proof of their Covid-19 vaccines for a waiter’s inspection under new city coronavirus rules that are among the country’s strictest.

The greasy spoon, famous for putting an LA spin on diner food, is one of thousands of businesses across the city where patrons were required to show proof of their vaccination status on Monday as the new measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus took effect.

For general manager Ian Hillan, the mandate is just one more thing the restaurant has to contend with during the pandemic. Staffing and supply chain issues—they recently had trouble getting napkins and certain kinds of beer—are more pressing problems.

In the last few weeks, Fred 62 finally reached pre-pandemic levels of patrons. Hillan is hoping the mandate might prove to be a good thing if more diners feel comfortable eating inside.

“It may just help us stay busier,” Hillan said.

The new rule covers businesses ranging from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons. Business trade groups say the mandate will sow confusion and could present safety concerns for employees tasked with checking customers’ vaccination status.

City officials are giving businesses time to acclimate to the new rules and will not begin inspections and enforcement until November 29.

Violators will be given a warning at first and fined $1,000 for a second offense. Additional violations will mean increased fines.

“These rules are in place to keep Angelenos safe, and help us get the economy back to full strength as quickly as possible,” Harrison Wollman, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Garcetti, said in a statement. Garcetti tested positive for the virus last week.

“We are committed to working closely with local businesses, so that they have the information and resources they need to better protect their workers and customers,” the statement said.

The new rules caused little disruption at Blue Bottle Coffee in the city’s Los Feliz neighborhood, where a sign on the front door reminded patrons to show proof of vaccination for permission to eat indoors.

Manager Matthew Cadena said the morning rush was mostly smooth as customers handed over their vaccine cards or showed photos of the cards on their cellphones.

“Most people are accommodating and understanding,” Cadena said.

The mandate was anticipated at Body Builders Gym in the Silverlake neighborhood, where employees for months have logged the vaccination status of patrons in an internal system so that proof is already verified the next time members come to the gym. Manfred Del Cid, the gym’s assistant general manager, said many patrons volunteered to show their proof before the mandate started.

“It seems like our demographic wants to know they’re safe,” he said.

Los Angeles is among a growing number of cities across the US, including San Francisco and New York City, requiring people show proof of vaccination to enter businesses and venues.

But rules in the nation’s secondmost-populous city, called SafePassLA, apply to more types of businesses and other indoor locations including museums and convention centers.

Hundreds of people opposed to vaccination mandates for Los Angeles city and county workers rallied in a downtown park Monday. The “March for Freedom” was organized by a firefighter group that claims such mandates are unconstitutional.

The proof-of-vaccination regula-

Business trade groups say the mandate will create confusion because Los Angeles County’s own vaccine rules—which apply to dozens of surrounding communities—are less sweeping.

Cities are allowed to pass rules more stringent than the county’s. tions went into force as new infection cases have inched up in California, following a sharp decline from an August peak driven by the delta variant.

November was the time of year in 2020 when the worst spike of the pandemic was just beginning in California. By January of this year, 500 people were dying every day in the state.

Los Angeles became the state’s infection epicenter and its hospitals were so overloaded with patients that ambulances idled outside with people struggling to breathe, waiting for beds to open up.

So many people died in Los Angeles that morgues reached capacity and refrigerated trucks were brought in to handle the overflow. That stark scene was playing out as coronavirus vaccines finally arrived and California and Los Angeles moved aggressively to inoculate people.

Among Los Angeles County’s roughly 10 million people, 80 percent of eligible residents have now received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and 71 percent of those eligible are fully vaccinated, according to public health officials.

To guard against anything resembling the January carnage, the Los Angeles City Council voted 11-2 last month to approve the ordinance requiring people 12 and older to be fully vaccinated to enter indoor public spaces including sports arenas, museums, spas, indoor city facilities and other locations.

Negative coronavirus tests within 72 hours of entry to those establishments are required for people with religious or medical exemptions for vaccinations. Customers without proof can still use outdoor facilities and can briefly enter businesses to use restrooms or pick up food orders.

Business trade groups say the mandate will create confusion because Los Angeles County’s own vaccine rules—which apply to dozens of surrounding communities—are less sweeping. Cities are allowed to pass rules more stringent than the county’s.

“There’s a tremendous lack of clarity,” said Sarah Wiltfong, senior policy manager at the Los Angeles County Business Federation. For example, most retail shops are exempt.

“But shopping malls and shopping centers are included, which of course includes retail shops,” she said.

Harassment of workers who must verify vaccinations is the top concern of the business federation’s members, Wiltfong said.

“This puts employees in a potential position of conflict, when they’re not necessarily trained to handle situations like that,” she said.

At Blue Bottle Coffee, employees ask customers if they want their order for “here or to go.” If they say “here,” the employee asks for vaccination proof. Those who do not show proof have to eat and drink at outdoor tables.

Coffee shop customer Danielle Evenson, of Los Angeles, had her vaccine card ready after the patron in front of her in line was asked for his. She said she “felt a little bit safer” after showing her card. “If you want coffee badly enough, you’ll get it out immediately,” she said.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 A11

China property stress spurs Fed warning as bond losses widen

By Sofia Horta e Costa | Bloomberg Opinion

J

ust weeks ago, Wall Street analysts and central bankers were quick to assure investors that a collapse by China Evergrande Group wouldn’t be a Lehman moment. Regulators in Beijing said that the crisis would be “contained.”

Now that a bond selloff has spread to China’s entire real estate sector and beyond, concern is growing about the potential risk to the global financial system.

The US Federal Reserve made that link explicit in a report on Monday, warning that what happens in China’s property industry could impact financial markets and threaten world economic growth. Underscoring the risks of a potential spillover, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority asked banks to disclose their exposure to Chinese real estate, according to a local media report.

At the heart of the bond market rout is concern that developers may have far more debt than disclosed on their balance sheets. That’s after some companies struggled to pay public and hidden debt despite appearing to have sufficient capital.

Making matters worse is developers’ inability to roll over maturing debt due to surging borrowing costs that effectively shut them out of the dollar bond market. China’s 10 largest developers by sales owe a combined $1.65 trillion in liabilities.

“China appears to be stress-testing its financial system,” said Larry Hu, head of China economics at Macquarie Group Ltd. “Only under stress do you know how much offbalance sheet debt there is and how much pressure the system is able to handle. But the danger is that China decides to ease off too late.”

The cash crunch is worsening by the day. The yield on a Bloomberg

index of Chinese junk dollar bonds —dominated by property firms— has surged toward 24 percent. Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd., which said last week it missed payments on wealth products, was downgraded further into junk by Fitch Ratings on Tuesday.

The selloff has spread to highergrade issuers such as Country Garden Holdings Co., while even a company controlled by China’s government has seen its bonds slump. Spreads on the nation’s investment-grade bonds over Treasuries widened the most since April on Tuesday.

Shares are also plunging. A Bloomberg index of Chinese developers is at the lowest level in more than four years after losing 33 percent in 2021.

Shareholders of companies such as Evergrande, China Fortune Land Development Co., China Aoyuan Group and Yuzhou Group Holdings Co. are sitting on losses exceeding 70 percent. The gauge is valued at just 0.3 times book value, showing traders are assigning a significant discount to developers’ reported assets.

There are few signs policy makers will ease curbs on the property market, despite the risks to the economy.

Guo Shuqing, the head of nation’s banking regulator, a year ago called real estate “the biggest gray rhino” for China’s financial stability—referring to a large yet overlooked threat.

President Xi Jinping appears determined to confront the challenge as he seeks to bring “common prosperity” and secure a third term to extend his

indefinite rule.

Cities including Beijing and Tianjin have tightened supervision over the use of proceeds from property pre-sales to ensure projects are completed, China Business News reported. That will worsen the cash shortage for developers, making it harder for them to repay their debts.

The stakes are high. Chinese banks had more than 51.4 trillion yuan ($8 trillion) of outstanding loans to the real estate sector as of September, an increase of 7.6 percent from a year earlier. The exposure was more than any other industry, and accounted for about 27 percent of the nation’s total lending, according to official data. About 41 percent of China’s banking system assets were either directly or indirectly associated with the property sector at the end of last year.

“We expect most of Beijing’s property curbs will remain in place for a while, with the worst likely yet to come for both China’s property sector and macro-economy,” Nomura International HK’s economists Ting Lu and Jing Wang wrote in a note published Monday. “Beijing’s policy makers may opt to ramp up support to prevent worsening defaults in coming months.”

Some see the selloff as an opportunity. Goldman Sachs Asset Management has been adding a “modest amount of risk” through high-yield dollar bonds issued by China property developers, said Angus Bell, a member of Goldman’s portfolio management team. The market is overestimating the contagion risk, Bell said in an interview last week.

Yet central bankers are starting to sound the alarm. Hong Kong banks will be required to disclose their loans and credit issued to mainland developers, treasury units’ securities

holdings as well as the proportion of their exposed assets, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reported, citing unidentified people.

“Financial stresses in China could strain global financial markets through a deterioration of risk sentiment, pose risks to global economic growth, and affect the United States,” the Fed said in its twiceyearly Financial Stability Report released Monday.

The warnings go both ways. Policy makers in China this year blamed post-pandemic liquidity unleashed by central banks elsewhere for inflating prices. The banking regulator in March said asset bubbles in overseas markets posed a risk to the global economy and could burst soon.

For now, limited signs of contagion in mainland financial markets give Chinese authorities room to maintain their curbs on the property industry, meaning the likelihood of some of kind of Lehman moment remains remote.

The economy is still projected to grow 8.1 percent in 2021, while the Shanghai equity benchmark is less than 6% away from a six-year high.

Money market rates are subdued as the People’s Bank of China ensures there’s sufficient liquidity in the banking system. The yuan is near the strongest versus the dollar since 2018. But how Beijing manages its crackdown on the nation’s real estate industry may have far-reaching consequences beyond its borders.

“Even if systemic risk remains low for now, the contagion risk is very real,” Macquarie’s Hu said. “I would say China needs to act if onshore markets panic and the economic risk grows so big they can’t defend 5 percent growth next year.” With assistance from Jun Luo, Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Olivia Tam and Yujing Liu.

Germany eyes new rules to tackle ‘pandemic of unvaccinated’

By Iain Rogers | Bloomberg Opinion

T

he three parties in talks to form the next German government agreed on a package of measures to tackle the latest surge in Covid-19 cases, which seeks to avoid sweeping restrictions like school closures and curfews.

The legislation, which the SPD, Greens and FDP want to push through parliament next week, is designed to provide a nationwide framework and will replace a law that expires on November 25. The measures—many of which are already being deployed— include distancing and hygiene rules, obligatory mask wearing and some restrictions for public events and travel.

“We’re sending a signal that we’re taking responsibility,” SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil said Tuesday

Astroworld. . . continued from A10

Officials have said a private company was primarily responsible for providing security at the festival, but Houston police were also assigned to the event. The plan says medical care at the festival was provided by ParaDocs, a private company based in New York.

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña had said during a news conference on Saturday that the injuries and size of the crowd “quickly overwhelmed” the private companies providing security and medical services. Peña said even though the medical operations plan did not require that the fire department have units pre-positioned around the festival, his agency decided to have those units in place “in case this incident escalated.”

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a statement on Monday that he had a “brief and respectful” meeting with Scott and the rapper’s head of security on Friday before his performance. The chief said he asked them to work with the police department.

“I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years in law enforcement experience

in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio. “We’re looking to provide legal certainty and bring this country through a difficult period.”

Lawmakers from the three parties are due to brief reporters on the legislation at 10 a.m. in Berlin. They decided to let the existing legislation lapse and draw up a new framework due to concerns that some of the measures previously agreed interfered too severely with citizen rights and potentially conflicted with Germany’s constitution.

Germany’s seven-day incidence rate continued to rise through Monday, climbing to a record 213.7, according to the latest data from the RKI publichealth institute. Cases are surging across Europe, leading to fears that the continent will be forced into another damaging lockdown.

German Health Minister Jens

Spahn has described the latest situation as “a massive pandemic of the unvaccinated,” while Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that hospitals in some hotspots are coming under increasing pressure.

Spahn has led the calls for more people to get their Covid-19 shots. As of Monday, just over 67 percent of the population was fully vaccinated, and just under 70 percent had received at least one dose. Spahn and regional counterparts last week agreed to push for booster shots for all adults, and Spahn said that bolstering protection after six months of being fully inoculated “should be the rule, not the exception.”

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to urge the elderly and vulnerable to have Covid booster shots in a televised address to the nation later on Tuesday. A similar

I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens of all ages, to include a global pandemic and social tension throughout the nation,” Finner said.

G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the United Kingdom’s University of Suffolk, said his independent investigations of similar tragedies typically begin with an evaluation of an event’s safety permitting process. He evaluates how a permit was issued and whether the event organizer adhered to permit conditions.

“Police can sometimes get too caught up in trying to take eyewitness accounts,” he said. “With 50,000 potential eyewitnesses, by the time they get done through with all of that, they’re left with a huge, confused mass.”

Houston police and fire officials said their investigation will include reviewing video taken by concert promoter Live Nation, as well as dozens of clips from people at the show.

Officials also planned to review the event’s security plan and determine whether its organizers properly followed permit requirements.

Steven Adelman, vice president of the industry group Event Safety Alliance, said in an email that he sees no issue with public

safety authorities authorizing an independent investigation of the Houston tragedy.

“I would hope and assume the investigation will be conducted by an outside person who is not subject to influence by the agencies that were involved with Astroworld. This is not an uncommon scenario in complex situations like this one,” wrote Adelman, whose organization was formed after the collapse of a stage killed seven people at the Indiana State Fair in 2011.

Adelman said private forensic analysis experts independently investigated the Indiana stage collapse, examining the stage roof engineering and crowd management.

“A good example of what I hope we see here,” Adelman said of the investigation in Houston.

Finner has defended how long it took for the concert to be called off after the first signs of trouble. The police chief said his department immediately notified concert organizers after noticing that attendees were “going down.” The event was called off 40 minutes later after discussions that included the fire department and NRG Park officials.

“You cannot just close when you’ve got 50,000 — over 50,000 — individuals, OK?” Finner said. “We have to

TV address in July led to a surge in vaccinations in the following days.

‘Regional differences’

Michael Mueller, the SPD mayor of Berlin, said that he and fellow regional leaders will likely meet with Merkel and Spahn “in the coming week” to coordinate policy. Some of Germany’s 16 states where infection rates are higher, including Bavaria and Saxony, have already tightened measures more than other regions. “There will always be regional differences because even when the numbers are generally rising we are seeing that some states are in a better position than others,” Mueller said in an interview with ARD TV. All the measures that Germany needs to fight the virus—beyond the vaccine campaign—will be contained in the new legislation, he added.

worry about rioting — riots — when you have a group that’s that young.”

Peña said city officials limited the attendance to 50,000 even though the venue could have held 200,000 based on fire codes. “It was the crowd control at the point of the stage that was the issue, especially as the crowd began to surge toward the stage,” Peña said. Live Nation said in a statement that it is cooperating with local authorities “so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve, and we will address all legal matters at the appropriate time.”

Hidalgo tweeted on Saturday that she was “calling for an objective and independent investigation into what happened.” She also said her office was grateful for the work done by the police and fire departments.

“It may well be that this tragedy is the result of unpredictable events, of circumstances coming together that couldn’t possibly have been avoided,” Hidalgo said. “But until we determine that, I will ask the tough questions.”

Hidalgo’s office isn’t a law-enforcement agency and doesn’t have authority over criminal investigations. Kunzelman reported from College Park, Maryland.AssociatedPressreportersKimberlee Kruesi in Nashville and Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.

A12 Wednesday, November 10, 2021

FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES SEEN BACK IN EARLY ‘22

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

A

S soon as younger children are allowed to get vaccinated, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) believes there’s no more reason to delay the resumption of face-to-face classes in the country.

In a briefing on Tuesday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said it is possible for the government to allow face-to-face classes to resume by January 2022.

“In the coming weeks, the vaccination program will include children aged 12 to 17. When the approvals are made, we will soon include children aged 5 to 11. This opens the door to the resumption of face-to-face schooling beginning in January 2022,” Chua said.

As of November 7, a total of 64.2 million vaccine doses have been administered across all priority groups and the general population, he noted.

Of this, 34.7 million were administered as first doses while

29.5 million were administered as the complete dose.

Given this and the steady supply of vaccines arriving in the country, it is possible to greet 2022 with a lower Alert Level 1 status, he said.

“To further sustain our growth this year and next year, the government will further accelerate the vaccination program, reopen to alert level 1 in January 2022, and maximize the use of the 2021 budget,” Chua said.

Higher spending

THE lower case levels in the country is also encouraging Filipinos to go out and spend. Chua expects to see a surge in consumption, including next year.

This, Chua said, was natural given that many had to stay home during the lockdown to keep themselves and families safe from the virus.

The easing of mobility restrictions, he added, could lead to higher consumption. He said he himself had to go out and increase his spending on clothes, especially for his son who is now six years old.

DA revises downward full-year growth to 1%

T

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) has revised downward its full-year growth target for the country’s farm production this year to 1 percent from 2 percent following a 2.6-percent contraction in agricultural output in the third quarter.

Agriculture Undersecretary Fermin D. Adriano said the 2-percent full-year farm growth will not be achieved this year given the contraction posted in the third quarter, the fourth consecutive quarter of decline.

The contraction in the third quarter is the lowest growth rate during a July-to-September period in the past seven years or since the 2.9-percent contraction record in the third quarter of 2014.

The 2 percent full-year growth target was already a revision from the department’s initial target of 2.5 percent set at the start of the year.

From January to September, the value of the country’s agricultural production plunged by 2.5 percent—the steepest decline in 11 years—as livestock and poultry production woes hound overall agricultural performance, negating gains in the crops sector. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2021/11/08/januaryseptember-farm-output-sinksto-11-year-low/) “There might be some difficulty in meeting the target of 2 percent given the contraction of the sector [in the third quarter]. I think there will be a recovery in the last quarter of this year,” Adriano said in a virtual press briefing on Tuesday.

“The full-year growth will hover in the vicinity of a 1-percent increase. If the growth rate of the livestock sector was flat, we would have registered more than 2-percent growth rate this year given the good performance of the crops sector,” he added.

The agriculture official said strong performance from the crops sector, barring typhoons, and anticipated increase in demand for food by Filipinos, would drive the farm sector to post a “modest” recovery growth in the fourth quarter. Farm output in the fourth quarter of last year contracted by 3.8 percent compared to the Octo-

ber-to-December period of 2019.

Adriano said they now see signs of recovery in the hogs sector, the primary driver of overall livestock production, as commercial raisers start to repopulate their farms.

“We are seeing some repopulation activities in the commercial farms for the main reasons that they can handle the costs or absorb the costs of biosecurity measures,” he said.

“The biggest problem, however, are the backyard raisers which constitute the biggest of the hog sector, about two-thirds. They cannot afford the biosecurity measures, that’s why we are thinking of clustering them,” he added.

Agriculture Undersecretary William C. Medrano said the commercial hog raisers have repopulated about 29,000 sows, based on the department’s latest survey.

PSA data also showed that production of all subsectors (livestock, poultry and fisheries), except crops, declined from January to September, with the livestock subsector posting a 19.4-percent contraction.

Poultry production declined by 1.3 percent while fisheries output fell slightly by 0.5 percent year-onyear, based on PSA data.

In the view of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) President Danilo V. Fausto, the contraction in agriculture output was primarily caused by the challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic such as disrupted supply chains and low purchasing power of Filipinos.

The situation, Fausto pointed out, was worsened by recent typhoons in the third quarter that battered the northern part of Luzon, where abundant crops, including corn, are located. These contracted 18.6 percent during the period.

“The Department of Agriculture’s target of 2 percent full-year growth this year is wishful thinking. I think full-year agriculture output would decline by 1 percent to 2 percent,” he earlier told the BusinessMirror.

“We expect better crop harvest in the fourth quarter coupled by an anticipated pick-up in consumer demand as quarantine restrictions eased,” he added.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Fiber sector seeks solons’ aid in BSP pivot to plastic T

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

HE Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFida) has raised to lawmakers’ attention its opposition to the Central Bank’s plan to change the country’s currency to polymerbased from abaca-cotton material.

PhilFida Executive Director Kennedy T. Costales gave to lawmakers, including Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, who chairs the Senate committee on agriculture and food, the agency’s position paper on the Central Bank’s proposed changes in the country’s banknotes. Villar earlier filed a bill declaring Catanduanes as the country’s abaca capital.

“We wanted to inform them of our position paper. We are not encouraging them to intervene but we leave that to their own volition,” Costales told the BusinessMirror on Monday.

“We just want to inform them about the recent developments that may affect our abaca farmers.

They should be informed about the wrongdoings of the Central Bank,” Costales added.

Aside from Villar, Costales sent a letter also to Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, as well as to Rep. Hector S. Sanchez of the lone district of Catanduanes, the country’s top producer of abaca.

“Having abaca as a component in our paper money is a great source of pride among Filipinos as it is indigenous to the Philippines. This position paper is also in support of the numerous abaca farmers and their families who are dependent on abaca for their source of livelihood,” Costales’s letter to the lawmakers read.

Plastic over abaca

COSTALES said losing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) market for abaca—despite it being a

small fraction of the overall market of the natural fiber—could still harm farmers’ income amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Costales said the BSP buys about 100 metric tons (MT) to 150 MT of the country’s annual 65,000 MT production.

Furthermore, Costales said what is more worrisome is that BSP is sending a discouraging policy signal which is the use of plastics over biodegradable materials like abaca.

Costales added that only foreign businesses will benefit from the shift to polymer, since the raw material will be imported instead of local Filipino farmers.

“The United States uses its own cotton on their dollar banknotes.

Europe is doing the same. They are patronizing their own commodities and not shifting to plastics or polymers,” he said.

“Countries like Australia use polymer in their banknotes because they do not have natural fiber resources. The point is, the BSP is promoting plastics rather than home-grown commodities,” he added.

Costales noted that as it is, the advancement of digital transactions amid the Covid-19 pandemic has already reduced the number of paper bills circulating

in the economy.

Joint statement

IN a joint statement, Catanduanes Gov. Joseph C. Cua and Rep. Sanchez said they “strongly oppose” the shift to polymerization of the country’s banknotes, calling for a “more elaborate” dialogue with industry stakeholders.

Cua and Sanchez took notice of BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan’s claim that polymerizing banknotes will only have “minimal” impact on the abaca industry and will only displace about 210 to 481 jobs.

“This will still affect the livelihoods of our abaca farmers and further worsen their plight, especially those who are still recovering from the destruction of Super Typhoon Rolly,” they said.

“The abaca industry is the lifeline of Catanduanes and any adverse impact on its producers, be it minimal, is a cause for alarm,” they added.

‘Railroading’

COSTALES has been opposing the Central Bank’s plan to shift to polymer from abaca in the materials used in printing the country’s banknotes.

Continued on A2

MULTI-PROPERTY Vice President Bruce Winton joins Santa during the recent ceremonial lighting of the Christmas Tree at Marriott Hotel in Pasay City. With the easing of the alert level to 2 in Metro Manila, most hotels and places that have traditionally drawn people because of their Christmas displays and treats are starting to spread their holiday cheer. NONOY LACZA

100K construction workers displaced in last 10 months

By Samuel P. Medenilla

T

@sam_medenilla

HE number of displaced construction workers from January 1 to October 31 this year has breached the 100,000 mark, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

In its latest Job Displacement report obtained by BusinessMirror, DOLE said 105,912 workers became unemployed within the given period, making it the sector with the most number of jobs displacement.

Labor Assistant Secretary Domi-

nique R. Tutay said most of the permanently displaced construction workers are from small-scale construction firms, which were forced to stop their operations due to lockdowns.

“But the big ones are pretty stable. That was the explanation of the PCA [Philippine Constructors Association] to us,” Tutay said in a phone interview.

Aside from construction, other industries with the biggest job losses were other service activities with 50,325, administrative and support service activities with 42,277, manufacturing with 30,970, and

transportation and storage with 26,039.

Together, these five industries accounted for 255,523 of the 338,032 permanently displaced workers during the first 10 months of the year.

Of the permanently displaced workers, 306,051 were retrenched by 8,638 establishments, while the remaining 31,981 lost their jobs due to the closure of 1,564 establishments.

DOLE registered 1.2 million affected by flexible work arrangements such as reduction of workdays and forced leaves from January to October.

“In terms of establishment size, the majority of the establishments which adopted flexible work arrangements were small enterprises (46 percent or 6,602). On the other hand, a greater number of establishments under micro enterprises implemented temporary closure (52 percent or 6,538),” DOLE said in its latest displacement report.

Labor officials expect the recent relaxation of movement and business restrictions in Metro Manila and other parts of the country will help more workers return to the workforce and reduce the number of the unemployed.

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Jollibee posts ₧2.6-B profit in Jan-Sept as sales rise

F

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

ast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) on Tuesday said it posted an income of P2.69 billion in January to September, a reversal of the P13.54-billion loss it recorded last year, as sales continued to improve.

The company said its system wide sales, a measure of all sales to consumers, both from company-owned and franchised stores, for the period rose 18 percent to P149.68 billion from the previous P126.42 billion.

Revenues rose 17 percent to P108.57 billion from last year’s P92.72 billion.

For the third quarter alone, the

company had profits of P1.57 billion, also a turnaround from last year’s P1.58 billion in loss and systemwide sales of P51.38 billion, an increase of 26 percent from last year’s P40.59 billion.

Same store sales in the Philippines went up by 32 percent in the third quarter from last year while

international business grew by 12 percent, the company said.

China grew by 3 percent; North America, 19 percent; Europe, Middle East and other parts of Asia, 9 percent; while sales of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf rose by 20 percent.

SuperFoods, meanwhile, declined by 53 percent primarily due to heightened restrictions imposed in Vietnam to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Worldwide same store sales growth was 23 percent versus the third quarter of 2020, the company said.

Compared with pre-pandemic levels, total system wide sales and revenues in the third quarter were still lower by 10 percent and 14 percent, respectively compared with the third quarter of 2019.

Operating income and attributable net income were also lower by 28

percent and 6 percent, respectively, the company said. Jollibee on Monday declared a cash dividend of P0.89 per share, 31 percent higher than the cash dividend declared last year.

This brought the total cash dividend declared in 2021 to P1.67 per share, 28 higher than in 2020.

The company had previously announced that would open 15 to 25 company-owned stores in Luzon, while 3 to 7 seven company-owned stores will be opened in Visayas and Mindanao.

Jollibee is planning to open 40 to 60 company-owned stores next year.

In February, the company announced that it recorded a net loss of P11.49 billion for the entire 2020, a reversal of the P7.3-billion income it posted in 2019. It added that its gains in the fourth quarter allowed it to pare its losses in 2020.

Cebu Air losses widen to ₧21.99B

C

ebu Air Inc., the operator of budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB), widened its net loss in January to September due to the impact of the pandemic.

According to a regulatory filing, the Gokongwei-led company booked a net loss of P21.99 billion, higher by 40.69 percent from the P14.69-billion net loss it incurred the year prior, as its revenues continued to drop to P9.15 billion from P19.34 billion or a 52.7-percent difference.

The drop in revenues is attributable to the declining passenger income. For the first nine months of the year, Cebu Air only booked P3.34 billion in passenger revenues due to the low demand for flights.

It only accommodated 1.9 million passengers during the said period, which was 59.6 percent lower than the 4.7 million pas-

sengers flown the year before.

Cebu Air’s cargo revenues, however, slightly cushioned that effect, sustaining a 20-percent growth to P4.26 billion from P3.55 billion.

Ancillary revenues, which mainly come from in-flight purchases, are also down by 60.5 percent to P1.53 billion from P3.90 billion.

“The disruption in the Group’s operations due to the repercussions brought about by the Covid-19 crisis had a negative impact on its financial condition and results of operations during the period,” the filing read.

Cebu-Camiguin flight

Cebu Pacific said it resumed its flight to Camiguin from Cebu on Tuesday.

It is also the first carrier to bring back its direct flights to and from the island since the pandemic.

CEB is also set to launch its newest Manila-Camiguin route on No-

vember 15, as it boosts seamless connections across its widest domestic network.

“We are pleased to restart the tourism sector in the island as we enable more Juans to fly conveniently to and from this destina-

tion. We look forward to having more passengers on board as we welcome the reopening of leisure travel and prepare to paint the skies yellow again,” said Xander Lao, Chief Commercial Officer at Cebu Pacific. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

B1

Petron income hits ₧4.9B as curbs ease

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

P

etron Corp. posted a net income of P4.99 billion as of endSeptember, a reversal of the P12.6-billion net loss a year ago, as revenues rose after the government eased lockdown restrictions.

The oil company reported stronger volume and revenues in the second and third quarters of the year.

Year-to-date sales of 59.2 million barrels matched last year’s level of 59.5 million barrels.

During the period, local sales of Petron’s lubricants grew by 28 percent, retail station volume increased by 9 percent, and petrochemical exports likewise exhibited substantial growth with sales increasing by 68 percent.

As international oil prices continued to rally with Dubai crude breaching the $75 per barrel-mark in the third quarter, Petron’s consolidated revenues from its Philippine and Malaysian operations rose 35 percent to P291.57 billion from P216.43 billion a year ago.

Efforts to reduce costs and yield more savings contributed to Petron’s continued financial recovery.

“We continue to prioritize volume recovery through programs that will not only help us generate more volumes but also reward loyal customers. We have recently concluded the third wave of our Panalo Bakunado promo where we gave discounts in the form of loyalty points to vaccinated motorists

aside from our already existing programs like the Super Driver Card which provides direct benefits to public transport drivers,” said Petron President Ramon S. Ang in a statement.

Through the Petron Super Driver Card loyalty program, over 300,000 public utility vehicle drivers nationwide get as much as P2 off for every liter of diesel and gasoline. This is on top of other benefits such as free medical insurance, roadside towingassistance, e-load redemption and exclusive discounts and freebies with partner merchants extended to SDC holders.

“Despite external challenges, sustaining the financial resilience of the company has helped ensure that we have the means and the capacity to continue growing the business while providing our investors with the best returns. These include strategic investments in our service station expansion, refinery enhancements, and supply chain management. We are looking forward to ending 2021 in a much stronger and stable position than last year,” said Ang. In October, Petron listed on the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. P18 billion in fixed-rate, peso-denominated bonds, which will refinance the company’s existing debts, and fund the construction of a new power plant in Bataan set to be completed and operational next year.

Petron operates about 40 terminals in the region and has around 2,800 service stations.

B2

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Companies BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Coal price rally allows DMCI Holdings to triple income in January-September

By VG Cabuag

E

@villygc

ngineering conglomerate DMCI Holdings Inc. on Tuesday said it more than tripled its nine-month consolidated net income to P13.5 billion from P3.9 billion last year, due to soaring coal prices.

Revenues for the period swung to an all-time high of P80 billion, an 82-percent increase from P44 billion last year, mainly as a result of the strong rally of coal, nickel and electricity prices, coupled with the steady increase in construction accomplishments.

Consolidated core net income more than doubled to P12.3 billion from P4.5 billion. These excludes a nonrecurring loss of P592 million last year due mainly to sales cancellations for a DMCI Homes project and a nonrecurring gain of P1.2 billion from the re-measurement of deferred tax liabilities as a result of the CREATE law and sale of a lot.

For the third quarter alone, DMCI Holdings saw its consolidated net income and core earnings growing by 113 percent to P4 billion from P1.9 billion, as revenues for the period rose by 46 percent to P26.4 billion from P18 billion.

“This is our highest third-quarter revenue ever. If current market and operating conditions continue for the rest of the year, we expect our fourth quarter results to be even better,” DMCI Holdings Chairman and President Isidro A. Consunji said.

From January to September, net income contribution from Semirara Mining and Power Corp. more than tripled to P6 billion from P1.7 billion last year

on higher coal shipments and average selling prices for coal and electricity.

Sluggish billed volume and lower average effective tariff as a result of quarantine restrictions pulled down Maynilad’s contribution by 8 percent to P1.1 billion from P1.2 billion last year.

DMCI Homes contributed P3.2 billion in core earnings, up 199 percent from P1 billion on higher construction accomplishments and down payment recognition from new accounts.

Contribution from DMCI Mining expanded by almost four times to P983 million from P252 million on higher selling prices, shipment and production, as two of its mines operated at full capacity during the year.

D.M. Consunji Inc., the construction firm, contributed P585 million, recovering from its P97-million net loss last year, owing to higher construction accomplishments and minimal Covid-19 costs. With higher electricity sales and average selling price, DMCI Power was able to raise its net income contribution by 6 percent to P428 million from P403 million.

Income from parent and others went up by 128 percent to a net income of P15 million from a net loss of P54 million last year on the absence of a one-time cost related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Local truckers get discounts from PPA

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

T

he Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is giving truckers an incentive in the form of discounts to encourage them to secure their permits to operate (PTO) and certificate of accreditation (CA) for them to legally transact at port terminals nationwide.

According to the port authority, truckers who will file for their PTO before December 31 will be given as much as P7,000 in discounts. Originally, the price for a PTO is at P10,500 for a 3-year permit, but truckers now have the option to pay for shorter permits, depending on their needs.

The discounts are as follows: P3,500 for a one-year permit; P5,000 for a two-year permit; and P7,000 for a three-year permit.

Once the December 31 deadline lapses truckers will have to pay P10,500 when filing for their PTOs. “The intention for the fee reduction before December 31, 2021 is to provide an incentive for PTO registration,” the PPA said.

It also explained that the PTO has “been a requirement for decades,” while the CA helps in reducing red tape and standardizes the process of filing to the ports.

The PPA recently imposed a “no permit,

no service” policy for all truckers in ports nationwide. As of end-October, only 75 percent of truckers operating in the Port of Manila complied with the requirements.

The PPA announced last week that it has started to implement a “no permit, no service” policy for all truckers in ports nationwide.

Truckers are required to obtain a CA and PTO before being allowed to transact at port terminals.

According to PPA General Manager Jay Santiago, the agency decided to implement the policy as “some truckers still refuse to secure the CA and PTO.” He stressed, however, that the policy is not new. The agency has imposed the first deadline to secure CA and PTO on October 15, which was then extended to October 31, only requiring the truckers to merely file an accomplished application form and submit all pertinent documents by December 31.

In May, the PPA said it raised its 2020 dividend remittance to the national government to P3.77 billion after it forwarded an additional P221 million to the National Treasury.

The additional dividends were remitted after a re-computation of its corporate tax income showed surplus payments, increasing its actual net income to P6.55 billion from the P6.32 billion reported earlier.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Entrepreneur

Zambo rabbit growers open dishes outlet

Z

AMBOANGA CITY—The Zamboanga Rabbit Meat Producers Association (ZRMPA) opened here on Saturday an eatery that serves as the group’s outlet to introduce their novelty culinary product.

The eatery is at the residence of Ariel Reyes, ZRMPA secretary, in Sitio Logoy Grande, Barangay TalonTalon at the back of the Talon-Talon Elementary School.

“We are eyeing to open a restaurant but since the association has no enough funds, we decided to start a business by opening up an eatery,” said Efren Arañez Jr., ZRMPA board of director, in an interview.

“Each of the members chipped in P500 to start [the] business. We are lucky since we are given a space free of charge,” he added.

Arañez said they have yet to slowly introduce rabbit meat as the Zamboangueños are not yet accustomed to eating rabbit dishes.

The ZRMPA, which was organized last month, has 40 members, mostly rabbit raisers.

After the opening of the outlet, members of the association even went on a house-to-house distribution in Barangay TalonTalon to introduce rabbit dishes to the public.

The rabbit dishes included rabbitchon (roasted rabbit), sisig, Bicol express, fried rabbit, satti, kaldereta, kulma, papait, among others.

Jericho Bustamante, ZRMPA president, said they ventured into the business of rabbit dishes to offer an alternative source of meat, which is cheaper compared to pork and beef.

Meanwhile, Arañez encouraged their members to schedule the free food distribution in their respective barangay for the people to have a taste of the meat.

“We have to come up with a campaign strategy to introduce our product to the public,” he added. PNA

BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, November 10, 2021 B3

LRI research group helps entreps, SMEs make the right biz decisions

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

I

@brownindio

Contributor

N 2016, six BS Economics graduates from the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and University of the Philippines banded together to put up the economics and research think tank Limelighter Research Inc. (LRI) to assist entrepreneurs classified as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) get the right information they need to make the right decisions to build a enterprise run by a skilled and competent work force.

Melvie Espejo, one of the founders and also the managing director of LRI, envisioned the economic and research think tank as a training ground for professionals who would like to pursue economic and business research as a career and “promote the profession that I love—applied economic research.”

As a seasoned and skilled applied economic researcher, Espejo knows the value of research as a tool and had came up with the right strategy to create, enter and grow markets. With the right research and right information, businesses, as result, are able to save a lot and can maximize existing resources towards growth their available resources.

“I just found it unfortunate that the same type of service is not that accessible for MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises] or those just venturing into business,”

Espejo told the BusinessMirror in an e-mail interview.

Although LRI is also interested in joining business groups supporting the SMEs and start-ups for liaising purposes, Espejo thinks it’s best for them to deliver the right information that can lead a business owner to decide.

Espejo said LRI is quite aware that a small business owner really cannot afford to make too many mistakes in his or her decisions when it comes to his or her business. She also noted the one-size fits all concept does not apply as each business, whether small, medium or large, is unique by itself.

According to Espejo, entrepreneurs come in different types. There are the typical entrepreneurs who just want to grow their businesses.

Then of course there are also the visionary entrepreneurs in the room even thinking of an idea that was never heard of before. For this pur-

or evidence—and that avalanche of information adds rather than reduces anxiety,” Espejo said.

Fortunately, researchers like Espejo possess the discipline, skill, and training in research that has always included handling volumes and volumes of information. Moreover, it is in a researcher’s DNA to know how to filter and only get to the accurate, defensible, verifiable and logical information. “I see that as the role of research companies such as LRI—the work that we do is not just about finding and echoing information, it is filtering and analysis of this information. This is how we use available information to take away uncertainty and Veteran research analyst Melvie Espejo leads the team of confusion among business owners: Important all the mostly female research and consultancy professionals at time in business, even more Limelighter Research Inc. Photo courtesy of LRI so in challenging times such as today,” Espejo pointed out. pose, the research that LRI does help.

“We analyze the context surroundFact checking and filtering ing a specific business question.

Just like the journalists, the toughIncidentally, this experience is true est part of a researcher’ job is finding anywhere in the world. A foreign inthe information. However, Espejo vestor for instance looking to enter said right now it’s the filtering and the Philippine market will have the fact checking that takes up most of same thoughts and limited budget their time. Furthermore, researchers for their entry strategy—the first like journalists, fact checking and thing they would think of—“is this going back to the source. even a good idea in the first place?”

There’s no doubt that researchAnd this is where the research that ers are also sources of informawe do comes in,” Espejo explained. tion. In a researchers’ parlance, this LRI’s role in ‘delivering the truth’ is called primary data collection, IN this age of fake news, alternative which means the production of new reality and disinformation, research information through tools of their plays a key role to deliver the truth. craft such as surveys, focus-group “Of course, given how things are now discussions, regression and forewith the Internet and social media, casting, etc. there’s too much information—not “It is this part of our profession all of it accurate or backed by logic that is most similar to the academe

and the scientific research community. But I think this nerd talk is better taken elsewhere,” she chuckled.

In a loftier position

After five years, Espejo can now confidently say LRI is definitely in a better place now than where it was in 2016. It now has range of products and services than what it used to offer at the onset. Furthermore, LRI has realized there’s now a wider demand for the type of research that it does.

“We just recently launched our newest publication, AGRI-Q, an industry research magazine on farmto-table economics, for example, and our initial take up on that is very good,” Espejo said.

Before, she recalled it was just one-on-one briefings and commissioned research work or more popularly known as market studies to support entrepreneurs with a business idea. Today, LRI has a set of regular publications and different kinds of services depending on what type of business and the current status of the business.

Interestingly, research companies thrive more when there is adversity and uncertainty such as the lingering Covid-19 pandemic. Espejo said: “If you think about it, when do you look up something? When do you do research? It’s when you are looking for answers, or trying to figure out what is going on, or when you are trying to decide on something.”

“The difference between a person googling things up and the disciplined, structured, research that we do is that ours is not just about finding the right answer on the Google first page search, it’s finding all the possible answers, validating them, finding connection, putting them into context and explaining why one answer is more right than the others,” Espejo stressed.

Book guides start-ups on ‘nuances’ of PHL e-commerce

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The Zamboanga Rabbit Meat Producers Association opens on Saturday, November 6, 2021, an outlet of rabbit dishes in Sitio Logoy Grande, Barangay Talon-Talon to introduce their product, which is cheaper than pork and beef. Photo shows Rabbit Kulma dish, distributed to the residents.

PNA photo by Teofilo P. Garcia Jr.

The ‘long road’ back to health and fitness

By Roderick L. Abad

T

Contributor

@rodrik_28

HE new normal has led many people to turn to hobbies that give them happiness and become more creative.

This trend has encouraged fitness enthusiast Aencille Santos to start Manila Athletica—a brand inspiring Filipinos to start their fitness journey from home.

Starting Manila Athletica was a necessary move for her. It made her financially stable.

CrossFit has been part of Santos’s life for years. Because of this, she bought a barbell set and plates for a makeshift gym at home last April.

She also studied and found that fitness equipment is part of the Top 10 things people bought during the pandemic.

Santos established Manila Athletica, with best-selling products that include jump ropes, resistance bands, and exercise mats.

Nevertheless, as more orders began

coming in, she started to struggle picking, packing, and shipping out orders on her own. Fortunately, she found a fulfillment partner for her e-commerce business.

“Upon assessing a shortlist of players, LOCAD topped the list with their impressive system, organized processes, and quality customer service,” Santos said.

With LOCAD, Manila Athletica has had a 40-percent increase in positive consumer comments and two to three times faster deliveries.

Santos, likewise, assumed the increase in their inventory by almost triple.

Manila Athletica expected to peak during the holiday season as more people are motivated to start or resume their fitness journey.

With the brand now growing at a steady pace, Manila Athletica is projecting to widen its inventory by offering new equipment and accessories.

“We will still focus mainly on ecommerce but will eventually expand to other Asian markets,” Santos said.

-commerce in the Philippines grew enormously amid pandemic curbs, as online shopping transactions jumped over 325 percent, according to NielsenIQ. Nevertheless, there’s a whale of a difference putting up an e-commerce business in the Philippines compared to the United States. There are nuances to every aspect of doing business here, and e-commerce is no exception.

To address this gap, the editorial team of Bookshelf PH recently wrote The E-Hustle: What the Country’s Best Digital Leaders Can Teach You About Launching and Growing Your Online Business.

The book features insights from the leaders who built the e-commerce infrastructure in the Philippines, including logistics, payments, and distribution channels; top online brands; and subject matter experts in relevant skills.

Featured leaders include: 1. Steve Sy—founder and CEO of Great Deals E-Commerce Corp.

2. Charles Ryan Sy—president and CEO of Dropify 3. Dannah Majarocon—managing

director of Lalamove PH 4. Martha Sazon—president and CEO of GCash 5. Dino Araneta—founder of QuadX 6. Martin Yu—director of Shopee Philippines 7. Nina Ellaine Dizon-Cabrera— CEO of Colourette Cosmetics 8. Kim Lato—CEO of Kimstore 9. Ben Wintle—founder and CEO of Booky 10. Ace Gapuz—CEO of Blogapalooza 11. Hiyasmin Neri-Soyao—cofounder and CEO of Shoppertainment LIVE Inc. 12. Francis Plaza—co-founder and CEO of PayMongo 13. Mario Domingo—founder of Neural Mechanics Inc. and DARC Labs 14. Agnes Gervacio—CEO of MDI Novare 15. Zen Han—vice president for National Sales of OPPO Philippines 16. Stefano Fazzini—co-founder and CEO of MetroMart 17. Michael McCullough—founder of KMC Solutions Rather than tap each business

leader on a general discussion of ecommerce, each interviewee was asked to focus on their particular expertise. Ace Gapuz, the CEO of Blogapalooza, for example, shared her expertise on how brands can leverage influencer marketing to enhance their e-commerce capabilities.

She gave a high-level overview of how to choose the right influencers, set goals, and execute campaigns—all again within the specific context of the Philippines, the so-called social media capital of the world.

“There is no map to e-commerce, no guide that says ‘you are here’ and tells you how to go the distance. But there are principles, strategies, and tactics that cut across different contexts, and the leaders here share exactly those: You can apply what they learned often through trial-and-error to your own circumstances, fast tracking your personal growth, and in extension, that of your business,” said Kyle Nate, the production editor of The E-Hustle said.

Joining Nate are co-authors Mio Borromeo, Pancho Dizon, and Monica Padillo; managing editor Ada Ortega; and layout artist Josephine Daluz

and cover artist Katrina de la Cruz.

Globe CEO Ernest Cu contributed the foreword discussing the rise of e-commerce in the Philippines, while Sen. Risa Hontiveros contributed the afterword focusing on the need for more entrepreneur-friendly legislation in the space.

While the book abounds with actionable insights and information, the confidence it inspires may be its biggest selling point.

“Many Filipinos will be embarking into e-commerce for the first time, starting their business during the pandemic. This prospect can of course be intimidating. By learning about the success stories in The E-Hustle, I think they’ll be more inclined toward optimistic thinking when the going gets tough: If they can do it, I can, too,” said Ortega.

“The E-Hustle shows the way forward, taking a deep look into the vast ecosystem of Philippine e-commerce,” Nate said.

The E-Hustle is available in both physical and eBook copies for order here: https://bit.ly/TheE-Hustle Rizal Raoul Reyes

Baguio ‘karinderia,’ small store owners get livelihood aid

By Liza Agoot

Philippine News Agency

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AGUIO CITY—Around 50 small entrepreneurs here received additional capital for their businesses that will help them recover from their losses due to the pandemic.

Entrepreneur Clara Buenavista said the meager income derived from her small business that also allows others to earn was used up when the pandemic struck.

She makes ice candy sold at schools by acquaintances before the pandemic.

“Dati kasi ’yung napagbentahan ang ibinibili ko ulit ng asukal at ibang kailangan tapos ’yung konting kita ibinibili namin ng pang-araw-araw [na pangangailangan], pero noong pandemic na hindi na naiikot ang puhunan at nawala na pati maliit na kita, naubos na rin ang maliit na puhunan [before, I used the sales to buy sugar and other ingredients while the income I get was used for our daily needs, but when the pandemic came and there was no more income, the small capital was used up],” she said.

Analyn Bonita, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), said she had to come

home in 2020 from Hong Kong to take care of her mother.

When she arrived, she revived the small sari-sari store they used to operate at the house using the little amount she earned. She said the limited income in contrast to their needs with the medical requirement of her mother has drained the supply of the store.

The two and the 48 other small business owners in the city were among the beneficiaries of small additional capital distributed here on Thursday by former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

“This is just P3,500 to jump-start a small business,” he told the beneficiaries. Cayetano said the assistance is part of his “Sampung Libong Pag-asa” program that aims to help ordinary people, families, and small business owners affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

He said they have been going around the country giving to families in need. “This is a contribution from different sources that we give directly to families,” he said during the distribution activity held at the Baguio Convention Center. PNA

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 • Editor: Dennis D. Estopace

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PhilHealth to revise circular halting payment to hospitals

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By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

O settle issues with health-care providers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Tuesday announced it would issue a revised circular on Temporary Suspension of Payment of Claims (TSPC).

The PhilHealth made the announcement during the continuation of hearings on House Resolution 1966 filed by House Committee on Health Chairperson Angelina “Helen” D.L. Tan. Tan’s resolution seeks to inquire into the confusion brought about by the issuances of PhilHealth on the availment of Covid-19 related benefit packages in light of the renewed calls on the part of some hospitals to disengage from PhilHealth over its continued failure to pay reimbursement claims.

The PhilHealth Circular 2021-013

imposes a temporary suspension of claims for potential fraudulent cases.

“We do not want the bridge to collapse [between hospitals and PhilHealth]. We want to rebuild whatever trust and partnership that are left between the state health insurer and our healthcare institutions or providers. We cannot allow this conflict to persist in the face of the worsening pandemic in the country,” Tan said.

Extension

DURING the House hearing, PhilHealth Acting Senior Manager Dr. Lambert S. David said the Phil-

Health has adopted almost all of the recommendations of the stakeholders.

David explained that the TSPC is the conditional stoppage of payment for claims undergoing investigation. He added “it is not a penalty but a preventive measure to avoid the loss or wastage of funds due to fraudulent acts, unethical and abuse of authority.”

According to David, the PhilHealth Executive Committee approved last November 4 the revised draft TSPC circular “for consultation with concerned external stakeholders.”

David said these recommendations include increasing the nonextendable period for health-care providers’ to submit replies to the Fact-Finding Investigation Report.

He said the revised circular gives health-care providers 10 days from the previous three days.

The PhilHealth earlier said its Fact Finding Investigation and Enforcement Department is resolving issues with hospitals “with urgency.”

“That is why we imposed a 3-day period for the hospital to answer the allegations of the findings,” the physician said.

Shortened

DAVID said PhilHealth officials also agreed that not all claims of a healthcare facility should be covered by the TSPC. He added the TSPC period shall be also revised from 120 days to “possibly” 60 days.

Under the said circular, the PhilHealth has 120 days to investigate unless extended to warrant investigation, which will not exceed 90 days. It will be automatically lifted after 120 days when no evidence of an offense was found after the investigation.

The PhilHealth also said that a grace period shall be given for in-patient claims of probable Covid-19 pneumonia cases admitted from November 26, 2020 to June 18, 2021.

According to David, the revised TSPC circular will be presented to the Philippine Hospitals Association, Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. and the Philippine Medical Association for their comments. “[This revised] circular shall be published and implemented once all parties are in agreement on the guidelines,” he added.

BSP warns public vs fake ₧500 bill on socmed posts

By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

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HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) alerted the public on a 500-peso commemorative banknote being broadly shared on social media.

“The BSP warns the public against accepting fraudulent banknotes and encourages anyone in the know to report use of fake banknotes to the police or to the BSP’s Payments and Currency Investigation Group,” the BSP said.

Under Republic Act 10951, counterfeiters of Philippine currency are subject to the penalty of imprisonment of at least 12 years and 1 day and a fine not exceeding two million pesos.

In the same statement, the BSP also warned the public against accepting fraudulent banknotes and encouraged anyone in the know to report use of fake banknotes to the police or to the BSP’s Payments and Currency Investigation Group.

“The BSP enjoins the public to

stay informed about legitimate banknotes issued by the BSP. [We] regularly conduct public information campaigns to educate the public on the design, security features, and proper handling of Philippine currency as well as relevant laws, policies, and programs,” the BSP said.

Earlier this month, the BSP reported that it has carried out seven enforcement operations in the first nine months of 2021 that led to the seizure of more than 500 pieces of counterfeit Philippine banknotes

worth more than P480,000.

The enforcement operations also resulted in the arrest of 16 suspects, 14 of which were members of crime syndicates.

In addition to the seized counterfeit Philippine currency, the BSP also seized more than 200 pieces of counterfeit foreign banknotes during the said period.

The BSP’s Payments and Currency Investigation Group, which carries out said operations, has already filed criminal cases against the arrested individuals in the courts.

SEC stops registration BSP backs PhilSys-ID use of new online lenders in opening bank account

T

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has stopped the registration of new online lending platforms (OLPs) of financing and lending companies after discovering loopholes in an old ruling are being used to prey on unwitting victims.

The SEC ordered a moratorium on new online lending platforms (SEC Memorandum Circular 10, Series of 2021) last November 2, ahead of the release of new rules that will govern the licensing and registration of OLPs of financing and lending companies.

“We are currently crafting new guidelines that will allow lending and financing companies to better address the needs of borrowers and, at the same time, plug loopholes that give rise to abusive and predatory practices,” SEC chairman Emilio B. Aquino said.

“We have seen the emergence of financial technology companies that engage in predatory lending, taking advantage of those struggling financially during the pandemic. The Commission will work toward stamping out these

abusive financing and lending companies that do nothing but bur y borrowers in even more debt,” he said.

The online lenders that have been recorded by the SEC prior to the moratorium may continue to operate and be used for online lending or financing. The SEC said it will subject the existing lenders to strict monitoring, audit and review to ensure their compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.

To date, the SEC has cancelled the licenses of 35 financing and lending companies due to various violations of its rules and regulations.

The certificate of registration of a total of 2,081 lending companies have also been revoked by the SEC for their failure to secure the requisite certificate of authority, pursuant to Republic Act 9474, or the Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007.

Some 58 online lending applications have been ordered to cease operations for lack of authority to operate as a lending or financing company.

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HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) instructed banks and other local financial institutions to accept the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) ID as sufficient proof of identity to open a bank account.

In a statement on Tuesday, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said the PhilSys ID—both in physical and mobile formats—shall be accepted as sufficient proof of identity without the need for another ID. Diokno also said the national ID system is expected to support the wide-scale opening of transaction accounts, particularly the Basic Deposit Account, which is designed to meet the needs of the unbanked.

“PhilSys will help more Filipinos, especially the marginalized and low-income, to begin saving money in banks and other BSFIs,” Diokno said.

In an earlier memorandum, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) also asked all government and private entities to accept the Philippine Identification (PhilID) card as sufficient proof of identity,

subject to proper authentication.

This is in line with Republic Act 11055 or the PhilSys Act. Banks and other financial institutions are also directed to include the PhilID in their list of valid IDs to be displayed on their counters, public entrances of their establishments, websites, social media accounts and other consumer information channels.

“The BSP considers the PhilSys as a game-changer for financial inclusion; a state wherein there is effective access to a wide range of financial services for all,” the BSP’s statement read.

“Aside from contributing to the massive opening of transaction accounts, PhilSys is expected to transform how services are delivered and accessed in the Philippines, accelerating the country’s transition to a digital economy,” it added.

As of October 21, the number of transaction accounts opened due to the co-location of PSA registration sites and Land Bank account opening facilities totaled 5,922,304 accounts. Bianca Cuaresma

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Treasury fully awards 10-yr T-bonds despite high rates

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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HE Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) fully awarded P35 billion in reissued 10-year Treasury Bonds (T-bonds) despite the security fetching a higher rate.

The security fetched an average rate of 5.13 percent, surging by 44.1 basis points from the previous auction’s 4.689 percent.

This is also higher than the secondary benchmark rates from the PHP Bloomberg Valuation (BVAL) Service.

The BVAL rate for the 10-year tenor is at 4.9646 percent. According to the BTr, that’s an increase of 16.54 basis points.

Likewise, Tuesday’s rate is also above by 21.49 basis points from the BVAL rate for the debt paper at 4.9151 percent.

Nonetheless, the auction was oversubscribed as total bids reached P55.37 billion.

With a remaining life of nine years and eight months, the security is set to mature on July 22, 2031.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon attributed the rise in bid rates to speculation that monetary authorities may start hiking rates.

“While inflation has decelerated, [the] market [is] still concerned inflation [remains] higher than target,” De Leon told reporters after the auction. “And with strong third-quarter GDP [gross domestic product] performance, [the market is] speculating that BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] may start raising rates.”

The Philippine Statistics Authority announced on Tuesday the Philippine economy grew 7.1 percent in the third quarter.

This is faster than the contraction of 11.6 percent in the July to September period last year but slower compared to the 12-percent growth in the second quarter this year.

With year-to-date growth reaching 4.9 percent, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the economy is on track to reach the high-end of the government’s full-year target of 4-percent to 5-percent growth.

The Treasury aims to raise P140 billion through auctioning off Tbonds while another P60 billion is programmed to be borrowed through Treasury bills.

The national government’s outstanding debt as of end-September this year ballooned to another record high of P11.92 trillion, already breaching the government’s expected level of debt stock of P11.73 trillion by the end of this year.

This was also higher by 27.2 percent or P2.55 trillion than P9.37 trillion in the same period in 2020.

Government’s attempt to recover losses caused by its measures to stem the Covid-19 infection rate is being fueled by debt. And last Monday’s announcement by the BTr confirms that as it announced plans to auction off, for the second time this year, Retail Treasury Bonds (RTB).

The National Treasurer said finance officials are still packaging the debt papers: it’s tenor and launch date. Still, De Leon said the lower inflation print in October and better than expected third-quarter GDP growth bodes well for having another RTB offering.

The Treasury is set to borrow P200 billion from the local debt market in November, the same amount it programmed to borrow last month.

Insurance Commission bares top insurers’ list

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SING unaudited quarterly reports on selected financial statistics (QRSFS) submitted by life insurers, the Insurance Commission (IC) determined that Sun Life of Canada (Philippines) Inc. led the life insurance sector in terms of premium income and invested assets for the first half of the year.

Sun Life ranked first as it generated P21.2 billion in premium income from January to June this year.

Trailing Sun Life are: Philippine Axa Life Insurance Corp. (Axa Philippines) with P19.78 billion; Pru Life Insurance Corp. of UK or Pru Life UK (P18.14 billion); Allianz PNB Life Insurance Inc. (P16.8 billion); and, BDO Life Assurance Co. Inc. (P9.31 billion).

Apart from premium income, Sun Life also outperformed life insurers in terms of invested assets at P259.63 billion.

Trailing Sun Life in terms of invested assets are: Philippine American Life and General Insurance Co. (Philam Life) with P246.55 billion; Pru Life UK (P150.77 billion); Axa Philippines (P145.82 billion); and, The Insular Life Assurance Co. Ltd. (Insular Life) with P136.25 billion.

Philam Life topped life insurers in terms of net income, net worth and total assets while Pru Life UK led the list in terms of new business annual premium.

In the first semester, Philam Life obtained the top spot with a net income of P6.75 billion. Rounding up the top five in the list were Sun Life (P3.86 billion), Insular Life (P1.7 bil-

lion), Axa Philippines (P1.58 billion) and Manulife (P1.2 billion).

In terms of net worth, Philam Life bested other life insurers with a net worth amounting to P62.81 billion. It was followed by Insular Life (P29.61 billion), Sun Life (P22.24 billion), Manulife (P10.21 billion) and Axa Philippines (P9.37 billion).

“The combined net worth of the top ten life insurance companies accounted for a remarkable 85.40 percent of the industry’s entire net worth as of 2Q [second quarter] 2021 based on the QRSFS, amounting to P188.17 billion,” Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa said.

As for total assets, Philam Life posted P276.71 billion, followed by Sun Life (P269.76 billion), Axa Philippines (P152.62 billion), Insular Life (P142.31 billion) and Pru Life UK (P117.19 billion).

Pru Life UK came on top with P4.16 billion in new business annual premium equivalent (NBAPE). Next on the list were Sun Life (P4.02 billion), Axa Philippines (P2.62 billion), Allianz PNB Life Insurance Inc. (2.06 billion) and BDO Life (P1.79 billion).

According to Funa, a life insurer’s NBAPE is computed by obtaining the sum of the value of first year premiums from products newly sold in a specific year (or the initialized annualized premium) and ten percent of single premiums written.

“It is an international standard that this Commission adopted to more accurately measure the life insurance industry’s sales performance,” Funa said. Bernadette D. Nicolas

Despite 7.8% drop in 2020 revenue collection, SSS can only hike premium in 2025

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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espite the decline in its collected revenues last year, the Social Security System (SSS) has to follow the law and defer raising premiums until 2025.

In an online briefing last Tuesday, SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said the agency’s revenue collection last year dropped by 7.8 percent from the P223 billion collected in 2019.

Ignacio further said the pension fund manager was only able to col-

lect P206 billion in 2020 as many businesses shut down and laid off workers.

She added the SSS would not hike its premiums to make up for the lost revenue in compliance with the schedule set by Republic Act (RA) 11199 or the SSS Act of 2018.

“ The [SSS] management or commission cannot just increase [premiums] when it wants to since it is included in the law,” Ignacio explained citing the premium increase stipulated in RA 11199 is in 2025.

Currently, she said SSS maintains

a P625-billion fund, which is used to provide for the benefits of its members. Ignacio said there would be an actuarial valuation in 2023 to determine how Covid-19 affected the fund’s life.

“Based on the actuarial valuation, which is in 2019, our fund life would

last until 2054. But that actuarial valuation did not include the Covid-19 pandemic,” Ignacio said.

RA 11199 states that valuation should be done every three years.

The valuation to be held in 2023 would use 2020 figures, according to the SSS chief.

Image BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Wednesday, November 10, 2021

B5

PHOTO BY DYLAN GILLIS ON UNSPLASH

Registered nurse and clinical department manager Farrah Visey

Fully vaxxed frontliner got Covid-19. Here’s why she’s urging people to get vaccinated

Many of us may have heard about vaccine breakthrough infections—that is, a person getting infected with Covid-19 despite being already fully vaccinated. Why does it happen and what does it mean for individuals both vaccinated and not? A frontliner and an expert from leading health instituion Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed, www.makatimed.net. ph) share insights and weigh in on the important role of the vaccine in breakthrough infections.

For Farrah Visey, registered nurse and clinical department manager of MakatiMed, exposure to Covid-19-positive patients is all in a day’s work. “People say I must have an agimat [amulet] because Covid-positive patients have to pass through me,” she says. Yet for someone at high risk of getting infected by the virus, she initially wasn’t keen on getting vaccinated. “Number one akong kontra diyan.”

Eventually she changed her mind, thanks to thorough information campaigns on the merits of vaccinations spread to employees by the center’s Infection Prevention and Control Unit. Visey, who got her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine two weeks after she completed rabies shots for a dog bite, received her second dose in June.

SILVER BULLET? THE timing couldn’t have been better. Months later, Visey would experience what’s known as a breakthrough infection—getting Covid-19 even after being already fully vaccinated. Weren’t vaccines supposed to be the silver bullet against the coronavirus? Yes and no, say experts. “The initial vaccines were developed to prevent the Wuhan SARS-COV2 strains,” explains Ma. Tarcela S. Gler, MD, an infectious diseases specialist at MakatiMed. “Breakthrough infections happen among vaccinated individuals who are exposed to new variants because the vaccines have lower efficacy to these variants.”

A breakthrough infection doesn’t mean that vaccines don’t work; rather, they prevent you from experiencing a more serious form of infection. An August 2021 report of Covid-19 cases in MakatiMed confirms this. According to the report, unvaccinated patients outnumbered both fully and partially vaccinated patients with moderate, severe and critical symptoms. Among the patients who expired while they were confined, 75 percent were unvaccinated.

“In MakatiMed, infections among healthcare workers who were vaccinated was 77 percent lower compared to those who were unvaccinated,” adds Gler.

CARRIER Despite being around Covid-positive patients, Visey didn’t get infected at the hospital. One Saturday in August, she went to the house of a 70-year-old aunt whose blood sugar had spiked to 500-600 mg/dl (the ideal range for a person with diabetes is between 80-130 mg/dl). As she administered insulin, the aunt, who had her shot of the Covid-19 vaccine a week before, coughed on Visey’s face. Visey was wearing a face mask but not a face shield.

While the aunt was admitted at the hospital, she tested positive for Covid-19. Upon hearing the news, Visey knew she could have carried the virus in her home.

Her hunch proved right. The following day, her husband (who had his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine) developed a runny nose. His swab test result came out positive. A week later, Visey’s own swab test came out positive as well, after manifesting a little cough and cold and loss of smell.

Given their mild symptoms, neither she nor her husband needed to be confined. Instead, they isolated themselves at home for the mandatory 10 days. In that period, Visey’s husband was symptom-free after three days, as was she, though it took a while for her to regain her sense of smell.

While recovering, Visey admitted feeling a fear of death.

“Covid is really frightening, and a lot of patients categorized as critical die.”

But the ordeal also made her understand the value of the vaccine. “Yes, it definitely helped,” she confirms. “When I was in isolation, I really appreciated the vaccine and thought that if I hadn’t empowered myself with knowledge about how vaccines work, I might have been one of those in the critical stage.”

VACCINE ADVOCATE Since then, Visey has become more mindful about observing minimum health and safety protocols. She keeps her mask on, washes her hands, practices social distancing, and takes her vitamin C with Zinc religiously.

The once vaccine-hesitant nurse has also become a vaccine advocate. Recently, she convinced a co-worker to get jabbed; in turn, that colleague talked family members into availing of the vaccine program in their respective communities. “No one knows who can get Covid-19—even people who don’t go out get it,” she points out. “If you can get the vaccine now, get it.”

“Vaccines are still the best tool to prevent severe infections for Covid-19,” maintains Gler. “Even if the vaccines have lesser efficacy to certain variants, they have been shown to have some activity. So, we need to push for vaccination for a certain mass of people, so we reach the herd immunity threshold.”

People, process and tools W

HEN I became a manager, one of the important things that my director taught me was that whenever I was reviewing existing workflows or thinking of future products or services, I always needed to look at three areas—people, process and tools. Focusing my attention on these three areas has always helped me in improving my team’s performance, and in ensuring they have everything they need to fulfill their commitments. It also serves as a quick guide to help me troubleshoot areas where they need help, and identify the main issues when their performance is subpar.

Let us start with your people. Check to see that you have the right people for the job. Identify the key competencies of the roles in your team and the expected skill levels for the work involved in fulfilling your team’s products or services. Knowing the skills set required for each member of your team will help you hire the right people for the job, and also helps you identify what skills set is lacking in your team.

Evaluate existing team members and create an inventory of skills and competencies for each of your team. This will help you assign projects to those most suited for the work, and also help you group them so that weaknesses are complemented by other’s strengths. This will also provide you with an overview of the developmental opportunities for your team, and help you develop targeted learning interventions.

Understanding your team’s skills set and areas of improvement will also help you provide opportunities for collaboration and cross-functional activities. An example is when you have both creative and technical

people who work differently from each other. In order for both groups to understand each other, they need to immerse themselves in each other’s workflow to understand that there are certain creative and technical processes that the others are not aware of.

This goes a long way in understanding timelines and quality of work.

To improve collaboration, develop a culture appropriate to your industry. There is no onesize-fits-all solution to creating an environment suitable for all organizations. Each industry has its own nuances and ways of working which do not necessarily work for other organizations. Your role as a leader is to discover the best working environment for your team and sustain it.

As for process, review existing ones used by your team for delivering products and services.

It helps if your processes are documented so new members of the team can have a ready reference, and senior members can use it for orienting clients on deliverables and timelines.

It will also help you fine-tune your process and isolate areas of concern especially when a step in the process is taking time.

When you have identified a problematic step in the process, pinpoint the root cause of the problem and improve processes one step at a time. Ensure the new process is understood by everyone. Minimize deviations from the new process by instituting control measures to monitor adherence. But take note of these because deviations can help you identify what is stopping people from following the new process, and could also provide insight into new ways of working that could improve it.

Your role as a manager is to be the process keeper.

You need to ensure your team follows the process and best practices. But to adapt to increasing demands, you need to be attuned to changes and adjust your processes as the need arises.

In terms of tools, list down your team’s deliverables and then create an inventory of what is currently used by your team. This will give you an overview of what are the commonly used tools and remove those which are rarely used. It will also help you prioritize which to update regularly, and which are redundant to your team’s needs.

It goes without saying that your team needs to have the right tools for the job. Software applications have new features and functions in newer versions which can make your team’s work easier and faster. But, of course, balancing the cost of new tools against your team’s productivity and efficiency depends on the available budget for your team. Your role as a leader is to ensure your team gets the best tools they can have given the budget.

Sometimes a new tool is not needed but a little bit of creativity to maximize existing tools. In a previous company I worked in, we did not have any drawing tools and we had to make do with existing clip arts and flat images we sourced from the Internet. That is, until we discovered that we could edit vector images using PowerPoint, and that we could actually make new characters just by using shapes. It helped us customize characters and gave us flexibility to adjust expressions on character’s faces.

Currently, my work involves creating communication materials and people are surprised that I can make posters and animated videos just by using PowerPoint. To know what your team’s tools can do, read more about them in websites, discussion boards, and online videos. You just might be surprised that you can do so many things using your existing tools.

For software, prioritize subscriptions and assign access to positions and not to individuals. When you assign it to a person and then that person resigns, the subscription becomes harder to transition to new team members. Consult your IT on the best way to ensure application subscriptions stay with your team even when a team member resigns so your team’s work continues uninterrupted.

Managing a team means you need to ensure you provide the best working environment for your team to thrive and become the best professional they can be. It means taking the time to know your team and understanding their needs, not just from a professional level, but on what motivates them to do their best. As a manager, you become the middleman between the executive leaders and your team. By assessing your team’s people, process and tools, you can position yourself better to balance the needs of the organization and your team. n

Jeweler elevates client experience SINCE its establishment in 2019, Meycauayan Jewelries (MJ) has maintained a strong commitment to constantly improve and refine its product designs and services. Fine jewelry pieces such as diamond engagement and wedding rings are no simple purchases. MJ recognizes this, and the value of the money and time that couples invest to have the perfect pair of rings to wear on their most awaited day and everyday thereafter.

The perfect piece of jewelry possesses both quality and value. For MJ founder and CEO Maria Aleta Dionisio, it is the brand’s responsibility to help their clients find the perfect fit for their style and budget. “At Meycauayan Jewelries, we offer a personalized customer experience to ensure that every client invests in the right piece,” said Dionisio. She also highlighted the importance of consumer education in building customers’ trust and confidence in the brand.

Quality and trust are key values for MJ. The brand is anchored on these principles and the zeal to preserve the traditional art of fine jewelry making. The brand’s team regularly invests in professional development and skills training in order to give its clientele the best possible customer experience. MJ’s CEO is a trusted Applied Jewelry

Professional with extensive knowledge in Colored Stone Essentials, Diamond Essentials, and Jewelry Essentials; and all the sales staff are GIA-trained.

Meycauayan Jewelries is not only about the price but more so about the intangible values attached to every jewelry piece that the brand creates, such as heritage preservation, innovation, and the brilliant craftsmanship of Meycauayan jewelry-makers who devote a great amount of time and effort into their craft to create masterpieces.

MJ is commissioned mostly for wedding and engagement rings, but does not limit itself on what the brand could offer its customers who have different needs and preferences in terms of jewelry design, gemstones, and hard materials. Clients can choose from a wide range of options for center stones that include but are not limited to natural diamonds, lab-grown, and colored gemstones.

This year, MJ launched two new additions to its stunning collection of wedding rings—the yellow gold Elena wedding ring set, and the Cadena white and yellow gold bridal ring set. Both are made to order and available in 14k and 18k gold. More information is available at www. meycauayanjewelries.com.

B6 Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Converge adopts Angeles watershed in partnership with Aeta community

OVER 70 CONVERGE EMPLOYEES ATTENDED THE TREE-PLANTING ACTIVITY IN ANGELES, PAMPANGA. Under the MOA, Converge will be rehabilitating 2 hectares of the Angeles watershed, with KAAPKA as the land stewards, and ARAW-ACI as the project implementer.

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EADING fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has adopted two hectares of the Angeles watershed in Pampanga under a partnership with the Abacan River and Angeles Watershed Advocacy Council Inc. (ARAW-ACI) and the Kapatirang Aetas ng Angeles-Porac para sa Kalikasan at Agrikultura (KAAPKA).

In a company-wide activity marking the start of the partnership held recently, over 70 Converge employees planted 500 seedlings - fruit-bearing and forest trees - in its designated 2 hectares.

“We are honored to mark our threeyear partnership with the ARAW-ACI and KAAPKA with this activity. The presence of our employees today demonstrates the commitment of Converge to its sustainability agenda,” said Converge President and CoFounder Maria Grace Y. Uy. The partnership with Converge is under the auspices of the ‘Adopt-A-Watershed’ program which involves the planting of at least 2,000 trees, and falls under the broader Angeles Watershed Rehabilitation Program of ARAW-ACI. The broader program is being supported by the local government of Angeles City to rehabilitate and nourish the 500-hectare

Angeles Watershed. This would ensure the reliable supply of clean water in the city and the whole of Pampanga province while providing livelihood to the Aeta community which serves as stewards of the trees planted in the watershed.

The reforestation program’s main goal is to populate and improve forest health in the Angeles watershed, for better rainfall collection and conservation of the city's water supply. This will also support flood control in the area.

“We believe that our actions today, no matter how humble, contribute to a better future for all. And we hope that with our commitment to rehabilitate the Angeles Watershed, we will be helping Angeles City and Pampanga province as a whole become a sustainable place for business and communities to thrive for many generations to come,” said Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy during the partnership signing ceremony.

Under the partnership, Converge will be supplying the seedlings, ensuring a sustainable water supply and fertilizer; and funding the overall costs of caretaking and protection for the three-year period.

KAAPKA, as the stewards, will look after the day-to-day upkeep of the

2-hectare land. ARAW-ACI will oversee implementation of the project and be the main coordinator with the land owner - the Bases Conversion Development Authority - and the Angeles City local government.

“When we started this project, Converge was one of the first to respond to the call. Hopefully, with your example, others will follow,” said Renato “Tatang” Abong Jr., President of ARAW-ACI during the signing ceremony cementing the partnership.

“We are thankful to Converge and ARAW-ACI. This initiative generated jobs for our community in Sapangbato and the trees can also be a source of food for us,” Fred Pan, President of KAAPKA, said.

“Tree-planting is one of the most effective ways to arrest the worsening environmental degradation. We only have one environment so let’s do our best to protect it,” Mr. Archie Lazatin, City Environment and Natural Resources Office head, noted during the ceremony.

Forests absorb roughly 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the nonprofit World Resources Institute.

The forests take the emissions out of the atmosphere and prevent them from warming the climate.

“As Converge grows, so does our responsibility to communities where we operate in, to our country, to our kababayan, and to the planet. We realized we need to manage our impact on the environment and make sure we give back to communities we work with, to the environment, and to broader society.

This led us to make our Sustainability Commitment,” said Converge Chief Strategy Officer Benjamin B. Azada.

Converge’s latest activity in its ESG Commitment coincides with the wrapup of the COP26, the global climate summit gathering commitments from governments to reduce carbon emissions and arrest climate change.

The Gift of mWellness: Get 3 doctor video consultations for only P249

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UST three months after its launch, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (PSE: MPI)’s mWell PH, has become the go-to app of moms for their health and wellness needs. The app delivers dependable telemedicine services and expert advice straight to the palm of your hands.

This holiday season, we’re giving you more reasons to love this app!

Introducing mWell PH’s latest treat – Gift of mWellness. Don’t miss out on the mWellness Subscription Package with 3 doctor video consultations for only P249 – that’s P1500 in savings.

Avail now until December 31 with no booking fee. Want to upgrade to 10 doctor video consultations? Choose the P549 package and save us much as P5400 (until November 15 only) – valid for 3 months.

Here are top reasons why moms love the mWell PH app:

“DISCOVERING the mWell PH app was such a relief! It’s an all-in-one app where you can find everything from doctor consultations, healthy recipes, fitness programs and more!

It’s an app that moms can depend on,” said actress/singer Sunshine Cruz.

“The top feature that I like is being able to book doctor appointments anytime with the option to the option to see a doctor right away.

Very convenient!” said Gwen Zamora, actress/ entrepreneur, new mom and fitness enthusiast.

QUINCENTENNIAL MARKER IN GLAN UNVEILED. The National Quincentennial Committee and the municipal government of Glan, Sarangani recently unveiled the 32nd commemorative marker in line with the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world by the Magellan-Elcano expedition. Situated at the remote village of Batulaki at the coast of the Celebes Sea, the expedition’s remaining crew sought refuge here due to a raging storm on October 26, 1521. The spot was among the last three places in the archipelago where the Spanish sailors dropped anchor before heading to their original destination of the “Spice Islands” in Maluku, Indonesia. Attending the unveiling ceremony were, from left: Glan tourism officer Rhoa Wadingan, Glan Mayor Vivien Yap, Department of Tourism Undersecretary Roberto Alabado, and National Historical Commission of the Philippines’s Historic Sites and Education Division Chief Gina Batuhan.

PhilHealth and hospitals make headway on claims issues

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HE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and a number of private hospitals led

by Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPi) President Dr. Jose Rene de Grano have met recently to jointly resolve the claims payments issue and to end public fears over some hospitals' plan of not renewing accreditation next year.

Present in the meeting were PhilHealth officials led by its PCEO Atty. Dante A. Gierran, Dr. Jose Rene de Grano, The Medical City PCEO Dr. Eugene Ramos; St. Luke’s Hospitals PCEO Dr. Art dela Pena; and Mt. Grace Hospitals, Inc. PCEO Carlos C. Ejercito and Executive VP and COO Rhais Gamboa. The meeting was agreed to be the first step towards more frequent dialogues and collaborations to address pain points and operational issues that brought challenges to both the Insurer and service providers.

Among the agreements reached include the immediate release of the second wave of Debit-Credit Payment Method (DCPM) to those hospitals that will signify intention to avail of such.

Using PhilHealth data, sixty percent (60%) of in-process claims shall be

released to hospitals that have not yet availed of DCPM, while the remaining 40 percent is released upon processing and reconciliation of initial payment.

For hospitals that have already availed of the DCPM, PhiHealth agreed to lower the liquidation threshold to 20 percent of the initial tranche of payment to enable them to immediately avail of the second wave of DCPM. Gierran vowed that a corresponding internal memo will be released soon to inform and prepare all regional offices for the second wave of applications. In addition the “Undertaking” that hospitals sign and submit as attachment to qualify for DCPM payments shall be amended based on suggestions from the hospitals.

The hospitals have likewise emphasized the need for regularity and predictability of payments to ensure uninterrupted hospital operations. A series of steps to solve the issue given PhilHealth's current challenges was submitted for consideration of the State Agency.

Moving forward, both parties have agreed to work together on the issue of returned and denied claims through a Technical Working Group composed of representatives from the Philippine Medical Association, Philippine Hospital Association, PHAPi and PhilHealth.

Responding to the appeal of PCEO Gierran for support on its IT concerns, the hospitals led by Mt. Grace hospitals agreed to provide assistance in order to expedite claims processing.

CSC reminds examinees to claim refund

T “I’m a COVID-19 survivor, a mom and a doctor so I know very well that going in and out of the hospital is traumatic. Having the mWell PH app can put my mind at ease and helps address medical concerns to avoid selfmedication,” Dr. Xzy Shane Domingo, dermatologist said.

With mWell, moms can easily reach primary care and specialized doctors including pediatricians. Among them is Dr. Catherine Onghangseng. Doc Cae, as she is fondly called, says “Moms know the importance of regular check-up for kids. Through the mWell PH app, I can easily offer medical advice to moms who can’t bring their kids to the clinic.” mWell’s growing line-up of partnerdoctors includes those from top hospitals such as Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos, Asian Hospital and Medical Center De Los Santos Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital and Marikina Valley Medical Center.

As a mom, Chaye Cabal-Revilla, Chief Finance and Sustainability Officer of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, recognizes the need for convenient healthcare for the family.

Cabal-Revilla says, “As part of mWell, I am able to help moms like me receive the healthcare they deserve.”

MPIC Chairman, Manny V. Pangilinan says, “MPIC group’s newest foray in digital healthcare brings healthcare closer to every Filipino. mWell is committed to providing innovative healthcare solutions through a wide and sustainable network of medical experts and services.”

Beyond telemedicine, Joey Lim, MPIC’s President and CEO said “mWell will be a partner in every stage of the wellness journey.”

Download the mWell PH app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Follow mWell on Facebook and mwellph on Instagram for more updates.

HE Civil Service Commission (CSC) reminded registered examinees of the 15 March 2020 Career Service Examination-Pen and Paper Test, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to claim the refund of their PHP500 application fee.

As stated in Examination Advisory No. 1, s. 2021 dated 30 April 2021, as amended, availing of the refund shall be until December 2021.

The CSC said that claiming the refund may be done in person, through bank deposit, or through the services of authorized remittance centers or payment facilities. Complete guidelines are detailed in the said exam advisory.

Examinees should check the exact refund procedure set by the CSC Regional/ Field Office (CSC RO/FO) concerned, as the case may differ per region or province.

They may coordinate with the concerned CSC RO through the following email addresses and contact numbers: CSC RO I: CSCRO1.refund@yahoo.com, Mobile: 09632848792 or 09630091483.

CSC RO II: cscreg2pald@gmail.com, 09179182585 or 09684286058.

CSC RO III: CSCRO3.refund@yahoo. com, 09205592088.

CSC RO IV: cscro4.refund@yahoo.com, (02) 75080377.

CSC RO V: cscro5.refund@yahoo.com, (052) 7429568

CSC RO VI:CSCRO6.refund@yahoo. com, (033) 3212669.

CSC RO VII: CSCRO7.refund@yahoo. com, (032) 4147488 or (032) 4147676 CSC RO VIII: CSCRO8.refund@yahoo. com, (053) 888 0742 CSC NCR: cscroncr.refund@yahoo.com, (02) 87815878.

CSC CAR: Cscrocar.refund@gmail.com, 09088851426 or (074) 6656670.

CSC Caraga: cscrocaraga.refund@ gmail.com, 09998809931, 8153370, and 8159459.

CSC for BARMM: CSCROBARMM. refund@yahoo.com, (064) 5521855.

For complete list of RO offices' contact details and queries, contact CSC Central Office: cscco_refund@yahoo.com, (02) 8931-8089.

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 B7

Sika bullish on the economy,

sees a bigger role in the recovery period

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By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

HERE is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic really dealt a heavy blow on several businesses in the country.

Nevertheless, there is no choice for business to roll with the punches and show resilience in facing this herculean challenge.

Si k a Phi lippines is one of the companies that has shown strength and stability in these turbulent times as it continues to provide the needed requirements of the economy as it is a major supplier of construction chemical products to various market sectors such as cement plants, ready-mix concrete industry, precast concrete factories, horizontal and vertical buildings, infrastructure, industrial and residential projects as well as retail stores.

“Sika Philippines is determined to help t he count r y ’s economy recover from the pandemic by providing the necessary products to several sectors of the economy. For instance, our company offers a range of products from concrete admixtures to waterproofing to concrete repair solutions. We are a major supplier of construction products to various market sectors e.g., cement plants, ready-mix concrete industry, precast concrete factories, building, infrastructure, industrial and residential projects as well as retail stores,” C h r i stophe L ejeu ne, genera l manager of Sika Philippines said in an e-mail interview with the BusinessMirror.

“In fact, even if 2020 was a c h a l leng i ng yea r, we h ave a c h i e v e d a r e v e nu e g r o w t h of over 20 percent in 2021 to demonstrate that we are thriving despite the challenges of the times,” Lejeune added.

Interestingly, the presence of

P.L.G.L. Construction applies Sika products for structural strengthening and retrofitting of the Magallanes Bridge Fly Over (northbound section) located in Edsa Christophe Lejeune, general manager of Sika Philippines

Sika Philippines in the local market is very timely as the current administration is embarking on an ambitious P9-trillion “Build, Build, Build program to boost the infrastructure development in the country. He stressed that Sika Philippines is ready to provide the materials to support the program and is currently participating in a number of them.

A center piece prog ra m of the current administration, the BBB program aims to propel the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” in the Philippines. Regarded as laggard in infrastructure development in Southeast Asia, the government aims to address one of the weakest links in economic development.

Furthermore, Lejeune said the greatest part of using Sika products is that they can be accessed easily starting from the basic products for house renovation to big-ticket projects such as high-rise buildings and other infrastructure.

The property sector, according to Lejeune, is another growth driver for Sika Philippines. With the property sector expecting for a recovery in 2022, he is optimistic that Sika Philippines will experience additional growth.

It seems happy days are here again as developers should adopt a bullish outlook and start lining up projects in anticipation of a recovery in 2022, according to property management and investment company Col liers Philippines.

I n it s 2021 t h i rd qu a r ter re p or t , C ol l ie r s Ph i l ip p i ne s stressed the property sector is poised for a rebound in 2022 as more sectors of the economy are going to reopen. Moreover, Colliers Philippines noted the retail or shopping mall segment could gain traction as greater consumer traffic is ex pected starting 2022 as the government lifts mobility restrictions and more people are getting vaccinated.

“With the amount of supply coming in 2022, we see that the 15.6-percent [vacancy rate]

would still increase to around 17 percent. But I think that that will be it. That’s going to be the start of the vacancy decline in line with the rebound of the market,” Colliers Director Dom Fredrick Andaya said in a briefing on October 29.

In terms of developing a branding for every product, Lejeune said Sika Philippines crafted a target market branding exercise led by the corporate office supported by the regional team to be able to properly position in the market.

He also stressed that Sika Philippines is committed to providing quality products to the market. This is complemented by the delivery of quality service through our QMS. Through the Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 9001:2015 and 14001:2015, Sika Philippines has achieved world-class standards at both their manufacturing facilities.

Innovation is the key to excellence, according to Lejeune. By pursuing innovation, quality has been achieved. This is manifested

in the products the company has produced. “By producing quality products has resulted in developing a brand loyalty for the customers. We treat our customers as our partners and develop it into a long-term relationship,” he said.

Sika offers a wide range of products for the real-estate industry. For instance, Lejeune noted they have products that will enable homeowners to implement quality measures to their homes and protect their lifetime investment. In this age of climate change, he said the company has introduced a sustainable roof system that has been proven to withstand the severe weather conditions and even got the nod of the toughest critics.

He added the company’s housing materials are also environment-friendly pointing out it has a low VOC and durable quality resulting in a reduction of carbon footprint over its lifetime use.

Lejeune said homeowners will also like the company’s all-inone waterproofing solution com-

pletely impermeable to a drop of water and sticking hard to the concrete foundation.

The tile setting adhesive so easy-to-apply, your elbows stay pa in-f ree f rom its ef for t less spreading.

The team of technical experts around the world, who are your partner to ensure your construction or renovation projects are a success for a lifetime.

In a country where there are high incidents of fire accidents, he said Sika Philippines has the easy-to-use sealant which prevents fires from spreading. The sealant also protects building windows from thermal transfer for decades without fail.

Meanwhile, Sika’s concrete admixtures help pour concrete to harden faster and stronger.

Lejeune said Sika Philippines aims to have a market presence in all parts of the country offering a full range of the highest quality construction chemicals. “We want Filipinos all over the country to experience the Sika quality brand because they will get their money’s worth,” he said.

Sur plus, Spor ts Centra l, and Miniso. It will also have fashion boutiques, jewelry stores, bookstores; as well as a Cyberzone and service and wellness centers.

Eating out options include a Food Court, and specialty restaurants and international and local food chains like Classic Savory, Kenny Rogers, Shakeys, Breadtalk, Goldilocks; as well as milk tea brands Macao Imperial, Gong Cha, Chatime, and Serenitea.

Homegrown businesses have also found their way to SM City Daet. These include the Daet Flower shop and R A Beauty Shop; as well as restaurants Biggs, Biñan Fastfood, Cafe Morga, Kick Milk Tea, Lemon Jess, Round the Clock Cafe and Bakery, Mamita’s Pizza, Pley-Tito, Siennalo’s and Caramel Bakeshop.

SM City Daet will also have 4 digital cinemas and an amusement center for kids awaiting to serve the customers when the

pandemic is over.

For customer convenience, it has an open parking that can accommodate 621 vehicles. The mall is also adjacent to PUV and bus terminals with local trips to towns nearby.

SM City Daet’s project team includes DSGN Associates Inc., Design Consultant; JRP Design Inc., Architect on Record; RM Cabanela, Construction Management; and Don Lee Builders Inc. General Contractors.

A gateway to great shopping, fun and opportunities

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U S T i n t i me for C h r i s t mas, SM City Daet recently opened its doors in Camarines Norte, bringing great shopping, leisure, and entertainment to this bustling city in beautiful Bicolandia. It is SM Prime Holdings’ 77th supermall, and the third in the Bicol region after SM City Naga in Camarines Sur and SM City Legaspi in Albay.

Daet, is the capital of Camarines Norte, which is known as the Gateway to Bicolandia. The province borders the Quezon Province to the west, Camarines Sur to the south, and the Philippine Sea to the north. Camarines Norte abounds with fish, and other marine products; while its farmlands are planted with coconut, bananas, corn, palay, and root crops.

A f irst- c l ass municipa l it y, Daet is a famous surfing and kiteboarding destination, as it has a long stretch of beach in Bagasbas. It also serves as the jump-off point for visitors to

reach the Calaguas Island, which was awarded as the top tourism gem in an online nationwide poll by a multinational consultancy firm in 2013 and was included in the elite eight list of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in the Philippines in a Rappler online article in 2015.

A festival showcasing what is considered the Queen of All Pineapple—the sweet and flavorful Formosa variety which grows abundantly in Daet is another of its tourist attractions. Daet is also rich in mineral resources, such as white clay, and is a viable source of sand and gravel.

St r ate g ic a l ly lo c ate d i n a 48,590-sq-m site along Vinzons Avenue in Barangay Lag-on, SM City Daet will serve shoppers in the f lourishing province of Camarines Norte, especially the nearby municipalities of Talisay, San Vicente, Mercedes, and San Lorenzo Ruiz. More than that, it will be a catalyst for employment and business opportuni-

ties in the area.

The three level 46,980 sq.m mall has a bold and sophisticated façade, featuring a vivid pattern of neutral colors accented by bold blue entrances and canopies. The front of the mall at street level is open and welcoming with large storefronts and glass entrances, and covered walkways.

All portions of the center are linked by strategically placed escalators, elevators, and stairs, ensuring easy access to any shop, restaurant, or entertainment venue a shopper may desire, Bold f loor patterns, vividly colored ceiling treatments, and elegant storefronts unite all levels of the mall. Continuous clerestories and expansive curtain walls bring ample natural light into the center, supplemented by high efficiency LED lighting.

The SM Store and SM Supermarket are SM City Daet’s major anchors, along with SM Appliance, ACE Hardware, Watsons,

Sports BusinessMirror

B8

| Wednesday, November 10, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

HIDILYN SKIPS

WORLDS

By Josef Ramos

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go tour the Siargao Island Sports and Tourism Complex over the weekend.

PRRD, Go inaugurate brand-new Siargao sports, tourism complex

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ENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go joined President Rodrigo Duterte and other key officials in inaugurating the Siargao Island Sports and Tourism Complex and other big-ticket projects in Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte over the weekend.

Citing Siargao Island’s reputation as one of the most famous tourist destinations in the country, Go said that the opening of the P630.2million complex will greatly boost the island’s tourism sector and the country’s economic recovery.

Built in the town of Dapa, the complex can accommodate 1,632 persons in its first-class facilities and amenities. It can also hold various national and international sports and tourism events.

The 6.3-hectare complex, which was started in 2015, is also equipped with basketball, volleyball and badminton courts, a dormitory for student-athletes, rubberized athletic oval, soccer field, swimming pool, two-storey, six-classroom Siargao Sports High School and a convention center.

Go echoed President Duterte’s appeal to the local governments in Siargao Island to take care and preserve the natural beauty of the island to ensure that next generations of Filipinos will also get to enjoy it in the future.

Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, also said that the complex aims to inspire young athletes to hone their athletic

talents and skills.

“I am happy with the opening of this Siargao Sports and Tourism Complex, this is one of the many projects of the Duterte Administration that are aimed to improve the economy and for nation building,” Go said. “This complex will also be a key for young Filipinos to showcase their skills in sports.”

As part of his pledge to continue the positive changes initiated by the Duterte Administration, Go said that the pursuing infrastructure development will boost the economic recovery of the country to eventually provide a comfortable and sustainable life for those in the countryside.

Besides the Siargao Island Sports and Tourism Complex, President Duterte also unveiled other projects under the Build, Build, Build program by the Department of Public Works and Highways, including the opening of Catangnan-Cabitoonan Three-Point Bridge System which has an overall budget of P434 million.

First District Representative Francisco Jose Matugas II, Governor Francisco Matugas, Dapa Mayor Elizabeth Matugas, Surigao City Mayor Ernesto Matugas Jr., Burgos Mayor Emmanuel Arcena, Claver Mayor Georgia Gokiangkee and Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar attended the event.

Jiu-jitsu bets vie in Abu Dhabi

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OUTHEAST Asian Games gold medalists Maggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez lean a sevenathlete team that will compete starting on Wednesday in the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation World Championships at the Jiu Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Ramirez said they are competing for the first time in two years or since their successful 2019 SEA Games campaign that

netted the team five gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

“We’ll just do our best. We can’t guarantee anything because we haven’t competed for almost two years,” Ramirez said. “It’s our first tournament during the pandemic.”

The tournament started last November 3, but they will start competing on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

(UAE time) and on Thursday.

Aside from Ochoa (-48 kgs) and

No surprise there ARWIND SANTOS is 40. Vic Manuel is 34. They made a bit of history two days back.

As sudden as a quake, Arwind was shipped to Northport on Monday in exchange for Vic. Don’t be surprised. It will happen again and again and again.

The shelf life of a player is never constant.

Arwind has been like a permanent resident of San Miguel Beer (SMB). His exit ended his 11-year stint at San

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LYMPIC champion Hidilyn Diaz won’t compete in next month’s weightlifting world championships in Tashkent citing her lack of preparation.

“I only trained for one week and even weeks of preparation won’t be enough,” Diaz told BusinessMirror over the phone from Malacca, Malaysia, on Tuesday. “The soreness is there… sad to say that we cannot go on.”

Diaz won the country’s first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last July, ruling—and setting two Games records—the women’s 55-kg category.

The historic win gifted Diaz millions in cash and material incentives and numerous commercial endorsements and television appearances that kept her out

of serious gym work for almost three months.

She and husbandto-be Julius Naranjo, who’s also her head trainer and conditioning coach, returned to Malacca to train for the world championships set December 7 to 17 at the Uzbekistan capital, hoping to get to the form that molded her for the Olympic gold medal.

But the window wasn’t enough for the 30-year-old pride of Barangay Mampang in Zamboanga City.

“Everybody knows that I was very busy after winning the gold in the Olympics,” she said. “It’s really not enough and I already set the bar high.”

Diaz added: “I cannot compete for the sake of ‘happiness,’ but also for excellence. I always put everything at a high standard because I represent our country.”

Diaz also said that she’s preoccupied with completing her Business Administration course at the College of Saint Benilde.

“It’s crazy, I’m headed to our thesis and I have four of five terms

HIDILYN DIAZ takes a break—and a selfie for BusinessMirror—while training in Malacca with husband-to-be Julius Naranjo.

left before graduation,” said Diaz, who informed the Samahang Weighlifting ng Pilipinas of her decision to withdraw from the Worlds last Friday. “It’s hard.”

The worlds is the only gold medal missing in Diaz’s collection.

Next year, she said the Worlds and the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games in May and Huangzhou 19th Asian Games in September are tops on her list.

“We’ll be back in Manila later this month and then come back here early next year to prepare for the SEA Games and Asian Games,” she said. “We want to win both… and training is really important.”

PBA working on having fans back in 2nd conference

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HE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is adopting a number of measures that will help the league become vibrant anew.

The 46-year-old league will dialogue with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on having the fans back in the playing venue for the coming Governors Cup. The PBA Board of Governors also approved a policy for Filipinoforeign players to only present a Philippine passport to be available for the rookie draft.

These are some of the fresh developments announced by Commissioner Willie Marcial and Board Chairman Ricky Vargas in the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday.

Marcial said he will meet with the IATF in the coming days to discuss protocols to be implemented for the import-flavored conference and to request to the agency that the league be allowed to have the fans back after playing two consecutive conferences in a bubble setup without a crowd.

“We’ll ask the IATF if having the fans back will be allowed and if how many,” Marcial said.

“It’s a joyous occasion to see the fans back,” Vargas told the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

“We’re excited about the second conference. It’s going to be a conference with imports, and we’re looking forward to having our fans back,” Vargas said.

“That’s our wish. It’s been two years.

We’re looking forward to having them again as part of our tournaments.”

The second conference is tentatively set for a November 28 opening depending on the arrival of all 12 imports.

What is certain is the inaugural PBA 3x3 tournament on November 20 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

“That’s another milestone,” Vargas said of the launching of the league’s first three-a-side event.

Vargas also said that besides a Philippine passport, Filipino-foreign players will also be required to secure a certification from the Bureau of Immigration and affirmation from the Department of Justice.

SINGSON GRABS LEAD IN FOGGY, WINDY 1ST RD

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MAFY SINGSON cards a 76 in extreme conditions on Tuesday.

Ramirez (57 kgs), the women’s team is composed of Jollirine Co (-48 kgs) and 2019 SEA Games silver medalist Jenn Napoles (-52 kgs).

The men’s team includes SEA Games gold medalist Angelo Carlo (-56 kgs), Marc Alexander Lim (-69 kgs) and Luigi Ladera (-94 kgs).

They are coached by Alexander Sulit. Josef Ramos

Miguel Beer, one of the longest contracts in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Drafted second overall in 2007 by Air21 after being a two-time University Athletic Association of the Philippines Most Valuable Player as a Far Eastern U Tamaraw, Arwind moved to Petron Blaze in 2009.

Thus began Arwind’s 11-year odyssey at San Miguel Corp. highlighted by a second Grand Slam for the SMC franchise and an MVP plum in 2013.

In his SMB days, Arwind was a major cog in the Beermen’s romp of five straight All-Filipino crowns in 2015-2019.

There’s more.

Like Arwind being an 11-time All-Star, a two-time All-Star MVP, nine-time Mythical Five member, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, seven-time All-Defensive Team and a member of the PBA’s 40 greatest players.

With credentials like that, why would anyone order Arwind to pack his bags to another team?

Too old at 40?

Maybe. But what’s clear is, Arwind’s departure finally breaks SMB’s famed “Death Squad” that includes June Mar Fajardo (31 years old), Alex Cabagnot (38), Chris Ross (36) and Marcio Lassiter (34). They are, by far, the deadliest quintet ever assembled in the 46-year history

AFY SINGSON sparkled in fog and wind to grab the lead in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Challenge despite a six-over 76 in a wild start on a course where bogeys proved as norm and birdies a rarity on Tuesday in Tagaytay City.

The talented amateur actually had no inkling of reprising the role she played in last week’s ICTSI Aoki Classic at Eagle Ridge but late-hole mishaps by erstwhile frontrunners Sunshine Baraquiel and Arnie Taguines enabled her to take charge again despite a birdie-less pair of 38s.

“I didn’t play so well,” said Singson, who barely lost to Harmie Constantino last week. “The wind was really strong and I just tried to hit my ball in the fairway and tried to play with the wind.”

Baraquiel, a lady pilot, navigated herself quite well over the par 34-36 course with severe elevation changes and held on to the lead with a five-over card after 15 holes. But she bogeyed two of the last three and wound up with a 77 for joint second with Constantino, Korean Jane Jeong and another amateur Laurea Duque.

The organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. had to push back the start by an hour due to rain and fog that rendered the course unplayable with Taguines seizing early control with a two-birdie,

two-bogey card at the front.

But the wind condition turned virtually ruthless at the back, sending the scores soaring and the players tumbling and leaving Baraquiel, in pursuit of a maiden win, at the top as baffled as the rest of the field in the 54-hole championship put up by ICTSI. But those late bogeys paved the way for Singson’s surge although Constantino, out of the picture with an atrocious 37-40 marred by two double bogeys and without a birdie in one of the earlier flights, suddenly got back into the thick of things.

Duque, who also placed second to Singson in the first 18 holes at Aoki, also stayed in early contention despite yielding four straight strokes from No. 13. She holed out with another bogey on No. 18 for a 37-40, also blemished by two early double bogeys against two birdies.

“I didn’t really hit my best but I managed to hold my score in the early going,” said Duque. “The course is playing tough for everyone so anything can happen.”

Jeong also found herself in the mix in her first tournament as a pro despite bogeys on No. 16-17 as she gunned down two birdies against five more bogeys and a double bogey.

With high scores, the rest practically remained in the race with Daniella Uy at solo sixth with a 78, just two strokes behind Singson, and Chihiro Ikeda and Apple Fudolin submitting identical 79s.

Manila, Davao Occidental extend winning run of Asia’s first pro league.

And how to compare Arwind Santos with Vic Manuel?

They are both June boys—Arwind turning 40 last June 10 and Vic celebrating his 34th birthday last June 18. They are both 6-foot-4. Their commonalities end there.

Arwind, from Lubao, Pampanga, is a nine-time champion in his 14-year PBA stint. Vic, from Licab, Nueva Ecija, remains title-less since he was drafted ninth overall in 2012 by B-MEG. While Arwind has practically made SMB his permanent residence, Vic will now make San Miguel Beer his eighth PBA team after stints with B-Meg, Global, Meralco, Air21, Alaska, Phoenix and Northport.

Is Arwind sad? Vic happy?

Maybe. But players must know there is no such thing as a permanent status. Nothing lasts forever.

Always, coaches get players according to the needs of their teams. That’s why they hold no special ties with their wards. Everything is impersonal.

THAT’S IT Novak Djokovic is now the longest reigning world No. 1 in tennis at seven years, a highlight of his 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Russian world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev on Monday in the Rolex Paris Masters. Pete Sampras held the previous record.

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ICC Manila and Davao Occidental Tigers-Cocolife extended their respective winning runs on Monday to cement their hold of the top spot in the FilBasket Subic Championship at the Subic gym.

Michael Juico shot a booming trey off an assist from Hesed Gabo with one second left to lift AICC Manila past FSD Makati-Army, 86-83, while Davao Occidental survived the San Juan Knights with a 120-115 double overtime victory to improve their win-loss records to 6-1.

It was AICC Manila’s sixth straight win since dropping their opening game match against Davao Occidental, while the Tigers fanned their winning streak to five games.

AICC Manila trailed 81-79 with 1:09 left before Juico poured seven of his 18 points including the gamewinning triple.

Chris Bitoon and Michael Mabulas also shone for AICC Manila with 17 and 16 points as they dealt FSD MakatiArmy its sixth defeat in seven matches.

Meanwhile, Davao Occidental uncorked a 9-2 run courtesy of Joseph Terso, Gab Dagangon and Aldwin Alday midway the extra period to turn back the San Juan Knights.

While the trio spelled the difference in the crucial minutes for Davao Occidental, Robby Celiz flirted with a triple-double performance of 26 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. John Wilson also carried the fight throughout with 23 points.