Plan (PEDP) in 2024, according to Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (PhilExport) President Sergio Luis-Ortiz.
At the sidelines of the ATA Carnet system launching on Monday, he told reporters, “To be able to reach [$143 billion], we have to increase more than double digits.... We’re not doing that much,” he said.
Luis-Ortiz added that he does not see the Philippines hitting the 2024 export target in the original time frame. “It will take quite a while,” he said.
However, Luis-Ortiz estimated the possibil-
ity of reaching the 2024 target happening three years from now or by 2027. He said the Philippines must resolve its problems with electricity, shipping costs and geopolitical risks, which he identified as areas with great impact on exports.
Under the country’s Export Development Plan, it targets to reach $143.4 billion for 2024; 2025, $163.6 billion; 2026, $186.7 billion; 2027, $212.1 billion and 2028, $240.5 billion.
The PhilExport chief projected exports this year to increase “slowly but surely” but not “on the level that we would like to be” given the upward trajectory of outbound shipments from January to May this year.
The country’s exports in the first five months of 2024 grew by 7.8 percent to $30.84
AMID WEAK PESO,
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
THE flow of cash remittances in the Philippines from overseas Filipinos grew to US$2.88 billion in May this year amid a weak peso performance, latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.
Despite
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
“St. Lukes,” A
She added, “Those are the things we want to fix, the procurement rules and regulations, such that a government agency can source from a startup.”
Aldaba stressed that the small firms should be taken into account because they don’t have their own market and group which will take charge over their firm’s procurement.
In an earlier story of the BusinessMirror, Aldaba said, “This is really crucial because the government is one big customer. And since we’re promoting all these new products, creation of new services, the government should be the first one to procure these products and this is actually being done in other countries.”
The Trade official pointed out the gap in the situation between startups and big firms in terms of complying with the necessary requirements to be able to participate in government bidding.
“We have these startups and they’re not comparable to large companies. The big companies—they have their own teams, legal teams who are preparing all the necessary requirements and documents for them to be able to participate in government bidding,” Aldaba stressed.(See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/11/21/ amend-procurement-law-toease-the-work-of-startups/?utm_ source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_ campaign=amend-procurementlaw-to-ease-the-work-of-startups)
Andrea E. San Juan
Comelec chief eyes filing of raps over ‘bribery’ yarn
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
COMMISSION on Elections
Chairman George M. Garcia said he is now considering filing charges against those behind the “spurious” allegations that he has over 49 offshore and local bank accounts
that were used to accept bribes.
The poll chief said the move aims to protect Comelec and the local banking system’s integrity and serve as a deterrent against further false accusations against the poll body.
“Comelec must have a counterpart action to protect our name. For now, it is me [who is being accused]. Who will it be among my colleagues in the coming days?” Garcia said. “It won’t stop. The bank [accounts] will keep on piling since they are engaged in a fishing expedition,” he added. Garcia made the remark after former Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar R. Erice visited his office on Monday to submit a letter to
Comelec regarding 14 Bahamas banks accounts and accounts in seven local banks, which supposedly received US$15 million worth of deposits from South Korea. Among the supposed local bank account is from the Intramuros branch of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) with the account number 7740011026173.
Erice urged Garcia to investigate the accounts, which was sent to him via mail by an “unknown source” from Bahamas, since it can compromise the credibility of Comelec if not addressed, amid allegations that Garcia was bribed while the bidding for the Full Automation System
with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) was ongoing.
Erice also bared his plan to file graft charges against Garcia and other Comelec officials before the Ombudsman for awarding the P18-billion FASTrAC contract to the Joint Venture (JV) led by Miru Systems Ltd., which he claimed is overpriced.
“My lawyers are preparing to file graft charges against the commissioners and against the [Comelec] bids and awards committee of the Commission on Elections for entering into an agreement disadvantageous to the government,” Erice said.
Setting an example ASKED about the so-called “Bahamas files,” Garcia said he was the official being referred to in the document.
He noted these are the same accounts which Sagip Party-list Rep. Rodante D. Marcoleta revealed in his expose regarding a Comelec official who received cash deposits from abroad.
OFW…
carried the lowest foreign exchange since August 2023,” he said.
Data from the BSP showed personal remittances from Filipinos abroad rose by 3.7 percent to US$2.88 billion in May 2024 from US$2.78 billion recorded in the same month last year.
The remittance growth was driven by land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more and sea- and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year, the BSP said.
Opiniano said the year-on-year growth of remittances posted in May 2024 was the highest in a year since the 2.9 percent posted last June 2023.
“While the peso depreciated versus the green buck in April and May 2024, the uptick to send more dollars to the Philippines is not that much,” Opiniano said.
Cash remittances from January to May 2024 reached US$14.89 billion, higher by 3 percent than the US$14.46 billion recorded in the same period in 2023.
“While year-on-year growth rates of remittances have plateaued to the three percent and below [and haven’t gone up to above 4 percent in postpandemic 2022], considering forex rates and inflation warrants further analysis of the remitting behaviors of overseas Filipinos to their loved ones in the homeland,” said Opiniano, who is also the director of the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education at the University of Santo Tomas.
As the US dollar went down to P58 levels in June and July this year, Opiniano said the US-dollarPhilippine peso exchange rates may have been a barometer to watch.
Opiniano cited remittance data from the BSP saying that from January to October 2023, inflation rates exceeded 4.1 percent while remittance
Both the claims of Erice and Marcoleta on the bank accounts and the planned impeachment complaint against the Comelec en banc members, Garcia said, are part of the “whitepaper” he obtained containing the plans to discredit the poll body.
Garcia denied he owned any of the offshore and local accounts. He issued a waiver to allow authorities to look into said accounts to determine who is responsible for their creation.
He said he plans to file a case against those spreading information about the spurious accounts, for falsification of public and private documents.
“According to the law, those who hold falsified documents are presumed to be its author. So he must prove that he is not the one who falsified the document,” Garcia said.
“We will prove that those accounts do not exist and do not belong to me. I don’t have such accounts. Therefore all of those are falsified,” the poll chief said.
Continued from A
volumes were unexpectedly high.
A record $3.28 billion in remittances were posted in December 2023 due to the Christmas season, while inflation fell to its lowest rate of 2.8 percent in January 2024, with sustained high remittance levels.
From March to May 2024, the peso continued to depreciate, remittance volumes declined, and inflation rates increased again.
“So far, the biggest quandary—to cover those last three months—is a depreciating peso, a slowly rising inflation rate and the declining dollar volumes of cash remittances,” Opiniano said.
“If actual cash remittance flows did not go above April and May 2024 volumes, one would wonder if the efforts of Filipinos abroad to earn more and send money home may have been stretched,” he added.
Moreover, BSP data showed cash remittances coursed through banks amounted to US$2.58 billion in May 2024, up by 3.6 percent from the US$2.49 billion posted in May 2023.
“The expansion in cash remittances in May 2024 was due to growth in receipts from both land- and seabased workers,” the BSP explained.
Cash remittances from January to May 2024 also increased by 3.0 percent to US$13.37 billion from US$12.98 billion recorded in the same period a year ago.
The growth in cash remittances from the United States, Saudi Arabia and Singapore contributed mainly to the increase in remittances in the five-month period.
The US had the highest share of overall remittances during the period at 40.9 percent, followed by Singapore at 7.2 percent and Saudi Arabia, at 6.1 percent.
Guo-Yang…
generate higher profits? Who benefits from these profits? Are there any LGUs involved? Are there any PNP personnel? Are there other personalities?” Fernandez said.
“[Personally] I don’t like gambling. But of course, we have legal gambling. And we adhere to the laws existing in this country. That’s why we protect the legal and perhaps eliminate the illegal. Gambling itself is already questionable, but to make it illegal is too much,” he said.
In ordering a comprehensive congressional investigation, Ro-
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24 percent to $79.4 billion by 2032. The rising cost of health care in developed nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, and other European nations have encouraged their citizens to travel to Asia to seek medical treatments at a lower cost. The latest Medical Tourism Index, which rates 46 destinations, shows the Philippines in 26th place behind Singapore, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand (66.83).
Aseana hospital to cost P18B SLMC in Global City and in Quezon City have become the favorite hospitals of patients from the Pacific Islands, such as Guam, Papua New Guinea, Northern Marianas, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Solomon Islands, and Fiji. It also services clients from the United States and Europe, especially the balikbayans (homecoming Filipinos). “Next, we’re going to Bhutan,” he said, “as we further solidify our commitment to provide exceptional healthcare services to a diverse international client base.” While he declined to reveal SLMC’s international marketing budget, he said they “collaborate with a partner in Guam to handle [this].”
SLMC is keeping the Middle East and other markets in its sights as well, as its third hospital opens in 2029. SLMC Inc. has entered into a long-term lease agreement with DM Wenceslao and Associates for a two-hectare property in Aseana City, Parañaque, on which it will build a 450- to 500-bed hospital, estimated to cost P18 billion for the building alone. “I think when we open the third hospital, we will have a better footing, reaching farther into the global arena of health care,” said Serrano. Further boosting SLMC’s international healthcare profile is its accreditation from the prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI), which allows patients from the US to reimburse their treatments from their insurers such as Medicare or Medicaid. Dedicated concierge IN addition, he said SLMC has ties with foreign embassies in the Philippines, making it “a preferred destination, not just for acute care, but also for wellness.”
To enable foreign patients to have a stress-free stay at SLMC, its Global City branch, for instance, has a 24/7 dedicated concierge which provides “personalized support from making travel arrangements, such as hotel bookings and airline reservations, and accommodation to scheduling medical appointments and post-care followups,” said Serrano. It also has an International Patient Lounge that features pre-arrival support, Wi-Fi, and complimentary snacks, fostering a healing ambiance. Also, “We’ve converted a floor of the [BGC] hospital to accommodate the needs of family members. When you enter the room, it’s a hotel bed you will see, and there’s room service. It’s always fully booked. So we also indirectly bring business to all of the hotels surrounding us in BGC.” These features will be replicated in the new building being constructed in the QC complex, he added.
The National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028 identifies medical tourism as a priority, as DOT pursues the diversification of the country’s tourism products. “As we move forward from the pandemic, we are conscious of the necessity of focusing on health and wellness, and providing globally competitive healthcare,”said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
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mualdez underscored the government’s commitment to curbing illegal activities and ensuring that existing regulations are effectively enforced.
“We cannot allow these rogue Pogo operators to persist in their illicit actions,” Romualdez declared. The congressional investigation, according to the Speaker, aims to thoroughly examine the various criminal activities, including money laundering, human trafficking, and other related offenses allegedly committed by these illegitimate Pogos.
He said it will analyze the effectiveness of current regulations and identify any gaps that allow these operators to evade the law.
“Establishing the identities of those responsible for protecting and facilitating these illegal operations and ensuring they are held accountable is a priority,” Romualdez said. “Ensuring the protection of local communities and individuals affected by the illegal activities of rogue Pogo operators is crucial,” he pointed out. Butch Fernandez, Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz
Tagum court metes out 6 years imprisonment on Castro, Ocampo, 11 others for child abuse
By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
ATRIAL Court in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, has sentenced a senior congressman, a former legislator and newspaper columnist, and several teachers to a maximum of six years of imprisonment for child abuse.
Judge Jimmy Boco of Branch 2 of the Regional Trial Court in Tagum City found House of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader France Castro, former Rep. Satur Ocampo and several other teachers of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
Boco also ordered Castro, Ocampo and their companions to pay each of their minor victims the amount of P20,000 for moral and civil damages plus 6 percent interest from the finality of the decision until pull payment.
Aside from Castro and Ocampo also found guilty for violation of Section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610, also known as the Anti-Child Abuse Law, were Maria Eugenia Citoria Nolasco, Jesus Madamo, Meriro Poquita, Maricel Andagkit, Marcial Rendon, Marianie Aga, Jenevive Paraba, Nerhaya Talledo,
Maria Concepcion Ibarra, Nerfa Awing and Wingwing Daunsay.
On the other hand, the trial court acquitted Pastor Edgar Ugal, Rev. Ryan Magpayo, Eller Ordeniza, and Rev. Jurie Jaime for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable act.
The accused were charged with violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law when they illegally transported 14 minor lumad students of Salugpungan Ta Tanu Ingkanogan Community Learning Center Inc. without consent from their parents in 2018.
“Records reveal that the prosecution has established proof beyond reasonable doubt that accused Ocampo, Castro, Nolasco, Madamo, Poquito, Andagkit, Aga, Redon, Paraba, Aing, Daunsay, Talledo and Ibarra, indeed committed acts detrimental to the safety and well-being of the minor lumad learners by keeping them in their company and transporting them on foot in the evening for three hours, more or less, on a remote, dark, unsecured road without the assistance and presence of the law enforcement, any government agency, or written permission-consent of the minors’ parents and exposing the said minors to danger and hazards
by traveling in the middle of the night, thereby compromising their safety and creating conditions prejudicial to their development,” the decision read.
Unaceptable, unjust
IN a joint statement, Castro and Ocampo said the trial court’s decision is “unacceptable and unjust.”
They claimed that the decision only showed the “continuing persecution” of people and groups advocating for the rights of lumad children against persistent attacks on their schools and communities.
“This is a clear miscarriage of justice, and we will strongly question this decision in all venues possible,” they added.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año at the same time said the conviction of Castro, Ocampo and 11 others for child abuse “shows no one is above the law.”
“It doesn’t matter if you are prominent in society, the law is the law and one has to be accountable for one’s actions,” Año said.
“This ruling underscores our judicial system’s commitment to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of our citizens. It signifies a crucial step in ending the exploitation of indigenous communities and safeguarding
TBy Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
HE Department of Transportation
(DOTr) said the government and its private partners are enhancing the Edsa Busway to improve security and accessibility, particularly for the elderly and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said these enhancements involve the installation of footbridges, elevators, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the Monumento, Bagong Barrio, Balintawak, Philam, and Guadalupe busway stations.
A total of 166 CCTV cameras will be deployed to bolster operational capability and ensure compliance with busway regulations.
He said the agency “will expand the improvements to cover the entire 18 busway stations.”
“This is for the benefit of our passengers. These improvements will help us achieve the DOTr’s objectives, particularly in making the busway more accessible to seniors and persons with disabilities,” said Bautista. “We will request an additional budget for more manlifts and a smart traffic surveillance system.”
Broken down, the improvements include
the construction of new Philam and Kamuning stations in Quezon City, the building of pedestrian footbridges at Balintawak, Santolan, and Guadalupe stations, and the rehabilitation of existing footbridges at Monumento, Bagong Barrio, and Philam stations.
Additionally, PWD ramps, catch basins, storm drain pipes, and pressurized washers for concrete barriers are being installed to further enhance the facilities.
Bautista noted that the new facilities would also support the Edsa Greenways Project, which aims to improve the pedestrian environment in four key areas—Balintawak, Cubao, Guadalupe, and Taft mass transit stations—along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
“This is an extension of the Edsa Greenways Project. The Edsa Busway will be accessible through the Greenways Project,” he said.
According to the Asian Development Bank, the Edsa Greenways Project involves the construction and enhancement of five kilometers of covered elevated walkways around the four stations.
These elevated walkways, equipped with elevators, cater to the needs of the elderly, women, PWDs, and people traveling with small children.
vulnerable minors from abduction and indoctrination with divisive ideologies. Such acts not only violate their rights but also threaten our nation’s peace and security,” Año noted.
No rescue mission—Sec. Año AÑO added that the court’s decision “dispels any notion that the actions [of those convicted] were a rescue mission.”
“Today’s verdict upholds truth and accountability, holding accountable those who exploit and harm our children and communities,” he added.
Castro on Monday condemned her conviction together with and other members of the Talaingod 18 , attributing the verdict to the “influence of red taggers.”
“The effect of this decision is that rescuing children from military intimidation and harassment is wrong, and the children would have to go through bureaucratic documentation before they can be rescued in an emergency crisis. We will appeal this decision even if it reaches the Supreme Court,” she added.
The Talaingod 18, part of a National Solidarity Mission (NSM) to Talaingod, Davao del Norte, were detained and charged with
violations of Republic Act 7610 (other forms of child abuse) on November 28, 2018.
Castro said they were “rescuing Lumad students and teachers from the Salugpungan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center Inc., and the Community Technical College of Southeastern Mindanao [CTCSM] from the Alamara paramilitary group and the military when the incident occurred.”
Don't look at us—Castro
“WHY is it that the ones who rescued the children from harm are the ones being convicted while the paramilitary group, the military, and the NTF-ELCAC [National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict], who were threatening the children, go scotfree? Shouldn’t they be the ones facing charges?” asked Castro.
“The fabricated charges, harassment, and persistent threats against the Lumad people and those who stand in solidarity with them must end. These challenges perpetuate cycles of violence and oppression, especially in light of the continued closure of Lumad schools,” she said.
Castro called for immediate action to address the plight of Lumad
communities. “We demand the immediate reopening of Lumad schools, an end to the militarization of Lumad communities, and a thorough investigation into human rights violations against indigenous peoples in Mindanao.”
For his part, Rep. Raoul Manuel, the nomineed to the House of the party-list group Kabataan, said Castro and other advocates in the Talaingod humanitarian rescue mission risked their lives to find the truth behind the forced shutdown of Lumad schools.
“When they did confirm that paramilitary troops from the Alamara were attacking schools and the children, they did not hesitate to bring the Lumad students to safety. This is what our representatives in government should be: brave, compassionate, and full of integrity. Yet now they are being branded as crimes through this court decision,” said Manuel.
Castro is the nominee to the House of Representatives of the party-list group ACT Teachers while Ocampo used to be the nominee to the House of the party-list group Bayan Muna and now writes a weekly column for a Manilabased newspaper. With Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz & Rex Anthony Naval
Padilla files Anti-Political Dynasty bill
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
UNDAUNTED by the growing majority of lawmakers with relatives holding seats at the two chambers of Congress, Sen. Robinhood Padilla filed Senate Bill 2730 to “finally fulfill the mandate of the 1987 Constitution prohibiting political dynasties.”
In filing Senate Bill 2730, Padilla points out “it is time to break the barriers that prevent the best and the brightest from serving the Filipino people.”
“Given that this measure complies with the legislature’s mandate to enact an anti-political dynasty law and is a step towards leveling the playing field in politics and governance, the passage thereof is earnestly sought,” Padilla said.
Padilla, chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, cited a Harvard University study in 2011 that showed how political dynasties stem from “the tendency of elites to persist
Support mounts for Querubin’s senatorial bid
By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28
THREE months prior to the period for filing of certificates of candidacy for the May 2025 elections, former chiefs of staff of the Armed Forces and chiefs of the National Police from the last three administrations banded together with 1,840 retired generals, officers and personnel to officially endorse retired Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, who is running for a seat in the Senate for next year’s midterm polls.
Given the manifold adversities confronting the nation, the signatories believe that Querubin “possesses the vision, integrity, and leadership necessary to bring out meaningful change for the betterment of our country and society.”
Amazed by his performance when he was still in service, they are “confident that he will tirelessly advocate for and bring about the betterment of the lives of Filipino people who remain to be underserved and have less in life.”
Vice Admiral Edmund Tan, who also served as PCG commandant, asked the support of his contemporaries, as well as his senior and junior officers to support the senatorial bid of Querubin, whose significant role in several political movements had helped shape the history of the military and its thrust in leveraging global society.
and reproduce their power over time, undermining the effectiveness of institutional reforms in the process.”
Moreover, Padilla pointed out a data set of Philippine local elections from 1988 to 2019 showed the number of governors with at least one relative in office (dynasty) increased by almost 39 percentage points, from 41 percent in 1988 to 80 percent in 2019. The dynasty proportion of vice governors rose from 18 percent in 1988 to 68 percent in 2019.
The percentage of mayors in the dynasty increased gradually from 26 percent in 1988 to 53 percent in 2019, Padilla noted, even as “yet another study by Tusalem and Pe-Aguirre in 2013 noted that congressional funds are higher in areas with more political dynasties, but these provinces also have higher rates of crime and poor governance, as well as lower spending on employment, infrastructure, and health care.
“Political dynasties, in effect, have exhausted resources to attain economic and political dominance while at the same time
of mission, or willing to take urgent measures to assert the beliefs about the country’s future,” he said. “With his qualifications, achievements, and wealth of experiences, I formally endorse Ariel [Querubin] to you all, knowing that the caliber of a man that he is will surely perform very well and will do his job stunningly for the good of our country and people.”
For Chief Master Sgt. Edilberto Lustre of the Philippine Navy (Marines), Querubin embodies a true leadership that the country’s legislators ought to possess.
In a manifesto of support read by Adm, Ramon Liwag, former commandant of the Coast Guard, during the solidarity event dubbed “A Gathering of Warriors: A Call For Unity And Heroism” at the Club Filipino in San Juan, the servant warriors said that they support the decorated soldier’s “obstinate belief and advocacies to achieve a more secured country ready and able to defend our nation’s security, integrity and well-being.”
“He has shown us that a great leader is more participative than directing; more enabling than performing. He told us that the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality, and the last is to say ‘Thank you’. His humility, soft-spoken nature, and willingness to listen to everyone’s concern demonstrate his sheer commitment to the betterment of not just our men, but the entire nation. This is a hallmark of a true leader,” he said. DOTr, partners making
“He was not only an excellent warrior in the jungles, fighting terrorism and insurgency, but he also represented a class of thinking Filipino soldier, imbued with a sense
Querubin decided to serve the nation again by gunning a senatorial seat, highlighting the critical need to address the manifold challenges now confronting the country.
“We stand united in our service to the Philippines, in our service to God. We find ourselves at a crossroads. Our people are frustrated by the pervasive issues that plague our daily lives,” he said of his motivations to give up his private citizenship and run in an elective post. “So why can’t I leave my comfort zone for a higher calling?”
Among the various issues he wants to address if ever he wins are the constant corruption in some government agencies that undermines national progress, and the continued poverty that denies many Filipinos the opportunity to have a better life and in the inadequacies of infrastructure that’s stifle economic growth.
In addition, he emphasized the unabated high inflation rate that brings up the cost of consumer goods and the rampant illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (Pogo) that bring social concerns impacting the communities.
compromising political competition and undermining accountability,” Padilla said, even as he observed: “It is time to break the barriers preventing the best and the brightest from serving the Filipino people.”
At the same time, he noted that under the bill, “No spouse or person related within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half blood, to an incumbent elective official seeking re-election, shall be allowed to hold or run for any elective office in the same city and/ or province, or any party list in the same election.”
If the constituency of the incumbent elective official is national in character, such relatives shall be disqualified from running only within the same province where the former is domiciled or in any, including the same, national position.
“No person who has a political dynasty relationship to the incumbent shall immediately succeed to the position of the latter,” the bill added.
Moreover, the bill requires any person running for any elective public office to file a sworn statement with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that he or she does not have a political dynasty relationship with any incumbent public official running for an elective public office in the same city or province or both other than the position earlier mentioned. It adds that “a petition to disqualify a candidate on grounds of political dynasty may be filed before the Comelec, which will conduct summary proceedings. The Comelec shall deny due course to any certificate of candidacy filed in violation of the anti-political dynasty act.”
While the votes for a respondent shall be counted if the Comelec cannot decide on the petition before the completion of the canvass, his or her proclamation shall be suspended if the basis for disqualification is strong. If the disqualified candidate has been proclaimed, the candidate shall ipso facto forfeit the right to assume the office.
Go brings hope and support to indigents
ON Saturday, July 13, Sen. Christopher Go brought hope and support to benefit around 2,250 poor residents in Caraga, Davao Oriental. His visit coincided with the celebrations of the 121st Araw ng Caraga and the 2nd Kaan Silatan Festival.
Known for his unwavering commitment to public service, Go and his Malasakit Team distributed food packs, shirts, basketballs, volleyballs, masks, vitamins, and bags to the beneficiaries at the RSO Compound in Barangay Poblacion. Select beneficiaries also received bicycles, mobile phones, watches, and shoes. Meanwhile, in collaboration with fellow Sens. Robin Padilla and Francis Tolentino, Congressman Nelson Dayanghirang, Mayor Ronnie Osnan, and the local government, beneficiaries received financial assistance from the national government to support their basic needs.
Go then acknowledged the officials for their continuing service to their constituents, including Congressman Dayanghirang, Vice Governor Nelson Dayanghirang Jr., Board Members Andy Monday and Tata Nuñez Castro,
Mayor Osnan, and Vice Mayor Melody Anne Benitez, among others present. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Go underscored the significance of the Malasakit Centers program, which he initiated to provide easier access to government medical assistance for disadvantaged patients. Through Republic Act 11463, which Go principally authored and sponsored, qualified public hospitals now feature Malasakit Centers, enhancing medical assistance accessibility. Since 2018, 165 Malasakit Centers have been established, benefiting about ten million Filipinos, as per Department of Health reports. In Davao Oriental, a Malasakit Center is located at the Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center in Mati City. In his capacity as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Go has also supported various initiatives
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Power rates increase but oil prices go down
TBy Lenie Lectura @llectura
HIS month’s power rates increased by P2.1496 per kilowatt hour (kWh) bringing overall rates to P11.6012 per kWh from June’s P9.4516 per kWh, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) announced Monday.
On the other hand, prices of petroleum products will go down on Tuesday by P0.60 per liter for gasoline, P0.95 per liter for diesel, and P1.15 per liter for kerosene.
In a news conference, Meralco said this rate hike for July was mainly due to higher generation charge as power costs normalized following artificially low rates last month. For residential customers consuming 200 kWh, the adjustment is equivalent to an increase of around P430 in their total electricity bill. A household’s consumption averaging 300kWh will result in an increase of P645; for 400kWh, an additional P860; and for 500kWh, the net adjustment is P1,075.00.
Generation charge, which makes up bulk of an electricity bill, went up by P2.0021 per kWh as WESM (Wholesale Electricity Spot Market) charges returned to normal levels as a result of the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) directive to stagger the collection of the charges for the May supply month in four equal monthly installments until September 2024.
When sought for comment, ERC Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta recognized that the higher generation rate was expected since Meralco is implementing two
staggered payment schemes—one arranged by the company with its IPPs (Independent Power Producers)—where bulk of Meralco’s supply comes from—and the other as ordered by the commission on WESM purchases. Dimalanta added that the P2.0021 per kWh generation rate increase is subject to Commission’s validation.
Meralco said it was cleared by the ERC to stagger the collection of around P500 million in May generation costs until September 2024, following its request, along with Quezon Power (Philippines) Ltd. (QPPL), San Buenaventura Power Ltd. Co. (SBPL), and South Premiere Power Corporation (SPPC) under its 2024 Emergency PSA (Epsa).
For the July billing, WESM charges were higher by P6.6370 per kWh, as charges not only normalized but also reflected the recovery of a portion of deferred WESM costs from the May supply month. Mitigating the increase was the reduction in spot market prices as average demand in the Luzon grid decreased by about 900 MW. The secondary price cap was also triggered only 6.6 percent of the time for this supply month from previous month’s 19.3 percent.
Charges from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) also increased by P0.4392 per kWh owing to higher fuel costs and lower average plant dispatch. San Lorenzo Module 50 was on forced outage for 13 days in the June supply month. This month’s IPP rate similarly reflected the first collection of May 2024 deferred costs for QPPL.
Charges from Power Supply Agreements (PSAs) also went up by P0.3530 per kWh, as charges normalized and included the recovery of deferred costs for SBPL and SPPC’s 2024 EPSA.
WESM, IPPs, and PSAs accounted for 34 percent, 28 percent, and 38 percent of Meralco’s total energy requirement for the period.
Transmission charge, meanwhile, went down by P0.1550 per kWh due to the absence of reserve market settlement charges that affected last month’s ancillary service charges. Taxes and other charges meanwhile registered a net increase of P0.3025 per kWh.
This month’s rates included an adjustment in generation, transmission, system loss, and lifeline subsidy charges, under the ERC rules governing automatic cost adjustments and true-up mechanism for pass-through charges.
“We again appeal for the understanding of our customers over the delayed bills as we sought guidance from the ERC on the implementation of this month’s rate adjustment. Rest assured that Meralco will adjust the due dates to give our customers enough time to settle their bills,” Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said.
Pass-through charges for generation and transmission are paid to the power suppliers and the grid operator, respectively, while taxes, universal charges, and feedin tariff allowance are all remitted to the government.
Meralco’s distribution charge, on the other hand, has not moved since the P0.0360 per kWh reduction for a typical residential cus-
tomer in August 2022.
Meanwhile, oil companies announced Monday a rollback in pump prices at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, except for Cleanfuel which will adjust prices at 12:01 a.m. the same day.
This week’s oil price rollback ends the four-consecutive weeks of oil price increases.
On July 9, oil companies implemented an increase on the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene by P1.60, P0.65 and P0.60 per liter, respectively. Excluding this week’s adjustment, the yearto-date, total adjustment of the said respective products stood at net increase of P10.85 per liter, P9.05 per liter and P2.35/per liter, respectively.
This week’s oil price rollback is mainly brought about by the slash in crude oil prices, according to Department of Energy-Oil Industry Management Bureau (DOE-OIMB) Director Rodela Romero.
“Firstly, crude falls on weak China inflation data pointing to soft consumer confidence and the potential stimulus measures from Beijing to boost demand. Secondly, apart from shipping delays and platform evacuations, Hurricane Beryl seems to have led to relatively little physical damage, allowing US to recover oil production, offsetting a larger than expected weekly draw in US crude inventories.
Thirdly, the dollar contributed to lower oil prices. Though on the later part of the week, oil markets start to focus again on fundamentals and geopolitical issues. These are the relevant news on the international oil market,” said Romero.
DOJ opinion on tobacco industry donations to DSWD disappoints groups
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3
CIVIL society organizations and former senior government officials are disappointed by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) opinion that tobacco industry donations to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other government agencies are “acceptable.”
The groups raised concern after the DOJ, in an opinion dated June 6, 2024, said that the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC)
and the Department of Health (DOH), prohibiting unnecessary interactions with the tobacco industry, only applied to individual government officials and not government institutions.
A former Secretary of Health, Dr. Esperanza Cabral, said the opinion “detracts from the Philippines’ national and international commitments.”
“This is against civil service rules and Articles 5.3 and 13 of the WHO FCTC [World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control],” said Cabral. “Based on our international commit-
ments and our own JMC, we should ban all forms of tobacco sponsorships and protecting against tobacco industry interference,” she added.
“The tobacco industry does its fake CSR [corporate social responsibility] to buy goodwill, so that government officials will favor them when crafting and implementing tobacco control policies. Who wins then: public health or the industry?” asked Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, executive director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance.
“We have to be careful not to open doors for the tobacco industry to corrupt
our bureaucracy,” Dorotheo added. Former Health Undersecretary Madeleine Valera, meanwhile said, tobacco products are harmful, that’s why “it’s inappropriate for government agencies to receive donations from harmful industries when the donations may influence how such harmful industries are regulated.”
They reiterated that DOJ’s opinion is not only being incorrect and impractical, but in violation of the government’s obligations under the WHO FCTC, which no less than the Supreme Court has recognized as part of the law of the land.
The new Middle Class redefines its future
By Henry J. Schumacher
THE new actors want to act more internationally and be innovative.
The old middle class is dead.
Long live the new middle class!
One might want to shout this in view of the generational change that is pending and already taking place in our entrepreneurial dynasties. In many places, and also here, the death knell has often been sounded for the local middle class: too much bureaucracy, too few successors, too limited financing options, and many large competitors. The medium-sized companies, as we known them, will soon cease to exist-or so say the skeptics. Not me! This may be true, but it doesn’t have to be. Undoubtedly, small and medium-sized family businesses are under enormous pressure. However, it remains open whether this pressure will lead to an exodus or even extinction, or to a “renovation,” a renewal of the middle class.
In my observation, this renovation is taking place in quite a few family businesses. A new middle class is emerging that differs significantly from the traditional middle class in essential aspects: the actors operate more individually, internationally, and innovatively.
“First the company, then the family,” was long the iron rule of family entrepreneurship. The shareholder-managing director individual has spared himself the role assigned to him, sometimes over generations. There is hardly any need to mention that the young middle-class generation is more internationally educated and oriented than their parents and grandparents.
The actors of the new middle class generation act more individually, internationally,
temporarily, and innovatively. The discussions about the duration of personal commitment to the company are also interesting. In the past, joining the family business was also considered the final job. Everyone assumed that a family member managing director would do this job until retirement and often beyond. This is no longer the case; the commitment has become more temporary. In some companies, the young generation has changed the family constitutions so that family members take on a leadership position only for five or ten years and then leave again.
Finally, in some places, a more innovative handling of family assets can be observed. One case, that I studied, has caused a stir: there, the junior sold a large part of the company, also to enable investments in innovative business fields. This can be seen on a smaller scale with other medium-sized companies as well!
It is no longer taboo to consider partial sales, bringing in investors, or using private debt. The young generation has recognized the financing problem of the middle class and dares to tackle solutions that the parents would have considered betrayal. These are tough times. But as so often in history, crises also bring forth excellent new things. In the end, a new middle class could blossom in the Philippines. However, those family businesses that believe the old beliefs will be valid for the next decades are in acute danger.
Allow me to quote Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Balisacan: “In Germany, small and medium enterprises are a big part of the economy. But there’s so much human element in their manufacturing sector. That’s what we need to capitalize on.” He added: “Growth of the manufacturing sector was a primary driver of poverty reduction in many Asian economies.” In conclusion, I am not sure whether my view on the future of the middle class is accepted. Let me know! I can be reached under my email hjschumacher59@ gmail.com.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 A5
DOH joins
joint effort
to protect
PDL health
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3
CONGESTED detention facilities expose persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) to different communicable diseases and mental health conditions.
This highlights the need to address these health challenges while ensuring humane safekeeping by detention authorities.
The Department of Health (DOH) has joined the signing of the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) for the National Policy on the Promotion and Protection of Health in Jails, Prisons, Custodial Facilities, and Other Places of Detention in the country with the support of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
“The Philippines is committed to protecting, upholding, and promoting the right to health of detainees without discrimination. Collaboration among health, security, justice, peace and order, public safety, and local government sectors is essential to ensure the protection of the right to health of persons PDLs detention authorities, and the general public from health risks and threats,” Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa said. He added: “UHC aims to ensure that all Filipinos are health literate, provided with healthy living conditions, and protected from health risks— dahil sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Buhay Mahalaga.”
This endeavor highlights the health challenges faced by PDLs as well as the roles of various National Government Agencies in caring for PDLs, according to him. The policy mandates a health-protective and health-promotive detention environment that reduces PDL disease risks. It ensures comprehensive and responsive health services, and adequate financing, human resources, and information mechanisms to support healthcare for persons in jails, prisons, and other places of detention.
It aligns with two of the Department’s 8-Point Action Agenda— Bawat Pilipino, ramdam ang kalusugan, Pag-iwas sa Sakit , that both aim to ensure health-promoting and health-protecting environments and accessible healthcare services. Both primary and specialty care are also contemplated in all places of detention.
SIX persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) earned their college degree on Monday, proving that freedom is restricted but their right to receive education is not.
Through the College Education Behind Bars (CEBB), a government, NGO, and SUC partnership program, PDLs—who were physically incarcerated but now intellectually free—were given the opportunity to acquire tertiary education for free from Davao de Norte State College (DNSC).
“Our PDLs have violated the aw and they are deprived of their liberty but not of their fundamental rights, including your right to receive education,”Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Secretary Prospero De Vera III said during his commencement address. Gaya sa mahigit dalawang milyong kabataang Pilipino sa labas, sa pamamagitan ng C E BB ang mga PDL ay nabigyan ng oportunidad na makapag-aral at makapagtapos sa kolehiyo ng libre. Sila ay benepisyaryo din ng Repub ic Act 10931 or the Free Universa Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act,” De Vera added. C E BB is the first of its kind in the Phi ippines and in Asia to provide co ll ege education and to construct a physica l co ll ege bui l ding inside the jai l It is a product of the partnership of SUCs, Social Entrepreneurship, Techno ogy, and Business Institute (S
Editor: Angel R. Calso
In prime-time address, Biden asks Americans to reject political violence and ‘cool it down’
By Will Weissert & Zeke Miller The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden on Sunday urged Americans to reject political violence and recommit themselves to resolving their differences peacefully, saying the upcoming presidential election will be a “time of testing” in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
In a prime-time national address from the Oval Office, Biden said political passions can run high but “we must never descend into violence.” The president said his party and the Republicans can compete forcefully over different policy visions—but must do it in a civil fashion.
“All of us now face a time of testing as the election approaches,” Biden said. “There is no place in America for this kind of violence— for any violence. Ever. Period. No exception. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized.”
Biden spoke for six minutes in his third address to the nation since Saturday evening’s attack by a shooter that left Trump with a bloodied ear, killed one rallygoer and seriously injured two others. His warning came hours after FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said agents have seen increasingly violent rhetoric online since the attack at the Trump rally.
Since the shooting, the president and his team had been grappling with how to calibrate the political path forward after the weekend attack targeting the very person Biden is trying to defeat in November’s election. Biden sharply condemned the attack, but indicated he plans to continue to press his campaign agenda and has “no doubt” Republicans will do the same when they open the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday.
He emphasized that those disagreements must remain peaceful.
“We can do this,” Biden pleaded, saying the nation was founded on a democracy that gave reason and balance a chance to prevail over brute force. Biden also warned that political tensions were being inflamed by a balkanized media environment and exploited by American enemies.
“Here in America we need to get out of our silos, where we only listen to those with whom we agree, where misinformation is rampant,
where foreign actors fan the flames of our division to shape the outcomes consistent with their interests, not ours,” Biden said.
Earlier Sunday, Biden was briefed in the White House Situation Room and condemned the attempted assassination of Trump as “contrary to everything we stand for as a nation.” He said he was ordering an independent security review of how such an attack could have happened.
The president said he has also directed the US Secret Service to review all security measures for the RNC. Hours later, Audrey GibsonCicchino, the Secret Service’s coordinator for the convention, said the weekend attack against Trump did not warrant any changes to the agency’s security plan for the event and officials “are fully prepared.”
Biden promised a “thorough and swift” review and asked the public not to “make assumptions” about the shooter’s motives or affiliations.
The president said he and first lady Jill Biden were praying for the family of Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was shot and killed during the Trump rally Saturday night in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“He was protecting his family from the bullets,” Biden said. “God love him.”
The president also said he’d had a “short but good conversation” with Trump in the hours after the shootings and said he was “sincerely grateful” that the former president is “doing well and recovering.”
Trump, who has called for national resilience since the
shooting, posted on his social media account after Biden’s remarks, “UNITE AMERICA!”
Biden, who has set out to brand Trump as a dire threat to democracy and the nation’s very founding principles, put a temporary pause on such political messaging after the shooting.
Shortly after Saturday night’s attack, Biden’s reelection campaign froze “all outbound communications” and worked to pull down its television ads.
The president also postponed a planned trip to Texas on Monday, where he was to speak on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act at the Lyndon B. Johnson presidential library. An NBC News interview between Biden and anchor Lester Holt will now occur at the White House, instead of in Texas, as initially planned.
Biden’s campaign said that, after the NBC interview airs on Monday night, the Democratic National Committee “will continue drawing the contrast” with Trump over the course of the GOP convention. It was unclear when campaign ads will resume.
Biden still plans to make a planned trip to Las Vegas, which will include a campaign event Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris postponed her planned campaign trip to Florida on Tuesday, where she had been set to meet with Republican women.
Trump, meanwhile, arrived Sunday evening in Milwaukee for the Republican convention, where criticism of Biden and the Democrats is sure to be searing.
The weekend developments were only the latest upheaval in a
China and Russia start joint naval drills, days after NATO allies called Beijing a Ukraine war enabler
BEIJING—China and Russia’s naval forces kicked off a joint exercise at a military port in southern China on Sunday, official news agency Xinhua reported, days after NATO allies called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine.
The Chinese defense ministry said in a brief statement forces from both sides recently patrolled the western and northern Pacific Ocean and that the operation had nothing to do with international and regional situations and didn’t target any third party.
The exercise, which began in Guangdong province on Sunday and is expected to last until midJuly, aimed to demonstrate the capabilities of the navies in addressing security threats and preserving peace and stability globally and regionally, state broadcaster CCTV reported Saturday, adding it would include anti-missile exercises, sea
strikes and air defense.
Xinhua News Agency reported the Chinese and Russian naval forces carried out on-map military simulation and tactical coordination exercises after the opening ceremony in the city of Zhanjiang.
The joint drills came on the heels of China’s latest tensions with NATO allies last week.
The sternly worded final communiqué, approved by the 32 NATO members at their summit in Washington, made clear that China is becoming a focus of the military alliance, calling Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The European and North American members and their partners in the Indo-
campaign that has been extraordinarily topsy-turvy in recent weeks.
Biden’s shaky debate performance on June 27 so spooked his own party that some top surrogates and donors turned on him, and nearly 20 Democratic members of Congress called on the president to leave the race outright. Facing mounting questions about whether he was fit for a second term, Biden and his top advisers have been scrambling to salvage his campaign by adding events around the country and more aggressively criticizing Trump.
Saturday’s attack upended—at least temporarily—that counteroffensive. The campaign hoped that Sunday’s Oval Office address let Biden further drive home his point about unity while demonstrating leadership that could assuage nervous critics within his own party.
“We’ll debate and we’ll disagree, that’s not going to change,” Biden said in his afternoon remarks. “But we’ll not lose sight of who we are as Americans.”
Biden tied Saturday’s shooting to other incidents of political violence, from the 2017 death of a counterprotester at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, to the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, by Trump supports seeking to prevent the certification of the Electoral College count.
Although investigators are still in the early stages of determining what occurred and why, some Biden critics were calling out the president for telling donors in a private call Monday that “it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye.”
A person familiar with those remarks said the president was trying to make the point that Trump had gotten away with a light public schedule after last month’s debate while the president himself faced intense scrutiny. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to more freely discuss private conversations.
In the donor call, Biden said: “I have one job and that’s to beat Donald Trump.... I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that.”
He continued: “So, we’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in the bullseye. He’s gotten away with doing nothing for the last 10 days except ride around in his golf cart, bragging about scores he didn’t score.… Anyway I won’t get into his golf game.”
Pacific increasingly see shared security concerns coming from Russia and its Asian supporters, especially China.
In response, China accused NATO of seeking security at the expense of others and told the alliance not to bring the same “chaos” to Asia. Its foreign ministry maintained that China has a fair and objective stance on the war in Ukraine.
Last week, a US Coast Guard cutter on routine patrol in the Bering Sea also came across several Chinese military ships in international waters but within the US exclusive economic zone, American officials said. Its crew detected three vessels approximately 124 miles (200 kilometers) north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, which mark a separation and linkage between the North Pacific and the Bering Sea. Later, a fourth ship
PRESI D ENT Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Sunday, July 14, 2024, about the assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. ERIN SCHAFF/THE NEW YORK TIMES VIA AP
July 16, 2024
NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT (AEP/S)
NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL, POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE
6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods f ce Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna
CHUKWU, UGOCHUKWU MARVELOUS
Travel Consultant
Brief Job Description:
Facilitate faster processing of documents of African clients and determine travel needs, budget and preferences
YAMAZAKI, HIROYUKI
Sales and Warehouse Assistant Manager
Brief Job Description:
Responsible in developing strategies to improve sales, effectively handling customer complaints and provides oversight for warehouse activities and inventory management
CHEN, WEI
Foreign Marketing
Brief Job Description:
Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data.
B sic i c tion:
Can speak uentl Mandarin, With eyewear manufacturing experience, in- depth knowledge of production management, risk management, & safety regulations.
Salary Range:
Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic ali cation:
College graduate and excellent in oral and written communication skills
Salary Range:
Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic ali cation:
Must have excellent communication, interpersonal organizational and decision-making skills
Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above
Basic ali cation:
Computer literate and having nished at least
Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language
Salary Range:
Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic ali cation:
LUO, JUN
5 NEW WAVE INFOTECH LIMITED PHILIPPINES, INC.
6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods f ce Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna
6 NEW WAVE INFOTECH LIMITED PHILIPPINES, INC.
6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods f ce Tower 2, San Francisco, City of
Foreign Marketing
Brief Job Description:
Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data.
NGUYEN DUC HIEU
Foreign Marketing
Brief Job Description:
Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data.
Computer literate and having nished at least
Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language
Salary Range:
Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic ali cation:
Computer literate and having nished at least
Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language
Salary Range:
Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic ali cation:
8
PHAM NGOC DIEP
6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods f ce Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna SUN, QINGYONG Foreign Marketing
Brief Job Description:
Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data.
Salary Range:
TRAN, DUC TEIN
Foreign Marketing
6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods f ce Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna
Brief Job Description:
YANG, JUN Foreign Marketing
Brief Job Description:
Laguna
YUAN, FEN Foreign Marketing
of Biñan, Laguna
7 NEW WAVE INFOTECH LIMITED PHILIPPINES, INC.
6th,
Foreign Marketing
Brief Job Description:
Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data.
Computer literate and having nished at least
Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language
Salary Range:
Php 30,000
Biñan, Laguna
7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods f ce Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna
By Wafaa Shurafa & Melanie Lidman The Associated Press
MUWASI, Gaza Strip— Hamas said Sunday that Gaza cease-fire talks were ongoing and the group’s military commander was in good health, a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health officials said killed at least 90 people, including children. Deif’s condition was still unclear after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night “there still isn’t absolute certainty” he was killed. Army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told journalists Israel attacked a compound where Deif “was hiding” but added: “It’s still too early to summarize the results of the attack, which Hamas is trying to hide.”
Hamas representatives gave no evidence to back up their assertion about the health of a chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war. His killing would mark the highest profile assassination of any Hamas leader by Israel since the war began.
Deif has long topped Israel’s most-wanted list and has been in hiding for years.
The Israeli military said Rafa Salama, a Hamas commander it described as one of Deif’s closest associates, was killed in Saturday’s strike. Salama commanded Hamas’ Khan Younis brigade. Netanyahu said all of Hamas’ leaders are “marked for death” and asserted that killing them would move Hamas closer to accepting a cease-fire deal.
Hamas rejected the idea that mediated cease-fire discussions had been suspended. Spokesperson Jihad Taha said “there is no
doubt that the horrific massacres will impact any efforts in the negotiations” but added that “efforts and endeavors of the mediators remain ongoing.”
Hamas political officials also insisted that communication channels remained functional between the leadership inside and outside Gaza after the strike in the territory’s south. Witnesses said it occurred in an area that Israel had designated as safe for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians. Israel’s military would not confirm that.
On Sunday, some survivors were angry that the attack targeting Deif occurred without warning in an area they were told was safe.
“I heard the first hit, and my son came screaming, ‘Daddy, daddy,’ and took cover with me,” said Mahmoud Abu Yaseen, who clutched his children but then woke up in the hospital to find his son had died. The family had already been displaced five times since the war began. “Where do we go?” he asked.
A United Nations official described utter chaos at Nasser hospital where victims were taken, many treated on bloodstained floors with few supplies available.
“I witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza,” Scott Anderson said in a statement. “I saw toddlers who are double amputees, children paralyzed and unable to receive treatment and others separated from their parents.” He said restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza hamper efforts to provide needed medical and other care.
On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised the pilots who carried out the strike and said Hamas is being eroded every day, with no ability to arm itself, organize or “care for the
Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas steps down to become
ELSINKI—Estonia’s Prime Minister
HKaja Kallas has stepped down as the leader of the Baltic country to become the foreign policy chief of the European Union later this year.
Kallas, Estonia’s first female prime minister, handed in her formal resignation to President Alar Karis during a brief meeting at the Presidential Palace in the capital, Tallinn, on Monday. Estonia under Kallas has been one of Europe’s most vocal backers of Ukraine following the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
EU’s top envoy
Summing up Kallas’ 3 1/2 years at the helm of the nation of 1.3 million, Karis was quoted as saying by the Baltic News Service that “it has been a time full of crises, the milestones (such as) the coronavirus, the economic recession and the war in Europe, when Russia destroyed our previous security picture with its aggression in Ukraine”.
wounded.”
At least 300 people were wounded in the strike, one of the deadliest in the nine-month war sparked by Hamas’ October 7 assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostage. More than 38,400 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli ground offensives and bombardments since then, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
On Sunday, an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in central Gaza killed at least 14 people at the gate of a school used as a shelter for displaced people, according to an Associated Press journalist who visited two hospitals. Children were among the 15 others wounded. Israel’s military in a statement said it struck “terrorists” operating in the area of a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“They are targeting everything,” said a displaced Palestinian, Um Fadi Al-Zeer.
Also on Sunday, police said a Palestinian resident of east Jerusalem carried out a car-ramming attack in central Israel that injured four Israelis, two of them seriously. Israeli border police at the scene shot the attacker dead after he hit people waiting at two bus stops along a busy road. Israel’s military said four of its personnel were wounded, two of them severely.
Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai said such attacks were often triggered by events like Saturday’s airstrike in Gaza.
Lidman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.
The prime minister’s move automatically triggered the resignation of Kallas’ threeparty Cabinet, made up of her center-right Reform Party, the Social Democratic Party and the liberal Estonia 200 party. It will continue as a caretaker government until the new Cabinet has been sworn in, most likely the end of July or early August. The Reform Party announced on June 2 9 that it is chose party veteran and Climate Minister Kristen Michal as prime minister candidate to replace Kallas, whose last main duty was to represent Estonia at a NATO summit in Washington last week. Michal’s nomination will have to be approved by Karis and the 101-seat parliament, or Riigikogu, where the coalition holds a comfortable majority. He has been serving as the minister for climate affairs since April last year. The 4 9 -year-old former economics and justice minister has been active in the Reform Party, Estonia’s key political establishment, since the late 1 99 0s.
From basement to battlefield: Ukrainians create low-cost robot army to fight Russia
By Derek Gatopoulos & Anton Shtuka The Associated Press
NORTHERN
UKRAINE—Struggling with manpower shortages, overwhelming odds and uneven international assistance, Ukraine hopes to find a strategic edge against Russia in an abandoned warehouse or a factory basement.
An ecosystem of laboratories in hundreds of secret workshops is leveraging innovation to create a robot army that Ukraine hopes will kill Russian troops and save its own wounded soldiers and civilians.
Defense startups across Ukraine— about 250 according to industry estimates—are creating the killing machines at secret locations that typically look like rural car repair shops.
Employees at a startup run by entrepreneur Andrii Denysenko can put together an unmanned ground vehicle called the Odyssey in four days at a shed
used by the company. Its most important feature is the price tag: $35,000, or roughly 10 percent of the cost of an imported model.
Denysenko asked that The Associated Press not publish details of the location to protect the infrastructure and the people working there.
The site is partitioned into small rooms for welding and bodywork. That includes making fiberglass cargo beds, spray-painting the vehicles gun-green and fitting basic electronics, batterypowered engines, off-the-shelf cameras and thermal sensors.
The military is assessing dozens of new unmanned air, ground and marine vehicles produced by the no-frills startup sector, whose production methods are far removed from giant Western defense companies’.
A fourth branch of Ukraine’s military— the Unmanned Systems Forces—joined the army, navy and air force in May.
Engineers take inspiration from articles in defense magazines or online
videos to produce cut-price platforms. Weapons or smart components can be added later.
“We are fighting a huge country, and they don’t have any resource limits. We understand that we cannot spend a lot of human lives,” said Denysenko, who heads the defense startup UkrPrototyp. “War is mathematics.”
One of its drones, the car-sized Odyssey, spun on its axis and kicked up dust as it rumbled forward in a cornfield in the north of the country last month.
The 800-kilogram (1,750-pound) prototype that looks like a small, turretless tank with its wheels on tracks can travel up to 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) on one charge of a battery the size of a small beer cooler.
The prototype acts as a rescue-andsupply platform but can be modified to carry a remotely operated heavy machine gun or sling mine-clearing charges.
“Squads of robots…will become logistics devices, tow trucks, minelayers and deminers, as well as self-destructive robots,” a government fundraising page said after the launch of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. “The first robots are already proving their effectiveness on the battlefield.”
By Rtn. Reginald T. Yu, Rotary Club of Manila
ON the evening of July 11, 2024, the SM Aura Convention Center bore witness to a grand gathering, marking the 106th Induction and Turnover Ceremonies of the Rotary Club of Manila (RCM). The event, orchestrated with precision by moderators Rtn Jop Esquivas and Ms. Chiqui Roa-Puno, served as a poignant celebration of leadership, camaraderie, and commitment to service.
As the clock struck six, guests arrived, greeted by the warm ambiance of registration and cocktails. The evening commenced with a ceremonial bell, signaling the gathering to take their seats, an elegant prelude to the formal proceedings that would unfold.
RCMFI Chair Reginald “Reggie” T. Yu called the meeting to order, setting the stage for a series of inspiring moments. The invocation, delivered by Rtn Adgul Gani Macatoman, infused the air with a sense of purpose, grounding attendees in the ideals of the Rotary mission. The melodic strains of the Philippine National Anthem, performed by the RCM WorldFamous Music Chorale, resonated deeply, evoking national pride and unity. The evening continued with the uplifting RCM Hymn, further amplified by the soulful voice of Ms. Zyrene Valencia.
In a significant moment of reflection, Rtn Raul Roberto “Robby” P. Goco presented the 4-Way Test Credo, a cornerstone of Rotary philosophy that challenges members to uphold truth, fairness, goodwill, and beneficial outcomes in their endeavors. This principle, cherished by all Rotarians, serves as a guiding light in their charitable initiatives. As the clock inched toward seven, attendees were invited to savor a sumptuous dinner, fostering connections and camaraderie among members and guests alike. The convivial atmosphere paved the way for the evening’s ceremonial highlights.
The night took on an air of anticipation with the turnover of a check for the Pasig River Project, presented by Past President Herminio “Hermie” S. Esguerras, who proudly announced the club’s recognition as the 2nd Runner Up for the Most Outstanding Environmental Awards, sponsored by the Philippine Rotary Media Foundation, Inc. This recognition underscored the club’s enduring commitment to environmental stewardship.
At 8:00 PM, the ceremonial induction began, heralding the in-
troduction of the RCManila Foundation Inc. Board of Trustees and Officers for the Rotary Year 20242025. Rtn Wilfredo “Willie” Peliño charged the new board, emphasizing the responsibilities they were about to undertake. The esteemed Past Director Jose “Pepo” A. Nuñez then inducted the board, reinforcing a legacy of service that the Rotary Club holds dear.
The introduction of the Rotary Club of Manila Board of Directors followed, with Immediate Past District Governor Antonio Juan Carlos “Jay” Tambunting leading the charge. The induction of the new board members was not merely a procedural formality; it was a renewal of vows to serve the community and embody the Rotary spirit.
In a heartfelt moment, the RCM World-Famous Music Chorale serenaded President Eduardo “Jujut” V. Enriquez, III, and his spouse Lia Enriquez, infusing the evening with warmth and joy. As the new president stepped forward, his inaugural message resonated with a commitment to community service, collaboration, and innovation, inspiring those present to embrace the challenges of the coming year.
The evening concluded with a Mabuhay Toast led by Past President Arsenio “Archit” M. Bartolome, III, honoring the incoming board and their vision for the year ahead. Following the formalities, guests were treated to lively entertainment, featuring the talents of Lala Dinglasan and the Movement Entertainment, a perfect capstone to a night filled with hope, purpose, and a shared commitment to service. In essence, the 106th Induction and Turnover Ceremonies of the Rotary Club of Manila was not just a transition of leadership; it was a reaffirmation of the club's enduring dedication to making a difference in the world. As members departed, they carried with them a renewed spirit of fellowship, ready to embrace the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in their noble journey of service.
BusinessMirror
BusinessMirror
BusinessMirror
FLUOR DANIEL, INC. - PHILIPPINES
156. PUCHNER, JIRI Project Specialist
Scope
FOYA INC.
Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig
157. GUAN, YEYE Mandarin Project Manager
DESIGN ARENA PHILIPPINES, INC.
162. OZA, VALAY ANTARIKSHABHAI (schedule, budget, and goals).
ZUOPING
164. ZENG, LIHUA Helps and manage customers concerns,
CONSULTANCY INC. Of
Minimum
(10) years’ experience in
related industry. Ability to learn applicable local, state/ province, and federal/ guidelines.
TAU CORPORATION (PHILIPPINE BRANCH OFFICE) Rrm. 302/b/304a, 3/f Vicente Madrigal Bldg. Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati
206. NISHIDE, KEITA General Manager
Brief Job Description: Responsible for the full control of the business
207. CHENG, LI Marketing Consultant
Brief
208. DAI, SHENG Marketing Consultant
Brief
209. HY NHUC TRUNG Marketing Consultant
Brief
210. LI, XUEYING
Salary
Basic Qualification:
Purchasing
Salary
Qualification: Strong organizational, communication, and attention to detail skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office, analytical and problem-solving abilities. Basic understanding of procurement processes and supply chain management and awareness of market trends and pricing.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
SUN,
Purchasing
243.
244.
245.
TAO, ZIYU
Purchasing Assistant
Brief
A purchasing assistant supports the procurement team in acquiring goods and services necessary for the organization’s operations. Their role involves administrative tasks, coordinating with suppliers, and ensuring the smooth execution of purchasing processes.
WANG, JIANXIONG
Purchasing Assistant
Brief Job Description: A purchasing assistant supports the procurement team in acquiring goods and services necessary for the organization’s operations. Their role involves administrative tasks, coordinating with suppliers, and ensuring the smooth execution of purchasing processes.
Basic Qualification: Strong organizational, communication, and attention to detail skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office, analytical
246.
WANG, JINDE
Purchasing Assistant
Brief Job Description: A purchasing assistant supports the procurement team in acquiring goods and services necessary for the organization’s operations. Their role involves administrative tasks, coordinating with suppliers, and ensuring the smooth execution of purchasing processes.
Basic Qualification: Strong organizational, communication, and attention to detail skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office, analytical and problem-solving abilities. Basic understanding of procurement processes and supply chain management and awareness of market trends and pricing. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic Qualification: Strong organizational, communication, and attention to detail skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office, analytical and problem-solving abilities. Basic understanding of procurement processes and supply chain management and awareness
Basic Qualification: Must have skills in areas like problem-solving, communication, and attention to detail. Strong communication skills are a critical component of an auto mechanic’s
Brief
Over
3
million deaths annually: Addressing the devastating toll of alcohol and drug use
THE recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the global impact of alcohol and drug use paints a grim picture of a problem that continues to plague societies worldwide. With over 3 million deaths annually attributed to these substances, it is clear that urgent action is needed to address this public health crisis.
One of the key findings of the report is the disproportionate impact on men, with 2 million deaths due to alcohol and 0.4 million deaths due to drug use occurring among males. This alarming statistic underscores the need for targeted interventions and awareness campaigns tailored specifically to men, addressing the underlying factors that contribute to their higher rates of substance abuse.
The consequences of alcohol and drug use extend far beyond individual health. They place a heavy burden on families and communities, leading to increased risks of accidents, injuries, and violence. Moreover, substance use is associated with a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and mental health conditions, exacerbating the strain on healthcare systems already grappling with limited resources.
To combat this crisis, it is crucial to adopt a multi-faceted approach that encompasses prevention, treatment, and social support. First and foremost, awareness campaigns must be intensified on a global scale to educate individuals about the risks and consequences of substance use. These campaigns should focus on dispelling misconceptions, reducing stigma, and promoting healthier alternatives.
Equally important is strengthening the capacity of healthcare and social care systems to provide effective prevention and treatment services. Training programs for healthcare professionals need to be expanded to enhance their ability to identify and address substance use disorders. Governments must prioritize the implementation of comprehensive action plans, such as the Global Alcohol Action Plan 20222030, which outlines evidence-based strategies for reducing harmful alcohol consumption.
Collaboration among diverse stakeholders is essential to address this complex issue. Civil society organizations,
professional associations, and individuals with lived experience should be actively engaged in shaping policies and programs. Their insights and perspectives can contribute to more effective and inclusive approaches to prevention, treatment, and support services.
Furthermore, robust monitoring systems and research capacity are crucial for tracking progress and identifying emerging trends. By collecting accurate and up-to-date data, policymakers and public health officials can make informed decisions and allocate resources where they are most needed. Financial resources play a pivotal role in implementing comprehensive strategies to combat substance use disorders. Governments and international organizations must prioritize resource mobilization and explore innovative funding mechanisms. Allocating sufficient funds to strengthen healthcare and social systems will ensure the availability and accessibility of quality treatment services.
Addressing the devastating toll of alcohol and drug use is a global responsibility. Achieving Sustainable Development Goal target 3.5 by 2030 requires accelerated actions and a renewed commitment to prioritize the health and well-being of individuals and communities affected by substance use disorders.
By implementing the recommendations outlined in the WHO report, governments and partners can make significant progress in reducing the negative health and social consequences of alcohol consumption and drug use.
Through collective efforts, we can build a healthier and more equitable society, where treatment for substance use disorders is accessible, affordable, and stigma-free. We must take immediate and compassionate action to protect lives and minimize the devastating effects of substance abuse.
Two wounded bullies
THE 2024 US presidential election will be held on November 5, 2024. At this time, the two primary candidates will be the incumbent Joe Biden, and Donald Trump.
Joe Biden served as the 47th US Vice President and is the current 46th President of the United States. He was a Senator for 36 years, known for his long political career. Donald Trump is a businessman and the 45th US President. He is known for his real estate empire and reality TV show.
In a poll released on April 24, 2024, a Pew Research Center survey found that the race is virtually tied. The projected Electoral College map looks similar to the 2016 election match up when Clinton won the West Coast and the heavily populated Northeast urban states. Trump won in ‘Middle America’. Here is a fun fact you won’t see anywhere else. Of the 20 states where the use of recreational marijuana is legal, the current polls show Trump winning in seven states and Biden the winner in 13.
However, about half of registered voters (49 percent) say that, if they could decide the major party candidates for the 2024 election, they would replace both Biden and Trump on the ballot.
I think that given a choice, a similar percentage of Filipinos would prefer to replace both China and the United
AM. Cruz Jr.
Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes
D. Edgard A. Cabangon Benjamin V. Ramos Aldwin Maralit Tolosa Rolando M. Manangan
States as the primary influence in the South East Asian Region.
I mean absolutely no disrespect or bias using the terms ‘Am-Boy’ and ‘Chi-Boy’ to describe differing opinions on Philippine foreign policy. I will not use the expressions ‘Pro-USA’ or ‘ProChina’ because I believe both sides are ‘Pro-Filipino’. Maybe I am naive. However, I see both groups as believing the potential for war in the region centering on China and USA relations ranges from the “Probable” to the “Possible” and that is disturbing since the outcome would obviously be a disaster for the Philippines.
Each of the ‘Am-Boy’ and ‘Chi-Boy’ factions seems to also believe that both China and the US are pushing the other nation into a military conflict. The Chi-Boys correctly point out that since World War Two, China has not ‘invaded’ and apparently avoided regime change in any country whereas the US has done both on many occasions. Yet the US and Europe were badly burned by not countering Nazi Germany’s militarization of the Rhineland, annexing Austria, and then Czechoslovakia before invading Poland. Yet during his two terms of office, President Obama
MBASSADOR MaryKay Carlson’s remarks at the Stratbase event “The 8th Year of the Arbitral Victory: A Collective Pursuit of Maritime Security in the West Philippine Sea” in Manila.
Magandang umaga! Good morning! Thank you to Stratbase, a valued partner of the US Embassy, for inviting me to speak—and to this distinguished group for coming together to commemorate the eight-year anniversary of the Philippines’ victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The significance of the July 12, 2016 Arbitral ruling extends well beyond the Philippines. It stands as a milestone for all who seek a prosperous, inclusive, and secure Indo-Pacific and who undertake to uphold the rule of law around the world. While discussions about the Arbitral decision, which ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, often emphasize its crucial impact on security (as former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario put it, “the equalizing power of international law”), today I would like to highlight its contributions to global prosperity, another crucial contribution
did nothing of substance to stop China’s aggression and ‘annexation’ in the South China Sea. So here we are.
While the majority of the Asean members—again according to an April 2024 Pew survey—believe that “China contributes to global peace and stability” (Thailand 80 percent to the Philippines 57 percent), many also believe that China wants to and is poised to ‘take over the world’. It is the world’s second-largest economy, accounting for 17 percent of global GDP or more using Purchasing Power Parity.
However, China has two major points of difficulties—the long-term macro level and the short-term technical. On the long-term level, China has three major obstacles: the middleincome trap, declining demographics, and wasted investment.
To move from ‘low’ to ‘middle’ is easier than up to ‘high’ as the final move requires a level of technology and continuing and increasing foreign investment that China does not have.
One definition of GDP is working-age population times productivity, and China’s total GDP will experience a great decline over the next generation. China wasted much of its wealth earned during the past 30 years with bad investments in unneeded infrastructure. A mature economy devotes about 25 percent of GDP to new investments and about 65 percent to consumption. In China, that split is reversed. The ‘Chinese miracle’ is turning into a dead end.
The short-term negatives to growth are an excessive debt-to-GDP ratio, a deterioration of Foreign Direct Investment, a dollar shortage, and a rapidly declining currency. China has one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios in the world, well over 300 percent, and that means if they borrow a dollar and spend a dollar, they receive less than a dollar of added GDP. Direct foreign investment is being diverted from China to other high-growth centers like India. China’s declining labor force cannot be productive without FDI to fund stateof-the-art manufacturing facilities and new technology.
One
Social media: Distractive and addictive?
By Wilma Inventor Miranda
AS I was writing this article and researching further on this topic, I realized I wasted time going through the notifications in my Viber chat and Facebook messenger instead of going straight to the topic I want to research on. If you experienced such kind of distractions too, welcome to the club. They say notifications play a great part in distracting and wasting people’s time. There are notifications that are really important, but one has to be selective.
To optimize our use of social media and derive maximum benefits, it is crucial to align it with our goals. This involves ensuring that the content we consume is in line with the specific information we seek. For instance, your goal is to know how to improve your business or profession—you should search intentionally for information on how to bring your business to the next level—what innovative approaches you will use or what strategies to undertake to reach your business goals.
On the personal side, watch only YouTube contents that will align, for instance, with your health goals or spiritual growth goals (these are actually my personal goals). Entertainment contents can take up much of your time without sometimes giving you the benefits—if you want an entertainment break, limit to a few minutes if possible. Unfollow people who fill your feeds with contents that are not of value to you.
Mindlessly scrolling will be taking a lot of your time since you will just be shifting from one stimulus to another. What you intend to be just a 15-minute break will end up an hour or two before you realize how much time you spent just scrolling. I am writing this because I am reminding myself too since there are instances when I am also wasting a lot of my time on the distractions of social media.
These are important not only in our personal lives but also in our workplaces. According to an article in aisle.aisnet.org (on the topic: Social Media Induced Technostress) individuals admitted they spend 27 percent of their time on social media. In a survey by KellOCG of 168,000 respondents, 47 percent said they believed that social media had negatively affected their productivity. In a sample of over 1,000 business professionals and employees, they admitted routinely checking their social media throughout the workday (obviously not work-related). Keep this in mind and include in your training sessions in the office the proper use of social media—both personal and workrelated.
We should also remember that people who post on social media such as Instagram and Facebook only post the highlight of their lives (the best and brightest moments). We do not see behind-the-scenes of their lives and we get distracted because we do not have the big house they have or the new branded bags they just bought or vacationing in some places or visiting other countries. These posts only distract us from the values we should uphold, but they start to discourage us, when in fact we maybe even far better off than
Arbitral...
Continued on A
ippines as we work together to bolster our 73-year-old alliance. Described as “ironclad” and “on hyperdrive,” our alliance grows stronger by the day through 500 joint exercises and other engagements every year. We have deliberately and decisively built up the connective tissue of the Alliance over decades, exercising it frequently, keeping it fit and stronger than ever. As Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Indo-Pacific Ely Ratner said just yesterday during public remarks in Washington, and I quote, “We have elevated the US-Philippines alliance to stand among our most vital defense partnerships in the world.”
I could offer many examples over the past year alone to demonstrate ways in which the United States and the Philippines have routinely operationalized our commitments—supporting capacity-building programs to enhance maritime domain awareness and improving the ability of civilian and military vessels to routinely fly, sail, and operate anywhere that international law allows. One cornerstone of our ironclad alliance is the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, that enables Filipino and American forces to train together more closely, to modernize, and to respond to shared threats, including natural disasters. To date through EDCA, we have invested about 120 million dollars, or seven billion pesos, to repair runways, build disaster response warehouses, and improve critical infrastructure. These investments also spur economic growth and opportunity in local communities. We have expanded networks of support for the Philippines and a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States, the Philippines, Japan, Australia, Canada, and France have engaged in a series of multilateral maritime cooperative activities in an unprecedented show of solidarity. Sailing together sends a clear message: that we are all committed to upholding freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with inter-
Too fast, too slow
THE feedback I got from my opinion article Too late the hero buoyed me to write a follow-up piece about the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Order dated June 13, 2024 in ERC Case No. 2024-017MC. To recall, in the Order, the ERC directs the Distribution Utilities (DUs) to recover the costs of the electricity they procured through the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) for the supply month of May 2024 from their customers, in four equal monthly installments instead of just one month. I intend to have this deep dive into the practical consequences of the ERC’s precipitate action in issuing the Order alongside its lackadaisical response to a DU’s plea for immediate action on its pending applications for approval of its two Power Supply Agreements (PSAs). Hence the theme—too fast, too slow.
CO, to be able to recover the deferred WESM costs of P474 million (P632 million minus P158 million), would charge an additional rate of P2.20/kWh, give or take, on top of what it would calculate as current generation charges for July 2024 to September 2024, there would again be a spike in SFELAPCO’s July 2024 generation charge, which can even breach the original P8.65/ kWh June 2024 generation charge of SFELAPCO without the ERC Order. In other words, there would be a seesawing of SFELAPCO’s generation charges from P7.20/kWh, down to P2.20/kWh, and then back to P8/kWh or higher. For some customers, especially those who could not easily adapt and match the pricing of their goods sold to the fluctuations in their electricity costs, these wild swings would be a nightmare to manage.
seek.
those people. Such posts create discontentment and we begin to count what we do not have instead of counting the blessings we have, and sometimes they ruin our day.
One speaker (Bailey Parnell in Ted Talks) relates that a friend of hers in school posted an enviable vacation relaxing in seawater and she asked herself why can’t she take a vacation like that? But she is a good friend of hers and she knows that friend is drowning in school work.
But her Facebook friends only see her relaxing and having a good time. Another dark side of social media is, it can be addictive. According to Adam Alter, a professor of psychology and marketing at NYU, our fascination with technology can be likened to addiction to substances. One sign of addiction is when you spend more time on social media than you plan to.
One very important thing that learned from a favorite book, “Things that Matter” by Joshua Becker, is to be more of a contributor than a consumer. Ask yourself if you are creating content that will be useful to the world or am I just a constant consumer of the contents of others?
There is a quote, “you are what you read,” but I would like to revise it a little—“you are what you are now because of the contents on social media that you read or watch.”
Years from now you may look back at how you spent your life—may it be filled with gratefulness rather than regrets because you spent your time well here on earth, not distracted or addicted to social media but had the freedom to use your time wisely.
(One of the writers for Finex’s rotating column for BusinessMirror, Wilma Miranda is the 2024 Chair of FINEX Ethics Committee, Managing Partner of Inventor, Miranda & Associates, CPAs, Member-Board of Directors Member of KPS Outsourcing Inc. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions.)
national law. We are also encouraged by the opportunities enabled by the reciprocal access agreement announced this week between Japan and the Philippines. To quote ASD Ratner again, “The future we’re striving for is one with greater interoperability and cooperation among likeminded 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 the Philippines stands at an intersection of all of that.”
With the backing of an increasingly interconnected latticework of alliances and partnerships, the United States continues to urge the PRC to cease escalatory and dangerous harassment of Philippine vessels lawfully operating in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone; to stop infringing on the Philippines’ rights to explore, conserve, and manage natural resources; and to cease interfering with freedom of navigation and overflight of all states lawfully operating in the region. Secretary of State Blinken reasserted our call on the PRC to abide by the 2016 ruling in a statement just this morning. We applaud President Marcos and the government of the Philippines for defending the wellbeing of its servicemembers on the BRP Sierra Madre. It was my honor at WESCOM on Wednesday this week to meet with Admiral Torres and his team and to address the crew of LS57 via videoconference to thank them for the important role they play in defending Philippine rights—and by extension, the rights of all of us—under international law. We are proud to be among the chorus of nations that have consistently lent their voices to calling out incidents of aggression. The volume of condemnation from the international community is loud and getting louder, and it speaks to our common resolve in support of the international rules and norms that benefit us all.
I want to thank Stratbase and Dindo again for inviting me to speak to you today. I am confident the efforts we undertake together will continue to strengthen the US-Philippine relationship as friends, partners, and allies.
Aside from the Order’s negative impact on the generators that supply the WESM, i.e., the deferral of the full payment due them, the Order necessitated the revision to the electricity bills of the DUs. Since the ERC directed the DUs to recover their May 2024 WESM costs from their customers over a period of four months, the ERC in effect ordered all DUs to reduce their generation charges for June 2024 by three-fourths of their WESM costs and collect those deferred WESM costs over the next three months in equal installments.
To effect this, the DUs, who, by the time the ERC issued the Order, have already generated their June 2024 electricity bills, had no choice but to recall them and recalibrate their billing software to comply with the WESM recovery scheme that ERC mandated without any prior consultations with them. This was why, in the case of Meralco, after already announcing that its generation rates would increase in June 2024, it then suddenly announced a reduction. This was followed by its advisory to its customers saying, “The delivery of your June bill is delayed. We assure you that due dates will be adjusted to provide enough time for payment. This follows the ERC’s directive for all utilities, including Meralco, to hold the issuance of June 2024 bills until the final Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) bill is received. Your bill was adjusted according to the ERC order to collect a portion of the generation charges on a staggered basis, from June to Sept 2024 to help manage the impact of the increase in generation costs due to WESM charges brought
Cabout by the tight supply condition in the Luzon grid.”
As can be seen, to comply with the ERC Order, the DUs need to commit and spend additional resources to recalculate their generation charges and issue the revised bills. Because of this, the issuance of the bills gets delayed and so with the DUs’ collections, not just for their generation cost recovery, but also their distribution revenues. Consequently, the ERC’s Order also affects the DUs’ cash flows and operations. The disruption is not confined to the generators.
What about the consumers? Surely, the benefit of having reduced generation charges for June 2024 makes the ERC’s imposition on the generators and DUs all worth it. Does it?
To answer this, I looked at the actual rates of SFELAPCO, being one of the top DUs with the highest exposures in WESM as cited in the ERC Order. As published on its website, since August 2023, SFELAPCO has been getting all its requirements from WESM, except a tiny fraction representing the energy exports of its net metering customers. With the ERC’s Order, SFELAPCO’s June 2024 generation charge was substantially reduced from P8.65/kWh to P2.20/kWh. This was because the ERC ordered SFELAPCO to recover its May 2024 WESM cost of P632 million in four equal installments from June 2024 to September 2024. From the P7.20/kWh generation charge in May 2024, SFELAPCO’s generation charge plummeted to P2.20/kWh in June 2024 (for the recovery of one-fourth of P632 million or P158 million), or a difference of P5/kWh. However, since SFELAP-
HINA’S economy grew at the worst pace in five quarters as efforts to boost consumer spending fell short, piling pressure on Beijing to lift confidence at a twice-a-decade policy meeting this week.
Gross domestic product expanded 4.7 percent in the second quarter from the same period a year earlier, undershooting economists’ median forecast of 5.1 percent. Retail sales rose at the slowest pace since December 2022, showing a flurry of government efforts to juice confidence have done little to reinvigorate the Chinese consumer.
“The government will need to mull greater policy supports to deliver its annual growth target of around 5 percent after the disappointing second quarter data,” said Xiaojia Zhi, an economist at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong. “The increasing likelihood of Trump 2.0 also means that China will need additional policy efforts to boost its domestic demand in a timely manner, as external demand downside risks loom.”
President Xi Jinping is betting on manufacturing and high-tech sectors to propel China’s growth in the postpandemic era. That strategy already faces uncertainty as Beijing’s trade partners erect new barriers against Chinese goods, with former President Donald Trump threatening more curbs if reelected. The second quarter data shows policymakers will also need to focus efforts on lifting domestic spending to keep the world’s No. 2 economy on track.
Chinese stocks in Hong Kong extended their declines after the
disappointing data, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index falling as much as 1.7 percent before paring some losses. The People’s Bank of China earlier Monday held its benchmark rate steady, amid concerns about capital flight, pressure on bank profits and a need to defend the yuan.
The National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement accompanying the data that the growth slowdown in the second quarter was due to short-term factors such as extreme weather and rain downpours and floods. It also reflected the economy is facing more difficulties and challenges, with the problems of insufficient domestic demand and clogged domestic circulation remaining, the NBS said.
“The root of the growth slowdown is that the property sector as a pillar of the economy is still rapidly shrinking, and home prices are slumping,” said Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. “To change the fast slowdown in consumption growth China needs to stabilize the property industry, which accounts for about 70 percent of household wealth.”
China’s 2Q GDP growth undershot even our conservative projection— showing that the economy is struggling to maintain a tepid recovery. A sharp deceleration in consumption and
At the level of the individual customers, the ERC Order also can create distortions and subsidization. Assume customer “Juan” to be a SFELAPCO customer whose consumption in May 2024 was only 10kWhs because they were on vacation for the whole month. Without the ERC Order, at the SFELAPCO generation charge of P8.65/kWh, Juan’s total generation cost for June 2024 would be P86.50. With the ERC Order, it was down to P22 or a reduction of P64.50, which is Juan’s deferred WESM cost. Suppose, Juan comes home in June 2024 and from June 2024 to August 2024, they will consume an average of 1,000kWhs per month, which is their normal consumption. If P2.20/kWh is the deferred WESM cost recovery rate and this will be applied to Juan’s 1,000kWhs consumption, the total amount that Juan will be paying as share in the WESM deferred cost will no longer be P64.50 but P6,600 (1,000 x 2.20 x 3). Since Juan will be paying more, some other customers (those with consumption in May 2024 that far exceeded their June 2024 to August 2024 consumption) will be paying less than their actual deferred WESM costs. Consequently, there will be inequitable allocation of the deferred WESM costs and crosssubsidization among and across the DU’s customers for the duration of the four-month recovery period.
I say the ERC was too fast in pulling the trigger and issuing the Order dated June 13, 2024 without much reflection and consultation. And for all the foregoing unintended consequences of the ERC’s Order, we the consumers pay.
Contrast this to ERC’s foot-dragging on SFELAPCO’s PSA applications. Remember, the main justification by ERC for the Order dated June 13, 2024 was the high WESM exposure of the DUs. For some of these DUs, like SFELAPCO, this could have been avoided had their pending PSA applications been acted upon by ERC before the summer months entered and WESM prices as already expected had risen.
I checked from ERC’s website and found two pending SFELAPCO PSA cases. Based on the initial Orders issued by the ERC in ERC Case No. 2023-
services in June was the main driver—a particularly worrying sign of weak confidence. Industrial production held up slightly better, but also stayed soft in historical terms. This underlines the fact that industrial output won’t be able support a broad recovery alone, said Chang Shu, Bloomberg’s chief Asia economist.
New-home prices in major Chinese cities fell for the 13th straight month in June, adding to evidence that a rescue package unveiled in May has done little to boost sentiment.
The collapse in real estate is hurting consumer confidence. Retail sales rose at the slowest pace since 2022, showing citizens were reluctant to spend despite a government program to subsidize and encourage the replacement of old vehicles and home appliances.
Underscoring that point, China marked its fifth period of deflation in the second quarter, extending the longest slide of economy-wide prices since 1999.
“Amongst all monthly figures released today, the highlight is weak retail sales,” said Raymond Yeung, chief economist for greater China at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group. “Household consumption remains very weak. The ‘replacement’ schemes fail to lift spending. With employers slashing salary and high youth unemployment, households will still be cautious going forward.”
Retail sales of cars fell 6.2 percent on year in June, the steepest decline in more than a year, as a price war between Chinese automakers left
122 RC and ERC Case No. 2024-003 RC, after complying with Department of Energy’s (DOE) Competitive Selection Process (CSP) mandate imposed on all DUs, SFELAPCO executed two PSAs with Aboitiz Solar Power, Inc. (ASPI) for its baseload requirements and Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd. (MPPCL) for its intermediate power requirements over the next 20 years. The ASPI and MPPCL PSAs were filed for ERC’s approval on November 9, 2023 and January 5, 2024. As these two PSAs underwent CSP, it would be fair to assume that SFELAPCO was able to secure already the least cost available supply in the market at that time based on the Terms of Reference of its CSP, as submitted to and approved by the DOE and evaluated and determined by a Technical Working Group (TWG) and the Third-Party Bids and Awards Committee (TPBAC) of SFELAPCO as required under the CSP Rules. As cited also in the ERC’s initial Orders, SFELAPCO stated in its Joint Applications that aside from being the least cost available supply, the ASPI and MPPCL PSAs would secure for SFELAPCO stable rates over the long term as compared to being 100% exposed to WESM, which SFELAPCO was at the time of filing of its PSA Applications. SFELAPCO also provided a rate simulation, where its blended generation rate from ASPI and MPPCL would only amount to P5.7448/kWh as compared to its effective WESM rate, if sourcing 100% from WESM, which was at P5.7944 in July 2023. Hearings on these two PSA Applications were already completed right before the start of the summer months, and I was told SFELAPCO was not remiss in reminding the ERC that without any resolution or action on its pending PSA Applications, it would continue to be 100% exposed to the higher WESM prices during the summer months. Several urgent motions and manifestations to this effect were filed and made by SFELAPCO. As ERC was slow to act in addressing SFELAPCO’s predicament, that which was expected happened. SFELAPCO sourced almost 100 percent from WESM in May 2024 at the effective rate of P8.65/kWh, equivalent to P632 million generation cost. Had its pending PSA Applications been acted upon earlier, even on a provisional basis where the CSP outcome would be upheld and the proposed PSA rates authorized, SFELAPCO’s blended generation charge would be at around P5.74/ kWh as it had simulated and presented to ERC. At this rate, SFELAPCO’s generation cost would only have been P418 million (73,081,370 kWhs purchased from WESM x P5.72), for a cost savings of P214 million (P632 million minus P418 million). Consequently, as the ERC was too slow to act on the pending PSA Applications, SFELAPCO’s consumers would be paying P214 million more, for their May 2024 consumption alone.
Too fast, too slow—either way, we pay.
consumers delaying purchases for lower prices. Home appliances and audiovideo equipment decreased 7.6 percent last month, the worst since 2022, and building and decoration materials slid 4.4 percent. “The ability and confidence for households to consume still need to be improved,” said Zhang Yi, an NBS official in a separate statement commenting on residents income and spending in the first half. “We should strengthen measures to increase residents’ income.” The broad slowdown reflected in the figures—the first set of quarterly indicators free of
conclave to address the property downturn, boost technology selfsufficiency and relieve local fiscal strains during the four-day gathering. The party’s most senior 24 officials including Xi are set to sit down later this month for a Politburo
Letting extra GOCC billions ‘sleep’ not fiscally wise: DOF
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
THE government cannot afford to have excess funds of governmentowned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) “sleeping” while withholding it from public investments, the Department of Finance (DOF) asserted on Monday.
In a statement, the DOF said billions of unused and idle funds of GOCCs are being used for projects in health, social services and infrastructure that serve the public, finance growth and eliminate poverty.
“Hibernating funds can help the nation without harming government corporations. This way, the government does not have to inflict additional taxes, increase our debt, and put pressure on our deficit,” it said.
This, after the DOF and state-run health insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) were questioned by health advocate and former Department of Health adviser Dr. Anthony Leachon on the redirection of GOCCs’ excess
funds to finance unprogrammed appropriations.
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto clarified to BusinessMirror that the funds did not come from PhilHealth’s member contributions but government subsidies, and will be used to bankroll vital national government projects. (See: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2024/07/15/dof-philhealthexcess-fund-came-from-ng-subsidies/).
The DOF said that utilizing the excess funds of state-run corporations is a “more prudent fiscal option” rather than borrowing or imposing taxes on the public.
“The move does not affect the
Guo-Yang links noted; House to open separate probe on illegal Pogos
MORE details of the links between suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and the illegal Pogo business on one hand, and former presidential adviser Michael Yang and his Pharmally business on the other, have been turned up by Senate probers, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said Monday.
This, as the House of Representatives announced it will begin a motu proprio probe into Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) operating in the country on Wednesday. The House Committee on Public Order and Safety and the House Committee on Games and Amusement have been directed by Speaker Martin Romualdez to conduct the investigation.
In a press briefing Monday ahead of another tri-committee hearing on the illegal Pogo operations where suspended Mayor Guo is the central figure, Hontiveros said documents show the clear connections between the companies behind the Bamban, Tarlac Pogo hub raided in May, and some key players in the P42-billion Pharmally pandemic mess that involved Yang. The Davao-based businessman is a close friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte who evaded summons of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee in the 18th Congress on the controversy surrounding the questionable lump-sum transfer of P42 billion in Department of Health funds to the Procurement Service of the Deoartment of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), which in turn funnelled bulk of the funds to Pharmally, an undercapitalized, unproven supplier of medical supplies.
Briefing reporters, Hontiveros showed an image from the AntiMoney Laundering Council. “The company of Alice Guo, BAOFU, had a direct transaction with the joint account of two people: Yu Zheng Can, an incorporator of HongSheng, the Pogo that was raided in Bamban, Tarlac. The other account is named Hongjiang Yang,” Hontiveros said, speaking partly in Filipino.
“Who is Hongjiang Yang, you may ask? He is a sibling of Michael Yang. Yes, the same Michael Yang who was a former economic presi-
dential adviser kuno of [President Rodrigo] Duterte. In short, the money of Michael Yang’s brother was used to fund HongSheng, the raided Bamban Pogo,” Hontiveros added. There’s more: Hongjiang Yang is an incorporator of the Full Win Group of Companies, where Gerald Cruz is also an incorporator. Cruz, the senator noted, is one of the incorporators of Pharmally Biological. He is the same Gerald Cruz who is also an incorporator of the Pogo called Brickhartz, the papers of which were found in the Bamban raid, she added.
Resorting to pun, Hontiveros said, “Sabi ko nga, mukhang one big, happy Pharmally pala itong mga Pogo at Pharmally members. Baka nga itong Pharmally pala ang ‘PHARM’ na kinalakihan ni Alice Guo [As I said, maybe these Pogos and Pharmally make up one big happy Pharmally. Maybe this is the ‘PHARM’ where Alice Guo grew up].” She was referring to Guo’s repeated claim in a Senate hearing that she was the daughter of a Filipino maid impregnated by a Chinese businessman, but she spent most of her growing up years in a farm.
House probe agenda ON the planned inquiry in the House, meanwhile, Committee on Public Order and Safety Chairman Dan Fernandez said, “Comprehensively, we will be trying to find out which criminal elements are involved and who those involved are.”
According to Fernandez, the two panels already invited representatives from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), the League of Cities of the Philippines, and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines as resource persons.
“We need to understand why these criminal activities are being conducted inside. Is it because they need different kinds of scams to See “Guo-Yang,” A
viability of participating corporations. It does not impair their delivery of services,” it said in the statement.
Recto told the BusinessMirror that the P89.9 billion in PhilHealth’s excess fund will finance, among others, the P27-billion unpaid arrears for the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) of healthcare workers for their service during the Covid-19 pandemic.
PhilHealth’s remittance of the excess funds to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) “complies with all laws, specifically the General Appropriations Act of 2024, which have imposed appropriations in excess of what the executive branch has originally proposed,” the DOF cleared.
The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) also remitted P20 billion to the Treasury, which the DOF noted as a “contribution to the revenue-raising effort.”
Legal railguards THESE moves were made in observance of legal railguards laid in the legal opinions by the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) and were approved by the PhilHealth and PDIC’s respective boards, the DOF pointed out.
The unused and excess funds will
be redirected to finance ongoing Foreign-Assisted Projects (FAPs), such as the Metro Manila Subway Project, the North-South Commuter Railway System and the PNR South Long Haul Project, among other big-ticket infrastructure projects.
Other FAPs include the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project and the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project.
The government also commits to meet the Philippine Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Project; Supporting Innovation in the Philippine Technical and Vocational Education and Training System; the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project; and the Philippine Rural Development Project.
The funds will also be used to support the Community-based Monitoring System for the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA); and the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“The DOF remains steadfast in its stewardship of sound fiscal policy which includes efficient mobilization of government resources to promote general public welfare,” it assured.
TATAK PINOY SEEN HELPING MSME WITH PROCUREMENT
TATAK Pinoy law is seen to provide “domestic preference” in government procurement, which will take into account small firms, according to an official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
At the Tatak Pinoy Act forum on Monday, Rafaelita M. Aldaba, DTI Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Innovation Group, said that the Tatak Pinoy Act provides non-fiscal incentives such as domestic preference in government procurement.
“The Tatak Pinoy Act mandates that for a period of 10 years, preference and priority shall be given to Philippine products and services in sectors covered by the Tatak Pinoy Strategy,” Aldaba said.
She added that after 10 years, the Tatak Pinoy Council “will determine the domestic preference to be provided and this should not be lower than 15 percent.”
During the same forum, a small business owner raised her concern on the bureaucracy in the government procurement. She said, “How can the government administer roadblocks in government procurement bureaucracy, for MSMEs to be able to leverage the domestic preference?”
The small business owner who is a producer of locally made machineries stressed that the mar-
ket is “not accessible to MSMEs because of the problem with our procurement.”
In response, Director Lilian G. Salonga, Director for Bureau of Competitive Development under DTI, said, under the Domestic Bidders’ Preference Program, wherein “we certify locally manufactured goods and produce, there’s a 15-percent preference margin over foreign bidders.”
Earlier, Aldaba told reporters they had pushed for the amendment of the Government Procurement law through the Tatak Pinoy bill to address the “difficulties” of startups who participate in government biddings.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to come up with some solutions that would support the participation of startups in government procurement through the Tatak Pinoy Bill,” the Trade official told reporters in November 2023. On the sidelines of the Tatak Pinoy forum on Monday, Aldaba told reporters, should the amendments in the procurement law be greenlighted, “The smaller companies can be processed quicker; because right now there’s only one set of rules regardless of whether you’re small or large, just one set of rules applies,” said Aldaba.
See “MSME,” A
IBy Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3
N a bid to provide efficient, affordable, comfortable, and safer bus service to commuters, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) inaugurated the two newly-constructed Edsa-Philam and Kamuning Stations in Quezon City for the Edsa Busway.
MMDA acting chairman Atty. Romando Artes said that enhancements were implemented in other existing stations such as Guadalupe, Santolan, Balintawak, Bagong Barrio, Monumento, Ayala, Buendia, Kaingin, Nepa Q-Mart, Quezon Avenue, Roosevelt, Roxas Boulevard, and Tramo.
“The Edsa-Philam station features elevators or manlifters to provide accessibility and convenience to passengers, especially
senior citizens and persons with disabilities [PWDs],” said Artes. Related story in A3 Nation, “DOTr, partners making Edsa Busway senior, PWD friendly.”
“Four other footbridges, particularly stations in Monumento, Bagong Barrio, Balintawak, Guadalupe, have three elevators or manlifters each to encourage more passengers to ride the Edsa Busway,” Artes said, adding that the two newly-built Edsa Busway Stations as well as their improvements is a testament to the unified efforts of government agencies.
For the safety and security of passengers, the MMDA constructed and installed a Smart Traffic Surveillance System at the Busway with funding from DOTr.
“The Edsa busway boasts of a smart traffic surveillance system where 166 CCTV cameras are installed, 21 with artificial intelligence or AI technolo-
gies, along the entire Busway route from Monumento to Roxas Boulevard, to monitor the time allowed for buses to load and unload passengers as well as drivers’ violations intended to make commuter trips faster and more efficient,” said Artes.
Through these initiatives, aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Philippine Development Plan anchored on a Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance, Artes said an increase on the average number of daily passengers of the busway is expected.
“This project highlights that the government can develop and construct at par infrastructure through coordination and collaboration, underscoring our commitment to providing efficient, effective, and secure transportation systems and managing transport and traffic in the metropolis,” said Artes.
For his part, Secretary Jaime
Bautista thanked the MMDA for supporting the projects of the DOTr in bringing comfort and convenience to the passengers.
“The installation of man lifters is aimed to reach the DOTR’s objective to provide a comfortable, affordable, safe, and secure, accessible travel experience to passengers, especially to senior citizens, persons with disabilities,” said Bautista. According to Bautista, the project also involves the construction of new pedestrian footbridges for Balintawak, Santolan and Guadalupe Stations; rehabilitation of existing pedestrian footbridges at Monumento, Bagong Barrio; construction of PWD Ramps, catch basins and storm drain pipes; provision of pressurized washer for the concrete barriers. Related story in A3 Nation, “DOTr, partners making Edsa Busway senior, PWD friendly.”
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
Apo Cement, Semirara unit ink power supply contract
By VG Cabuag @villygc
CEMEX Holdings Philippines Inc. on Monday said its unit Apo Cement Corp., has executed a retail supply agreement with Sem-Calaca Res Corp. for the supply of electricity to its cement plant facilities in Naga, Cebu.
Sem-Calaca is the retail electricity supply business arm of Semirara Mining and Power Corp.
“The term of this supply agreement will expire on December 25, 2024,” the company said in its disclosure.
The supply contract with Apo Cement is for 44 megawatts of electricity. There is no fuel pass through provision in the contract.
Engineering conglomerate DMCI Holdings Inc. earlier said it can turnaround the operations of Cemex due to its ongoing expansion and the synergies offered by businesses controlled by the Consunji Group.
“While cement demand is currently soft, we expect it to rebound as our turnaround plan progresses, supported by the ‘Build Better More’ program and the anticipated easing
of interest rates next year,” DMCI
Chairman and President Isidro A. Consunji said.
Cemex is the country’s fourth-largest cement manufacturer. It reported losses of P1 billion in 2022 and another P2 billion last year, due to escalating costs and lower sales volumes.
The company, however, is currently constructing a 1.5-million-ton integrated cement production line at its Solid Plant in Antipolo, Rizal.
This expansion will double the company’s cement production capacity in the Luzon region. It will also boost Cemex’s overall installed annual production capacity by 26 percent to 7.2 million tons from 5.7 million tons.
The new cement production line is scheduled to commence operations by September.
DMCI said it anticipates power, fuel and other production supplies costs, which represent 73 percent of
Cemex’s cost of sales in 2023, to fall due to normalizing market prices and its transition to Semirara Mining, a more affordable energy supplier.
Last March, DMCI reported that its income fell 20 percent to P24.9 billion last year from the P31.1 billion it recorded in 2022.
“We saw sharp corrections in commodity and energy prices in 2023 but because our businesses did very well in terms of production and sales volume, we managed to prevent a severe decline in our profitability,” Consunji said.
Consolidated revenues dropped by 14 percent to P122.8 billion from P142.6 billion the prior year due to normalizing coal, nickel and electricity prices, alongside a slowdown in construction and real estate activities, and an increase in revenue reversals stemming from the cancellation of real estate sales.
SEC launches sustainability network
THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday launched the Sustainable Enterprise Collaboration Network (eSECnature), which seeks to further deepen the corporate sector’s participation in sustainability initiatives and accelerate the country’s attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The agency said eSECnature links corporations, government organizations, multilateral and civil society organizations. Members of the network will push for collaboration and participation in knowledge-sharing activities, as well as policy advocacy initiatives to help one another integrate and adopt sustainable practices in their operations. They will also work toward ensur-
ing the ethical and responsible conduct of business operations and advocacies, reducing their carbon footprint, and supporting the digitalization, zerocontact and paperless initiatives of the government.
“Through this network, we aim to unite organizations both in the public and private sectors to collaborate in developing best practices, new ideas, and successful strategies toward our vision of a sustainable capital market and business sector,” SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino said.
“We believe that the adoption of sustainable practices will have a significant impact in improving the state of our capital markets and, more importantly, the economy. As we see more companies comply with ESG standards,
we can look forward to the entry of more investments into the country that can further drive our economic growth.”
The eSECnature Campaign also focuses on digital enablement to reduce the corporate sector’s overall carbon footprint.
Since 2020, the SEC has endeavored to pursue sustainability through digital transformation, in a bid to not only make its operations more sustainable but also to improve the ease of doing business.
The first digital platforms launched included the Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Company (eSPARC), its subsystem One day Submission and E-registration of Companies (OneSEC); Electronic Filing and Submission Tool (eFAST); and Electronic System for Payment to SEC
(eSPAYSEC). These services automated the commission’s key processes in company registration, reports submission, and payment of fees.
These initiatives are estimated to have reduced the SEC’s carbon footprint by over 3,500 tons from 2021 to 2023. In the same period, it was also able to save more than 10,000 trees, equivalent to about 85 million sheets of paper that would have been used in manual transactions.
The SEC is slated to launch five new digital initiatives this week to further make stakeholders’ transactions easier in line with sustainability efforts.
The agency said the pursuit of sustainability is part of its mandate to promote good corporate governance among the sector it oversees. VG Cabuag
Asian Security: Celebrating 43 years of being ‘The Better Protector’
AS Asian Security and Investigation Agency, Inc. marks its 43rd anniversary, the company reflects on its journey, achievements, and unwavering commitment to its mission. Guided by the battle cry, “The Better Protector,” Asian Security has continually evolved to meet the security needs of its clients while maintaining the highest standards of reliability and professionalism.
Asian Security started its operations on July 16, 1981 under the leadership of Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua. It has grown from its humble beginnings. Starting with only 65 security guards and three clients, the company now boasts more than 530 security personnel serving clients across Metro Manila and various provinces in Luzon and Visayas. Notable clients include industry leaders such as Metrobank, PS Bank, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Devex Inc., Sunwest Development Corporation, SIY Group of Companies, John Clements Consultancy, Inc., Planbank, Isuzu Gencars, Citystate Tower Hotel, and 45 Group of Companies in Baguio City, among others. Asian Security’s commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed. From 1983 to 1985, the company was recognized as the “Most Outstanding Security Agency,” and in 1990, it received the “Most Outstanding Award for Investigative Work” from the Consumers Union of the Philippines (CUP). The accolades continued with the “Most Outstanding Security & Reliable Agency Award” in 1993, 1994, and 1996, and the prestigious “Hall of Fame Award for Outstanding Security & Reliable Agency” in 1999 and 2003.
Asian Security adheres strictly to the laws and regulations governing the security services industry, guided by Republic Act No. 5487, “The Private
Security Agency Law,” and P.D. 1919, under the supervision of the Philippine National Police (PNP). The company’s personnel are carefully selected, trained, and licensed by the PNP, ensuring they meet the highest standards of professionalism and competence.
The company provides fundamental services such as installation security, executive protection, family protection services, public safety, and security consultancy. In addition to these, the company also delivers specialized offerings like physical security surveys, personnel security investigations, security escort services, intelligence operations, and freight security.
Their mission is clear: to enforce clients’ rules and regulations, prevent and control crimes, maintain discipline, law and order, and protect lives and properties. This mission drives Asian Security to continually improve and adapt, staying true to its motto as “The Better Protector.”
Honorin g d e d icate d emplo y ees ASIAN Security’s success over the past 43 years is a testament to the dedica-
tion and hard work of its employees. The company proudly recognizes two of its long-serving staff members, Alan Joe M. Penalver and Dionisio M. Godoy Jr., whose commitment and loyalty have been instrumental in its journey.
Dionisio M. Godoy Jr. joined the team on October 25, 1994. Beginning his career as a janitor and messenger, Dionisio now serves as a collector. His determination to provide for his family and ensure the education of his children has been a driving force throughout his career, “nakapag-aral ang dalawa kong anak.” He advises his colleagues to “Maging matiyaga ano man ang pagsubok sa buhay” and to perform their duties with dedication and integrity.
Alan Joe M. Penalver has been with Asian Security since October 1, 1999. Starting as a messenger, janitor, and liaison personnel, Alan has risen to the position of Recruitment Assistant and Logistic Staff. His dedication has allowed him to support his family and contribute to the education of his nephews, “Sa mahigit 25 years kong pagtratrabaho ay nakatulong ako sa allowance ng aking tatlong pamangkin na nagta-
pos ng kolehiyo sa kursong BS Education, Civil Engineer at BS Marketing. At nakakapagbigay rin ako ng allowance sa aking mga magulang tsaka ang pang araw-araw na financial ng aking family kasama ang dalawa kong anak. Bukod pa rito ay nakagpundar na rin ako ng tatlong motorcycle.”
His advice to new employees is to work hard, be patient, and seek guidance from superiors when needed.
Reflecting on this milestone, Executive Vice President and General Manager Arlene Durante, a 35-year service awardee herself, underscores the company’s dedication to its mission: “We are focused on continuing to provide top-notch security solutions, ensuring that Asian Security remains ‘The Better Protector’ for our valued clients.”
Chairman and President D. Edgard A. Cabangon also expressed his gratitude: “I am proud to share with you that Asian Security is one of the first businesses that I handled, along with Gencars Group, Eternal Gardens and Aliw Broadcasting Corp. Thank you to our clients for your trust in our service. I also commend our hardworking employees for their dedication and commitment. Let’s keep being ‘The Better Protector’ and reach even greater heights together.”
The company remains committed to its mission. It will continue to innovate, adapt, and provide the highest quality security services to its clients. The journey is far from over, and with the support of its dedicated staff and valued clients, Asian Security looks forward to many more years of success as “The Better Protector.”
Asian Security and Investigation Agency, Inc. is part of the ALC Group of Companies founded by Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, and is currently chaired by D. Edgard A. Cabangon.
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
BUDGET carrier AirAsia Philippines said on Monday it recorded 1.1 million seats booked between January and July, driven predominantly by tech-savvy Gen Z and Millennial travelers.
Steve Dailisan, AirAsia head of communications and public affairs, said this figure underscores the growing influence of younger generations in the travel industry.
Out of the 1.1 million seats booked, 340,000 were by Gen Z travelers, and 480,000 were by Millennials. This demographic’s preference for technologydriven solutions has clearly influenced their travel choices, with 70 percent of online and app bookings for the first half of 2024 coming from these age groups.
“Millennials and Gen Zers are tech-savvy, while Gen X and Boomers are tech native. Technology always plays an important role in their decision making,” Dailisan said. He also cited the carrier’s mobile app in driving awareness among its customers.
He said the airline has also noted a shift in travel trends from “revenge travel” to “journey travel,” where travelers focus more on the overall experience rather than just the destination.
“This is where AirAsia also comes to play. With an array of destinations, accommodations, activities, and other modes of transportation available on the AirAsia MOVE app our guests can create the best memories.”
To further leverage this trend, Dailisan announced that AirAsia Philippines is rolling out another promo this month, offering 500,000 seats to various destinations at a base fare of just P177 one-way, available until July 28 for travel until December 30.
As of April 2024, AirAsia Philippines operates flights to 12 domestic and 13 international destinations, continually expanding its network to meet the evolving needs of modern travelers.
“To meet their travel needs, we need to stick to our working business model of low fare philosophy that focuses on streamlined, simple, and efficient business operation with high regards to passenger safety. We will continue to offer the most competitive and affordable airfare, fueling their excitement for travel with our monthly offerings.”
TikTok sees K-culture spend doubling to $143B by 2030
GLOBAL spending on Korean cultural products is forecast to nearly double to $143 billion by 2030, according to new research released by TikTok and analytics company Kantar.
The soaring popularity of socalled K-content has been amplified by social platforms, where users have voiced their appreciation of Korean drama, pop music, cuisine and cosmetics. TikTok, which initially rocketed in popularity with short clips of young people dancing to popular songs, has become a gathering place for K-pop fans online. In recent times, that’s expanded to include more of Korean culture and traditions.
The current market size of Hallyu—meaning Korean Wave, a catch-all term encompassing the country’s cultural exports—is estimated to be $76 billion, and viral content around K-culture should drive it up by capturing bigger audiences in key markets like the US and Southeast Asia, the report said. Overall spending could reach as high as $198 by decade’s end, if all the potential consumers who are intrigued start buying Korean consumer goods, services and entertainment.
Compared to Japan, north Asia’s original heavyweight cultural exporter, South Korea’s output is still relatively small—but social media is helping to narrow the gap.
Content on ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok is increasingly branching out to address topics like Korean food and K-drama. It’s driven engagement, memes and real-world sales of products. In one case, sales of Buldak noodles skyrocketed after rapper Cardi B reviewed them on video and amassed nearly 40 million views. That sent shares of the Korean noodle maker Samyang Foods Co. to a record high this year.
South Korea is best known for its exports of physical goods— from semiconductors to cars and appliances—and those still dominate in economic terms. Hallyu’s
growing reach is having ripple effects and promises to augment the less quantifiable soft power of the country and its brands. It’s already nurtured a new generation of multimillionaires from creative arenas like K-pop and webtoons.
In South Korea, TikTok’s audience is dwarfed by those of YouTube and Instagram. For all the app’s influence in spreading awareness about K-culture internationally, local users are gravitating to other platforms. But in the US and Southeast Asia, the research found that about 80 percent of users have found Korean culture through TikTok.
“If you look at the success stories of global trends in K-content, they are often triggered by secondary content from Southeast Asian creators,” said Hyunho Son, general manager of global business solutions at TikTok Korea. “It shows that the Southeast Asian market is acting as a gateway and hub for global viral trends in K-content.” The craving for Korean culture comes at a time when TikTok is expanding its e-commerce business through TikTok Shop in the United States and across Southeast Asia. Korean products are one of the most promising segment for the social platform, as more than half of TikTok users have bought Korean food or cosmetic items directly on TikTok Shop, according to the company.
Current global spending on Korean music—including concert tickets and content—is estimated to grow to about $11.6 billion this year, while spending on Korean beauty products and food is also expected to grow to more than $20 billion each, according to the report.
Momentum is likely to continue next year, with seven of every 10 TikTok users in the US and Southeast Asia indicating their spending on K-food and K-beauty will increase next year, the report said. Bloomberg News
Treasury raises P22.6B via sale of short-term debt papers
Banking&Finance
Export of exhibition goods sans tax OK’d in ATA mode
Tpercent with a yield range from a low of 6.000 percent to a high of 6.090 percent. T-bills’ yields averaged 6.073 percent in the Treasury’s previous auction on July 8. The Treasury said the auction was 2.3-times oversubscribed, prompting the auction committee to double the accepted volume of non-competitive bids for the 182-day T-bills. The amount tendered per tenor was P15.510 billion for the 91-day debt papers, P17.525 billion for the 182-day securities and P13.701 billion for the 364-day T-bills.
“With its decision, the Committee raised P22.6 billion compared to the P20.0 billion initial program,” the Treasury said.
According to Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort, the T-bills average auction yields are slightly higher week-onweek despite the slight week-on-week decline in the comparable short-term PHP BVAL yield by 0.03 to 0.04 percent.
“Signals on possible local policy rate cut of -0.25 as early as August and possible -0.50 local rate cuts in 2024 led to some greater investor demand for longer-dated or longer-term bonds and other fixed income securities to lock in still relatively higher interest rates,” Ricafort said.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. assured that the Monetary Board is on track to reduce policy rates in August as it may lead to output losses for the Philippine economy. (See: www.businessmirror.com. ph/2024/07/09/further-delays-in-easing-may-cause-output-losses/).
“We [can] not wait too long for easing because the longer we wait for easing, the more likely it is that we will cause a loss of output which we don’t
borrowed P1.422 trillion from January to May this year, with domestic borrowings reaching P1.170 trillion and foreign borrowings at P251.712 billion. Reine Juvierre Alberto
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
By Reine Juvierre Alberto
WO years after the Bureau of Customs (BOC) ordered the implementation of the ATA Carnet system, the BOC and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) launched last Monday the system to temporarily allow the importation and exportation of exhibition goods sans payment of taxes or duties.
ATA Carnet, or the “passport of goods,” is an international customs document that facilitates the dutyfree and tax-free temporary admission of commercial samples, professional equipment and other goods in a country as long as it will be fully re-exported back.
Consumable items, giveaway goods, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, fuels, items to be processed or repaired, unmounted gems or gemstones and items already sold are not covered by the ATA Carnet.
During the launch, BOC officials said the PCCI will manage the ATA Carnet and will be the issuer to fair exhibitors, traveling business or sales
executives, technicians and other professionals to boost their international competitiveness and develop their exports.
The enhanced ATA Carnet system aims to fast-track customs clearance of goods by eliminating tedious paperwork in the payment of taxes to help Philippines businesses participate in international trade shows and exhibitions.
“With the APA Carnet, you have seamless entry into the destination country. Just show your APA Carnet,” PCCI Executive Vice President Ferdinand A. Ferrer said at the launch.
Last April, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) said it
welcomed the Philippines as part of its ATA Carnet International Guaranteeing Chain (ATA Chain). The ICC said the implementation of the ATA Carnet for the Philippines will be effective on July 15. (See https://iccwbo.org/newspublications/news/saudi-arabia-andthe-philippines-to-launch-ata-operations-in-2024/)
Customs Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip C. Maronilla told reporters on the sidelines of the launch that the old system usually takes two weeks to process everything. Customs process-wise, it will now only take a day.
Some would even complain that their items are still in the port when the exhibit is only a day away and they are forced to pay the duties just to release the goods, Maronilla added.
“That’s why the system was adopted because in previous years, there were clamors coming from the private sector, especially from the groups that lost exhibitions and other temporary admission activities,” Maronilla explained.
The implementation of ATA Carnet will simplify the process by presenting some documents to the BOC and securing a guarantee from the Chambers of Commerce of each country.
It was in April 11, 2022, when then BOC Chief Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero issued Memorandum 65-2022 appointing the PCCI “as the recognized and duly authorized National Issuing and Guaranteeing Association (NIGA) for the Republic of the Philippines,” a requirement for the implementation of the ATA Carnet system.
Maronilla said last Monday that the PCCI will now guarantee any obligation should and when these products are not re-exported back to the Philippines, unlike before when importers need to post a bond equivalent to the taxes supposed to be due to the goods.
“What the ATA Carnet actually addresses is the tedious process that we have right now and the burden of the importer or the one who’s going to use the goods having to post a bond,” Maronilla cleared, adding that there will be no revenue losses under the new system.
The ATA Carnet is valid for one year from the effective date of the security furnished to PCCI.
The ATA Carnet is accepted by an international network of 81 customs administrations, including Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Germany, the United States of America and more.
DITCH THE DEBT, DAD! BUILD A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Tip #4: Cultivate a
LAST May, embarked on a heartwarming journey back to my hometown in Eastern Samar. Two weeks of reconnecting with childhood friends and classmates, indulging in the familiar sights and smells and basking in the warmth of family— it was pure bliss. But amidst the laughter and reminiscing, a sobering reality emerged during our late-night catch-up sessions. Many of these incredible fathers, who work tirelessly to provide for their families, fishermen braving the open sea and construction workers under the scorching sun, lacked a crucial tool: financial literacy. Their dedication is undeniable. They sacrifice their well-being, pushing through long hours and physical strain, all to send their children to school and build a secure future. Yet, a common thread resonated through their stories—debt. The weight of unpaid loans, often accrued due to a lack of financial planning or resorting to high-interest options in times of crisis, cast a long shadow. The stress of impending repayments, coupled with the constant
worry of not being able to provide for their loved ones, took a toll on their mental well-being. This resonated deeply with me. Here were these amazing men, pillars of their families, who deserved a life free from financial anxieties. It’s a story that plays out across the country, in countless households. But here’s the good news: fathers, regardless of age, background, or income level, can be the architects of financial freedom for their families. It all starts with taking control of your finances and building a strong foundation of financial literacy.
Here are five practical tips how fathers can build financial security:
Tip #1: Embrace the power of budgeting.
THINK of budgeting as a roadmap to your financial goals. It’s about understanding where your money goes and directing it towards what matters most. Imagine yourself setting sail on your fishing boat—you wouldn’t leave the harbor without a clear destination and a plan
to navigate the currents, would you? Budgeting works the same way. First, track all your income sources and expenses for a month, including everything from salary and side hustles to groceries and that daily coffee. Categorize your expenses into essentials (rent, utilities, food), debt payments, savings and discretionary spending (entertainment, eating out). Finally, analyze your spending habits, prioritize essential needs and debt repayment, allocate savings and use any remaining amount for discretionary spending. This way, you can make informed decisions about where your money goes.
Tip #2: Beware of the debt trap. DEBT, when used wisely, can be a tool for financial growth. However, uncontrolled debt can become a suffocating burden. To effectively manage debt, start by creating a comprehensive list of all your outstanding loans, including the amount owed, interest rate and minimum payment. Focus on tackling the high-interest debts first, as they snowball the fastest. Explore options like debt consolidation or negotiating with creditors for better terms. Remember, you’re in charge of your finances, so be your own advocate!
Tip #3: Build your emergency fund. LIFE throws curveballs. An unexpected illness, a damaged appliance, or even a car repair can wreak havoc on your finances. An emergency fund acts as a financial safety net, providing you with a buffer during these challenging times. Aim to save at least 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses in an easily accessible savings account.
Think of it like a raincoat for your financial wellbeing. Just as a raincoat protects you from unexpected downpours, an emergency fund shields you from financial shocks. Remember that an emergency fund is not for planned expenses like that annual vacation or a new gadget.
Tip #5: Talk money matters. FINANCIAL planning is a team effort, especially for families. Involve your spouse or partner in discussions about your finances. Talk openly about your income, expenses, savings goals and future plans. Financial stress can negatively impact relationships. By discussing finances openly and working together, you can create a supportive
your family. So, dads, take control of your finances today! Not just for yourself, but for the future of your loved ones. Janice Sabitsana is registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. To learn more about personal-financial planning, attend
Weak peso seen helping BOC surpass 2024 target
HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) is confident it will be able to collect P20 billion to P30 billion more in revenues on top of its P939.7-billion target collection for 2024 due to a weak peso.
Customs Assistant Commissioner Vincent
Philip C. Maronilla told reporters last Monday the BOC is aiming to hit that amount, which is the internal target of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio and higher than the initial target for the entire year set by the Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC).
“Any increase in the value of the dollar [has], of course, a positive effect on the bureau,” Maronilla said.
However, he was quick to add that it is a “give-and-take situation” since a weaker peso would translate to a “more conservative” approach for some of the importers and exporters.
“Hopefully, we reach a little less than the P1 trillion; [but] pf we can reach a trillion, it is so much better,” Maronilla said. The goal of obtaining a surplus in the BOC’s collection for this year would depend on the trends in the economic factors and volume increases.
Kung target lang namin ang pinaguusapan, confident naman kami na ma-reach namin [If we’re to talk about our internal target, we are confident that we will reach it],” Maronilla added.
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto has urged the BOC and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to ramp up efforts to meet government’s total revenue target of P4.269 trillion.
According to Maronilla, Recto suggested looking into industries, to introduce ways to apply levies and improvements on the BOC’s plans and activities. Since the start of the year, the BOC has consistently exceeded its monthly target collections, hitting double-digit amount in surplus.
“We’re working on trying to double-digit it in terms of percentage, which is a little bit bigger than double-digiting it in terms of amount. Hopefully, we can hit that,” Maronilla said. According to him, the BOC is on track with its July collection goal. Maronilla, however, remains pensive with the agency’s performance in August, which is considered a slow month.
“Some businessmen and some trading partners superstitiously treat it as a slow month and some treat it as an inventory month for the year,” Maronilla xplained. However, the BOC has tackled the issues surrounding the “Ghost Month.”
“We’re still confident that we will overcome any challenges that will be faced by the bureau for the month of August,” Maronilla said.
The BOC has collected P456.053 billion in revenues in the first half of 2024, surpassing its P442.621-billion target for the period by 3.03 percent, based on preliminary reports. Reine Juvierre Alberto
Art BusinessMirror
NCCA Gallery unveils satirical visual journey, showcase of brass
THE National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) introduced a pair of solo exhibitions at its Intramuros gallery, one a thought-provoking satirical presentation and the other an awe-inspiring display of brass artworks.
The former, titled Iile Imperium, features the creations of Paul Hilario. Meanwhile, Beyond Brass presents Cameron Castillo’s prowess in the medium. Both exhibits are on display at the NCCA Gallery at the NCCA Building in Intramuros, Manila, until July 31. For years, Hilario has created visual narratives about the conditions and realities of the Filipino. His early works centered mostly on impressionist rice well as his background working for an international agricultural organization, before transitioning into a full-time artist.
Byzantine-era painting technique,” wherein the resulting richer layers of colors culture despondence. This sense of melancholy deepens his satirical scenes of a nation in decline. Such is seen in his pieces for Iile Imperium, as the artist dissects the country’s decaying political virtues and system.
According to curator Laya Boquiren, Hilaryo “wages his battles through symbols which are enigmatic provocations that elicit contested responses Tokhador, for instance, portrays impunity through creative depictions of shelves. In RED Party Party, narrated is the blatant land grabbing of agricultural addressing these pressing societal issues, Hilario awareness inspires action to create a better society. Opposite Iile Imperium at NCCA Gallery is Beyond
Brass, an exhibition where Castillo, a veteran in welding arts, tests the value of the medium outside its physical purpose. The artist examines its artistic, on a sculptural form.
Castillo likewise goes for the unconventional in terms of creating his sculptures. He pursues peculiar themes, combines the medium with unique materials, and experiments with new techniques to develop innovative pieces that push the envelope in brass artworks. True to the exhibition’s name, Castillo ventured into the beyond.
SELECTIONS FROM 21ST CENTURY ART MUSEUM COLLECTION
contemporary art with the Selections from the 21st Century Art Museum Collection exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Featuring paintings, photos, drawings, sculptures, prints and reliefs, this collection spans the 1960s to the 1980s, emphasizing printmaking, abstraction, experimental and conceptual art. Divided into The Possibilities of Luminance and Man and Nature, the embracing conceptual and experimental forms. The
public can immerse tehmselves in the evolution of artistic expression, blending spontaneity, materials
non-representational realms. Exploring the rich legacy of Philippine art from the 21st Century Art Museum’s captivating collection.
The exhibit is on view until November 2024, 9 am to 6 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Museum of Fine Arts, 4th Floor, Gallery XXVII and Gallery XXVIII. Tickets are free.
Perhaps the concept itself serves as the artist’s statement on the idea of evolution. In realizing one’s full potential, challenging the established order and breaking preconceived boundaries are imperative.
through the NCCA Competitive Arts Grants for NCCA Gallery 2024 exhibitions. The NCCA recently announced the opening of its Competitive Grants Program 2025, amounting to P133 million.
Section 12.a.4 of Republic Act 7356, or the NCCA Charter, authorizes the NCCA to give grants to artists to the Filipino’s cultural legacy to extend artistic achievement. The name of the Competitive Grants project proposals passes through a rigorous and as quality and relevance to Commission priorities. Interested proponents can only submit one project proposal and must fully accomplish the prescribed NCCA Project Proposal Form.
The deadline for submissions is on August 31, 2024.
For more details on the 2025 NCCA Competitive Grants Program, contact the Program Management Division Secretariat at 8527-2192 (TL) local 509 or e-mail ppmd@ncca.gov.ph. More information is available at www.ncca.gov.ph/ncca-competitive-grantsprogram.
By Eugenia Last
HAPPY
TAURUS
relationships. Don’t let emotional conversations turn ugly. Choose your battles wisely and set boundaries that protect you from abusive individuals and bad situations.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Review your options and implement a positive lifestyle change. Refuse to let outsiders control your routine or interfere with your personal goals. It’s up to you to stay on top of your health, happiness and personal growth.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Consider who you know you can rely on for good advice. Reach out to groups that share your concerns. It’s time to expand, explore your interests and take responsibility for your happiness. Choose to use your attributes to follow your dreams and aspirations.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Be wary of anyone enforcing questionable changes. Do your research and look for alternatives that suit your lifestyle and needs. Don’t hesitate to be secretive until you have everything in place and an excellent chance to come out on top.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Express your feelings. You can resolve issues if you are honest about what you want and expect from others. Being secretive will cause confusion and lead to uncertainty. Overreacting or an unwillingness to compromise will be to your detriment.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take care of what’s hanging over your head before you start something new. Making excuses, putting off chores or ignoring issues will lead to underlying problems. Lift the weight, and opportunities will flow your way.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Do what’s best for you, and don’t look back. Surround yourself with people who share your interests and do your best to make a difference. Kindness and consideration will buy you a pass to personal freedom to pick and choose for yourself.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Ask direct questions if someone is giving you the runaround. Get the statistics and facts straight from the source before you agree to join forces with someone.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Share your thoughts and plans and see who’s on board. An emotional union will change how you feel about someone. Don’t hesitate to show appreciation for someone you love. An energetic attitude and a unique approach to life will help you build a robust support system.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take your time, observe what’s unfolding around you and question anything that doesn’t appear fair or lacks common sense. Emphasize home improvement, meaningful relationships and establishing boundaries that give everyone you care about equal opportunities.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A change looks promising if you stick to your budget and refuse to let outside influences disrupt your plans. Isolate yourself until you have established your plans and cleared a path to achieving your goal.
BIRTHDAY BABY: You are changeable, ambitious and persuasive. You are demonstrative and generous. TODAY’S HOROSCOPE
BY MARSHAL HERRMANN
Show BusinessMirror
Ara Davao is all set to bloom
Shannen Doherty, ‘Beverly
Hills, 90210’ star, dies at 53
LOS ANGELES—Shannen Doherty, the Beverly Hills, 90210 star whose life and career were roiled by illness and tabloid stories, has died at 53. After years with breast cancer, Doherty died Saturday, according to a statement from her publicist, Leslie Sloane.
“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace,” Sloane said on Sunday. The news was first reported by People magazine.
Her illness was publicly revealed in a lawsuit filed in 2015 against her former business managers, in which she alleged they mismanaged her money and allowed her health insurance to lapse. She later shared intimate details of her treatment following a single mastectomy. In December 2016, she posted a photo of her first day of radiation, calling the treatment “frightening” for her.
In February 2020, Doherty revealed that the cancer had returned and was at Stage 4. She said she came forward because her health conditions could come out in court. The actor had sued insurance giant State Farm after her California home was damaged in a fire in 2018.
“I have no idea how long I’m going to be on the chemo for.... That’s not something that I can predict, it’s not something my doctors can predict. And it’s scary, it’s like a big wake-up call,” Doherty said on a late June episode of her podcast “Let’s Be Clear,” adding that a recent change in the shape of her cancer cells meant there were new treatment protocols for her to try. “For the first time in a couple months probably, I feel hopeful because there are so many more protocols now, whereas before I was hopeful—but I was still getting prepared.”
A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Doherty moved to Los Angeles with her family at age 7 and, within a few years, became an actor.
“It was completely my decision,” she told The Associated Press in a 1994 interview. “My parents never pushed me into anything. They support me. It really wouldn’t matter if I was a professional soccer player—they’d still be as supportive and loving.” AP
GMA PICTURES SPICES UP FILM-VIEWING AS IT UNVEILS YOUTUBE CHANNEL
GMA Network’s film production arm, GMA Pictures, is taking film viewing to another level by launching its own YouTube channel this July. The channel, accessible at www.youtube. com/@GMAPictures, offers a diverse lineup of films designed to satisfy every cinephile’s taste.
This month, viewers can enjoy high-quality and well-loved films produced by GMA Pictures, such as The Road, Mulawin The Movie, Just One Summer, My Kontrabida Girl, and I Will Always Love You, among others.
Also to make their premiere on GMA Pictures YouTube channel are Ang Panday, Dance of the Steel Bars, I.T.A.L.Y., In Your Eyes, My Lady Boss, The Promise, When I Met U, Tween Academy, You to Me Are Everything, Boy Pick-Up The Movie, Patient X, and Temptation Island.
Beyond GMA films, over 300 movies are expected to be available on the GMA Pictures channel, spanning genres such as action, drama, comedy, romance, adventure, suspense, and historical films.
In addition to movies, subscribers are also treated to various playlists that feature trailers of both previous and upcoming GMA Pictures offerings, as well as clips on various related media events. Established with a commitment to producing high-quality and culturally relevant films, GMA Pictures has become a prominent player in the Philippine cinema landscape, captivating audiences locally and internationally.
As GMA Films, its productions have reaped both critical acclaim and commercial success, foremost among them the Philippine Centennial offering Jose Rizal in 1998, followed by Muro Ami in 1999.
In 2023, GMA Pictures reestablished itself to cinemagoing audiences with fresh and edgy titles, like The Cheating Game, Video City (co-produced with Viva Films), and Five Breakups and a Romance (co-produced with Cornerstone Studios and Myriad). In the same year, GMA Pictures cemented its comeback with the hit movie Firefly, which won back-to-back Best Picture awards at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) and the first Manila International Film Festival in Los Angeles.
This year, it unveiled its latest collaboration with Viva Films via the suspense-thriller Playtime GMA Pictures is set to make a strong presence at the 2024 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival with its full-length film entry Balota, produced with GMA Entertainment Group. GMA Public Affairs’ first-ever investigative docu-film
Sabungeros will also be part of the film festival. There will also be a special screening for MIFF Best Picture Firefly, the digitally restored version of the critically acclaimed film José Rizal, and highly-acclaimed GMA documentaries.
BDO CEO spotlights Blue Finance opportunities in HK Climate Forum
BDO Unibank Inc. (BDO) President and CEO Nestor V. Tan joined copanelists from regional finance institutions at the recent Climate Business Forum: Asia Pacific, co-hosted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the International Finance Corporation.
At the panel discussion on “Blue Finance: Opportunities for our Oceans and Water Sources,” Tan disclosed the impact of BDO’s USD100 million Blue Bond financing water and wastewater management projects in water stressed areas in the Philippines.
“Blue financing will work best in a country where many of the utilities are privatized and may be financed by banks. Ours is a modest initiative, but we have been seeing good results and impact,” Tan stated as he conveyed the highlights of the BDO Blue Bond Impact Report.
“Remaining true to BDO’s sustainability philosophy, we continue to integrate sustainability in everything
for Asia Pacific of International Capital Market
Capital Markets for Asia Pacific of BNP Paribas
that we do. We are committed to build a better and greener future for our stakeholders, clients and employees,” shared Tan.
The Climate Business Forum sought to find solutions for climate financing
challenges in Asia Pacific and had over 400 participants, with senior decision makers in global business and finance sustainable finance, and new climate technologies in emerging and developing markets in the Asia Pacific.
PHILGUARANTEE partners with BPI-BPI Banko to broaden support for MSMEs, farmers, fisherfolk
further enhanced its support towards the MSMEs, small farmers and fisherfolk as it renewed its institutional partnership with the Ayala Group’s Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and its microfinancing arm, BPI Direct Banko.
Signing ceremonies were held at the PHILGUARANTEE Headquarters in Makati City last July 3, 2024 and was presided over by PCEO Alberto E. Pascual, BPI SVP Dominique R. Ocliasa, head of
the Business Banking segment, and BPI Banko President Rodolfo K. Mabiasen, Jr. Pascual highlighted the significance of the partnership with the BPI Group in credit supplementation support towards housing, MSMEs and agriculture. For his part, Ocliasa emphasized BPI’s steadfast commitment to empowering local entrepreneurs, highlighting their goal of expanding access to financial resources and providing tailored solutions for MSMEs to thrive in dynamic economic environments.
Similarly, Mabiasen stressed the partnership’s focus on supporting small farmers and fisherfolk (SFFs) through BPI Direct Banko, emphasizing their objective to offer customized financial services that meet sector-specific needs.
Since its merger in 2019 under EO 58, PHILGUARANTEE’s cumulative housing, MSME/Priority and agriculture portfolio as of December 2023 has reached P237 Billion, and has supported more than 425,000 beneficiary MSMEs, home borrowers and SFFs, in line with its development financing mandate since then.
PHILGUARANTEE SVP Celso R. Gutierrez, head of the Priority Sectors Guarantee Group, lauded the strong collaboration, and is confident that the collaboration would contribute towards inclusive economic progress, emphasizing the creation of new avenues for growth and development.
MPH CEO Summit 2024: A Celebration of Excellence, Efficiency, and Effectiveness
METRO Pacific Health (MPH), the largest group of private hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Philippines, successfully concluded its 2024 CEO Summit last June 3 to 4, 2024. The Summit, which took place across different locations including Sheraton Manila Hotel, The Palms and Asian Hospital and Medical Center, brought together leaders from across the MPH Group to discuss advancements, share best practices, and set the course for future growth and innovation in healthcare.
With the theme “One MPH: Onwards to E3 – Excellence, Efficiency, Effectiveness,” the event featured insightful presentations on the hospitals’ latest innovations, collaborative discussions, and a CEO Awards Night recognizing outstanding contributions within the MPH network.
Dr. Harish Pillai, MPH Group CEO, opened the summit with an inspiring reflection on MPH’s remarkable journey from 2022 to 2024. He highlighted the significant milestones achieved, including the expansion of hospitals to a total of 24, an increase in bed capacity, the growing number of doctors, and the rise in patients served, reaching almost 2 million a year. Dr. Pillai also laid out ambitious targets for 2024 and beyond, emphasizing MPH’s commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in healthcare delivery.
“Our journey over the past year has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Dr. Pillai. “We have expanded our network, enhanced our capabilities, and most importantly, improved the quality of care we provide to millions of Filipinos. As we look to the future, our focus remains steadfast on achieving excellence, efficiency, and effectiveness in all aspects of our operations.”
A major focus of the summit was on key synergy projects that are driving innovation across the MPH network. Leaders from key subsidiaries presented updates on projects such as the Digital Front Door (DFD), Hospital Laboratory Management (HLM), and Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW). Showcasing significant advancements in digital transformation, laboratory management, and data standardization, the latest updates presented during the event further underscored MPH’s dedication to leveraging technology and data to enhance
Cleen and Green: Celebrating 4 Years of Excellence with Eco-Friendly Cleaning Services
CLEEN and Green Cleaning Services, provider of cleaning services using eco-friendly plant-based solutions, is now on its 4th year of giving quality service and exceptional results to every client.
Known for its dedication to sustainability, Cleen and Green operates with a commitment to preserve the environment by using ecofriendly solutions and methods. Instead of using harsh chemicals during cleaning, plantbased materials are used, making the health of the clients, their workers, and the planet their top priority.
Cleen and Green has grown over the years and is now catering to various locations in Metro Manila and in provincial areas.
With branches in Makati, New Manila, and Quezon City, and outside Manila in Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, and Pampanga, Cleen and Green aims to maintain their high standards of service wherever the appointment may be.
Having established a reputation in the cleaning industry as an eco-friendly cleaning service, Cleen and Green will be opening its 8th branch in Antipolo City in the coming months ahead. Customers in the east will soon be enjoying Cleen and Green’s top-notch services using advanced cleaning machines, with no time limit per appointment.
With services ranging from deep house cleaning to commercial cleaning, post-construction intensive cleaning, and upholstery deep cleaning, Cleen and Green
also offers interior deep cleaning for cars, vans, and even delivery vans. Cleen and Green is the pioneer in starting the No Time Limit Policy- the service staff never leaves the client’s space until everything is spicand-span. Their state-of-the-art cleaning tools and technology ensures that even the toughest cleaning requirements are well taken care of.
Cleen and Green also provides tailor-fitted services to their clients. Assigning the right number of cleaners for every appointment is a must. Cleen and Green understands that different spaces have different needs, so Cleen and Green builds a team focused on meeting specific requirements for every appointment. An added bonus is that all cleaning materials and equipment come with every booking, and that a thorough supervisory check is done after the team finishes with their tasks. At the helm of Cleen and Green’s superb family is Joan Amante-Mora, Head of Operations. Under her leadership, the Cleen and Green team remains steadfast in its thrust in providing excellent cleaning services that is focused on sustainability, service, and client satisfaction.
Book a service now through Cleen and Green’s contact details: Call/Text: 0917-581-4645; Facebook and Instagram: cleenandgreencleaningservice; Tiktok: cleenandgreen and Website: http:// cleenandgreen.com
PCPPI makes headway in reducing environmental footprint in Cebu
N commemoration of Environment
IMonth this June, Pepsi Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI) shared its commitment to hitting its target in reducing its environmental footprint. As part of PCPPI’s sustainability objectives, its Cebu manufacturing facility gave insights as to how the organization continues to meet customer demand while significantly reducing water consumption.
The said facility received top marks in operational excellence last 2023 and was heralded the Best Manufacturing Plant during PCPPI’s National Summit of Bravehearts. From extensive reviews and standards evaluation, Cebu showed improved efficiency, productivity, and sustainability by putting production principles into sound practice
PCPPI Cebu’s plant manager Dan Israel Oriña cited the increased utilization of the facility’s polyethylene terephthalate (PET) lines as one the reasons for its improved performance last year.
“The Cebu plant has a high-speed PET line, which allows us to be at the leading edge in production. This contributed to the team’s exceptional performance to address the needs of our customers” he said.
patient care and operational efficiency.
Emmanuel Ledesma, Jr., President and CEO of PhilHealth, delivered a keynote address on the evolving role of PhilHealth in the context of Universal Health Care. He emphasized the importance of strong partnerships between the government and private sector in achieving the goals of Universal Health Care. His speech highlighted the critical collaboration between PhilHealth and private healthcare providers like Metro Pacific Health, which is essential for enhancing healthcare delivery across the Philippines.
The 2024 CEO Summit once again reaffirmed MPH’s unified commitment and position as the leading network of private healthcare facilities in the Philippines, demonstrating its unwavering pursuit of innovation, collaboration, and superior patient care.
For more information about Metro Pacific Health and its initiatives, please visit https://www.metropacifichealth.com/.
The Cebu Plant ramped up its production volume, ensuring adequate supply to meet the growing demand for beverages in PET bottles in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. To manage operational efficiencies, the facility extended its “Clean in Place” policy to 48 hours, which also helped optimize how the Cebu team managed its water use.
Oriña added the increased utilization of the PET line allowed the facility to generate significant savings from the reduction in energy, fuel, and shipment costs.
Delivering on its promise to champion water stewardship, PCPPI’s Cebu facility also achieved significant reduction in water consumption. This ratio determines how efficiently a facility uses water in its overall operations. “Our focus on our sustainability initiatives is on the water ratio improvement. The lower the water ratio, the better. It helps the community and the environment,” he added.
Oriña said keeping employees involved and having open and consistent communication has always been instrumental in achieving the goals of the Cebu plant, describing it as the “secret ingredient” to their exceptional performance in 2023.
“We consistently conduct team huddles across different sections: from quality assurance and safety to logistics and production. We have always strived to be transparent with our colleagues by making sure that we are all aligned in terms of our priorities so that we can come up with innovative solutions towards our shared objectives,” he said.
PCPPI is the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the country, with products such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7Up, Mirinda, Mug, Gatorade, Sting, Tropicana, Lipton Iced Tea, Milkis, Chum Churum Soonhari, and Premier. More information about PCPPI is available via www.pepsiphilippines.com.
IN the photo are, from left, Nestor V. Tan, President and CEO of BDO Unibank with Mushtaq Kapasi, Chief Representative
Association; and Chaoni Huang, Head of Sustainable
at the Climate Business Forum in Hong Kong.
Solar company gets millions in US tax credits despite Chinese labor questions
By Sheridan Prasso
ASOLAR panel maker in Georgia that has booked $230 million in federal tax credits stands to collect hundreds of millions more as it pursues plans to create the first end-to-end solar manufacturing chain in the US, easing reliance on China and related concerns about the use of forced labor.
But at least through the end of this year, the Qcells solar plant, which South Korea’s Hanwha Solutions Corp. opened in Dalton, Georgia in 2019 and almost doubled in capacity last year, is making panels with base components from China. And previously unreported Chinese filings show that two of Hanwha’s Chinese suppliers have received a portion of the polysilicon they used in such components from companies that appear on a list of sanctioned entities the US government designates as using forced labor. Those subsuppliers’ inputs are barred from entry into the US under federal law. There’s no evidence that components containing the banned polysilicon have turned up in Qcells panels. Nonetheless, amid an industrywide scramble to comply with US import restrictions, questions persist about how well any solar-panel maker can police its supply chain in China. In the case of Qcells, which is key to the Biden administration’s plans to develop a fully onshore solar industry, the company offers assurances but no public details of its polysilicon sourcing, as some other manufacturers have provided to researchers.
Debra DeShong, vice president and head of corporate communications at Qcells, said the company requires its suppliers to provide inputs that are “compliant with US law.” It uses a robust approach, including affidavits, codes of conduct and traceability inspections to ensure that suppliers’ components for the American market are free from forced labor, she said in a written response to questions. DeShong added that Qcells, which plans to invest almost $3 billion in its US operations, halted using a third supplier for its US imports in 2021 and phased that firm out of its global supply chain in 2022 after it “failed to meet traceability standards.”
Still, some industry observers have called for increased scrutiny of the firm’s supply chain by US Customs and Border Protection officials, who are responsible for enforcing the import ban on goods linked to forced labor in western China’s Xinjiang region. The federal law is aimed at punishing China over its oppression of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, though Chinese officials deny any human rights violations and call their labor programs “poverty alleviation.”
“If a Qcells supplier or subsupplier is on the entity list, then to me it would be really strange for CBP not to look into Qcells” in connection with the import ban, said Bret Manley, executive director of the Energy Fair Trade Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group that seeks to hold energy companies
accountable to US trade and labor laws. The group doesn’t disclose its donors.
Qcells became the No. 1 provider of residential and commercial solar panels in the US, in part by supplying Tesla Inc.’s solar business. Its federal tax credits, awarded under the Inflation Reduction Act, may total billions of dollars over time: Qcells’ planned capacity at the Dalton plant and another in Cartersville, Georgia, indicates that it could receive more than $900 million worth for each year the act is in place, through 2032. Under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, or UFLPA, Customs officials have detained for inspection almost $3 billion worth of electronics products, mostly solar panels, since they began enforcing the ban in 2022. The agency declined to comment for this story. As a matter of practice, it doesn’t say which companies’ shipments it stops, but detentions of electronics jumped 186 percent in the first quarter of this year after complaints by members of Congress that the agency wasn’t doing enough.
No Qcells imports have surfaced among those known to have been stopped for inspection, according to five people in the solar industry who track detentions.
Nor has South Korea—from which Qcells exports the bulk of its components after processing Chinese wafers into photovoltaic cells— been singled out on a countries-oforigin list published by Customs officials.
The US law created challenges for solar manufacturers because of China’s dominance of the solar supply chain. The US State Department has warned that metallurgical grade silicon from China, used to make polysilicon, carries an implicit risk that the material has been mixed from multiple sources, including Xinjiang. China produces about 80 percent of the world’s polysilicon, and about one-third of China’s capacity is in Xinjiang, according to BloombergNEF.
As the US import ban took effect, major Chinese solar companies began switching to more expensive polysilicon from Western countries to eliminate that risk. Yet the most recent supply agreements and disclosures from Hanwha’s top two wafer suppliers show their polysilicon comes from China.
Hanwha does not disclose details of its supply chain or procurement of raw materials, citing “commercial competition and trade secrets concerns.” It said it discloses only to third parties who agree to keep the information confidential. That lack of disclosure and information about Hanwha’s known suppliers led researchers at the UK’s Sheffield Hallam Uni-
versity, who have produced two reports on forced labor and the solar industry, to conclude last year that Qcells presented a “very high risk” of using polysilicon tied to forced labor.
The Customs agency in February sent a 19-page questionnaire to solar importers asking about their supply chains and requesting that they “document internal controls, policies and procedures which ensure that raw materials used in production by your company do not contain inputs produced with forced labor at any level of the supply chain.” Qcells said it has responded with details of its materials’ procurement and has “worked with federal, state and local authorities to ensure that we meet regulatory requirements.”
One question on the Customs form asks whether manufacturers or their suppliers have ever sourced materials “from entities identified as using forced labor.” Chinese filings indicate that Hanwha’s suppliers have. The company’s two primary Chinese suppliers, TCL Zhonghuan Renewable Energy Technology Co. and Gokin Solar Co., make the wafers used for the photovoltaic cells that Hanwha manufactures in Korea and then Qcells imports for its panels in Georgia.
TCL Zhonghuan, part of TCL Technology Group Corp., which is known for making televisions and panel displays, had an agreement to receive polysilicon from Daqo New Energy Corp. from 2021 through 2023. For most of that time frame, Daqo’s sole producer
of polysilicon was its Xinjiang unit, which US officials sanctioned in June 2021 for using forced labor. A representative for Shanghai-based Daqo said in an email that only its Xinjiang subsidiary is subject to the sanction under UFLPA.
TCL Zhonghuan also received polysilicon from a second sanctioned entity. Last year, it received $316 million worth of the material from its own joint venture with GCL Technology Holdings Ltd., the company’s largest single provider. That venture was added to the US sanctions list in June 2021. TCL Zhonghuan, which exited its stake in December, didn’t respond to a request for comment. A GCL spokesperson confirmed the supply yet disputed its unit’s inclusion on the UFLPA Entity List, saying GCL has a “zero-tolerance attitude toward human rights violations such as forced labor.”
Gokin Solar’s June 2023 prospectus for an initial public offering on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange shows that at least onethird of its polysilicon supply that year originated in Xinjiang—from Xinjiang Daqo, the sanctioned entity, and from another supplier, Xinjiang Xinte Crystal Silicon Hightech Co. (Although Xinjiang Xinte doesn’t appear on entity list, the UFLPA bans any material from Xinjiang from importation into the US.) Neither Gokin nor Xinjiang Xinte responded to requests for comment.
The supplier that Hanwha stopped using, Jiangsu Meike Solar Technology Co., also had polysilicon supply agreements
Qcells became the No. 1 provider of residential and commercial solar panels in the US, in part by supplying Tesla Inc.’s solar business. Its federal tax credits, awarded under the Inflation Reduction Act, may total billions of dollars over time: Qcells’ planned capacity at the Dalton plant and another in Cartersville, Georgia, indicates that it could receive more than $900 million worth for each year the act is in place, through 2032.
with both Xinjiang Daqo and GCL’s sanctioned unit. Its IPO prospectus on the Shenzhen exchange said Hanwha was its largest customer at 64 percent of its accounts receivable in 2021, totaling $15.8 million. By 2022, the amount dropped to $875,000. A spokesperson for Meike said the company stopped sourcing from Xinjiang in 2023. Qcells’ DeShong said Hanwha has no authority over where its suppliers get the polysilicon they use for other customers. The company requires suppliers to confirm in affidavits that their “manufacturing locations” aren’t located in the Xinjiang region and that “forced labor is not used to produce goods supplied to Qcells,” she said. “Third-party diligence experts conduct on-site segregation and traceability inspections.” Relying on supply-chain audits to root out forced labor in China is problematic, according to Jim Wormington, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, who testified at an April hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Such audits, he said, are “constrained by the threat of Chinese government reprisals against auditors or their sources, creating obstacles for auditors.” Beyond that, Wormington noted, Chinese laws prohibit companies from complying with US sanctions, further limiting audits’ effectiveness.
“Although this legislation has been deployed in only limited ways to date, it creates genuine risk for foreign companies in China,” said Keith Hand, a professor and director of East Asian Legal Studies at University of California, San Francisco. “Many US multinationals are caught in the crosshairs.”
Qcells’ near-term reliance on Chinese suppliers reflects global conditions. DeShong said that because 99 percent of solar wafers are manufactured in China or by Chinese-owned companies, it’s “nearly impossible” to operate without some connection to Chinese suppliers. She added: “Qcells is the only supplier in the world working to change that entirely.”
Qcells started out as a German company and was purchased out of bankruptcy in 2012 by Hanwha Group, Korea’s eighth-largest conglomerate by annual revenue. Hanwha itself began as an explosives maker in 1952; it has since expanded to include chemicals, shipbuilding, construction, aerospace, finance, hotels and retail,
as well as Hanwha Solutions, its solar manufacturing unit. Qcells promises to reduce reliance on China and create 4,000 US jobs by establishing a domestic solar supply chain. Beginning next year, the company says it expects to have as much as 8.4 gigawatts of productive capacity at its Georgia plants, with Cartersville producing its own wafers in addition to panels. Qcells also has invested in restarting polysilicon production at a facility in Moses Lake, Washington, though it will have to be supplemented with imported material from South Korea, the company said.
The White House has trumpeted these goals. “It will bring back our supply chains, so we aren’t reliant on other countries, lower the cost of clean energy, and help us combat the climate crisis,” Biden said in a January 2023 statement when the company announced its plans for expansion and additional investment. “And it will ensure that we manufacture cutting-edge solar technology here at home.” Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Dalton plant in conjunction with the announcement.
The following month, Qcells hired Danny O’Brien, who had been chief of staff in Biden’s Senate office from 2003 to 2006, as its head of government relations. Qcells disclosures in the last three months of 2023 show $530,000 in lobbying expenditures on issues including the IRA, which was passed in 2022. By comparison, First Solar Inc., its US-based rival, spent $280,000 on lobbying in that period.
The legislation, which Congress passed eight months after the import ban on goods tied to China’s Xinjiang region, seeks to create incentives for manufacturers to reduce reliance on China by creating green-energy supply chains in the US. But it lacks any provisions that would ensure imported components for assembly in the US are free of forced labor. Instead, it incentivizes such steps as using union labor and creating employment in rural communities, according to guidelines from the US Treasury Department, which administers the program. Senator Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, was an architect of the solar manufacturing incentives incorporated into the IRA legislation. He has said that creating such a supply chain in the US and reducing dependence on China is crucial to energy independence and national security. His office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
In a larger context, China’s continued dominance of the solar industry may mean that billions of dollars in IRA tax credits will be awarded to Chinese companies, according to the Coalition for a Prosperous America, which represents US-based solar manufacturers. The group estimates that $125 billion in credits could end up with Chinese firms seeking to set up factories in the US, and it argues that would defeat the law’s intention.
“That’s got to be a concern for policymakers,” said Nick Iacovella, the coalition’s head of public affairs and a former staffer for Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who co-authored the import ban on goods tied to Xinjiang. “The last thing anybody wants is for Chinese companies to benefit from the IRA,” he said. With assistance from Heesu Lee/Bloomberg
HANWHA’S QCells solar panel manufacturing plant in Dalton, Georgia. ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/BLOOMBERG
Sports Pogacar’s from another planet
Hmirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph
B8 TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2024
Constantino, known for her resilience and skill, has a history of overcoming challenges having claimed victory at Palos Verdes and making a surprising comeback to defeat Princess Superal and Pauline del Rosario for the Caliraya crown.
Editor: Jun Lomibao
Constantino targets 4th leg win as Korean Lee makes pro debut
LATEAU DE BEILLE, France— Tadej Pogacar
demonstrated his climbing dominance once again, winning the grueling 15th stage of the Tour de France on Bastille Day with a scorching ascent to the Plateau de Beille and keeping
The marathon stage on France’s national day was nearly 200 kilometers long and featured four big climbs before an even harder grind up to Plateau de Beille.
back,” Pogacar said. “Let’s keep it that way.”
ARMIE CONSTANTINO sees an opportunity to ease the pressure off her shoulders amid the presence of debuting pro Jiwon Lee as the Filipina shotmaker guns for a fourth leg win in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Splendido Taal Championship beginning Tuesday in Laurel, Bulacan.
showcased her potential and prompted her transition to the professional ranks.
Lee’s dominance in the first two legs of this year’s Junior Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) also underscored her readiness for the professional arena.
However, while winning a professional tournament as an amateur is impressive, competing against seasoned pros as peers presents a new challenge.
She also outlasted Gretchen Villacencio in a thrilling second playoff hole to rule the Philippine Masters for the second consecutive year.
Despite her achievements, Constantino and fellow pros Chihiro Ikeda, Florence Bisera, Marvi Monsalve and Villacencio were overshadowed by Lee’s exceptional performance at the Lakewood Championship in Cabanatuan City last month.
The Korean junior golfer secured a remarkable win over Ikeda on the second extra hole, a feat that
“My expectation for the week is to stay focused on every shot. Splendido is a challenging course, where one mistake can have big consequences,” Lee said. “I’ll try to stay out of trouble and enjoy the challenge. I’ll stay positive until the end, hoping for good results.”
This guarantees intense competition from the outset, as Lee is set to face Ababa and Bisera at 8:40 a.m. on No. 1 of Splendido Taal Golf Club. Constantino, meanwhile, braces for a spirited duel with Ikeda and Villacencio in the next group at 8:50 a.m., with the trio also gaining a view of Lee’s prowess.
“We’ll see what she’s made of as a pro,” said Ikeda of Lee.
THE Premier Volleyball League (PVL) launches its Reinforced Conference Tuesday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City featuring an exciting bevy of foreign reinforcements eager to showcase their skills alongside a promising batch of rookies.
While established stars will remain central to each team’s campaign in this mid-season tournament organized by Sports Vision, the spotlight will be on the new reinforcements and eager local firsttimers ready to embrace the challenge.
TMafy Singson, who triumphed in this event as an amateur in 2022, is equally determined to repeat her success as a professional. She faces Mikha Fortuna and Kayla Nocum in the 8:30 a.m. flight on No. 1.
Seoyun Kim also looms as a top challenger, along with Laurea Duque and Marvi Monsalve, who will start at the back nine at 8:35 a.m.
Pogacar attacked with 5 kilometers remaining during the final “hors catégorie” (beyond category) climb, solidifying his reputation as the master of the mountains.
now he is the best in the world. There is absolutely no doubt about that.”
“I’m super happy with my shape right now,” Pogacar said. “I usually struggle with the heat but today the team did a really good job with cooling me down. It was an incredible day.”
It was Pogacar’s third stage win in this year’s Tour and his seventh career stage win in the Pyrenees mountains.
“Somehow I like them [the Pyrenees] and they like me
Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay, who has won three stages, retained the best sprinter’s green jersey. Monday will be the second rest day in the three-week race,
ICTSI Splendido Taal men’s championship gets underway
HE International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Splendido Taal Championship kicks off Tuesday in Laurel in Batangas featuring champions from the first five legs of this year’s Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) and the winner of the prestigious The Country Club (TCC) Invitational and the top performer of the PGT Q-School.
With such a formidable roster, including seasoned campaigners and emerging talents, the P2 million tournament promises intense competition and thrilling performances as these top players ensure that the event will be both unpredictable and highly exciting, showcasing the best of Philippine golf.
Apo leg champion Jhonnel Ababa faces off with Caliraya Springs stage winner Clyde Mondilla and former Q-School topnotcher
Hyun Ho Rho at 7:10 a.m. on No. 1, while Lloyd Go, who scored a breakthrough at
Palos Verdes, slugs it out with recent TCC Invitational winner and four-time Order of Merit titlist Tony Lascuña and Rupert Zaragosa in the next flight at 7:20 a.m. Angelo Que, who snapped a long title spell with a commanding victory at the Philippine Masters, and multi-titled Guido van der Valk test Sean Ramos’ mettle at the challenging course which requires length and precision. Ramos upstaged Reymon Jaraula and Tony Lascuña in a thrilling final round showdown at the Lakewood Championship last month. Demonstrating remarkable composure under pressure, the young gun managed to overcome two of the Tour’s most esteemed players to secure his first victory. But the 20-year-old Ramos will need more than poise and guts to compete against Que and van der Valk in the first half of the 72-hole championship marking the resumption of
Spotlight on imports, rookies in PVL Reinforced Conference
An explosive triple-header sets the stage headlined by a 6 p.m. clash between league heavyweights Creamline and PLDT as Galeries Tower and Nxled kick off hostilities at 2 p.m., followed by the Chery Tiggo-Farm Fresh showdown at 4 p.m.
The offseason saw surprising player movements in both the Creamline and PLDT camps, heightening anticipation for the return of the import-laden conference last held in 2022.
The Cool Smashers, fresh from their
Not exactly Jerry Maguire
THE Converge FiberXers selected Jason Credo, the swingman from the Ateneo Blue Eagles, as its 12th pick in the second round of the 2024 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Draft.
When that was announced, I almost fell off my seat. I am getting ahead of myself. Let me recount the story. At the end of school year 2017-18, Credo was coming off a University Athletic Association of the Philippines juniors championship; a fitting way to end his high school years at the Ateneo. There were several schools that were recruiting him but he was going up to Ateneo College to play for the Blue Eagles. As an advisor to the Credo family that began two seasons prior, I sat them down and said, yes, we are going to Ateneo (that was a given), but I felt that it would be only good manners to sit down with those who showed genuine interest. “You will never know if he will play for any of these coaches after college,” I reasoned.
First and foremost, Ateneo team manager Chris Quimpo was advised that the parents would just sit down to listen to the pitches. I advised them to be upfront in the event some wag would spread malicious rumors. Quimpo, confident that Jason would move up, allowed the meetings to push through. So we began to schedule them. Credo wasn’t the only player I was advising. In some ways,
Cone on RJ, Flying A: Apples and oranges
By Josef Ramos
who Tim Cone picked for Alaska at No 3 in the first round of the draft. More than three decades later in the present time, Cone got the nephew, Rhon Jay or RJ, this time for Ginebra also at No. 3.
“It was just somebody that we couldn’t pass up,” said Cone on his choice of the 24-year-old, 5-foot-11 Abarrrientos 3 in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Rookie Draft last Sunday at Glorietta in Makati City.
“The bottom line was we just felt that RJ would become an elite player at his position. He has the potential to be like that,” said Cone, winners of the most championships in the PBA with 25 across his name.
The younger Abarrientos was absent during the draft and in his place onstage was the 5-foot-7 and now 53-yearold Johnny, one of head coach Chito Victolero’s deputies at Magnolia since 2011.
Cone and Abarrientos went a long way together winning nine PBA titles since the time that the former Far Eastern University spitfire who also dabbled with the dance group Knapsacks donned the Alaska uniform.
the 10-stage circuit sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
Aiming to become the first player to score back-to-back victories this year, Ramos remains unfazed by the credentials of his rivals even as he emphasized the importance of putting and overall game improvement.
“I just want to do and get better every tournament,” said Ramos, who expressed confidence in his competitive form after participating in the Asian Development Tour in Vietnam and Malaysia during the PGT break.
“But I’m confident, and I hope to get another one [win] this week,” he added.
The rest of the stellar field also seek the top podium on Friday with Aidric Chan, the recent Q-School topnotcher, launching his campaign against fellow young gun Ryan Monsalve and veteran Jay Bayron at 7 a.m., also on the first hole.
said. “It was a tough time, we just had to import some things, and it all came down to the results of the game.”
“We will see how RJ is in two or three or four years and can he raise on that same level as Johnny was,” Cone told a press conference on Monday at the Cignal headquarters in Mandaluyong City. “But he’ll get those opportunities with us. We recognize him as a potential star, so we are going to get him that opportunity shine.”
Ginebra opted for Abarrientos despite the availability of 6-foot-7 Kai Balunggay in the first round—the Gin Kings traded Christian Standhardinger to Terrafirma the day before the draft. Cone, however, managed expectations stressing that the two Abarrientos couldn’t be alike.
“We are hoping it turns out to be like that [like uncle like nephew]. Third pick for Johnny and then third pick for RJ,” Cone said. “It’s kind of poetic, we thought, and a nice story.”
Cone added: “Johnny is absolutely the best in his era, but it’s different now. RJ is lights out scorer, can score and a tremendous passer, and can create just like Johnny. He is also a versatile athlete too.”
All-Filipino Conference victory, will be without star outside hitter Jema Galanza due to her commitment to Alas Pilipinas, but American Erica Staunton and FilipinoCanadian libero Aleiah Torres are expected to bolster the team.
Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses praised the seamless integration of Staunton, a former player for Northeastern University and the University of Georgia, into the Rebisco-backed squad’s system.
“We made some adjustments,” Menenes
I was a manager/advisor and at times trainor (yes, we did some workouts and drills at the San Juan Arena at 6 a.m. a couple of times a week). But to be honest, I didn’t know how long I would do this since I had a thousand and one responsibilities.
Suffice to say I worked with a high school player from University of Santo Tomas and a player from Adamson University. I helped arrange for the transfer of several players including University of the Philippines and San Sebastian, among others. I helped one get back into the line-up. Some, I helped them get tryouts to University of the East and even pro clubs. That’s it.
I think it helps when you tell them something that and that exact thing happens. Because they all ended up believing and following. Now Jason’s parents—Bing and Lorena—and myself sat down with several coaches and their respective team managers. One even included their patron.
The High Speed Hitters, on the other hand, welcomed back middle blocker Mika Reyes, who will fill the void left by Dell Palomata, now also committed to Alas Pilipinas. Rookie setter Angge Alcantara is set to back up Kim Fajardo, stepping in for Rhea Dimaculangan, who will miss the tournament due to her honeymoon.
“We’re playing in one of the middle lock positions,” PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort said. “National team player Dell was the only middle blocker in the team after Mika suffered an injury.”
But for the purposes of this anecdote, we will talk about one.
The University of Santo Tomas and their head coach then, Aldin Ayo.
We met for a late lunch in this nice restaurant in Marikina, somewhat close to where the Credo’s live.
We listened to Coach Aldin make his pitch followed by the team manager. In truth, it was very modest. Nothing fantabulous. And we felt good about it. The allowance was just right and nothing extravagant. The most attractive perk we liked were the medical benefits since they had their own hospital. And it covered the entire Credo family.
Of course, there was the matter of the guaranteed scholarship where he must get his degree within a prescribed number of years.
After dinner, we spent the next hour and thirty minutes just talking about life and basketball.
When we parted ways, we liked the fact too that Aldin was totally honest with the package. He was mild mannered and totally receptive to ideas and suggestions. No bluster. No BS. No overbearing attitude.
We made no bones of Jason’s intent to move up to the Blue Eagles, but we did say that we will strongly look at what was on the table.
After a day of deliberation, we listed the pros and cons of going to all the schools, but ultimately, the boy decided. He would remain in Loyola Heights.
There was one task left…to inform the coaches who tried to recruit him.
I advised Jason to send video messages of him thanking them, and perhaps more importantly, not closing any doors by saying “who knows down the road, I might play for you and you will get my best” or something to that effect.
I did not recommend a text because it was rather impersonal. A short, no frills video would be good. And the coaches would remember the gesture. It is, after all, good manners. True enough, now Jason was drafted by Converge and Coach Aldin. It happened. Just as we postulated. Imagine, if by turning down UST or ignoring them altogether, it could have possibly left a bad taste in Ayo’s
JIWON LEE: I’ll stay focused on every shot.
JOHNNY ABBARIENTOS (center) subs for his nephew, Rhon Jay or RJ, who’s picked No. 3 in the first round by Ginebra coach Tim Cone(right) and team governor Alfrancis Chua during the draft. COURTESY RUDY ESPERAS
Maranao hoops in San Juan Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada addresses participants before the final of the third season of Greenhills Maranao Basketball League at the Filoil Flying-V Arena in San Juan City recently, praising the organizers for their unwavering dedication to promoting sports and cultivating a sense of camaraderie among community members.
TADEJ POGACAR books his third stage win in this year’s Tour and his seventh career stage victory in the Pyrenees mountains. AP
