BusinessMirror October 28, 2021

House sends Senate P5-T ’22 budget bill B J M N. D C @joveemarie

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O avoid a reenacted budget, the House of Representatives has transmitted to Senate the proposed P5.024trillion General Appropriations Act for 2022.

With the transmittal of the spending plan to the Senate, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said in a statement, the proposed budget for 2022—the last national budget to be enacted under the Duterte administration—is on track to enactment before yearend.

As the economy gradually

moves toward full reopening, Velasco said he was “extremely hopeful that the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget will help propel the Philippine economy to a strong recovery starting 2022.”

The House chief said the importance of enacting the national budget before the start of the fiscal year on January 1, 2022, cannot be overstated.

“We cannot afford a reenacted budget, which is expected to dampen the country’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis,” Velasco said.

“A reenacted budget will definitely ruin our efforts to build

back better and deliver muchneeded services for our kababayans amid the pandemic,” he added.

Velasco said printed copies of the House-approved 2022 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) were sent to the Senate two days ahead of the October 27 target date set by the lower chamber.

“In line with our commitment to ensure the timely enactment of next year’s national budget, we have transmitted to the Senate the 2022 GAB duly approved by the House ahead of schedule,” Velasco said.

“In doing so, we hope to give our senators reasonable time to

scrutinize and pass their own version of the GAB as we look forward to the bicameral conference where we can thresh out and reconcile the differing provisions of the House and Senate versions,” he added.

With this development, Velasco said Congress is on schedule to send the all-important budget measure to President Duterte for his signature by December this year.

Earlier, the House said it has introduced a total of P65.5 billion as institutional amendments to the 2022 budget.

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Thursday, October 28, 2021 Vol. 17 No. 20

P.  |     | 7 DAYS A WEEK

WORST IN 7 FDI METRICS HOG RAISERS TO GOVT: JUSTIFY MC 23 ISSUANCE B J E Y. A @jearcalas

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RGUING that the move would further discourage local pig repopulation, hog raisers are seeking a “justification” from the government of its decision allowing the sale of imported pork under the minimum access volume plus (MAV+) program beyond NCR+ areas.

Meat processors, meanwhile, pointed out that the latest action of the government to address elevated pork prices would be “futile” since imported pork is still barred from being sold in wet markets without proper refrigeration.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar earlier issued Memorandum Circular (MC) 23 lifting the restriction on the sale of pork imports under the MAV+ program, allowing importers and traders to sell their stocks to areas outside the NCR plus, which have “relatively high prices” of pork meat.

Justify the lifting GRAVESTONE painters are seen at the Barangka Municipal Cemetery in Marikina City on Wednesday (October 27), as people rush, despite health protocol restrictions, to visit their dearly departed before a 5-day closure is imposed in this year’s Undas tradition to prevent superspreader events. Cemeteries nationwide will be closed from October 29 to November 2. BERNARD TESTA

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B B C

@BcuaresmaBM

HE Philippines ranked the poorest in majority of the indicators that foreign direct investors use in choosing which country to put their capital in for long-term investments, a recent research paper showed.

In the Philippines Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Public Research Forum on Wednesday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) presented a paper on Foreign Direct Investment (FDzI) developments in the Asean-5 and its importance to post-pandemic recovery.

The paper, titled “Asean-5: In competition for FDI,” showed that

out of the 13 variables identified by the study as determinants to FDI attractiveness, the Philippines was the poorest in 7 indicators among the Asean-5 nations. The Asean-5 comprised Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

In particular, the Philippines has

THE National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI) wants the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide a detailed explanation on why they allowed the sale of imported pork under the MAV+ beyond

NCR+ areas.

In particular, the NFHFI President Chester Warren Y. Tan said the DA must identify the areas outside NCR+ that have “relatively” high pork prices and prove this is so.

Tan lamented that the provision stipulated in MC 23, expanding the market coverage of imports under pork MAV+, is too subjective.

Under MC 23, importers of pork under the MAV+ can now distribute in areas outside of NCR+ “with relatively high prices of pork meat.”

Tan argued that the industry was “caught unaware” of the issuance of MC 23, noting that the DA did not consult concerned stakeholders.

Government and industry sources also told the BM that the MAV Advisory Council was not consulted about the possible changes in the pork MAV+ rules.

“They have to justify who came up with that idea and how they can say that there is relative high prices of pork meat outside NCR plus. Where exactly are areas with relatively high prices of pork meat?

That cannot be arbitrary” he told the BM.

“And even before this memorandum, areas and regions C  A

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Neda chief, retail sector upbeat on more ‘normal life’ B C U. O @caiordinario  S P. M sam_medenilla

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ACE-TO-FACE classes and a more “normal life” for all may soon become a reality following the decline in Metro Manila’s Covid-19 cases, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

The Neda chief, Socioeconomic

Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said bringing down the quarantine level of the National Capital Region (NCR) may happen in a matter of weeks.

Meanwhile, the retail industry is now upbeat about being able to recoup their losses this year with the easing of the Alert Level in Metro Manila earlier this month.

The Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) reported on Wednesday its members are anticipating

“to break even” by the end of the year following an increase in their sales—this, after the Department of Health (DOH) lowered last October 16 the alert level in the National Capital Region (NCR) from 4 to 3.

“The good news is the shoppers are now slowly returning. In fact, they are visiting our physical stores. I am sure, since the anC  A

CHUA: “So our cases now have gone down to a level that is low enough to allow further reduction in the quarantine status to Alert Level 2 or better in the coming weeks.”

PESO EXCHANGE RATES ■ US 50.7210 ■ JAPAN 0.4444 ■ UK 69.8428 ■ HK 6.5233 ■ CANADA 40.9304 ■ SINGAPORE 37.6408 ■ AUSTRALIA 38.0357 ■ SAUDI ARABIA 13.5231 ■ EU 58.8110 ■ CHINA 7.9463 Source: BSP (October 27, 2021)

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News BusinessMirror

Thursday, October 28, 2021

HOUSE SENDS SENATE P5-T ’22 BUDGET BILL Continued from A1

Velasco said the House version of the budget bill includes institutional amendments designed to help boost the government’s Covid-19 response, as well as upgrade the assets of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and fund state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The institutional amendments were vetted and approved by the five-member committee formed by the House to consolidate individual amendments on the proposed 2022 national budget as contained in House Bill 10153.

These amendments include P29.5 billion to buy more Covid-19 vaccines, provide medical assistance to indigent patients, and ensure special risk allowance of public and private health workers.

With the theme, “Sustaining the Legacy of Real Change for Future Generations,” the 2022 P5.024-trillion NEP is equivalent to 22.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and is higher by 11.5 percent than this year’s national budget.

For 2022, the government expects to generate P3.290 trillion in total revenues, representing 14.9 percent of the GDP.

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TUPAD fast depleting as DOLE ramps up drive; addl funds eyed

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ITH less than a billion pesos left for its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD) this year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it is now considering requesting for additional funding for its emergency employment program.

past month,” Trayvilla said when asked about the TUPAD funds balance for 2021.

Last month, DOLE said it utilized P12 billion of its TUPAD budget this year to provide aid to 3 million displaced informal workers.

This left around P2 billion in funds by early October—a figure now reduced to less than a billion.

To note, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III earlier ordered the DOLE regional offices to utilize their TUPAD funds before the end of the year.

In a virtual briefing on Wednesday, Director Ma. Karen Trayvilla of the Bureau of Workers with Special Concern (BWSC) said the TUPAD budget is now nearing depletion

Budget utilization

as they aggressively implemented the program in the past month. “I think it is no longer P2 billion right now, let alone P1 billion because of our mass implementation for the

TRAYVILLA said they are “exploring” the possibility of requesting for more TUPAD funds.

“Right now, we don’t have the

ball park figure [for the possible budget request] since we are still trying to make do with the remaining TUPAD funds,” Trayvilla said.

DOLE usually tries to preserve TUPAD funds for the last quarter of the year, when the country is hit by several typhoons, which could displace thousands of workers.

In case they run out TUPAD funds and it is no longer replenished, Trayvilla said TUPAD beneficiaries may have to wait until next year, when their 2022 budget becomes available, to get assistance. “For those we will not accommodate [this year], they are assured that by January or February [next year] we will be implementing again TUPAD,” Trayvilla said.

Samuel P. Medenilla

Neda chief, retail sector upbeat on more ‘normal life’ Continued from A1

nouncement of Alert Level 3 [in NCR], there has been more mobility and we see more shoppers now in the malls,” PRA President Romarie Ong said in a virtual interview with PTV. Despite the emergence of online shopping, Ong said “brick-and-

mortar” stores will still play a crucial role in completing the experience of shoppers, especially those who want to “touch and feel” the items, which they want to buy.

Ong said they are also eagerly awaiting a lower alert level in NCR just in time for the start of the Christmas shopping season.

Malacañang earlier said there

is a high chance the Department of Health (DOH) through the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will downgrade the Alert Level in NCR from 3 in November due to the decreasing infection and health-care utilization in the region.

A lower alert level in NCR will allow certain establishments to operate beyond 60 percent capacity.

Meanwhile, Chua, guesting at a public webinar, said that as of October 25, a total of 55.7 million vaccine doses have already been administered.

This means 30 million Filipinos have received their first dose while 25.7 million have received their second or have complete vaccine doses.

“So our cases now have gone down to a level that is low enough to allow further reduction in the quarantine status to Alert Level 2 or better in the coming weeks,” Chua said.

“We hope to allow more children to have a more normal life by going back to school physically and families also going out and as we see in the past year and a half, the far majority can take care of themselves and we limit our lockdowns to local areas,” he also said.

Chua expressed concern that postponing face-to-face schooling for another year would further swell the cost to the economy.

Based on studies, Chua said, a year without face-to-face schooling will trigger P11 trillion worth of lost productivity over the lifetime of workers.

PHL...

Continued from A1

the lowest FDI stock as of 2019 in the region.

It also has the poorest corruption perception—which means that investors see the Philippines as the most corrupt among the five countries in the bloc.

The Philippines also has the poorest rule of law, ease of doing business score, the lowest quality of roads, the poorest FDI equity restriction index and has the highest corporate tax rate among the five countries.

The other six variables were: market size as measured by the country’s real gross domestic product (GDP), credit ratings of the three major ratings agencies, human capital index, telecommunications infrastructure index, inflation, and minimum wage.

“FDI constitutes long-term investments.

Thus, it would be most attractive with the long-term considerations about an economy such as the macroeconomic stability, market size, economic openness and labor cost considerations,” said BSP Senior Researcher Dr. Hazel Parcon-Santos, who was presenting the study.

The research paper also showed that Japan, the United States (US), Singapore, China, and Hong Kong were the top 5 sources of FDI in the region.

Broken down, Japan, US, China and Hong Kong invested most in Thailand at the end of 2019. Singapore, meanwhile, invested most in Malaysia during the period.

All countries invested the least amount of capital in the Philippines, except for the US, which least invested in Vietnam among Asean-5.

Data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) showed that FDI flows plunged globally by 35 percent in 2020, the biggest decline recorded since 2009, as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For Southeast Asia, FDI declined by 25 percent during the year.

This is paralleled by the FDI data in the country, as long-term foreign investments to the Philippines were 24.6 percent lower in 2020 compared to their level in 2019.

“Understanding the determinants of the FDI decline could help us design the appropriate policy responses that would attract more FDI and spur post-pandemic recovery,” BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said in his keynote address in Wednesday’s forum.

HOG RAISERS TO GOVT: JUSTIFY MC 23 ISSUANCE Continued from A1

outside NCR, such as in Visayas and Mindanao, are already flooded with imported pork that were brought in outside the MAV,” he added.

“But with this memorandum, which legally and technically allows open sale of pork under MAV+, local producers will not benefit,” Tan added.

No supply gap

CITING industry figures, Tan said there is no pork supply gap in areas outside NCR+ as farm-gate prices have already plunged to as low as P160 per kilogram from a high of P240 per kilogram due to oversupply in the market.

“Inflation is not caused by pork prices since they have stabilized these past months but yet, Secretary Dar is using this as excuse once again to supply MAV plus to entire country except four regions, which is contrary to their pledges during the Senate hearings compromise,” he said.

“We are very disappointed with the directions of this current DA and no matter what their press pronouncements like priority programs to repopulate the industry, their actions will further discourage swine farmers ,especially our 70 percent backyard farmers to raise pigs again,” he added.

Dar amended the guidelines to facilitate the “full utilization” of the pork MAV+ following the “very low” utilization of the pork MAV+ “due to the very strict market restrictions and distribution,” which defeated the objectives of the import program.

Agriculture officials earlier said only about 37,000 MT of the 200,000-MT pork MAV+ has arrived in the country. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/ 10/26/government-lifts-curbs-on-

NFHFI President Chester Warren Y. Tan mav-pork-imports-sale-outside-ncr/)

‘Exercise in futility’

THE Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (Pampi) said MC 23 is an “exercise in futility” and is not enough to address the “unabated high prices of pork” as flagged by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) recently.

“The high prices of meat products which the government has miserably failed to address is due to dysfunctional policies of the department of agriculture which misled economic managers in the executive department,” the group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Pampi’s remarks stem from the decade-old rule of government that imported frozen pork cannot be sold in wet market unless vendors have correct refrigeration system to properly store, handled and display these meat products.

“The DA had recommended the expansion of MAV and reduction of pork tariffs without notifying other governmentt agencies that the imported pork cannot be sold in wet markets unless they are displayed in freezers and kept at a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius,” it said.

“Stall owners in wet markets do not have freezers. They barely have enough capital to pay for daily de-

liveries of fresh pork. So how can they sell imported pork even if they are priced cheaper?” it added.

Given this situation, importers and traders of imported frozen pork cannot transfer their inventories from cold storages directly to the wet markets, especially since the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) “threatened” to confiscate the food items in violation of food safety rules, the group claimed.

“Pampi had previously recommended that to bring pork prices down, DA should temporarily suspend the implementation of a controversial policy which bans the sale of frozen meat products in wet markets under DA AO #6 issued in 2012,” it said.

“Furthermore, there is no logic in banning the sale of frozen meat but allowing imported frozen galunggong to be sold in wet markets,” it added. DA Administrative Order (AO) 6, Series of 2012 provides the guidelines on the “hygienic” handling of chilled, frozen and thawed meat in meat markets.

Under AO 6, chilled meat products sold to market should not be frozen and shall maintain a temperature not higher than 10 degrees Celsius, while frozen meat should be stored, held and sold at a temperature not higher than zero degrees Celsius and should be stored in a meat cold storage at less than -18°C. (Related story: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2018/04/21/ phls-stiff-meat-trade-rule-stays/)

Because DA is cognizant of the problem with imported meat being sold in wet markets, the department planned to bankroll a P45-million program to distribute chest freezers and chillers to Metro Manila wet markets. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2021/07/08/da-giving-out%E2%82%A745-million-freezers-tomarkets/)

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, October 28, 2021 A3

SC clears two fratmen in 2009 fatal hazing of college student

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By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

HE Supreme Court has cleared two members of the Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity of any involvement in the fatal hazing of an 18-year-old college student in 2009.

In a 26-page decision penned by Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul Inting, the Court’s Third Division reversed and set aside the ruling issued by the Court of Appeals in August 2016, which affirmed the decision of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Imus, Cavite convicting the petitioners Carlos Paulo Bartolome and Joel Bandalan for violation of Section 4 (a) of Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-

Hazing Law of 1995 in connection with the death of John Daniel Samparada during his initiation rites to be admitted into the fraternity.

The two were sentenced by the trial court to a jail term of reclusion perpetua and were ordered to pay the heirs of the deceased P50,000 each for indemnity for the death and P100,000 as temperate damages.

However, the SC said based on its

review of the case, there was no direct evidence to link the petitioner to Samparada’s death and that the two were convicted based on circumstantial evidence.

While admitting that hazing is usually committed in secret and under conditions where concealment is highly probable, limiting the prosecution to presentation of circumstantial evidence to prove it, the SC noted that the circumstantial evidence presented against the petitioner were insufficient to convict them.

“After a careful review of the case and the body of evidence adduced before the RTC, the Court is not convinced that petitioners are guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the offense of hazing.

“Thus, the Court resolves to reverse the appealed decision and acquit petitioners,” the Court said.

The Court held that the prosecution failed to establish the elements of hazing under RA 8049 such as having an initiation rite or practice as a prerequisite for admission into membership in a fraternity, sorority or organization; that there must be a recruit, neophyte or applicant of the fraternity, sorority or organization; and that the recruit, neophyte or applicant is placed in some embarrassing or humiliating situations such as forcing him or her to do menial, silly, foolish and other similar tasks or activities or otherwise subjecting him or her to physical or psychological suffering or injury.

The Court held that the prosecution did not present evidence to prove that hazing actually took place to establish the first element of the offense.

The second element was also absent considering that nobody testi-

fied that Samparada was a recruit, neophyte, or applicant of Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity.

With the prosecution’s failure to prove the presence of the second element of hazing, the Court said that the absence of the third element became readily apparent.

Based on the prosecution’s evidence, the Silang Municipal Police Station received a call from the Estrella Hospital on October 22, 2009, that an alleged hazing victim, later identified as Samparada, was brought to their hospital.

During investigation, it was learned that Bartolome, Bandalan and a third unidentified male person brought Samparada, a college student from the Lyceum of the Philippines in Cavite, to the hospital.

Based on what was recovered from the petitioners, including a document that bore the name

of Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity, markings connected with the organization, and the handwritten name of Bartolome, the police concluded that they are members of the said fraternity.

The petitioners said they were forced to admit their participation in inflicting injuries on Samparada that led to his death during an interrogation by the police. Bartolome and Bandalan claimed that they were actually in the house of a certain Ivan Marquez for night swimming when the incident occurred.

They recounted that Marquez introduced Samparada to them and then they left to buy provisions.

When they returned to Marquez’s house, Samparada all of a sudden fell to the floor, hit his head on the pavement, and complained of difficulty in breathing. The petitioners then brought him to Estrella Hospital.

DENR to haul more crushed dolomite from Cebu for widening of Manila Bay beach nourishment project–Cimatu

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

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ORE crushed dolomite from Cebu will be shipped soon to cover more areas at the controversial Manila Baywalk dolomite beach, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said.

At an online news conference on Wednesday, Cimatu said the delivery of the crushed dolomite along Manila Bay would depend on the release of

funds by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The target is to completely cover some 500 sq meters beach area while continuously working on improving the water quality of Manila Bay with the hope of making it swimmable, before President Duterte steps down in June next year.

DENR Undersecretary for Environment and International Affairs Jonas R. Leones said the contractor of the P389-million Beach Nourishment Project has so far covered 140 sq meters, which was partially turned

over by the contractors to the DPWH and the DENR, which is now in charge of its care and maintenance.

not going there. It seemed they like the white sand of the dolomite beach better,” Leones noted.

White sand effect

Cimatu apologizes

HE said it will require more crushed dolomite to cover the entire stretch from the US Embassy grounds Manila to the Manila Yacht Club premises to complete the aesthetic beauty of having a “white sand beach,” which most people prefer over the natural black or gray sand.

“When we opened the portion of the beach that is gray, people are

CIMATU, a member of the Covid-19 Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) who was tasked last year by President Duterte to handle the Covid crisis in Cebu City, apologized for the overcrowding incident at the dolomite beach, saying it was not the intention of the DENR to violate the health pro-

tocols put in place by the task force.

He said similar overcrowding incident will no longer happen as measures have been put in place at the dolomite beach by the DENR, including the rule banning children 11 years old and below, and implementing the cinema approach or rotation wherein visitors will be allowed limited time inside the beach area to allow others to take their turn.

“Rest assured that we will adhere to the protocols of the IATF to help the government in the fight against Covid-19,” he said.

Thank you ‘Isko’

HE also said that the DENR’s relationship with the City Government of Manila remain strong and even lauded ManilaMayorandpresidentialaspirant Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso who was quoted in news reports as callingontheCovid-19TaskForcetocharge the DENR for violation of the quarantine rules because of the incident.

“Mayor Isko Moreno is very supportive of the dolomite beach project and is always there helping during clean up activities in support of the DENR,” he maintained.

A4 Thursday, October 28, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

Antitrust body, key agencies sign pact to improve telco and Internet service

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said its latest joint memorandum circular (JMC) with the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will pave the way for better access to telecommunication services nationwide.

PCC said the JMC is meant to streamline the processing of permits and allow infrastructure sharing to expedite the rollout of telecommuni-

cations and Internet infrastructure.

This means the JMC will allow the sharing of existing poles and other physical infrastructures, and

prohibit anti-competitive acts relating to their access.

“Cutting red tape and sharing of essential infrastructure lower the barriers to entry and unlock market efficiencies. The pro-competition features of the JMC will provide relief to millions of subscribers through improved telecommunication services,” said PCC Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan.

PCC explained that the JMC requires owners to provide other market players access to these infrastructure facilities on a nondiscriminatory basis and prohibits them from giving preferential access to related firms.

The anti-trust body said the refusal to grant access should only be based on objective,transparent,andproportionate criteria, such as lack of technical suitability and available space.

As one of the oversight agencies,

the PCC is tasked to prohibit anticompetitive acts in relation to the JMC, and to adopt rules detailing the procedure for access requests and transparency of information concerning poles and other physical infrastructures.

“To achieve a truly inclusive connectivity for Filipinos, competition should be present in the different aspects of operations in the telecommunications sector. Through the JMC, the increase of market players at the network level is now complemented by the accelerated rollout of infrastructure on the ground,” added Balisacan.

This week, ARTA and DICT signed their JMC No. 1 together with the PCC, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

DOLE urges IT-BPM firms to secure SSC in workplace

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is pushing for a safer workplace for employees of the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) firms after the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) rejected proposals to grant tax incentives to the sector for implementing work-from-home (WFH) arrangements.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III urged IT-BPM establishments to apply for Safety Seal Certification (SSC) to assure their employees will be working in a safe environment.

SSC is a document issued by government agencies to establish compliance with the minimum public health standards set by the government.

“When workers are assured of their safety and health at their respective workplaces, work quality and productivity are also enhanced,” Bello said in a news statement.

In areas under Alert Level System (ALS), establishments with SSCs will also be allowed to operate with additional venue capacity.

In an advisory issued last month, the Safety Seal Interagency Committee authorized DOLE to issue SSCs to qualified IT-BPM firms.

Prior to the said advisory, DOLE issue SSC to establishments in the manufacturing, construction, utilities, information and communication, and warehousing companies.

Bello issued the statement after the FIRB thumbed down last week the appeal of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) to base WFH arrangements on locators’ gross revenue instead of its workplace.

The Peza proposal would have incentivized IT-BPM firms to implement a 100 percent WFH arrangement.

Bello backed the Peza proposal since it would allow IT-BPM firms to maximize the use of WFH and minimize the risk of their employees from novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infection.

Chiongbian group invests ₧500 million for ‘intelligent’ cold-chain facility in northern Cebu province

By VG Cabuag

C

@Villygc

EBU-BA SED Chiongbian group’s Fast Logistics has forayed into the cold-chain business, sinking in some P500 million in investments in what it called an intelligent cold-chain facility in the northern part of Cebu province to serve meat producers, farmers and pharmaceutical companies.

William B. Chiongbian II, president and CEO of Fast Logistics, said the facility, called Fast Coldchain Hub, will have more than 10,000 pallet positions to serve fresh meat processors,

importers, local producers, fruits and vegetable retailers, quick service restaurants, pharmaceuticals and vaccines and even those in e-commerce.

Chiongbian said the company designed the facility to serve the needs of both small and medium enterprises as well as big firms.

The said launching follows its July announcement for a rented cold-chain hub in Cavite for Luzon cold chain requirements.

“These two hubs, plus the ones we manageforourprincipals,willbringour cold-chain footprint to at least 30,000 pallet positions. This is an expansion to

our warehouse management footprint of more than 1.2 million square meters for dry storage. We’re studying several other sites to realize the vision of a leading presence in cold chain nationwide,” Chiongbian said.

His grandfather, William Chiongbian, was the “W” in the defunct WGA Shipping lines, famous in the 80s through the 90s for the operation of roll-on/roll-off passenger and cargo vessels.

The younger Chiongbian, however, said the company may not return in the operation of running its own shipping vessels, but it may expand

deeper into the logistics business, mainly on last mile deliveries and may go to national operations.

“We are considering an IPO [initial public offering] but not in the immediate future. Proceeds of which will support the expansion of our logistics business,” he said.

The company’s goal, Chiongbian said, is to reach 100,000 pallet positions maybe in about two years. It may spend about P2 billion for its expansion plans as it wants to put up one to two more cold-chain facilities in Luzon, two in Mindanao and two more in the Visayas, one each for the

eastern and western part.

“Over the last 10 years, our group has served the cold-storage requirements of some of our principals in ice cream, fast-food chain and pharmaceuticals. But the idea of getting into the cold chain in a bigger way was first conceived a few years ago. And at that time, it seemed to us in Fast as the next logical thing to do,” he said.

Anthony Dizon, president of Cold Chain Association of the Philippines, said the cold-chain industry will continue to grow nationwide at a rate of 8 percent to 10 percent annually over the next five years, largely driven

by population growth, shifting consumer preferences for frozen products and access to regional export markets with the opening of the Asean economic community. Dizon said that at the moment, the industry has about a capacity of 550,000 pallet positions or about 550,000 tons.

“The uncertainties of the situation we have been in for almost two years have brought about observable changes in the supply chain landscape which have had significant effects among the stakeholders in the food industry, from manufacturing to logistics and distribution,” he said.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance

Climate-change agency to adopt risk financing

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HE Climate Change Commission’s (CCC) newly formed experts’ panel recommended piloting climate and disaster risk financing and insurance program at the local level to boost communities’ preparedness against catastrophes, along with other action plans to mitigate climate-induced risks.

In their first meeting with the CCC, the 16-member reconstituted National Panel of Technical Experts (NPTE) presented the Philippines’s top 10 climate-induced risks they have identified and how these should be addressed through policy and concrete actions.

These risks include rising sea levels, coastal erosion, flooding, increasing frequency and severity of tropical cyclones, extreme drought, temperature increase and rising urban heat index, extreme rainfall, climate-influenced diseases, wind patterns and biodiversity loss.

In presenting the panel’s recommendations before the CCC, NPTE member Doracie Zoleta Nantes said climate-induced risks jeopardize food security and water sources and worsen malnutrition, among others. In addition, Nantes said these risks endanger coastal communities, threaten marine resources and lead to shoreline erosion and increase the incidence of outbreaks of pests and diseases, including non-communicable ones.

Likewise, these risks trigger landslides and forest fires and force the migration and loss of species as a result of habitat destruction.

Rising sea levels could not only threaten the country’s food security and water sources, but it could also force the displacement of small island communities, particularly in the Visayas and has already led to a 1-meter to a 2-meter increase in seawater levels that affect Metro Manila, Cavite, Pampanga and Bulacan, Nantes added.

The experts also warned that the Philippines has one of the fastest rising sea levels in the world, affecting around 800 of the country’s municipalities.

CCC Chairman-designate and Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III formally adopted the action plan and strategies presented by the experts. Dominguez also instructed the CCC to integrate these in the upcoming updating of the National Climate Change Action Plan to help

local governments craft action-oriented local climate change adaptation plans.

“The next step we have to do is, essentially, have the Commission adopt this program on the analysis of the risks and the action points,” Dominguez told the NPTE members after the experts’ presentation.

Finance Assistant Secretary for International Finance Paola Sherina A. Alvarez said the strategies presented by the NPTE involve the participation of the departments of agriculture, interior and local government and of the environment and natural resources.

Dominguez then instructed Alvarez to coordinate with the CCC Commissioners in setting a timetable for the implementation of the action plans.

Other key recommendations of the panel to mitigate the impact of climate-induced risks include the conduct of climate and health impact assessments for all provinces and cities using technology for forecasting and including climate finance in the investment and development plans of local government units (LGUs).

The experts also proposed the setting up and integration of online, real-time weather monitoring systems down to the local level and building a working network of state colleges and universities to provide support to LGUs and local communities on climate adaptation and mitigation actions. They also recommended enhancing local climate financing and encouraging fishers, farmers and other climate change-affected sectors to diversify their means of livelihood.

The experts also recommended aligning local climate action with the sustainable fund frameworks of banks to make LGUs eligible for financing and capacitate these local governments to enable them to revive the municipal bond market for green bond floats.

The panel also pushed for cocreating climate solutions with populations most affected by climate change; translating the science behind climate change into easy-tounderstand concepts to be able to effectively communicate these to the public and integrating climate indicators in the monitoring and evaluation of government projects.

Bernadette D. Nicolas

BusinessMirror

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By Cai U. Ordinario

PIDS. . .

continued from A10

The New York based Literary Digest forecasted 57 percent would vote for Landon while 43 percent would vote for Roosevelt. The actual election results showed the opposite, with 61 percent of Americans electing Roosevelt as their President in the 1936 US presidential polls.

The same also happened during the 2016 US Presidential elections where Hillary Clinton was forecasted to win over Donald Trump according to Nate Silver, the New York Times, the Princ-

@caiordinario

HE Philippine government aims to secure a “tied aid loan package” from the Hungarian government to finance water and disaster risk-reduction projects.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced in a statement Manila and Budapest also agreed to continue earlier discussions in select areas through the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) and Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The areas of cooperation cover trade, investments and manufacturing, water management, agriculture, food safety, education, transport, healthcare, culture and sports.

According to the DTI, discussions at the JCEC level continued to finalize the relevant agreements to avail of a tied aid loan package to implement the projects of the Laguna Lake Development Authority and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The DTI added that the projects include an online water quality

monitoring system in Laguna de Bay and its tributaries and the purchase of compact water treatment units for use during disasters and other emergencies.

The DTI said these projects are becoming increasingly important as the country responds to various environmental challenges and meet national sustainability goals.

Tied loans refer to financial support for projects whose consultants, contractors, and supplies, among others, are sourced from companies chosen by a lending country.

“This third JCEC is not just an opportunity for both sides to follow though our earlier agreements and decisions, but more importantly, to sustain our collaboration in enhancing our relations to benefit our economies and our people,” DTI Undersecretary for Industry Development

and Trade Policy Ceferino S. Rodolfo was quoted in a statement as saying.

“While there are many challenges arising because of the pandemic, we have to bear in mind that these strategic partnerships are necessary elements in building a strong foundation towards recovery,” Rodolfo said.

The DTI said that during the meeting, the Philippines and Hungary also agreed to pursue new collaborations, specifically in the areas of information and communications technology/digitalization, science, technology and innovation, energy, environment and technical and vocational education and training.

Towards the conclusion of the JCEC, three agreements were announced. These include the material transfer agreements of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences with the Bureau of Plant and Industry and Barangay Don Bosco, Parañaque City and the partnership agreement between Startup Campus Inkubator Plc., Hungary and QBO Innovation Hub. The latter aims to capitalize on the rapidly growing start-up ecosystems in the country with government support in “high growth” services.

“Clearly, there remains to be a lot of opportunities for both countries to take advantage of. As we face the

task of economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, we hope to foster synergies based on each other’s strengths and our shared interests in the areas being discussed in the JCEC,” Rodolfo said.

Hungary reiterated their strong support to the Philippines as a beneficiary to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) of the European Union (EU).

The EU GSP+ is a unilateral trade arrangement which offers zero tariffs on more than 6,000 products to beneficiary countries exporting to the EU. The country is also supportive of the resumption of the negotiations on the PH-EU Free Trade Agreement and remains as one of our strongest supporter in the EU. Hungary is ranked as 49th of the Philippines’s 225 trading partners in 2020. It is the country’s 11th-largest export market in the EU. Additionally, Hungary is the Philippines 13thlargest export destination in the EU for GSP+ products.

Out of 144-million euro worth of Philippine products exported to Hungary, 10.83-million euro worth of Philippine exports used GSP+ preferences. Top export products to Hungary include electronics, machinery parts and accessories and storage units, among others.

BDO onboards Hidilyn Diaz as new brand ambassador

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DO Unibank Inc. announced in a statement last Wednesday the listed bank hired Hidilyn Diaz, the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic Gold medalist, as a brand ambassador.

“Three months after ending the country’s nearly 100-year quest for Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Zamboanga City native joins forces with the bank to champion financial education, not only for her fellow athletes, but also for the un-served and underserved markets including overseas Filipinos,” the bank said in a statement.

Though unexpected, Hidilyn is thankful for having received a string of incentives and gifts for her historic feat. With this in mind, she sees the golden value of handling these incentives responsibly, which BDO has been espousing through its financial education advocacy, according to the lender.

“Importanteng magbukas ng account sa bangko, kahit maliit lang ipon mo sa simula. Para lang ’yan nung nagsimula akong magbuhat ng weights.

Start small, kumbaga. Tapos, ’pag

continued from A10

Photo courtesy Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

Meanwhile, the value of global marine fish stocks collapsed by 83 percent due to poor management and overfishing over the same period. The projected impacts of climate change may exacerbate these trends.

“A deeper and more nuanced understanding of the sustainability of wealth is crucial to a green, resilient, and inclu-

eton Election Consortium, and ABC News.

“But Trump vastly outperformed what everyone was anticipating from state and national polls, winning nearly all the tossup states plus a number of states predicted to favor Clinton,” Albert said in a presentation.

Albert said it is important for firms and other institutions to be transparent with their methods, including the identity of the survey’s financier.

It also requires the public to be critical—not skeptical—of the surveys and for politicians and their supporters to be open to survey results.

Forecasts of the outcome of elections, Albert said, may have more credence if conducted a month before the actual elections.

Institutions like the Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia were able to approximate some of the results in the 2016 elections.

The media must develop skill sets to understand survey results and their limitations in order for them to better report on these studies.

“Surveys may not often offer explanations - on opinions and why opinions change - but we can conjecture and validate these with conversation,” Albert said.

CASH-LITE

A5

Govt hungers for Hungarian tied-loan for major projects

PHL. . .

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin E. Diokno (inset) expressed confidence that the full launch of the QR Ph Person-to-Merchant payment facility will pave the way for the digitalization of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, including small vendors and sari-sari stores. Diokno said that the low-cost and easy-to-use QR Ph P2M, which uses the Quick-Response (QR) technology and code scanning for payments, will help MSMEs realize greater opportunities for growth. Also in the photo is Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan who heads the BSP’s Payments and Currency Management Sector (second from right).

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Thursday, October 28, 2021

successful ka na, pag lumaki na ipon mo, pwede mo siyang ipang-invest sa ibang bagay na gusto mo o para sa pangarap na gusto mong matupad, para talagang sulit ang mga pinaghirapan natin,” Diaz was quoted in the statement as saying.

[It is important to open a bank account, even if you have little savings at the beginning. It was just like when I started lifting weights. Start small, as they say. Then, when you become successful, when you’ve grown your savings, you can invest in something else you want or for the dream you want to fulfill, so it would be really worth the effort.]

The 30-year-old weightlifter also reminds her fellow athletes, especially those who have achieved their own feats of how they should prepare for the financial future. “’Di naman tayo forever magiging atleta, diba? Mahaba pa ang magiging buhay natin pagkaretiro natin sa ating mga sport, kaya kung anuman ang naibigay sa atin ngayon, dapat ipunin natin ’yun para tayo’y makapaghanda, para rin sa ating mga minamahal sa buhay,” Diaz added.

[‘We’re not going to be an athlete forever. We would still have a long life after we retire in our sports. So whatever we have been given now, we must save so we can prepare and also to have something for our love ones.]

“Mahalaga ring may relationship at tiwala tayo sa bangko kung saan natin ilalagay ang ating mga pinaghirapan.

Tiwala tayo sa kanila kasi expert sila sa pagtulong palaguin ang ating mga finances. Halimbawa, kung gusto kong magtayo ng negosyo pagkaretiro ko, o bigyan ko ng retirement ang aking mga magulang, alam nila kung paano nila ako gagabayan. Importante ring may serbisyo sila kung saan ako makakapagpadala ng pera sa pamilya ko sa Zamboanga habang nagte-training ako sa abroad. Nakita ko lahat ’yan sa BDO.” [It’s also important that we have confidence in the bank where we put in the fruits of our labor. We trust them because they are experts in helping to grow our finances. For example, if I want to build a business after I retire, or give my parents retirement, they know how they will guide me. They also need a service where I can send money to my fam-

ily in Zamboanga while I am training abroad. All these I saw in BDO.] The banking arm of Sy familyled SM Investments Corp. said it is “thankful to have found a financial education advocate and champion” in Diaz “and for placing her trust in the bank and its wide array of financial products and services to cater to her needs and those like her.

BDO Senior Vice President and Remittance Head Geneva T. Gloria said data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas “really concerns us and the entire banking sector.” The BSP data shows only 48 percent of Filipino adults have savings and just one-infive have a savings account in a bank.

“While we understand most people’s concern on how they get paid, we believe it does pay to have a mindset of even starting small, like what Hidilyn mentioned,” Gloria said. “Before becoming a champion for the nation, [Diaz] first was a champion of her own dreams. Along with keeping in mind her hardwork and determination, she valued the proper handling of finances, and we are with her in that journey.”

sive future,” said World Bank Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships, Mari Pangestu.

“It is essential that renewable natural capital and human capital are given the same importance as more traditional sources of economic growth, so that policymakers take steps to enable longterm prosperity,” she added.

The report outlined several priorities for policymakers to diversify and rebalance their national portfolios to be more resilient and sustainable.

It recommends actively investing in public goods like education, health, and nature, to prevent unsustainable depletion, and manage future risks.

Recommendations also include policy and pricing measures that help reflect the social value of assets and to steer private investment toward better outcomes for all. This may include, for example, actions like repurposing fisheries subsidies, and taking action to price carbon and promote renewable energy assets. The report tracked the wealth of

146 countries between 1995 and 2018, by measuring the economic value of renewable natural capital (such as forests, cropland, and ocean resources).

The World Bank also tracked nonrenewable natural capital (such as minerals and fossil fuels), human capital (earnings over a person’s lifetime), produced capital (such as buildings and infrastructure), and net foreign assets. The report also accounted for blue natural capital—in the form of mangroves and ocean fisheries—for the first time.

media platforms in the Philippines. “[The DPP will look at social media conversations] to identify what topics and issues are most talked about and most resonant in social media and which candidates, political leaders and parties, organizations, and individuals lead online discussions in the run-up to the elections,” the PMM said in a statement. Using big data, computation methods and critical analysis, the DPP project collects hundreds of thousands of public content in social media to generate its database.

The first study, to be released in December, will focus on the Elections and the Philippines digital public sphere.

The study aims to map the actors, networks and social structures in the digital public sphere.

The second report, for release in March 2022, will be on election issues and online political structures in the Philippines. It aims to identify key election messages, issues and debates as well as characterize political culture across platforms. The last study will be released after the elections in July 2022, with focus on the digital public pulse in the 2022 Philippine General Elections.

The last report will contain the full-year analysis of online election networks, issues, and cultures in the 2022 elections. Cai U. Ordinario

Election conversations The Philippine Media Monitoring Laboratory (PMM), a consortium of researchers in communication, political science and data science in the University of the Philippines, will be releasing three studies on the social media landscape for the 2022 Presidential polls. The studies, to be conducted through the Digital Public Pulse (DPP) project, will focus on how digital media is being used strategically by online users to influence election-related conversations.

The studies will be based on public posts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube—considered the largest social

A6

Thursday, October 28, 2021

TheWorld BusinessMirror

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

US, China, and Russia join Asia summit amid regional disputes B

Washington orders China Telecom out of US market

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UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— President Joe Biden and China’s Premier Li Keqiang will join an annual summit of 18 Asia-Pacific nations by video Wednesday in a region where the world powers have dueled over trade, Taiwan, democracy, human rights and Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions in disputed territories.

Russian President V ladimir Putin will also speak at the East Asia Summit, a wide-ranging forum on political, security and economic issues organized by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The World Health Organization is expected to brief the leaders on the pandemic, which has set back the economies of the 18 countries representing more than half of the world’s population and accounting for over 60 percent of global GDP. A W hite House st atement Wednesday said Biden will reaffirm US support for the Asean-led regional architecture and discuss his vision for working together with allies and partners to address issues facing the Indo-Pacific region. It was the first time since 2017 that a US president is attending the summit, part of three-day high-level meetings hosted by Brunei, Asean’s chair this year.

During a separate meeting w it h A sea n leaders Tuesd ay, Biden announced a $100 million initiative to beef up US engagement with the region in the face of China’s growth as a national security and economic adversary.

Biden called the US relationship with the bloc “essential.” The funding will cover health spending, a new climate initiative, education and programs to bolster economic recovery.

“I want you all to hear directly from me the importance the United States places on its relationship with Asean,” Biden said. “You can expect to see me showing up and reaching out to you.”

Relations between Washington a nd Beijing have plu nged to new lows since nosed iv ing u nder for mer President Dona ld Tr u mp’s ad m i n i st rat ion, wh ic h adopted a con f ront a t iona l approac h on t rade, v isas, diplomatic representation a nd educat iona l e xc ha nges.

A long-simmering dispute over Taiwan flared up recently after Biden said the US has a firm commitment to help the self-ruled island, which China claims as part of its territory, defend itself in the event of an attack.

The US nuclear submarine deal with Australia and the UK has also angered China, which claims most of the disputed South China Sea and warned the pact would threaten regional stability.

In this image released by Brunei Asean Summit, United States President Joe Biden speaks in the virtual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit with the leaders of member states on October 26. Southeast Asian leaders began their annual summit without Myanmar on Tuesday amid a diplomatic standoff over the exclusion of the leader of the military-ruled nation from the group’s meetings. An empty box of Myanmar is seen at bottom second from right. Brunei Asean Summit via AP

The issue may be raised during a separate meeting Wednesday between Australia’s leader and A sean. Some A sean members such as Indonesia and Malaysia also fear the pact could escalate tensions in hot spots such as the South China Sea and spark an arms race.

The three-day Asean meetings have been clouded by a diplomatic standoff after military-ruled Myanmar skipped the summit in protest of Asean’s move to bar Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, whose forces seized power in February, from attending.

Asean’s censure of Myanmar was its boldest after the bloc’s envoy was prevented from meeting ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees as part of a proposed dialogue to ease the crisis that has left more than 1,100 mostly anti-military protesters killed.

Myanmar has refused to send a junior representative to the summit and slammed Asean’s move as going against the bloc’s

principles of non-interference in each other’s affairs and decisionmaking by consensus.

Biden on Tuesday denounced the military in Myanmar for its use of “horrific violence” against protesters and pledged US support for the nation’s return to democracy.

In a chairman’s statement released after the summit Tuesday, the bloc’s leaders urged Myanmar to give its envoy, Brunei Second Foreign Minister Eryan Yusof, full access to all parties and release political detainees.

While respecting Asean’s principle of non-interference, the bloc said it must also strike a balance in terms of rule of law, good governance, democracy and constitutional government in Myanmar’s situation.

“We reiterated that Myanmar remains a member of the Asean family and recognized that Myanmar needs both time and political space to deal with its many and complex challenges,” the group said. AP

FDA panel backs Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for kids

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A S H I NG T ON —T he US moved a step closer to expanding Covid-19 vaccinations for millions more children as government advisers on Tuesday endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer’s shots for five- to 11-year-olds.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously, with one abstention, that the vaccine’s benefits in preventing Covid-19 in that age group outweigh any potential risks.

That includes questions about a heart-related side effect that’s been very rare in teens and young adults despite their use of a much higher vaccine dose.

W hile children are far less likely than older people to get severe Covid-19, ultimately many panelists decided it’s important to give parents the choice to protect their youngsters—especially those at high risk of illness or who live in places where other precautions, like masks in schools, aren’t being used.

“This is an age group that deserves and should have the same opportunity to be vaccinated as every other age,” said panel member Dr. Amanda Cohn of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA isn’t bound by the panel’s recommendation and is expected to make its own decision within days. If the FDA concurs, there’s still another step: Next week, the CDC will have to decide whether to recommend the shots and which youngsters should get them.

Full-strength shots made by

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech already are recommended for everyone 12 and older but pediatricians and many parents are clamoring for protection for younger children. The extra-contagious Delta variant has caused an alarming rise in pediatric infections—and families are frustrated with school quarantines and having to say no to sleepovers and other rites of childhood to keep the virus at bay.

In the five- to 11-year-old age group, there have been over 8,300 hospitalizations reported, about a third requiring intensive care, and nearly 100 deaths.

States are getting ready to roll out the shots—just a third of the amount given to teens and adults—that will come in special orange-capped vials to avoid dosage mix-ups. More than 25,000 pediatricians and other primary care providers have signed up so far to offer vaccination, which will also be available at pharmacies and other locations.

But for all that anticipation, there also are people who strongly oppose vaccinating younger children, and both FDA and its advisers were inundated with an email campaign seeking to block the Pfizer shot.

Dr. Jay Portnoy of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, said despite over 4,000 emails urging him to vote against the vaccine, he was persuaded by the data showing it works. Portnoy said he also was representing “parents I see every day in the clinic who are terrified of send-

ing their children to school....

They need a voice also.”

Panelists stressed they weren’t supporting vaccine mandates for young children—and the FDA doesn’t m a ke m a nd ate dec isions. FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks also said it would be highly unusual for other groups to mandate something that’s cleared only for emergency use.

Several advisers said they wished they could tailor the shots for the highest-risk youngsters, a decision that would fall to the CDC. Dr. James Hildreth of Meharry Medical College said he ultimately voted in favor of the vaccine “to make sure that the children who really need this vaccine—primarily Black and brown children in our country—get it.”

Pfizer studied 2,268 elementary schoolchildren given two shots three weeks apart of either a placebo or the kid dose. Vaccinated youngsters developed levels of virus-fighting antibodies just as strong as teens and young adults who got the full-strength shots. More important, the vaccine proved nearly 91 percent effective at preventing symptomatic infection—based on 16 cases of Covid-19 among kids given dummy shots compared to just three who got vaccinated.

The kid dosage also proved safe, with similar or fewer temporary side effects—such as sore arms, fever or achiness—that teens experience. At FDA’s request, Pfizer more recently enrolled another 2,300 youngsters into the study, and preliminary

safety data has shown no red flags.

But t h at st udy isn’t l a rge enough to detect any extremely rare side effects, such as the heart inflammation that occasionally occurs after the second fullstrength dose, mostly in young men and teen boys. The panel spent hours discussing if younger children, given a smaller dose, might face that side effect, too.

Statistical models developed

by FDA scientists showed that in most scenarios of the continuing pandemic, the vaccine would prevent far more Covid-19 hospitalizations in this age group than would potentially be caused by that rare heart problem.

FDA’s models suggested the vaccine could prevent 200 to 250 hospitalizations for every 1 million youngsters vaccinated—assuming that virus spread remained high, something that’s hard to predict. FDA scientists also said younger kids likely won’t have as much risk of heart inflammation as teens but if they did, it might cause about 58 hospitalizations per million vaccinations.

“I do think it’s a relatively close call,” said adviser Dr. Eric Rubin of Harvard University. “It’s really going to be a question of what the prevailing conditions are but we’re never going to learn about how safe this vaccine is unless we start giving it.”

Moder n a a l so i s st udy i ng its vaccine in young children, and Pfizer has additional studies underway in those younger than 5. AP

EIJING—US regulators are expelling a unit of China Telecom Ltd., one of the country’s three major state-owned carriers, from the American market as a national security threat amid rising tension with Beijing.

C hina Telecom (A mer icas) Corp. is required to stop providing domestic interstate and international service in the United States within 60 days, under an order approved Tuesday by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC cited the danger that Beijing might use the company to eavesdrop or disrupt US communications and “engage in espionage and other harmful activities against the United States.”

The Biden administration has extended efforts begun under then-President Donald Trump to limit access to US technology and markets for state-owned Chinese companies due to concern they were security risks or helping with military development.

China Telecom is among companies that were expelled from US stock exchanges under an order

by Trump barring A mericans from investing in them.

The FCC said in 2019 that due

to security concerns it planned to revoke licenses granted two decades earlier to China Telecom and another state-owned carrier, China Unicom Ltd. It rejected a license application by the third carrier, China Mobile Ltd. “C h i n a Telecom A mer ic a s’ ownership and control by the Chinese government raise significant national security and law enforcement risks,” said an FCC announcement.

The company’s conduct and communications to US government agencies “demonstrate a lack of candor, trustworthiness and reliability,” the FCC said, without giving details.

The Chinese government has said it would take steps to protect its companies but has yet to announce any retaliation over their status in the US market.

The telecom companies are on a US government blacklist of entities deemed by the Pentagon to be involved in military development.

Others include state-owned oil companies, suppliers of processor chips and video technology and construction, aerospace, rocketry, shipbuilding and nuclear power equipment companies. AP

US, China sparring over Taiwan heats up anew

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A S H I N G T O N —T h e United States and Chin a a re ste p pi n g up their war of words over Taiwan in a long-simmering dispute that has significant implications for the power dynamic in the IndoPacific and beyond.

Amid a surge in Chinese military activity near the island that China regards as a renegade province and has vowed to reclaim by force if necessary, Washington and Beijing have launched new campaigns for global support for their respective positions, each using the stern and lofty language of sovereignty and international precedent. And neither is backing down.

While the disagreement over Taiwan isn’t new and has long ve xed rel at ions bet ween t he countries, recent developments suggest the two are coming closer to confrontation. Last week, President Joe Biden set off alarm bells in Beijing by saying the US has a firm commitment to help Taiwan defend itself in the event of a Chinese attack.

China protested and the Biden administration sought to play down the comments. White House, State Department and Pentagon officials all said the president did not mean to imply any changes in the US “one-China policy,” which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei.

The officials took pains to say that America’s commitment to Taiwan remains steadfast but continues to be guided by a policy of “strategic ambiguity” over military-related specifics that fall short of a treaty-enshrined mutual defense pact. Since then, however, the administration has upped the ante on the diplomatic front.

Secretar y of State A ntony Bl in ken on Tuesd ay publ ic ly urged ot her members of t he United Nations to reject China’s assertion of absolute sovereignty over Taiwan and join the US in supporting Taipei’s independent participation in international organizations related to transportation, health, climate change, culture and education.

“As the international community faces an unprecedented number of complex and global issues, it is critical for all stakeholders to help address these problems,” Blinken said in a statement. “ This includes the 24 million people who live in Taiwan. Taiwan’s meaningful

participation in the UN system is not a political issue, but a pragmatic one.”

He noted that Taiwan has been prevented from participating in meetings of the International Civil Aviation Organization despite being a major transit hub and the World Health Organization despite having fielded an effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic. “ Taiwan’s exclusion undermines the important work of the UN and its related bodies, all of which stand to benefit greatly from its contributions,” Blinken said. “That is why we encourage all UN Member States to join us in supporting Taiwan’s robust, meaningful participation throughout the UN system and in the international community.”

State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to elaborate on wh at t he ad m i n i st rat ion would define as “meaningful participation.”

Blinken’s statement came just five days after Biden’s remarks about Taiwan’s defense and only two days after the State Department announced that senior US and Taiwanese officials met virtually to discuss expanding Taiwan’s participation in UN and other international groupings.

In that October 22 meeting, administration officials “reiterated the US commitment to Taiwan’s meaningful participation at the World Health Organization and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and discussed ways to highlight Taiwan’s ability to contribute to efforts on a wide range of issues,” the State Department said.

Apar t from complaining about Biden’s initial comments, China reacted angrily to that discussion, slamming the administration for ma k ing “ irresponsible statements” that encourage Taiwanese independence and demanding a halt to US “official contacts” with the island ’s government. “ Ta iwa n’s pa r t ic ipat ion in activities of the international organizations must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle,” foreign ministr y spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “ Taiwan’s attempts to expand it s s o - c a l l e d ‘ i nt e r n at i o n a l space’ with foreign support are in nature seeking to expand the space for ‘Taiwan independence’ and secession. It will surely end in failure.” AP

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Government pressed anew to act on plastic waste mess

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

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CEANA Philippines, a nonprofit conservation organization, led several other environmental groups and individuals in filing a petition before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking the issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan and a continuing mandamus that would compel concerned government agencies to address the environmental and health hazards brought about the unabated use of plastic products in the country.

Aside from the Writ of Kalikasan and a writ of continuing mandamus, the petitioners also asked the Court to immediately issue a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) to prohibit the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of non-environmentally acceptable plastic products pending the Court’s decision on the merits of the petition.

A Writ of Kalikasan is a legal remedy for the protection of one’s right to “a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature,” under Section 16, Article II of the Constitution.

The petitioners said the Court should compel concerned agencies to perform their duty under provisions of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2020, Article III of the 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’s international obligations to prevent transboundary harm under the London Protocol on the

Prevention of Marine Pollution, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the 2015 Paris Agreement, and customary international law.

Named respondents in the petition were Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu, the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Roger Mercado, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, Agriculture Secretary William Dar, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Secretary Isidro Lapeña, Philippine Information Agency Director General Ramon Cualoping III, League of Provincial Governors headed by Governor Presbitero Velasco, League of Mayors headed by Evelio Leonardia, League of Municipal Mayors headed

by Mayor Luis “Chavit” Singson and the Liga ng mga Barangay headed by Eden Chua-Pineda.

The petitioners cited a study published in 2021, which singled out the country as the largest contributor of plastic emissions in the world.

In a 101-page petition, the pet it ioners pointed out t hat RA 9003 contains a regulatory mechanism for identifying and prohibiting the so-called “nonenvironmentally acceptable products and packages.”

FB outlines guidelines on security, counterterrorism, partisan politics

By Rene Acosta

@reneacostaBM

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ACEBOOK has vowed to maintain the security of its platform against groups advocating violence, terrorism, and even partisan political activities in the country.

Ranked as one of the top Internet users worldwide where long hours are spent browsing the social media, Filipinos are expected to follow the election scenes through FB and other platforms. The country’s political exercise has been noted as one of the most violent elections in the world.

FB has also been the favorite social-media site of international and Mindanao-based terrorist groups to spread their calling and recruit members just like in the case of the Abu Sayyaf Group, al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah and the Islamic State.

“We make sure that it will not be abused...we don’t wait for elections to happen, but we enforce all the time,” said Dr. Nawab Osman, head of FB’s counterterrorism and dangerous organization in the Asia Pacific at virtual news

briefing on Wednesday.

Osman said the social-media platform maintains a set of rules or what it called “community standards,” which were developed by content experts who are also subject matter experts.

In the case of terrorism, violations are determined against the meaning and intent of the words “praise,” “support” and “representation.”

FB employs at least 350 people who are experts in counterterrorism aside from the 40,000 staff who work in the areas of safety and security.

According to Osman, in the absence of a “global” definition for hate and terrorism, FB follows its community standards in determining terrorism contents and who could be called terrorist individuals or groups, and not necessarily follow the listings issued by states or organizations.

“We designate after rigorous processes,” he said, explaining that the system includes determination by a global team of specialists, and again, by the goals and behaviors of the designated individual or group.

FB does not, however, publicly share its list.

PHL sustains drive to become AI hub with proposed NCAIR

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By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

UILDING the National Center for Artificial Intelligence Research (NCAIR) will take the Philippines one step closer to realizing billions worth of economic gains and become a hub for artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Competitiveness and Innovation Group (CIG).

In a webinar on Wednesday, DTI-CIG Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba said the government is already in talks with at least seven firms keen on investing to build the proposed NCAIR. She expects the center to start generating earnings after two to three years of operation.

NCAIR, Aldaba said, is designed to be a private sector-driven institution that will help micro, small and

medium enterprises (MSMEs) in their digital transformation. It will also help reskill and upskill workers in light of the emergency of various AI technologies.

“This is really going to be a catalyst in terms of making the Philippines a future AI hub and of course we need to build the physical and soft infrastructure, and in the soft infrastructure, trust would be a part of that, [so] human resource devel-

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Obet” Martin, national president of the Pangkalahatang Sanggunian Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association (Pasang Masda).

Poetic justice is an ideal form of justice in which the good characters are rewarded and the bad characters are punished, by an ironic twist of fate.

True to form, the recently published Presidential Preference Survey of PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. showed Marcos dominating by garnering 49.3 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, Leni Robredo only got 21.3 percent. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno got 8.8 percent followed

by Panfilo Lacson with 2.9 percent and Manny Pacquiao with 2.8 percent.

The results also showed Marcos pulling away in key voting areas such as in the National Capital Region (NCR), where he got 40 percent of

opment, capacity development, as well as reskilling and upskilling our people,” Aldaba said.

“It’s going to be a whole of society approach, a whole of government approach with strong collaboration between government and academe, industry and other stakeholders.

We really need to work together in order for us to realize all of the potential,” she added.

Aldaba said that based on a study released by Kearney and EDBI, the Philippines has the potential to unlock $92 billion or 12 percent of GDP by harnessing the power of AI. This could remain a possibility if institutions like NCAIR are not put in place. In a presentation, Erika Legara of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) said the NCAIR will employ scientists and research engineers full-time to undertake various projects.

The NCAIR will also house the National Data Center and the National Research Cloud given that the center is envisioned to be equipped with the necessary computing facilities to collect and manage data and drive research, including the advancement

of algorithmic innovations.

“The creation of this is central to the implementation of the AI Roadmap as it will serve as the Nexus to AI competitiveness in the country.

It is expected to be central to worldclass R&D [research and development] activities and coordinators and drivers of AI integrators to be deployed in regional hubs identified by the DOST [Department of Science and Technology],” Legara said in a presentation.

Earlier, Aldaba said innovative technologies, such as AI, can boost the country’s chances of thriving in a post-pandemic world. She said global challenges can be better addressed through innovative technologies, and Philippine firms cannot be left behind in this regard.

Aldaba highlighted the need to harness the power of innovative technologies for local firms to remain competitive in a postpandemic world.

The DTI said that apart from being aware of innovative technologies, local firms would be able to embrace and adapt to new economic realities, which includes AI and other similar technologies.

Experts: New Covid-19 treatments should complement ‘robust’ vaccination program

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CCESS to new innovative treatments against Covid-19 should complement a “robust” vaccination program if our country hopes to win the fight against the virus, several health experts agreed in a recent Stratbase ADRi virtual town hall discussion.

“We cannot wait until this pandemic is completely over in order to revive the economy,” said Prof. Dindo Manhit, Stratbase ADRi president at the forum called “Trends in Innovative Treatments for Covid-19.”

“Because of the pace of vaccination and the emergence of the Delta variant, we need an innovative, accelerated, cross-sectoral and costeffective approach to health care if we are to confront this lingering crisis decisively,” he pointed out.

On October 1, the drug Ronapreve (Casirivimab + Imdevimab), also known as REGN-COV in other countries, was granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Evan Glen Vista, Internal Medicine Specialist at St. Luke’s Medical Center, said that it is a monoclonal-antibody just like tocilizumab but this is a developed drug specifically for the virus. It’s available as an infusion and it prevents severe Covid symptoms.

Dr. Rontgene Solante, chief of the Adult Infectious Diseases and

Tropical Medicine Unit at San Lazaro Hospital, said monoclonal antibodies like Ronapreve act like vaccines in blocking the virus from entering the cells. “The earlier you catch patients while they have a mild to moderate infection, [the greater your chance of preventing them from becoming] high risk, severe and critical cases,” he said.

Dr. Solante emphasized the need to move forward “because SARSCoV-2 is not going away.”

In a supporting statement, Universal Health Care Watch co-convenor Alvin Manalansan said, “We must work together to remove the barriers to these new treatments specifically developed for Covid-19. More government funding should be allocated to give access to these innovative treatments that have EUA approvals in the developed countries and are proven to prevent costly hospitalization.

This can potentially save government resources so that more Covid-19 patients may benefit.”

“We need to bridge what has become a Covid-19 treatment accessibility divide, through a unified, patient-centered approach,” Manalansan said.

Other speakers in the forum voiced their opinion on the way the government is handling the health and economic crisis and

BBM topping recent poll on ‘22 bets ‘poetic justice,’ says transport group LEADER of a transport group supporting the candidacy of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said his commanding performance in recent surveys is a form of “poetic justice” being served by the electorate following his loss through alleged fraud count in the 2016 vice presidential race.

“BBM’s performance in these recent surveys is in itself poetic justice.

There are already signs that the 2022 elections will be a reckoning for some of the other candidates. If indeed the 2016 vice presidential race was closely contested, we should have seen that in the surveys by now. Where are the more than 14 million who allegedly voted for Robredo?” said Roberto “Ka

Thursday, October 28, 2021 A7

the votes, while in North and Central Luzon, he obtained 55.7 percent of the votes. In South Luzon, he registered 38.2 percent, while in the Visayas, he got 44.7 percent. Capping it with a whopping 62.5 percent voter preference in Mindanao.

“There is no way to explain this kind of performance other than that he has a mandate to fulfill from the people. The support that he got in 2016 is intact and still growing as the election nears. Bongbong has the full support and confidence of a large majority of the electorate,” Martin added.

Marcos is also posting spectacular results in the Kalye Surveys being conducted by YouTube vloggers all over the country.

While informal in nature and having a different methodology as those

used by polling firms, the Kalye survey is seen as a “real man street survey” that effectively captures the political pulse of working-class Filipinos.

Pasang Masda is one of the many transport groups that recently met with Marcos to formally back his candidacy.

Martin added that they agree with Marcos’s plans for the transport sector and they trust that he will implement them when he wins in the upcoming elections.

“Kaya sinang-ayunan namin ang kanyang magagandang layunin at kami ay umaasa na mapapatupad ang mga napagusapan kapag siya ang nanalo sa 2022. Kami ay natutuwa at nagpapasalamat sa magandang layunin hindi lang sa transportasyon kundi sa ating bansang Pilipinas,” Martin said.

proposed ways to improve pandemic management.

Former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral lamented the Philippines’s dismal ranking in surveys

by Bloomberg and Nikkei Asia that measured countries’ resilience and response to the pandemic.

Dr. Michael Tee, vice chancellor for Planning and Development, University of the Philippines-Manila, stressed the need for data-driven decision-making and urged policy-

makers to segment the population into vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals and look into the infection, hospitalization and death rate of patients in both groups.

Hazel Docuyanan, chief pharmacy officer of the Makati Medical Center, emphasized the need to understand the disease, discover new treatment, or repurpose existing drugs as we look into treatment options and the barriers to these treatments.

A8 Thursday, October 28, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Facebook, don’t be evil

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BBC Arabic undercover team revealed in 2019 the existence of an online black market for maids in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The BBC team said online selling of domestic workers was done on Facebook and Instagram. Apps available on Google Play and Apple’s app store also promoted “maids for sale” ads. On the e-commerce web site and app 4Sale, for instance, women were categorized by race and sold for a few thousand dollars. Interviewing 4Sale users, the BBC team discovered that some of them can buy a maid for 600 Kuwaiti dinar ($2,000), and then sell her online for 1,000 Kuwaiti dinar ($3,300).

An article published by globalcitizen.org—Domestic Workers Are Being Illegally Sold on Social Media Apps—said that potential employers pay agencies a fee and become the official sponsor of a worker through the government. “Online employers have found ways to sell the sponsorship of their domestic worker to other employers, allowing buyers to bypass the agencies, making it easier to exploit vulnerable women.” Under the Kafala system, domestic workers cannot change their job or leave the country without their sponsor’s permission.

Anti-slavery advocates say the social-media companies must be held accountable. “What they are doing is promoting an online slave market,” Urmila Bhoola, the UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, told the BBC team.

From globalcitizen.org: “Some 45 million people are trapped in modern slavery around the world. Globally, an estimated 71 percent of enslaved people are women and girls, while men and boys account for 29 percent. Women and girls who are trafficked face high rates of physical and sexual violence, as well as mental and physical health issues. Children who have been trafficked often end up missing out on their education and get stuck in a cycle of poverty and slavery.”

From the Associated Press: “Two years ago, Apple threatened to pull Facebook and Instagram from its app store over concerns about the platform being used as a tool to trade and sell maids in the Mideast.

After publicly promising to crack down, Facebook acknowledged in internal documents obtained by The Associated Press that it was “under-enforcing on confirmed abusive activity” that saw Filipina maids complaining on the social-media site of being abused. Apple relented and Facebook and Instagram remained in the app store.” (See, Apple once threatened Facebook ban over Mideast maid abuse, in the BusinessMirror, October 27, 2021).

The AP story is based on disclosures made to the US Securities and Exchange Commission and provided to Congress in redacted form by former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen’s legal counsel. A consortium of news organizations, including the AP, obtained the redacted versions.

“In our investigation, domestic workers frequently complained to their recruitment agencies of being locked in their homes, starved, forced to extend their contracts indefinitely, unpaid, and repeatedly sold to other employers without their consent,” one Facebook document read.

From the AP report: “In the documents seen by the AP, Facebook acknowledges being aware of both the exploitative conditions of foreign workers and the use of Instagram to buy and trade maids online even before a 2019 report by the BBC’s Arabic service on the practice in the Mideast. That BBC report sparked the threat by Cupertino, California-based Apple to remove the apps, citing examples of pictures of maids and their biographic details showing up online, according to the documents.”

The AP report said while Facebook disabled over 1,000 accounts on its web sites, its analysis papers acknowledged that as early as 2018 the company knew it had a problem with what it referred to as “domestic servitude.” It defined the problem as a “form of trafficking of people for the purpose of working inside private homes through the use of force, fraud, coercion or deception.” The issue appeared a wide-enough problem that Facebook even used an acronym to describe it—HEx, or “human exploitation.” Facebook acknowledged it only scratched the surface of the problem and that “domestic servitude content remained on the platform.”

When a company grows as big as Facebook courtesy of global users, it can’t afford to just “scratch the surface” of a problem that exploits people and puts them in grave danger. Facebook said in its statement to the AP that it delivers “targeted prevention and support ad campaigns in countries such as the Philippines where data suggests people may be at high risk of exploitation.”

We are counting on Facebook to deliver on the things it said it would do. It has the power to help prevent human rights abuses and other forms of exploitation, like the online sale of domestic workers.

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Some money thoughts John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

T

he intensity of the 2022 presidential campaign is amazing, breathtaking even, considering the voting is six months away.

However, I have the highest regard for the sentiments of anyone willing to drive their car/truck/tricycle in support of their candidate when gasoline is P62 per liter. That is dedication.

It is completely understandable as it is like a recently released convict who goes binge “shopping” at a fast-food restaurant, nightclub, and massage parlor. And we are all “released convicts” in a sense. I went to the mall last Saturday for the first time in months.

I may mock some behavior, but I am all in favor of doing things that may not seem “sensible.” It is what separates us from the beasts of the jungle. It is unlikely that in any animal language from aardvark to zebra that there is the equivalent of the human “That was really a dumb idea, Dude.”

Having a super low tolerance for foolishness, I also feel equally strong about a person doing—within the boundaries of general human de-

cency and respectability—whatever gives purpose and pleasure. Mr. Carson of Downton Abbey: “Life is short.

Death inevitable.”

I am a “worst-case-scenario” person with only a little emphasis on the “hope for the best” and putting much importance on the “prepare for the worst.”

However, I am inclined to forget “worst-case” for the next few months. If we can hold the Covid pandemic line until the end of November—which I realize is a lifetime away—then we will most likely be in good shape going into 2022. Also, we already know what lockdown worst-case looks like and if it happens, there is little we can do about it except to survive.

The global numbers are look-

Oil prices will level off but are not going down significantly. Car caravans will still be expensive.

The peso and local interest rates will go sideways, but inflation is not tame or transitory. Food prices will cause some consumer spending shifts. Computers will be cheaper. Be sensible with your money. ing better even if “In the region [Europe], 42 countries saw an increase in new infections over the past week, with only seven countries clocking a drop.” Forbes.com: “US Infections And Hospitalizations Down At Least 50% From September Peak.”

Locally, “DOTr backs proposal for 100 percent PUV capacity” and “DOT: Boracay will ditch swab tests for fully vaccinated tourists by November.” I hope they are right.

I will make a leap of faith that the pandemic is winding down. I am doing that because I am also hoping I will not have to hear one more candidate say what the government should now do when they were silent before election season. Politicians seem to get much smarter when there is voting on the horizon.

Regardless of externals, the election will come. While I will not use the term “best-case-scenario,”

here are some money thoughts for 2022.

For the stock market, it will be the year of the IPO (Initial Public Offering) and FOO (Follow On Offering). Companies need cash to make up for 2020 and 2021 and the threat of an increase in borrowing costs hangs heavy. Offering prices will be low because the fundamentals such as Earnings Per Share will be “not great.” The great part will be that profit opportunities will be high.

We always need Haters but this is the current reality. We are 100 points away (to 7,350 PSEi) from a major long-term price breakout going back to June 2013. That was also a critical point every year since, including 2020 with “Go above 7,350; go higher. Go below 7,350; go lower” being the solid rule.

Oil prices will level off but are not going down significantly. Car caravans will still be expensive. The peso and local interest rates will go sideways, but inflation is not tame or transitory. Food prices will cause some consumer spending shifts.

Computers will be cheaper. Be sensible with your money.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.

Transform agriculture for food security, job creation and balanced growth (A joint Position Paper for Agriculture by the Bayanihan sa Agrikultura, Federation of Free Farmers, Alyansa Agrikultura, Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines, and Integrated Rural Development Foundation).

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major development challenge facing the next government is Transforming Philippine Agriculture into an engine of economic growth, a generator of jobs, a social and economic stabilizer in the countryside, and the cornerstone for the country’s food security. Before Covid, the sector had been stagnating. Under the pandemic, agriculture has been weakened further by transport and logistical breakdowns, aimless import liberalization, lack of health facilities to contain the virus spread, and poor distribution of amelioration assistance to the rural masses.

We demand a reversal of this situation. Agriculture can and should play a leading role in national economic recovery and, more importantly, in ensuring social and economic development for all. To achieve this, urgent policy reforms must be institutionalized and implemented with decisiveness.

Here is an update on the sector, followed by a list of must-do measures:

A. Policy Objective “Modernization and industrialization of agriculture, with full implementation of agrarian reform, natural resources and fisheries reform, as keys to achieve food security, job creation, poverty eradication, and balanced rural-urban development.”

B. Agriculture and Fisheries Sector Situationer 1. Sector accounts for 30 percent

of labor force, consisting mostly of some 10 million small farmers (3 hectares or less), farm workers, forest settlers, municipal fisherfolk and other small-scale producers.

2. Direct contribution to gross domestic product is 10 percent. Combined with processing (10 percent) and ancillary services (15 percent), sector’s total contribution is 35 percent. (In contrast, during last nine years before Covid, agriculture’s yearly share of the national government budget was only 2 percent. This, compared to Vietnam’s 5 percent to 6 percent and Thailand’s 3 percent to 4 percent.)

3. A significant number of farmers in private agricultural lands and in lands of the public domain still do not have secure land tenure. Small fishers’ catch is limited by continuing encroachment by outsiders into municipal waters and fishing areas within the country’s territorial sea.

4. Inadequate agricultural support services, limited processing of

raw produce and inefficient marketing/transport/shipping of farm products have resulted in low agricultural growth of 1.6 percent, low productivity, poor incomes for producers, and shortages in local supply and high prices for consumers. The Philippines is a net food importing country. In recent years, excessive importations of agricultural and fisheries products—without the proper safeguard measures and safety nets provided by law—have seriously depressed farmers’ incomes.

Yet, consumer prices have fallen minimally.

5. Sustainability of production is threatened by land conversion, degradation of the natural resources base (soils and water sources, forests and other natural habitats), and climate change.

6. Result is widespread poverty.

Three out of every four poor Filipinos are in rural areas. Limited number and quality of job opportunities.

See “Transform” A9

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Thursday, October 28, 2021 A9

Beijing defying neo-lib’s comparative advantage theory (Beijing Consensus vs PHL neo-liberalism: Four decades after) Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

LABOREM EXERCENS

A

T the center of the neo-liberal or Washington Consensus doctrine is the theory of comparative advantage. The theory asserts that countries perform best in the world market if they promote industries that are able to produce goods at a lower opportunity cost based on existing or natural endowments, e.g., technological prowess, capital stock, skills, land/mineral resources, cheap labor and so on. This theory is credited to 19th century economist David Ricardo, who wrote that under free trade conditions, countries prosper if they specialize on producing goods where they have such comparative advantage vis-à-vis other countries given such endowments.

The comparative advantage concept was the argument used by Neda in 1972 in pushing the Marcos regime, after the declaration of martial law, to change the orientation of industrial policy in favor of the “labor-intensive export-oriented” (LIEO) industrial strategy. Note the phrase “labor-intensive”! Accordingly, the Philippines’ comparative advantage was cheap surplus labor.

But who would take advantage of this advantage? The FDIs. How? Open up the economy, establish export processing zones and provide incentives to FDIs willing to establish LIEO enterprises such as the assembly of electronics, garments, toys, rubber shoes and leather products meant for the export market.

The victims of this shift in industrial strategy were the domestic industries, which prospered in

Transform. . . continued from A8

Hence, big development disparity between rural and urban areas, and mass exodus to urban centers remains unabated.

C. Major Recommendations 1. Agriculture and fisheries should be recognized as the main guarantor of food security and foundation for economic recovery. Our farmers and fishers (including indigenous peoples) should be treated as saviors and lead actors, not as mendicants or targets of assistance.

2. Agri-fisheries deserves adequate, sustained and effectively used funding. Its budget should at least be doubled; and its allocation optimized, to yield the greatest overall benefit for the sector.

3. Emphasis must be placed on self-reliance in domestic production, coupled with farmers’ productivity, profitability and protection from pandemics, calamities and climate change events. Government should implement safeguard and other trade measures to protect local producers from serious market disruptions and unfair trade practices. Importation must be a last resort; and any benefits therefrom, equitably shared among producers and consumers. In this regard, the Rice Tariffication Law must be reviewed and amended.

4. Substantial and fairly allocated support should be accorded to commodities other than rice—such as coconut, corn, high-value crops, fish, poultry and livestock. As in rice, tariff collections must be earmarked for sectors affected by imported commodities.

5. To ensure more producers’ incomes and livelihood, the Department of Agriculture (DA) should lead the shift from monocropping to localized, diversified, sustainable production systems and cluster/cooperative/community-based approaches in production, value-adding and marketing. A more effective rural credit and crop insurance program must be emplaced, including the creation of a Land Bank subsidiary dedicated to lending to small farmers and fishers.

Mechanization, digital technology and other appropriate innovations should be fast-tracked.

6. More investments are neces-

the 1950s-1960s, the decades of “import substitution” (ISI). These industries, supported by Central Bank Governor Miguel Cuaderno through the judicious rationing of foreign exchange needed to import machinery and industrial materials, were responsible in making the Philippines number 2 to Japan in industrial development in Asia in the early 1960s, per World Bank observation.

And yet, Neda economists called (and still call) these ISI industries “inefficient” and “rent-seeking” because these industries were dependent on government protection (high tariffs and restrictions on competing imports).

Another victim of the Neda’s LIEO program was the “Magna Carta of Social Justice and Economic Freedom”, a blueprint for the full or integrated industrial development sary in rural, market, post-harvest and agri-fisheries processing infrastructure to curb post-production losses, cut marketing expenses, enhance producers’ access to alternative outlets for their products, and reduce the cost of food to consumers. This needs to be accompanied by effective business information systems and competitive domestic markets.

7. Given the immense area and economic potential of our territorial and inland waters, a Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources should be created. Moreover, government must assert our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, a major source of our marine fish supply.

8. The DA and other agencies should establish a real partnership— based on shared priorities, responsibilities and resources—with local government units that will put more resources and efforts into agriculture and fisheries. Upgrading LGUs’ capacity to provide agricultural support services must be prioritized. In particular, the province-led agriculture and fisheries extension system should be fully implemented.

9. Genuine representation and involvement of farmers, fishers and other stakeholders must be institutionalized at all levels of planning and monitoring. Sectoral appointees to government agri-fisheries boards, councils and committees must have a proven track record of service.

10. Women have a limited participation in areas like fisheries production, agricultural services and equipment/facilities. Equity, productivity and justice call for a bigger women’s empowerment program in agrifisheries. The youth should also be assisted to go into the sector.

11. As mandated by the Constitution, the agrarian reform and support services program in private agricultural and public lands must be fully implemented.

12. A National Land and Water Use Law is urgently needed—along with inter-agency and citizens’ mobilization programs—to conserve and regenerate our soil, water, biodiversity and other natural resources and to guarantee food security for all. To ensure unified direction, the National Irrigation Administration should be placed under the DA’s supervision.

passed by Philippine Congress before the declaration of martial law.

The intention of Speaker Jose Laurel and his nationalist economists (Emmanuel Yap and Alejandro Lichauco) was to deepen the industrial structure, that is, for the ISI industrial regime to spawn industries producing basic (upstream such as steel) and intermediate (mid-stream such as resins) products, not merely final consumer (downstream such as nails or plastics). The idea was to reduce imports and make the Philippines a true industrial power, as what Japan achieved in the 1960s, the Asian NICs (Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan) in the 1990s, and China at the turn of the millennium.

Does this mean that these Asian economic power houses abandoned the theory of comparative advantage on their way towards higher level of industrialization? No. But they did not fully subscribe to it. They used the comparative advantage theory only as needed and as part of a larger and comprehensive program to build up national capacities based on national interests. These countries, all export-oriented, are not doctrinaire neo-liberalizers.

In the case of China, she built special economic zones (SEZ) in the coastal provinces in the 1980s-1990s to entice FDIs to establish laborintensive garments and electronics firms for export similar to the original Neda plan for the Philippines in the 1970s. But this SEZ program did not prevent China from maintaining price support and other assistance to domestic industry and agriculture, building up the technological base of the country by requiring FDIs to

share knowledge, keeping the dominant and central role of the stateowned enterprises (SOEs) in the whole economy, actively promoting inter-regional and inter-provincial economic linkages and so on.

In 2002, the Japan Research Institute (JRI) compiled international trade data to show that China had comparative advantage in textiles, travel goods, footwear, toys, garments (outerwear, underwear), cutlery, radios, electrical appliances, radios, watches and so on. These are all labor-intensive low-technology products that China succeeded in flooding the world market. However, what is interesting is that the JRI also compiled a list of products where China allegedly had no advantage (called as “comparative disadvantage”). These include passenger cars, commercial vehicles, printing machinery, construction machinery, paper-making machinery, aircraft, internal combustion engines, agricultural machinery, tractors, motor vehicle parts, food processing machinery, machine tools, steam turbines and so on.

Today, the picture is vastly different. China has excelled in producing the products listed by JRI under the category “comparative disadvantage” by defying the so-called guidance of the comparative advantage theory. In fact, she pursued industrial growth with dizzying speed in other high-tech areas such as magnetic train levitation, robotization, 5G telecommunication and now space technology.

On the other hand, some industries listed by JRI under the category with “comparative advantage” are

slowly being downgraded by the Chinese government, starting in the decade of 2000s. In Guangdong province, the center of SEZ operations in the 1980s-1990s, the garments and electronic assembly industries saw waves of labor conflicts in 2000s-2010s due to the closure or downsizing of some companies because the Chinese government is resolute in pushing Guangdong industries to get out of the laborintensive low-technology development route.

The political economists Cheng Enfu and Ding Xiaoqin clarified that China’s opening to global trade and investment is guided solely by the principle that such opening is beneficial to both China and the world and that the optimization of linkages between industry and technology can be achieved. In short, trade policy is tailored to China’s national interests and national development priorities. They wrote that firms participating in China’s economic development are governed by “three controls”, namely “the Chinese side controls the shares, core technologies and technological standards, and brands.” At the same time, they warned that “it is important not to fall into traditional ‘comparative advantages traps.’”

Unfortunately, in the case of the Philippines, it remains trapped in Neda’s old and narrow industrial development framework based on an old and narrow reading of Ricardo’s “comparative advantage.” It still maintains a foreign investment promotion program that is aimless, through what Dr. Butch Montes described as “scattershot liberalization”

(talk at the UP Asian Center, October 2017). Philippine industrial maldevelopment in the last five decades is proof that Neda’s old and narrow EOI development strategy is faulty and bad for the country.

And yet, in his last SONA, President Rodrigo Duterte still called for the further liberalization of the already liberalized foreign investment regime. He said this is an important economic stimulus. At a time when the flow of the world’s FDIs is grinding to a halt due to “global distancing” and rise of trade protectionism everywhere!

Fortunately, the UP academic community in Diliman saw the questionable character of this stimulus proposal. The community argued that what is needed to revive and sustain the economy is to build up national capability in industrial development, agricultural modernization, health control and so on. It is this national capability building that has been neglected by the government in the more than four decades of Neda’s adherence to the Washington Consensus doctrine.

In the meantime, China’s success in pursuing its Four Modernizations by ignoring the Washington Consensus doctrine and defying the comparative advantage has transformed it into an economic colossus. Today, many civil society organizations around the world are questioning if China has become another economic power with imperialist and hegemonic ambitions. This requires a totally separate discussion.

For inquiries, please e-mail reneofreneo@ gmail.com.

Despite Chief Justice’s order, delays still hound infra project Val A. Villanueva

Businesswise

T

he Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on August 24 opened the 5.14-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) subsection 5 in the province of Cavite, with former DPWH Secretary Mark Villar cutting the ceremonial ribbon.

Subsection 5 traverses the Silang East Interchange to the Sta. RosaTagaytay Interchange. It is expected to service roughly 5,000 motorists daily, in addition to the already 10,000 users of subsections 6, 7 and 8 from Sta. Rosa to Mamplasan. The whole Laguna segment is expected to serve around 20,000 vehicles.

Reliable sources told BusinessWise, however, that the whole stretch of CALAX may miss its completion date due to the intransigence of a powerful clan who owns a portion of the land on which subsection 4 would be built.

It is a mystery why this particular portion is being bogged down by red tape on expropriation proceedings considering that it will only pass over mostly unoccupied land.

Infrastructure support facilities are in order, with no problematic relocation issues to contend with.

To fast-track the project, Villar sought the intervention of the Office of the Chief Justice and the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) to expedite expropriation proceedings as early as June 19 last year.

After a favorable ruling from Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta (now retired) and the OCA, guidelines were subsequently released to speed up the resolution of expropriation cases. Eleven special Regional Trial Courts in the cities of Imus, Trece Martires, Dasmariñas, Tagaytay, Caloocan, and Manila were directed to expeditiously “…hear, try, and decide expropriation cases involving national government infrastructure projects.” The designation of the Special Expropriation Courts for Public Roads was made through Memorandum Circular 08-2020, which was dated August 11, 2020 and signed by Chief Justice Peralta and the other two most senior jus-

tices of the Supreme Court.

“With the designation of special courts to specifically handle expropriation cases as well as the issuance of the said Guidelines which provide for deadlines in court proceedings, it is expected that the expropriation cases filed before our courts will be resolved faster and swifter. Thus, delays in the completion of the national government’s infrastructure projects will be negated,” said Chief Justice Peralta.

Specifically cited by the courts are two funded and ongoing priority bigticket projects: CALAX and the North Luzon and South Luzon Expressways (Nlex-Slex) Connector Road Project, which involve a combined total of 308 filed expropriation cases currently pending before RTCs of Imus, Trece Martires, Dasmariñas, Tagaytay, Caloocan, and Manila.

To this day, however, expropriation proceedings in the specifically designated courts remain at turtle pace.

It’s elementary that such bigticket project—especially under the Private-Public Partnership (PPP)— deserve all the assistance from the government. Being a partner in these undertakings, it has to ensure that nothing gets in the way of infra projects which will benefit the country in the long run. Peralta saw the urgency and importance of the long-delayed CALAX project, but despite his ruling ordering the courts to expedite expropriation cases, no resolution

It is unacceptable that an influential family could throw a monkey wrench into a project of such importance. I find it highly inconceivable for the DPWH to engage in prolonged right-of-way (ROW) negotiations, unless of course if it is dealing with powerful personalities. During an ocular progress inspection months ago, DPWH representatives found portions of the Santa Rosa-toSilang section (subsection 4) of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway skipped over, while full-scale construction work was being done in areas where ROW issues have been resolved. The disparity was conspicuous because the idle portion was a huge, fenced piece of still-raw land which seemed to be part of the road that CALAX will traverse.

has been issued to this date.

The business sector now fears that the problem will be inherited by whoever takes over Malacañang after the May 2022 elections, unless the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG)—being the government’s lawyer—intercedes, or the DPWH is able to work out a doable solution within a limited time frame.

It is unacceptable that an influential family could throw a monkey wrench into a project of such importance. I find it highly inconceivable for the DPWH to engage in prolonged right-of-way (ROW) negotiations, unless of course if it is dealing with powerful personalities. During an ocular progress inspection months ago, DPWH representatives found portions of the Santa Rosa-to-Silang section (subsection 4) of the CaviteLaguna Expressway skipped over, while full-scale construction work was being done in areas where ROW issues have been resolved. The disparity was conspicuous because the idle portion was a huge, fenced piece of still-raw land which seemed to be part of the road that CALAX will traverse. Ownership of the property is

allegedly being fronted by someone who is active in horse-racing.

Where I live, the initial opening of Santa Rosa-Silang section of CALAX in late August this year, has already benefited many of us who have relocated to this bustling city.

The 7.3-kilometer road’s remaining works include bridge deck and pavement construction, drainage works, and the structure of the Silang East Interchange, among others.

MPCALA Holdings, a unit of Manny Pangilinan-backed Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, expects the entire 45-kilometer CALAX to be completed by early 2023. When fully operational, the P24.2-billion, four-lane expressway will connect Manila-Cavite Expressway in Kawit, Cavite, to the South Luzon Expressway at Greenfield (Mamplasan) Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

Among the eight interchanges of the 45-kilometer CALAX—Kawit; Imus Open Canal; Governor’s Drive; Aguinaldo Highway; Silang; Santa Rosa-Tagaytay; Laguna Boulevard, and Laguna Technopark, with a toll barrier before SLEX—only Laguna Boulevard and Laguna Technopark are operational. Recently opened this year is the link from Santa RosaTagaytay Interchange to Silang East Interchange.

Villar himself sees the importance of this road segment. “As travel restrictions are slowly but surely being lifted, this new subsection of CALAX will help accelerate economic progress in Laguna and Cavite by providing interconnection between the two provinces of Region 4-A.” He explained that this segment is vital “since it is expected to serve almost 5,000 cars per day, and will ease traffic along Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road, once opened.

Right-of-way acquisition has been a challenge, so we are giving our full effort to deliver and eventually open with as little deviation to the original timeline as possible.”

Unless the government puts its foot down, this project may not meet its target completion.

For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com

A10 Thursday, October 28, 2021

PHL MANGROVE ASSETS VALUE HALVED IN 23 YRS

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

T

HE value of the Philippines’s mangrove assets declined by half in just 23 years, according to the latest report released by the World Bank.

In its report titled, “The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021,” the value of mangrove assets of the Philippines declined by 50 percent to $5.439 billion in 2018 from $10.788 billion in 1995.

The Philippines posted the largest decline among the Top 19 economies with the highest Mangrove Assets between 1995 and 2018.

“A s produced capita l increased at the global level, so did the value of the mangroves protecting that capital,” the report stated. “Countries like Jamaica, Cuba, Thailand, and the Philippines lost considerable value where there was a decline in mangrove cover and coastal population density.”

Of the top 19 economies, China saw the highest increase in value at 767 percent followed

by Vietnam at 591 percent; Bangladesh, 402 percent; Japan, 311 percent; and Taiwan, 267 percent.

Apart from the Philippines, countries in the top 19 that posted declines in their mangrove asset values were Thailand with a contraction of 44 percent; Cuba, 32 percent; Jamaica, 16 percent; United Arab Emirates, 12 percent; Guyana, 11 percent; Ecuador, 7 percent;

and the United States, 5 percent.

Globally, the annual benefit per hectare of mangrove more than doubled between 1995 and 2018 to $1,689 per hectare, from $643 per hectare.

From 1995 to 2018, the report noted that the number of people directly affected by flooding in mangrove areas grew by 66 percent, and capital stock damages grew by 268 percent.

“Without mangroves, increased flood damage would have been even greater. In 2018, mangroves protected more than 6 million people from annual flooding and prevented additional annual losses of $24 billion of produced capital,” the report said.

The report added that global wealth may have increased but this has occurred at the expense of the world’s future prosperity. This has even been exacerbated by inequalities worldwide.

The World Bank said many countries are depleting their natural resources in favor of short-term gains such as increasing economic growth.

The Washington-based lender said growing prosperity has been accompanied by unsustainable management of some natural assets.

Low- and middle-income countries, which include the Philippines, saw their forest wealth per capita decline 8 percent from 1995 to 2018, reflecting significant deforestation.

See “PHL,” A5

Solons split on halt to excise tax collection as oil prices rise

F

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

@joveemarie

OLLOWING a continuous increase in prices over eight weeks, another lawmaker has filed a resolution suspending the excise tax for fuel and petroleum products under the TRAIN law or Republic Act 10963.

A senior House leader, however, called the “politically expedient solution” of suspending or cutting a fiscally unwise option that derails the budgets for the next two years at a time when the country, still in recovery mode, needs the P100billion yearly excise tax collection.

In his House Resolution 2320, Baguio City Rep. Mark Go urged President Duterte to immediately suspend the excise tax until fuel and petroleum prices stabilize and return to their August 2021 level.

Under the TRAIN law, the excise tax on all petroleum products, including oil and fuel, will increase based on a staggered schedule from 2018 to 2020.

He said fuel and petroleum prices have steadily risen for nine weeks straight since August 31, adding up to P8.40 per liter in gasoline, P9.15 per liter in diesel, and P8.65 in kerosene.

The relentless hikes have re-

sulted in high fuel prices across the country, Go said.

“In Northern Luzon, particularly in Baguio City, the average new price per liter of unleaded gasoline is P68.75 and diesel at P54.16,” the lawmaker said.

He said similar prices have been observed in different regions, saying in Metro Manila (City of Manila), unleaded gasoline is sold at P67.50 per liter and diesel at P54.52, while unleaded gasoline in Southern Luzon (Legazpi City) costs P64.38 per liter and diesel at P52.56 per liter.

In Visayas (Cebu City) and Mindanao (Zamboanga City), unleaded gasoline is as high as P65.24 and P67.59, while diesel costs P56.65 and P61.92 in each area, respectively.

Go argued that the exorbitant fuel prices and the increased cost of other basic goods will double the strain on Filipinos who have lost their jobs in the pandemic.

He said suspension of excise taxes on fuel and petroleum wil lessen the burden and financial strain on families and marginalized sectors amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The Makabayan had earlier filed similar measures calling for excise tax supension on the said products.

Mixed alternative

FOR her part, however, Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera said suspending or trimming that excise tax even for just three months would be fiscally unwise and possibly economically disastrous, given the fact there is no international oil crisis now, nor is one expected in the months ahead.

“I disagree with the politically expedient solution of either suspending or trimming the excise tax on petroleum,” she said.

“Perhaps, unknown to the presidential candidates is the fact that our national government budgets this 2021, 2022, and 2023 would be dependent on the approximately P100 billion per year in excise tax on petroleum,” she added.

Instead of holding in abeyance or shaving part of that excise tax on petroleum, Herrera said the more prudent solution is a combination of fixes that improves supply flows, increases local buffer stocks, removes customs fees and hauling charges, and issues purchase discount vouchers to the poor and low

income consumers.

“The TRAIN Law has several safety net provisions which can be used to cushion consumer price increases. Suspending or trimming the excise tax should be considered a last resort under economic emergency situations,” she said.

Also, she said the new Pantawid Pasada program should be expanded to include commuter tricycles and “last mile” freight forwarders.

“The P1-billion budget the DBCC recently gave for PUJ drivers driving legit PUJ units is only about P5,000 per driver for the 178,000 drivers,” she said.

Another P2 billion should be added to Pantawid Pasada and LTFRB should urgently implement a conditional amnesty program— conditional because the PUJ units must pass roadworthiness and anti-smoke belching checks or be exchanged for new units under the PUJ modernization program, she added.

According to Herrera, there should also be a Pantawid Kuryente program for households consuming up to 200 kwh/month.

“For the long term, a combination of wind and solar solutions, a strategic national fuel reserve and a modified oil price stabilization fund would be a much better solution than removing the excise tax on fuel and building and operating nuclear power plants,” she said.

PIDS expert: Online, ‘kalye’ surveys not statistically reliable

F

ILIPINOS should avoid relying too much on online and kalye or street surveys as these are not statistically reliable, according to a fellow from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

In his presentation at the 20th Jaime V. Ongpin Annual Memorial Lecture on Public Service in Business and Government, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Jose Ramon G. Albert said the election is now attracting more organizations to come up with surveys and circulating the results online.

However, Albert said, some of these new surveys may not be representative. The “kalye” or street surveys, which involves stopping people on the streets and getting their opinions, will not lead to a representative result for that locale or nationwide.

“Going out on the street and reportedly randomly picking people will not work to get a national reading or even a reliable reading of these areas as not every voter in a city may pass on that street and, what I think as a random selection, may not be random at all,” Albert said.

The media, he added, “is welladvised not to give credence to any polls that are not designed well to yield representativeness. This includes internet surveys—by the way, some media organizations have done these internet surveys— and other non-probability surveys which have their uses for qualitative research but they cannot give a national reading.”

Relying even on Google Trends, Albert said, may also yield unreliable results. He said results on

Google Trends will significantly be affected by the words used in these posts which may skew results on who is leading Google Trends.

He noted that data on these big data sources may also be inflated by trolls “who are employed by all sides of the political spectrum.”

The employment of the trolls, he said however, would depend on the size of the election “war chest” of a candidate.

“Big data sources like Google Trends are also unreliable for tracking national views. Since, first, not everyone is on the net and second, not everyone on the net knows how to Google. If Google Trends data would be a good representation of netizens, which I sincerely doubt, they would at best reflect the A-B crowd which is the upper 10 percent of the socioeconomic strata of the country,” Albert said.

Unfortunately, when the data from these unreliable surveys is consumed, it often leads the public to doubt the data released by reputable institutions.

These institutions would often use samples in their surveys of around 1,200 respondents. Albert said this often leads people to doubt the data since they do not even account for 10 percent of the 63 million voters in the Philippines.

Further, the danger also comes with the results of the actual elections. He recalled how in the United States in the 1930s, a survey of 2.4 million respondents incorrectly forecasted that Republican presidential candidate Alfred Landon would achieve a landslide victory over Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

See “PIDS,” A5

A BUS driver gets tested for blood alcohol content with a breathalyzer before being allowed on his bus. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority headed by Chairman Benhur Abalos conducted an inspection at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange ahead of the long weekend for the observance of “Undas.” NONIE REYES

Duterte for senator? He’ll campaign for Bato-Go tandem

S

TALWARTS of the ruling Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan are grooming President Duterte to shift from Chief Executive to lawmaker after completing his term in 2022, eyeing a Senate seat for him. The scenario would have Duterte switching posts with his two most trusted aides, Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go, for whom he will campaign in their bid to be President and Vice President, instead.

This, as presidential allies, in turn, confirmed efforts by the ruling party to persuade Duterte to run for a Senate seat. Energy Secretary

Alfonso Cusi, current PDP-Laban president, suggested that with President Duterte running for senator, he could also be the campaign manager for the so-called “BaGo” tandem of Dela Rosa and Go, both trusted allies dating back to their Davao days.

In a statement, party stalwarts affirmed that “President Duterte initially accepted the PDP-Laban nomination to run for Vice President,” but later decided to withdraw, with Senator Go taking his place, as VP bet. The ruling party then opted to field Dela Rosa as its presidential bet after Davao Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio, the President’s daughter,

rejected repeated pleas to seek the highest position.

“Now, if the President [Duterte] would not run [for Vice President] because he is firm on his decision not to go back on his word, I said why not run for the Senate so he could bring change there? That will be good for the country,” Cusi said.

He added, however, that should President Duterte change his mind and decide to still run for Vice President, “there is no problem for the PDP-Laban to revert to its original plan of fielding the tandem of Sen. Bong Go for President and President Duterte for Vice President.”

As things stand, PDP-Laban is

inclined to support and promote the tandem of Senators Dela Rosa and Go, Cusi claimed, adding that “what is good is that we will offer to the public a candidate for President and Vice President who both believe in the program of government that we [the PDP-Laban] are pushing and continue the ‘Build, Build, Build’ programs as well as the other programs that President Duterte has started.”

At the same time, Cusi aired expectations that “with President Duterte in the Senate, the “PDPLaban can continue to push all the reforms needed in the Legislature.”

Butch Fernandez

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

SUN, ZIMING Marketing Specialist 1.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for coordinating with other marketing and sales professionals to implement innovative campaigns for branding or product launches.

Basic Qualification: Ability to work under pressure and motivation to succeed in a competitive environment; Should have a bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications or a related field; Good communication and interpersonal skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

2.

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

3.

Brief Job Description: Assists clients will all their concerns.

4.

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

5.

Brief Job Description: Assists clients will all their concerns.

6.

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

7.

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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

8.

MO, XUEMEI 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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

9.

RAO, CHAO 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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

15.

10.

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

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

11.

WANG, YUMENG 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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

Brief Job Description: Assists clients will all their concerns.

23.

24.

YE, SHENG 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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

YOU, CAIZHENG 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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi- task

16.

ZHANG, LIPING 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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

17.

ZHANG, YAOYAO 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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

18.

ZOU, JIANHUA 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. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

25.

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status

26.

WIN MYINT AUNG Mandarin Customer Service Representative 20.

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status

27.

21.

Brief Job Description: Strong, effective written and oral English communication skills - impeccable attention to detail ability to multitask under pressure in an ever-changing environment professional knowledge of android OS, IOS and MAC OS desired. Be able to work as an individual contributor, as well as part of a close team. Ability to keep up to date in a very fast paced environment, staying on top of policy, procedure and workflow changes and evolutions. A team player with a positive attitude and people skills.

28.

29.

THONGKHAM, PAKDEE Thai Technical Support Associate

30.

22.

Brief Job Description: Receive inbound customer calls and email communication and address in a professional and friendly manner.

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

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

TRUONG MY XUAN IT Support Specialist

31.

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

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CF VIP SERVICE GROUP INC. Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., 191 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

LI, JINLIAN Mandarin Marketing Specialist

32.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, or other relevant fields; must be able to communicate effectively verbally and written, in both English and required language; experienced in any of the following: O JAVA (JAVA EE, JAVA SE, SPRING, NODEJS) O JAVASCRIPT O SAP O .NET O COBOL o angular; knowledgeable in back-end programming language/framework; willing to work on holidays, weekends, shifting schedules and extended working hours.

Basic Qualification: Thai language speaking and knowledge or background in medical field.

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

TRAN THI THUY DUYEN IT Support Specialist

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

ALERE PHILIPPINES, INC. 21st Floor, Bonifacio One Technology Tower, Rizal Drive Corner 31st Street, Bonifacio Global City, City Of Taguig

Brief Job Description: Shall answer incoming phone calls from Chinese clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

NGUYEN THI PHUONG IT Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

DUONG NGOC LINH IT Support Specialist

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

NOUPOUE YAMBEU, CEDRICK JUNIOR Application Development Analyst

WANG, YOU Chinese Customer Service

CHANG, JU-CHEN IT Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

YOU, MINGXUE Chinese IT Support Specialist

8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5/f To 10/f, Tower 4 Pitx #01, Kennedy Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

19.

NGUYEN DOAN TAN TRUNG Chinese Customer Service

XIAO, XUE Chinese IT Support Specialist

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

HE, JIA Mandarin Customer Service Representative

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

CAPSLOCK INC. 7th & 8th Flr. Y Tower Bldg., Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal Ave., Brgy. 076, Pasay City

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

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

Basic Qualification: * Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Preferably 6 months to 1 year customer service experience. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

XIONG, XUECHAO Customer Service Representative (Chinese Accounts)

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

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

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

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

LIU, ZICHENG Customer Service Representative (Chinese Accounts)

14.

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

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

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 multi-task.

No.

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

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

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

FU, ZHIHENG Customer Service Representative (Chinese Accounts)

13.

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Preferably, 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

Brief Job Description: Assists clients will all their concerns.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Preferably, 6 months to 1-year customer service experience. Detailoriented and has the ability to multi-task.

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

CHEN, WEI Customer Service Representative (Chinese Accounts)

12.

XIANG, LIANG Customer Service Representative (Chinese Accounts)

A11

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

24 INCH GAUGE CONSTRUCTION INC. L4 Blk. 4, Near Kay Buboy Bridge, San Dionisio, City Of Parañaque

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Brief Job Description: shall be responsible in interpretation of the marketing materials and communicating in dual language English and Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) with customers. Study company profile and operations to understand its marketing needs. Conduct marketing research to identify industry trends and commercial opportunities. Develop and implement a marketing strategy according to objectives and budget. Prepare detailed proposals and marketing plans. Advise on branding, positioning, communications and other marketing issues. Give direction to marketing efforts with the most effective methods and tools. Liaise with marketing department and external vendors. Monitor marketing projects and analyze results. Write reports with suggestions for improvements and new idea.

Basic Qualification: shall be responsible in interpretation of the marketing materials and communicating in dual language English and Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) with customers.

Study company profile and operations to understand its marketing needs. Conduct marketing research to identify industry trends and commercial opportunities.

Develop and implement a marketing strategy according to objectives and budget.

Prepare detailed proposals and marketing plans. Advise on branding, positioning, communications and other marketing issues. Give direction to marketing efforts with the most effective methods and tools. Liaise with marketing department and external vendors.

Monitor marketing projects and analyze results. Write reports with suggestions for improvements and new idea.

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

ZHAO, XU Mandarin Marketing Specialist

33.

Brief Job Description: Shall be responsible in interpretation of the marketing materials and communicating in dual language English and Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) with customers. Study company profile and operations to understand its marketing needs. Conduct marketing research to identify industry trends and commercial opportunities. Develop and implement a marketing strategy according to objectives and budget. Prepare detailed proposals and marketing plans. Advice on branding, positioning, communications and other marketing issues. Give direction to marketing efforts with the most effective methods and tools. Liaise with marketing department and external vendors. Monitor marketing projects and analyze results. Write reports with suggestions for improvements and new idea.

Basic Qualification: Shall be responsible in interpretation of the marketing materials and communicating in dual language English and Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) with customers.

Study company profile and operations to understand its marketing needs. Conduct marketing research to identify industry trends and commercial opportunities.

Develop and implement a marketing strategy according to objectives and budget.

Prepare detailed proposals and marketing plans. Advice on branding, positioning, communications and other marketing issues. Give direction to marketing efforts with the most effective methods and tools. Liaise with marketing department and external vendors.

Monitor marketing projects and analyze results. Write reports with suggestions for improvements and new idea.

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

BusinessMirror

A12 Thursday, October 28, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CHUNGDAHM (PHILS) INC. U-2&3 15f Wilcon It Hub, 2251 Chino Roces Ave., Bangkal, City Of Makati HA, JUNGMIN Asst. Operations Manager 34.

Brief Job Description: Provide top of the line customer service to Korean clients in resolving issues fast and in accurate manner.

LEE, CHUNG-HEE Operations Manager 35.

Brief Job Description: Leads 1 department, provides assistance to clients and the executive management of the company

Basic Qualification: Must be a Korean, fluent in both written and verbal Korean and English language, Bachelor’s degree holder

No.

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

YAO, JINGJING Marketing And Sales Agent 52.

36.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services

CHEN, JINGBO Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 37.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services

LIU, DINGWEN Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 38.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services

ZHU, CHAICHAI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate 39.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and service

CHEN, DAIRONG Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 40.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services

SHI, YU Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 41.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services

ZHANG, FAYUAN Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 42.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services

ZHAO, SUOZHU Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 43.

Brief Job Description: Assist/Help Customers, Give Customers Information about products and services

LIU, HONGCHEN Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 44.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers. Give customer information about product and services

QIAO, JUNTAO Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 45.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers. Give customer information about product and services

TIEU VINH NGUYEN Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 46.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers. Give customer information about product and services

TONG, HUI Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 47.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers. Give customer information about product and services

TU, KAI Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 48.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers. Give customer information about product and services

ZI, QIXIN Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer 49.

Brief Job Description: Assist/help customers. Give customer information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer service experience Goodmin Oral Communication and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer service experience Goodmin Oral Communication and Written

53.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer service experience Goodmin Oral Communication and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer service experience Goodmin Oral Communication and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer service experience Goodmin Oral Communication and Written

54.

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

55.

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

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

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

56.

Brief Job Description: Assist Korean and Filipino clients to make educated decisions for installation and upgrades & repair HONG, GIGWAN Senior Consultant (Pump Testing & Analysis)

57.

Brief Job Description: Assist with pump testing at our Korean and Filipino clients & work closely to ensure their requirements are understood/met

JAYAKUMAR, SRIRAM Chief Operating Officer 58.

Brief Job Description: Manage the operations of ATM managed services’ and technology business in the Philippines.

50.

51.

Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and Chinese documentations

TAO, YUN-CHIEN Network Support Supervisor 59.

Brief Job Description: Sets direction and policy for project involving network and voice technology

CHUANG, YA-TING Marketing Consultant (Mandarin Speaking Clients) 60.

Brief Job Description: *Studying company profile and operations to understand its marketing needs. * Implementing a marketing strategy according to objectives and budget.

LU, WEI-TING Marketing Consultant (Mandarin Speaking Clients) 61.

Brief Job Description: *Studying company profile and operations to understand its marketing needs. * Implementing a marketing strategy according to objectives and budget.

WANG, HUOFA Marketing Consultant (Mandarin Speaking Clients) 62.

HUANG, JINXIA Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and Chinese documentations

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

66.

Basic Qualification: Familiarity in Korean technology.

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

67.

Brief Job Description: *Studying company profile and operations to understand its marketing needs. * Implementing a marketing strategy according to objectives and budget.

68.

69.

70.

71.

KIM, DONGHYUN Technical Support Specialist

72.

63.

Brief Job Description: Maintenance and monitoring of computer hardware computer systems and applications.

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

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES PHILS. INC. U-5302, 53/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor., V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati ZHU, YINGRU Go-to-market Manager For Huawei Device Philippines E-commerce Project

64.

Brief Job Description: In charge with e-commerce business’ plan; in charge of new project releasing for e-commerce; share new products key selling points and market insight; in charge of product sale targets setting and full life cycle sales management of e-commerce; ensure the implementation and localization of sell-in, sell-out and inventory management; provide and analyze reliable data in finding solutions to improve online sales and customer satisfaction

SHEN, YUE Product Manager For Huawei Tablet Go-to Market Project 65.

Brief Job Description: Develop product portfolios and sales strategies for the region, evaluate the influence our brand and provide strategic action advice to the decision-making team, understand the trend of hardware and software evolution, collaborate with various domains based on the company’s go-to-market process

Basic Qualification: With work experience as a channel manager and can manage sales e-commerce; has skills in product plan structure; with technical skills in business analytics and programming; must have a master’s degree in business analytics; highly proficient in Chinese and English language

73.

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

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

CHEN, ZHIQIANG Chinese IT Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele.

FU, CHENG Chinese IT Support Specialist

75.

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

JIANG, XIAOXU Chinese IT Support Specialist

76.

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

LI, YI Chinese IT Support Specialist

77.

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

LIANG, TAO Chinese IT Support Specialist

78.

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

LIU, ZHIPENG Chinese IT Support Specialist

79.

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

LU, ZEYONG Chinese IT Support Specialist

80.

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

NIE, LIANG Chinese IT Support Specialist

81.

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

QIAN, MIN Chinese IT Support Specialist

82.

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

ZENG, XUELONG Chinese IT Support Specialist

83.

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: At least 2 years’ experience working as a product manager for sales and marketing of tablet products, with technical skills on competing product analysis, sales and product management, deliver presentation meetings with client, must have master’s degree in data analysis and highly proficient in Chinese and English language

Brief Job Description: The Chinese Customer Service Representative will provide information to the company’s Chinese Clients or Customers in response to inquiries CHEN, YAO Chinese IT Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing Korean and English.

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

HE, LIN Chinese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: *Preferably 6 months experience with the above position. *Can multi-task and keen to details. *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently.

Basic Qualification: A least 5 yers in a leadership role & experience dealing with cross cultural teams. 8 years of general experience in monitoring and restoration of cell sites Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

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 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

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. U-608 Eastfield Ctr., Moa Comp. Macapagal Ave., Brgy. 076, Pasay City 7/f Aseana I Bldg., Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

74.

Basic Qualification: *Preferably 6 months experience with the above position. *Can multi-task and keen to details. *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

TAY CAM BINH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

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

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

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

LI, DAN Mandarin Customer Support Specialist

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Basic Qualification: *Preferably 6 months experience with the above position. *Can multi-task and keen to details. *Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently.

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

PENG, FANGHUA Mandarin Customer Support Representative

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

Basic Qualification: Job-Relevant Degree/ 5-10yrs , Supervisor/ Managerial experience in Logistics or Operations / Multilingual

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

GUO, KAIWEI Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Familiarity in Korean technology.

Basic Qualification: Can handle technology integration to day-to-day operations of all customers in the Philippines

Brief Job Description: Oversee and drive regional high impact projects. Share best practices and synergy creation across all regions and headquarters

CHEN, SIYING Mandarin Customer Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Familiarity in Korean technology.

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

GO IT CARE EXPERT SOLUTION CO LTD U-806 Cityland Herrera Tower, 98 V.a. Rufino Cor. Valero St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Chinese documentation

Basic Qualification: Have skills in Chinese documentations

SESVECAN, LUKA Routing Manager

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

FLY ASIAN INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION Eighty One Newport Blvd., Newport City, Va, Brgy. 183, Pasay City

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

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

Basic Qualification: Familiarity in Korean technology.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

INFOBIP PHILIPPINES INC. 3/f Hatchasia Bonifacio Technology Center, 31st Cor. 2nd Ave., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

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

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

DEXIN INTERNATIONAL IMPORT AND EXPORT CORP. 534 Tomas Mapua St., 029, Bgy. 298, Santa Cruz, City Of Manila CHEN, MOUTIAN Chinese Cargo Office Agent

Basic Qualification: Bachelors degree in business with above average standing, basic experience in marketing.

EURONET TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INC. Units E1 & E2 27/f Tower One & Exchange Plaza, Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

Brief Job Description: Designs heating, venting and air conditioning system that fulfill a client’s need.

KIM, CHAHNSURK HVAC Expert Consultant

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

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

Brief Job Description: Train the company’s technical employees regarding water treatment system.

KIM, YOUNG WON HVAC Designer

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

Brief Job Description: Manage all client marketing requirements.

LEE, MINHO Environmental Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer service experience Goodmin Oral Communication and Written

SUPRIYA SATISH Account Executive For Marketing

No.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer service experience Goodmin Oral Communication and Written

Brief Job Description: Researches and develops various marketing strategies for products and services and implements marketing plans and works to meet sales quotas.

Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas and researches to help develop marketing strategies; Can help to detail, design and implement marketing plans for each product or service being offered.

ENDERUN COLLEGES, INC. 1100 Campus Avenue, Mckinley Hill, Pinagsama, City Of Taguig

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With Atleast 6 Months Customer service experience Goodmin Oral Communication and Written

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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 CHEN, CONG Chinese Speaking Admin Associate

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503, Nueva St, , Binondo, City Of Manila

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 Basic Qualification: Must be a Korean with at least 1 year of working experience in the related field with experience supporting a Bilingual Queue

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

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

AUNG KO MYO IT Support Specialist

84.

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

85.

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

Basic Qualification: A Chinese and Fluent in Chinese writing and Speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, mandarin, and Fukien language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION CHENH MY QUYNH IT Support Specialist

86.

Brief Job Description: The IT support specialist ITSS is an integral member of the company infrastructure, application support, and of the it division and is responsible for providing quality support enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele CHERICO PHENDAWA IT Support Specialist

87.

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

88.

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

89.

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

90.

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

91.

Brief Job Description: The IT Support specialist ITSS is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality support enterprise systems throughout the chinese clientele DUONG XUAN VU IT Support Specialist

92.

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

93.

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

94.

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

95.

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

96.

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

97.

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

98.

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

MYO THU KYAW IT Support Specialist

99.

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

NGUYEN SY CHUNG IT Support Specialist

100.

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

NGUYEN THI LOAN IT Support Specialist

101.

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin And Fukien LANGUAGE

No.

NGUYEN THI THAO IT Support Specialist 102.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

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

103.

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

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

NGUYEN TRUNG OANH IT Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

104.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

NGUYEN VIET HUNG IT Support Specialist 105.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

106.

107.

108.

109.

110.

111.

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

TRAN PHUONG THAO IT Support Specialist 112.

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

TRAN THI THUY DUNG IT Support Specialist 113.

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

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

VINCENT IT Support Specialist Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

114.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

VO THANH TIEN IT Support Specialist 115.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

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

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

VONG A DUONG IT Support Specialist 116.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

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

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

VONG SAY MENH IT Support Specialist

117.

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

A13

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

No.

VOONG A SY IT Support Specialist 118.

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

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, mandarin, and Fukien language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, mandarin, and Fukien language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist ISS is an integral member of the company infrastructure , Application , Support and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT Support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese Clientele WAN TAR SHAUNG IT Support Specialist

119.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fuken Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KINDOSAR PROCESS SOLUTIONS INC. Unit 5d, Rose Industries Bldg., Pioneer St., Kapitolyo, City Of Pasig GYE, SUNGMAN I.T Specialist 120.

Brief Job Description: Design IT System and networks ensuring the right architecture and functionality

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

KING-MERCHANT BUSINESS TRADING INCORPORATED Unit 2505-f, The Finance Centre 26th St., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig ZHANG, QUANCHAO Mandarin Speaking Marketing Specialist

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading, and writing in Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

121.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

JIANG, LIMING IT Support Specialist (Chinese Speaking) 122.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

Brief Job Description: Conducting research and marketing strategies to develop areas of the business

Brief Job Description: Installing and use of software for data encryption to protect sensitive information

THAI THI TUE IT Support Specialist (Vietnamese Speaking) 123.

Brief Job Description: Installing and use of software for data encryption to protect sensitive information

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

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

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese language and knowledgeable in information technology system Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak Vietnamese language and knowledgeable in information technology system 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: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

124.

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

125.

126.

DONG, QING Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 127.

HUANG, JUNXI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, mandarin, and Fukien language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DING, WENZHANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

CAI, JUNCHANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

128.

HUANG, WEILONG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

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

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

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

PHYU PHYU WIN IT Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

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

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

Basic Qualification: CAN SPEAK AND READ CANTONESE, MANDARIN AND FUKIEN LANGUAGE

Brief Job Description: The IT Support specialist ITSS is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality support enterprise systems throughout the chinese clientele PHAM THI DUYEN IT Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

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

OZAWA, YUKI IT Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

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

NGUYEN XUAN CHUNG IT Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

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

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

129.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

130.

131.

MO, HUIPING Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, mandarin, and Fukien language

Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

LI, ZHICAI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

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

LI, YANGPING Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

132.

PENG, XIA Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

133.

LUONG THI HAI ANH Vietnamese Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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 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 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 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

MINDSCAPE CREATIVES INC. Unit 19-o, Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Can Speak and Read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

134.

TRAN VINH NGHI Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking , Reading and Writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

A14 Thursday, October 28, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

135.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION XU, CE Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

YUAN, HEFA Mandarin Marketing Specialist 136.

Brief Job Description: Conducting Research and marketing strategies to develop areas of the business CHEN, KUNXIN Mandarin Operations Specialist

137.

Brief Job Description: Committed to improving customer experience and operational efficiency CHENG, KAI Mandarin Team Leader

138.

Brief Job Description: Leading the team with motivation and inspire to reach the goal and exceeding the FENG, CHENG Mandarin Technical Support

139.

Brief Job Description: To troubleshoot, Maintain and Monitor the Computer system FENG, GUANGYAO Mandarin Technical Support

140.

Brief Job Description: To Troubleshoot, Maintain and Monitor the Computer System GUO, JUNRUI Mandarin Technical Support

141.

Brief Job Description: To Troubleshoot , Maintain and Monitor the Computer system GUO, JUNWEI Mandarin Technical Support

142.

Brief Job Description: To troubleshoot , maintain and monitor the computer system LAN, HAILONG Mandarin Technical Support

143.

Brief Job Description: To Troubleshoot , Maintain and Monitor the COmputer System LU, YALAN Mandarin Technical Support

144.

Brief Job Description: To Troubleshoot , Maintain and Monitor the Computer system YUAN, YANG Mandarin Technical Support

145.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

Brief Job Description: To Troubleshoot, Maintain and Monitor the computer system

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, Reading and Writing in Mandarin

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 Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking , Reading and Writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

146.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

147.

Brief Job Description: Review and assess through formal audits of Nestle units the existence and effectiveness of internal records; Conducts audit of assigned chapter in a timely manner, highlighting areas which assist Nestle in improving the existence and effectiveness of internal controls; Perform risk based audit planning via review different sources of information

155.

148.

149.

150.

151.

152.

Brief Job Description: Maintaining and upgrading existing system TANG, JIAN Bilingual Software Developer Brief Job Description: Maintaining and upgrading existing system DONG, FENGLEI Bilingual Technical Support Brief Job Description: Resolve technical issues w/ patience & understanding LIAO, QIANGMING Bilingual Technical Support Brief Job Description: Resolve technical issues w/ patience & understanding SHEN, YANG Bilingual Technical Support Brief Job Description: Resolve technical issues w/ patience & understanding

LUU BOI HINH Mandarin Customer Service Representative 156.

Brief Job Description: Meet personal/team sales targets and call handling quotas

157.

INBADASS, DEEPAK Chief Flight Instructor Brief Job Description: Supervision of all flight instructors

DEPLANCK PIERRE OLIVIER CLAUDE Chief Executive Officer

158.

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

Brief Job Description: Ensure a good long-term development of the company in order to become a strong player in the retail business with highest possible sales, highest possible productivity, high profits and lowest possible cost.

Lead the company and be the guardian of company strategy in order to reach the long-term goals of the shareholders. Determine and communicate the organization’s strategic direction ensuring disciplined focus on core principles.

KAIPERT, PHILIPP ALEXANDER Regional Manager 159.

160.

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

Basic Qualification: Excellent in Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in Chinese language

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DAI, YU-WEN Mandarin Administrative Specialist

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin

Brief Job Description: Maintains workflow

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

Brief Job Description: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team

WEN, ZHIYONG Mandarin Speaking Marketing Manager

CHELBI, HAMZA French Operations CSR II

Basic Qualification: Excellent in reading, writing and speaking in Mandarin

Basic Qualification: License - CPL/FI/GI/IR/ME. Hours - 1000++

Brief Job Description: Analyze and reports on the performance and efficiency of the campaigns

Brief Job Description: Provides expedient and accurate customer service to French speaking clients and customers. Addresses French customer concerns, queries, issues, complaints and/or places sales orders and product information requests. Prepares reports by accessing account database, analyzing the information contained and providing useful accurate and appropriate data.

168.

Brief Job Description: Provides expedient and accurate customer service to French speaking clients and customers. Addresses French customer concerns, queries, issues, complaints and/or places sales orders and product information requests. Prepares reports by accessing account database, analyzing the information contained and providing useful accurate and appropriate data.

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

Basic Qualification: At least 20 years of demonstrated successful multi-format retail experience; Leadership skills driving the performance of a team of senior executives; Knowledge of effective supply chain with distribution centre management of multi temperature products; Strong financial background, with proven track record of P&L management and investment evaluation.

Basic Qualification: Experience in Discount Grocery minimum 10 years; Graduate from University; English fluent, additional languages of advantage Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Basic Qualification: Outstanding in team leading and good in mandarin speaking

CHAN, PING KEUNG Authentic Chinese Cook 169.

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

MATOUŠEK, JIŘI Senior Vice President And Transformation Head For Retail Banking Brief Job Description: Lead programs of change for retail banking segment.

Basic Qualification: Has well-rounded experience in retail banking segment.

170.

171.

Brief Job Description: Prepares a wide variety of authentic Chinese menu items and plans menu

172.

163.

Brief Job Description: Lead the planning and implementation of project.

Develop full scale project plans. Manage project resource allocation plan and schedule project timeless.

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

SLL BUILDER AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION U-2c 4/f One E-com Ctr. Bldg., Ocean Dr., Brgy. 076, Pasay City

173.

164.

CAO, LIYANG Marketing Specialist - Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Construction façade installation.

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

STONE ASIA AND SPECIALTY PRODUCTS, INC. 350, J.p. Rizal, Brgy. Namayan, City Of Mandaluyong

TRAN BICH NGAN Project Coordinator 165.

Brief Job Description: Coordinate project management activities. Resources equipment and information provide analytical support to manager in executing assigned projects

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English language both in written and verbal. Must familiar in expert planning and administrative writing and reporting skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

166.

Brief Job Description: Monitor progress of construction and review shop drawing

Basic Qualification: College graduate; preferably 8-15 years experience in a restaurant in China; must be knowledgeable in different authentic Chinese cooking Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

ZHANG, MIN Mandarin Marketing Specialist

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin

Brief Job Description: Organize promotions and events for company files

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

Brief Job Description: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team

Brief Job Description: Conducting electrical safety checks on computer equipment

174.

Brief Job Description: Conducting electrical safety checks on computer equipment

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

VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

LIU, ZHIWEI Bilingual Technical Support Specialist 175.

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancements by studying work load capacity of computer system

QIU, JIAHUI Bilingual Technical Support Specialist 176.

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancements by studying work load capacity of computer system

TIAN, LIN Bilingual Technical Support Specialist 177.

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancements by studying workload capacity of computer system

Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading, and speaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZTE PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 1201 & 1202 12th Floor Fort Legend Towers, 3rd Ave. Corner 31st St., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig WAN, SHENGGUO Quality Manager

Basic Qualification: College graduate

Brief Job Description: Draw up project maintenance

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 *Date Generated: Oct 27, 2021

In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on October 16, 2021, the name of HUANG, TZU-HSIU under MEGA-WEB TECHNOLOGIES INC., should have been read as HUANG, TZU-HSIU a.k.a. HUANG, ZHI-YU and not as published.

In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on October 20, 2021, the position of CHENG YOKE HUO under INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION, should have been read as MALAYSIAN CUSTOMER SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE and not as published.

In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on October 26, 2021, the name of NASNARIN YAP BINTI ABDULLAH under PAILI HOLDINGS CORPORATION, should have been read as NASRIN YAP BINTI ABDULLAH and not as published.

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.

SUMISETSU PHILIPPINES, INC. 8/f Gc Corporate Plaza, 150 Legaspi St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati IWASAKI, HIDETAKA Project Manager

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

Brief Job Description: Maintains customer records by updating account info

WANG, KE Mandarin Technical Support

178.

Basic Qualification: Must be expert in installing and developing software and hardware components.

Basic Qualification: Candidate must possess at least a Vocational Diploma in any field, Must be fluent in both written and verbal French and English language, At least 1 year of working experience as a BPO Professional, preferably with experience supporting a Bilingual Queue.

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin

DUAN, CHUNXIAO Mandarin Technical Support

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English language both in oral and verbal, must be familiar in expert planning and administrative writing and reporting skills

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

WEN, QIANG Mandarin Customer Service

TAY WEE KIAT Mandarin Team Leader

SHANGHAI ELECTRIC POWER CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINE CORPORATION Unit 2703-d, 27/f West Tower, Psec Exchange Road, Ortigas Ctr., City Of Pasig

YONGCHUN, LIU Project Manager

Basic Qualification: Candidate must possess at least a Vocational Diploma in any field, Must be fluent in both written and verbal French and English language, At least 1 year of working experience as a BPO Professional, preferably with experience supporting a Bilingual Queue

URBANDIDEAS INC. Unit 17-m Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

THE AMAZING UNITED NINE CORP. (EAST OCEAN PALACE) Lot 37 Blk. 5, Aseana Business Park, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque

SECURITY BANK CORPORATION Security Bank Centre Bldg. 6776, Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in Chinese language

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

SEAGULL-WORLD INC. Unit 2807 28/f Cityland, Pasong Tamo Tower, 2210 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

162.

Basic Qualification: Stakeholder Management; Background in Business Administration/ Economics/Engineering/IT/ Mathematics/Law; 1-2 years of audit experience

Brief Job Description: Build a network of stores with high sales potential and generate highest possible sales and ensure high profits.

TANG, YAOWU Mandarin Team Leader

161.

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

167.

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin

PHILIPPINE FULL DEGREE COMMUNICATIONS CORP. 10/f Alphaland Makati Place, 7323 Ayala Ave. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ANANI, AKOUVI ESSIAGNON OLIVIA French Operations CSR II

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

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

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

No.

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin

OSAVE TRADING PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Office 550-551 Level 5 Gateway Tower Gen., Roxas Avenue Corner Gen. Aguinaldo Avenue Araneta Center Cubao 3, Socorro, Quezon City

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking , Reading and Writing in Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking, Reading and Writing in Mandarin

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

ORIENT AVIATION CORPORATION Flr. No. G/f Mac Bldg., Andrew Ave. St., Barangay 191, Pasay City

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

OCEANIC SYMPHONY SERVICES INC. 3/f Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

153.

Brief Job Description: Conducting electrical safety checks on computer equipment

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

ONE BORDERLINE CREATIVES INC. Unit 11-ij3, 11/f Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

NOONA BUSINESS CONSULTING SERVICES INC. 10th & 31st Floor Ore Central Tower, 9th Ave. Cor. 31st St., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig CHEN, XING Bilingual Software Developer

Brief Job Description: Contributes to team by accomplishing related results as needed WEI, KEHANG Mandarin Technical Support

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

NESTLE PHILIPPINES, INC. Rockwell Center 31, Plaza Drive, Poblacion, City Of Makati MASITA BINTI MOHAMAD JALIL Nestlé Market Audit Executive

154.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking, Reading and Writing in Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Proficient in Speaking, Reading and Writing in Mandarin

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LU, FENG Mandarin Customer Service

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

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

No.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Japanese and English language, College level Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

TELUS INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINES, INC. Units 23/f, 31st/f - 37th/f Discovery Centre, Adb Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, October 28, 2021

B1

Globe Telecom raises $600M from dollar bond issuance

L

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

isted telecommunications firm Globe Telecom Inc. has raised another $600 million from the issuance of dollar-denominated senior perpetual capital securities.

The Reg S only non-call 5-year US dollar-denominated senior perpetual capital securities are unrated and have been received by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd. for listing.

Globe President Ernest L. Cu said the final order book was oversubscribed by more than three times, allowing the company to upsize the transaction to $600 million and tighten final pricing by 30 basis points to 4.20 percent from the initial price guidance of 4.50 percent.

“The issuance reaffirms the

international investment community’s confidence in the company’s strong business fundamentals and mobile market leadership.

The success of the offering supports our efforts to expand and enhance our core business and enable our efforts in building a robust digital ecosystem in the country,” he said.

This transaction represents the tightest pricing for an equity-accounted senior step-up perpetual from the Philippines during the pandemic and the second tight-

est ever. The transaction joins other Philippine equity issuers as the largest size raised in a single tranche under this structure.

“We are extremely delighted with the outcome of the securities offering. The outstanding success of the transaction underscores global investors’ belief in Globe’s strength as a business. This offering was an important milestone in our continuous engagement with our investors and achieves our objective to strengthen Globe’s position in the capital market,” Globe CFO Rizza Maniego-Eala said.

HSBC and J.P. Morgan acted as Joint Global Coordinators, and HSBC, J.P. Morgan, and BPI Capital Corporation acted as joint lead managers and joint bookrunners.

China Bank Capital Corporation acted as domestic lead manager.

The offering signals Globe’s return to the international capital markets following its dual-tranche dollar-denominated senior notes issuance in 2020.

Proceeds of the issuance will be used to fund Globe’s capital expenditures, maturing or existing obligations, and general corporate requirements.

Globe recently raised its capital requirements for 2021 to P76 billion from the programmed P70 billion, as it pursues more telco infrastructure projects for the year.

The company announced that it will spend 88 percent of the budget on data, 6 percent on business support, 5 percent on core requirements, and a percentage on miscellaneous investments.

Globe’s net income in the first half rose by 13 percent to P13 billion from P11.5 billion in the same period the year prior, owing to the favorable effects of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act. Its consolidated services revenues increased by 4 percent to P75.5 billion from P72.4 billion, driven largely by its fixed and mobile businesses.

‘Santa Claus rally a boon for Medilines’

By VG Cabuag @villygc

P

NB C apit a l a nd Investment Corp. said the listing of medical equipment distributor Medilines Distributors Inc. in December bodes well for the company as the benchmark index may start its upward trajectory before the year ends.

PNB Research ex pects the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) index to finish at 7,490 to 8,100 this year, on the so-called “Santa Claus rally,” on expectation that the relatively low yield environment will allow earnings multiples to remain elevated. This suggests a potential upside of up to 11 percent from Friday’s close of 7,289.61 points. The main index closed at 7,230.15 points on Wednesday.

“We look forward to offering to investors this trailblazing deal that will allow them to partake

McDonald’s ties up with ONE Esports

O

NE Esports, a subsidiary of Group ONE Holdings (ONE), announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with quick-service restaurant giant McDonald’s Philippines to promote esports.

Oliver Rabatan, AVP for marketing and channels, McDonald’s Philippines said the partnership aims boost the brand exposure of the company and a gain bigger foothold in the local gaming community especially with the highly popular Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament.

“McDonald’s Philippines is excited to partner with ONE Esports in the upcoming Mobile Legends Professional League Invitational. With the busy lifestyle of e-gamers, we commit to continuously support the community with convenient access to delicious food anytime, anywhere with McDelivery,” Rabatan said in a statement.

Aside from McDonald’s Philippines, ONE Esports has also entered into a series of partnerships with insurance company FWD and Marriott International ’s awardwinning travel program, Marriott Bonvoy. Rizal Raoul Reyes

in the country’s growing healthcare industry,” Gerry Valenciano, president and CEO of PNB Capital, said. “GDP growth starting the second quarter of 2022 will encourage positive sentiment and investors are looking forward to less strict pandemic curbs overall,” Alvin Arogo, vice president and head of research of Philippine National Bank, said.

PNB Capital is the sole issue manager, lead underwriter and sole bookrunner for the transaction.

Virgilio B. Villar, chairman of Medilines and brother of businessman Manuel B. Villar, expressed the hope investors will not pass up the opportunity to invest in the healthcare industry, especially in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are now one step closer to our vision of providing the public an investment opportunity that is set to rapidly grow amid the

Covid-19 pandemic and beyond as everyone realizes the importance of the healthcare industry,” said Villar.

Medilines is a leading distributor of medical equipment in the country. It maintains a portfolio of best-in-class equipment from multinational brands such as Siemens Healthineers (Germany) for diagnostic imaging, B. Braun (Germany) for dialysis and Varian (USA) for cancer therapy.

Both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PSE have already gave their green light for Medilines’ initial public offering, which will be traded under the ticker MEDIC. Based on a preliminary prospectus, Medilines will be offering up to 550 million primary common shares and up to 275 million secondary shares at an offer price of up to P2.45 per share, or proceeds of about P1.28 billion.

Proceeds will be uses to fund

the company’s working capital for its existing products, expand into the medical consumables segment, and to repay its debt.

Medilines intends to finalize its offer price on November 16.

The target offer period for the IPO will be from November 22 to November 26, while the listing date is on December 7.

Founded in 2002, Medilines plans to expand its presence and product portfolio to help enhance the country’s healthcare system through quality medical devices.

The company’s revenues for the first semester of 2021 jumped to P815 million which is higher by 281 percent year-on-year. Net income during the same period in 2021 was at P100 million which is equivalent to almost double of the net income posted for fullyear 2020. The company attributes the profitability growth to the increase in the sales of cancer therapy machines.

DOE issues rules on contracting AS

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

T

HE Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday released a circular that establishes the competitive bidding process for the procurement of reserve power by the country’s system operator (SO).

Signed last October 4 by DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, Department Circular No. 2021-10-0031 states that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines—the country’s SO—must form an independent Third Party Bids and Awards Committee (TPBAC). Three of the committee members will come from NGCP, one from the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) and one from the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo).

Six months from the effectivity of the circular, the SO must conduct a competitive selection process (CSP) for the procurement of ancillary services purchase agreement (ASPA) for a contract period of a maximum of five years.

The SO is also required to submit to the DOE its annual AS agreement procurement plan, which contains

the projected AS requirements for the next 10 years, not later than every end-March of each year.

“Contracting AS through competitive selection shall improve transparency, competitiveness, and wide dissemination of bid opportunities to ensure participation of all eligible generation companies to meet the required level of AS,” the circular read.

For transparency, the TPBAC will tap observers from the DOE, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and the National Electrification Administration (NEA).

The terms of reference will have to be approved by the DOE. The TPBAC, among others, will update the DOE on the status of all stages of the procurement process; determine the lowest bidder; and evaluate the legal, technical and financial qualifications of the bidders.

The winning bidders and the SO will file the signed ASPA for approval of the ERC. Direct negotiations maybe made after two failed CSPs. The circular also states that all non-firm ASPAs not converted to firm ASPAs upon effectivity of the circular shall be valid and effective.

However, the firm ASPAs will be prioritized over non-firm ASPAs.

CEB launches direct Manila-Camiguin flights

Phoenix opens retail sites to 2Go

P

hoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. has opened its retail sites to transportation and logistics provider 2Go Group Inc. to make basic courier services and even international shipments more accessible to businesses and consumers.

“Dur ing the pandemic, logistics and transport providers played a vital role in the supply chain by offering services that many small and even big firms did not have the capacity to do so,” Phoenix President Henry Albert Fadullon said on Wednesday.

“Seeing as many of our own stakeholders are in need of such a service, as well as this being another way of creating bigger shared value for our customers and partners, it is only fitting that we make room in our Phoenix retail sites for 2GO as we make our touchpoints more purposeful and functional.”

The first 2GO outlet in a Phoenix station was opened along Shaw Boulevard, offering local and international freight services, as well as airline and ferry ticketing.

With the partnership, Fadullon said that even entrepreneurs can look forward to new opportunities since this arrangement offers a

new revenue stream for Phoenix partners who want to start their own 2GO franchise and offer their customers new services and products, including services from 2GO express, 2GO travel, and FedEx. Furthermore, potential 2GO franchise owners can also expect access to 2GO merchandising materials, comprehensive training, and dedicated support.

“Whatever your delivery needs may be, we want convenient and efficient logistics services accessible for all. Thus, we are very excited to offer this indispensable service and business solution that will benefit not only potential partners seeking a viable enterprise, but most importantly, the most ordinary of Filipinos who deserve more convenience and an even more satisfying consumer experience when fulfilling their logistic needs.”

As e-commerce and digitalization continue to grow, so has the demand for convenient and efficient logistic services. According to consultancy firm Lobien Realty Group (LRG), the logistics industry is projected to become a P1trillion market by 2023 due to the growing popularity of e-market.

With more industries and Filipinos becoming dependent on delivery and transport services, Phoenix said it is utilizing its sites to address this need.

Phoeni x earlier unveiled a unique retail concept dubbed Phoenix Block, transforming retail stations into one-stop-shop destinations where customers can avail of a variety of goods and services.

The first-ever Phoenix Block located at Sucat Skyway House marks the company’s pivot towa rd s becom i ng a consu mer brand, hosting an array of offerings, including a Phoenix gas station, Phoenix SUPER LPG, a FamilyMart convenience store, an Autoworx Plus shop, Posible payment services, an al fresco dining area showcasing Phoenix Asphalt, LIMITLESS digital transactions, and even a Wendy’s drive-thru and take-out counter.

Another Phoenix Block is set to open in Makati City.

Phoenix Petroleum’s market share in the second quarter stood at 7.8 percent while its LPG market share grew to 7.2 percent. The number of its service stations reached 680 in the second quarter. Lenie Lectura

Contributed Photo

B

UDGET carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) has announced the launch of its direct flights from Manila to Camiguin on November 15 and the resumption of its Cebu-Camiguin operations on November 9.

Cebu Pacific’s subsidiary Cebgo will operate the Cebu-Camiguin and Manila- Camig uin f lights twice weekly using ATR planes.

“We are very happy to launch these direct flights in time with the gradual reopening of domestic tourism. Camiguin is another underrated gem that we believe travelers will enjoy discovering.

At the same time, these direct connections will enable residents to fly to and from Cebu and Manila conveniently, be it for leisure or business purposes,” said Xander Lao, Chief Commercial Officer at Cebu Pacific.

T he Island of Camig uin is known for its famous sandbar at White Island, the sunken cemetery, marine sanctuary, as well as its Lanzones Festival celebrated every October, among others.

Camiguin Island requires arriv-

ing tourists to create an account online and upload necessary documents such as a filled-out health declaration form, along with a proof of complete Covid-19 vaccination.

Travelers are also required to present a negative swab test result taken at least 72 hours before departure from Luzon and 48 hours from Visayas or Mindanao.

Tourists will need to upload proof of confirmed booking from an establishment accredited by the local government unit or a clearance from the Municipal Health Officer of the municipality if staying in a private home. Once complete, tourists need to download their ID with QR code and save a copy for presentation prior flight.

All tourists will also need to take an antigen test on their fifth day at the island.

CEB will begin operating twice weekly between Cebu and Camiguin on November 9 (every Tuesday and Saturday); and twice-a-week every Monday and Friday, beginning November 15, between Manila and Camiguin. Lorenz S. Marasigan

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, October 28, 2021

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

October 27, 2021

Net Foreign Stocks Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Buy (Sell) FINANCIALs

BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FIRST ABACUS FERRONOUX HLDG FILIPINO FUND IREMIT MEDCO HLDG MANULIFE PHIL STOCK EXCH

129.7 87 24.2 9.47 48.75 9.1 17.72 20.55 57.5 123.4 89 1.1 4.1 0.6 3.4 6.55 1.2 0.32 970 220.4

130 87.05 24.4 9.5 49.05 9.29 17.98 20.6 57.55 123.5 89.4 1.13 4.11 0.63 3.53 7.8 1.21 0.33 974.5 229

131 85.9 24.4 9.46 49.25 9.08 17.72 20.65 57.5 124.1 93 0.98 4.11 0.59 3.57 6.55 1.11 0.32 970 230

132.4 87.5 24.45 9.7 49.9 9.08 17.72 20.85 57.55 124.2 93 1.13 4.12 0.59 3.57 6.55 1.2 0.32 974.5 230

129.6 85.4 24.15 9.45 48.75 9.08 17.7 20.3 57.5 121.7 89 0.91 4.1 0.59 3.53 6.55 1.11 0.315 970 220.2

129.7 87 24.4 9.5 48.75 9.08 17.72 20.6 57.55 123.4 89 1.13 4.11 0.59 3.53 6.55 1.2 0.32 970 220.2

2,059,240 268,940,624 4,609,570 398,555,210.50 1,039,000 25,101,780 129,400 1,228,612 2,201,900 107,785,385 18,200 165,256 2,800 49,580 419,700 8,603,325 1,070 61,542.50 183,300 22,525,573 99,450 8,922,102 812,000 838,410 178,000 732,620 10,000 5,900 4,000 14,240 1,200 7,860 10,000 11,820 320,000 102,300 120 116,535 120 27,394

INDUSTRIAL

AC ENERGY ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO MANILA WATER PETRON PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER VIVANT AGRINURTURE AXELUM CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA JOLLIBEE MAXS GROUP MG HLDG MONDE NISSIN SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VICTORIAS CONCRETE A CEMEX HLDG EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA TKC METALS VULCAN INDL CROWN ASIA EUROMED PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS PANASONIC SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG

12.1 1.13 32.2 0.69 30.25 74.95 294.8 26.1 4 4.4 11.2 23.5 13.8 15 5.01 2.87 26.85 14.6 8.3 18.22 76.45 0.61 1.33 110.4 244 7.43 0.183 16.34 8.11 0.73 4.51 1.25 0.117 139.2 0.77 2.32 46.15 1.27 14.4 6.75 5.93 6.1 14.68 0.89 1.22 1.67 1.59 5.4 22.95 2.39 8.92 0.85 6 1.12 4.37

12.12 1.14 32.25 0.7 30.3 75 295 26.2 4.01 4.42 11.6 23.55 13.82 18.48 5.08 2.9 26.9 14.76 8.31 18.24 76.5 0.62 1.35 111 244.2 7.45 0.19 16.54 8.13 0.74 4.6 1.29 0.12 139.5 0.78 2.46 47 1.28 14.48 6.8 5.94 6.11 14.78 0.9 1.23 1.68 1.64 5.48 23 2.4 8.93 0.87 6.02 1.15 4.38

12.06 1.12 32.35 0.72 30.15 74.9 295 26 3.99 4.3 11.24 22.3 13.82 15.04 5 2.89 26.3 14.8 8.29 18.3 76.9 0.6 1.34 112.7 236.2 7.45 0.182 16.44 8.14 0.75 4.6 1.25 0.117 136.9 0.76 2.31 47 1.28 14.6 6.9 5.98 6.15 14.8 0.9 1.18 1.68 1.66 5.4 22 2.45 8.93 0.85 6 1.14 4.33

12.54 1.15 32.35 0.72 30.4 75.5 295 26.95 4.02 4.42 11.6 23.5 13.82 15.04 5.1 2.93 26.85 14.82 8.36 18.5 77 0.6 1.35 112.7 244.2 7.54 0.19 16.64 8.14 0.75 4.6 1.25 0.12 139.9 0.78 2.31 47 1.28 14.6 6.9 5.98 6.15 14.8 0.9 1.25 1.68 1.66 5.48 22.95 2.45 8.99 0.87 6.08 1.15 4.38

12.04 1.12 32.05 0.69 30.1 74.9 294 25.65 3.96 4.3 11.16 22.3 13.74 15 5 2.86 26 14.6 8.21 18.1 76.35 0.6 1.32 111.1 236.2 7.4 0.182 16.32 8.08 0.74 4.6 1.25 0.117 135.3 0.76 2.31 47 1.27 14.36 6.74 5.9 6.08 14.74 0.89 1.18 1.67 1.64 5.4 22 2.38 8.86 0.85 6 1.12 4.33

12.1 1.15 32.2 0.7 30.25 75 295 26.2 4 4.4 11.6 23.5 13.82 15 5.08 2.9 26.85 14.76 8.31 18.22 76.5 0.6 1.35 111.1 244.2 7.45 0.19 16.34 8.13 0.74 4.6 1.25 0.117 139.5 0.78 2.31 47 1.27 14.4 6.75 5.94 6.11 14.78 0.89 1.23 1.68 1.64 5.48 22.95 2.4 8.92 0.85 6.03 1.15 4.37

60,095,000 31,000 1,135,400 14,736,000 1,251,300 48,350 105,260 3,787,700 3,753,000 17,000 38,800 760,700 57,100 2,500 17,200 156,000 1,191,000 91,000 774,300 3,194,400 270,000 81,000 10,125,000 7,750 1,382,840 192,800 380,000 15,128,500 69,500 720,000 8,000 7,000 560,000 1,530,170 6,983,000 2,000 500 475,000 4,100 152,800 209,200 1,395,400 15,200 80,000 3,844,000 104,000 25,000 313,800 26,400 3,348,000 502,000 205,000 23,700 178,000 716,000

17,032,594 83,689,238.50 1,891 -14,710,110 -769,705 -11,657,148 -1,485,430 87,300 -

740,823,174 34,750 36,577,700 10,283,850 37,883,675 3,624,070 31,033,936 98,993,855 14,972,030 73,760 438,290 17,576,290 787,734 37,540 86,759 448,350 31,355,140 1,331,624 6,433,899 58,850,618 20,661,845 48,600 13,486,840 865,115 334,674,012 1,442,264 70,570 249,474,890 563,560 533,260 36,800 8,750 65,760 212,831,912 5,378,090 4,620 23,500 605,820 59,088 1,034,429 1,241,057 8,526,482 224,724 71,800 4,693,230 174,600 41,100 1,695,557 599,160 8,054,190 4,482,848 174,550 142,660 199,900 3,122,010

42,806,772 15,516,340 -394,090 15,108,045 585,018 -6,756,244 -29,733,830 1,309,580 -8,800 -16,740 -3,052,850 20,730 -19,380.00 8,556,635 -2,457,676.00 -2,464,928 -415,850.50 -637,950 -359,831 78,161,040 -78,730,466 -246,001.00 9,795,134 -46,470 36,830 -43,228 -57,322 -467,253 577,107 202,610 28,560 -117,420 1,784 300,860.00

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 1.15 1.16 1.15 1.18 1.15 1.16 10,816,000 12,537,090 ASIABEST GROUP 5.28 5.49 5.3 5.5 5.27 5.5 13,200 69,640 AYALA CORP 879 879.5 870 880 858 879 320,800 280,928,065 ABOITIZ EQUITY 48.65 48.7 49.3 49.3 48.25 48.65 1,263,600 61,569,000 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 10.6 10.62 10.52 10.7 10.52 10.6 4,561,800 48,466,622 AYALA LAND LOG 5.66 5.67 5.33 5.72 5.33 5.66 8,118,200 45,402,078 ANSCOR 7.2 7.24 7.2 7.27 7.2 7.27 101,400 735,378 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.92 0.93 0.92 0.93 0.91 0.92 2,555,000 2,349,970 ATN HLDG A 0.485 0.5 0.485 0.5 0.485 0.485 203,000 99,720 COSCO CAPITAL 5.09 5.1 5.08 5.1 5.06 5.09 974,400 4,953,714 DMCI HLDG 8.73 8.75 8.87 8.87 8.65 8.75 10,986,900 96,149,020 FILINVEST DEV 7.77 8.12 7.75 8.12 7.75 8.12 17,800 140,723 0.29 0.3 0.305 0.305 0.29 0.29 610,000 177,550 FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL 559.5 560 562.5 564.5 559.5 560 117,710 65,933,440 63.8 63.95 63.4 65.2 63.4 63.8 1,266,940 81,427,382 JG SUMMIT 5.3 5.45 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.4 1,100 5,940 JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR 0.63 0.65 0.63 0.65 0.63 0.65 182,000 114,720 LOPEZ HLDG 3.16 3.3 3.24 3.3 3.16 3.3 57,000 185,250 10.12 10.24 10.2 10.36 10.1 10.12 4,553,400 46,249,878 LT GROUP 0.43 0.455 0.425 0.455 0.425 0.455 140,000 60,100 MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV 3.95 3.97 3.9 3.98 3.87 3.95 25,926,000 101,871,010 1.82 1.85 1.54 1.89 1.54 1.82 2,001,000 3,557,660 PRIME MEDIA 1.15 1.17 1.17 1.17 1.15 1.15 300,000 346,540 SOLID GROUP SM INVESTMENTS 990 992 1,024 1,025 987.5 990 347,750 345,696,085 SAN MIGUEL CORP 116.7 117 117 117 115.7 117 170,000 19,819,078 SOC RESOURCES 0.66 0.71 0.71 0.72 0.66 0.66 56,000 38,450 TOP FRONTIER 126 128 128 128 128 128 348,510 44,609,280 WELLEX INDUS 0.265 0.27 0.275 0.275 0.275 0.275 10,000 2,750

-1,743,420 -550 131,324,120 -12,880,245 -13,545,788 -565,852 3,331,699 13,758,607 7,177,960 -20,139,927 51,840 3,331,752.00 -33,459,900 -13,950 -95,899,270 -35,541 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.62 0.64 0.63 0.64 0.62 0.62 1,490,000 930,710 ANCHOR LAND 6.9 7.37 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 10,000 71,000 AYALA LAND 36.05 36.1 35.95 36.9 35.95 36.1 4,699,100 169,929,340 ARANETA PROP 1.05 1.09 1.05 1.09 1.05 1.09 10,000 10,820 AREIT RT 42 42.2 41.25 42 40.8 42 898,100 37,173,100 BELLE CORP 1.37 1.4 1.39 1.4 1.39 1.4 309,000 432,190 A BROWN 0.86 0.87 0.86 0.87 0.86 0.87 157,000 135,030 CITYLAND DEVT 0.75 0.76 0.75 0.76 0.74 0.75 121,000 90,030 CROWN EQUITIES 0.114 0.115 0.115 0.117 0.115 0.115 800,000 92,020 CEBU HLDG 6.36 6.98 6.24 6.36 6.24 6.36 77,800 493,600 CEB LANDMASTERS 2.94 2.95 2.97 2.98 2.93 2.95 714,000 2,103,410 CENTURY PROP 0.455 0.46 0.465 0.465 0.455 0.46 950,000 433,750 10.36 10.4 10.28 10.4 10.28 10.4 232,200 2,395,306 DOUBLEDRAGON 1.79 1.8 1.79 1.8 1.78 1.8 11,987,000 21,406,370 DDMP RT 6.84 6.85 6.82 6.85 6.81 6.85 29,400 200,608 DM WENCESLAO 0.385 0.39 0.405 0.41 0.375 0.39 23,030,000 9,034,000 EVER GOTESCO 7.36 7.37 7.3 7.4 7.3 7.37 1,177,800 8,667,380 FILINVEST RT 1.14 1.15 1.15 1.16 1.14 1.15 2,939,000 3,366,850 FILINVEST LAND 0.91 0.92 0.9 0.91 0.9 0.91 97,000 87,870 GLOBAL ESTATE 8990 HLDG 10 10.14 9.8 10.14 9.78 10 669,600 6,686,508 1.19 1.2 1.22 1.25 1.18 1.2 355,000 431,320 PHIL INFRADEV CITY AND LAND 1.06 1.07 1.07 1.1 1.02 1.06 210,000 221,330 3.08 3.09 3.04 3.09 3.04 3.09 11,467,000 35,322,210 MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED 0.295 0.3 0.3 0.305 0.295 0.3 11,520,000 3,447,800 MREIT RT 17.9 17.92 17.88 17.96 17.88 17.9 4,378,800 78,460,280 PHIL ESTATES 0.51 0.52 0.51 0.52 0.51 0.51 1,096,000 560,200 PRIMEX CORP 2.01 2.08 2.09 2.19 2 2.08 564,000 1,159,940 RL COMM RT 6.83 6.84 6.83 6.87 6.82 6.83 12,970,000 88,636,188 ROBINSONS LAND 17.16 17.24 17.06 17.34 16.8 17.24 3,682,200 63,059,540 ROCKWELL 1.54 1.55 1.54 1.54 1.54 1.54 73,000 112,420 SHANG PROP 2.59 2.6 2.64 2.64 2.59 2.59 156,000 405,900 STA LUCIA LAND 2.85 2.95 2.96 2.96 2.83 2.95 1,627,000 4,705,940 SM PRIME HLDG 35.2 35.3 35 35.45 34.9 35.2 21,114,500 740,064,715 VISTAMALLS 3.75 3.87 3.87 3.87 3.82 3.87 6,000 23,120 1.44 1.51 1.5 1.52 1.44 1.44 610,000 900,860 SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND 3.78 3.79 3.8 3.8 3.75 3.79 547,000 2,070,980

SERVICES ABS CBN 14.5 14.52 14.7 14.72 14.52 14.52 405,400 5,925,874 GMA NETWORK 14.94 15 15 15.1 14.86 15 981,300 14,676,266 MANILA BULLETIN 0.41 0.43 0.44 0.44 0.41 0.415 450,000 189,450 GLOBE TELECOM 3,022 3,048 3,148 3,148 3,022 3,022 44,035 134,347,610 PLDT 1,660 1,670 1,650 1,680 1,631 1,670 179,225 297,342,010 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.094 0.095 0.095 0.096 0.093 0.094 147,270,000 13,861,670 CONVERGE 32.95 33 32 33 31.95 32.95 11,553,000 378,281,560 DFNN INC 3.4 3.41 3.37 3.53 3.36 3.41 2,625,000 9,010,320 DITO CME HLDG 7.1 7.12 7.15 7.3 7.09 7.1 4,807,200 34,320,450 NOW CORP 1.82 1.85 1.81 1.85 1.81 1.85 1,279,000 2,346,370 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.335 0.34 0.34 0.345 0.33 0.34 8,280,000 2,803,550 PHILWEB 2.24 2.27 2.27 2.28 2.2 2.27 478,000 1,063,330 8 8.08 8.08 8.08 7.9 8 11,500 91,970 2GO GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS 14.7 14.8 14.7 14.8 14.7 14.8 63,500 939,106 CHELSEA 1.97 1.99 2 2 1.97 1.97 1,109,000 2,192,900 44 44.05 44.3 44.45 43.9 44 295,800 13,054,260 CEBU AIR 183 183.7 189 190 181 183 2,283,950 418,645,578 INTL CONTAINER 20.85 20.9 20.95 20.95 20.85 20.85 3,900 81,455 LBC EXPRESS LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.92 0.95 0.91 0.92 0.91 0.92 34,000 31,010 MACROASIA 5.35 5.38 5.4 5.42 5.31 5.38 414,000 2,222,864 1.57 1.65 1.56 1.66 1.56 1.66 45,000 72,550 METROALLIANCE A METROALLIANCE B 1.62 1.77 1.61 1.61 1.61 1.61 2,000 3,220 HARBOR STAR 1.02 1.03 1.03 1.03 1.02 1.02 260,000 265,490 ACESITE HOTEL 1.49 1.53 1.51 1.53 1.48 1.53 51,000 75,610 DISCOVERY WORLD 2.36 2.42 2.23 2.42 2.22 2.42 1,813,000 4,340,150 WATERFRONT 0.5 0.51 0.51 0.51 0.5 0.5 836,000 419,030 CENTRO ESCOLAR 6.49 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.49 6.5 36,200 235,154 FAR EASTERN U 560 570 570 570 570 570 30 17,100 IPEOPLE 6.93 7.09 6.92 7.09 6.92 7.09 6,000 41,724 STI HLDG 0.36 0.365 0.36 0.37 0.36 0.365 67,830,000 24,426,650 BERJAYA 5.35 5.44 5.4 5.47 5.35 5.35 182,000 976,179 BLOOMBERRY 6.5 6.57 6.65 6.65 6.5 6.5 4,466,700 29,191,396 PACIFIC ONLINE 2 2.13 1.98 2.14 1.98 2.14 6,000 12,650 LEISURE AND RES 1.54 1.59 1.53 1.59 1.53 1.59 211,000 324,250 0.93 0.94 0.95 0.95 0.93 0.93 1,017,000 953,990 PH RESORTS GRP 0.43 0.435 0.43 0.43 0.425 0.43 8,590,000 3,692,050 PREMIUM LEISURE ALLHOME 10.58 10.6 10.1 10.6 10.04 10.6 1,273,400 13,273,962 1.33 1.35 1.32 1.35 1.32 1.33 1,019,000 1,354,730 METRO RETAIL PUREGOLD 40.5 40.55 40 40.7 39.95 40.5 1,440,900 58,117,740 61 61.9 60 61.9 59.7 61.9 1,097,170 67,318,517 ROBINSONS RTL 90 90.3 90.4 90.4 90 90.3 23,980 2,162,849 PHIL SEVEN CORP 1.22 1.25 1.22 1.28 1.22 1.25 1,847,000 2,291,330 SSI GROUP WILCON DEPOT 31.65 31.7 30.4 31.65 30.3 31.65 7,004,400 218,812,460 0.241 0.248 0.244 0.244 0.24 0.24 1,080,000 260,240 APC GROUP EASYCALL 4.28 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.24 4.5 84,000 361,190 GOLDEN MV 521 540 540 540 540 540 300 162,000 IPM HLDG 7.04 7.06 7.05 7.06 7.05 7.06 7,700 54,312 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.89 0.9 0.88 0.9 0.87 0.89 47,733,000 42,394,680 SBS PHIL CORP 4.13 4.19 4.13 4.19 4.12 4.19 8,000 33,070

MINING & OIL ATOK 6.74 6.75 6.77 6.77 6.6 6.74 27,100 182,460 APEX MINING 1.45 1.46 1.49 1.49 1.46 1.46 290,000 424,300 ATLAS MINING 6.36 6.4 6.53 6.54 6.4 6.4 416,800 2,679,445 BENGUET A 6.1 6.2 6.39 6.39 6.01 6.2 393,900 2,434,260 BENGUET B 5.96 6.1 6.3 6.3 5.96 5.96 3,000 18,188 COAL ASIA HLDG 0.28 0.29 0.28 0.28 0.28 0.28 170,000 47,600 CENTURY PEAK 2.7 2.78 2.78 2.78 2.78 2.78 4,000 11,120 FERRONICKEL 2.14 2.15 2.14 2.15 2.13 2.14 1,156,000 2,474,050 LEPANTO A 0.131 0.133 0.132 0.134 0.131 0.131 6,070,000 802,270 LEPANTO B 0.135 0.139 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.14 30,000 4,200 MANILA MINING A 0.0093 0.0095 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 1,000,000 9,200 0.0095 0.0099 0.0095 0.0099 0.0095 0.0099 2,500,000 24,630 MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES 0.92 0.94 0.95 0.96 0.91 0.92 224,000 205,820 NIHAO 1.01 1.03 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 147,000 148,470 NICKEL ASIA 5.56 5.58 5.72 5.72 5.53 5.56 9,371,500 52,206,143 0.335 0.34 0.335 0.34 0.335 0.34 80,000 26,950 OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA 0.84 0.85 0.84 0.85 0.84 0.85 60,000 50,900 5.16 5.2 5.32 5.37 5.15 5.16 918,200 4,824,721 PX MINING 28.95 29 28.05 29.1 27.9 28.95 5,073,100 146,260,585 SEMIRARA MINING 0.0066 0.0068 0.0066 0.0066 0.0066 0.0066 7,000,000 46,200 UNITED PARAGON ACE ENEXOR 18.38 18.7 18.22 18.76 18.22 18.7 86,300 1,594,014 ORNTL PETROL A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 12,800,000 140,800 ORNTL PETROL B 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 300,000 3,300 PHILODRILL 0.0097 0.0098 0.0096 0.0097 0.0096 0.0097 9,000,000 87,200 PXP ENERGY 6.38 6.39 6.52 6.52 6.35 6.38 421,400 2,702,557

PREFFERED HOUSE PREF A 101.1 101.8 101.1 101.1 101.1 101.1 5,000 505,500 ALCO PREF B 101.3 102.6 102.6 102.6 102.6 102.6 110 11,286 AC PREF B2R 520 525 520 520 520 520 1,710 889,200 CEB PREF 43.85 44.6 44.1 44.7 43.85 44.6 10,300 455,765 CPG PREF A 103 104.5 103 104.5 102.5 104.5 13,600 1,400,455 DD PREF 100.5 100.6 100.7 100.7 100.4 100.5 20,000 2,008,856 FGEN PREF G 102.4 105.3 102.4 102.4 102.4 102.4 2,110 216,064 GTCAP PREF A 990 1,018 990 990 990 990 3,850 3,811,500 GTCAP PREF B 1,030 1,045 1,030 1,030 1,030 1,030 15 15,450 JFC PREF A 1,030 1,069 1,070 1,070 1,040 1,069 480 503,375 MWIDE PREF 100.1 101.4 101.4 101.4 101.4 101.4 200 20,280 MWIDE PREF 2A 98 100.4 100.5 100.5 100.5 100.5 240 24,120 105.6 107 107 107 105.5 107 310 32,950 PNX PREF 3B PNX PREF 4 1,000 1,005 1,005 1,006 1,000 1,005 12,775 12,799,460 PCOR PREF 3A 1,102 1,135 1,105 1,105 1,102 1,102 3,230 3,568,460 PCOR PREF 3B 1,155 1,165 1,165 1,165 1,160 1,160 305 355,300 SMC PREF 2F 79.1 79.25 79.1 79.1 79.1 79.1 60,000 4,746,000 SMC PREF 2H 76 76.4 76 76 76 76 4,500 342,000 SMC PREF 2I 79.15 79.5 79.5 79.5 79 79 26,740 2,114,950 SMC PREF 2J 76.3 77 76.3 76.3 76.25 76.3 727,400 55,499,625 SMC PREF 2K 76.05 76.5 76.2 76.2 76.05 76.05 46,230 3,517,376

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 14 14.16 14.12 14.12 14 14.1 181,700 2,562,000 GMA HLDG PDR 14.08 14.2 14.16 14.16 14.04 14.08 109,400 1,544,046

WARRANTS TECH WARRANT 1.28 1.3 1.28 1.32 1.28 1.28 522,000 672,560

12,400 26,226,970 581,305 9,800 21,580 -26,160 562,326 658,520 17,050 -159,250 4,536,965 -158,310 75,000 65,780 2,213,110 -98,350 -61,183,866 -16,660 -65,311,441 7,988,798.00 5,220 484,750,390 606,270 -71,478,840 -53,873,830 -466,850 -76,916,105 993,110 5,342,524 27,750 26,550 -20,250 -233,200 -351,915 6,664,494 -504,985 -9,180 -6,500 94,754 -84,900 3,898,193 -10,210 2,104,816 -27,650,225 14,525,815 -1,349,034 30,050,825 -108,000 -26,734,740 36,768 11,120 21,400 -764,431 -8,500 -1,117,299 16,548,290 395,659 246,810 - -955,882

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ALTUS PROP ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MAKATI FINANCE MERRYMART

17.1 1.84 3.87 2.45 3.27

FIRST METRO ETF

109.8

17.5 1.88 3.95 2.7 3.28

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

109.9

17.7 1.89 3.84 2.6 3.3

17.7 1.89 3.95 2.6 3.31

17.02 1.84 3.84 2.6 3.25

17.1 1.88 3.95 2.6 3.28

37,000 125,000 5,000 2,000 2,127,000

632,462 231,910 19,320 5,200 6,985,160

-19,570 -121,110

110 110 109.2 109.8 21,670 2,377,546 148,957

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Cirtek aims to raise ₧3.5B from preferred shares offer

T

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp.’s public offering of up to P3.5 billion worth of preferred shares.

In its en banc meeting, the agency approved the registration statement of Cirtek covering 50 million preferred B-2 Subseries C and D shares at an offer price of P50 per preferred share, with an oversubscription option of up to 20 million preferred shares.

The preferred shares will be listed and traded on the Main Board of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

The Laguna-based manufacturer expects to net P3.44 billion from the offer, assuming the oversubscription option is exercised.

Proceeds will be used for the re-

financing of Cirtek’s existing debt, partial payment of maturing debt, capital expenditures, purchase equipment, as well as for the working capital of its subsidiaries.

The offer will run from November 25 to December 3, in time for the listing of the preferred shares on the PSE on December 10, based on the latest timetable submitted to the SEC. Cirtek engaged PNB Capital and Investment Corp. as the sole issue manager, lead underwriter and sole bookrunner for the offer.

The company has been raising funds this year to retire its obligations and fund its expansion.

In August, it completed its stock rights offer, raising some P1.37 billion, proceeds of which will be used to partially retire its short-term ob-

ligations and refinance the working capital of its subsidiaries Quintel USA, Cirtek Electronics Corp. and Cirtek Advanced Technologies and Solutions Inc. Cirtek in May also raised some P1 billion worth of commercial papers.

The company said the offering was oversubscribed by four times.

The said paper, which was part of its P6-billion debt program, was listed for trading at the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp.

Cirtek posted a net income growth of 60 percent to $7.98 million (about P399 million) in the first half from last year’s $4.98 million (P249 million). For the quarter ending June, its income grew 69 percent to $4.36 million (P218 million) from last year’s $2.57 million (P128 million).

House panel gives nod to PSALM bill T

he House Committee on Energy on Wednesday approved a bill extending the corporate life of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) for another 30 years.

Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Macapagal-Arroyo, the panel chairman, said the bill would amend Republic Act (RA) 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA).

Earlier, Finance Undersecretary Bayani Agabin told lawmakers that it would be beneficial for the country to have the life of PSALM extended considering that it has substantial debts to be paid.

He said if PSALM’s life would be allowed to expire, that would be absorbed in the balance sheet of the government and would increase the country’s deficit.

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda, one of the principal author of the bill, has also warned that the govern-

ment may have to shoulder as much as P198 billion in debts from the liabilities of the PSALM if its corporate life is not renewed.

“If PSALM’s debt is not isolated from those of the national government, however, we would see an instant increase in the national government debt stock of at least P198 billion, given the delays in the privatization efforts,” Salceda warned.

The corporate life of PSALM is expiring on June 26, 2026.

Citing his assessment of PSALM’s debt management capabilities, Salceda said he expects some P198 billion of its debts will remain in 2026, following delays in the privatization of key assets due to the Covid-19 pandemic. RA 9136 was enacted to ensure the solvency of the-then severely financially National Power Corp.

(NPC). The EPIRA created PSALM in 2001, a government-owned and -controlled corporation, with a corporate life of 25 years.

PSALM has the principal mandate of managing the orderly sale,

disposition, and privatization of the NPC generation assets, real estate and other disposable assets, and Independent Power Producer contracts to optimally liquidate all NPC financial obligations, including stranded debts and stranded con-

tract costs (SCC), which were transferred to and assumed by PSALM pursuant to the EPIRA. At the end of PSALM’s life, all its assets and outstanding debts and IPP contract costs will be assumed by the national government. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

mutual funds

October 27, 2021 NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share

Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

230.58

9.52%

-1.08%

-2.49%

1.49%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.6264

45.06%

6.02%

3.22%

23.87%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.2078

12.2%

-4.58%

-5.21%

2.39%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.749

3.03%

-4.15% n.a.

-7.85%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.7849 11.63%

0.08% n.a.

5.84%

First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a

5.1832

14.77%

1.8%

-0.35%

4.9%

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.7772

9.28%

-0.45%

-4.15%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

101.75

16.05%

-2.14% n.a.

-0.12%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

47.6184

11.53%

1.1%

-0.96%

1.66%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

495.48

9.45%

0.98%

-1.56%

1.34%

Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d

1.1543

18.95% n.a. n.a.

5.19%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.2885

20.27%

2.67%

0.42%

10.3%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

36.1945

14.6%

1.46%

0.01%

4.1%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9352

11.49% n.a. n.a.

2.43%

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

4.9048

12.46%

1.92%

-0.26%

2.37%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

818.87

12.25%

1.92%

-0.31%

2.15%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.7465

13.81%

-2.57%

-3.41%

3.84%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.7268

12.31%

2.84%

-0.85%

-1.79%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.9343 11.79%

1.55%

-0.51%

1.81%

United Fund, Inc. -a

1.31%

0.41%

3.29%

2.1%

0.19%

3.4279

12.97%

0.1%

Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c

110.1133

12.4%

2.38%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities

NEA extends deadline for REDP submission

T

he National Electrification Administration (NEA) is extending the deadline for the submission of the Renewable Energy Development Plan (REDP) to provide more time for electric cooperatives (ECs) to chart their respective RE goals.

The agency said all 121 ECs have until November 5 to prepare and submit their respective REDP. The original deadline for submitting REDP was last September 27.

The REDP is a planning tool that can help the electric cooperatives to identify the most feasible and leastcost renewable energy development options. The said plan will set out an indicative interim of the electric cooperatives’ share in the 35-percent goal of the government on renewable energy (RE) generation.

“As such, it will be an option if the ECs decide to include the developmental schedule of owning Embedded Generation Facilities in its planning considering an EC’s existing and future power contracts,” NEA said.

The NEA earlier advised the ECs to adopt REDP in support of the Department of Energy’s goal to achieve a 35-percent RE share in the power generation mix by 2030.

The agency also welcomed the decision of President Duterte to release funds for the implementation of its

rural electrification projects.

The approved funds, which amount to P120 million, are contained in Republic Act 11518 or the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA), intended for the installation of solar panels on 44 public schools in four provinces.

Of the amount, P20 million will go to 11 public schools in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Cebu and Nueva Ecija; and P100 million for 33 public schools in Lipa City, Batangas.

This solar project aims to generate savings by sourcing a portion of the schools’ electricity demand from solar rooftops and to mitigate climate change through the utilization of indigenous renewable energy sources.

Under the 2021 GAA, the NEA was also allotted P1.628 billion for the continued implementation of the Sitio Electrification Program, and P750 million for the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund.

Meanwhile, the Benguet Electric Cooperative Inc. (BENECO) has resolved to condone penalties for the late payment of electricity bills due to the ongoing conflict at the power distribution utility.

BENECO Project Supervisor Omar Mayor said his team was able to implement the NEA Board Resolution 2021-106. Lenie Lectura

ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$1.1875

8.83%

9.31%

5.57%

-1.28%

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.842

19%

15.64%

12.09%

10.11%

Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a

1.6927

7.35%

2%

-0.8%

1.44%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.2451

5.63%

1.75%

-0.66%

-1.76%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6962

8.5%

3.54%

1.06%

2.64%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.1989

5.57% n.a. n.a.

NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

2.0045

5.92%

4.03%

1.38%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.7468

3.91%

3.79%

0.09%

-1.14%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

16.7767

4%

3.47%

0.08%

-0.96%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.1087

5.78%

1.89%

0.17%

0.84%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.6234 7.01%

1.1%

-0.52%

1.4%

1.36% n.a. n.a.

-3.54% -1.32%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9864 Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.9367

6.15% n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.9275

7.54% n.a. n.a.

-0.6%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

11.9%

4.77%

0.93

1.57%

-0.55%

0.4%

1.9%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a

$0.03764

-3.46%

2.91%

1.01%

-3.73%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0899

2.02%

5.62%

3.16%

-3.55%

13.49%

11.19%

8.43%

6.12%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a $1.2162 5.56%

6.22%

4.27%

1.16%

0.38%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.789

Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

372.53

0.99%

2.95%

2.46%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9244

-1.5%

1.13%

0.12%

1.27%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2418

1.15%

3.24%

4.09%

0.82%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2416

-2.47%

-2.13%

1.91%

1.34%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4208 -1.02%

3.05%

1.71%

-1.32%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

5.06%

1.26%

-4.89% -0.31%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a

4.4037

-4.85%

1.3172

0.35%

3.94%

2.63%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.9533

-0.01%

4.63%

2.39%

-1.19%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.024

-1.23%

5.37%

1.67%

-1.87%

0.15%

4.99%

2.9%

-0.73%

-0.67%

4.19%

2.24%

-1.4%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1827 Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

1.7305

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$488.18

1.7%

3.06%

2.17%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є219.9

1%

1.03%

0.75%

0.31%

$1.1938

-4.26%

2.1%

1.23%

-6.72%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b

0.86%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0259 -1.89%

1.46%

0.71%

-2.63%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

$1.0198

-6.17%

-0.15%

-1.47%

-6.44%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.4813

-0.96%

5.22%

1.9%

-2.31%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0624984 1.11%

3.19%

1.96%

0.32%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1397 -1.36%

2.94%

0.76%

-2.6%

Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

2.54%

0.81%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0564 0.98% n.a. n.a.

130.87

1.18%

0.79%

Sun Life Prosperity Peso Starter Fund, Inc. -a,1 1.3121

1.17%

1.52%

2.93% 2.7%

2.54%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0598

0.88%

1.54% n.a.

0.59%

Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d 1.3677

32.57% n.a. n.a.

21.08%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a,d

$0.98

4.26% n.a. n.a.

0%

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last July 8, 2021 (formerly, Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc.).

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa.com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

Agriculture/Commodities

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • www.businessmirror.com.ph

BusinessMirror

Thursday, October 28, 2021 B3

DA close to bagging $200-M loan for FishCoRe

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

T

@jearcalas

he Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday said it is close to securing a $200-million (P10 billion) loan from the World Bank to bankroll a 7-year project that seeks to improve the country’s fisheries production.

The DA said it is in the final stages of talks with the World Bank for the Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe), a project that would benefit at least 500,000 fishermen and stakeholders nationwide.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), an attached agency of the DA, will be the main implementing agency for the FishCoRe Project, which is expect-

ed to commence early next year.

The DA said the project seeks to support the scaling-up and modernization of the country’s capture fisheries and aquaculture industry.

Under the project, the government will provide target-beneficiaries with technical support and innovation, access to modern and resilient fisheries infrastructure and post-harvest facilities, and promotion of efficient connectivity

Group: RTL amendments should address local rice sector’s woes

P

ossible amendments to the rice tariffication law (RTL) should address the ills plaguing the domestic rice sector, according to policy advocacy group Action for Economic Reforms (AER).

In a position paper submitted to the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, AER said Republic Act (RA) 11203 is just the first step towards improving rice production and efficiency.

The committee conducted a technical working group meeting on Tuesday to discuss the declining farm-gate prices of rice. A number of sectors had attributed this to the implementation of RA 11203.

“The RTL is not a silver bullet.

It is a disruptive yet transformative reform but it is not a ‘be-all, end-all’ solution to the age-old problems that beset the rice sector.

Even before RTL, the rice sector and agriculture as a whole were already experiencing problems. Rising inflation attributable to food prices, particularly rice was a major problem in 2018,” AER said.

The group said the aim of RTL is to make rice accessible to the public and that it has supported the local rice industry through the creation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP), which is funded by revenues derived from importation.

The P10-billion RCEP provided beneficiaries with seeds, farm technologies, cash transfers and access to credit, it added.

AER said possible amendments to the law should complement RTL’s objectives, owing to the potential of RTL as a “long-term, sustainable solution.”

“There are more transparent and efficient ways to protect the rice industry. One of them is through tariffs, rather than having decadeslong quantitative restrictions that have not significantly improved the sector’s competitiveness," said AER Researcher Patrick Acupan.

“The solution is two-pronged: lower palay’s cost of production and strengthen the ability of farmers to sell palay at good prices. We have to improve the competitiveness of domestic producers—long-term and sustainable solutions are always better than instant or band-aid solutions.”

The House Committee on Agriculture’s Technical Working Group agreed that the lack of drying equipment and facilities forces farmers to sell palay of varying quality. As a consequence, farmers do not have much bargaining power when negotiating prices with traders.

“Implementation of such reforms must continuously be data-driven.

We cannot emphasize enough the role of data in this context. The RTL also lacks a reliable forecast that farmers could rely on in predicting

the seasonal trends in farm-gate prices and import arrivals,” Acupan said.

AER called on Congress to take a second look at the teeth of the Philippine Competition Commission in going after marketing cartels, an amendment of the NFA Charter to fine-tune its role given the new policy environment, and putting the National Irrigation Administration directly under the Department of Agriculture.

“It [RTL] is a policy doomed to fail when policy-makers turn a blind eye on the binding constraints that the RTL does not inherently address. For this, other complementary policies are urgently needed to complete the reform that RTL started. Hopefully, this will protect farmers from welfare losses while securing welfare gains for our consumers.”

‘Isolated situation’

The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the problem of low farm-gate prices of palay is an “isolated situation,” noting that buying price for the staple remains “generally higher” than quotations recorded last year.

During the hearing, NEDA-Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Staff Director Nieva Natural said the reports of some farmers' groups that palay prices in some areas of the country have gone down are not representing the national situation.

“These [low palay prices] happening in selected areas and for limited durations,” Natural told lawmakers.

"The latest preliminary data from PSA [Philippine Statistics Authority] shows that on average price of dry palay in September 2021 is still 3 percent to 5 percent higher than the prices in the same period of 2020 and 2019.”

According to Natural, rice importation due to RTL does not appear to be the primary factor for low palay prices since importation in January to September rose by only 0.51 percent year-on-year.

"We think the low palay prices [that] we experienced in some areas is primary is due to lack of bargaining powers of farmers," she said.

“For example: they [farmers] are not organized and lack of post-harvest equipment or drying facilities, especially at this time, we are experiencing typhoons or rainy season and hence they forced to sale their palay at a cheaper price to traders because of the high moisture content [of the palay].”

She said the implementing agencies of the RTL should implement appropriate interventions such as strengthening and organizing farmers, and providing them the needed post-harvest equipment and other support interventions to make them more competitive.

and product value addition, among other initiatives.

“We extend our appreciation to the World Bank for prioritizing the FishCoRe Project, as this has been seen as the DA-BFAR’s medium- to long-term intervention to increase resiliency due to climate change and as a bounce-back strategy for the country’s ‘blue economy’ amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Ag-

riculture Secretary William D. Dar during a virtual pre-appraisal mission wrap-up meeting last October 25.

“We believe that this endeavor would help us propel faster towards attaining the Department’s vision of a food-secure and resilient Philippines with empowered and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk.”

T he DA said the key g row th

t a rgets of t he 7-yea r project are: 3-percent increase, respectively, in household income, and i n v a lue - adde d f i she r y com modities; 5 percent reduction in posthar vest losses; and 1- to 5 -percent reduction in il lega l, u n re p or te d a nd u n re g u l ate d f ishing incidences.

“The project will be implemented in two Fisheries Management Areas [FMA 6 and 9], covering 11 regions and 24 provinces, with a total area of 32 million hectares of coastal and marine waters,” Dar said.

The coastal waters covered under FMA 6 are off the West Philippine Sea including Pagudpud Bay, Subic Bay, Manila Bay to Lubang Island while FMA 9 covers the coastal and marine waters in Bohol Sea, Panguil Bay, Iligan Bay, Gingoog Bay, Butuan Bay, and Sogod Bay. The DA-BFAR has divided the Philippine archipelago into 12 FMAs, where it would implement area-specific policies and initia-

tives to sustainably manage fishery resources through a science-based and par ticipator y gover nance framework.

“We are optimistic that the FishCoRe Project will be able to establish examples of good governance mechanisms, leading to better management of the ‘blue resources’ and aquaculture development in two FMAs,” the agriculture chief said.

The DA said the World Bank has been supportive of the FishCoRe project since negotiations started in early 2020.

“We fully support the goals of the FishCoRe Project to sustainably improve incomes of Filipino fisherfolk, and support resilient coastal communities through enhanced ecosystem management, productivity-enhancing technologies, aquaculture, reduced post-harvest losses, value-chain infrastructure, and related activities,” WB Country Director Achim Fock said in a previous letter to Dar.

DA moves to further expand rabbit meat production

T

he Department of Agriculture (DA) has vowed to support domestic rabbit meat production given its viability as a substitute for pork, which remains expensive due to the supply problems caused by a fatal hog disease.

“We will see to it that we provide strong support for the massive production of rabbits to be distributed initially here in Caloocan, so we can show the world that rabbit meat can be a substitute for pork,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said during the Rabbit Dispersal Project launch at the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Caloocan on October 26.

The agriculture chief said the DA will support the advo-

cacy of Association of Rabbit Meat Producers Inc. (ARaMP) to develop the country’s local rabbit industry.

“BA I [Bureau of A nima l Industry] will facilitate the establishment of necessar y guidelines and provide assistance for the industry, which is still considered to be at the infancy stage,” the DA said.

The DA noted that rabbit meat can be a healthy alternative to pork, which has become more expensive, due to the impact of African swine fever (ASF) on the country’s hog industry.

“Many hotels, restaurants, and entrepreneurs have already developed different rabbit-based dishes,” the DA said.

In August, the Philippines issued new import rules to facilitate the entry of “superior” rabbit breeds to boost domestic rabbit meat production. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/26/ da-releases-import-rules-on-superior-rabbit-breeds-for-meat-production/) The Shrine of Our Lady of Grace Parish targets to distribute rabbits to about 100,000 families within a year. The parish has also organized a seminar on rabbit raising which will be delivered by ARaMP President Artemio Veneracion Jr. T he rabbit dispersal package includes a cage, two-month-old upgraded breed rabbit, automatic drinker, two kilograms of pellets, nest box, and a manual on rabbit raising, according to the DA.

In a statement, the parish said the number of initial beneficiaries of the rabbit dispersal program would be 75, in line with the 75th anniversary celebration of the parish.

"Mabilis dumami ang kuneho. Sa loob lamang ng isang taon ang isang pares nito ay maaring umabot agad sa mahigit ng isang daan ang populasyon. Kaya naman ito ang nakikita ng Parokya ng Shrine of Our Lady of Grace na solusyon sa pandemya ng pagkagutom,” [Rabbits reproduce fast. In just a year, a pair of rabbit can multiply to over a hundred.

That is why the Shrine of our Lady of Grace Parish sees rabbit production as a solution to hunger.] said Fr. Eduardo C. Vasquez Jr., OMI, Rector and Parish priest of the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace Parish.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

‘Water impounding facilities best Coal piles at 24-year low at serve irrigation needs of farmers’ US utilities on demand surge

P

artido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standardbearer Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. on Monday said that water impounding facilities would be a better fit for the irrigation needs of farmers instead of building new dams.

“Trying to solve the issue of irrigation by building dams would be more costly and time-consuming. The need for better irrigation is immediate and therefore calls for a solution that would be faster to deploy. That is why I believe that water impounding facilities fit this requirement,” Marcos said.

According to the 2020 Status of Irrigation Development Report from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), there are 3,128,631 million hectares of irrigable area in the country. Of this number, only 2,006,054 million hectares or 64.12 percent are being irrigated.

“It is high time to be more aggressive when it comes to our irrigation targets. I am confident that 100 percent coverage of our irrigable areas is feasible. Irrigation is one of the most important components in strengthening the agriculture sector and this will be one of the pillars of my agricultural program,” Marcos added.

Marcos also supported the

government’s recent decision to transfer the control of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

He added that since the DA has all the pertinent data, programs, equipment, and experts, it will allow both agencies to streamline coordination and fulfill their respective mandates. “ The DA and NIA have a common objective of ensuring food security in our country and transferring the NIA to the DA could enhance food production nationwide. Their integrated programs and interventions would develop the agriculture sector which is key to our economic development,” Marcos said.

Marcos added that the incoming government must provide a holistic program to revive the agriculture sector since this would provide another revenue source fund project for the poor. He further added other initiatives to provide aid to Filipino farmers.

“There are so many things that we could do for the agriculture sector. Apart from policy changes, we should offer farmers support by giving them modern post-harvest facilities, credit and infrastructure support through farm to market roads.”

C

oal stockpiles at United States power plants plunged to the lowest in at least 24 years as electricity generators burn the fuel faster than miners can dig it out of the ground.

Inventories fell to 84.3 million tons in August, according to government data released Tuesday. That’s the lowest in records going back to 1997, when Bill Clinton was beginning his second term as US president.

As the global economy recovers from the pandemic, demand for electricity—and the fuels used to produce it—is surging around the world. That’s pushed natural gas prices to all-time highs in some regions and the knockon effect has been that utilities are burning more coal as a less-costly alternative.

Overall US inventories have been on a steady decline for several years as hulking, aging plants were replaced by natural gas-fired generators and renewables. But this year’s drawdown in stockpiles shows utilities are burning through reserves at the worst possible time given winter’s imminent arrival.

“The ability for the producers to respond is not what the utilities thought it was,” Paul Lang, chief executive officer at Arch Resources Inc., said during a conference call Tuesday. “It just doesn’t exist anymore.”

In the US, power producers are on track to burn 19 percent more coal this year, but miners have been curbing production capacity for years and that will limit 2021 output growth to less than 10 percent. That’s forcing generators to burn through reserves of the dirtiest fossil fuel, and heightening concerns

about winter supplies.

“Coal stocks for our customers are at critically low levels,” Joe Craft, chief executive officer for Oklahoma-based miner Alliance Resource Partners LP, said during a conference call Monday.

The inventory decline came on very quickly as the global energy crisis took root. Stockpile trends didn’t look unusual in the first half of the year, but then fell 13 percent in July from the prior month and another 13 percent in August.

Prices for coal from Central Appalachia have surged 39 percent since the start of the year to $75.50 a ton, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Total inventories could shrink to 50 million tons by the end of the year, said Matt Preston, director of North American coal markets research for Wood Mackenzie Ltd. “Stockpiles are coming down very rapidly,” he said. “If we have a cold winter, and there has been lots of talk that there could be a cold winter, we could see some issues.”

That’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Gas producers aren’t ramping up production, so prices for the fuel that also runs furnaces in many homes are likely to stay high into next year.

Strained stockpiles

As a result, coal consumption also will remain elevated around the world, according to Edward Gardner, an analyst with Capital Economics in London.

“The high level of demand over the next year will make it harder to build stockpiles back up,” he said.

Bloomberg News

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

B4

Thursday, October 28, 2021

www.businessmirror.com.ph

U.N. DAY

PHL, United Nations advance joint programme on human rights, cite partnership milestones

S

ECRETARY of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez acknowledged milestones jointly achieved by the Philippines and the United Nations in 2021 during the UN Day virtual commemoration on October 25.

These include the launch of the Philippines-UN Joint Programme on Human Rights, the delivery of more than 24 million vaccines through the COVAX Facility, and the UN-facilitated “People’s Summit,” which Locsin called “a showcase example of localizing a global agenda,” particularly the Food Systems Summit.

The secretary recalled the 75th anniversary of the UN in 2020, which was marked “in a somber mood” because of the pandemic, and noted that “though we are still not out of

the woods, we now have the knowledge and tools to fight it: vaccines, medicines, and informed policies.”

In particular, he acknowledged the COVAX facility, “without which, the Philippines’s [pandemic] vaccination program would still be languishing.”

In addition to the vaccines, Gonzalez reported that through some 150 different initiatives of the UN Country Team in the Philippines, more than 5 million at-risk individuals were able to access essential health services, and more than 6 mil-

LOCSIN (left) and Gonzalez at the Department of Foreign Affairs FILE PHOTO/DFA

lion children were supported with distance learning by the end of 2020.

Equally, Locsin lauded the milestone initiative of the PhilippinesUN Joint Programme on collaboration in human rights between the UN and a government.

“I thank UN Resident Coordinator and my good friend Gustavo Gonzalez. Under his leadership, the

UN Country Team has become our most reliable partner in sustainable development, in fighting climate change and upholding human rights,” averred Locsin. “He embodies the ‘inclusive multilateralism’ declared by President Duterte as the only [kind] that can deliver the global public goods we need.”

On July 22 the Philippines and

‘Bayanihan’ for climate resilience BUSINESS ENVOY

Steven J. Robinson AO Ambassador of Australia to the Philippines

W

HILE we strive to recover from the pandemic, the recent destruction wrought by Typhoon “Maring” reminds us that the intensifying impacts of climate change are an enduring challenge.

As “Maring” (international name Kompasu) demonstrated, climate change puts at risk peoples’ lives and livelihoods, as well as personal and public property. Our thoughts are with those suffering the storm’s effects.

I have witnessed the devastating aftermath of such howlers: In the days after Typhoon “Rolly” hit in November 2020 I joined a United Nations-led assessment of Tiwi in Albay, where families and local leaders imparted the losses they suffered.

Such crises often bring out the spirit of bayanihan—recognizing the threat and frequency of such events, Australia and the Philippines have long cooperated on disaster and cli-

mate-risk management. The former has provided P1.2 billion to support partnerships between the national government, Australian science agencies, multilateral institutions and civil society to develop disaster reduction and climate-changeadaptation policies and activities.

This is important work for a more resilient future. In March 2021 we launched the latest iteration of this cooperation: Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities against Disasters and Climate Change, or SHIELD. Australia is investing P630 million through SHIELD, which will continue our work with local governments in 10 of the country’s most vulnerable provinces, as well as Metro Manila and the Bangsamoro Region, to increase institutional and community resilience to climate change and natural hazards.

SHIELD is an important part of Australia’s climate change coopera-

tion with Indo-Pacific countries. In the coming years we will increase its climate-finance program by 50 percent, or up to P54 billion between 2020 and 2025, to support mitigation and adaptation efforts in the Indo-Pacific.

My country is a proud member of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and the Global Ocean Alliance, working with partnercountries to address biodiversity loss by protecting the world’s land and oceans.

Australia is committed to building the health and resilience of the ocean, an issue of great importance to both our countries. As part of this commitment, we are investing around P3.6 billion in ocean action—including “blue carbon” seagrass and mangrove ecosystems, which act as important carbon sinks.

The commonwealth recognizes that helping communities adapt and build resilience to climate change must be complemented by efforts to reduce emissions. Australia is firmly committed to the Paris Agreement and to achieving net-zero emissions.

As a country that is also increasingly impacted by climate change, we note the key role of coordinated, global efforts to reduce emissions.

We are working toward our emission-reduction goals: Australia has reduced emissions by 20.8 percent on 2005 levels—much higher than the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-set average.

It will beat the 2030 target based on the Paris Agreement, with updated projections to be released prior to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Glasgow next week. Currently, renewables account for 18 percent of Australia’s energy generation, and are projected to reach 50 percent by 2030.

However, continuing to reduce emissions while still meeting energy needs will require significant investment. Australia, through its Long-Term Emissions Reduction Strategy, will harness lowemissions technologies to meet our net-zero requirements, while continuing to supply reliable and clean energy. Over the next decade Australia is investing billions of dollars in low emissions technologies to support their commercialization through cost breakthroughs in clean hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture and storage, lowcarbon steel and aluminum, as well as measuring soil. This will contribute to a clean energy supply chain for the Indo-Pacific region.

Australia and the Philippines will continue to face climate-related risks. I am confident that our strong partnership will underpin continued cooperation as we seek to adapt, build resilience and reduce emissions, with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Austria, PHL stand together against human trafficking

P

ART of its continued commitment to promote women and children’s rights while combating sexual exploitation in all its forms, the Austrian Embassy is launching this October a year-long initiative in partnership with the nongovernment organization Voice of the Free (VF), in accordance with the United Nations 2021 theme: ‘‘Victims’ Voices Lead the Way.’’ The embassy’s campaign: “We Stand As One: Campaign Against Human Trafficking,” aims to raise public awareness for human trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well as the plight of victims through a series of events that focus on survivors and target groups to reduce vulner-

abilities, prevent future crimes and enhance cooperation between state and nonstate actors at all levels toward a more victim-centered and effective approach.

Planned events include interactive webinars, expert seminars and panel discussions, as well as film screenings and creative workshops in partnership with stakeholders in the education sector, civil-society organizations in Austria and the Philippines, tourism, media, and relevant players. “[The pandemic] and its socioeconomic impact have exacerbated the existing stark inequalities of children, young girls and women in many parts of the world, and

amplified their risk to trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse—especially online—and as they are exposed to the new vulnerabilities of home-based learning,” underscored Ambassador Bita Rasoulian. “This campaign will help...raise awareness for the scope and impact of sexual exploitation and abuse of children in all its forms, [as well as] the need to adequately respond to this growing transnational threat through urgent action at [the] local, regional and global levels.”

One of the highlights of the yearlong campaign is the intercultural creative workshop facilitated by Austrian artist Alexandra Fruhstorfer, in collaboration with Filipino artists

and Salzburg Global Seminar fellows Ralph Eya and Reymart Cerin.

Designed for human-trafficking victims and survivors at the VF and End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes Phils. shelter, the workshop aims to empower survivors by allowing them to find their voices and lead the fight versus human trafficking via creative expression.

According to the embassy, the campaign also forms part of the numerous activities organized in 2021 to mark 75 years of bilateral ties between Austria and the Philippines, as well as the close fraternal bonds between their two peoples.

the UN signed the three-year Joint Programme on Human Rights. It was developed to implement Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 45/33 adopted on October 7, 2020, which outlined specific areas for capacity-building and technical cooperation for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines. The joint programme document was signed by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Locsin and Gonzalez, with the late Jose Luis Gascon of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in attendance.

Aside from the Department of Justice, the UN Joint Programme is being co-implemented by the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Dangerous Drugs Board, Department of Health, Anti-Terrorism Council-Program Management Center, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and the CHR. Civil-society organizations and the academe will likewise be core partners in the joint programme’s execution.

UN entities involved in the pro-

gramme, such as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO; the UN Office of Counter Terrorism; and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime will work with the government in drawing on expertise and best practices in applying human rights-based approaches in the said areas.

Looking ahead, Gonzalez said the UN in the Philippines will support the country to finance efforts in building forward better from the pandemic: “We have set one priority with the government for the coming year, which is to help set up a diversified financing framework that will leverage [on additional resources for pandemic recovery and getting the Sustainable Development Goals] back on track.”

“Ultimately, the success of the UN team must be measured in the difference we make in people’s lives…. And most especially, the difference we make when we reach those who face the most difficult circumstances, at risk of being ‘left behind,’” Gonzalez concluded.

Darkest day for Kashmiris

By SAADIA AWAN

Head of Chancery, Embassy of Pakistan

P

AKISTAN observes October 27 as the “Black Day” along with Kashmiris across the globe and in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

It was on the same day in 1947 that the sufferings of Kashmiri people commenced with the landing of Indian troops in Srinagar.

Since then Indian occupation forces have occupied, subjugated, oppressed, and h av e t e r ror i z e d i n no c e nt Kashmiris. This impunity continues even today, where the presence of Indian occupation forces have increased manifold after New Delhi suspended the special status of IIOJK by revoking Articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution on August 5, 2019.

Despite commitments made by the early Indian leadership and numerous resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, the Indian government has unleashed a reign of terror in the IIOJK. Demonstrations, rallies and seminars across the globe have been organized to highlight historical injustices, violations of international law, the UN resolutions and the brutalities committed by occupying forces in the said area.

The world must acknowledge that this is the worst form of state terrorism being perpetrated against the defenseless people of IIOJK to silence and crush their legitimate struggle, in complete disregard of international human rights and humanitarian laws.

The entire Indian state machinery is involved in these c r i mes a ga i n st hu m a n it y.

There is a need for an independent, transparent and fair investigation into these humanrights violations under the UN. Pakistan has supported the proposal of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for sending a Fact-Finding Mission to Jammu and Kashmir. We re-

iterate our call and hope that the global community will pay heed to the miseries and sufferings of the Kashmiri people.

Earlier this year documents were shared by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi with the international media comprehensively detailing the atrocities and war crimes committed by Indian occupation forces against innocent Kashmiris. The 131-page dossier has exposed India’s false flag operations, fake encounters and fake recovery operations against the Kashmir freedom movement. Nearly 3,432 cases of war crimes have been perpetrated by senior officers of the Indian Occupation forces.

Audio-video evidence can be viewed on Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site: www.mofa.gov.pk.

The Indian occupation forces’ impunity reached barbaric heights when they resorted to illegal actions on the occasion of final rites of Syed Ali Gillani—a stalwart Kashmiri leader who passed away during a long house arrest since 2008.

He was denied access to all medical care. After his death, his remains were snatched from his family, depriving of proper burial and infringing on all imaginable human rights.

The Modi administration driven by Hindutva ideology has usurped fundamental rights of the Kashmiris through political and demographic engineering. It has subjugated Kashmiri Muslims to the most brutal form of military siege.

Indian atrocities since 1989 include over 96,000 extrajudicial killings, around 162,000 cases of arrest and torture, over 25,000 pellet-gun injuries, 11,250 women raped, around 23,000 of them widowed, and more than 108,000 children orphaned. These facts seek urgent attention from the global community. The world can’t keep silent on the continued denial of the right to self-determination for the last 70 years.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Parentlife BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Thursday, October 28, 2021

B5

Holiday hues

FROM left: Meagan video tutoring her classmates last week on piece-wise Algebraic functions; Meagan and Marcus after our trivia game in the pool.

Families can thrive in the age of online learning: Part I

I

HAVE recently been invited by the Shepherd’s Voice Radio and TV (SVRTV), the media arm of Bro. Bo Sanchez, to give a talk in one of their classes on how to help children thrive in online learning. This is part of their Feast Conference (formerly Kerygma Conference) happening virtually from November 19 to 21, 2021.

This is very timely given that our kids have been off physical schools for close to 20 months now.

Online learning has presented various challenges for us parents. But it is also important to be aware on the long-term effects of the absence of face-to-face learning.

According to the recent report of National Economic and Development Authority, the estimated total cost of face-to-face school closure is P11 trillion in lost wages over a 40-year period. It expounds that the consequences of the lack of in-person learning include less learning, lower future income, productivity, and competitiveness. It pointed out that in the 2018 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) score, the Philippines’ average score was 350, relative to Singpore at 556 and the USA at 495. The Neda says the pandemic and school closure are exacerbating the already unequal access and lower quality of education in the Philippines.

This report excerpted an article from The

Economist, which said: “Closures will hurt the youngest school children most.” It quotes Matthias Doepke of Northwestern University: “You can make up for lost maths with summer school. But you can’t easily do that with the stuff kids learn very young.”

The article goes on to say: “Whereas older children can be plonked in front of a computer, younger ones learn far more when digital study is supervised by an adult.... Less well-off children everywhere are less likely to have well-educated parents who coax them to attend remote lessons and help them with their work.”

These facts are truly worrisome for any parent. It makes us question how we can keep our child from becoming a part of future statistics. In my view, the first step is to understand the bigger objective of schooling for our child to better understand how we can effectively augment our child’s needs.

The Philippine education system adopted the K to 12 program aiming to produce “individuals equipped with information, media and technology skills, learning and innovation skills, life and career skills, and the communication skills necessary to tackle the challenges, and take advantage of the opportunities of the 21st century.” (Source: DepEd Order No. 21 s.

2019-Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program) In short, the overall goal is to raise our kids to be holistically developed with 21st century learner skills.

During these past year of working with schools and parents, I have discovered that many parents are not fully aware of 21st Century Learning. I have continuously adopted this way of learning by teaching my child at home to augment what the school provides, yielding good results especially in this pandemic. So, I committed myself to be even a stronger advocate on this.

I personally use Hirsh-Pasek’s 6C’s of 21st Century Learning as my quick guide- Content, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication,

WE are well into the so-called “ber” months, and when you think about Christmas, traditional colors of red, green and gold come to mind. But with families spending more time at home, it’s a good idea to be more creative when selecting holiday hues to add a contemporary touch to Christmas celebrations.

Frosty White, Classic Red, Blush Luxe, and Dusk are SM Home’s four main color themes to bring the holidays to our homes.

With probably the widest assortment of décor in town, and more than 500 ornaments to choose from, SM Home (www.thesmstore.com) shares with families some imaginative ways—and colors—to celebrate all that is inspired, inventive and innovative.

■ FROSTY WHITE. A white palette makes a fir or frostedberry tree merry and magical. Deck the tree with sparkly silver and white ornaments, blended with luxurious ribbons to create a cozy, snowy and wintry wonderland. Also, add some dazzle with some glittered snowmen and penguin plushies.

■ CLASSIC RED. Create a cozy and casual holiday living room with classic reds that never go out of style. Add shades of white, and don’t forget a bit of sparkle for added flair.

Nutcracker toy soldiers, potted berry trees, wreaths and Christmas trees, snow globes, and miniature vintage villages will help showcase a traditional holiday scene at home.

■ BLUSH LUXE. Metallic hues make an elegant and polished holiday look. This year, add a rosy palette update of white and blush pink into your Christmas design. Glam-up your tabletop with Nordic Gonk plushies or Pink Angel dolls for your little girl’s dreamy Christmas.

■ DUSK. Bring in the cozy cabin and rustic vibe with a twist by decking out your tree with copper, blues and other ornaments in jewel tones. Add some neutraltoned reindeers and burlap Christmas trees for more green and neutral vibes.

Creative Innovation and Confidence. If you look closely at each skill, Content and Critical Thinking would be the skills largely provided by schools. More time at home provides the opportunity for parents to expose kids to these skills.

Here are some ways to develop these skills at home: ■ CONTENT. Observe or have a conversation with your child on which subjects or topics they find difficult for that week. Try to research online learning videos that may help explain these topics better. I leverage Khanacademy.org a lot for this. For my son, I noticed his composition for both Filipino and Mandarin could be improved.

We have a deal that he would write three sentences in Filipino and Mandarin in addition every day and send this to me. We also made it a point to speak to him more often in these two languages. If you already know certain subjects that your child might face difficulty in the coming school year, it would be best to get a tutor for advanced instructions.

■ CRITICAL THINKING. Math and other logic problems in school build this. When your kids have a homework item they need help on, start with asking how they plan to solve the problem. Listen, then suggest going back to the rule of the problem. See if he understands it. After he understands the rule, then proceed to solving the problem together. Then let them do it one more time on their own. Then you can look for other similar questions online to let them practice. Many of these have answer keys.

Games and puzzles are good for this. I actually bring a Science book and do trivias with my kids in the pool. You can even do this to test them for quizzes.

One correct answer is a step closer to the finish line.

Building Lego sets and doing science kits available in toy stores are also great for after-school and weekend activities. ■

DECORATE your hallway by adding a classic red and green wreath with berries

CHEERY snowman tabletops

What causes ADHD and can it be cured?

BY GREGO�Y FABIANO Florida International University ATTENTION-DEFICIT hyperactivity disorder is a common, yet often misunderstood, mental health condition. Symptoms include inattention, overactivity and impulsivity—behaviors everyone experiences at one time or another. For people with ADHD, these behaviors happen frequently and interfere with everyday life at school, at home and everywhere else.

ADHD affects more than 6 million US children.

People who have ADHD develop symptoms by age 12, and it usually continues into adolescence and young adulthood. The condition can affect people throughout their whole life.

On average, two students in every US classroom have it. It is important to note that ADHD is just one way of defining a person’s behavior. It has nothing to do with how smart you are or whether you can make friends or excel at sports, music or art, or about any other strengths.

WHAT DOES AND DOESN’T CAUSE ADHD NOBODY really knows exactly what causes ADHD. Scientists think that genes may play a role, but no one knows exactly how at this point. Based on years of

research findings, scientists attribute this condition to a combination of how someone’s brain works and their personal environment. Research has cast more light on what does not cause ADHD. For example, findings do not support the widespread theories that excessive sugar or too much time on electronics are responsible for growth in the number of children diagnosed with the condition since 1990—when it was detected in less than 2 percent of all US children.

Today, at least 9.4 percent of kids have this diagnosis. Based on all the research I’ve conducted and the other findings I’ve reviewed, I think this increase is caused by better identification and more awareness of ADHD in general, rather than an overall increase in ADHD. How parents interact with their child, likewise, does not cause ADHD. But children and adolescents with ADHD have many behaviors that require more parental involvement than their peers.

CHANGING BEHAVIORS AS THERAPY MOST psychologists think about ADHD as a characteristic that, like eye color or height, can’t be changed. Doctors can’t cure ADHD, just like they can’t double the length of your legs.

If someone had a hard time reaching a high shelf,

would you tell them they just need to be taller?

Of course not. But you could suggest they use a stepladder.

The good news is there are ways that people with ADHD can overcome the challenges this condition brings. Evidence supports two distinct kinds of treatments.

Behavioral therapy is typically implemented by parents and teachers working together. It includes setting clear goals and giving feedback on progress toward those goals, usually on a daily basis. Another feature is providing rewards or privileges when people with ADHD meet their goals.

Among the most effective treatments is teaching parents how to pay more attention when their children do their schoolwork and chores and generally behave well. Parents and teachers can help kids by “catching them being good”—rather than through correction and punishment. As they get older, children and teens with ADHD can set goals for themselves and work hard to learn ways to keep organized and manage their day.

Behavioral therapy makes a difference because ADHD works like a light operated by a dimmer switch. Rather than simply being turned on or off, it can be turned up to a bright level or dialed down

SPREAD holiday cheer with these Pretty in Pink stockings

to a faint glimmer. ADHD symptoms, similarly, can increase or decrease in response to particular situations and interactions.

MEDICATIONS CAN HELP PRESCRIPTION stimulant drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin, can help many people with ADHD focus longer. Like with all medications, however, some people can’t take them due to side effects. Some nonstimulant drugs are available, but they generally are less effective. Researchers have found that the best approach is when behavior therapy begins first, especially for young children with ADHD. ADHD can hinder big transitions. In childhood and young adulthood, that includes starting middle school or high school, learning to drive, going to college or entering the workforce. I believe that extra attention and treatment are usually required at those times.

Many years of research have led me to believe people with ADHD can be successful in the long run when they, their families and their teachers work as hard as is necessary to build skills and change behavior patterns that complicate everyday life. It also helps when they get that support for as long as is needed. THE CONVERSATION

B6 Thursday, October 28, 2021

TCS Philippines and local institutions rally together to promote inclusive and accessible education for Filipinos

Philippine Computer Society partners with Globe Business for tech solutions

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IRTUALIZED communication is not new to many of us, but the challenges of the past two years have drastically heightened our appreciation for this kind of connection. Seeing the value of being able to stay in touch regardless of where one might be, both individuals and industries embraced the software and apps that enable this. Usage skyrocketed, and companies began to make bigger bets on workplace technologies designed to maximize employee productivity and set them up for success.

The Philippine Computer Society (PCS), the longest-standing trade association of computing and information technology professionals in the country, recognized this need right away. Partnering with Globe Business in 2020, PCS has since benefited from utilizing the video conference software program, Zoom, as a means to communicate with its members anytime anywhere online.

Shifting from Physical to Online Events with Zoom

“GLOBE Business and Zoom came to PCS at a challenging time,” said Titus Manuel, Board of Trustee In-Charge of PCS. “Our traditional bread and butter of live events for members and partners came to a sudden halt.

COVID-19 and lockdowns disrupted our business operations, with no public meetings and people working from home. Globe Business and Zoom gave us an opportunity.”

Empowered by Globe Business, PCS utilizes Zoom Cloud Meetings, which offers free and professional plans to any company. With the free plan, 100 concurrent participants are allowed 40-minute video conferences.

The pro account (an add-on feature),

Building Effective Peer-to-Peer Learning

which PCS has been sponsored with, can hold up to 500 participants with unlimited time duration.

Digitization Paving the Way to New Normal Conferences

“WITH the sponsorship and technical assistance, PCS-V was born. V for Virtual, our new platform,” added Manuel. “It worked like magic. Not only did it put us back in business, but it also made our long-time dream of nationwide meetings possible, even reaching outside the country with attendees from the Middle East, Australia, and USA.” Aside from global meetings, town hall forums, and team huddles, PCS has indeed maximized their partnership with Globe Business. Over the past year, they have also been able to invite their members to take part in online learning sessions, such as in Tech Advancement and Data Privacy, and programs such as Virtual Tech Talks, where Bradley Pineda, Finance Industry Manager of Globe Business MSME Group, copresented an Executive Briefing on Information Security.

Globe Business is Your Partner – Not Just a Solutions Provider

“AT the time we needed someone, Globe Business was there. They provided us not only with Zoom accounts but also with technical speakers that added value to our programs,” Mr. Manuel said. “Today we are venturing into Professional Certification for Information Security, Non-Technical Skills for IT Professional (EQinIT), all with some form of technical and marketing assistance from Globe Business.”

Online communication across organizations and locations has never been this easy. With Globe Business, companies and businesses no longer need to look far for dependable ways to do such. With the features of Zoom Pro, they can enjoy seamless virtual meetings, events, and programs, surpassing geographical boundaries in this pandemic. Strengthening organizations by connecting people is not only made more possible, but also more fruitful.

Airbnb encourages Pinoys to #TravelAsJuan, as travel searches surge for beachside and nature destinations near Metro Manila

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IRBNB launched its new #TravelAsJuan campaign that aims to energize the Philippines’s tourism recovery throughout the remainder of 2021 and beyond. As part of the campaign, the company is encouraging Filipinos to rediscover their country with their loved ones, while celebrating unique stays and hidden gems across the nation. The #TravelAsJuan campaign also aligns with the Department of Tourism’s 2022 plan to rebuild a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive domestic tourism industry Responding to the Department of Tourism’s call for Filipinos to become “Ambassadors of Fun”, Airbnb’s #TravelAsJuan will work closely with its community of #AirbnbJuanderers including Filipino hosts and local content creators.

They will shine a light on the country’s offthe-beaten-path destinations, from lesserknown beaches to mountainous getaways

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ATA Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is partnering with local companies to help Filipino students address the many adversities brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country’s education sector.

The first-ever TCS Sustainathon in the country aims inspire and empower young minds to be part of the solution to help improve the Philippines’ overall learning system through technology. With this year’s theme, “Inclusive Education for all in 2030,” participants are tasked to develop practical and innovative solutions, addressing the challenge statements developed by TCS Sustainathon Challenge and partners.

and farms, as well as tips for safer travel.

The campaign will kickstart by highlighting destinations where intra- and inter-state travel are currently allowed, and expand to cover more destinations as more cities and provinces reopen.

Airbnb is already seeing surging interest in domestic stays as Filipinos look forward to traveling with the platform once more, following the recent easing of travel restrictions. In September, searches for Airbnb Stays in Zambales spiked by over 100% month-over-month after the government announced travel rules allowing Metro Manila residents to travel to areas under more relaxed quarantine rules. In the same period, searches for Airbnb Stays in Batangas and Tagaytay also almost doubled month-over-month.

Beachside and nature destinations, especially locations within driving distance of Metro Manila, remain popular among

MORE Filipinos are searching for getaways lasting a week or longer, at family-friendly villas and bed and breakfasts.

Filipinos. Zambales and Batangas, both popular for their beaches and coves, along with nature-based destinations Tagaytay, Pampanga, and Baguio, are currently the top five trending destinations among Filipino guests on Airbnb. This follows key findings from a YouGov survey conducted earlier in the year, which found that Filipinos want to travel to nature retreats and places within driving distance once they can get back on the road.

The easing of travel restrictions has spurred Filipinos to quickly plan for upcoming trips with their family and loved ones.

As Filipinos eagerly make their travel plans, Gen Zs and Millennials who make up 68% of Airbnb’s community of new Hosts who came onboard the platform in the first half of this year are looking forward to welcoming fellow Pinoys into their homes.

Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Airbnb shares: “With our wide variety of unique stays hosted by locals across the Philippines, Airbnb offers something for everyone through our #TravelasJuan campaign, which highlights the wonderful places, experiences and communities that make the Philippines such an incredible place to experience for both locals and visitors alike. Airbnb is committed to being a good partner to the government to rejuvenate the country’s tourism sector; and help drive travel that is more diverse, resilient, and empowering for more people and communities than ever before.”

Airbnb also recently announced a partnership with global provider Sherpa, an online tool that provides travelers with real-time travel information on their destinations.

GOKONGWEI Brothers Foundation highlights the importance of social learning amid the distance and blended education in this new normal setup. Through the Sustainathon initiative, the company aims to find practical and sustainable solutions on how students can help each other learn better.

“The Filipino youth have so much passion and creativity to offer. What makes them more admirable is their compassion towards their fellow students. We’re looking forward to how they will leverage trends in technology to develop practical and impactful solutions that will drive an inclusive education sector” shares Grace Colet, Executive Director, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation.

Fostering a Safe Environment for All

DE La Salle-College of Saint Benilde has identified the importance of inclusion and acceptance in the community regardless of religion, gender, social status, or learning style. With this, Benilde hopes to seek solutions that would ensure the development of social relationships between the members of the Benildean Community during and post-pandemic.

Jeremiah Adriano, OIC-Director of the Center for Inclusive Education shares, “The pandemic imposed distance among us but it also forced us to work together. We need to build strong, social relationships within our school community to create an inclusive space and safe environment. Benilde is very much excited to see the youth’s highimpact innovation to address their chosen challenge statement.”

Breaking the “Digital Divide” in Education

THE COVID-19 Pandemic caused much disruption in the country’s education system with 13 % or over 4 million schoolage Filipinos unenrolled in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Through the TCS challenge, Converge hopes to see young minds co-develop innovative solutions that would help the company effectively use its pure fiber fixed broadband network and unique capabilities and partnerships to further learning under the new normal.

“Learning in this new normal setup is a challenge to teachers and students alike, especially for those without a stable broadband connection at home. We are more than willing to collaborate with Filipino students to design solutions that will help us effectively serve the students within unserved and underserved communities.”

Benjamin B. Azada, Converge Chief Strategy Officer shares.

Taking Literacy to a Higher Level

LACK of access to learning materials and resources (technology and infrastructure) in remote areas and limited studentteacher learning and consultation are some of the factors pointed out by Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philippines that affect the overall literacy of Filipino children. Thus, the charity arm is looking forward to seeing simple, scalable, and useful innovation that can help further improve the reading comprehension of children, especially for learners in rural areas.

“We are thankful to be one of the partners for TCS Sustainathon as it gives opportunities for Filipino students to share their unique ideas and propose digitally enabled solutions that will help Filipino children know how to read. We believe in the youth’s capability to create cuttingedge innovations that would answer the call that no student should be left behind,” Marie Angeles, Executive Director, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philippines shares.

Open to all 17 to 23 year old students nationwide, all they have to do is pick a challenge statement and brainstorm on a solution. They can register and submit their entries at the TCS Sustainathon Philippines website until November 19. The 1st place winner will receive Php150,000 while the second and third placers will receive Php100,000 and Php50,000, respectively.

Filipino dancers, choreographers dance on amid changing times

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SPECIAL program to support the professional dance industry in the country, Dance On!, under the mentorship of National Artist Alice Reyes, dance masters Alden Lugnasin and Nonoy Froilan. The select choreographers and dancers are able to produce works that encourage the development of Philippine dance, develop an appreciation of international and Filipino classics, and expand Filipino dance culture to wider audiences.

The CCP Professional Dance Support Program is composed of Artists of the CCP Dance Workshop and Artists courtesy of Ballet Manila and Philippine Ballet Theater as well as Regional Dance Artists. The program showcases not only classical ballet but a myriad of dance styles executed with equal excellence.

Dancers and Dances

DANCERS Stephanie Santiago, Alexis Piel, Rissa Camaclang, Kazier Policarpio, Luigie Barrera, Danilo Dayo, Bonifacio Guerrero, Ace Polias, Gianna Hervas, Karla Santos, Joanne Tangalin, and Gladys Baybayan bring to life the “Pirates.”

In the re-staging of “Grand Pas de Quatre” by regisseur Eugene Obille, after Jules Perrot, dancers Regine Magbitang, Nicole Barroso, Sarah Alejandro and Katrene San Miguel will embody the prima ballerinas of the era Lucille Grhan, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito, and Marie Taglioni.

Set to the music of Cesare Pugni, the romantic ballet showcases the mastery of the lightness, delicacy, and poise of the classical ballet technique by each ballerina.

Choreographer Erl Emmanuel Sorilla questions how one truly live in “Musa.”

Featuring the song Dalagang Pilipina by composer Louie Ocampo, dancers Katrene San Miguel, Gianna Hervas, Karla Santos, Gladys Baybayan, Nicole Barroso and Rissa Camaclang move to appreciate the life we have.

(L-R) Nicole Barroso, Katrene San Miguel, Sarah Alejandro, and Regina Magbitang in Grand Pas De Quatre.

Photo by Lester Reguindin With the music of Eddie Peregrina and the choreography by John Ababon, dancer Erl Sorilla tells the story of pure young love, the pain that love brings, and how we are able to find a reason to go on when love is no more in “Inlababo.”

Choreographer Lester Reguindin’s “Now” was inspired by the speech of young environmental activist Greta Thunberg in the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. With “Happiness Does Not Wait” by Olafur Arnalds and “Bear Story II” by Luke Howard 2018 as music backdrop, the dance shows how a young girl sees the environment and the entire human being suffer because of the ways of man. This has led her to use her voice and make a stand and speak to the world with the hope that through this, change can happen.

Dancers Jessa Tangalin, John Ababon, Earl John Arisola, Alexis Piel, Danilo Dayo, Bonifacio Guerrero, Justine Orande, Ace Polias, Monica Gana, Karla Santos, Joanne Tangalin, Gladys Baybayan, and Rissa Camaclang will perform this dance.

Watch these dances and more and neverbefore-seen works and re-imagined classics at the CCP Facebook and YouTube Channel.

Visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph for updates.

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

Health&Fitness BusinessMirror

Be social media smart to deal with infodemic on Covid-19

By Rory Visco Contributor

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as everyone heard of the word “info-demic?”

The World Health Organization said this refers to the perils and traps of misinformation during a disease outbreak, such as Covid-19. The pervasiveness of wrong information can influence the behavior of people about the pandemic and worse, create panic or even make people feel complacent and lead them to ignore existing health protocols. More importantly, sowing doubt, discontent and frustration may lead to the worsening of the situation and undercut the government’s legitimate efforts to keep people safe from the disease.

With this new communication environment, anyone can create false information that looks so true. This may make other people who long for correct information to be gullible to content that is not factchecked, verified and vetted, and in the end will do more harm than good.

During the recent “Stop Covid Deaths” webinar organized by the University of the Philippines, Roby Alampay, founder and chairman of Puma Public Productions, shared that first, look if the source of information is legitimate, particularly if it is mainstream media, a source that is reliable, reputable.

“Remember to rely not just on one source but a bevy of sources because one source is not enough and that no source is perfect. It is better to check other legitimate sources in order to validate the information that we saw and know if it is fake news or not. We have to enable ourselves and trust our better judgment,” he said.

Obviously, hilariously fake

Joy Flavier-Alampay, Executive Director of Asia Society Philippines, said there are times that if a bit of information is obviously fake, many are still inclined to share it, just because it’s hilariously fake, and they found it humorous.

“However, there are many who may not know if the news they got, and eventually shared, is fake or not. Many just do it for the sake of information sharing but without bothering to check the facts. Many probably know it’s fake, but there is also doubt that probably it is real as well, especially if the news was presented very well, with good production value and intelligent explanation coming from real, reputable and credible people, people may presume that it must be real. However, there should be a consistent instinct to try and validate one’s self,” she said.

For Dr. Jason Ligot, International Health Promotion Specialist Director for Development Communication Organic Intelligence, what he usually receives are

messages coming from other chat groups of other social media platforms, the majority of which are messages that are ominous in tone, often portraying how seemingly bad a situation is.

What he receives are messages that start with a situation or problem in one place, then another, then next are proposed solutions, and lastly some sort of call to action, particularly asking that the message, often in chain format, be forwarded so others may be apprised of the situation and be forewarned.

Confusion created

However, he said those messages, particularly in relation to protecting ourselves from Covid-19, contain some things that are true and are fact, but many are also fake so it creates confusion.

“Some people tend to believe once they see information sent to them, thinking it’s true and thus gives them a false sense of security. People think that following these pieces of advice that are not based on evidence that are not facts, that they are protecting themselves, then they let their guard down when everyone knows that it’s still the same basic public safety measures that will protect us from Covid-19 like wearing of face masks, face shields, washing hands, observing physical distancing, and of course the vaccines. Even if the person who concocts the original message may have good intentions, this kind of information can be confusing,” he added.

On the other hand, Ceej Tantengco, Head of Communications of PumaPodcast, cited as an example information on the controversial drug “Ivermectin,” which was supposedly an effective and safe form of treatment of Covid-19.

“I believe in this infodemic, we should look at it from the side of empathy. Probably, for those who share this kind of information, may not really have bad intentions. They may think that the information is truthful and by sharing it, they are doing good for other people. But from the original source of the message, they really stylized the information to make it believable so there clearly was an attempt to mislead people,” she said.

So, what to do? She said that whenever we encounter a link to a message, view it with an initial sense of skepticism by looking at the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or the web address of the source. Not because it has the word “news” in it, it is a legitimate news source.

“It must really be a trusted news organization. Google the names of the people cited in the information. Check for their existence and reputation and look for other trusted sources. Let’s not believe that what was said by a reputable person may not have actually said it,” she said.

Fabric freshener can kill Covid-19 virus–study

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reakthrough clinical studies have found that Natucair, a Japanese fabric freshener spray brand made to remove odors, kills >99.9% of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 for up to 24 hours.

Earth Corporation, the leading Japanese household company behind Natucair, recently made an announcement on its viral test conducted by Japan Textile Products Quality and Technology Center (QTEC).

“The viral studies conducted by (QTEC) in Kobe, Japan showed that Natucair Linen and Fabric Spray was effective in killing >99.9% of SARS-CoV-2 suspension up to 24 hours on fabric, making it an important product in preventing the spread of the virus not only to loved ones and family within the same household, but to the public,” explains Shintaro Noda who is in charge of regional marketing of Earth Corporation.

Yuya Suzuki of Research and Development showed great excitement for these results. “In such difficult times, any additional caution to protect against Covid-19 is welcome and we’re proud to ensure that Natucair can play a role in helping Filipinos remove the virus from their fabrics.”

One potential point of transmission that should not be taken for granted is fabrics. Recently, the BBC reported a study led by microbiologist Dr. Katie Laird that looked into the survival rate of Covid-19 on commonly worn fabrics. It was found that the virus could survive for up to 3 full days on fabric.

With this in mind, remaining cautious and diligent is paramount for Filipinos nationwide. Continued adherence to recommended health and safety protocols such as mask-wearing in public, social distancing, and limited outdoor errands will be key in remaining safe from the virus.

Additional steps at home can be tak-

en as well to help prevent the spread to family members. Keeping fabrics in and around the home clear of the virus for up to 24 hours will be a valuable step in avoiding infection.

Noda goes on to explain that Natucair continues to be a helpful tool for every Filipino’s daily routine. “Vigilance about our health continues to be of utmost importance in our daily lives as we grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic. This is why Earth Corporation is thrilled about Natucair’s efficacy in killing SARS-CoV-2 for up to 24 hours.”

Noda continues, “Natucair is designed to remove odors and germs on everyday fabrics such as bedsheets, curtains, clothes, car seat covers and even the inner fabric linings of shoes and motorcycle helmets. We highly recommend using Natucair regularly on fabric items in and around the house to keep you protected from SARS-CoV-2. For example, hard to wash items like upholstered couches where various members of the family or guests sit together in close contact can be sprayed down with Natucair to remove odors, germs and SARS-CoV-2 lingering on the fabric. Or one can even spray down their clothes in the morning and not worry about the virus on their clothes when they get home at the end of the day. This full 24 hours of protection allows us to not worry about spreading the virus on our clothes and fabric. It provides peace of mind to many Filipinos who may potentially be exposed to the virus when having to go to work or run errands outside.”

Noda believes that Natucair can provide great convenience, safety and comfort that similar products cannot attest to. Natucair is the first fabric freshener spray available in the Philippines that can kill SARS-CoV-2 on linen and fabric for up to 24 hours. As such, Natucair is an essential item in every household especially in these difficult times.

Thursday, October 28, 2021 B7

Former health execs join clamor to junk vape bill

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By Claudeth Mocon Ciriaco

tressing that it is a huge step backward in protecting the health of Filipinos, health experts, youth groups, and other non-government organizations (NGOs) have called on the Senate to listen to the people and to junk the vape bill now.

Vapes and e-cigarettes are common names for electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs), which are covered by the Vape Bill or the proposed Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act (SBN 2239), authored by Sen. Ralph Recto.

The latest Pulse Asia survey showed that 62 percent of adult Filipinos will support a proposed bill that will ban the availability and accessibility of e-cigarette or vape flavors that appeal to children and youth.

Conducted from September 6 to 11, 2021, the nationwide survey, which was based on faceto-face interviews of 1,200 adult Filipinos or those aged 18 and above, also showed, 96 percent do not use e-cigarettes or vaping devices.

The survey used a ± 3 percent error margin.

Survey results

In the National Capital Region (NCR), 95 percent (using a ± 6 percent error margin and 300 respondents) do not use e-cigarettes and vapes, 98 percent in Balance Luzon, 88 percent in Visayas, and 98 percent in Mindanao. There are 0.4 percent who are former daily users, 1 percent occasional users (less that daily), 5 percent used or tried it sometime while 89 percent never tried e-cigarettes or vaping devices.

Sixty-eight percent in the NCR will support a proposed bill that will ban the availability and accessibility of e-cigarette or vape flavors that appeal to children and the youth like cotton candy and fruit flavors, 61 percent in Balance Luzon, 43 percent in Visayas, and 75 percent in Mindanao.

Four percent of the 1,200 respondents are current e-cigarette or vaping device users, 3 percent daily users, 1 percent occasional (formerly daily), and 1 percent occasional (never daily).

Of those (or four percent) who were surveyed who used e-cigarettes or vaping devices, 66 percent said they would support a proposed bill that will ban e-cigarette or flavored vapes, 54 percent truly support, 12 percent somewhat support, 15 percent cannot say if supporting or not, 19 percent will not support, 16 percent somewhat support, and three percent will truly not support.

Support for bill

Meanwhile, of those (96 percent) who do not use e-cigarettes or vaping devices, 62 percent said that they will support such a bill, 46 percent will truly support, 15 percent

will somewhat support, 17 percent undecided, 20 percent will not support, 8 percent somewhat not support, and 12 percent will truly not support.

On policy restrictions in the accessibility to e-cigarettes or vapes at 21 years old and above, it got 70 percent support, 51 percent truly support, 19 percent somewhat support, 14 percent undecided, 15 percent not supporting, 7 percent somewhat not to support, and 8 percent will not truly support.

The survey also showed that 77 percent are aware of the serious health hazards of ecigarettes or vapes, 15 percent are aware of minor hazards, 2 percent believe that there are no health hazards at all, while 6 percent don’t know/refused.

Seventy-four percent have expressed support of a 100 percent e-cigarette or vape-free policy in public places.

Calls to junk the Vape Bill

Medical groups, youth groups and NGOs like HealthJustice Philippines are strongly against the lowering of the age limit for the sale of smoking devices from 21 years old to 18 years old and to allow vaping in public places, schools, and other business establishments.

They are also against the easing of restrictions on the use of flavorings on vapes as well as the deregulation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Likewise, seven former health secretaries have the joined calls for the Senate to junk the Vape Bill.

“The Vape Bill is a huge step backward in protecting Filipinos’ health. It is a danger, especially in a pandemic,” according to former health secretaries Dr. Alfredo Bengzon, Dr. Esperanza Cabral, Dr. Manuel Dayrit, Dr. Enrique Ona, Dr. Carmencita Reodica, Dr. Paulyn Ubial, and Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan.

Relaxes provisions

The former health secretaries noted that the Vape Bill relaxes the provisions of RA 11467, an existing law that strictly regulates the said products. The bill lowers the age of access to vapes and e-cigarettes from 21 to 18 and transfers regulatory jurisdiction from the FDA to DTI. The bill also reverses a ban on flavors (except menthol and tobacco) and allows sales online.

“By lowering the age of access from 21 to 18, the Vape Bill exposes more of our youth,

those who are still in senior high or about to enter college, to HTPs and e-cigarettes,” said Galvez-Tan. Galvez-Tan, a trustee of HealthJustice Philippines, asked, “Why are we exposing them to this risk when under our laws, we are already protecting them?”

For her part, Reodica said that the senators should listen to health experts “at this crucial time.” “The medical community already explained that nicotine exposure at a young age impairs maximum development of the brain, making the youth vulnerable to engaging in harmful habits that are hard to break,” Reodica added.

Data support

Meanwhile, Ubial said that “data on the use of vapes and e-cigarettes among the youth show that we should be strengthening, and not relaxing our policies on these products.”

Ubial cited the results of the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, which show that one in seven Filipino students aged 13 to 15 use e-cigarettes. The GYTS also shows that one in eight Filipino students aged 13 to 15 currently use tobacco products.

“If our Senators pass this Vape Bill, it shows that they are gambling with the lives of our youth and children, and would rather prioritize the interests of the vape and tobacco industry rather than the health of our people during a pandemic,” Ubial said.

For his part, Dayrit also hit the bill’s reversal of the ban on flavors.

“Allowing more flavors for these harmful products does not make sense,” he said.

“There are around 16,000 vape and e-cigarette flavors on the market right now, and we know children and youth are more attracted to flavors. Regulations should aim to make these harmful products less appealing, not more enticing,” he added.

Cessation tools

Bengzon, meanwhile said: “If the industry is sincere in promoting these products as supposed ‘cessation tools’ for smoking, then why do the provisions of the Vape Bill treat these products as normal consumer products? Why not treat these the same way as other cessation tools, treated as medical and pharmaceutical products under the jurisdiction of the FDA?” “The best way to curb smoking is still to quit, not shift,” said Ona. Echoing the calls of medical groups, Ona stressed that smokers should not replace one addiction with another addiction, especially in the context of CAovid-19.

“Let’s not forget that the first case of EVALI [e-cigarette and vape associated lung injury] was already reported in the Philippines. Passing the Vape Bill will only increase our public health burdens,” he said.

Cabral, on the other hand, stressed, “We do not need a harmful Vape Bill to be passed in a pandemic. We do not need this Bill. We urge our Senators to junk this Vape Bill and prioritize other far more urgent health measures.”

DOH launches Healthy Pilipinas web site to counter misinformation, fake news

D

o you know the “Seven Healthy Habits” being promoted by the Department of Health (DOH)?

These are: n Move Move n Be Clean, Live Sustainably n Get vaccinated n Don’t smoke, lessen alcohol, say no to drugs n Care for yourself, care for others n Practice safe sex n Do no harm, put safety first This was mentioned by Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, concurrent Director IV of the Health Promotion Bureau and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, during the launch of Healthy Pilipinas web site recently.

The Seven Healthy Habits campaign teaches the public different health-promoting actions and behaviors.

Healthy Pilipinas web site

Together with its partners the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the DOH launched the Healthy Pilipinas web site which is envisioned to become a “unified data platform for health promotion” for the Filipino digital public, backed by the guiding principles of accuracy, inclusivity, collaboration, responsiveness, and user-friendliness.

Internet use continues to be one of the biggest pastimes in the country, which underscores the need to reach Filipinos online in a world becoming more and more digital.

“There is a need to provide timely and ac-

curate health information, especially now, not just because of the pandemic, but because it is so easy to be misinformed on social media.

The Healthy Pilipinas web site will be a credible source that you can turn to. I envision this endeavor to reach even more Filipinos as it expands and becomes part of our everyday life,” explained Dr. Ho. More than just addressing health literacy, Dr. Ho stressed that the web site will also enable supportive environments for health promotion. This would include tips, articles, and downloadable materials for local implementers.

The Healthy Pilipinas web site will be aligned with existing and future DOH efforts aside from the Seven Healthy Habits campaign that teaches the public different health-promoting actions and behaviors.

It is also linked to the Covid-19 and ResBakuna campaign pages of the main DOH web site for unified messaging and information regarding the pandemic and vaccination efforts.

The web site will also leverage social media to allow sharing of long-form articles on existing platforms like the Healthy Pilipinas Facebook page, DOH Twitter account, and DOH Viber community among others.

“Filipinos need health information that is accurate, accessible, and culturally contextualized. Healthy Pilipinas is a platform that can cater to this need. This launch is just the beginning, and I hope we can collaborate with institutions and individuals within and beyond the public health community to realize the web site’s full potential,” added Dr. Gideon Lasco, a medical anthropologist, columnist and a consultant of the Healthy Pilipinas web

site editorial team.

Support of PHAP and USAID

PHAP and USAID were eager to step up and support the project when it was presented to them.

“PHAP is honored to collaborate with the DOH in its efforts to provide the Filipino people with verified information and slow the spread of misinformation,” PHAP Executive Director Mr. Teodoro Padilla said.

Padilla said that they know that health misinformation is a serious threat to public health as it can cause confusion, harm people’s health and undermine public health efforts.

“We commend the DOH Health Promotion Bureau for this strategic digital communication initiative as well as PHAP Members Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis and Pfizer for being one with us in this endeavor. We aspire that through the Healthy Pilipinas web site, we can empower more Filipinos to make health decisions based on accurate information wherever they may be,” Padilla added.

For her part, Michelle Lang-Alli, USAID’s Director of the Office of Health, said that in this time of rampant disinformation, it is important that the average Filipino can get accurate and trusted health information especially during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries and the 60th anniversary of USAID here in the Philippines, we reiterate our commitment to help improve the health of Filipinos, especially the vulnerable and marginalized,” she said.

Claudeth Mocon Ciriaco

Sports BusinessMirror

8,000-POINT MAN

B8

| Thursday, October 28, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson, shown here challenging Denver center Nikola Jokic, surpasses the 8,000-point mark in the Utah Jazz’s 122-110 victory over the Nuggets on Tuesday in Salt Lake City. Clarkson, who has 19 points in the game, makes the milestone in the second half. AP

BVR on Tour second leg on in Santa Ana C

REAMLINE aces Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons and Krung Arbasto and Jude Garcia shoot for back-to-back titles as the second of the two-leg Beach Volleyball Republic on Tour unwraps Thursday in Santa Ana, Cagayan.

Twenty-one teams—11 women and 10 men—are again competing in the four-day, double-gender tournament to be played again in a bubble setup starting at 8 a.m.

The matches will be streamed live on Puso Pilipinas and Smart Sports Facebook pages and YouTube channels.

Representing Creamline 1, Rondina and Pons are bracketed in Pool A with Biogenic Alcohol’s Roma Joy Doromal and Heather Guino-o, Black Mamba Army 2’s Jem Gutierrez and Audrey Paran, Sta. Lucia 1’s Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño, and Delimondo’s MJ Ebro and Bianca Lizares.

Creamline 2’s Dzi Gervacio and Dij Rodriguez, the first leg’s third placers, headlines Pool B, which also has Eastern Perlas Spikers’ Michelle Morente and Jules Samonte, Toyota-Tuguegarao’s Nicole Tiamzon and Jho Maraguinot, PLDT’s Ella and Nieza Viray, Black Mamba Army 1’s Nene Bautista and Jeannie Delos Reyes, and Sta. Lucia 2’s Bang Pineda and Glaudine Troncoso.

Rondina, a four-time BVR champion and Pons, a two-time winner, ruled the first leg unbeaten in six matches.

They also didn’t give up a set.

In the men’s division, Creamline 2’s Arbasto and Garcia leads Pool A along with Negros Occidental Beach Volleyball Club’s Deanne Neil de

Pedro and Eljhay Ronquillo, Tuguegarao’s AJ Pareja and James Pecaña, DeliRush 1’s Evan Laraya and Joven Camaganakan, and Army 2’s Joel Villonson and Randy Fallorina.

Pool B is composed of Creamline 1’s Ranran Abdilla and Romnick Rico, EVI Construction’s KR Guzman and Doy Barrica, DeliRush 2’s Nichol Jundana and Jeffer Guerrero, Army 1’s Joshua Barrica and Jason Uy, and Orchard Fresh’s Rhenze Hu and Benjaylo Lebide.

Arbasto, one of the winningest BVR athletes with six golds, and Garcia, a first-time winner, topped the first leg via a seven-match sweep.

The entire BVR delegation underwent another round of antigen tests on Monday and Tuesday with all results turning out negative.

Esports league winners meet Sotto, Smart brass

W

INNERS of the recent Barangay Grassroots Esports League (BGEL) in Pasig City visited the Pasig City Hall for a quick meet-and-greet session with Mayor Vico Sotto and executives from Smart Communications Inc. (Smart).

A program of Smart with Omega Academy, BGEL enables local government units (LGUs), particularly youth organizations within the LGU, to connect with their constituents through esports.

“We competed against great players during the league, but we received so much support from our barangay, especially from the Sangguniang Kabataan of Santolan,” said Tatin Manalo of Santolan’s Pride, the champions of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament.

“Because of that, we had no other objective than to win this battle and make our barangay proud.”

For Diego Aguilar, who emerged as the Most Valuable Player from the Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) event, he joined the tournament to gain more experience and hopefully become a professional player.

“It feels great to win

HIDILYN DIAZ makes a smart move on her investments.

HIDILYN: NEVER AGAIN

By Josef Ramos

F

OUR consecutive Olympic campaign and a number of Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games stints. And of course, that Tokyo Olympics gold medal to top it all.

Hidilyn Diaz’s been there, done that and doing this, especially in life.

Diaz, now 30 and whose humble beginnings lead everyone to quaint Barangay Mampang in Zamboanga City, has learned her lessons, not only with steel plates thrice heavier

than her, but in life.

“I was scammed before… victimized many times in what could be the worst investment an athlete shouldn’t make,” Diaz told an online press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

“But it’s not all about choosing where to invest your hard-earned peso, but also as important are the people around.”

Diaz didn’t go down to specifics on the “scam,” but gave everyone a hint.

“I wasted my time on the wrong person who doesn’t believe in me,”

Diaz said. “You have to fill your surroundings with good people who will help you achieve your goal.”

Diaz was a wild card entry, an innocent-looking 18-year-old, when she made her Olympic debut in 2008. She returned in London 2012 and was DQed (disqualified) for missing her attempts.

Two Olympics and a lot of lessons learned.

Come 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Diaz had the gold medal within reach, but it wasn’t her time yet and settled for a silver medal. With it came a windfall

Manila 3X3 team faces tough task in Abu Dhabi

M

ANILA Chooks TM face tall odds when the team competes in the 2021 Fiba 3X3 World Tour Abu Dhabi Masters in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Manila Chooks is bracketed with world No. 4 Liman of Serbia and No. 5 Amsterdam Talent&Pro of The Netherlands in Pool D. The Philippine side will hit the half court against Liman on Friday at 10:20 p.m. (Manila time) and Amsterdam at 2:45 a.m.

Manila Chooks is composed of veteran Chico Lanete, Mac Tallo, Zach Huang and 6-foot-6 Cameroonian Mike Nzeusseu.

“I’ve seen Mike [Nzeusseu] play with Lyceum and I’m thankful he wasn’t around anymore when I coached Letran,” said Manila Chooks head trainer Aldin Ayo about Nzeusseu, who is making his Fiba 3x3 debut. “He has the materials for 3x3. He’s big, he’s agile, he’s an athlete, he’s skilled.”

The team arrived Abu Dhabi on Wednesday morning and will be quarantined until their RT-PCR test results come out at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Resort.

Nzeusseu, however, could be playing hurt in the tournament.

He injured his left hand during the semifinals of the Chooks-to-Go

Nonstop sports buzz

GREAT time to be a sports fan.

Covid is down, sports is back. And there are so many things happening and in store to keep us all amused.

All our favorite sports are nearly in full swing. Things are looking up after a long, long time.

Basketball is super. The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Finals is unfolding in dramatic fashion, with a real tug of war happening between contenders, the Magnolia Hotshots and the Tropang Giga of TNT. And a little controversy to boot.

At the time of writing, Game Four is set to take place at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga. By the time you’re reading this, TNT could be holding a 3-1 edge over the Hotshots. Or the Hotshots could have taken advantage

Pilipinas 3x3 Invitational powered by TM last October 20.

Injury reserve Mark Yee also made the trip. The deadline for the final lineup is on Thursday during the technical meeting.

Without Nzeusseu Manila Chooks will have a tough time against Liman which has world No. 4 Mihailo Vasic, who stands at 6-foot-6. His teammates are 6-foot-4 Aleksandar Ratkov (world No. 11), 6-foot-6 Stefan Kojic (No. 13) and 6-foot Nebojsa Kilijan (No. 23).

World No. 10 Arvin Slagter will lead Amsterdam and will be joined by Dimeo van der Horst (No. 12), Julian

of the absence of the injured Troy Rosario, ignored the power and explosiveness of rookie Mikey Williams and imposed its will on their opponents to pull abreast, 2-2 in their exciting Game Seven.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is popping too. The Golden State Warriors are delighting their fans with their 4-0 record in the just opened league. Only the 1985-86 Los Angeles Clippers have opened their NBA season with four wins in a row despite trailing at the half in all those games.

The Chicago Bulls are 4-0 as well. And the Utah Jazz, the New York Knicks, the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks, as expected, are off to a great start.

But don’t bet on them staying up there all the way till the end. You know how much like a horse race the run for the rings is like. Some so-so performers at the start lose steam in the end and the also-rans step on the gas pedal and sprint their way to the front when it matters most.

We just love how the race is being run so far, is what we’re saying.

Volleyball is awfully alive. In early October, we had volleyball excitement after such a long time when our women’s national team participated in the 2021 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship in Nakhon Ratchasima as Teams Creamline and Rebisco in the women’s division. Our men’s team followed suit as Team Rebisco in the Men’s Division. Both teams wowed us with their competitiveness and fighting spirit.

Although they didn’t finish in the podium, we know the exposure they gained by participating was invaluable. Our national athletes said it themselves.

of incentives that were already worth millions.

“Always dream high and don’t let others belittle you which I experienced as a probinsyana,” she said. “That’s why I dream high.”

The dream became a reality in Tokyo and Diaz ended the country’s quest for a first Olympic gold medal. Then the gate valves opened like a humongous dam and Diaz could now be worth P100 million after receiving multi-million cash incentives, two houses and lots, a posh condominium unit, several vehicles and numerous endorsements.

Diaz is completing her Business Management course at College of Saint Benilde and bated that she wanted to go into either a restaurant business, café hotel or AirBnB—all of which would be ranking behind her ultimate dream, the Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Sports Academy she intends to build in Mampang.

“I am thankful for all the blessings but I have to spend my earnings wisely,” she said. “I also need to think about what’s the best business for me.”

Diaz, perhaps the richest Filipino athlete outside of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and professional basketball players, has learned her lessons well and has gotten herself a financial adviser.

“I have to learn more with the help of BDO,” said Diaz, who added that she entrusted her investments and financial decisions to BDO Unibank, the country’s largest banking company.

“Ninety percent of my earnings and pledges are in a private bank and I have a financial adviser from the BDO who is helping me now.”

A sound mind in an extremely strong body. That’s Diaz now.

Jaring (No. 14) and Maksim Kovacevic (No. 15).

The other teams in the tournament that offers a $40,000 prize to the champion are Serbia’s Ub, Puerto Rico’s San Juan and Russia’s Gagarin in Pool A; Latvia’s Riga, Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah and Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar in Pool B; and Belgium’s Antwerp, USA’s Princeton and the winner of the qualifying draw between Netherland’s Utrecht, Japan’s Minakami and host Abu Dhabi in Pool C. Also competing in the dunk contest is Filipino David Carlos, who returns to the world stage after two years.

They learned a lot and are richer for the experience.

What a blessing, they said, to have been given the chance to compete even during the pandemic, and to be back in action in an international tournament after almost two years!

Now, over the weekend and up till last Monday, volleyball provided even more sparks. The first leg of the Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR) On Tour happened in Santa Ana, Cagayan and stoked volleyball fans all over again. Thirteen women’s teams and 11 men’s teams competed, and in the end, Creamline’s Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons built the mightiest sand castle of all with their win over Good Health-CDO’s Babylove Barbon and Gen Eslapor in the finals.

Creamline men, Krung Arbasto and Jude Garcia, also took home the gold in the first leg of the men’s division by besting PLDT’s rancel Varga and Efraem Dimaculangan in the tightly fought finals.

More beach volleyball action will follow tomorrow, October 28 as the second and final leg of BVR On Tour happens in the same venue until Halloween, October 31.

But volleyball fans are in for nonstop fun. In November, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) unwraps the Champions League. This is going to be new and exciting because the best teams in the land will compete against one another. Professional volleyball teams will mix it up with the best ball clubs from the provinces from various regions. It has been described by the PNVF as “the highest level of club competition.” And we can’t wait till the first serve is served!

Keep your eyes open too, MMA fans! Something

the CODM BGEL tournament. We didn’t have a coach or any practice, but we managed to win,” Aguilar said.

For Lawrence Remolin, the tournament was a way to help his family financially.

“For me, I wanted to see how much I’ve improved as a CODM player, plus I really wanted to win the cash prize to help our family pay the bills,” Remolin said.

BGEL is also supported by the Pasig Youth Development Council, with the guidance of the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Esports Organization.

Omega Academy is the developmental department of Smart Omega which aims to find and develop young talents in the Filipino esports industry. It is the Smart-supported professional esports team which competes in The Nationals.

“We are grateful for the support of the leadership of Pasig City for this event. The Barangay Grassroots Esports League is our way to help communities empower the youth with competitive activities during the pandemic,” said Jude Turcuato, First Vice President and Head of Sports at PLDT and Smart.

‘THE BEAST’ CONFERENCE’S BEST

Magnolia’s Calvin “The Beast” Abueva receives the Best Player of the Conference Award from Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner Willie Marcial (left) before Game 4 of the Philippine Cup best-of-seven Finals between the Hotshots and TNT Tropang Giga on Wednesday in Bacolor, Pampanga. Abueva tallies 934 points from statistics and media, players and league votes. TNT rookie Mikey Williams is a far second with 843 points.

happened just two days ago that will make Pinoy fans of the sport stand up and listen. Especially the women. Team Lakay lady warrior Jenelyn Olsim, who has dreamed and dreamed of being even just an alternate fighter for the ONE Championship Grand Prix finally got her wish.

Jenelyn has been plucked out of the sidelines to become the replacement of Japan’s Itsuki Hiruta in ONE: Next Gen which will take place this Friday, October 29 in Singapore. Previously paired with Malaysian Jihin Radzuan as one of the featured bouts in ONE: Next Gen II set for November, the new development places Jenelyn up front and center against India’s Ritu Phogat in the women’s atomweight World Grand Prix. What’s more, her and Phogat’s bout is the co-main event of the night. And this is only Jenelyn’s third fight in ONE. Just days before the substitution happened, Jenelyn wistfully said in an interview that it is really her dream to someday be able to fight in the Grand Prix. She mentioned Phogat as one of those she wished to fight, so that ultimately, one day, she may get the chance to go up against her idol, Angela Lee. Well, if Jenelyn does well in this semifinal bout against Phogat and ends up in the Grand Prix finals against the winner of the Stamp Fairtex-Julie Mezabarba fight, she will be up against Angela Lee in no time, with or without the help of a fairy godmother.

Just goes to show, high hopes, positive thinking, patience and a little bit of luck will get you where you want to go. Que sera, sera.