BusinessMirror April 13, 2022 by BusinessMirror

No need to rush rate hikes, says think tank

HE Philippines is expected to recover below the government’s target range for the year as demand has not yet fully recovered in the country, the recent assessment of the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) showed. In the release of their annual flagship report, the Asean+3 Regional Economic Outlook (AREO) on Tuesday, AMRO chief economist Hoe Ee Khor also said they do not see an urgent need for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to raise interest rates, but have the space to do so. The AMRO chief economist said they expect the country to grow 6.5 percent in 2022, recovering from the 5.7-percent gross

domestic product (GDP) growth in 2021. This is, however, a tad short of the government’s 7 to 9 percent target range. “This year we expect growth to improve to 6.5 percent. This will be led by government spending and also recovering private sector spending,” the AMRO economist said. “The Philippine economy has a pretty large output gap. So we expect that private spending will bounce back very rapidly once the economy is open much more fully. So we are quite confident that you know this six and a half percent growth can be achieved this year,” he added. AMRO also forecasts a growth of 6.5 percent for 2023.

Rate hike not urgent

The regional think tank also said inflation is expected to remain relatively high throughout the year, but since they are driven largely by supply side factors, there is no need to urgently raise interest rates by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). “Inflation has ticked up above the upper band of the target band. So, we expect inflation to remain above the target band for most of the year. This inflation is driven mostly by increases in fuel prices and food. So they are basically supply-driven supply shocks,” the AMRO economist said. “As I mentioned earlier, the Philippine economy still has a negative output gap. They have not fully recovered to prepandemic levels. So

demand is still low. I wouldn’t say it’s very weak, but it’s still modest,” he added. Inflation registered 4 percent in March this year, hitting the ceiling of the government’s target band for the year at 2 to 4 percent. In their March 24 monetary policy meeting, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said they see inflation averaging at 4.3 percent for this year. Despite this, AMRO does not see the urgent need to raise interest rates, which are currently on record lows as the monetary policy support for the economy at the height of the pandemic is still in place. “I think, you know, if inflation is likely to decline down to within See “Hikes,” A2

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PHL FDI DIPS 16% IN JAN ON NEW COVID JITTERS By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

ONG-TERM investments made by foreign investors to the Philippines started the year in decline due to investor concerns on the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the country. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that foreign direct investments (FDI) to the country hit a net inflow of $819 million in January, declining by 16 percent from the $975 million net inflows posted in the same month last year. FDI are investments made by foreign players to the Philippines in hopes of long-term return. Since these are in the country for a longer term compared to their short-term counterpart, the foreign portfolio investments (FPI), FDI usually create jobs for Filipinos and have a multiplier effect on the economy. In a statement, the BSP attributed the decline in FDI net inflows to the 68.2-percent contraction in equity capital placements to $118 million from $370 million in the same month last year. “This may be due largely to investor concerns following the resurgence of cases of the highly transmissible Omicron Covid-19 variant in the country and the reimposition of stricter quarantine measures in early January 2022,” the BSP said. Broken down, equity capital placements originated mostly from Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, and Malaysia. See “FDI,” A2

OSCAR MUYCO, 58, of Barrio Obrero, Tondo, Manila, arranges paintings for sale at Plaza Rajah Sulayman near the Our Lady of Remedies Parish, also known as Malate Church, in Malate, Manila. He hopes that, with the easing of travel restrictions, Holy Week will bring in more business for street vendors like him. He pins his hopes on the crowd at the Visita Iglesia, where the faithful visit several churches—traditionally seven—to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in each church. BERNARD TESTA

PHL raises ₧29.1B via offer of green Samurai bonds By Bernadette D. Nicolas

UNESCAP: PHL TO GROW PAST 6% IN ’22, ’23 AS RECOVERY GAINS By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

HE Philippine economy is projected to grow above 6 percent as the regional and global economies continue

t o r e c o v er, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap). Based on the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific for 2022, the Philippines is

projected to post a growth of 6.3 percent this year and 6.7 percent next year. Unescap also projects inflation in the country to average 3.3 percent this year and 3 percent next year. It can be noted that

inflation averaged 3.4 percent in the first quarter of 2022. “Continued recovery will be seen in 2022, with a weaker-thanexpected first quarter due to the

@BNicolasBM

HE Philippine government raised ¥70.1 billion (around P29.1 billion or $550 million) through its issuance of fourtranche green Samurai bonds. The government successfully priced its green Samurai bond issuance of 5-year, 7-year, 10-year, and 20 -year tenors. This marks the second time that the government tapped the offshore bond market this year and issued green bonds. Last month, the government borrowed a total of $2.25 billion (around P118 billion) by issuing triple-tranche dollar-denominated global bonds, including its maiden green bonds. So far this year, the government raised a total of $1.55 billion for its green bond issuances so far to the offshore debt market. For this year, the government has set a P2.2-trillion borrowing program, of which $7 billion (around P366.8 billion) is eyed to be raised through foreign commercial borrowings through sovereign bonds. With the recent issuances of dollar bonds and Samurai bonds,

See “Unescap,” A2 See “Bonds,” A2

PESO exchange rates n US 51.9140 n japan 0.4140 n UK 67.6595 n HK 6.6233 n CHINA 8.1504 n singapore 38.0378 n australia 38.5046 n EU 56.5240 n SAUDI arabia 13.8438 Source: BSP (12 April 2022)

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

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Experts cite women’s role at hiking Philippines’ GDP per capita figures By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

AISING women’s labor force participation will allow the country’s GDP per capita to increase by double-digit by 2050, according to World Bank experts.

In a Blog, World Bank Senior Social Development Specialist and Global Gender Lead Helle Buchhave and Senior Economist Nadia Belhaj Hassine Belghith said a 0.5 percentage point increase of women’s GDP per capita by about 6 percent by 2040 and almost 10 percent by 2050. The experts said the Philippines’ female labor force participation was at 49 percent in 2019 and is one of the lowest in the East Asia and Pacific region. The regional average rate is higher at around 59 percent. “In contrast, 76 percent of

Filipino men were in the labor force, creating a massive gender gap. Progress towards closing the gap has been minimal and female labor force participation has remained roughly the same since 1990, with the gap shrinking by a mere 0.3 percentage points since 2015,” the experts said. Given this, Buchhave and Belghith said there is a need to provide alternatives to childcare at home and promoting flexible work arrangements can increase women’s labor force participation. They also said amendments to the

Telecommuting Act (Republic Act 11165) is also needed. They said childcare and low wages were cited as among the main reasons for the low labor force participation rate of women. Other reasons include low skill positions as well as attitude and beliefs or norms that prevent women from engaging in the labor market. “Addressing gendered social norms that affect women’s participation in the labor market through media campaigns, behavioral and attitude change interventions that influence opinions about masculinity, gender roles, earlier childhood development, legislation and company policies that equally promotes parents to engage in care responsibilities,” they added. In a plenary session at the Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS), Care International Secretary General Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro said it would now take 135.6 years before the world achieves gender equality. Sineiro said the challenge has already been daunting

even before the pandemic. She said before the pandemic, the world was expected to shatter the gender gap in 90 years. In the Philippines, based on the Asian Development Bank (ADB) report titled Southeast Asia: Rising from the Pandemic, women were also adversely affected by the pandemic. The report stated that women represented 38.7 percent of the work force in the fourth quarter of 2019, but accounted for nearly 45 percent of the job losses in the second quarter of 2020 at the height of the lockdown. The female unemployment rate also more than tripled to 15.6 percent in April 2020 from 4.6 percent in October 2019. However, ADB said unemployment among women has eased to 7.7 percent in October 2021, compared to 7.2 percent unemployment rate for men.

Bonds. . . Continued from A1

the government’s foreign commercial borrowings have already reached $2.8 billion. Sought on the government’s next offshore bond issuance, National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon told reporters they have to see first how the second half of the year will pan out in line with the next administration’s fiscal program. “Will have to also see how second half plays out with next admin fiscal program,” De Leon said. However, she assured the public that the government currently has a “healthy cash buffer” to finance its spending requirements. In March last year, the Philippine government raised ¥55 billion ($500 million or about P24.2 billion) in its sale of 3-year zero-coupon Samurai bonds, marking its successful return to the said market after more than a year of hiatus. This was also the first-ever zero-coupon bond transaction issued in the Samurai bond market, according to the Bureau of the Treasury. In 2020, the Philippine government shelved its plans to issue Samurai bonds and renminbi-denominated Panda bonds as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas approved a P540-billion advance credit to help the government cover a budget deficit that swelled on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. As of end-February this year, the national government’s outstanding debt rose to another record high of P12.09 trillion due to currency fluctuations and net financing from both domestic and foreign sources.

Hikes. . .

Unescap. . . Continued from A1

Omicron variant triggering a brief round of restrictions,” the report said. “With many of the restrictions expected to be lifted, private consumption will strengthen.” The report stated that inflation in Southeast Asia has been largely influenced by global food and oil prices. However, domestic developments such as Typhoon Rai and African Swine Fever increased inflation in the Philippines. “Inflationary pressures have been influenced by high global food and oil prices,” the report stated. “As inflation is more muted in Southeast Asia and core inflation remains modest, central banks within the subregion will keep rates low to support recovery.” Unescap said economic growth in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific is projected to moderate to 4.5 percent in 2022 and 5 percent in 2023, compared with an estimated growth rate of 7.1 percent in 2021. The UN agency said the cumulative output loss due to Covid-19 for the region’s developing economies between 2020 and 2022 is estimated to be nearly $2 trillion. The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) earlier estimated the pandemic shaved P3 trillion from the country’s GDP. (Story here: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/04/12/ pandemic-shaved-p3-trillion-from-economyneda/). However, the report showed that regional economies face several downside risks related to supply constraints, rising inflationary pressures, prospects of increases in interest rates, shrinking fiscal space, and the emerging global economic fallout from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. “As developing countries in the region move ahead with learning to live with Covid-19, balancing the protection of public health and livelihoods, it is time to lay the foundations for a fairer future of equal opportunities and inclusive outcomes,” United Nations Undersecretary-General and Executive Secretary of Escap Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana said, however. Escap recommends a three-pronged policy agenda aimed at shaping an inclusive economy in Asia and the Pacific. First, instead of reductions, developing countries in the region must tilt public spending towards basic universal health coverage, push further towards universal primary and secondary education, and expand social protection coverage. “Smart” fiscal policies can improve the overall efficiency and impact of public spending and revenue collection. Concurrently, new sources of revenue should be explored, such as taxing the digital economy, along with shifting the tax burden towards those better off. Second, the 2022 Survey argues that central banks in the region can and should tilt their traditional monetary policy conduct towards promoting inclusive development. While focused on keeping inflation low and stable, central banks can invest part of official reserves in social bonds, explore how a central bank digital currency can enhance financial access, and encourage more innovative financial instruments for social purposes. Third, governments can also proactively guide, shape and manage the structural economic transformation process, which is increasingly driven by the digital-robotics-AI revolution, for more inclusive outcomes. This includes supporting the development of labor-intensive technologies, inclusive access to good-quality education, reskilling, strengthening labor negotiation capacities and social protection floors.

FDI. . .

Continued from A1

the target band by next year, and we don’t see the need to raise policy rates, per se,” the AMRO economist said. “Having said that, it’s important to make sure that inflation doesn’t become entrenched. And there’s scope I think for the BSP, for the central bank to start considering withdrawing some of the policy stimulus you know, as the economy continues to gain traction and growth continues to recover,” he added. The BSP is expected to hold its next monetary policy meeting on May 19.

Bianca Cuaresma

Capital infusions were channeled mainly to the manufacturing; financial and insurance; and real estate industries. Meanwhile, reinvestment of earnings was largely stable at $78 million from $79 million a year ago. On the other hand, non-residents’ net investments in debt instruments increased by 18.3 percent to $634 million from $536 million in January 2021, as inflows were infused to local affiliates to finance their operational requirements. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort shrugged off the decline, saying the month’s inflow is still one of the highest during the pandemic. The economist said the dip in FDI was due to the restrictions and the figures will likely bounce back in the March data—when restrictions were already lifted in the country. “FDI remain one of the bright spots and one of the major pillars of the economic recovery program from Covid-19 for the Philippine economy, still among the highest since the pandemic started in recent months, alongside the near record highs in exports, OFW remittances, imports [but could have been bloated by elevated prices of oil and other imported global commodities], as well as local manufacturing gauge among pre-pandemic highs and unemployment rate at the lowest since the pandemic started, as the economy re-opens further from the lockdowns earlier in 2021,” Ricafort said.

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, April 13, 2022 A3

Leyte landslide death toll climbs to 25; 28 others reported missing By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

Tleast 25 people were killed in landslides that struck six villages in the municipality of Baybay, Leyte, which was among the areas hardest hit by Tropical Storm Agaton in the Visayas. Col. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade, said 28 people remained missing from the landslides that hit Barangays Mailhi, Kantagnos, Maypatag, Candadam, Pangasugan and Bunga. The landslides occurred over the weekend as Agaton was pummeling the Visayas and parts of Mindanao with heavy rain, triggering widespread flooding, including in Baybay

and other parts of Leyte. Soldiers are still undertaking search, clearing and retrieval operations in the affected areas as of Tuesday where 105 people have been injured in Baybay alone. “It is still raining until now and this is the challenge. So, we could not fully clear yet the landslide-hit areas in order for rescue teams to go in, but the clearing operations are continuing,” Vestuir said. The local military commander said even the leaders of the villages affected do not know how many houses or people that were possibly buried by mud and boulders. “We do not have any official information, but we already rescued some. Even the barangay chairman,

they do not know how many [villagers] were there,” Vestuir said. Intermittent rains before and during Agaton’s landfall caused heavy flooding in low-lying areas in Leyte, Southern Leyte and Biliran. Landslides also hit the three provinces’ mountainous areas. Vestuir said clearing operations were ongoing in areas also hit by landslides at Barangay Cuatro de Agosto in Mahaplag and main roads in Hilongos in Leyte, and Liloan and Maasin City, both in Southern Leyte. The Maharlika Highway from Mahaplag, Leyte going to Sogod, Southern Leyte was rendered impassable due to a damaged bridge at Barangay Polahongon. The route from Abuyog, Leyte

going to Silago, Southern Leyte was also not passable due to landslides. These incidents closed the shortest route to the Pacific towns and gateway to Mindanao and Panaon Island in Southern Leyte, Vestuir said. The Armed Forces Visayas Command under Lt. Gen. Robert Dauz said a combination of relief, rescue, search and soldiers in all the areas affected are undertaking retrieval operations. In Ormoc City, at least 2,000 individuals were rescued at the height of the heavy flooding that hit the city.

PRC humanitarian caravans dispatched PHILIPPINE Red Cross (PRC) Chair-

man and CEO Sen. Richard J. Gordon sent two humanitarian caravans to bring aid to families affected by Agaton in Ajuy, Iloilo and Baybay City, Leyte today. Starting from the PRC Iloilo Chapter base, the caravan to Ajuy consists of one PRC Hot Meals on Wheels, or a mobile kitchen; one pick-up truck; one Land Cruiser; one rescue boat; and 10 volunteers and staff. The caravan bound for Baybay, which set off from the PRC chapter in Southern Leyte, is composed of a water tanker, an ambulance, a PRC Hot Meals on Wheels, and 10 volunteers and staff. The Southern Leyte Chapter is the third contingent PRC has sent to Baybay; the first two came from Leyte and Or-

moc City Chapters. As of 7 a.m. on Tuesday, PRC has distributed hot meals to 2,864 individuals in various locations affected Agaton through its Hot Meals on Wheels program. Trained PRC staff has also provided psychosocial first aid (PFA) to 69 persons and child-friendly activities designed as PFA to 27 girls and boys. PRC emergency medical services personnel have served 413 persons, who had their blood pressure taken, and five, who received emergency medical treatment. Some local government units have also tapped PRC volunteers and staff to assist them in distributing food packs, to 6,844 families, and meals, to 664 persons.

Sui generis: 8,241 of 11,402 hurdle biggest, most challenging Bar Examinations ever–Leonen By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

TOTAL of 8,241 or 72.28 percent of the 11,402 Bar takers passed the first-ever regionalized and digitalized 2020/2021 Bar examinations held last February 4 and February 6. This was announced by Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, chairperson of the 2020/2021 Committee on Bar Examinations, who said the successful conduct of the examinations while the country is still fighting the Covid-19 pandemic can be considered an historic achievement. A total of 11,790 have applied to take the 2020/2021 Bar exams but there were 381 who did not show up on the first day of the exams, while there were seven who did not complete all the exams. “ The 11,790 Bar applicants went through not only several waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also a super typhoon that battered the Visayas region, and the uncertainties brought about by the effects of the pandemic and adjustments of its corresponding health regulations,” Justice Leonen noted. “There was no large national government licensure examination that provided a model for the implementation of the Bar examinations under these conditions. Even the approaches during World War II were not appropriate to the conditions we faced,” he added. Justice Leonen noted that 7,000 personnel were tapped to assist in 29 local testing sites across 22 local government units, including the core teams in the command center. Among the reforms instituted to pave the way for the conduct of the 2020/2021 Bar exams include the introduction of an honor code for Bar examinees, the reconceptualization of the grouping of subjects, the reductions of the examination days from four Sundays to two days, the full digitalization of the application process, the adoption of a platform that considered the gender identity of the examinees, and the crafting of a gender-neutral set of examination questions to avoid any patriarchal and unnecessary suggestive use of gendered pronouns. The reforms also include the recalibration of the grading system to avoid unnecessary competition for an artificial Top 10, recognizing that the examinations should not be seen as a competition. “The system of pass, exemplary pass, and excellent pass without any ranking already recognizes effort without encouraging needless competition among individuals,” Justice Leonen stressed. “Again, let me underscore and acknowledge: Never before did Bar examinees face the uncertainties they did for these bar examinations. Anxiety was universal. You only need to ask any lawyer who went through the bar examinations under conventional circumstances

to understand that the difficulties of review and uncertainty that this batch went through were sui generis [of its own kind] and far more than what others, during their time, went through,” Justice Leonen said. Justice Leonen also advised bar passers to ignore those who inisist that the 2020/2021 Bar exams were the easiest compared to the previous year. “Clearly, those naysayers only envy your courage, your resilience, and your grit. They have not experienced what you have gone through. I do not wish that they experience what you have experienced,” he said. Of the 8,241 who passed the examinations, 14 or 0.17 percent earned recognition for excellent performance after they obtained higher than 90 percent. Among them are Julia Alexandra D. Chu (UP-Diliman); Camille Angela S. Cruz (UP-Diliman); James Louie C. Cuevas (Ateneo de Manila University); Chelsea Eichel R. Dauz (San Beda University); Stephanie Mae B. Domingo (University of the Cordilleras); Francisco Roel L. Dulay (Ateneo de Davao University); Danica Mae M. Godornes (UP-Diliman); Fernando Felix L. Imperial (Arellano University); Geramae M. Mata (University of San Carlos); Jani G. Omamalin (University of San Carlos); John Stephen B. Pangilinan (Ateneo de Manila University); Mervynn Joshua A. Reyes (Far Eastern University); Kristel Shane M. Sigua (UP-Diliman) and Sandra Jane N. Soon (University of Cebu). On the other hand, 761 or 9.23 percent of the Bar passers earned the recognition for exemplary per for mance af ter obta ining grades ranging from 85 percent to 90 percent. For the ranking of law schools, the SC divided them into four groups— Group 1 includes schools with more than 100 bar takers, Group 2 are law schools with 51 to 100 bar takers, Group 3 covers law schools with 11 to 50 Bar takers and Group 4 includes law schools with no more than 10 Bar takers. Based on the results of the examinations and their respective passing rates, the top law schools under Group 1 are first Ateneo de Manila University, 99.642 percent; second, University of the Philippines, 98.840 percent; third, San Beda University, 98.106 percent; fourth, University of San Carlos, 98 percent; and fifth, University of Santo Tomas-Manila, 93.055 percent. UP also topped the law schools that have the most number of excellent passers with four. It was followed by Ateneo de Manila University and University of San Carlos with two Bar passers earning more than 90 percent grade. The law schools with one excellent passer include Arellano University, Ateneo de Davao University, Far Eastern University, San Beda University and University of the Cordilleras.

The top 5 law schools with the most number of exemplary passers are UP with 147; Ateneo de Manila University, 100; San Beda University, 94; University of San Carlos, 57; and Arellano University, 39. Meanwhile, 22 law schools belonging to Group 2 are ranked according to percentage of passers among their first-time takers. Among the top 5 law schools under this group are Saint Louis University (98.66 percent); University of Cebu (97.402 percent); Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (96.938 percent); Ateneo de Davao University (96.491 percent); and Lyceum of the Philippines University (94.339 percent). Justice Leonen said law schools in group 4 were not ranked since six of the 27 schools under it had a passing rate of 100 percent among their first time takers. Among these schools are Abra Valley Colleges, Batangas State University, Rizal Memorial Colleges, Tabaco College, University of Makati and Western Leyte College. Of the bar takers from Group 4, there are three exemplary passers, two from the University of Makati and one from the University of Bohol. The SC also did not rank the law schools in Group 3 because seven of the 61 schools had a passing rate of 100 percent for first-time takers. These seven schools include Ateneo de Naga University, Bulacan State University, Jose Maria College, Mariano Marcos State University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Silliman University and University of Asia and the Pacific. The in-person oath taking of the successful Bar examinees is scheduled on May 2, 2022.

Fire

THE release of the Bar results proceeded despite a two-hour fire that broke out at the SC’s Data Center situated at the SC Centennial Building along Padre Faura Street in Manila City. “The SC Data Center houses the servers of the Supreme Court and these include those used for ICT [Information and Communications Technology] Applications of the Court as well as the SC web site. What was damaged was only the uninterrupted power supply [UPS] of the data center,” Supreme Court spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said. “However, the damage to the UPS had caused the system to shutdown. Our MISO [Management Information Systems Office] is trying to reconfigure the disaster recovery site in Angeles, Pampanga,” he added. The incident, however, did not affect the SC’s decision to release the Bar results. The fire, which broke out at 6:05 a.m., was put under control by 7:47 a.m. and was declared out around 7:55 a.m. The damage was reportedly pegged at around P30,000. There were no reported casualties from

the fire.

‘Fight injustice’

A MEMBER of the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday asked the new lawyers to help fight injustice and protect people attacked by untruth in the Philippines. Agusan del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun issued the call as the Supreme Court released the results of the firstever digital Bar exams. “Legal services are said to be prohibitive. They will no longer be when lawyers are ready to offer services for free to the poor, the weak,

and other less-privileged members of our society. Law school taught that law is a vocation and not a trade,” he said. “The true first duty of every lawyer is to the truth, to defend truth, to seek it with all abilities and resources that can be mustered. These days, Truth itself is under attack,” Fortun added. As an advocate of truth, Fortun said lawyers are sworn in this age of “massive disinformation” to live up to their solemn oath, stand for what they believe in and speak truth to power.

According to Fortun, lawyers, as defenders of the Constitution, play a vital role in the preservation of civil liberties and fundamental rights and freedoms. “Lawyers, being the ones learned in law and justice, are expected to be at the forefront of strengthening and protecting our democratic institutions. Lawyers must protect people attacked by untruth,” he said. “Rule of law is preserved and justice served when everyone, especially the marginalized and vulnerable, has access to justice,” the lawmaker added. With Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

A4 Wednesday, April 13, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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Initial DA report shows ₧265.3-million damage to crops in E. Visayas, Caraga By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

VER 2,000 farmers in Eastern Visayas and Caraga lost P265.3 million after Typhoon Aga� ton damaged various crops in the two regions, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday. In its initial damage report, the DA said 2,132 farmers lost income after the typhoon damaged 16,532 metric tons (MT) of rice, corn and high value crops from 3,060 hectares of agricultural areas. “These values are subject to vali�

dation. Additional damage and losses are expected in areas affected by Agaton,” DA said. The DA report showed that 94.25 percent or about P250.1 million of the total damage reported were recorded in the rice sector with 16,300 MT of palay from 2,931 hectares of farms damaged. The corn sector registered P1.4 million in losses after 103 hectares of farms were damaged while the high value crops sector reported P13.9 million in production losses. The DA said about 232 MT of vegetables and bananas across 26 hectares were af� fected by the typhoon.

The DA said it has prepared vari� ous assistance to affected farmers and fishermen, including seeds of rice, corn and assorted vegetables as well as drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry raisers. The DA added the Agricultural Credit Policy Council’s Survival and Re� covery (SURE) program is on standby while the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) has sufficient funds to indemnify affected farmers. The DA also disclosed that it has a standby Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of the affected areas by Agaton.

Intramuros expected to attract more visitors as Lenten activities resume after two years By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

@akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

HE Intramuros Administration (IA) is bracing for an increase in visitors this Holy Week, with the pandemic alert level now reduced to 1. IA administrator Guiller Asido told the BusinessMirror, “For the first time in two years, the procession of saints will be held by the San Agustin Church on Good Friday.” The carozas, which bear the statues of the crucified Christ, his grieving mother (Our Lady of Solitude), as well as other saints, will go around the major streets of General Luna St. to Muralla and A. Soriano, and back to General Luna. Also, on Maundy Thursday, “eight churches/chapels will be open for the Visita Iglesia, and the whole stretch of General Luna Street will be closed to vehicular traffic; pedestrians will be allowed for the Stations of the Cross installations,” he added. The churches or chapels that will be open to the public are the Manila

DMW stalls as row over IRR stays unresolved continued from a14

Workers Affairs Sarah Lou T. Arri� ola, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administra� tor Bernard P. Olalia, Labor Assistant Secretary and concurrent Interna� tional Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) Director Alice Q. Visperas, National Reintegration Center for OFWs Di� rector Gerald M. Tan, National Mari� time Polytechnic Executive Director Joel B. Maglunsod, and Department of Social Welfare and Development Office of the Social Welfare Attache Rigel F. Villacarlos. In an SMS, Mama-O’s chief of staff, Vigilio L. Carreon, Jr. told BusinessMir ror the DM W Sec� retary met with members of the DMW Transition Committee last Tuesday to try to address the is� sues over the IRR.

Cathedral; �� San Agustin�� ; Shrine of Je� sus, The Divine Teacher Chapel at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila; Santa Rita Chapel at Mapua Univer� sity; Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel at Lyceum of the Philippines University; Colegio de San Juan de Letran Cha� pel; St. Matthew’s Chapel at the BIR Building; and Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at Fort Santiago. The Via Crusis or The Stations of the Cross installations will be located along the stretch of General Luna St., from Beaterio St. to Muralla (side of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila) from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, according to the IA chief. Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, In� tramuros attracted close to 1 million visitors during Holy Week, up 11 per� cent from the visitors in 2018. “We are working hard to prepare for the Holy Week 2022 given the current health situation and we urge the public to follow the rules set by the IATF [InterAgency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases], DOT [Department of Tourism], and IA to en�

sure a safe, organized and meaningful celebration of Lent,” said Asido. He stressed that visitors to the walled city have to wear masks, ob� serve physical distancing, follow queues and line up properly, as well as observe traffic, mobility, and park� ing rules. “Lent is an important period for Filipinos, whether for reasons of faith, to rest or to bond with one’s family, friends and community,” said Asido. “Pilgrims and tourists are all welcome during the Holy Week in Intramuros and invited to experience this impor� tant Philippine tradition.” Only Fort Santiago and the Balu� arte de San Diego will be open dur� ing the Holy Week. Other Intramuros attractions such as the Rizal Shrine, Casa Manila Museum, San Agustin Museum, Destileria Limtuaco Muse� um, National Commission for Culture and the Arts Museum, Fr. Willman Museum, and Instituto de Cervantes will have varying schedules for the week. Check the IA’s Facebook page or its web site (https://bit.ly/3O7QKqI)

Lawmaker sees strong FDI pick up with Palace SIPP approval

ITH the final submission of the “final draft” of the Strategic Investment Pri� orities Plan (SIPP) for Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law, a leader of the House of Representatives on Tuesday said the Philippines can now expect strong foreign direct invest� ment (FDI) performance this year. House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Sal� ceda said the issuance of the SIPP would allow sectors not listed in the 2020 Investment Priorities Plan to apply for tax incentives and invest in the Philippines. This, Salceda said, will create new jobs and business opportunities for the Philippine economy. In his letter to Salceda dated April 6, Trade Secre� tary Ramon Lopez said “the final draft of SIPP, as approved by the BOI Board and Fiscal Incentives Review Board, is ready for transmission to the Office of the President, for His Excellency’s consideration and issuance.” Moreover, Salceda said that the issuance of the SIPP, set to be by May 2022, as well as the issuance of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the amendments to the Public Service Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act, and the Foreign Investment Act, which Salceda also principally authored, will unleash “previously untapped, restricted, or hesitant foreign investment.” Salceda said that he expects 2022 FDI numbers to show strong gains after 2021. “2021 was a strong year for FDI, thanks to the prospect of our reforms being finalized. 2022 is when these reforms are actually carried out in full. I expect even better FDI per� formance this year,” Salceda said. “This [SIPP] will no doubt encour� age more investors, particularly in high-value sectors to locate in the Philippines and avail of some of the best incentives in the Asean,” Salceda said. Jovee Marie Dela Cruz

DAR and Tesda to provide free skills training to 28 CamSur farmers’ co-ops By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

ARMERS belonging to 28 differ� ent co-operatives in Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region will get scholarships for the much-needed skills training from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Technical Education and Skills De� velopment Authority (Tesda) on the repair and preventative maintenance of farm tools and equipment. In a news statement, DAR Bicol Regional Director Rodrigo O. Realubit said the training is aimed at helping farmers’ organizations extend the life and usefulness of their farming ma� chinery, maximizing their food pro� duction capacity and income potential. The training is collaboration be� tween the DAR and Tesda, in coopera� tion with other government agencies. To recall, the DAR recently forged a partnership for a mechanization skills enhancement program with the fol� lowing government agencies, Tesda,

Department of Agriculture (DA), Phil� ippine Coconut Authority, Cooperative Development Authority, Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Com� mittee, Provincial Agriculture and Fishery Council, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The joint initiative, dubbed “Sert� ifikadong Mekaniko sa Lambang Paraoma asin Parasirang Organisado,” aims to improve the abilities of agrar� ian reform beneficiary organizations’ machinery operators and technicians. The scholarship program has also added those involved in the fishing sector. “While the DAR and other partner agencies provide the farmers’ organi� zations with farm inputs and machin� ery, Tesda, on the other hand, will train them on small engine repairs so they know how to operate, maintain, and fix these machines and equipment in case of damage,” Realubit said. Agrarian reform beneficiaries in the area lack the expertise in farm machinery repairs and maintenance,

which resulted in many of the farm tools given by the DAR and other agencies going to waste or rotting completely when they break down be� cause most organizations do not know what to do with the machines or tools awarded to them, Realubit noted. Tesda Regional Director Andrew A. Bido, who led the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement, said that the program would benefit over 100 organizations in the agriculture and fishing sectors. However, 50 of them, represented by their machine operators and techni� cians, would be prioritized in the first batch of training. “This program is not just a class� room environment. This is about our scholars learning the skills that would give them a better understanding of machine parts, repairs, overhauls, tuning up, and maintenance, and oth� ers,” Bido said. Under the program, scholars will attend training for 82 days beginning April 18 and will get a daily stipend of P160.

Creating new cities, provinces defeats impact of ‘Mandanas’ continued from a4 Tablan-Paredes also sought a more stringent set of criteria for pro� moting municipalities to cities and for municipalities to rise through the six classes based on income gen� erated, as it is expected that many LGUs would want to graduate to a higher tier to get a bigger share of the NTA pie. Currently, the country comprises 81 provinces, 1,489 municipalities and 105 cities. Moreover, Villafuerte has urged the incoming crop of local elective executives this year to focus on crafting their respective develop� ment masterplans that would fur� ther strengthen their political and

fiscal autonomy in view of their expanded roles as a result of their respective local governments’ in� creased share in the proceeds from national taxes. Department of Budget and Man� agement (DBM) data show that LGUs are the biggest beneficiaries of the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) of P5.24 trillion signed by President Duterte, as they are to col� lectively get P959.04 billion in NTA share from the national budget—or about a third more than their 2021 IRA of P695.49 billion. However, Villafuerte said the higher NTA means bigger respon� sibilities for local elective officials,

given that the President had signed Executive Order (EO) No. 138 devolv� ing more powers to LGUs in the imple� mentation of local projects, such as those on infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and social welfare. Earlier, the House of Representa� tives passed on third and final read� ing House Bill No. 10296, the consoli� dated bill that seeks to increase to 50 percent from 40 percent the LGU share of national taxes. Villafuerte is one of the prin� cipal authors of the consolidated measure. His original bill was filed long before the release of the Man� danas-Garcia ruling. Besides increasing the share of

LGUs in the proceeds from national taxes, the bill also ensures that this would not be reduced substantially even with a ballooning public defi� cit and lower gross domestic product (GDP) growth. It contains a provision that in no instance shall the President be allowed to reduce the NTA to less than 30 percent of the collection of taxes on the third fiscal year preced� ing the current fiscal year. Moreover, even with this possibly reduced share, the measure provides that during the first year of its effec� tivity, the LGUs, in addition to the 30-percent share, shall also include the cost of devolved functions for es� sential services.

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Garcia’s One Cebu backing boosts BBM-Sara lead in polls

EBU City—Officials of the very influential One Cebu local party led by Gov. Gwen Garcia, UniTeam Alliance and four cities on Tuesday formed the “One Cebu UniTeam Alliance” and “One Cebu Island UniTeam Alliance" to strengthen efforts to bring the country to greater heights and endorse presidential standard-bearer former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. The first agreement said One Cebu and UniTeam “have a shared vision that will guide and lead the nation in the goal to achieve sustainable growth and development of Cebu and the rest of the regions in the country.” “One Cebu and UniTeam are cognizant of the fulfillment of the shared vision through unity among political organizations,” the coalition agreement said signed by Gar-

cia, Marcos of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), and Duterte of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) and Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) during One Cebu’s General Assembly Tuesday held at the SM Seaside Sky Hall here. “In view of the shared objectives of ONE CEBU and UNITEAM both parties have agreed to form a political alliance that will pave the way for farther reach of the advocacies of both parties through provision of mutual support,” said the alliance agreement that was witnessed and signed by PFP treasurer and former Davao del Norte Gov. Antonio Ernesto “Anton” F. Lagdameo, Lakas-CMD President and House Majority Leader Martin G. Romualdez, HNP President Claude Bautista, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and UniTeam senatorial candidate Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, and One Cebu’s Emmarie M. Ouano-Dizon.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 A5

Artes: MMDA’s new coding scheme may be implemented by next month By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

HE proposed number coding scheme, which aims to cut road traffic volume by 40 percent, is expected to be implemented by next month, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). In a televised interview on Tuesday, MMDA Chairman Romando S. Artes said they would be presenting their proposed scheme to the Metro Manila Council (MMC) on Black Saturday. “Our target date [for the implementation] is on May 1 [2022], but it could be adjusted to May 16 since it is

preparation for the upcoming opening of classes by June,” Artes said. He added the new coding scheme would be implemented twice a week to minimize the number of private vehicles in main thoroughfares in the National Capital Region (NCR). The scheme bans vehicles with the last digits in their plate numbers on the following days: 1 and 2 on Monday and Wed; 3 and 4 on Monday and Thursday; 5 and 6 on Tuesday and Thursday; 7 and 8 on Tuesday and Friday; and 9 and 0 on Wednesday and Friday. It will take effect from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. However, the scheme will not cover public utility vehicles (PUV),

which will include bus, jeepneys, taxis, motorcycle, and transportation network vehicle service (TNVS).

Anti-poor policy?

ARTES defended the new number coding scheme against criticisms that it is anti-poor since it benefits people who can afford to buy multiple vehicles to by-pass the said restriction. He assured the scheme would not cover PUVs so as not to affect commuters. Likewise, he said the Land Transportation Office (LTO) would be implementing a policy, wherein those who have existing vehicles will be issued a plate number with an ending number similar to that of their

previous vehicle. “This will prevent them [multiple vehicle owners] from avoiding the number coding scheme,” Artes said. In a related development, Artes said they are also scheduled to talk with the Civil Service Commission after Holy Week to discuss their proposed 4-day workweek proposal for government personnel to help minimize vehicular traffic nationwide. MMDA came out with the proposed traffic-reduction measures after the government started easing business and public transportation capacity in NCR due to its decreasing novel Covid-19 cases.

BusinessMirror

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

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

WU, QIONG Marketing Specialist 1.

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

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

15.

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

JOUNG, SUNG WEON Budget Analyst 2.

Brief Job Description: Build alliances & partnerships with other foreign organizations. AN, YOUN GYU Finance Manager

Brief Job Description: Build alliances & partnerships with other foreign organizations. CHOI, CHANGLEE Operations Officer

Brief Job Description: Build alliances & partnerships with other foreign organizations. YUN, SEUNGJAE Operations Supervisor

Brief Job Description: Build alliances & partnerships with other foreign organizations. CHO, MINSOO Project Administrator

Brief Job Description: Build alliances & partnerships with other foreign organizations. YUN, SANGCHUL Project Manager

Brief Job Description: Build alliances & partnerships with other foreign organizations. KIM, JAEYOON Purchasing Manager

Brief Job Description: Build alliances & partnerships with other foreign organizations.

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Korean fluently

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Korean fluently Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Korean fluently

Brief Job Description: Provide advice on the negotiations with potential partners, EPC Contractors & Consultants. Review wind development work programs.

XIE, JINJIA Chinese Speaking Solutions Consultant 17.

18.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

19.

10.

Basic Qualification: Atleast high school graduate

Brief Job Description: Determine and develop most efficient innovations

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

EDUARDO, MATEUS CARLOS Collections Support Associate 11.

Brief Job Description: Collect and recover customer receivables and debt. Ensure cash collection activities meet the requirements of the client by reducing debt aging, maximizing cash collection and collecting high-quality dispute information, while maintaining a professional relationship with the client and their debtors.

Basic Qualification: Complexity (degree of difficulty of an assignment or the level of problem-solving assessment and resolution required, as measured by degree of problem-solving, strategic vs. Routine focus, and stakeholder interactions (e.g. – executives, supervisor, etc.)); •requires solving of routine problems, largely through precedent and referral to general guidelines;.•interaction is within own team and direct supervisor. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KIMURA, WATARU Service Delivery Operations Team Lead 12.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for activities assigned by the Service Delivery Manager

DATE, KANTA Service Delivery Ops Senior Analyst

13.

Brief Job Description: Provide support in monitoring and evaluation of performance gap in relation to language skills; working with the operations, project, training and quality team to identify action or recommendation to meet target metrics and develop communication Assessment tools to measure effectiveness. Prepare reports and data analysis for business review.

20.

21.

14.

Brief Job Description: Provide support in monitoring and evaluation of performance

22.

23.

DONG, YANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. HUANG, WENCAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. TANG, NA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZHOU, YUE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

24.

GIRODET, JEROME Site Project Manager Brief Job Description: Supervise and monitor implementation.

Brief Job Description: You shall be the point person in resolving compliance requirements across organization. Lead the companywide implementation of portfolio management structure, processes and analytics to optimize returns from limit resources.

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

No.

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of experience in managing and leading big teams.

28.

HUANG, LIHONG General Trade Marketing Specialist Consultant 29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

25.

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

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

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

26.

27.

CHEN, CHENG Customer Service Representative (csr) Brief Job Description: Customer service representative (CSR)

YANG, CHUANHANG Customer Service Representative (csr) Brief Job Description: Customer service representative (CSR)

BLUE AURORA SOLUTIONS INC. 283, Haig St., Daang Bakal, City Of Mandaluyong

Basic Qualification: School Graduate in Chinese, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

43.

Brief Job Description: Oversee and approve marketing material; develop strategies and tactics.

Brief Job Description: Oversee and approve marketing material; develop strategies and tactics. AILIYAER, MAIMAITI Project Manager Brief Job Description: Plan and develop project idea: evaluate project performance

ZHAO, YANTONG Project Manager Brief Job Description: Plan and develop project idea: evaluate project performance

Basic Qualification: Know how to speak, write and read english; with 3to 5 yrs. work experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Know how to speak, write and read english; with 3to 5 yrs. work experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Know how to speak, write and read english; with 3to 5 yrs. work experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Know how to speak, write and read english; with 3to 5 yrs work experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Know how to speak, write and read english; with 3to 5 yrs work experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Manage & ensure the project stays on tracks and meets standards YAO, GANG Design Team Leader Brief Job Description: Responsible for quality, creativity of the project LI, YINGZHEN Hydraulic Designer Brief Job Description: Provide expertise & guidance of hydraulic designer BAI, AIDONG Operation Supervisor Brief Job Description: Project administration

Basic Qualification: Bachelor Degree, Construction Expertise Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Tunnel Expert, Construction Supervision Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor Degree, Tunnel Designer Expertise Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor Degree, 7-10 Yrs. Experience in Construction Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

WANG, WENJU Property Plant & Equipment Supervisor

Basic Qualification: TBM Expert, Supervision Skills

Brief Job Description: In charge of equipment use in the project

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

LIU, JIE Structural Designer

Basic Qualification: Bachelor Degree, Tunnel Designer Expertise

Brief Job Description: Preparing reports, design & drawings

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

LIU, YING Tunnel Boring Machine Operator

Basic Qualification: TBM Expertise

Brief Job Description: TBM operation. Installation, share of expertise

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

REN, ZAIMING Tunnel Drilling Supervisor

Basic Qualification: TBM Expertise

Brief Job Description: TBM preparation & installation/maintenance

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

WANG, XINLIANG Tunnel Drilling Supervisor

Basic Qualification: TBM Expertise

Brief Job Description: TBM preparation & installation/maintenance

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

COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS PHILIPPINES, INC. 2nd, 3rd, And 4th Floors, Science Hub Tower 4 Bldg., Mckinley Hill Cyberpark, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

Basic Qualification: School Graduate in Chinese, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Organizing, assisting and helping for market research.

YU, TIANHANG Construction Administrator

Basic Qualification: At least 5 years in experience in managing.

Basic Qualification: You shall be the point person in resolving compliance requirements across organization. Lead the company-wide implementation of portfolio management structure, processes and analytics to optimize returns from limit resources.

Basic Qualification: Can work as an independent consultant to provide marketing expertise to clients; Can research industries, markets, demographics, trends, sales results, and other data related to the client’s products or services.

CHINA INTERNATIONAL WATER AND ELECTRIC CORP. (BRANCH OFFICE) 5/f, Two E-com Mall Of Asia Complex Bldg., Harbor Drive St., District 1, Barangay 76, Pasay City

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

SUN, YUTING Marketing Assistant

YAN, WEI Marketing Manager

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

Brief Job Description: Responsible for developing and executing commercial strategies.

LI, TAO Marketing Manager

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

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

CHINA CONSTRUCTION FRONT GENERAL DEVT. CORPORATION Unit 3001, Atlanta Center, 31 Annapolis St., Greenhills, City Of San Juan

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

Basic Qualification: Graduate of top notch universities / strong analytical and communication skills excellent project management skills experience / proficient in Google workspace programs

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

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

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

Brief Job Description: Partner with creative team to make new ad creatives and messaging that motivate our users to click and buy products. Continuously implement a/b testing for both creatives and campaign targeting to optimize for roads and revenue goals.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

C’EST LA VIE EVENT MANAGEMENT INC. 230, Narra Street, Marikina Heights, City Of Marikina

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree graduate with experience in managing large project & has knowledge in several key domain related to the program.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION IGONI GRIJUELA, ABRAHAM Global Venture Developers

AVANZADO OUTSOURCING SERVICES CORP. Unit 25d, 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., 191 Salcedo St., San Isidro, City Of Makati

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

Basic Qualification: JLPT N2 Certified

Basic Qualification: His English and (native language) skills are sufficient to communicate effectively with our staff in the Philippines. He is willing to develop and learn it skills required for more complex tasks. Has a strong desire to grow within Accenture and help expand our business in the Philippines

ASIAN TERMINALS, INC. Ati Head Office A Bonifacio Dr, 068, Barangay 652, Port Area, City Of Manila

ZHU, YAOGANG Strategic Consultant

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PHAM THI DIEM LOAN Service Delivery Ops Senior Analyst

Brief Job Description: Responsible and accountable for coordinated management of multiple related projects.

Basic Qualification: JLPT N2 Certified

Basic Qualification: JLPT n2/n1 certified or equivalent, knowledge in using Microsoft office tools with minimum 2-3 years/ work experience; bachelor’s degree in any field in preferred, BPO/finance and accounting experience is an advantage; a team player who can deliver results and has fundamental coaching skills; can communicate well at all levels in the organization including clients and thirdparty contacts.

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

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

ACCENTURE, INC. 7f, Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1, Pioneer St, City Of Mandaluyong VEMPADA, MONICA SWAPNA REDDY Application/cloud Support Senior Analyst

Brief Job Description: Managers the overall Amdocs operational scopes, ensures continuous and effective service provided.

THUBE, KAILAS SHIVANAND Program Manager

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Korean fluently

Basic Qualification: More than 30 years’ experience in the energy power industry & related management experience. Expertise in renewable energy.

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

RAMASUBRAMANIAM, HARISH MAYAVEL Operations Partner

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Korean fluently

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

Basic Qualification: Minimum 2+ years’ work experience required with at least 1 year experience in a similar role fluent in both French and English language (tef Canada certified of French and ielts for English)

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

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

Brief Job Description: Position will require candidates to provide level 1 IT Support in French and/or English language to customers globally. A French bilingual l1 is primarily responsible for taking in phone/email/chat interactions in order to meet customer needs and expectations. He is functionally and technically skilled in providing support in resolving customer’s issues. He provides guidance in resolving customer concerns while ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction and consistent compliance on quality standards in every interaction.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

ACE VELOCITY CONSULTANCY INC. 37/f Lkg Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Korean fluently

AC ENERGY CORPORATION 35/f Ayala Triangle Gardens Tower 2, Makati Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati STEENBERGEN, RONALD Technical Consultant - Wind Development

16.

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

Brief Job Description: Position will require candidates to provide level 1 it supports in French and/or English language to customers globally. A French bilingual l1 is primarily responsible for taking in phone/email/chat interactions in order to meet customer needs and expectations he/she is functionally and technically skilled in providing support in resolving customer’s issues. He/she provides guidance in resolving customer concerns while ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction and consistent compliance on quality standards in every interaction. SAOUNDE NGUIMPI, ARSENE Sw/app/cloud Tech Support Analyst

777 KORPHIL HOLDINGS CORP. Unit 2604, 26th Floor Ibp Tower, Julia Vargas Ave. Cor. Jade Drive, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION NGUIMBOUS MASSO, JOSEPH FRANCOIS Sw/app/cloud Tech Support Analyst

www.businessmirror.com.ph

DEVARAJAN, BALASUBRAMANIAM Senior Associate - Projects 44.

Brief Job Description: Act as a liaison between Business Partners, Clients and various application teams to resolve queries raised by the business or clients

Basic Qualification: Expertise in Mainframe (JCL, COBOL, SAM, CICS, DB2 and REXX); Experiences on Oracle SQP and service Now Tool; Knowledge in Trade Reconciliation process Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION BARES DOMINGUEZ, OSCAR Team Lead

45.

Brief Job Description: Supervise and drive performance of the team to ensure each team members are regularly meeting / exceeding their performance targets; Identify training need and supports development programs.

VINAYAGAMOORTHY, VANISUBRAMANI Technical Lead 46.

Brief Job Description: Subject Matter Expert and technology consultant for Cisco contact center suite of products with APAC, EMEA and US region and client coordinator for AUS region for Cummins INC.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: BA or BS degree (in lieu of degree, 4 tears of relevant work experience.) Good in translating from English to Spanish or Spanish to English without variation.

Basic Qualification: Demonstrate extensive technical experience working with large VoIP network using Cisco solutions including CISCO CUCM Unity Connection Voice Mail, and SIP

47.

Brief Job Description: Preparing and following general maintenance schedule.

63.

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

64.

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer

JIN, HENGXIANG Account Manager 65.

CHAU NGOC LIEN Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer DO THI LUONG Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer HA NGOC LIEN Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer HOANG THI LUONG Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer MAI THI OANH Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer NGUYEN KIEU TRINH Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer PHUNG MINH YEN Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer TRAN THI HUYEN Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Converse and interact with the customer

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

66.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

67.

68.

69.

70.

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

71.

72.

73.

DUAL PRIME FOCUS INC. Ug-04, Cityland 10 Tower 2, 154 H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati PYAE PHYO PAING Mandarin Customer Service Representative 57.

Brief Job Description: Provides customer service support to the organization by obtaining, analyzing and verifying the accuracy of order information in a timely manner. Coordinates the handling of difficult and/or unusual situations.

Basic Qualification: College graduate. Fluent in mandarin, Cantonese, and Taiwanese language. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. At least 1 year experience as customer service representative. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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75.

DYNAMIC STUDIO TECHNOLOGY INC. 5th To 10th/f Platinum Tower Building, Aseana Ave. Cor. Fuentes Street, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque LUO, YUBIAO Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 58.

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

WU, JINJIAO Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 59.

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

ZHANG, YANYI Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 60.

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

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

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Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 80.

ZHU, JINLONG Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk 61.

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

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

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503, Nueva St., Barangay 289, Binondo, City Of Manila

SHAO, XIANGMEI Marketing And Sales Agent 62.

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

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

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

No.

83.

PATIL, UDAYSINH SHALIGRAM Lead Project Management Specialist - Generator Assembly & Installation (mechanical Construction) 84.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing technical issues on materials and equipment being used.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin and English language both verbal and written.

81.

HUANG, RUNSONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services. LUO, JINHAI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services. PAN, YANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services. REN, ZEPING Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services. TIAN, RENYI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services. YANG, YUHAI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services. YU, LEI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services. ZHANG, ANKANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services. ZHOU, ZHONGMEI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Assisting clients by providing information on services.

SINHA, SANJIT Lead Project Management Specialist - Generator Supervisor 85.

Brief Job Description: Site activities related to mechanical erection and installation of equipment and plant scope on a project. Responsible for activities related to the construction, building and commissioning on customer site.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: Advanced experience in the construction & commissioning of hydropower project especially in refurbishment & renovation of Hydro project. Knowledge level is comparable to a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university or college. Strong knowledge required for stator & rotor assembly and installation.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English language both verbal and written.

Basic Qualification: Advanced experience in the Construction & commissioning of hydropower project especially in refurbishment and renovation of hydro project, Demonstrated ability to analyze and resolve problems & Established project management skills.

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

AHMED, NASIM Sr. Project Management Specialist - Construction Manager 86.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English language both verbal and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin and English language both verbal and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin and English language both verbal and written.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin and English language both verbal and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

GOLD STANDARD SOLUTION SERVICES INC. U-1802 18/f The Peak Tower, 107 L.p Leviste St., Bel-air, City Of Makati LIU, QIANG Network Operations Center Engineer 87.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and english.

HISAMATSU, MASABUMI Senior Project Manager 88.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and english.

Brief Job Description: Creates plans and execute business strategies of the affiliated companies Has excellent skills in project management, new business development and internal control

DANG KIM NGAN Vietnamese Speaking Associate 89.

Brief Job Description: Attends to customers’ inquiries and complaints regarding Philips products via phone calls and emails. Responds to consumer inquiries regarding Philips products.

90.

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

Basic Qualification: Must be a College graduate; Can Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information; Can contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed; Can Manage large amounts of incoming calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

GENERAL ELECTRIC PHILIPPINES, INC. 12th Floor Ore Central Tower, 9th Ave. Corner 31st St.bonifacio Global City,, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

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

Basic Qualification: At Least High School Graduate. Strictly Follow Procedures and Requirements Outlined in Addressing Customer Issues/ Requests. Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

KIM, DONG HUN Director, Vice President And Treasurer

Basic Qualification: Executive Officer for 5 years

Brief Job Description: Responsible for overseeing management operations

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

J-NA ALLOUT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS CORP. 3/f Lipams Bldg., #48 President Avenue, B. F. Homes, City Of Parañaque PARK, SUNGGEUN Korean Customer Service Representative 91.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and Korean customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Speaks and Write Fluently (Korean and English) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

KINDOSAR PROCESS SOLUTIONS INC. Unit 5d, Rose Industries Bldg., Pioneer St., Kapitolyo, City Of Pasig IN, WOORAM Korean I.t Specialist 92.

Brief Job Description: Design its systems and networks ensuring the right architecture and functionality

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

MARUBENI CORPORATION 8/f L.v Locsin Bldg., Ayala Cor. Makati Aves., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati MADONO, KATSUHIKO Representative To And Financing Corporation 93.

Brief Job Description: Provide operational and technical support to the business development and expansion of AND Financing Corporation

Basic Qualification: Confidential Employee Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

MELCO RESORTS LEISURE (PHP) CORPORATION City Of Dreams Manila, Aseana Ave. Cor. Roxas Blvd., Tambo, City Of Parañaque

Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and english.

Brief Job Description: Creates and revises systems and procedures

Basic Qualification: Work experienced with multinational company and high level of awareness of crisis management and compliance in automotive industry.

HITACHI ELEVATOR PHILIPPINES CORPORATION (HEP) U-604 Penthouse Oppen Bldg., 349 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

HINDUJA GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED 7th Floor Aeon Prime Centre, North Bridgeway Avenue Corner Alabang- Zapote Road, Northgate Cyberzone, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and english.

Brief Job Description: Monitor and control large computer networks from a central location

Basic Qualification: College graduate, fluent in English, 6 months to 1 year experience in the same field

GT MOBILITY VENTURES, INC. 43/f Gt Tower International, 6813 Ayala Ave. Cor. H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral mandarin and English. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Refurbishment of 4X50 MW AHC power station, Removal of Existing machine from Plant, Installation and erection of new Turbine, MIV, Generator and other BOP Mechanical and electrical work.

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

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

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

82.

Brief Job Description: To prepare detailed planning of each of turbine assembly, resources required for each activity and its auxiliaries within the schedule duration and clear measurable progress parameters. Identify the Drawings and documents related to Turbine.

Basic Qualification: Advanced experience in the Project Management and Mechanical Construction. Established project management skills.

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

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin

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

Basic Qualification: Advanced experience in the Project Management and Commissioning. Knowledge level is comparable to Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college (or a high school diploma with relevant experience). Established project management skills.

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

LIANDY YONAZ Mandarin Administrative Specialist

YANG, BIN Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Supervise installation, testing, and commissioning of balance of plant-electrical packages located at Angat Hydro Power plant

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

BHADRAVATHI REVANNA, MURALIDHARA Lead Project Management Specialist - Bop Electrical (lv & Mv) Commissioning

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

FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC. Malate Bayview Mansion, 1781 M. Adriatico Street. 076, Barangay 699, Malate, City Of Manila

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing technical issues on materials and equipment being used. XIA, DONG Project Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing technical issues on materials and equipment being used. LU, WANPENG Project Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing technical issues on materials and equipment being used. KHOR CHUN KEAT Project Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing technical issues on materials and equipment being used. DING, SHAOPO Project Manager

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing and growing key customers of Fiberhome in the Phil. CHEN, MIN Project Manager

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing and growing key customers of fiberhome in the phil. CHAN ZHI KANG Marketing Manager

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese writing and speaking language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

FIBERHOME PHILS., INC. U-19d 19/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

DATACLICK INTERNATIONAL CORP. E. Rodriguez St., Roxas Blvd. St., Barangay 3, Pasay City ZENG, YANFANG Chinese Customer Service Officer

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

ZHANG, RUI Marketing And Sales Agent

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ZHANG, JING Marketing And Sales Agent

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

CURRENTCORE SERVICES INC. Unit 2c, Flr. No. 4f, One Ecom Center Bldg. Ocean Drive St., Barangay 76, Pasay City WANG, SHU Mandarin Site Technical Officer

No.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

JEON, CHAEWON Receptionist, Front Office 94.

Brief Job Description: Deliver a positive and quality customer service experience through providing check-in, check-out and related services to guests and visitors of City of Dreams Manila.

Basic Qualification: At least 1 yr receptionist experience in a 5-star luxury hotel, working knowledge of opera (pms), excel & word, fluent in both written & spoken English, ability to converse in other foreign language Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

MINDSCAPE CREATIVES INC. Unit 19-o, Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati HU, LI Mandarin Operations Specialist 95.

Brief Job Description: Committed to improving customer experience and operational efficiency. ZHANG, DEPENG Mandarin Operations Specialist

96.

Brief Job Description: Committed to improving customer experience and operational efficiency.

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

BusinessMirror

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

97.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION TU, WEI-CHENG Mandarin Technical Support Brief Job Description: To troubleshoot, maintain and monitor the computer system.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin.

No.

121.

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

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City

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AIKE KAR Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires AUNG KYAW OO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires AYE SWE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires CHEN, SHIH-YI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires CHIM PHUC LAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. CHUNG CINNY Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. DIEP KIEN KHANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. DINH THI NGOC Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires DUONG KIM LIEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. DWI LINSY Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires FELIX ANG ZI HAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires HAN, XUEBAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires HEIN TUN AUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires HNIN HNIN AYE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries HOA MI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. HOOI KAI JIE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries HUYNH TU CHAU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. IRENE LIAW XIN HUI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries JONATA NG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries JONELI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries

KAY THI SOE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries

KO KO LAT Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. LAM VAY SAU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

122.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LAU KY PHONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. LE ANH DAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. LE THI HONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LEE CHAU CHIEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LIEU HIEN QUAY Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LIM DJUN MOI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LOC THI KIM HUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LUO, BAILIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. LUU THI HOA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LUU THI LY Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LUU VAN HUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LY CANH CAM Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires LY THI BE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. MAH CHUNG YEEP Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming Calls and Customer Service Inquiries NGO THI HUE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. NGUYEN THE THANH LONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. NGUYEN THI DUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. NGUYEN THI THU HIEN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. NGUYEN THU TRANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. NGUYEN VAN MINH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. NINH THI PHUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. PHYO WAI LIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. SAI YEE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. SEIN SEIN KYI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires SU, PEIFENG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language.

No.

146.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

154.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION THONG TU TRINH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires TO KIM PHUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires TO THE CUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires TRAN HUONG DUONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires VO THI THANH XUAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YANDI ALFIANTO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YE LIN ZAW Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires YE WIN AUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires ZIN MAY AUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

DU, HUAFENG Mandarin Software Specialist 155.

Brief Job Description: To engage in the business of software development, technical consulting services

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

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

POWERCHINA PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2101 21/f Bdo Equitable Tower, 8751 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: Must have understanding in cost planning and contracts administration. Familiarity DU, GUANGZONG with construction/project Mandarin Project Planner management in Mainland China and in the Philippines. 161. Brief Job Description: In-depth understanding of The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning constructions procedures, and scheduling various workloads. Gather and analyzes materials and project information to prepare status report. management principles. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

FANG, SHANLIN Mandarin Project Planner 162.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gather and analyzes information to prepare status report.

Basic Qualification: Must have understanding in cost planning and contracts administration. Familiarity with construction/project management in Mainland China and in the Philippines. In-depth understanding of constructions procedures, materials and project management principles. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

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

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

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

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

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

NEO INCORPORATED North Tower Centrum Bldg., Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque Basic Qualification: CHENG, SILONG With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Program Designer customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 156. Brief Job Description: and written Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: DUAN, CHANGCHUN With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Program Designer customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 157. Brief Job Description: and written. Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: LUO, ZHIPENG With at least 6 months Chinese Speaking Program Designer customer service experience/ Good in oral communication 158. Brief Job Description: and written. Assist/help customers, give customer information about product and services. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ONWARD WORLDWIDE MANAGEMENT & CONSULTANCY SERVICES CORP. 5/f Greensun Bldg., 2285 Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Magallanes, City Of Makati Basic Qualification: WONG SEE YOU Fluent in Mandarin both oral Multilingual Jr Executive Assistant and written 159. Brief Job Description: Salary Range: Executive assistant Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PHIL-TOWER CONSORTIUM INC. Unit S-08 Eco Tower Bldg., 32nd St. Cor. 9th Ave., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in/ related to civil /structural engineering or telecom; experience in ROSSOUW, ADRIAAN JACOBUS telecommunication tower Quality Assurance & Cme Assistant design quality; experience in project management; 160. Brief Job Description: expert in quality and technical Assists in ensuring that the final product of the company compliance audits for subobserves the company’s quality standards contractors/contractors and quality inspection

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

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

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

MULTI AVANCE SOLUTIONS INC. 7/f Ba Lepanto Bldg., 8747 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati

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

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

HAN, BO Mandarin Project Planner 163.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gathers and analyzes information to prepare status report. Evaluate current procedures and recommends changes to improve the efficiency of planning and scheduling of projects.

Basic Qualification: In-depth understanding of construction procedures, materials and project management principles. Must have understanding in cost planning and contracts administration. Familiarity with construction/project management in Mainland China and the Philippines. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

KONG, ZHEN Mandarin Project Planner 164.

LI, DINGSONG Mandarin Project Planner 165.

LI, YUDONG Mandarin Project Planner 166.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gather and analyzes information to prepare status report.

LIU, XIAOFAN Mandarin Project Planner 167.

QI, XIAOLIANG Mandarin Project Planner 168.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: In-depth understanding of construction procedures, materials and project management principles. Must have understanding in cost planning and contracts administration. Familiarity with construction/project management in Mainland China and the Philippines.

No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

YANG, PENG Mandarin Project Planner 175.

169.

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

ZHANG, MENGYAO Mandarin Project Planner 177.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gather and analyzes information to prepare status report.

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

ZHOU, DEYIN Mandarin Project Planner 178.

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

Basic Qualification: Must be knowledgeable in developing and reviewing project quality plans, contract documents and project specifications. Must have Knowledge to a wide range of construction materials, methods, and techniques.

LI, WEIJIE Mandarin Quality Control Officer 179.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

170.

WANG, FUAN Mandarin Project Planner 171.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gather and analyzes information to prepare status report.

WANG, JUN Mandarin Project Planner 172.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gather and analyzes information to prepare status report.

WANG, ZHENGYANG Mandarin Project Planner 173.

WANG, KUN Mandarin Quality Control Officer 180.

XIONG, JIAHENG Mandarin Project Planner 174.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gather and analyzes information to prepare status report.

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

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

YANG, LINJIE Mandarin Quality Control Officer 181.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

ZHAO, LIANGEN Mandarin Quality Control Officer 182.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

LIANG, YI Production Supervisor 183.

Brief Job Description: Monitors staff, equipment, and after the goods are processed you review them for quality before they released to the sales department.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in supervision, coaching, managing processes. Must know how to speak English and Mandarin

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

MANOHARAN, ARUN KUMAR Tech Lead 187.

Basic Qualification: Bachelors of Engineering.

Brief Job Description: Provide top quality technical support, trouble shooting of information technology networks and PBX system.

JOUNG, WOON YOUNG Manager/resident Agent 188.

Brief Job Description: Ensure that all operations are running in a correct, cost effective and timely manner in alignment with the quality requirements on day to day basis.

184.

Brief Job Description: Backend content editing or content moderation process for social media.

NINH CONG HUNG Vietnam-speaking Customer Service Officer 189.

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

185.

Brief Job Description: The fluid technical specialist is directly responsible for safely and efficiently managing well site operations relevant to the drilling fluids system. The candidate has in- depth understanding of drilling fluids system chemistry, and is capable of property testing and maintaining the properties of the drilling fluids system without supervision, and as per the customers’ requirements the position reports to the field services manager

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

WISHLAND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY INC. 28/f Techzone Condo Corp., 213 Buendia Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati

190.

191.

CUNG BA CO Vietnamese Language-customer Service Staff

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking

Brief Job Description: Deal w/ and resolve customer complaints

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

TSAN COC VENH Vietnamese Language-customer Service Staff

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking

Brief Job Description: Deal w/ and resolve customer complaints

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

ZAPPORT SERVICES, INC. 36/f Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati EMILY Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer 192.

Brief Job Description: Indonesian written reports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties.

Basic Qualification: Indonesian speaking and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZTE PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 29 Fort Legend Towers, 3rd Ave. Corner 31st St., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig LIU, HONGJIANG Account Manager 193.

Brief Job Description: Completes orders, revenues, overall profits, and such. With Mandarin technical skills.

SUN, JINTING Account Manager 194.

Brief Job Description: Completes orders, revenues, overall profits, and such. With Mandarin technical skills.

WANG, PENG Product Solution Manager 195.

Brief Job Description: Analysis and control transfer, site materials matching and generation, site data creation and resource system entry, technical support and installation planning.

HUANG, ZHENG Solution Manager 196.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for Philippine Transport technical communication and pre bid guidance.

Basic Qualification: Completes orders, revenues, overall profits, and such. With Mandarin technical skills. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Completes orders, revenues, overall profits, and such. With Mandarin technical skills. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Analysis and control transfer, site materials matching and generation, site data creation and resource system entry, technical support and installation planning. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Responsible for Philippine Transport technical communication and pre bid guidance. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZX-PRO TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION 16/f Robinsons Cybergate 3, Pioneer, Barangka Ilaya, City Of Mandaluyong KHO LI JEN Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 197.

Brief Job Description: Assist / help customers, give customers information about products and services.

LEONG AIK WEE Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 198.

Brief Job Description: Assist / help customers, give customers information about products and services

PENG, XICHANG Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 199.

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

Brief Job Description: Assist / help customers, give customers information about products and services.

T.A. GLOBAL SERVICES INC. Unit 946 9/f Filinvest One Bldg., Northgate Cyberzone Fcc, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa

HTOO AUNG CHO Fluid Technical Specialist

Basic Qualification: College graduate

VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

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

Basic Qualification: Strong understanding of social media platforms, content moderation and or digital content management work streams.

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

TJ MEDIA PHIL. CO.,LTD Unit 0908 East Tower Exchange Rd.,, Psec Exchange Road, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

SUTHERLAND GLOBAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 12th Floor Philplans Corporate Center, Kalayaan Avenue & Triangle Drive, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig CAO NGUYEN BAO NGOC Associate - Cs Internet

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

TECH MAHINDRA LIMITED 5 Eastwood, Cyberpark City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City

PRECIOUS ISLAND CORP. 1629 Laguna St., Sta Cruz 035, Barangay 348, Santa Cruz, City Of Manila

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Must have understanding in cost planning and contracts administration. Familiarity with construction/project management in Mainland China and in the Philippines. In-depth understanding of constructions procedures, materials and project management principles.

No.

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

SUN, YONG Mandarin Project Planner

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

REN, YULONG Mandarin Project Planner

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

176.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelors’ degree in related fields, minimum of 8 years combined experience from oilfield industry, local and offshore, has advanced training in laboratory management, diesel engine and gas turbines, ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, high mobility, able to travel both domestic and international to support business needs.

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

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

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

ZENG, XIANXIAN Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 200.

Brief Job Description: Assist / help customers, give customers information about products and services.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Apr 12, 2022

TAISEI CORPORATION - PHILIPPINE BRANCH OFFICE U-902 9f Bdo Equitable Tower, 8751 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati

186.

SHRESTHA, SACHIN Planning Manager, Civil Estimation Department Brief Job Description: Excellent experience in AutoCAD and civil 3d software

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

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

ZHANG, FUXIN Mandarin Project Planner

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Basic Qualification: 20+ years of project experience working in the construction industry Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A10 Wednesday, April 13, 2022

TheWorld BusinessMirror

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

Russians killed more than 10,000 civilians in Mariupol City–Mayor B

US orders consular staff to leave Shanghai amid Covid-19 surge

By Yuras Karmanau, Adam Schreck & Cara Anna

The Associated Press

YIV, Ukraine—Six weeks of brutal Russian siege have left more than 10,000 civilians dead in the southern port city of Mariupol and corpses “carpeted through the streets,” the mayor of that cut-off city said, as the West warned that a Russian convoy and other troops and weapons were on the move for a suspected planned Russian assault in Ukraine’s east. Mariupol has been the site of some of the heaviest attacks and civilian suffering in the 6-week-old war, but the land, sea and air assaults by Russian forces fighting to capture it have increasingly limited information on circumstances inside the city. Speaking by phone Monday with The Associated Press, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of having blocked weeks of attempted humanitarian convoys into the city in part to conceal the carnage there from the outside world. Boychenko said the death toll there could surpass 20,000. Boychenko also gave new details of allegations by Ukrainian officials in recent weeks that Russian forces have brought mobile cremation equipment to Mariupol to dispose of the corpses of victims of the siege. Russian forces have taken many bodies to a huge shopping center where there are storage facilities and refrigerators, Boychenko said. “Mobile crematoriums have arrived in the form of trucks: You open it, and there is a pipe inside and these bodies are burned,” he said. Boychenko spoke from a location in Ukrainian-controlled territory but outside Mariupol. The mayor said he had several sources for his description of the alleged methodical burning of bodies by Russian forces in the city, but did not further detail the sources of his information. The discovery of large numbers of apparently executed civilians after Russian forces retreated from cities and towns around the capital, Kyiv, this month already has prompted widespread condemnation and charges from Ukrainians and from Western leaders that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine. Elsewhere, US officials point to new signs that Russia’s military is gearing up for a major offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, switching its focus after Russian forces failed in their initial drive to capture Kyiv. Donbas has been torn by fighting between Russian-allied separatists

and Ukrainian forces since 2014, and separatists there have declared independent states. Military strategists say Russian leaders appear to hope for more local support and logistics and terrain in Donbas that favor Russia’s larger and better-armed military, potentially allowing Russian troops to gain more territory and weaken Ukraine’s fighting forces. Russia has appointed a seasoned general to lead its renewed push in the eastern Donbas region. A senior US defense official on Monday described a long Russian convoy now rolling toward the eastern city of Izyum with artillery, aviation and infantry support, as part of redeployment for what appears to be the looming Russian campaign. More artillery is being deployed near the city of Donetsk, while ground combat units that withdrew from around the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas appear destined for refitting and resupplying before they position in Donbas, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal US military assessments. With their offensive in many parts of the country thwarted, Russian forces have relied increasingly on bombarding cities—a strategy that has flattened many urban areas and killed thousands of people. The UN children’s agency said nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia’s invasion began. The United Nations has verified that 142 children have been killed and 229 injured, though the actual numbers are likely much higher. Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of committing atrocities, including a massacre in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, airstrikes on hospitals and a missile attack that killed at least 57 people last week at a train station. In Bucha, the work of exhuming bodies from a mass grave in a churchyard resumed. Galyna Feoktistova waited for hours in the cold and rain in hopes of identifying her 50-year-old son, who

A family mourns a relative killed during the war with Russia, as dozens of black bags containing more bodies of victims are seen strewn across the graveyard in the cemetery in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine on Monday, April 11, 2022. AP/Rodrigo Abd was shot and killed more than a month ago, but eventually she went home for some warmth. “He’s still there,” her surviving son, Andriy, said. In Mariupol, about 120,000 civilians are in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications, the mayor said. Only those residents who have passed the Russian “filtration camps” are released from the city, Boychenko said. Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are confiscating passports from Ukrainian citizens, then moving them to “filtration camps” in Ukraine’s separatist-controlled east before sending them to distant, economically depressed areas in Russia. Boychenko said Monday that those who did not pass the “filtering” have been moved to improvised prisons. He put the number of people taken to Russia or separatist territory in Ukraine at 33,000 or more. Russia has denied moving people against their will. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Ukrainians that Russia might use chemical weapons in Mariupol. “We take this as seriously as possible,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday. Wester n leaders war ned even before Russian troops moved into Ukraine that Russia could resort to unconventional weapons there, particularly chemical agents. A Russia-allied separatist official, Eduard Basurin, appeared to urge their use Monday, telling Russian state TV that Russian-backed forces should seize a giant metals plant in Mariupol from Ukrainian forces by first blocking all the exits out of the factory. “And then we’ll use chemical troops to smoke them out of there,” he said. A Ukrainian regiment, without evidence, also claimed Monday that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance in Mariupol. It indicated there were no serious injuries. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the US could not confirm the drone report out of Mariupol. But Kirby noted the administration’s persistent concerns “about Russia’s potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in

Ukraine.” Russian forces will likely try to encircle the Donbas region from the north and the south as well as the east, said retired British Gen. Richard Barrons, co-chair of the U.K.-based strategic consulting firm Universal Defence & Security Solutions. The ground in that part of Ukraine is flatter, more open and less wooded—so the Ukrainian ambush tactics used around Kiev may be less successful, Barrons said. “As to the outcome, it’s finely balanced right now,” Barrons said. If the Russians learned from their previous failures, concentrated more force, connected their air force to ground forces better and improved their logistics, he said, “then they might start to overwhelm the Ukrainian positions eventually, although I still think it would be a battle of enormous attrition.” Questions remain about the ability of depleted and demoralized Russian forces to conquer much ground, after determined Ukrainian defenders repelled their advance on Kyiv. Britain’s Defense Ministry said Monday that Ukraine has already beaten back several assaults by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions—they make up the Donbas—resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery. Western militar y analysts say Russia’s assault increasingly is focusing on an arc of territory stretching from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s secondlargest city, in the north, to Kherson in the south. A residential area in Kharkiv was struck by incoming fire on Monday afternoon. Associated Press journalists saw firefighters putting out the fire and checking for victims following the attack, and saw that at least five people had been killed, including a child. Oleh Synyehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, said earlier Monday that Russian shelling had killed 11 people over the last 24 hours. K ar manau repor ted f rom Lviv, Ukraine. Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.

Austrian chancellor tells Putin to end Ukraine war V

IENNA—Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Monday that he urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine and raised the issue of “serious war crimes” committed by the Russian military. Nehammer was the first European leader to meet Putin in Moscow since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine Feb. 24. In a statement released after the meeting, the Austrian chancellor said his primary message to Putin in the “very direct, open and tough” talks was that “this war needs to end,

because in war both sides can only lose.” Nehammer told Putin all those responsible for war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Bucha and elsewhere would be “held to account.” He also stressed the need to open humanitarian corridors so that civilians trapped in cities under attack can access basic supplies like food and water, according to his statement. The Austrian leader called the trip to Moscow his “duty” to exhaust every possibility for ending the violence in Ukraine,

coming just two days after travelling to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Nehammer said face-to-face talks to look “each other in the eye, discussing the horrors of war,” could have a greater impact over the long term. But he said he walked away from the meeting without much optimism for an end to the war any time soon. “It might be necessary to do it 100 times,” Nehammer said of the meeting. “But

I think it’s necessary to do it, so that peace reigns again and the people of Ukraine can live safely.” European Union-member Austria supported the 27-nation bloc’s sanctions against Russia, though it so far has opposed cutting off deliveries of Russian gas. The country is militarily neutral and is not a member of Nato. But Nehammer and other Austrian officials have been keen to stress that military neutrality does not mean moral neutrality. AP

EIJING—The US has ordered all non-emergency consular staff to leave Shanghai, which is under a tight lockdown to contain a Covid-19 surge. Many residents in the city of 26 million have been confined to their homes for up to three weeks as China maintains its “zero-Covid” strategy of handling outbreaks with strict isolation and mass testing. But people living under the restrictions have described an increasingly desperate situation, with families unable to leave their homes or obtain food and daily necessities, while people who test positive for the coronavirus have been forced into mass quarantine centers where conditions at times have been called crowded and unsanitary. The State Department said the order announced late Monday is an upgrade from the “authorized” departure advisory last week that made the decision voluntary. The order covers non-emergency US government employees at the consulate in Shanghai and their family members. “Our change in posture ref lects our assessment that it is best for our employees and their families to be reduced in number and our operations to be scaled down as we deal with the changing circumstances on the ground,” the announcement said. The State Department also issued a series of advisories for Americans in Shanghai, including that they ensure they have a “sufficient supply of money, medication, food, and other necessities for your family in the event of sudden restrictions or quarantine.” China’s government and the entirely state-controlled media are

growing increasingly defensive about complaints over the Covid-19 prevention measures. Beiji ng responded a ng r i ly to last week ’s voluntar y depar ture adv isor y, w ith Foreign Ministr y spokesperson Zhao Lijian saying China was “strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the US side’s groundless accusation against China’s epidemic response.” In that announcement, the State Department advised Americans to reconsider traveling to China due to “arbitrary enforcement” of local laws and Covid-19 restrictions, particularly in Hong Kong, Jilin province and Shanghai. US officials cited a risk of “parents and children being separated.” Despite that, and indications the hardline policy is being dictated by head of the ruling Communist Party Xi Jinping, China has rejected any notion that its response is political in nature. Xi has demanded social stability above all else in the run-up to a key party congress later this year at which he is expected to bestow on himself an unprecedented third-term as party leader. Shanghai authorities also say they have secured daily supplies for residents, following complaints about deliveries of food and other necessities being unavailable or inadequate to demand. Shanghai says it will gradually lift some restrictions on neighborhoods where no new infections have been reported over the past two weeks. Residents will be able to travel around their districts but not meet in groups. Others will be restricted to their immediate neighborhoods. AP

Philadelphia to restore indoor mask mandate as infections rise

hiladelphia became the first major US city to reinstate its indoor mask mandate on Monday after reporting a sharp increase in coronavirus infections, with the city’s top health official saying she wanted to forestall a potential new wave driven by an Omicron subvariant. Confirmed Covid-19 cases have risen more than 50 percent in 10 days, the threshold at which the city’s guidelines call for people to wear masks indoors, said Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, the health commissioner. Health officials believe the recent spike is being driven by the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant of Omicron, which has spread rapidly throughout Europe and Asia, and has become dominant in the US in recent weeks. “If we fail to act now, knowing that every previous wave of infections has been followed by a wave of hospitalizations, and then a wave of deaths, it will be too late for many of our residents,” said Bettigole, noting about 750 Philadelphia residents died in the wintertime Omicron outbreak. “This is our chance to get ahead of the pandemic, to put our masks on until we have more information about the severity of this new variant.” Health inspectors will begin enforcing the mask mandate at city businesses on April 18. Most states and cities dropped their masking requirements in February and early March following new guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that put less focus on case counts and more on hospital capacity. The CDC said at that time that with the virus in retreat, most Americans could safely take off their masks. Philadelphia ended its indoor mask mandate March 2, and Bettigole acknowledged “it was wonderful to feel that sense of normalcy again.” Confirmed cases have since risen to more than 140 per day—still a fraction of what Philadelphia saw at the height of the Omicron surge—while only 46 patients are in the hospital with Covid-19. The CDC says community spread in Philadelphia remains low, a level at which the agency says that masking can be optional. The restaurant industry pushed back against the city’s reimposed mask mandate, saying workers will bear the brunt of customer anger over the new rules. “This announcement is a major blow to thousands of small businesses and other operators in the city who were hoping this

spring would be the start of recovery,” said Ben Fileccia, senior director of operations at the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association. PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said Friday that while it expects some increased transmission in the northern US over the next several weeks, hospital admissions have remained low and “our team advises against required masking given that hospital capacity is good.” Bettigole said requiring people to mask up will help restaurants and other businesses stay open, while a huge new wave of Covid-19 would keep customers at home. She said hospital capacity was just one factor that went into her decision to reinstate the mandate. “I sincerely wish we didn’t have to do this again,” Bettigole said. “But I am very worried about our vulnerable neighbors and loved ones.” In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has paused his push to unwind many of the city’s virus rules as cases have risen, opting for now to keep a mask mandate for 2 to 4-year-olds in city schools and preschools. But Adams, a Democrat who has said New Yorkers should not let the pandemic run their lives, has already lifted most other mask mandates and rules requiring proof of vaccination to dine in restaurants, work out at gyms or attend shows. Adams was asked at a virtual news conference Monday afternoon if he was considering reimposing the New York City mask mandate in light of Philadelphia’s decision. The mayor said he would listen to his team of medical doctors for their advice on whether to bring back any restrictions. Adams himself tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday. New York City is now averaging around 1,800 new cases per day, about three times higher than in early March when New York began easing rules. That does not include the many home tests that go unreported to health officials. The latest outbreak has struck many highprofile officials in Washington, including Cabinet members and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut. Some universities have reinstated mask mandates. D.C. health officials say they have no immediate plans to change virus protocols, but they reserve the right to change course down the road. AP

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UK workers see biggest fall in living standards in 8 years

NITED KINGDOM living standards fell at the fastest pace in more than eight years in February as wages lagged further behind the rate of inflation. Average earnings excluding bonuses rose 4.1 percent from a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday. Adjusted for prices over the same period, however, they dropped 1.3 percent, the most since late 2013. The figures show how the soaring cost of living is depriving Britons of the benefits of a strong labor market. Unemployment fell to 3.8 percent in the three months through February, the lowest since the end of 2019 and matching levels not seen since the 1970s. Meanwhile, job vacancies rose to a new record of almost 1.28 million in March, reflecting an acute shortage of workers. “The latest jobs data showed some of the heat may be coming out of the labor market. Still, the pick up in wage growth will probably be enough to convince the Bank of England to raise interest rates again in May,” said Ana Luis Andrade and Dan Hanson, Bloomberg economists. Still, the data also suggested that stellar growth may be slowing. Employers added just 35,000 people to payrolls last month, well below estimates and the smallest increase since February 2021. The squeeze on incomes is expected to hurt overall economic growth for the rest of the year. More pain lies ahead for households, with recent tax rises and energy bill increases threatening to deliver the biggest blow to living standards on record in the UK. “Household incomes are being obliterated as wages fail to keep pace with the spiraling cost of living,” said Frances O’Grady, general secretary

of the Trades Union Congress. “We can’t go on like this. The Chancellor must come back to parliament with an emergency budget to help people through this crisis. The possibility of the first dose of double-digit inflation in four decades is piling pressure on the government to do more to help hard-pressed consumers. “The UK economy continues to create jobs, but businesses are still struggling to hire and pay is failing to keep up with inflation,” said Eugenia Migliori, principal policy adviser at the Confederation of British Industry. “Persistent skills and labor shortages, alongside rising costs, is putting a strain on households and dampening business optimism for the months ahead.” Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is under fire from economists and charities alike for delivering an aid package that skipped on helping the poorest people in the country. The Bank of England, meanwhile, is on course to raise interest rates for a fourth time in May to help contain longer-term price pressures. T he ONS data showed threemonth wage gains picked up to 4 percent, leading to a real-ter ms drop of 1 percent. Total pay growth climbed to 5.4 percent, ref lecting strong bonus payments in recent months, particularly in finance and business services. “We are helping to cushion the impacts of global price rises through over 22 billion pounds of support for the cost of living this financial year,” Sunak said in a statement. “We’re also helping people to find new jobs, and ensuring work always pays as this is the best way to support households in the longer term.” Bloomberg News

Indonesia passes new sexual violence law amid growing cases

AKARTA, Indonesia—Indonesia’s parliament Tuesday approved a far-reaching law setting punishments for sexual violence after being spurred into action by a recent case in which an Islamic boarding school principal raped and impregnated several students. The legislation had languished for years amid arguments it has a liberal feminist ideology that contravenes religious and cultural values in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation. The law recognizes men and children can be victims of sexual violence. Indonesia’s Criminal Code, a legacy of the Dutch colonial era, recognizes only rape and lewd crimes committed by men against women and doesn’t have provisions for restitution or other remedies for victims and survivors. Nine forms of sexual violence are recognized in the law: physical and nonphysical sexual harassment, sexual torture, forced contraception, forced sterilization, forced marriage, sexual slavery, sexual exploitation and cyber sexual harassment. In addition to acknowledging sexual violence as punishable criminal acts, the law has provisions for protection and recovery for the victims. Of the House’s nine political parties, only the conservative Muslimbased Prosperous Justice Party, known as PKS, rejected it as they wanted the bill to prohibit extramarital sex and homosexual relations. “Our rejection is part of our struggle to fight for the prohibition and punishment of perpetrators of adultery and sexual deviations which are ultimately not include in the bill,” said Al Muzzamil Yusuf, a legislator from PKS. The law was passed a week after an Indonesian high court sentenced an Islamic boarding school principal to death for raping at least 13 students over five years and impregnating some of them. Several girls were 11 and 14 years old and were raped over

several years, drawing a public outcry over how he wasn’t caught earlier. President Joko Widodo in January appealed to the House of Representatives to speed up deliberation on the sexual violence bill as it has languished in the legislature since 2016 as critics lambasting lawmakers as having “no sense of crisis.” “The protection of sexual violence victims should be our common concern which should be urgently addressed,” Widodo said. Under the new law, perpetrators of electronic-based sexual violence could face up to 4 years imprisonment and a 200 million rupiah ($13,920) fine, and up to 6 years and a 300 million rupiah ($20,880) if it was carried out with the aim of extorting, coercing, and even deceiving victims. Perpetrators of sexual exploitation face up to 15 years in prison and fine of 1 billion rupiah ($69,600). The law also mandates that a trust fund and recovery services to help victims recover be established and regulated by the government. The bill was initiated by the National Commission on Violence Against Women in 2012, and calls for it to be fast-tracked followed the shocking gang rape and murder of a 13-year-old schoolgirl by 14 drunken men in Bengkulu in 2016. It soon stalled due to the resistance from PKS and Islamic groups. The latest draft won majority support when provisions on rape and coerced abortions were removed from the bill to avoid overlapping with proposals to amend the Criminal Code. Government data showed at least 797 children became sexual violence victims in January alone, or 9.13 percent of the total child victims in 2021 which reached 8,730, rising 25 percent from 2020. As of 2020, it recorded 45,069 cases of sexual violence against girls and women since the drafting of the bill in 2012. AP

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 A11

Biden urges Modi not to step up Indian use of Russian oil

ASHINGTON—President Joe Biden asked India’s Narendra Modi on Monday not to accelerate the buying of Russian oil as the US and other nations try to cut off Moscow’s energy income following the invasion of Ukraine. The Indian prime minister made no public commitment to refrain from Russian oil, a source of tension with the US.

Meeting by video call, Biden told Modi that the US could help India diversify its sources of energy, according to press secretary Jen Psaki. Even though India receives little of its oil from Russia, it stepped up recently with a major purchase as other democracies are trying to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The president also made clear that he doesn’t believe it’s in India’s interest to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy or other commodities,” Psaki said. At a separate State Department news conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pointedly suggested that Europe, not India, be the focus of Washington’s concer n about energ y purchases from Russia. “I suspect, looking at the figures, probably our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon,” he said. While Biden and Modi ended their session with Biden saying they committed to strengthening their relationship, White House officials could not say if India stood with them in fully condemning Putin, saying the choice ultimately rested with Modi’s government. The two leaders will meet in person May 24 in Tokyo for a summit of the Quad, a coalition that also includes Australia and Japan. At the State Department news conference, Blinken appeared to seek to ca-

jole India into taking a stronger stance on the conflict in Ukraine, appealing to the country’s interest in upholding the international rules-based order and pointing out that resource-stretched Indians may be affected by both energy and food shortages caused by the war. “Russia’s aggression stands in stark contrast to the vision that the United States and India share for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and Russia’s actions are having a profound impact not just in Europe and Ukraine, but around the world, for example, causing food insecurity and rising prices,” Blinken told reporters after the meetings concluded. India’s neutral stance in the war has raised concerns in Washington and earned praise from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who lauded India this month for judging “the situation in its entirety, not just in a onesided way.” Biden opened the video conversation by emphasizing the defense partnership between the two countries and by saying the US and India are going to “continue our close consultation on how to manage the destabilizing effects of this Russian war” on food and other commodities. “The root of our partnership is a deep connection between our people, ties of family, of friendship and of shared values,” the US president said. Modi on Monday called the situation in Ukraine “very worrying,” and he noted that an Indian student lost

President Joe Biden meets virtually with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington on Monday, April 11, 2022. Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh is center, Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is right. AP/Carolyn Kaster his life during the war. He said he has spoken with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appealing to both of them for peace. India has condemned the killings uncovered in the city of Bucha and has called for an independent investigation. A senior US official described the Biden-Modi exchange as warm and productive, though the official stressed that India would make its own decisions on how to respond to Putin. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss the meeting. Biden and Modi discussed how to manage the risks of global instability regarding food, humanitarian relief and climate change, and Modi candidly shared his views about some of the tight links between Russia and China that raise concerns, the official said. Also Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met in person with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Austin appealed to India to act together with fellow democracies, a form of government based on the popular consent of the people that stands in contrast to autocracies such as China and Russia. “Now more than ever, democracies must stand together to defend the values that we all share,” Austin said. India has refrained from some ef-

forts to hold Russia accountable for its invasion. India abstained when the UN General Assembly voted Thursday to suspend Russia from its seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council over allegations that Russian soldiers in Ukraine engaged in rights violations that the US and Ukraine have called war crimes. The vote was 93-24 with 58 abstentions. India continues to purchase Russian energy supplies, despite pressure from Western countries to avoid buying Russian oil and gas. The US has also considered sanctions on India for its recent purchase of advanced Russian air defense systems. Last month, the state-run Indian Oil Corp. bought 3 million barrels of crude from Russia to secure its needs, resisting entreaties from the West to avoid such purchases. India isn’t alone in buying Russian energy, however. Several European allies such as Germany have continued to do so, despite public pressure to end these contracts. Indian media reports said Russia was offering a discount on oil purchases of 20 percent below global benchmark prices. Iraq is India’s top supplier, with a 27 percent share. Saudi Arabia is second at around 17 percent, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 13 percent and the US at 9 percent, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. AP

UN official urges acceleration in coronavirus vaccinations

US criticizes HK over reporter’s sedition arrest

NITED NATIONS—The UN official spearheading global vaccination efforts against the coronavirus said Monday the number of countries where 10 percent or less of the population has been vaccinated dropped from 34 to 18 since January and called for accelerated progress to end the pandemic. Assistant Secretary-General Ted Chaiban told the UN Security Council that with over 6 million lives lost to Covid-19 and just over 1 million new coronavirus infections reported to the World Health Organization in the last 24 hours, it is urgent to increase vaccinations in countries where it wasn’t possible to boost rates in 2021. “The next six months are critical,” he said. “In 2022, we must take the rapid action needed to accelerate vaccination. The window of opportunity is gradually closing. We risk losing the momentum and failing on vaccine equity.” Chaiban said more than 11.1 billion doses of vaccines have been administered globally, and 124 of the 194 WHO member nations have vaccinated more than 40 percent of their populations and 51 countries have reached more than 70 percent. However, in low-income countries the rate is only 11 percent, he said. In WHO’s Africa region, 83 percent of the people remain unvaccinated, and in its eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Afghanistan, 51 percent haven’t gotten a first jab.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Chaiban, a senior official at the UN children’s agency UNICEF, in February to lead a UN team to ensure an effective global response to the pandemic and help close the gap in vaccine availability and distribution. It will also provide financial and technical assistance to overcome vaccine bottlenecks. Chaiban said a just ended campaign in Ethiopia increased vaccination coverage from 4 percent in January to just over 20 percent, including in some conflict-affected areas. In the conflictaffected Central African Republic, he said, strong community engagement including focus group discussions, TV and radio spots with leaders and influencers and the mobilization of young people has led to almost 19 percent of the population being vaccinated. Chaiban told the council he was speaking by video link from Congo where this week the UN team will be meeting with government officials and key partners “to better address the urgent needs and bottlenecks to expanding vaccination coverage across this country of nearly 100 million people.” Dr. Esperanza Martinez, a senior adviser to the director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said vaccinations and other health-related activities “are incredibly difficult to carry out” in conflictaffected areas. “The good news is that as the supply of vaccine doses grows, the potential to

get jabs in arms grows, too,” she said. To achieve this, Martinez said, the Security Council should ensure that international humanitarian law requiring the protection of health workers and facilities is respected, makes coronavirus vaccinations part of broader efforts to improve health and strengthens the health systems of conflict-affected countries. He said community involvement in vaccination activities is key to gaining public trust. “We have seen vaccines expire on airport tarmacs in Afghanistan, Nigeria, South Sudan and several other places,” Martinez said. “Some of these vaccines were wasted because they arrived with too short expiry date, others because the receiving country’s health systems were not ready to distribute them.” To address the significant vaccine equity gap, the UN’s Chaiban urged the council to continue supporting two resolutions it adopted calling for ceasefires and increased global cooperation to facilitate access for vaccinations in major conflict areas. He urged countries to turn $4.8 billion in pledges at a virtual summit Friday to help lower income countries boost vaccinations “into tangible support” now. Chaiban also urged council members to advocate for and help guarantee unhindered humanitarian access to deliver vaccine supplies and administer doses and to invest in primary health care “as a key element of future pandemic preparedness.” AP

he US has criticized Hong Kong over the arrest of a journalist on sedition charges, ramping up tensions over a Beijing-led crackdown on dissent in the former British colony. “Hong Kong’s position as a free, global financial center depends on the free flow of information and opinions,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a Tweet late Monday. “Journalism is not a crime,” Price wrote, adding that the Hong Kong government should also free “others imprisoned for exercising their fundamental freedoms.” The Hong Kong government said in a statement Monday that national security police arrested a 54-year-old for conspiracy to publish seditious material. The South China Morning Post and other local media identified the person as Au, citing people familiar with the matter. The newspaper added that articles he wrote for the nowclosed Stand News allegedly “incited hatred against the government.” Au has been released on bail, the local Sing Tao newspaper reported. China’s local Foreign Ministry branch in Hong Kong condemned Washington’s remarks on Au’s arrest and urged it to stop interfering in the city’s internal affairs. “The rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents in accordance with the law, including freedom of speech and the press, are fully guaranteed,” a ministry spokesperson said Tuesday in a statement. “But press freedom is not a ‘pass’ for breaking the law.” Bloomberg News

A12 Wednesday, April 13, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

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editorial

Bitter truth about PHL sugar sector

ven before Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) struck the Visayas including the top producers of sugarcane, the sugar sector has already been grappling with issues that eroded its competitiveness. For one, the fragmentation of plantations has made it difficult to achieve economies of scale in producing sugar. Productivity declined, as planters with small-sized farms usually do not have the capacity to cultivate their farms to the fullest potential. Shifting weather patterns also made it more challenging to significantly increase production. Weather events, such as La Niña, are disastrous to sugarcane production as they hamper the growth of the crop (See, “Gain report: La Niña threat to PHL raw sugar production,” in the BusinessMirror, October 5, 2020). Heavy rains affect the milling cycle as this could delay the harvest of sugarcane, and floods would make it difficult to transport the crop from farms to the mills. The recent spike in fertilizer prices caused by the opening up of economies and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is compounding the problems confronting sugar planters. Fertilizer prices have tripled in recent weeks and could continue to go up in the coming months if the conflict in Eastern Europe is not resolved soon. The United Sugar Producers Federation warned in January that some planters may not be able to survive to see another crop year if they will not get the assistance they need to continue planting sugarcane (See, “Sugar planters to govt: Freeze fertilizer prices,” in the BusinessMirror, January 31, 2022). The Philippines is capable of meeting the sugar requirements of households and industries. In fact, the country is even exporting its excess raw sugar output to the United States under the so-called tariff rate quota system. However, the capacity of the sector to produce enough sugar is now being challenged by climate change. In the current crop year, the Sugar Regulatory Administration has decided to allocate all of the country’s sugarcane production for the domestic market because of unpredictable weather. In Sugar Order 1, the SRA board said the allocation for “A” sugar or those bound for the US was scrapped because of the La Niña phenomenon, which will coincide with the harvest and peak milling season of sugarcane in key production areas. Output in crop year 2021-2022 was projected to decline by nearly 2 percent to 2.099 million metric tons from the previous CY’s 2.138 MMT. SO 1 was issued in August 2021, a few months before Odette struck in the Visayas. The typhoon wreaked havoc on sugar-producing areas in the island and reduced output. According to figures from the Department of Agriculture, Odette destroyed P1.2 billion worth of sugarcane and affected 51,159 hectares of sugar plantations. While the government cannot do anything about unpredictable weather, it should invest significant resources in programs and initiatives that would make the sector more climate-resilient and allow planters to raise their productivity. Typhoon Odette and weather events such as La Niña should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers. Under a business-as-usual scenario, sugar production would continue to decline and make it more difficult for policymakers to keep food prices stable. Since 2005

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UN: Nearly two-thirds of Ukraine’s children have fled homes

By Edith M. Lederer | The Associated Press

NITED NATIONS—Nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia’s invasion, and the United Nations has verified the deaths of 142 youngsters, though the number is almost certainly much higher, the UN children’s agency said Monday. Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF’s emergency programs director who just returned from Ukraine, said having 4.8 million of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children displaced in such a short time is “quite incredible.” He said it is something he hadn’t before seen happen so quickly in 31 years of humanitarian work. “They have been forced to leave everything behind—their homes, their schools and, often, their family members,” he told the UN Security Council. “I have heard stories of the desperate steps parents are taking to get their children to safety, and children saddened that they are unable to get back to school.” Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, claimed Russia has taken more than 121,000 children out of Ukraine and reportedly drafted a bill to simplify and accelerate adoption procedures for orphans and even those who have parents and other relatives. He said most of the children were removed from the besieged southern port city of Mariupol and taken to eastern Donetsk and then to the Russian city of Taganrog. Fontaine said UNICEF has heard the same reports, but added that “we don’t have yet the access that we need to have to be able to look and verify and see if we can assist.” He said that of Ukraine’s displaced children, 2.8 million are in Ukraine and 2 million more are in other countries. At the same time,

he said, nearly half the estimated 3.2 million children still in their homes in Ukraine “may be at risk of not having enough food,” with those in besieged cities like Mariupol facing the most dire situation. Fontaine said school closings are affecting the education of 5.7 million younger children and 1.5 million students in higher education. “Hundreds of schools and educational facilities have been attacked or used for military purposes,” he said. “Others are serving as shelters for civilians.” The council also heard from Sima Bahous, the executive director of the UN Women agency, who recently returned from Moldova, which is hosting an estimated 95,000 Ukrainian refugees. Bahous said her agency is increasingly hearing allegations of rape and sexual violence. She said Moldova’s government and border police are also very concerned at the risk of human trafficking, especially of young women and unaccompanied teenagers. “The combination of mass displacement with the large presence of conscripts and mercenaries, and the brutality displayed against Ukrainian civilians, has raised all red flags,” she said. Ukraine’s ambassador said his country’s prosecutor’s office is now investigating a case in the Kyiv region in which a Russian soldier is alleged to

Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF’s emergency programs director who just returned from Ukraine, said having 4.8 million of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children displaced in such a short time is “quite incredible.” He said it is something he hadn’t before seen happen so quickly in 31 years of humanitarian work. have killed a local resident and then repeatedly raped his wife in their home. He said the alleged perpetrator has been identified. Kyslytsya said the Prosecutor General’s Office, in cooperation with investigation agencies and health facilities, is also installing “a special mechanism” to document cases of sexual violence by Russian soldiers. The Security Council meeting on the impact of the war on women and children was convened by the US and Albania during Britain’s presidency of the body. The three countries, Ukraine and other council members attacked Russia for creating the dire situation for women and children, which Russian deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyansky vehemently denied. US Ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfield said that when men like Russian President Vladimir Putin “start wars, women and children get displaced,” hurt, raped and abused, and they die. “Since the start of Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, Russia has bombed orphanages and maternity hospitals,” she said. “We’ve seen mass graves with dead children stacked on top of each other.” Albanian Ambassador Ferit Hoxha accused Russia of committing “unspeakable crimes” every day,

including burning civilians, throwing bodies in mass graves, shooting into playgrounds, attacking schools on purpose, and leaving all Ukrainians suffering, especially women and children. “In their normal life, children draw parents, houses and trees. Russia’s war has made Ukraine kids draw bombs, tanks and weapons,” Hoxha said. Both the US and Albanian ambassadors, and many others, pointed to the discovery of bodies, some with hands tied behind their backs, in the town of Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian troops, and the missile that killed at least 52 mainly women and children at the train station in eastern Kramatorsk. Hoxha noted that the missile had “a vicious signature, ‘for our children’.” Russia’s Polyansky blamed “Ukrainian Nazis” for civilian killings in Bucha and the bombing at the Kramatorsk station, which he called “a classic false flag operation.” He accused Ukraine and its public relations experts, along with the West, of promoting “fakes and propaganda” as part of “the information war unleashed against Russia.” “That war is as intense as the military operations on the ground,” he said. Lord Tariq Ahmad, Britain’s minister of state for the UN who presided over the meeting, countered that Russia again was trying to deflect from the reality on the ground “by what can only be described as quite extraordinary statements, and even lies.” “Yet, what is true, what is fact, is that Russian attacks on civilians and residential areas have been truly barbaric,” he said.

Once a retail giant, Kmart nears extinction after closure

By David Porter | The Associated Press

VENEL, N.J.—The familiar sights and sounds are still there: the scuffed and faded floor tiles, the relentless beige-on-beige color scheme, the toddlers’ clothes and refrigerators and pretty much everything in between. There’s even a canned recording that begins, “Attention, Kmart shoppers”—except it’s to remind folks about Covid-19 precautions, not to alert them to a flash sale over in ladies’ lingerie like days of old. Many of the shelves are bare, though, at the Kmart in Avenel, New Jersey, picked over by bargain hunters as the store prepares to close its doors for good April 16. Once it shutters, the number of Kmarts in the US—once well over 2,000—will be down to three in the continental US and a handful of stores elsewhere, according to multiple reports, in a retail world now

dominated by Walmart, Target and Amazon. The demise of the store in the middle-class suburb, 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of New York City, is the tale of the death of the discount department store writ small. “You’re always thinking about it because stores are closing all over, but it’s still sad,” said cashier Michelle Yavorsky, who said she has worked at the Avenel store for two and a half years. “I’ll miss the place. A lot of people shopped here.” In its heyday, Kmart sold product lines endorsed by celebrities Martha Stewart and Jaclyn Smith, sponsored

The closing packed a little more of an emotional punch for Mike Jerdonek, a truck driver who recalled shopping at Kmart in Brooklyn and Queens in his younger days. “It’s like history passing right in front of our eyes,” he said as he sat in his car outside the Avenel store. “When I was younger I didn’t have any money, so it was a good place to shop because the prices were cheap. And to see it gone right now, it’s kind of sad.”

NASCAR auto races and was mentioned in movies including “Rain Man” and “Beetlejuice.” It was namedropped in songs by artists from Eminem to the Beastie Boys to Hall & Oates; in 2003, Eminem bought a 29-room, suburban Detroit mansion

once owned by former Kmart chairman Chuck Conaway. The chain cemented a place in American culture with its Blue Light Specials, a flashing blue orb affixed to a pole that would beckon shoppers to a flash sale in progress. Part of its success was due to its early adoption of layaway programs, which allowed customers who lacked credit to reserve items and pay for them in installments. For a time, Kmart had a little bit of everything: You could shop for your kids’ back-to-school supplies, get your car tuned up and grab a meal without leaving the premises. “Kmart was part of America,” said Michael Lisicky, a Baltimore-based author who has written several books on US retail history. “Everybody went to Kmart, whether you liked it or not. They had everything. You had toys. You had sporting goods. You See “Kmart,” A13

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How teachers survived the pandemic Shooting challenges When the pandemic is finally downtown Sacramento’s over, many people envision their life returning to the way it was before Covid-19. But for teachers rebuilding efforts T and their students, life may never By Concepcion A. Magaddon

By Kathleen Ronayne | The Associated Press

ACRAMENTO, California—The mass shooting that police say was a gun battle between rival gangs that left six dead and 12 wounded earlier this month shook the downtown core of California’s capital—and created another challenge for a city trying to redefine itself as a destination for more than just government workers. In recent years, downtown Sacramento has benefited from billions of dollars of development but has been rattled by rising crime, protests resulting in property damage and an economic drubbing caused by the pandemic. Now, the city is reeling from the aftermath of the April 3 shooting, when at least five gunmen fired 100 shots as people left bars and nightclubs. The violence just blocks from the Capitol highlights the successes and challenges many US urban centers are facing as struggles with crime and homelessness persist despite revitalization efforts. Though Sacramento is home to more than 500,000 people, it’s considered sleepy by California standards. The derisive nickname “Cowtown” grew out of its agricultural roots. Today, downtown is at the center of the city’s efforts to become an entertainment and food destination. Local officials have worked to rebrand the city as “America’s Farm to Fork Capital,” a nod to a large number of well-regarded restaurants that get ingredients from the region’s many farms. A major part of the revitalization is a six-block strip of K Street anchored by a renovated convention center and the Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and a regular stop for major concert tours. The shooting happened on a block that’s home to high-end nightclubs but also dotted by vacant buildings that once housed coffee shops and restaurants. Police have made two arrests connected to the shootings, but no one has been charged with homicide. The violence “came at a really pivotal moment for downtown,” said Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area. “It’s causing me to sort of reflect on where we go from here — and as a city, not just as downtown,” she said. A century ago, K Street was a bustling, diverse center of activity. But the strip struggled as people moved into the suburbs—giving way to decades of failed revival efforts, including the construction of a mall in the late 1960s and the launch of a light rail commuter line in the 1980s. A fresh wave of investment came to the area about a decade ago, with new businesses opening on K Street as part of an effort to revive downtown after the financial crisis. The Golden 1 Center’s 2016 opening sought to build on that, helping generate $6.7 billion in nearby investment and spurring the opening of 150 new businesses, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership business group. Then the pandemic hit, sending many of downtown’s 100,000 workers home and forcing some businesses closed. Now about 45,000 people work downtown daily, according to the partnership. As employment fell, crime rose. Aggravated assaults, burglaries and vandalism were up in 2020 and 2021 compared to the five previous years for a roughly 100-square block area that includes the Capitol and the arena, according to Sacramento police crime data. The city’s central hub has also served as the epicenter for protests focusing on racial justice and police misconduct. Protesters in 2018 shut down a downtown freeway entrance and blocked fans from entering the arena after Sacramento police shot and killed a young Black man. Then demonstrations in 2020 over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis swept the city. Many downtown properties were vandalized and some were ransacked.

“We’ve had a lot of different realities kind of hit downtown in different waves,” said Dion Dwyer, director of public space services for business partnership. Now Sacramento is among the ranks of cities recovering from recent mass shootings. Since 2017, there have been 133 mass shootings in the US, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. Dayton, Ohio, in 2019 was shaken when a gunman killed nine people and wounded 17 just after midnight at a bar in the main entertainment district for the city of 140,000. Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said officials mounted an “intentional strategy to reclaim the district” after the shooting. Within three weeks of the violence, there was a free performance by Dave Chappelle, who lives outside the city. The community rallied to support local businesses, but it took time for people to feel comfortable returning to nightlife. The pandemic hit just as that activity was rebounding, Gudorf said. “In people’s minds and hearts they knew that this did not define who we are. It was an incident, it was a tragic incident where we lost lives and people were injured,” she said. “I think it just took time to process all of that.” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg repeatedly said people should continue to feel comfortable going downtown. “It’s not one or the other” when it comes to enjoying the city’s entertainment offerings and feeling safe,” he said last week. Rachel Muro, a manager at the locally owned Capital Books several storefronts away from the shooting, said downtown has problems like any city but that people should not avoid it. The bookstore’s owners recently opened a board game cafe just around the corner. “We believe in this part of town enough to continue to help make it thrive,” Muro said. Elsewhere on the block, the area’s troubles are obvious, with many office and restaurant spaces vacant. Homelessness downtown and elsewhere in Sacramento has been a vexing problem. Last week the City Council voted to place a measure on the November ballot requiring the city to build more shelter beds and ban encampments on public land. Valenzuela, the councilwoman, opposed the plan and said it was inappropriate to debate that proposal so soon after the tragedy. Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, said homeless people live downtown because the area has street lighting and lots of activity and plenty of alcoves near businesses where they can shelter. “People are here because there are coves for protection,” Sanchez said. At a brewery a few blocks from the shooting site, co-workers enjoying a drink reflected on whether the shooting changed their view of the city. Braden Kolb, who was at a downtown bar for a friend’s 30th birthday the night before the shooting, said he patronizes downtown about once a month and that the shooting “is not going to change my behavior.” But his friend Jason Slieter said the incident made him wonder if Sacramento is the right place to raise his family, saying he felt a sense of heaviness downtown when coming to work after the six people were killed. “It definitely felt like something had changed,” he said. Associated Press

journalists Adam Beam in Sacramento and Camille Fassett in Oakland contributed.

he sudden shift in teaching method at the height of the pandemic, from the traditional talk and chalk to online or distant education, forced the country’s educators to face the most jarring and rapid change that happened in their profession in the country’s history. In a moment’s notice, teachers were asked to leave their classrooms indefinitely and, in many cases, to recreate a learning environment that is 100 percent virtual.

Online teaching brought the worst and best in us, teachers, especially those who are not so techsavvy, as we need to learn the computer skills needed to be effective teachers online. As challenging as the transition was, it represents possibly the best-case scenario in what’s proven to be an incredibly inequitable educational landscape during the pandemic. In the provinces, for example, some teachers and students that are the ones who were hit hard with this “new normal” in education suffered the most. One of the biggest challenges in rural areas is poor Internet signal, which gives us erratic and unreliable online connection. Other areas are even worse because there’s no Internet connection. In their desire to help learners, teachers in these areas need to improvise. For example, many of them decided

to make their own modules using the local language. Whereas some areas are conducting online learning in what has been described as a fairly seamless transition, teachers in many other towns are struggling to connect with students and families to ensure that their basic needs—including sufficient food—are being met. Those emergency remote teaching experiences highlighted the barriers to digital learning and the adoption of technology-enabled education across the country. Many students can’t afford to buy the devices they need. Other lucky ones who own smart devices can’t find reliable Internet connection. But even the students and teachers who have WiFi at home still found the experience of remote learning and teaching woefully inadequate. Surveys suggest that nearly half

return to what they used to know as “normal” schooling before the pandemic. It would not surprise us at all if some of our colleagues will start re-imagining the use of technology in education even inside the classroom where live interactions between learners and teachers take place.

of parents are dissatisfied with how their children have performed academically during the pandemic, while 70 percent of teachers feel that their students have not adapted well to remote learning. When we asked students about their experience with the online teaching during the pandemic, interaction and participation was also identified as the biggest loss when comparing it to face-to-face classes. In addition, they faced a strong feeling of isolation by being physically separated from their classmates, as well as difficulty keeping their attention in front of the computer for long periods of time.

This new scenario has forced teachers and students alike to cope with unknown technologies within a very short timeframe. This has been a challenge in many ways for us educators, but it has also been a learning opportunity to improve our skills regarding online teaching. Teaching and learning happen through interaction, and this has been the biggest challenge for our coordination team: To create opportunities for students to engage and interact among themselves and with their teachers. In this sense, Covid-19 has strengthened our belief in the importance of human interaction, non-verbal communication and spontaneity in making education a life-changing experience. When the pandemic is finally over, many people envision their life returning to the way it was before Covid-19. But for teachers and their students, life may never return to what they used to know as “normal” schooling before the pandemic. It would not surprise us at all if some of our colleagues will start re-imagining the use of technology in education even inside the classroom where live interactions between learners and teachers take place. The author is Teacher III and OIC at Alig Valley National High School in Allacapan, Cagayan.

China’s Li issues third growth warning as Covid takes toll

hina’s Premier Li Keqiang issued a third warning about economic growth risks in less than a week, suggesting heightened concern about the outlook as widespread Covid lockdowns disrupt production and spending. Authorities should “add a sense of urgency” when implementing existing policies, Li told local authorities at a seminar Monday. China will study and adopt stronger economic policies as needed to support the economy, he said. The comments come days after similar warnings from Li, highlighting the toll the economy is taking from lockdowns and other virus control measures imposed to curb the latest wave of omicron outbreaks. Nomura Holdings Inc. said the risk is rising the economy may contract in the second quarter if lockdowns are extended after April. The Nomura economists estimate that about 373 million people in 45 cities are now under full or partial lockdown, making up 40% of China’s gross domestic product. With the central government making Covid containment a top policy priority, local politicians have an incentive to stick with strict controls ahead of a key leadership meeting later this year, they said. “Global markets may still underestimate the impact because much attention remains focused on the Russian-Ukraine conflict and US Federal Reserve rate hikes,” Lu Ting, Nomura’s chief China economist, and colleagues wrote in a Monday note. Chinese stocks slumped on Mon-

day as Shanghai reported record virus cases. China’s CSI 300 Index gained as much as 1.7% in afternoon trading as net buying by foreign investors reached nearly 6.8 billion yuan as of 1:55 p.m. local time, more than recouping the outflow the previous day. Li said Monday that pro-growth measures should be brought forward and accelerated, including tax and fee cuts, sales and usage of special bonds, and incentives to keep jobs. Local governments should tap their own policy potential to tailor targeted supportive measures according to local conditions, he said. In the meantime, they should prevent introducing and correct policies that are unfavorable to market expectations. The majority of Shanghai’s 25 million residents are still subject to tight movement restrictions after the municipal government announced some easing. The southern metropolis of Guangzhou is implementing a series of restrictions after local authorities warned the 20 cases they found last week could be the tip of the iceberg. The lockdowns will have ripple effects on growth across the region and are putting global supply chains under strain. Congestion at China’s ports has worsened after Shanghai, where the country’s biggest port is located, imposed a citywide shutdown. Ship-owners have been desperately trying to divert ships to other ports in the country to avoid a shortage of trucks and warehouse closures in Shanghai.

“Supply chain stress is likely to worsen across Asia in coming months, even as some costs start to come off the boil. Longer delivery times indicate worse to come for supply chains as China’s Covid-19 lockdowns—especially in Shanghai—drag on,” said Chang Shu, Bloomberg chief Asia economist.

There are already signs that restrictions last month weighed on the world’s second-largest economy. A private survey of factory activity in March fell to its worst level since the onset of the pandemic two years ago, and other data has shown a massive knock to the services sector, too. A slump in home sales has deepened, car sales slid 10.9% year-onyear last month, and domestic sales of excavators, a leading indicator for construction, plunged almost 64%. Foreign businesses in China have said the country’s Covid Zero strategy is causing major disruptions to their supply chains, with a European trade group recently calling on the government to revise its strict controls to better protect economic growth. The poor outlook and strict adherence to a no-tolerance strategy has prompted some economists to cut their economic growth forecasts for the year to well below the government’s target of around 5.5 percent. Many expect the central bank to lower its key policy interest rates for

a second time on Friday, and possibly reduce the reserve requirement ratio this quarter. On the fiscal side, local governments are speeding up bond sales to fund infrastructure investment. Even so, Morgan Stanley economists said recently the country’s “all-out easing efforts would still be blunted by successive Covid outbreaks and related shutdowns.” “Supply chain stress is likely to worsen across Asia in coming months, even as some costs start to come off the boil. Longer delivery times indicate worse to come for supply chains as China’s Covid-19 lockdowns—especially in Shanghai —drag on,” said Chang Shu, Bloomberg chief Asia economist. Li said that in the face of poor logistics due to Covid control measures, localities should attach great importance to its impact on the economy. Different places should strengthen inter-regional and inter-departmental coordination to ensure smooth international and domestic logistics, and maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains, he said. The premier also urged the country to do a good job in spring planting of grains to ensure a harvest this year, which he says is the foundation for stabilizing prices. Li told business leaders on April 7 that policy measures to stabilize growth should be strengthened. A day earlier, he chaired a State Council meeting which vowed to step up monetary policy action at an “appropriate time.” Bloomberg News

Kmart. . .

Sears and Kmart and pledged to return them to their former greatness, but the recession and the rising dominance of Amazon contributed in derailing those goals. Sears filed for Chapter 11 in 2018 and currently has a handful of stores left in the US where it once had thousands. Kmarts continue to operate in Westwood, New Jersey; Bridgehampton, on New York’s Long Island, and Miami. It didn’t have to end this way, according to Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia University in New York and former CEO of Sears Canada. Trying to compete with Walmart on price was a foolish strategy, he said, and Lampert was criticized for not having a retail background and appearing more interested in stripping off the assets of the two chains for their cash value. “It’s a study in greed, avarice and incompetence,” Cohen said. “Sears should have never gone away; Kmart was in worse shape, but not fatally so.

And now they’re both gone. “Retailers fall by the wayside sometimes because they’re selling things people don’t want to buy,” he continued. “In the case of Kmart, everything they used to sell, people are buying but they’re buying it from Walmart and Target.” Transformco, which owns Kmart and Sears, did not respond to an email seeking comment and a phone number listed for the company was not taking messages. Nationwide, some former Kmarts remain vacant while others have been replaced by other big-box stores, fitness centers, self-storage facilities, even churches. One former site in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is now a popular dine-in movie theater. Employees at the Kmart in Avenel found out last month that the store would close. Unlike 20 years ago, when news of impending Kmart closures around the country prompted an outpouring of support from loyal shoppers and a

Detroit radio station even mounted a campaign to try and save a local store, the closing of the Avenel location was met mostly with an air of resignation. “It’s maybe a little nostalgic because I’ve lived my whole life in this area, but it’s just another retail store closing,” said Jim Schaber, a resident of nearby Iselin who said his brother worked in the shoe department at Kmart for years. “It’s just another sign of people doing online shopping and not going out to the retail stores.” The closing packed a little more of an emotional punch for Mike Jerdonek, a truck driver who recalled shopping at Kmart in Brooklyn and Queens in his younger days. “It’s like history passing right in front of our eyes,” he said as he sat in his car outside the Avenel store. “When I was younger I didn’t have any money, so it was a good place to shop because the prices were cheap. And to see it gone right now, it’s kind of sad.”

continued from A12

had candy. You had stationery. It was something for everybody. This was almost as much of a social visit as it was a shopping visit. You could spend hours here. And these just dotted the American landscape over the years.” Kmart’s decline has been slow but steady, brought about by years of falling sales, changes in shopping habits and the looming shadow of Walmart, which coincidentally began its life within months of Kmart’s founding in 1962. Struggling to compete with Walmart’s low prices and Target’s trendier offerings, Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 2002—becoming the largest US retailer to take that step—and announced it would close more than 250 stores. A few years later, hedge fund executive Edward Lampert combined

A14 Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Sotto bares 4 names tied to vegetable smuggling S By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

ENATE President Vicento Sotto III on Tuesday bared four names of “highprofile” individuals allegedly involved in the rampant agricultural smuggling in the country. At the third hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole, Sotto identified four people listed as allegedly involved in the smuggling of agricultural goods nationwide. The names revealed by Sotto were: a certain Manuel Tan, one Andrew Chang, a Leah Luz Cruz and a cer2tain Jun Diamante. Sotto said Tan “operates” in Subic, Cagayan de Oro and Batangas while Chang allegedly moves in Subic, Manila International Container Terminal and Batangas. Sotto claimed that Cruz allegedly handles some operations in Subic, Manila International Container Terminal, Cagayan de Oro and is supposedly called the “Onion Queen.” Diamante, per information he received, was tagged in the smuggling of agri-fisheries products in Cagayan de Oro.

At the hearing, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Director Edsel T. Batalla confirmed that the four names disclosed by Sotto are part of a list that NICA is investigating for alleged involvement in smuggling. Batalla revealed that NICA’s list contains more than 20 personalities including socalled “protectors” from the government. When asked if Batalla would share the list with the committee, he said he would first seek permission from his principals since it was confidential information. Nonetheless, Batalla explained that the NICA is already validating the names included in the list to determine if the identified people are indeed involved in agricultural smuggling. Bureau of Customs Commis-

sioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero told senators that he was familiar with some of the names revealed by Sotto while it was his first time to learn some of the names. Guerrero said the BOC would also validate the involvement of the identified people in smuggling. In his closing statement, Sotto scored the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) for “failing terribly” in protecting the agriculture sector from smuggling. Sotto also called out Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar for his continued absence in the Senate Committee of the Whole hearings. Dar has been sending representatives from the DA to attend the hearings. “How are we going to be enlightened if the leader of the agency that we want to talk with doesn’t want to face us since we conducted these hearings?” he said. “We would like to reiterate our call to Secretary Dar to attend the next hearing based on his availability. We will be the ones that would adjust [to his schedule]... for us to continue with the investigation,” he added.

Stiffer sanctions

SENATORS convening as a Committee of the Whole on Tuesday wrapped up information on the

rampant smuggling of agricultural products from China into the country, with a view to render a report soon. In seeking the inquiry, Senate President Sotto earlier delivered a privileged speech denouncing smuggling of agricultural products and assessment issues in the Bureau of Customs. At the same time, Sotto indicated that Senate probers will pursue efforts to validate information from resource persons on the identities of people linked to smuggled vegetable shipments. Sotto signalled they are keen to wrap up the inquiry after three hearings and submit a committee report soon. “Even while we are campaigning, we’re trying to squeeze time in for this because this is part of our work, part of our job, so that the Ombudsman can look into the matters at hand.” Recalling claims that charges were filed for smuggling, Sotto stressed: “We want to know their identities, as until now nobody is in prison.” Sotto said they are keen to render a committee report “as soon as possible,” likely to endorse consideration and early passage of remedial legislation. With Butch Fernandez

CREATING NEW CITIES, PROVINCES DEFEATS IMPACT OF ‘MANDANAS’ By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

O maximize the increased financial resources that the local government units (LGUs) are getting starting this year under the SC Mandanas ruling, a senior lawmaker has called for a freeze on the creation of new cities and provinces. In a statement, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said the creation of new cities and provinces will merely cancel out the positive impact of the high court’s ruling on the financial viability of LGUs. In Mandanas, Garcia et al. v. Executive Secretary et al. case, the SC held that all collections of national taxes, except those accruing to special purpose funds and special allotments for the utilization and development of the national wealth, should be included in the computation of the base of the just share of the LGUs. Previous to this Mandanas ruling, the LGUs’ Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) came only from their 40-percent share of national internal revenue collections by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). “We don’t have to create new cities and provinces at this point because this will just dilute the impact of the high court’s ruling

Sugar imports critics tell SRA: No politics

UGAR industry stakeholders clapped back at Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Hermenegildo R. Serafica’s allegations that their opposition to the proposed sugar importation was “politically” charged, claiming that their stance has been “factual” and “legal.” Various sugar industry stakeholders, including former and current SRA board members, said their opposition to the proposed 350,000-metric ton (MT) sugar importation by the SRA is “nothing political” but is for the “survival” of the industry. The stakeholders made the reaction after the SRA administrator issued a strongly-worded statement, daring the “detractors” of the proposed importation program to be accountable should a sugar shortage occur in the upcoming months. Without naming names, Serafica lamented that the issue on sugar importation has become “very political” because of the “stoking” of people, who only consider their “self interests.” “Serafica is clearly missing the point. There is no politics involved in our opposition to Sugar Order (SO) 4, but the survival of the sugar industry,” former SRA board member for sugar planters Emilio Bernardino Yulo said. Yulo, who is running for congressman of Negros Occidental’s fifth district, argued that sugar planters will not just sit down regarding the import issue as they see the proposed importation will only benefit certain quarters of the sugar industry. “Obviously amidst the prevailing circumstances wherein fertilizers and fuel costs are soaring, Serafica should not expect planters to take these sitting down especially when it is very clear that the new sugar order will benefit a particular sector, in this case, the industrial users and the bottlers’ group,” he said. Enrique Tayo of the Negros Occidental Federation of Farmers Association claimed that his group’s opposition to the importation program are “factual” and has a “legal basis.” “There is nothing political in our move to question the draft SO 4 because our claims are factual and have legal basis, and no such politi-

cal considerations,” Tayo said. Tayo’s group earlier sought a temporary restraining order on the SRA’s earlier approved 200,000-MT raw sugar import program under SO 3. Current SRA board member Roland Beltran, who represents the milling sector, emphasized his concern regarding the proposed import program being “limited to a particular class of importers.” Beltran has been pushing to make sugar importation programs “all inclusive” to eligible importers, traders and users of the sweetener. “Why not allow the major stakeholders to participate in the importation program rather than to a select few, favoring a particular class of importers to the prejudice of the sugar industry as well as the economy in general,” he said. ““It is my position that the sugar importation program should be made available equitably to major stakeholders and to benefit the sari-sari stores, wet markets, groceries, supermarkets, and the like. These are the vulnerable sectors of our society that are principally affected by the rising prices of sugar,” he added. Beltran has not signed the SO of the 350,000-MT sugar import program as of press time. Earlier, Serafica stood pat on the SRA’s proposal to import sugar as he sounded the alarm that the country may grapple with high prices of the sweetener due to a shortage expected by the third quarter. Serafica explained that the country’s sugar supply could face a shortfall in the coming months as higher demand continues to outpace anemic production of the sweetener. The SR A administrator maintained that the agency’s assessment of the country’s sugar supply situation is sound, based on historical and actual data. “Can you imagine what will happen if there is no sugar available in the local market for households, for food retailers and manufacturers?” he asked. “I would like to ask the detractors of importation: will they be accountable when we run out of sugar?” he added. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

on the opportunities open for LGUs to build their independence from the national government. Instead, what should be done is to assist LGUs in strengthening their respective capabilities to provide not only basic services in their localities but in assuming a much wider set of responsibilities as many of the services provided by the national government will be devolved from hereon to the LGUs,” said Villafuerte. With the Mandanas-Garcia ruling stating that LGUs are entitled to a “ just share” of all national taxes collected, it is projected that LGUs will have a 27.61-percent increase in their total share of the IR A, now called the National Tax Allotment (NTA), according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). During a recent webinar organized by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the House of Representatives-Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department, Executive Director Sandra Tablan-Paredes of the League of Provinces ofthe Philippines (LPP) said creating new cities and provinces results in a smaller slice of the pie for all LGUs, many of which depend on their share of revenue generated by the national government. Continued on A4

DMW stalls as row over IRR stays unresolved By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

HE start of operation of the much-awaited Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) remains stuck in limbo pending the resolution of the dispute over its official Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR). This after Malacañang said it has yet to settle the issue between Migrant Workers Secretary Abdullah D. Mama-O and the DMW Transition Committee. “ This is being reviewed by t he O f f ice of t he E xec ut ive Secretary,” Acting Presidential spokesperson Martin M. Andanar said in a virtual press conference on Tuesday. Last week, the DMW Transition Committee, which was constituted in February, wrote a letter to Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea asking him to nullify the IRR issued by Mama-O for not going through its collegial process as mandated by RA 11641. It noted Mama-O did not attend the Committee meetings, which he is supposed to head, to craft the IRR after his appointment on March 3, 2022. Instead, the Committee said, Mama-O opted to come out with his IRR last week, which is “different” from its version. “The IRR that was purportedly signed and approved by the DMW Secretary by his own sole action is regular and thus not an effective IRR under the provisions of the law. This IRR should not be allowed to be published to prevent any derogation of the spirit and intent of the law,” the DMW Transition Committee said. The letter was signed by members of the Committee, namely, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Migrant Continued on A4

Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Voyager to use fresh funds for PayMaya, digital bank

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

@lorenzmarasigan

oyager Innovations Inc., the tech company behind PayMaya, has raised $210 million in fresh funding, bumping up its valuation to “nearly $1.4 billion.”

SIG Venture Capital, an investor in Kumu and RedDoorz, led the funding round. Other investors that pitched in for the amount include Singapore-based global investor EDBI and investment holding company First Pacific Co. Ltd. Voyager’s existing shareholders, PLDT Inc., KKR, Tencent, International Finance Corp. (IFC), IFC Emerging Asia Fund, and IFC Financial Institutions Growth Fund, also participated in the round. The company will use the fresh funds to launch neobank Maya Bank

services, such as savings and credit, while also expanding PayMaya’s services such as cryptocurrency, micro-investments, and insurance, among others. “Our strong record of execution and innovation is a testament to our world-class team’s hard work and talent. With this milestone, we are excited to leap forward and bring the best of PayMaya and Maya Bank to help unlock the digital economy for the underserved and unbanked Filipinos,” Voyager and PayMaya CEOFounder Orlando B. Vea said.

PayMaya and Maya Bank are described to be part of an “integrated ecosystem” that caters to consumers, enterprises, and governments. “The strong endorsement from our new shareholders and participation of our existing investors in this fundraising validates the Company’s ability to expand into neobanking and add new cutting-edge financial products and services. We are excited to bring more game-changing innovations to millions of consumers and MSMEs with our integrated ecosystem as we address the pent-up demand for financial services,” Voyager and PayMaya President Shailesh Baidwan said. Akshay Bajaj, a venture capital investor at SIG Group, said the company decided to invest in Voyager because it has “the most complete and unified fintech ecosystem in the market.” “Leveraging PayMaya’s distribution strength with enterprises and consumers, Maya Bank has the potential to be one of the most success-

ful digital banks not just in the Philippines, but globally. We are thrilled to partner with Voyager and existing shareholders to drive the digital ecosystem to new heights,” he said. Global investors are now seeing the Philippines as a territory ripe for investments, given its burgeoning startup scene as well as a digitalsavvy population. In 2021, the local internet economy surged by 94 percent, data from Google, Temasek, and Bain & Co. showed, and is projected to grow by $40 billion by 2025. E-commerce and digital payments are expected to drive this forecast. PayMaya and Maya Bank seek to take a slice of that pie, while plugging the financial inclusion gap in the Philippines, wherein 47 percent of Pinoys have yet to have a savings account. As of end-March 2022, PayMaya had over 47 million registered users across its consumer platforms— more than two-thirds of the adult population in the Philippines.

Alsons to build power plant in Bohol By Lenie Lectura @llectura

onal Holdings Corp. (CHC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alsons Power Group, will put up a 95.2 megawatts (MW) diesel power plant in Bohol worth at least P1.8 billion. The construction of the proposed power facility is expected to start in August and is targeted to be completed by May 2024. The total engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) cost is estimated at P1,538,051,000, non-EPC cost at P244,478,000, and operation and management (O&M) cost at

Nokia exits Russia

innish 5G gear maker Nokia Oyj plans to exit the Russian market in response to the invasion of Ukraine and the fullscale war Russia is waging. Over the last weeks Nokia had suspended deliveries and stopped new business, it said in a statement on Tuesday. It’s also moving its “limited” research and development activities out of Russia. The decision follows Swedish rival Ericsson AB’s announcement on Monday of an “indefinite” suspension of business there. “It has been clear for Nokia since the early days of the invasion of Ukraine that continuing our presence in Russia would not be possible,” Chief Executive Officer Pekka Lundmark said on Twitter. Nokia has 2,000 employees in the country, and “redundancies are unavoidable” though the company will offer relocation “for certain roles that can be done outside of Russia,” a spokesperson said in an emailed response to questions. By pulling out, Nokia and Ericsson are ceding the market to Chinese rivals Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. and ZTE Corp, which have already won big contracts to supply fifth generation networks to Russia’s biggest carriers. Huawei’s failure to condemn President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has caused controversy as it seeks to continue business in other markets. British board members resigned last month following its silence on the matter. Bloomberg News

P91,411,814.55 per annum. The EPC cost includes civil works while the non-EPC cost includes fuel and lubrication oil commissioning, project development and implementation cost, and project land acquisition. The O&M component includes labor, consumable cost, and administration cost. The power plant will be connected to the electricity grid through a 138-kilovolt transmission line connecting to the Ubay substation of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. It is envisioned to serve the combined power requirements of Bohol Light Company Inc., Bohol Electric

Cooperative (BOHECO) I, and BOHECO II that will start at 50MW by 2024 and up to 83MW by 2023. “The proposed project aims to develop a 95.2 MW diesel power plant in Barangay Imelda, Ubay, Bohol. In order to comply with the 100 percent dependable capacity requirements as indicated in the Terms of Reference of the One Bohol Joint Distribution Utilities Competitive Selection Process, the capacity of the in island baseload (backup) power plant will be the same as the contracted capacity of the power supply,” CHC said in a filing with the Environmental Management Bureau of the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources. A public hearing on the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment is scheduled this month. Alsons current power portfolio includes 468MW of operating capacity--258MW is diesel and 210MW is coal. Its expansion pipeline includes over 230MW of coal and hydro projects under different stages of development. “The purpose of this backup diesel power plant is to provide reliable and affordable 24/7 backup service to the households and resorts within the island during the outage of the baseload power supply.”

Sections of Pasig and Tullahan rivers now wider, deeper–SMC

an Miguel Corp. (SMC) on Tuesday said its initiative to clean up and rehabilitate the Tullahan and Pasig rivers and help mitigate flooding throughout Metro Manila has gained ground. San Miguel President and CEO Ramon S. Ang said that after 22 months of cleaning up major segments of the Tullahan-Tinajeros River system, and nine months of activities at key sections of the Pasig River, the company’s most recent hydrographic surveys show significant improvements in both rivers’ depths and carrying capacity. Ang said the Tullahan River’s depths at areas along the 10-kilometer stretch the company’s cleanup teams have worked on, are now between three to five meters, compared to one to two meters previously. This is due to the removal of silt and solid wastes from the river’s depths, which restrict both the water’s flow and capacity, contributing to increased flooding. For the Pasig River, Ang said completed sections now measure five to six meters deep from the previous two to three meters. “Essentially, what we’ve accomplished is to remove the silt and wastes that have made these rivers shallow and increase their ability to receive water from upstream channels, particularly during heavy rain or typhoon season, which is when

San Miguel uses advanced and specialized equipment that include a weed harvester to remove floating garbage and watery hyacinths. Contributed photo

severe flooding in many areas in Metro Manila occur.” Ang said that for the company’s Pasig River rehabilitation initiative, aside from continuing operations in Manila along the vicinities of Pandacan and Paco, activities are also now focused at the shallow Marikina River junction in Pasig City, the area where the Marikina and Pasig Rivers meet. Pasig river waters flowing into this area come from the Laguna Lake, via the Napindan floodgate. “The Marikina River junction area is particularly critical as it acts like a bottleneck, restricting the flow of water flowing from the Marikina river. This causes the massive flooding we always see in upstream areas,” he said. “Once we deepen these areas, water will flow more freely and there will be less cases of overflow in areas that typically experience them.” To date, the combined total of silt

and solid wastes removed from the Tullahan and Pasig Rivers stands at 1,221,206 metric tons (MT). Out of this total, 876,296 metric tons come from the Tullahan River, where Ang said teams on the ground estimate to hit the one million mark by June this year. San Miguel has allotted a P1-billion budget for the program that was launched in 2020. For the P2-billion Pasig rehabilitation effort, the company is currently extracting at least 3,000 MT per day to meet its new 75,000-MT per month goal. There are now two groups in operation in Manila and Pasig City. In March alone, these two groups removed 78,200 MT. SMC is upping its daily extraction target to at least 5,000 MT per day in June as more equipment arrive. This is to meet its 125,000-MT per month goal and a total of three million metric tons in two years. VG Cabuag

Meralco seeks term extension clause in power supply deal

HE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) wants the power supply agreement (PSA) for the proposed 180megawatts (MW) of baseload supply to be valid for five months since the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) has yet to commence. The utility firm’s proposed 180MW CSP runs from May 26 to July 25 this year. However, the proposed timeline in the terms of reference (TOR) may not be met due to time constraints. The first competitive auction last March 31 was declared a failure because there was no expression of interest received by the Third Party Bids and Awards Committee (TPBAC). Before it proceeds to conduct a second CSP, the TPBAC said there is a need to revise the TOR to account for the filing and approval process of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) of the resulting PSA prior to its implementation and considering that the required contract period of the 180MW CSP is only up to July 25. “Accordingly, Meralco proceeded to revise and update the TOR for the second round of the 180MW CSP,” Meralco First Vice President and Head of Regulatory Management Jose Ronald Valles told the Department of Energy (DOE) in a letter. The DOE needs to approve the revised TOR first. Meralco said the extension, if approved by the DOE, will address the concern that there is only a period of two months remaining in the required contract period while the CSP has yet to start and ERC approval has yet to be sought for the resulting PSA. “Also, the allowance for a possible extension of up to five months mirrors the length of the original required contract period, and more importantly, is consistent with the rationale to mitigate indefinite expo-

BusinessMirror file photo

sure of our customers to additional generation costs associated with running the SPEX-Malampaya gasreliant plants on liquid fuel, given the continuous rise of fuel prices in view of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In any case, such term extension clause, which shall also be reflected in the resulting PSA, is subject to approval by the ERC,” Meralco said. Should the DOE decide that Meralco should no longer proceed with the second round of CSP, “we hope to get DOE’s reply as soon as possible considering that we will need to inform the suppliers of the SPEX-Malampaya gas-reliant plants that they will be constrained to run on liquid fuel. On this point, it is material to reiterate that the cost of using liquid fuel is almost twice as using SPEXMalampaya natural gas, which can easily result in higher generation costs.” Forming part of the 350MW power requirement that Meralco needs to augment available supply during the summer months, this 180-MW supply is meant to cover for the output of plants that are affected by Malampaya facility’s continued inability to supply adequate natural gas fuel. Last February, Meralco entered into a PSA with South Premiere Power Corp. following the CSP for the initial 170-MW of peaking power requirement. The PSA is now with the ERC for approval. Lenie Lectura

Companies BusinessMirror

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Filinvest Land aims to raise ₧11.9B from bond offering

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

he board of Gotianun-led Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) has approved the company’s offer of P11.9 billion in fixed-rate retail bonds. The company’s bond offer consists of P8 billion in primary offering and an over-subscription option of up to P3.9 billion. The paper will have tenors of three and five years. The said offering is company’s third tranche of its P30-billion shelf registration program which it registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2020. The company

issued the first tranche of its debt on November 18, 2020 at P8 billion, followed by P10 billion on December 21, 2021. “ The board of directors of the company has authorized the management of the company to evaluate all aspects relating to the proposed offering of the third tranche bonds, including the determination of the timing thereof and interest rate,” the company said. The company mandated BDO Capital and Investment Corp., BPI Capital Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., East West Banking Corp., First Metro Investment Corp., RCBC Capital Corp. and SB Capital Investment Corp. as the deal’s joint lead underwriters and bookrunners to manage this pub-

lic offer and issuance. The Gotianuns’ real estate business, consisting of FLI and Filinvest Alabang Inc., had a P4.9 billion in net income in 2021, lower by 18 percent from the previous year’s P6 billion. The company said the drop was due to the so-called high-base effect as Filinvest Alabang recognized an income of P2.4 billion in 2020 for the joint development of a prime property in Filinvest City in Alabang. Revenues from the residential segment rose by 14 percent to P12 billion driven by the high reservation sales of the affordable and middle-income housing projects and construction progress. Rental revenues reached P5.9 billion. Filinvest Development Corp.,

the holding firm of the Gotianun Group, said its attributable income last year fell 28 percent to P6.1 billion from the previous year’s P8.46 billion as its businesses still faced varying degrees of disruptions caused by the pandemic. Its 2021 income was just half of its profits in 2019 at P11.97 billion. The company said its revenues and other income were lower by 13 percent as the growth posted by the residential and power businesses were offset by the contraction of the banking and commercial leasing units. Last year, the company had revenues of P60.71 billion, a 19-percent drop from the P74.84 billion recorded in 2019.

mutual funds

April 12, 2022

NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

224.98

7.02%

-5.32%

-3.17%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.5094

16.82%

-2.57%

0.84%

-9.3%

8.2%

-8.99%

-5.78%

-3.85%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 3.1133

-3.48%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.7531 1.4%

-7.48% n.a.

-0.45%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.6886 1.32%

-7.52% n.a.

-10.68%

First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a

5.0498

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

85.15

10.03%

-3%

-0.88%

-2.56%

0.7522

13.15%

-5.18%

-4.31%

-12.6% n.a.

-9.83%

-12.06%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

46.0541

6.83%

-4.21%

-1.83%

-4.31%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

483.02

6.82%

-4.02%

-1.91%

-3.53%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.3587

23.75%

0.99%

1.43%

0.18%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

35.5208

10.05%

-3.05%

-0.45%

-2.94% -2.76%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9154

9.29%

-4.24% n.a.

4.777

8.22%

-3.44%

-1.11%

-3.71%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

793.51

7.47%

-3.59%

-1.2%

-4.22%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.7208

-4.23%

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

8.33%

-8.21%

-3.96%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.6207

8.26%

-5.89%

-2.34%

-4.1%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.9039

7.11%

-3.89%

-1.46%

7.55%

-3.74%

-0.16%

-3.07%

United Fund, Inc. -a

3.3319

Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a

1.1606

968.22 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

13.71% n.a. n.a.

-3.97%

-4.3%

-0.18%

Exchange Traded Fund (shares) First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c

107.0601

8.05%

-3.32%

-0.76%

-3.96%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0128

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.6727

-19.37%

-1.09%

1.71%

-10.09%

-3.18%

9.16%

8.79%

-9.41%

Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a

1.6185

-0.63%

-2.15%

-1.56%

-4.34%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.2067

2.29%

-1.68%

-1.03%

-3.28%

5.64%

-0.14%

0.75%

-1.83%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.6418

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.2064

9.73% n.a. n.a.

NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

0.87%

1.06%

-2.24% -2.98%

1.9716

3.77%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.6528

2.6%

-0.3%

-0.14%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

16.3691

2.55%

-0.53%

-0.2%

-2.83%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.0772

3.97%

-1.13%

-0.37%

-2.08%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.5387 4.41%

-2.88%

-0.84%

-2.97%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

-2.09%

-0.4%

-3.12%

0.9244

10.32%

-1.24%

Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a

0.9457

-1.06%

-1.9% n.a.

-4.46%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a

0.8991

3.29%

-3.57% n.a.

-4.81%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a

0.8881

3.83%

-3.9% n.a.

-4.9%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03497

-7.73%

-0.93%

-0.26%

$1.0071

-11.15%

0.04%

1.44%

-5.62%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.3858 -4.96%

5.78%

6.04%

-8.67%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,2 $1.1005 -6.53%

1.63%

2.28%

-8.18%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

-7.83%

Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

373.87

1.08%

2.46%

2.42%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.8861

-1.22%

0.07%

0.08%

0.07%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2401

0.66%

2.45%

3.6%

-0.12%

-0.11%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2122

-1.5%

0.85%

1.13%

-1.75%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.417 -0.45%

2.33%

1.83%

-0.37%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

4.2969

-3.35%

2.22%

1.14%

-2.25%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a

1.3164

0.02%

3.28%

2.78%

-0.2%

3.93

-0.63%

2.98%

2.46%

-0.9%

1.0131

-1.36%

3.34%

1.85%

-1.47%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.167

-0.12%

3.21%

3.06%

-0.64%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

-0.83%

2.42%

2.37%

-0.79%

1.717

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$483.95

0.38%

2.16%

2.09%

-1.15%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є215.46

-1.9%

-0.08%

0.43%

-2.07%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.1069

-5.89%

-1.72%

-0.18%

-8.06%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0248 -3.88%

-0.53%

-0.08%

-4.62%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

$0.9428

-10.26%

-3.92%

-2.46%

-7.82%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.3097

-6.27%

0.8%

0.99%

-7.82%

$0.061143

-2.25%

1.72%

1.44%

-1.84%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $2.8842 -7.56%

-1.05%

-0.42%

-9.76%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a

Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (shares) ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

131.59

1.3%

2.47%

2.53%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a

1.061

1.04%

1.74% n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Peso Starter Fund, Inc. -a,1 1.3213

1.54%

2.33%

2.5%

0.3% 0.31%

0.43%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (shares) Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0623

0.65%

1.26% n.a.

0.16%

Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a

45.6526 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a 1.3317

9.49% n.a. n.a.

-3.7%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities (units) ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -a

$0.9076

-8.32% n.a. n.a.

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago.

c - Listed in the PSE.

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

April 12, 2022

Net Foreign Stocks Bid Ask Open High Low Close Volume Value Trade (Peso) Buy (Sell) FINANCIALs

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK COMMERCE BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK SECURITY BANK UNION BANK COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE

53,940 238,997,940 7,638,138 367,739,072.50 483,545 316,847 91,812,662.50 719,046 833,404.50 24,107,067 11,262,656 35,200 2,820 1,136,112 14,000

53,940 -54,489,883 7,211,680 -64,191,744.50 -154,730.00 -1,779,230.50 0 330,000 -8,049,936 6,775,260.50 1,087,116 -

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 8.31 8.32 8.57 8.57 8.32 8.32 5,807,600 48,821,175 1 1.03 1.03 1.03 1.03 1.03 1,000 1,030 ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER 35.05 35.15 35.7 35.7 35.05 35.05 710,800 24,963,265 BASIC ENERGY 0.405 0.415 0.405 0.42 0.405 0.405 1,760,000 721,200 24.85 25.2 25.4 25.4 24.85 24.85 1,026,400 25,561,020 FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG 69.95 70.4 70 70.3 69.95 69.95 35,320 2,470,708 MERALCO 363.2 367 371.6 372.4 363.2 363.2 677,360 247,273,476 19.52 19.58 19.98 19.98 19.5 19.52 513,200 10,074,774 MANILA WATER 3.29 3.32 3.28 3.33 3.25 3.29 243,000 795,720 PETRON PHX PETROLEUM 10.18 10.22 10.22 10.22 9.85 10.22 67,000 677,653 12.42 12.46 12.4 12.58 12.3 12.46 1,190,900 14,845,982 SYNERGY GRID 17.76 17.78 18.1 18.1 17.6 17.76 88,400 1,572,356 PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER 14.66 14.68 14.64 14.68 14.64 14.68 40,200 589,040 1.78 1.79 1.81 1.82 1.77 1.79 23,276,000 41,995,010 SOLAR PH 14.22 16.74 16.74 16.74 16.74 16.74 2,700 45,198 VIVANT AGRINURTURE 4.93 4.94 4.95 4.97 4.8 4.94 955,000 4,738,500 AXELUM 2.45 2.5 2.42 2.5 2.42 2.5 67,000 166,140 12.08 13.46 13.54 13.54 13.54 13.54 600 8,124 CNTRL AZUCARERA CENTURY FOOD 22.5 23.2 23.5 23.5 22.5 22.5 522,000 12,038,440 DEL MONTE 14.18 14.3 14.18 14.18 14.18 14.18 3,500 49,630 7.3 7.35 7.6 7.6 7.3 7.3 805,500 5,930,914 DNL INDUS 14 14.02 14.12 14.2 13.98 14.02 3,936,900 55,215,544 EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV 61.9 62.5 62.45 62.5 61.9 62.5 42,810 2,667,146 0.57 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.57 0.58 4,492,000 2,584,210 FIGARO COFFEE 0.58 0.59 0.57 0.58 0.57 0.58 148,000 85,830 ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG 1.11 1.12 1.12 1.13 1.12 1.12 2,431,000 2,723,470 106.5 107.1 107.5 111 106.2 107.1 82,830 9,153,373 GINEBRA 216.4 218 219 223 215.4 216.4 647,970 140,461,020 JOLLIBEE KEEPERS HLDG 1.19 1.2 1.23 1.23 1.19 1.19 4,061,000 4,853,490 MACAY HLDG 5.64 6.24 5.64 5.64 5.64 5.64 3,500 19,740 6.07 6.18 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.2 108,700 673,940 MAXS GROUP MG HLDG 0.134 0.135 0.135 0.135 0.135 0.135 610,000 82,350 MONDE NISSIN 12.7 12.72 12.8 12.84 12.62 12.7 8,013,600 101,854,422 8.01 8.34 8.36 8.36 8.33 8.34 509,700 4,257,126 SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO 0.57 0.59 0.57 0.63 0.57 0.57 1,142,000 674,210 4.37 4.39 4.39 4.39 4.39 4.39 2,000 8,780 RFM CORP 1.17 1.2 1.19 1.38 1.19 1.2 27,000 32,530 ROXAS HLDG 0.101 0.104 0.1 0.101 0.1 0.1 200,000 20,100 SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA 115.8 117 120.9 120.9 115.2 115.8 643,040 74,794,298 0.61 0.63 0.63 0.63 0.61 0.61 176,000 109,340 VITARICH 2.53 2.75 2.7 2.75 2.65 2.75 6,000 16,200 VICTORIAS CEMEX HLDG 0.85 0.86 0.86 0.87 0.85 0.85 859,000 737,840 EAGLE CEMENT 13.2 13.34 13.36 13.36 13.34 13.34 2,300 30,690 4.43 4.48 4.43 4.55 4.4 4.48 563,000 2,518,820 EEI CORP HOLCIM 5.65 5.7 5.65 5.75 5.65 5.65 26,700 152,485 MEGAWIDE 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.11 5.06 5.06 83,900 427,266 19.5 19.52 19.52 19.52 19.5 19.5 5,200 101,404 PHINMA VULCAN INDL 0.94 0.96 0.98 0.98 0.93 0.96 1,381,000 1,305,130 1.1 1.15 1.16 1.16 1.1 1.1 6,000 6,660 EUROMED 5.67 5.74 5.67 5.67 5.66 5.67 110,200 624,832 PRYCE CORP 1.49 1.5 1.53 1.54 1.49 1.5 7,328,000 11,054,460 GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR 7.6 7.62 7.73 7.73 7.62 7.62 91,600 703,902 0.71 0.73 0.71 0.72 0.71 0.71 65,000 46,160 IONICS 1.1 1.11 1.12 1.12 1.08 1.11 243,000 268,640 SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG 3.11 3.13 3.16 3.16 3.1 3.14 226,000 702,680

-19,861,882 1,492,685 -48,900 -7,676,650 1,217,116 -31,867,414 -4,449,238 -68,290 -293,280 -4,817,904 -531,184 79,920 5,022.00 -3,051,160 1,354 -1,603,015 -1,764,049 -15,395,184 -1,239,054.50 -8,960 -266,140 -17,845,272 437,680 82,350 -34,561,176 3,268,101.00 -8,780 -54,995,541 -116,180 4,400 -7,980 -254,018 -2,064,300 22,000 -

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT KEPPEL HLDG B LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PRIME MEDIA SOLID GROUP SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

43.75 129 12.18 98 26.85 8.04 53.85 18.86 55.1 106.2 83.65 3.69 2.65 202.2 2,650

1.06 3.75 768.5 55.5 11.92 9 0.57 0.57 4.84 8.56 6.91 510 3.51 55 6.6 2.98 8.88 3.83 1.43 0.88 864 106.9 114 0.285 0.16

44 129.9 12.2 98.65 26.9 8.05 54 19 57 106.8 83.75 3.9 2.82 205.8 2,800

1.07 4.11 769 55.55 12.06 9.02 0.59 0.59 4.96 8.71 7.17 511 3.6 55.65 7.5 3.23 8.89 3.84 1.44 0.9 865 107.8 118.3 0.3 0.17

44.95 130.1 12.16 100 26.85 8 55 18.86 55.3 107 84.45 3.92 2.82 206 2,800

1.07 3.98 777 56.8 12.06 9.03 0.58 0.58 4.96 8.77 6.91 520.5 3.6 56.1 6.6 3.23 9.01 3.82 1.44 0.92 865 107.6 114.4 0.28 0.159

44.95 131 12.18 104 26.9 8.23 55 19.3 55.3 107 84.45 3.92 2.82 206 2,800

1.08 4.17 784.5 56.8 12.08 9.03 0.6 0.6 4.96 8.83 6.91 520.5 3.6 56.25 6.6 3.23 9.01 3.84 1.44 0.94 874 107.9 118.3 0.28 0.16

44.95 128.6 12.14 98 26.85 8 53.85 18.86 55 105.9 83 3.9 2.82 202.2 2,800

1.06 3.98 766 55 11.86 9.02 0.56 0.57 4.84 8.56 6.91 510 3.6 54.95 6.6 3.23 8.89 3.81 1.43 0.9 861 106.9 114.4 0.28 0.159

44.95 129 12.18 98 26.85 8.05 53.85 18.86 55.1 106.2 83.75 3.9 2.82 205.6 2,800

1.07 4.17 769 55.5 11.92 9.02 0.57 0.59 4.84 8.56 6.91 511 3.6 55 6.6 3.23 8.89 3.83 1.43 0.9 865 107.8 118.3 0.28 0.16

1,200 1,846,200 627,900 3,703,890 18,000 39,400 1,698,390 38,000 15,150 226,770 134,550 9,000 1,000 5,530 5

1,062,000 8,000 200,720 610,630 2,320,000 1,300 9,965,000 704,000 1,157,000 11,178,600 4,200 101,120 10,000 2,373,440 10,000 5,000 1,785,800 23,325,000 58,000 68,000 241,960 548,340 450,500 10,000 280,000

1,129,170 32,300 154,809,865 33,886,785 27,658,526 11,728 5,790,830 403,650 5,697,570 97,052,925 29,022 51,728,275 36,000 130,957,731 66,000 16,150 15,928,066 89,336,490 83,230 62,180 209,314,075 58,795,714 51,537,827 2,800 44,550

1,080,070 -72,465,220 1,290,816 -13,538,536 -864,140 -28,488,784.00 -24,146,630 -52,911,180.50 -11,376,546 258,440 -26,517,670 -945,251 37,950 -

PROPERTY

Primarily invested in Peso securities (units) Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

www.businessmirror.com.ph

-6.43%

d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU).

1 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last July 8, 2021 (formerly, Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc.). 2 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last November 25, 2021.

"While we endeavor to keep the information accurate, the Philippine Investment Funds Association (PIFA) and its members make no warranties as to the correctness of the newspaper’s publication and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omissions. You may visit http://www. pifa.com.ph to see the latest NAVPS/NAVPU."

ARTHALAND CORP 0.56 0.58 0.56 0.56 0.56 0.56 15,000 8,400 34 34.05 34.4 34.45 34 34 10,772,500 367,352,080 -153,501,375 AYALA LAND AYALA LAND LOG 4.76 4.78 4.75 4.78 4.7 4.76 449,000 2,129,370 -313,180 AREIT RT 44 44.9 45.05 45.45 44 44 751,300 33,409,925 -14,907,070 0.7 0.71 0.7 0.71 0.7 0.7 98,000 69,550 CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES 0.09 0.091 0.09 0.091 0.09 0.091 610,000 55,100 -46,000 CEB LANDMASTERS 2.97 2.99 3 3.02 2.96 2.98 3,883,000 11,575,260 595,670 2.58 2.6 2.59 2.6 2.58 2.58 1,721,000 4,456,040 -1,175,380 CITICORE RT 8.76 8.79 8.83 8.83 8.75 8.76 221,700 1,942,541 -31,506 DOUBLEDRAGON DDMP RT 1.56 1.57 1.56 1.58 1.56 1.56 1,460,000 2,288,860 -49,940 6.78 6.8 6.8 6.8 6.8 6.8 14,000 95,200 DM WENCESLAO 0.225 0.229 0.225 0.229 0.225 0.229 400,000 90,600 EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO 0.245 0.26 0.26 0.26 0.245 0.245 50,000 12,550 7.31 7.32 7.33 7.35 7.27 7.31 391,700 2,861,269 -259,681 FILINVEST RT 1.05 1.08 1.05 1.09 1.05 1.05 10,188,000 10,909,800 -1,070,820 FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE 0.89 0.91 0.89 0.89 0.89 0.89 42,000 37,380 13.42 13.7 13.66 13.74 13.26 13.7 431,700 5,851,716 -11,502 8990 HLDG 655 685 655.5 685 655.5 685 520 341,580 GOLDEN MV PHIL INFRADEV 0.93 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.94 136,000 127,840 0.85 0.87 0.87 0.87 0.87 0.87 25,000 21,750 -8,700 CITY AND LAND 2.9 2.91 2.95 2.96 2.9 2.9 16,210,000 47,151,790 -3,443,120 MEGAWORLD 0.231 0.232 0.239 0.239 0.232 0.232 3,270,000 766,780 -130,530 MRC ALLIED MREIT RT 17.66 17.68 17.74 17.74 17.66 17.68 586,600 10,375,194 -5,289,400 0.34 0.39 0.34 0.34 0.34 0.34 40,000 13,600 OMICO CORP 2.41 2.5 2.46 2.51 2.41 2.5 1,229,000 3,063,210 PRIMEX CORP RL COMM RT 7.33 7.43 7.29 7.43 7.29 7.43 2,194,500 16,108,128 11,277,752 19.96 20 19.8 20.15 19.5 20 2,834,300 56,472,634 23,420,618 ROBINSONS LAND 1.4 1.44 1.4 1.44 1.4 1.44 19,000 27,000 ROCKWELL SHANG PROP 2.56 2.59 2.56 2.56 2.56 2.56 5,000 12,800 2.79 2.9 2.96 2.96 2.76 2.9 876,000 2,438,130 STA LUCIA LAND 36 36.25 37 37 36 36 7,650,700 276,683,210 -44,055,810 SM PRIME HLDG SOC RESOURCES 0.56 0.62 0.56 0.56 0.56 0.56 50,000 28,000 3.22 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 1,000 3,400 VISTAMALLS 1 1.03 1 1.04 1 1.03 14,000 14,230 SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND 2.62 2.65 2.75 2.75 2.62 2.62 3,114,000 8,263,770 -3,595,200 SERVICES ABS CBN 12.68 12.8 12.72 12.98 12.64 12.68 68,700 872,916 15.84 15.86 15.84 15.92 15.84 15.84 1,387,900 22,029,320 GMA NETWORK MANILA BULLETIN 0.39 0.41 0.415 0.415 0.415 0.415 30,000 12,450 2,420 2,490 2,470 2,518 2,412 2,420 19,645 47,849,060 -28,140,420 GLOBE TELECOM 1,800 1,820 1,828 1,840 1,800 1,800 79,445 143,436,240 -52,806,355 PLDT APOLLO GLOBAL 0.048 0.049 0.046 0.051 0.045 0.049 1,151,500,000 56,004,500 114,200 CONVERGE 28.8 29 29.2 29.2 28.4 29 5,228,900 151,021,520 50,655,885 2.6 2.67 2.65 2.69 2.6 2.68 27,000 70,470 DFNN INC 5.03 5.04 5.04 5.05 5 5.03 4,746,800 23,819,000 -4,705,730 DITO CME HLDG NOW CORP 1.31 1.32 1.34 1.37 1.31 1.31 1,661,000 2,220,960 43,780 0.32 0.325 0.325 0.33 0.32 0.32 4,670,000 1,511,100 -32,000 TRANSPACIFIC BR 7.34 7.52 7.5 7.53 7.5 7.52 12,400 93,191 2GO GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS 13.28 13.5 13.5 13.5 13.5 13.5 2,000 27,000 1.56 1.6 1.57 1.6 1.57 1.6 82,000 130,690 CHELSEA 47.05 47.9 48.7 48.7 46.65 47.9 969,000 46,525,295 -1,519,475 CEBU AIR INTL CONTAINER 218.6 221 221.2 222.8 218.6 218.6 1,389,600 305,982,840 45,750,074 LBC EXPRESS 22.1 22.65 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 400 8,840 5.5 5.58 5.69 5.69 5.48 5.58 597,900 3,314,864 23,342 MACROASIA METROALLIANCE A 0.95 1.02 0.99 0.99 0.99 0.99 16,000 15,840 6.25 6.39 6.14 6.25 6.14 6.25 61,300 379,369 1,842 PAL HLDG 0.69 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.69 0.69 40,000 27,900 HARBOR STAR 1.52 1.68 1.54 1.68 1.52 1.68 35,000 53,760 ACESITE HOTEL DISCOVERY WORLD 1.77 1.81 1.77 1.77 1.77 1.77 15,000 26,550 0.435 0.44 0.435 0.435 0.435 0.435 150,000 65,250 WATERFRONT 531 540 539 539 539 539 100 53,900 FAR EASTERN U STI HLDG 0.345 0.365 0.35 0.365 0.35 0.365 110,000 38,650 1.27 1.3 1.32 1.32 1.27 1.27 30,000 38,620 -7,920 BELLE CORP 6.27 6.3 6.31 6.32 6.24 6.27 8,070,100 50,660,151 -1,355,718 BLOOMBERRY PACIFIC ONLINE 1.59 1.83 1.67 1.67 1.52 1.52 160,000 246,800 1.23 1.28 1.23 1.26 1.21 1.23 3,114,000 3,889,550 LEISURE AND RES 1.75 2.12 1.81 1.81 1.81 1.81 3,000 5,430 MANILA JOCKEY PH RESORTS GRP 0.98 1.01 0.98 1.01 0.97 0.98 114,000 111,250 -97,500 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.465 0.47 0.47 0.47 0.46 0.465 2,940,000 1,376,400 -116,500 2.25 2.32 2.23 2.32 2.22 2.32 141,000 316,030 PHILWEB ALLDAY 0.445 0.45 0.46 0.46 0.445 0.445 6,350,000 2,846,800 -18,150 ALLHOME 7.8 7.81 7.81 7.81 7.61 7.8 1,757,500 13,671,176 1,432,037 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.35 1.34 1.34 151,000 203,340 METRO RETAIL 35.85 36.6 36.25 36.6 35.4 36.6 703,200 25,243,055 -2,711,280 PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL 54.8 55 55.7 55.7 54.75 54.85 497,630 27,302,984.50 942,538 64 67 67.5 67.5 67 67 10,830 729,460 -318,750 PHIL SEVEN CORP 1.09 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.1 1.1 1,075,000 1,195,180 426,880 SSI GROUP WILCON DEPOT 26 26.3 26.5 26.5 25.9 26 979,200 25,461,445 6,688,955 APC GROUP 0.232 0.239 0.235 0.24 0.235 0.24 50,000 11,850 0.84 0.86 0.86 0.86 0.84 0.84 1,087,000 915,690 MEDILINES PRMIERE HORIZON 0.52 0.53 0.55 0.55 0.52 0.52 6,179,000 3,255,590 -72,190 MINING & OIL ATOK 5.9 5.91 5.63 5.91 5.61 5.91 7,900 44,389 APEX MINING 1.66 1.67 1.72 1.74 1.65 1.66 6,580,000 11,041,960 ATLAS MINING 6.76 6.8 6.93 6.93 6.8 6.8 397,600 2,714,904 7.19 7.4 7.49 7.5 7.18 7.3 94,200 691,822 BENGUET A BENGUET B 7.3 7.34 7.02 7.4 7.02 7.34 89,900 646,829 CENTURY PEAK 2.7 2.74 2.74 2.74 2.74 2.74 20,000 54,800 5.17 5.25 5.18 5.19 5.18 5.19 3,000 15,550 DIZON MINES 2.94 2.95 2.99 3 2.92 2.94 7,827,000 23,083,240 FERRONICKEL LEPANTO A 0.145 0.146 0.148 0.15 0.146 0.146 2,030,000 297,440 0.145 0.146 0.146 0.146 0.146 0.146 470,000 68,620 LEPANTO B 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 39,500,000 395,000 MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B 0.01 0.011 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 500,000 5,000 1.54 1.55 1.55 1.56 1.48 1.55 2,462,000 3,725,980 MARCVENTURES 0.97 1 0.97 0.97 0.97 0.97 45,000 43,650 NIHAO NICKEL ASIA 7.47 7.5 7.6 7.64 7.45 7.47 3,308,300 24,808,662 ORNTL PENINSULA 0.92 0.96 0.94 0.94 0.93 0.94 542,000 506,020 5.47 5.48 5.45 5.48 5.38 5.47 756,900 4,124,543 PX MINING SEMIRARA MINING 30.3 30.75 30.9 30.9 30.2 30.75 3,212,200 98,507,210 ACE ENEXOR 16.42 16.58 16.84 16.84 16.4 16.58 6,800 113,310 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 7,800,000 86,200 ORNTL PETROL A 5.02 5.03 5.11 5.11 4.8 5.02 1,375,800 6,841,390 PXP ENERGY PREFFERED HOUSE PREF B 99.4 101 101 101 101 101 1,000 101,000 99.8 101 99.8 99.8 99.8 99.8 20 1,996 HOUSE PREF A AC PREF B2R 505 509 509 509 509 509 170 86,530 104 105 104 104 104 104 500 52,000 BRN PREF A 47 47.65 48 48.5 47 47 8,200 391,370 CEB PREF DD PREF 99.7 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.8 99.8 4,500 449,260 108.5 109.3 109.4 109.4 108.1 108.1 13,100 1,431,510 EEI PREF B 97 98 97.1 99 97 97 5,000 485,427 MWIDE PREF 4 100.8 101.9 101 101 101 101 9,380 947,380 PNX PREF 3B PNX PREF 4 975 979 975 979 975 979 13,070 12,745,430 1,058 1,070 1,058 1,070 1,058 1,070 265 280,490 PCOR PREF 3A 76.4 77.9 77.9 77.9 77.9 77.9 1,220 95,038 SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H 75.25 75.5 75.5 75.5 75.5 75.5 20,090 1,516,795 76.6 77.95 76.25 76.25 76.25 76.25 12,000 915,000 SMC PREF 2I 75.1 76 76.4 76.4 76.4 76.4 180 13,752 SMC PREF 2J TECH PREF B2C 52 52.85 52.85 52.85 52.85 52.85 10 528.5 TECH PREF B2D 54.75 55 55 55 55 55 2,000 110,000 PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS GMA HLDG PDR 14.9 14.98 14.88 14.98 14.88 14.9 696,700 10,393,104 WARRANTS TECH WARRANT 0.63 0.64 0.61 0.64 0.61 0.64 89,000 55,980

1,095,880 817,602 -31,577 54,800 -10,360 -2,101,920 13,140.00 -30 -1,083,470 18,600 35,945 20,653,965 -6,778 254,990 -10,237,600 528.5 -7,863,006 -

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ALTUS PROP HAUS TALK ITALPINAS MERRYMART XURPAS

16.14 1.15 0.91 1.77 0.315

16.68 1.18 0.92 1.78 0.32

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

FIRST METRO ETF

105.8

107.4

16.68 1.16 0.91 1.78 0.315

16.68 1.18 0.91 1.78 0.315

16.5 1.15 0.91 1.77 0.315

16.5 1.18 0.91 1.78 0.315

2,000 223,000 151,000 874,000 150,000

33,180 260,060 137,410 1,550,750 47,250

18,200 -747,760 -

107.2 107.5 105.8 105.8 23,440 2,493,505 673,894

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Entrepreneur

Entreps thrive in pandemic that was supposed to crush them

T was supposed to crush small businesses. Instead, the pandemic seems to have incubated them in the US. The number of business locations increased in almost three-quarters of US counties over the two years through September 2021, according to new research from the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington think tank. The fastest growth was in the Southeast of the country and inland western regions. To be sure, plenty of US businesses have suffered in the pandemic, and many were forced to shut down. Still, in the aggregate they proved resilient—helped by a combination of direct government support for companies, and aid to households that propped up demand for goods and services, according to the EIG report. “During the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, fears of a massive wave of small business failures were pervasive,” wrote Connor O’Brien, a research and policy associate at the group. “These fears failed to materialize.”

Manhattan trails

IN some parts of the country, especially older cities in the Northeast and upper Midwest, the numbers are less upbeat. New York City, Baltimore and Detroit are among Metro areas that saw a net decline in business establishments over the period. The worst performer of all, at the county level, was Manhattan. Between the end of 2019 and the third quarter of 2021 it lost more than 5,300 businesses—including almost 500 financial firms, some of which decamped for Florida, and 400 full-service restaurants. In the EIG report, professional and technical services were among the top areas for expansion, accounting for 23 percent of the net increase in business numbers nationwide. Freight trucking also grew rapidly, especially in counties that are traditional hubs, according to the analysis, which was based on the latest quarterly census of employment and wages carried out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bloomberg News

BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, April 13, 2022 B3

‘Little Mountain’ helps fulfill Pinoys’ home furnishing and styling goals By Roderick L. Abad

@rodrik_28

Contributor

TUDIES revealed that home furnishings were among the best-selling items online in the last three to six months of 2021, thus, making them a trending topic and viral post on the Internet.

Joining the bandwagon was webbased furniture store Little Mountain. It was, however, daunting like finding the best decoration that fits the aesthetics and design goals, especially of those who are moving to new houses or even migrating to another country. This was the case of its owner Nikki Fan who, at that time, had no choice but to import her furniture from China. Such hardship, nevertheless, inspired her to put up an ecommerce furniture and décor business of her own amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Uphill battle

ENTERING the home furniture business was like climbing a high mountain given its intricacies. Despite her lack of prior knowledge of the industry, Fan still did it by her lonesome. As a headstart, she conceded that she had to face many challenges in fulfillment and operations-wise. “I’m selling furniture and bulky items which are hard to lift,” she recalled, while citing that hiring employees was quite complicated. “So before, my friends would sometimes help me pack them because I wouldn’t be able to do it alone.” Initially, Fan was only in search of a warehouse to store her products. Little did she know that such a need would pose yet another difficulty when she first met a fulfillment company that does not store big items similar to what she has. Left with no other option, she continued Little Mountain’s inhouse fulfillment which only al-

lowed her to pack four to five orders a day.

Ain’t no mountain high enough

ALTHOUGH she had difficulties starting up her enterprise, the businesswoman felt fulfilled that she successfully confronted such problems—thanks largely to a friend who suggested her to try cloud logistics provider Locad. Offering quick, flexible and affordable services to simplify logistics and operations, this firm combines an integrated technology platform for local and regional ecommerce fulfillment and product warehousing. Immediately after tapping this end-to-end fulfillment solution partner, Fan observed its professionalism and capacity to handle her products. The company’s involvement, including its additional help in monitoring her inventory, enables her to work “more fluidly” than before. With its fulfillment centers, she can store big and bulky items. Also, she need not have to worry about the complications of hiring locally as a professional team of fulfillment and operations experts are handling her products. “After working with Locad, there is nothing to worry about fulfillment, like the airway bill and the packing. Also, because of the Locad Control Tower, I can easily find my inventory, as well as sell data, and follow up on the fulfillment steps. It’s very easy to work with,” Fan said. Since their partnership, Little Mountain has witnessed a business turnaround. Its sales have grown by

LITTLE Mountain’s mid-century Tulip Design ghost round table offers a minimalist ONE of Little Mountain’s bestsellers is this classic Lace structural design that can function as a pattern carpet, which is inspired by the home floor side table or a coffee table. tiles from the mid-century.

BRING the Persian ambiance in your home through this Little Mountain Country Rug in deep red.

10 percent. Customer’s feedback also greatly improved, with clients noting how secure the items were packed upon receipt. “Before, I didn’t get that many orders. But since working with Locad, my sales have increased, sometimes more than 10 orders a day. And when we are doing campaigns like online sale events, it reaches up to 20,” the owner shared.

Reaching the summit

NOW that fulfillment problem is a thing of the past, Fan has more time

THESE Little Mountain Piretti-inspired Pila folding chairs add character to every room, and is perfect for your study, home office, and even your dining area.

LITTLE Mountain’s bestselling Moroccan Vintage Round Table comes in different exotic designs and sizes, enabling them to stand alone as a center table, or paired in threes or twos with other designs.

to devote to the other business facets like product research. Currently, she is particularly mindful of the quality of her trade with her desire “to test the market in the Philippines” since home décor is trending both among consumers and online conversations. Fan recognizes that her partner’s services are crucial, especially for businesses like hers that sell bulky items like chairs, tables, and carpet products, among others. She is also happy to note its system upgrades which help her in her

efforts to “grow with the brand.” “Locad has given me more free time to do promotion and more online campaigns to increase the awareness and appeal of my products to customers,” she said. “I no longer worry at all about offline concerns on fulfillment because Locad does it very well and professionally.” Truly, no mountain is too high for e-commerce entrepreneurs like Fan. With Little Mountain’s growing success, Filipinos who are looking to style their homes are always supported to realize it.

Logistics expert gives the world a taste ‘Women on top’ bridge gender bias of Filipino food products in Dubai expo in enterprise and corporate worlds

lobal distributor of renowned Filipino brands Market Reach International (MRI) represented the Philippines at Gulfood, the biggest annual trade exhibition in the world that brings together innovators and visionaries in the food and beverage industry from across the globe. The event happened recently at the Dubai World Trade Centre. “It was such an honor to represent our country at Gulfood and to have made quality Filipino brands and products more known to other cultures. I’m glad to see that despite the challenges and disruptions the world experienced these last two years due to Covid-19, the demand for food remains robust,” MRI founder and CEO Jatin Lalwani said in a meeting on the future of F and B export with Center for International Trade Expositions and Mission (CITEM). Lalwani added, “Apart from bringing hardworking OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) a piece of home, joining Gulfood allowed MRI to see the huge untapped market that could catapult Filipino brands, particularly small familyowned ones or the mom-and-pops, into the mainstream.” MRI is a partner to some of the top food and beverage brands in the Philippines including Unilever, Century, and Regent, as well as to independently owned ones. It participated in the expo to support the efforts of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in promoting the Philippines to the international market amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jazzie Dayao of Market Reach International; Nas Arcayan, export sales manager; Jatin Lalwani, MRI CEO; Pauline Suaco-Juan, CITEM executive director; Zharita Bagayas, CITEM assistant division chief; Cristalle Bernardo, CITEM team; Jojo Pareno, CITEM team; and Diwata Balbas, MRI HR Manager. According to Pauline Suaco-Juan, executive director of CITEM, an agency under DTI, while the majority of the export sector has suffered during the pandemic due to declining demand, food has proved to be one of the more resilient industries. “By promoting and exporting Filipino food products, we are creating new opportunities for our local farming communities, manufacturers, and businesses to tap the huge demand for food worldwide,” Suaco-Juan said. “Apart from economic benefits, exporting food can help socially and culturally. Members of Filipino communities who are not able to go back to the country due to travel restrictions can still taste their favorite homegrown flavors via exported products.” Suaco-Juan sees the future of exporting Filipino food to be “both economically and socially promising,” especially

with the rising demand for healthy and organic products, which the Philippines stands as one of the premier sources. “The country is one of the leading exporters of coffee, tuna, mango and cacao. Aptly called the “Premium 7,” these seven products have made the Philippines as a premier food sourcing destination in the international market,” she said. Suaco-Juan points out that apart from international shows, the world of social media and streaming services have been highly instrumental in amplifying the promotion of Filipino cuisine, restaurants, and chefs all over the world. She believes, however, that although the presence of Filipino culinary heritage on digital platforms effectively promotes Filipino flavors and ingredients,”there is still so much to discover and explore in the Philippines in terms of food and culture.”

OMEN entrepreneurs and top executives have shed light on how their gamechanging roles in pushing for digital transformation have bolstered gender equality in the country. The strong influence in decisionmaking of these empowered female individuals and others in their tribe has contributed to the Philippines’s ranking as second in the Asia-Pacific region and the 17th globally to close the sexual difference, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. Kimstore Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kim Lato has been breaking the bias in male-dominated industries like the e-commerce since 2006 when she founded and established kimstore.com, a tech and gadget online shop. “We are both the first woman-led e-commerce company as well as a pioneer of e-commerce in the Philippines,” she said. Leila Martin, on the other hand, became the first president and CEO of the OFBank, the official digital bank of the Philippine government. “To be able to lead a financial institution and create pioneering digital banking solutions for Filipinos abroad is a success I celebrate with all Filipinas and women all over the world,” she noted. Meanwhile, Gladys Pascual, head

of strategy and transformation at Etiqa, was assigned the daunting task of leading the set-up of a tech-heavy data warehouse project to integrate various legacy systems. “I led a cross functional team of IT [information technology] professionals, operations people and statisticians to complete a major IT project in a marketing role within record time and budget. I consider this the tech project that truly broke the glass ceiling for me,” she cited. Gretchen Largoza has been making a mark in the digital marketing space being the CEO of AdSpark. “We have a data management platform and audience targeting companies/ventures inside our 917 Ventures portfolio where we are doing proof of concepts that’s pretty exciting because we are giving the market new platforms,” she shared. Addressing gender disparity must begin as early as the learning stage so that the existing culture that assigns certain jobs to male and female will be eliminated in the corporate world. Nowadays, more and more women are becoming more interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. But there are still some who are discouraged and boxed into choosing more “feminine” courses. Given this, Lato said that “it’s important that we open channels and networks for

mentoring.” In the real world, gender disparity remains high in employment amid the increasing participation of women in the STEM learning. To address this, Pascual cited that hiring an individual must be “gender-agnostic and that one’s sex is not a barrier to employment and recognition” like what their company does. When it comes to safety and fairness for all genders in the workplace, both men and women must receive an equal amount of pay for their job. Also, there should be an equal representation in management and executive roles. On top of enforcing the balanced standards for working conditions and welfare, Martin pointed out that their “company policies protect women from workplace harassment, and invest in their growth through professional and personal development training.” Making “a development program for all leaders, not just women,” per Largoza, are given high emphasis in their organization, “so that it’s not based on gender but on capabilities.” The idea that certain industries like the technology sector are more fit for males must be stopped now, Martin lamented. He stressed: “Workforce diversity, especially in executive or high-level positions, would be a good place to start.” Roderick L. Abad

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 • Editor: Dennis D. Estopace

BTr partially awards T-bonds as investors seek high yields

By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of the Treasury partially awarded P22.03 billion out of its P35-billion offering of reissued 5-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) as investors demanded higher yields. With a remaining 4-year term, the debt paper fetched an average rate of 4.968 percent, higher than the secondary-benchmark rates. Had the Treasury fully awarded the security, the average rate for the tenor would have been even higher at 5.019 percent.

Secondary benchmark rates based on the Bloomberg Valuation Service for the four-year tenor and the security itself stood at 4.693 percent and 4.811 percent, respectively. National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon said rates ended up higher given the more hawkish signals from the

US Federal Reserve to reduce its balance sheet and hike interest rates to rein in inflation. “Rates higher as [US Treasuries] continue to soar higher after Fed minutes release and more hawkish comments [from] Fed to start balance sheet runoff aside from aggressive rate hikes,” De Leon told reporters. “Markets also expect US inflation print in March to breach 8 percent.” Based on the minutes of their March meeting, US Fed officials are keen on slashing the central bank’s balance sheet by $95 billion a month, a move that will likely start in May, according to international reports. Apart from the balance sheet reduction, “many participants” at the Fed’s meeting” were also reported preferring a 50 basis-point hike.

DOF anti-corruption arm probed 468 employees

Total bids for the tenor capped at P45.91 billion, making the auction oversubscribed. The Treasury programmed to raise P200 billion from the domestic debt market this month. Since Monday last week, the Treasury has so far sold P81.8 billion. Last month, the Treasury raised P91.7 billion, more than a third of its P250 billion programmed offering as investors demanded higher bid rates. This year, the government is set to borrow a total of P2.2 trillion, of which around 75 percent is expected to come from domestic sources. As of end-February this year, the national government’s outstanding debt rose to another recordhigh level of P12.09 trillion due to currency fluctuations and net financing from both domestic and foreign sources.

BANKNOTE GAB This April 12, 2022, photo

courtesy of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas shows (left to right) BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto E. Tangonan, Monetary Board Member V. Bruce J. Tolentino and Agriculture Undersecretary Fermin D. Adriano during a consultation on the issuance of the 1000-Piso polymer banknotes. The BSP said the conversation covered ways to enhance the competitiveness of the abaca industry and outlined the public health and environmental sustainability benefits of the shift to polymer. BSP representatives were joined by officials from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries, Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority and the National Banner Program Committee on High Value Crops-Fiber Crops. Photo courtesy of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

BOC bags P80.76M after selling overstaying containers in Q1

HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) raised P80.76 million from a public auction in the first quarter of this year of overstaying containers. In a statement last Monday, the bureau said the proceeds came from its auction of nearly a third or 96 out of 304 overstaying containers that contained an assortment of items like rice and galvanized steel. The BOC also condemned 170 overstaying containers, accounting for the bulk of the total. The large metal boxes contained used clothing, rotten foodstuff, used oil and used furniture, among others. Meanwhile, the remaining 38 containers of twine, yarn droppings

and cuttings were donated to various agencies. “Through the continuous compliance with its mandates, the Bureau of Customs headed by Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, assures the public that it will remain steadfast in its efforts of ensuring unhampered delivery of its services, especially in these trying times that the movement of goods, essentials and non-essentials, is deemed both substantial and critical,” it said. Overstaying containers are either seized or abandoned. Disposing overstaying containers would also decongest the port of its cargoes aside from generating additional revenues.

Under Customs Memorandum Order 10-2020, cargoes that have not been withdrawn within more than 30 days from the date of discharge shall be tagged abandoned and, upon finality of the Decree of Abandonment, the Bureau shall then determine how to dispose these. Further, Section 1141 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act states that goods subject to disposition may be donated, declared for official use by the bureau, or sold at public auction, while goods suitable for shelter, or consisting of foodstuffs, clothing materials, or medicines may be donated to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

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Last year, the BOC collected P645.77 billion, exceeding its P616.75-billion target by 4.7 percent. Of the amount, P555.44 million was collected from the public auction of 1,257 overstaying containers last year. For this year, the bureau is hoping to hit its full-year revenue collection goal of P679.23 billion, up by 10 percent from its target last year. In the first quarter of this year, the bureau collected P188.506 billion, accounting for 27.8 percent of its full-year target. This is also up by 27.4 percent year-on-year from the P148 billion it collected in the same period in 2021. Bernadette D. Nicolas

HE Department of Finance announced 468 of its 3,000 employees were investigated in the past five years by the DOF’s anti-corruption unit based on various complaints and for lifestyle-check. Over half or 55 percent of the employees investigated were from the Bureau of Customs while over a third or 38 percent were from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, a report by the head of the DOF-Revenue Integrity Protection Service (Rips) revealed. The other employees investigated came from the DOF, Bureau of Local Government Finance, Bureau of the Treasury and the Insurance Commission. As a result of the investigations, 58 cases were filed by the Rips from July 2016 up to December 2021 before the Office of the Ombudsman, Civil Service Commission or other quasi-judicial bodies. DOF-Rips Executive Director Ray Gilberto J. Espinosa said that 16 employees were dismissed from service while ten were found guilty in criminal cases from July 2016 up to February this year. Another 35 employees were suspended, nine were reprimanded and

seven were ordered to pay fines as penalties for the charges for which they were held liable, Espinosa’s report revealed. Meanwhile, the Central Board of Assessment Appeals (CBA A) received appeals involving some P1.92-billion worth of real property taxes last year. As a quasi-judicial body, the CBAA decides on real property tax assessment cases brought on appeal from the decisions of the Local Board of Assessment Appeals (LBAA) of cities and provinces nationwide. A report by CBAA Hearing Officer Gualberto J. Oyzon Jr. said that 20 cases were elevated to the Supreme Court, with six decided in favor of CBAA’s decision. Another five cases decided by the CBAA remain pending with the Court of Tax Appeals last year, with four others decided in its favor. Oyzon said all of the cases received by the Board from the LBAA were acted upon within 30 days after receipt of the complete documents needed to resolve them while nine out of 10 cases submitted for decision to the CBAA were resolved within 90 days. Bernadette D. Nicolas

Digital banks to support economic recovery–BSP By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

IGITAL banks are expected to support economic recovery this year, through increased financial accessibility among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said on Tuesday. Digital banks, unlike brick and mortar banks, have no physical branches. Their financial products and services are processed end-toend through a digital platform or electronic channel. In 2021, the Monetary Board approved six digital bank applications in 2021, namely: UNObank Inc., UnionDigital Bank Inc., GoTyme Bank Corp., Maya Bank Inc., Overseas Filipino (OF) Bank Inc. and Tonik Digital Bank Inc. “By offering convenient and affordable financial products tailored to the needs of MSMEs, digital banks can accelerate financial inclusion in the country,” Diokno said. Aside from offering traditional savings and time deposit accounts,

digital banks are seen to improve MSMEs’ access to credit through mobile-friendly lending and investment facilities. Digital records of sales and payment transactions can also be used in assessing the creditworthiness of MSME borrowers. OF Bank and Tonik Bank, which converted their existing banking licenses to digital banking, have reportedly onboarded 120,000 new deposit accounts as of end-September 2021. Meanwhile, UNObank, UnionDigital Bank, GoTyme and Maya Bank are expected to begin operations this year. “The BSP remains committed to fostering a regulatory environment that is supportive of financial innovations, while promoting healthy competition in the financial system,” the governor said. Under its Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap, the BSP aims to digitalize at least half of financial transactions in the country and onboard at least 70 percent of Filipino adults into the formal financial system by 2023.

SEC: Google tightens rules on local PSBank keeps highest credit rating with stable outlook lending apps offered in ‘Play’ store P By VG Cabuag

@villygc

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Tuesday that Google Inc. has followed the regulator’s advice to adopt a stringent approval process for local online lending applications on Android smart phones in the Philippines. By May 11, Google will require developers offering personal loans in the Philippines to submit a personal loan app declaration and other necessary documentation before they could publish the application on Google Play. The latter is the firm’s official store for Android apps, games, music, movies and e-books. In the declaration form, developers are required to state they are registered with and licensed by the SEC in the Philippines to operate an online lending platform, perform lendingbased crowdfunding activities such as peer-to-peer lending or to act as a crowdfunding intermediary. Developers would also be

required to confirm they are engaged in a lawful business activity and are undertaking its operations in compliance with applicable laws. Personal loan apps operating in the Philippines without proper declaration and license attribution will be removed from the Google Play, according to the SEC. If the submitted license, registration or declaration is no longer valid under the applicable laws, the developers are required to remove the app from Google Play Store. SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino expressed gratitude to Google “for supporting our efforts to combat illegal and abusive lending and thereby preserve the financing and lending industry’s integrity and provide Filipinos secure and accessible financing options.” “We are positive that the additional requirements, imposed by Google for developers of personal loan apps targeting users in the Philippines, will serve as another layer of protection for Filipino borrowers and deterrence against

predatory lending,” Aquino said. The SEC official said they have been consulting Google since May 2019 to address the proliferation of unregistered personal loan apps. Aside from reporting and requesting for the removal of unlicensed lending apps from Google Play, the SEC had been asking the US technology giant to verify the legitimacy of lending and financing companies looking to develop and publish their apps. The Philippines is only the third country in which Google will implement the additional requirements for developers of personal loan apps, after India and Indonesia. Republic Act 9474 (Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007) requires persons or entities operating as lending companies to register as corporations and to secure from the SEC the necessary authority to operate. The Financing Company Act of 1998 (RA 8556) also requires a financing company to register with the SEC as a corporation and to secure separately from the SEC an authority to operate.

hilippine Savings Bank (PSBank), the consumer and retail bank arm of the Metrobank Group, announced keeping its Issuer Credit Rating of PRS Aaa (corp.) with a stable outlook from the Philippine Rating Services Corp. (PhilRatings). A company rated ‘PRS Aaa’ has a very strong capacity to meet its financial commitments relative to that of other Philippine corporates, according to PhilRatings. A ‘PRS Aaa’ is the highest corporate credit rating assigned on the PRS scale, the company said. A “stable outlook,” on the other hand, is assigned when a rating is likely to be maintained or to remain unchanged in the next 12 months. The ratings reflect PSBank’s “strong market position, sound capitalization and prudent loan provisioning, strong parent and highly-experienced management team,” according to the subsidiary of the Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. PhilRatings’ ratings are based on available information and projections at the time that the rating review was performed. PhilRatings shall continuously monitor developments in relation to PSBank and may change the rating and Outlook at any time, should circumstances warrant a change. Based on data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), PSBank is the country’s second largest thrift bank, as of December 31, 2021. PSBank ended the

year with total assets of P260.8 billion. The bank, likewise, ranked second in terms of deposits (P216.8 billion) and net loans (P111.5 billion) and ranked first in terms of capital (P33.5 billion). The bank is a significant player in the consumer banking sector. According to PSBank, it accounted for 44 percent and 21 percent share of the thrift banking sector’s auto loans and residential real estate loans, respectively as of end-2021. PSBank has maintained a healthy capitalization. Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) stood at 24.3 percent as of endDecember 2021, up from 19.4 percent in 2020 and exceeding the regulatory minimum. As Gross Non-Performing Loans (NPL) ratio grew to 6.7 percent in 2020, from 3.6 percent in 2019, PSBank was proactive in its provisioning given the potential credit risks brought by the pandemic. Provision for impairment and credit losses expanded by 189 percent in 2020. Gradual recovery from the effects of the pandemic resulted in improved asset quality for 2021. Gross NPL declined by 29 percent from the previous year while the Gross NPL ratio improved to 6.1 percent. Following better asset quality, PSBank reduced its provision for impairment and credit losses by 52 percent in 2021. Metrobank is the major shareholder of PSBank, with equity stake of 88.4 percent, as of December 31, 2021. Metrobank is a BSP-licensed universal

bank and is the Philippines’ third largest bank based on assets of P2.2 trillion, as of December 31, 2021. It similarly ranked third based on loans (P1.1 trillion), fourth in terms of deposits (P1.7 trillion) and second in terms of capital (P306.8 billion).

Holiday schedule

PSBANK announced all its branches will be closed on April 14 and 15, 2022 in observance of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Still, all its automated teller machines and the lender’s mobile/online facilities will be available, the bank said. Further, the lender said that payroll crediting on April 14 and 15 will proceed. The bank also issued the following guidelines: n Check deposits after 4PM cut-off time on April 13 will be processed on April 18. n For time deposits, maturities on April 14 and 15 will be processed on April 18. n PESONet transactions made after 3 p.m. cut-off time on April 13, during the holiday and weekend will be processed on April 18. n For bills payments enrolled in Automatic Debit Arrangement, debiting of accounts with due dates on April 14 and 15 will proceed. For PSBank loan payments, accounts will be debited on April 18.

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Image BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Developing your charisma This Easter, experience ‘Alice in Wonderland’

K Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, and the heads of Poland, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, plus European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen all visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a show of support to Ukraine after more than a month of brutal Russia’s aggression. While the world looked on, these leaders bravely met Zelenskyy face to face to meet the man the world has come to greatly admire not just for fighting for his country’s freedom, but for his courage and charisma. Few local and world leaders have had the charisma and leadership that Zelenskyy has demonstrated. As a leader, it is your charisma that influences people, convinces them, and inspires them to follow you. Otherwise, as John Maxwell once told leaders, “Are you really leading, or are you just taking a walk?” As people managers, one of the important things you can develop to influence and convince people is your charisma. Some people believe that charisma is something that one is born with, and that is why some people have more charisma than others. Others believe that one can develop charisma by developing certain habits and mindset so that people are naturally drawn to them. Charisma, which comes from the Greek word “charis,” means grace or favor freely given. While some have a natural flair to be followed, there are some things you can do so that people will like and respect you more. One of the things you can do is to actively listen to what people are talking about. Active listening entails not just your ears but also involves your entire body. Keep eye contact to show full attention and remove any distractions like your mobile phone or what you are currently working on. Face the person and lean forward slightly to signify interest and point your toes toward the person. All of these show that you are ready and willing to listen. Your mindset when talking to people should be what you can learn from the person you are talking to. People often listen so they can find an anchor to base their replies. But when you are truly interested in what others are saying, you would listen to understand. Ask follow-up questions to show interest and remember details of their answer for future conversations. Recalling details of the conversation later on makes the other person feel they are important enough to be remembered. People who have a strong charisma often have a strong presence, but at the same time they exude sincerity and likability. One of the leaders I once looked up to was someone who would walk into the room and people would instinctively look in her direction and give admiring stares. And she would elegantly smile at everyone and take her seat to talk pleasantly to whoever she was sitting next to. During the meeting, she was well-respected because of her deliberate choice of words and the way she coalesced people’s ideas into one creative solution. Leaders who

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 9, 2022. AP

have strong charisma understand how to listen and reflect what is important to the people around them. Be relatable by identifying your similarities with people and listening to what they think are important. Relatable leaders have shared values with the people they lead and whose lives are consistent with their values. They understand what moves people and draws from their own personal experiences to influence others. You can improve your relatability by meeting new people and exposing yourself to other cultures by traveling. If you cannot travel, you can read books. Jhumpa Lahiri, an established novelist, once said, “That’s the thing about books—they let you travel without moving your feet.” One of the things I had to work on when I became a people manager was my facial expression. Coming from the academe, I could silence students with a mere look or just by silently standing in front of the class—I had to assert my authority. Corporate training has shown me that my authority to influence and convince people comes from not just my position but how I deal with their questions and difficulties in training. I had to retrain my facial expressions to show authority but at the same time make them feel safe to ask their questions and ask help when needed. This helped me to stop myself from overreacting quickly to situations and find opportunities for helping people to learn. Which leads to another thing you can do to develop charisma—help others feel good about themselves. One of the things you can do is by publicly praising

people who do good work and by catching your people doing good. One of the best things about managing people is helping them develop into their full potential. Affirming their work is a way of positively reinforcing their growth, and motivates them to continue doing well. If asked to speak, try using stories to convey your idea. Just as parables have a hidden meaning which can only be deciphered by those who need to hear its lesson, stories have a way of bypassing people’s biases and planting the seed of an idea into the listener’s heart. Personal stories have a way of humanizing ideas and making it easier for people to support and follow you. Lastly, do something that you are passionate about because people are naturally drawn to others who enjoy what they are doing. Part of being relatable and convincing is when your life is a true reflection of who you really are. Nothing replaces authenticity in influencing and convincing people because people are moved to follow genuine and real people—you attract what you are. Obviously, not everyone can be Zelenskyy who has captured the imagination of the whole world with his kind of leadership. His charisma stems from his personality and just proves that no matter a person’s background, one can always make a difference in other people’s lives as long as they reflect their people’s values and aspirations. In the end, people follow leaders who are like them and show how great they can also be. n

CHEF Lovely Jiao, the baker behind Sugarplum Pastries’ head-turning eight-foot dessert towers, lighted anti-gravity cakes, and “plumgineered” “twirly-whirly” rotating toppers, offers the most eggciting treats and sweets to add fun and festivity this Easter. For her latest selections, the dessert innovator took inspiration from the dream world of Alice in Wonderland: Down the Rabbithole to encourage family and friends to gather around for some Easter egg hunting, chocolate-smashing and cookie decorating. Relive the much-loved Easter tradition at home with the Hatch Me By D’Dozen, a collection of 12 individually wrapped chocolate surprise eggs specially made for an exhilarating game of Easter egg hunt. The search calls for a chocolate-smashing event as each sweet hides an assortment of candies inside. Ideal for those who wish to go big, the Tweedle-egg is a single four-inch tall Easter egg that comes with a generous serving of chocolates, candies and other goodies. Each is inclusive of a complimentary wooden mallet to elevate the experience into an exciting activity for the entire family. Egg-citing Kit, the comeback of the crowd-favorite, season-inspired cookie-dos, comes with decadent bunny- and egg-shaped sugar cookies, which the kids—and kids-at-heart—can decorate. The D.I.Y pack includes piping bags in the lovely colors of pastel pink, blue and purple, as well as chocolate surprises, which when smashed pops delectable sprinkles and toothsome toppers. “This collection represents the start of playtime. Just like Alice, the kids can also have their own Wonderland,” said Chef Lovely. “Down their very own rabbit hole, there should be no limit to a child’s imagination—that is what we actually take to heart.” “This is why we don’t really provide guides in our kits,” she added. “They can have it their own fun way, however they want to play. Let their creativity lead them to their very own plumgineered result.” Armed with her culinary degree from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, backed up by experience at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel and F1 Hotel in Taguig, the baker, instead of climbing the ladder in the hotel kitchen industry, decided to become a hands-on mom for her growing son. In 2011, Chef Lovely established her very own brand and launched Sugarplum Pastries. Through the years, she has stayed true to her philosophy of “no to boring desserts” and promises to only create the most decadent pastries to celebrate family time. More information can be found at www. sugarplumpastries.com or 0917-5161411 via Viber.

PASTRY Chef Lovely Jiao of Sugarplum Pastries with son Jakin

MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS COME WITH AN ADDED ‘COST’ OF POORER COGNITIVE FUNCTION By Amitai Abramovitch Texas State University All types of mental disorders come with a hidden cost in the form of cognitive dysfunction, including deficits in memory, attention, executive functions and processing speed, according to a comprehensive study that my colleagues and I published in June 2021 in the journal Clinical Psychology Review. We found that both diagnosable mental disorders, as well as some common symptoms such as anxiety and worry, carry a so-called “cognitive price.” We termed this phenomenon “The C Factor”—short for cognitive dysfunction. This can be defined either as lower performance on cognitive tests, or reduction in cognitive abilities such as attention and memory. Our analysis suggests that it can be found across disorders and that it constitutes an integral part of poorer mental health. Our team analyzed data from all existing metaanalyses and systematic reviews of cognitive function across all disorders recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. We included 97 meta-analyses covering 29 disorders. Overall, our study incorporated data from more than 200,000 individuals. In recent decades, mental disorders have become

increasingly prevalent in the US and around the world, particularly in young adults and adolescents. Even before the pandemic, 1 in 5 Americans suffered from a mental disorder. In fact, the most comprehensive study to date examining the worldwide prevalence of mental disorders projected that 55 percent of Americans will meet criteria for at least one mental disorder over the course of their lifetime. Notably, that study—which was conducted 15 years ago—examined diagnosable disorders. But, in fact, the prevalence of lifetime experience of clinically meaningful symptoms in the general population is much higher. For example, one study found that although only about 20 percent of Americans will meet formal criteria for major depressive disorder in their lifetime, 62 percent of Americans will experience meaningful symptoms of depression. Since our findings demonstrate that poorer mental health is associated with at least some degree of cognitive dysfunction, this type of deficiency may be far more common than previously thought. These findings are important because some mental disorders may be misdiagnosed based on cognitive dysfunction. For instance, a college student who struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder should be expected to have some difficulties in areas such

as concentration, organization, time management and memory. However, in such a case, these cognitive challenges do not stem from conditions such as dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but rather from OCD. This potential confusion may lead to a misdiagnosis. Indeed, ADHD, a disorder characterized by deficits in executive functions, is one of the most misdiagnosed disorders across all age groups. According to one 2010 study, about 20 percent of youths diagnosed with ADHD and receiving medications are misdiagnosed. In addition, there is evidence that doctors all too readily prescribe stimulant medications for symptoms of inattention, even without a complete or formal diagnosis of ADHD. Therefore, lack of knowledge about cognitive dysfunctions associated with OCD in the example above could lead to inappropriate treatment. Indeed, stimulant medication may increase irritability and anxiety and exacerbate cognitive dysfunction in such individuals. So it is crucial that mental health professionals gain a better understanding of how mental health and cognitive dysfunction go hand in hand, particularly in the context of misinterpretation of cognitive symptoms. THE CONVERSATION

TWEEDLE-EGG is a sweet Easter indulgence

B6 Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Ways to power up your home-based business

Calabarzon, foreign chambers hold online business conference on April 28

HE Calabarzon Business Conference with the theme “Calabarzon: Strengthening its leadership as manufacturing & industrial hub of the Philippines?” is organized by the exhibition and conference experts Olacon & Globallink in partnership with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and IndustrySouth Luzon, the French Chamber of Commerce, Dutch Chamber of Commerce, Spanish Chamber of Commerce, German Chamber of Commerce, Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Advantage Austria. The event will see a special focus on the local Chambers of Laguna, Cavite, Batangas and Lipa and aims to feature business and investment opportunities that are available within the Calabarzon region. It is also envisioned to further connect to other parts of the world as a manufacturing and logistic hub for global corporations and investors. Business Mirror is one of the media partners Along with the event launch was the MOU signing for mutual cooperation and business development between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry- South Luzon, represented by the Area Vice President Sallie Lacson and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines President Sergio Boero. Also part of the event launch were Regional Governor Mr. Romeo Race, former PCCI Laguna President

Ricky Osmond, PCCI Batangas President Raul Mercado and Regional Secretary Olivia Inciong. Calabarzon region is situated next to the south of Metro Manila and it is known as the industrial powerhouse of the Philippines. This region has a big supply base of semi-processed industrial raw materials and industrial components coming from its 31 world-class industrial estates and economic zones (ecozones). Major automotive assemblers in the Philippines are located in this region,

particularly in the province of Laguna which is also called “the Detroit City of the Philippines”. Calabarzon has a huge number of human resources available for the manufacturing and services industries. Furthermore, this region will continue to be the hub of manufacturing, e-services, and logistics in the AsiaPacific Region that is significant to the global economy. For more information, check the event’s FB page of Focus Philippines: https://www.facebook.com/ events/1437074486713232.

THIS very special conference, part of the “Regional Development Series” of the United European Chambers in the Philippines is set to be held online this coming April 28, 2022 from 3pm to 5pm.

Financial, technical grants for animators, artists, and game developers launched

HE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Board of Trustees has earmarked around PHP20M development funding for the launching of the CCP Grants which aims to generate original Intellectual Property (IP) content that reflects the country’s rich cultural heritage with its folktales, myths, and legends. This program hopes to stimulate the local creative economy by providing financial and technical and educational support to our local creative businesses, content developers, artists, and students. According to CCP Board of Trustee Benedict Carandang, “Global Animation Industry revenue is around US$270 Billion and the Philippines contribute to around US$20 million to $30 million per year. We have an estimated 10,000 fulltime artists supporting this industry. On

the other hand, the Global Gaming market is around US$174.9 Billion, and $1.38 million is the local contribution or .008% of the market worldwide. In the comics industry meanwhile, we have around 1000+ self-published titles, 266 Published titles from 12 Publishers, and an estimated 5000 original IP creators supporting this industry.” Trustee Carandang hopes that the seed investment of the CCP will help encourage future government legislators to support and fund programs like this that can help stimulate the local Creative Economy. Filipino content creators can pitch their ideas for a chance to win in any of the following three categories, namely: Game Development Grant, Animation Grant, and Comics Grant. For the Game Development Grant,

a potential of four SEC-recognized game development organizations will be awarded a maximum cap funding of PHP1.5M each, and a maximum of PHP300,000 each to independent game developers to create and complete a digital game project with a mix of creative, cultural, and commercial outcomes, and content derived from the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art. The Comics grant offers PHP330,000 for a potential of six winners; while the Animation Grant has funding of PHP2M each for four potential winners to bring into life 5-minute animated short films. Both the animation and comics output must be developed around the theme, Philippine Folktales, Myths and Legends. In addition, a training component with leading industry professionals will be integrated for the winners. CCP Board of Trustee Nikki Junia closes, “In this digital era, visual and literary arts in the form of animation, comics, and even gaming have made an impact in the lives of the public. Animation allows us to tell stories that both children and adults can relate to while it stimulates imagination and creativity bringing it to real life. Comics are a creative way of communicating history and sharing cultures that can be intriguing and entertaining. An equally thriving industry is the gaming industry, as it helps build communities and connect people from all over the world. All these art forms are important to be given attention to as they can support the preservation, development, and awareness of the culture and arts that will be engaging for today's generation.” Filipino individuals and organizations at all stages of their careers are invited to join. To learn all the details, visit the Game Development Grant Application form: https://forms.gle/cvM1UNqLmWSEK6239 and the Animation and Comics Grant Application form: https://forms. gle/7P6PNASVPsXhtgUo9

UILDING a business from the ground up, during a pandemic era, no less is definitely challenging. But sustaining it is a more complicated feat. While all good things don’t happen overnight, small business owners can carefully craft their own strategies to make sure of their path to success. Power up your business with the right internet connection. Building your business from home requires a consistent and reliable internet connection. A study conducted by the Philippines’ leading fiber internet service provider, Converge ICT Solutions Inc., showed that 26.7% of subscribers from its consumer segment are online sellers. Nearly seven out of 10 of these online sellers do not have business permits, while the remaining 31.3% have business permits and consider themselves as microbusinesses. Choosing the right internet for your home business is important. There is definitely no problem with subscribing to residential internet plans, but as you grow your business, you might notice that this would not be enough. This is why Converge offers various plans, both for consumers and businesses, to empower customers to choose the right plan for them. Always improve and focus on your product. Ensuring that your customers trust and enjoy your products should always be a top priority. By constantly improving your product, you are making sure that your customers get the best value of their money. Listen to your customers. When you make improvements to your product, be it for new features or for existing ones, be sure that it is aligned with the interests of your customers. Equip yourself with the latest trends, customer feedback, reviews and other suggestions from your community of clients. Always remember that your products

are for them, and not for the business alone. Know your competitors. While maintaining a quality product is always crucial, there are always other factors that might encourage your customers to switch to other brands. Thus, it won’t hurt to monitor your competitors and study the features, price points, promos and other selling points that they offer. Knowing your competitors will put you in an advantage to position your product in the market. Form the right team. You can’t do all of this alone. Getting the right people in your team will make everything easier, and even happier, for business owners. Having a more collaborative culture within your team will help with the growth of your business. Just make sure that aside from skills, your team members are also equipped with dedication and passion to grow your business. Invest in your social media presence. In this digital age, a more complicated business battle resides in social media. This is where you should take your brand, and allow for an efficient brand-building process. You can also maximize social media to create narratives and conversations about your business, which can also help you develop a good relationship with your customers. To learn more about Converge plans and offerings, visit https://www.convergeict.com.

FastCat builds a stronger connection between the Islands of Panay and Negros Occidental

T'S full speed ahead for Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation (APFC) for 2022. Through its flagship brand FastCat, APFC announces the opening of its new route from Bacolod to Dumangas on April 2022. This is in addition to its existing route from Bacolod to Lapuz, Iloilo. Thus, strengthening the links between the islands of Panay and Negros Occidental. FastCat M16, is one of its newest vessels from a total company fleet of eighteen (18). It will serve the said route through a minimum of two (2) round trips daily. This development means there will now be two (2) vessels linking the two islands (the other serving Iloilo-Banago bacolod). Additionally

it means more trips and options for our riding public and faster transport of passengers and goods. The engines of FCM16 have a higher horse power for better performance, reliability and fuel efficiency. It has a dedicated accommodation area for People with Disability (PWD), the elderly and pregnant women with an exclusive rest room, TV set and air conditioning at the main deck. The bridge control system has more equipment to aid in navigation. It is equipped with bow thrusters for better maneuverability. The seating capacity has been increased to 360 from 325 in other vessels. Furthermore, by investing in the PanayNegros route, the company is helping build the economy and fulfills its brand promise of a FerrySafe, FerryFast and FerryConvenient travel experience.

Discover Greenwich’s savory seafood dishes this Holy Week

TRESSING about your Lenten season menu as the Holy Week is fast approaching? Greenwich has you covered with its recently unveiled savory seafood options that are sure to help you with meal planning during the Lenten season. Offered for a limited time only, Greenwich recently introduced its newest Cajun Shrimp Overload Pizza and Creamy Shrimp Spaghetti to let you discover exciting seafood flavors, that’s guilt-free. The Cajun Shrimp Overload Pizza is definitely worthy to be on your must-try list. Oozing with mouth-watering aroma, this seafood-based pizza is made deliciously flavorful with Cajun sauce and loads of seasoned shrimps, bell peppers, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and three types of

melted cheese that do the ooey, gooey trick. For P319 only, a box of 9-inch pizza will give you an ultimate seafood adventure. For those who have a soft spot for pasta, Greenwich’s newest addition on its pasta line, the Creamy Shrimp Spaghetti, features creamy aligue sauce, shrimps, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for toppings. A hearty solo serving of this tasty dish at P109 only, is a definite must in every seafood lover’s eat list. These two new dishes are available in all Greenwich branches nationwide for dine-in, take-out, and delivery. You may also order these sumptuous new creations at www.greenwichdelivery.com, #5-55-55, or via Greenwich’s Messenger chatbot at Greenwich Barkada.

PERFECT for Lent, Greenwich adds savory seafood dishes to its menu, with its Cajun Shrimp Overload Pizza and Creamy Shrimp Spaghetti—a new spin on its pizza and pasta favorites offered for a limited time only.

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 B7

Office and residential sectors ready to bounce back in 2022

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

fter a two-year slump caused by the pandemic, the office sector and residential sectors are poised for a rebound in 2022 as restrictions are being lifted in anticipation of an economic recovery. Indeed, there are signs of market stability, according to Janlo de los Reyes, JLL Philippines Head of Research and Consultancy. “For Q4 2021, what we saw was a moderate take-up of 75,713 sq m in gross leasing volumes.” While the number is lower than previous quarters, de los Reyes said that there is still improved sentiment in the market, citing compliance concerns, rightsizing, and halt in vacancy uptick as key factors for the Q4 figures, de los Reyes told the BusinessMirror in a recent e-mail interview.

Anticipation of the rebound Premier property developer Ortigas Land is in a bullish mode as it recently introduced GH Tower, its first office address at the heart of Greenhills Center in San Juan City. Trina Chan, AVP, head of office business unit of Ortigas Land, Greenhills Center, told reporters in an online briefing held March 31 the GH Tower will enhance the status of the Greenhills Center as a premier business center providing full convenience, bringing full convenience, bringing all of one’s needs in a centralized location. Chan said the GH Tower will cater to all potential needs of busi-

ness sectors such as the businessprocess outsourcing (BPO) and traditional offices, as well as multinational companies. The tower has 15 floors dedicated for office space (from the 6th to the 21st floor), with the 6th floor directly connected to Phase 1 of Greenhills Mall for convenient accessibility to establishments in the area. It also provides a convenient commute with access to the transport terminal along Ortigas Avenue and future MRT-4 station. It will have a hotel-like lobby on the ground floor where professionals are greeted with a green wall feature. The 6th floor lobby which provides a direct connection to the mall also provides access to more green and open spaces where individuals can explore an alfresco dining area and a roof deck garden. She said GH Tower will be a good investment opportunity due to its security and health features such as facial recognition in all access points, thermal checks, and is located in a secure estate. Ortigas Land tapped international real-estate brokers, Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) and JLL Philippines to market GH Tower. GH Tower is on track to be completed in May 2023.

BRIA Homes’ steadfast success in Calamba shows that it has remained resilient despite the challenges of the last two years.

porting demand in the residential sector, whether in the preselling or secondary markets. While we saw initial headwinds at the start of the year, especially the spread of the Omicron variant, the gradual return of foreign professionals and turnaround in business and consumer confidence should help fuel the take-up of more residential units,” Joey Roi Bondoc, Colliers associate director and head of research told the media in a recent online press briefing.

Vertical project in Laguna

GH Tower also has many sustainable and eco-efficient features such as its own rainwater collection system, 100 percent glass ratio (double-glazed) that allows for abundant natural light, double low E windows, and uses energy-efficient LED lights. Potential tenants will also find many commercial establishments, academic institutions, and transportation terminals surrounding the tower.

Growing confidence The residential market also anticipates a recovery as improving

business and consumer confidence will likely spill over to the sector. “We see the economic expansion sup-

Affordable housing developer Bria Homes is also banking on the much anticipated recovery by recently launching Bria Condo Calamba, its first vertical development to rise in Laguna. ET Aguilar, Bria Homes’ division head, told the BusinessMirror the company plans to develop more housing sites in Calamba and the rest of the

province. “As we do so, we hope that both locals and interested homebuyers from the Metro will continue to find their homes of choice at Bria’s safe and wholesome communities,” Aguilar said. Aguilar said the entry of Bria Homes generated strong interest in the development even before the groundbreaking ceremony. Pre-selling units at Bria Condo Calamba continue to be hot ticket items as potential homebuyers recognize it as a prime location worth investing in, according to Aguilar. Bria Homes Calamba, the property developer’s sprawling enclave in Barangay Banadero, is currently expanding into Phase 4 of its project. Even while still under construction, Phase 4 house and lot units are selling like hotcakes in the pre-selling stage. Just like other Bria Homes developments, Aguilar stressed the Calamba project will feature family-friendly residential communities that feature multipurpose halls, kiddie playgrounds, covered basketball courts, and open green spaces. Each enclave is secured by perimeter walls, guarded entrances and exits, 24/7 CCTV coverage, and even solar lighting at night. As a hub of popular learning institutions such as Calamba City hosts Don Bosco College, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, AMA Computer University and Miriam College. According to Aguilar, Bria Homes’ success in Calamba shows that it has remained resilient despite the challenges during the pandemic.

RLC Residences offers smart investment option in Cainta Federal Land helps drive socioeconomic activity in Marikina, Manila, and Manila Bay Area with new properties

ARTIST’S sketch of Sierra Valley Gardens

By Roderick L. Abad

ROPERTY developer RLC Residences has built Sierra Valley Gardens, a master-planned residential community complete with a mall, corporate and recreational buildings in Cainta, as a way of allowing its target market to make an intelligent bet of living in this thriving municipality of Rizal Province. This three-phase modern contemporary-themed condominium is the only residential tower development with a built-in smart home amenity in the area. It features lifestyle destinations, business offices, and a residential district, giving residents an ideal location to raise a family or for investors to turn their estate into a money-earning venture. “As an investment opportunity, this project’s value is bound to multiply in the coming years,” said RLC Residences Marketing Head Karen Cesario. The top executive is confident of this given that Cainta has enjoyed a boom in recent years, with the influx of opportunities in real estate and other businesses. In fact, in the 2021 rankings of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, it ranked as the top municipality.

This emerging commercial and industrial center is also one of the most accessible areas in the National Capital Region. Aside from driving a private car, residents can easily use public transportation to get to neighboring places such as Pasig, Quezon City, Taguig, Mandaluyong, San Juan, and Makati via road infrastructures in and around Cainta, such as Edsa, C-5 Road, Ortigas Avenue, and Marcos Highway. This is one of the many conveniences that the vertical development is set to provide its future homeowners, given its strategic location along Ortigas Avenue Extension. “Cainta is proving to be a popular place to invest in real estate, thanks in large part to its proximity to Metro Manila and the continued rise of commercial establishments and transport hubs. We, at RLC Residences through Sierra Valley Gardens, want to provide the convenience of being in the city while enjoying the quiet of suburban living,” she noted. Another reason why individuals should consider this highly urbanized first-class municipality for their realestate investment is its digitalization. It even made it to the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s list of top 25 municipalities as “next digital cities by 2025.”

Locally available jobs in the information technology and business process management sector are expected to play a significant role in its economy in the next several years. With Cainta growing as a digital city, the condo project provides an elevated lifestyle by equipping all of its units with features like the smart door, power switches and outlets, and an audio-video intercom system that fits the needs of its residents for a more secure and worry-free living environment. Since the country is prone to natural disasters and calamities such as typhoons, floods, and earthquakes, safety and security should be a top concern when choosing a place to dwell in. With the Phase 4 Pasig-Marikina Channel Improvement Project, the construction of the Pasig-Marikina and R iver Mang gahan Floodway Bridges for f lood mitigation, and Cainta’s well-organized fire department, the residential development’s future homeowners do not have to worry about any of these untoward catastrophes or occurrences. “As a home, Sierra Valley Gardens allows its residents to enjoy the conveniences of living in an urban location with the comforts of a still pretty laidback community,” Cesario stressed.

eal-estate company Federal Land Inc. is on track with its 2022 targets with new properties that are seen to help drive socioeconomic activity in Marikina, Manila, and the Manila Bay Area in Pasay City. “We are optimistic that the sector will see a significant rebound this year. This is the reason we remain aggressive in introducing new properties in key areas in the Metro. As more people resume their previous routines, we shall provide them with living options that will fit their needs and respond to their demand for a holistic, sustainable lifestyle,” Federal Land Inc. sales group head Margarita Saenz-Resurreccion said. This position supports the findings of the recently released Colliers Property Market Report, which listed “improvement in consumer and business confidence” as among the key market enablers for the sector. The report, released on February 9, mentioned the overall Metro Manila vacancy rate is expected to go down to 16.2 percent by the end of 2022, from 17.9 percent in 2021. “This points out to a healthy supply pipeline,” it said. Colliers also sees gradual recovery in rents and prices and expects an increase of 1.7 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, as demand grows. It also cited data from the BSP’s latest Residential Real Estate Price Index (RREPI) report showing nationwide home prices increased by 6.3 percent YOY in Q3 2021 due to stronger consumer demand for residential property. The group also encouraged residential developers to “continue lining up projects, both condominium and house & lots, in line with the anticipated recovery of the economy and as more professionals return to traditional offices located in central business districts.”

New developments

Federal Land is set to launch new residential towers in Marikina with Siena Towers, Manila with Quantum Residences, and in the Manila Bay Area with Mi Casa. “All these developments are strategically located in areas with various commercial and lifestyle choices, with nearby schools,

Actual photo of Siena Residences along Sumulong Highway, Marikina City hospitals, and major thoroughfares. They feature a wide range of amenities and access to the outdoor space that allow residents to lead an active, well-balanced life,” Resurreccion said. Located along Sumulong Highway in Marikina City, Siena Towers is a modern take on the town of Siena, Italy, where rural charm and progress abound. It is an ideal option for those looking for an upgraded suburban living and access to modern conveniences at a reasonable price. For its latest residential property in Taft Avenue, Manila, Federal Land’s Quantum Residences is among the company’s real-estate developments that are seeing high demand from property buyers, both here and abroad. The three-tower mi xed-use condominium is designed to fit the

modern lifestyle. It is fiber optic ready, so everyone in the family is assured of fast and reliable connectivity for work, learning, and entertainment. Mi Casa, on the other hand, is an upcoming vertical residence located within the Central Business Park island of Manila Bay Area designed for contemporary Filipino living. It is a tropical-inspired residence nestled in the middle of a thriving community which makes an ideal home for executives and business owners who live a fastpaced life but aspire to go home to a quieter place that allows for relaxation and repose. “Overall, these properties are good investment options for those looking for a place to live, rent out, sell, or unwind,” Resurreccion concluded.

Sports BusinessMirror

| Wednesday, April 13, 2022 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER hugs his wife Meredith Scudder after winning the 86th Masters on Sunday. AP

SCHEFFLER’S ALL ABOUT COMPETING

UGUSTA, Georgia— Scottie Scheffler wanted to be a professional golfer for so long he wore trousers to lessons at Royal Oaks in Dallas and even at junior tournaments, no matter how stifling the Texas heat. He just never imagined how he would look in a green jacket. Winning the Masters is the dream of any junior golfer, particularly in Texas with its heritage of champions from Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan to Ben Crenshaw and Charles Coody to most recently Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Scheffler was no ordinary kid, and that much hasn’t changed. “I’ve never been a guy that likes to look too far into the future,” Scheffler said Sunday evening, still trying to grasp the magnitude of his three-shot victory at Augusta National. Tiger Woods spoke over the weekend of that window of time when a player gets hot, whether it was Fred Couples in 1992 or Woods on more occasions than he can remember. The hope is that window includes a major

on the calendar, and Scheffler’s run came at an ideal time. He won the Phoenix Open, at Bay Hill and at the Match Play in a span of seven weeks. The last one sent him to No. 1 in the world, and the next stop was Augusta. But as he sat in Butler Cabin, waiting to slip into the green jacket for the first time, he was asked when he first dreamed about such as occasion. “Probably the first time it popped into my mind was Friday in the afternoon, after we got done,” Scheffler replied. “Really?” came the response. Yes, really. Scheffler has talked for the past two months about only wanting a chance to compete. That was the dream. What brought him to tears was getting his first invitation in the mail when he qualified for his first Masters that was moved to November in 2020. Winning the Masters? Only after he built a five-shot lead after the second round, and held on for a threeshot lead going into the final day. Scheffler is all about competing. That hasn’t changed.

Randy Smith can spin yarns about seeing Scheffler at age 10 sitting on the range at Royal Oaks as he watched and listened to tour pros shape shots and talk. And then he would challenge them to short-game contests or on the putting greens, and if he wasn’t taking money off them, he was putting a dent in their egos. “He was a gamer,” said Will Zalatoris, who grew up in the Dallas area with Scheffler. “He wore pants to every tournament even if it was 110 degrees. He tried to be a professional at a young age, and obviously seeing what he is doing now, it’s pretty cool on my part to see it.” That short game was a big part of his Masters victory. The final margin was closer than it really was. Scheffler had a five-shot lead and finally took off his blinders to soak up the atmosphere, and then absentmindedly four-putted for a double bogey. He shot 71 instead of 69. He won by three instead of five. Those are just numbers in a record book. Cameron Smith made a quick run with birdies on the opening two holes that cut the lead to one shot,

MERALCO EYES 3-1 SERIES LEAD I

By Josef Ramos

T’S now Meralco’s turn to expect a ruggedly aggressive Barangay Ginebra San Miguel side to show up in Game 4 on Wednesday night when the Gin Kings hope to level the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup best-of-seven Finals series. The Bolts are back in the driver’s seat of the series that has turned into a seesaw battle so far. Meralco won Game 1, 104-91, lost Game 2, 93-99, when the Gin Kings were in their toughest elements, and took Game 3, 83-74, on Sunday night when the Bolts took control in the decisive final quarter. The series go back to the Smart Araneta Coliseum for the 6 p.m. Game 4 which nineyear veteran Allein Maliksi, who’s also having a pendulum performance in the duel, expecting an Ginebra machine getting full throttle behind its legions of fans growing even wilder. “Game 4? I think they’re going to be aggressive and come out with a plan,,” the 6-foot-4 wingman with a lethal shot from the outside said. “So all we

can do is read them in the first half and come out with a great adjustment in the second [half].” And just like almost everybody else, Maliksi has his finger pointing toward Ginebra’s reliable reinforcement Justine Brownlee. “JB [Justin Brownlee] is always a mismatch to everyone—he can take you outside and inside,” said Maliksi, who averaged 10.6 points in the first three games of the series. “You can’t stop him but you can slow him down.” Slow Brownlee down the Bolts did in Game 3 where the import made 11 points in the first quarter, but was held to only eight points in the next three quarters. He redeemed his poor shooting though with 15 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks. Meralco set the tone for its Game 3 victory with its solid defense in the second half. Its import, Tony Bishop, was almost a pole over and above Brownlee and finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds with Chris Newsom adding 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Meralco is chasing for its first franchise title since 2010 after three Finals heartbreaks

Still a crowd darling TIGER WOODS and Jack Nicklaus were both 46 years old when they gunned for their sixth majors. The commonality ends there. Woods did not win the just-ended 2022 Masters to remain with five green jackets won. Nicklaus nabbed the

and Scheffler responded with perhaps the most significant shot of the final round. His chip up the steep slope on No. 3 rattled against the pin and dropped for birdie, and Smith’s bogey made it a two-shot swing. Overlooked was the up-and-down from behind the first green—one of the worst spots to be at Augusta, especially for someone trying to win their first major—and the pitch from long and left at the par-3 fourth. “If I was to pick one part of my game that excelled the most, I would say it was probably my lob wedge,” Scheffler said. “Even today, I had some really good up-anddowns in the beginning of the round and then just kept myself in position.” AP

all against Ginebra squad. Maliksi, dad to two-year-old Kayden and one-yearold KyRuss, on the other hand, is going for his fifth league title. Maliksi, whose wife Kaye works as business development manager, has won four titles all under Tim Cone— first when San Mig Coffee [now Magnolia] won the 2013 Governors’ Cup and the next three when the same team booked a grand slam in the next season. Cone, meanwhile, won’t allow the Gin Kings to go two games down in the series. “We’re hoping the extra day between games allows us to get over the disappointment, and we can get our focus on Game 4,” Cone said. “Needless to say, we don’t want to fall too deep into a hole. It’s a must-win.”

ALLEIN MALIKSI expects Ginebra to come out more aggressive.

1986 Masters for his sixth green jacket. Unlike Nicklaus in 1986, Woods wasn’t supposed to win this year. Nicklaus was fit as a fiddle when he teed off in 1986. Woods wasn’t 100 percent healthy this year as he was competing competitively for the first time just 14 months after he suffered a single car-crash accident that saw him miraculously emerge alive from the wreckage of a brandnew SUV he was test-driving. But his right leg was a total mess, escaping amputation by a hair as doctors rebuilt it with a rod, plates and screws in an exhaustive knee-to-foot operation that lasted hours. Woods wasn’t made of Ben Hogan stuff, though. Hogan, after emerging from a car-truck head-on collision in 1949, suffered a broken collarbone, dislocated hip, fractured rib and leg injuries so severe doctors were so sure that Hogan could kiss his golf career goodbye. But miracle of miracles, Hogan, like Woods, came back a year later and—unlike Woods—won the US Open. Hogan would proceed to amass 64 career wins to stay

Marcial on Team PHL to 31st SEAG, but undecided on defending gold

UMIR FELIX MARCIAL is on the national boxing team to the 31st Southeast Asian Games but the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist is undecided on defending his middleweight gold medal in Hanoi. “I haven’t decided yet if I will fight in the SEA Games or not,” MARCIAL Marcial told BusinessMirror on Tuesday, two days after winning his second professional fight in Las Vegas. “I really need to think more about it. “Every fighter wants to represent his country abroad and win gold, who’s not?” added the 26-year-old Marcial who’s expected back on Manila on Thursday or Friday. Marcial beat American Isiah Hart via technical knockout in the fourth round of their non-title six-rounder for his second win as a pro after the unanimous decision victory he booked against another American, Andrew Whitfield, in December 2020 in Los Angeles. Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines training director Don Abnett confirmed Marcial is on the roster for the SEA Games, adding that they expect the Zamboangueño to join the training camp in Muak Lek, Thailand. MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons said it would be up to Marcial if he’ll be fighting in the

SEA Games, stressing that the reigning middleweight champion is a guaranteed winner in Vietnam. “He can train sitting on a couch for the SEA Games,” Gibbons said. “He will surely dominate for the fourth time if he decides to fight there.” Marcial dominated the SEA Games middleweight division since the 2015 Singapore edition. He clinched a bronze medal in the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games and bagged a gold medal in the Asia-Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification in Amman, Jordan, in 2020. The Vietnam SEA Games are set from May 12 to 23. Marcial admitted he has a lot to learn as a professional boxer. “I still need to learn a lot of things as a professional,” he said. “I really need to train harder and be wiser. A world title is far from my mind just yet.” Hart, four inches taller at 6-foot2, floored Marcial thrice—in the first round and twice in the second round—before allowing the Filipino to summon his skill set in the fourth round to yield by technical knockout. The referee stopped the fight with 47 seconds left in the fourth round after Hart wobbled from countless punches that Marcial unleashed. Josef Ramos

UP extends streak to 7 games

NIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) grabbed its seventhstraight win at the expense of National University (NU), 84-76, to open its second round campaign in University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 84 men’s basketball action on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Adamson University ended a fivegame skid by beating Far Eastern University (FEU), 64-63, on Matty Erolon’s three-pointer off a Jerom Lastimosa assist inside the final 10 seconds. Carl Tamayo had a career game for UP with 21 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, while Zavier Lucero finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. John Lloyd Clemente led the Bulldogs, who dropped to 4-4 won-lost, with 18 points on 50 percent shooting, with Reyland Torres getting 15 points on to go with four steals and four rebounds. “It’s always a nice feeling when you win, of course,” said Head Coach Nash Racela, whose Soaring Falcons are now 2-6, while sending the Tamaraws—who beat them also by a hair, 66-65, in the first round—to their fifth loss in eight games. Erolon only played 12 seconds

Lakers fire title-winning coach Vogel

OS ANGELES—Frank Vogel masterminded the 17th championship in the Los Angeles Lakers’ remarkable history in his first season on their bench. Exactly 18 months after that triumph, he also became part of the Lakers’ past. The Lakers fired Vogel on Monday, choosing their title-winning coach to take the first fall for one of the most disappointing seasons in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. Los Angeles finished 33-49 and missed the 10-team Western Conference playoffs this season. It was a humiliating underachievement for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and a veteran-laden supporting cast widely expected to contend for another championship.

fourth in the all-time winners list—behind Sam Snead and, yes, Woods with 82 victories each. Nicklaus is third with 73 titles. While a healthy 46-year-old Nicklaus won the 1986 Masters for his dramatic all-time high of 18 majors, an unhealthy Woods terribly missed winning the 2022 Masters to stay stuck at 15 majors—his last Masters win coming only in 2019 after surviving five fuse-laden, back surgeries. Woods was warmly applauded for his opening oneunder-par 71 this year, and got more cheers when he made the cut with his 74 in Round 2. That alone was victory for Woods, considering Woods’s walk on the up-and-down Augusta National at the start started to show signs of fading, if not weakening, heading into the homestretch. Woods grimaced, winced and gritted his teeth in painstakingly limping to a third-round 78—his worst Masters round since he first won his Masters 25 years ago as a 21-year-old sensation. And with a final-round 78, Woods settled for a 13-over-

in the contest but still finished with five points capped by the the winner. Lastimosa registered 17 points and eight rebounds. The league, meanwhile, slapped a one-game suspension on University of Santo Tomas’s Bryan Santos for an uncalled disqualifying foul he committed during the Growling Tigers’ game against the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Saturday. With 16 seconds left in the contest, Santos appeared to hit Ateneo’s Geo Chiu with an elbow. After a review of the video by basketball commissioner Tonichi Pujante and his team, it was deemed that the hit was “a deliberate act of violence and not a legitimate basketball play.” Santos will sit out UST’s game against University of the East on Tuesday.

VOGEL Vogel was under contract through next season, but almost nothing has gone right over the past two seasons for the rosters assembled by general manager Rob Pelinka and coached by Vogel, who went 127-98 in his three seasons running the club. Pelinka declined to elaborate Monday on why he and owner Jeanie Buss felt Vogel needed to be fired. “Today is not going to be a day of finger-pointing and unwinding all the specific reasons,” Pelinka said. “We just felt organizationally, at the highest level, it was time for a new voice.... That’s not to say anything against the incredible accomplishments that Frank Vogel has had. He was a great coach here, and he’s going to go on to be a great coach somewhere else.” AP

par total and finished tied for 47th—his worst Masters finish in 24 tournament appearances since his 1996 stint as an amateur. His previous low was 40th in 2012. But still, Woods, for his gargantuan effort, almost received as much applause that was accorded Scottie Scheffler, the 25-year-old from New Jersey, who won this year’s Masters running away with a 10-under total and a three-shot victory over four-time majors champion Rory McIlroy. Woods will forever be the crowd darling that he has always been since he changed the face of golf with his multiple records-shattering victory in the 1997 Masters. THAT’S IT If Ginebra wishes to level at 2-2 today, it must forget its measly 26 second-half points in Game 3 that gave Meralco a 2-1 edge in their race-to-four affair for the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Meralco’s asphyxiating defense choked Ginebra’s offense that saw the Gin Kings misfire nine of their 10 triples on Sunday.