BSP SEES BANK LENDING
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
THE supply of money in the country grew at a fast pace to P17.4 trillion as of end-May 2024 due to increased bank lending, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Preliminary data from the BSP showed domestic liquidity or M3 rose by 6.5 percent to P17.399 trillion in May 2024 from P16.341 trillion in May 2023.
Bank lending, meanwhile, also increased by 10.1 percent to P12.017 trillion as of end-May 2024 from P10.911 trillion in the same period a year ago.
“Domestic claims expanded by 10.7 percent year-on-year in May similar to the previous month, as revised,” the BSP said.
Claims on the private sector rose 11.6 percent amounting to P12.107 trillion in May 2024 from 10.9 percent, or P11.963 trillion, in April 2024 on the back of sustained expansion in bank lending to nonfinancial private corporations and households.
Net claims on the central government also increased by 12.2 percent to P5.071 trillion from 13.9 percent, or P5.043 trillion, due to the sustained borrowings of the national government with the BSP.
Net foreign assets (NFAs) in peso terms rose by 4.9 percent to P6.877 trillion in May 2024 from 2.1 percent in April 2024.
The BSP’s NFA grew by 8.6 percent while the NFA of banks contracted on account of higher bills and bonds payable.
“The BSP will continue to ensure that domestic liquidity conditions remain consistent with the prevailing stance of the monetary policy, in line with its price and financial stability objectives,” the BSP said.
Bank lending OUTSTANDING loans to residents, net of reverse repurchase (RRPs), expanded by 10.2 percent in May 2024, up from 9.6 percent the previous month according to BSP data.
The data also showed outstanding loans to nonresidents went up at a slower rate by 8.1 percent in May after expanding by 10.8 percent in
the previous month.
Outstanding loans for production activities increased by 8.4 percent in May from 7.8 percent in April on account of the rise in loans to major sectors, specifically realestate activities (11.5 percent).
The data also showed loans to wholesale and retail trade, and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (11.1 percent); manufacturing (10.1 percent); transportation and storage (26.7 percent); and electricity, gas, steam, and airconditioning supply (7.7 percent).
Consumer loans to residents also increased by 25.6 percent in May from 25.3 percent in April on the back of the increase in credit card, motor vehicle, and salary-based general purpose consumption loans.
“Looking ahead, the BSP will ensure that domestic liquidity and credit conditions remain in line with its price and financial stability objectives,” the BSP added.
First-ever India-Philippines job fair opens doors to 2,500 opportunities
By John Eiron R. Francisco
friendly countries—that India and
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
EIGHT years after the Philippines won the landmark ruling of an international arbitration body against China, Filipino fishermen said they still have no access to Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea.
Filipino fisherfolk, who belong to the poorest sector in the Philippines, have been caught in the middle of the geopolitical tension between Manila and Beijing.
Leonardo Cuaresma, president of a fishermen’s group from Masinloc, Zambales, told reporters that China is now totally blocking and harassing them whenever they try to get near Bajo de Masinloc. “Sa nakalipas na administrasyon na sinasabi po nila na malayang makapangisda ang mga mangingisda sa Bajo de Masinloc, hindi po namin ito nakita at hindi po kami malaya. Nakakaranas na po kami noon ng pambu-bully [When they said in the past administration that fishermen could fish freely in Bajo de Masinloc, we didn’t experience that. We experienced being bullied].”
However, Cuaresma said, the “aggression by the “Chinese Coast Guard and Chinese militia” has intensified lately. Still, he noted, the good thing is that, the Chinese Coast Guard and militia are now facing resistance in lording it over Bajo de Masinloc. Cuaresma, president of the New Masinloc Fishermen Association, said fisherfolk are also experiencing water cannoning by China Coast Guard. Recently, Filipino boats have also been rammed by Chinese vessels while trying to get near the shoal.
China’s plan to save economy comes at a cost to its factories
By Bloomberg News
THE pen squeaks as Jeff Pan sketches a chart on a white-board. He draws a black line signifying consumption that shoots up, then a blue line that edges higher in fits and starts, before ultimately overtaking the first.
That, he explains, is supply. Pan, who manages a mid-sized copper processing plant in China’s manufacturing heartland, is laying out a lesson he and others in the high-tech supply chains championed by President Xi Jinping have learnt to their cost—demand isn’t everything.
“Competition has been too fierce these past two years,” Pan said at his plant near the factory hub of Yiwu, a few hours’ drive south of Shanghai. “A lot of companies will rush to a growing industry. At some point there is a big filter and only the strong can survive.”
Back in 2017, when he set up Zhejiang Huanergy Co., Pan aimed to seize on what he forecast would be a vast need for super-thin copper foil used in electric-vehicle batteries and electronic circuitry. He was right, and consumption ballooned. Huanergy, as the company is known, supplies Chinese powerhouses like BYD Co. and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.
The trouble was that a lot of other firms had the same idea, a
dynamic that has affected other sectors picked by the government to help remake the economy and dominate tomorrow’s industries.
The predicament is visible across green-energy manufacturing, one of the key sectors in Xi’s effort get ahead of geopolitical rivals. Solar panel producers have been engulfed by an oversupply crisis that’s pushing companies to hefty losses and forcing a brutal shakeout. In batteries, China’s capacity is already big enough to feed all of global demand and more.
The excess has left companies like Huanergy battling to capitalize on Beijing’s attention—while seeking to avoid becoming a casualty of Xi’s “new productive forces” drive. A twist on an old Marxist concept of “productive forces,” the campaign in practice entails using state power to accelerate everything from nuclear technology to EV output, with the aim of helping fire up tech advances, productivity gains and ultimately economic growth. It’s likely to make a fresh appearance at next week’s policy gathering in Beijing.
Copper should, in theory, be
a beneficiary. “Green” demand for the metal will grow at more than 10% this year and next in China, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.—versus almost no expansion elsewhere.
But Huanergy’s experience makes clear that the consequences of economic imbalances are farreaching, even for those at or close to the cutting edge.
The copper foil rolled out at Pan’s plant is not unlike the familiar aluminum used in kitchens everywhere, only more fine and with higher-tech uses. In lithium-ion batteries, ultra-thin slices of copper, highly conductive and heat tolerant, are a vital part of the anode. The same sheets are ubiquitous in consumer electronics and computing—almost everywhere that requires super-smooth connectivity between components.
Annual demand for copper may grow more than 50% by 2040, according to estimates by BloombergNEF, a figure that mostly captures wires and cables in vastly expanded electricity networks.
According to consultancy CRU Group, demand for flat-rolled copper demand, including plate, strip and foil, will rise by almost a fifth from 2023 levels by 2028, partly driven by demand growth from foil.
“It’s relatively small, but a very fast-growing market,” Pan said.
A former China Daily journalist married to the daughter of Shao Qinxiang, founder of parent Huayuan Group, Pan spotted an opportunity not long after his return to China from the US, where he studied for a masters in business administration.
Huayuan, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of vitamin D as well as a textiles and building materials, also had an established copper fabrication plant. Pan made a pitch for the company to eschew traditional copper products in favor of manufacturing the foil that tech companies required.
“We had to believe that both electronics, which means all the devices and digital applications, and batteries were going to become
very important,” he said. “Both of these came true, but at that time it was a leap of faith.”
Few will dispute that Pan won the tech portion of his bet. Massive computer power is needed to support artificial intelligence, and that in turn requires metal, even if China’s copper sector is today struggling with too much processing capacity and not enough raw materials. The outlook for copper’s tradi-
tional applications is cloudier. Processing fees have been dropping a few hundred yuan every year due to “insufficient demand and rapid expansion in domestic capacity,” Hai Jianxun, a sales executive at Henan Yuxing Copper Co., a smaller firm in central China that makes copper pipes for use in items like air-conditioners, said by phone. That means “no meaningful profit” for the moment.
What Pan did not expect was a surge in other companies following the same path.
Still, what has brought industry-wide overcapacity could also develop China’s technological edge.
The only way out, Pan reflects as the plant quietly hums in the background, is to move up the value chain, cutting costs and trying to make better products. For copper foil, that means sheets that are thinner, cleaner and smoother at the molecular level.
There has to be a way of separating the companies that will survive from the rest, he said. “I think that’s the natural way of capitalist system.”
INDIA-PHILIPPINES JOB FAIR...
Continued from A1
the Philippines are natural partners, including in business, that they have so much in common, and a lot that is synergistically complementary,” he said.
He stressed that both countries are democracies and rapidly growing economic powerhouses with large young demographics fluent in foreign languages, early adopters of technology, and possessing credible and reliable human capital, making them formidable when working together.
Salam noted that nearly 90 percent of the staff in these Philippines-based Indian companies are Filipinos, citing their skill, employability and resourcefulness. He believes these companies, along with their Filipino workforce, are strengthening their business trajectories with successful growth and fostering a positive workplace culture.
In a video statement, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the event is a significant step in enhancing economic
and professional relations between the two nations.
“It serves as an essential platform for job seekers and local employers to connect, explore, and seize diverse opportunities across key employment road sectors,” he said.
In 2023, the department facilitated 1,577 job fairs, attracting 413,702 job seekers and 27,000 employers who posted over one million vacancies. Approximately 6,417 individuals were successfully hired through these efforts.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the employment rate in May 2024 rose to 95.9 percent, up from 95.7 percent in May 2023 and slightly down from 96.0 percent in April 2024.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in May 2024 decreased to 4.1 percent, down from 4.3 percent a year earlier and up from 4.0 percent in April 2024. In May 2024, approximately 2.11 million individuals were unemployed, a decrease from 2.17 million in May 2023 but an increase from 2.04 million in April 2024.
Moreover, Laguesma said that beyond meeting immediate employment needs, the initiative fosters ongoing career advancement and development.
He commended the Embassy of India for its outstanding leadership in coordinating the event, which encompassed various activities like networking sessions, employment coaching, and a comprehensive service hub.
“Indians today are no longer job seekers but job creators contributing to the host country’s nation building consistent with its needs and priorities,” Salam said.
The event, supported by DOLE and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was attended by PCCI President Eunina Mangio. Executives from different sectors also participated, including Pasig City Mayor Victor “Vico” Ma. Regis Sotto, Pasig City Vice Mayor Robert Vincent Jude Jaworski, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, India Business Forum President Dileep Tiwari, Robinsons Manila Operations Director Myron Lawrence Yao and other VIPs.
Caught in China-PHL row, Pinoy fishers...
Continued from A1
“Kung dati-rati, ’yung mga maliit na bangka na sumasama sa mga mother boat, ay parang mga magnanakaw na nakakapasok sa loob ng Bajo de Masinloc. Pero ngayon, sarado na ang Bajo de Masinloc at tuluyan nang di nakakapasok ang ating mga mangingisda…dahil talagang guwardiyado na ng mga Chinese militia at Chinese Coast Guard,” the fishermen’s leader said.
He said mother boats of Filipino fishermen can only access 40 nautical miles off the shoal.
30% income loss
THE Scarborough Shoal blockade causes the Filipino fishermen to lose 30 percent of their income, he estimates.
Prior to the Philippines-China standoff, a team of 20 fisherfolk averages a catch of 6 tons of fish for three days of fishing activity near the lagoon. Now, fisherfolk’s average catch is 1.5 tons per week of fishing activity outside the lagoon. Cuaresma asked President Marcos Jr. to help small-time fishermen get access to capital, and be provided with bigger boats and nets.
On July 12, 2016, the Arbitration Tribunal ruled that China has no right over the whole South China Sea citing ancient maps with nine-dash line markings as basis for its maritime claim.
‘Traditional fishing ground’ THE Tribunal also declared that Scarborough Shoal is a “traditional fishing ground” where neither China nor the Philippines has exclusive maritime jurisdiction. The standoff started in 2012 as China was able to wrestle control over Scarborough Shoal.
Maritime expert Dr. Jay Batongbacal confirmed that the fish catch in the West Philippine Sea has dwindled by 30 percent for the last 10 years and that access for Filipino fisherfolk remains a major problem.
Ang buti sa ngayon, medyo nagkaroon ng kaunting pagbabago sa polisiya ng pamahalaan. Noong nakaraang administrasyon, wala tayong nakuha kungdi pangakong napako Joke lang pala ang jet ski,” Batongbacal said during the Stratbase ADR Institute forum.
The director of the University of the Philippines Law Center’s Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea was referring to the promise of then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte that he will ride a jet ski to Scarborough Shoal to assert the Philippine claim.
“Ngayon, pag ayaw nila, then I will ask the Navy to bring me to the nearest boundary dyan sa Spratlys, sa Scarborough. Bababa ako, sasakay ako ng jet ski, dala-dala ko yung flag ng Pilipino, at pupunta ako dun sa airport nila, tapos itanim ko Then I would say this is ours and do what you want with me. Bahala na
kayo. I would stake that claim and if they want to— matagal ko nang ambisyon yan na maging hero din ako. Pag pinatay nila ako dun, bahala na kayong umiyak dito sa Pilipinas,” candidate Duterte said in one of the presidential debates in 2016. Back to tribunal?
FORMER Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, who helped the Philippine delegation that prepared the case before the Arbitration Tribunal, said the Philippine government may opt to go back to the international arbitration panel to establish a legal way for Filipino fishermen to regain access to the shoal.
“If it’s a common fishing ground, there must be common rules. It’s like living in a condominium, you must have common rules where everybody can follow. But there are no common rules at this time,” Carpio said.
Former President Duterte “refused to discuss the common fishing rules” in Scarborough Shoal with China “because he does not want to displease China,” Carpio explained.
“It’s time that we discussed the common rules [on fishing] with Vietnam and China. If China does not want to discuss common rules, then we go to Tribunal…[and rule] such as how many of tons of fish to get, what are the fishing seasons of the year… what kind of gear will be allowed,” the former SC justice added.
DBM gives LGUs ₧1B for more public open spaces under ‘Green Green Green’
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
relaunched the Green Green Green Program with an allocation of P1.055 billion to assist local government units (LGUs) in enhancing public open spaces.
The DBM launched the program, initially referred to as Local Government Support Fund-Assistance to Cities (LGSF-AC), and inaugurated the Roxas Boulevard Promenade Project: Areas 1 and 2 on Thursday evening.
The P1.055-billion funding under the fiscal year 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) will bankroll the construction, rehabilitation, repair or improvement of green open spaces, such as public parks and plazas, nature recreational parks, arboretum and botanical gardens.
To improve mobility, the fund can also be utilized for the construction of physically separated bicycle lanes, bike racks, elevated or at-grade pedestrian footpaths and walkways, sports facilities and recreational trails.
A total of 80 LGUs nationwide—consisting of 17 cities in Metro Manila and 21 municipalities in Luzon, including Bulacan, Laguna, Pampanga, Batangas, Rizal, Cavite; 21 in Visayas; and 21 in Mindanao—will benefit from the fund.
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman pointed out that the program will not only beautify the environment and infrastructure, but also combat the negative effects of climate change such as extreme heat, pollution and flooding.
“We are unlocking the potential of each municipality and city for development and progress...Together, we can create sustainable communities where everyone has an opportunity to thrive,” Pangandaman said in her welcome remarks.
Since the inception of the program in 2017, a total of 391 projects have been funded and implemented to make communities across the country more liveable, sustainable and interconnected through green infrastructures.
The revival of the program was also aligned with the priority of Marcos Jr.’s administration to expand and upgrade infrastructure for economic transformation, Pangandaman added.
The DBM has issued Local Budget Circular No. 158 to prescribe the guidelines and procedures for the release and utilization of the fund.
All projects under the program must conform to design schemes that respect the existing attributes in the site development plan. It must also preserve, improve or add green and blue infrastructure to maintain ecosystem functions or address climate or disaster risks.
The projects must also minimize the creation of waste and promote ease of maintenance for long-term sustainability as well as ensure inclusive mobility within the site and its surroundings.
Beneficiary LGUs are also strongly encouraged to prioritize the use of domestic materials and locally-produced goods in the project.
OFWs in Taiwan can now send money to kin’s RCBC accounts
OVERSEAS Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan can now send money directly to their loved ones’ Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) bank accounts or to other Philippine bank accounts through FastPay.
Yuchengco-led RCBC announced on Friday its partnership with mobile remittance app FastPay, which operates exclusively in Taiwan, to aid OFWs with their remittances.
Recipients of migrant workers may also opt to claim the remittance in cash from over 17,000 RCBC pay-out partner outlets nationwide.
The collaboration with FastPay is part of the bank’s commitment to providing more convenience to OFWs based in Taiwan and being a partner through generations, according to RCBC Global Transaction Banking Group head Martin Tirol.
“Knowing that Taiwan is a great place of opportunities for overseas Filipinos, RCBC Telemoney bridged the gap in terms of remittances: OFWs can now comfortably send their remittances from the FastPay app directly to an RCBC customer’s bank account,” Tirol was quoted in the statement was saying.
Tirol added the “frictionfree service” is one of the bank’s thrusts for digitalization.
FastPay Global Payments Inc.
Chief Executive Officer Samuel Chan said its partnership with RCBC as its inaugural fintech partner will leverage their expertise as a trusted international remittance company to support
Car sales up 11.8% in H1, auto sector seen on track to hitting 2024 target
By Andrea E. San Juan
LOCAL car sales reached 226,279 units in the first half of 2024, up 11.8 percent from the 202,415 units sold in the same period last year, according to the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc. (Campi).
While car sales grew 7.6 percent in June 2024 compared to June of last year, the auto industry group said there was a slight decline in June 2024 sales compared to the previous month due to the delays in the arrival of vehicle units, among others.
The Campi-TMA report indi -
RCBC Telemoney accounts.
“We are excited to introduce the FastPay mobile app as the exclusive solution for Filipinos working in Taiwan, providing a direct connection to their RCBC Telemoney accounts,” Chan added.
RCBC said it held a predeparture fair for OFWs at The RCBC Plaza in Makati with FastPay to equip them with Telemoney and FastPay accounts and familiarize them with how to use these right after they land in Taiwan.
The FastPay app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. An alien resident certificate (ARC), a selfie for identity verification and other additional details are needed to create an account.
Through FastPay, OFWs in Taiwan may also receive money, pay bills and manage finances while abroad.
RCBC Telemoney Savings Account, meanwhile, can be created through the RCBC Pulz app. OFWs or their beneficiaries just need to accomplish the required fields during the application, capture a selfie, submit a valid ID and select OFW as the nature of work.
Customers can access lower auto and home loan rates, free life insurance for qualified customers, zero maintaining balance and access to UITF and other investments.
There are approximately 160,000 Filipinos working in various industries, including manufacturing, domestic work, and the service sector in Taiwan. Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
cated that car sales in the month of June 2024 alone reached 39,088, a 7.6-percent increase from the 36,311 units sold in June 2023, but a 2.9 percent dip from the 40,271 units sold in May 2024.
“The decline in consumer demand, as well as delays in the
arrival of vehicle units and supply limitation for fast-moving variants, all contributed to this decline,” Campi President Rommel Gutierrez said in a statement on Friday.
The Campi head expressed optimism, however, that the auto industry is on track to hitting its target of 468,300 units this year despite the delays in the arrival of car units.
“Not a threat. Same target,” Gutierrez told the BusinessMirror in a Viber message on Friday.
The 226,279 units sold in the first half of the year represent 51.68 percent of its 2024 target.
Across vehicle segments, commercial vehicles continue to drive industry performance as this segment reached 166,404 units, accounting for 74 percent of the six-month auto sales pie.
Under the commercial vehicle
CA grants AMLC petition, freezes Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s assets
By Joel R. San Juan
THE Court of Appeals has issued a freeze order on the assets of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Leal Guo and other individuals and entities after finding probable cause that they are related to unlawful activity and/or money laundering pursuant to Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) of 2001.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said the freeze order, issued last July 10, 2024 by the CA, covers several assets, including 90 bank accounts across 14 financial institutions, several real properties, and high-value personal properties, such as luxury vehicles and a helicopter.
The freeze order was sought by AMLC in a petition filed on July 9, 2024, under Section 10 of RA 9160, as amended, and Rule 10 of its 2018 Implementing Rules and Regulations (2018 IRR).
The move was intended to
prevent the dissipation of assets while the investigation and legal proceedings continue.
“The Court of Appeals’ freeze order is a critical move in our fight against money laundering and related criminal activities. Freezing these assets protects the integrity of our institutions and shields the public from the harms of unlawful activities,” AMLC Executive Director Matthew David said.
“Our persistent crackdown on illicit proceeds of criminal activities highlight our bid to protect the integrity of our financial system and ensures that those who perpetrate these crimes will not enjoy the proceeds,” he added. The AMLC filed the petition following the filing of graft against Guo and several municipal government officials before the Ombudsman in connection with illegal Pogo activities in the municipality.
Guo along with Bamban’s Business Permit and Licensing Officer (BPLO) Edwin Ocampo and
Municipal Legal Officer Adenn Sigua have been placed under preventive suspension pending their investigation.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission has also filed a qualified human trafficking case against Guo and 13 others in connection with the illegal activities of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in her town.
On the other hand, the Philippine Statistics Office, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), has sought the cancellation of Guo’s birth certificate before a court in Tarlac on the ground, among others, of failure to comply with the legal requirements for late registration.
All these actions came following extensive investigation and joint operations led by the PAOCC and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on POGO hubs in Bamban. Aside from Guo, the individuals covered by the freeze order are Zhiyang
Reward offer leads to Quiboloy co-accused arrest in Davao City
SUBSTANTIAL
Areward for the arrest of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his four co-accused in human trafficking charges led to the arrest of one of these individuals during operations in Davao City late Thursday afternoon.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 (Davao Region) said Pauleen Canada was arrested inside the Emily Homes Subdivision in Cabantian Road, Davao City at around 2 p.m. The arrest stemmed from an intelligence tip acted upon by various law enforcement units. This tip, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said, came from a concerned citizen and was instrumental in the apprehension of Canada.
“Ang katotohanan nagtatago kasi. That’s a fugitive of the law kaya nahihirapan, kaya sabi ng ating Secretary na nagbibigay tayo ng reward kasi marami nagsusumbong. Mahirap hanapin ang tao na talagang nagtatago. They know what to do, they know what to expect pagka nandiyan yung mga pulis , but sinabi ng ating minamahal na SILG [Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Benhur Abalos] na may reward. Ngayon mas marami tumutulong sa atin [It is hard to find a fugitive, they know what to do to evade arrest. But our Interior Secretary had announced a reward, so many are helping us find them],” he added in a press briefing at PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City Friday. Abalos, in the same media briefing, said they believe Quiboloy and his remaining
co-accused are still in the country, adding they will have little room to move.
“Nandito lang sa Pilipinas and we will assure you this, as what we have assured you before: lumiliit na ang Pilipinas para sa kanya, ganyan gumalaw ang pulis at military. Saan ka na magtatago niyan, ang taumbayan pa and it only shows one thing. Remember ito ay pugante. Ito ay hindi namin ginawang demanda ito. Ang nagpapahuli nito ang korte, lilinawin ko yan. Ang korte ang nagpapahuli sa kanila at ang sala sa kanila ay napakasimple, ito ay kasong child abuse [They are still in the Philippines and we will assure you that their world is getting smaller. They cannot hide. Remember, these are fugitives whose arrests were ordered by the courts on charges of child abuse],” he said.
segment, light commercial vehicles continued to drive sales with 121,760 units. This was followed by Asian Utility Vehicle (AUV) with 39,438 units; Light-Duty Trucks and Buses with 2,897 units; Medium-Duty Trucks and Buses, with 1,987 units and Heavy-Duty Trucks and Buses with 322 units.
Meanwhile, passenger cars registered sales of 59,875, equivalent to 26 percent of the auto sales pie in the January to June 2024 period.
Among the brands, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. remained the dominant market player with a 46.12-percent share, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation at 18.83 percent; Ford Motor Company at 6.39 percent; Nissan Philippines Inc. at 6.16 percent, and Suzuki Philippines Inc. with 4.26-percent share.
Huang, and Baoying Lin.
“These individuals are suspected of orchestrating human trafficking and fraudulent activities through entities such as Zun Yuan Technology Inc., BAOFU Land Development Inc., and Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc.,” the AMLC said.
“The investigation uncovered significant financial transactions and assets amassed by these individuals as well as their involvement in money laundering, human trafficking, and other illicit operations,” it added.
The AMLC said the illicit activities linked to these individuals and entities include the operation of an unauthorized POGO at Zun Yuan Technology Inc. It was discovered that the company was engaged in various illegal activities under the guise of POGO operations, including human trafficking, serious illegal detention, and online scam schemes.
“These operations were conducted within the premises of BAOFU Land Development Inc., which housed numerous workers, including trafficked individuals, who were forced to participate in fraudulent online activities,” the AMLC said.
Canada is also among the region’s “Top 6” most wanted persons, and has a standing arrest warrant issued by the Pasig City Regional Court Branch 159 last April 11 for child and sexual abuse and human trafficking. Aside from her, at least four other persons—Crisente and Ingrid Canada, Sylvia Cemañes, and Jackielyn Roy— are subjects of a P1-million bounty leading to their arrest. Meanwhile, a P10-million reward is being offered to anyone who can provide information for the arrest of Quiboloy.
On the other hand, Abalos said the PNP will exhaust all government resources to give justice to the “victims” of Quiboloy.
“We will use all resources of government to make sure that the ends of justice will be met and I’m making this clear: To be fair also with Pastor Quiboloy that this is a warrant, he has a day in court. To be fair with him, ginagawa lang namin ang trabaho namin.
US Congress working on new security budget for PHL, Indo-Pacific allies
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
THE United States Congress is working on allocating a budget for the Philippine military to boost its defense capability, amidst the threat of China’s aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea, a US defense official said.
“We have elevated the US-Philippines alliance to stand among our most vital defense partnerships in the world,” Defense Assistant Secretary Ely Ratner said in his speech at the forum of US think-tank Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C.
“We have delivered major agreements for US rotational presence in the Philippines—and sought unprecedented funding to support these agreements,” he added.
Ratner hinted that the IndoPacific National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act passed last April 2024 would also include a provision on defense financing for the Philippine armed forces.
“While I don’t have anything to announce today regarding the Foreign Military Financing included in the Indo-Pacific
National Security Supplemental that Congress passed this spring…let me just say that we recognize Capitol Hill’s sense of urgency and prioritization when it comes to our support for Manila...and we’ll have more to say on that soon,” Ratner said.
The approved supplemental budget costs US$8.12 billion, initially intended for Taiwan and other countries at the request of the US government. It would cover replacement of defense articles from the stocks of US Department of Defense.
Ratner’s statement came on the 8th year of the Arbitration Tribunal ruling that invalidated China’s maritime claim of the whole China Sea.
In Manila, US Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson said the US invested around US$120 mil -
lion (P7 billion) to repair runways, build disaster response warehouses, and improve critical infrastructure in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca).
Edca, the American envoy said, is “one cornerstone” of the “ironclad” alliance between Manila and Washington D.C. It allows US troops to stay in the Philippines and access military facilities to enable both their armed forces to train closely and respond to “shared threats” and natural disasters.
There are nine Edca sites in the Philippines, five of which are strategically located—two in Cagayan near Taiwan, two in Palawan near West Philippine Sea, and one in Isabela near the Benham Rise.
“These investments also spur economic growth and opportunity in local communities,” Carlson said in her speech at the forum sponsored by Philippine-based think tank Stratbase ADR Institute.
Ratner said the US is “committed to continuing to invest in infrastructure improvements at all nine EDCA sites.”
“The Biden Administration’s budget request this year includes more than US$120 million for these efforts—which in just one year is more than double what we’ve invested in Edca infrastructure to date,” Ratner said.
“We’ve seen strong bipartisan
support on Capitol Hill for the USPhilippines alliance, and this year’s budget is a historic opportunity to keep delivering,” he added.
Manila and Washington D.C. are now on the final stage of negotiations for the General Security of Military Information Agreement or GSOMIA.
GSOMIA will formalize and lay the ground rules for both countries to share top-secret military information.
The Philippines and the US are also drafting the Security Sector Assistance Roadmap that would enable both countries to identify what areas the US can invest in the third phase of Philippine armed forces modernization program.
The two American officials lauded the recently concluded Philippine-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which after ratification by both countries, would allow Philippine and Japanese troops to train together.
“The future we’re striving toward is one with greater interoperability and cooperation among like-minded Indo-Pacific partners, and this means enhanced reciprocal access, more participation in larger and more complex regional exercises, greater investment together in advanced capabilities...and Manila stands at an intersection of all of that,” Ratner said.
Aussie govt, PBEd, Unilab Fdn team up in healthcare HR forum
THE Australian Government in collaboration with the Unilab Foundation and the Philippine Business for Education recently conducted the Horizons of Healthcare: Building a FutureReady Philippine Human Resources for Health Forum.
The Forum convened over 120 health experts, leaders, advocates, and students, from the public and private sectors and international organizations to collaborate in shaping the future of Philippine healthcare in the areas of public health, policy, and business. Together, they also provided recommendations to inform future policies and
programs of the Philippine healthcare sector.
“The Philippines’s biggest asset is its people. So investing in people—making sure they have the skills and education to contribute meaningfully—will be critical to driving economic growth,” said Dr. Moya Collett, Australian Embassy in the Philippines Deputy Head of Mission.
Local health experts highlighted the need to upskill healthcare workers, enhance policies that support upskilling, and increase access to upskilling opportunities. Meanwhile, speakers from Singapore and Australia shared the ben-
efits of integrating social wellness in health, opportunities that can be harnessed from artificial intelligence and other innovations in healthcare, and best practices in managing human resources in healthcare. The participants also learned the process in establishing labor skills councils for health in Australia—which became an essential avenue in increasing private sector involvement.
“With the rise of AI, robotics, and digital advancement, there’s an urgent need for skillsbased training, mastery of critical healthcare skills, and global learning exchanges to empower our healthcare workers for the challenges ahead,” said Unilab Foundation’s Executive Director Lilibeth Aristorenas.
forward our shared goal of building an empowered healthcare workforce. Through our collective efforts, we will pave the way towards a healthier and more resilient nation,” Philippine Business for Education Deputy Executive Director Bal Camua said.
The Australian Government stressed that planning for the future must begin as early as now.
“This is just the start…and the catalyst of where we are and what we need to take forward. I’m really looking forward to seeing the great outcomes of this initiative towards the betterment of health system in the Philippines,” said Thanh Le PSM, Counsellor for Development of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines.
8 yrs after 2016 Arbitral Award, Chinese encroachments increasing in WPS–Año
By Rex Anthony Naval
RATHER than complying with the 2016 Arbitral Award, China has steadily increased its encroachments in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said as the country commemorated the eighth anniversary of this historic ruling on Friday.
“It [China] has steadily increased its presence and position in the WPS, employing varied coercive and harassment tactics that is repugnant to international law and to the rules-based international order,” he added.
Año, in a speech before the Stratbase ADR Institute forum billed, “The 8th Year of the Arbitral Victory: A Collective Pursuit of Maritime Security in the West Philippine Sea,” noted that China refused to abide by the ruling, despite its being final and binding.
This is contrary to their state obligations as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and a member of the United Nations.
“China’s non-compliance with [the] ruling has consequences [for] the rules-based international order that all peace-loving nations seek to uphold,” Año stressed.
This was highlighted, he said, by China’s issuance of regulations that allegedly empowers it to unilaterally “police” the entire South China Sea (SCS) even to the extent of encroaching on the maritime domain of ASEAN nations.
“These reflect China’s intent to be more assertive and aggressive, which pose greater risks
for sparking violent incidents between Chinese military to include its coast guard, maritime militias, and the Chinese fishing vessels swarming the area, with those from other claimants or non-claimant states that are lawfully in the waters of the SCS,” Año pointed out.
He said China’s coercive and aggressive activities not only threaten the Philippines’s maritime entitlements, but the safety and free passage of more than 60 percent of world commerce that passes through this area.
“On the part of the Philippines, countless incidents at sea have repeatedly placed at high risk the safety and security of our personnel and vessels conducting lawful, routinary, and legitimate operations such as patrolling, rotation and reprovision missions, and fishing and research activities in our waters,” Año said.
Actions by China like the aggressive use of water cannons, use of “military-grade” lasers against Philippine Coast Guard personnel, confiscation of equipment, injuring Filipino servicemen and other forms of harassment, have escalated tensions in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), he added.
“China’s aggressive behavior and destructive activities, such as the construction of artificial islands, and military bases, land reclamation activities, and the deliberate deployment of its ravenous fishing fleets deeper into our EEZ clearly seek to undermine international law, practices, and norms,” Año said.
SC: No ruling yet on suits compelling Congress to enact anti-dynasty law
By Joel R. San Juan
THE Supreme Court has yet to come up with a decision on the two petitions seeking to compel the House of Representatives and the Senate to pass laws that will prohibit political dynasties.
SC spokesman Atty. Camille Sue Mae Ting made the clarification to debunk a news report published in a major broadsheet, titled “SC wants Congress to pass dynasty law.”
The said provision states: “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”
The Forum also emphasized the importance of collaboration across all sectors given the multisectoral nature of healthcare.
To know more about the Health Sector Skills Council Project, visit facebook.com/UnilabFoundation.
“Let us carry
Reward offer leads to Quiboloy co-accused arrest in Davao City
Continued from A3
Eto lang ma-aassure namin sa aming mga kababayan ngayon tutugisin ka ng pulis, ng military at iba pang mga ahensya ng gobyerno at hindi lamang ikaw, yung mga wanted pa [We will use all resources of the government to make sure the ends of justice will be met. To be clear, Quiboloy will have his day in court even as our police and military will continue to go after fugitive],” he said.
Meanwhile, Abalos sought the understanding of Quiboloy’s supporters who tend to resist police teams serving warrants for his arrest.
“We should respect each other’s beliefs… pero ang sa akin lang sana naman po maunawaan po ng kanyang supporters na ito po ay may warrant, hindi pwede talikuran na lang namin ito at pabayaan. Sana maunawaan nyo po ‘yon dahil kung tatalikuran naming parang tatalikuran naming lahat ng may warrant ngayon sa buong Pilipinas, ano mangyayari sa atin [I hope they understand it is our duty to serve warrants. If we abandon our duty, what will happen]?” he said.
The article claimed that the Court has issued an order “for Congress to comply with its constitutional mandate to pass a law defining political dynasties.”
“The article published by Manila Times on this is erroneous. We are already writing to have it corrected,” Ting told reporters.
“No such decision. What we uploaded were the petitions and other pleadings asking the SC to compel Congress to pass laws related to political dynasties. These cases are still pending before the Court,” the SC spokesman added.
The petitioners in the two still pending petitions are Kapatiran Party Alliance for the Common Good (G.R. No. 263934) and lawyers Wilfredo M. Trinidad, president and a trustee of the Philippine Bar Association (PBA) Rico Domingo, Jorge Cabildo, and Ceasar Oracion (G.R. No. 272370). House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and then Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri were both named as respondents in the two petitions.
Kapatiran’s petition was filed on November 8, 2022 while Trinidad et al’s petition was filed on March 19, 2024. Both petitioners sought to compel Congress to comply with its constitutional mandate to pass a law defining political dynasties as required by Section 26, Article II (Declaration of Principles and State Policies) of the 1987 Constitution.
Trinidad et al’s petition argued that Congress had enacted laws to implement 22 state policies under Article II such as on social justice (Section 10), human rights (Section 11, role of youth in nation building (Section 13), equality of women and men (Section 14), right to health ( Section 15), right to balanced and healthful ecology (Section 16), priority to education, science, culture and sports (Section 17), affirmation of labor as primary social economic force (Section 18), comprehensive rural and agrarian policy (Section 21), promotion of the welfare of indigenous communities (Section 22), encouragement of non-governmental organizations (Section 23) and autonomy of local governments (Section 25).
“The prohibition of political dynasties is a declared state policy. But for 37 long years since the Constitution was adopted by the Filipino people, the momentous policy has lain dormant,” the petition read.
The petitioners said it is mandatory on the part of Congress to pass a law defining and prohibiting political dynasties.
On the other hand, Kapatiran noted that the majority of Filipinos are against political dynasties.
“Every election, the consensus opinion of an overwhelming majority of Filipinos is, ‘this must stop,’ and in every Congress following an election, bills on the prohibition of political dynasty are introduced or re-introduced to do exactly but to no avail,” the group said.
“These bills merely languish in the Committee handling them, hence, almost all never saw the light of day in the plenary for the last 36 years,” it noted.
Elderly farmer reaps fruit of labor of love
By Connie Calipay & Gladys Serafica
EGAZPI CITY—Despite age
Lweathering his body, 84-year-old Cresenciano Colagong proudly stood his ground as he held the land title for the agricultural lands in Polangui, Albay he has long tilled for more than three decades.
His daughter, Aireen Colagong-Tigue, could not hold back tears as she watched her father achieve his lifelong dream.
“Almost half of my father’s life was spent waiting for this legal title that will prove our ownership of the land,” the 47-year-old former teacher said in the vernacular.
“We didn’t even expect it, but we really prayed hard for it,” she added, her voice quivering.
As one of the more than 2,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Bicol who received their land titles when President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led its distribution during his visit to Camarines
Sur on June 7, Cresenciano considered the transfer certificate of title a precious gift he could leave behind for his family.
“When I die, I can be assured that my family will live comfortably, knowing that I will be passing on something of great value to them,” the elderly farmer said.
Married to the land
COLAGONG’S foray into farming was borne out of a need to provide for his family.
In 1988, he started developing the 5,931-square-meter and 1,026-squaremeter lands then owned by Lazaro Magistrado.
“These lands used to be a sugarcane plantation. I have vivid memories of patiently waiting and picking up the sugarcanes that fell off the trucks as they were being loaded,” Aireen fondly recalled.
“Back then, we could only plant vegetables, sweet potatoes, and corn along the edges because we did not own the property.”
“I never imagined that this land would be ours one day,” she added. A retired tailor and master cutter at a local tailoring shop, the octogenarian farmer said the agrarian reform program, which enabled him to own the lands he tilled, helped him increase his agricultural yield and improve the family’s living conditions.
“Our main income came from the palay that my father sold. His earnings covered our expenses for school fare as well as boarding house fees when my older brother attended high school at the University of Northeastern Philippines
DEPArTmENT of Agrarian reform-Bicol (DAr-5) regional Director reuben Theodore Sindac (left), in a photo opportunity with Cresenciano Colagong holding his new land title during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas in Legazpi City on June 25, 2024. Colagong was among the beneficiaries when President Ferdinand r marcos Jr. distributed land titles during his visit to Camarines Sur on June 7, 2024. Photo courtesy of Dar Bicol
in Iriga and my sister’s dormitory fees at Camarines Sur State Agriculture College (now Central Bicol State University of Agriculture) in Pili,” his daughter added.
Growing up, Aireen said farming became a family affair for the Colagongs.
“My mother and I grew vegetables while other siblings also helped on the farm. At Grade 4, I learned how to sell sweet potatoes, corn, and other vegetables in the nearby market to support our daily needs,” she said.
Having witnessed her parents’ devotion to the farm firsthand, she revealed that their strong desire for their children to obtain a college degree kept them going despite the odds.
“My father and mother would till the land from dawn to dusk. If not for their sacrifices, we would not be where we are today,” she said.
Harvesting dreams FROM the fruit of his labor, the elderly Colagong was able to produce four professionals: an engineer now based in Australia, a teacher at a public school, an accountant who also owns a souvenir store and a former teacher who now runs a mini-grocery and online store.
Looking back at his journey, the proud farmer said all the sacrifices were definitely worth it. And now that he has finally received the land title he had long aspired for, he could not ask for more.
“I am very grateful to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. because I have been waiting for this opportunity since 1988. This 2024, one of my prayers was answered, and I am very blessed to finally receive this land title,” Cresenciano proudly said. PNA
Women were barred from WWII combat
By Danica Kirka | The Associated Press
LONDON—What did you do in the war, Granny?
For British women who came of age during World War II, the answer to that question is often: quite a lot.
The history of D-Day is often told through the stories of the men who fought and died when the Allies stormed the beaches of northern France on June 6, 1944. But behind the scenes were hundreds of thousands of military women who worked in crucial non-combat roles such as codebreakers, ship plotters, radar operators and cartographers. Often overlooked, their contributions have come into sharper focus as the number of living D-Day veterans dwindles and the world prepares for the 80th anniversary of the landings.
One of those women was Marie Scott, who was a 17-year-old radio operator when she heard the chaos of battle through her headset as she relayed messages between Allied commanders in England and men on the Normandy beaches.
“You realize the reality of war, what it really entails. It’s not a word. It’s an action that affects thousands, millions,” Scott said recently, discussing her time in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, commonly known as the Wrens. “I think I grew up that day from being a stupid 17-year-old.
I think I honestly grew up on D-Day.”
Almost 160,000 Allied troops landed at Normandy on D-Day in a massive amphibious operation designed to break
₧1.33B social pension disbursed to poor Eastern Visayas seniors
By Sarwell Meniano
TACLOBAN
CITY—The
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has disbursed P1.33 billion as a social pension to indigent senior citizens in Eastern Visayas in the first half of 2024.
The distribution of grants has benefited 223,187 poor elderly people from six provinces of the region, DSWD-Eastern Visayas regional information officer Jonalyndie Chua said in an interview on Tuesday.
Of the total number of recipients, 15,530 are from Biliran province; 101,203 from Leyte, 29,950 from Southern Leyte; 35,998 from Samar; 20,560 from Eastern Samar; and 19,946 from Northern Samar.
“We expect the number of beneficiaries to increase with the submission of final data from 17 towns of those who actually received the social pension. There are still five towns in Samar and Northern Samar provinc-
es with ongoing payouts,” Chua said.
The P1.33 billion funding is just 76.56 percent of the P1.77 billion allocations for the first six months of the year.
“Under the transfer of fund modality, which has been identified as the most feasible and efficient delivery scheme for the distribution of the social pension in the region, the total allocated fund for the beneficiaries is transferred and disbursed by the local government units on a semestral basis, allowing a streamlined and cost-effective implementation of the program,” Chua said.
The DSWD regional office and local government units are preparing
for the implementation of the social pension program in the second half of 2024.
As mandated by Republic Act 11916, “An Act Increasing the Social Pension of Senior Citizens”, beneficiaries of the social pension program are entitled to a monthly stipend of P1,000 this year. Enacted in July 2022, the law doubles the monthly pension for senior citizens from P500.
Eligible recipients must be 60 years old and older, frail and sickly, and without pensions from other government sources such as the Government Service Insurance System, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Social Security System, and private insurance companies.
Recipients also should not have a regular source of income or support from family or relatives to cover their basic needs. PNA
Our times call for historical and nationalistic art
By Nick Tayag
Ithrough heavily fortified German defenses and begin the liberation of Western Europe.
Throughout the war, more than 1.1 million women served in the armed forces of the Western Allies, including 640,000 in Britain, where there was a real threat of invasion after Nazi troops drove to the shores of the English Channel. Even Princess Elizabeth, the future queen, did her bit, training to be a driver and mechanic in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women’s branch of the British Army.
The pitch on recruiting posters was simple: By joining the military and taking over support roles, women could free men for frontline service. Although technically barred from combat, more than 800 British women were killed in military service during the war.
“People forget they were 17, 18 doing these jobs,” said Dick Goodwin, the honorary secretary of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, which helps veterans travel to Normandy each year. “I mean, it’s just amazing, really. Talk about thrown in at the deep end!” Those who did not join the military had other opportunities to serve. Millions of women worked in defense factories, grew crops and rode motorcycles through the blacked out streets of London to keep firefighters updated on the latest bomb damage as the British government asked them to keep the economy going after men went off to fight.
F there is one Filipino painter I would call G.O.A.T., I would choose Carlos “Botong” Francisco.
His large scale paintings called Kasaysayan ng Maynila, commissioned in 1968 by then Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas, are enough reason for me to put him on a pedestal. Fortunately, after being neglected to deteriorate over time, they have received extensive restoration and can now be seen and appreciated in their original glory at the Senate Hall of the National Museum. Every Filipino, specially our present leaders and our clueless young, must make an effort to contemplate on them.
Today, our beleaguered nation needs historical artists in the caliber of Botong to stiffen the patriotic spinal chord we all need to have in the face of the constant badgering of a big bully of a neighbor across the seas.
We may be a small nation but our people cannot be seen as soft and divided, or worse, cowardly.
“Atin ito” is the slogan we have coined and popularized by the media. But side by side, we should tell the world: “Kami Ito. Don’t try us.”
But still, there are voices who say it’s better to appease the bully because we cannot take him on mano a mano. Even in the face of brazen show of force and physical intimi-
dation as well as disrespect for our troops and fishermen, they can only lamely respond: “Teka, teka, usap tayo.” (Wait a minute. Let’s talk.)
A survey, conducted in midMarch 2024, shows that 91% of adult Filipinos “distrust” China. That was up from 73% from just a year ago. Why only 91%? It should be 99%!
I’m afraid and ashamed to admit, our roots don’t go deep enough to inspire us to make a strong and resolute stand in defense of our motherland. The mother cat in our backyard displays greater fierceness in defending her newborn kittens and territory against any cat that would dare intrude into her marked space.
One factor is our shallow sense of our own history.
To deepen our roots and firm up our love of our native land, we need to go back to our past and understand why we need to fight for it and resist at any cost any invaders, takers or occupiers from the outside.
Why do we need to protect and guard this land we deem to be ours, not anybody else’s? When did we take a stand and shed blood against any foreign usurper?
Now is the best time to be reminded of our collective acts of courage in the past as well as summon up the fervor of patriotism and stoke the embers of our collective “alab ng lahi.”
What we need at this hour of great challenge to our nation are new history paintings by contemporary Botongs, Amorsolos and Juan Lunas. And nationalistic hymns or songs by modern day equivalents of Jose Corazon de Jesus and Constancio de Guzman.
But let’s just focus on history painting for this think piece.
Derived from the Italian word “istoria” (narrative), the term ‘history painting’ refers to any picture with a high-minded or heroic narrative (message) as illustrated by the exemplary deeds of the figures being depicted. Usually, the paintings of this kind are grand in scale and dramatic in nature. They provide a window into the past, allowing a deeper understanding of our collective history, depicting stories with moral lessons or political messages.
But they can also arouse the emotions and provoke thought. Whether through the depiction of famous battle paintings, or past events, history paintings remain a testament to art’s ability to shape our perception of nationhood. They can be effective tools to strengthen the unity of a nation’s people.
One famous example is “Liberty Leading the People”, which was created by the French artist Eugene Delacroix. It is a powerful portrayal of the French Revolution, a defining historical event for France. The central figure is none other than Liberty herself, a powerful and iconic symbol representing freedom, justice, and the triumph of the human spirit.
“Woman at the Fall of Bataan” is Fernando Amorsolo’s quiet but heart-tugging tribute to the Filipinos who gave the supreme sacrifice to defend their motherland against the Japanese invaders. It depicts a woman looking at a dying soldier
during the infamous Death March. She represents the sympathetic Filipino civilians who lined the road as the prisoners passed through barrios, offering food, water, even at the risk of instant death by Japanese guards.
Today, which Filipino artist would be inspired enough to put on canvas the dramatic happenings in the West Philippine Sea? How about a painting on a grand scale showing the few and brave marines who are stationed on the ship on board Sierra Madre representing the first line of defense of our territory?
Why not a painting showing the boat carrying Filipino civilians boldly traversing the West Philippine Sea on their way to Ayungin island, with our national flag flapping in the wind, accompanied by Filipino fishermen, in defiance of threats by foreign armed vessels? This would just be like the painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze depicting George Washington and his soldiers braving harsh winter conditions as they crossed the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War. It obviously was meant to arouse patriotic fervor in every American, underscoring the great sacrifices made to gain their country’s independence and to cherish it. To shine.
The best thing about truly great history paintings is that they endure and transcend time. This is the power and significance of this genre of art. Every nation that dares to look down on the Filipino needs to look at Botong’s painting of Rizal and Dagohoy or Diego Silang side by side. It gives us two sides of the Filipino. Peaceful but willing to fight when oppressed and bullied beyond the limit. Then when the time comes when we will take our rightful place in the world as a top-tier nation, we can look at our history paintings with pride and point it to future generations, that in time of threats they inspired us and stiffened our resolve, by memorializing our collective history and shared ideals. Meanwhile, let this bullying serve as an opportunity for us to strengthen our unity, to bind us together for a common cause, to strengthen our foundations as a people, resolute in protecting our shores while gearing ourselves to move up to the next level of our progress as the Filipino nation.
AN elderly receives a social pension in Burauen, Leyte in this June 21, 2024 photo. The Department of Social Welfare and Development has poured P1.33 billion as a social pension to indigent senior citizens in Eastern Visayas in the first half of 2024. Photo courtesy of Burauen local government
Visual communication and AI empower classrooms, make students future-ready
By Roderick L. Abad
FILIPINO learners should be future-ready, as employers seek workers with key presentation skills leveraging on latest technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
At the recent Canva Education Summit held in Makati City, results of the 2024 Canva Visual Economy Report, which saw participation from more than 3,700 business leaders worldwide, was unveiled. It showed that nine in 10 (92 percent) business leaders expect workers in non-design roles to possess design skills and knowledge, making visual communication a vital skill for the future work force.
The three-day conclave organized by Canva Philippines featured panel discussions, learning sessions and workshops, and an online webinar to enable teachers, students, educational institutions and advocates unlock the power of visual communication for classrooms and their future.
“Today’s students have grown up with technology at their fin -
gertips and… shaped how they process information,” said Yani Hornilla-Donato, who is the country manager of Canva Philippines. “[We’ve seen firsthand how visual communication enables creativity and collaboration, while enriching] learning.”
She added that “through this event, we sought out to show what’s possible when visual communication is introduced in the classroom. Not only does it make learning more engaging. More importantly, it nurtures creativity and collaboration among students which are vital skills needed in evolving work places.”
Brighten up education, students’ future VISUALS are important in bringing messages across. Hence, it’s impor -
tant to now empower the students with the needed skills, starting with digital and design literacy, in order for them to succeed in the coming years.
During a panel discussion on ways visual communication and tools like AI aid in the advancement of education, Donato underscored the role of Canva in enabling future-proof learning and preparing students to be career-ready.
Globally, 600,000-plus schools and 70 million students and teachers are now using Canva.
With Canva for Education, K-12 schools, teachers and students have access to Canva’s full suite of products and pro features—pro-bono.
Launched in 2019, this solution has evolved to feature an extensive library of customizable classroom resources, advanced accessibility features, and a suite of AI tools to streamline lesson planning and bolster creativity.
In the country, Canva introduced technology-solutions provider Rakso ED as its first local education-learning partner. With this tie up, Rakso will empower and train educators on using the design platform to transform and back-up classroom learning and engagement.
“We are honored [to be] Canva Philippines’ first education learning partner in the country. As visual communication becomes an even more critical skill for our students to have, we share in Canva Philippines’ commitment in making design literacy accessible to all, and to empower both Filipino students and teachers with the tools and skills to navigate our constantly changing digital world,” said Rakso ED president Allen Vasquez.
Canva also launched “Teacher Essentials:” a free teacher-certification course aimed at equipping educators with crucial skills to facilitate participative learning.
‘AI-levating’ learning
THE rise of AI and ways organizations can collaborate for its responsible use were also discussed in the summit.
“We deeply believe in the power of AI as an enabler in the classroom. It’s a valuable tool to enhance learning experience, empower students, and support teachers as they continuously meet the growing demands of their profession,” Hornilla-Donato noted. “With…AI, teachers can save more time and increase student engagement.”
Debuted in 2023, Canva’s suite of AI-powered tools “Magic Studio” is designed to supercharge content creation in the platform with AI. Some of these are available for both teachers and learners.
For instance, Magic Write is an AI-powered assistant that can help educators to streamline tasks such as lesson planning and presentation building. “Magic Animate,” on the other hand, allows teachers and students to integrate animations and eye-catching transitions in their designs.
The country manager of Canva Philippines delved on ways they help teachers optimize the advantages of AI so that it becomes a more reliable tool for learning.
“We…are committed to building the world’s most trusted platform. To ensure that our AI features and tools are safe enough for our students to use, we implement robust safety measures so that anyone in the classroom can use AI confidently and ethically,” HornillaDonato shared.
PBEd, VST ECS to boost youth employability for digital jobs
ADVOCACY group Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) entered into a partnership with VST ECS to help Filipino youth succeed in their future digital careers by providing essential tools and free skills training through the “Future Skills Now (FSN)” program.
VST ECS, one of the country’s leading information and communications technology (ICT) distributors, has committed to offer their laptops and facilities to qualified K-12 graduates and college students from Brgy. Pinagbuhatan in Pasig City. With its support, trainees were able to participate in the 10-day call center training facilitated by Leyte Communications Training Center, which is a telecommunications company providing communication skills training for those seeking employment in the business-process outsourcing industry.
LinkedIn’s “2024 Workplace Learning Report” revealed that communication is the most in-demand skill in the work place across all countries in the Asia Pacific, especially in the Philippines, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore.
“Communication is an indispensable skill set that remains a crucial asset in the future of work,” PBEd Executive Director Justine Raagas said. “This, along with creative
thinking, tech literacy, and lifelong learning are essential skills that will allow our young people to thrive in any industry.”
The Program for International Student Assessment recently reported that Filipino students were second-lowest among 64 countries in the creative-thinking assessment of 15-year-old students. Creative thinking is defined by PISA as “the ability to generate diverse and creative ideas, as well as the ability to evaluate ideas and identify improvements to those ideas.”
“The recent PISA report is a wakeup call for us to also pay attention to fostering the creative skills of our youth, as these form part of the basic skills that can help them thrive in
the work place,” Raagas emphasized. Among the training interventions in PBEd’s FSN program is life skills training, which has modules on creative problem-solving, presentation, and interpersonal relations in their area of work. This is complemented with technical skills training for digital jobs such as data visualization and working with generative artificial intelligence.
Following their training, learners will engage in a one-month internship to apply their acquired skills and actively contribute to ongoing projects and responsibilities within the firm. Since October 2023, FSN has successfully trained around 80 young Filipinos 18- to 28-years old from Pasig City, Malabon City, Mandaue
Megawide Corp. Foundation Inc. enables ADMU scholars to finish studies thru stipend provision
MEGAWIDECorporateFoundation Inc. (MCFI) recently formalized its affiliation with Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) though a student financialaid program. By way of the Megawide Scholarship Program, the collaboration will involve the provision of monetary assistance to select and qualified Management students under ADMU’s John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) that will help partially cover their education-related expenses.
The memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the two institutions was signed by MCFI’s executive director Tata Saavedra and consultant Atty. Mia Castro and their counterparts from ADMU led by Vice-President (VP) for Higher Education Dr. Maria Luz C Vilches and Office of Admissions and Aid director Dr. Jose Maria Edito K. Tirol at the university’s Xavier Hall.
Under the MOA, MCFI—the corporate social responsibility arm of engineering and infrastructure conglomerate Megawide Construction Corp.—will provide regular monthly stipend initially for five college scholars in various levels from the time of grant until they finish schooling to be disbursed by the foundation directly to the scholars, who are either taking up Bachelor of Science in Business Management or Management Engineering at the ADMU’s JGSOM.
Saavedra shared that the conglomerate is a proponent for radical changes, as MCFI endeavors to apply similar methods in a constructive manner by creating extra meaningful changes to the communities starting with the local education sector through the foundation’s social pillar.
“More than just constructing and creating infrastructure, Megawide would like to make lasting impressions on our educational system,” Saavedra shared. “For us, it’s not just about the financial support; our goal is to provide a holistic personal development, starting from quality education and values formation to deserving students, to help build the building blocks of a strong society.”
For her part, Atty. Castro ex-
plained that they partnered with ADMU since they both share the same value of excellence: “This is embodied in the university’s motto of ‘Magis,’ or ‘going above and beyond in all areas in one’s life.’ We are certain that our support for the JGSOM scholars will bear much fruit, as we mold future leaders whom we can work alongside to realize our quest for a First-World Philippines.”
Dr. Vilches concurred with the MCFI officials, as she remarked that both positive disruption and holistic education are needed “in a society that aims to build the nation,” and that “ADMU is providing these to its students with its formation program through its core curriculum as their bedrock.”
On top of their core curriculum being disruptive itself, ADMU’s VP for Higher Education also talked about how the institution was more than about the intellect, but more about “the heart:” “You need to have people who have empathy, who can reach out to those who are in need. We felt the ‘heart’ and sincerity of MCFI for our management scholars, that is why we engaged with them for this undertaking.”
In his address, Dr. Tirol noted the importance of receiving support from donors such as MCFI for the scholars’ allowances, especially as they face financial challenges brought about by unabated inflation: “Any support really helps. It helps them go to school, pay for books, look for food, and helps them study more.”
DLSU: Still one of the world’s leading sustainable higher educ. institutions
DCity, and Cebu City.
“While there is great demand in training and upskilling our youth, fulfilling this need without the infrastructure and tools in place will hinder us from achieving meaningful progress,” Raagas said. “With the help of firms like VST ECS, we will be able to [upskill] our Filipino youth with digital skills for jobs of tomorrow.”
“VST ECS is thrilled to join forces with PBEd [in equipping] underprivileged youth with the essential digital skills needed to thrive in today’s globalized job market,” said VST ECS president and CEO Jimmy Go.
“The landscape of work is undergoing a rapid transformation, making these skills no longer a luxury, but a fundamental requirement for success,” added Go. “Through this initiative, we’re empowering these young individuals not only to secure jobs, but to excel in a competitive environment, ultimately contributing to their personal wellbeing and the nation’s economic prosperity.”
He concluded that “VST ECS is firmly committed to democratizing access to technology, and this partnership seamlessly aligns with our existing collaborative efforts with academic institutions, charitable organizations, and ICT councils.”
E LA SALLE UNIVERSITY (DLSU) has been recognized anew as a leading higher education institution (HEI) in the world for its commitment in pursuing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.
For six consecutive years, the university has consistently held this distinction, landing within the 401600 bracket.
In the 2024 edition, DLSU ranked in four SDGs: “Clean Water and Sanitation” (101-200), “Responsible Consumption and Production” (201300), “Life Below Water” (201-300), and “Partnership for the Goals” (401-600). These underscore the university’s enduring dedication to sustainability.
In pursuit of Clean Water and Sanitation or SDG 6, DLSU measures its monthly water consumption per facility on campus to track the volume used and spillage. It has water fountains at various locations on campus providing clean potable water. It also conducts programs and various activities to increase the academic community’s awareness of the different issues affecting clean water. Also, the university and its local water concessionaire have interconnected their wastewater facilities in compliance with the Laguna Lake Development Authority.
For SDG 12 or Responsible Consumption and Production, DLSU conducted a “Waste Analysis and
Categorization” study: a baseline research to determine the approximate volume and types of waste being produced on campus on a daily basis. The results served as a technical basis to establish waste-management processes, as well as partnerships with external institutions. The HEI also implemented “Ecological Solid Waste Guidelines” for handling waste materials. Hazardous waste generated on campus was managed via a partnership with UDENNA—a third-party hazardous waste hauler and treater recognized by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources. DLSU was also able to publish its second Sustainability Report covering 2019 to 2021. In addressing Life Below Water or SDG 14, the Brother Alfred Shields FSC Ocean Research Center (SHORE) continues to conduct various marine studies. Among these is the “Capacity Building on Reef Assessment and Coral Taxonomy (CBRACT)-Phase 2”—a two-year project funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development or DOST-PCAARRD. Headed by university fellow and eminent marine biologist Dr. Wilfredo Licuanan, the project aims to refine the “Alwan Citizen Science Methods” for reef assessment. The project also includes the development of relevant training modules and materials for the faculty of regional HEIs and their community-partners.
CANVA PHILIPPINES country manager Yani Hornilla-Donato (standing) addresses guests on the first day of the “Canva Eskwela Summit 2024.”
FSN training
ADMU VP for Higher Education Dr. Maria Luz Vilches (from left) and Office of Admin director Dr. Jose Maria Tirol, with MCFI executive director Tata Saavedra and consultant Atty. Mia Castro
Tourism Editor: Edwin P. Sallan
ROMBLON! ROMBLON!
RediscOveRiNg the MaRBLe capitaL Of the phiLippiNes
By George Ordoña
When you enter the gothic steel San Sebastian Basilica, you will be greeted by a huge holy water font with an inscription “Romblon 1893.” high School textbooks brand Romblon as the “Marble Capital of the Philippines.” Backpackers would make a stopover in Romblon before proceeding to Boracay.
Top 50 Beach More than just marble and a stopover to Boracay, it is a destination by itself. r ecently Bonbon Beach was named one of the world’s top 50 beaches. r omblon is an archipelagic province composed of three major islands. Tablas, the biggest island, is where you will find the airport and the biggest municipality, o diongan. The capital, r omblon, is found in r omblon Island. The farthest island is Sibuyan. o ne of the smaller islands is Banton Island where the earliest known warp ikat in Southeast Asia was discovered in Ipot Cave in 1936.
Hiligaynon
We arrived in Tugdan Airport in Tablas via AirSwift. r omblon can also be reached via ferry from Lucena or Batangas. Upon arrival, we were whisked off to a van on our way to San Agustin Port passing through a scenic coastal road. As in any destination, I would ask first the driver what language is spoken in their province. I was surprised to know that Hiligaynon was widely spoken. With a little research, I learned that r omblon used to be part of Iloilo and Capiz. It is historically and geographically part of Western Visayas but politically part of Southern Luzon.
Sibuyan Island
Fro M plane to van, our group boarded a speed boat on our way to Sibuyan. After enduring a two-hour bumpy ride, we finally arrived at the fabled island. Naturalists call it the “Galapagos of Asia” because of its isolation. It has several endemic plants and animals such as lizards, amphibians and vascular plants. It is also home to Mt. Guitingguiting, one of the most technically challeng -
ing mountains in the country. This mountain was named after a r omblomanon word which means jagged. Declared as a Natural Park, Guiting-guiting is one of the central points in Sibuyan’s declaration as biodiversity haven. Sibuyanons are proud of their island as a biodiversity hotspot and have resisted any plan of mining. o ther tourist areas in Sibuyan include Lambingan Falls and Catingas r iver which claims to be the cleanest inland body of water in the Philippines. As if Sibuyan is not far enough, a trip to Cresta de Gallo is even farther. An hour boat ride will bring you to a secluded island famous for its long sandbar. Unlike many sandbars, Cresta de Gallo, which means crest of the rooster, is part island, part sandbar. There are basic facilities which you can enjoy for a day trip. This is the perfect island to rest after a strenuous Guiting-guiting climb.
Romblon, Romblon
Fro M Sibuyan, we took another speed boat to the beautiful port of r omblon, r omblon. It had the vibe of Puerto Galera in the ‘80s but instead of backpackers, r omblon is home to some e uropeans who have settled with their Filipino wives. So, the Italian pizza restaurants.
We were now in marble country. We went beyond the downtown marble shopping center by going to Cajimos Marble Processing where we learned how the raw material was sized and polished. Then we visited the carvers at Santiago. The marble industry goes a long way from the Spanish friars who used marble in church altars, pillars and statues to the present utilitarian mortar and pestle and urn. r omblon has a variety of marble from Carrara white to Panther green which you can find in expensive hotels and houses
it should include specialty liquor. Here are some interesting drink trips (and where to get them):
Hong Kong—any of the concoctions at penicillin
Ho NG Kong has one of the highest densities of bars and restaurants in the world and the nightlife is one of the best things to try in Asia’s World City. o ne of its most unique bars is Penicillin, arguably the most sustainable in Asia.
Penicillin is the brainchild of award-winning mixologists who wanted to reduce the waste generated by the hospitality industry through upcycling, reusing and repurposing products that would have otherwise been thrown out such as fruit peels and seeds, herb stems and much more. The bar is designed like a laboratory—and literally there is one on-site where home-made infused
of the elite.
Heritage Sites r o MBL o N also has its share of heritage spots. The National Museum declared the Twin Forts of r omblon along with the colonial bridges and Traida de Aguas as National Cultural Treasures. Fort San Andres, one of the twin forts, is a must-see. It is accessible via a stone staircase and overlooks the town and its harbor. The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) did an extensive restoration of said fort. The other fort, Santiago, is now covered with wildlife. These forts were built to protect r omblon from
Moro and Dutch pirates.
Back in the town proper, we visited Saint Joseph Cathedral Parish. This was founded in 1644 by an Augustinian r ecollect. In 1728, a replica of the image of Cebu Sto Niño was enshrined. In honor of Sto Niño de r omblon, the Biniray Festival is held every second Friday of January. It was declared a cathedral in 1974 and is now the seat of the r oman Catholic Diocese of r omblon.
A few minutes walk is the o ffice of the Mayor which used to be the Spanish cuartel and American Tribunal. Nearby are the Traida de Aguas, colonial bridges and ancestral houses.
Island Hopping
A FT er our heritage walks, we boarded our bancas for some island hopping. Farthest was Cobrador Island known for its black marble. Surprisingly, it has its own elementary school and several chapels. Next island was Alad noted for its white marble. It has dive facilities that are conveniently near the world famous Blue Hole dive spot in Tablas.
This is the only documented Blue Hole in the country akin to the ones in Belize and Bahamas. The nearest island to mainland r omblon is Logbon which has one of the longest white beaches in the province. If you don’t have time to go island hopping,
alcohol is made.
The drink list at Penicillin changes every season, so every visit promises to be a new experience. Barely four years old, Penicillin has been named as one of the best bars in Asia.
(Tip: Hong Kong is a great place to savor wine, even champagne. Wine is tax-free in Hong Kong which makes most brands more affordable. You can also find a much wider variety of wines from all over the world, so sample those that are not sold in the Philippines.)
Bangkok— a nything goes at J. Boroski I T S a bit tricky to find, but well worth the visit. J. Boroski doesn’t have a menu. r ather, you describe the drink you imagine savoring to one of the bar’s mixologists, or you can chat them up and they can make one for you depending on how your day went. The drinks are a bit pricey—it’s partly a function of Thailand’s restrictions and tax on alcohol, but it’s a special treat to have a cocktail that is uniquely your own.
Bali— a rak-based cocktail Ar AK is a traditional spirit found in Bali as well as other parts of Indonesia made from fermented coconut or palm sap. With an alcohol content of at least 30%, it packs a punch when you drink it straight. Some people prefer mixing
Sweek before Samsung’s Unpacked event in Paris. The new Galaxy Z devices, the Z Fold6 and the Z Flip6, are the slimmest and lightest in the series. The perfectly symmetrical design with straight edges gives an aesthetically sleek finish. Samsung also released the Galaxy Buds3.
Watch Ultra. There is a Samsung Ring but this will not be released here for now.
structure that is further supported by a strengthened folding edge to mitigate the shock of external impacts. The enhanced layers on the main screen also help to improve the crease while maintaining strength. The latest Galaxy Z series is also equipped with enhanced Armor Aluminum and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 so it claims to be the most durable Galaxy Z series yet.
with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, the most advanced Snapdragon mobile processor yet, combining best-in-class CPU, GPU and NPU performance. The processor is optimized for AI processing and offers enhanced graphics along with improved overall performance. The upgraded cooling system maximizes performance with a larger vapor chamber on the Galaxy Z Fold6 and, for the first time ever, a vapor chamber on the Galaxy Z Flip.
something very cool about taking out a foldable phone and opening it. Thus, I was thrilled to touch and try the new Galaxy Z Flip6, which comes in Silver Shadow, Yellow, Blue, and Mint color options. The Galaxy Fold6 comes in Silver Shadow, Pink, and Navy.
GALAXY Z FLIP6
SAMSUNG has enhanced the 3.4-inch Super AMOLED FlexWindow again on the Galaxy Z Flip6 to enable AI-assisted functions without needing to open the device. Another enhancement is that you can reply to texts with Suggested replies, a feature that analyzes your latest messages to come up with a tailored response. The FlexWindow also gives you access to Samsung Health updates and notifications, and lets you select the next track you want to listen to on your music widget. FlexWindow has more Widgets and allows you to check information from multiple Widgets simultaneously. The camera experience on the Galaxy Z Flip6 is also much improved. FlexCam gives you more options such as Auto Zoom, which automatically finds the best framing for your shot by detecting the subject and zooming in and out before making any necessary adjustments. And this is still hands-free! New 50MP
computational design with a comfortable fit. The ultra-sleek and modern style is complemented with Blade Lights, a new design that enables a more intuitive physical experience by allowing you to control the device by simply pinching or swiping up or down on the blade. Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro offer two purpose-built design options. Galaxy Buds3 Pro is Canal Type for those looking for immersive sound, while Buds3 is Open Type for people who prefer to use the device in a variety of situations for an extended period of time. The Galaxy Buds3 series comes in Silver and White.
GALAXY WATCH7 THE new Galaxy Watch7 lets you accurately track over 100 workouts and build routines by combining various exercises with Workout Routine. Race lets you compare current and past performance in real-time to track progress and maintain motivation. You can
www.businessmirror.com.ph
FWD PHL USING CLOUDFIRST STRATEGY FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES
INSURANCE provider FWD Philippines is using a cloud-first strategy for its digital transformation roadmap as this allows the local subsidiary of Hong Kong-based FWD Insurance to scale rapidly, improve agility, and provide seamless services to their customers.
FWD Philippines CEO and President Antonio Manuel de Rosas told BUSINESSMIRRO� in an e-mail interview that the company has also invested in enhanced cybersecurity measures to ensure its platforms are secure and reliable.
“Additionally, our stringent data privacy efforts demonstrate our commitment to safeguarding customer information, and fostering trust and confidence in our digital services.
“FWD has always been a digital-first insurance company, and as a digital native having been in operation for just 10 years, we continuously push for innovative ways to connect, communicate and serve as the insurer of the next generation,” De Rosas explained.
De Rosas said FWD Philippines is currently focusing on enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency to remain at the forefront of the evolving insurance landscape in the Philippines.
He also stressed that digitalization is crucial for the company as it streamlines processes and reduces unnecessary hassles for customers. Moreover, de Rosas emphasized its digital systems “are designed to optimize operations, empower our financial advisors, and create a delightful, seamless experience for our customers, enabling them to build their best future more efficiently and use their time for more important matters in life or celebrate living.”
Moreover, de Rosas said digitalization allows FWD Philippines to offer more personalized propositions and services, reaching more Filipinos across the country. By leveraging data analytics and innovative technologies, he said FWD Philippines tailors its products and services to meet the unique needs and preferences of each customer. “This approach ensures that our offerings are highly relevant and beneficial, enhancing the overall experience for our customers,” de Rosas said.
De Rosas said FWD Philippines has been using technology, digitalization, and artificial intelligence (AI) to better serve its customers. By using these technologies, FWD is prioritizing in creating innovative and people-centric experiences that are inclusive and accessible to everyone. “Our goal is to provide a seamless customer journey that meets the diverse needs and preferences of all our customers,” he said.
In addition to leveraging innovative technologies, de Rosas said FWD Philippines is committed to the responsible use of AI to enhance decisionmaking processes, streamline operations, and improve customer interactions. This ensures that the company’s AI-driven solutions are ethical, transparent, and aligned with customer interests. Furthermore, FWD supports the development of future digital leaders through our Digital Graduate Program (DGP). The 18-month program allows new graduates to explore different functions, work on exciting new projects with real-world impact, and collaborate with some of the creative minds in FWD.
SHOP IN STORE, ONLINE TO WIN PRIZES, INCLUDING NEW CAR IN SUPERSTORE’S ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE PROMO
BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor
LANDERS Superstore has turned eight with the biggest celebration in its history, as it offers P20 million worth of giveaways, plus other offers like membership upgrades and discounts, to its 1.9 million members and counting.
Since its launch in 2016, Landers has solidified its position as one of the leading retailers in the country today with 12 stores in key locations nationwide and three more opening soon.
As part of its anniversary activities, the Shop & Win Anniversary Raffle gives members a chance to win a brand-new Porsche 911 Carrera S and a brandnew Kia Sonet. Not only that, but the excitement continues with eight minor prizes up for grabs every month until end of 2024. To join, members will earn one raffle entry for every accumulated purchase of P4,000 at any Landers store or at www.landers.ph
The raffle runs until December 31. Every 15th of the month 100 will be drawn to compete for the final grand draw of the Porsche 911 Carrera S on January 20, 2025.
The fun won’t be complete without everybody’s favorite—the Super Crazy Sale where members can enjoy 50-percent off and Buy 1 Get 1 deals in-store and online. The return of Piso Sale will also delight members with daily drops of premium items for only a peso each. In partnership with Maya, the newly-launched Landers Cashback Everywhere Membership Card provides instant cashback rewards with every swipe while still enjoying complete access to all of Landers’ membership perks. To sign up, just visit the membership counter at any Landers store or go to www.landers.ph.
Sound and style: Will JBL’s Soundgear Frames take audio glasses mainstream?
Microsoft will pay$14M to settle allegations it discriminated against employees who took leave
SAN FRANCISCO—Microsoft Corp. has agreed to pay $14.4 million to settle allegations that the global software giant retaliated and discriminated against employees who took protected leave, including parental and disability, the California Civil Rights Department announced on Wednesday.
The proposed settlement stems from a multi-year investigation by the California agency and the consent decree is subject to approval in state court in Santa Clara County, where the Redmond, Washingtonbased company has an office.
The state agency, which launched its investigation in 2020, alleged that employees who took leave from work due to pregnancy or disability, or to bond with a new baby or care for a sick family member, received lower bonuses and unfavorable performance reviews. Those factors, in turn, harmed employee eligibility for merit pay increases and promotions and the practice disproportionately impacted women and people with disabilities, the department said.
In a statement, civil rights department director Kevin Kish applauded the company “for coming to the table and agreeing to make the changes necessary to protect workers in California.”
Microsoft responded in a statement that the agency’s allegations are inaccurate, but it “will continue to listen, learn, and support our employees.”
As part of the proposed settlement, Microsoft will take steps to prevent future discrimination, including updated manager training. An outside consultant will monitor and report on the company’s compliance.
Most of the settlement money—$14.2 million— will go toward harmed workers. Covered employees worked at Microsoft from May 13, 2017, to a yet-to-bedetermined date of court approval for the settlement, and who took at least one leave protected under state or federal law. Each eligible employee will receive a base payment of $1,500 with more available based on factors such as salary and length of employment.
Microsoft has about 221,000 employees worldwide, including nearly 7,000 in California, according to the state civil rights agency. The agency did not have an estimate for how many workers could receive payment. AP
EUROPEAN UNION’S
MACTAN, Cebu—I never thought I’d be back at the scenic Dusit Thani Mactan so soon, but that’s where we spent most of last week attending the newest product launch from JBL.
Just like its previous events, JBL again went all out in presenting its latest lineup with three separate stage areas. The new lineup included updates to its super-portable GO and Clip speakers, earbuds with smart charging cases, more PartyBoxes, soundbars, microphones for vlogging and podcasts, a couple of party lights—one of which definitely looks like a “lightsaber”—and probably my favorite product of this year so far: the JBL Soundgear Frames.
Grace Koh, vice president and general manager, Consumer Audio, Harman Asia Pacific, gave the welcome remarks and revealed JBL’s newest brand ambassadors, HORI7ON, one of the hottest P-Pop groups composed of Vinci, Kim, Kyler, Jeromy, Winston, Reyster, and Marcus. Trained by KAMP Korea, these young artists performed with the poise and skill of seasoned K-Pop idols.
Megan Lee, director of product planning and strategy, Consumer Audio, Harman Asia Pacific, presented the new products and the highlight features.
During the Q&A session, Larry Secreto, country manager of Harman International, emphasized that JBL’s new lineup, much like HORI7ON, is tailored to meet the needs of younger users. He assured that JBL remains committed to being the “most trusted and most loved” audio brand in the country, continually evolving to resonate with the preferences and lifestyles of the new generation.
“At JBL, our users come first, so we always strive to stay in tune with them. We want people to experience music in the way they want instead of the other way around. This is why we are launching a new variety of audio essentials to cater to our clientele’s evolving and sophisticated tastes at price points they can afford without compromising quality,” Secreto said.
REFRAME YOUR LIFE
SMART glasses have long been heralded as the future of wearable technology, promising a seamless integration of digital information into our daily lives.
COMPETITION
BOSS
However, despite the hype and potential, it’s one device that has struggled to gain mainstream acceptance. This might be due to several factors such as style, function, technological limitations, price, and even privacy concerns, especially for those with built-in cameras. Well, that could all change with the JBL Soundgear Frames.
While the JBL Soundgear Frames primarily enhance audio experiences rather than offering full AR capabilities, they represent a significant step toward making smart glasses more enticing to use. By addressing practical concerns and focusing on user experience, and lenses that can easily be swapped with your prescription lenses, JBL has created a wearable that could pave the way for more advanced smart glasses in the future.
“When we first launched this product, a lot of people asked why. Why JBL SoundGear Frames? Because we figured out there’s a bunch of consumers out there who want a pair of fun and fashionable glasses while being able to enjoy the JBL sound. The Soundgear Frames are the perfect example of how JBL innovation creates the perfect fusion of style and sound,” Lee said in her presentation.
Starting with the design, I liked how the Soundgear Frames look modern but not too futuristic. If it weren’t for those slightly thicker, semitransparent “temples” (that give you a peek of the tech inside), you wouldn’t be able to distinguish them from regular sunglasses, which is a good thing. They stand out without making you look strange. They are available in Onyx, Pearl and Amber colors, with either round or square frames to cater to diverse fashion tastes.
The frames are made from durable, hypoallergenic thermoplastic, ensuring a comfortable fit for various face shapes and sizes, although a smaller-sized version would be most welcome in the future. The UVblocking lenses protect your eyes from harmful rays,
SIGNALS FRESH AI SCRUTINY FOR MICROSOFT-OPENAI DEAL AND GOOGLE
BY KELVIN CHAN The Associated Press
LONDON—The European Union is escalating its scrutiny of the artificial intelligence industry, including taking a fresh look into Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI, a top EU official said on Friday. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, started reviewing the deal last year to see whether it broke EU merger rules but dropped it after concluding Microsoft hadn’t gained control of OpenAI, Margrethe Vestager, the commission’s executive vice-president for competition policy, said in a speech.
“Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI over the years,” she said “But we have to make sure that partnerships like this do not become a disguise for one partner getting a controlling influence over the other.” She signalled that the commission would take another tack to examine the deal, and the industry
more broadly. It’s using the bloc’s antitrust rules, which target abusive behavior by companies that have a dominant market position.
The commission sent information requests in March to big AI players including Microsoft, Google, Facebook and TikTok, reviewed those replies and is “now sending a follow-up request for information on the agreement between Microsoft and OpenAI,”
Vestager said. The EU wants “to understand whether certain exclusivity clauses could have a negative effect on competitors,” she said.
A Microsoft spokesman said, “We appreciate the European Commission’s thorough review and its conclusion that Microsoft’s investment and partnership with OpenAI does not give Microsoft control over the company. We stand ready to respond to any additional questions the European Commission may have.”
“We support the Commission’s goal of keeping
the AI industry competitive and innovative, and look forward to continuing our constructive dialogue,” an OpenAI said in a statement, adding that the company welcomes the conclusions of the investigation.
The stepped-up scrutiny highlights how European Union regulators have been pacesetters for the global push to rein in big tech companies, including the major AI players. The EU’s led the field with its AI Act, which is set to take effect soon and is the world’s first comprehensive set of regulations for AI.
Vestager said the bloc was also concerned about consumer choices for foundation models, which is the technology that underpins generative AI systems like chatbots. She said EU regulators have sent information requests “to better understand the effects of Google’s arrangement with Samsung” to pre-install Gemini
and for those who need vision correction, the frames are also compatible with prescription lenses which can be installed by an optician.
Another standout design feature is the intuitive power control: simply open the temples to turn the speakers on and close them to turn them off. The JBL logo on each temple serves as a multifunctional touch control, allowing you to adjust the volume, answer calls, or skip songs with ease. At the heart, or should I say “temple,” of the Soundgear Frames is JBL’s proprietary OpenSound Technology. Each temple houses ultra-thin 25mm x 9mm high-amplitude rectangular speakers. These advanced speakers, featuring a threelayer diaphragm and special algorithms for bass enhancement and frequency division processing, deliver an immersive audio experience while keeping your ears open to your surroundings. This ensures you can enjoy your music without losing awareness of what’s happening around you. I’ve tried it while riding the MRT during rush hour and I could still hear my music clearly.
JBL’s Soundgear Frames also address many of the practical issues faced by earlier audio glasses. With features like hands-free calling, intuitive touch controls, and seamless integration with the JBL Headphones app, you can easily manage your music and calls on the go.
The JBL Soundgear Frames are equipped with an advanced beamforming two-mic array and dualmodule environmental noise cancellation. This setup, combined with nonlinear echo suppression algorithms, ensures crystal-clear call quality, even in windy conditions. The hydrodynamic wind-proof design further reduces distortion caused by air friction, making conversations clear and enjoyable no matter where you are.
Using them for the past week, the sensation produced by open-ear headphones like the JBL Soundgear Frames made me feel as if I was in a TV show complete with my own theme song.
Main character vibes? Definitely. It almost made me want to do the “Bully Maguire” dance while strolling along Bonifacio Global City, and because you can still hear your surroundings, it’s definitely a lot safer to use.
Those who live an active lifestyle will be glad to know that they’re also IP54 certified water-resistant, meaning they can withstand splashes and light rain, so you don’t have to cut your outdoor activities short due to weather conditions. But despite their ruggedness, the frames remain lightweight and comfortable for extended wear.
The JBL Soundgear Frames offer an impressive battery life, with up to 8 hours of continuous use. A quick 10-minute charge can extend playtime by an additional 2 hours. The included USB Type-C Y-shaped cable allows for simultaneous charging of both temples, achieving a full charge in approximately two hours. In essence, the JBL Soundgear Frames take the innovative concept of audio sunglasses, perfectly blending style, comfort and superior audio quality into a single, cutting-edge product. Whether you’re an audiophile, a tech enthusiast, or someone who simply enjoys
Roglic crashes, Girmay pulls off Tour hat trick
VILLENEUVE-SUR-
LOT, France—Primoz
Roglic lost more than two minutes to his rival Tour de France contenders after crashing near the finish where the new king of sprints, Biniam Girmay, completed a hat trick of stage wins on Thursday.
Roglic hit the tarmac with some 12 kilometers left after a rider in front of him hit road furniture and lost control of his bike.
Roglic could not avoid the crash and went down with several others.
It was the second accident in 24 hours for Roglic, a four-time Grand Tour champion—he got back on his bike but struggled at the back and was helped to the stage finish by his Bora-Hansgrohe teammates.
Roglic crossed two minutes and 27 seconds after the winner according
Garra extends record-breaking streak in Palaro
THE National Capital Region’s (NCR) Sophia Rose Garra booked a third record-breaking performance and Southern Luzon’s Jasmine Mojdeh set a second meet standard in swimming in the 64th Palarong Pambansa on Friday at the Cebu Sports Center in Cebu City.
Garra sustained her impressive feat with two more victories in the elementary girls’ 4x100 meters medley relay and 200m individual medley to slowly kick splash her way to emerging as the most successful athlete of the games organized by the Department of Education. Garra, Adrienne Reese Tacuboy, Alessandra Therese Martin and Gabrielle Gayle Ocampo clocked four minutes and 49.74 seconds to erase the old 4:54.08 record set by a Jasmine Alkhaldi-led NCR team 19 years ago in Naga City. It was Garra’s third record-breaking performance after the 100m back and 4x50m medley relay on Thursday. Mojdeh, meanwhile, ruled the secondary girls’ 200 meters backstroke in 2:41.75 to also shatter the previous record of 2:43.78 that Xiandi Chua of NCR set in the 2019 Palaro in Davao City. In athletics, Western Visayas’s Charles Daniel Turla won the elementary boys’ javelin throw gold medal with a heave of 60.26 meters to reset by more than three-and-a-half meters Southern Luzon’s Jerick Mendoza’s 57.20 record he set in Legazpi City in 2018. Central Visayas’s Dave Sombal and Mitchloni Dinauanao and Zamboanga’s Kyle Nathan Fabian and Lediviere Joy Hebron won six gold medals each in dancesports at the University of the Philippines-Cebu Gym. Sombal and Dinauanao took home the secondary girls Junior Latin Grade A-5 Dance, Chachacha, Jive, Paso Doble, Zumba and Samba, while Fabian and Hebron topped the elementary Juvenile Standard Single Dance Foxtrot, Tango, Quick Step, Viennese Waltz and Single Dance Waltz for Zamboanga. Josef Ramos
to provisional results and dropped to sixth place overall.
Girmay, who became the first Black rider to ever win a Tour stage this month, edged Wout van Aert, who was boxed on the right side of the road, and Arnaud Demare to extend his lead at the top of the rankings for the best sprinter’s green jersey.
Demare later was demoted from second to 67th for having pushed Van Aert to the barriers, with Pascal Ackermann promoted to third place.
Two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey but said he was “devastated” when he found out that Roglic, his fellow Slovenian, had crashed. “It’s really sad to see him crash today. I hope he is fine,” he said. “Normally he is a big fighter, maybe he
bounces back and wins some stages.”
Pogacar has a lead of 1:06 over Remco Evenepoel, with twotime defending champion Jonas Vingegaard in third place, 1:14 off the pace.
Roglic dropped behind Joao Almeida and Carlos Rodriguez, lagging 4:42 behind Pogacar.
The crash disturbed preparations for the final sprint with Matthieu Van der Poel also missing from the main group and unable to lead out teammate Jasper Philipsen.
Girmay had Mike Teunissen with him and his Intermarche-Wanty teammate did an amazing job to guide him through traffic and jumped into Teunissen’s wheel and was perfectly set up before he unleashed his raw power in the final 200 meters.
“First of all I would say thanks God giving me a lot of strength and
power,” Girmay said. “Without God we cannot do anything so I’m super happy,” he added. “The last 600 meters I found Mike and then he did a super good job, he took me from 15th to top 3 and from there I just knew I could deliver.”
Stage 12 took riders on a 204-kilometer route from Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot in southwestern France without major difficulty.
There were 167 riders on the start line after Michael Morkov tested positive for coronavirus and the Astana-Qazaqstan team’s medical staff withdrew him from the Tour.
There was an early breakaway but Jonas Abrahamsen, Quentin Pacher and Valentin Madouas were caught after 162 kilometers. Friday’s Stage 13 is another flat trek in southwestern France from Agen to Pau. AP
Baltazar to bring defensive act to PBA
By Josef Ramos
IX-FOOT-SEVEN Justine
SBaltazar will hinge on his defense as he campaigns to bring his act to the Philippine Basketball Association where he stands as a potential No. 1 pick in the Rookie Draft this Sunday.
“My defense is an asset that I’ll bring to any team that will pick me on Sunday,” the pride of Mabalacat, Baltazar, told BusinessMirror in a phone interview on Friday. Baltazar—playing out of De La Salle and a former national team
player—is one of 70 aspirants who are sweating it out in the Draft Combine ahead of the draft this weekend at the Glorietta Mall.
The Converge FiberXers own the No. 1 pick in the draft that includes Filipino-American Sedrick Bakerfield, Ateneo’s Kai Ballungay, RJ Abarrientos and Caelan Tiongson.
But FiberXers coach Alden Ayo’s keeping his cards close to his chest.
“The addition of certain names [in the draft] gives us a hard time to decide, so we have to discuss it with Sir Jacob Lao [team manager] and the coaching staff,” Ayo said. “We need
a versatile player, a big man who can play defense, and has the firepower.” Baltazar—who helped the Pampanga Giant Lanterns to the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) crown—said he’s thrilled to play against his childhood idols June Mar Fajardo and Ian Sangalang, a fellow Pampangueño.
“I’m really excited to play against my childhood idols, but I still have to wait because I need to fulfill my obligations with my team in Pampanga,” Baltazar said. “I’m not getting any younger so I think this is the right time to join the draft.”
Rookies, veterans ready for Sunrise Sprint in Panglao
EGINNERS and seasoned athletes gear up for the Go for Gold’s Sunrise Sprint—a thrilling short-distance triathlon designed for those who want to experience the sport without extensive training.
The event set on Sunday on Panglao Island in Bohol features a 750-meter open-water swim, 20-km bike ride and 5-km run.
As a sub-category to the main Sun Life 5150 Triathlon, the Sunrise Sprint (S2) offers a perfect platform for newcomers and returning athletes to engage in a quality triathlon experience set up in an Olympic-style course. The event, spicing up the
centerpiece Sun Life 5150 Bohol, will see young talents from TriBohol— including Cian Zamora, Tim Castro and Renzo Tirol—competing fiercely in the 15-19 division against Lance Pimentel, Elioun Austria, and Christopher Barbas. The 20-24 category will be equally competitive with T2M Tri Team’s Andrew Isoto, TaxPro Triathlon’s Benjo Namoc, and Jummel Jaspe of Paseo de Loon.
NU, FEU snatch seats in quarterfinals
Anciano cruises to victory, Tambalque overcomes challenges at JPGT Riviera
RAFA ANCIANO and Patrick Tambalque strengthened their bids for the Philippine Match Play Championship with wire-to-wire victories in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Junior Philippine Golf Tour (ICTSI JPGT) on Thursday at Riviera’s Couples in Silang, Cavite, on Friday.
Anciano secured another Luzon Series win after a playoff triumph at Pinewoods, while Tambalque scored a follow-up to his title romp in the Visayas Series 2 in Bacolod in a multi-series campaign in the nationwide circuit, defeating Simon Wahing once again in the boys’ 16-18 category.
Anciano booked a commanding 40-stroke victory over Gabriela Sison she capped with a closing 87 for a 336 total in the girls’ premier division of the series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
Sison posted an 88 to finish second with a total score of 376, followed by Chloe Rada (91-381), Casey Frankum (97-390) and Necky Tortosa (109-449).
“It was obviously more relaxed here compared to Pinewoods,” said Anciano, who had to go head-to-head for all four days and play an extra hole to defeat Chloe Rada at Pinewoods in Baguio,
[14 shots] also helped me focus on other aspects of my game, like my short game and how to improve my drives or second shots. It felt like a game where I could just try to score my best without the pressure of competing against my opponents,” added Anciano, who thanked God, her family and supporters for her latest triumph.
Tambalque, despite a shaky back nine on his home course, managed to stay in control, pouncing on Wahing’s late mishap to win by eight on a 12-over 300 total after a 76.
Wahing, one of the 16 finalists from the Visayas Series with a victory at Negros Occidental and runner-up finish at Bacolod Golf and Country Club, made birdies on Nos. 3 and 5 to cut Tambalque’s lead to six. However, bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9 stalled his progress, and despite a two-shot swing on the par-4 14th (birdiebogey) and Tambalque’s double-bogey on No. 16, he triple bogeyed the par-3 17th, which he birdied in the previous round. He ended up with a 76 for a 308, while Benedict Kobayashi also turned in a four-over round for third at 310.
“I was really under pressure when I double-bogeyed the 16th. You never really know what will happen, and I was already exhausted. Things started to look up when Simon got into trouble on the 17th,” said 16-year-old Tambalque, who emphasized the need to strengthen
Sen Jinggoy Palaro winners Senator Jinggoy Estrada awards the medals to the members of the champion team in the Palaro Ni Sen Jinggoy Para Sa Kabataang Pinoy-Zambales Leg, a three-day province wide basketball clinic held at the Botolan People’s Plaza.
BERNARD TESTA
EVERYONE answers the call of nature, including overall leader Tadej Pogacar, during the 12th stage that saw Primo Roglic crashing near the finish and king of sprints Biniam Girmay completing a hat trick on Thursday. AP
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Indo-Pacific countries join NATO in condemning illicit military cooperation, strengthening security alliances
By Didi Tang
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Four IndoPacific countries attending the NATO summit issued a joint statement Thursday to “strongly condemn the illicit military cooperation” between Russia and North Korea, showing how the military alliance and its Pacific partners are forging closer ties to counter what they see as shared security threats.
For the third year in a row, leaders or their deputies from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia—which are not NATO members—attended the highlevel meeting of the 75-year-old military alliance of European and North American countries. In Washington, they launched cooperative projects on Ukraine, disinformation, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
“We will address our shared security challenges, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, China’s support for Russia’s war economy
and the growing alignment of authoritarian powers,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said when meeting officials of the four Pacific partners. “We must work even more closely together to preserve peace and protect the rules-based international order.”
“Our security is not regional. It is global,” he said. The White House said it welcomed the attendance of the four Indo-Pacific countries at the NATO meeting because the threats and challenges among the regions are interconnected.
In an interview with the South Korean news agency Yonhap, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Washington wants to “institutionalize” the grouping of the four countries as Washington refocuses its attention in the region.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told fellow leaders that solidarity among like-minded countries has become more important than ever when facing
interlinked challenges such as the war in Ukraine and provocations from Pyongyang.
He said South Korea welcomed an airworthiness certification from NATO for Korean aircraft, which he said would ensure “mu -
tual military compatibility.”
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would promote a foundation for a “long, lasting collaboration” between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners.
Kishida told reporters that
Japan and NATO would “reinforce” procedures for sharing highly sensitive intelligence and that Japan would conduct a joint exercise with NATO in the Euro-Atlantic region, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
New Zealand signed a partnership program with NATO, though details were not immediately known. Stoltenberg wrote on the social platform X that it would take the cooperation between New Zealand and the transatlantic alliance to “unprecedented levels.”
The Australian government announced its largest single military assistance package, worth nearly $250 million Australian dollars ($167 million US), for Ukraine.
“The delivery of highly capable air defense capabilities and air-toground precision munitions represents Australia’s largest single support package for Ukraine, and will make an enormous contribution to its efforts to end the conflict on its terms,” said Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard
Japan’s defense ministry disciplines over 200 senior officials for security breaches
By Mari Yamaguchi
The Associated Press
TOKYO—Japan’s defense ministry announced disciplinary action on Friday against more than 200 senior officials and service members over mishandling of classified materials and other misconduct, an embarrassment that could undermine Tokyo’s efforts to work more closely with United States and other partners.
Japan’s Defense Ministry and its Self Defense Forces have been under scrutiny over allegations that members of the navy violated the sensitive information protection law, as well as other misconduct such as falsely claiming allowances for special assignments, or wrongfully claiming free meals at base cafeterias.
By Ellen Knickmeyer & Eric Tucker
The Associated Press
ASHINGTON—
WUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday embraced the support of allies who have provided substantial new military aid and a path to joining NATO, even as he emphatically pushed for the help to arrive faster and for restrictions to be lifted on the use of US weapons to attack military targets inside Russia.
“If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations,” Zelenskyy said alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the final hours of a summit that saw Ukraine receive fresh commitments of weapons and other support to firm up its defense against Russia.
The summit unfolded against the backdrop of a tumultuous American political cycle, with mounting angst among Democrats about President Joe Biden’s ability to serve another four years following a shocking debate flop two weeks ago that threw the future of his presidency into doubt.
An untimely verbal flub Thursday evening did little to
Ministerial staff were also accused of abuses of power.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara apologized, saying the problems “significantly damaging to the public trust” for the ministry and Japan’s defense forces. “I’m keenly aware of my responsibility.”
He blamed a lack of discipline across the organization.
Kihara said the ministry’s investigation found that classified information was mishandled on 38 destroyers and submarines, but said no sensitive information leaked outside of military or caused any harm. People without appropriate clearances were routinely assigned to duties that involved sensitive information. But the issue is an embarrassment and could undermine Japan’s reputation as a trusted defense partner at a time Ja -
soothe concerns, when Biden at an event for the unveiling of an agreement called the Ukraine Compact mistakenly introduced Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Some in the room gasped at Biden’s gaffe, which the US president quickly sought to clean up by saying, “President Putin? You’re going to beat President Putin,” Biden said to Zelenskyy. “I’m so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it.”
New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron declined to criticize Biden. Macron said “we can all have a slip of the tongue” and said Biden, with whom he spoke during Wednesday’s dinner, “is very much on top of things.” And Starmer declined at least five times to answer directly about Biden’s gaffe, instead praising him for his leadership and his preparation in putting the event together and securing solid outcomes for Ukraine.
All eyes were on Biden as he closed out the summit of 32 NATO leaders in Washington with a news conference.
Asked about Zelenskyy’s appeal for greater freedom in targeting Russian forces, Biden showed no sign of easing the US
JAPANESE Defense Minister Minoru Kihara speaks during a press conference at his ministry in Tokyo on Friday, July 12, 2024. Kihara on Friday announced taking disciplinary action against more than 200 senior officials and service members over mishandling of classified materials and a spate of other misconducts, an embarrassment that undermines Tokyo’s desire to work more closely with United States and other partners as a trusted partner. KYODO NEWS VIA AP
pan accelerates its military cooperation with the United States, Australia, UK and other
limits, saying he was following the advice of his defense and intelligence officials.
“If he had the capacity to strike Moscow, strike the Kremlin, would that make sense?” Biden said of Zelenskyy. He later added, “We’re making it on a day-to-day basis...how far they should go in” to Russian territory.
Ukraine has been the primary focus for European and North American leaders at the summit of the 75-year-old military alliance, with Biden earlier in the day announcing a new military aid package and pledging to Zelenskyy: “We will stay with you, period.”
Though Zelenskyy offered public thanks for the package and a promise by NATO leaders that Ukraine is now on an “irreversible path” to membership in the military alliance, he also sounded an alarm: Ukraine cannot win the war with Russia, now in its third year, unless the US ends limits on the use of its weapons to attack military targets in Russia.
The Biden administration permits Ukraine to fire weapons into Russian territory only for the purpose of hitting back against Russian forces that are attacking or preparing to attack them, concerned that the
western partners, in hopes of playing greater roles in areas that involve intelligence.
“Ensuring intelligence protection is extremely important for our cooperation with the ally and other like-minded countries, and we should never let this kind of problem happen again,” Kihara said. He pledged to quickly and thoroughly carry out preventive measures “so that we will not breach trust with other countries.”
Earlier this year, Japan passed a new security law that tightened rules on handling sensitive information. Japan also plans to enact legislation to bolster its cyber security defenses.
Kihara said he is giving up his salary for a month, but that his responsibility is to stay on and continue on the reform of the organization instead of stepping down.
broader use of American-made weaponry could provoke Russia to widen the war.
Zelenskyy has been pressing for greater latitude so that US weapons could be used to hit critical military bases and installations deeper in Russian territory.
The calls to drop the restrictions have grown in recent months, in the wake of Russian military gains during months in which political battles in the US delayed vital military support for Ukraine.
Stoltenberg and Macron have championed Ukraine’s efforts to win more leeway in how it can use US-provided arms. If we tell Ukrainians “you do not have the right to reach the point from which the missiles are fired, we are in fact telling them that we are delivering weapons to you, but you cannot defend yourself,” Macron said in May.
At a one-on-one meeting with Zelenskyy, Biden touted the aid package as his eighth since taking office, with this latest one consisting of $225 million of support, including an additional Patriot missile system to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses against a deadly onslaught of Russian airstrikes.
The Patriot air defense sys -
Marles, who met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy along with other leaders from the IndoPacific region.
China, which NATO on Wednesday called out as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war efforts, has opposed NATO’s reach into the Indo-Pacific region. It harms China’s interests and disrupts peace and stability in the region, said Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.
“Don’t bring instability to the Asia-Pacific after it has done so to Europe,” he said Thursday.
But it is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea’s growing alliance with Russia, and China’s role as the main supplier of dualuse technology to Russia that are driving the cooperation between the 32 NATO member countries and the four Indo-Pacific nations, said Kenneth Weinstein, the Japan chair at the Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute.
The growing partnerships, he said, are “key to bolstering deterrence.”
“At a time when we cannot let our guard down even for a second...it is my responsibility to do everything to rebuild the Defense Ministry and the Self Defense Force under my leadership as quickly as possible and regain the public trust,” Kihara said.
Of the 218 people disciplined, 11 senior officials were dismissed, two were demoted, dozens suspended and 14 received pay cuts, while about half of them were warned.
Among senior commanders and defense ministry officials to face discipline, head of Maritime Self Defense Force, Adm. Ryo Sakai, was to resign to take responsibility over some of the misconducts, to be replaced on July 19 by Akira Saito, currently Self Defense Fleet commander in chief, the minister announced.
tem, the second the US has provided to Ukraine, is one of several announced this week at the NATO summit and is part of a swell of pledges to get weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian attacks, including one of the deadliest of the war this week that hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
The devastating missile attack on the eve of the summit celebrating NATO’s 75th anniversary underscored that Putin may not be ready to make peace for some time.
In a comment on NATO allies declaring that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to membership, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, which is chaired by Putin, said Moscow should do everything to “make this irreversible path of Ukraine to NATO lead to the disappearance of either Ukraine or NATO, or better both.”
While promising that Ukraine will one day be a member of the alliance, NATO leaders have said it can only join after the war with Russia and when the allies agree it has met all conditions.
FROM left, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol, attend a session of the NATO summit with Indo-Pacific Partners on Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Washington. AP/MATT ROURKE
‘It’s hell outside’: Sizzling heat wave in parts of south and central Europe prompts alerts
By Jovana Gec The Associated Press
BELGRADE, Serbia—Weath -
er alerts, forest fires, melt -
ing pavement in cities: A sizzling heat wave has sent temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places.
From Italy to Romania, authorities warned people to be cautious, drive carefully if going on holiday, drink plenty of water and avoid going out during the hottest hours of the day.
Italian authorities declared a red weather alert in seven cities on Thursday, mostly in the central parts of the country but also the capital Rome and Trieste in the northeast. Rome’s municipal authorities issued a digital app to help people locate public drinking fountains as temperatures reached 38 C (100 F) on Thursday.
Dennis Mix, a visitor from the United States, said he skipped part of a planned tour of Rome and stayed in a van instead. “It is really affecting me,” he said.
The heat conditions are aggravated by humidity and could affect healthy people as well as those with health conditions,
Italian authorities warned. Similar warnings were issued in neighboring Croatia and further east and south. Croatia’s main tourism resort, the southern Adriatic Sea town of Dubrovnik, recorded 28 C (82.4 F) at dawn, signaling there won’t be relief when the sun goes down.
Forest fires have been reported this week in Albania, near the border with Greece, as well as in Bosnia and Italy. Several blazes raged Thursday in Greece’s southern Corinth area and on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos.
Warnings were issued for the region surrounding the capital Athens and other parts of central Greece on Thursday, with a similar warning for the northeast of the country Friday. Greek authorities have said that the country faces its highest wildfire risk in two decades this summer, following a mild, largely rainless winter and spring that have left vegetation tinder-dry.
Meteorologists said temperatures were even higher than officially reported in big cities where sizzling concrete radiates the heat above the ground and the asphalt softens under one’s feet.
“It was impossible to breathe yesterday,” said Antonela Spičanović, from the Montenegrin capital of
Podgorica, where temperatures reached 39 ° C (102 ° F) on Wednesday. The city seemed deserted with many of its residents staying indoors or heading for the Adriatic Sea coast or the mountains.
“I spend my days in the apartment, under the air conditioning,” said Đorđe Stanišić, an electrical engineer also from Podgorica. “It’s hell outside.”
Mendim Rugova, a meteorologist from neighboring Kosovo, said temperatures in the country have risen on average by 2.5 degrees since the 1980s. He said the current heat wave could last until the end of July.
“In the region we could see temperatures above 40 ° C, in parts of Albania, Northern Macedonia, in Greece and also in parts of Serbia,” he predicted.
In the Czech Republic’s capital of Prague, where temperatures reached 34 ° C Wednesday before dropping slightly Thursday, the city zoo delivered ten tons of ice to provide much-needed relief for the animals.
The ice was strategically placed around the zoo Wednesday, creating cool spots where animals could find refuge from unusually high temperatures.
In the Romanian capital Bucharest, street thermometers
showed 42 ° C (107 ° F) on Tuesday and Wednesday though the official measurements were a few degrees lower.
Neighboring Serbia reported record temperatures so far this summer, with thermostats at 35 ° C (95 ° F) Thursday morning in the north of the country. In the capital Belgrade, doctors reported treating people who collapsed, felt dizzy or complained of headaches due to the heat.
Serbian authorities have said that the use of air conditioning led to huge power consumption similar to levels normally seen in winter, when many in the Balkan country use electricity for heating.
During a previous heat wave last month, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia and Albania faced a major power outage amid the overload and a collapse of a regional distribution line. Earlier this month, a powerful storm swept the region after days of heat and killed two people, damaged houses while pulling out trees and flooding streets.
Experts say human-induced climate change has brought wild weather swings, increasingly unpredictable storms and heat waves.
AP journalists throughout Europe contributed to this report.
Two 80-something journalists tried ChatGPT. Then, they sued to protect the ‘written word’
By Matt O’brien Ap Technology Writer
GRAFTON, Mass.—When two octogenarian buddies named Nick discovered that ChatGPT might be stealing and repurposing a lifetime of their work, they tapped a son-in-law to sue the companies behind the artificial intelligence chatbot.
Veteran journalists Nicholas Gage, 84, and Nicholas Basbanes, 81, who live near each other in the same Massachusetts town, each devoted decades to reporting, writing and book authorship.
Gage poured his tragic family story and search for the truth about his mother’s death into a bestselling memoir that led John Malkovich to play him in the 1985 film “Eleni.” Basbanes transitioned his skills as a daily newspaper reporter into writing widely read books about literary culture.
Basbanes was the first of the duo to try fiddling with AI chatbots, finding them impressive but prone to falsehoods and lack of attribution. The friends commiserated and filed their lawsuit earlier this year, seeking to represent a class of writers whose copyrighted work they allege “has been systematically pilfered by” OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft.
“It’s highway robbery,” Gage said in an interview in his office next to the 18th-century farmhouse where he lives in central Massachusetts.
“It is,” added Basbanes, as the
two men perused Gage’s bookfilled shelves. “We worked too hard on these tomes.”
Now their lawsuit is subsumed into a broader case seeking classaction status led by household names like John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and “Game of Thrones” novelist George R. R. Martin; and proceeding under the same New York federal judge who’s hearing similar copyright claims from media outlets such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Mother Jones. What links all the cases is the claim that OpenAI—with help from Microsoft’s money and computing power—ingested huge troves of human writings to “train” AI chatbots to produce human-like passages of text, without getting permission or compensating the people who wrote the original works.
“If they can get it for nothing, why pay for it?” Gage said. “But it’s grossly unfair and very harmful to the written word.”
OpenAI and Microsoft didn’t return requests for comment this week but have been fighting the al -
legations in court and in public. So have other AI companies confronting legal challenges not just from writers but visual artists, music labels and other creators who allege that generative AI profits have been built on misappropriation.
The chief executive of Microsoft’s AI division, Mustafa Suleyman, defended AI industry practices at last month’s Aspen Ideas Festival, voicing the theory that training AI systems on content that’s already on the open Internet is protected by the “fair use” doctrine of US copyright laws.
“The social contract of that content since the ‘90s has been that it is fair use,” Suleyman said. “Anyone can copy it, recreate with it, reproduce with it. That has been freeware, if you like.”
Suleyman said it was more of a “gray area” in situations where some news organizations and others explicitly said they didn’t want tech companies “scraping” content
China’s yuan surge in Russia hits a wall: US sanctions and shortage limit growth
By Bloomberg News
THE rapid uptake of China’s yuan in President Vladimir Putin’s war economy, spurred by the fallout with the West over the invasion of Ukraine, may have hit its limit. Countries that continue to do business with Russia face growing US pressure, most notably through the threat of secondary sanctions. That’s proved an effective brake on further yuan usage in the country as it stifles bilateral trade and payments.
“Moscow may be more eager to adopt the yuan than Chinese banks are willing to accommodate,” Alex Isakov, Russia economist at Bloomberg Economics, said. “US secondary sanctions threats scare banks.” The market is indicating a yuan shortage in Russia, as well as an aversion to provide liquidity among Chinese banks, he says. The gap in yuan overnight borrowing rates in Russia and China drastically widened after US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in December said that the US will not hesitate “to take decisive, and surgical, action against financial institutions that facilitate the supply of Russia’s war machine.” That difference has remained at several percentage points since the warning. The US also in December authorized secondary sanctions on overseas financial firms, and China’s state-owned banks tightened curbs on funding to Russian clients.
In two years, Russia has overtaken Germany, Australia and Vietnam in terms of trade volume with China, which surged by more than 60 percent to $240 billion in 2023, China customs data shows. China benefits from purchasing Russian oil and other commodities at a discount while Russia gets access to a wide range of consumer and
high-tech products.
As a result, China has become Russia’s main trading partner, and the yuan now accounts for about 40 percent of Russia’s export and import payments and more than half the turnover on Russia’s foreign currency market. The scale of Russia’s yuanization is even more dramatic considering it started from almost zero at the beginning of 2022, before Putin invaded Ukraine.
That’s made Russia the largest contributor to Beijing’s efforts to increase the yuan’s role in international payments.
The share of China’s trade settled in yuan continued to climb through the first quarter of this year, and Russia accounted for 29 percent of that increase since 2021, Bloomberg Economics estimates. Russia’s trade with China is almost entirely in yuan, and Russia’s yuan-based exports exceed what it’s selling to China, meaning other countries are paying Russia in yuan, estimates shows. Still, annual growth in total trade between China and Russia slowed to just 3 percent in the first five months of 2024 compared to almost 42.5 percent a year ago, according to Bloomberg calculations based on China’s custom data. The share of Russia’s trade conducted in friendly currencies didn’t increase compared to last year, Bank of Russia estimates show.
“Russia’s yuan adoption may have peaked in 2023 for two reasons. First, the threat of secondary sanctions is a powerful deterrent for some of China’s largest institutions for dealing with Russian counterparties. A sudden and persistent decoupling of yuan overnight rates in Russia from Shibor after Janet Yellen’s statement provides compelling evidence. Second, Russia’s yuan use is mostly driven by exports of Russia’s oil, while other countries are still reluctant to accept yuan as
payment for imports. This means that if oil prices were to remain stagnant in the coming quarters, so would Russia’s yuan trade,” said Bloomberg economist Alex Isakov.
Several of China’s biggest banks stopped accepting yuan from Russia, impacting imports for several months. Russian companies told local media that the issue was resolved using small regional banks after Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, but the country’s authorities have indicated concerns remain.
“The yuan’s usage has a certain peak and it is dependent, first of all, by how much Russia will trade with China,” Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said. “Also much will depend on how widespread the yuan will be as a currency for settlements with other countries.”
Evidence of the yuan’s newfound place in Russia’s economy is everywhere. US shareholders of the Netherlands’s Yandex NV received yuan instead of dollars or euros, which were impossible to transfer from Russia, when it sold its Russian business, according to two people familiar with the roughly $2.5 billion cash component of the deal, who asked not to be identified.
Elsewhere, companies have turned to the yuan alongside the ruble when converting dollar and euro loans and issuing new bonds, while the Bank of Russia uses the Chinese currency for National Wellbeing Fund operations. At the start of this year, the yuan had overtaken the dollar in terms of deposits in Russian banks, becoming the main foreign currency for savings. In 2023, the volume of yuan deposits in Russia doubled to $68.7 billion, which is several times higher than in other top offshore yuan economies, such as the UK and Singapore. With assistance from Qizi Sun/Bloomberg
off their websites. “I think that’s going to work its way through the courts,” he said.
The cases are still in the discovery stage and scheduled to drag into 2025. In the meantime, some who believe their professions are threatened by AI business practices have tried to secure private deals to get technology companies to pay a fee to license their archives. Others are fighting back.
“Somebody had to go out and interview real people in the real world and conduct real research by poring over documents and then synthesizing those documents and coming up with a way to render them in clear and simple prose,” said Frank Pine, executive editor of MediaNews Group, publisher of dozens of newspapers including the Denver Post, Orange County Register and St. Paul Pioneer Press. Several of the chain’s newspapers sued OpenAI in April.
“All of that is real work, and it’s
IN this image
from
work that AI cannot do,” Pine said.
“An AI app is never going to leave the office and go downtown where there’s a fire and cover that fire.”
Deemed too similar to lawsuits filed late last year, the Massachusetts duo’s January complaint has been folded into a consolidated case brought by other nonfiction writers as well as fiction writers represented by the Authors Guild.
That means Gage and Basbanes won’t likely be witnesses in any upcoming trial in Manhattan’s federal court. But in the twilight of their careers, they thought it important to take a stand for the future of their craft.
Gage fled Greece as a 9-yearold, haunted by his mother’s 1948 killing by firing squad during the country’s civil war. He joined his father in Worcester, Massachusetts, not far from where he lives today. And with a teacher’s nudge, he pursued writing and built a reputation as a determined investigative reporter digging into organized crime and political corruption for The New York Times and other newspapers.
Basbanes, as a Greek American journalist, had heard of and admired the elder “hotshot reporter” when he got a surprise telephone call at his desk at Worcester’s Evening Gazette in the early 1970s. The voice asked for Mr. Basbanes, using the Greek way of pronouncing the name.
“You were like a talent scout,” Basbanes said. “We established a friendship. I mean, I’ve known him longer than I know my wife, and we’ve been married 49 years.”
Basbanes hasn’t mined his own story like Gage has, but he says it can sometimes take days to craft a great paragraph and confirm all of
‘We have nothing’: Palestinians return to utter destruction in Gaza City after Israeli withdrawal
SHIJAIYAH, Gaza Strip—Palestinians returned to breathtaking scenes of destruction in the Gaza City district of Shijaiyah after Israeli troops withdrew, ending a two-week offensive there. Civil defense workers said Thursday that so far, they had found the bodies of 60 people in the rubble.
Families who fled the assault ventured back into Shijaiyah to see the condition of their homes or salvage whatever they could.
Nearly every building was flattened to rubble for block after block, leaving giant piles of concrete and twisted rebar. Here and there, grey gutted concrete frames still stood a few stories high. The ever-present buzzing sound of Israeli military drones hung in the hot summer air as people on bicycles or horse-drawn carts made their way over dirt paths where the streets had apparently been bulldozed away. Sharif Abu Shanab found his family’s four-story building collapsed. “I can’t enter it. I can’t take anything out of it, not even a can of tuna. We have nothing, no food or drink,” he said.
Since fleeing the district, his family sleeps in the streets, he said. “Where do we go and to whom?...We have no home or anything,” he said in despair. “There’s only one solution,
hit us with a nuclear bomb and relieve us of this life.”
The Israeli military has invaded Shijaiyah several times in the nine-month war against
the facts in it. It took him years of research and travel to archives and auction houses to write his 1995 book “A Gentle Madness” about the art of book collection from ancient Egypt through modern times. “I love that ‘A Gentle Madness’ is in 1,400 libraries or so,” Basbanes said. “This is what a writer strives for—to be read. But you also write to earn, to put food on the table, to support your family, to make a living. And as long as that’s your intellectual property, you deserve to be compensated fairly for your efforts.”
Gage took a great professional risk when he quit his job at the Times and went into $160,000 debt to find out who was responsible for his mother’s death.
“I tracked down everyone who was in the village when my mother was killed,” he said. “And they had been scattered all over Eastern Europe. So it cost a lot of money and a lot of time. I had no assurance that I would get that money back. But when you commit yourself to something as important as my mother’s story was, the risks are tremendous, the effort is tremendous.”
In other words, ChatGPT couldn’t do that. But what worries Gage is that ChatGPT could make it harder for others to do that.
“Publications are going to die. Newspapers are going to die. Young people with talent are not going to go into writing,” Gage said. “I’m 84 years old. I don’t know if this is going to be settled while I’m still around. But it’s important that a solution be found.”
The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement that allows OpenAI access to part of AP’s text archives.
Hamas militants in Gaza. Its latest assault began in late June, when it said it was pursuing militants who had regrouped in the district. The assault sent some 80,000 people fleeing Shijaiyah, most into nearby areas, and it is not known how many people remained in the district during the fighting. The Israeli military said in a statement Wednesday evening that its operations in Shijaiyah had ended. It said its troops had killed dozens of militants and destroyed eight tunnels in the area. Those claims could not be independently confirmed.
Gaza’s Civil Defense organization said that during Israel’s offensive, its emergency crews had largely been unable to respond to calls for help from residents in destroyed buildings. After the Israeli pullout, its crews entered and recovered 60 bodies, it said, adding that the search was ongoing. More bodies were believed buried under rubble, but the organization has little heavy equipment to clear debris. AP
taken
video, Palestinians returned to scenes of destruction in Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood on Thursday, July 11, 2024, after Israeli troops withdrew following a two-week offensive. AP
3.
in business or related field of study; Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, and Outlook; Knowledge of file management, transcription, and other administrative procedure or a related field; Good communication and interpersonal skills.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
4. ZHOU,
Brief
19. ASANO, KEISUKE Electrical Reliability Specialist
Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing general support for managing the reliability and efficiency of the operation of electrical systems, thereby supporting the plant’s production goals and maintaining a safe working environment.
20. TESHIMA, NAOKI Turbine Technical Expert
Brief Job Description: Responsible for providing general support for managing turbine systems, ensuring reliability and efficiency which contribute to the plant’s overall productivity and profitability.
Basic Qualification: College Graduate with at least 10 years of work experience in the power generation industry.
Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999
ACCENTURE, INC. 7f Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1, Pioneer St., Barangka Ilaya, City Of Mandaluyong
GIAMBANCO, EMANUEL Packaged App Development Associate
21.
Brief Job Description: Communicate with the client functional design incharge about the detail of requirement definition and function design.
22. SUNDARAM, RAMESH Security Delivery Associate Director
Brief Job Description: To lead / execute, track, manage, managed security transitions.
Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science or other relevant fields; must be able to communicate effectively, verbally and written, in both English and required language; experienced in any of the following: o java (java ee, java se, spring, nodejs) o javascript
BusinessMirror
59. VANG, THI CHAU Vietnamese
Brief
60. VUONG, VAN QUANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative
Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.
AT SHA-XIAN SNACKS INC. Unit A2-a3 G/f Bayshore, 1 Diokno Blvd. West Side City, Tambo, City Of Parañaque
61. LUO, CHAOYUAN Hr Specialist (bi-lingual)
Brief Job Description: Creating, implementing, and evaluating all human resource department policies, procedures, and structures. Basic Qualification: Must be excellent in oral, writing and reading skills in English and Mandarin.
62. YANG, YANFEN Marketing Specialist (Mandarin Speaking)
Brief Job Description: Assist in analyzing marketing data (campaign results, conversion rates, traffic etc.) to help shape future marketing strategies.
63. XIE, YUNLONG Sales Account Representative (Bi-Lingual)
Brief Job Description: Helping determine pricing schedules for quotes, promotions, and negotiations. Basic
64. LIN, QINGCHANG Sales Coordinator (Bi-Lingual)
Brief Job Description: Monitor and organize inventory while effectively tracking new products and services.
BRIGHT LUME IT SOLUTIONS INC. Unit 202 Erisha Condominium, 1142 P Ocampo Street, Barangay 757, Santa Ana, City Of Manila
65. HUANG, WEIHONG Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate
Brief Job Description: Conduct market research and identifying potential clients cultivate strong relationships with new clients, while maintaining existing client relationships.
66. LIN, DINGSHAN Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate
Basic Qualification: Fluent in both written and verbal
Brief Job Description: Conduct market research and identifying potential clients cultivate strong relationships with new clients, while maintaining existing client relationships. Basic Qualification: Fluent in both written and verbal English, Chinese/ Mandarin language.
67. MAO, WEIZHEN Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate
Brief Job Description: Conduct market research and identifying potential clients cultivate strong relationships with new clients, while maintaining existing client relationships.
68. EI EI PHYO Chinese Speaking It Support Specialist
Brief Job Description: Review and solve computer network and hardware problems for the organization.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic Qualification: Fluent in both written and verbal English, Chinese/ Mandarin language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree. With experience in business management, finance, computer/software, marketing/sales, or related field, fluent in English and Chinese Mandarin.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
BVI (PHILIPPINES) CORPORATION 40/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati
69. ROKHMAT SHOLIHUDDIN Site Manager
Brief Job Description: Responsible for successful execution of the construction and start-up of the electrical power generating plant. Provides leadership to the project staff and all organizational on site.
CEBU AIR, INC. Cebu Pacific Bldg., Domestic Rd, Barangay 191, Pasay City
70. AMIRKAMALI, MEHRDAD Pilot
Brief Job Description: Operates an airbus aircraft for commercial flight.
CGI (PHILIPPINES)
Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science from a recognized accredited program.
Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999
Qualification: Licensed Pilot.
BusinessMirror
General
110. CAI, QIRONG
Chinese Account Specialist
Brief Job Description: Ensures that the products support the company’s overall strategy and goals.
111. LONG, MENGJI
Chinese Account Specialist
Brief Job Description: Ensures that the products support the company’s overall strategy and goals.
112. XIE, ZHICONG Chinese Account Specialist
Brief Job Description: Ensures that the products support the company’s overall strategy and goals.
113. CHOI, NAK HYUN Korean Account Specialist
Brief Job Description: Prepares work to be processed by gathering, sorting, organizing, and recording data, information, and documents.
GLARION TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City
Brief Job Description: Customer service.
116. NGUYEN VAN MANH Call Center Agent
Brief Job Description: Customer service.
117. QUANG DUC HIEU Call Center Agent
Brief Job Description: Customer service. Basic
118. VU DINH TUNG Call Center Agent
Brief Job Description: Customer service. Basic Qualification: College Graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English language.
119. WANG, QINGCHENG Call Center Agent
Brief Job Description: Customer service.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic Qualification: College Graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English language.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
GOLDEN OCEAN CONSTRUCTION SERVICES INC. 1715 G/f Amd Tower F., Agoncillo Street, Barangay 694, Malate, City Of Manila
120. PAN, JINSHAN Site Manager
Brief Job Description: Maintains project administration in a correct and timely manner.
121. LU, QINGFU Supervisor
Brief Job Description: Accomplishes construction human resources objectives by selecting, orienting, and training employees.
Basic Qualification: At least 2 years’ experience in the above-mentioned position. Fluent in English and Mandarin.
Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999
Basic Qualification: At least 2 years’ experience in the above-mentioned position. Fluent in English and Mandarin.
Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999
INFOVINE INC. 9/f Y Tower, Moa Complex, Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal, Barangay 76, Pasay City
122. LEI, BEIHUA Chinese Speaking Program Designer Brief Job Description: Document all aspects of software, for ongoing maintenance and revisions.
152.
Brief
153. HUANG, WANTAO Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer
Brief Job Description: Liaising with clients to determine their requirements, timescale and budget.
Basic
154. LEE HAN WEI Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer
Brief Job Description: Liaising with clients to determine their requirements, timescale and budget.
155. LIU, XIANGYING Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer
Brief Job Description: Liaising with clients to determine their requirements, timescale and budget.
156. QIU, JINYANG Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer
Brief Job Description: Liaising with clients to determine their requirements, timescale and budget. Basic
157. YIN, KAIMING Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer
Brief Job Description: Liaising with clients to determine their requirements, timescale and budget.
158. HE, JIAXIN
Chinese Speaking HR Associate
Brief Job Description: Managing HR records including, resumes, applicant logs, and employee forms.
159. LIU, JIAO Chinese Speaking HR Associate
Brief Job Description: Contacting candidate references and verifying education listings.
160. ZHENG, SHAOQIU Chinese Speaking HR Associate
Brief Job Description: Managing HR records including, resumes, applicant logs, and employee forms.
NEPC POWER CONSTRUCTION CORP.
Basic Qualification: Have excellent oral and written communication skills and be able to organize their work tools.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic Qualification: Have excellent oral and written communication skills and be able to organize their work using tools.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic Qualification: Have excellent oral and written communication skills and be able to organize their work tools
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
15/f Cyber One Bldg., Eastwood Cyberpark City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City
161. XU, ZIYANG Mandarin Quality Inspection Specialist
Brief Job Description: Plan, assign, schedule and supervises the work of power linesmen, electrician and helpers engaged in the construction, installation, maintenance, and repair of power lines, electrical systems, fixtures and apparatus.
162. WANG, YONGCHUN Mandarin Site Supervisor
Brief Job Description: Responsible for monitoring the progress of construction projects and ensure compliance with construction safety regulation and for supervising construction workers and subcontractors, educate construction workers on site safety practices and evaluating employee performance.
NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION Levels 7, 9, 10, 11 And 12
Basic Qualification: College graduate and with proven work experience in the same/ similar position. With excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic Qualification: College graduate and with proven work experience in the same/ similar position. With excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
212.
213. ZHANG,
Brief
214. ZHANG,
Brief
215. ZHANG, XIAONAN Mandarin Business
Brief
216. ZHANG, ZIYAO
Mandarin Business Development Specialist
Brief
217. ZHAO, HAITAO Mandarin
Brief
Brief
Brief
220. ZHOU, LIN Mandarin Business Development Specialist
Brief
Brief
222. ZHU, YUWEI Mandarin Business Development Specialist
Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status.
