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Thursday, September 2, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 323

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

A FISHERMAN passes by beneath the LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension in Parañaque City, which is under construction as one of the priority infrastructure projects. The extension project of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 was declared 58.03 percent complete after the girder was installed along the Manila-Cavite Expressway. NONIE REYES

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@BcuaresmaBM

HE reimposition of lockdowns in the country due to the surge in Covid-19 cases has pulled the country’s manufacturing sector back to contraction territory in August.

UNHAMPERED SUPPLY CHAINS KEY TO ASEAN RECOVERY, DTI SAYS B T J C. P @Tyronepiad

In its latest report on Philippine Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), global think tank IHS Markit said the country posted a PMI of 46.4 in August—a sharp decline from the 50.4 PMI print in July. It is also the steepest PMI contraction of the country since May last year.

The August PMI also erased the early gains in the sector, particularly the PMI expansion in June and July.

A country’s PMI is meant to gauge the health of its manufacturing sector. It is calculated as a weighted average of five individual subcomponents. Readings below 50 show deterioration in the in-

dustry while readings above the 50 threshold signal a growth in the manufacturing sector.

“With the announcement of tightening ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] measures in early August, the latest contraction in operating conditions in the Philippines manufacturing sector came as no surprise,” IHS Markit economist Shreeya Patel said.

“Factories and their clients in the Metro Manila area once again paused their production lines in a bid to curb the spread of the new delta variant. Consequently, all five C  A

Manila Water, Maynilad franchise bills to TWG

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HE Senate Committee on Public Services has decided to first refer to a technical working group the bills granting new franchises to the two biggest private water concessionaires, Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Company.

According to panel chairman Sen. Grace Poe, the committee will first review the proposed franchises pending submission of more documents by the water concessionaires.

They are being asked to submit a list of the sources of their water supply, the timeline for completion of their water sources and the docS “M,” A

POE: “With such a finite resource and an everincreasing population, water shortage has always been a threat to health and economy globally. In the Philippines, the looming water crisis is characterized by constant supply interruption, lack of potable water, and higher water rates.”

PESO EXCHANGE RATES ■ US 49.7620

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EEPING global and regional supply chains open for trade facilitation amid the pandemic is key to economic recovery in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told his fellow trade ministers during the 6th Belt and Road Summit on Wednesday that the Philippines prioritizes the continuous movement of goods and services amid the restrictions due to the pandemic.

“For the Philippines, it is important, therefore, to support initiatives that keep markets open and ensure the unhampered flow of essential goods and services by reducing unnecessary trade measures,” he explained.

The DTI chief said that ensuring trade flow will further strengthen the multilateral cooperation of the regional bloc.

Citing the Philippines, Lopez pointed out that the government did not place export restrictions for essential goods, including personal protective equipment and medical devices.

“It could be useful for those part of the Belt and Road Initiative to consider a similar arrangement with Asean to show our stakeholders our collective effort to ensure that supply chains remain open regardless of the pandemic and that es-

sential goods remain available to our peoples,” he said.

An initiative supporting the DTI’s sentiment is the Asean’s memorandum of understanding on the implementation of non-tariff measures on essential goods, Lopez said.

“It calls for Asean member-countries to refrain from introducing or maintaining trade-restrictive measures on essential goods, which is instrumental to sustain a resilient supply chain while ensuring the trade in essential goods continue to be unhampered to meet the needs of Asean businesses as well as its citizens,” he explained.

Asean Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi agreed that a regional effort is needed to overcome the Covid-19 challenges.

He said that the regional bloc is “determined to stay on course for the regional integration efforts, keep markets open for trade and investment and ensure that our supply chains remain connected.”

In fact, Lim said that the region is currently crafting a framework for supply chain efficiency and resilience, which is anchored in digital technology.

“There is no doubt that digitalization of supply chain can create and integrate an ecosystem and become a key driver in achieving a more sustainable economic growth,” he said.

Bank lending contraction eases, nears growth level

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ANK lending in the country contracted slower in July this year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Wednesday, marking the third consecutive month of improvement in credit conditions in the country.

Data showed that bank lending contracted by 0.7 percent in July this year, easing from the 2 percent fall in the previous month. It is also the slowest contraction of loans extended by banks for the year.

Bank lending first collapsed into contraction territory in December 2020 by 0.7 percent as the restrictions brought about by the pandemic affected the local banking industry.

In comparison, the Philippines’s bank lending grew 13.6 percent before the onslaught of the global health crisis in March 2020.

Broken down, total outstanding loans for production activities already expanded by 0.8 percent in

July following a contraction of 0.6 percent in the previous month. This is the first time that outstanding production loans have increased since the reported growth rate of 0.5 percent in November 2020.

The expansion was driven by growth in loans for real-estate activities at 5.9 percent; information and communication at 14 percent; electricity, gas steam and air-conditioning supply at 2.1 percent; and transportation and storage at 7 percent.

At the same time, outstanding loans to key sectors fell at a slower rate, particularly for wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles at 4.5 percent and manufacturing at 2.6 percent.

However, consumer loans to residents went down by 8.2 percent in July from a revised 8.7-percent S “B,” A

Trade agreement

THE Asean official pointed out that member-countries should C  A

■ JAPAN 0.4524 ■ UK 68.4675 ■ HK 6.3980 ■ CHINA 7.7026 ■ SINGAPORE 37.0143 ■ AUSTRALIA 36.3959 ■ EU 58.7739 ■ SAUDI ARABIA 13.2677

Source: BSP (September 1, 2021)

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News BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 2, 2021

UNHAMPERED SUPPLY CHAINS KEY TO ASEAN RECOVERY, DTI SAYS C  A

maximize the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as they seek a path to recovery.

For his part, Lopez said they continue to encourage the business sector to take advantage of the RCEP and other free trade agreements (FTA). He explained that it both boosts trade and investments, allowing even the micro, small and medium enterprises to participate in the global value chain.

“Through this stable and predictable business environment, participating countries can encourage more investments as investors are assured that trade rules will follow what is committed under the agreement and would not be subject to voluntary changes that can negatively affect their businesses,” Lopez said.

One of the biggest venues for economic cooperation, RCEP was signed by 10 Asean member-states and five Asean free trade agreement partners— Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand—in November last year.

The RCEP region accounts for 29 percent or $25.8 trillion of the global gross domestic product, 30 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent ($12.7 trillion) of global trade in goods and services, DTI noted.

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PHL Covid cases breach 2M; 14,216 new infections logged

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@Claudethmc3

HE Covid-19 cases in the Philippines reached the 2-million mark on Wednesday after the Department of Health (DOH) logged 14,216 additional cases.

As of 4 p.m. of September 1, the total number of infections in the country stood at 2,003, 955. There were also 18,754 recoveries and 86 deaths.

“The relatively low number of

cases today [September 1] is due to lower laboratory output last Monday [August 30],” the DOH said.

Of the total number of infections, 7.0 percent (140,949) are active cases, 91.3 percent (1,829,473)

have recovered, and 1.67 percent (33,533) have died. There were 118 duplicates removed from the total case count. Of these, 91 are recoveries and 1 is a death.

Moreover, 37 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

All laboratories were operational on August 30, 2021 but 5 laboratories were not able to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System.

Based on data in the last 14 days, the five non-reporting laboratories contribute, on average, 0.8 percent of samples tested and 0.8 percent of positive individuals.

PHL MANUFACTURING IN RETREAT ON DELTA C  A

of the PMI components worsened, or fell deeper into contraction territory, with the PMI at a 15-month low in August,” the economist added.

The report said local production volumes fell for the fifth month in a row, with the rate of decline quickening to one which was the fourth quickest in the series history.

The contraction was linked to the third wave of Covid-19 cases and the subsequent tightening of restrictions which led to factory and business closures during the month.

Customer demand also fell sharply with the

volume of new orders declining at one of the quickest rates in the series history.

“Tighter restrictions on travel and the closure of businesses led clients to curb orders. Weak domestic sales were accompanied by a renewed contraction in foreign demand,” the report read.

The contraction in the country mirrored the performance of the region.

For the first time since May 2020, each of the seven constituent nations recorded deterioration in conditions during August. The PMI of the region hit 44.5 in August, slightly down from the 44.6 in July. The steepest pace of contraction was seen in Myanmar, where the PMI of 36.5 remained

among the lowest on record. This was followed

by Vietnam, where the headline index hit 40.2.

Malaysia and Indonesia, also saw PMI declines during the period but eased from their deterioratwion in July. Malaysia’s August PMI reading hit 43.4 while Indonesia’s was at 43.7.

Singapore, meanwhile, was behind the Philippines with a PMI of 44.3. Thailand performed best with a PMI of 48.3.

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decline in June, due mainly to the continued contraction in motor vehicle loans.

“Looking ahead, the BSP will continue to prioritize monetary policy support in order to ensure the continued momentum of economic recovery. At the same time, the national government’s targeted fiscal initiatives and health interventions will be crucial in boosting domestic demand and strengthening the recovery,” the BSP said in a statement.

Domestic liquidity, meanwhile, expanded by 5.9 percent year-onyear to about P14.4 trillion in July 2021. This was slower than the revised 6.5-percent growth recorded in June.

“The BSP will ensure that domestic liquidity remains adequate to support domestic economic activity, in line with the BSP’s price and financial stability objectives,” the Central Bank said in a statement. Bianca Cuaresma

31 Filipino evacuees from Afghanistan return home

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HE Department of Foreign Aff airs welcomed another batch of 31 Filipino evacuees from Afghanistan who arrived around 3 pm on Wednesday at Naia Terminal 1. The evacuees joined the DFA chartered fl ight out of Doha.

The Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA), in coordination with the Philippine Embassies in Pakistan and Qatar, assisted in repatriating the Filipinos, who are mostly employees of various security firms based in Kabul.

The group was initially flown to Islamabad before taking their flight from Doha to Manila.

To date, 138 out of the 188 Filipinos evacuated out of Afghanistan have returned to the Philippines.

There are currently 23 Filipinos who remain in Afghanistan.

The Philippine Embassy in Pakistan, which has concurrent jurisdiction over Afghanistan, recorded 211 Filipinos in the country prior to the start of evacuations.

Afghanistan was placed on Alert Level 4, which requires mandatory repatriation of Filipinos, due to the armed conflict in the country.

BJMP, BuCor reminded on vaccination of PDLs

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USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday said the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) should take steps to find Covid-19 vaccines for persons deprived of liberty (PDL), particularly those suffering from comorbidities and aging.

Guevarra issued the statement after the Commission on Human Rights called on the government to fulfill its obligation to treat all PDLs as human with inherent dignity and rights, including their right to health.

The justice department, according to the DOJ chief, has pushed for the inclusion of PDLs in the Priority 4 Category for the main reason that their space limitation makes them vulnerable to community transmission of the disease.

Among those included in the A4 priority list are private sector employees who are required to work outside their places of residence; employees of government agencies, government corporations and local government units, informal sector workers who are self-employed who may be required to work outside their residences, and those in private households.

As for those with comorbidities and senior PDLs, Guevarra said the BuCor and the BJMP “are duty-

Manila...

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uments related to the setting up of their sewerage systems. The latter has been one of the issues most frequently raised by critics of Maynilad and Manila Water, who are seen as being too slow in providing for comprehensive sewage systems while touting mainly their clean water supply improvements.

Poe said the franchise bills merit full review to ensure that the private firms are obliged to ensure a steady supply of clean water at fair rates.

This summer, water supply did not suffer crippling disruptions as in previous years, but, Poe noted, it was not because the concessionaires completely delivered on their customers’ needs, but because business and economic activities retreated in

JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra

bound to make proper coordination with local government units [LGUs] in the places where jails and prisons are located.”

“LGU officials naturally tend to prioritize their own constituents and persons who are economically active, but PDLs are human beings entitled to humane treatment too. If the LGUs concerned cannot provide enough for them, then the BuCor and the BJMP should seek their own independent sources,” Guevarra stressed. the pandemic.

At Wednesday’s committee hearing, lawmakers also wanted to know why the validity of the revised concession agreement of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) of Maynilad and Manila Water lapses 2037, even though their franchise is being extended until 2046.

In her opening statement, Poe cited the assertion of the World Health Organization that “access to safe water, sanitation, and hygienic conditions are essential in protecting one’s health during the pandemic.

“With such a finite resource and an ever-increasing population, water shortage has always been a threat to health and economy globally. In the Philippines, the looming water crisis is characterized by constant supply interruption, lack of potable water, and higher water rates,” Poe added. Poe noted that Maynilad

However, he admitted a steady vaccine supply is necessary to address this issue.

“We hope with the arrival of more vaccines in the coming days, sufficient quantities could be set aside for PDLs at risk,” he said.

As of August 2021, BuCor reported that 474, all senior citizens, out of 48,000 PDLs in seven prison facilities under BuCor across the country, have been inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines.

Joel R. San Juan

and Manila Water “came into the picture when the government was unable to meet the water demand in the country. Through a concession agreement in 1997, we entrusted the delivery of water and sewerage services to these private companies.”

Poe said the hearing she called was meant “to understand how the recently revised concession agreements and the grant of a congressional franchise will be beneficial to the consuming public.”

Lawmakers, she added, “also want to know what is our guarantee that these commitments will be fulfilled...We need to ensure that safeguards are in place with the hope of not repeating the mistakes of the past.”

Poe also sought “updates from MWSS on the master plan and the progress of developing new water sources to augment supply and meet the increasing demand for water.” Butch Fernandez

The Nation BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, September 2, 2021 A3

SC: Let’s not allow jails to become ‘cesspools’ of illegal drug trade

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By Joel R. San Juan

@jrsanjuan1573

AYING that it would not allow Philippine penal institutions to be a haven of illegal drug trade, the Supreme Court has ruled that trial court judges may issue a search warrant against inmates believed to be conducting illegal drug trade or other illegal activities while in a governmentcontrolled detention facility.

However, the Court stressed that judges must adhere to any relevant statute, court issuance and decision governing applications for search warrants involving violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

“The Court is not unmindful of the present condition of the country’s detention facilities. Personalities involved in illegal drug trade have now become more cunning and sophisticated in their operations,” the SC noted.

“They now conspire with corrupt law enforcers and capitalize on the aid of technology to continue their illegal drug trade business even while under the custody of the State. We cannot allow penal institutions to become cesspools of illegal drug trade and other unlawful activities that de-

feat the very essence for these facilities: to protect society from crimes; and to rehabilitate offenders,” the Court added.

The SC made these statements in a decision made public on August 24, 2021, which resolved the administrative cases filed against three trial court judges involved in the issuance of search warrants that led to the death of several inmates, including Albuera town Mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was killed by policemen inside the Leyte sub-provincial jail in Baybay City in November 2016.

In asking for the trial court’s assistance to implement t he search, the Court expressed belief that correctional officers conniving with high-profile inmates will now be compelled to cooperate in

implementing the search and there will be no opportunity to conceal their illegal activities inside detention facilities.

In a 28-page per curiam decision, the Court dismissed the administrative complaint filed against Judge Carlos Arguelles of the Regional Trial Court, Baybay, Leyte, Branch 14.

On the other hand, the Court found Judge Tarcelo A. Sabarre Jr. of the Regional Trial Court of Basey, Samar, Branch 30 and Judge Janet M. Cabalona of the Regional Trial Court, Calbiga, Samar, Branch 33 guilty of violation of Supreme Court rules, directives, and circulars, an offense classified as a less serious charge.

In light of this, judges Sabarre and Cabalona were ordered to pay a fine of P20,000 each with a stern warning that a repetition of the same act would be dealt with more severe sanctions.

“Judges, like lawyers, are mandated to constantly keep themselves abreast of developments in the field of law. As officers of the court, they are expected to strictly adhere to any relevant statute, decision, or court issuance that govern applications for search warrants involving violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,” the Court said.

Sabarre was the judge who issued a search warrant on illegal possession of firearm charges against Espinosa and his co-accused Raul Yap, who were then already under the custody of authorities in a government detention facility in Baybay, Leyte.

The application for a search warrant against Espinosa Sr. was for violation of RA 10591 wherein it was alleged that despite being an inmate, Espinosa has in his possession an unlicensed firearm and several rounds of live ammunition kept and concealed particularly under his pillow in his bedside.

The application for a search warrant against Yap was for violation of RA 9165 and states that Yap has in his possession “several grams of illegal drugs and paraphernalia kept and concealed particularly under his pillow in his bed inside.”

Both Espinosa and Yap were killed after they fired at the raiding team from the Philippine National PoliceCriminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG)-Region 8 who were serving the search warrants on November 5, 2016.

On the other hand, Arguelles was administratively charged over his failure to immediately resolve the motion of Espinosa in his drug trafficking case for transfer to another detention.

Judge Cabalona was administratively charged in connection with the search warrants she issued against Allan Alvarez, an inmate in the regional penal colony in Abuyog, Leyte, and against inmate Fernando Balagbis, who was detained at Baybay City Jail.

The police killed both inmates during the implementation of the search warrants.

It was reported that during the implementation of the warrant,

Alvarez threw a hand grenade and pulled out a handgun to the raiding team, prompting the latter to fire upon the former resulting to his death while Balagbis died after he allegedly fired upon the members of the implementing team.

On the other hand, Arguelles was administratively charged over his failure to immediately resolve the motion of Espinosa in his drug trafficking case for transfer out of his place to another detention.

On December 5, 2016, the Office of the Court Administrator issued its findings and held that the issuance of search warrants to search jail facilities of the government can be considered as gross ignorance of the law for which judges can be held liable.

Thus, it directed the two judges to pay a fine of P10,000 each with a warning that a repetition of the offense would be dealt with more severely.

Upon review of the Office of the Court Administrator’s (OCA) findings, the Court subsequently designated Court of Appeals Cebu Associate Justice Gabriel Ingles to conduct a probe on the administrative liabilities of the three judges.

The investigating officer submitted its report to the Court en banc stating that he agreed with the recommendation of the OCA that there exists no reason to impose any administrative liability against Judge Arguelles.

The investigating officer held that Judge Arguelles had noth-

ing to do with the death of Espinosa nor did he incur delay in resolving his motion to be transferred to another facility.

With regard to the search warrants issued by Judge Sabarre and Judge Cabalona, the investigating officer found that these were not in compliance with OCA Circular 88-2016 as the policemen who applied for these warrants failed to secure the necessary endorsement from the key officials enumerated in said circular.

After reviewing the record, the Court decided to adopt the findings of the investigating officer with modification.

It said the investigating officer correctly ruled that there was no intent to delay the resolution of Espinosa’s motion on the part of Judge Arguelles.

On the other hand, in the cases of judges Sabarre and Cabalona, the SC noted that while the issuance of a search warrant against an inmate is not absolutely prohibited, they should have complied with the stringent requirements under the Rules and other issuances of the Court.

The Court noted that search warrants issued by Judge Sabarre and Judge Cabalona were not in compliance with OCA Circular 88-2016, which provides, among others, that that applications for search warrants should be endorsed by the heads of the National Bureau of Investigation, the PNP Anti-Crime Task Force (ACTAF) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Economy BusinessMirror

A4 Thursday, September 2, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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Duque: 2022 budget for booster shots slashed to P45B by DBM

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Duque responded that they have proposed a P104-billion Covid-19 booster budget, but DBM slashed the proposal to P45 billion and placed it under unprogrammed funds.

“We have a budget under unprogrammed funds,” Duque told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Quimbo questioned on why the allocation was not placed under the regular programmed funds, saying programs that are under unprogrammed funds would only be implemented if the government has excess revenue, a situation that is quite bleak currently for the Philippine economy.

“It will only be funded if we have excess funds. If our revenue exceeds spending. But our economy is declining, our revenues are declining,” she stressed.

“We are hanging in the balance because it is in the unprogrammed funds,” Quimbo added.

@jearcalas

AWMAKERS raised concerns anew over the government’s P45billion Covid-19 booster budget placed under the unprogrammed funds, which the Department of Health (DOH) revealed was a decision made by the Department of Budget and Management.

They questioned the DOH’s budget proposal for next year, particularly the categorization of t he P4 5 - bi l l ion Cov id-19 booster program under unprogrammed funds and the absence of funding for the construction of new molecular laboratories

for testing.

During the House Committee on Health hearing, Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo asked Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III if the DOH has a proposed budget for Covid-19 vaccines next year.

Duque explained that it was the DBM’s decision to place the Covid-19 booster program under the unprogrammed funds pending the approval of the government’s technical panel on the use of Covid-19 booster shots.

“We proposed the booster program for next year in case the technical panel decides to have booster shots. The DBM placed it under unprogrammed funds— that’s their decision since there is no technical decision yet if we will have booster shots next year,” the health chief explained.

Quimbo pointed out that the DBM and the DOH are pointing fingers at each other over the categorization of the government’s Covid-19 booster program under the unprogrammed funds.

“It is quite sad because when I asked the DBM they said it is the recommendation of the DOH, and

now the DOH is saying that it is the recommendation of the DBM,” she lamented.

House Committee on Health chair and Quezon Rep. Angelina D.L. Tan asked Duque if they have a proposed a budget for the establishment of additional molecular laboratories next year, to which the health secretary quickly answered none.

Duque said what they have in relation to Cov id-19 testing is a proposed P5.09 bil lion worth of Covid-19 laborator y network commod it ies t hat w i l l cover the 3.8 mil lion Cov id-19 tests and other laborator y net work requirements.

“It is really about testing per se, increasing our gene experts and testing kits. I agree there should be more RT-PCR testing laboratories. However, we really need to calibrate [our interventions] as we slowly reach herd immunity,” he

said. “It might be better to assess if we need to further increase our testing output as we increase our coverage of Covid-19 immunization,” he added.

But Tan was not satisfied with Duque’s answer, pointing out that the construction of new RT-PCR testing laboratories is even more important amid the rise of more transmissible Covid-19 variants like the Delta variant.

“With the advent of the Delta variant and new variants in the future, I still believe Covid-19 testing facilities remain important,” she said.

“In provinces, there is very limited access to testing facilities. And it is absent in the budget details you presented. There is no specific funding or allocation for the establishment of molecular laboratories or procurement of equipment for the establishment,” she added.

Maguindanao farmers receive land certificates from BARMM

By Manuel T. Cayon

@awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

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AVAO CITY—Fifty farmers from Maguindanao province, many of them former Moro guerrilla combatants, became certified agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) after they received their respective emancipation patents from the Bangsamoro government.

The farmers received their patents, or Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA), from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform’s (MAFAR) in time for the commemoration of the first Agrarian

Reform Program in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the 33rd Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) month.

Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim said the handover ceremony of CLOA on August 26 held at the Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City covered an agricultural area of 60.1058 hectares situated in Barangay Tanuel, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

Ebrahim said the beneficiaries are mostly former armed fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

He admonished the beneficiaries to “never sell the awarded land, instead, should take good care of it and develop it for it might be your means of attaining better lives in the future.”

“If you are only given money, perhaps you will consume it in few days now. However, land given to you will never perish and it could be the source of your continuous income that might improve your current living [standards]”, Ebrahim said.

MAFAR Minister Mohammad S. Yacob said his agency is committed to “steadfastly ensure that all lands awarded are for you to cultivate and develop. It may serve as commencement of strong partnership for flourishing agriculture guild towards attaining economic growth.”

Meanwhile, the Bangsamoro Information Office said Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary

John Castriciones announced on August 23 the distribution of some 4,800 hectares of agricultural lands for Lanao del Sur farmers in the BARMM in October this year.

Among the beneficiaries would be the displaced residents of Marawi City because of the terror siege in 2017.

“We would distribute idle government-owned lands [GOLs] in Lanao del Sur, which include 1,300 hectares in Marawi City, 1,324.27 hectares in Piagapo, 1,396.05 hectares in Marantao, and 780.02 hectares in Saguiran,” the BIO quoted Castriciones as saying.

Meanwhile in Davao Oriental, the National Housing Authority announced it was giving P30,000 to residents who lost their houses in a fire in Mati City last year. The city government of Mati earlier extended its assistance of P5,000 last year, including food packs and other assistance.

DOLE extends ban to travel to Oman until end of the week

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

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VERSEAS Filipino workers (OFW) may still have to wait until the end of the week before they could be allowed to travel to Oman, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

This even after the Omani government decided to start allowing Filipinos to enter Oman last Wednesday.

At a virtual briefing, DOLE spokesman Rolly Francia disclosed the Omani government already sent a letter to Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III indicating it would start admitting traveling Filipinos, including OFW and tourists.

In response to the letter, Bello authorized the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to start sending OFWs to Oman again as soon as the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging In-

fectious Diseases (IATF) issues the necessary clearance.

POEA imposed a temporary deployment suspension to Oman last June after it stopped allowing Filipinos from entering its territories.

Francia said the clearance might be issued after the government’s newly extended travel restriction for inbound travelers coming from Oman and nine other countries, which have confirmed cases of the Covid Delta variant expires on Saturday.

Last Tuesday, the IATF issued the resolution, which reset the deadline for the effectiveness of the travel restriction from August 31, 2021 to September 5, 2021 as part of the government efforts to minimize the risk of Covid-19 entering the country.

“As soon as the effect of the new extension lapse then that will be the time that we reciprocate with our own lifting of the ban through the POEA,” Francia said.

CLUP okay seen to boost Ormoc and S. Leyte’s pandemic recovery

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

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EPARTMENT of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) believes the newly approved Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUP) of Ormoc City and the whole of Southern Leyte will help in its recovery from the pandemic.

DHSUD said the CLUPs of Ormoc City and Southern Leyte, the first ones presented to the department since it was created, were found to be compliant with national standards and guidelines.

The 10-year plans will provide directions as to the allocation of land areas for urban expansion, settlement areas,

infrastructure projects, production areas and protection areas of the city and the entire province.

“The pandemic has revealed the vulnerabilities of our towns and cities, disrupting people’s lives—but looking at your plan earlier, I am hopeful that Southern Leyte is poised to hurdle this obstacle,” DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said in a news statement.

The CLUP will also serve as the foremost basis of land resource utilization in the city as it addresses urban congestion, housing needs, road and waterways, industrialization, as well as watershed and forest management, among other pressing issues.

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Court orders arrest of 2 aliens in child abuse case

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

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HE Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed on Wednesday that a Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Taguig City has issued a warrant of arrest against a Spanish national who is facing 10 counts of child abuse and violation of the Anti-Child Pornography Act filed by the same victim in the case of former United States diplomat Dean Edward Cheves.

DOJ Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said Taguig City RTC Branch 15 Judge Byron San Pedro issued the arrest warrant last August 31 against Spanish national Francisco Manuel Sanchez, 36, who use the alias Franco Sanchez, for violation of Republic Act 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act) and RA 9775 (Anti-Child Pornography Act).

The arrest warrant was issued based on the complaint of the alleged victim, a 16-year-old girl who accused Sanchez of sexually abusing her and recording on video their sexual acts.

Aside from the arrest warrant, the Taguig RTC also granted the prosecution’s motion for the issuance of a Precautionary Hold Departure Order (PHDO) against Sanchez.

Based on the girl’s complaint, she met Sanchez on different dates in a span of three months from December last year until February this year.

The victim said he met Sanchez online and they first met

personally on December 14, 2020 where he picked her up in Pasay City and brought her to his place in Taguig City where they allegedly used illegal drugs and had sexual intercourse.

This was followed by more sexual abuses involving Sanchez and his companions.

The girl claimed Sanchez recorded their sexual acts with his companions, a certain “Sam” and a certain “Gill.”

The minor is also the complainant in a similar case filed against the 61-year-old Cheves before the Pasay RTC. The victim reportedly met Cheves online when she was just around 12 or 13 years old.

They went to a motel in Pasay City where they stayed for two hours.

Without the victim’s knowledge, Cheves allegedly recorded their sexual intercourse.

The video recordings were on the devices found in Chevez’s embassy residence while he was in the Philippines.

Their latest encounter was on February 21, where the girl allegedly performed a sexual act on him.

Pasay City RTC Branch 109 Judge Christian Castañeda has also issued a warrant of arrest against Cheves, who is now in the US facing charges before a District Court in Virginia, US for his conduct in the Philippines.

Judge Castañeda recommended a P200,000 bail for Cheves.

The DOJ is considering applying for Chevez’s extradition to subject him to the jurisdiction of the Philippine court and face the charges filed against him.

Thursday, September 2, 2021 A5

Not so fast, MMDA chief says on creation of NCR vax bubble

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

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HILE presidential adviser for entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder and Presidential Assistant for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion is pushing for the creation of a vaccine bubble in the National Capital Region (NCR), Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) underscored the need to “hit a certain target of the vaccinated individuals” first before implementing the proposal.

“Ang sa amin lang [from our end], we should really hit a certain target of the vaccinated. That’s very important for us. Kasi mahirap ’yung wala ka pa sa target na ’yun [Because it would be difficult if you have not reached that target yet], and then you will be setting up certain policies,” Abalos said at an online media briefing.

The targeted count of vaccinated individuals, he stressed, should be established at the onset.

Abalos also expressed hopes that there would be no discrimination against those who remain unvaccinated, either because of vaccine hesitancy at the most, or lack of vaccine supply in their localities, at the least.

“Pangalawa, sana wag maging discriminatory in the sense na ‘o bawal kang pumasok kung hindi ka bakunado’ [Secondly, we should not be discriminatory, or just like saying ‘you are not allowed here because you are not vaccinated] but instead para sana magkaroon ng positive reinforcement,” Abalos stressed citing some activities being planned by the Department of

Trade and Industry (DTI).

Over the weekend, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez proposed to allow vaccinated to dine and avail personal care services in a bid to partly encourage vaccination. Unvaccinated individuals would also be allowed inside the malls as long as they provide negative Covid-19 test results. “’Yung tinitingnan natin ’yun at pinag-aaralan para na rin makatulong sa ekonomiya. Siguro [We are looking on it and studying it to help the economy.

Maybe] it’s possible, we’re just waiting for the details of that,” he said.

The trade chief pointed out that the plan could be quite unfair to those who wants to be vaccinated but there are no available vaccines they avail of.

“We reach that level muna kasi unfair naman sa mga gustong magpabakuna pero wala silang chance magpabakuna [it would be unfair for those who wants to be vaccinated but they have no chance],” Lopez stressed.

50% vaccination goal in NCR

ABALOS also expressed confidence that the national government would hit the 50-percent target of administering double dose shots of Covid vaccines by the end of August or early September.

Abalos reported that Metro Manila is already nearing its 50 percent of the eligible of 9.8 million target.

“So, siguro kahapon naka more or less 46 percent so baka hindi natin ma-hit. Just give us one to three days for that, mahi-hit ’yung 50 percent [So, yesterday we have more or less we reach 46 percent, maybe we can’t be able to hit the target. Just give us

one to three days for that, we could hit that 50 percent],” Abalos said.

‘Vax as One’

ON August 28, the Metro Manila Council (MMC) agreed to adopt the “Vax as One” concept to accelerate Covid-19 vaccination rollout in Metro Manila aimed to achieve population protection.

Abalos said the priority areas would be Metro Manila and then the four nearby provinces such as Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal and Laguna.

“Ever since the start of the vaccination program, all local government units [LGUs] in Metro Manila have been vaccinating medical frontliners up to all economic workers [non-residents] of their respective jurisdictions,” Abalos said.

“Considering that each LGUs [local government units] have established effective vaccination sites and highly trained manpower; further considering that some LGUs have almost hit their targets; they have decided to accept more non-residents in their vaccination operations. All would be by schedule, strictly no walk-ins allowed,” he added.

According to the MMDA chief, LGUs that vaccinate non-residents are those who have almost already reached their targets in their areas.

In the meantime, LGUs that are accepting the vaccination of non-residents are Mandaluyong, Marikina, San Juan, and Pateros. Other LGUs are expected to follow suit as they are already nearing their targets, too.

In Mandaluyong, for instance, a total of 4,715 or 89 percent nonresidents were inoculated as of August 26, 3,896 or 83 percent were

from NCR and the remaining 819 or 17 percent percent were from outside NCR. As a precondition, however, persons who will be vaccinated outside their LGUs must present a valid government-issued identification card during their schedule.

At the meeting of the MMC on August 27, Abalos said the Council has approved a new concept of the Technical Working Group of the Inter-Agency Task Force as far as defining flexibility of capacities in cases under quarantine status in modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ) areas.

As presented by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III, the new concept of quarantine status implementation will define flexibility of capacities in cases under MECQ and GCQ areas. Under this concept, maximum capacities of closed areas, crowded areas, and closed contacts are clearly established.

Local government units, likewise, can determine for themselves the level of alertness of their area, from scale of 1 to 4, considering three factors—case transmission, healthcare utilization rate, and presence of Covid-19 variants.

Further, Abalos added the concept of cost sharing between the national government and LGUs of food packs for isolation/quarantine and granular lockdown areas was also discussed during the meeting.

The DILG manifested its approval and support for this concept, and would present the scheme the soonest.

confirms 8 new envoys PRC extends emergency field hospital CA and 12 DFA senior officers operation for Covid patients at LCP T T

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

HE Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) has appealed the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to extend the operations of its Emergency Field Hospital (EFH) until October 2021 after the country recorded an all-time high of 22,366 new cases on August 30.

In a letter to PRC Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard J. Gordon, LCP Executive Director Dr. Vincent Balanag Jr. requested for a two-month

extension of the PRC field hospital.

Balanag noted that the LCP hospital has been operating at full capacity for the past two weeks.

Gordon immediately heeded the call for help from LCP, allowing the PRC Field hospital to extend for another 2 months.

“With 22,366 cases reported on August 30, the highest recorded single-day tally since the start of this pandemic, we recognize the

House measure proposes creation of crisis center for street children

Govt sells P35B in reissued 5-yr T-bonds as rates drop

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ITING the distressing plight of homeless children in Metro Manila and other parts of the country, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Quezon City 5th District Rep. Alfred Vargas has filed a bill in the House of Representatives seeking to create a Street Children Crisis Center Program.

In House Bill 9783, Vargas, chairman of the House Committee on Social Services, said the proposed program will cover “all persons below 18 years of age who are inadequately protected or supervised by adults and for whom the streets, including unoccupied dwellings and wasteland, have become their home and source of income.”

Among other services, the crisis center will provide emergency medical and feeding programs, as well as serve as temporary shelter for street children, where they can get basic educational, legal and counsel services.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development will be tasked to implement the program in close coordination with the concerned local government units, the bill said. PNA

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

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HE Bureau of the Treasury sold P35 billion in reissued 5-year Treasury Bonds (Tbonds) as rates dropped after the US Federal Reserve said it would continue to scale back its bond purchases but avoid rushing into raising interest rates.

The tenor fetched an average rate of 2.746 percent, plunging by 54.9 basis points from 3.295 percent in the previous auction last May. With a remaining life of 4 years and 7 months, the security is set to mature on April 8, 2026. It has a coupon rate of 3.375 percent.

Strong investor demand marked the auction, with total tenders for the debt paper reaching P76.17 billion, more than twice the P35 billion programmed.

Sought for comments following the auction, National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon attributed the pullback in the average rate to the markets’ pricing-in of US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s statement last Friday at the annual Jackson Hole policy forum.

importance of the continuity of our service,” Gordon stressed.

He added that PRC’s emergency field hospital gives comfort to the patients knowing that there is a fully “equipped” surge-capacity health facility where they can be assessed and managed immediately.

The EFH at LCP was launched in April to support the hospital in its operation serving as an emergency room extension equipped with basic

“Powell’s remarks during Jackson Hole provided guidance that tapering will be decoupled from rate liftoff,” de Leon told reporters.

She added the Treasury decided to open the tap facility auction for an additional P5-billion offering.

Last week, the Treasury fully rejected all bids for P35 billion in reissued 20-year T-bonds as bid rates shot up following reports that the US Federal Reserve is preparing to taper off its bond purchases.

For this month, the Treasury is set to borrow a total of P250 billion from the local debt market, higher than the P200 billion program in August.

Broken down, P175 billion will be raised through auctioning off Treasury Bonds while the remaining P75 billion will be generated via the sale of T-bills.

This year, the national government programmed to borrow a total of P3.1 trillion, of which around 75 percent is expected to be raised through domestic sources.

The government borrows to meet its spending requirements as well as to finance its budget deficit.

The economic team sees the national government’s budget deficit

ward facilities that will cater to mild to moderate cases.

“Hindi na natin hahayaan na may mamatay pa sa labas ng ospital kakaantay, kaagad natin ipinatayo ang mga [We will leave people dying while waiting to be admitted outside the hospital so we immediately put up an] Emergency Field Hospital to give proper medical attention to especially to those who are most vulnerable,” Gordon said. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

this year to reach P1.86 trillion or 9.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), even higher than the P1.37 trillion or 7.6 percent of GDP in 2020. In 2019, the budget deficit stood at P660.2 billion or 3.4 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, the national government’s outstanding debt this year is also expected to reach by the end of this year to balloon to P11.73 trillion, up by 19.8 percent from P9.795 trillion in 2020. This is also projected to further swell in 2022 to P13.42 trillion.

As of end-July this year, the national government’s outstanding debt has already piled up to a new record-high of P11.61 trillion, swelling by 26.7 percent from P9.16 trillion a year ago.

As a percentage of GDP, the debtto-GDP ratio this year is projected to further rise to 59.1 percent and peak next year at 60.8 percent—slightly above the internationally accepted threshold—before gradually tapering off to 60.7 percent and 59.7 percent in 2023 and 2024.

Prior to the pandemic, the government notched a record-low debt-to-GDP ratio of 39.6 percent in 2019.

HE Commission on Appointments (CA), comprising senators and congressmen, readily confirmed Wednesday Malacañang’s nomination of eight new ambassadors and 12 senior officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of CA Committee on Foreign Affairs, paved the way for the timely endorsement of the confirmation of DFA officers after validating the qualifications of the nominees, including eight ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary, as well as the ad interim appointments of 12 senior Officials of the DFA consisting of two senior officials promoted to the rank of chief of mission, Class I; four senior officials promoted to the rank of chief of mission, Class II; five senior officials promoted to the rank of career minister; and a senior official promoted to the rank of Foreign Service Officer, Class 1.

In endorsing the nominees, Lacson assured CA members that “your Committee, after deliberating on their qualifications and fitness during the public hearing, determined that they are fit and qualified to be in the posts where they are nominated and appointed, and, therefore, ruled to recommend to plenary their appointments for the consent and approval of this body.

The newly confirmed DFA envoys include:

Ambassador Noralyn Jubaira Baja, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of South Africa, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Botswana, Kingdom of Eswatini, Kingdom of Madagascar, Republic of Mauritius, Republic of Mozambique, Republic of Namibia, Republic of Zambia and Republic of Zimbabwe, with the rank and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class 1.

Ambassador Eduardo Eco Ka-

punan Jr. as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federal Republic of Germany, with the rank and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class I.

Ambassador Junever M. Mahilum-West as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the French Republic with concurrent jurisdiction over the Principality of Monaco, with the rank and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class I.

Ambassador Deena Joy Dy Amatong as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, with the rank and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class II.

Ambassador Igor Garlit Bailen as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Belarus and Republic of Kazakhstan, with the rank and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class II.

Ambassador Enrico Trinidad Fos as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Norway with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Iceland, with the rank and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class II.

Ambassador Marie Charlotte Golim Tang as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Kenya with concurrent jurisdiction over the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Seychelles, Federal Republic of Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Uganda, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Burundi and Union of the Comoros, with the rank and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class II.

Ambassador Marian Jocelyn R. Tirol-Ignacio as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Negara Brunei Darussalam, with the rank and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class II.

A6

Thursday, September 2, 2021

TheWorld BusinessMirror

South Korea posts 2,025 cases as biggest holiday approaches

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EOUL, South Korea—South Korea has reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases, approaching a daily record set last month just a day after officials cautiously expressed hope that infections may slow.

T he 2,025 c a ses re por ted Wednesday marked the 57th consecutive day of at least 1,000 cases, and there are concerns transmissions could worsen as the country approaches its biggest holiday of the year.

Officials are wrestling with a slow vaccine rollout and erosion in public vigilance despite the toughest social distancing rules short of a lockdown in Seoul and other large population centers, where private social gatherings of three or more people are banned after 6 p.m.

There are concerns the virus could spread more quickly during this month’s Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving where millions of people usually travel across the country to meet relatives.

Other developments:

Australia state’s first Covid deaths this year

MELBOURNE, Australia—Australia’s Victoria state is reporting its first Covid-19 deaths this year, and the government concedes that

the infection numbers of the Delta variant will continue to rise.

The state reported two deaths Wednesday, the first since last October 18. Neighboring New South Wales reported four deaths, bringing the death toll from a Delta variant outbreak that started in June to 102.

Victoria and New South Wales are both locked down and are now counting on getting their residents vaccinated to contain the outbreak.

With 120 new infections reported Wednesday, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said: “We will not see these case numbers go down.

They are going to go up.”

New South Wales reported 1,116 infections in the latest 24hour period.

Georgia notes rapid spread among children ATLANTA—More Georgians are being diagnosed with coronavirus infections than ever before. The rolling seven-day average for positive tests rose to 9,641 per day Tuesday, topping the previous high of 9,635 set back on January 11.

Officials say the rapid spread among children is a new aspect of the pandemic. Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey said Monday that cases have skyrocketed since schools opened in early August.

Toomey says that “we’re seeing a significant number of cases among school-aged children, and the number of cases has nearly quadrupled over the last couple of weeks, with the sharpest increase—the highest number of cases—in children aged 11 to 17.”

She says public hea lth officials tracked more than 170 outbreaks statewide last week, the highest number since the pandemic began. More than half were in schools.

Hawaii hospital operates at 120 percent of capacity

HILO, Hawaii—The largest hospital on the Big Island of Hawaii is operating at about 120 percent of capacity amid a surge in Covid-19 cases.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports that Hilo Medical Center has 38 patients being treated for the disease that can be caused by the coronavirus, including 10 in the intensive care unit.

A hospital spokeswoman says that as the largest hospital on the island, it can’t divert patients.

She says it has a plan for everyone who comes for care. Last week, the hospital opened a 16bed overflow unit in its extended care facility.

The hospital says it’s constantly assessing its campus for locations in which to care for patients.

Alaska hospitals in ‘very serious crisis’

ANCHOR AGE, A laska—An increase in hospita lizations of Cov id-19 pat ients is f ur t her straining A laska’s hospital system. One health official calls it a “ver y serious crisis” and worries what the next few weeks will bring.

The state health department reported that hospitals had a record 152 Covid-19 patients Tuesday, surpassing previous highs in December.

Jared Kosin of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association told the Anchorage Daily News that the latest increase in coronavirus infections has shown little sign of slowing.

As of Tuesday, 771 of the state’s 1,200 hospital beds were filled.

Out of 174 intensive care beds, all but 26 were taken.

Delta variant rages in Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb.—The number of coronavirus cases in Nebraska has nearly doubled over the past two weeks with the highly contagious Delta variant.

Nebraska reported 5,006 new cases for the week ending Friday, according to an Omaha WorldHerald analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 3,755 the previous week and nearly double the 2,668 cases recorded the week before.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska has risen in the past two weeks from 190 new cases per day on August 15 to 715 on Sunday. AP

India schools cautiously reopen even as Covid warnings grow

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EW DELHI—More students in India will be able to step inside a classroom for the first time in nearly 18 months Wednesday, as authorities have given the green light to partially reopen more schools despite apprehension from some parents and signs that infections are picking up again.

Schools and colleges in at least six more states will reopen in a gradual manner with health measures in place throughout September. In New Delhi, all staff must be vaccinated and class sizes will be capped at 50 percent with staggered seating and sanitized desks.

In the capital only students in grades nine through 12 will be allowed to attend at first, though it is not compulsory. Some parents say they will be holding their children back, including Nalini Chauhan, who lost her husband to the coronavirus last year.

“That trauma is there for us

and that is what stops me from going out. We don’t go to malls.

We don’t go shopping. So why schools now?” she said.

Life has been slowly returning to normal in India after the trauma of a ferocious coronavirus surge earlier this year ground life in the country to a halt, sickened tens of millions, and left hundreds of thousands dead. A number of states returned last month to in person learning for some age groups.

Da i ly new infections have fallen sharply since their peak of more than 400,000 in May. But on Saturday, India recorded 46,000 new cases, the highest in nearly two months.

The uptick has raised questions over reopening schools, with some warning against it.

Others say the v ir us r isk to children remains low and opening schools is urgent for poorer students who lack access to the Internet, making online learning

nearly impossible.

“The simple answer is there is never a right time to do anything during a pandemic,” said Jacob John, professor of community medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore. “There is a risk, but life has to go on—and you can’t go on without schools.”

Online education remains a privilege in India, where only one in four children have access to the Internet and digital devices, according to UNICEF. The virtual classroom has deepened existing inequities, marking the haves from the have-nots, said Shavati Sharma Kukreja of Central Square Foundation, an education non-profit.

“W hile kids with access to smartphones and laptops have continued their learning with minimal disruption, those less privileged have effectively lost over a year of education,” she said.

A study released in January from A zim Premji University

surveying over 16,000 children found staggering levels of learning loss. Researchers found 92 percent of chi ld ren had lost crucial language skills, like being able to describe a picture or write simple sentences. Similarly, 82 percent of children surveyed lacked basic math skills they had learned the previous year.

For Giesem Raman, a teacher in a remote village in northeastern Manipur state, such data matches what he has seen in person. The small primary school where he works closed its doors for the second time in April. With no facilities for online lessons, classes haven’t taken place in any form.

When his students were briefly allowed back into school earlier this year, he said many had forgotten nearly everything they had learned.

“It saddens me to see how the future of these kids may have been destroyed,” he said. AP

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

UN says weather disasters soar in numbers, cost, but deaths fall

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ENEVA—Weatherdisasters are striking the world four to five times more often and causing seven times more damage than in the 1970s, the United Nations weather agency reports.

But these disasters are killing far fewer people. In the 1970s and 1980s, they killed an average of about 170 people a day worldwide.

In the 2010s, that dropped to about 40 per day, the World Meteorological Organization said in a report Wednesday that looks at more than 11,000 weather disasters in the past half-century.

The report comes during a disaster-filled summer globally, with the United States simultaneously struck by powerful Hurricane Ida and an onslaught of drought-worsened wildfires.

In the 1970s, the world averaged about 711 weather disasters a year, but from 2000 to 2009 that was up to 3,536 a year or nearly 10 a day, according to the report, which used data from the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters in Belgium. The average number of yearly disasters dropped a bit in the 2010s to 3,165, the report said.

Most death and damage during 50 years of weather disasters came from storms, flooding and drought.

More than 90 percent of the more than 2 million deaths are in what the UN considers developing nations, while nearly 60 percent of the economic damage occurred in richer countries.

In the 1970s, weather disasters cost about $175 million a year globally, when adjusted to 2019 dollars, the UN found. That increased to

$1.38 billion a year in the 2010s.

What’s driving the destruction is that more people are moving into dangerous areas as climate change is making weather disasters stronger and more frequent, UN disaster and weather officials said. Meanwhile, they said, better weather warnings and preparedness are lessening the death toll.

“The good news is we’re learning how to live with risk and protect ourselves,” said Susan Cutter, director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina, who wasn’t part of the report. “On the other hand, we’re still making stupid decisions about where we’re putting our infrastructure....But it’s OK. We’re not losing lives, we’re just losing stuff.”

Hurricane Ida is a good example of heavy damage and what will probably be less loss of life than past major hurricanes, Cutter said. This year, she added, weather disasters “seem to be coming every couple weeks,” with Ida, US wildfires and floods in Germany, China and Tennessee.

“The number of weather, climate and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

The five most expensive weather disasters since 1970 were all storms in the United States, topped by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. The five deadliest weather disasters were in Africa and Asia—topped by the Ethiopian drought and famine in the mid 1980s and Cyclone Bhola in Bangladesh in 1970. AP

US envoy John Kerry due to talk on climate with Chinese officials

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EIJING—Chinese and US officials plan to talk this week about reducing pollution by the world’s two largest economies—an area of potential cooperation between two governments whose relations are strained on other issues.

US climate envoy John Kerry is scheduled for meetings with counterparts from the Chinese government beginning Wednesday.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights, but the sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation.

The world’s biggest coal user, China obtains roughly 60 percent of its power from coal and is the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gases.

It plans to build more coal-fired power plants but still plans to taper its use of the fossil fuel.

Kerry made a stop in Japan on Tuesday to discuss climate issues with Japanese officials before heading to China.

Beijing has pointed to historical

US emissions as a reason to resist action while making advances in solar power and other renewable energy sources. China has set a target of generating 20 percent of the country’s total energy consumption from renewables by 2025, becoming carbon-neutral by 2060 and reducing total emissions starting from 2030.

President Joe Biden has announced a goal to cut up to 52 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions by 2030—double the target set by President Barack Obama in the 2015 Paris climate accord. The 2030 goal vaults the US into the top tier of countries on climate ambition.

Kerry has called for stronger efforts to curb rising temperatures to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels.

He urged China to join the US in urgently cutting carbon emissions.

Global decarbonizing efforts will come under the spotlight at a UN conference to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in late November, known as COP26. AP

Strong winds push California wildfire closer to Lake Tahoe S

OUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.— Flames raced across treetops and through drought-stricken vegetation as f iref ighters scrambled Wednesday to keep a growing California wildfire from reaching a resort city at the southern tip of Lake Tahoe after evacuation orders were expanded to neighboring Nevada.

Thick smoke from the Caldor Fire enveloped the city of South Lake Tahoe, which was all but deserted during a summer week usually bustling with tourists.

The National Weather Service warned that critical weather conditions through Wednesday could include extremely low

humidity, dr y fuel and gusts up to 30 mph (48 kph).

“With those winds, as it ran through the forest it created what’s called an active crown fire run, where the fire actually goes from treetop to treetop,” said Stephen Vollmer, a fire behavior analyst for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

He said embers were being cast up to a mile out in front of the fire, creating new ignition points, including in some parts of the dense forest that haven’t burned since 1940 or before.

The blaze was 3 miles (5 kilometers) outside of South Lake Tahoe by Tuesday afternoon, Cal

Fire Battalion Chief Henry Herrera told KGO-TV. A day earlier, roughly 22,000 residents jammed the city’s main artery for hours after they were ordered to leave as the fire advanced.

South Lake Tahoe city officials said only a handful of residents defied Monday’s evacuation order. But nearly everyone worried Tuesday about what the fire would do next.

Tom O’Connell and his wife, Linda, awaited the fate of their home while anchored on their sailboat in Ventura Harbor. The two-bedroom they’ve owned for 40 years survived the Angora Fire that destroyed about 250 houses

in 2007. They didn’t know if they’d be lucky again.

“You worry about the things you can have some control over,” O’Connell said. “We’ve no control over this.”

Pushed by strong winds, the Caldor Fire crossed two major highways and swept down slopes into the Tahoe Basin, where firefighters working in steep terrain were protecting remote cabins.

Cal Fire Division Chief Erich Schwab said some homes burned, but it was too early to know how many.

“The fire burned through there extremely fast, extremely hot. And we did the best that we could,” he

said Tuesday night.

Thick smoke prevented air firefighting operations periodically last week. But since then, nearly two-dozen helicopters and three air tankers dumped thousands of gallons of water and retardant on the fire, fire spokesman Dominic Polito said.

As flames moved toward the Heavenly ski resort on the California-Nevada border, officials turned on the mountain’s snowmaking machines. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Jed Gaines told KPIX-TV that spraying the slopes with water was “increasing the humidity level, it’s getting everything wet” so that if the fire starts climbing

“it’s able to slow it down.”

The Lake Tahoe area is usually a year-round recreational paradise offering beaches, water sports, hiking, ski resorts and golfing. South Lake Tahoe bustles with outdoor activities while just across the state border in Stateline, Nevada tourists can gamble at major casinos.

But on Tuesday, only a few doz en tou r i st s rem a i ned on the casino floor of the Montbleu Resort, Casino and Spa. The state board that controls gaming said that casino regulators were monitoring operations at the four largest gambling properties in the city. AP

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Taliban focus on governing after American withdrawal

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ABUL, Afghanistan—The Taliban reveled in their victory after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, reiterating their pledge Tuesday to bring peace and security to the country after decades of war. Their anxious citizens, meanwhile, are waiting to see what the new order looks like.

Having humbled the world’s most powerful military, the Taliban now face the challenge of governing a nation of 38 million people that relies heavily on international aid, and imposing some form of Islamic rule on a population that is far more educated and cosmopolitan than it was when the group last governed Afghanistan in the late 1990s.

Thousands who had worked with the US and its allies, as well as up to 200 Americans, remained in the country after the massive airlift ended with the last US soldiers flying out of Kabul international airport just before midnight Monday. President Joe Biden defended his handling of the withdrawal, saying the US government had reached out 19 times since March to encourage all American citizens in Afghanistan to leave.

Turbaned Taliban leaders flanked by fighters from the group’s elite Badri unit toured the airport Tuesday and posed for photos.

“Afghanistan is finally free,” Hekmatullah Wasiq, a top Taliban official, told The Associated Press on the tarmac. “Everything is peaceful. Everything is safe.”

He urged people to return to work and reiterated the Taliban’s offer of amnesty to all Afghans who had fought against the group over the last 20 years. “People have to be patient,” he said. “Slowly we will get everything back to normal. It will take time.”

A long-running economic crisis has worsened since the Taliban’s rapid takeover of the country in mid-August, with people crowding banks to maximize their daily withdrawal limit of about $200. Civil servants haven’t been paid in months and the local currency is losing value. Most of Afghanistan’s foreign reserves are held abroad and currently frozen.

“We keep coming to work but we are not getting paid,” said Abdul Maqsood, a traffic police officer on duty near the airport. He said he hasn’t received his salary in four months.

A major drought threatens the food supply, and thousands who fled during the Taliban’s lightning advance remain in squalid camps.

“Afghanistan is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Ramiz Alakbarov, the local UN humanitarian coordinator. He said $1.3 billion is needed for aid efforts, only 39 percent of which has been received.

The challenges the Taliban face in reviving the economy could give Western nations leverage as they push the group to fulfill a pledge to allow free travel, form an inclusive government and guarantee women’s rights. The Taliban say they want to have good relations with other countries, including the United States.

There are few signs of the draconian restrictions the Taliban imposed last time they were in power. Schools have reopened to boys and girls, though Taliban officials have said they will study separately. Women are out on the streets wearing Islamic headscarves—as they always have— rather than the all-encompassing burqa the Taliban required in the past.

“I am not afraid of the Taliban,” said Masooda, a fifth-grader, as she headed to school on Tuesday.

When the Taliban last ruled the country, from 1996 to 2001, they banned television, music and even photography, but there’s no sign of that yet. TV stations are still operating normally and the Taliban fighters themselves can be seen taking selfies around Kabul.

On Tuesday, the sound of dance music trickled out of an upscale wedding hall in Kabul, where a celebration was in full swing inside.

Shadab Azimi, the 26-year-old manager, said at least seven wedding parties had been held since the Taliban takeover, with festivities moved to daytime because of security concerns. He said the Taliban have yet to announce any restrictions on music, but that wedding singers have canceled out of caution, forcing him to use tapes.

Azimi said a Taliban patrol stops by a couple times a day, but only to ask if he needs help with security. Unlike the now-disbanded police of the toppled, Western-backed government, the Taliban don’t ask for bribes, he said.

“Former officials, including police officers, were always asking us for money and forcing us to host their friends for lunches and dinners,” he said. “This is one of the positive points of the Taliban.”

Abdul Waseeq, 25, runs a women’s clothing shop in downtown Kabul selling Western-style jeans and jackets. The Taliban have left him alone, but his clientele seems to have vanished and he’s concerned about the banking crisis.

“Most of our customers who were buying these kinds of clothes are gone, evacuated from Kabul,” he said.

For now, the Taliban appear less interested in imposing restrictions on daily life than in getting the country running again, a task that could prove challenging to fighters who have spent most of their lives waging an insurgency in the countryside.

They are expected to focus on the Kabul airport, where scenes of desperation and horror played out for weeks as tens of thousands fled in a massive US-led airlift.

Early Tuesday, the airport was littered with artifacts of the withdrawal. Inside the terminal were scattered piles of clothes, luggage and documents. Several CH-46 helicopters used by American forces were parked in a hangar. The US military says it disabled 27 Humvees and 73 aircraft before leaving.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid later said technical teams are “repairing and cleaning” the airport and advised people to avoid the area for the time being.

The Taliban have said they will allow people with legal documents to travel freely, but it remains to be seen whether any commercial airlines will be willing to offer service. The Taliban are expected to hold talks with Qatar and Turkey on resuming airport operations.

“I hope you will be very cautious in dealing with the nation,” Mujahid said in a speech at the airport, addressing the Taliban fighters gathered there. “Our nation has suffered war and invasion, and the people do not have more tolerance.”

At the end of his remarks, the fighters shouted: “God is greatest!”

Despite billions of dollars in Western aid over the past two decades, more than half of Afghans survive on less than a dollar a day. For the poorest, the change from one ruling system to another hardly matters in their daily struggle to survive.

Sal Mohammad, 25, collects scrap metal and sells it to support his wife and 2-year-old daughter. On a good day, he makes about $5.

“I don’t feel that anything has changed in my life since the Taliban took over Kabul,” he said. “I don’t care about any of them, neither the Taliban, nor the government, nor the US. I would like peace in my country, nothing more.” AP

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UN chief urges countries to help Afghans in ‘darkest hour of need’

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NITED NATIONS—The United Nations chief urged all nations to help the people of Afghanistan “in their darkest hour of need,” saying Tuesday that almost half the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive and the country faces the threat of basic services collapsing completely.

Secretar y- Genera l A ntonio Guterres expressed “grave concern at the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country” in a statement on the first day of Taliban rule after the withdrawal of the last US forces from Afghanistan.

He offered some grim statistics of the looming “humanitarian catastrophe”: 18 million Afghans need aid to survive, one in three don’t know where their next meal will come from, over half of all children under age 5 are expected to become “acutely malnourished” in the next year, and every day people are losing access to basic goods and services.

“Amid a severe drought and with harsh winter conditions on the horizon, extra food, shelter and health supplies must be urgently fast-tracked into the country,” Guterres said.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the current $1.3 billion UN humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan is only 39 percent funded.

Guterres said a new emergency appeal for the next four months is expected next week.

“For us,” Dujarric said, “the day after is just another day in Kabul.

We’ve been present in Afghanistan for over 60 years, and we are remaining and standing shoulder to shoulder with the Afghan people.”

He said a UN assessment team went out in Kabul on Tuesday.

While aid operations have not been able to resume in the capital, he said, a World Health Organization plane with supplies was able to land in Mazar-e-Sharif in the north on Monday and the World Food Program has also been able to resume operations in the country.

With the Taliban now in control of the country, Dujarric said the secretary-general would like to see, and hopes the international community would like to see, “the formation of an inclusive government, full respect for human rights...especially when it comes

Afghan families sit outside their tents in an open area on the outskirts of Chaman, a border town in the Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province, on August 31, 2021. Dozens of Afghan families have crossed into Pakistan through the southwestern Chaman border a day after the US wrapped up its 20-year military presence in the Taliban-controlled country. AP

to women, and to ensure that the hard won gains of especially the last two decades do not evaporate, and ensuring that Afghanistan is not used as a base for terrorism.”

As Afghanistan embarks on a new future, Pramila Patten, the acting head of UN Women, urged the Taliban to reaffirm their commitment to comply with Afghanistan’s 2004 constitution and international treaties that guarantee equality to all citizens, and to guarantee “the full and equal participation of women in the political and decision-making processes.”

Patten said in a statement the hard-won gains that Afghan women’s rights activists have fought for “cannot be reversed or rolled back.”

“Urgent action is needed now

to ensure the full participation of women in the public and political life of Afghanistan,” she said, and the Taliban must ensure that women are protected from genderbased threats and attacks, “which violate their rights and impede their effective participation.”

In a joint statement, Virginia Gamba, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, and Najat Maalla M’jid, the special representative on violence against children, said at least 45 percent of the Afghan population is younger than 15.

They called on the Taliban and other parties in Afghanistan to respect the dignity and human rights of all Afghans, including boys and girls. AP

Black men executed in 1951 rape granted posthumous pardons

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ICHMOND, Va.—Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons Tuesday to seven Black men who were executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman, in a case that attracted pleas for mercy from around the world and in recent years has been denounced as an example of racial disparity in the use of the death penalty.

Northam announced the pardons after meeting with about a dozen descendants of the men and their advocates. Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam’s announcement.

The “Martinsville Seven,” as the men became known, were all convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who had gone to a predominantly black neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia, on January 8, 1949, to collect money for clothes she had sold.

Four of the men were executed in Virginia’s electric chair on Feb. 2, 1951. Three days later, the remaining three were also electrocuted. All of them were tried by all-white juries. It was the largest group of people executed for a single-victim crime in Virginia’s history.

At the time, rape was a capital offense. But Northam said Tuesday that the death penalty for rape was applied almost exclusively to Black people. From 1908—when Virginia began using the electric chair—to 1951, state records show that all 45 people executed for rape were Black, he said. The pardons do not address the guilt or innocence of the men, but Northam said the pardons are an acknowledgement that they did not receive due process and received a “racially-biased death sentence not similarly applied to white defendants.”

“These men were executed because they were Black, and that’s not right,” Northam said.

Rose Grayson, niece of Francis DeSales Grayson, top, comforts James Grayson, son of Francis DeSales Grayson, left, and Rudy MCollum, great nephew of Francis DeSales Grayson, one of the Martinsville Seven, after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued posthumous pardons for Grayson and the other six members during a ceremony inside the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, Va. on August 31, 2021. Gov. Northam granted posthumous pardons to seven Black men who were executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman, in a case that attracted pleas for mercy from around the world and in recent years has been denounced as an example of racial disparity in the use of the death penalty. Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP

“Their punishment did not fit the crime. They should not have been executed,” he added.

All seven men were convicted and sentenced to death within eight days. Northam said some of the defendants were impaired at the time of their arrests or unable to read confessions they signed.

He said none of the men had attorneys present while they were interrogated.

Before their executions, protesters picketed at the W hite House, and the governor’s office received letters from around the world asking for mercy.

James Walter Grayson is the son of Francis DeSales Grayson, who was one of the seven. He sobbed loudly when Northam told the family members he would grant the pardons after meeting with them Tuesday. “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord,” he said, as he wept while being embraced by two other descendants of the men.

Grayson said he was four years old when his father was executed.

“It means so much to me,” he said of the pardon.

“I remember the very day the police came to the door. He kissed us and they took him away,” he told The Associated Press in an interview after the announcement.

Rudolph McCollum Jr., a former Richmond mayor who is the greatnephew of Francis DeSales Grayson and the nephew of another one of the executed men, Booker T. Millner, told Northam the executions represent “a wound that continues to mar Virginia’s history and the efforts to move beyond its dubious past.” He wept when Northam announced he would pardon the men.

In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. Their petition does not argue that the men were innocent, but says their trials were unfair

and the punishment was extreme and unjust.

“The Martinsville Seven were not given adequate due process ‘simply for being black,’ they were sentenced to death for a crime that a white person would not have been executed for ‘simply for being black,’ and they were killed, by the Commonwealth, ‘simply for being black,’ “ the advocates wrote in their letter to Northam.

The seven men, most in their late teens or early 20s, were: Grayson, Millner, Frank Hairston Jr.; Howard Lee Hairston; James Luther Hairston; Joe Henry Hampton; and John Clabon Taylor.

Eric W, Rise, an associate professor at the University of Delaware who wrote a 1995 book on the case: “The Martinsville Seven: Race, Rape, and Capital Punishment,” said Floyd told police she was raped by a large group of Black men and testified at all six trials.

Two of the men were tried together.

All seven men signed statements admitting they were present during the attack, but they had no access to their parents or attorneys at the time, Rise said.

“The validity of the confessions were one of the things their defense attorneys brought up at the trials,” Rise said.

Four of the men testified in their own defense. Rise said two men said they had consensual sex with her, one man denied any involvement, and another man said he was so intoxicated he could not remember what happened.

Northam has now granted a total of 604 pardons since taking office in 2018, more than the previous nine governors combined, his administration announced Tuesday.

“This is about righting wrongs,” Northam said. “We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it right—no matter who you are or what you look like,” he said. AP

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Mission Afghanistan:

Development Interrupted

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

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Photos M ​ artin Hilario L. Mapolon

a-boom. And humanitarian worker Martin Hilario Mapolon saw the streets below from his room at Park Palace, one of the United Nations (UN)-approved guesthouses in Afghanistan.

Herat City

declared hot zones and you won’t be able to go to these places or leave the compound.” Albert said adding he couldn’t even go out for a haircut.

Buying necessities, he said, would also have to be done through drivers and other staff in the compound. This, of course means, not being able to get what you need immediately.

“You had to wait the next day to receive the items.”

Turning-off Afghans

UN Flag with gun emplacement in the Background–Herat, Afghanistan

“I was standing in the middle of the room when the [wall] vanished,” Mapolon told the BusinessMirror last week, almost eight years after a car bomb exploded 50 meters away from the guesthouse he was staying.

Mapolon, a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan, believed luck played a factor for survival, especially for development workers like him until Wednesday, when the last of American troops left Kabul.

Luck is an ace in the sleeve as, Mapolon told the BusinessMirror, development workers are targeted.

“The reason why we are targeted is because we are actually working for the government; we’re working for the ministry and the ministry is a target,” he explained. “And so these people who are embedded in the offices, in the Afghan ministries, are the ones who are actually enduring all the possible security risks.”

Amid the risks, Mapolon said they never wavered, and hoped, that their contribution mattered in the development of Afghan society.

Military garrison

AN assignment like Afghanistan required nothing less than nerves of steel. Mapolon also said removing the word “panic” in one’s vocabulary is also a must.

He recounted a time when he was stationed at Green Village, a popular area where foreign workers were lodged in Afghanistan. While the compound was self-contained and had all the necessary amenities— supermarkets, banks, a social hall, football fields, and salons, to name

HERAT Multi Agency Center (UN compound)

a few—it was nothing more than a military garrison.

Mapolon said lockdowns would be implemented from time to time due to threats of attacks. The walled compound also had a massive 10-meter wide and 3-meter tall gate as protection.

However, one time, an attack did occur. Mapolon said the residents were all inside when a bomb blew up the gate like it was nothing but “a can of sardines.”

Aside from luck, Mapolon said presence of mind was important in carrying out their duties. One time, he and two other colleagues were talking in a parking lot and they noticed that the police arrested three men.

After the men were taken away by the police, they approached the officers to ask why the men were arrested. The police told them they were suicide bombers because they found explosives among their possessions. Mapolon and his colleagues froze since they were only two meters away from the suicide bombers.

He said there were also stories in the field where a random stranger riding a motorcycle emptied the magazine of a 9-millimeter gun on the window of a UN armored vehicle. While the rounds did not penetrate the vehicle, Mapolon said, one can only imagine the terror the passenger must have felt while being fired at close range.

Ernie Wijangco

IN his years working for the UN, specifically the United Nations Environmental Program (Unep), the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization, Ernie Wijangco said he sometimes had to go through great lengths

Bamyan, Afghanistan

just to radio in his location.

Since his work required him to stay in villages, Wijangco said he had to check in with the UN by satellite phone at a designated time every morning. Sometimes, Wijangco had to climb to the highest area in the village just to get a signal for his satellite phone.

Failure to check could send military personnel to his last known location in an attempt to rescue him or secure his safety. If this happens unintentionally and just because of a failure to check in, Wijangco said his development efforts would be compromised because villagers would come to fear for their lives.

This will be difficult since part of Wijangco’s work involved building rapport with communities.

There were times he would stay in a village for several nights, building rapport and getting (a sense of) the needs of the people in

managing local natural resources.

“From there I go back to Kabul and be in the ministry,” Wijangco told the BusinessMirror. “So there was a lot of interaction or iterative learning from the field into the ministries again in aid of policy and also rules and regulations to implement the policies.”

Needs delivery

BASED on his experience as a consultant for UN agencies, such as the UN Population Fund (Unfpa) and the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef), as well as the World Bank, Jose Ramon G. Albert said security was very tight whenever he would go to Afghanistan.

Albert, Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Research Fellow, said he would usually stay in a compound and be unable to see real life unfold on the streets of Afghanistan. He

remembers just being brought to and from the Central Statistics Organization (CSO)—the equivalent of the Philippines’s former National Statistics Office—to do his work. He said every time he would enter these areas, he would go through a thorough security check.

Albert said that, unfortunately, security in Afghanistan never improved despite the many years that western countries and development agencies have been helping the country. Albert and Wijangco agreed, however, that the airport was one of the major development in Afghanistan.

“You feel like you are in a war zone. Everybody has a gun in the street. It’s very ordinary to have guns. You always see armored cars,” Albert recounted.

“Movement is limited. There are times certain areas would be

FOOD w ithin the compound, Albert said, would mean telling the cook what to prepare for you morning, noon and night.

This would have to be done in advance to give the cook ample time to prepare the food. This is also necessary to ensure that there were ingredients available to prepare the food included in a consultant’s menu.

Further, Mapolon said that all consultants also had to wear body armor to protect them in case of emergency. However, like Wijangco, he found that this turned off Afghan workers and prevented them from understanding the state of play in the country.

With this, other Filipinos whom Mapolon worked with decided to remove body armors when they got to the ministry to prevent scaring the other staff. This was no different from women removing their burkas when they reached the office to sport normal clothing and hijabs on their heads.

It was also difficult to answer questions from A fghans who asked why people like Mapolon are protected unlike them.

“Are you more special than us that you are wearing body armor and we are not?” some Afghans would ask.

Armed bodyguards

MAPOLON also said this is why he found some security measures put in place for development workers were quite over the top in the sense that it prevented consultants from doing their job efficiently and comfortably.

He said one example was a group of consultants for a “foreign power” who not only sported body armors while walking around the ministry but were also accompanied by three bodyguards each “armed to the teeth.”

“They look weird to say the least to roam around the ministry with their bodyguards and in their body armor,” Mapolon said.

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Thursday, September 2, 2021

“We left our [body] armor inside our offices when we worked with them (Afghans) because it’s easier to communicate.”

be lost. This sector is not in the radar of the current regime.”

He lamented that when he left Afghanistan a few years ago, he had high hopes for the country, especially because many more young Afghans were able to study.

In fact, just before the fall of Kabul, he knew of a former colleague who was about to leave for Europe to take post-graduate studies. The future of that young Afghan could be in jeopardy given what is happening to his country.

Mapolon, however, believes that Afghans still had a choice on how to turn this situation in their favor. The Afghan people are resilient and have an inner strength that he hoped would carry them through their adversities.

‘Losing face’

MAPOLON said the Afghan heart is easy enough to tame.

He said that being Asians, Filipinos understood the Afghans better than citizens from western countries. He said the common heritage and shared Asian values have endeared Filipinos to Afghans.

He said this is the reason many Filipinos are endeared among Afghans. When one says he is Filipino, “smiles would break out” because the Afghans also knew the heart of Filipinos. Mapolon said Filipinos respect Afghans and would not do anything that would cause them to “lose face.”

Similar to Filipinos, Mapolon said, Afghan families are close knit. He said going to certain hot zones in Afghanistan could be similar to going to places like Patikul, Sulu, where the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front could be part of just one family.

Mapolon recounted one time when an Afghan associate invited them to a hot zone. They refused to go because of the restrictions.

But the Afghan national insisted and told them his cousin is Taliban.

“He will take care of you.”

“The reality dawns upon you that it’s only us that segregates and separates things,” Mapolon said. “But when you go there, it’s just one culture, it’s just one country and everyone is interrelated.”

Friend to Afghans

BEING a friend to an Afghan, Mapolon said, meant being greeted with an embrace and three kisses.

Acceptance of a foreign worker by an Afghan also meant sharing meals with them or holding hands with them on the street.

He admitted the latter was a bit awkward but that was how it was in Afghan culture.

But one crucial benefit of capturing the Afghan heart is truth.

Mapolon said when Afghans accept you, they start opening up and would be more generous in providing the real situation and problems they face. This would greatly aid in their development work.

“You can imagine a lot of workers there, they are not actually being shown what the problems are except they’re being asked to provide computers, television sets, cars and that’s what they think the Afghans are after. But when you break that wall, then you see what the problems really are and then they work with you, now you can see ‘My God, these people know a lot, much more than I know’,” Mapolon said.

“You start there feeling that you know everything and suddenly you are humbled because you realize they have been doing this for a long time and they know what they’re doing. Maybe, if we take development from their point of view, from how they see their development, maybe we could have helped a lot more,” he explained.

On the ground

ALBERT said one of the things that attracted him to development work in Afghanistan was to find out what the real situation was on the ground. He also wanted to understand the Afghan people and know the reasons they didn’t like the Americans or why some prefer the Talibans than the Americans.

If there is one thing about the Afghan people is that they were very friendly. Albert recounted one time that he celebrated his birthday in Afghanistan.

Albert said the staff exerted effort to buy him ice cream to celebrate. This was, of course, not common fare for Afghans and so it was a treat not only for him but for all the staff in the ministry where he was assigned.

He also recounted that Afghan

Jose Ramon G. Albert (third from left) poses with some of his students in Afghanistan in 2013. Jose Ramon Albert

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Jose Ramon G. Albert (center) offering ideas to a student in Afghanistan in 2013. Jose Ramon Albert

Development seeds

With an Afghan Guard Circa 2014

Afghans in UP Diliman

debt approach.”

“But UNDP is only one of the players. So eventually we were thinking—I am thinking—it’s high time that it’s a “whole-ofsociety” approach toward development,” Mapolon said.

people were very eager learners.

This was one of the most important characteristics that he felt was a strong point of the Afghan people. However, due to the armed conflict, many Afghans are unable to go to school or complete their studies. This has led to severe incapacities.

Time, trust

Religious sector

ALBERT said some government workers he taught in Afghanistan are good people.

They are capable of understanding and implementing the lessons.

But for the majority of them, it would be difficult.

This could have been due to the fact that while Afghanistan is a country that is very old but in its more recent history, very little development progress has been achieved.

Wijangco said in the 1960s and 1970s, Afghanistan was a lot like the Philippines. It was mini-skirts and bell bottoms all the way. But along with the fashion came a growing ferment in the country that led to a lot of demonstrations and discussions.

He said the social grumbling focused on issues with a “deeply religious sector” that had a stronghold in rural areas. There were also questions on whether or not to continue the monarchy and a republican government where democracy was taking root.

But the ferment, in Wijangco’s opinion, was left unresolved because by the early 1970s, Russia invaded Afghanistan that started the period of the jihad. When the Russians pulled out of Afghanistan after 10 years, the factions fighting the Russians were already fighting each other.

This has largely affected the lives of Afghans, leaving many of them poorly educated, according to Wijangco.

“People would go to class and at the middle of the day, there would be a lot of in fighting, bombing and mortar shells exploding all over,” he said.

“The professors will dismiss the class safety concerns then by the fourth year, what to do with the students, well, let’s just give them a degree,” Wijangco added.

Talibans, women

THE situation did not improve because after the Russians, the

The Original UNDP CAP Team in Kabul Circa 2008-United Colors of Development

Talibans came into power.

The Talibans were in control of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Women were disenfranchised as they were not allowed to go to universities.

Nonetheless, Wijangco said progress ensued when the Talibans were “pushed out of the country.”

Afghans who completed their degrees were given the reins of government. Among the tasks they had to perform were upholding a new constitution. Wijangco noted that this document was hardly read even by some of the government personnel that time because of political instability.

It was the task of consultants like him to help the Afghan people create systems and implement their laws and regulations.

Wijangco’s role was to provide advice on the Afghan environment law, which focuses state policies concerning the green, blue and brown sectors.

The vast resources of the country, which Mapolon described as composed of a trillion-dollar worth of minerals, just sat untapped. Afghanistan could not even use these resources to benefit their own people.

Wijangco said efforts should be exerted to help the Afghans to not only use their resources but also preserve what they have.

He lamented that Afghanistan had a pistachio belt or an area with just pistachio trees.

This was untapped after the price of the commodity declined and farmers had no choice but to sell the trees as lumber. This resource, if preserved, could have been a major source of income for the country allowing them to help

more of their citizens live better, according to Wijangco.

Integrated, interrelated

THE difficulties Afghans experience and their other development challenges made westerners and other development workers feel more superior than the Afghans.

Looking back, Mapolon said, this may have been a grave mistake on the part of the development workers who went to Afghanistan.

Mapolon said it was difficult to be thrust into development work not because the country was Afghanistan but because there were many coordination issues. Likewise, the development perspective did not come from Afghans themselves.

Mainly, what was done was for the development agencies to “dictate” their agenda on the Afghans.

In terms of coordination, Mapolon admitted that while efforts of UN agencies were coordinated because of the “One UN” approach, there were many development agencies working in Afghanistan.

These efforts, however, operated separately risking much overlap in the development work.

According to Mapolon, they were not allowed to look at the place “that we worked in from a holistic point of view; from an integrated and interrelated point of view.”

“I think that’s what we missed there in Afghanistan. So that if ever I can get back there, once and for all, can we look at the Afghans and can we do development from the point of view of what they think they need not from the point of view of what we think they need?,” Mapolon said.

He noted that that is UNDP development approach; the capacity

MAPOLON told the BusinessMirror that sustainability issues hound development work in Afghanistan.

He lamented there were times when project cycles were not even completed because of the duration of the project. It was common for projects to end in the third year, time enough to only gain the trust of their Afghan counterparts and craft strategies but not implement them, Mapolon explained.

Mapolon said that at one time, they brought Afghans to Manila to study the Philippines labor, employment and vocational training efforts. The Afghans were excited and even had high hopes that the strategies being done in Manila could also be replicated in their country, he said.

But, the project was not implemented.

“It’s frustrating for development workers because we wanted results; we wanted sustainable results. We felt in the end that to have developed capacity would have entailed a holistic effort by all the development workers. And together have one strategy and work from the ground up and the top down,” Mapolon said. “In the end I felt we were not able to consolidate the gains that we started.

I wanted to go back, I still want to go back even if the Talibans are there.”

Uncertain future

WIJANGCO, Mapolon and Albert believe it was difficult to predict how a second Taliban regime would affect development in the country. They were disheartened about how things have turned out, how their development efforts have been wasted.

Wijangco said despite all his hard work in the villages, helping communities conserve their resources, recent events may just have trampled on their past efforts. “Great strides were achieved by all parties working towards rehabilitating the country’s natural resources and the momentum will

UNDER a new dispensation, the Afghans can actually look at their situation as a “reset button,” which can be used to create an inclusive government and development direction. This is if the new set of leaders is true to pronouncements they don’t want Afghans to leave and that they are pushing for inclusivity in their country.

Mapolon hopes the Afghans would have something to start anew with the seeds of development he and hundred others planted. He said he always believed and cited in UNDP records the 11 thesis of Karl Marx on Lugwig Feuerbach that stated that “philosophers have always interpreted the world; the point, however, is to change it.”

However, he admitted these seeds may not be enough given that development workers were already at a disadvantage when they were there given short contracts.

It is because of this that all three of them want to go back to Afghanistan to continue the work they have been doing. Albert, for one, is willing to go back but only if the institution he works for will guarantee his safety.

Wijangco believes the work should continue especially because Afghanistan is located “in a region where temperate and tropical biomes overlap.” “[Afghanistan is in] a biologically-important and threatened region that must be conserved and protected.”

Enjoying resources

WIJANGCO added that a crucial effort to achieving this is effective policy implementation. Furthermore, facilitating a blend of science and local or community self-governance of these resources will be the driving force to conserve and protect Afghanistan’s natural heritage.

“This [the return of Talibans to power] is abrupt change; this is a shock. But this shock can be used as an opportunity to actually build, rebuild the country from, not from scratch, the bits and pieces of it that actually remain,” Mapolon said. “And in this sense, all the more that we need development workers in Afghanistan to work, not to dictate their systems.”

He, however, said development workers are not supposed “to tell them what to do: we’re supposed to provide them tools; give them tools.”

“If they can use the tools, they would be the ones to deploy the tools so that they can change their own country. If we leave now, if we do not take advantage of this opportunity, all the lives lost, all the efforts could have been for naught.”

With tears, Mapolon continued: “It’s like the proverbial Phoenix that rises from the ashes where everything is destroyed but out of the destruction can spring a new hope.”

“Diyos ko, kwarenta anyos na ang giyera. [My God, the war has been going on for 40 years.] Maybe it’s about time that Afghans enjoy [their natural resources]. And maybe this time, we can do the right thing.”

BusinessMirror

A10 Thursday, September 2, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

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

HAN, FENG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 1.

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

SU, ZHENGTONG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 2.

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

VONG NI VANH Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking 3.

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

LI, ZHIJUN Mandarin Customer Service Representative 4.

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

LIN, YILING Mandarin Customer Service Representative 5.

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

YI, NA Mandarin Customer Service Representative 6.

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

ZHOU, KUN Mandarin Customer Service Representative 7.

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

CHEN, AYAN Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 8.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

JIANG, SHILIANG Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 9.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

QI, GUOXIANG Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 10.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

WU, CHUANJUN Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 11.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

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

YAP SOOK YIN Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 12.

HENALDO NOVARO MANDAGI Business Development Consultant 13.

14.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analysing customer needs

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management.

15.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DENG, JUJU Chinese Customer Service

16.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DOAN CONG LUAT Chinese Customer Service

17.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries GUO, YUJIN Chinese Customer Service

18.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LE HOANG SON TUNG Chinese Customer Service

19.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LE NU HOANG YEN Chinese Customer Service

20.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries NGUYEN HONG NGOC Chinese Customer Service

21.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, DONGYANG Chinese Customer Specialist

22.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management.

Brief Job Description: Overall responsibility and accountability for development and maintenance of software projects.

BAI, YANG Chinese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analysing customer needs

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

No.

CHEN, JIANZHOU Customer Service Representative 25.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor's degree Holder, Can understand and speak Bahasa.

Basic Qualification: Bachelors degree in IT or related course.

Proven experience in software development methodologies.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

26.

27.

28.

29.

Brief Job Description: To assist customers regarding their queries and promotions

30.

31.

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

24.

Brief Job Description: Take the lead in the development of the business plan, including the financial budget plus; Also providing direction on the key operating principles.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

LIU, JUNJIE Chinese IT Support Specialist

32.

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

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

ZHANG, NI Chinese IT Support Specialist

33.

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

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware LIM ZEE SIANG IT Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in korean language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

35.

Basic Qualification: Must have a 10 years experience on hotel management and an MBA on hospitality management.

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

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

TANG KIE LING IT Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management.

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware

HUANG, ZHIXIONG Chinese IT Support Specialist

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

AYALALAND HOTELS AND RESORTS CORP. 3rd Flr. Alveo Corporate Ctr. 728 28th St. Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

HICKEY, BRETT PATRICK Group General Manager

Basic Qualification: Must be willing to attend meeting, sales events and trainings to keep Brief Job Description: abreast of the latest The primary function of a project coordinator is developments; Must be to make sure projects run smoothly. Coordinating willing to work on field. project schedules, resources, equipment and information.

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

HU, XINXIN Chinese IT Support Specialist

34.

23.

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

Basic Qualification: Must be willing to attend meeting, sales events and trainings to keep Brief Job Description: abreast of the latest The primary function of a project coordinator is developments; Must be to make sure projects run smoothly. Coordinating willing to work on field. project schedules, resources, equipment and information.

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

CHEN, QIUJI Chinese IT Support Specialist

ASIAN TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INC. 11/f Tower 2 Double Dragon, Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

PARK, JAESEONG Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: School graduate in Chinese , can speak and write fluent Chinese mandarin can operate mandarin characters

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

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

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

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

ZHANG, LE Project Coordinator

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

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

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative (CSR)

Basic Qualification: School graduate in chinese , can speak and write fluent chinese mandarin can operate mandarin characters

WANG, GUOFENG Project Coordinator

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

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

C'EST LA VIE EVENT MANAGEMENT INC. 230 Narra Street Marikina Heights Marikina City

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

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

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

ZHANG, HAIXIN Customer Service Representative

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

BILLION DRAGON OUTSOURCE PHILS., INC. One Townsquare Place Bpo Bldg. Alabang Zapote Rd. Almanza Uno Las Piñas City

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analysing customer needs

Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management.

Brief Job Description: Advises on matters regarding the opening of store Salary Range: locations.

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

MANEPALLI, BALA BALAJI GUPTA Software Engineering Line Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analysing customer needs

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

AMDOCS PHILIPPINES INC. 23rd, 25th, And 26th Floors Eco Tower 32nd St. Cor. 9th Ave. Bonifacio Global City Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analysing customer needs.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

ALFAMART TRADING PHILIPPINES, INC. Sm Corporate Office Bldg. E J.w. Diokno Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knows how to recommend potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analysing customer needs.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from clients and troubleshoot customer technical problems with computer software and hardware.

TEOW SEE MEI IT Support Specialist 36.

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist shall answer incoming phone calls from 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

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

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

COCA-COLA BEVERAGES PHILIPPINES, INC. 28th/f Six/neo Bldg. 5th Ave. Cor. 26th St. Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

37.

Basic Qualification: At least 15-20 years of work experience in a matrixed global MC GEOWN, GARETH PAUL organization. Strong President & Chief Executive Officer leadership skills to lead senior management Brief Job Description: and to manage internal Responsible for leading the planning, execution and external conflicts and achievement of the Company’s overall with overall bottling strategic and operational plans, as guided by, and experience of 15+ years aligned with Coca-Cola Bottling Investment Group

No.

49.

DAXIFA CORPORATION Mpire Center 93 West Avenue Project 7 Bungad 1 Quezon City

38.

Basic Qualification: Ability to communicate fluently in Mandarin Chinese with customers

Brief Job Description: Delivering excellent customer service & managing Salary Range: the needs of customer through phone calls and Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 emails

Brief Job Description: A customer service representative supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. They’re the front line of support for clients and customers and they help ensure that customers are satisfied with products, services, and features.

ZHAO, TINGTING Customer Service Representative

50.

Brief Job Description: A customer service representative supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints. They’re the front line of support for clients and customers and they help ensure that customers are satisfied with products, services, and features.

DEXIN INTERNATIONAL IMPORT AND EXPORT CORP. 534 Tomas Mapua St. 029 Bgy. 298 Santa Cruz Manila XIANG, QINPING Chinese Cargo Office Agent 39.

Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and custom documentation

Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentation

HUANG, JIANMING Marketing And Sales Agent 40.

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

LI, ZHI Marketing And Sales Agent 41.

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

MALDONADO JIMENEZ DE JAZMIN, BELKYS MARLENYS Multilingual Vetting Specialist (Spanish) 51.

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

52.

42.

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

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

43.

Brief Job Description: In charge of operations department and human resources department.

HUANG, CHING-FU Deputy Manager 44.

Brief Job Description: In charge of operations department and human resources department.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor's/Master's Degree with previous experience of working in a similar position.

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

54.

45.

Brief Job Description: Organize promotions and events for company clients.

TAO, SI Mandarin Marketing Specialist

46.

Brief Job Description: Organize promotions and events for company clients.

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin.

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

55.

47.

Brief Job Description: planning and defining scope of the project

56.

57.

48.

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service

QIN, YAO Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff 58.

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service TRAN THI NGUYET Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff

Basic Qualification: demonstrable experience in marketing together with the potential and attitude required to learn

59.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business administration or economics a minimum of 7 years general affairs environment and higher management experience in construction and electronic company preferred fluent in Japanese and preferred English speaker Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service WANG, LU Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff

FUJITA CORPORATION-PHILIPPINE BRANCH OFFICE U-14a Chatham House 118 Valero St. Bel-air Makati City

Brief Job Description: Supervising day to day operations of the administrative department and staff member.

Hiring and training & evaluation of employees and taking corrective action when necessary.

Developing, reviewing and improving administrative systems, policies and procedures.

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service

LI, SILIN Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff

60.

YAMAMOTO, NARAI Admin Manager

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service

LI, JIAQING Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff

FUJIAN ELECTRIC POWER ENGINEERING COMPANY 5 West Lawin Phil-am 1 Quezon City XIAO, XIAOMING Chinese Technical Supervisor

Brief Job Description: Integrate effective change management and training techniques

CHENG, CAIXIA Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Must be well-versed in computer programs such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel, and must possess excellent verbal and written English and Spanish communication skills

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service

ZHANG, LIANGLIANG Chinese Speaking Customer Service Staff 61.

Brief Job Description: Provide outstanding and exceptional customer service

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

62.

Brief Job Description: Provide strategic and professional experience to the Construction Team

Basic Qualification: Degree in engineering, building science or related field Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower C4 Rd. Edsa Ext. Brgy. 076 Pasay City CHEN, LIANCAI Chinese Customer Service 63.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HE, QIBIN Chinese Customer Service

64.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, XUFEI Chinese Customer Service

65.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LU, MEIYING Chinese Customer Service 66.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

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

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate. Fluent in Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Mandarin Language.

Excellent Communication skils. Atleast 1 year direct marketing experience.

LUO, DONGHU Chinese Customer Service 67.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate. Fluent in Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Mandarin Language.

Excellent Communication skils. Atleast 1 year Team Leader experience.

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

Basic Qualification: 1o yrs. financial services experience

68.

69.

70.

71.

72.

73.

74.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

ZHANG, FEILONG Chinese Customer Service 75.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHAO, HAIFENG Chinese Customer Service

76.

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LIN, XIAOQUN Customer Service Representative 77.

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

YAO, BING Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

YANG, XUEHAI Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, ZHIWEN Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, CHAO Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WAN, LU Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Can speak Chinese/ Mandarin fluently

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

ONG HYAN WEI Chinese Customer Service

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

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

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN NGOC HA Chinese Customer Service

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

MARKETROLE ASIA PACIFIC SERVICES, INC. 26/f, 27/f, 28/f The Enterprise Center Tower 1 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City

FLYING FUTURE SERVICES INC. 3/f Salcedo One Center 170 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City HU, SHUAI Mandarin Marketing Specialist

Brief Job Description: Provides help to management, including hiring and training, and keeps management updated on team performance. Communicate concerns and policies among management and team members.

SHARMA, SACHIN Process Improvement Manager, Vice President

Basic Qualification: Bachelor's/Master's Degree with previous experience of working in a similar position.

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

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

THOMAS, JORIS Chief Project Advisor

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.- PHILIPPINE GLOBAL SERVICE CENTER 23/f Net Plaza 31st St. E-square Zone Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

FIRST COMMERCIAL BANK, LTD., MANILA BRANCH Unit 2&3 20/f Tower 6789 6789 Ayala Ave. Bel-air Makati City FUNG, YUAN-FU Deputy Manager

Brief Job Description: Responsible for establishing and maintaining profitable relationships with customer on behalf of the company by taking personal and complete responsibility for each customer contact and by ensuring that all customer requirements are completely met.

MU, FUNA Mandarin Team Leader 53.

XU, TENG Marketing And Sales Agent

Brief Job Description: Ensure that applications for the issuance of certificates made by customers meet the Company's strict security and guidelines

WANG, DAFU Mandarin Collection Officer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas, and research to help develop marketing strategies; can help to detail, design, and implement marketing plans for each product or service being offered.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

MDBI CONSTRUCTION CORP. 7/f Mdc Corporate Center Radian St., Arca South Western Bicutan Taguig City

HENTSON BUSINESS CONSULTANCY INC. Unit Ug-8 Cityland Herrera Tower 98 V.a. Rufino Cor. Valero Sts. Bel-air Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can contributes information, ideas, and research to help develop marketing strategies; can help to detail, design, and implement marketing plans for each product or service being offered.

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls

No.

GMO GLOBALSIGN INC. Units 7&8, 23/f Zuellig Bldg. Makati Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas Urdaneta Makati City

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

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503 Nueva St Binondo Manila

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

GATEWAYSOLUTIONS CORP. Unit 2306 Antel Global Corporate Center Julia Vargas Ave. Ortigas Center, San Antonio Pasig City

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

GAO, YAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

LIU, YUANCHAO Customer Service Representative

Thursday, September 2, 2021 A11

Brief Job Description: Customer service

TANG, JIAJIA Customer Service Representative 78.

Brief Job Description: Customer service

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

BusinessMirror

A12 Thursday, September 2, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ZHANG, JINGJING Customer Service Representative

79.

Brief Job Description: Customer service

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin / basic English

80.

Brief Job Description: Prepare and deliver promotional presentations.

93.

Basic Qualification: College graduate; Fluent in English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

94.

81.

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

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

82.

CHU THI THUY LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with good oral and written communication skills

95.

83.

Brief Job Description: To assist all Korean clients inquiry, explain legal documents & regulation to clients.

96.

84.

Brief Job Description: organize promotions and events for company clients LIAO, ZIH-WEI a.k.a. LIAO, YING-JU Mandarin Marketing Specialist

85.

Brief Job Description: organize promotions and events for company clients

ZHAN, YOUMING Mandarin Customer Service Specialist 97.

86.

Brief Job Description: Scheduling and coordinating testing and commissioning work according to project schedule.

87.

Brief Job Description: Will lead the electrical and mechanical team.

Basic Qualification: can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 100.

Basic Qualification: can speak mandarin

101.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with 10 years of experience in commissioning.

88.

Brief Job Description: Supervise the delivery deadline management of deliverables.

89.

90.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

WANG, HAO Chinese Customer Service 91.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

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

108.

Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type mandarin

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or any related field of study

YEN KIM WEI Mandarin Finance Specialists

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or any related field of study

Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Records accounts payable and accounts receivable Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe products or services, in order to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service

SUN, CHAOYING Mandarin Customer Service 109.

102.

Brief Job Description: Research and development. In-charge for investment on infrastructure projects in the Philippines

110.

111.

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

103.

HUANG, ZHENGTAO Chinese Marketing Manager 112.

DANG, GAOHONG Chinese Customer Service Representative 113.

Basic Qualification: Customer support and data base services

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

LU, BAIFENG Chinese IT Support Specialist 105.

114.

115.

Basic Qualification: Must obtain higher education (degree holder)

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

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

NOMURA, YASUYUKI Project Manager 106.

Brief Job Description: Oversight construction works & management

116.

ZHANG, JIANFENG Chinese Customer Service 92.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible to analyze transactions, corrects, records & adjust errors

Brief Job Description: Responsible to giving details & explanations of services or product

LING, HUALI Chinese Customer Service Representative 117.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to receiving orders, calculating charges & processing payments

LIU, BEIBEI Chinese Customer Service Representative Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

118.

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

119.

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for communicating with customers through various channels

MENG, GUODE Chinese Customer Service Representative 120.

Basic Qualification: Excellent communication skills in Japanese language, oral and written Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

LYU, NA Chinese Customer Service Representative

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: Demonstrable experience in marketing together with the potential and attitude required to learn Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

121.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Speaking writing and reading in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Speaking writing and reading in Mandarin

Brief Job Description: Responsible for responding promptly to customer Salary Range: inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

QI, XIAONAN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Responsible for communicating with customers through various channels

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

UBIQUITY GLOBAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES INC. 10th Floor Bench Tower 3rd Ave. Cor. Rizal Drive Fort Bonifacio Taguig City NARASIMHAN, RANGARAJAN Workforce Manager

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for communicating with customers through various channels

KANG, WENHAN Chinese Customer Service Representative

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

TOYO CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD. 3/f Planters Products Bldg. 109 Esteban St. San Lorenzo Makati City

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

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for communicating with customers through various channels

HUANG, YI Chinese Customer Service Representative

TIANYU TECHNOLOGY INC. 16/f Socialdesk Tower H.v. Dela Costa St. Bel-air Makati City

104.

Brief Job Description: Planning and defining scope of the project

JIN, YANG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Expert in French Language.

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

YOUBIN CONSULTANCY INC. 7/f Ba Lepanto Bldg. Paseo De Roxas Bel-air Makati City

Brief Job Description: Provides expedient and accurate customer service Salary Range: to French Speaking clients and customers.

Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

JI, KAI Chinese IT Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin

XIAN ELECTRIC ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED PHILIPPINES BRANCH 2101-2102 Raffle Don Francisco Ortigas Center San Antonio Pasig City

TELUS INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINES, INC. Units 23/f, 31st/f - 37th/f Discovery Centre Adb Avenue, Ortigas Center San Antonio Pasig City

Basic Qualification: Minimum of ten years’ experience in System Development and Bridge SE role.

Brief Job Description: Opens customer accounts by recording account information.

CUI, XIAONAN Mandarin Team Leader

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

LAVOREL, GUILLAUME-CORY REMY French Change Management Specialist

Brief Job Description: Maintains customer records by updating account info TAO, JUNYONG Mandarin Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Strong educational credentials-Bachelors/ Masters Degree DAVIN, AUDREY ANNIE in Engineering/ Supply Chain VP-southeast Asia Management and/or Allied Courses. Must have Brief Job Description: 15-20 years of end to end The position involves heading the Supply Chain supply chain experience for the Philippines and will be responsible for the as well as sufficient Supply Chain strategy across the South East Asia experience in leading the and Australia region, to improve manufacturing SC function; Experience performance in conjunction with the Market in large sized, multiHeads as well as for driving Supply Chain cultural organizations strategy-into-action in each of the Divisions. in both local/regional/ global roles.

URBANDIDEAS INC. Unit 17-m Burgundy Corporate Tower 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or any related field of study

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

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

Brief Job Description: Records accounts payable and accounts receivable Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KURIYAMA, KENTA Business Development Specialist For Machinery, Energy And Metal Business

Basic Qualification: Has excellent managerial experience.

Brief Job Description: Knowledgeable in computer application with good Salary Range: oral and written communication skills Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KE, AYU Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Bachelor's degree in Information Technology or any related field of study

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

UNILEVER PHILIPPINES, INC. 7/f Bonifacio Stopover Corporate Center 31st St. Cor 2nd Ave. Bonifacio Global City Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

SOJITZ PHILIPPINES CORPORATION 23rd Flr. Nac Tower 32nd Street Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

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

SA RIVENDELL GLOBAL SUPPORT, INC. 9-11 Flr., The Biopolis Bldg. Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City HUANG, JIAOJIAO Chinese Customer Service

No.

Basic Qualification: Customer support and data base services

Brief Job Description: Records accounts payable and accounts receivable Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

PAN, YUJIA Mandarin Marketing Specialist

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

S2I SOLUTIONS FACTORY CORP. Rm. W-07 23/f Tower 6789 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air Makati City

OHNO, TORU Japanese Bridge Engineering Manager

Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

HU, ZHIXIANG Mandarin Finance Specialists 99.

POSCO E AND C BRANCH OFFICE 9/f Philamlife Tower 8767 Paseo De Roxas Bel-air Makati City KIM, YOON KI E & M Manager

98.

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

PESTECH CORPORATION Unit 202 21 Lki Bldg. Congressional Ave. Bahay Toro 1 Quezon City RAVICHANDRAN, VASUDEVAN Country Manager For Commissioning

Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

DUNG THUA TAN Mandarin Finance Specialists

OCEANIC SYMPHONY SERVICES INC. 3/f Salcedo One Center 170 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City LI, JING Mandarin Marketing Specialist

Brief Job Description: Use various types of communication devices and systems to reach out to customers and verify account information

CHEN, YOUNAN Mandarin Customer Service Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Speak and write fluently (Native language & English)

Basic Qualification: Customer support and data base services

Brief Job Description: Knowledgeable in computer application with good Salary Range: oral and written communication skills Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

HUANG, TIANCHENG Mandarin It Support Specialist

NOM NOM NOM REALTY DEVELOPER CORP. 463 Remedios St. 076 Bgy. 699 Malate Manila KIM, JIN-YOUNG Korean Interpreter

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

SKYLUSTER TECHNOLOGY, INC. 10/f The Enterprise Center Tower 2 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City

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

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION Sky Garage Bldg. Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City Tambo Parañaque City

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

Brief Job Description: Knowledgeable in computer application with good Salary Range: oral and written communication skills Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 NGUYEN THI HIEN Vietnamese Customer Service

NEO INCORPORATED North Tower Centrum Bldg. Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City Baclaran Parañaque City YIN, LETAO Chinese Speaking Business Analyst

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION DO THI CAM THO Vietnamese Customer Service

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

MUSTAFAH RAIHAN DHAKA OVERRUN INC. U-47 3/f Bac. Bagong Milenyo F.b. Harrison St. Brgy. 076 Pasay City HUANG, ZEQING Marketing Staff (Chinese Client)

No.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

107.

Basic Qualification: At least 3-5-year Brief Job Description: experience in managing Understanding of key business objectives, workforce operations timeframes, and requirements associated with with client/and or senior Workforce Management; Responsible for tracking, management interaction forecasting analyzing real time management and planning of assigned call volume, headcount Salary Range: requirements, shrinkage, attrition and handle Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 time goals throughout the group sites;

SUN, XIAOFENG Chinese Customer Service Representative 122.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for ensure both the company clients adhere to contract items.

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

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION WU, TIANYUAN Chinese Customer Service Representative

123.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

XING, HONGJIAN Chinese Customer Service Representative 124.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for acknowledging and resolving customer complains

WANG, CHENG Chinese Customer Service Representative 125.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

HE, HUI Chinese Product Trainor 128.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

HU, JINLONG Chinese Product Trainor 129.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

JIA, LEIFANG Chinese Product Trainor 130.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for collect and assign instructors to conduct training

LI, LIN Chinese Product Trainor 131.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for select and assign instructors to conduct training

LIANG, FENG Chinese Product Trainor 132.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for develop alternative training methods if expected improvement are not seen

LUO, TIAN Chinese Product Trainor 133.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for negotiable contracts with clients for desired training outcomes, fees or expenses

TANG, LILI Chinese Product Trainor 134.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

ZHANG, CHAO Chinese Product Trainor 135.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

Brief Job Description: Responsible for negotiate contract with client for desired training outcomes, fees, or expenses

No.

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

140.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

141.

142.

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

143.

144.

145.

146.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Speaking writing and reading in Mandarin

147.

148.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for ensure both the company clients adhere to contract items.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for completes allocated tasks to a high standard which meet set reporting and auditing standards.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to ensures that customer request is completed timely & accurately

LU, QIANYI Mandarin Audit Associate 149.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for completes allocated tasks to a high standard which meet set reporting and auditing standards.

LUO, YANG Mandarin Audit Associate 150.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

PHAN THI DUYEN Mandarin Audit Associate 151.

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

YOUBIN CONSULTANCY INC. 7/f Ba Lepanto Bldg. Paseo De Roxas Bel-air Makati City DAI, KEXIN Mandarin Audit Associate

JIANG, HUI Mandarin Audit Associate

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

HY NHAT MUI Mandarin Audit Associate

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for reconcile financial books including incoming and outgoing funds

XIAO, SIJUN Mandarin Account Associate

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Speaking writing and reading in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Responsible for communicating with customers through various channels

TING IK UNG Mandarin Account Associate

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

TANG, SHAOHUA Mandarin Account Associate

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for ensure both the company & clients adhere to contract items.

LIU, KUNHAO Mandarin Account Associate

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible to overseeing the design & graphics of marketing materials

KYAUK AN CHIN Mandarin Account Associate

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Speaking writing and reading in Mandarin

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ZHANG, XIUXIN Chinese Purchasing Assistant

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible to prepares source data for computer Salary Range: entry by compiling information Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DING, XIANGYU Chinese Product Trainor 127.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Brief Job Description: Responsible for responding promptly by customer Salary Range: inquiries Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

CHAI, JIANHE Chinese Product Trainor 126.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

ZHOU, ZHIXUAN Mandarin Audit Associate 152.

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

136.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for evaluate offers from vendors and negotiate better prices

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

153.

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

137.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for evaluate offers from vendors and negotiate better prices

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

138.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for communicating with customers through various channels

WANG, HAORAN Chinese Purchasing Assistant 139.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

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

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for collaborate with manager in preparing budgets and monitoring expenses

WANG, YONGQI Mandarin Marketing Officer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 155.

VONG THI LINH Chinese Purchasing Assistant

Brief Job Description: Responsible for collaborate with manager in preparing budgets and monitoring expenses

SIM KIAN SHENG Mandarin Marketing Officer 154.

LU, JIAJIA Chinese Purchasing Assistant

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin

No.

158.

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

159.

160.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin 161.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to creating detailed & visually appealing graphs

XU, SIJIN Mandarin Marketing Officer 156.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for ensure both the company and clients adhere to contract items

YANG, XU Mandarin Marketing Officer 157.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to answer questions & address complaints

Brief Job Description: Responsible for reconcile financial books including incoming and outgoing funds

ZHANG, MINGZHENG Mandarin Sales Associate 162.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

LIANG, ZHENGHE Mandarin Sales Associate

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for reconcile financial books including incoming and outgoing funds

HOANG MAI ANH Mandarin Sales Associate

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

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for collaborate with manager in preparing budgets and monitoring expenses

AYE AYE KHAING Mandarin Sales Associate

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ZHENG, CHUANGWEI Mandarin Marketing Officer

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

163.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Speaking writing and reading in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

ZHONG, KUAN Mandarin Sales Associate

Brief Job Description: Responsible for maintains quality service by Salary Range: establishing and enforcing organization standards Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

CHEN, ZHUOFU Mandarin Seller Support Associate 164.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin

165.

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for monitoring customer satisfaction levels

FU, HANG Mandarin Seller Support Associate Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standards processes and procedures

JIANG, LEI Mandarin Seller Support Associate

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for demonstrates effective, and professional written and oral communication

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

LIN, MINGYUE Mandarin Seller Support Associate

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

166.

167.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for ensure both the company clients adhere to contract items.

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin OUYANG, FUGUI Mandarin Seller Support Associate

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 168.

LONG, DEFEI Mandarin Marketing Officer CHO ZAR HAN Chinese Purchasing Assistant

Thursday, September 2, 2021 A13

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

XU, BAOFENG Mandarin Seller Support Associate 169.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Speaking writing and reading in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Proficiency in Speaking writing and reading in Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

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

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related a minimum Brief Job Description: of 7 years experience Inspects and performs a maintenance on assigned in inventory and asset equipment and facilities; Ensures assigned management esp. equipment and facilities; Ensures assigned in construction and facilities and equipments are ready for regular machineries company business and special events; Maintains files preferred fluent in of warranties, records, licenses, inspections, Mandarin and English. services, agreements and contracts for various pieces of equipments.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WANG, ZAIYOU Equipment Manager

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

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for follow standard processes and procedures

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

ZHONGWANG MACHINERIES PHILIPPINES, INC. Lot 424-d Riverside Ave. California Village San Bartolome 5 Quezon City

Basic Qualification: Proficiency speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin

Brief Job Description: Responsible for demonstrate effective, clear and professional written and oral communication

Basic Qualification: Proficiency in speaking, reading & writing in Mandarin

170.

*Date Generated: Sep 1, 2021 In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on August 19, 2021, the company name of FEI, LINGHUAN and BOON KAH LEONG under DIGISPARK TECH CORP., should have been read as DIGIVIRTUAL TECH CORPORATION located at 7/F BA LEPANTO BLDG., 8747 PASEO DE ROXAS, BEL-AIR, MAKATI CITY 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-NCR Regional Office located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE-NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

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

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A14 Thursday, September 2, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Novel way to look at an old problem

P

hilip L. Matyszak, a British non-fiction author of historical works relating to ancient Rome, said there was an international drug trade as far back as 1000 BC. In an article, “Happy Plants and Laughing Weeds: The hidden history of drug use in antiquity,” Matyszak wrote: “Opium could be purchased as small tablets in specialized stalls in most Roman marketplaces. In the city of Rome itself, Galen recommends a retailer just off the Via Sacra near the Forum. Galen describes how hemp was used in social gatherings as an aid to ‘joy and laughter.’”

In the 21st century, drug addiction has become a global problem. Drug abuse affects families in every country in the world. And governments have yet to find an effective way to deal with the problem of drug abuse.

Ending illegal drugs was a campaign promise that President Duterte failed to fulfill in his first six months in power. It was a self-imposed deadline that was repeatedly extended; a war he started but later on admitted he cannot finish. The President said he never thought the country’s drug problem was so deeply rooted, even within the government system. “I did not know that I was fighting my own government,” he said in his last SONA. Based on available government data, 293,841 drug suspects were arrested while 6,147 were killed in the 203,715 antiillegal drug operations conducted from July 1, 2016 to May 31, 2021.

Gil Kerlikowske, former Director of the US National Drug Control Policy, noted that Portugal’s unprecedented 2001 move of not arresting, trying, or imprisoning people with personal supplies of recreational drugs has opened a large number of doors and ideas for new and innovative ways that governments can help their addicted and at-risk citizens. The public initially opposed the plan. Portugal was a poor, socially conservative, and a Catholic country. Pundits said decriminalizing drug possession would do nothing but make Portugal a haven for drug tourists and make the country’s drug problem worse.

In 2009, a report issued by Washington, DC’s Cato Institute revealed that five years after personal possession of drugs was decriminalized in Portugal, the effects across the country far exceeded expectations: Illegal drug use by teenagers dropped. Rates of HIV infections by sharing contaminated needles dropped. The number of people seeking treatment for substance abuse more than doubled.

From the Associated Press: “Frustrated by out-of-control increases in drug overdose deaths, California’s leaders are trying something radical: They want the state to be the first to pay people to stay sober. The federal government has been doing it for years with military veterans and research shows it is one of the most effective ways to get people to stop using drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, stimulants for which there are no pharmaceutical treatments available.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has asked the federal government for permission to use tax dollars to pay for the program through Medicaid, the joint state and federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled that covers nearly 14 million people in California.

Like what Portugal did, California is trying to help drug addicts reform by removing the stigma of substance abuse. There is “clear and convincing evidence” that the treatment works to keep people sober from drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine, according to an analysis by the California Health Benefits Review Program. However, while research shows it is effective in keeping people sober during the program, the effect doesn’t last much beyond six months after treatment concludes. This is where therapy or counseling is needed. If government officials realize that drug addiction is a disease, they will ultimately have compassion for the thousands of people trying to kick the habit.

Since 2005

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OUTSIDE THE BOX

P

erception: “A way of understanding or interpreting something.” Reality: “The world as it actually exists.” “There are two sides to every story.” This may be true, but the perceived reality of each side of the story is believed to be the truth to the people telling it.

“Perception is more important than reality. If someone perceives something to be true, it is more important than if it is in fact true.”

Ivanka Trump, The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life—2009.

From Haley Marketing Group, a US marketing and branding company: “Eighty-eight percent of people read online reviews to determine the quality of a business. This means that nearly 9 out of every 10 people are letting the opinions of other people form a perception of your company without ever experiencing your service themselves.” In this instance, other people’s perceptions become your reality.

What we often call “fake news” is frequently factual. So, we twist the definition to include that which is “misleading” or giving the wrong impression. I buy a shirt online. Is it

misleading if the shirt does not look the same on a 25-year-old muscular model as it does on an old, fat, bald guy like me?

Read this recent news story: “In a statement, the agency [Bureau of the Treasury] reported an outstanding national debt of P11.61 trillion for the month. The latest figure is also a 26.7 percent climb from the P9.16trillion tally in July 2020.” All of that is factual. All of that also creates a perception.

Would the perception change if the following factual sentence had been included in the article? “The latest figures also show that government spending was 30 percent higher in July 2021 from a year ago.”

Ivanka Trump also writes, “This doesn’t mean you should be duplicitous or deceitful, but don’t go out of your way to correct a false assump-

Read this recent news story: “In a statement, the agency [Bureau of the Treasury] reported an outstanding national debt of P11.61 trillion for the month. The latest figure is also a 26.7 percent climb from the P9.16-trillion tally in July 2020.” All of that is factual. All of that also creates a perception.

Would the perception change if the following factual sentence had been included in the article?

“The latest figures also show that government spending was 30 percent higher in July 2021 from a year ago.” tion if it plays to your advantage.”

Now the question can be asked, was there some sort of bias or agenda to the fact that not a single news source in the Philippines mentioned the equally higher amount of government spending?

Probably not since the copy was almost identical, probably taken verbatim from the information supplied by the Bureau of the Treasury. Nonetheless, perception was created.

Politics is normally only about perception. An interesting development is happening in Germany.

Angela Merkel is stepping down and her handpicked successor of the ruling Christian Democrats,

The business case for investing in youth development and STEM

By Jim Falteisek

T

he Covid-19 pandemic has taught us that we need the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics more than ever. From the rapid development of the Covid-19 vaccine to new technologies, STEM helped us overcome the various challenges the global pandemic has posed.

Most of us seem to agree. According to 3M’s global science perception study, the State of Science Index 2021, nearly all surveyed in Asia-Pacific (APAC) agree the world needs more people pursuing STEMrelated careers (91 percent vs. 90 percent globally).

Besides improving lives, the business case for developing the next generation of thinkers, leaders, and creators is strong. From better R&D investment ratios to more disruptive products, there are many benefits businesses can reap.

STEM talent pipeline

First, developing youth strengthens a much-needed talent pipeline of skilled workers that bring higher productivity, innovation, and competitiveness.

However, in recent years, countries are facing shortages in STEM talent and this poses challenges for businesses, especially those in STEM. The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) estimates that by 2025, the supply-demand gaps in the country’s STEM field will reach 569,903 places in engineering; 13,964 workers in the life sciences; 9,689 in the physical sciences; and 13,285 in math and statistics.

Fortunately, this tide is changing. The same 3M study found that two-thirds in APAC are more inspired to pursue a STEM career (66 percent vs. 60 percent globally). And 63 percent in the region also believe that during the pandemic, scientists and medical professionals are inspiring a new generation to pursue

In the Philippines, one of the ways 3M is supporting STEM education is through its recent partnership with the multi-awarded non-profit organization, Mano Amiga. Together, they launched the STEM Warriors program, a virtual camp that aims to make STEM more accessible, and to encourage the youth to take an interest in the field.

a science-based career in the future (vs. 62 percent globally).

Businesses need to take advantage of STEM’s rising popularity and act now to encourage more youth to pursue education and careers in this field.

Fresh perspectives

Second, developing youth allows businesses to tap on the ingenuity and innovativeness of the youth.

Experienced leaders already have the proven formula, but fresh perspectives are needed from time to time. The youth bring new ideas and challenge the limits of what can or

Armin Laschet, looks like he will bring the CDC its worst election result in history.

Mr. Laschet is not fully “Merkel 2.0.” But his approval rating tanked in July when he was caught on camera laughing behind the scenes while visiting areas devastated by floods.

They have never recovered. “It was stupid and shouldn’t have happened and I regret it.”

This headline, and others like it,—“PNoy no-show at arrival honors for 42 slain SAF men”—created a perception that no amount of explanation could erase. Was that fair?

To the same extent it is “fair” to the glass to say “Half full or Half empty”?

Perceptions are not meant to be fair.

As with “genuine fake news,” we as individuals have an obligation to learn the facts. The problem is, most people are either too lazy to do the homework or want to hear “perceptions” that fit their own narrative.

Beyond that, collectively we often want someone to blame for the problems. From A Few Good Men. “Col. Jessup: You want answers? Lt. Kaffee: I want the truth! Jessup: You can’t handle the truth!” And we want our perceptions—which then become our reality—to be “black and white” with little room for any greys.

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.

cannot be done.

This trend is backed by neuroscience. Research has shown that the brain’s prefrontal cortex regulates planning and decision-making and does not mature until about age 25, causing youth to be greater risk-takers, which in turn helps them learn better, acquire skills faster and be more creative.

It is for this reason that many businesses are launching accelerator and incubator programs, and case challenges are targeted at the youth.

Enhancing the meaning of work

Employees are increasingly seeking meaningful work. A global study in 2019 found that meaning and purpose were the most important aspects of work to employees. Those who deemed their work meaningful were also four times as likely to value their sector.

When exploring the implications of meaningful work on employees in Asia, researchers also found that it not only positively impacts productivity and performance, but also encourages employee loyalty.

See “STEM” A15

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Yet another hate crime in New York City

Billion-peso heist?

Val A. Villanueva

Businesswise

Susan V. Ople

Scribbles

I

N the Philippines, we have this “mano po” tradition. When we see our elders, we reach for their hand, bow, and press our forehead on their hand. I value this tradition as it shows love and respect not just for family and the elderly but also for the generation to which they belong. And this is why I am deeply worried about the rising number of hate crimes in America.

According to a CNBC report on August 30, 2021, hate crimes targeting people of Asian descent in the United States rose by 70 percent last year compared to the number of such incidents in 2019. In March, shootings took place at three Atlanta-area spas that left eight people killed. Four of the women killed were of Korean origin. The suspected shooter was 21 years old.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defined hate crimes as those “motivated by bias towards race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender and gender identity.”

On Monday, an elderly Filipino woman was shoved down the stairs of a subway station in Rego Park in New York City. Five months ago, a 65-year-old Filipina ended up in the hospital after she was violently assaulted while on her way to church near Times Square. Early this year, a 72-year-old kababayan found herself in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after she was badly beaten up while entering her apartment building in Sunnyside. Two weeks ago, a 67-year-old Filipina nurse was attacked while distributing masks in a Manhattan subway. A Filipino theater artist was spat at and subjected to racist insults while on board a subway train in Manhattan on a Sunday.

These are no longer isolated incidents but a string of purposeful, hate-driven acts of violence against people of Asian descent, especially those who are senior citizens. Law enforcers noted that the increase in hate crimes coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, which some racists in America have attributed to Asians because the coronavirus originated in China. Racism is an irrational, despicable state of mind, driven by a sense of misplaced superiority over others deemed of lesser value due to the color of their skin, age, sexual orientation, and political or religious sensibilities. For these walking time bombs to harbor so much hatred against complete strangers because of how they look like, exacerbate the fear and anxiety of Filipinos in America.

Consul-General Elmer Cato of the Philippine Mission in New York City is a seasoned diplomat, having survived difficult postings in wartorn Iraq and recently, Libya. He now finds himself in the strangest of wars while assigned in cosmopolitan New York—the war against hate.

On his Facebook page, former journalist turned diplomat Con-Gen Cato had this to say: “We hope that before another violent incident involving elderly Filipinos or Asian-Americans happens again, the billions of dollars that Senator Chuck Schumer (Democrat, New York) said the United States Congress would be releasing to address mental health concerns would be available soon. This would be one effective way to address the surge in

STEM. . .

continued from A14

By painting their purpose more clearly, corporates can attract more youth to their talent pipeline.

Youth development programs

The case for STEM corporates to support youth development is a strong

As the Filipino nurse who came to the aid of the elderly Filipino woman who was shoved down the stairs in Queens last Monday said, “It could have been my Mom.” Victims of hate crimes represent all of us. Hate crimes make freedom a lonely, empty word.

hate crimes in New York City.”

“While we understand authorities are doing their best to ensure the safety of the public, we also know they cannot prevent a similar incident from happening again.

No one knows when and where the next incident will be taking place. This is the reason why we urge kababayan[s] to always be vigilant especially when outside their residences and when taking public transport.”

In response to the growing number of hate crimes directed at AsianAmericans, the Biden administration in partnership with Congress recently passed the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act. The law directs the Justice department to expedite the review of Covid-related hate crimes that were reported to law enforcement agencies, help them establish ways to report such incidents online, and perform public outreach. Some civil society groups, however, questioned the strong emphasis on law enforcement in dealing with hate crimes. They prefer the inclusion of a more community-based approach to include more neighborhood trauma centers and mental health care infrastructures.

To be honest, the Asian communities in New York City and other states in America will need more than this new law to protect them. Neighborhood watch groups and support networks for victims of hate crimes need to be formed, and hotlines for embassy and government assistance must be well disseminated. Free lessons on selfdefense, especially for the elderly, including the use of whistles and going out in pairs, are programs that our embassies and consulates in the United States can spearhead, with support from our own national government.

As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” How sad that during this pandemic, our kababayans in the United States must fear not only the virus, but its transmission of hate among those who see only the color of a person’s skin, and nothing else.

As the Filipino nurse who came to the aid of the elderly Filipino woman who was shoved down the stairs in Queens last Monday said, “It could have been my Mom.” Victims of hate crimes represent all of us.

Hate crimes make freedom a lonely, empty word. one. But how should they do so?

Findings from the 3M State of Science Index hint at the answers.

Amongst those who believe corporations should be involved in supporting STEM education, the top actions they wanted corporates to prioritize include creating resources for kids to get involved in science at an early age (46 percent vs. 44 percent globally); investing in inspiring kids to love

‘J

ust a whiff of corruption.” These are the exact words of President Duterte in emphasizing his administration’s zero tolerance against graft and corruption.

But if you’ve been following the Senate’s inquiry on questionable Covid-19 contracts involving the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (DBMPS) and some of the President’s closest allies, it is not farfetched to infer that the alleged irregularities in the procurement of much-needed supplies to contain the pandemic constitute massive thievery of people’s money.

And the way it was done, as unraveled in the Senate probe, was so crude and brazen that either the scheme’s actors did not even have the sophistication to cover up their tracks or it could be that the strength of their government connections has boosted their confidence that they could easily get away with it.

What makes it doubly reprehensible was the timing: they did it in the midst of a pandemic that has been crippling the national economy in the past 18 months, leaving people’s lives and financial sustenance hanging in the balance. Gauging the way the probe has been progressing, the stench stemming from the scam was too nauseating not to have wafted all the way to Malacañang.

The Congressional probe was an offshoot of the yearly Commission on Audit (COA) reports detailing billions’ worth of insufficiencies of pandemic funds, mostly under the Department of Health (DOH). The health agency conveyed P41.8 billion to the DBM-PS without a memorandum of agreement.

At the center of the probe is Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp. which was awarded by DBM-PS a staggering P8.7 billion worth of contracts to supply “overpriced” face masks, personal protective equipment (PPE) sets and Covid-19 test kits to the government last year.

The firm, which the Senate dis-

covered to have a fictitious address, sold its face masks in May last year to the government at P27.72 per piece, which Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon declared overpriced.

According to Drilon, these vital pandemic protection materials were being sold by other suppliers at half that amount, between P13.50 and P17.50 each. Pharmally’s test kit was sold at P1,720 each, almost double the P925 being supplied by other companies, while its PPEs were bought at P1,910 apiece, also more than double the market price of P945 at the time, as per DBM-PS’s own figures.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said that “it is clear that we are looking at largescale corruption here,” which was allegedly perpetuated by the principal figure, former DBM undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, and aided by other company officials who were possibly associated with those in government. Lao, records show, is closely linked with Sen. Bong Go, but the latter denied ever knowing the former.

“I don’t want to speculate because we are really being fooled by Lao,” Drilon said. “He is saying he did not have a backer, and that he applied for the job, which of course, is rubbish.

Senator Go, on the other hand, says he does not know anything, and Lao was not his aide. So that’s the mystery. Something is being hidden, and someone is being shielded.”

Lao awarded over P8 billion worth of Covid-19 contracts to Pharmally, a firm Lacson described as lacking the track record to secure bigticket government procurement contracts. The company was only incorporated in September 2019 and had a capital of only about P600,000.

He said that the company got the contract with the DBM-PS, which didn’t even bother to do due diligence. “Those behind the plot were

Thursday, September 2, 2021 A15

What makes it doubly reprehensible was the timing: they did it in the midst of a pandemic that has been crippling the national economy in the past 18 months, leaving people’s lives and financial sustenance hanging in the balance. targeting a huge amount of money in procuring supplies,” Lacson said.

According to Drilon, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III exercised “negligence in transferring the multibillion fund to the DBMPS and that plunder was not a vague possibility if the overpricing of purchases would be proven to be over P50 million.” He urged the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate Lao even if the latter had already resigned from the DBM. Drilon said Lao could face plunder charges as he was directly responsible for the DOH supply deals through the DBM-PS. Duque, on the other hand, “made it possible” for the deals to be consummated when he officially allowed in what the senator described as an irregular transfer of funds to Lao’s office.

In a DZBB radio interview, Drilon said: “It seems to have been planned.

If there is premeditated murder, here, we have a premeditated plunder. For me, in times of the pandemic, this is treachery.”

Calling the DBM-PS contracts “the sure ticket to wealth,” Drilon remarked that, “Indeed, business is booming for these contractors, Pharmally earned P284.9 million in 2020 from zero income in 2019 after winning the contracts. I am worried there are so many red flags in the procurement of several medical items.” He added that “[t]hese warning signs indicate possible anomaly, corruption or fraud.”

Lao, upon questioning by the senators, said he was not aware that the same Taiwanese company was the trader DBM-PS had contracted, explaining that he “had no time to check on the companies since it was an emergency” and “the government did not have plenty of options at the time.” In defense of Pharmally, Lao said that these companies were contracted “at a time when the economy was shut down and there were no supplies. The government used dip-

lomatic channels, contacting embassies, envoys and even the ambassador of China to find supplies.” Lao also defended the price of Pharmally’s PPEs saying “each set included nine or 10 items, such as a coverall, a lab gown, an apron, gloves and head and shoe covers.” Sources pointed out that Lao conveniently glossed over the fact that the total cost of all these additional items would still be lower if provided by other suppliers.

Lacson said that a full-blown investigation of an obscure company and the people who were helping it “hit the jackpot” is in order. He made the call after Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Richard Gordon played a video during Friday’s hearing, which showed that Michael Yang, a former “economic adviser” of President Duterte, and officials of Pharmally met with President Duterte in Davao City in 2017.

Gordon said he showed the video because the public has the right to know how Pharmally managed to bag big-ticket deals and where the Filipino people’s hard-earned income to pay for their taxes went.

But Duterte defended Lao and Yang from controversies about the government’s pandemic spending.

In fact, he spent a huge chunk of his televised meeting with the pandemic task force exonerating the two from allegations of anomalies tainting his administration’s procurement of medical supplies for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The President said he appointed Lao to a vital government post because he trusted him. Lao, he said, worked with him in his 2016 campaign team, and when he was Davao City mayor: “What’s wrong if I pay my debts?” Duterte also shielded him from any wrongdoing in relation to Pharmally. He described Yang as the contact person of Chinese businessmen who want to do business in the Philippines: “Yang is a businessman, he doesn’t throw away money. He has contacts with big corporations in China and he is their entry here.

I thought, let us go to China and invite the investors here? There, they invested, but during the time of pandemic. What’s wrong with that?” the President said.

Whiff of corruption?

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

Black women seeing guns as protection from rising crime

By Corey Williams

AYLOR, Mich.—Valerie Rupert raised her right arm, slightly shaking and unsure as she aimed at the paper target representing a burglar, a robber or even a rapist.

The 67-year-old Detroit grandmother squeezed the trigger, the echo of her shot blending into the chorus of other blasts by other women off the small gun range walls.

“I was a little nervous, but after I shot a couple of times, I enjoyed it,” said Rupert, among 1,000 or so mostly Black women taking part in free weekend gun safety and shooting lessons at two Detroit-area ranges.

Black women like Rupert increasingly are considering gun ownership for personal protection, according to industry experts and gun rights advocates.

Fear of crime, especially as shootings and murders have risen in cities big and small, is one driver of the trend. But a new motivator is the display of public anger in the last 15 months beginning with confronta-

tions in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis under the knee of police officer Derek Chauvin.

Worries about the anger over Covid-related restrictions and the outrage over the outcome of the presidential 2020 election, driven by lies, are contributors, too. In Michigan, that anger led to a plot to kidnap the governor, as well as instances where armed protesters descended on the state Capitol.

In April 2020, hundreds of conservative activists, including some who were openly carrying assault rifles, flocked to the Michigan Capitol in Lansing to denounce Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-home order. Some demonstrators — mostly white and supporters of President Donald Trump — entered the building carrying guns, which is legal in the statehouse. The sight of white men wearing body armor and holding guns at the Capitol still sticks with Rupert. “They went up to the Capitol with all those guns. You need to be ready,” she said.

About 8.5 million people in the US bought their first gun in 2020, the National Shooting Sports Foun-

dation says. The trade association for the firearms industry adds that gun purchases by Black men and Black women increased by more than 58% over the first six months of last year.

Gun ownership tends to increase when people lose faith in government and the police, said Daniel Webster, professor of American Health in Violence Prevention at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy.

“We’ve seen such an increase in white nationalist violence,” Webster said. “Some combination of the lack in faith in police protecting you and hate groups has motivated a lot of Black people to arm up.”

Black firearm owners still represent a relatively small portion of the gun-owning population, with 9.3% of gun owners being Black men and 5.4% Black women. Nearly 56% of US gun owners are white men. Over 16% are white women, the Newtown, Connecticut-based National Shooting Sports Foundation says.

Still, 2020 saw “a tectonic shift in

gun ownership in America” where there was “a huge increase of African Americans taking ownership of their Second Amendment rights,” said Mark Oliva, its director of public affairs.

Beth Alcazar, who is white, got involved with shooting about two decades ago and says it was rare to see a Black woman taking target practice.

“Honestly, not more than one image pops up of seeing a Black woman at the range,” said Alcazar, now a certified shooting instructor in the Birmingham, Alabama, area and US Concealed Carry Association associate editor.

“With more involvement in the last five years, I see Black women on almost every occasion I go to the range,” she said, adding that it’s exciting for women learning how to shoot to see other women, especially women of color.

For many Black women, it’s about taking care of themselves, said Lavette Adams, a licensed firearm instructor who participated in the free Detroit-area training sponsored by gun advocacy group Legally Armed In Detroit.

science (42 percent vs. 39 percent globally); providing grants/scholarships to underrepresented students (41 percent vs. 43 percent globally); and hosting programs like internships, summer camps, and workshops to help students pursue STEM (40 percent vs. 43 percent globally).

3M takes these findings to heart. Globally, we have set new goals towards youth development. We aim

to create five million unique STEM and Skilled Trades learning experiences for underrepresented individuals by the end of 2025.

In Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, we launched The 3M Inspire Challenge, a regional case challenge calling on undergraduates to bring their best ideas in Technology, Sustainability, and Innovation.

In the Philippines, one of the ways 3M is supporting STEM education is through its recent partnership with the multi-awarded non-profit organization, Mano Amiga. Together, they launched the STEM Warriors program, a virtual camp that aims to make STEM more accessible, and to encourage the youth to take an interest in the field.

But these programs are just the tip

of the iceberg. After all, as a sciencebased company, we have an important role to play in investing in our future generation. We want to be the catalyst to that spark and hope to encourage more corporations to join us in this effort.

Associated Press

T

Jim Falteisek is the Senior Vice President of 3M Asia Corporate Affairs, and Managing Director of 3M Korea.

A16 Thursday, September 2, 2021

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

T

HE Commission on Elections cannot afford the proposed early voting for senior citizens and persons with disabilities in the 2022 National and Local Election (NLE) due to logistical and budgetary issues.

In an online briefing, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez noted that allowing early voting for both sectors will require them to hold two elections of national scope.

“The explanation there is that voting centers will open a week before [the date of the regular elections] for seniors and PWDs, then presumably a week later, it will open for everyone else,” Jimenez said.

He noted that given the decision of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reduce the Comelec’s proposed 2022 budget from P42 billion budget to P26.5 billion, they will have fewer resources to use for the conduct of the 2022 NLE. “We are avoiding multiple [election] days since we will have to spend a large amount for the honoraria [of the electoral boards],” Jimenez said.

Other option

INSTEAD of the early voting, Jimenez said they may consider

including senior citizens and PWDs among groups covered by the local absentee voting (LAV) scheme.

Under the LAV, select sectors such as the media, government workers, and uniformed personnel will be allowed to cast their votes ahead of Election Day. The LAV is considered cheaper to conduct than an early voting option since its participants will be allowed to vote only in designated voting centers and they can only vote for candidates for national positions.

MECQ voter registration

ON another matter, Jimenez said the Comelec en banc finally approved the resumption of voter registration in areas under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

He said the registration in MECQ areas will start on September 6, 2021 from 8 am to 5 p.m.

“In-mall voter registration will be allowed [in MECQ area],” Jimenez said.

Prior to the new Comelec en banc policy, voter registration could only be held in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ (MGCQ).

Several groups urged Comelec to allow voter registration in MECQ amid the looming deadline for the activity on September 30, 2021.

Customs exceeds Aug goal with ₧54-B take amid Covid

T

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) collected P54.05 billion in August, exceeding its goal for the month despite the logistical restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the overall trade environment.

In a statement, the BOC said their revenue haul for the month was 1.86 percent higher than their P53.061-billion collection target.

This was also a 21.79-percent jump from its P44.38-billion revenue take in the same month a year ago.

Citing a preliminary report from the bureau’s Financial Service, six out of its 17 collection districts, namely, the ports of San Fernando, Port of Manila, Surigao, Davao, Clark and Limay, have hit their re-

spective targets.

“The BOC’s positive revenue collection performance is attributed to the improved valuation and volume of importations, and the intensified collective efforts of all the ports to prevent revenue leakages and collect all lawful revenues,” it said on Wednesday.

According to the bureau, they have consistently exceeded their monthly revenue collection target since January this year.

FILE PHOTO

COMELEC RULES OUT EARLY VOTING FOR THE ELDERLY, PWD

To date, the BOC has so far collected P412.964 billion since January, surpassing its P398.645 billion collection goal for the eightmonth period by 3.59 percent. This is also equivalent to 67 percent of its collection target this year of P616.749 billion.

The BOC’s collection from January to August this year was also up

by 18.9 percent from P347.287 billion in the same period in 2020.

Last year, the bureau’s total revenue collection reached P539.8 billion, above its full-year revenue collection target by 6.6 percent. The downgraded goal for BOC last year was a 30.76-percent cut from the original target of P731 billion.

DOH needs to spend ₧13B for additional HCW claims–DBM

T

HE Department of Health (DOH) will need to shell out P13 billion to grant the request for additional meal, transportation and accommodation allowances being requested by healthcare workers (HCW), according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

It’s an expense, DBM OfficerIn-Charge Tina Rose Marie Canda said, the DOH is unlikely to afford for now.

In an online press briefing last Wednesday, Canda said she was already approached by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on how to finance the requested allowances.

“The [fund] requirement for this purpose is something like P13 billion. So it will be hard to accommodate it within the budget of DOH,” Canda said in an online press

briefing on Wednesday.

She noted the Office of the President approved the release of meal, accommodation and transportation allowance for qualified HCWs. “But the said claims are currently too high,” Canda said HCWs have been demanding for the release of their mandated special risk allowance (SRA) as well as additional benefits as compensation for their increasing burden during the pandemic.

Of these demands, the government was only able to accommodate the requested SRA. As of Monday, DOH was able to distribute P237.28 million of the P311.79-million funds for the SRA of the qualified HCWs. It is expected to distribute the remaining P74.5 million SRA funds in the coming days.

Samuel P. Medenilla

With RT-PCR fees seen hindering testing, DOH orders new price caps

E

FFECTIVE September 6, 2021, the Department of Health (DOH) has set a new price cap for RT-PCR testing, noting that some people have decided to forego of the test due to its high price.

The RT-PCR is considered as the gold standard in Covid-19 testing.

Under DOH circular No. 20210323: ■ Price Cap for Cost of Procedure in public laboratories - P2,800 (plate based), P2,450 (GeneXpert, cartridge based) ■ Price Cap for Cost of Procedure in private (with 20 percent allowable markup)—P3,360

(plate based), P2,940 (GeneXpert, cartridge based) ■ Price Cap for Home ServiceP1,000 for both (plate based and GenExpert, cartridge based) Prior to the issuance of Circular No. 2021-0323, the cost of RT-PCR testing was between P3,800 in most public laboratories, and up to P5,000 in private laboratories.

“All Covid-19 testing laboratories, health facilities, and centers are to strictly comply with this price cap,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

HEALTH workers in Metro Manila assembled from different converging points and gathered in front of the Department of Health gate in Manila on Wednesday morning to express their anger at the continued delay in the release of pandemic-related benefits. They also called on DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III to resign. ROY DOMINGO

Health workers press for SRA, want Duque to resign

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

D

Correspondent

ONNED in their personal protective equipment (PPE), health-care workers (HCWs) on Wednesday held a protest in front of the Department of Health (DOH) in Manila to demand that the agency release the benefits due them, especially those mandated by pandemic laws.

They also pressed for the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. The HCWs are not only demanding their special risk allowance (SRA) but also their meals, accommodation and transportation (MAT) benefits. The Alliance of Health Workers led the protest.

On Tuesday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said most of the delays in the release of SRA were due to the requirements being complied with by

some health facilities.

Vergeire said they are now trying to streamline the process as some HCWs have been protesting already for the delay of the release of their benefits.

RITM

MEANWHILE, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) said that they have nothing but great respect and appreciation for all the “untiring” health workers and staff who compose our hallowed institution, especially in this global pandemic.

On August 31, the RITM Employees Association-Alliance of Health Workers (RITMEA-AHW) mobilized to request for the nonabolition of RITM under the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Bill, and the granting of the SR A and MAT allowance.

The demonstration within RITM

grounds lasted for 30 minutes, with safety officers on standby for the duration of the activities.

The Institute stressed that it has been participating in Philippine CDC Bill meetings organized by the House of Representatives, and now in the initial meetings of the Senate Committee on Health.

“RITM has likewise been submitting position papers at every level and conduct of such consultations.

Internally, the Institute has composed a technical working group where strategic solutions are being planned to mitigate the Bill’s possible adverse impacts on tenure,” the RITM said.

As for employee allowances, RITM said that they provided all benefits in accordance with the provisions of the Republic Act No. 11494, otherwise known as the “Bayanihan to Recover as One Act,” related laws such as RA Nos. 11519 and 11520, and other subsequent is-

suances by concerned government agencies. These benefits included the active hazard duty pay; SRA; and the provision of free meals, free accommodations, and free shuttle services daily. At present, RITM is working alongside the DOH on being reconsidered for other additional allowances our qualified health workers and staff may avail.

“The Institute believes in freedom of speech as the fount of a strong nation-state. RITM also believes that the DOH remains sympathetic and accommodating to the needs of all health workers nationwide.”

The RITM assured that it shall continue its fight against Covid-19 and other tropical and infectious diseases “as a strong and united family, with great confidence that our health workers and staff will continue to be valued, protected, and provided for by the Department of Health.”

Companies BusinessMirror

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Thursday, September 2, 2021 B1

Hyperscalers from US, China urged to set up shop in PHL

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

A

@TyronePiad

t least two hyperscalers— entities providing cloud, networking and internet services—from the United States and China could set up shop in the Philippines within the year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Wednesday.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said at an event that they are currently in talks with several hyperscalers from the US and China to secure investments. These include Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and Alibaba Cloud.

“We are targeting hyperscalers, in particular those who are very conscious in reducing their carbon footprint and also

our potential source of investments in renewable energy,” he said.

T he level of d isc ussions ranges from ex plorator y to advanced, Rodolfo noted. “I’m pretty sure that within this year, we could have at least one Chinese hyperscaler and at least one US hyperscaler,” he said.

While Rodolfo said he cannot

disclose yet further details on the said investors, he said that a separate company is eyeing an $800-million investment.

The trade official said the potential investors are looking at the country’s green energy market and studying the regulatory environment on data protection.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, meanwhile, said hyperscalers support digital-native industries, including financial technology and digital banking.

Both have seen increased usage since last year amid mobility restrictions.

The trade chief said hyperscalers’ investments in tools and intellectual property will make cloud technology more affordable, which will benefit customers.

Hyperscale platforms, Lopez said, enable users to manage large volumes of activity and data, in addition to integrating with other systems. “ T heir [hy persca lers] increased presence will create a

multiplier effect, especially with the potential increase in demand for renewable energy and data center developers.”

Lopez said that artificial intelligence (AI) is supported by hyperscalers’ platform, which he identified as one of the country’s digital economy growth drivers.

The trade department launched in May the AI roadmap, which aims to increase adoption and utilization of AI in various sectors in the country to advance industrial development. These include agriculture, automotive sector, smart manufacture, healthcare services and business process outsourcing.

The roadmap seeks to set up the private sector-led National Center for AI Research, which will serve as the shared hub for research and development in AI. The DTI chief said hyperscalers may avail of tax incentives cited in the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act under the Strategic Investment Priorities Plan.

Some of the perks include availment of income tax holidays of four to seven years, depending on the level of technology and location of the project. This will then be followed by 10 years of enhanced deductions or 5-percent special corporate income tax for export-oriented firms.

Govt awards 928 renewable energy deals

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

T

he Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded 928 renewable energ y (RE) contracts, representing a capacity of nearly 30,000 megawatts (MW), as of May this year.

DOE Undersecretary Jesus Cristino Posadas said during a webinar on the global hyperscaler market that the agency is continuously innovating strategies to boost the country’s RE capacity.

In 2020, renewable energy’s share in the total capacity mix and total generation mix is at 29 percent and 21 percent, respectively. As of May, 928 contracts with a potential capacity of 29,971.08 MW have been awarded.

“Indigenous energy resources and private sector investment are central in achieving the country’s RE targets and vision,” commented Posadas.

He said the DOE has put in place a number of RE policies

meant to achieve a 35-percent RE share in the power generation mix by 2030 and at least 50 percent by 2040.

“In October 2020, we declared a moratorium on the endorsement of new greenfield coal fired power plants signaling our shift towards establishing a more f lexible power mix, one that would help build the system that is resilient to str uctura l demand changes and able to accommodate new, cleaner, and indigenous technological innovations,” said Posadas.

Since the implementation of the Philippine Renewable Energy Act of 2008, interest in RE has substantially grown especially with the establishment of RE Market Development Support Mechanisms. Among these are Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (RPS), Green Energy Option Program and the Net Metering Program.

The DOE will conduct in October the targeted auction of 2,000 megawatts of RE capac-

ity to be covered by the RPS, a mechanism that provides an alternative market to RE investments. “ T hese developments are paving the way for the evolution of the Renewable Energy Space in the country,” said Posadas. “In fact, just this April, a report from the HSBC Global Research hailed the Philippines as the 2nd best investment for Renewables in Southeast Asia because of our attractive regulatory environment and highly liberalized active spot market.”

The report also projected the Philippines will emerge as one of the cheapest sources of power as the levelized cost of energy is estimated to decrease by 16 percent for solar and 22 percent for on-shore wind by year 2025.

The DOE, he added, will continue to find even more ways to boost the attractiveness of the country’s RE sector. “The prime example is today’s launch of the Philippines as the new data center in Asia. At this

Cebu Pacific resumes flights to Hong Kong

By Recto Mercene @rectomercene

C

ebu Pacific (CEB), the country’s leading carrier, said it will restart its direct flights to Hong Kong from Manila beginning September 1.

The carrier intends to fly six times weekly (daily except Saturdays) for the month of September.

CEB has been gradually rebuilding its international network as it answers the need for more flights to carry essential travelers.

“There is latent travel demand and we remain cautiously optimistic as we boost operations where it is needed most.

We continue to listen to our passengers and we do all that we can to address their needs while we remain committed to prioritize the health and safety [of passengers],” said Xander

Lao, Chief Commercial Officer at Cebu Pacific.

Passengers bound for Hong Kong need to complete the HKG Department of Health Online Declaration form and bring with them a negative RT-PCR test result conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure.

All guests must also show their confirmation of room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 21 days.

Those who have been fullyvaccinated are required to show their recognized vaccination record.

Apart from Hong Kong, CEB also operates regular Bayanihan flights from Dubai to Manila to fly home overseas Filipino workers. The carrier has also reinstated its flights to Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul (Incheon), Singapore, Taipei, and Tokyo (Narita).

CEB has been rated 7/7 stars

by airlineratings.com for its Covid-19 compliance as it continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety, in accordance with global aviation standards.

These include daily extensive cleaning and disinfection protocols for all aircraft and facilities, antigen testing before duty for all frontliners and crew members, and contactless flight procedures. Its jet aircraft are equipped with hospital grade HEPA air filters, keeping viruses at bay.

To date, CEB has vaccinated 95 percent of its flying crew and expects to complete employee inoculation by October this year.

CEB operates the widest domestic network in the Philippines covering 31 destinations, on top of its 8 international destinations. Its 74-strong fleet, one of the youngest in the world, includes 2 dedicated ATR freighters and one A330 freighter.

juncture ladies and gentlemen, the DOE is one with the DTI in inviting investors listening to us here today like the hyperscalers of the world.”

SMC: First batch of MRT-7 trains will arrive next week

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

S

an Miguel Corp. (SMC) will receive the first batch of trains for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7 next week, the conglomerate’s chief said on Wednesday.

Ramon S. Ang, the company’s president, said SMC will take delivery of two train sets from South Korean firm Hyundai Rotem, after the trains have been inspected and tested by SMC’s adviser Korea Railroad Corp. (Korail). “ The timely arrival of t hese bra nd ne w, h ig hquality trains from South Korea—known as one of the world’s best train and rail systems builders—is such a welcome development, and I believe holds a lot of significance,” he said.

“At a time when many are feeling uncertain about our country’s future because of the pandemic, this shows t h at t he job of n at ionbuilding, continues; that the work of improving our infrastructure, boosting our economic growth prospects, and investing in our country’s brighter future, also doesn’t stop—especially for us in San Miguel.”

Each train set is 65.45 meters long—or well over the entire length of an Olympicsize swimming pool, which is 50 meters.

More trains are set to a r r ive i n t he fol low i ng months, up to next year, Ang said. The company ordered 36 train sets or a total of 108 train cars from Hyundai Rotem.

Currently, MRT-7 is at 54 percent completion rate with installation of bored piles, girders, and other foundational works on a significant portion of the project, already completed.

“Right now, construction activities on the guideway and the stations are ongoing. Electronic and mechanical works also continues. As we said before, the MRT-7 project is in many ways more difficult and complex than even our recently-competed Skyway Stage 3—which in itself is an engineering feat.

This is because MRT-7 has added complexities such as electric power systems, computer and communications systems, signaling systems, and automatic fare systems, among others,” Ang said.

He noted that there are “many causes of delay” such as the restrictions caused by the pandemic and issues on right of way delivery.

“But as with all SMC projects, we apply 110 percent effort to all the areas we can work on, so as to minimize delays. The most important thing is we don’t stop, we keep on progressing,” Ang said.

B2

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, September 2, 2021

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

September 1, 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 PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE

113 82.3 24.4 9.14 45.25 20.2 55.3 19.66 112.2 88.75 1.18 4.29 2.82 1.3 0.34 220 2,450

113.1 82.9 24.5 9.19 45.5 20.45 56.05 19.88 112.5 88.8 1.26 4.32 3.08 1.35 0.35 221 2,500

110.6 83.15 24.4 9.25 45.55 20.15 56 19.8 113.3 86 1.2 4.29 2.9 1.35 0.34 217 2450

113.1 83.5 24.5 9.25 45.75 20.6 56.05 19.8 114 89 1.2 4.32 2.9 1.35 0.34 229 2,450

110.6 82.3 24.15 9.1 45.25 20.15 56 19.66 112.2 86 1.18 4.28 2.88 1.35 0.34 215 2,450

113 82.3 24.5 9.14 45.25 20.2 56.05 19.66 112.2 88.8 1.18 4.32 2.88 1.35 0.34 220 2,450

1,849,750 1,023,650 106,700 447,600 3,299,600 163,800 4,210 18,100 371,050 160,740 64,000 165,000 10,000 18,000 330,000 9,940 240

207,867,802 84,740,781 2,601,160 4,104,269 150,081,455 3,320,655 235,770 356,786 41,802,374 14,247,442 76,020 708,750 28,820 24,300 112,200 2,176,534 588,000

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 AGRINURTURE AXELUM CNTRL AZUCARERA 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 SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH CONCRETE A CEMEX HLDG EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA TKC METALS VULCAN INDL CROWN ASIA EUROMED MABUHAY VINYL PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS PANASONIC SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG

HOLDING & FRIMS

ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE B GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA SOLID GROUP SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP SOC RESOURCES SEAFRONT RES TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

97,510,842 1,873,701.5 (603,880) (71,327) 27,152,110 (354,315) (31,560) (25,750,701) 8,073,016.5 (25,720) 1,403,724 588,000

9.86 1.18 28.3 0.58 32.15 77.4 285.2 18.18 3.07 3.93 12.1 18.66 12.96 5.6 2.76 13.92 25.05 13.24 8.1 16.16 78.8 0.64 1.22 106.5 195 6.3 0.215 16.58 7.63 0.89 4.4 0.13 144 0.8 49.1 1.23 14.18 7.89 6.8 6.12 14 0.96 1.38 1.71 1.71 5.2 5.4 22.5 2.79 8.45 0.92 5.8 1.17 4.41

9.87 1.19 28.4 0.59 32.2 77.5 287 18.2 3.08 3.98 12.94 18.68 12.98 5.62 2.85 13.94 25.5 13.28 8.2 16.46 79 0.67 1.23 107 196.2 6.4 0.216 16.6 7.67 0.91 4.57 0.131 145.9 0.82 54 1.24 14.4 7.9 6.9 6.15 14.2 0.99 1.39 1.72 1.72 5.38 5.46 22.8 2.82 8.48 0.93 5.98 1.19 4.43

9.61 1.19 28.2 0.57 32 77.6 282 18.12 3.11 3.93 12.62 18.34 12.98 5.65 2.83 13.94 25.3 13.5 8.04 16.2 78 0.65 1.27 105 199 6.61 0.216 16.84 7.7 0.89 4.51 0.129 149.7 0.8 49.95 1.23 14.12 8.05 6.7 6.09 14 0.96 1.39 1.72 1.75 5.38 5.44 22.05 2.75 8.75 0.91 5.98 1.18 4.4

9.9 1.19 28.7 0.59 32.3 77.6 288.8 18.32 3.11 3.97 12.94 18.68 13 5.65 2.85 13.94 25.5 13.5 8.25 16.46 79 0.67 1.28 110.8 200 6.61 0.216 16.96 7.8 0.92 4.51 0.131 149.7 0.82 50 1.24 14.4 8.12 6.98 6.15 14.2 0.99 1.43 1.72 1.8 5.38 5.47 22.85 2.84 8.75 0.92 5.98 1.19 4.47

9.55 1.18 28.2 0.56 31.75 76.5 279.2 17.9 3.04 3.93 12.44 18.02 12.94 5.53 2.75 13.94 24.85 13.12 8.03 15.8 78 0.64 1.21 103.2 195 6.2 0.215 16.44 7.67 0.89 4.4 0.129 144 0.8 49.95 1.21 14.1 7.82 6.7 6.09 14 0.94 1.37 1.72 1.7 5.38 5.44 22.05 2.72 8.48 0.91 5.98 1.17 4.34

9.86 1.18 28.4 0.59 32.15 77.5 285.2 18.2 3.07 3.97 12.94 18.68 12.98 5.6 2.85 13.94 25.5 13.24 8.2 16.46 79 0.67 1.23 107 195 6.4 0.216 16.6 7.67 0.9 4.4 0.131 144 0.81 50 1.24 14.4 7.89 6.9 6.12 14.2 0.95 1.39 1.72 1.72 5.38 5.47 22.5 2.82 8.48 0.92 5.98 1.19 4.43

60,155,400 135,000 9,220,900 10,213,000 5,360,800 55,970 283,580 1,774,500 2,097,000 38,000 399,400 1,061,400 35,300 128,600 545,000 600 2,005,700 230,800 2,199,900 14,252,300 123,710 122,000 12,500,000 156,290 388,210 243,700 370,000 10,757,400 24,000 3,731,000 13,000 1,650,000 1,340,470 554,000 3,700 1,669,000 88,000 125,900 87,500 552,000 32,300 387,000 2,956,000 22,000 263,000 100 51,000 14,400 6,058,000 250,100 150,000 3,400 439,000 1,681,000

586,393,432 159,420 262,569,770 5,951,960 ( 172,144,420 4,308,630 81,081,592 32,255,138 6,459,880 149,730 5,031,594 19,434,286 457,798 721,724 1,517,180 8,364 50,632,645 3,067,766 17,953,165(3, 227,165,840 9,764,337 79,490 15,390,690 16,870,442 76,217,397 1,555,572 79,900 178,478,184 185,715 3,347,840 57,630 213,960 196,087,391 448,820 184,990 2,044,100 1,241,774 999,773 598,312 3,372,130 452,660 369,870 4,138,220 37,840 453,000 538 277,470 320,455 17,026,130 2,144,403 136,630 20,332 516,140 7,403,590

103,722,213 (14,014,880) 488,940.0003) (8,894,895) 785,594.0001 16,428,300 (2,712,088) (2,560,370) (18,479,294) 25,267 16,770 21,030,190 10,544 551,143.9997) (1,912,540) (970,450) 218,710 (4,214,194) 7,630,398 852,572 (34,515,792) (133,615) (1,677,780) 25,104,684 40,000 (813,990) (320,472) (38,569) (1,682,390) 321,750 8,600 286,695 (4,809,340) (790,709) 411,380

1.07 6.16 785 43.75 10.26 5.03 6.95 0.97 0.57 4.97 6.38 7.6 2.85 545 3.78 62.2 5.36 0.68 3.05 8.51 3.86 3.05 1.98 1.19 985 109 0.68 2.13 134 0.26 0.191

1.08 6.31 788 43.8 10.28 5.04 7.1 0.99 0.58 4.99 6.4 7.78 4.38 547.5 3.81 63.25 5.7 0.69 3.19 8.52 3.87 3.28 2 1.2 993 109.4 0.73 2.36 137 0.27 0.198

1.03 6.31 788 42.9 10.32 4.8 7 1 0.59 4.95 6.35 7.52 2.85 540 3.81 64.8 5.32 0.68 3.04 8.6 3.82 3.28 1.91 1.19 998.5 107.1 0.7 2.13 137.4 0.26 0.195

1.09 6.31 794 44.1 10.4 5.04 7 1 0.59 5 6.54 7.6 2.85 562 3.81 64.8 5.32 0.71 3.06 8.8 3.9 3.28 1.98 1.19 1,006 109.6 0.7 2.13 137.5 0.26 0.195

1.02 6.31 765 42.55 10.26 4.8 6.88 0.97 0.57 4.9 6.33 7.52 2.85 539 3.81 62.2 5.32 0.67 3.04 8.5 3.82 3.04 1.9 1.19 976 107 0.7 2.13 134 0.26 0.195

1.08 6.31 788 43.75 10.26 5.03 6.95 0.97 0.57 4.97 6.38 7.6 2.85 545 3.81 62.2 5.32 0.68 3.05 8.51 3.87 3.04 1.98 1.19 985 109 0.7 2.13 134 0.26 0.195

17,226,000 600 416,810 1,469,300 2,069,400 16,589,000 35,900 838,000 892,000 2,126,700 10,041,800 1,100 4,000 178,450 4,000 1,745,170 1,500 126,000 1,040,000 11,194,800 15,283,000 5,000 149,000 1,000 259,095 375,100 11,000 2,000 4,750 270,000 80,000

18,469,670 3,786 327,593,140 63,945,380 21,342,584 82,707,870 249,332 820,470 509,940 10,539,852 64,609,187 8,312 11,400 98,481,415 15,240 109,974,875.5 7,980 85,360 3,162,250 95,621,047 59,204,800 16,160 289,060 1,190 257,155,765 40,702,873 7,700 4,260 646,220 70,200 15,600

(1,178,090) 92,980,290 24,876,185 (8,838,398) (1,178,680) (9,076,223) 4,430,067 11,255,120 1,234,192 (12,200) (48,268,692) (6,531,060) 50,700 72,011,652.5 (1,700,371) 7,000 (378,370) -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.66 0.67 0.66 0.67 0.65 0.66 395,000 260,210 ANCHOR LAND 6.9 7.49 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.9 1,800 12,420 AYALA LAND 33.05 33.3 33.5 34.05 33.05 33.05 8,735,900 293,474,630 (28,818,340) AREIT RT 37 37.15 36.8 37.15 36.8 37.15 372,900 13,805,460(8, 247,939.9999) BELLE CORP 1.36 1.38 1.37 1.38 1.37 1.38 229,000 313,820 ( 301,400.0001) A BROWN 0.87 0.88 0.86 0.88 0.86 0.88 112,000 97,900 CITYLAND DEVT 0.78 0.8 0.78 0.8 0.77 0.8 283,000 220,490 50,180 CROWN EQUITIES 0.124 0.125 0.123 0.128 0.12 0.125 13,440,000 1,653,780 207,310 CEBU HLDG 6.11 6.29 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.2 2,000 12,400 CEB LANDMASTERS 3.26 3.27 3.16 3.28 3.12 3.27 2,070,000 6,662,300 172,820 CENTURY PROP 0.445 0.45 0.46 0.46 0.445 0.45 18,510,000 8,349,200 483,250 DOUBLEDRAGON 10.1 10.12 10.16 10.16 10.02 10.1 176,100 1,772,556 (472,426) DDMP RT 1.78 1.79 1.79 1.8 1.78 1.79 8,489,000 15,180,470 (5,702,980) DM WENCESLAO 6.65 6.66 6.8 6.8 6.66 6.66 123,400 827,861 EMPIRE EAST 0.275 0.28 0.28 0.28 0.27 0.28 1,110,000 302,500 44,000 EVER GOTESCO 0.43 0.435 0.46 0.475 0.43 0.43 87,860,000 39,617,800 (981,450) FILINVEST RT 7.17 7.18 7.2 7.26 7.14 7.18 4,126,200 29,590,289 (2,573,121) FILINVEST LAND 1.12 1.13 1.13 1.14 1.12 1.13 4,203,000 4,736,610 2 ,709,799.9998 GLOBAL ESTATE 0.88 0.89 0.87 0.9 0.87 0.88 31,000 27,140 8990 HLDG 7.12 7.45 7.45 7.45 7.45 7.45 5,700 42,465 12,665 PHIL INFRADEV 1.26 1.28 1.28 1.29 1.26 1.28 189,000 241,240 CITY AND LAND 1.24 1.26 1.26 1.26 1.21 1.26 307,000 382,590 12,500 MEGAWORLD 2.85 2.88 2.9 2.9 2.85 2.85 9,012,000 25,841,790 (15,930) MRC ALLIED 0.305 0.31 0.3 0.31 0.3 0.305 6,200,000 1,894,000 106,750 PHIL ESTATES 0.53 0.54 0.52 0.55 0.52 0.54 3,560,000 1,913,140 68,580 PRIMEX CORP 2.03 2.09 2.16 2.16 2 2.03 182,000 372,430 (87,960) ROBINSONS LAND 16.2 16.3 16.52 16.7 16.2 16.2 4,524,400 73,950,086 (23,720,424) PHIL REALTY 0.26 0.27 0.27 0.275 0.26 0.275 460,000 121,950 ROCKWELL 1.5 1.53 1.53 1.53 1.53 1.53 23,000 35,190 (35,190) SHANG PROP 2.6 2.64 2.63 2.64 2.61 2.64 38,000 99,450 STA LUCIA LAND 3 3.02 2.92 3.02 2.92 3.02 3,213,000 9,489,180 (3,000) SM PRIME HLDG 33.4 33.7 33.8 34.2 33.35 33.4 7,616,200 257,188,975 9,491,810 SUNTRUST HOME 1.61 1.67 1.61 1.68 1.61 1.62 75,000 123,210 4,950 PTFC REDEV CORP 43.15 50.95 43.15 43.15 43.1 43.1 500 21,560 VISTA LAND 3.52 3.54 3.5 3.54 3.43 3.52 544,000 1,907,080 (378,150)

SERVICES ABS CBN 10.86 10.9 10.86 10.98 10.84 10.9 91,100 990,730 GMA NETWORK 13.18 13.2 13.5 13.56 13.2 13.2 4,694,100 62,479,250 MANILA BULLETIN 0.41 0.425 0.425 0.43 0.425 0.43 60,000 25,600 MLA BRDCASTING 9.18 10.5 9.8 9.8 9.18 9.18 900 8,696 GLOBE TELECOM 2,758 2,760 2718 2,790 2,694 2,760 201,210 555,077,240 158,406,840 PLDT 1,470 1,479 1460 1,482 1,420 1,479 315,745 464,558,805 172,147,575 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.11 0.111 0.111 0.114 0.109 0.111 574,950,000 64,414,540 2,141,360 CONVERGE 32 32.05 31.05 32.1 30.9 32 15,620,500 494,354,785 (83,984,080) DFNN INC 3.75 3.79 3.84 3.88 3.74 3.86 168,000 631,620 (508,640) DITO CME HLDG 8.39 8.4 8.15 8.49 8.15 8.39 6,467,000 54,078,353 (729,414) IMPERIAL 1.41 1.64 1.42 1.42 1.41 1.41 11,000 15,580 NOW CORP 2.03 2.04 2.02 2.05 2.02 2.04 970,000 1,971,930 (165,920) TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.385 0.39 0.385 0.39 0.38 0.39 2,160,000 833,800 PHILWEB 2.2 2.24 2.29 2.29 2.18 2.2 351,000 774,260 2GO GROUP 8.07 8.18 8.05 8.2 8.05 8.06 4,700 38,389 (25,388.9999) ASIAN TERMINALS 13.6 14 14 14 14 14 600 8,400 8,400 CHELSEA 2.54 2.55 2.52 2.59 2.51 2.55 337,000 854,690 CEBU AIR 43.7 43.75 44 44 43.6 43.75 63,100 2,762,710 (1,024,605) INTL CONTAINER 180 181 182 183.9 179 180 958,360 173,468,186 (1,513,384) LBC EXPRESS 16.22 16.26 16.3 16.3 16.22 16.24 5,300 86,336 MACROASIA 4.67 4.73 4.66 4.75 4.61 4.67 285,000 1,332,870 18,820 METROALLIANCE A 1.73 1.75 1.73 1.75 1.73 1.75 27,000 47,110 HARBOR STAR 1.06 1.08 1.1 1.1 1.05 1.06 61,000 64,820 ACESITE HOTEL 1.62 1.65 1.66 1.66 1.61 1.65 210,000 343,600 (39,600) BOULEVARD HLDG 0.094 0.095 0.093 0.096 0.092 0.094 83,380,000 7,813,330 365,700 DISCOVERY WORLD 2.22 2.27 2.27 2.27 2.22 2.22 11,000 24,720 WATERFRONT 0.52 0.53 0.52 0.52 0.52 0.52 184,000 95,680 FAR EASTERN U 550 594.5 550 560 550 550 400 220,100 IPEOPLE 7.09 7.47 7.48 7.48 7.48 7.48 2,100 15,708 STI HLDG 0.345 0.355 0.355 0.355 0.345 0.35 570,000 199,700 106,500 BERJAYA 6.37 6.49 5.45 6.49 5.45 6.49 811,400 4,884,305 BLOOMBERRY 5.9 5.93 5.9 5.95 5.9 5.9 1,730,600 10,226,002 (4,103,901) PACIFIC ONLINE 1.98 2 2 2 2 2 8,000 16,000 LEISURE AND RES 1.7 1.72 1.75 1.82 1.67 1.72 1,673,000 2,913,270 (422,620) MANILA JOCKEY 1.96 2.05 1.96 1.96 1.96 1.96 2,000 3,920 (3,920) PH RESORTS GRP 1.56 1.59 1.6 1.6 1.53 1.59 2,813,000 4,394,810 (314,590) PREMIUM LEISURE 0.42 0.425 0.43 0.43 0.415 0.425 1,820,000 763,300 ALLHOME 8.09 8.1 8.15 8.17 7.92 8.1 425,400 3,447,673 1,445,204 METRO RETAIL 1.28 1.29 1.28 1.3 1.27 1.28 921,000 1,179,210 (646,460) PUREGOLD 41.65 41.75 41.7 42.5 41.3 41.65 4,622,600 194,585,375 80,439,645 ROBINSONS RTL 50.1 51 51 51.35 50.1 50.1 702,700 35,670,143.5 (2,664,470.5) PHIL SEVEN CORP 85 85.7 85.9 87 84.8 85 6,649,140 565,179,210.5 1,425,376 SSI GROUP 1.17 1.18 1.16 1.18 1.15 1.17 3,473,000 4,043,040 (526,760) WILCON DEPOT 25.15 25.25 25 25.85 24.9 25.15 1,457,400 36,632,605 (8,659,975) APC GROUP 0.315 0.33 0.325 0.34 0.325 0.33 150,000 49,600 (19,650) EASYCALL 5.3 5.5 5.6 5.6 5.3 5.5 18,800 102,814 GOLDEN MV 461.2 477.4 461 477.4 460.8 477.4 2,130 1,008,170 IPM HLDG 7.09 7.1 7.09 7.09 7.09 7.09 4,000 28,360 PAXYS 2.3 2.48 2.47 2.47 2.47 2.47 1,000 2,470 SBS PHIL CORP 4.14 4.15 4.14 4.14 4.14 4.14 1,000 4,140

MINING & OIL ATOK 6.05 6.22 6 6.25 6 6.25 1,477,500 8,879,530 568,800 APEX MINING 1.52 1.53 1.5 1.52 1.5 1.52 918,000 1,385,410 (30,000) ATLAS MINING 6.06 6.09 6.21 6.23 6.06 6.06 833,300 5,119,959 9,330 BENGUET A 4.95 5.09 5 5.2 4.9 5.09 17,700 87,635 COAL ASIA HLDG 0.285 0.295 0.29 0.295 0.28 0.295 1,240,000 353,750 CENTURY PEAK 2.8 2.86 2.78 2.86 2.78 2.86 15,000 42,100 42,099.9998 DIZON MINES 6.01 6.34 6.01 6.01 6 6 22,000 132,092 FERRONICKEL 2.05 2.06 2.1 2.13 2.02 2.05 9,771,000 20,115,770 (1,587,860) LEPANTO A 0.137 0.139 0.14 0.14 0.138 0.138 6,070,000 838,540 LEPANTO B 0.141 0.143 0.142 0.142 0.142 0.142 900,000 127,800 MANILA MINING A 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.01 85,600,000 871,800 MANILA MINING B 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.011 404,500,000 4,045,700 MARCVENTURES 0.93 0.95 0.98 0.98 0.93 0.93 1,866,000 1,744,380 NIHAO 1.2 1.25 1.2 1.27 1.16 1.27 104,000 123,990 (2,400) NICKEL ASIA 5.67 5.68 5.65 5.77 5.58 5.67 4,397,600 24,993,102 162,483 ORNTL PENINSULA 0.89 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.88 0.89 501,000 444,460 PX MINING 5.36 5.37 5.5 5.5 5.33 5.36 656,100 3,545,417 (630,002) SEMIRARA MINING 17.94 17.96 17.1 17.96 17.1 17.96 5,613,200 99,174,424 21,111,690 UNITED PARAGON 0.0076 0.0079 0 0.0083 0.0083 0.0075 0.0076 122,000,000 951,000 23,100 ACE ENEXOR 15 15.28 15 15.4 15 15 235,600 3,538,156 75,560 ORNTL PETROL A 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.011 9,300,000 98,700 PHILODRILL 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.01 26,500,000 269,800 (200,000) PXP ENERGY 6.41 6.49 6.58 6.58 6.36 6.49 478,000 3,056,897 (516,098)

PREFFERED

HOUSE PREF A 100.3 102 100.2 100.2 100.2 100.2 400 40,080 ALCO PREF B 100.7 103.3 103.3 103.3 103.3 103.3 180 18,594 AC PREF B2R 520 528 520 520 520 520 100 52,000 CEB PREF 43.45 43.65 43.5 43.5 43.45 43.45 23,000 999,650 (504,260) DD PREF 100.7 100.9 100.6 100.7 100.6 100.7 980 98,684 FGEN PREF G 102.1 105.4 100.1 102 100.1 101.7 19,530 1,958,656 GTCAP PREF B 1,022 1,048 1048 1,048 1,048 1,048 10 10,480 MWIDE PREF 100.7 101 101 101 100.7 100.8 44,010 4,434,620 (1,010) MWIDE PREF 2B 100.2 102 102.6 102.6 102.6 102.6 1,040 106,704 PNX PREF 3B 104.5 106.8 106 106 106 106 1,830 193,980 PNX PREF 4 1,002 1,003 1001 1,003 1,001 1,003 815 816,945 PCOR PREF 2B 1,010 1,028 1020 1,020 1,020 1,020 5 5,100 PCOR PREF 3A 1,115 1,120 1115 1,115 1,115 1,115 700 780,500 SFI PREF 1.65 1.72 1.66 1.71 1.66 1.71 6,000 10,110 SMC PREF 2C 76.2 76.25 76.25 76.25 76.15 76.25 9,740 742,529.5 SMC PREF 2E 75.8 76.65 76 76.5 75.75 75.75 3,700 280,912.5 SMC PREF 2H 76.4 76.9 76.9 76.9 76.9 76.9 1,050 80,745 SMC PREF 2I 79 79.05 78.95 79 78.95 79 9,030 713,368.5 SMC PREF 2J 76 76.9 76 76.1 76 76.1 1,900 144,540 SMC PREF 2K 76 76.75 76 76 76 76 28,150 2,139,400

PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS

GMA HLDG PDR 12.1 12.46 12.14 12.46 12.02 12.12 217,700 2,649,454

(885,558)

LR WARRANT 0.6 0.61 0.66 0.66 0.57 0.6 6,488,000 3,951,090 TECH WARRANT 1.47 1.48 1.56 1.63 1.44 1.48 19,992,000 30,471,980

(192,000) 7,400

WARRANTS

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ALTUS PROP 20.75 20.9 20.65 21.45 19.92 20.9 166,700 3,498,925 31,715 ITALPINAS 2 2.01 2.01 2.03 2 2.01 92,000 184,840 8,040 MERRYMART 3.93 3.94 3.65 3.94 3.65 3.94 11,546,000 44,517,840 (119,710)

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

103

103.6

103.4

103.7

102.5

103

13,970

1,443,983

51,665

www.businessmirror.com.ph

IPOs of sugar mill, medical center secure SEC approval

By VG Cabuag

T

@villygc

he Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the maiden public offerings of Allied Care Experts Medical (ACE) CenterCagayan de Oro Inc. and Central Azucarera de San Antonio Inc. (CASA).

In its en banc meeting on Tuesday, the agency approved the registration statements of ACE Medical Center CDO involving the sale of 240,000 common shares and CASA covering the registration of some 1.85 million common shares.

ACE Medical Center-CDO will offer 3,600 blocks composed of 10 shares each, with a price ranging from P200,000 to P400,000 per block. The shares will be traded over the counter through the hospital’s internal staff.

The company expects to net P996.69 million from the offer.

Proceeds from the initial public offering (IPO) will be used for construction of its hospital in Cagayan de Oro estimated at P778.4 million, the acquisition of medical equipment, the partial payment of a loan, as well as for the hospital’s working capital requirement.

The intended market for the IPO will be medical practitioners and their relatives, as well as the public, according to its registra-

tion statement.

Physicians and other medical specialists who will subscribe to at least one block or 10 shares from the offer will be allowed to practice in the company’s hospital, subject to restrictions, limitations and obligations as may be imposed by hospital.

ACE Medical Center-CDO is currently constructing an eightstory, 176-bed healthcare facility covering a floor area of 21,198 square meters in Barangay Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City.

Subscribing to the offer shares is a prerequisite for physicians and medical specialists to practice at the hospital. Physicians looking to hold clinic at the hospital must have paid in full one block or 10 common shares and must have undergone the required screening process and minimum requirements prescribed by the hospital.

Subscribers to the IPO will also be given benefits and privileges, such as discounts on medical and dental services, which the stock-

Google takes down erring lending apps

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

T

he online lending applications (OLAs) flagged recently by the National Privacy Commission (NPC) are no longer available for download in the Google Play Store.

In a statement on Wednesday, the privacy watchdog said Google LLC took down JuanHand, Pesopop, CashJeep and Lemon Loan following the agency’s order.

“The NPC has furnished copies to Google LLC to remove them from Google Play Store for posing serious privacy risks to individuals who downloaded the apps.”

Last month, the privacy commission launched an investigation into the said OLAs amid complaints of unauthorized use of personal data, resulting in harassment and shaming of borrowers.

The findings by NPC’s Complaints and Investigation Division revealed that the OLAs violated the principles of transparency, legitimate purpose and proportionality in the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and the NPC issuance on the Processing of Personal Data for Loan-Related Transactions.

The privacy agency instructed in four separate orders Wefund Lending Corp. (JuanHand), Joywin

Lending Investor Inc. (Lemon Loan), Cash8 Lending Corp. (CashJeep) and Populus Lending Corp. (Pesopop) to stop the processing of borrowers’ personal data.

They were found to be processing their borrowers’ information including contacts, location, photos, media files, email and social media data.

Privacy Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro welcomed the actions of National Telecommunications Commission and Google against the said OLAs and urged other operators to follow regulations when processing borrowers’ data. “ For ot her OL A s, t he NPC strongly urges you to employ knowyour-customer and debt collection practices that are aligned with NPC Circular No. 20-01, where we laid out guidelines on the processing of personal data for loan-related transactions,” he said.

Prior to the shutdown, JuanHand, Lemon Loan, Cash Jeep and Pesopop were downloaded for over 2.1 million times in the Google Play Store.

NPC has been cracking down on OLAs, issuing a ban against 26 lending apps in 2019 for failing to respond to allegations lodged against them, including use of personal data to shame delinquent borrowers.

‘Cathay Pacific will continue to offer flights from Manila’

By Recto Mercene @rectomercene

C

athay Pacific (CX) said it remains in operation in the Philippines, contrary to reports circulating on social media.

The airlines Marketing and PR Specialist Anna Maria Lee said the apparent confusion stems from its recent announcement in its Facebook page. “This may have caused some confusion with customers that our operations in the Philippines will be closed.”

Lee said, “only our ticketing offices in Manila and Cebu will be closed as we are shifting handling of ticketing transactions to our Global Contact Centres.”

“Our contact centers are open

24/7 and offer a much safer and flexible option for customers especially at this time. We continue to fly from Manila to Hong Kong and will resume our Cebu service this September.”

Cathay Pacific has been serving the Philippines for 75 years. Lee said, “we remain committed to flying our customers from Manila and Cebu to Hong Kong and beyond.”

The airline was founded on September 24, 1946 by Australian Sydney H. de Kantzow and American Roy C. Farrell. On its maiden voyaged, Cathay flews from Sydney to Hong Kong via Manila.

The airline initially flew routes between Hong Kong, Sydney, Manila, Singapore, Shanghai, Saigon, and Bangkok.

holder, the spouse dependents and natural parents may also avail in other medical facilities affiliated with the ACE Group of Hospitals.

Meanwhile, CASA will offer 277,500 common shares, consisting of 214,551 new common shares by way of a primary offer and 62,949 secondary shares offered by a selling shareholder, priced at up to P2,012.52 per share. The shares will be traded over the counter.

The company is conducting the offering pursuant to Republic Act 9136, or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, which mandates generation companies that are not publicly listed to offer and sell to the public not less than 15 percent of their common shares within five years from the effectivity of Energy Regulatory Commission Resolution No. 4-2019.

Antonio Steven L. Chan, the

mutual funds

brother of singer Jose Mari Chan, founded the company and has been its president since 2008. The company primarily operates a sugar milling business, but it also engaged in power generation through a biomass co-generation plant with an initial installed generation capacity of 15 megawatts.

Net proceeds from the primary offer is estimated at P422.04 million which CASA will use for the upgrading of its cogeneration facility, motor pool and sugar factory, as well as for land acquisition and farm mechanization.

CASA will not receive proceeds from the sale of secondary shares, which is expected to yield P115.42 million.

The company engaged SB Capital Investment Corp. as the issue manager and underwriter for the offer.

September 1, 2021

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 221.21 13.86% -5.93% -3.84% -2.65% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 1.4953 42.15% -0.25% 0.98% 13.88% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.0378 17.03% -10.16% -6.93% -3.04% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.737 10.41% -7.41% n.a.

-8.32% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.7564 9.24% -4.72% n.a.

2% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.9203 17.46% -3.67% -2.05% -0.42% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.7381 13.22% -5.64% -5.74% -2.86% MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 97.38 22.18% -5.72% n.a.

-4.47% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 45.1446 16.23% -4.53% -2.79% -3.64% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 475.71 13.51% -3.98% -3.13% -2.71% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d 1.0852 22.65% n.a. n.a.

-1.1% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.1931 19.79% -3.18% -1.68% 2.13% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 34.3523 17.83% -3.76% -1.62% -1.2% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.886 15.24% n.a. n.a.

-2.96% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 4.6414 17.07% -3.87% -2.03% -3.13% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 775.39 16.98% -3.84% -2.19% -3.28% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.7033 17.85% -7.63% -5.27% -2.17% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.5698 15.78% -5.89% -3.24% -1.49% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.8854 16.56% -4.17% -2.34% -3.52% United Fund, Inc. -a 3.2404 17.35% -4.27% -1.36% -2.37% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 104.1169 16.96% -3.66% -1.67% -3.2% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b $1.1816 10.24% 4.13% 5.61% -1.77% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.8528 19.58% 12.15% 12.14% 10.76% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.6668 5.79% -0.85% -1.79% -0.11% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.2005 7.77% -1.69% -1.62% -3.71% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6072 9.14% -0.3% -0.38% -0.75% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.1915 4.99% n.a. n.a.

-3.58% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.9551 7.23% 1.17% 0.32% -0.45% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.6844 6.61% 0.19% -0.92% -2.74% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 16.4971 7.11% 0.28% -0.89% -2.59% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 2.0565 8.32% -1.03% -0.6% -1.8% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.5469 9.41% -2.21% -1.63% -0.74% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9838 5.78% n.a. n.a.

-3.79% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.9019 9.11% n.a. n.a.

-4.98% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.8887 11.06% n.a. n.a.

-4.76% Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.8925 11.58% -2.71% -1.95% 0.54% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03841 -0.98% 2.84% 1.2% -1.81% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b $1.0929 3.43% 2.89% 3.21% -4.98% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.8352 14.83% 9.35% 8.51% 7.14% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a $1.2313 6.96% 5.45% 4.5% 2.43% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 372.91 1.3% 3.05% 2.41% 0.5% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.9268 -1.11% 1.11% 0.15% 1.39% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.2386 1.22% 3.49% 4.23% 0.74% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.2619 -1.79% 2.14% 1.19% -1.49% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4418 -0.58% 3.24% 1.66% -0.46% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.486 -4.18% 4.31% 1.14% -3.21% Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a 1.3203 0.76% 4% 2.71% -0.07% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.9799 0.75% 4.63% 1.94% -0.53% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.038 0.06% 4.78% 1.57% -0.38% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.2226 1.4% 5.01% 2.34% 0.52% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.7529 0.54% 4.32% 1.65% -0.12% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $488.16 2.29% 3.15% 2.11% 0.89% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є220.74 1.72% 1.16% 0.82% 0.71% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2066 -2.39% 2.51% 1.39% -5.76% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0262 - 0.38% 1.85% 0.86% -1.5% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b $1.0481 -3.74% 0.33% -1.22% -4.08% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.5356 2.13% 5.16% 1.95% 0% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0631228 3.59% 3.57% 2.1% 1.29% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.2144 0.22% 3.38% 0.79% -0.29% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 130.62 1.33% 2.98% 2.54% 0.62% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0546 1.03% n.a. n.a.

0.62% Sun Life Prosperity Peso Starter Fund, Inc. -a,1 1.3087 1.56% 2.78% 2.55% 0.93% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0584 1.02% 1.6% n.a.

0.57% Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d 1.3302 27.83% n.a. n.a.

17.76% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a,d $0.99 4.21% n.a. n.a.

1.02%

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.

"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 BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Thursday, September 2, 2021 B3

NMIS orders release of imported meat products

T

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

he National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) has ordered the release of meat shipments that had been held in abeyance due to the lack of proper labels.

The NMIS issued Memorandum Circular (MC) 08-2021-028 dated August 26 that ordered the release of all imported meat put on hold due to noncompliance with the government’s minimum labeling requirements.

The MC was signed by NMIS Executive Director Jocelyn A. Salvador.

Based on the MC, the 23 shipments that were held in abeyance were “deemed not to constitute misrepresentation, misbranding, false claims and other deliberate acts.”

The NMIS added that this was the basis for their release “for utilization to further measures on modification.”

Industry sources told the BusinessMirror that importers have been given the go-signal to modify the labels of the non-compliant shipments, which were subsequently allowed to be released for market use.

The meat shipments that were ordered release under MC 08-2021028 included imported beef (boneless beef navels, striploin, ribeye,

BusinessMirror file photo

chuckeye roll, shortlate), pork, (trimmings, middle bone-in, jowls, loins bone in skinless, hams, ear drum) as well as frozen ground mature chicken breast meat.

The BusinessMirror reported last month that the stringent im-

plementation of the minimum meat labeling requirements on imported meat have resulted in a supply bottleneck as the government put on hold at least 2.5 million kilograms of imported meat products.

(Related story: https://business-

mirror.com.ph /2021/08/11/ meat-labeling-rules-seen-affecting-food-supply/) The confiscation of meat shipments started after the NMIS issued a memorandum circular last July 27, which reiterated the strict enforcement of labeling requirements for meat products.

The Bureau of Animal Industry and the NMIS issued a joint memorandum circular (JMC) on meat labeling requirements last August 10 after industry players aired their concerns over the NMIS memorandum circular.

However, the JMC did not sit well with industry stakeholders. Some of them pointed out that the JMC contains “legal impediments” and that it had nothing to do with food safety.

Frozen inventory

Ahead of the issuance of the MC, the NMIS released data which indicated that the country’s frozen pork inventory shrank after it declined for

two consecutive weeks. Inventory as of August 23 was at 67,551.59 metric tons (MT).

NMIS data showed that frozen pork inventory in accredited cold storages nationwide as of August 23 fell by 3,608.22 MT from 71,159.81 MT recorded on August 16.

The agency attached to the Departement of Agriculture reported that 96.95 percent, or 65,492.05 MT of the August 23 total frozen pork inventory was imported.

The volume of imported frozen pork during the reference period was almost 5 percent lower than the 68,859.82 MT recorded on August 16, based on NMIS data.

The volume of imported frozen pork in cold storages nationwide reached a new record on August 9.

Inventory reached 75,488.97 MT as a result of the meat shipments held by the government due to noncompliance to minimum labeling requirements.

Climate change, diseases threaten PHL trees–report DENR puts up rice mills, VCO facility in Bohol

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

T

he clearing of forests, exploitation, pests and diseases, and climate change are killing Philippine trees, according to the State of the World’s Trees.

According to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) report, these activities are threatening 34 percent or 756 tree species in the country.

The Philippines is one of the 12 countries with the most number of endemic tree species as it has a total of 2,220 tree species and 1,004 of these are considered endemic.

“The main threats to tree species

are forest clearance and other forms of habitat loss, direct exploitation for timber and other products and the spread of invasive pests and diseases. Climate change is also having a clearly measurable impact,” BGCI said in a statement.

The report stated that 29 percent of trees are affected by agriculture; 27 percent, logging; and 14 percent, livestock farming.

Data also showed residential and commercial development and fire and fire suppression each affect 13 percent of trees.

The report also said energy production and mining affects 9 percent; wood and pulp plantations, 6 percent; invasive and other problematic spe-

cies, 5 percent; and climate change, 4 percent.

“The threats to trees act in different combinations and at different intensities in different parts of the world. Threats also change over time,” the report stated.

The report stated that a total of 15,748 endemic tree species were recorded in 10 countries with the highest recorded number of endemic trees.

Apart from the Philippines, the countries with the most endemic trees are Brazil, Madagascar, Australia, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and Colombia.

The country with the most diverse

tree flora is Brazil, with 8,847 tree species, followed by Colombia with 5,868 species and Indonesia with 5,716 species.

Of the most diverse countries, the report stated that New Zealand, Madagascar and New Caledonia had the greatest proportion of endemic tree species, with over 90 percent of species being found nowhere else.

Based on the Global Tree Assessment, a 5-year intensive research compiled extinction risk information on the 58,497 tree species worldwide.

The study found that 30 percent of tree species are threatened with extinction, and at least 142 tree species were recorded as extinct.

PhilRice: Azolla cuts fertilizer cost in rice production

F

ilipino rice farmers may save as much as P17,500 per year if they intercrop palay with azolla particularly in irrigated areas as it can help cut their fertilizer expenses, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) said.

PhilRice said a recent study by its researchers showed that azolla, a fern that thrives in freshwater, maintains a symbiotic relationship with the blue-green algae Anabaena azollae, creating a sustainable environment for nitrogen production.

“The algae provide nitrogen to the fern and the fern provides a habitat for the algae. This symbiosis allows the conversion of nitrogen into ammonia, which can be used by rice plants when incorporated into the soil,” said the PhilRice, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Cielo Luz C. Mondejar, DA-PhilRice researcher, said their computation showed that farmers can save about P17,500 per year “if they use azolla as biofertilizer for rice.”

“It can also increase their rice yield to 1 [metric ton per hectare],”

Photo from www.philrice.gov.ph

Mondejar said in a recent statement.

If azolla covers the floodwaters of 1-hectare rice paddy, it can supply 30 kilograms of nitrogen, which can replace at least 50 percent of the inorganic nitrogen requirement of rice without lowering the yield.

“The azolla-anabaena association can fix about 1.2 [kilogram of nitro-

gen per hectare] daily or about 864kg N/ha annually, which is equivalent to about 34 bags of urea,” she said.

PhilRice said Mondejar and her team put up a demonstration farm at DA-PhilRice in Negros to show the benefits of azolla in rice production.

“Many studies have been done on the effectiveness of azolla as an al-

ternative or supplementary fertilizer in flooded rice cropping systems,” Mondejar said.

“One of these studies revealed that it increases humus content, which ultimately improves the physical, chemical, and biological soil conditions. Another study showed that azolla intercropped with rice also reduces weed population.”

PhilRice said an earlier study of its researchers showed that growing azolla in the rice field is a good way “to minimize golden apple snail damages in transplanted rice.”

“We’re putting up this demonstration farm for more farmers to know about the benefits of Azolla in rice production,” she said. Mondejar said the demo farm, which was put up in January, also demonstrates the viability of azolla in fertilizing vegetables and feed to animals such as ducks, chickens, and tilapia.

“With 22 percent to 37 percent crude protein content of azolla, farmers could raise livestock and poultry without the need for high protein commercial feeds,” she added.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

A

T least two rice mills, a virgin coconut oil (VCO) facility, and a multi-commodity solar dryer have been put up by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Wahig Inabanga River Basin in Bohol.

The DENR has put up the rice mills as part of a project protecting the watershed around Wahig Inabanga River.

Water Inabanga is the largest and most important river in Region 7. It is recognized as a watershed reservation under Proclamation 468.

It has a huge potential source of water for agricultural, commercial, industrial, and household uses. The National Irrigation Administration has constructed a dam to provide irrigation to about 5,000 hectares of agricultural land in four valley towns—Sierra Bullones, Pilar, Dagohoy, and San Miguel.

The dam also supplies the domestic water needs of 637,097 households.

The rice mills are now managed by the people’s organization (PO) of DAFA and MVEGEGRO (Matinao Vegetable Growers Association).

A separate all-weather dryer facility has been put up for the KUFFARD (Kauswagan United Farmers for Forest and Agro-Forest Resources Development) and the multicommodity solar tunnel dryer for COMASFARMA (Confraternity of Mayana Small Farmers).

Since these facilities have been constructed, around 2,700 beneficiaries have enjoyed their production of nearly 450,000 kilos of palay, corn, cassava, and assorted fish.

The DENR project—Integrated Natural Resource and Environmental Management Program (INREMP) —has also put up a virgin coconut oil facility to enhance the livelihood source of the communities. For the fishing residents, a fish pen coral in

the area has been constructed.

INREMP has allocated P17.7 million for these livelihood projects totaling to 66 units. These have a total of 52 people’s organization beneficiaries.

For their water supply, a concrete water reservoir and a water system transformer have been constructed.

While the upland communities are helping the government in natural resource management as they protect the forests and mountains, INREMP provided them with the farm-to-market road (FMR).

These FMRs are needed by the upland communities in order to transport their agricultural goods to the market from the mountains.

Such roads, among around 15 rural infrastructure projects, have been constructed with the help of local government units in the towns of Danao, Inabanga, Trinidad, San Miguel, and Talibon, among others.

INREMP is funded by the Asian Development Bank with a counterpart fund from the Philippine government.

As the project nears completion, a total of 4,316.67 hectares of forestland has been been properly put under NRM. This consists of the following: n 758 hectares of reforestation with a contract cost of P19.169 million, benefiting 24 POs n 1,439 hectares of agroforestry area, with a contract cost of P43.684 million, benefiting 47 POs; and n 1,644 hectares of Assisted Natural Regeneration area with a contract cost of P46.625 million, benefiting 30 POs. There is also a conservation farming area of 331 hectares with a contract cost of P19.8 million and 30 PO beneficiaries. A total of 134 hectares of commercial tree planting area has been put up, benefiting five POs.

Lawmaker hails sole Filipino recipient of 2021 Ramon Magsaysay Award

S

enator Francis N. Pangilinan congratulates Roberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon as the sole Filipino recipient of the 2021 Ramon Magsaysay Award for his heroic efforts in restoring mangrove forests in Kabalasan, Zamboanga Sibugay.

The Ramon Magsaysay award, named after the late former president Ramon Magsaysay, is considered a premier prize and highest honor given to individuals and groups who have impacted the Asian region and the world. It is considered as Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

“Congratulations Ka Dodoy. Ang

award na ito ay bunga ng mga sakripisyo mo sa pag-oorganisa para maalagaan ang kalikasan [This award is the fruit of your sacrifices in organizing to care for the environment],” Pangilinan said.

“Magkakaroon din ng international at national attention sa kalagayan ng ating mga mangingisdang nagpapakain sa atin at sa ating mga karagatan. Salamat po! Inspirasyon kita sa aking mga adbokasiya [International and national attention will also be focused on the realities of our fishermen who feed us and on our seas. Thank you! You inspire me in my advocacies].”

Ka Dodoy is a fisherman who

also became a community environmentalist following the devastating drop in fish catch in his village sometime after the 1970s, lowering their income and forcing some to desperate ways of catching fish using dynamite and cyanide.

In a video interview, he shares how the organization he helped start in 1986, Kapunungan sa Gagmay ng Mangingisda sa Concepcion, tried to solve the dwindling fish supply by planting mangroves.

By 1994, they were able to plant 50 hectares of mangroves. The fish returned. But because the organization is volunteer based and the rehabilitation has some costs,

eventually people stopped contributing and the number of members dwindled down from 36 to five, who persisted.

In time, government agencies started noticing their efforts and they started to get funding.

Eventually, the number of members increased to 300. With more hands on deck, they were able to plan well, including the culture of lapu-lapu and crabs, creating more livelihood and income for their community.

By 2015, they were able to grow a total of 500 hectares of mangrove forests benefiting the lives of the fishermen and the community. Fish

catch increased from 1.5 kilos per eight-hour fishing trip to over seven kilos of 3-to-5 hours of fishing.

As chairman, Ka Dodoy earned multinational recognition, allowing them to expand their campaign to safeguarding the mangroves and stopping illegal fishing practices.

Mangroves play a vital role in the marine ecosystem and in the ecological system of the country.

They act as natural buffers to prevent storm surge, shielding coastal communities from the strong wind and waves. They also serve as breeding and nursing grounds for marine life as 75 percent of commercial fish species spend part of their lifecycle

in these coastal wetlands.

Mangrove leaves serve as food source for marine life and they also serve as natural filters sequestering almost 22.8 million tons of carbon each year.

“My hair is white now, our original members are getting old. Our hope is our children to continue what we have started,” Ka Dodoy said.

For the 18th Congress, Pangilinan filed Senate Bill 639 or the National Mangrove Forest Protection and Preservation Act. It seeks to preserve, reforest, and sustainably develop mangrove forests in the Philippines.

Envoys&Expats BusinessMirror

B4

Thursday, September 2, 2021

PHL, Australia boost ties further, stage fifth ministerial meeting

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PHL, Chile ties turn 75

MINISTER Dan Tehan MP (from left); Sen. Marise Payne; Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr.; and Secretary Ramon M. Lopez DFA

T

HE fifth Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting (PAMM) unfolded on August 23—a high point of the 75th anniversary of bilateral links binding the two countries.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez led the Philippine side. Sen. Marise Payne, who is minister for foreign affairs and women, as well as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan, MP headed the Australian delegation.

Locsin highlighted in his opening remarks that, despite the pandemic, both countries have managed to maintain and expand their cooperation across the full range of their relations.

Payne noted that the friendship

“is anchored by shared democratic values, by ‘mateship and bayanihan,’ [as well as commitment to peace and prosperity]. ” She added: “We have an important multifaceted relationship, particularly reflected in our strong defense and security ties, our longstanding security program, the strength of our people-to-people links, the work that we do in trade, including commercial and economic areas, underpinned by our comprehensive partnership.”

Cooperation is ongoing between the Philippines and Australia under the “Partnerships for Recov-

ery” framework. The ministers acknowledged ongoing development cooperation initiatives such as the latter’s support for the Philippines’s peace-building efforts in the Bangsamoro Region, in responding to humanitarian crises, and promoting postpandemic economic recovery.

The foreign ministers also reaffirmed both countries’ close engagement in the areas of security, counterterrorism and in the management of other nontraditional security threats such as cyber security, as well as both countries’ mutual interests to ensure regional stability. Maritime security was also a focus of the discussion, and included the creation of new bilateral maritime-cooperation mechanisms, as well as maritimelaw enforcement upgrading and domain-awareness capabilities.

Meanwhile, Lopez and Tehan underscored the role of the PAMM as an important mechanism to foster greater collaboration on two-way

trade flows, creating conditions for mutual investment and for businesses to flourish, as well as cooperation in the multilateral trading system.

Both sides agreed to work closely to resolve lingering market-access issues and eliminate unnecessary barriers to trade.

Australia is a significant economic partner of the Philippines, with US$3.6 billion in bilateral trade in 2019, and a total investment stock of AU$7.2 billion. There are more than 300 “Aussie” companies operating locally, employing thousands of Filipinos in the business-process outsourcing, infrastructure, banking, energy, education and telecommunications sectors.

As a commitment under the Joint Declaration of the Philippines-Australia Comprehensive Partnership, the four dignitaries endorsed both countries’ Plan of Action 2021-2022 as a significant step toward elevating their bilateral relations into a strategic partnership in the near future.

Japan activates PHL’s very 1st wind turbine

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N August 25 Ambassador of Japan Kazuhiko Koshikawa participated in the online inauguration ceremony for the 10-kW Magnus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine installed in Basco, Batanes

by Challenergy, a Japanese startup company based in Tokyo.

Challenergy’s Founder-CEO Atsushi Shimizu and Philippine CEO Paul Michael Robles, Governor Marilou Cayco of Batanes, and Mayor

Demetrius Paul Narag of Basco attended the live ceremony held in Batan Island.

The newly installed system was made possible with funding support from the government of Japan, as Challenergy started working on the project in 2019. Despite challenges brought by the pandemic, construction works were completed from April to August of this year.

According to the Japanese em-

bassy, Challenergy’s new wind turbine operates even in strong winds, and promises a new energy opportunity for places with highwind potential, but hindered by the risk of typhoons.

It said the microgrid system utilizing the technology is expected to contribute to the improvement of energy access even during typhoons, and for the betterment of Filipinos’ livelihood.

CHALLENERGY’S wind turbine in Batanes

UK, BARMM, UNDP to strengthen Bangsamoro women’s involvement in community resilience

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HE government of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently launched a collaboration supporting the peacebuilding, community resilience, and conflict-mediation capacities of women in the Bangsamoro Region.

British Embassy-Manila’s Charge d’Affaires Alastair Totty and UNDPPhilippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran sealed the new partnership to bolster the Bangsamoro Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (RAP-WPS) 2020-2022 established by the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC). The plan enhances the role of Bangsamoro women in the implementation of the peace agreements in conflict transformation, the protection of their human rights in conflict, and post-conflict transformation settings.

Among the objectives of the new UK-UNDP partnership is to boost women’s engagement in preventing violence and violent extremism in their communities. This linkage also targets to strengthen the capacities of community-based women leaders and peace-builders in promoting peace and development, as well as in conflict mediation and negotiations.

With the agreement, the UK government will support UNDP and the BWC in their ongoing efforts to facili-

BRITISH Embassy Charge d’Affaires Alastair Totty (clockwise, from left), UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process’ Director Vanessa Vianca Pallarco and Bangsamoro Women Commission Chairperson MP Bainon G. Karon

tate more involvement of Bangsamoro women in peace-building efforts, while enabling them to play critical roles as facilitators, conveners, and mediators in sustaining peace in the region.

Among key initiatives to be supported by the partnership is the Women Insider Mediators-Rapid Action and Mobilization Platform—a group of community-based women mediators from Moro and Indigenous Peoples communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Totty said his government will continue to place gender equality at the front and center of its programs

to promote economic growth, peace, and stability in BARMM: “Our partnership with the BWC and UNDP will support the implementation of the RAP-WPS 2020-2022.”

In the Philippines, the British Embassy’s program of support to BARMM has so far provided technical assistance and support on drafting the Bangsamoro Gender and Development Code, Electoral Code, and Women’s Caucus Bill. These bills provide sustainable gains for the Bangsamoro women and girls, ensuring representational seats and providing a platform for women political leaders.

Dr. Ramachandran, in turn,

emphasized, “As in previous peace processes, UNDP stands ready to accompany the BWC, WIM-RAMP, [as well as] other WPS partners and stakeholders in the journey toward expanding roles and capacities of women in ensuring durability and sustainability of the Bangsamoro peace process.”

In her remarks, BWC Chairperson MP Bainon Karon thanked the continued support to the WPS agenda in BARMM, and noted the importance of “bringing the women in [the fold], especially in transitional institutions and mechanisms required to enable broad-based implementation processes.”

“Women are more effective in building partnerships, which is a key element in implementation,” Karon added For its part, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Undersecretary Isidro L. Purisima noted the government agency will “push forward the continuing institutionalization of mechanisms, and creation of viable spaces where we can cultivate...women’s meaningful role[s] in peace-building and conflict prevention.”

With OPAPP and UN Women, UNDP will further provide technical assistance to BWC for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of BARMM’s RAP-WPS.

AMBASSADORS Teresita C. Daza and Gloria Navarrete SANTIAGO PE

S

ANTIAGO—The Philippine Embassy in this city and its friends, with the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the diplomatic and consular corps, as well as Chilean government partners, celebrated the 75th anniversary of their countries’ bilateral cooperation at the Hyatt Centric Hotel Las Condes on August 19.

In his video message, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. recalled the parallel lessons and spectrum of political history between the Philippines and Chile, which led to similarities in their journeys toward democracy, as well as the security and economic development both countries now enjoy.

Locsin also highlighted recent milestones in the relationship, such as the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the Joint Economic Commission and the first-ever virtual dialogue this year between the Bureau of Fisheries and the Aquatic Resources-Sernapesca, or the Chilean aquaculture authority.

He also underscored the common Hispanic heritage between the two countries, starting from the flagship Trinidad’s 1520 crossing in the southern tip of Chile, to the 1521 landing in the Visayas’ Homonhon Island, which forged lasting links and striking commonalities between Filipinos and Chileans.

The secretary’s speech was reciprocated by Chilean Foreign Minister Andres Allamand, who outlined the strong commercial ties between his country and the Philippines, robust political dialogue and close cooperation in the areas of trade, disasterrisk reduction, mining, culture, tourism, agriculture and aquaculture. He mentioned his country has earned the investment confidence

of its Southeast Asian partner, as exemplified by local projects of the Energy Development Corp.

Philippine ambassador to Chile Ma. Teresita C. Daza delved on the importance of safely celebrating the landmark year in the time of the pandemic, the evolving people-to-people engagements between the both countries, as well as the crucial opportunity the celebration presented to reflect on the accomplishments throughout the years, and what remains to be done in terms of relations.

Guest of Honor Ambassador Gloria Navarrete, who is secretarygeneral for foreign policy, reciprocated Daza’s toast by emphasizing the uniqueness and warmth of Filipinos, the people-to-people element of the bilateral relations, and the evident affinity between Filipinos and Chileans.

The Philippine Embassy in Chile’s 75th anniversary celebration was the first formal indoor event attended physically by MFA officials as well as members of the diplomatic and consular corps in the past year-anda-half amid the ongoing pandemic in the South American country.

Also present were Chile’s Subsecretaria de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales Vice Minister Rodrigo Yañez, Director General of MFA’s Cultural Office Ambassador Veronica Chahin, Director General for Asia and the Pacific Ambassador Carlos Olguin, as well as other MFA officials and friends of the embassy, with others who came from as far as Valparaiso and Puerto Montt.

Most important, the event served as a key opportunity in taking stock of the relations between the two countries, and provided impetus for the completion of other targeted deliverables within the anniversary.

Peza hosts webinar for Israeli investors T EL AVIV—The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) and the Philippine Embassy in this city hosted the “Global Biz” webinar for investors from the State of Israel. It gathered participants from the latter and their Filipino counterparts from various industries such as health care, information technology-business-process management (IT-BPM), defense, semiconductor and electronics to discuss local opportunities for investing.

Ambassador Macairog S. Alberto exhorted participants to seriously consider the Philippines as their gateway to the region: “As...[my country] is strategically located in the Asia-Pacific... Israeli companies can engage in end-to-end operations: from training, manufacturing, assembly, [and] logistics, to after-sales services, at significantly lower operating costs.”

“A revolutionized Peza will accelerate rural progress through robust development of special economic zones in the countryside,” Brig. Gen. Charito B. Plaza, Peza director general, said during her presentation. “In addition

AMBASSADOR Macairog S. Alberto TEL AVIV PE

to manufacturing, agriculture, education, tourism, IT-BPM and health care, [we look] forward to more logistics and transportation hubs in every province.”

Plaza added that Peza recently signed an agreement with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to develop defense industrial ecozones.

Peza and the embassy will be organizing a follow-up businessto-business session for the participating companies, where interested Israeli investors will be matched with suitable Philippine companies. Potential investors may send an e-mail to info@peza. gov.ph and odgcbp@peza.gov.ph for more information.

Parentlife BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Thursday, September 2, 2021

B5

Gifts from fields and forests for the home

Scenes from a happy family life with Andi Manzano and daughter Olivia.

Raising nature-smart and healthy kids O

NE of the areas in family life that I have constantly sought to improve is my meal preparation for my family. Recently, I have incorporated more greens and fruits into my children’s diet to boost their immune system.

Avocado has become a favorite breakfast staple as we do our own guacamole over bagel and cream cheese.

I have discovered that sautéed mushrooms are a good alternative to processed meat. I know there are still a lot to learn so I am on the constant lookout for healthier alternatives.

I am aware that it was not so long ago when society started to shift from convenient fast foods to healthier alternatives, even organic food. This shift was driven by a collective pursuit to live healthier and stay stronger with the right nutrition and lifestyle choices as early as possible.

Now that travel and movement are also limited, the need to connect to nature and its role in mental health has also become important.

With these shifts, more moms are becoming nature-smart. This implies possessing the knowledge about how to relate well to nature so parents can give their kids only the best. Nature-smart moms understand that growing up close to nature can play a big role in their children’s overall well-being, and

that organic food, being fresher and containing more of the good stuff than the bad, has become not just a nice-to-have, but an essential.

However, making the switch to an organic lifestyle can be intimidating for some. Andi Manzano, a mom, understands how overwhelming it can be to learn about the do’s and don’ts of an organic lifestyle. She advises to start small. “I got started by looking at the labels and the nutritional value. It’s important to see, for example, how much refined sugar was added or where the ingredients came from. Being nature-smart gives me peace of mind to know that whatever we put in our bodies has high nutritional value and no harmful chemicals,” she said.

When it comes to food, nature-smart moms know how and where to look for food free from antibiotics, GMOs and chemical pesticides. For organically grown food, there’s also mounting evidence that it is rich in nutrients, such as iron, vitamin C, phosphorus, and magnesium. This means essential nutrient-rich organic fruits, vegetables and grains can support a stronger immune system. It also has no chemical pesticides, as it is usually given the best natural conditions for growth. For example, organic farmers always consider the health of the soil because healthy soil offers a suitable mechanism for crops to access nutrients from the Earth.

Research also supports the health benefits of organic meat and milk consumption as organic cows are pasture-grazed, resulting in better milk and meat quality. Studies also show that organic meat and milk have 50 percent more Omega-3 fatty acids than nonorganic milk. Omega-3 fatty acids are said to improve brain function and support better brain development in children.

However, it’s not enough for moms to be nature smart; it’s also important for kids to improve their naturalist intelligence. Nature-smart kids reap more

Handcrafted baskets by the local artisans of Bicol and La Union...elegant dinnerware by the master wood workers of Pampanga...and exquisite nito baskets that celebrate the unique art form of the Mangyan of Mindoro. Gifts from Philippine fields and forests—bamboo, acacia, abaca, rattan, and nito—are transformed into creative pieces in the latest houseware collection from Kultura (www.kulturafilipino.com), adding warmth and lightness to your home décor.

This comes at a time when natural materials like rattan and wicker are having their moment as a major interior design trend. And innovative global furniture companies are reinventing these in new ways—think IKEA’s rattan pouf, West Elm’s luxurious accent chairs, H&M’s bounty of baskets.

Suddenly, homespun is hot, folklore is fun, traditional is trending, and rustic makes raves.

Get ready to weave Kultura’s natural wonders into your home. With their intricate weaves, textures and natural beauty, multifunctional baskets will elevate any space.

Whether used as storage solutions, planters or décor, the featured baskets’ neutral colors can easily blend and will add warmth in any space.

Stylish acacia wood dining accessories, on the other hand, with make your tables more inviting. Handcrafted trays made out of coco wood, capiz and mahogany make for great entertaining with style. There are also gifts from our coastal waters—hanging seagrass accents that can be used as pendant lights for your dining area. Flourishing in underwater meadows that resemble grassy fields, seagrass or water hyacinth has an artisanal aesthetic, and has been trending because of their durability.

Homemakers in these parts can support local together.

Ready to be shipped anywhere and everywhere, Kultura’s products for the home are handcrafted by artisanal communities all over the Philippines.

Customers can now buy these well-loved home items without needing to travel to these places. Help preserve crafts and traditions and sustain these communities by providing them with opportunities for livelihood.

Elevate any space with sustainably made, handwoven finds from Kultura, like these multifunctional hapao rattan storage baskets.

benefits that will help them grow into well-rounded adults. For example, nature-smart kids are better equipped to combat stress and fatigue, modern society’s common ailments.

Being nature-smart is also vital in boosting immunity. Children with the naturalist intelligence will grow up knowing which foods are best for their overall health. They will also know how responsible and sustainable farming has a direct effect on human health, making them better future stewards of the environment.

You can encourage your child to be nature-smart today by giving them unstructured outdoor play time (if possible in a safe, socially-distant way), which also helps them develop their creativity and observational skills. You can also bring nature to your home by helping them care for a plant, vegetables, or herbs.

My plan with my kids is to start with a morning run outside even for 30 minutes before school starts.

Besides encouraging your kid to interact with nature and being more discerning about the quality of the ingredients in the food you provide to your family, you can support your kid’s nature smart development by giving them 100 percent organic certified milk.

That said, Promil Organic, made by top formula milk manufacturer Wyeth Nutrition, is made with 100 percent organic milk, sourced from certified organic dairy farms, with no chemical pesticides, and with DHA and AA, so your child can grow healthy and smart. It is even certified organic by the Organic Certification Center of the Philippines Inspection and Services Inc., and the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia, which follows the international standards of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements).

“Promil Organic has all the essential nutrients every child needs every day. And the best thing about it is, it’s organic,” Andi said. n

These chic canvaslined seagrass trays and baskets can also be used to neatly store household items.

Here’s a refresher on safely getting essentials amid Covid-19 Staying at home following quarantine orders is a big step in protecting yourself and your loved ones from Covid-19. But this doesn’t mean that your household will be completely safe from this infectious disease. Risks are still present since you have to entertain deliveries or go out to replenish essentials, especially now that the highly transmissible Delta variant has become dominant in the country.

The country’s leading health institution, Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed, www. makatimed.net.ph) gives a refresher on the minimum health standards you and your family should keep in mind while this pandemic is still very much of a threat.

“We reiterate that the virus that causes Covid-19 can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles like respiratory droplets to smaller aerosols when they cough, sneeze, speak, or even breathe,” says Marion Kwek, MD from MakatiMed’s Section of Infectious Disease. “Now with the Delta variant that’s even more contagious than the original strain, it’s really a must for everyone to retain and augment the safety practices that we’ve been observing for the past year and so.” n Be choosy with your masks. Face masks have been a part of our life in lockdown.

But Kwek underlines the importance of the quality of your face mask. “It’s a must for your

mask to snugly fit your face. Choose a mask with nose wire so you can adjust it to your face accordingly. Avoid masks that have gaps on the side of the face. Masks that have exhalation valves or vents are also not effective in stopping the virus from spreading,” she says.

“Your mask should also have at least two layers of breathable materials. It’s okay to do double masking or wear two masks to improve fit or fill gaps. Ideally, you should wear a disposable surgical mask underneath and a cloth mask on top. For men, beards may affect the fit of the mask and it would be better to trim the beard close to the face for a better mask fit.” n Ventilation is essential. Improving ventilation can reduce virus particles from accumulating in the air in your home. There are many ways of improving ventilation, such as opening your windows, turning on fans, or using air filters. n Sanitize high-touch surfaces.

It may be unlikely to catch Covid-19 from a surface, but it’s still good hygiene to sanitize high-touch surfaces in and out of the house Kwek says. When cleaning your home, don’t forget to include doorknobs, tables, handles, light switches, and countertops. When out on an errand, bring disinfecting wipes to help you clean contact surfaces such as guardrails, ATM pads and screens, and card readers.

n Avoid touching your face. This may be a hard habit to break, but keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth—areas where viruses can enter the body—goes a long way in reducing the spread of Covid-19 and preventing infections. “It’s important that you be conscious of the times you need to touch your face. You may need to take your glasses on and off, or remove or put on your face mask. At times when you really need to, just make sure

that you do so with clean hands,” says Kwek. n Wash hands properly. Kwek emphasizes that there’s a proper and effective way of washing your hands. “According to the World Health Organization, the proper washing of your hands with soap and water should take 40 to 60 seconds. Wet your hands then lather them with soap, targeting the backs of your hands and between your fingers before you rinse them with running water,” she says.

“If soap and water is not easily available while you’re out, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and the process should take 20 to 30 seconds. Make sure to wash your hands when you get home.” n Limit indoor shopping time. When going outside, limit the period you have to stay inside a closed space or indoor area. “There is a larger risk of being exposed to the virus when you’re indoors with strangers for a longer time,” says Kwek. “It’s smarter to have a list of your needs and do your groceries at a familiar store so you won’t have to linger looking for items you need. And of course, practice physical distancing at all times.” n Avoid large gatherings. Large gatherings usually bring together people coming from different households, and this increases the risk of possible exposure. With the very high community transmission at this time, it is still recommended to avoid large events.

Getting vaccinated can help prevent severe Covid-19 infections, Kwek also reiterates. “But whether you’re vaccinated or not, avoiding exposure to the virus is the best way to keep Covid-19 away from your home. It’s best to mask up, wear a face shield, and keep observing Covid-19 safety protocols until this pandemic is all over.”

B6 Thursday, September 2, 2021

Salcedo Community Market finds new home in Paseo Center

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AKATI’S renowned weekly community market, is bringing its fresh selections to a new home at the heart of the central business district.

Salcedo Community Market has found a brand new home at the Paseo Center parking area located along Valero corner Sedeño Street, Paseo De Roxas, Makati City.

From 7am to 2pm every Saturday until December 18, Salcedo Market is open to provide a curated selection of produce, food and beverages, pantry staples and local products from over

120 partner concessionaires.

Grocers may choose from an array of fresh and frozen seafood, meat and poultry, vegetables and fruits at the community market. Foodies can take delight in home-cooked dishes, gourmet products, pastries, artisanal bread, coffee, as well as healthy, organic food, which are available for takeout and pickup.

Flowers, artisanal crafts and other home essentials are also a welcome addition for those who are feeling crafty and want to spruce up their homes.

For a more convenient way of shopping, customers may also place their orders through same-day delivery services such as Grab, LalaMove and Mr. Speedy. A comprehensive list of merchants and their available products can be accessed through Salcedo Market’s Yellow Pages.

Salcedo Market at Paseo Center strictly implements safety protocols.

To get the latest updates, visit megaworld-lifestylemalls.com, follow Paseo Center and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls on Facebook & Instagram or call 8-462-8888.

VPX starter package: Own an auto auto repair shop at 50% of the franchise fee

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OMETIMES, when it comes to business expansion, it doesn’t necessarily mean always going bigger.

Value Plus Auto Service Express (VPX) – The Casa Alternative – now offers a more affordable franchising program for enterprising Filipinos with the “VPX Starter Package.”

Now, you can operate your auto repair shop with just a 200-sqm space, with lower startup capital and reduced franchising fee.

After launching several full-service auto repair shops, including one in Batangas City recently, VPX is changing gear and is ready to cater to the immediate needs of smaller communities.

“Our Starter Package offers a real benefit and solution for smaller, dynamic communities – like barangays, towns, and residential neighborhoods – by providing a smaller-scale auto shop that is equipped to handle essential car maintenance and repairs,” explains Mark Saberola, the General Manager of ValuePlus Auto Services Philippines Inc. He points to the great potential and need for these types of auto shops as, due to the pandemic, many have resorted to using their own vehicles to avoid crowded public transport and reduce infection risk. Thus, preventive maintenance is prioritized to keep their vehicles running.

A VPX shop offers essential services such as preventive maintenance, lube services, suspension, and mechanical

repairs, and even car detailing.

According to the GM, when it comes to preventive maintenance services, the average driver spends around P5,500 per visit for at least 2 visits per year. “And when you multiply this with the number of car owners who regularly drive to work, this spells great potential!” adds Saberola.

VPX Auto Shop, indeed, offers a unique solution, providing excellent customer service and experience that is at par with major dealerships.

Providing greater security and assurance to franchisees, the VPX Starter Package is founded on a sound business model that's been proven to be pandemic-proof.

For P4.5M-P7M startup capital, entrepreneurs can have their own auto shop up and running in three to four months. “The beauty of this program is that you can start with a smaller space, smaller capital, and just 50% the franchise fee,” he adds. “Also, we

help existing auto repair shop owners pivot their businesses and convert their shops into a VPX shop. So, they can benefit from a tried-and-tested system that accelerates their growth and professionalizes their operations.”

Over the years, VPX has built a sterling reputation and has become the goto, trusted auto shop for preventive maintenance (PMS), lube services, suspension and mechanical repairs, for after-warranty vehicles.

The VPX Starter Package is ideal for start-up entrepreneurs like OFWs, returning expatriates, retirees, and multi-business owners who want to diversify their business portfolio.

VPX starter package includes the construction or renovation of the shop, two lifters, 3-5 trained manpower, tools and equipment and a cloud-based shop operating system among others.

For more information, email at mark@valueplusph.com or visit fb.com/ solutionsvpx.

Ever Mall spearheads ‘I Love My Jab’ campaign to support QC‘s drive to herd immunity

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S COVID-19 cases are rising once again with new variants affecting more citizens, the government needs all the help from the private sector to ensure that the best protection — vaccination — will reach the majority as soon as possible.

Ever Mall’s “I Love My Jab” CSR campaign — makes 100% of its employees and majority of its merchants vaccinated. “We are optimistic that we can achieve herd immunity at the soonest time as we fight this virus together with the QC Government,” says Chie Arao Santos, Head of Corporate Marketing of Ever Mall.

At Ever, we did not only provide a convenient venue for vaccination to QC residents, we are all fully vaccinated and ready to serve EVERyone even better, she said.

Aside from the venue, Ever Mall’s role is to also inform everyone of the need to have their jabs at the soonest time possible.

Since June, the Operations and Marketing Departments of Ever Mall have been closely coordinating with QC Protektodo. The smooth and organized implementation of the vaccination program is headed by Ronelo Alvarez, Mall Manager of Ever Commonwealth, and Thea Santayana, Assistant Mall Marketing Manager.

More vaccination events are planned to help expedite the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to help curb the spread of the virus and achieve herd immunity. The QC Government, led by Mayor Joy Belmonte and coordinated through Margarita Santos, BPLD Head, supplied the vaccines and supervised the campaign.

“We have assisted the QC LGU in disseminating the information on schedules and latest advisories through our networks and via social media. We also have encouraged our merchants to do promotions on anything vaccine-related so more people would take the jab,” says Santayana. “The

“I LOVE MY JAB” campaign has achieved #EVERSafeShopping with Ever Mall‘s 100% fully vaccinated employees and merchants. QC Mayor Joy Belmonte (middle) is joined by, from left: Thea Santayana, Assistant Mall Marketing Manager, Ronelo Alvarez - Mall Operations Manager, Lito Rivera - Operations Head D&L Industries Inc. and Dra. Lani C. Buendia, MD - OIC District Supervisor District 2 - Quezon City LGU. idea behind the ‘I Love My Jab’ is making our economic frontliners safe and ensuring that our merchants have their vaccines for their protection as they go to work and serve customers EVERyday.”

This vaccination campaign of Ever Mall is supported by Alvin Lao, President of D&L Industries, together with Lito Rivera, Operations Head for their assistance with the logistics, and the Red Cross Philippines through Janice Melody Adolfo RN (officer in charge) for providing the medical team for the vaccination.

The #EVERSafeShopping at Ever Mall is assured by the QC Government-issued “Safety Seal” certificate — informing the public that they are compliant with the minimum health and safety protocols required by the IATF. For more information and up-to-date news on vaccination schedules at Ever Malls, follow “Ever Gotesco Malls-OFFICIAL” on all social media platforms.

Limit mobility of the unvaxxed for ‘common good’

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RESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said during a ecent virtual presser entitled, “Bakuna Bubble: An Alternative to Lockdown,” that the mobility of the unvaccinated can be limited, and it is justified if done for the common good. Hid proposal was to allow only fullyvaccinated individuals to drive the economy in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“Restricting full mobility of the unvaccinated is the price to pay, but this is not permanent since things can change when we get better. In any angle, this is justified since this simply aims to benefit the common good,” he added.

This was supported by leading economist Prof. Bernie Villegas, who is also one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, and said that “restricting a group of people is justified if it will benefit all.”

“My role with the President is to help MSMEs grow during his term.

Unfortunately, pandemic hit us hard.

The biggest challenge is to bring about confidence. Now the question is how to bring this back,” Concepcion stressed.

According to him, the better measure to implement is to learn how to live side-by-side the virus. “How do we really coexist with the more treacherous variant, the Delta variant?

This idea of bakuna bubble, by allowing mobility of the fully vaccinated in NCR, will help us achieve this,” Concepcion said.

Meanwhile, Ayala Malls President Chris Maglanoc expressed his support to Concepcion's idea of Bakuna Bubble. “Malls have sufficient protocols to follow which is why the concept of the Bakuna Bubble will not be difficult,” he explained.

After which, Resto PH President Eric Teng stressed that Concepcion’s proposal will heavily come in aid for the survival of food and beverage sector.

“Being one of the badly-hit sectors especially because of lockdowns, wherein most dine-in services are disallowed, bakuna bubble for restaurants will definitely help us,” he shared.

Also, McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director Margot Torres said that the concept of bakuna bubble is viable because of the protection brought by vaccines, hence there are less things to worry.

“We welcome that only fully vaccinated will enter our doors. This is not favoring the vaccinated but protecting the unvaccinated.

COVID-19 vaccines are like a 'seatbelt,' and they are protection from any form of 'accident,' like the virus,” she added.

IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (ITBPAP) President Rey Untal shared that the IT-BPO sector is willing

to help the country through vaccination of their employees.

“We are very much eager to help in accelerating the opening of the economy through accelerated vaccination efforts to attain bakuna bubble,” he said.

On the other hand, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) President Dan Lachica said that they are very much expectant of the possible developments in the vaccination rollouts across the country.

“There are two things we are pushing for, to see accelerating vaccinations in LGU, and authorization of vaccines to be brought directly,” he said.

Also, Wilcon Depot, Inc. EVP and COO Rosemarie Ong shared that it is still inevitable to go out given the complexities of checking various products, hence the importance of vaccination and allowing the mobility of the vaccinated.

“For retails, there are two channels to avail [a product], and there are limitations of course when it comes to online selling because consumers cannot see a product that sometimes need to be physically seen,” she shared.

On the transport side, Victory Liner, Inc. President and General Manager Marivic Del Pilar said: “There has to be uniform rules for the transportation sector to be able to complement this bubble.” She also added “We cannot eliminate risks, but there are many ways to minimize them.”

Meanwhile, Salon owner and Philippine Franchise Association Regional Director Federico Moreno said that there is less to worry in the salon industry since most of them are already through with vaccination.

“There is nothing to worry in reopening their industry since most of them are already fully vaccinated,” he said.

Similarly, Anytime Fitness COO Ryan Cheal said that they also have their employees vaccinated and were able to comply with the protocols. “Most of their employees in the gym industry are vaccinated and safe to interact with,” Cheal said.

In the end, Concepcion stressed the role of the entrepreneurs in taking a look at a certain situation in a different light.

“As entrepreneurs, we have to look for the totality and take a look at how to strike a proper balance. This is the best way forward,” Concepcion ended.

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

Health&Fitness BusinessMirror

Experts warn that vaping is hazardous to your health

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

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f you want to quit smoking, vaping is not the best option.

This was stressed by HealthJustice Philippines, a non-government organization, that expressed alarm over the pending Senate Bill 2239 titled “An Act Regulating the Importation, Manufacture, Sale, Packaging, Distribution, Use, And Communication of Vapor Products and Heated Tobacco Products [HTPs],” or commonly known as the Vape Bill, which would encourage people, especially the youth to try vaping.

HealthJustice is strongly opposed to this bill as it is anti-children and anti-health for it allows those who are 18 years old to purchase and use the vaporized nicotine products (VNP), such as vapes and HTPs, will allow online sales and does not ban fruit and candy flavors that are attractive to children.

Vapes, e-cigarettes not safe

Former Health Secretary Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan, a trustee of HealthJustice Philippines, maintained that vapes and e-cigarettes are not safe.

This was also the stand of other health professionals.

On August 31, Tuesday, more than 60 medical organizations and tobacco control advocacy groups also called on the Senate to junk Senate Bill 2239.

The bill, which claims to regulate the sale, packaging, advertisement, and promotion of electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs), is described as “anti-health and regressive” by leading medical organizations, including the Philippine Medical Association, Philippine College of Physicians, Philippine Pediatric Society, Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, Philippine College of Surgeons, Philippine Nurses Association, Philippine Dental Association, and other health professional organizations and health advocacy groups.

Dr. Galvez-Tan also slammed the proposed bill in the Senate for endorsing vaping as an alternative for those who want to quit smoking.

“As far as the national and international scientific and medical community is concerned, vaping or the use of electronic cigarettes are harmful and not safe because these still emit toxic chemicals,” Dr. Galvez-Tan pointed out.

The former DOH official also refuted what the tobacco industry is saying that vaping is a “safe” alternative.

“According to studies here and abroad, there is no difference between smoking and vaping because they both maintain the addiction,” Dr. GalvezTan stressed.

He emphasized that what they don’t want to happen is for teenagers aged 13 to 15, to be lured to using vapes that come in different colors and flavors.

“Per our tobacco control experience, children are attracted to smoking due to the flavors. That also applies to vaping,” Dr. Galvez-Tan said.

“If you want to quit smoking, then start with yourself or ask assistance from the DOH quitline number 1558,” he said as he appealed to the youth not to try VPN and HTPs. HealthJustice also reiterated that quitting smoking through approved cessation services like nicotine patch therapy, is the best way to quit, given that it is already a proven safe way to stop the deadly addiction.

The goal of cessation, HealthJustice emphasized, is to stop smoking and end nicotine dependence and “not to shift” smokers to a new nicotine addiction which have been proven to cause EVALI or e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury.

Senate interpellation

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, during the interpellation period on the bill on August 3, raised three issues: (1)The appropriate age for a person to be allowed to use the vaping products and heated products; (2)the removal of the restrictions on flavored vaping products; (3)and the role of the Food and Drugs Administration.

“The sale of flavored novel products such as cherry, bubble gum and chocolate marshmallows would appeal to the minors,” Hontiveros said noting that

under the current law or Republic Act 11467, only vaping products with plain menthol and plain tobacco flavors are allowed in the market.

She also cited a National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in the United States in 2020, showing that e-cigarette users using flavored products among middle and high school increased to 82.5 percent in 2020 from 68.6 percent in 2019.

The senator added that under the recently passed RA 11467 the allowed age is set at 21 years old and not 18.

Meanwhile, Atty. Benedict G. Nisperos, legal consultant of HealthJustice, said that studies have shown that children are naturally enticed to fruity and candy tobacco flavors.

“About 3/4 of youth smokers say that they tried tobacco due to flavors.

This is what we don’t want to happen in vapes,” he said.

Nicotine in vapes, e-cigarettes

In an article published in the Johns Hopkins website, where Dr. Michael Blaha, MPH, Director of Clinical Research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, wrote that like their traditional counterparts, vapes and e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is harmful and addicting.

“It raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack,” Dr. Blaha writes.

He adds: “Emerging data suggests links to chronic lung disease and asthma and associations between dual use of e-cigarettes and smoking with cardiovascular disease. You’re exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we don’t yet understand and that are probably not safe.”

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as of February 18, 2020, it has recorded a total of 2,807 hospitalized e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) cases, of which 68 deaths have been confirmed.

In the Philippines, the first confirmed case of EVALI involved a 16-year-old.

Not approved cessation tools

Manufacturers tout vapes and ecigarettes as smoking cessation tools.

However, they have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as such. Moreover, they have not undergone clinical trials to ensure their safety.

Furthermore, these gadgets do not actually help people quit. They just make smokers switch from one form (traditional) to another. Studies have also found that flavored vapes and ecigarettes lure adolescents to smoke, or to become addicted to nicotine.

DOH, WHO refute claim of “reduced harm.”

The Department of Health (DOH), together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and medical societies, warned the public on the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

The DOH said that they do not support the vape and tobacco industry claim of reduced harm noting that these products “endanger” the health of both users and non-users, and are clearly not meant for children.

In response to the epidemic in the United States , WHO has introduced International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 code U07.0, an international tool for classifying and monitoring diseases, to be used immediately for reporting of acutely ill patients who have used electronic cigarettes in the last 90 days, with no other plausible causes for illness.

An increase in vaping-related illnesses in the US has been reported in recent months, mostly afflicting otherwise healthy young people and have coined a new term for this disease: ecigarette and vaping associated lung injury (EVALI).

With 1,299 cases and 26 deaths reported, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US FDA have been investigating the reports as EVALI. “The EVALI epidemic is a real and constant threat to the Philippines with youth uptake of vapes on the rise. We should have stricter regulations on vapes and HTPs,” Nisperos concluded.

Thursday, September 2, 2021 B7

Effects of breakthrough infections lessened with Covid-19 vaccines

By Rory Visco

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Contributor

here have been several reports that despite being vaccinated, whether complete or only one dose, people still get infected with Covid-19, though most of the reported cases were either asymptomatic or mild.

In the recent webinar by TV UP titled “Breakthrough Infections: Bakunado na Ako, Bakit COVID (+) Ako Ngayon?,” Dr. Regina Berba, Head of the Hospital Infection Control Unit, Philippine General Hospital, described this as “breakthrough infections,” which can happen to people even if they are already fully vaccinated, especially because of the high transmissibility of the Covid-19 Delta variant.

She reiterated, however, that vaccines reduce risks for severe breakthrough infections, and that all vaccines are effective in minimizing the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death.

But then again, does breakthrough infections mean vaccine failure?

Virus detection

What are breakthrough infections? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defined it as the “detection of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigen in a respiratory specimen collected from a person more than 14 days after having completed recommended doses of an EUA-authorized Covid-19 vaccine.”

Dr. Berba described the so-called Massachusetts Outbreak, where the county relaxed restrictions, allowed people to go outside without masks, and allowed the holding of public events. The outbreak in Massachusetts was documented from July 3 to 17, 2021 following the holding of large public events.

The county already had 69 percent vaccination rate, close to the aspired 70 percent herd immunity. They recorded 469 Covid-19 cases,

where 74 percent were already fully vaccinated either with Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen. “The surge was a cause for concern, and when they checked the 133 specimens for whole genome sequencing, they discovered that 90 percent were infected with the Delta variant.”

Immediately, the Massachusetts Department of Health was able to detect that there was a rapid rise in the number of cases so they quickly stopped the holding of public events to curb the virus’ spread. Most of those infected were middle-aged males because the events targeted this particular age and gender group. However, most of the cases were mild, and only about four people were hospitalized and no deaths were reported. That outbreak convinced the US CDC to recommend going back to wearing of masks even if fully vaccinated and even if indoors in a public setting.

Two doses

In the UK, health experts tried to map out vaccine effectiveness against the Alpha and Delta variants after the first and the second dose. Upon receiving the first dose, the level of protection is about 30 percent, maximum of 50 percent, but this jumps significantly after receiving the second dose. “Don’t get disheartened if you are infected in between doses. That happens because our protection is not yet full so we should really finish the recommended number of doses to achieve full protection.”

The experts concluded that there is high level of vaccine protection against symptomatic disease with the Delta variant after receiving two doses of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines. Reduced effectiveness was noted after the first dose. “So prod anyone you know who got infected after the first dose to complete their vaccination.”

In Israel, in a study conducted over four months from January to April 2021 by the Sheba Medical Center, where vaccine coverage was already at 91 percent, they wanted to see and identify every breakthrough infection, including asymptomatic infections among their healthcare workers. They discovered only 39 breakthrough cases among their over 11,000 healthcare workers. Of the 39 cases, most of those infected were nursing staff with 18, admin and maintenance at 10, six allied health professionals and five doctors, with average of 42 years old and mostly were women.

Unvaccinated ones

They found out that the source of the virus were the unvaccinated ones around the health workers like family members or hospital colleagues. Majority of the cases experienced mild symptoms, some were asymptomatic,

Govt, private sector to launch campaign against polio soon

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olio (poliomyelitis) is a highly contagious disease that is caused when the poliovirus invades the nervous system. The signs and symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiff neck and sudden onset of floppy arms or legs. Severe cases can lead to permanent paralysis or even death.

The Department of Health (DOH) said that anyone who has not been fully immunized has the risk of getting polio. Children under five years of age are most vulnerable.

Following the World Health Organization’s declaration of the end of the polio outbreak in the country after the two-year intensified immunization campaigns, the DOH, on the recent web show “Okay, Doc,” reiterated the need for uninterrupted childhood vaccination against polio and to avoid complacency among parents.

Children should be vaccinated

In the episode titled “Proteksyon Kontra Polio,” aired last August 18, DOH Director for Disease Prevention and Control Bureau Dr. Beverly Ho explained why children should get vaccinated against polio.

“Children are the most vulnerable to polio, and because the symptoms are not distinct, we don’t always see the deeper problem of this virus that can paralyze our spinal cords. When you’re fully vaccinated against polio, there’s a 99 percent chance of preventing it,” Dr. Ho said.

She also disclosed that the DOH is preparing for a strong private-sector-supported catch up routine immunization campaign for children.

The DOH, she said, is already in talks with private medical practitioners, educational institutions, and private companies for this campaign and announcements are expected to roll out this September.

Continuous vaccination

National Immunization Program (NIP) manager Dr. Kim Patrick Tejano discussed the importance of protecting children during the pandemic,

noting that local government units are continuously carrying out childhood vaccinations in the health centers.

“Just like how there are schedules for our Covid vaccination, there are schedules for routine immunization with some of our local government units [LGUs],” he shared.

He also emphasized that the vaccines provided at the LGUs are available at no cost and provide protection against several diseases including polio, measles, pneumonia, meningitis, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and hepatitis.

Team ‘BakuNanay’

Meanwhile, vaccine advocacy group Team BakuNanay’s community manager Ara CasasTumuran shared that she had her daughter safely vaccinated during the pandemic.

“Let’s not be afraid of vaccines, but be more afraid of the diseases our children can get without vaccines,” she said.

Team BakuNanay aims to provide a safe space for parents to ask questions about protecting their children, and share firsthand experiences of vaccination. DOH is also preparing for a strong private sector-supported campaign for catch-up routine vaccination.

“Kailangan po talaga magtulungan tayo [We really need to help one another]. The solutions are here para sa atin [for us] to protect the kids.

Hindi po siya malayo, hindi siya imposibleng makuha at libre siya sa inyong mga [It is not far, it is not impossible to get and you can avail it for free at the] health center. So we really encourage all mothers [to have their children vaccinated],” Dr. Ho said.

The information, Ho stressed, is out there for the public to learn about the vaccines and how safe and effective they are.

“You can join groups, like Team BakuNanay, to get advice not just from health workers but from your fellow mothers who have successfully protected their babies,” Dr. Ho concluded.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

and none were hospitalized.

Israeli doctors also noted that severe Covid-19 breakthrough cases happen among sick and elderly patients and those with comorbidities.

In Indonesia, which experienced a massive surge and made it the epicenter of Covid-19 in Asia, a similar study on breakthrough infections was done. The study concluded that possible factors for breakthrough infections lack of immune response and occurrence of variant of concern.

Finally, in the Philippines, data came from healthcare workers in the PGH, and there was really a surge in the hospital very recently, with 130 cases or 71 percent of the 184 total Covid-19 infections in the hospital.

But Dr. Berba said they did a very recent mapping of breakthrough infections of non-healthcare worker patients in the hospital, and they noted that those who got really sick are the unvaccinated ones.

Not enough data

As of now, Dr. Berba said the information in the Philippines is not yet complete and enough for a large-scale study. They have started to organize themselves to develop the Philippine Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) project, and a lot of people all over the country will be part of this.

The project will look at how the vaccines may be the key to end the pandemic and will look at real-world vaccine effectiveness data in the next 12 months. The project, Dr. Berba said, will try to estimate the effectiveness of the vaccines amid all the different vaccines being used now in the country.

Already in its third month, the project will look at antibody testing or immunosurveillance, and Covid-19 surveillance, basically who’s symptomatic and who has asymptomatic infection. Dr. Berba said they’ve started the antibody testing in PGH under a clinical study setting, the incidence of Covid-19, hospitalization and death among PGH healthcare workers between vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Overall, she said Covid-19 vaccines are effective but many factors come into play that makes the country more prone to breakthrough infections, including hosts factors like comorbidities, immune responses, situation factors like exposures, use of protection, and virus factors like the presence of variants of concern, and properties of vaccines being used.

Don’t forget about eye care during this pandemic

T

he fear of getting the Covid-19 virus has forced people to delay their visits to their doctors. In addition to getting an annual physical check-up, it is also important to get your eyes checked once a year.

Now more than ever, it is the best time to promote public awareness regarding the importance of eye health and prevention of blindness. One of the things that doctors recommend is to take supplements that benefit the eye and one such brand that is currently available in the market is vitaCLEAR. Studies indicate that the daily intake of certain high-dose vitamins and minerals can slow progression of the disease in people who have intermediate AMD, and those who have late AMD in one eye. The studies added high levels of antioxidants and zinc significantly reduce the risk of advance AMD and its associated vision loss.

To help maintain good vision as you grow older, take vitaCLEAR. vitaCLEAR is a vitamin and mineral supplement that contains antioxidants essential for eye care. The major components of vitaCLEAR are lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc and selenium. Lutein and zeaxanthin also help protect the eyes from the risks of exposure to blue light from electronic devices. vitaCLEAR is available in leading drugstores nationwide.

Tiongson, Dyip beat Beermen

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UAMI TIONGSON played his finest game so far as the Terrafirma guard engineered the Dyip’s 110-104 overtime upset of the San Miguel Beermen at the resumption of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.

The Dyip played without top draft pick Joshua Munzon (dislocated finger) and last year’s No. 1 pick Roosevelt Adams (amoebiasis).

But Tiongson took over and tallied a career-high 28 points he laced with seven assists, three rebounds and three steals.

The victory snapped the Dyip’s four-game losing spell.

“I just stayed calm and had fun,” Tiongson, one of the pro league’s underrated playmakers, said. “At the end of the day, it’s just basketball.”

Tiongson knocked down a jumper to forge a 95-all with 44 ticks to go and neither team scored the rest of the way in regulation with June Mar Fajardo missing two free throws in the final 24 seconds and Tiongson muffing a potential game-winning triple.

It was a different story in overtime. Tiongson hit a three-pointer for a 104-100 Dyip lead with 2:13 left.

Terrence Romeo’s step back jumper made it 104-102, Terrafirma held fort en route to the upset win.

Rashawn McCarthy, who had 10 points, split his free throws and Eric Camson nailed two charities for a 107-102 Terrafirma breather with 22 seconds remaining. The Beermen, on the other hand, missed two important baskets from Arwind Santos and Romeo.

McCarthy canned two more free throws with only seven seconds left for a 110-102 count.

“It’s not all about just Juami [Tiongson] but the other veterans also took charge and worked very hard in this win,” said Terrafirma coach John Cardel, who drew 17 points and eight rebounds from big man Aldrech Ramos.

Big men Eric Camson and Joseph Gabayni posted double-doubles each.

Camson had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Gabayni registered 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Romeo led the Beermen with 28 points, six assists and six rebounds while Arwind Santos had 19 points.

Fajardo, the sixth straight Season Most Valuable Player, had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

San Miguel Beer fell to a 3-2 winloss record.

TNT had an explosive performance in the second half to bury Blackwater, 96-76, behind rookie Mikey Williams’s 16 points. The Tropang Giga stayed undefeated in four games, while the Bossing remained winless in five games. Josef Ramos JUAMI TIONGSON plays big for the Dyip.

Sports BusinessMirror

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| Thursday, September 2, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

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Pacquiao returns to work at Senate, champions cause of PHL seafarers

By Josef Ramos

T looks like Manny Pacquiao didn’t only lose a fight in Las Vegas a fortnight ago, he also lost a team.

“I can’t work with Freddie [Roach] anymore, he keeps blaming me,” Pacquiao’s long-time strength and conditioning trainer Justin Fortune told BusinessMirror on Wednesday. “He always blames somebody else...he never takes responsibility.”

Fortune said that he finally burned bridges with renowned boxing coach and trainer Freddie Roach after Pacquiao lost to World Boxing Association welterweight world champion Yordenis Ugás at the T-Mobile Arena.

Pacquiao was obviously way below his usual 100 percent form against Ugás. The former eight-division champion couldn’t unleash a solid punch and his cat-quick lateral movement was absent and blamed cramps as the culprit.

“I was blamed for the cramps and tightness suffered by Pacquiao in the early rounds of the bout because of him being overtrained a few days before the fight night,” said Fortune, considered a legendary coach from Perth, Australia, who also boxed professionally as a heavy weight and was once a powerlifter.

Fortune also counterpunched Roach’s decision to let Pacquiao face two southpaws in the last six sparring sessions “knowing they were already fighting an orthodox guy since August 10.”

He also described as long and unnecessary for Pacquiao to undergo seven minutes of warmup and stretching before the fight.

JUSTINE FORTUNE (left) with Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach and Buboy Fernandez at the Wild Card Gym.

TROUBLE BREWS AT TEAM PACQUIAO

“No athlete ever lets anybody touch him before a competition,” he said.

“Those were never done before.”

Fortune also denied that he allowed Pacquiao to run the hills of Griffith Park in Los Angeles, saying he approved of a “mere jog or walk for three days on flat and three days on the hills” prior to departure to Las Vegas.

But he admitted the sprints Pacquiao took at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas a day before the weigh-in was a mistake.

“Sprint in the end, that’s crazy.

It’s Manny being Manny,” he said.

“We should not have done that, it’s a mistake.”

Fortune said that if ever Pacquiao and Ugás agree to a rematch, he is willing to work with head trainer Buboy Fernandez, the senator’s closest friend.

After Pacquiao suffered a controversial loss to Australian Jeff Horn in Brisbane in July 2017, he fought and beat WBA welterweight regular champion Lucas Matthysse of Argentina via a seventh round technical knockout win in July 2018 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur without Roach in his corner and Fernandez taking over as head coach.

Roach returned to Pacquiao’s corner as fight consultant in January 2019 resulting to victories over Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman.

“Me, Manny and Buboy [Fernandez] trained together, we had a lot of fun and trained really hard then we got this first knockout [Matthysse] after nine years, then we’re on a roll,” Fortune said.

Pacquiao’s last knockout victory

Bejino tries again in pool, Mangliwan returns to track

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XPECT a well-rested and more relaxed Gary Bejino as he swims in the men’s 400-meter freestyle-S6 event of the Tokyo Paralympic Games swimming competitions at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre on Thursday.

“I think Gary is more relaxed

now after getting his personal best time in the 50-meter butterfly event last Monday. Hopefully, he will also make a good time in the 400-meter freestyle tomorrow,” para-swimming coach Tony Ong said.

The swimmer clocked 36.14 seconds in the event, missing the

finals cut placing 15th overall out of 16 entries, in his Paralympic debut supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

The 2018 Asian Para Games silver medalist, whose right arm and left leg had to be amputated after he was severely electrocuted at the age of

before the Argentine came in November 2009 at the expense of Miguel Cotto (12th round TKO).

Pacquiao has earlier clarified that Roach will always be part of his family, noting that his absence in Malaysia was only because of travel concerns and nothing else.

Asked if he’ll be return to Pacquiao’s corner, Fortune said: “Yes, he’s my friend. We have known each other for 20 years.”

Fortune worked with Pacquiao from 2001 to 2007, but a reported money issue involving Roach caused their split.

Fortune, a cancer survivor, returned to Roach and Pacquiao in 2014 for the Brandon Rios fight, replacing former conditioning coach Alex Ariza.

BusinessMirror tried to get Roach’s but he was unreachable. seven, will swim in lane No. 7 in the first of two heats at 9 a.m. (8 a.m. in Manila), with the top eight qualifiers entering the finals in the afternoon.

Wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan, meanwhile, has been fine-tuning his starting technique in preparation for the men’s 100-meter-T52 race, his final event, according to para-athletic coach Joel Deriada from Manila.

SENATE HONORS BAMBOL TOKYO OLYMPICS MEDALISTS

By Butch Fernandez

T

HE Senate, unanimously adopting Resolution 850, commended the triumphant Filipino athletes and the Philippine Olympic Committee led by Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino for their successful performance in the Tokyo Olympics.

In his sponsorship leading to the adoption of Resolution 850, Senator Panfilo Lacson noted that “in times like this where the scale of daily bad news has almost rendered positive things few and far between,

“Angela Who?” I DON’T think Denice Zamboanga meant to deliberately disparage or belittle Angela Lee, the sitting atomweight champion in the women’s division of ONE Championship when she asked that “Da Who” question at the One: Empower Virtual Faceoffs Media Day last Tuesday.

Media always have a field day asking Denice questions about Angela Lee and vice versa. The answers are almost always candid, off the cuff and spicy.

The sitting atomweight champ and the No. 1 challenger have been having a running verbal tussle ever since the feisty Filipina commented on what Lee should do with her belt since pregnancy and motherhood have prevented her from defending her crown.

“Angela…should do the right thing like all great champions [do]. She should give the respect other fighters deserve [and] should not resist vacating

it is truly a breath of fresh air to hear stories of hope and success as that of our Filipino athletes’ victory in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics 2020.”

Lacson added: “Without taking anything away from our athletes who have given their all in making history and bringing pride to our nation, this representation wishes to also give credit to a leader whose actions inspired and empowered his people to dream more and do more.”

Philippine Senate Medals of Excellence were also conferred to gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz (Resolution 882 by Senate President Vicente Sotto III), silver medalists

the Championship belt since she cannot defend it,” Zamboanga posted on instagram late last year.

The response was immediate from Angela Lee who pooh-poohed the Pinay’s claims at being the No. 1 contender with a saucy tweet: “Sorry girl, but you didn’t do anything to deserve my belt. No one took it from me, so why would I give it up?”

Since then, the fight in the Circle that MMA fans long to see has already been playing out on a grand scale in mainstream and social media.

The latest episode was when the reigning champ very subtly threw shade at her main challenger. Commenting on the matchup between “The Lycan Queen” and South Korea’s Seo Hee Ham in the much-awaited One: Empower all-female MMA event, Lee said she was very excited to see Seo Hee Ham ’s One debut and curious about how she will match up with Denice. “I would give the advantage to Seo Hee Ham because of her experience,” Lee minced no words. “But…at the end of the day, it is a fight. You don’t count anybody out,” she recapitulated.

For her part, Denice Zamboanga refused to be drawn into another back and forth. Not while she is training for her biggest challenge, at least. In a media chat last week where she was again reminded of Lee’s subtle dig at her prowess vis-à-vis the veteran Seo Hee, Zamboanga said she’d rather concentrate on her training and her upcoming foe.

This she said though: “I’m not focused on what she feels. I’m focused on my opponent. I’m not thinking of Angela Lee. But what she said about me losing and not making it past the first round of the Grand Prix is my

Carlo Paalam (Resolution 878 by Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri) and Nesthy Petecio (Resolution 875

by Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino and bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial (Resolution 876 by Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa).

The Senator credited Cavite Eighth District Representative Tolentino, who, Lacson noted, “has worn yet another challenging hat after having been elected as President of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) in 2019.”

Lacson recalled that soon as he took office, Tolentino “hit the ground running to advance the welfare of our national team, adding that for 2021,

B

ACK from his last fight in Las Vegas, Senator Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday signaled he is back in full harness as lawmaker, even while still in mandatory quarantine.

Pacquiao volunteered to be a cosponsor of a landmark legislation, long in process in the legislative mill, providing for better protection for Filipino seafarers in all stages of their work—before, during and after deployment.

Pacquiao made the manifestation after the chairman of the Senate Labor Committee, Senator Joel Villanueva, endorsed to plenary the consolidated bills to establish a Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers.

Pacquiao noted the key role that overseas Filipino workers, especially the seafarers, have played in Philippine economy and nation building, and said it was the least that lawmakers can do to improve their lot.

Villanueva enthusiastically welcomed the offer of Pacquiao, whose next political plans are now subject of great speculation after his crushing loss to Yordenis Ugás on August 21, given his continuing rift with the other faction of the PDP-Laban, led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, backed by President Duterte.

Pacquiao has said he will announce later this month whether he will seek anew a Senate seat, or run for higher office, possibly including the presidency.

The original author of the Magna Carta for seafarers, Senator Risa Hontiveros, had noted how seafarers are vulnerable to illegal termination, decrease and non-payment of salaries, unsafe working conditions and other forms of abuses, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The “Institutionalization of a Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers” consolidates separate bills, authored by Hontiveros and Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Bong Revilla and Villanueva.

Butch Fernandez

“he outlined three major goals, one of which being to win the Philippines’s first Olympic gold medal since 1924 in the Tokyo Olympics.”

“Despite the challenges brought about by the novel coronavirus,” Lacson said Tolentino showed his “resilient leadership and profound care for the welfare of our athletes” by pushing for the appropriation of funds in the 2021 national budget to bolster the training of our national athletes.

The Senator noted that Tolentino, in his capacity as a legislator, likewise introduced a P180-million allocation in the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act to benefit the athletes and coaches

motivation. I’ll prove to her that she’s wrong.”

Media at the Faceoff fed off the rivalry, as expected.

To make matters even more interesting, even Mei Yamaguchi, the 38-year-old MMA veteran whom Zamboanga says she has a lot of respect for, chose Seo Hee Ham to have the edge over the MMA athlete formerly known as “The Menace.”

Thus, when reminded of Angela Lee’s prediction that Seo Hee Ham was her choice to win the fight dubbed as the “co-main event that feels like the main event” in the upcoming Grand Prix, Zamboanga said “Angela who?”

Maybe she really did not hear the writer’s comments correctly. Maybe subconsciously, she’s throwing shade too at her most vocal “detractor,” who knows? But Zamboanga came out swinging in her typical no holds barred style.

“For me it doesn’t matter because she’s not in the card. So I think she just needs to chill and relax and see what happens. That’s it.”

Doesn’t it feel strange for her, really the No. 1 ranked contender against Angela Lee, to be perceived as the underdog in her fight against Seo Hee Ham “It’s really good for me. It works to my advantage because it keeps me motivated when a lot of people underestimate me. So I’ll just do my work and prove them wrong. I have always been the underdog who wins her fights,” said Zamboanga, who is known for her warrior’s heart and fighting spirit.

Since her impressive and steady rise in the ranks, Zamboanga has always been laser-focused on the atomweight belt. “I’ve been waiting to fight [Angela] since last year,” she admitted. But now, instead of a straight-out challenge based on her position in the

belonging to the national team, which include allowances and pandemic assistance.

“Mr. President, history has been made when our athletes were able to bring home our first Olympic gold medal together with two silver medals and one bronze medal, thus becoming the most successful Philippine delegation in the Olympic Games,” Lacson said, adding: “And in this regard, we would like to express our deepest thanks to the man whose guidance and leadership led to our country being the best-performing country in Southeast Asia in this year’s Tokyo Olympics, ending Thailand’s four-peat Olympic reign in the Southeast Asian region.”

challenger ladder, she has to go through the crucible of the Grand Prix.

“A lot of fans are waiting for me and Angela to fight.

I think fans would love to see that. But I think [going through] the Grand Prix is also great for me and the other atomweight fighters to prove who really is the next in line for the title shot.”

But not everyone thinks Denice Zamboanga is the underdog. Lady Lakay Jenelyn Olsim—who triumphed over Bi “Killer Bi” Nguyen just last week—and Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao are throwing their hats in favor of their compatriot.

“I want to express my support to our kababayan Denice in her upcoming bout. I wish her good luck and more power,” Olsim, who should have also fought in the Grand Prix against Grace Cleveland of the US, said.

Cleveland recently bowed out of Empower due to injury, leaving Olsim without a foe for September 3.

“Denice and Seo Hee Ham are both driven to win the Grand Prix, but I have to side with Denice. I believe that Denice has really prepared so much for this match and I can see that she will do everything just to win this match and the Grand Prix. So as fellow Filipinos, we’re here to support her and looking forward to her next matches,” Sangiao said.

Now both Denice and Seo Hee Ham , 10 years her senior, gear up for their consequential showdown on Friday night. Denice flies under the radar, behaving like a Navy Seal out on a secret mission cloaked by the darkness of night. When she makes her move, she’ll use her ammo and accomplish the mission.

The proof of this pudding is in the fighting.