BusinessMirror April 14, 2021 by BusinessMirror

Duterte certifies bills on public services, retail, FIA

RESIDENT Duterte certified as urgent three priority economic bills seen to boost foreign investments, create jobs and ensure the country’s economic recovery. In his April 12 letter to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Duterte stressed the need to immediately enact the pending economic bills—amendments to Public Service Act (Senate Bill 2094), amendments to Foreign Investments Act (Senate Bil l 1156), and amendments to Retail Trade Liberalization Act (Senate Bill 1840). With the urgent certification, a bill need not undergo the threeday rule between the second and third reading, w ith approva l

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on both levels done within the same day. Duterte said the enactment of these bills will “address the immediate and continuing need for legislative reforms to provide a more conducive investment climate, increase job opportunities, foster more competition, and further spur the country’s economic g row th,” accord ing to a copy of the President’s letter shared by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III with reporters on Tuesday. Dominguez earlier urged Congress to pass these “doable” reforms to further open up the economy and help the country attract more foreign direct investments. These three economic bills were

among the 12 that the LegislativeExecutive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) tagged as top priority measures which are targeted to be passed by the end of the second regular session in June 2021. Apart from these, there are 13 other bills that Ledac wants to be passed within this year. The three economic priority bills newly certified as urgent by the President were pending second reading in the Senate when Congress went on recess in late March. The House of Representatives has already passed all of these measures on third and final reading. T he pend ing Senate bi l l amending the 84-year-old Public Ser vice Act aims to improve

the quality of public ser vices and goods by encouraging more competition. Sen. Grace Poe said earlier the measure aims to clarify the ambiguity between “public utility” and “public service” and limit the term “public utility” to three services: distribution of electricity; transmission of electricity; and water pipeline distribution and sewerage pipeline systems. Poe added that all other “public services” that are not natural monopolies will be freed from foreign equity restriction but not from any of their other responsibilities as public ser vice providers. See “Bills,” A2

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A broader look at today’s business Wednesday, April 14, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 182

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ARTA REMINDS LGUS OF JUNE DEADLINE FOR AUTOMATION By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad

This is the grievance/appeal form that Barangay Dela Paz in Antipolo gives out to constituents anxious about not being included on the list of beneficiaries of assistance from the government during the renewed mobility restrictions in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Those with grievance are told to fill up the form and submit to the barangay social welfare staff to expedite their inclusion in the master list. BERNARD TESTA By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Department of Finance (DOF) so far secured $15.49 billion (or roughly P752.3 billion) in loans and grants from foreign lenders to fund the government’s response to Covid-19 pandemic. Continued on A2

PESO exchange rates

Senators file resolution for revocation of pork tariff EO By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

HE call for the withdrawal of Executive Order 128 (EO 128) reducing tariff on imported pork products snowballed at the Senate Tuesday, stepping up the pressure for Malacañang. A day after the Senate convened a Committee of the Whole

hearing on food security—with heavy focus on the problem of pork supply and prices and travails of the local hog sector— Minority Leader Franklin Drilon was backed by Senators Francis Pangilinan and Cynthia Villar in filing a Joint Resolution to revoke EO 128.

IGH LY u r ba n i z e d cities (HUCs) have already implemented some form of automation in business transaction processing even before the June 2021 deadline set by the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. On Tuesday, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Department of the Interior and Local Government signed a joint memorandum circular (JMC) ordering the local government units (LGUs) to automate their business processing and licensing systems by June 17. This is in line with the provisions of the EODB law. Relatedly, Arta also will sign on Thursday a circular laying down guidelines on what are deemed illegal fees and taxes imposed by LGUs, which hinder and make costlier the transport of goods and products as they cross territorial jurisdictions. Such

requirements as “sticker fee” or “toll” or “market fee” are illegal, Arta stressed. T he JMC it sig ned on Tuesday directs the LGUs to set up an electronic business one-stop shop (eBoss) that can facilitate online submission of business permit applications; digital payment options; and issuance of electronic versions of permits, licenses or clearances. “I am happy to say that each and every one of them, the highly urbanized cities and the cities, already have a measure of automation,” Arta Director General Jeremiah B. Belgica said during the virtual signing ceremony. He noted, however, that an end-to-end automated facility is required by the JMC. According to DICT, 446 LGUs that signed a memorandum of agreement with the agency in relation to putting up an eBoss. Over 200 of them are already operational. Arta said it will closely monitor the compliance of LGUs with the order, noting t hat eva lu at ion w i l l consider the systems on a case-by-case basis. See “Arta,” A2

See “Tariff,” A2

n US 48.5640 n japan 0.4440 n UK 66.7561 n HK 6.2470 n CHINA 7.4172 n singapore 36.2310 n australia 37.0058 n EU 57.8591 n SAUDI arabia 12.9501

Source: BSP (13 April 2021)

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Loans for pandemic response now $15.5B Continued from A1

Based on the list provided by the DOF on its web site as of April 8, the total amount already includes the US$1.2-billion (around P58.5 billion) financing it recently secured from multilateral lenders for the country’s purchase of Covid-19 vaccines. Of the total $15.49 billion in financing, the DOF said it raised $13.35 billion in budgetary support financing but so far $12.31 billion has been disbursed to the government. T he amount for budgetar y support financing came from Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Agence Française de Développement, Export-Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund, China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and from dollardenominated global bonds issued by the Philippine government last year. On top of the budgetar y support financing, $2.14 billion in grant and loan financing have been contracted to support various projects to be implemented by agencies involved in Covid-19 response. However, DOF said figures in the list “are rebased to reflect 2020 average exchange rates.” For t he cou nt r y ’s v acc i ne purchase, the government recent ly secured the fol low ing loans: $500 million for the Philippines’s Covid-19 Emergency Response Project—Additional Financing (PCERP-AF) from the World Bank; $400-million Second Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit Covid-19 (HEAL 2) under the Asia Pacific Vaccine Facility of the Asian Development Bank and US$300million HEAL 2 loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The Finance department has also since clarified that the government’s budget for Covid-19 procurement remains at P82.5 billion, of which P70 billion will come from unprogrammed funds that will be unlocked by collecting additional revenues or by securing additional financing from the Philippines’s multilateral partner-institutions. The national government’s outstanding debt as of end-February this year soared to a new record high of P10.406 trillion as the government continued to borrow more money to respond to the raging Covid-19 pandemic. Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III earlier said they expect the national government’s debt this year to reach 57 percent of GDP. The country aims to borrow about P3 trillion this year, almost the same amount it borrowed in 2020. As of end-2020, the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio surged to 54.5 percent—a 14 year-high—coming from a record-low 39.6 percent in the previous year.

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Govt vows long-term responses to avert resort to Covid lockdowns By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco Correspondent

OLLOWING the actions that government initiated when the NCR (National Capital Region) Plus was placed under two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III on Tuesday said the next few weeks will be “crucial” in efforts to avoid a cycle of repeated lockdowns in key regions. He said they aim to “institutionalize sustainable and long-term response strategies” to help ensure that “we will no longer need to return to ECQ in the future.” With the shift of the NCR Plus from ECQ to modified ECQ effective April 12, Duque said the Department of Health (DOH), together with the rest of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), and the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF), shall continue addressing the high hospital occupancy rates that were caused by surging Covid-19 infections. Over the next two weeks, the DOH and NTF vowed to continue to monitor and work with the Local Government Units (LGUs) to reach specific targets in addressing two key issues: increasing cases and hospital occupancies.

Covid cases

The total number of Covid-19 cases stood at 884,783 after 8,571 additional cases were logged on Tuesday. There were also 400 recoveries and 137 deaths. Of the total number of cases, 18.7

percent (165,534) are active, 79.6 percent (703,963) have recovered and 1.73 percent (15,286) have died. At least 54 cases prev iously tag ged as recover ies were reclassified as deaths after fina l va lidation. Nine laboratories were not able to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System on April 12, 2021.

Contact tracing

With the sustained high count of cases, the DOH and NTF committed to reduce the duration of infectiousness of cases through increased contact tracing efficiency and strengthened active case finding via testing at the community level, which can help reduce new infections. Contact Tracing Czar Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology will support contact tracing efforts through supplementation of around 27,672

contact tracers in the NCR Plus bubble, and by putting in place an automatic contact tracing system using text messaging (SMS). Meanwhile, despite the country’s testing output nearly doubling—a weekly average of 52,565 tests from April 4-10, and reaching a high of 63,839 tests conducted last April 8—the government will distribute rapid antigen test kits to LGUs to ensure quick detection of cases.

Expanded capacities

In decongesting hospitals, the DOH said that through Treatment Czar Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega and the One Hospital Command Center, Level 1-Level 3 hospitals in NCR continue to be augmented by medical personnel from the DOH, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police, among others. A total of 136 health-care workers (HCWs) from Visayas and Mindanao were deployed by DOH to different facilities in Metro Manila. Over the next week, the DOH and NTF shall activate new Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMFs) and facilitate the expansion of hotels serving as isolation facilities—this means additional 1,700-plus beds that can cater to mild, asymptomatic and recovering Covif-19 patients. Six TTMFs will be activated between April 12 and 16: Subic Manila Times College (300 beds), New Clark City (165 beds), Eva Macapagal (200 beds), Orion Bataan (100 beds), National Center for Mental Health (1,000 beds), and other LGU-managed isolation facilities constructed in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and other private groups. These are on top of Oplan Kalinga’s addition of 280 beds for healthcare workers, additional

20 beds in National Kidney and Transplant Institute, additional 88 beds for the Modular Hospital at the Lung Center of the Philippines, and the additional 110-bed at the recently opened Quezon Institute. All in all, a total of 3, 436 beds were added to NCR Plus following the declaration of ECQ and MECQ. DOH is also working with LGUs to set up triaging facilities near major hospitals to ensure efficient referral and transfer of patients, while private sector partners vowed to help the gover nment augment hospital capacities by e x pa nd ing ICU c apac it ies in select hospita ls.

MPHS compliance

Meanwhile, the DOH and NTF are working with the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Labor and Employment and the private sector to enforce compliance with Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS) in industries and workplaces. The Civil Service Commission ensures compliance in government offices. Meanwhile, the IATF affirmed private sector participation in the National Vaccine Deployment Program in order to augment the vaccine rollout. The NTF is expected to issue operational guidelines on the procurement of vaccines for procuring entities, such as the LGU and the private sector, pursuant to the IRR of RA 11525. “The government is utilizing a whole-of-nation, whole-of-society approach wherein all sectors of society must come together and work hand-in-hand in order to address the many challenges brought about by this pandemic,” NTF Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez said.

U.N. body, Japan outline program to boost BARMM’s Covid response By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

HE United Nations Migration Agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Government of Japan have linked up to strengthen the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) preparedness and response capacity for effective Covid-19 prevention and control. The Japanese government provided $2.7 million to support the IOM’s Covid-19 response efforts in the country. IOM said the projec t aims to enhance the readiness of the region for the Covid-19 vaccination rollout through technical support and knowledge transfer.

Arta. . .

Continued from A1

“We are going to look into the compliances of these LGUs together with DILG to understand [why they were not able to comply] or are they already in the process of compliance,” Belgica said. “However, if there is a very apparent disregard in the provisions of the law or of the JMC...then definitely it will lead to an investigation, even filing of a case for disregard of duty.” The memorandum states that LGUs are encouraged to enforce a partly manual and partly

“Covid-19 continues to pose a significant challenge to the whole country, and it is crucial that we ensure vulnerable communities are not left behind in this unprecedented health crisis,” said Kristin Dadey, IOM Chief of Mission in the Philippines. “The project will not only contribute to supporting vulnerable communities most affected by the pandemic, but it will also help bring peace, security, and stabilization to the region,” she added. IOM said the project also aims to equip local health authorities to undertake adequate testing, cold chain management and patient transport in response to Covid-19. Through the project, IOM hopes to strengthen BARMM communities’ disaster risk reduction and

management capacity in the context of health response. BARMM is considered the most impoverished and marginalized region, with the country’s highest poverty rate. The 2018 poverty data saw the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) register a higher poverty rate of 61.3 percent from 58.9 percent in 2015. IOM said the pandemic has amplified the preexisting vulnerabilities of the communities. Years of underdevelopment and conflict have left BARMM less prepared for health emergencies than other parts of the country. “[This is] one of the difficult times in the region’s recent history. Our shared fight against the Covid-19 is far from over. The project would help BARMM

ease the path and address the effects of Covid-19,” BARMM’s Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim said. IOM said communities in geographically disadvantaged and isolated areas, including island provinces of BaSulTa (Basilan, Sulu and Tawi tawi), face additional challenges of inaccessibility and insecurity, which hamper their access to health-care services and public Covid-19 response activities. The pandemic also comes at a critical time for BARMM as it is undergoing a delicate transition and normalization process. Such poses significant constraints to the transition authority and the national government’s efforts in achieving milestones of the peace process as they shift their already stretched resources to Covid-19 response.

electronic system—which should reduce the number of steps for business permit processing to less than four—as they transition to a fully automated system. It standardizes the documentary requirements, steps and processing time of business registration. For example, the JMC mandates the creation of a unified application form of LGUs, which can be used for business permit, fire safety and inspection certificate and locational clearance, among others. The number of signatories on permits are also limited to a maximum of three as per the memorandum. “The establishment of the reengineered business permitting processes through the [eBoss] will

potentially lead to more business registrations and higher revenues from business tax and fees for LGUs,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

sticker fee, discharging fee, delivery fee, market fee, toll fee and/or mayor’s permit fee, among others.” The circular orders relevant personnel and agencies to avoid “enforcing any existing ordinance authorizing the levy of fees and taxes on interprovince transport of goods or merchandise, regulatory fees in local ports, and other additional taxes, fees or charges in any form upon the transport of goods or merchandise.” In addition, Arta is also looking forward to executing this month a supplemental circular to JMC 1 to harmonize the provisions in Bayanihan to Recover as One Act and the guidelines for the shared passive telecommunications tower infrastructure.

Bills. . .

Continued from A1

Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon had said passage of these three bills, all meant to liberalize the economy to attract more business, removes the justification of the so-called Economic Cha-cha being pushed in

the House, to supposedly free up restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution. Meanwhile, the Senate bill on Amendments to the Foreign Investment Act aims to reduce the minimum employment requirement to 15 from 50 direct local hires for small- and mediumsized domestic enterprises

Illegal LGU fees Arta is scheduled to sign on Thursday a circular, titled “Omnibus Guidelines on the Suspension of LGU Imposition and Collection of Illegal Fees and Taxes Relative to the transport of Goods and Products.” It addresses the complaints lodged before the DILG about LGUs still collecting “fees, taxes and charges on the transportation of goods and products carried into or out of, or passing through the territorial jurisdictions of these LGUs in the guise of

established by foreign firms with paid-in capital of at least $100,000. Lastly, the Senate version of the bill amending the Retail Trade Liberalization Act also seeks to further rela x foreign restrictions by removing investment categories and setting an across-the-board minimum

paid-up capital investment equivalent of $300,000 in Philippine peso. Under the current Retail Trade Liberalization Act, enterprises with a paid-up capital below $2.5 million in peso equivalent are reserved exclusively for Filipino citizens and corporations wholly owned by Filipino citizens. Bernadette D. Nicolas

Tariff. . .

Continued from A1

Villar is the current chairman of the Senate Agriculture committee while Pangilinan was former presidential adviser on food security. Drilon clarified that an Executive Order which temporarily reduced the rates of import duty on pork products can be revoked through a Joint Resolution of Congress. “An Executive Order which temporarily reduced rates of import duty onpork product can be revoked through a Joint Resolution of Congress,” Drilon added. He confirmed the Joint Resolution to revoke EO 128 will also“provide for the appropriate tariff and minimum access volume of pork importation.” A former Secretary of Justice, Drilon asserted that “by law, the authority of the President to fix tariff rates while Congress is not in session can be withdrawn or revoked by virtue of a joint resolution.” Drilon invoked Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, which, he noted, was the basis of EO 128. “The law allows the President to increase, reduce or remove existing rates of import duty while Congress is not in session,” said Drilon. He added, however, that Section 1608 (f) of RA 10863 provides that “the power herein delegated to the President may be withdrawn or terminated by Congress through a joint resolution.” Drilon also recalled Executive Order 128, was signed by the President while Congress is in recess, reduced the tariff rate on pork imports within the minimum access volume (MAV) to 5 percent for the first three months upon the effectivity of the executive order and to 10 percent for the fourth to twelfth month from the current rate of 30 percent. Under the EO, pork imports outside MAV were also reduced with a lower tariff of 15 percent for the first three months and 20 percent for the succeeding nine months from the current rate of 40 percent. “EO 128 will kill the local hog industry, not the African swine fever or ASF. The irrational and drastic decision to increase the minimum access volume or MAV serves as a final ‘nail in the coffin’ of the local hog industry,” said Drilon, echoing the warning raised by senators and the leaders of the sector. “Our local hog raisers suffered a double blow in the last two weeks and it is the duty of Congress to stand up for them. The small hog raisers cannot prevail in the battle against big importers of meat products,” he added, partly in Filipino. He noted that the drastic decrease in tariffs on pork products could result in billions of pesos in lost revenue. At the opening of the Senate’s Committee of the Whole (COW) hearing on food security earlier on Tuesday, Pangilinan lamented that the African swine fever outbreak “already cost our hog industry about P56 billion and affected more than 68,000 hog raisers, majority of whom are small backyard farmers.” Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Pangilinan pointed out that total swine inventory as of January 2021 was at 9.72 million heads, 24 percent less from the previous year’s level of 12.8 million heads.

PALACE WARNS SOLONS OF IMPASSE OVER EO 128

ALACAÑANG on Tuesday warned of a possible impasse if lawmakers will insist scrapping Executive Order (EO) No. 128, which temporarily lowered the tariff of fresh, chilled or frozen meat of swine. In a statement, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Congress has the power to pass a law, which will restrict the power of the President, when it comes to imposing tariff rates, imports or exports pursuant to Sec. 28 par 2, Art VI of the Constitution. However, he said the President may veto any particular item or items in such appropriation, revenue, or tariff bill. Members of the Senate are pushing to scrap EO 128, which they deem detrimental to the local hog industry as it will flood the market with imported pork. “The Palace respects the call of some lawmakers to revoke Executive Order No 128,” Roque said. “However, given the impor tance of the issue, the Executive and the Legislative branches can work together in protecting the interest of the stakeholders such as consumers and our hog raisers alike,” he added. Lawmakers have repeatedly aired their concerns against EO 128 before it was issued by Duterte last week. Samuel P. Medenilla

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, April 14, 2021 A3

PHL deploys more warships to boost sea patrols in WPS

By Rene Acosta

@reneacostaBM

HE Philippines has deployed additional ships to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to boost its maritime patrols amid the tense security situation borne by the presence of Chinese ships in Julian Felipe Reef, which a Southeast Asian expert see as both a pressure and test for President Duterte.

The Area Task Force-West under the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said the Coast Guard’s BRP Cabra; the Navy’s BRP Dagupan City, BRP Apolinario Mabini, BRP Magat Salamat and BRP Miguel Malvar and two more ships from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) are already in the WPS for inter-agency maritime operations. “These inter-agency efforts are very essential in the way we address the national concerns in the WPS,” said ATF-West Chairman Vice Admiral Ramil Roberto. “The ATF-West shall continue to do so to ensure that our government forces and agencies will be able to collaborate, complement and support each other in performing respective mandates in support to national policy and strategy.” Roberto said assets would be continuously deployed to different areas in the WPS to “conduct maritime and sovereignty patrols, and other law-enforcement activities, including the Julian Felipe Reef, Pag-asa Cay, Recto Bank, and other parts of the Kalayaan Island Group.”

‘Biggest bully’

OPPOSITION Sen. Risa Hontiveros pressed anew on Tuesday an earlier demand for China to “completely vacate” the Julian Felipe Reef well within the WPS territory, lamenting that China is “becoming the region’s biggest bully.” “We cannot allow ourselves to be kicked out of our own backyard,” Hontiveros stressed, asserting, “the West Philippine Sea is part of the patrimony of the Filipino people. Above and beyond considerations of access to resources, diplomacy and geopolitics, our national dignity is at stake.” In a news statement, the senator protested “China’s increasingly aggressive territorial expansion” in the West Philippine Sea, citing latest situation report from the Armed Forces of the Philippines that there are still 28 Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe Reef. “We demanded that every single Chinese vessel leaves Philippine territory,” Hontiveros recalled. “Why are they still there? China is becoming the region’s biggest bully,” she said, denouncing that

IN this March 31, 2021, file photo provided by the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, Chinese vessels are moored at Julian Felipe Reef in West Philippine Sea. The Philippine government has summoned the Chinese ambassador to press a demand for Chinese vessels to immediately leave the reef claimed by Manila in the disputed South China Sea and said the illegal presence was stoking regional tension, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday, April 13, 2021. NATIONAL TASK FORCE-WEST PHILIPPINE SEA VIA AP

China had also “exploited a global health crisis by executing a series of coordinated incursions into the WPS, and insisting her presence even after several diplomatic actions from our end.” The senator deplored the latest developments in Julian Felipe Reef “only shows how China will do what she wants for her own selfish interest, even if it means threatening peace and stability in the region; even if it means attacking already vulnerable countries,

including the Philippines.”

Moored

ON Sunday, Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Cirilito Sobejana said that at least 28 ships from China’s Coast Guard and maritime militia, including fishing vessels, are still in the country’s maritime waters that China is disputing. He did not however say how many ships are still moored in Julian Felipe Reef. Defense Secretary Delfin N.

Lorenzana, however, said on Saturday that at least 32 Chinese maritime militia vessels are still berthed around Julian Felipe, from 44 just a week earlier. At least 222 militia ships were seen anchored at the reef on March 7, but most of them have dispersed three weeks later and redeployed in various parts of the WPS and Kalayaan Island Group. Carlyle Thayer, an emeritus professor with the University of New South Wales at the Australian

PSA moves back rollout of Step 1 online listing for PhilSys By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Tuesday said the government has pushed back the rollout of the public online registration for Step 1 of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa told the BusinessMirror that the public could start registering for Step 1 of the National ID starting April 30. The initial plan was to allow the public to start Step 1 registration online in March. Step 1 involves obtaining demographic information and setting up the Step 2 appointment schedule for households. Currently, this step is being done manually by PSA through enumerators going around areas with low Covid-19 cases. “The online registration system is currently undergoing the security audit by our security consultants. We want to make sure we have a secured system prior to the launch of the online Step 1 registration,” Mapa told the BusinessMirror on Tuesday. Mapa said this has not affected

the number of households registered under Step 1. He said as of April 11, house-to-house step 1 registration reached 18.28 million individuals. He said for the first quarter alone, some 17.34 million Filipinos were registered, exceeding the 14.9-million target by 2.44 million for the Januaryto-March period. For Step 2, which covers biometric data capture, Mapa said 3.28 million registrants were registered as of April 11. “Card personalization quality assurance test is also ongoing at the BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] East Avenue Complex. Once cleared, we will have the printing of the cards to be delivered to the registrants,” Mapa said. Step 2 Registration, on the other hand, includes the validation of supporting documents and capture of biometric information, such as fingerprints, iris scans, and front-facing photographs at registration centers as per the registrants’ appointments, is currently taking place in 32 priority provinces.

PSA intends to ramp up operations for the Step 2 PhilSys Registration on a gradual, small-scale basis. As of February 23, all priority provinces have at least one registration center in operation. The Step 3 Registration, as the third and final step, is the issuance of the PhilSys Number (PSN) and the physical ID or the PhilID. The PSN is a randomly generated number and will serve as a permanent identification number for every registrant used for digital transactions. PSA partnered with PHLPost for the delivery of the PSN and PhilID to successful registrants.

‘Instrumental’

THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said PhilSys, or the national ID program, would be “instrumental” for the country’s human capital development amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua recently said the National ID will have three use cases such as for emergency subsidies; strengthen-

ing financial inclusion; and facilitating efficient vaccine distribution for the general population. “The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed several institutional weaknesses, including the difficulty in identifying beneficiaries for social programs and the lack of bank accounts for the efficient distribution of subsidies. Given this, the President gave the directive to accelerate the implementation of the PhilSys. We aim to register 50 to 70 million individuals by the end of the year,” Chua said. The Neda chief explained that the government has established a three-step registration process to safely rollout PhilSys amid the pandemic and meet social distancing requirements. Based on the 2019 Financial Inclusion Survey of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, 51.2 million Filipinos, or 71 percent of the total adult population, do not have a bank account. The same survey found that the lack of documentary requirements contributes to the factors why most Filipinos remain unbanked.

Villanueva moves to include media workers on priority list for vaccination

EN. Joel Villanueva prodded the Duterte administration on Tuesday to include media workers in the priority list of essential sectors to be vaccinated against Covid-19, reminding “they are our information frontliners” to get the public updated on the latest development on government efforts to contain the contagion. In a news statement, Villanueva, the Senate’s Labor Committee chairman, suggested the inclusion of the media sector in government’s list of priority recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine, citing their “indispensable work of providing timely and truthful information” in the midst of the pandemic.

The senator made the suggestion as the government bared Monday its priority list of essential workers. “Press freedom and timely access to truthful information are a must in times of pandemic. Media should be included in the A4 list,” said Villanueva as he reminded that “media workers are our information frontliners. Bukod sa peligroso ang kanilang trabaho, napakahalaga po ng kanilang ambag na kaalaman at impormasyon laban sa pandemya.” For instance, the senator noted the dangers faced by media field workers who need to move around to gather news and essential information for the public’s consumption, adding that “aside from field

reporters, newsrooms are staffed by various individuals such as photographers and videographers, editors, production crew, among others, to provide content to various platforms such as television, radio, print, and online.” “Given their role in society as information frontliners,” the senator prodded administration authorities to include media workers in their A4 priority list, which clusters workers categorized as essential. Earlier, Villanueva stood at the forefront of pushing for the inclusion of essential workers in the vaccine priority list, recalling he had also pressed on the leadership of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of

Emerging Infectious Diseases during the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing to prioritize essential workers into the government’s vaccination program. Moreover, the senator suggested that apart from media workers, the priority list must also “include vendors in public and private markets, staff in groceries and places where essential goods are sold, drivers of public-utility vehicles, delivery riders, security guards, sanitation personnel like garbage collectors, workers in electricity, water, and telecommunication services, and construction workers in public and private projects among others.” Butch Fernandez

Defence Force Academy, said the presence of Chinese militia ships in Julian Felipe Reef was a test of leadership for President Duterte that was designed by China to pressuring him to make a choice between Beijing and the West. It was also crafted to disrupt the US-Philippines alliance and show President Duterte that the US has “no strategy to alter the status quo,” or Beijing’s “dominance and presence” in the South China Sea. Thayer told Manila-based journalists working for foreign news agencies that an assertive China has become the US’s greatest competitor that is potentially capable of combining “economic, diplomatic, military and technological power” to mount an American-led international system. He said the military advantage of the US over Beijing has gone down as the People’s Liberation Army fields much improved assets and weaponry, adding that the greatest danger for the US is its erosion of combat-credible conventional deterrence. “ Wit hout cred ible conventional deterrence, China will be emboldened to undermine international order and our values for free and open Indo-Pacific,” Thayer said. He declared that the balance of military forces in the Indo-Pacific is becoming more “unfavorable” to the US and raises the risk that Beijing will be emboldened to alter the status quo that may also cover Taiwan and the entire South China Sea. Thayer said the Philippines must equip and develop itself into an agile and joint fighting force in order to hamper China’s momentum with the help of the US and its regional allies. whose sovereignty is also challenged by China. With Butch Fernandez

A4 Wednesday, April 14, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Economy BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Solon pushes amendments to animal feeds law By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

OLLOWING the kick-off of the National Livestock and Poultry Week, a party-list lawmaker on Tuesday renewed her call for the swift passage of the bill amending the 64-year-old Livestock and Poultry Feeds Act of 1956. AAMBIS-OWA Party-list Rep.

Sharon Garin said her House Bill 3602 seeks to amend Republic Act 1556, or the Livestock and Poultry Feeds Act of 1956 to bolster the livestock and poultry feeds industry in the Philippines by updating many of the outdated definitions, policies, and penalties found in the original law. “Our country’s livestock programs should go hand in hand with an orga-

nized and regulated feeds industry, both supported by the government,” Garin added. “We must acknowledge that the success of the pig and poultry industries of the Philippines is also dependent on the feeds industr y of the countr y,” the lawmaker said. According to Garin, the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and the competition in liberalized trading policies call for a better and new law that is more in tune with the demands of the present time.

To address the gaps of the antiquated law, the proposed measure seeks to extend the regulation of the country’s exported feeds for both terrestrial and aquatic animals. The bill also prescribes that each type, brand, and kind of feed and feed ingredient shall follow the labeling requirement set by Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) in accordance with the provisions of the Consumer Act (RA 7394) and Food Safety Act (RA 10611). Garin added the bill shall improve the licensing and registration process to be supervised by the BAI and en-

sure quality control over commercial and non-commercial feeds. “A better licensing and registration process to ensure the quality of all feeds whether for commercial or non-commercial use is established, together with stricter labeling requirements, and the penalties and remedies for complaints are all tasked to the Department of Agriculture’s BAI for administration and regulation of this proposed law, working handin-hand with the proposed Animal Feed Control Advisory Committee,” she added.

To spur the spirit of accountability, the bill mandates the creation of the Animal Feed Control Advisory Committee, to be chaired by the Chief of Animal Feeds, Veterinary Drugs and Biologics Control Division of BAI. The committee shall be in charge of conducting studies, evaluation, and formal investigation and make recommendations on policy and technical matters expected to arise from the implementation of the act. The bill is currently pending before a technical working group.

DSWD sees faster distribution of cash aid this week By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

UARANTINE restrictions have slowed down the distribution of government cash aid to intended recipients in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjacent provinces, which were placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). During the public address of President Duterte on late Monday evening, the Department of Social

Welfare and Development (DSWD) disclosed only around 8 percent of the 22.9 million target beneficiaries were able to avail of the said assistance in NCR plus. NCR plus, which includes Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan were placed under ECQ on March 29, 2021 in a bid to control the spike in daily Covid-19 cases. “As of April 11, based on the data of the DILG [Department of the Interior and Local Government], the actual beneficiaries paid are 1,757,281. The

amount disbursed is P1,757,281. So that is 8 percent,” DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said. The government allocated P23 billion to provide in-kind or cash assistance, which is worth P1,000 per person, in NCR plus. The measure aims to extend help to workers who were not able to go to work due to stricter quarantine restrictions. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said many local government units

(LGU) faced difficulty in distributing the aid to their qualified constituents since they have to comply with social distancing and mass gathering restrictions. LGUs were given 15 days by DILG to complete the distribution of the assistance, but MMDA Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos said they would be requesting a 30-day extension. Bautista said they expect the pace of the distribution to pick up within the week.

Young ‘Muntipreneurs’ receive stimulus package from city govt By Roderick L. Abad

Contributor

@rodrik_28

HIRTY-FOUR displaced youthworkers-turned-entrepreneurs in Muntinlupa were given financial aid by the city government to enable them to withstand the effects of the ongoing health crisis on their livelihoods. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi led the recent turnover of the monetary assistance to the first batch of beneficiaries of NegosYouth: Stimulus Recovery Assistance Program of the Youth Affairs and Sports Development Office. The local chief executive said the resilience and innovativeness of the city’s youth entrepreneurs to cope up with the trying times is worthy of emulation. He is hopeful that their stories will serve as an inspiration for his young constituents to also start their own businesses. Under the stimulus program, the local government provides P5,000

MUNTINLUPA Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (second from left) and Youth Affairs and Sports Development Officer Cynthia Viacrusis (left) lead the turnover rites of financial assistance to 34 displaced youthworkers-turned-entrepreneurs under the first batch of NegosYouth: Stimulus Recovery Assistance Program. PHOTO COURTESY OF MUNTINLUPA LGU

financial assistance to out-of-work youth, students, and out-of-school youth who have started putting up their own enterprises while being locked down in their houses during the national government’s imposed

community quarantine. The beneficiaries will also receive entrepreneurship trainings on financial literacy and leadership, among others. After an assessment, they will be

endorsed to the Joint Resource Financing Program to receive zero-interest loan assistance of up to P150,000 for the expansion of their businesses. The initial batch of the program for the youth is composed of members of Muntinlupa Locals, a street wear movement that empowers and uplifts the entrepreneurial spirit among the young populace. It was established in June 2020 by Patrick H. Aquino, a resident of Barangay Alabang and proprietor of Ayong Graphics. The group supports at least 70 Muntinlupa-based brands and envisions the local youths to be self-reliant by encouraging and bolstering their entrepreneurial skills through patronage and sale of Muntinlupa made, designed and manufactured clothing line. Recently, the Muntinlupa City Council passed Resolution 2020406 recognizing the achievement of residents in honing the business skills of the local youth and stirring employment among the citizens.

‘Investments in knowledge mgt key to virus response’ continued from a10 Philippine Association of Com-

munication and Media Research Inc. (PACMRI) President Fernando D. Paragas agreed with the authors and said knowledge management can help countries like the Philippines improve its pandemic response. “I agree that knowledge management is key to effective pandemic response to ensure that all decisions are informed by the rigorous analysis of sound data. Otherwise, the communicated policy may appear whimsical, rather than data driven,” Paragas said in an e-mail. He said the Philippine government can improve its communication efforts during the pandemic by ensuring the availability of support mechanisms. Paragas said the government should

have the programs, projects and services ready for the public when information about them are disseminated. Paragas, also a University of the Philippines Communication Research Professor, said improving the timing of communication is also important. This means communication should be early enough and must be disseminated at the “most opportune time” for the public to act accordingly. Further, he said, the government should improve the quality of communication in terms of clarity, completeness, and consistency of the message and its delivery. “Messages must be readily understandable across the diverse segments of Philippine society. These must also anticipate and address

potential questions to prevent information gaps that may be potentially filled in by misinformation and disinformation,” Paragas said. “Messages must also not contradict each other so as not to confuse the public. Time and space must not be devoted to extraneous messages, or those which are immaterial to the pandemic,” he added. Paragas said, however, the government was effective in its communication efforts primarily because of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire whom he described as “exemplary in her even-tempered, authoritative, personable, and professional delivery.” He added that while the government rolled out its BIDA Solusyon sa

Covid-19 campaign, this came in late and the messaging did not adapt to the “changing nature of the pandemic.” For one, the government had already rolled out its vaccination program. Paragas said the government should now address vaccine hesitancy along with the BIDA messages of mask wearing, hand sanitation, physical distancing, and information seeking. “I believe the government’s communications strategy needs a clear overarching framework and the corresponding implementing mechanisms. The framework must articulate the central philosophy which then informs all messages and spokespersons as well as agencies and their programs and projects,” Paragas said.

Execs unmoved by flak on ₧4.2-B Coron-Culion Bridge continued from a10 Villar, Tugade, and Medialdea led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Coron-Culion bridge on March 6.

Impact on historical sites, scuba-diving areas

ACCORDING to a petition currently circulating via petition.org opposing the project, construction of the bridge “is within a 5-kilometer radius of seven of the top underwater attractions in Coron and Culion, Palawan. Heavy sedimentation, dredging and making roads connecting islands to mainlands

will kill nearby reefs and damage shipwrecks which are popular destinations for tourists!” The underwater attractions that will be affected by the construction activities are: the Lusong Coral Gardens, Lusong gunboat shipwreck, Irako shipwreck, Olympia Maru shipwreck, Kogyo Maru shipwreck; East Tangat shipwreck, and the Akitsushima shipwreck. The petition, which was created by the Buklod Calamianes Group (Save Coron Movement), stressed that the six underwater Japanese

shipwrecks are historical sites dating back September 24, 1944. “Heavy sedimentation from the construction will settle upon these fragile shipwrecks and potentially cause the collapse of these precious historical underwater sites. Nowhere else in the world will you find as beautifully preserved dive sites, in perfect conditions for Scuba diving, snorkeling and free diving,” said the petitioners, which have reached 11,843 as of April 13, 2021. The petitioners added, “Coral Gardens is also one of the most

Cai U. Ordinario

pristine coral reefs in the area… and a popular snorkeling destination for tourists with it’s colorful and diverse shallow coral reef.” They warn that the sedimentation from the construction activities will eventually lead to the bleaching of the corals in the area. “Most importantly, the construction of this bridge puts in danger, not only these environmental and historical sites ...but also the local livelihoods of so many tourism stakeholders who rely on these beautiful attractions,” they said.

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

The World BusinessMirror

India reels amid surge in cases, affecting world vaccine supply

EW DELHI—The Indian city of Pune is running out of ventilators as gasping coronavirus patients crowd its hospitals. Social media is full of people searching for beds, while relatives throng pharmacies looking for antiviral medicines that hospitals ran out of long ago. The surge, which can be seen across India, is particularly alarming because the country is a major vaccine producer and a critical supplier to the UN-backed COVAX initiative. That program aims to bring shots to some of the world’s poorest countries. Already the rise in cases has forced India to focus on satisfying its domestic demand—and delay deliveries to COVAX and elsewhere, including the United Kingdom and Canada. India’s decision “means there is very little, if anything, left for COVAX and everybody else,” said Brook Baker, a vaccines expert at Northeastern University. Pune is India’s hardest-hit city, but other major metropolises are also in crisis, as daily new infections hit record levels, and experts say that missteps stemming from the belief that the pandemic was “over” are coming back to haunt the country. W hen infections began plummeting in India in September, many concluded the worst had passed. Masks and social distancing were abandoned, while the government gave mixed signals about the level of risk. When cases began rising again in February, authorities were left scrambling. “Nobody took a long-term view of the pandemic,” said Dr. Vineeta Bal, who studies immune systems at the city’s Indian Institute of Science Education and Research. She noted, for instance, that instead of strengthening existing hospitals, temporary sites were created. In Pune, authorities are resurrecting one of those makeshift facilities, which was crucial to the city’s fight against the virus last year. India is not alone. Many

countries in Europe that saw declines in cases are experiencing new surges, and infection rates have been climbing in every global region, partially driven by new virus variants. Over the past week, India had averaged more than 130,000 cases per day. It has now reported 13.5 million virus cases since the pandemic began—pushing its toll past Brazil’s and making it second only to the United States’, though both countries have much smaller populations. Deaths are also rising and have crossed the 170,000 mark. Even those figures, experts say, are likely an undercount. Nearly all states are showing an uptick in infections, and Pune—home to 4 million people—is now left with just 28 unused ventilators on Monday night for its more than 110,000 Covid-19 patients. The country now faces the mammoth challenge of vaccinating millions of people, while also contact-tracing the tens of thousands getting infected every day and keeping the health system from collapsing. Dilnaz Boga has been in and out of hospitals in recent months to visit a sick relative and witnessed the shift firsthand as cases began to rise. Beds were suddenly unavailable. Nurses warned visitors to be careful. Posters that advised proper mask-wearing sprang up everywhere. A nd t hen, ea rl ier t h is month, Boga and her 80-yearold mother tested positive. Doctors suggested that her mother be hospitalized, but there weren’t any beds available initially. Both she and her

mother are now recovering. Compounding concer ns about rising cases is the fact that the country’s vaccination drive could also be headed for trouble: Several Indian states have reported a shortage of doses even as the federal government has insisted there’s enough in stock. After a sluggish start, India recently overtook the United States in the number of shots it’s giving every day and is now averaging 3.6 million. But with more than four times the number of people and that later start, it has given at least one dose to around just 7 percent of its population. India’s western Maharashtra state, home to Pune and financial capital Mumbai, has recorded nearly half of the country’s new infections in the past week. Some vaccination centers in the state turned away people due to shortages. At least half a dozen Indian states are reporting similarly low stocks, but Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has called these concerns “deplorable attempts by some state governments to distract attention from their failures.” Wor r ies about v acc i ne supplies have led to criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has exported 64.5 million doses to other nations. Rahul Gandhi, the face of the main opposition Congress party, asked Modi in a letter whether the government’s export strategy was “an effort to garner publicity at the cost of our own citizens.” Now, India has reversed course. Last month, COVAX said shipments of up to 90 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines were delayed because the Serum Institute of India decided to prioritize domestic needs. T he institute, which is based in Pune and is the world’s largest vaccine maker, told The Associated Press earlier this month that it could restart exports of the vaccine by June—if new coronavirus infections subside. But a continued surge could result in more delays. And experts warn that India could be looking at just that. T hey suspect the most likely cause behind the widespread surge is the presence of more infectious variants. Health officials confirmed

last month that 80 percent of infections in the northern state of Punjab were due to the version of the virus first detected in the United Kingdom. There’s also increasing concern about another new and potentially troublesome variant that was first detected in India itself. India needs to vaccinate faster and increase measures aimed at stopping the virus’s spread, said Krishna Udayakumar, founding director of the Duke Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University. “The coming months in India are extremely dangerous,” he said. Yet, some say the government’s confused messaging have failed to communicate the risk. Modi has noted the need for people to wear masks due to the “alarming” rise in infections. But over the last few weeks, while on the campaign trail, he has delivered speeches in front of tens of thousands of mask-less supporters. The federal government has also allowed huge gatherings during Hindu festivals like the Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival celebrated in the Himalayan city of Haridwar, where millions of devotees daily take a holy dip into the Ganges River. In response to concerns that it could turn into a “superspreader” event, the state’s chief minister, Tirath Singh Rawat, said “the faith in God will overcome the fear of the virus.” “Optics are so important, and we are completely messing it up,” said Dr. Shahid Jameel, who studies viruses at India’s Ashoka University. Dozens of cities and towns have imposed partial restrictions and nighttime curfews to try to curb infections, but Modi has ruled out the possibility of another nationwide lockdown. He also rejected calls from states to offer vaccinations to younger people. Experts, meanwhile, say the current limit of offering vaccine to those over 45 should be relaxed and that shots need to be targeted in areas experiencing surges. “The burden of Covid-19 is being felt unevenly,” said Udayakumar. “And the response needs to be tailored to local needs.” AP

China sends 25 warplanes near Taiwan in biggest drill this year

hina’s air force sent 25 fighters and bombers into the Taiwan Strait, escalating military pressure on the government in Taipei as it boosts ties with the US. Beijing deployed 14 J-16 and four J-10 fighters, four H-6K bombers, two Y-8 anti-sub warfare planes and one KJ-500 early warning aircraft into the southwest section of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Monday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. The sortie was the largest China has sent toward Taiwan this year. The ministry said Taiwan’s air force responded by sending

patrol aircraft to the area and tracking the Chinese planes with missile defense systems. Chinese military activity has steadily picked up around Taiwan in recent months. The Chinese Defense Ministry said last week that the Liaoning aircraft carrier had carried out exercises near Taiwan recently and the navy is planning more drills. The People’s Liberation Army also said last week that it monitored the USS John S. McCain destroyer as it sailed through the Taiwan Strait. Washington and Beijing have been issuing warnings to each other regarding Taiwan since

President Joe Biden took office in January, adding to tensions that increased steadily during the Trump administration. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China should avoid encroaching on Taiwan, saying Beijing was fomenting tensions in the strait with “aggressive actions.” The US State Department said in Januar y that Washington had a “rock solid ” commitment to Taipei after China f lew more than a dozen militar y aircraft, including the H- 6K bombers, into the strait. The bombers are believed to be capable

of carr y ing land-attack cruise missiles. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi used an annual press briefing last month to warn the Biden administration to be careful in its dealings with Taipei. Wang said the US should stop “crossing lines and playing with fire,” and said there was “no room for compromise or concessions” in Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan. The Communist Party ruling China sees Taiwan as its territory, which must be seized by force if necessary. Taipei rejects the claim, saying Taiwan is already a de facto sovereign nation. Bloomberg News

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Canada overtakes U.S. in daily Covid infections for first time

or the first time since the pandemic began, Canada has passed a grim milestone, with more new Covid-19 cases per capita than the US. There have been roughly 22 new recorded cases per 100,000 people in the country over the past seven-days. Ontario is being hit the hardest with hospitals coming under increasing strain, especially in Toronto, the country’s largest city. “This is the worst moment of the pandemic, thus far,” Kevin Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the University Health Network, said in an interview on Monday. “Our ICUs are full.” Ontario has ordered all but emergency surgeries canceled across most of the province, for the first time since March 2020. Patients scheduled for cancer, cardiac and brain surgeries are being told to wait as intensive care units fill with Covid-19 patients. Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children has opened an overflow unit to treat adults. “When The Hospital For Sick Children is providing ICU care to adults, you know you’re living through one of the worst periods of the pandemic,” Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, said in a news conference Monday. “The old Covid-19 virus is being bulldozed by the B117 variant, with the other two variants present in Toronto as well.” Toronto recorded 1,296 new cases on Monday and could see 2,500 new Covid-19 cases a day by the end of the month, at the current rate, health officials warned Monday.

Redeploying staff

About 1,300 patients have been moved to hospitals across the province to handle the onslaught of critical cases, Smith said. Hospitals are struggling to secure supplies of tocilizumab, a cancer drug that has improved survival rates for Covid, he said. And the UHN network may soon exceed its capacity to offer extracorporeal membrange oxygen, or ECMO, to Covid patients, an artificial heart and lung technology that can be used when a ventilator is insufficient. Hospitals in Northern Ontario will likely need to cancel scheduled surgeries soon, Smith said, so that Covid patients can be transferred from the south to the north of the province. Within the next week, he expects his staff will be redeployed— ideally on a volunteer basis—to areas of most need. On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford bowed to pressure to close schools for in-person learning until data shows the outbreak is easing, a decision that will add to pressure on working parents at a time when people are already exhausted by the 13 months of pandemic-related restrictions, coupled with a fits-and-starts vaccine roll-out.

Covid fatigue

Friction between beleaguered health officials, desperate businesses and exhausted residents has been on the rise across Canada. This past weekend, Quebec police used tear gas on a handful of protesters after hundreds took to the street in defiance of an 8 pm curfew, with a handful setting fire to garbage and shattering windows, CBC News reported. On Monday, health officials in British Columbia said that the number of patients in critical care has risen to a record high. But nowhere has the tug-of-war between competing interests been more apparent than in Ontario, where Ford has struggled to contain the virus without ostracizing business leaders. Delays securing vaccines, evolving information about the safety of the AstraZeneca dose, and the more infectious nature of new variants have added to his challenges, resulting in shifting tactics and messaging. Complex color-coded lockdown restrictions—is which “gray” represents a higher threat than “red”—have been accompanied long lists of vaccine “phases,” detailed reopening “stages” and frequent modifications and amendments. “It’s just been incredibly difficult for small businesses,” said Ryan Mallough, director of provincial affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents 38,000 businesses in Ontario, with an average of about a dozen employees each. “Just following along with the lexicon, let alone what that means on the ground and then the fact that things change so abruptly.” Nationwide, CFIB members have incurred an average of almost C$170,000 in additional debt as a result of Covid-19, according to a March survey. In Ontario, that figure is closer to $208,000. Even with federal assistance, many business owners are running up credit-card debt, tapping mortgages, and draining bank accounts, the survey showed. Health officials knew it was always going to be a race to get people vaccinated before the third wave caught hold, Smith said. Having lost that contest, Canada should be imposing more “rigorous” measures, including restricting regional, interprovincial and international travel for the next four to six weeks to contain the spread of more infectious variants until vaccination efforts take hold. “These are the worst days of this pandemic and I believe now is not the time to lighten up on anything but frankly to hunker down,” he said. “We’re only going to regret what we don’t do from this point forward.” Bloomberg News

BusinessMirror

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97.

PHAN THI PHUONG MAI Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

20.

WANG, YING Chinese

MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

59.

HUA, LUNDONG Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING PROJECT MANAGER

98.

TRAN HOANG NAM Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

60.

JIANG, YUNXING Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING PROJECT SUPERVISOR

99.

TRAN VAN DUC Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

61.

LI, GANG Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING PROJECT SUPERVISOR

MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

62.

LIU, JUN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING PROJECT SUPERVISOR

21. 22. 23.

ZHANG, ZUO Chinese ZHOU, RENCHAO Chinese ZHU, YINFANG Chinese

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D. Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street Tambo Parañaque City 24.

DENG, HAILANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

25.

LI, DALIN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

26.

NGUYEN THI NGA Vietnamese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

TAO CHI THANH Vietnamese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

TRAN DANG LOC Vietnamese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

ZHANG, ZHENG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

30.

CHEN, WENXING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

31.

CHEN, QIAOQIAO Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

CHEN, TONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

27. 28. 29.

32. 33. 34.

35.

SHA, XINXIN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

WANG, JIANAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

WANG, ZHIYAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

AON INSURANCE AND REINSURANCE BROKERS PHILIPPINES, INC. 8/f Ayala North Exchange Tower 1 Ayala Ave. Cor. Salcedo & Amorsolo Sts. Makati City 36.

IWASE, TAKAMI Japanese

BUSINESS LEADER-JAPANESE DESK

BIG EMPEROR TECHNOLOGY CORP. Eastfield Center Cbp1, Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City

63.

CHEN, JIE Chinese

GARCIA GARCIA, BORJA Spanish

PROCESS EXECUTIVE - DATA

COLDSTREAM MARKETING SOLUTION INC. 603-4 Eastfield Ctr. Moa Comp. Macapagal Ave. Brgy. 076 Pasay City 65.

YU, PENGLEI Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

DOTW SHARED SERVICES INC. Unit 403, 404, 4f Shaw Center Mall, Shaw Blvd. Addition Hills Mandaluyong City 66.

ALSALEH, MOHAMMED ALI A Saudi

67.

MARKETING AND SALES AGENT

68.

JIANG, QINGNAN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

69.

LU, YURONG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

70.

WU, JIANSONG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

71.

ZHANG, KANGLE Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC. Malate Bayview Mansion 1781 M. Adriatico Street 076, Brgy. 699 Malate Manila LI, MING Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING

101.

LIU, ZHIJIANG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING

102.

ZENG, HAIBO Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING

103.

ZHOU, QIAN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING

104.

FU, KUI Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE- MANDARIN SPEAKING

105.

MA, JUN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE- MANDARIN SPEAKING

MA, YU Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE- MANDARIN SPEAKING

106.

FAREAST OUTSOURCE PROCESSING INC. 7th, 8th, 9th Flr. Nu Tower Moa Coral Way Brgy. 076 Pasay City

72.

LI, XIANG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPERVISOR

EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503 Nueva St Binondo Manila WANG, JIAOMEI Chinese

100.

SALES SPECIALIST

COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS PHILIPPINES, INC. 5th And 6th Floors, 8/10 Upper Mckinley Building Mckinley Hill Cyberpark Fort Bonifacio Taguig City 64.

FUXINGYING CAIYUN HENTONG, CORP. 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Floor Eton Ewestpod Chino Roces Avenue Cor. Yakal & Malugay Streets San Antonio Makati City

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

GLOBALLGA BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING 2nd, 3rd & 6th Flr. Ortigas Technopoint 2 Ortigas Home Depot Complex #1 Doña Julia Vargas Ave. Pasig City 107.

WANG, SHAOXIONG Chinese

CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING

108.

ZHANG, YIDAN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING

IBM BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. 8th Floor, 1800 Bldg. Eastwood City Libis Quezon City 109.

AUMAIS, SEBASTIEN Canadian

HR ADVISOR - FRENCH LANGUAGE

INTERCOMP LINK SOLUTIONS INC. 14th Floor, Filinvest Three Bldg. Northgate Cyberzone Filinvest Alabang Muntinlupa City 110.

ZHANG, CHENGZU Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)

NO.

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY

POSITION

INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Floor Six West Campus Mckinley West Fort Bonifacio Taguig City 111.

DAVID Indonesian

COMPUTER TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST

112.

FIAT KENNEDY Indonesian

COMPUTER TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST

113.

LIANG, JINGLIN Chinese

COMPUTER TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST

114.

LIN, JIANFENG Chinese

COMPUTER TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST

115.

PRANDHINATA Indonesian

COMPUTER TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST

116.

WANG, JIEFA Chinese

COMPUTER TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST

117.

WANG, LU Chinese

INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST

118.

WANG, JIANGANG Chinese

IT TECHNICAL MANDARIN

119.

HU, JIANWEI Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

120.

LIU, JIAYU Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

121.

LUO, WENXIN Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

122.

WANG, CHUANG Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

123.

WU, JIANYI Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

124.

XIONG, XUBING Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

125.

YANG, ZHENJU Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

126.

ZHANG, WEI Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

127.

ZHANG, ZHAO Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

128.

ZHAO, SHIPU Chinese

QA (QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

129.

GAO, ZHAN Chinese

QA(QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

130.

LIU, SHAOFENG Chinese

QA(QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

131.

LIU, NA Chinese

QA(QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

132.

ZHOU, LI Chinese

QA(QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 7/f Aseana I Bldg. Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park Tambo Parañaque City 133.

LI, QIANG Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

134.

LI, JIEHONG Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

135.

LU, ZHAOZHEN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

136.

RAO, DONGDONG Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

137.

WANG, YUE Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

138.

XIE, ZEKUN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

139.

ZHAO, DAN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

140.

ZHOU, LIN Chinese

CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

141.

CAO VAN THUAN Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

142.

CHE CAM DENH Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

143.

DANG VAN GIAP Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

144.

DOAN TUAN ANH Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

145.

LE QUANG HAN Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

146.

MYINT MYINT THAN Myanmari

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

147.

NGUYEN HUU MANH Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

148.

NGUYEN THI DUYEN Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

149.

NGUYEN VAN CANH Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

150.

THANT ZIN OO Myanmari

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

151.

TIEU VAN SUC Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

152.

TRUONG THI OANH Vietnamese

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

153.

VINCENT Indonesian

IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS NO.

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS POSITION

JDB MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTANCY CORP. 107 T & D House Magallanes St. 069, Bgy. 655 Intramuros Manila

NO.

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 A7

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS POSITION

NO.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY

POSITION

NO. 301.

199.

JIANG, HONGCHENG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

254.

WANG, ZHIYONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

154.

CHENG, TIEZHU Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

200.

KE, HAOWU Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

255.

XIANG, PING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

155.

CUI, LIYANG Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

201.

LAI, SANYUAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

256.

XIONG, LEI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

156.

HUANG, WEIFEN Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

202.

LEI, QIN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

257.

YANG, JINKAI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

157.

LI, XUE Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

203.

LI, NING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

258.

YAO, ZHIQIANG Chinese

158.

PENG, SIQIN Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

204.

LI, RONGXIAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

259.

159.

PU, HONG Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

205.

LI, YANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

160.

ZHENG, YAO Chinese

STRATEGIC AND FACILITATION OFFICER

206.

LI, JIAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

207.

LI, YI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

208.

LI, YONGXING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

209.

LIANG, XIAOZHOU Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

210.

LIAO, ZUOYI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

211.

LIU, YUANPING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

212.

LIU, CHAO Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

213.

LIU, JING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

214.

LIU, YAWEN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

LUO DA TRADING CORPORATION Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg. 191 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City 161.

LI, MING Chinese

MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

MEGA-WEB TECHNOLOGIES INC. 6,7,8,9,10,11/f Met Live Bldg. Edsa Cor. Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City 162.

163.

164.

165.

166.

167.

CAI, QUANXING Chinese DONG, YUDI Chinese FU, JINPENG Chinese GUO, YOUCHAO Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

JIANG, SIQIN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

LIN, AN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

168.

LIN, WEISHAN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

169.

LIU, YIYIN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

XU, FANG Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING CUSTOMER RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER

170.

MERAKI SILVER SOLUTIONS CORPORATION Unit 1107,11th Floor, One World Place 32nd Bonifacio Global City Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

215.

LU, JIANFENG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

SIA KIAN ANN Malaysian

MALAYSIAN OPERATIONS MANAGER

SIEGREICH SOLUTIONS INC. 34/f Burgundy Corporate Tower 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City LIN, JIN Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE-MANDARIN SPEAKING

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

303.

SHI, JIALIANG Chinese

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE-MANDARIN SPEAKING

NGUYEN THE ANH Vietnamese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SPECIALIST

260.

EPIN Indonesian

INDONESIAN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

SKY DRAGON GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES CORP. 2f-5f Unit 710 Shaw Blvd. Global Link Center, Brgy. Wack Wack Mandaluyong City

261.

KATHLEENE ANAK SELIGIE Malaysian

MALAYSIAN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

262.

NAING MOE OO Myanmari

MYANMARI CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

263.

BUI DAI VUONG Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

264.

DANG KIM CHI Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

265.

DIEP THANH TUAN Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

266.

HUYNH THI MY DIEU Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

267.

TRAN XUAN TIEP Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

NEWBAY INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INC. 2/f Mezzanine Tower 1 The Enterprise Center 6766 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas Makati City 268.

LIU, HENGBO Chinese

MANDARIN ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST

269.

BIAN, JUNJIE Chinese

MANDARIN TECHNICAL SUPPORT

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

217.

MA, XIAOYONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

218.

MU, SHOUFEI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

270.

CHANG, ZHEN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

219.

PENG, CHAOQUN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

271.

FENG, ZIYI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

220.

SHI, MINGXING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

272.

GAO, XIANGYU Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

221.

SHU, RUI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

273.

GUO, MINGXU Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

222.

SU, SHAOQIANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

274.

GUO, JIAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

223.

TANG, QIANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

275.

HUANG, YU Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

NOCMAKATI, INC. 8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16,17,18 & 19 Floors Century Diamond Center Kalayaan Ave. Cor. Salamanca St. Poblacion Makati City

171.

NGUYEN MINH TRIEU Vietnamese

MANDARIN SPEAKING ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST

224.

TANG, YOUCAI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

276.

LI, FANGDONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

172.

ZHANG, XIAODI Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST

225.

TIAN, RONGLI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

277.

LI, HONGZHI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

173.

ZHONG, JUN Chinese

MANDARIN SPEAKING ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST

226.

WANG, PENGPENG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

278.

LI, JIAWEN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

227.

WANG, QIZHU Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

279.

LI, LIANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

MINDSCAPE CREATIVES INC. Unit 19-o, Burgundy Corporate Tower 252 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City

POSITION

302.

LU, JINPAN Chinese

216.

FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY

304.

HUANG, HUIHUAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

305.

ZHENG, YILONG Chinese

CHINESE RESEARCH ANALYST

SKYLUCK CORPORATION #360, Unit 243 Shaw Center Mall Shaw Blvd. Penthouse Shaw Lt. Mandaluyong City 306.

CHOI, HAKCHEOL South Korean

MARKETING OFFICER

TELUS INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINES, INC. Units 23/f, 31st/f - 37th/f Discovery Centre Adb Avenue, Ortigas Center San Antonio Pasig City 307.

FOTSING CHENDJOU, JEFFREY WILLIAMS Cameroonian

FRENCH OPERATIONS CSR

308.

LAMNOUN, SIF-EDDINE Moroccan

FRENCH OPERATIONS CSR

THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE OF YUEH HAI CHING INC. 850 G Manangkay St. 028 Bgy. 296 Binondo Manila 309.

WANG, LILI Chinese

ASSISTANT MANAGER

310.

HONG, HAIXIONG Chinese

GENERAL MANAGER

VAN GOGH BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING INC. 5th To 8th Flr. Sm Southmall Tower 2 Alabang Zapote Rd. Almanza Uno Las Piñas City 311.

HE, XIAOLEI Chinese

INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST

312.

PAN, CHENGFA Chinese

INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST

313.

XUE, GUANJUN Chinese

INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST

314.

YANG, HONGJIANG Chinese

IT TECHNICAL MANDARIN

VOLENDAY INC. U1406 14/f Pacific Star Bldg. Sen. Gil Puyat Cor. Makati Ave. Bel-air Makati City 315.

KASSAS, TOUFIC Lebanese

REGIONAL PROJECT MANAGER

VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor. Washington St. Pio Del Pilar Makati City 316.

BATEER Chinese

BILINGUAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

317.

CHEN, JIANYING Chinese

BILINGUAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

318.

CHEN, YONGCHENG Chinese

BILINGUAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

319.

CHEN, SICHENG Chinese

BILINGUAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

320.

HAN, YING Chinese

BILINGUAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

321.

TENG, HSIAO-HUI Taiwanese

BILINGUAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

322.

XIAO, SHAN Chinese

BILINGUAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

323.

ZHAO, BIN Chinese

BILINGUAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

324.

WICHIAN, THANWA Thai

THAI- SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

325.

LY THOAI DINH Vietnamese

VIETNAM-SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

326.

NGUYEN THI THUY TIEN Vietnamese

VIETNAM-SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

327.

NGUYEN THI THUY TRANG Vietnamese

VIETNAM-SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

328.

VO THANH TRUC Vietnamese

VIETNAM-SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

174.

HE, HAO Chinese

MANDARIN TECHNICAL SUPPORT

228.

WANG, JINSHENG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

280.

LUO, SHUANGYI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

175.

LIN, JING Chinese

MANDARIN TECHNICAL SUPPORT

229.

WANG, LI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

281.

TU, LI-JEN Taiwanese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

176.

ZHANG, YANG Chinese

MANDARIN TECHNICAL SUPPORT

230.

WENG, WENHAO Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

282.

WANG, ZONGHAO Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

231.

WU, YAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

283.

WANG, SEN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

232.

WU, QI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

284.

XIAO, YONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

233.

XIE, YI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

285.

ZHENG, SHIWEN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

234.

YANG, YUNFEN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

286.

ZHONG, XUAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

235.

YAO, PENGBO Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

287.

LEE, HO NAM South Korean

KOREAN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

236.

YU, XIANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

288.

CUNG THI BICH LOAN Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

237.

YUAN, MEI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

289.

DINH THI ANH NGUYET Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

238.

ZHANG, MINGSHENG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

290.

DUONG SIN CAM Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

239.

ZHOU, WEI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

291.

HOANG THI NGOC ANH Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

240.

ZHU, JIAQI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

292.

LAM GIA NHI Vietnamese

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

329.

241.

CHEN, ERLONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

293.

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

ZTE PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 1201 & 1202 12th Floor Fort Legend Towers 3rd Ave. Corner 31st St. Bgc, Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

242.

CHEN, YAJUN Chinese

NGUYEN THI THANH GIANG Vietnamese

294.

243.

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

330.

DING, MIN Chinese

NGUYEN XUAN CUONG Vietnamese

295.

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

244.

JIA, ZIXING Chinese

PHO QUE LAM Vietnamese

296.

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

245.

LI, BOLUN Chinese

SU MINH TU Vietnamese

297.

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

VIETNAMESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

246.

LI, PENGPENG Chinese

VU TAN TINH Vietnamese

247.

LI, LONGFU Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

248.

LIN, CHANGWEI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

249.

LIN, YUHUA Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

250.

RUAN, ZHI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

251.

TIAN, XINLONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

252.

WANG, JINGJING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

300.

253.

WANG, KAI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

RUNNINGMAN CORPORATION 8/f Techzone Bldg. 213 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. San Antonio Makati City

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower C4 Rd. Edsa Ext. Brgy. 076 Pasay City 177.

BAI, GUANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

178.

BUI HOANG LUAN Vietnamese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

179.

CAI, XIAOWEI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

180.

CAO, BINGLIN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

181.

CAO, YULEI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

182.

CHEN, QIAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

183.

CHEN, YONGXIONG Chinese

184.

CHEN, JIAN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

185.

DING, JINJIANG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

186.

DUAN, XIAOJING Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

187.

FAN, XIAOYONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

188.

GAN, QIANLONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

189.

GU, SHUQIONG Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

190.

HAN, JIAWEI Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

191.

HE, YANBIN Chinese

CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE

192.

HE, XIN Chinese

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A8 Wednesday, April 14, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

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How PHL can win war against ASF

rench winemakers are currently grappling with the impact of freezing temperatures that are threatening to decimate their harvests of grapes. According to a report in “The Guardian,” published on its web site on April 9, farmers across France have resorted to lighting thousands of small fires and candles near their vines or fruit trees to ward off frost. Paris immediately declared an “agricultural disaster” so the government could begin offering financial support to farmers. Declaring “agricultural disaster” would fast-track the provision of assistance to affected French farmers as they struggle to salvage whatever they can from their farms to survive. Banks and insurance companies had even been asked to join in the efforts to rescue grape farmers hit by the frost. Paris had to act fast because winemaking is one of the major sources of France’s export earnings. The resolve shown by Paris is what the Philippines needs if it really wants to eliminate animal diseases, such as African swine fever, that have disrupted local hog and poultry production. ASF, in particular, is decimating our hog farms and has substantially reduced domestic pork supply. As the supply shortfall caused by the deadly pig disease is pegged at 400 million kilograms or 400,000 metric tons, the country is expected to double its pork imports this year (See, “PHL pork imports seen doubling on ASF impact,” in the BusinessMirror, April 12, 2021). Until now, the proposal to declare a state of national emergency, which would have allowed concerned government agencies to tap funds for fighting ASF, has yet to secure the approval of the President. The Department of Agriculture said the declaration would pave the way for the upgrading of biosecurity measures, which are critical in winning the war against ASF. The swine industry would also need resources to help farmers get back on their feet and repopulate their farms. This is the best way for the country to reduce its reliance on imports. The deadly pig disease has already spread to 12 regions, 40 provinces, 466 cities and municipalities and 2,425 barangays (See, “ASF spreading in Eastern Visayas, Bicol towns–government report,” in the BusinessMirror, February 24, 2021). Even remote island-provinces, such as Catanduanes, which could be reached by ships and plane, were not spared by ASF. The spread of the disease has resulted in the loss of over 3 million heads of pig, causing the spike in pork prices and other commodities that were tapped by consumers as alternatives to pig meat. As it is, the resources of concerned agencies, particularly those securing our borders, to fend off ASF are not enough (See, “Direct tariff revenues to investments in biosecurity–Rep. Salceda,” in the BusinessMirror, April 7, 2021). These agencies need funds to roll out various initiatives, such as purchasing equipment and beefing up their manpower, to improve the system for inspecting meat imports. The national government must keep in mind that these initiatives will not only stop ASF in its tracks but also help the Philippines prepare against emerging animal diseases. Since 2005

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All About Social Security

ealth protocols being implemented by the government these days have limited our personal meetings, socialization and conversations to the use of Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams and other digital platforms.

We have embraced modern technology amid the pandemic that we now conduct our transactions online, especially in the payment of bills and other services. While this is good for most of us, I was disappointed to learn that there are some people who take advantage of retirees who are not exposed to social media and online platforms, that they charge fees in exchange of helping the retirees to register or apply for benefits or loans online with SSS. I would like to emphasize here that SSS does not charge any payment for its services except when you have to re-apply for a Unified Multi-Purpose ID card. Promoting our digitalization services is indeed one of our significant contributions to society and to our members and pensioners amid the pandemic situation. This is what our campaign, expreSSS, is all about—faster, easier and simpler transactions—which we launched in September 2020 during our 63rd Anniversary.

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How do you register online? First, you need to access the SSS web site, www.sss.gov.ph. We made sure that the SSS portal is user-friendly and can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Second, click on the portal that corresponds to your type of membership, whether as member or as employer, and supply the needed details. SSS members, employers, and pensioners may also access their social security records through the SSS mobile app that can be downloaded from Google Play Store, Apple App Store, or Huawei App Gallery, by using their My.SSS account’s user ID and password. Through the My.SSS app and SSS web site, a member can also access and view his/her membership information, contributions, salary loan balance, and benefit claim applications status. Likewise, updating member contact information and submitting your salary loan application and maternity notification may be done as well.

SSS is taking the necessary steps to make sure that the members and pensioners can reach us anytime, anywhere. Just ignore or say no to these online scammers and fixers.

Should you need help in registering or filing your benefits, claims, or loans through the SSS app or My.SSS account, better solicit help from people whom you trust. The SSS shall not be held accountable if the member or pensioner is found to have connived with a fixer. During these days when connecting to social media is the new norm, you may follow SSS in “Philippine Social Security System” on Facebook, “mysssph” on Instagram, “PHLSSS” on Twitter, “mysssphilippines” on YouTube, and “MYSSSPH Updates” on Viber. SSS hotline numbers are also made available by calling 1455 or 1-800-10-2255777 (toll-free), or send an e-mail to member_relations@sss.gov.ph for general inquiries, onlineserviceassistance@sss.gov.ph for electronic facilities and web-related inquiries, PRNHelpline@sss.gov.ph for PRN generation and technical support, and ofw.relations@sss.gov. ph for OFW Contact Service Unit. There are about 10 million SSS members, and 325,636 pensioners who are enrolled in the My.SSS portal, as of February 2021. Because of this large number, we are taking all necessary actions to make sure that we maintain the high level of safety and security of

VAWC hanging over seafarers’ heads like the Sword of Damocles Dennis Gorecho

Pinoy Marino Rights

Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes

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How to protect your SSS accounts

he Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act (VAWC), or Republic Act 9262, in some instances, can be considered a “Sword of Damocles” hanging over a seafarer’s head, specially in support issues. The Sword of Damocles is an allusion to the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power who always labor under the specter of anxiety and death, and that “there can be no happiness for one who is under constant apprehensions.” Enacted in 2004, RA 9262 is a landmark legislation that defines and criminalizes acts of violence

against women and their children perpetrated by women’s intimate partners, i.e., husband, former husband, or any person who has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with whom the woman has a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result in, among others, economic abuse.

Some Filipino seafarers are confronted with warrants of arrest or hold departure orders due to criminal complaints filed under RA 9262 where they are accused of abandoning their financial obligation to persons to which they are obliged by law to support.

The said law defined “economic abuse” as any act that makes or attempts to make a woman financially dependent, which includes the following: (1) withdrawal of financial support or preventing the victim from engaging in any legitimate profession, occupation, business or activity, except in cases wherein the other spouse/partner objects on valid, serious and moral grounds; and (2) deprivation or threat of deprivation of financial resources and the right to the use and enjoyment of the conjugal, community or property

all members’ digital records, and will never give them to unsecured sites and organizations. This is in compliance with Republic Act 10173, or the “Data Privacy Act of 2012.” If any of our members or pensioners encounter these online scammers and fixers, we highly encourage them to report these incidents to the Special Investigation Department by sending an e-mail at fid@sss.gov. ph because this is a clear violation of Section 17 of Republic Act 11199 or the “Social Security Act of 1997” and RA 11032, or the “Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.” SSS is taking the necessary steps to make sure that the members and pensioners can reach us anytime, anywhere. Just ignore or say no to these online scammers and fixers. We at SSS highly discourage our members, retirees, and pensioners to seek the services or assistance of possible scammers in registering for My.SSS and for filing of loans and benefits because this may pose a security threat to their SSS account. Would you hand over your password and personal details to a stranger? We’re sure you won’t. Always be vigilant in keeping your data and passwords for all your online accounts safe and secure. Because we, here at SSS, are also vigilant in doing so. Have a productive week ahead!

Aurora C. Ignacio is SSS president and chief executive officer. We welcome your questions and insights on the topics that we discuss. E-mail mediaaffairs@sss. gov.ph for topics that you might want us to discuss.

owned in common. Economic abuse is a deliberate pattern of control in which individuals interfere with their partner’s ability to acquire, use, and maintain economic resources. It may decimate a victim’s financial well-being and result in psychological and physical ailments as a result of ensuing stress and poverty. Some Filipino seafarers are confronted with warrants of arrest or hold departure orders (HDOs) due to criminal complaints filed under RA 9262 where they are accused of abandoning their financial obligation to persons to which they are obliged by law to support. The Filipino seafarer is required to make a monthly allotment of at least 80 percent of his monthly basic salary, which shall be payable to his designated allottee, or the person named as the recipient of his remittances to the Philippines. A common problem in connection See “Gorecho,” A9

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Prince Philip shaped, and was shaped by, a century of tumult

The killer inside us Dr. Carl E. Balita

Entrepreneurs’ Footprints

By Jill Lawless | Associated Press

ONDON—Born into an age of revolutions in the wake of a pandemic, Prince Philip lived through a tumultuous century and worked to make the British monarchy a rock of stability in changing times. He bore witness to—and participated in—many of the century’s upheavals: World War II, the dismantling of the British Empire and the rise and fall of nations during and after the Cold War. He helped anchor the monarchy with his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, but died last week at 99 with the United Kingdom still unsettled by its exit from the European Union, and in a world of growing nationalism and extremes. “His life started in a moment of crisis, ended in a moment of crisis, and, of course, saw a great deal of crisis throughout that long life,” said Margaret MacMillan, professor emeritus of international history at Oxford University. Philip was born in Corfu as a prince of Greece and Denmark. When he was a toddler, his family had to flee Greece after a coup. Monarchies across Europe were being toppled as societies faced upheaval in the aftermath of World War I and the deadly influenza pandemic that followed. His grandfather, King George of Greece, had been assassinated eight years before Philip’s birth, and his royal Romanov relatives in Russia were slain after the czar’s abdication and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. “It was a time when a lot of what had seemed like very stable institutions and countries were simply disappearing,” MacMillan said. “There was a lot of fear that what had happened in Russia was going to spread around the world.” Historian Ed Owens said Philip’s early years “are key to informing how he sees monarchy for the rest of his life.” He said Philip saw monarchy “as something that isn’t necessarily permanent, that must be kept popular.” Raised by relatives in Britain, Philip joined the Royal Navy and saw action in World War II on battleships in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific. European royalty found itself divided by the war: Two of Philip’s sisters had German husbands who served on the Nazi side. He had a ringside seat for the end of the conflict. Philip’s ship was in Tokyo Bay for the formal Japanese surrender aboard USS Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945, and he watched the ceremony through binoculars. In 1947, Philip married Britain’s Princess Elizabeth, who as the elder daughter of King George VI was destined to be queen. British historian Simon Schama said that coming from “a Europe where nothing seemed stable,” Philip embraced the solidity offered by Britain’s monarchy and its role as neutral pillar of public life, above the political fray. “When he found his way into British life...he wasn’t just embracing a royal family, he was embracing an institution, that of constitutional monarchy,” Schama told the BBC. When Elizabeth became queen at age 25 in 1952, Philip gave up his naval career and dedicated himself to supporting her. Britain, though victorious in the war, was an indebted and declining power whose colonies were breaking free. Philip helped create the Commonwealth group of nations, with the queen at its head, to try to bind Britain and its former colonies together on a more equal footing. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said in a tribute that Philip sought to bring the “camaraderie and comradeship” he had experienced as a wartime sailor

“Philip’s life bookends that great moment of transition at the end of the First World War and, perhaps, a really big moment of transition in the aftermath of the Cold War.” into relations between countries, “so that they would reap the dividends of collaboration in peacetime too.” The royal couple covered 40,000 miles touring the Commonwealth in 1953, the first of many trips to the organization’s now 54 member nations. “His Royal Highness had a farsighted understanding of the potential of Commonwealth connection, and his approaches to bringing people together from a wide range of backgrounds to develop leadership skills were regarded as innovative and brave,” Scotland said. In Britain, Philip helped steer the monarchy through decades of declining social deference into a massmedia world where people demand intimacy from their icons. He was instrumental in ensuring the queen’s coronation was televised. Many British families bought TV sets just for the occasion, and it became the country’s first mass television spectacle. “Very early on, he saw the...positive benefits of mass media as a way of enhancing the monarchy’s public image,” Owens said. “There’s been a lot of talk about Philip as quite a sort of old-fashioned presence, certainly at the end of his life. But actually, from the moment he becomes a British royal in 1947, he’s a real modernizing force.” Philip was also an early environmentalist and a champion of technology. Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted Monday that Philip was “one of the first people in this country to use a mobile phone.” In his late 90s, he was making Zoom calls on a laptop, according to his grandson, Prince Harry. The decades brought family troubles, played out in public: the divorces of three of Philip and the queen’s four children; the death of Princess Diana in 1997; Prince Andrew’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges; and the self-exile of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, amid allegations of racism both from the media and within the royal household. Yet almost 70 years after Elizabeth became queen, she is a beloved figure—the only monarch most Britons have known—and republicanism is favored by a small minority in the country. The monarchy appears to be safe. But with Britain facing an uneasy new relationship with its European neighbors, Scottish nationalists pushing for an independence vote and Brexit shaking the peace process in Northern Ireland, the future of both crown and country is uncertain. The queen is 94, and someday will be succeeded by her son, Prince Charles, a far less-popular royal. “There’s the issue of the royal family—what’s its future? Then there’s the issue of Britain—what’s its future?” MacMillan said. “I think there’s now a big question about the future of the international order. Are we seeing a period of transition? “Philip’s life bookends that great moment of transition at the end of the First World War and, perhaps, a really big moment of transition in the aftermath of the Cold War.” Associated Press Writer Danica Kirka contributed.

arning: This article may be very disturbing! Yes, Covid-19 kills. From the accounts of those who fortunately survived, the symptoms are so disturbing that it would neither allow you to go to sleep nor rest. The devil’s masterpiece virus attacks the lungs and deprives its victims of the life-giving oxygen until the immune system couldn’t recover to help the body destroy the most crude molecule, which even modern science can’t completely understand.

To make the suffering worse, one has to die alone with a limited touch from the medical team that are the only persons authorized to come close. Then cremation will convert the body of the deceased to ashes. It will be endorsed to the grieving family and friends whose mourning will never be according to the rituals intended for the normal bereavement process. Nothing is pleasant in death except for the completeness of a life cycle and the spiritual opportunity to be, if we deserve, in the eternal life. But to die of Covid and to have a loved one die of it is just one of the most horrifying scene one can ever imagine. The thought alone is disturbing. Imagine the real experience of it. The obituaries on social media as well as the screams for help by those suffering have brought to us some uncensored accounts of experiences. They are so real—as real as the families we know, our friends and acquaintances who have given to us the face of this gruesome unseen killer. Worst is the fact that it is knocking on our door, just like a serial killer in horror movies. Lock your car windows well because the virus might get it. Wear your mask and face shield properly to cover your face and make you unrecognizable to the invisible evil carrying the symbolic sickle of death. The thought alone is disturbing. Imagine the real experience of it. But the fact remains that as we retreat in the safety of our homes, our lives have to continue. The quest for survival is as real as the paralyzing scare. We need to do our job, other-

wise we will lose it. We need to convert our fear into productivity, our anxiety into results, and our fears into output to justify our continued purpose in our works. And as our children navigate their learning through platforms they see best as gameboards, the teachers mutually share the discomfort of the experience in a poorly established digital connectivity. The very limited home space has become a commissary and production area for survival entrepreneurs of the family. Food supply becomes widely available but remains costly. The utilities and life essentials have not become humane in their prices. The home as a refuge has expanded its dynamics to cover many aspects of our daily lives. With the convenience of space and resources, it becomes a blessing, while for those with limitations, it has become a curse. Any new experience makes us cope. If we are able to manage, we grow in and around it. If we are unable to cope, we suffer—psychologically, mentally and, eventually, its most holistic sense. The scenarios painted above were intentionally exaggerated to evoke a sense of chaos and an emotion of anxiety. It illustrated in written form what is traumatic and disturbing to elicit understanding of factors that threatens the mental health of many. Here is where humanity has to listen to the core of its being—empathy, compassion, action. Having the empathy, being compassionate, and becoming (the person capable of) the action needed to support humanity—one person at a time. A simple call to check on a friend in an engaged conversa-

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 A9

Globally and in recent history, the suicide mortality rate (the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population) has been increasing. Pre-Covid data showed that the rate is 2.50 in 2000 and escalated to 3.20 in 2016. It is interesting to note that based on WHO data, the following countries have recorded the following suicide mortality rates: Ukraine 22.40, India at 16.30, Japan at 14.9, Myanmar at 7.80, Vietnam at 7.30, Cambodia at 5.30, Indonesia at 3.40, Philippines at 3.20. tion gives a cathartic feeling of relief for both parties. It begins with a little act of kindness extended to anyone in need. It has no cost but it is priceless. These little acts of kindness can prevent the worst response to distress—self-harm and suicide. It is anticipated that the incidence of these human actions will escalate in this crisis. Philippine Statistics Authority recorded a 25.7 percent increase in the recorded intentional self-harm, making it the 27th leading cause of death in 2020. It shifted from being ranked 31st in 2019. From 2,808 registered deaths due to intentional self-harm in 2019, this spiked to 3,529 in 2020. This is highest in 14 years. Globally and in recent history, the suicide mortality rate (the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population) has been increasing. Pre-Covid data showed that the rate is 2.50 in 2000 and escalated to 3.20 in 2016. It is interesting to note that based on WHO data, the following countries have recorded the following suicide mortality rates: Ukraine 22.40, India at 16.30, Japan at 14.9, Myanmar at 7.80, Vietnam at 7.30, Cambodia at 5.30, Indonesia at 3.40, Philippines at 3.20. In Japan, based on a CNN news, more people died from suicide in October 2020 than from Covid all of 2020. These data cannot make us Filipinos celebrate for having a relatively better rate. The fact is, every life matters and every death should be avoided, as much as society can. Suicide does not regard gender,

age, social, economic and educational status, although statistics may show some vulnerabilities across variables. The most established data leading to successful suicidal act is the previous attempts. Those with history of previous attempts may be more successful in their next attempts. Suicidal act is not synonymous with mental illness. In fact, suicidal persons are ambivalent about dying—they want to die but they don’t want to die. They are not fully intent about dying. And they do it not without a warning. In almost all cases, they send out clues and express their “cry for help.” In fact, they have a plan. In their mind, they thought that suicide is the last recourse. Their indecision about dying engage them into internal resolution, which manifests behaviorally—meaning, it shows observable change. Sensitive and knowledgeable enough, people around a suicidal person may engage in a watchful interaction that provides for catharsis—a therapeutic relief of the anxiety—and an exploration of solution that may challenge the perceived hopelessness and helplessness. There is a suicide plan that may be revealed, and therefore may be evaluated for its concreteness. The methods may be explored so it can be monitored for its availability, accessibility and lethality. The more detailed the plan is, the more lethal and accessible the method is and the more efforts by the suicidal to block rescue, the most likely suicide will be successful. These should therefore be established and controlled. A contract for no-suicide may be forged to commit the person not to do it and instead activate the communication as help-line. Suicide escalates from ideation (when the suicidal considers and thinks about it), plan (when concretely its options are laid out), attempts (when it is tested to also send clues) and act (which is the execution to achieve death). As humanity is trying to solve the puzzle of our effective pandemic response, our footprints should not show that we missed the sensitivity to other preventable causes of death among the people around us. And Covid is not the only killer. The most dangerous killer is inside us.

For feedback, please send e-mail to drcarlbalita@ yahoo.com.

Covid strain that emerged in UK may be less deadly than feared By Elaine Chen Bloomberg Opinion

he Covid-19 variant that emerged in the UK and became the dominant strain in the US isn’t as deadly as earlier research indicated, although it’s confirmed to be faster-spreading than other versions, according to a study. Among 339 patients with the coronavirus, 36 percent of those infected with the B.1.1.7 strain that arose in the UK became severely ill or died, according to research published on Monday in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, compared with 38 percent of those who had non-B.1.1.7 infections. “We’re not saying it’s nothing, but it’s not worse in terms of outcome in our study, in our setting,” said Eleni

Gorecho. . .

continued from A8

with remittance is the issue on who will be the seafarer’s allottee. The mandatory remittance required by law does not divest the right of a seafarer over his hardearned money or earnings. Like any personal property, the seafarer can freely dispose or give to anybody without limitations other than those provided by law. His right to dispose his wage remains in his discretion, including the manner or as to how he will divide nor dispose it. Under RA 9262, the deprivation or denial of financial support to the woman or the child is considered a

Nastouli, a co-author of the study and an associate professor at University College London. She noted that the study differed from some earlier research, looking at patients in hospitals, rather than in the community, and making precise identifications of variants with whole-genome sequencing. Earlier data released by a UK advisory group and cited by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that B.1.1.7 might be as much as a third more deadly than other variants of the virus. Those findings added to concerns about mutants that have shown some ability to spread more quickly. Other variants appear to be able to avoid the protection conferred by vaccines. In the US, rapid circulation of the

The UK variant isn’t the only one sowing concern, as mutants that emerged in South Africa and Brazil also appear to cause more contagion, threatening countries’ ability to stem the pandemic even as they roll out vaccination campaigns. Drugmakers are now racing to bolster their existing vaccines against new variants.

crime which may include the deprivation of support of a common child of the man-accused and the womanvictim, whether such common child is legitimate or not. Married couples are legally obliged to support members of the family, including the spouse and not just the kids. However, the offending spouse as well as one who is guilty of abandonment (leaves the conjugal home without justifiable reasons) is not eligible for support. The law puts pressure on a father to provide for his child by threatening him with criminal action if he does not provide support. The act of denying support to a child is considered a continuing offense (Del Socorro v. Van Wilsem, 749 Phil. 823,

839, 2014). Child support is for “indispensable” needs of the child, which include food, shelter, clothes, medical care, education and transportation. In the Philippines, child support continues until the child turns 18. Generally, the rate of child support is dependent on the child’s needs and the parent’s means. Parents-in-law may also be held liable for violation of the law under the principle of conspiracy under the Revised Penal Code. The Supreme Court held in the case of Go-Tan v. Spouses Tan (567 SCRA 231) that the parents-in-law are proper respondents in a case filed by the victim upon the allegation that they and their son (victim’s hus-

B.1.1.7 variant has driven up cases in Michigan, a national hot spot, adding to concerns about a possible pandemic resurgence. While Governor Gretchen Whitmer has asked for more vaccine doses to help stem that outbreak, CDC head Rochelle Walensky said supplies can’t be diverted from one state to another.

She urged wider shutdowns of public places and events. The Lancet study looked at patients admitted to London hospitals in November and December. A separate study of the fast-spreading variant in the Lancet Public Health journal found no evidence that it altered symptoms or the likelihood of experiencing long Covid, which was defined as persistent symptoms for more than 28 days. The UK variant isn’t the only one sowing concern, as mutants that emerged in South Africa and Brazil also appear to cause more contagion, threatening countries’ ability to stem the pandemic even as they roll out vaccination campaigns. Drugmakers are now racing to bolster their existing vaccines against new variants. band) had community of design and purpose in tormenting her by giving her insufficient financial support; harassing and pressuring her to be ejected from the family home; and in repeatedly abusing her verbally, emotionally, mentally and physically. If convicted under RA 9262, the accused shall be punished by prision mayor, or imprisonment of a minimum of six years and one day to a maximum of 12 years. He shall also pay a fine in the amount of not less than P100,000 but not more than P300,000. Atty. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 0908-8665786.

A10 Wednesday, April 14, 2021

‘Investments in knowledge mgt key to virus response’

MPROV ING pandemic response requires investments in knowledge management, which experts from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) believe was the secret behind the success of countries like South Korea and Vietnam. This, according to an Asian Development Blog authored by ADB Advisor and Chief of Knowledge Advisory Services Center Susann Roth; Senior Knowledge Sharing and Services Officer Mary Jane F. Carangal-San Jose; and Senior Operations Coordination Specialist Vivek Raman. The authors said knowledge management is the “systematic generation and sharing of information.” It combines, facilitates and connects expertise to solve problems. “The pandemic showed us that an organization is only as effective and a country and its people only as prepared as the knowledge they harness and share,” the authors said. “A combination of culture, systems, and process change was needed for knowledge management to help address the pandemic and the same is needed to solve complex development challenges over the long term,” they added. Continued on A4

DFA summons Chinese envoy over boats on reef

By Recto Mercene

@rectomercene

OR the first time since he arrived in Manila on December 3, 2019, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian was summoned to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday, April 12, “to explain the illegal lingering presence of Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe Reef.”

DFA Acting Undersecretary Elizabeth P. Buensuceso reminded Huang that Julian Felipe Reef lies within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines. “The continuing presence of Chinese vessels around the reef is a source of regional tension,” the DFA said in a statement. More than 200 of what are believed to be maritime militia vessels were spotted, lashed together, on March 7. Some of them later left, but were spotted redeployed in nearby areas. Buensuceso stressed to Huang that the July 12, 2016 award in the South China Sea arbitration ruled that claims to historic rights, or sovereign rights or jurisdiction that exceed geographic and substantive limits of maritime entitlement under Unclos, “are without lawful effect.” The DFA said both sides affirmed

the use of peaceful settlement of disputes in addressing their differences on the South China Sea/ West Philippine Sea issues. The DFA reiterated the Philippines’s firm demand that China ensure the immediate departure of all its vessels from the area of Julian Felipe Reef and other maritime zones of the Philippines. Referring to the untoward statements of the Chinese embassy spokesman against Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana when the latter demanded the immediate departure of the Chinese militia boats from Julian Felipe Reef and nearby areas in the WPS, the “Chinese side was reminded of proper decorum and manners in the conduct of their duties as guest of the Philippines,” a DFA statement said.

Both sides agreed to lower the tensions and handle the issue diplomatically, it added. Ambassador Huang is a career diplomat with 30 years of experience and with expertise in Asia and Southeast Asia. The last time a Chinese ambassador was summoned to the DFA was in 2019, when the fishing vessel GemVer was sunk by a Chinese vessel, with the Filipino fishermen left at sea. They were rescued by a passing Vietnamese vessel. DFA summoned CDA Tan Qingsheng on June 14, 2019. On Wednesday, reporting on Twitter about the status of the Chinese militia vessels’ swarming presence on Julian Felipe Reef, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., said he had just been informed by the National Task Force on West Philippine Sea that “only 9 ships left.” However, Locsin—who had earlier vowed to file diplomatic protests for each day the boats do not leave—added, “We have yet to see complete removal of ships.” Meanwhile, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario expressed his full support in summoning Ambassador Huang over the “illegal lingering presence of Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe Reef.”

EXECS UNMOVED BY FLAK ON P4.2-B CORON-CULION BRIDGE By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

@akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

NVIRONMENTALISTS and tourism leaders have stepped up their opposition to the P4.2-billion CoronCulion bridge, due to its impact on the rich marine resources of Coron, a world-famous popular diving site. In a letter to Public Works Secretary Mark Villar dated March 22, 2021, a copy of which was obtained by the BusinessMirror, former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Z. Lim, said, “There appears to be no environmental impact assessments conducted for this project. Republic Act 7611, the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act, prescribes guidelines in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the environmental protection and sustainable development of the entire province. The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), chaired by Gov. Jose Ch. Alvarez, is the body which is tasked to lead the monitoring and evaluation and to grant environmental clearances for all projects in Palawan.” She added, “There have been

no stakeholder consultations held regarding this major infrastructure project.…This seeming lack of transparency has given rise to speculations, such as the presence of several DPWH trucks and equipment parked in front of the barangay captain’s house in Brgy. Bintuan.... Will these be used to build the gravel road that will connect Brgy. Bintuan to Lusong Island?” She underscored, “Lusong Island, the site chosen to connect the bridge to Marily Island, Culion, has several marine protected areas surrounding it as well as ECAN areas (Environmentally Critical Areas Network) subject to restrictions according to law. It is not, therefore the right site for the bridge, even if it is the shortest connecting point. Putting the bridge there will destroy one of the main attractions of Coron.” Lim said, since her letter, Villar, nor the other government officials and Cabinet secretaries she has copied on it, have replied to it. These include: Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat. Continued on A4

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Companies BusinessMirror

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Petron to raise $550M via perpetual bonds issuance P By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

etron Corp. will issue senior perpetual capital securities to raise $550 million which will be used mainly for debt repayment and for general corporate purposes. The oil company said it will issue senior perpetual capital securities on April 19. The distribution rate is 5.95 percent per annum until April 19, 2026, payable semi-annually on April 19 and October 19. The securities will be listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd. (SGX-ST). “The securities will be traded on the SGX-ST in a minimum board lot size of

$200,000 for as long as the securities are listed on the SGX-ST and the rules of the SGX-ST so require,” Petron’s final offering circular stated. The oil firm has tapped Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd. (HSBC) as sole global coordinator while the joint lead managers and joint bookrunners for the capital raising activity are DBS Bank Ltd., HSBC,

MUFG Securities Asia Ltd., SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Ltd., Standard Chartered Bank and UBS AG Singapore branch. BDO Capital & Investment Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., and PNB Capital and Investment Corp. are the domestic lead managers. Petron has temporarily ceased operation of its 180,000 barrels per day refinery in Bataan. It will resume operations in May or June this year. It is now seeking to complete the requirements cited by the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) to make Petron’s Bataan refinery one of the registered enterprises of the freeport zone. This move also involves an additional investment of P3 billion in the next 5 years. The country’s largest oil company also plans to build a Refinery Solid Fired Boiler (RSFBB-3) Phase 3 that would entail an in-

LRMC to suspend operations of LRT-1 T

he Light Rail Manila Corp. on Tuesday announced the temporary suspension of LRT-1 operations for two weekends in April 2021 to continue maintenance work on the LRT-1 system. The shutdown on April 17–18 and April 24–25, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) will allow LRMC to complete the remaining maintenance and rehabilitation works started during the Holy Week. The works to be carried out during this period would cover the maintenance of trains, stations, and various systems including the scheduled replacement of overhead catenary wires. The additional days will also accelerate the preparations needed for the commercial use of the new Generation-4 train sets in the fourth quarter. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has confirmed the deployment of public utility buses,

running on Route 17 (Monumento to EDSA via Rizal Avenue/Taft Avenue), to support affected commuters during the temporary weekend shutdown. There will be no changes in the service schedule of LRT-1 on weekdays: Northbound train (4:30 a.m. to 9:15 p.m.), Southbound train (4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.). LRMC made an assurance that it will continue to enforce its health and safety protocols, as well as comply with the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases while performing the maintenance works during this period. The public is advised to be guided accordingly and plan their essential trips ahead during this period. Follow @officialLRT1 on Facebook and Twitter and download the ikotMNL mobile app on App Store or Google Play for more updates.

UPS expands WWEF shipment service in PHL

PS has expanded its Worldwide Express Freight (WWEF) shipment service to more postal codes in the Philippines to help its customers meet urgent delivery requirements. Businesses like West Point Engineering Inc. will benefit from time-guaranteed palletized shipments above 70 kilograms to more areas in Bulacan, Mabalacat, Angeles City, Laguna and Batangas, allowing businesses to more easily and quickly replenish bulk inventories. “We have been a partner of UPS for over seven years,” said Dennis Ziganay, president and CEO of West Point Engineering. “Through this pandemic, we’ve been able to meet the demands of these challenging times… thanks to UPS.” West Point Engineering Supplies Inc. provides specialized products and solutions to essential infrastructures in the Philippines, such as water, energy and meteorology. Among its list of projects is a 10-year program with the weather information services company, Earth Networks, and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. They’ll collaborate to use weather monitoring sensors that provide earlier warnings for tropical storms. For West Point Engineering, speed and efficiency is essential in installing and maintaining specialized equipment like weather radars, which can save lives and homes. Last year, on top of dealing with the pandemic, the Philippines was hit by Super Typhoon Goni, the most powerful tropical cyclone in the world in 2020. Goni, or Rolly as it is locally known, ploughed through Luzon and affected 2.7 million people, displacing 31,000 and damaging or destroying 281,000 homes. Sanitation and hygiene become immediate concerns in the aftermath of a storm like this, with essential water infrastructure usually damaged. With businesses needing a more agile and precise process in responding to the needs of the market and its customers, accessibility is key in

Weather monitoring sensors of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. Contributed Photo

responding to natural disasters around the globe. “Exporters, SMEs and long-time partners like West Point Engineering are important contributors to the local economy. As they grow and expand, we listen to their changing supply chain requirements and cater to their needs,” said Chris Buono, managing director of UPS Philippines and Indonesia. “Whether it’s one of the several natural calamities that occurred in the Philippines or an ongoing pandemic, UPS is committed to delivering what matters for our customers as they bounce back from a difficult year.”

Contributed Photo

vestment of P11 billion. Dubbed as the “Petron Refinery Special Projects” the main facilities of the project will be two 200 tph Circulating Fluidized Broiler (CFB), two 22megawatt Backpressure Turbine Generators, 500-meter fuel transfer line. m The oil firm posted a net loss of P11.4 billion in 2020, from the previous year’s P2.3-billion net income, as revenues plummeted by 44 percent to P286 billion. “Our demand is low, fuel demand is very low,” said Petron President and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang. Despite this, he said Petron will continue to expand its retail network, which has around 2,800 service stations. “We will continue to expand our network especially if there’s a good location.” Petron’s operations in Malaysia, he said, are “much better than the Philippines.”

Grab to list in US in record $40-B deal G

rab Holdings Inc., Southeast Asia’s most valuable startup, is going public in the United States through a merger with blank-check company Altimeter Growth Corp. in what is the largest-ever deal of its kind. The Singapore-based startup is set to have a market value of about $39.6 billion after the combination with the special purpose acquisition company of Brad Gerstner’s Altimeter Capital Management, the firms said in a statement Tuesday. Grab is raising more than $4 billion from investors including BlackRock Inc., Fidelity International and T. Rowe Price Group Inc. as part of the biggest US equity offering by a Southeast Asian company. The deal would make the ride-hailing and food-delivery giant the first Southeast Asian tech unicorn to go public through a SPAC and give it funds to expand. Grab is trying to take advantage of a US-led SPAC listing boom even though it’s showing signs of slowing amid increased scrutiny by regulators. “This is definitely one of the best internet companies,” Gerstner said in an interview. “The runway ahead is very long and very wide for Grab if they continue to execute.” The combined entity’s stock will trade on the Nasdaq in the coming months under the ticker GRAB. Altimeter Capital, which orchestrated the initial public offering of Altimeter Growth in September, is putting $750 million into the company, about a fifth of the fresh funds raised. That, together with a three-year lockup period for its sponsor shares, indicates Altimeter’s long-term commitment to the company, Grab Chief Executive Officer Anthony Tan said. Altimeter, which manages $15 billion of assets, has also committed as much as $500 million to a contingent investment to be equal to the total amount of redemptions by Altimeter Growth’s shareholders. “From sovereign wealth funds to mutual funds, it is world-class investors who are investing in us,” Tan said in an interview. “The world is seeing the potential of Southeast Asia and how exciting this region is.” Bloomberg News

Companies BusinessMirror

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

April 13, 2021

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

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MEDCO HLDG MANULIFE NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH

41.75 101.4 81.5 22.85 7.71 9.72 43.7 9.51 22.05 22.8 55.3 17.04 119.1 69.75 1.67 3.97 3.14 1.54 0.405 950 0.74 142.3

43.4 101.6 82 23 8.1 9.77 43.8 10.34 23.45 22.9 56.3 17.5 119.3 69.85 1.7 3.98 3.24 1.55 0.425 970 0.77 146

41.85 103.5 82 23 8.19 9.79 44.75 10.06 23.4 23 56.3 17.5 121.7 70.1 1.8 3.95 3.13 1.54 0.44 970 0.77 146

41.85 103.5 82.7 23 8.19 9.85 44.8 10.4 23.4 23 56.3 17.5 121.7 70.1 1.87 3.97 3.24 1.64 0.44 970 0.77 146.2

41.75 101.3 81.05 22.8 7.68 9.71 43.7 10.06 23.4 22.75 55.25 17.5 119 69.85 1.64 3.94 3.13 1.53 0.41 970 0.77 142

41.75 101.4 81.5 22.85 8.1 9.72 43.7 10.3 23.4 22.8 56.1 17.5 119.3 69.85 1.7 3.97 3.24 1.54 0.425 970 0.77 146

11,600 2,424,300 1,839,350 134,300 3,200 85,400 4,849,600 8,900 2,900 1,907,200 1,820 400 334,290 3,430 3,375,000 122,000 4,000 673,000 340,000 10 1,000 19,220

485,450 246,574,319 149,833,747.50 3,067,455 25,887 835,238 213,686,075 91,520 67,860 43,581,235 101,994.50 7,000 40,002,252 240,179.50 6,030,930 482,420 12,630 1,044,460 140,450 9,700 770 2,779,883

-4,175 -52,576,196 -80,484,800.50 -328,825 -403,988.00 -63,847,990 -2,567,420 -20,987,979 -75,524 18,500 669,561

INDUSTRIAL AC ENERGY 7.29 7.3 7.76 7.8 7.27 7.29 34,651,400 261,267,507 ALSONS CONS 1.27 1.29 1.26 1.3 1.26 1.29 1,325,000 1,710,830 ABOITIZ POWER 23.55 23.6 24 24.05 23.6 23.6 1,820,700 43,195,070 0.96 0.97 1 1.04 0.96 0.97 124,038,000 123,488,400 BASIC ENERGY 30.65 30.85 31.1 31.1 30.35 30.85 396,200 12,176,950 FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG 67.75 68 68.5 68.6 67.75 67.75 28,810 1,953,424 MERALCO 275 278.6 282.2 282.6 275 278.6 165,460 45,869,874 14.82 14.9 15.08 15.08 14.6 14.9 1,605,300 23,825,534 MANILA WATER 3.18 3.22 3.34 3.35 3.17 3.18 1,448,000 4,679,890 PETRON PETROENERGY 3.8 3.81 3.9 3.9 3.81 3.81 15,000 57,510 PHX PETROLEUM 12 12.26 12 12.28 12 12.26 5,700 69,852 PILIPINAS SHELL 20.55 20.7 20.5 20.65 20.35 20.55 664,000 13,649,130 10.56 10.58 10.8 10.8 10.5 10.58 249,300 2,653,832 SPC POWER 6.91 7 7 7.13 6.9 7 2,001,200 14,210,440 AGRINURTURE AXELUM 3.45 3.48 3.45 3.47 3.41 3.45 877,000 3,013,750 CNTRL AZUCARERA 13.4 13.5 13.86 13.86 13.5 13.5 7,400 100,716 18.5 18.56 18.74 18.74 18.4 18.5 1,045,600 19,350,386 CENTURY FOOD 9.21 9.25 9.65 9.7 9.2 9.21 140,900 1,327,790 DEL MONTE DNL INDUS 7.08 7.14 7.29 7.29 7.06 7.08 1,264,100 9,004,188 EMPERADOR 10.48 10.5 10.4 10.5 10.32 10.5 691,700 7,222,716 67.65 67.9 68.15 68.15 66.7 67.9 266,640 18,038,944.50 SMC FOODANDBEV 0.64 0.66 0.63 0.68 0.63 0.67 404,000 265,630 ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG 1.38 1.4 1.38 1.41 1.37 1.4 6,837,000 9,439,180 GINEBRA 52.45 52.9 53 53.4 51.95 52.9 58,300 3,089,192.50 JOLLIBEE 179.4 179.6 178.5 180.3 178.5 179.4 208,120 37,395,397 7.32 7.81 7.83 7.83 7.3 7.81 1,400 10,357 MACAY HLDG MAXS GROUP 5.96 5.98 5.94 6.08 5.92 5.98 61,300 364,562 MG HLDG 0.35 0.355 0.345 0.38 0.335 0.355 46,570,000 16,774,800 SHAKEYS PIZZA 7.24 7.29 7.23 7.27 7.23 7.24 8,465,600 61,292,549 1.1 1.11 1.13 1.13 1.09 1.11 3,581,000 3,931,490 ROXAS AND CO 1.43 1.5 1.46 1.46 1.42 1.42 36,000 51,720 ROXAS HLDG SWIFT FOODS 0.137 0.139 0.14 0.141 0.136 0.138 10,810,000 1,494,070 UNIV ROBINA 131 131.3 138 138 131 131 2,011,450 267,713,015 VITARICH 0.84 0.85 0.86 0.87 0.83 0.84 1,710,000 1,451,010 56 59.85 55.6 56 55.6 56 740 41,348 CONCRETE A CONCRETE B 60.1 67 74 74 68 68 940 65,358.50 CEMEX HLDG 1.2 1.21 1.19 1.21 1.18 1.2 1,653,000 1,969,980 DAVINCI CAPITAL 3.09 3.1 3.27 3.27 3.04 3.1 6,490,000 20,318,710 11.36 11.66 11.2 11.4 11.2 11.36 89,600 1,006,200 EAGLE CEMENT 7.32 7.36 7.36 7.36 7.3 7.36 30,100 221,174 EEI CORP HOLCIM 5.56 5.57 5.77 5.77 5.55 5.57 163,000 914,851 MEGAWIDE 6.65 6.7 6.88 6.88 6.6 6.65 611,100 4,101,854 PHINMA 12.2 12.32 12.3 12.32 12.2 12.32 53,200 654,436 1.17 1.18 1.16 1.21 1.14 1.18 682,000 801,380 TKC METALS 2.49 2.5 2.45 2.54 2.41 2.49 17,445,000 43,305,860 VULCAN INDL CROWN ASIA 1.84 1.86 1.85 1.86 1.81 1.86 463,000 846,630 EUROMED 2.04 2.08 2.1 2.1 2.05 2.05 58,000 119,400 4.5 4.92 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 10,000 45,000 LMG CORP MABUHAY VINYL 4.6 4.63 4.62 4.63 4.6 4.63 11,000 50,860 PRYCE CORP 5.31 5.49 5.31 5.31 5.31 5.31 21,900 116,289 CONCEPCION 21.4 21.6 21.6 21.6 21.6 21.6 1,900 41,040 GREENERGY 3.75 3.76 4.01 4.01 3.76 3.76 24,425,000 94,918,120 10.88 10.9 11.18 11.18 10.82 10.9 219,400 2,400,466 INTEGRATED MICR 1.13 1.14 1.14 1.14 1.13 1.13 25,000 28,470 IONICS PANASONIC 5.61 5.91 5.91 5.91 5.91 5.91 100 591 SFA SEMICON 1.39 1.4 1.4 1.43 1.39 1.4 276,000 387,160 6.06 6.07 6.4 6.4 6.07 6.07 1,614,000 9,962,066 CIRTEK HLDG

-4,790,323 -8,054,925 -1,405,450 -3,856,035 535,396 -25,911,128 -5,945,388 -1,993,450 1,299,185 19,116 -62,538 -539,450 -741,066.00 -141,647 -4,002,395 -1,544,202 -24,673 13,700 127,296 -13,475,090 -19,024 -502,450 -51,833,503 -146,430 -99,842,376 17,000 -285,090 -318,570 -26,040 -17,578 -92,744 -820,892 -393,600 -43,940 -846,610 -302,410 -32,688 4,200 671,950

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 1.15 1.16 1.23 1.24 1.15 1.15 40,588,000 47,966,000 ASIABEST GROUP 7.21 7.45 7.49 7.49 7.21 7.21 8,800 63,500 AYALA CORP 750 755.5 750 763.5 744 755.5 150,580 113,021,250 34.9 35.4 35.1 35.9 34.7 35.4 1,192,300 41,917,995 ABOITIZ EQUITY 10.64 10.68 11.06 11.3 10.62 10.64 9,859,100 106,111,088 ALLIANCE GLOBAL AYALA LAND LOG 3.03 3.04 3.14 3.15 3.04 3.04 1,199,000 3,692,070 ANSCOR 6.64 6.68 6.77 6.77 6.6 6.68 11,800 78,884 0.67 0.72 0.74 0.75 0.67 0.67 4,481,000 3,104,060 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.74 0.75 0.77 0.77 0.74 0.74 2,341,000 1,749,430 ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B 0.74 0.78 0.75 0.75 0.74 0.74 67,000 50,130 COSCO CAPITAL 5.27 5.28 5.36 5.36 5.27 5.28 3,432,100 18,193,357 DMCI HLDG 5.21 5.22 5.3 5.3 5.21 5.22 2,970,300 15,554,520 0.25 0.3 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 10,000 2,500 FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL 528 532 535 537 523 528 125,870 66,377,060 HOUSE OF INV 3.62 3.75 3.78 3.78 3.78 3.78 4,000 15,120 JG SUMMIT 59.05 60 60 60.3 58.4 60 1,276,760 76,170,548.50 1.16 1.17 1.1 1.23 1.06 1.16 38,735,000 44,999,850 LODESTAR 3.31 3.48 3.31 3.31 3.31 3.31 5,000 16,550 LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP 13.38 13.58 13.26 13.58 13.26 13.58 842,600 11,329,330 MABUHAY HLDG 0.5 0.51 0.5 0.51 0.5 0.51 192,000 96,040 MJC INVESTMENTS 1.76 1.8 1.75 1.84 1.75 1.84 31,000 54,340 3.93 3.97 3.91 4.04 3.91 3.95 44,901,000 177,673,860 METRO PAC INV 3.7 3.78 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.7 18,000 67,620 PACIFICA HLDG PRIME MEDIA 2.99 3.01 3.01 3.1 2.91 3.01 3,717,000 11,127,170 SOLID GROUP 1.28 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.28 1.3 87,000 112,740 341 385 361 385 333 385 600 208,050 SYNERGY GRID SM INVESTMENTS 965 970 971 974.5 957.5 970 196,130 189,650,845 SAN MIGUEL CORP 116.5 116.9 118.8 119.5 116.3 116.9 71,810 8,398,923 SOC RESOURCES 0.73 0.74 0.78 0.78 0.74 0.74 82,000 61,760 2.18 2.49 2.16 2.16 2.16 2.16 1,000 2,160 SEAFRONT RES TOP FRONTIER 131.2 132 132 134.9 132 132 580 76,705 0.275 0.28 0.29 0.295 0.27 0.275 9,280,000 2,645,000 WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG 0.204 0.214 0.214 0.214 0.204 0.214 30,000 6,320

-601,950 62,006 -6,072,355 -19,077,485 -16,021,170 42,470 13,540 26,790 -3,765,152 -7,887,321 -45,704,535 -1,895,420.50 55,790 -1,938,864 -1,020 -64,854,680 -125,070 -58,618,030 -1,539,604 6,745 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.65 0.67 0.67 0.67 0.66 0.66 1,361,000 900,060 ANCHOR LAND 7.61 8.19 8.29 8.29 7.42 7.42 200 1,571 AYALA LAND 33.25 33.3 34.15 34.15 33.25 33.3 15,676,700 524,928,900 1.23 1.32 1.23 1.23 1.23 1.23 16,000 19,680 ARANETA PROP AREIT RT 33.85 33.9 34 34.1 33.7 33.9 547,700 18,565,525 BELLE CORP 1.52 1.55 1.5 1.55 1.5 1.55 48,000 73,550 A BROWN 0.9 0.91 0.95 0.97 0.9 0.91 4,270,000 4,001,930 1.08 1.09 1.22 1.26 1.04 1.08 7,712,000 8,788,910 CITYLAND DEVT 0.136 0.137 0.142 0.142 0.135 0.136 62,260,000 8,421,830 CROWN EQUITIES CEBU HLDG 6.31 6.48 6.3 6.31 6.3 6.31 12,700 80,017 CEB LANDMASTERS 5.51 5.53 5.55 5.7 5.48 5.51 3,882,700 21,538,240 CENTURY PROP 0.385 0.395 0.39 0.4 0.37 0.395 19,000,000 7,368,450 0.345 0.355 0.335 0.365 0.335 0.355 1,380,000 491,000 CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON 13 13.08 13 13.2 12.9 13.08 545,900 7,118,706 DDMP RT 2.2 2.21 2.24 2.24 2.2 2.21 14,417,000 31,985,430 DM WENCESLAO 6.85 6.87 6.95 6.95 6.87 6.87 50,300 347,631 0.285 0.29 0.295 0.295 0.29 0.29 1,030,000 298,750 EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO 0.128 0.13 0.142 0.142 0.126 0.128 38,890,000 5,104,120 FILINVEST LAND 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.14 1.12 1.13 2,338,000 2,636,670 GLOBAL ESTATE 0.82 0.84 0.83 0.86 0.82 0.82 185,000 155,690 8990 HLDG 7.11 7.34 7.11 7.11 7.11 7.11 1,300 9,243 1.36 1.39 1.42 1.43 1.36 1.39 845,000 1,172,320 PHIL INFRADEV 2.81 3.58 2.79 2.79 2.79 2.79 2,000 5,580 KEPPEL PROP CITY AND LAND 2.45 2.46 2.65 2.73 2.3 2.45 16,814,000 41,603,860 MEGAWORLD 3.59 3.6 3.69 3.72 3.6 3.6 26,707,000 96,715,250 0.385 0.39 0.405 0.405 0.385 0.39 37,650,000 14,823,200 MRC ALLIED 0.7 0.71 0.77 0.78 0.67 0.7 82,041,000 58,604,030 PHIL ESTATES PRIMEX CORP 3.04 3.05 3.2 3.33 2.92 3.04 15,576,000 47,541,670 ROBINSONS LAND 17.7 18 18.3 18.3 17.66 18 1,126,200 20,100,552 0.27 0.275 0.275 0.275 0.275 0.275 890,000 244,750 PHIL REALTY ROCKWELL 1.53 1.58 1.54 1.56 1.51 1.51 141,000 217,470 2.68 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.69 2.69 26,000 69,960 SHANG PROP STA LUCIA LAND 2.21 2.28 2.22 2.28 2.21 2.28 110,000 247,190 SM PRIME HLDG 34.8 35 35.7 35.8 34.6 35 3,541,500 123,957,580 3.81 3.9 3.92 3.92 3.81 3.92 23,000 88,690 VISTAMALLS SUNTRUST HOME 1.49 1.55 1.52 1.55 1.49 1.49 690,000 1,046,520 VISTA LAND 3.79 3.8 3.84 3.84 3.75 3.8 1,039,000 3,936,350

-295,295,405 -11,834,140 -29,000 246,840 57,812 80,550 -106,664 -742,090 -52,000 -1,025,440 -860 9,040 124,770 -62,223,070 472,200 -122,570 4,631,570 -15,517,102 -70,510 50,830 -70,141,205 16,570 -1,392,020

SERVICES ABS CBN 10.8 10.84 10.88 10.94 10.8 10.84 307,800 3,337,858 GMA NETWORK 8.87 8.88 8.93 8.93 8.82 8.88 2,537,000 22,497,659 MANILA BULLETIN 0.46 0.49 0.46 0.46 0.46 0.46 260,000 119,600 10.38 11.48 10.38 11.48 10.38 11.48 2,600 27,888 MLA BRDCASTING GLOBE TELECOM 1,815 1,825 1,825 1,826 1,805 1,825 52,435 95,098,620 PLDT 1,225 1,229 1,240 1,250 1,224 1,225 112,070 137,437,905 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.201 0.202 0.209 0.209 0.2 0.201 419,970,000 85,500,790 17.72 17.78 18.08 18.24 17.58 17.78 5,857,000 104,132,294 CONVERGE 4.06 4.07 3.72 4.18 3.65 4.07 1,096,000 4,215,870 DFNN INC DITO CME HLDG 10.6 10.62 11.16 11.16 10.54 10.6 17,036,200 183,678,928 IMPERIAL 1.6 1.72 1.73 1.73 1.73 1.73 4,000 6,920 JACKSTONES 2.11 2.2 2.13 2.2 2.11 2.2 23,000 49,160 2.93 2.96 3.25 3.26 2.91 2.93 9,570,000 29,435,810 NOW CORP 0.445 0.45 0.46 0.47 0.445 0.445 21,800,000 9,936,250 TRANSPACIFIC BR PHILWEB 2.67 2.68 2.7 2.74 2.62 2.67 1,153,000 3,074,050 2GO GROUP 8.42 8.48 8.42 8.49 8.4 8.48 88,700 745,829 15.06 15.5 15.5 15.5 15.5 15.5 2,000 31,000 ASIAN TERMINALS CHELSEA 3.39 3.41 3.6 3.62 3.35 3.39 1,583,000 5,510,640 CEBU AIR 48.35 48.4 48.2 48.4 47.95 48.4 376,700 18,098,905 INTL CONTAINER 126 126.6 125.9 127.4 124.6 126.6 2,006,520 253,500,258 LBC EXPRESS 16.38 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.4 100 1,640 1.01 1.06 1.01 1.06 1.01 1.06 8,000 8,130 LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA 4.84 4.85 4.96 5.06 4.82 4.85 1,582,000 7,760,030 METROALLIANCE A 2.51 2.57 2.58 2.64 2.54 2.57 600,000 1,554,900 PAL HLDG 6.1 6.15 6.15 6.15 6.1 6.1 32,300 198,085 1.26 1.29 1.29 1.33 1.26 1.29 832,000 1,075,050 HARBOR STAR 1.73 1.79 1.86 1.86 1.72 1.79 489,000 866,340 ACESITE HOTEL BOULEVARD HLDG 0.091 0.092 0.087 0.091 0.087 0.091 166,850,000 14,853,690 DISCOVERY WORLD 3.77 3.78 3.9 4 3.76 3.78 550,000 2,117,440 0.64 0.65 0.69 0.69 0.63 0.65 27,219,000 17,966,080 WATERFRONT 0.385 0.395 0.39 0.39 0.38 0.385 820,000 315,950 STI HLDG BERJAYA 4.47 4.65 4.59 4.6 4.59 4.6 4,000 18,380 BLOOMBERRY 6.89 6.91 6.9 7 6.8 6.91 1,556,900 10,747,912 PACIFIC ONLINE 2.05 2.08 2.08 2.08 2.03 2.05 31,000 63,230 1.85 1.86 1.91 1.95 1.86 1.86 597,000 1,119,740 LEISURE AND RES 1.99 2 2.02 2.02 2 2 133,000 266,270 MANILA JOCKEY PH RESORTS GRP 2.2 2.21 2.28 2.3 2.2 2.2 3,060,000 6,778,500 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.4 0.42 0.435 0.44 0.39 0.4 10,270,000 4,257,400 6.1 6.2 6.15 6.15 6.15 6.15 300 1,845 PHIL RACING ALLHOME 7.76 7.95 7.95 7.95 7.73 7.95 138,400 1,081,383 1.31 1.32 1.32 1.34 1.31 1.32 345,000 456,120 METRO RETAIL PUREGOLD 37.15 37.2 37.1 37.35 37 37.2 2,297,400 85,410,195 ROBINSONS RTL 55.5 56.4 55 56.5 55 56.4 314,640 17,697,147.50 100 102 99 100 96.5 100 3,520 351,208.50 PHIL SEVEN CORP 1.22 1.24 1.25 1.25 1.22 1.22 765,000 941,100 SSI GROUP WILCON DEPOT 17.36 17.48 17.26 17.46 17.24 17.36 462,000 7,991,760 APC GROUP 0.4 0.415 0.4 0.405 0.39 0.405 5,280,000 2,083,000 6.55 6.65 6.8 6.8 6.52 6.52 11,000 72,462 EASYCALL GOLDEN MV 415 446 448 448 440 446 210 93,080 PRMIERE HORIZON 2.21 2.22 2.3 2.32 2.2 2.21 22,078,000 49,751,870 SBS PHIL CORP 4.21 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 22,000 99,000

-53,806,055 -72,308,760 -1,291,170 -17,440,700.00 488,610 8,538,420 6,920 -355,400 -141,250 -59,480 -860 3,039,600 -14,263,626 -1,231,450 55,350 -48,350 -6,880 -1,030,540 3,800 149,020 -2,177,432 20,350 -19,000 -64,430 82,100 -128,127 -362,120 -11,729,070 -6,704,232.50 154,757.50 -203,720 -1,322,606 429,250 -2,017,060 -

MINING & OIL ATOK 9.98 9.99 9.59 10.38 9.49 9.98 2,553,600 25,493,747 -269,844 APEX MINING 1.45 1.46 1.45 1.49 1.45 1.45 667,000 974,150 -169,890 5.93 5.94 6.14 6.15 5.93 5.93 570,200 3,408,328 60,139 ATLAS MINING 0.295 0.3 0.31 0.31 0.3 0.3 240,000 72,500 COAL ASIA HLDG CENTURY PEAK 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.8 26,000 69,000 69,000 DIZON MINES 8.51 9 9.01 9.19 9 9 8,800 79,506 -5,514 2.51 2.52 2.56 2.59 2.5 2.51 5,425,000 13,764,110 3,126,550 FERRONICKEL 0.35 0.36 0.375 0.39 0.345 0.36 7,350,000 2,616,100 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.13 0.131 0.131 0.134 0.13 0.13 4,550,000 594,200 MANILA MINING A 0.0097 0.0098 0.0097 0.0098 0.0097 0.0098 4,000,000 39,000 MANILA MINING B 0.0098 0.01 0.0099 0.0099 0.0099 0.0099 1,000,000 9,900 1.2 1.21 1.26 1.26 1.2 1.21 353,000 430,100 -68,370 MARCVENTURES 1.82 1.85 1.95 1.95 1.82 1.82 823,000 1,517,110 NIHAO NICKEL ASIA 5.09 5.1 5.05 5.19 5.03 5.1 6,070,600 30,754,323 6,611,767 OMICO CORP 0.415 0.445 0.45 0.45 0.45 0.45 20,000 9,000 0.89 0.9 0.93 0.94 0.87 0.92 1,312,000 1,188,100 -930 ORNTL PENINSULA 4.55 4.72 4.55 4.57 4.5 4.55 499,000 2,263,390 -295,330 PX MINING SEMIRARA MINING 11.76 11.78 12 12 11.76 11.78 1,469,800 17,395,440 -3,821,580 UNITED PARAGON 0.0087 0.009 0.0091 0.0096 0.0087 0.0087 132,000,000 1,182,800 22.75 22.9 22 23 21.75 22.9 585,000 13,152,885 -265,835 ACE ENEXOR 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.013 33,800,000 405,900 ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B 0.012 0.013 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 1,000,000 12,000 PHILODRILL 0.012 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.012 0.013 112,700,000 1,362,800 PXP ENERGY 8.08 8.09 8.05 8.27 8.05 8.09 173,200 1,404,339 14,185 PREFFERED HOUSE PREF A 99.8 101.5 99.8 99.8 99.8 99.8 1,500 149,700 CEB PREF 43.3 43.35 43.5 43.5 42.85 43.3 30,800 1,330,785 142,310 CPG PREF A 101.3 103.5 103.5 103.5 103.5 103.5 10 1,035 100.7 101.8 101.8 101.8 101.2 101.8 24,440 2,487,872 DD PREF GTCAP PREF A 1,000 1,030 1,030 1,030 1,000 1,000 70 70,150 MWIDE PREF 101 101.7 101.8 101.8 101.8 101.8 100 10,180 MWIDE PREF 2B 100.5 101 100.5 101 100.5 101 10,200 1,029,605 995 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 750 750,000 PNX PREF 4 PCOR PREF 3A 1,115 1,117 1,115 1,116 1,115 1,116 1,020 1,138,300 PCOR PREF 3B 1,145 1,155 1,155 1,155 1,155 1,155 2,030 2,344,650 SMC PREF 2C 78.6 79 79.85 79.85 78.6 78.6 2,710 213,464 SMC PREF 2F 79.1 79.5 79.3 79.5 79.1 79.1 936,500 74,260,274 76.95 77.95 76.95 77.95 76.95 76.95 742,980 57,872,625 SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I 79.5 79.8 79.5 79.8 79.5 79.5 16,060 1,276,788 SMC PREF 2J 77 77.05 76.3 77 76.25 77 32,160 2,471,194 SMC PREF 2K 76.55 77.1 76.5 76.55 76.5 76.55 2,450 187,447.50 - PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 10.44 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 60,000 630,000 -630,000 GMA HLDG PDR 8.31 8.32 8.36 8.44 8.32 8.32 243,800 2,032,758 615,936 WARRANTS LR WARRANT 2.1 2.13 2.25 2.32 2.06 2.1 9,204,000 20,017,740 88,150 SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ALTUS PROP 19.52 19.54 21 21.4 19.52 19.54 265,000 5,294,137 88,895 ITALPINAS 2.51 2.55 2.59 2.62 2.5 2.51 1,197,000 3,022,110 -14,880 KEPWEALTH 5.26 5.48 5.45 5.55 5.25 5.55 10,200 55,476 5.36 5.37 5.6 5.63 5.36 5.37 11,190,500 61,154,635 -863,931 MERRYMART EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF 98 99.75 99.75 100 98 98 42,470 4,190,796.50 342,519.50

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Commercial vehicles drive car sales growth in March

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@TyronePiad

he automotive industry registered an 87.7-percent year-onyear growth in sales in March, driven mostly by the commercial vehicle (CV) segment. Car sales in March reached 20,702 units, which are markedly higher compared to the 1,029 units sold in the same month last year, according to the joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (Campi) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA). Bulk of the sales is accounted for by the CV segment at 14,041 units,

which is 78.2 percent higher than the 7,879 units in March last year. Sales of passenger cars, meanwhile, more than doubled to 6,661 units. Still, auto sales in March saw a 21.1-percent decline from 26,230 units in February. Campi President Rommel Gutierrez said the lower sales were due to

the imposition of provisional safeguard duty on imported cars and the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) which restricted operations. “The auto industry felt the slowdown in sales due to the reluctance of buyers with the additional deposit for some imported vehicles because of the provisional safeguard duty. The lockdown also forced dealers to close operations that badly hit the already struggling auto industry,” Gutierrez said, adding that the 87.7-percent growth was only a “rebound mainly due to the lockdown imposed in the same period last year.” In January, the Department of Trade and Industry imposed provisional safeguard duties in the form of a cash bond amounting to P70,000 per unit for imported passenger cars and P110,000 per unit for imported light commercial vehicles.

ECQ, meanwhile, was recently imposed on the National Capital Region and nearby provinces, including Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal, amid the surge in Covid-19 cases. The government over the weekend eased the lockdown measure in said areas to modified ECQ until April 30. In the first quarter, total industry sales improved by 8.9 percent to 70,312 units from 64,542 units sold in the same period last year. Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. led the industry with a 47.07-percent market share. The Japanese automaker saw its year-to-date sales climb by 28.8 percent to 33,095 units from last year’s 25,696 units. This was followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. and Nissan Philippines Inc. with sales of 11,788 units and 5,198 units, respectively, in the first quarter.

Megawide to start building Malolos-Clark rail By VG Cabuag @villygc

egawide Construction Corp. on Tuesday said it is preparing to start construction of the Malolos-Clark Railway Project (MCRP) Phase 1 in the second quarter. The company said its batching plant, formworks and construction equipment and logistics services businesses are gearing up to supply concrete and provide support facilities to the consortium of Korean firms Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd., Dong-ah Geological Engineering Company Ltd. and Megawide after going through and winning a bidding process. To meet the requirements, Megawide will build two mobile batching plants in the area to ensure efficient production and delivery of highquality ready-mix concrete, while the formworks segment has already begun the installation of temporary facilities that will house equipment at the project site. The combined contracts for the services is more than P3.1 billion, some P2.9 billion for the supply of concrete materials, P152 million for the provision of temporary facilities and another P59 million for the initial equipment supply contract. Megawide said it believes that the government’s rollout of major infrastructure projects, like the MCRP, the North-South Commuter Rail Project-South Line and the Metro Manila Subway System Project, will jumpstart the economy.

“Megawide will continue to leverage on its vertically-integrated construction advantage to deliver much-needed infrastructure projects like the MCRP, on time and with high quality and excellent workmanship. Together with our partners, we are ready to begin building a first-world railway that every Filipino deserves,” Edgar Saavedra, Megawide chairman and CEO, said. Megawide said it continues to increase the capacity of its ancillary business units under its engineering, procurement and construction platform to complement its pre-cast technology. The company operates a 20-hectare industrial facility in Taytay, Rizal, which houses its main pre-cast plant, other ancillary business and a stockyard. The company also maintains mobile and strategic site-based batching and pre-cast plants for large-scale projects. “We believe that on top of our expertise in construction and engineering services, our wide array of integrated EPC services attracts foreign partners as it also gives them access to worldclass facilities and products at very competitive prices. This is our game plan all along and we are seeing the benefits as we are able to realize the value along the supply chain, which we eventually share with our partners,” Saavedra said. The MCRP is part of the 17-kilometer NorthSouth Commuter Railway Project of the Department of Transportation that will link the New Clark City and the Clark International Airport to Metro Manila and nearby cities.

HP Enterprise, Globe to test MEC solution

EWLETT Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced on Tuesday its execution of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Globe Telecom to provide the latter’s customers with low latency cloud services. Delivered to select users via its newly-built Edge Incubation Lab, the largest mobile operator in the country is bringing data-intensive workloads, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning closer to customers for faster data processing and analysis. Making this possible is HPE’s pre-integrated, telco-grade Multi-access Edge Compute (MEC) asa-service solution that is capable of integrated management, service operation, and traffic control. It also allows customers like Globe to start small and have the flexibility to scale out to meet future requirements. “Today, not only consumers but also businesses continue to optimize the use of large data and network traffic to compete in the digital economy. With MEC technology’s introduction, enterprises are seeking to move business-critical applications to the edge for latency, cost, and security reasons,” the company said. While telcos worldwide have seen a steep network traffic surge as revenues have largely remained flat, they are well positioned to lead the edge services market since they already have the infrastructure powering their current mobile and fixed networks. Globe Telecom, for instance, has over 80 mil-

lion subscribers, offering the most comprehensive 5G and edge computing services in the country. Apart from AI-powered video analytics, it also offers chosen customers value-added edge services, such as industrial automation, cloud gaming, and virtual reality retail services. Once the trial of its partnership with HPE concludes, the company plans to roll out its edge services at scale via its growing 5G network. The MEC solution can easily be deployed at 5G edge sites, local offices, and even on customer premises. Globe said this collaboration, apart from drastically improving data and computing services, will also encourage innovation that will contribute to the Philippines’ growing digital economy and allow businesses to create new revenue streams with faster connectivity. “We aim to provide our customers with the best possible experience at the edge and in the cloud across both 5G and fixed-line networks,” said Peter Maquera, senior vice president for Globe Business. “HPE’s solution is working well in the Globe Telcom Lab and has been designed to be deployed rapidly and at-scale across our growing 5G network.” The MEC solution provides telcos with an end-to-end edge application management platform that can be configured across a multi-vendor, multi-cloud environment. It has been developed in partnership with technology partners, including Intel and Saguna. It comes complete with a fully-equipped management platform. Roderick L. Abad

mutual funds

April 13, 2021

NAV One Year Three Year Five Year Y-T-D per share Return* Return Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a 209.34 15.01% -8.57% -3.9% -7.87% ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 1.2849 42.93% -7.41% 0.58% -2.14% ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.8646 17.4% -12.89% -6.2% -8.57% Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.74 19.45% -7.97% n.a. -7.95% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.6784 8.06% n.a. n.a. -8.52% First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a 4.5732 15.31% -6.56% -3% -7.45% 7.43% -10.36% -7.88% -12.83% First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4 0.6623 MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a 98.12 40.75% -5.96% n.a. -3.75% PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a 42.9514 17.94% -6.65% -2.66% -8.32% Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 450.29 15.55% -6.59% -3.15% -7.91% Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,5 1.0161 24.97% n.a. n.a. -7.4% Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a 1.0944 17.25% -6.15% -2.12% -6.32% Philequity Fund, Inc. -a 32.1486 17.45% -6.33% -1.7% -7.54% Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.8344 16.44% n.a. n.a. -8.61% Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a 4.3984 18.65% -6.28% -1.91% -8.2% Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a 735.76 18.76% -6.18% -2.05% -8.22% Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a 0.6627 17.92% -10.25% -5.59% -7.82% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.329 15.33% -8.36% -3.43% -8.14% Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.8407 18.06% -6.52% -2.17% -8.39% United Fund, Inc. -a 3.0864 17.78% -5.74% -1.05% -7.01% Exchange Traded Fund First Metro Phil. Equity Exchange Traded Fund, Inc. -a,c 98.7301 18.86% -5.96% -1.38% -8.2% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b $1.2681 46.77% 4.26% 8.71% 5.42% Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.7385 51.11% 11.03% n.a. 3.93% Balanced Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ATRAM Dynamic Allocation Fund, Inc. -a 1.6281 12.71% -2.77% -1.43% -2.43% ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 2.154 12.93% -3.07% -0.79% -5.75% First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.4956 9.82% -2.17% -1.49% -5% First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.1877 5.87% n.a. n.a. -5.49% NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a 1.8988 8.17% -0.3% 0.56% -3.32% PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a 3.5516 10.88% -1.81% -0.69% -6.24% Philam Fund, Inc. -a 15.925 10.78% -1.66% -0.7% -5.97% Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a 1.993 10.34% -2.57% -0.52% -4.83% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.3804 10.15% -4.11% -1.73% -5.4% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9544 10.34% n.a. n.a. -6.67% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.868 13.58% n.a. n.a. -8.55% Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.8526 14.41% n.a. n.a. -8.63% Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a 0.8345 12.59% -5.01% -2.37% -5.99% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a $0.03796 0.93% 2.39% 1.31% -2.97% PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b $1.1379 27.2% 2.28% 5.1% -1.07% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.6306 36.66% 8.1% 8.54% 2.61% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.1979 20.11% 4% n.a. -0.35% Bond Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 369.99 2.53% 3.05% 2.58% -0.29% ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.9101 -0.54% 0.72% 0.16% 0.52% Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a 3.2187 2.02% 4.03% 4.48% 0.12% Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a 2.246 0.18% 2.13% 1.63% -2.18% First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4278 2.27% 3.1% 1.73% -1.04% Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a 4.4472 1.5% 3.62% 1.89% -4.04% Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a,6 1.3163 4.53% 4.19% 2.64% -0.37% Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.9558 3.7% 4.27% 2.77% -1.13% Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a 1.027 5.17% 3.95% 1.87% -1.44% Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.1724 3.04% 4.61% 3.01% -1.05% Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a 1.7313 1.47% 3.88% 2.18% -1.35% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $482.49 3.41% 2.86% 2.28% -0.29% ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a Є219.65 2.74% 1% 1.2% 0.21% ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.1761 1.4% 1.69% 1.08% -8.15% First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0258 0.39% 1.33% 0.96% -3.01% PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b $1.0505 1.26% 0.12% -0.68% -3.86% Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $2.4709 4.62% 4.03% 2.03% -2.55% Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a $0.0625724 5.61% 3.33% 2.19% 0.41% Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1279 0.08% 2.02% 0.85% -2.97% Money Market Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 129.93 2.38% 3.18% 2.52% 0.09% First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0502 1.49% n.a. n.a. 0.2% Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.3015 2.09% 2.9% 2.58% 0.38% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0555 1.48% 1.74% n.a. 0.29% Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d,7 1.2228 n.a. n.a. n.a. 8.25% Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2 $0.99 12.5% n.a. n.a. 1.02% a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU). 1 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 2 - Launch date is November 15, 2019. 3 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019. 4 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.). 5 - Launch date is December 09, 2019. 6 - Re-classified into a Bond Fund starting February 21, 2020 (Formerly a Money Market Fund). 7 - Launch date is July 6, 2020. "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."

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Entrepreneur BusinessMirror

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, April 14, 2021 B3

IT start-up Stitch helps MSMEs sustain operation in face of disasters, pandemic By Roderick L. Abad

concept’s adoption. “In a country prone to disasters, coupled with the pandemic, and with MSMEs serving as the backbone of the economy, it just makes perfect sense that cloud computing is a key solution towards achieving not just business continuity, but our economy bouncing back better,” Stitch Chairman Eusebio H. Tanco pointed out.

@rodrik_28

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TITCH Tech Solutions, a startup information technology (IT) company of the Tanco Group, stands highly committed to the organization’s own digital pivot, as well as those of other businesses, particularly the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that are in dire need of a feasible Business Continuity Planning (BCP) to survive and continue to remain stay afloat amid challenges brought about by the pandemic.

“The repeated increase Covid-19 cases that we are experiencing now and damage due to perennial disasters—typhoons and earthquakes—exposed significant risks for people and the businesses. So given this, the way to go really is to implement some BCP,” Stitch Chief Operating Officer Alex Aquino told reporters during their recent webinar. The ensuing pandemic has impacted the global economy, including the Philippines, due to a halt in

most, if not all, industries and business operations with the ongoing lockdowns. In fact, he cited a study from the Asian Development Bank published in September 2020 which showed that 71 percent of MSMEs surveyed in the country were forced to temporarily stop their operations. Few weeks later, the Department of Trade and Industry reported that around 90,000 entities, mostly MSMEs, remained closed. Business risks, nevertheless,

Business as usual STITCH Tech Solutions Chief Executive Officer Jaeger L. Tanco (clockwise, upper left) and Stitch Chief Operating Officer Alex Aquino (second, from upper left) lead the webinar with members of the media. They discuss how the cloud computing solutions offered by Stitch, a new information technology company of the Tanco Group, help the continuity of operations of businesses, particularly the micro, small and medium enterprises amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

continue as the country is prone to catastrophes. On the average, 20 storms strike the country annually, per the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology lists 24 active volcanoes and a bunch of fault lines nationwide. With such potential threats, the BCP comes to the rescue as it helps MSMEs to create a system of prevention and recovery. Pivotal to this is a reliable IT infrastructure like cloud computing that provides manifold benefits, such as speed, flexibility, global scale, productivity, and cost savings.

Unluckily, there is a disparity in small and medium enterprises’ (SME) access to cloud computing tools and BCP practice. The International Labour Organization (ILO) published a research in 2015 showing that SMEs in the Asia-Pacific region are the most vulnerable and least prepared for disasters. Likewise, it cited a similar study saying that only 13 percent of the region’s SMEs have BCPs. Major local firms have actually utilized cloud computing as part of their BCPs in the storms’ aftermaths. However, the ILO research noted the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center’s point that the lack of awareness on BCP is among the major barriers to the

UNPERTURBED by the unprecedented crisis, the Tanco Group has remained steadfast to survive as a business and stay relevant by helping others to also prevail in these trying times. Hence, Stitch came into being. “IT has always been something special to us. We’ve always done IT to make things better for us,” said Stitch Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jaeger L. Tanco. Prior to the pandemic, the Group saw the potential contribution of both cloud computing and data science to the advancement of the entire local IT industry and enterprises through BCP. In fact, its very own STI network of schools has pioneered the offering of data science-related courses in the tertiary level nationwide. Likewise, it made strides with the launch of PhilCare’s Artificial Intelligence-powered HeyPhil app a few years back. “Integrating our businesses into having one IT backbone aided by data science and cloud computing is important because it enables us to

become more efficient in our operations and provide the best customer experience possible,” noted the company’s chairman. After seeing how being a technologically driven organization works internally among its member-companies, especially in these trying times, the Group has realized that it’s timely to kick off its foray into this space so as to help others, especially the MSMEs that have been greatly affected by the recent natural disasters and the ensuing health crisis. “I think now is just the perfect time after planning everything and, of course, getting the right people in it that we’re confident to launch this and share it with everyone,” said the CEO. Stitch primarily offers cloud computing solutions, such as Amazon Web Services, SAP consulting services, and IT services such as website and app development and management, as well as IT support and enhancement of day-to-day operations. It currently serves various clients in the health care, insurance, legal, and memorial service industries, among others. “Our financial health as a country suffered this pandemic given that MSMEs function as our main economic lifeline. Through cloud computing, we want to give these businesses a shot in the arm, so they can get back on their feet the soonest and not just survive, but thrive,” he stressed.

Philexport receives best Grab unveils GrabForGood fund to benefit regional enterprise award Partners and Southeast Asian communities T S

he Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) has been awarded by Oxford-based Europe Business Assembly (EBA) the prestigious Best Regional Enterprise Award in recognition of its work in export development and promotion. The voluntary association of political, scientific and business leaders from all over the world recognized Philexport also for its effectiveness, leadership, managerial capacity, and corporate social responsibility. The EBA has a special consultative status in the Economic and Social Council of the UN (Ecosoc) which was created in 1945 as one of six principal bodies of the UN. The country’s umbrella organization of exporters was nominated by international development partners and among the Best Enterprise Award and Manager of the Year winners from developed and developing countries, including Canada, Singapore, India, Romania, Qatar, Ukraine, Malaysia and Brazil. EBA investigates and promotes prominent companies and created a special online platform for the exchange of the modern experience and presentation of winners’ potential and achievements. Philexport President and Chief Executive Officer Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. also received the Manager of the Year Award complementing the Philexport citation. Award attributes, designed by the famous London jeweler Alfred Winiecki, confirm the business support organization’s outstanding achievements to partners, clients, and employees. These include a trophy and three-year license to use the EBA and Award trademark. The roadmap aims to control the epidemic, restart and expand economic activities, and finally transition exports and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to a digital economy. Consistent with the call to continuously reopen the economy, Philexport also pushed for the urgent approval of stimulus bills and other measures that will fund recovery programs especially for the health, MSMEs, agriculture, tourism, transportation, and unemployed sectors. The MSME sector, comprising of about 99 percent of all industries in the country, has been identified among the three hardest hit sectors of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, aside from tourism and transportation. Philexport, which sits as vice chairman of the Export Development Council (EDC), has likewise initiated, supported and facilitated the passage of laws and policies that have contributed to

the development of exports. These include the EDA, Jewelry Industry Development Act, Magna Carta for MSMEs, E-commerce Law, Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, accession to the Kyoto Convention for trade facilitation, Barangay Micro Business Enterprise Act, Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and E-Commerce Act. The EDA gave birth to the EDC, the highest exportpolicymaking body in the land, World Trade Center (WTC) and the National Packaging Center. The W TC serves as a major trade events Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr. venue and was briefly used as a quarantine facility last year mostly for returning overseas Filipino workers. The umbrella organization of Philexport also led the push for the country’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 1994, setting the tone for the liberalization of the banking, retail, telecommunications and transportation sectors. To this day, Philexport is actively involved in opening and expanding market access for Philippine products and services through the various Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The organization also has a continuing advocacy for a competitive exchange rate and ease of doing business and played a major role in establishing the Brunei-Indonesia- Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area or BIMP EAGA in 1994, the APEC Center for Technology Extension for Small and Medium Enterprises, the bar coding system, and the Philippine Franchise and Retail Associations. Philexport also manages the One-Stop Export Documentation Centers in Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and General Santos to help facilitate the processing of export documents. Working closely with government and other business support organizations, it also provides frontline services such as trade advisory, facilitation and referral; buyer-seller and investment matching; trade fair participation; special promotions programs and selling missions to its members and foreign clients. Philexport likewise organizes a number of regular and per-need based seminars to assist members in their technical skills, managerial, product development and other training requirements.

INGAPORE—Grab Holdings on Thursday unveiled plans for the GrabForGood Fund that seeks to support programs that will have lasting impact on the quality of life for its driver-, delivery- and merchantpartners, and the broader community of Southeast Asia. Grab will seed the fund with $50 million in cash and $200 million in expected value of Grab shares. In addition, Grab Group CEO and co-founder Anthony Tan, co-founder Tan Hooi Ling and President Ming Maa have pledged a combined $25 million in personal contribution of Grab shares (expected value). This brings the total initial fund size to $275 million, based on today’s value expectations. “Since our founding, Grab has been dedicated to our mission of creating economic empowerment for everyone in Southeast Asia. The GrabForGood Fund will be a key pillar of our efforts to uplift Grab partners and our broader community, and represents a meaningful next step in our long-term commitment to Southeast Asia,” saidGrabGroup CEO and co-founder Anthony Tan. Tan added, “The GrabForGood Fund will commence immediate work on meeting the urgent need for Covid-19 vaccines, where it’s not easily available. Over time, we’re planning to introduce other programs that will provide the foundation for social and economic mobility, and give more people access to opportunities to upgrade and improve their lives. Our aspiration is to create lasting positive impact in every country we operate in.” The Fund will support a mix of programs aimed at delivering long-term social and environmental impact, including in areas such as education, financial support for underserved communities, and environmental issues. A Fund Advisory Board will be formed to give Grab partners and the broader Southeast Asia community strong representation in providing feedback and recommendations over how the funds will be spent. Near Term Initiative: Up to $20 million to provide free Covid-19 vaccination for Grab partners. Covid-19 has impacted livelihoods across Southeast Asia. As an immediate commitment, Grab has allocated up to $20 million in cash from the Fund to fully subsidize the cost of Covid-19 vaccines and vaccine administration of eligible driver—and delivery—

A Grab delivery rider delivers a package to a customer at a suburban village in Metro Manila. Photo courtesy of Grab

n Grab plans to create endowment fund with initial funding of $275 million in cash and Grab shares, including $25 million personal pledge in Grab shares from co-founders and president of Grab. n Reflects and furthers Grab’s long-term commitment to uplift people in Southeast Asia. n First fund initiative will provide Covid-19 vaccine support for Grab partners, followed by grants and financial support for long-term socialand environmental impact benefiting communities across Southeast Asia.

partners, who are not covered by a national vaccination program. This is in response to driver—and delivery-partners who have completed a ride or delivery on the platform within 3 months prior to administration of the Covid-19 vaccine, and are in good standing based on Grab’s Code of Conduct at the time of receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, are eligible for Grab’s vaccine program. The findings from February 2021 survey which found that, an average of 92 percent of Grab users continue to be worried with the Covid-19 situation. Grab has started sourcing for vaccines, and will look into setting up vaccine centers to inoculate eligible partners locally. Grants and financial support for longerterm socialand environmental impact structured as an endowment to ensure the Fund’s long-term sustainability, the GrabForGood Fund will start to support other initiatives after it exceeds a certain targeted value. While more details will be determined and disclosed overtime in partnership with the Fund Advisory Board, anticipated areas of support for Grab partners include n GrabInsure Subsidy:Based on a May

2020 survey, the insurance ownership rate amongst Grab partners is low at an average of 13 percent, with affordability of premiums being the main barrier to purchasing insurance. Grab plans to tailor a GrabInsure program to enable Grab partners to purchase insurance products atdiscounted rates. The range of insurance products could include life, critical illness, family-member insurance coverage and investment insurance products, and will be customized to the needs of our partners in each country. This is on top of existing region-wide complimentaryinsurance coverage (Grab Personal Accident Program) that covers all driver- and delivery-partners in the event of accidents or death while in service on the Grab platform, subject to the terms and conditions of such coverage. n Education Scholarships: Merit-based financial aid for the most underserved of the Grab-affiliated community n Financial aid for persons with disability to gain mobility and access to income by funding car/bike modifications, driving school fees and necessary hardware such as wheel chairs and hearing aids to enable their use of Grab’s platform for income creation opportunities. n Financial and Digital Literacy Programs: Partnerships with financial/educational institutions to provide educational content and co-develop tools to improve digital access, productivity and financial standing. n Climate Change Resiliency: Grants or incentives toward slow- or zero-emission technology and waste reduction solutions, addressing climate change and waste pollution, respectively. n Catastrophic Relief: Financial aid support for vulnerable groups to rebuild lives in the event of natural disasters. Creation of the The GrabForGood Fund is a significant milestone building on the success of many existing Grab’s initiatives to empower Southeast Asia, such as the Small Business Booster Program which helps small businesses to digitalize, and upskilling programs for Grab partners through free access to Microsoft’s e-learning digital literacy modules via the Grab driver app. Grab plans to ensure the GrabForGood Fund will maintain structures and policies that comply with local laws, regulations and compliance requirements.

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

B4 Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Moody’s give ‘stable’ outlook to PHL banks, from ‘negative’

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

NTERNATIONAL credit watcher Moody’s Investors Service announced on Tuesday that they have reverted their assigned outlook to the Philippine banking sector back to “stable” from “negative.”

In an outlook note, Moody’s said the main basis of their action reflects their expectations that a “mild economic recovery” will support the operating environment for Philippine banks. The ratings agency, however, warned that asset risks remain high because of a “prolonged curtailment” of business activity, high unemployment rate and weak consumer sentiment. A Moody’s rating outlook is an opinion regarding the likely direction of a rating over the medium term. Having a negative outlook

means that the rated system will likely face a downgrade, while a stable outlook means that the current rating will hold barring unforeseen circumstances. Moody’s acknowledges that the resurgence in infection rates in the country, which led to the reimposition of stricter movement and travel restrictions, will slow the economic recovery in the first half of 2021. However, even with a gradual recovery, banks’ operating environment is still expected to be stable.

The credit watcher particularly cited sufficient capital buffers, stable profitability and favorable funding conditions as positive support to the Philippine banking system’s outlook. “Internal capital generation will keep pace with capital consumption, with credit growth likely to remain below pre-pandemic levels. As a result, rated Philippine banks will maintain sufficient capital buffers,” Moody’s said. “Credit costs will decrease as banks already set aside significant amounts of loan-loss provisions in 2020 in anticipation of growth in problem loans. Still, they will remain high because of lingering asset risks. On the other hand, trading income is likely to decline as markets turn less volatile. A combination of these factors will keep banks’ profitability at 2020 levels,” the credit watcher added. Since the local banking system is largely funded by deposits, Moody’s said the risks to the stability of these deposit bases are low. “Further, the central bank has

been proactive in providing liquidity to the system to prevent any near-term liquidity stress that can result from a sudden change in economic conditions. The weak credit demand will also help banks maintain ample liquidity buffer,” Moody’s said. What the credit watcher expressed concern about, is the local banking system’s asset risks, which remains high. Moody’s forecasts nonperforming loans of the local banking system to increase in 2021 as loan moratoriums expired at the end of 2020. “Ongoing social-distancing measures, though less restrictive than in 2020, amid a high unemployment rate and weak consumer sentiment will continue to weigh on the debt repayment capacity of retail borrowers and some small and medium-sized enterprises,” Moody’s said. “Large corporate groups’ debt repayment capacity deteriorated materially in 2020 and remains a key source of systemic risk because banks’ loans are heavily concentrated on them,” it added.

DOF, DBM still seeking sources of funds for add’l aid By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

HE leadership of the House of Representatives said the Department of Finance and the Department of Budget and Management are still in the process of identifying sources of funds in order to move forward the proposed Bayanihan 3. Speaker Lord Allan Q. Velasco said economic managers are still studying potential funding sources for Bayanihan 3, a proposal seen as a “lifeline” amid the raging pandemic that continues to cripple the economy and hurt the livelihood of millions of Filipinos. “Our economic managers see

Bayanihan 3 as a lifeline for many Filipinos facing economic hardship during this crisis; and I’m very glad that we are aligned on this,” the Speaker added. Velasco expressed gratitude to economic managers “for recognizing the importance of Bayanihan 3 in addressing financial gaps to better manage the government’s response to the impact of the pandemic,” Velasco said. For his part, Deputy Speaker Michael L. Romero of 1-Pacman partylist, meanwhile, said a special session will be called once the “figures” of the Bayanihan 3 are finalized. “We will conduct a special session after the House economic team and President [economic] team finalize

Local fintech firm inks deal to expand access

hilippine-based fintech company First Digital Finance Corp. (FDFC) announced that it is partnering with Southeast Asia-based payments firm 2C2P (Thailand) Co. Ltd. to expand the access of their platform to more local users. In a statement on Tuesday, FDFC said their partnership with the Thai company will be particularly beneficial to FDFC’s “buy now pay later” app it calls “BillEase.” “With this strategic partnership, 2C2P’s merchants can now activate BillEase’s card-free installment payment option with a simple integration without requiring customers to sign up for a credit or debit card,” FDFC said. The company said its app is a flexible payment method that allows consumers to pay for products in installments with zero interest. The company added the partnership will allow customers to apply for credit at the checkout page of 2C2P’s merchants. They can also download the app for instant approval and split their payments over three, six, nine or 12 months with interest rates ranging from 0 percent to 3.49 percent. The FDFC also said the collaboration will allow BillEase to tap on 2C2P’s extensive alternative payment network reach of over 400,000 locations in the region, and utilize a diverse offering of over 250 payment options across both online and offline channels. “Shoppers increasingly prefer flexibility when it comes to payments, and they reward merchants who provide this solution which adds to customers’ loyalty and lifetime value,” FDFC Co-Founder and CEO Georg Steiger said. Steiger said their partnership with 2C2P is expected to serve their existing customers and reach new customers, particularly Gen Z and Millennials. Early this year, FDFC received a new license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in line with the central bank’s Circular 1049, Series of 2019 on the rules and regulations on the registration of Operators of Payment Systems. As a payments and financing platform, BillEase absorbs all fraud and credit risks and pays on behalf of the customers upfront, assuring guaranteed payments for all merchants. Bianca Cuaresma

the figures,” Romero said. For the swift passage of the Bayanihan 3, he added the Lower Chamber will also ask the Palace to certify the measure as urgent. Moreover, Velasco said he expects that the Bayanihan 3 will be approved by the committee before the House resumes session on May 17. He expressed Congress is “extremely hopeful” that the Bayanihan 3—“a much-bigger, well-targeted and proportionate stimulus package that would help struggling Filipinos and revive our pandemic-ravaged economy”—would be passed. The proposed bill is pending with the House Committee on Economic Affairs, which created a technical working group to consolidate all

three-related measures. “A third round of fiscal support is in order to relieve the economic struggle experienced by many Filipinos, particularly those with low incomes, and help businesses stay afloat during the pandemic,” he added. Last Monday, House Committee on Economic Recovery Cluster cochairman Joey Sarte Salceda said funding for the Bayanihan 3, which now stands at P370 billion, will be derived from “obese” governmentowned and -controlled corporations and other tax measures. Salceda also said they are now working with the economic managers to find ways to craft “deficit neutral” lifeline measures under the proposal.

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US money markets brace as debt limit draws near

OLLAR-denominated funding markets are already facing myriad challenges that are distorting supply and demand, and these effects are only going to intensify as a return of the US government’s statutory borrowing limit gets closer. Rates for short-term dollar borrowing have been driven to zero and below, weighed down by Federal Reserve asset purchases, a drawdown of the US Treasury’s mammoth cash pile and a shift from bank deposits to money-market funds. The reimposition at the end of July of the debt ceiling, which was suspended in 2019, is threatening to exacerbate this dynamic as its return also affects how much spare cash the Treasury can legally hold. The reinstatement will force the Treasury to wind down its cash balance to levels near the previous suspension, or roughly $120 billion to $130 billion, from $924 billion now. That would push more cash into the market, while simultaneously yanking supply out of the market with bill paydowns. W hile JPMorgan Securities strategists Teresa Ho, Alex Roever and Ryan Lessing estimate that gap between supply and demand is currently around $585 billion, there’s room for this to widen.

‘Too much cash’

“ANYWAY you slice it, there is too much cash looking for a home and not enough products to invest in and that’s what’s keeping everything tight,” Gennadiy Goldberg, senior US interest rates strategist at TD Securities, said. The debt ceiling “will just make Treasury’s headache even worse.” The longer these idiosyncrasies persist, it’s going to force the US central bank to intervene to maintain control over the short end―particularly its key policy target, the effective federal funds rate. The Fed seems to already be taking steps through changes to the mechanics of its facility for overnight reverse repurchase agreements. Last month the Fed instructed the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to boost the size of the counterparty limit for the overnight reverse repo

facility, or O/N RRP, to $80 billion from $30 billion, a move that could help prevent short-term rates from slipping even lower. The move has been well-received, with take-up quickly surging to the most in almost a year. Lorie Logan, executive vice president at the New York Fed, said in an April 8 speech that the bank could adjust the eligibility requirements for its daily operation to allow for broader participation from the money fund community.

Adjustments ahead?

POLICY makers still have the ability to tweak the Fed’s interest on excess reserves rate, the offered level on the O/N RRP, or both. In minutes from the March Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Chairman Jerome Powell noted the potential for downward pressure on moneymarket rates and suggested it “might be appropriate” to make adjustments at upcoming meetings or even between gatherings to ensure the fed funds rate remains “well within the target range.” The recent FOMC minutes suggest the Fed recognizes that the overnight repo rate is a “more important operational parameter than the IOER at present,” Wrightson ICAP economist Lou Crandall wrote in a note to clients. Wrightson expects that any initial adjustment to the O/N RRP—and potentially IOER— would be 2 basis points, while the second choice is a 3 basis-point tweak. The fact that the FOMC is “laying the groundwork so explicitly for a potential adjustment” reinforces the belief that the Fed will be quicker to respond to downward technical pressure on overnight rates than in the past, Crandall wrote. JPMorgan strategists, who said in February the Fed wouldn’t have to make any adjustments to its tools until mid-year, now say policy makers could make a tweak sooner. They aren’t alone in such thinking. “It’s certainly on the Fed’s radar that the pressure is building,” TD’s Goldberg said. “They want to make sure the levy at the lower bound of the target range is powerful enough to contain this flood of cash.” Bloomberg News

Traders face reflation fight that will echo around world

OND traders searching for a chink in the armor of central banks are starting to look Down Under, where a likely showdown over yield-curve control is set to test the power of policy makers to contain the next wave of reflation bets. The global trading day for bonds begins in earnest in Sydney each morning, giving developments in Australia’s $600 billion sovereign debt market an out-sized impact on sentiment. It was the scene of a dramatic “flash crash” last year when the yield program was announced, illustrating the potential for turmoil. While the Reserve Bank of Australia has largely tamed markets since then, as the economy’s recovery strengthens, wagers against the RBA’s ability to keep yields lower look poised to rise. “If inflation expectations do start to un-anchor, then I think the RBA will be one of the first central banks to be tested by bond traders,” said Shaun Roache, an economist at S&P Global Ratings in Singapore. “The RBA is a canary in the coal mine for central banks as it is ahead in its labor market recovery.” The RBA brought short-sellers quickly to heel when the global bond rout emboldened them to test its grip on yield control in February. After weeks of aggressive positioning by traders, the bank nudged up the cost of speculating on rising rates and the yield on benchmark three-year bonds fell neatly back into line with its 0.1 percent target. But keeping the market at bay next time may prove more difficult, as vaccination campaigns gather pace in major economies and the US recovery nears an “inflection point,” emboldening traders. Pressure is already apparent in Australia’s three-year swap rate, which is

increasing the costs of managing interest-rate risks for corporate borrowers. If yield control fails in Australia, it may fade away as a potential option for other monetary authorities in need of more policy ammunition. Especially because yield control’s record in Japan—the only other country to officially employ it—is patchy. Pinning the rate of one key bond maturity has helped the Bank of Japan reduce borrowing costs in general and also allowed it to slow the pace of bond purchases. But it has come at a cost. The nation’s debt market is lambasted as dysfunctional and an economic recovery strong enough to revive inflation looks as far away as ever.

Widening gap

BENEATH the surface, problems are building Down Under too. While the RBA has its thumb on one specific bond line, there is a large gulf between the yield on this security and those maturing slightly later. There’s also a widening gap to rates on the suite of derivatives linked to three-year yields that flow through into borrowing costs for companies and consumers. The 3-year swap rate surged through February and March, rising to four times the RBA’s target for three-year bonds amid pressure from higher US yields and a rebounding economy at home. Australia’s bond futures tell a similar story. The yield implied by three-year futures doubled in the two weeks to February 26 and remains elevated, even after retreating from its high point. “Lack of liquidity, a central bank that’s digging its heels in—all that, for us, means there’s going to be more volatility in Aussie rates,” said Kellie Wood, a fixed-income portfolio manager at Schroders Plc.’s Aus-

tralian unit. “The RBA has succeeded in terms of round one. But we are starting to see cracks,” said Wood, who expects the market to challenge the 0.1 percent target again. Stephen Miller, an investment consultant at GSFM, an arm of Canada’s CI Financial Corp., agrees that higher yields may arrive in Australia sooner than the RBA thinks. “It will be powerless if the US curve shifts upwards and other rates markets follow,” said Miller. Not everyone is prepared to bet against the RBA. For Fidelity International’s Anthony Doyle, taking on the RBA may be a recipe for steep losses if past lessons from the European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve are anything to go by. Nine years ago, then ECB President Mario Draghi vowed to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro, leading to quantitative easing and bond purchases that are still in place. The Fed said more than a year ago that it would buy unlimited amounts of Treasuries to keep borrowing costs at rock-bottom levels, and it’s still holding firm.

Holding the cards

“I don’t think it’s ever wise to fight anyone that has a printing press,” said Doyle, a cross-asset investment specialist at Fidelity in Sydney. “The RBA as a house holds all the cards. If they want yields lower, they’ll get it.” This caution is shared by JPMorgan Asset Management’s Kerry Craig. For now, the central bank “definitely has enough dry powder,” said Craig, a strategist in Melbourne. But he is concerned that with monetary policy and markets around the world moving in sync, “you can only fight so much if US rates or

global rates go higher—it’s going to drag Australian ones up.” Philip Lowe, governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), delivers his keynote address during the AFR Summit in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday, March 10.Lowe pushed back against bond markets pricing in an earlier tightening of monetary policy, sending yields lower as he reiterated that interest rates are unlikely to rise until at least 2024. Yet Governor Philip Lowe isn’t doing everything he could to damp doubts over the RBA’s resolve. His reluctance to make an early switch in the yield target to bonds maturing in November 2024, from ones due in April 2024, is fueling debate about how soon the policy could be wound back. Lowe said at the conclusion of the latest board meeting on April 6 that a decision would be made later this year, without being more specific. He also indicated that the RBA expected to maintain “highly supportive monetary conditions” until at least 2024, even though the number of Australians with a job has returned to pre-pandemic levels. “We don’t think they’ll extend yieldcurve control” beyond the current April 2024 bond, said Wood, who warned of potential taper tantrums. Australia’s 10-year yield has soared even as three-year stays anchored Lowe’s February win against short sellers, and a slide in yields at home and abroad over recent weeks, has given the RBA space to breathe. But it’s likely only a matter of time before bond traders come back for round two. “Everybody’s watching how this is going to unfold,” S&P’s Roache said. “The RBA may not want this role, but it is taking quite a starring role I think among global central banks.” Bloomberg News

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Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Wednesday, April 14, 2021

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Gained pandemic pounds? Here are five ways to lose them THE ongoing pandemic and its ensuing stay-at-home mandate may have made it more difficult for some to keep a healthy weight—and for a good reason. Maintaining a healthy weight can be challenging, but it can be extra difficult if you’re facing a global health crisis that changed the way you live in the snap of a finger. If you’ve gained weight during the pandemic, you’re not alone. It’s a worldwide phenomenon. In a study by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center that surveyed close to 8,000 people from 50 different countries and every state in the United States from April to early May 2020, around 27 percent said they gained weight during the initial lockdown— that’s 10 percent more than those who said they lost weight. “Gaining weight is one of the expected impacts of the pandemic,” says Gia Wassmer, MD, head of the Weight Wellness Center of top health institution Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed, www.makatimed.net.ph). “The anxieties and depression caused by the contagious Covid-19, joblessness, and the uncertainties of the times and the loneliness from being away from loved ones can make people focus less on following a healthier lifestyle. Stress eating, losing sleep, having limited access to healthy food, and spending more time inactive can also contribute to weight gain.” With quarantine measures gradually easing, getting back to a healthier weight isn’t just possible—it should be a priority. “Being overweight and obese increase your risk of severe illness from Covid-19,” Wassmer explains. “Obesity is linked to impaired immune function and it decreases lung capacity and can make ventilation more difficult. As the body mass index increases, so too does the risk of death from Covid-19 and developing chronic illnesses in the future.” She says that better weight management begins with you taking proactive steps. Here are five ways: n CREATE STRUCTURE. Instead of letting the day slip by, discipline yourself to wake up, eat, exercise, and sleep at specific hours, says Wassmer. “This will curb your tendency to sit or lie around indefinitely as well as eat whenever you like,” she adds. n MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES. “Include whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein in your meals, and do practice portion control,” says Wassmer. “Also, ditch the sugary-sweet sodas or milk tea for water, and avoid drinking coffee four to six hours before bedtime since the caffeine may disrupt your sleep.” n GET MOVING. Wassmer reminds that an exercise routine doesn’t require fancy equipment or the latest gadgets. Do crunches for your abs and push-ups for your arms and chest. Walk up and down the stairs of your house. Follow aerobic classes on YouTube—or just spring-clean your closet. “There are countless ways to incorporate some form of activity into your day,” she says. “You just have to be creative.” But those who have never exercised before or are coming back from a long lay-off, especially because of some health concerns, should first consult their doctor. n MANAGE YOUR STRESS. If the uncertainty of the pandemic is triggering you to stress-eat, deal with your fears by reaching out to friends, writing down your thoughts in a journal, meditating, or praying. “Expressing your anxiety, whether through the written or spoken word, somehow eases the burden you carry in your mind,” Wassmer points out. “It also allows you to hear or read your thoughts, so you know whether your fears are rational or unfounded.” n DON’T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF. Stop beating yourself up for gaining weight during the pandemic. Instead, aim for small yet doable goals—not overly ambitious ones, lest you want to add to your anxiety. “Crash diets and strenuous exercises are knee-jerk reactions to weight management,” says Wassmer. “Losing 1 to 2 lbs. a week is a reasonable—healthy and sustainable—way to do so.”

Meet, call, e-mail, or instant message? E

VEN when people were still working in traditional offices, there have been countless times when an e-mail could have been answered expediently with a phone call, or times when people endured a meeting which could have just been an e-mail. But in a work-fromhome setup, this problem is exacerbated by new communication technologies which allow people to shoot an instant message rather than call or e-mail or meet when it could have been settled by an instant message. These instances add to the fatigue and stress of the pandemic and the daily struggle of work-life balance in the age of remote work. Face-to-face meetings are still the best way of communication because a significant amount of communication comes from nonverbal cues. But with the pandemic, we have resorted to other means of communication which lessens face-to-face interactions. And with the absence of nonverbal cues, how do we know if we need to meet, call, e-mail, or instant message? You need to call for a meeting when you need to explain context and avoid miscommunication especially when the consensus of a group is needed to move forward. A meeting is particularly effective when you need to come up with a plan or collaborate on a new project, or when you anticipate you have a higher risk of being misinterpreted or there is the strong possibility of a lot of follow-up questions. A meeting is a good venue to explain context and how each participant can contribute to the success of the meeting’s objective. If there are multiple participants and if a consensus is needed to move forward, you need to call for a meeting. Meetings are also necessary for managing a team

and keeping people aligned in terms of what the office needs to accomplish. Moreso during the initial stages of team development, when members need to get to know each other and find their niche in the group. Once these are in place, meetings can be lessened or shortened. Before calling for a meeting, make sure participants know their expected contribution to the meeting. And to ensure that everybody prepares, have everyone present. But when you need specific information and what you need can be resolved in two minutes or less, call the person. This is highly effective when the information you need is important to move forward with your work. For ongoing projects, a personal call is helpful to provide a personal touch as well as provide enough context why you need the information. When you call, use their work phone numbers rather than their personal numbers. Avoid using their personal line unless you have explicit permission to call them there. A phone call can also be used to follow-up on urgent information. As much as possible, ask permission if you can call. Note that in a traditional office setting, people are obligated to answer the work phone when it rings. In a work-fromhome setup, people might only have their personal mobile number. So, be prudent on when you can call people on their personal line. E-mail is effective when providing guidance and needed information to a group of people. It is also helpful as documentation of what has been agreed on, and to provide a brief status of ongoing projects or programs to a group of people. Make sure that the requested information in an e-mail is not time sensitive as e-mails tend to be read within the day. You can also use e-mail to forward memos and links to outside sources for information dissemination. However, do not use e-mail when information is emotionally charged or when you know that the information you send out is prone to be misconstrued or open to multiple interpretations, as in the case of changes in the composition of the team. Moreso when the topic of the e-mail is complicated and requires lengthy explanations. It is also highly recommended to do face-to-face conversations for confidential matters rather than e-mails as these can

Serving safety and extra care daily AS people continue to take extra precautions and strictly abide by health guidelines, popular fast-food chain Jollibee strengthens its commitment to bring joy to its customers, not only through its bestselling offerings but also through its signature socalled Alagang Jollibee service. In its newly released safety video, Jollibee underscores its culture of providing care to customers whom they treat as family, anchored on the values of its “Alagang Jollibee” brand of service. Set to the classic Rey Valera song “Kumusta Ka,” the video demonstrates the brand’s efforts in ensuring the welfare of its customers and its own store teams now more than ever through enhanced safety protocols, extra care in food preparation and handling, and its signature warm and friendly customer service. The safety journey at Jollibee is made possible with the store’s crew and delivery riders who all make sure that the orders are safely handled and delivered.

In the video, the store team is seen diligently preparing to serve the food safely, with complete PPE, disinfecting high-touch areas, and strictly following a safety checklist to ensure the team’s compliance. These safety protocols such as proper physical distancing, cashless payments, and no-touch transactions are observed in all its distribution channels—whether for take-out, delivery, drive-thru and pick-up. Food is prepared and handled with extra care, with store teams ensuring not just the quality and freshness, but also the completeness of orders. For take-out and drive-thru, speakers are installed, and lapel mics are used by the crew members to further minimize direct contact. Moreover, the store teams attend to and interact with every customer—whether behind the counter, drive-thru window or during delivery—in an efficient manner and with a smile, even as their faces are

covered in the requisite face mask and face shield. “The pandemic has really brought about changes in our lives. While things are different, we remain committed to serving joy to our customers by strengthening our safety protocols, and providing extra care through our Alagang Jollibee initiatives,” says Jollibee Global Brand CMO and Jollibee Philippines Marketing Head Francis Flores. “Health and safety are our priority, and this is our promise not only to our customers, but to our hardworking and highly dedicated employees and store teams as well.” The brand has earlier announced that it is setting up a vaccination program to provide free vaccines for all its employees in the Philippines, and is also sourcing vaccines for their dependents, extended family, and household members. This is supported by communication efforts, including webinars on vaccine education that enable employees to make informed decisions on their health.

be forwarded. When using e-mail, make sure the subject heading is searchable later and begin with what you want the recipient to do. As with most e-mails, the action plan required from the recipient is at the bottom. Start with the action required and then explain the context after so that the recipient can assess. With the amount of e-mail people receive daily, your request can stand a fighting chance with a searchable subject heading and a lead with a brief action required from the recipient. Keep your e-mail short and direct to the point. Avoid using the “Reply to All” button unless the information you will share is one needed by all. Keep people who need to reply in the “To:” field and keep people who need to be in the loop without needing to reply in the “CC:” field. And when the e-mail thread has become circuitous and several issues have come up, it would be best to call for a meeting with an agenda for the raised issues. Instant messages used to be looked down on as a form of communication, as it tends to be informal and too personal. However, office communication has necessitated the need for this form of communication, mostly when quick and specific information is needed. Of course, this all depends on the office culture and what are acceptable means of communication using instant messaging. You can use it when you need information which is vital to move forward with your work. An example is to use it for verifying logistics especially during an event and for faster relay of information. You can also use it when both of you are in the same meeting but want to keep your conversation private. This is especially helpful when you are only an observer to the meeting, and you course your comment through your manager. However, be warned that this causes divided attention which can be counterproductive if left unchecked. Limit questions in instant messaging to at most three messages. If it goes beyond that, you might want to call, or request for a meeting. Technology is a tool that helps us work smartly if we use it appropriately. As it is, we are becoming more enslaved to convenience more than using technology to make our lives better. And like any other tool, we must use them wisely and prudently. n

B6 Wednesday, April 14, 2021

TikTok Creator, Morena the Label owner Ayn Bernos encourages women to shine Bayad Center awarded for MakaBayad campaign at the 18th Philippine Quill

AYAD, the country’s biggest and widest multi-channel payment platform, took home an Award for Merit under the Communication Management Division for Marketing, Advertising and Brand Communication Category of the 18th Philippine Quill Awards for its MakaBayad integrated communications campaign. The “MakaBayad” campaign is an integrated marketing communications campaign that aims to break the stigma about payments. It puts a spotlight on Filipinos who pay their dues responsibly, understanding the deeper meaning to every payment made — a comfortable life for them and for their loved ones. The MakaBayad campaign ran for a year via an on-air, online, and on-ground

strategy, including various tactical programs that engaged external and internal customers of the brand. Recognizing that each centavo is hard-earned money for every MakaBayad, it has been Bayad’s cause to reward hard working Filipinos by making payments and other financial transactions easier and more convenient. It leverages sustainable practices and digital innovations to further push their mission of “pay anytime, anywhere”. The campaign resonated with the market as it showed how the company’s products and services address the varying needs and payment behaviors of every MakaBayad. “We feel humbled and honored to receive this recognition from the

Philippine Quill. The award echoes our commitment to uphold financial inclusion, elevate the payment experience, and help every MakaBayad live responsibly amid the changing times,” says Bayad President and CEO Lawrence Ferrer. Furthering its cause, the brand recently introduced its newly revamped Bayad app, an all-in-one pera transaction platform and Bayad Online, a web-based payment facility that enables convenient and reliable payment acceptance round the clock. These digital touchpoints bring financial services closer to Filipinos. Bayad now has tens of millions of partner users and more than 49,000 physical touchpoints across the country.

LITTLE boost of confidence can go a long way in empowering others. This is why it means so much when women support, uplift, and encourage fellow women. Realizing this, TikTok creator and female empowerment advocate, Ayn Bernos decided to start using her online content as a means to motivate her followers, particularly her female viewers, to help them become more self-assured. Her journey to becoming a motivational content creator on the app began with a breakup. “My first video that went viral was my post-breakup journey. I simply shared what I was able to achieve once I started focusing on myself and my growth - moving to a different country, traveling, starting a business - and I guess a lot of women were able to resonate with that,” Ayn shares. She adds, “Since then, I started creating motivational videos about confidence and being a work-in-progress. My favorite part is not really preaching or giving advice. It’s more about being open about my journey and sharing the lessons that I personally had to learn the hard way.” Since then, Ayn has also been able to use TikTok as a platform to talk about her advocacies, including that of challenging colorism in the Philippines. She admits that her morena skin was a source of insecurity growing up. Now, through her label as well as her content, she wishes to make a difference for younger Filipinas. She shares, “I was really insecure about my skin color as a kid, and it took me a long time to gain my confidence. Having a platform as an adult, I wanted to change that experience for future generations of morenas. I started Morena the Label to allow other morenas like me to also find that confidence. To some people, they’re just t-shirts, but to our customers and our

THE Jollibee Group FoodAID Program distributed meals to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

OLLIBEE Group Foundation (JGF) has partnered with Singaporebased Temasek Foundation to augment the Jollibee Group FoodAID Program, which seeks to help feed healthcare workers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Temasek Foundation is a nonprofit philanthropic organization that supports programs that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and beyond. The Foundation aims to strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and regional capabilities, advance science, and protect the planet. Through the support provided by Temasek Foundation, JGF and its partners were able to distribute the meals across Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal from September to December 2020. A total of 99,400 meals were served to communities, while 6,250 meals were served to healthcare workers from 20 public hospitals. The FoodAID Program was implemented through three initiatives, all of which were supported by the Temasek Foundation.

First is the distribution of readyto-cook food packs that were directly delivered to communities through JGF’s local partner organizations. JGF leveraged on Jollibee Group’s expertise in meal preparation and product development of specially designed food packs—Chicken Guisado and Beef Meatballs—that allow more people to be provided with nutritious, delicious meals at a lower cost. Second is Project Karinderya—a program that helps feed families while facilitating livelihood development of karinderya (local food stores) operators. Through the support from Temasek Foundation, JGF partnered with Kasagana-Ka Development Center (KDCI) and Kabuhayan sa Ganap na Kasarinlan Credit and Savings Cooperative (K-Coop) to re-establish 30 karinderyas that served 200 families with daily meals for 30 days. JGF also provided training for karinderya owners and health cadets on food preparation, food safety, and customer service to further build their capacities and help them become self-sufficient even after the project duration.

followers, these t-shirts are an opportunity to be proud of our skin - oftentimes, for the first time. Morena the Label is a brand, but more than that, it's also a community.” Ayn Bernos is also an advocate of selfdevelopment and education. She is one-half of the Camp Confidence Radio Podcast, and even has a second TikTok account, Ayn Pero Tagalog, where she produces bite-sized English lessons aimed at make language learning a little less intimidating for beginners. When asked about the most important lesson she has learned in life, this is what Ayn had to share. “It took me some time to learn, but when I did, it changed my life. I realized that I don’t have to compete with other women in order to succeed. I thought that success meant being the most beautiful, or the smartest, or the most talented woman in the room. But in truth, there is nothing more fulfilling than being in a room of supportive women who shine in different ways. It’s a cliché, but we really are stronger together.” Follow Ayn Bernos and other inspiring women on TikTok! Download the app on your iOS and Android devices today to get started.

Tuned In Style offers vehicle customization for extra comfort, functional innovations

Jollibee Group Foundation, Temasek Foundation team up to feed communities and frontliners affected by COVID-19 Third is the distribution of readyto-eat meals to healthcare workers who are working at hospitals in Metro Manila with the highest incidences of COVID-19. “COVID-19 is a global long-term public health crisis, undermining not just our physical and mental health but also our economy and livelihoods. Viruses do not respect borders and it is only when we band together as one will we be able to defeat this global enemy. We are happy to work with Jollibee Group Foundation in the Philippines to provide meals and other support where they are most needed. The smiles and resolve of the beneficiaries to soldier on and pull through together is an indication that we are on the right track,” said Mr. Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive of Temasek Foundation International. “There exists a need for sustained collaborative efforts that can effectively promote access to food among communities by the pandemic and recent disasters. We thank the Temasek Foundation for their trust in the Jollibee Group and their belief in the objectives of the FoodAID Program. Truly, crises such as this pandemic have the power to band likeminded people and groups together,” said Jollibee Group Foundation Executive Director Gisela Tiongson. Together with partners and donors, Jollibee Group FoodAID Program has mobilized Php300 million (USD 6.2 million)-worth of food assistance or 4.7 million meals for families and frontliners from March to December 2020. As the social development arm of Jollibee Group, JGF implements programs on agriculture, education, and disaster response with partner communities nationwide. Made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Singapore’s Temasek, Temasek Foundation’s programs strive towards achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities now, and for generations to come.

AYN Bernos

JOHN Lopez, owner and president of Tuned In Style which customizes car interior designs, has become the go-to-guy of prominent personalities eyeing for extra comfort and style, and very functional innovations in side their state-of-the-art vehicles.

AVING a passion for cars and their interiors can’t just be a thing for the privileged. In fact, it can lead one who puts enough effort and time into an entrepreneurial success, especially with the right speed and proper direction. John Lopez, owner and president of car service company Tuned In Style, has established himself in the field of vehicle customization by employing his technical background and expertise using the latest technology. His colorful clientele includes celebrities, government officials, and entrepreneurs. The Fine Arts graduate was initially into the advertising business dealing with large format printing and trade show exhibit construction. But being the son of a car dealer, and a car person himself empowered with business acumen, it was only a matter of time before he delved into a kind of trade that is fit for today’s lifestyle and very much representing who he is. Many of us see big vehicles on the road while wondering what their interior could be like. Lopez, of course Tuned In Style, has inside information about it and can actually help you own one for yourself if you tap him to. Asked what made him a go-to person for these personalities who want extra comfort and style when on board their luxury vans, he shared, “In my own experience, it's more on the innovation and design. You must keep up with the trend like infusing fashion trends in van interior format; more personalized approach and customized design for clients who want to stand out.” Back in 2013, actress Gretchen Barretto commissioned his company to customize a full-sized bus and design it like a business class Emirates. She took the customized vehicle to her shoots. Before long, inquiries and referrals from other celebrities poured in. No one wants the same design so it made Tuned In Style’s work challenging and more exciting. Soon enough, Lopez and his team immediately saw themselves servicing vans of prominent personalities like matinee idol Coco Martin, ace comedian-TV host Vice Ganda,

seasoned actor Albert Martinez, and some known politicians. Coco Martin’s Inkas Sentry is a bulletproof armored personnel carrier equipped with a privacy partition and power seats with leg rest. The air-conditioning works even when the engine’s off so the actor can rest inside during taping breaks. Maja Salvador’s Ford Transit has four captain seats, a TV, and ambient lighting while Vice Ganda’s Volkswagen Crafter, similarly with four captain seats and a TV, has a partition and a comfort room. Romantic celebrity partners Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo also got a Volkswagen Crafter in black, furnished with a shower and a bed. The creatively energetic car designer also refurbished Albert Martinez’s Ford E150 that was flown in from the US. Always patterning his designs to the taste of the customers, Lopez said he recently worked with singer Angeline Quinto, actress Maja Salvardor and Ryza Cenon, and actor Christian Bables. Interestingly, Tuned In Style is among the few business entities that benefited from the new normal. He said, “Inquiries now are somewhat larger compared before the pandemic started. Maybe it's because of the limitation in air travel which prompted them to do road travel both for leisure and business.” Lopez initially saw an opportunity in outof-the-box interior conversion, applying it in mobile casino, mobile ticketing office, and promotional vehicles. For corporate accounts, Tuned In Style took in projects from PLDT, Max’s Group of Companies, 7-eleven, and CDO, customizing food trucks and mobile offices. As somewhat its contribution to the ongoing pandemic, it recently constructed a mobile Covid-testing clinic. But while Tuned In Style speeds up to match its fast-increasing number of patrons, it still carefully kept its foot on the brakes by providing help and support to its employees. “We have to provide for our employees which covers a large amount as an added compensation to suffice in their daily needs,” Lopez expressed. “We also follow strict safety protocols for disinfection and frequent swab testing of our employees.” Currently doing its transactions via virtual meetings or specially arranged appointments, Tuned In Style makes sure to offer its services to industries in need of, like designing a swab testing van for Maxicare, along with some mobile salon and optical shops. With 32 ongoing van customization projects, Tuned In Style is no doubt on a high gear complementing its three warehouses, and one showroom called Primera Klasse located in Quezon Ave. The road to triumph stretches as it aims to branch out in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, and on a farther route, in South East Asia.

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 B7

House and lot getting popular during the pandemic

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

CQUIRING a house and lot is becoming a popular decision among urban residents these days, according to proptech platform Ohmyhome. “Across the board, house and lot projects have generated a lot of interest for people living in Manila and other areas,” Ohmyhome Marketing Manager Julian Sison said in a recent webinar. Sison said one reason why many people are buying a house and lot these days is banks’ stretch financing schemes. Furthermore, the pandemic has also become a big factor as lots of Filipinos right now are working from home and want to have live in a cleaner and more spacious environment outside Metro Manila. Based on their study, Ohmyhome found out that Filipino property seekers are looking for affordable housing for end-use in the P1 million to P5 million and P5 million to P10 million price segments. Thirty-three percent of the inquiries are for projects with compelling promos and pricing schemes. Given the current context, Sison noted Filipinos also cite the following top considerations when purchasing a home: location (accessibility to work and proximity to essential locations such as banks, health care, and commercial establishments), budget (flexible pay-

ment methods, affordability, possibility of home loans) and quality (developer/brand reputation, good customer service, and trustworthy agents). Additional factors are available amenities, competent property management, safety and security, and reliable connectivity, such as Wi-fi. Of property seekers, 56 percent are looking at places outside Metro Manila, with Cavite being the most searched at 14 percent. Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, the most inquiredabout areas are Makati (23 percent), Cavite (21.8 percent), and Quezon City (15.9 percent). Cielo Dumlao, associate manager of Ohmyhome told reporters there’s still a lot of interest from the overseas market despite the challenging times stressing that overseas-based Filipinos and foreigners as well who are also interested to settle in the country want to check out the various projects in the different parts of the Philippines. “Before, overseas buyers prefer condominiums for investment purposes.” “Our overseas buyers are currently inquiring about different house

Zen-inspired homes launched at Amiya Raya

Mary Ann Yangco (from left), Ma. Charina Garcia, Jose Dalida and Rowena Ignacio

MIYA Raya (www.amiyaraya.com.ph), a home that matches the life you have always dreamed of and designed for your family. It is time to live it up. Come home to Amiya Raya. Amiya Raya a premier community development by Community Creators Inc., expands their vision in resort living by launching homes inspired by the Zen way of life, an environment that offers simplicity, naturalness, asymmetry, and stillness in the midst of one’s busy life. Situated 240 meters above sealevel and enveloped by its natural environs, Amiya Raya offers resortlike living that is only a 15-minute drive away from the city. It is located in San Mateo, Rizal, which makes it close to places of interests, such as schools, churches, malls and government offices. Their recent launch took place last October 31, 2020 and was attended by key Community Creators, Inc. executives including Ma. Charina Garcia (president, CCI), Jose Dalida (president, EXCORE), Rowena Ignacio (vice president for Sales), and Mary Ann Yangco (director for Business Development).

Their newest house models, Anya (265 sq m) and Azumi (211 sq m), are characterized by minimalist elegance and cleanlines. The units are both aesthetically pleasing and inviting, combining elements of nature with modern design. Homebuyers may choose any of the three facades offered for each house model, while Anya provides an additional option for one with a traditional enclosed roof or one with a roof deck for extra recreational space and to enjoy the 270-degree scenic views that Amiya Raya is known for. Watch the shimmering waters of Laguna de Bay and La Mesa Dam. Bask in the warmth of the sun as it rises from the peaks of nearby mountain ranges. Witness the sky display stunning colors as the sun sets over Manila Bay. Gaze at the scenic city skyline that seems to mirror a starry night. Raise your family where the standards are high. Have the life you always dreamed of and designed for your family. Where you can live content, knowing you’ve made the right choices in your life in a place you can call your own. Reni Salvador

Ohmyhome continues to make property transactions accessible, easy, and efficient for Filipino consumers

Even as consumer-driven data, research, and feedback affirm Ohmyhome’s stellar performance, the proptech company continues to roll out new features such as a better properties page, “ShoutOut,” and “Buying from Overseas.”

and lot projects,” Dumlao added. Dumlao said Cebu and Davao have generated a lot of interest among foreign buyers.

Moreover, she also said a huge number of overseas Filipinos want to buy a house and a lot as an investment for their future home when

they decide to come home for good. As for property preferences, condominium units under P10 million have gotten the most interest, explaining why developers launched more condominium units in the last quarter of 2020. Ohmyhome now makes sure that it readily caters to these property preferences, and that it can provide high-quality services despite limitations set by the pandemic. To cope with the increase in market inquiries, Sison said Ohmyhome has beefed up its Philippine team that includes a team of highly skilled business and tech professionals, all trained to develop and top-notch property services for clients.

In the Ohmyhome application and web site, customers can now find over 1,300 listings on its doit-yourself (DIY) platform and more than 40,000 units worth of property from over 140 real-estate developments. The latter comprise select projects from Ohmyhome’s developer-partners such as Vistaland International Marketing Inc., Suntrust Properties, Avida Land, and Honeycomb Builders Inc. which came on board in 2020, and SM Development Corp., and Bria Homes which signed up this year. A property listing spread indicates that 79.3 percent of properties in the platform are in Luzon, 9.2 percent are in Visayas, and 11.4 percent are in Mindanao. Dumlao said the introduction of digital technology has made it easier for sellers and buyers, as well to discuss the details of a project. Through digital technology, a seller can guide a prospective buyer on a virtual tour which has become the trend in this time of the pandemic. Sison said digital technologyenabled Ohmyhome to seal both local and overseas sales, with satisfied customers commending how Ohmyhome has indeed shown that buying and selling property can be simple, efficient and hassle-free. As for property preferences, condominium units under P10 million have gotten the most interest, explaining why developers launched more condominium units in the last quarter of 2020. Ohmyhome now makes sure that it readily caters to these property preferences, and that it can provide high-quality services despite limitations set by the pandemic.

A sound investment in the economic downturn

EAL estate has always been an industry that thrives, no matter the season or situation. Even amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it remains to be a viable asset that only appreciates over time—more so when it is a sound property in an enviable location and is backed by a trusted developer. In diversifying investment portfolios, real estate is a winning choice, especially because it can be passed down from one generation to the next. A prime example of this is premier realestate brand Filigree, which continues to lead the way in sustainable, smart and future-ready home designs—qualities that are proving to be valuable amid the pandemic and beyond. These are all evident in its flagship development, Botanika Nature Residences, which was a collaborative project of renowned designers Leandro V. Locsin Partners, Miaja Design Group, Architecture International, AECOM and Tina Periquet of Periquet Galicia Inc. for unit space planning of the second tower. A frontrunner in green living, Botanika Nature Residences boasts of generous living spaces and well-curated amenities made to promote comfort, good health, and excellent quality of life. This includes the thematic lush gardens, tiered pool, fully-equipped gym, indoor game room and play area, business center,

amphitheater and sky lounge. Meanwhile, its spacious units were designed to anticipate the owners’ distinctive lifestyle. Tower 1 offers twobedroom to three-bedroom units, ranging from 125 to 221 sq m, while Tower 2 brings to the mix one-bedroom units at a generous size of 72 sq m. It is because of these unique features that Botanika has earned a four-star BERDE (Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence) rating, and accolades such as a five-star rating in Asia Pacific Property Awards 2020 Best Sustainable Residential Development in the Philippines, the Philippine Green Building Council: Leadership in Sustainable Design and Performance, and Outstanding Award during the 2020 Energy Efficient Green Building Awards of Department of Energy. Further highlighting its commitment to sustainable living, Botanika is strategically located in Filinvest City, Alabang, the first and only township with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold in Neighborhood Development certification in the Philippines. With a walkable garden city, Botanika residents can easily have access to all of life’s essentials like world-class medical facilities, major business establishments, shopping and commercial centers, and prestigious educational institutions. “Filinvest City, as a bustling central busi-

ness district in the metro south, immediately puts Botanika at an advantage,” noted Daphne Sanchez, Filigree deputy head. “The city continues to enjoy an upward trajectory with compounded annual growth rate of more than 20 percent in the last 10 years. Botanika shares this success as the value per sq m of its Tower 1 increased by approximately 60 percent since its pre-selling, making it an attractive option for expats and investors who prefer village living in a condominium setting.” Sanchez also added, “The pandemic has underscored the need to push for quality invest-

ments that can weather through the rainy days. Botanika Nature Residences is all that and more.” Botanika Nature Residences is a top-end residential development in Filinvest City, Alabang that offers a unique approach to condominium living with its wide open spaces and its green and sustainable features that resemble village living. It has all the makings of a smart investment: tasteful and stylish finishes, desirable features, great location, security, and exclusivity. At Botanika, space is the new luxury. To know more about Botanika’s newest offering, visit www.botanika.com.ph.

New JLL formula reveals the secret of high performing workplaces in Asia Pacific

LL (NYSE: JLL) has unveiled the Human Performance Indicator (HPI), a new formula that gives a comprehensive view of how different aspects of the workplace such as spaces, technology and culture combine to elevate human performance. The Asia Pacific HPI results, based on a study of 1,500 employees in five countries across the region, found that “High Performers”—meaning those that have access to high impact work environment—thrive in a hybrid work model enabled by a wide range of sophisticated spaces, technology tools and work practices. Seven in 10 high performers practice flexible work, including flexible hours and work-fromhome, in comparison to only 34 percent of low performers. Low performers are those who felt that they did not have access to a work environment with collaborative spaces, sophisticated technology or an inclusive culture. Technology

workers (53 percent) and young professionals aged 25 to 34 (37 percent) make up the majority of high performers. As much as high performers were champions of flexible work, they felt that the office was a critical factor to performance. At least eight in 10 (84 percent) of them said they missed the office during lockdown as it allowed them access to a range of spaces and technologies for productivity and collaboration. “The expectations of work today have changed because of the pandemic. Work is no longer where you go, but what you do,” said James Taylor, head of Corporate Solutions Research, JLL Asia Pacific. “It is becoming clearer that organizations must find ways to enable employees to conduct work effectively and maximize their performance for business success. There is no single way to do so, and our research shows that the new formula for performance is one that incorporates the piv-

otal role of physical offices, combined with corporate culture and workplace technologies.” Surveyed employees provided scores on the availability and impact of their workspaces, technology tools and cultural aspects. Using the scores, a final HPI was calculated. The HPI score can vary between 0-100 and helps identify working environment and conditions that improve the performance of employees. The research found that only one-third of Asia Pacific workplaces have an environment that elevates employee performance. One way to improve performance is by increasing access to a wider range of sophisticated workplaces and technologies—the HPI found that the more varied and innovative the spaces and technologies provided, the higher the workplace satisfaction of employees. Acting and thriving as a social hub will be key to the success of the office in the future:

96 percent of high performers highlighted that they have access to spaces that promote informal interactions among colleagues such as outdoor terraces, game rooms and on-site coffee shops and baristas. Working remotely can feel very isolating and technology has not been able to fully compensate for the lack of personal contact. This need for a cohesive community is where the physical office can make all the difference. Availability of social spaces creates stronger social bonds among colleagues, which positively influence their collective performance. “While workplace capacity restrictions are still in place in the Philippines due to the pandemic, the future of work will truly be centered on an environment that nourishes creativity, innovation, and a sense of community among employees,” said Rommel Agoncillo, JLL Philippines’ executive director for Corporate Solutions.

Marcial poses hitches on PHL-China hoops duel By Josef Ramos

OMMISSIONER Willie Marcial described as a great idea Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Chairman Ricky Vargas’s proposal for a Philippines-China duel—an exhibition Marcial matchup aimed at helping quell tensions over the West Philippine Sea. But what bothers Marcial is how to execute the duel, which, according to Vargas, could be a best-of-seven series under a potential home-andaway format. “It’s a great idea, beautiful,” Marcial told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. “But there are crucial matters to consider if we want to execute the idea.” First, Marcial said, it’s not only the PBA and China which should be involved, but also the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the governing body for the sport in the country. “Second, how do we form the team and when do we schedule the game or games,” he added. Vargas announced in a statement on Friday— Araw ng Kagitingan—that he wanted a PhilippinesChina basketball duel, saying the friendly could help ease tension on the disputed waters both countries lay claim to. The TNT Tropang Giga governor picked Yeng Guiao of NLEX, one of three teams in the league that are under the Manuel V. Pangilinan group, as head coach of the PBA selection. Guiao readily accepted the offer. The PBA board, Marcial said, will be the key in the execution of Vargas’s proposal. The board meets on Monday to tackle crucial issues concerning the opening of the league’s 46th season that was shuttered by the imposition of strict quarantines. “We will discuss the league’s financial status and our plan of having a two-conference season this year,” Marcial said. The league is supposed to open on Sunday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City, but was shelved because of the enforcement of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which was eased to a modified ECQ for the rest of April. Also on the table is the governors’ discussion on vaccines for the PBA family.

Sports BusinessMirror

| Wednesday, April 14, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

CHEF de mission Ramon Fernandez addresses questions in Tuesday’s forum.

UNDER blooming cherry blossoms, people wearing protective masks walk with a backdrop of the Olympic rings floating in the water in the Odaiba section in Tokyo. AP

100 DAYS TO GO T

OKYO—The Tokyo Olympics are getting closer and things are starting to stir around the venues, though not as much as you might expect. Many preparations are still up in the air as organizers try to figure out how to hold the postponed games in the middle of a pandemic. Much of the city will be watching Wednesday as the countdown clocks around town hit the 100-days-to-go mark. The new national stadium in the heart of Tokyo exemplifies the state of preparations. Kengo Kuma’s $1.4 billion venue is still largely sealed off to outsiders by a white wall that circles the stadium. Over the weekend, passersby could hear rumblings from inside the venue—possible practice for the opening ceremony on July 23. The Paralympics follow on August 24. There is little movement around the Athletes’ Village, located near Tokyo Bay. The village will be tightly controlled during the Olympics, operating largely as a bubble for 11,000 Olympic athletes and 4.400 Paralympic athletes.

Athletes will be told not to socialize, to refrain for any tourism, and to come late and leave early to reduce the risks of spreading the virus. The new aquatic center, also near Tokyo Bay, just finished holding Japan’s national swimming championships. It’s already had a test run and has yielded a big story. Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee, a 20-year-old survivor of leukemia, finished first in four races and qualified for the Olympics. She was one of the world’s best swimmers until she was diagnosed two years ago with leukemia. She had said her plans were to aim for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but her performances have surprised almost everyone. Ikee is sure to be a big star in Tokyo—even if she fails to win a medal. She won six gold medals in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and was getting very close to breaking the world record in the 100-meter butterfly—her best event. The torch relay, meanwhile, ran through a mostly empty Osaka City park on Tuesday, showing the risks of trying to hold the postponed games during a pandemic.

It came on the same day that new coronavirus cases reportedly hit 1,000 for the first time in Japan’s second largest metropolitan area. The torch relay began three weeks ago in northeastern Japan, attempting to navigate around the pandemic with a total of 10,000 runners crisscrossing the country and bound for the opening ceremony on July 23 in Tokyo. Osaka, which announced plans last week to take the relay off city streets and bar the public, became the first detour since the relay began. Organizers warned beforehand there may be more. Wednesday’s second leg in Osaka will be in the same park under the same closed-doors conditions. New Covid-19 cases are rising across Japan, where fewer than 1 percent of residents have

been vaccinated in very slow rollout. Japan has attributed about 9,500 deaths to Covid-19, far fewer than many countries but higher than most neighbors in Asia. Many runners arrived in Osaka’s Expo ‘70 Commemorative Park by bus and ran short legs carrying the torch alongside metal barriers or in empty park space. They were accompanied by security officials who jogged or walked alongside, and followed by an escort” or “promotional” vehicle festooned with logos of major Olympic sponsors Coca-Cola and Toyota. After the postponement a year ago, organizers talked of doing away with the relay to save money. That idea never gained traction, largely because it’s promoted by some of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) largest sponsors. The top sponsors paid the IOC $1 billion in the last full Olympic cycle (2013-2016). That number could double when the next cycle is completed with the postponed Tokyo Games. AP

Lapu-Lapu Heroes go 2-and-oh

EED JUNTILLA delivered the goods in a pivotal third quarter as the ARQ Builders-Lapu-Lapu City foiled a resilient Dumaguete Warriors side for a 67-57 victory that gave the Heroes the early lead in the Visayas leg of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup on Tuesday at the Civic Center in Alcantara, Cebu. Juntilla, 36, displayed basketball smarts to the hilt by scoring eight in a 12-0 run that broke the Warriors’ backs and gave the Heroes a 46-37 cushion heading into the fourth quarter. “We depend so much on Reed when we need to score,” ARQ Head Coach Francis Auquico said. “I’m glad that he delivered when we needed him.” Juntilla finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists with Ferdinand Lusdoc topscoring for the Heroes with 14 points on top of three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Jerick Cañada had an all-around game of nine points, eight rebounds and six assists for Lapu-Lapu City, which now leads the division

with a 2-0 won-lost record. Nikki Monteclaro nailed six three-pointers for 20 points for Dumaguete. Mark Doligon added 12 points while Nacpil finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who dropped to 0-2. Lapu-Lapu goes for a third straight victory when it faces Siquijor at 2 p.m. on Thursday in the same venue. Dumaguete City, meanwhile, hopes to bounce back in its match against Talisay at 8 p.m. The Warriors threatened at 45-50 after a tough fallaway jumper by Jeric Nacpil, but the Heroes unleashed 11 unanswered points in a two-minute span—six coming from burly forward—Ferdinand Lusdoc for a 61-50 lead.

REED JUNTILLA delivers when needed most.

Akiko talks in sports summit

WIMMING icon Akiko Thomson-Guevara dives into the “Role of Philippine Olympians in Furthering Philippine Sports” in Session 9 of the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) National Sports Summit 2021 on Wednesday. The three-time Olympian and eighttime Southeast Asian Games gold medalist will expound on the ongoing efforts of the Philippine Olympians Association, an

organization founded in 2002 and which she leads as president, to provide opportunities through sports for the Filipino youth. Thomson-Guevara will also discuss topics on how to optimize the assets of Filipino Olympians in relation to playing a meaningful role in the realm of Philippine sports. “Her stellar career as part of the Miracle of 1991 [SEA Games] and as an Olympian, and further using her platform as the head

Ancajas good, but Magsayo better Al Mendoza | alsol47@yahoo.com

THAT’S ALL JERWIN ANCAJAS won by unanimous decision on Sunday on the strength mainly of a superbly conditioned body. Had he fought with a half-empty tank, it would have cost him his crown on his ninth defense of the International Boxing Federation junior bantamweight plum he captured in 2016. I gave him a lopsided 117-100 victory, the same score given by one of the three judges. I only handed three rounds to Jonathan Rodriguez, the tough challenger from Potosi, Mexico, although he fought so well. Ancajas won most of his nine rounds by the slimmest of margins. Only in the eighth when Rodriguez suffered the only knockdown in the 12-round title fight did Ancajas clearly win a round, accomplishing it with a barrage of body blows and telling combinations to the face. Other than that, it was close in practically the rest of the way, with Rodriguez even pocketing the 10th

and 11th rounds in a rally that mercifully fell short. It was only by sheer instinct that Ancajas was able to pull it out of the fire. “Difficult. One of the toughest fights of my life,” said the 29-year-old Ancajas from Panabo, Davao del Norte, who improved to 33-1-2 with 22 knockouts. Sturdy knees and a big fighting hear helped him shake off the rust of a long layoff dating back to December 2019. For Rodriguez, 25, his gallant stand should make him proud as a true Mexican warrior. It was only his second loss against 22 wins, 16 by knockout. Ancajas was beyond compare to his compatriot Mark Magsayo, who wasn’t only in tip-top shape but came out very much refined in stashing away a smashing knockout win over Pablo Cruz in the 8-round undercard. While he was a raging bull not too long ago at the sound of the first bell, wanting to devour his foe in an instant, not anymore for the bigtime puncher from Bohol.

CDM Fernandez airs confidence on athletes preps for SEA Games

HEF de mission Ramon Fernandez believes the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Gamesbound athletes have ample time to train despite limitations set by the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ for the whole of April. “I hope three months would really be enough for the athletes to perform at their peak or at their very best,” the 67-year-old Fernandez, also a commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), told Tuesday’s online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum. Some members of Team Philippines are supposed to enter a bubble at the Inspire Institute of Sports in Calamba this Thursday, but collective training are prohibited even under MECQ. Fernandez said a PSC-Philippine Olympic Committee (PSC-POC) Task Force was created to coordinate the preparations of 29 national sports associations whose athletes will compete in the November 21 to December 2 SEA Games. There are 40 sports in the Hanoi SEA Games program with the Philippines opting not to field a team in petanque. The NSAs’ timelines on their athletes’ preparations will be the task force’s main concern, Fernandez told the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Fernandez also disclosed in the forum that the PSC earmarked P200 million for the SEA Games—P100 million for the actual campaign or participation and the other half for the training of the athletes. The Philippine Basketball Association Legend also said a bubble training at the Laguna facility would be costly, thus an option for the NSAs to consider holding their respective bubbles with the help of local government units where Covid-19 infections are low. “Boxing, karate and taekwondo athletes trained at Inspire for about 45 days and the PSC spent P21 million,” he said. “Just imagine how much the cost would be if you put the entire Team Philippines there.” Team Philippines will be composed of 626 athletes with half of that number making up coaches and other team support. The Philippines emerged overall champion as host of the games’ 30th edition in 2019 and Fernandez, speaking in his capacity as a former athlete, expressing confidence over a strong performance in Vietnam. “Thinking from an athletes’ point of view, I believe our athletes are in top condition,” he said. They didn’t stop training— even on their own.”

of their organization, will truly inspire our participants in the pursuit of improving Philippine sports,” PSC Chairman William Ramirez said. “She has had a history of promoting Philippine sports and Olympism through participating as a volunteer in the Athens Summer Olympic Games (2004) and serving as assistant coach of the national swimming team in the 1997 SEA Games and 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games,” Ramirez added. She also served as one of PSC’s Commissioners from 2010 to 2016. Now under the wings of the renowned Freddie Roach, Magsayo was now a refined conquistador, deliberate and methodical in destroying his enemy—all the more embellishing his moniker as the “Magnifico.” Climbing the ring with a 21-3-0 record, with six knockouts, Cruz, against Magsayo, was like a hapless convict being led to the guillotine. After sizing up Cruz in a getting-to-know you first round, Magsayo quickly went to work in the second round, flooring Cruz with a jab to the face. In the third, Magsayo decked Cruz again, this time with a thundering left hook with 48 seconds remaining. Magsayo ended the carnage in the fourth, upping his record to 22 straight wins in 22 fights, with 15 knockouts. It is just a matter time before Magsayo is crowned a world champion—in league with legends like Flash Elorde and Manny Pacquiao. THAT’S IT Hideki “Lexus” Matsuyama bucked a meltdown when he nearly blew a six-shot lead to win the Masters by one on Monday, becoming the first Japanese—and Asian for that matter—to win golf’s most prestigious tournament in its 85th edition. A thirdround 65 gave cushion to a final-round 73 as Matsuyama had the luxury of bogeying the 18th to escape with the one-stroke victory over Will Zalatoris of Dallas, Texas. Matsuyama pocketed $2.7 million. Kampai!