Data from the BSP showed that foreign direct investments (FDI) recorded a 64.1-percent expansion to $742 million in May this year, from its $452-million level in the same month last year. is is, however, lower than the previous month’s $989-million FDI net in ow and the second lowest monthly FDI for the rst ve months of 2022. e incurred FDI net in ows during the month brought the cumulative ve-month FDI net inows to $4.2 billion, higher by 18.8 percent from the $3.5 billion seen in the same January to May period in 2021.FDIare investments made by foreign players to the Philippines in the hopes of long-term return. Since these are in the country for a longer-term compared to their short-term counterpart, the foreign portfolio investments (FPI), FDI usually create jobs for Filipinos and have a multiplier effect on the economy. In May 2022, FDI grew largely due to net in ows from non-residents’ net investments in debt instruments and equity capital of their local a liates. By country of source, equity capital placements came largely from Japan, the United States, Singapore and the Netherlands. ese were invested mostly in manufacturing; real estate; information and communication; and transportation and storage industries. e BSP, meanwhile, attributed the ve-month growth of the country’s FDI level to the increase in
B S P. M @sam_medenilla MALACAÑANG on Wednesday denied that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. approved the importation of 300,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar to address the local supply shortage of the sweetener.Inabrief statement, Press Secretary Beatrix “Trixie” CruzAngeles said Marcos, who is also the concurrent Agriculture Secretary, did not sign any order for the“importation.ePresident rejected the proposal to import an additional 300,000 MT of sugar. He is the chairman of the Sugar Regulatory Board and denied this in no uncertain terms,” Angeles said. As of press time, Angeles has yet to disclose why Marcos rejected the proposed importation. e Palace o cial made the statement after an order allowing for the importation was posted on the web site of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Wednesday afternoon. In that document, Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian signed on behalf of Marcos, the concurrent agriculture secretary. e other signatories were SRA Board Vice Chairman Hermenegildo R. Sera ca, SRA Miller’s Representative Roland B. Beltran, and SRA Planter’s Representative Aurelio Gerardo J. ValderramaFollowingJr.Angeles’s statement on the matter, the document was taken down from the SRA web site.Stakeholders have been pushing for the importation, citing a record low local sugar production which can no longer keep up with local demand.esupply shortage led to the
PALACE DENIES MARCOS OKAYED SUGAR IMPORTS PESO EXCHANGE RATES ■ US 55.5420 ■ JAPAN 0.4111 ■ UK 67.0836 ■ HK 7.0758 ■ SINGAPORE 40.2916 ■ AUSTRALIA 38.6906 ■ SAUDI ARABIA 14.7757 ■ EU 56.7362 ■ KOREA 0.0425 ■ CHINA 8.2249 Source: BSP (August 10, 2022) S “P,” A BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s business www.businessmirror.com.ph P. | | 7 DAYS A WEEK■ Thursday, August 11, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 307 ROTARY CLUB OF MANILA JOURNALISM AWARDS 2006 National Newspaper of the Year 2011 National Newspaper of the Year 2013 Business Newspaper of the Year 2017 Business Newspaper of the Year 2019 Business Newspaper of the Year 2021 Pro Patria Award PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY 2018 Data Champion EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2018 BANTOG MEDIA AWARDS FDI INFLOWS UP IN MAY, BOOSTING 5-MO. TOTAL S “FDI,” A “B,” A Biz groups urge govt: Allow stopgap sugar importation RECORD RAIN A part of a main road along the Han River is flooded due to heavy rain in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, August 10, 2022. Seven people remain missing in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi Province following the heavy rains that swamped the region Monday and Tuesday, turning streets into car-clogged rivers, sending floods cascading into subway stations, triggering landslides that crashed into roads and buildings, and displacing more than 1,800 people from their homes. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for significant improvements to the country’s flood management systems, including building more rain tanks and tunnels and improving flood-prediction technologies, citing the growing challenges posed by extreme weather events. AP/AHN YOUNG-JOON B B C @BcuaresmaBM L ONG-TERM investments by foreign investors to the Philippines continued to grow in May this year compared to its 2021 level, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Tuesday.
B A E. S J
BUSINESS groups are urging the government to allow importation of sugar to address the shortage in supply and the increasing prices of re ned sugar, sweetened food and beverage products.With the new order of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to revive and modernize the agriculture sector, business groups hope that the sugar industry will be given the right technology and farming support to increase its production in order to meet domestic However,requirements.the business groups said, “while we have yet to address the productivity issue, importation at this point is the alternative recourse to mitigate the negative impact on the supply.” In a statement on Wednesday, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Food Exporters (Philfoodex), and Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport) said they are calling on the government to immediately look into the crippling supply of sugar, which they said is expected to hurt both the local food processors and manufacturers and the consumers in general. According to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), the
e BusinessMirror broke the story last week about the government’s plan to import an additional 300,000 MT of sugar to plug the shortfall in supply and temper rising prices as local production fell to its lowest level in more than two decades.ecountry’s sugar production in crop year 2021-2022 may settle at 1.8 million MT, its lowest level in 22 years, documents and data obtained by the BusinessMirror showed.Latest SRA price monitoring report showed that the average price of sugar in Metro Manila supermarkets as of August 5 was at a record high of P93.01 per kilogram. Re ned sugar sold in Metro Manila public markets averaged much higher at P95 per kilogram. SRA price monitoring reports showed that the government continues to record re ned sugar prices in supermarkets as high as P115 per kilogram. Re ned sugar prices in certain Metro Manila public markets have already reached P100 per kilogram. Jasper Emmanuel A A
“We also propose explicitly stating that the power of the ecozone authority to grant incentives shall be a delegated power from the Fiscal Incentives Review Board. is would address the President’s concern about the lack of coherence with existing laws, rules, and regulations,” he added. Salceda also proposed that the powers and functions of the proposed Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (BACSEZFA) take standard powers and functions granted to other Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs), such as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), which is similarly situated. e lawmaker also proposed a provision explicitly subjecting the ecozone authority to the Commission on Audit, and other governance mechanisms under Republic Act No. 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act, particularly Sections 24, 25, and 26, on audit mechanisms; and to subsequent rules and regulations issued by the Governance Commission for GOCCs. e bill also provides a provision of a process for the expropriation of land awarded to agrarian reform bene ciaries. Salceda also proposed to limit the ecozone authority’s “power to acquire either by purchase, negotiation or condemnation proceedings, any private land within or adjacent to the Bulacan Ecozone” with some conditions. e House leader also said an additional provision can be included allowing the President, upon recommendation of the Department of Finance and the National Economic and Development Authority, to extend the metes and bounds of the ecozone. Salceda also proposed that a comprehensive master plan and feasibility study be presented to the Regional Development Council III and to the Economic Development Cluster of Cabinet, before the House Committee on Economic Affairs.
BULACAN ECOZONE BILL VETOTWEAKEDREFILED,TOSUITMESSAGE
cost of re ned sugar in Metro Manila is approximately P115 per kilogram. “It is likely to spike up if supply is not immediately addressed,” said the business groups. The business groups stressed that while they recognize the need to protect the country’s sugar producers and millers, “we need to strike a balance and consider expanding our import requirement before the situation worsens, which could lead to higher in ation.”
Palace... C A Biz... C
With
C
C A FDI... Recovering
Commenting on the latest FDI data, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort said the lower FDI net in ows compared to the previous months re ect investors’ “waitand-see” stance while waiting for the outcome of the May 2022 presidential elections.
THE
Y. Arcalas ursday, August 11, 2022A2 News BusinessMirror www.businessmirror.com.ph C
Re ned sugar is an essential component in food manufacturing. Based on Philfoodex data, the annual production is at 771,000 metric tons (MT) with a carryover stock of 144,000 MT. This gives a total re ned sugar stocks balance of 915,000However,MT. the business groups said the country’s demand for annual re ned sugar is at 943,000 MT. At the same time, the monthly estimated demand is 83,000 MT. The business groups said in December 2021, the government allowed the importation of 200,000 metric tons. “This amount was only distributed to and consumed by industrial users, and no imports had reached the domestic food processors and retail market.” According to SRA, the sugar shortage has worsened as local production missed forecasts due to a delay in planned imports. “The raw sugar output on August 31, which is the crop ending year, is estimated at 1.8 million tonnes. This is below the previous estimated 1.98 million tonnes, compared with the average annual demand of 2.03 million tonnes in the past three years,” said the business groups. In terms of employment, the business groups noted that 2019 SRA data showed that around 700,000 and almost 6 million Filipinos were directly and indirectly employed in sugar production, respectively. Further, Food and Beverage manufacturing companies are responsible for sustaining 4 million jobs while Food and Beverage alone employs 3.2 million, and its retail sector accounted for the most considerable portion, employing 2 millionThepeople.business groups said that since 2015, they have been asking SRA to allow domestic food manufacturers and processors to import low-cost sugar to help them level the playing eld against imported sugary products entering the country at cheaper prices. However, the business groups stressed this “long-standing advocacy” has not progressed, and SRA instead issued Sugar Order No. 1, which they said intends to allocate 100 percent of sugar production to the domestic market for Crop Year 2021-2022. “In our March 2022 joint letter to SRA, we requested an allocation of 10,000 bags of 50 kg/bag of re ned sugar per month to serve the needs of the local food processors due to this new policy,” said the business groups on Wednesday. But, while they believe that the new sugar allocation may bene t and protect the farmers, they said “it puts the greater majority of consumers and the food manufacturing sector at a disadvantage.”
B S P. M
foreign investors’ net investments in debt instruments, which muted the decline in net equity capital placements for the period.
Despite this, Ricafort believes the level of continued FDI in ow toward the country is still good news.e economist said FDI “remain a bright spot for the economy” despite the recent soft patch, as these would still lead to more economic activities, and spur the creation of more jobs as the economy reopens further towards greater normalcy. “For the coming months, FDI could still continue to go up amid better global economic prospects as some developed countries that are the major sources of FDI move towards population protection/ herd immunity,” Ricafort said. economy drawing in more jobseekers, says Laguesma @sam_medenilla country’s economic growth is helping attract more jobseekers back to the workforce, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Enrollees now at 60% of target, reportsDepEd A Earlier, DOH O cer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said they are talking to DepEd o cials on drawing up health protocols for the faceto-faceVergeireclasses.said that as part of such protocols, there would be safety ofcers in schools to monitor the students, teachers and non-teaching personnel.However, Poa stressed anew that the DepEd is not calling for mandatory vaccination for teachers, non-teaching personnel and learners as a condition for them to attend“Weclasses. areone with President [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr.] in encouraging everyone to get vaccinated as well [get] as their booster, but vaccination is not mandatory in nature and we will not discriminate between those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated for learners, teachers and nonteaching sta ,” Poa said. Poa said DepEd will ensure the safety of those who will go to school with the implementation of “infection containment strategy.” is includes making sure schools are clean and properly ventilated, stagnant waters are cleared, wearing of face masks, and provision of alcohol and handwashing facilities, among others. Parents should not send their children to school if they are “unwell,” he said. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
In a radio interview last Wednesday, Labor and Employment Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said the 8.2 gross domestic product (GDP) in the rst quarter helped boost the interest of more individuals to look for work. Among the applicants, he said, are new graduates as well as those who are jobless, but have not previously looked for work. Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the labor chief said the higher GDP growth led to the number of unemployed workers in June to increase to 2.99 million from 2.93 million lastPSAMay.de nes the unemployed as those who have no work, currently available for work, and seeking work or not seeking work because of the belief that no work is available, or awaiting results of a previous job application, or because of temporary illness or disability. “ ey are now looking for jobs since they now have hope of nding employment opportunities,” Laguesma said. He said DOLE will try to increase the employability of new applicants by providing job opportunities and the needed skills to qualify for such, in line with the marching orders of President Ferdinand R. Macos Jr. e proposal, he said will be included in their Labor and Employment plan for 2023 to 2028, which they are crafting with other employment-generating agencies including the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the Department of Tourism (DOT). is will bring to realization “what President Bongbong Marcos mentioned in his SONA [State of the Nation Address], to lower the incidence of poverty to a single digit,” Laguesma said. price of the re ned sugar to soar to as high as P90.85 per kilogram in supermarkets and P93 per kilogram in wet markers as of last July 29. e SRA board is chaired by President Marcos Jr. Executive Secretary Victor D. Rodriguez issued a memorandum last July 15 that authorized Undersecretary Sebastian “to sit as ex-o cio chairman or member of all duly constituted committees, councils, boards, or bodies where the Secretary of the DA is a member.”SO4was approved by the SRA board on August 9 and was released by the SRA records section on August 10. e SRA also published the SO 4 on its web site on August 10. Likewise, the document was sent to and received by the UP Law Center O ce of the National Administrative Register on August 10.SO 4 stipulated that it would take e ect after three days from ling with the O ce of the National Administrative Registrer. However, the SRA took down the copy of SO 4 in its web site on August 10 evening after Malacañang denied that Marcos approved the importation program. Under SO 4, the government allowed the importation of 150,000 MT of sugar for industrial users and another 150,000 MT for producers and traders. e document stipulated that the imported raw sugar for consumption must arrive no later than October 15, 2022 while raw sugar for tolling into re ned sugar must arrive no later than November 30. “Imported re ned sugar must arrive no later than November 30, 2022,” the document read.
The business groups explained that this is because the “B” sugar allocation will be based on current domestic prices, which are considerably higher, ranging from P85 to P115 per kilo compared with world market prices which only cost around P32-P35 per kilo. They said this is putting the country behind its ASEAN counterparts which enjoy lower costs of sugar inputs sourced from the world market.
U NDER questioning at a Senate Energy Committee hearing Wednesday, Department of Energy (DOE) o cials allayed apprehensions over looming brownouts when asked about the power outlook for the next six Respondingmonths.tothe query raised by committee vice chairman Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla promptly assured the panel that the country “currently has enough reserves for the next six months,” assuming there would be no major breakdowns of power plants. “But for the summer months,” Lotilla quickly added, “I have to tell you that I’m beginning to have concerns about that and we will do our best precisely to address stranded power out there.” Sen. Ra y Tulfo, the new chairman of the Committee on Energy, presided over the rst hybrid organizational meeting with DOE o cials led by Lotilla. In his opening statement, Tulfo noted the daunting task of the committee, especially at a time when prices of electricity and fuel are soaring to unprecedented levels. “Energy is a technical eld but it must always be remembered that in this committee, our rst and foremost priority is always the productivity, welfare, and betterment of the people. I wholeheartedly accept this challenge. This is precisely the reason why I pushed to run for senator—to make changes through legislation,” he said. At the hearing, Gatchalian recalled that the country had about 22 red alerts and 154 yellow alerts over the last six years and it has become a tradition for the committee to seek a power outlook from concerned agencies. Butch Fernandez DOE: PHL has enough nextreservespowerfor6months
T he appellate court stressed that it would ultimately be up to the trial court to determine who between Navarro and Cornejo speaks the truth. Cornejo’s camp has filed a motion before OCP seeking the immediate filing of the rape and acts of lasciviousness charges against Navarro.DOJspokesman, lawyer Mico Clavano reiterated that the justice department has no other option but to abided by the CA ruling.“We will have to comply with the court’s order to file the information in court. We have to respect the court’s decision to overturn our resolution as they are a coequal branch of government,” Clavano said. By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
PROSECUTOR- GENERAL Benedicto Malcontento on Wednesday said it would be up to the Office of the City Prosecutor (OCP) in Taguig to decide when to file the rape and acts of lasciviousness charges against television host and actor Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro. “OCP Taguig has a free hand. You will know their course of action soon,” Malcontento said when asked if the OCP will filed the case immediately or will wait for the Court of Appeals to resolve the motion for reconsideration to be filed by Navarro’s camp. It can be recalled that the CA’s Fourteenth Division issued last July 21, 2022 a decision directing the City Prosecutor of Taguig City to file rape by sexual intercourse and acts of lasciviousness charges against Navarro in connection with the 2014 incidents that involved actress-model Deniece Cornejo.Inthe said July 21 decision, the CA overturned the 2018 and 2020 resolutions of the DOJ dismissing the complaint filed by Cornejo against Navarro. I t held that it was “erroneous” for the DOJ to junk Cornejo’s petition for review on the ground that her statements in the complaint-affidavits are inconsistent and incredible. T he CA said the DOJ should have allowed the case to be tried before a court, where both parties can present evidence and counterevidence to support their claims.
www.businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, August 11, 2022 A3BusinessMirror The
By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM T HE Department of National Defense (DND) is already in the process of “formal izing” the termination of the con tract involving the procurement of 16 Mi-17 helicopters from Rus sia, which the former Duterte ad ministration shelved days before it left office. T he move was announced by the department on Tuesday, more than a month after former Defense Secre tary and now Bases Conversion and Development Authority Chairman Delfin N. Lorenzana said the con tract has been scuttled by the Duterte administration just days before the end of its term last June 30. “The Department of National De fense is formalizing the termination of the contract with SOVTECHNO EXPORT LLC of the Russian Federa tion for the procurement of 16 units of Mi-17 heavy-lift helicopters for the Philippine Air Force,” the DND said in a news statement. The P12.797-billion contract was signed by the DND with the Russian contractor during the term of for mer president Rodrigo R. Duterte as it moved to beef up the air assets of the Air Force. Instead of 16, the con tractor agreed to deliver 17 units of Mi-17, with the additional unit being given as Followingfree. the signing of the contract, the then Duterte admin istration has already paid an initial amount of at least P1.9 billion as disclosed by Lorenzana, which he said, should be up to the current administration as to how it could take it back as a result of the con tract’sLorenzanatermination.citedthe US-led West imposition of sanctions against Rus sia over its attack of Ukraine as the principal reason behind the deci sion to rescind the contract, as the Philippines may also incur economic sanctions from Washington should it push through with the deal with the Russian contractor.
W hen asked what will happen to the P1.9 billion that has been given to the contractor as a down payment, Andolong said this would be included among the issues that the committee will look into.
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) reiterated on Wednes day that the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Muntinlupa would have the last say on the fate of former senator Leila de Lima who is undergo ing trial for her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa during her term as justice secretary. It’s up to the courts,” Justice Sec retary Crispin Remulla when asked to comment on the recent decision of the Office of the Ombudsman dis missing the bribery complaints filed against de Lima and her former aide Ronnie Dayan in connection with the NBP drug trade. Remulla admitted that a lot of individuals, mostly diplomats and groups, have approached him ask ing for de Lima’s release but he told them about the ongoing court pro ceedings against her. There were a lot of individuals, diplomats mostly [who approached me]. I just had to explain the situa tion to them,” Remulla said. DOJ spokesman, lawyer Mico Cla vano, also stressed that the DOJ’s posi tion on de Lima’s case will not change despite the Ombudsman’s ruling. DOJ’s statement remains the same. We will leave it to the sound discretion of the Muntinlupa court to decide on the case. We have already presented our evidence. It is former Senator de Lima’s turn to present hers,” said Clavano. T he bribery complaints dismissed by the Ombudsman stemmed from the complaint lodged by its special team of investigators on October 8, 2018 based on the testimonies of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Es pinosa, Ram-Jhon Michael Espinosa and Marcelo Adorco, claiming that de Lima received bribe money amount ing to P8 million from the illegal drug trade operations inside the NBP to finance her senatorial bid. However, Espinosa and Adorco have executed separate affidavits re canting their statements linking de Lima in the NBP drug trade. T hey claimed that they were ha rassed, threatened and intimidated into signing an affidavit implicating the senator in the illegal drug trade. De Lima is facing two criminal cas es before the Muntinlupa RTC for her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade duringinside the NBP in Muntinlupahertermasjusticesecretary. Nation
In order to get the formal ter mination of the contract moving, DND spokesman Arsenio “Popong” Andolong said the DND has al ready reconstituted the “DND Contract Termination and Review Committee (CTRC) that will un dertake the appropriate processes and exercise due diligence in for malizing the termination of the project’s contract.”
“We are also preparing to initiate a diplomatic dialogue with the Russian side regarding matters arising from the project’s cancellation,” he added. Without dropping the same reason given by Lorenzana, who is his for mer boss, Andolong said “changes in priorities necessitated by global political developments resulted in the cancellation of the project by the previous administration.”
DND ‘formalizing’ termination of P12.7-B chopper deal with Russia Diplomats lobby for de Lima’s release, DOJ’s Remulla admits Malcontento on Vhong’s case: Ball is now with OCP-Taguig
Because funding allotments ex pire at the end of the year, the law maker said, the two agencies serve as “sanctuaries, which extend the life of funds and prevent their return to the national treasury.”
IF the government wants faster delivery of critical projects and equipment, a House deputy speaker on Wednesday said the Mar cos administration must end the “pasa-buy” scheme in government purchases that has created two “mega parking lots” of funds. Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto said the Procure ment Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) and Philippine International Trading Corp., an agency under the Depart ment of Trade of Industry, are alleg edly responsible for the slow procure ment of goods at higher prices. Recto issued the statement after noting the spate of Commission on Audit reports linking the PS-DBM to questionable transactions. When it comes to questionable procurement, two agencies are al ways starring in COA reports. This PS-DBM and PITC,” Recto said. According to Recto, the two serve as state purchasing arms which other government agencies contract, for a fee, to buy a wide range of goods, including “planes, trains and auto mobiles.” “There would have been no prob lem if the involvement of the two had led to faster procurement of quality goods at cheaper prices. But the op posite had happened,” he said. A s of August last year, Recto said, PS-DBM and PITC owed their client government agencies P63.1 billion worth—almost evenly split between the two—of undelivered goods, equipment and infrastructure. In COA parlance, this amount represented “unutilized deposits and advance payments of government agencies,” Recto explained. “Read the COA reports and cry. Some of the equipment were sup posed have been delivered five years before but were still in the bidding stage,” he said. T he amount does not, however, include “delivery slippages of equip ment and consumables used to fight the Covid pandemic which have been marred by allegations of irregulari ties,” Recto said. T he former senator added the two agencies “have become last minute dumping grounds of about-to-expire allotments of agencies.”
FOR the “heroic” role played by ba rangay health workers (BHW) at the height of the pandemic, a lawmaker is proposing incentives totaling at least P5,000 per month, along with other benefits and privileges, for qualified BHWs. In filing the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte cited the “crucial and heroic” role they play in keeping com munities safe amid the continuing rise of Covid-19 infections as well as the increasing cases of dengue in the country. He said that while BHWs act as the first line of defense in barangays against disease outbreaks, they continue to suf fer unreasonable compensation and lack of benefits, especially if they are assigned to far-flung areas. This dire situation of ten prompts many of them to seek better pay and working conditions elsewhere, Duterte said. I n recognition of the indispensable service they render, Duterte is seeking to provide all BHWs with a monthly hono rarium of not less than P3,000 a month each subject to adjustments based on pre vailing market values. On top of the monthly honorarium, BHWs accredited by their respective local health boards will also be given a monthly hazard allowance of at least P1,000; and monthly transportation allowance of at least P1,000 under Duterte’s proposal. Under his proposed Magna Carta of Ba rangay Health Workers, Duterte also aims to provide BHWs with a 20 percent discount on goods and services similar to those given to senior citizens. A ccredited BHWs will also receive a sub sistence allowance of at least P100 per day if they are assigned to isolated barangay health stations. A one-time retirement cash incentive of not less than P10,000 will also be given to accredited BHWs who have continuously and satisfactorily served for at least 15 years.
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM T HE andredevelopmentitsgovernmentHoldingsagreementbepublicofadvicecalleconomicforprojectsrecovery,”duringoffromonremainthe“theprivatestatement,Committeeconstituencies.thatintolocalFerdinandsupportEdgardoFinancebyassuredmultibillionestimatedcountrywideadministration’sMarcosprojects,tocosttaxpayerspesos,hadbeenofavailablefundingtheSenateCommitteeonchairedbySen.JuanAngara.This,asAngara affirmedfor thecallofPresidentR.MarcosJr.forgovernmentunits(LGUs)workwiththeprivatesectorthedevelopmentofprojectswillservetheirrespectiveThechairmanoftheSenateonFinance,inanewsagreedthatpublic-partnerships(PPPs)arewaytogoatthistimewhengovernmentcollectionsslowasthecountryisstilltheroadtoeconomicrecoverytheCovid-19pandemic.”“ContinuingthedevelopmentinfrastructureprojectsiscrucialthisperiodofeconomicAngarastressed.Thesenatoraddedthat“thesearekeytogeneratingjobsourpeopleandinducingmoreactivity.” Sayingthat thetimesalsoforcreativity,hehastenedtothat“therearecarefulwaysfinancingpublicprojectsthatdogood.”OneexamplethatshouldemulatedistheleasebetweenSMPrimeInc.andthecityofIloiloCity,ledbyMayorJerryTreñas,fortheofcity’sCentralTerminalMarkets.
Recto hits ‘pasa-buy’ scheme in government procurement
Once an agency transfers the allot ment for a particular project to PITC or PS-DBM, the funds are considered obligated, deemed spent even, he said. T his in turn creates the expendi ture fiction that the funds have been utilized, when in fact they are not, Recto said. “This artificial spending inflates fund utilization.” Ironically, Recto noted that it was upon the insistence of the Executive branch that Congress made appropri ations “perishable beyond one year” in order to accelerate spending, “only to be circumvented in the other branch.” A nother issue Recto raised against the two agencies is the “patent lack of technical expertise to assess bids.”
Angara assures funding for PBBM’s infra plan
“ The traditional sources— through the national budget, local revenues—must be expanded. And PPP has been proven to be a viable option,” he added.
A ngara acknowledged this to be “a PPP that strikes a balance between public welfare and fiscal responsibility, and of bringing convenience to its users without bloating public debt that they might end up paying for in the end,” noting that “such type of financing will allow LGUs to leverage their resources and punch above their weight.” “Done right,” Angara added, “PPPs will end up being a win-win for both the LGU beneficiaries and the private sector partner.” Moreover, he recalled that in a meeting with officials of the League of Cities of the Philippines last week, President Marcos also encouraged the LGUs “to be open to the possibilities of PPPs.”
no longer a nice-to-have feature but a basic utility, just like electricity and water. In the world we live in today, communities must be digitally ready, and this is one thing that developers must guarantee,” Abejo said. “ The pandemic-induced lock downs made us see how indispens able the Internet is to our profes sional and even personal lives. It is not only workplaces that need to be fully digital. Communities also have to be digitally enabled,” Abejo added. T he Sustainable Development Goals, a set of global targets estab lished by the United Nations, stress the role of infrastructure and innova tion in driving economic growth and development (SDG 9), and highlight the importance of building sustain able cities and communities (SDG 11). Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology has committed to sup port legislation setting standards for telco integration in the design of residential property. In the 19th Congress, Sen. Grace Poe refiled Senate Bill 329—the Bet ter Internet Act—requiring service providers to establish minimum standards for connection, reception, pricing and billing. “As advocates championing the interests of ordinary citizens and consumers, we laud—and expect much from—the DICT and Sen. Poe’s legislative initiative to mandate fast connectivity for all housing develop ments,” Abejo said. “ Telco space for network infra structure in housing developments, be they buildings or subdivisions, should be a standard facility inte grated by developers and imposed by the government to align with a nationwide broadband strategy.” A bejo cited the example of Globe Business’ Project RISE (Regional In sights and Strategies for Enterprise), which advocates a long-term view in shaping Philippine communities, specifically in the master planning and development stages.
“ While doctors and nurses receive most of the public recognition for their lifesaving roles during the pandemic, BHWs have remained almost unacknowledged for their sacrifices. It is about time that we recognize the incomparable service of our BHWs by providing them compensa tion and benefits,” said Duterte. T he measure seeks to have at least one BHW appointed in every barangay for every 20 Uhouseholds. nderthebill, all accredited BHWs are also entitled to an annual cash gift of not less than the minimum monthly honorarium that they receive. The cash gift will be given every December and will come from the general fund of the barangay or from such other funds appropriated by the national government for this purpose. BHWs must be registered with, and ac credited by, the municipal or city health board to be entitled to these incentives and benefits. To become a registered BHW, an ap plicant should have rendered basic com munity health-care services continuously and satisfactorily for six months imme diately preceding the date of the filing of application for registration, and com pleted the basic orientation and training for BHWs as prescribed by the Depart ment of Health (DOH) and conducted by an accredited government agency or DOH-recognized academic institution or nongovernment organization. Duterte said that to further profession alize the ranks of BHWs, they should be accredited by the local health boards. This involves rendering additional service for at least two years, and completing a regular training program to be institutionalized by the DOH in cooperation with the local government units (LGUs). T he Magna Carta mandates the DOH in coordination with other government agencies to provide continuing education, training and career enrichment programs forABHWs. ccredited BHWs are entitled to free medical care under the bill when confined to any public hospital or health institution, and assistance not exceeding P5,000 for expenses incurred during times of extreme emergency where there is no nearby public hospital available. HB 450 also entitles accredited BHWs membership in PhilHealth as indirect con tributors. The Government Service Insur ance System is also mandated to design an insurance benefit package suitable for ac credited BHWs. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie
By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio A N advocacy group recently urged the tionsintoallowsuchmanyenWatchservicedeliverytelecommunicationdeveloperscountry’s real-estatetocollaboratewithcompaniesfortheoffastandreliableInternettohomeownersandtenants.TimAbejo,co-convenorofCitizPhilippines,lamentedthatdevelopersforvariousreasonsashealthissuesstillrefusetocellularsitesandrestrictaccessfibercableinstallations,resultingspottyandslowInternetconnectoresidents.AstableInternetconnectionis
He recalled that the Iloilo City government recently entered into a 25-year lease agreement with SM Prime Holdings Inc. for the redevelopment of the two markets, which will benefit an estimated 2,800 market vendors. A s agreed, he added, SM Prime Holdings Inc. “committed to allocate as much as P3 billion for the project and as a result of this PPP, the city government will not have to shoulder any cost” with management of the markets remaining with the city government through the Local Economic Enterprise Office.
Group pitches for strong telco, developer collaboration for faster Internet service Duterte bill proposes ₧5K/month addl pay for BHWs’ pandemic role
Apart from infrastructure, Angara said the President agreed digitalization projects should also be pursued as PPPs.
A4 BusinessMirror www.businessmirror.com.ph Economy Thursday, August 11, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug
By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie A LEADER of the House of Rep resentatives has filed a bill providing a cap on penalties under the no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP) of local government units (LGU). In filing House Bill 3423 last Tuesday, House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda expressed concern on the fairness of implementation of NCAP of LGUs, as well as the fines and penalties set for violations recorded under such policy. Once caught, Salceda said mo torists will be fined P2,000 (first offense), P3,000 (second offense) and P4,000 (third offense) for the following violations: disobedience to traffic control signals and signs, obstruction of pedestrian lanes, driving on yellow box, overspeed ing, non-wearing of helmet for motorcycle riders, and disregard to lane markings. “For drivers of small vehicles who ply routes for a living, as is the case of food delivery riders, a P2,000 first offense penalty could also be con fiscatory, comprising as much as a week’s worth of income,” he said. Meanwhile, he said, a much heavier fine of P3,000 (first of fense), P4,000 (second offense), and P5,000 (third offense) await viola tors who commit counter-flowing reckless driving, and non-wearing of seatbelts.“Whilepenalties related to the safety of others are reasonably puni tive, the frequent complaint of driv ers is that the violations are some times so vague that any number of violations can be applied arbitrarily,” he added. Whilethe Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) Traffic Adjudication Division or TAD has been tasked to handle ap peals on citations, Salceda said LGUs who enforce local traffic laws often do not have such systems of appeal and adjudication.
Bill mandates LGU fine cap for NCAP violations
Another seasoned official in the DMW family is Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones, who was appoint ed Undersecretary for Finance and Internal Affairs. She has been in the civil service for 31 years, being a former DOLE Assistant Secretary during the Arroyo administration. She was head of the Tourism Pro motion Board prior to her latest appointment. Comingfrom the private sector is Atty. Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan, who was appointed as Undersecre tary for Policy and International Cooperation. Caunan worked from a law firm specializing in labor, civil, administrative, and criminal cases, and an advocate for migrant worker’s rights giving free legal assistance and advice in various forums. Also, another “new face” joining Ople’s DMW team is Venecio Legaspi, a former OFW for 29 years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, who will serve as As sistant Secretary for Reintegration. Ka Vennie” rose from the ranks to become vice president of a promi nent Saudi bank in Jeddah before retiring and joining the DMW. Ople said his wife died while he was in Jeddah and wasn’t able to come home while she was sick. Other key appointments include: Jerome A. Alcantara—Assistant Secretary for Land-based Services and concurrently Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary Levinson C. Alcantara—Assistant Secretary for Pre-employment Services Fe licitas Q. Bay—Assistant Secretary for Migrant Workers Welfare Ser vices Francis Ron C. de Guzman— Assistant Secretary for Licensing and Adjudication Services Jerome T. Pampolina—Assistant Secretary Sea-based Services Violeta D. Illes cas—Assistant Secretary for Inter nal Management and Administra tion. With Samuel P. Medenilla
THE Makabayan bloc filed on Wednesday a resolution ask ing the House of Representa tives to look into the government’s delisting of around 1.3 million ben eficiaries from the Pantawid Pami lyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). In House Resolution 200, Assis tant Minority Leader and Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel said while the program has not made significant changes in the key Mil lennium Development Goals (MDGs) in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger in the country and has ini tially relied on foreign loans for fi nancing, it has served as a lifeline to 4.4 million families at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It is incredulous to accept the claim that more families have crossed the poverty line and are con sidered as non-poor, especially with the nonstop price hikes, depressed wages, and massive joblessness,” said“ThisBrosas.‘instawid,’ or instant ta wid scheme, is highly question able and must be investigated,” added Brosas, noting that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also has not clarified what will be done to the P15 billion to be generated as sav ings due to the delisting. In July, DSWD Secretary Erwin T. Tulfo announced that some 1.3 million 4Ps beneficiaries would be delisted from the program sup posedly for being assessed as nonpoor, following instructions from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to clean the Accordinglist. to the House Reso lution, this represents nearly 30 percent of the total number of 4Ps beneficiaries.“Thetotalnumber of 4Ps ben eficiaries who will be delisted may reach up to 2 million according to the DSWD,” said the lawmakers in theDSWDresolution. Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said in a news report that those who will be delisted from the 4Ps are the following: 1) those who no longer have children below 18 years old or are studying; 2) those who are earning P12,000 and above per month 3) those who have reached the program’s sevenyear duration; 4) those who are noncompliant or have violated the 4Ps conditions; and 5) those who waived theirButmembership.theMakabayan lawmakers said the national government is still using a very unrealistic and low poverty threshold of P12,082 per month for the food and non-food needs of a family. The delisting process is being carried out ahead of the conclu sion of the Listahanan 3 or the periodic National Household Tar geting System for Poverty Reduc tion, they added. “The 4Ps delisting process is also being carried out amid the four-year high inflation rate recorded in July 2022 and amid growing calls for urgent economic relief and statesponsored subsidies in the face of rising prices and worse economic downturn,” the lawmakers said in theTheyresolution. addedthat around P15 bil lion would be generated as savings once the delisting of 1.3 million beneficiaries is complete. “The number of families who felt poor during the second quar ter of 2022 reached 12.2 million from 10.9 million during the first quarter of the year. This translates to additional 1.3 million poor families-coincidentally the same figure that the DSWD wants to be delisted from 4Ps,” the members of the bloc said. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz
Ople picks Olalia, Cacdac for key DMW positions; Ignacio named OWWA chief
www.businessmirror.com.ph Thursday, August 11, 2022 A5BusinessMirror News
“Our main traffic law, as em bodied in Republic Act No. 4136, was designed in 1964, 58 years ago. As new modalities of trans portation have emerged, and more private vehicles are now being used as a means of livelihood, fairness in traffic enforcement is now more strongly tied with economic rights and the dignity of labor,” he said. The proposal aims to establish the motorists’ bill of rights, which would outline the limits and pa rameters of traffic enforcement and protect the welfare of motorists, including the right to clear defini tions of traffic violations, given the usual complaint that definitions are so arbitrary as to allow any road movement to be counted as some form of violation. It also provides a list of duties of motorists to pedestrians to ensure the safety of non-motorist users of roads.Themeasure also provides a cap on minor local traffic violations, which shall not exceed the mini mum wage for the first count, and twice the minimum wage for every succeeding count. The bill also require LGUs desig nate an office for traffic adjudication. It said motorists who drive ve hicles for hire or used to make a living, such as food delivery rid ers, may appeal for a reduction of penalties based on mitigating circumstances and capacity to pay or may ask for an alternative form of payment, such as community service.Thebill also requires that the setting of penalties for traffic of fenses should be consulted with stakeholders.Italsomandates the Secretary of Transportation to review local traffic penalty schedules. The measure also mandates the Secretary of Transportation to submit an annual report to Con gress on the status of appeals mechanisms established under this proposal.
Private sector eyes ‘bivalent’ boosters against original Covid strain, variants SC asked to issue writ of amparo for two ‘missing’ labor organizers
A PETITION was filed before the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday seeking the is suance of a writ of amparo for two labor union organizers believed to be being held by the military inside its headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City or at Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija. The petition was filed on be half of Elizabeth “Loi” Magbanua and Alipio “Ador” Juat by Ruth Maglalan and Maureen Juat, life partner and eldest daughter of the victims, respectively. Named respondents were Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Hen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, Department of National De fense Officer-in-Charge retired Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., National Intelli gence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Director Ricardo de Leon, Philippine Army Commanding General Romeo Brawner, Army’s acting Chief of Staff Maj. Gen Roy Galido, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence Maj. Gen. Romulo Manuel, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Op erations Brig. Gen. Nolasco Mempin and the Chief of the Intelligence Ser vice of the AFP. The petitioners are also seeking the issuance of a temporary protec tion order for protection of the peti tioners and their immediate family. They also asked the Court to issue an order of inspection allowing the petitioners, their lawyers, represen tatives of the Commission on Human Rights and health workers to inspect the two military headquarters. The writ of amparo is a protective remedy aimed at providing judicial relief consisting of the appropriate re medial measures and directives that may be crafted by the court, in order to address specific violations or threats of violation of the constitutional rights to life, liberty, or security. “Petitioners implore the power of the Honorable Court to issue tempo rary protection orders in their favor as well as for their families. They gen uinely fear for their lives and security given the attendant circumstances surrounding the disappearance of their loved ones as well as the fact that government agents or persons acting for and on their behalf are re sponsible for these disappearances,” the petitioners said. Magbanua said she left their home on May 3, 2022 prior to Loi but the latter informed her that she would be attending a meeting with fellow labor organizers in Valenzuela City later that day. She said her partner failed to return home and has been missing sinceThethen.petitioner said she tried to contact Loi through text and calls but did not receive any reply. After several days, Ruth said her colleagues from Gabriela, a national alliance of Filipino women initiated a fact-finding mission in Tondo, which revealed that Loi was last seen by her colleagues on May 3, 2022 at their meeting at Barangay Punturin, Valenzuela City. She left the venue together with Juat at around 7 p.m. of the same day and both failed to return home. However, in the case of Juat, peti tioners claimed that he came to visit his sister Marielle on her birthday last May 27, 2022 in Pandacan and told her that he was staying in Camp Aguinaldo without providing further details. On June 9, 2022, Maureen tried to call her father on his cellphone and was able to talk to him. During their conversation, Mau reen said her father told him that he was fine and that he was just wait ing for his pass before he could be allowed to leave Camp Aguinaldo.
House bloc files resolution to probe DSWD delisting of 4Ps beneficiaries
Labor and Employment Secretary Bievenido E. Laguesma said he wants first to determine if House Bill (HB) 3220, which aims to repeal the compulsory retirement age of 65, will contradict any existing labor laws. Atthe same time he will also look into how the bill could benefit senior citizens, by providing them an extended career. “Because of advances in technology and science, those who are 70 [years old] could continue to work,” Laguesma said in a radio interview last Wednesday. “It is not a simple thing, where we should immediately have a conclusion. We should consider studying the proposed legislation,” he added. Better retirement package INSTEAD of trying to prolong employment, Mata said, the government should consider how it could help workers get ready for their“Beforeretirement. weeven tinker with the retirement law, let’s first ensure that everyone gets the proper retirement package that we all deserve,” Mata said. “We believe that if given proper retirement benefits, most workers would prefer to retire early,” he added.
Labor bucks lifting of retirement age continued from a16
By Andrea San Juan THE private sector is already looking at booster shots that can address new variants of Covid-19.“Weare looking at the bivalent boosters, but this may be possible towards the latter part of 2022,” said Go Negosyo Founder Jose Maria A. Concepcion III in a news statement issued on VaccineWednesday. manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna have recently announced the availability of bivalent boosters, which can target both the original ancestral virus strain and elements of the Omi cron BA.4 and BA.5 variants. “This would be much better for the third boosters because it offers much more protection,” Concep cionInsaid. relation to this, the Go Nego syo founder suggested narrowing down the future Covid-19 purchas es to only two brands to make the process easier to manage and for greater clarity on the guidelines on who are allowed and prioritized in theFurther,vaccinations. Concepcion stressed that the interplay between supply and demand depending on the behavior among Filipinos should also be con sidered when purchasing vaccines. “We must also take into consider ation the volatile nature of vaccine supply and demand. We saw demand rise when the variants caused cases to go up, and drop when people be came complacent,” he said. Meanwhile, the Go Negosyo founder welcomed recent strides by the Department of Health (DOH) to fast track inoculation by making vaccines more accessible and by pro posing to redefine a fully vaccinated status to one that includes a first booster shot. “I am glad that the proposals put forward by the private sector over the last year are now being revisited by the government,” Concepcion said. However, he noted that these steps must be taken without get ting in the way of the country’s eco nomic recovery, adding that future procurements must also consider bivalent boosters, or those that tar get Covid-19 variants. The Go Negosyo founder stressed anew the importance of keeping the economy open. “We already achieved so much in reopening the economy. While most cases today may not be as serious, we cannot be complacent and lose our momentum at a time when the global economy is facing serious challenges with rising prices and interest rates. We must reinforce our wall of im munity without interruption to our economic recovery,” said Concepcion. Department of Health Officer in Charge Rosario Vergeire recently directed the new head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are ac cessible to the public, and to find out which vaccine manufacturers plan to apply for a Certificate of Product Registration (CPR). Vergeire also announced plans to revive proposals to redefine a fully vaccinated status to include a first booster shot, as well as the replace ment of a portion of private sector vaccines by the World Health Orga nization (WHO)’s COVAX facility. “We remain committed to the vaccination efforts and whatever vaccine replacements are welcome. Even without our own supply, we will be facilitating the vaccination of our employees through the LGUs because they are Filipino citizens and are entitled to the free vaccines from the government,” said Concep cion. The continuing push for boost ers is in line with Go Negosyo’s “Isa Pa” campaign to encourage booster vaccinations.
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome @maloutalosig DEPARTMENT of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople has ap pointed the administrators of Phil ippine Overseas Employment Ad ministration (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) as her undersecretaries. Relatedly, OWWA’s new chief will be OWWA deputy administrator and former television host Arnell Igna cio. Ignacio has been OWWA deputy administrator in September 2021. He used to work in OWWA in 2018 for one year but had to take a leave because his father passed away and had to take care of family matters. “Arnell knows the difficulties of being an OFW. Nag-Japan ’yan din before a front act ng mga banda,” Ople told media in a Viber message. POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia was appointed DMW under secretary for Licensing and Adju dication Services. He will remain office-in-charge of the POEA until such time that the DMW is deemed fully constituted upon approval of its 2023 Erstwhilebudget.OWWA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac will serve as un dersecretary for Welfare and For eign Employment. He will oversee the DMW’s Aksyon Fund, which will be used to help distressed OFWs in variousCacdaccountries. isaveteran of the De partment of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and OWWA for 21 years. Ola lia has been with DOLE and POEA for more than five years. “This mix of familiar faces and new names reflects our desire for continu ity and innovation. The DMW’s ‘dream team’ is now in place, and we vow to serve out OFWs faithfully and with utmost professionalism,” Ople said.
China blames Taiwan’s ruling party for increasing risk of war
By Christopher Rugaber AP Economics Writer
W ASHINGTON—Americans may finally be catching a break from relentlessly surging prices—if just a slight one—even as inflation is expected to remain painfully high for Thanksmonths.largely to falling gas prices, the government’s inflation report for July, to be released Wednesday morning, is expected to show that prices jumped 8.7 percent from a year earlier—still a sizzling pace but a slowdown from the 9.1 percent year-over-year figure in June, which was the highest in four decades.
The forecast by economists, if it proves correct, would raise hopes that inflation might have peaked and that the run of punishingly higher prices is beginning to ease slightly. There have been other hopeful signs, too, that the pace of inflation may be moderating. At the same time, arrays of other economic developments are threatening to keep intensifying inflation pressures. The pace of hiring is robust and average wages are up sharply. And even as gas prices fall, inflation in services such as health care, rents and restaurant meals is accelerating. Price changes in services tend to be sticky and don’t ease as quickly as they do for gas, food or other goods. Those trends suggest that overall inflation may not drop significantly anytime soon.
By Susie Blann The Associated Press K YIV, sianexplosionsUkraine—PowerfulrockedaRusairbaseinCrimeaand
The Democratic Progressive Party helmed by President Tsai Ing-wen must change course to reduce tensions, the Taiwan Af fairs Office in Beijing said, in its first white paper published since President Xi Jinping took power. The report said DPP leaders deep ened the dispute by refusing to accept that both sides belong to “oneChinaChina.”won’t rule out the use of force to unify the two sides, the paper said, reaffirming the Communist Party’s long-stated position that it would reserve all necessary options.
Yet Republicans will push ongoing high inflation as a top campaign issue in this fall’s elections, with polls showing that high prices have driven Biden’s approval ratings down sharply. On Friday, the House is poised to give final congressional approval to a revived tax-and-climate package pushed by Biden and Democratic lawmakers. The bill, which among other things aims to ease pharmaceutical prices by letting the government negotiate Medicare’s drug costs, is expected to cut the federal budget deficit by $300 billion over a decade. Yet economists say the measure, which its proponents have titled the Inflation Reduction Act, will have only a minimal effect on inflation over the next several years, though it could could slow price increases a bit more later this decade. Economists have forecast that Wednesday’s inflation report will show that consumer prices rose 0.2 percent from June to July, according to FactSet. That would mark a steep drop from the 1.3 percent jump from May to June. But excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core inflation likely stayed high. Economists project that core prices rose 0.5 percent from in July, still a sharp rise, though down from the 0.7 percent jump in June. Such an increase would leave core prices 6.1 percent higher than a year ago, up from a 5.9 percent year-over year increase in June. If overall inflation did ease in July, it will largely reflect a 16 percent plunge in prices at the gas pump from their peak in midJune, when gas hit a national average of $5 a gallon. The average price fell to about $4.20 by the end of July and was just $4.03 by Tuesday. The continuing drop means that lower gas prices will likely pull inflation down further in August. Other items may have also helped lower price gains in July: Food costs, though they likely kept rising, probably did so at a slower pace than in June. Prices for used cars, clothing and rental cars may have fallen,Federaltoo.Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has said the Fed needs to see a series of declining monthly core inflation readings before it would considering pausing its interest rate increases. Though the Fed more closely tracks a different inflation measure, it also monitors the figures in Wednesday’s report, known as the consumer priceTheindex.Fedhas raised its benchmark short-term rate at its past four rate-setting meetings, including a three-quarter point hike in both June and July—the first increases that large since 1994. A blockbuster jobs report for July that the government issued Friday—with 528,000 jobs added, rising wages and an unemployment rate that matched a half-century low of 3.5 percent—solidified expectations that the Fed will announce yet another three-quarter-point hike when it next meets in September.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, center, waves with lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Taiwan, on August 3, 2022. Pelosi became the highest-ranking American politician to visit Taiwan in 25 years, prompting China to announce missile tests and military drills encircling the island that set the stage for some of its most provocative actions in decades.
Financial markets are betting that the Fed will raise rates several more times this year, to a range of 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent, but will ultimately have to cut rates by next summer because traders expect the higher rates to cause a recession. Some trends do point to lower future inflation. The supply chain snags that have elevated prices for cars, furniture, appliances and other goods are easing. The number of ships waiting to be unloaded at the Los Angeles/ Long Beach port has fallen for six straight months, according to Oxford Economics. Shipping costs have generally leveled off or declined, including for trucking and rail services, Oxford said, though they remain high. And a drop in Americans’ expectations for future inflation may also keep higher prices from becoming entrenched. Such expectations can be self-fulfilling: If people believe inflation will stay high or worsen, they are likely to take steps—such as demanding higher pay—that can then send prices higher in a selfperpetuating cycle. Companies often raise prices to offset higher their higher labor costs. But a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, released Monday, showed that Americans now expect lower inflation in the next few years than they did a month ago. Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment strategist at BMO Wealth Management, said lower inflation expectations may allow the Fed to react less aggressively to reports, such as last month’s burst of hiring, that suggest the economy is still strong and that inflation could remain high. “It’s a modestly good sign,” Ma said of the inflation expectations data. “It gives them a little bit of room to not take a more aggressive approach.”
The World BusinessMirrorThursday, August 11, 2022 Editor: Angel R. Calso • www.businessmirror.com.phA6 C
BLOOMBERG PHOTO
Big explosions rock Russian military air base in Crimea
“The peacefulreunification,squeezedpectStrait,peaceTaiwanhasbehaviorindependence-seekingoftheDPPauthoritiesledtotensionsacrosstheStrait,endangeredtheandstabilityoftheTaiwanunderminedtheprosofpeacefulreunification,thespaceforpeacefulandisabarrierforreunificationthatmust be removed,” the paper said. The paper comes days after China held unprecedented mili tary drills around Taiwan in the wake of Pelosi’s visit to the island, including likely firing missiles over Taipei. While no invasion seems imminent, the escalation has raised fears around the region about a miscalculation that could lead to a wider conflict. The DPP was founded on the promise of independence, and refuses to accept that both sides belong to “One China.” Still, Tsai—who met with Pelosi last week—has avoided any moves to formally declare independence, saying any such move is unneces sary because she already leads a de facto independent state. The tensions with China could play a role in local elec tions planned across Taiwan in November. The DPP suffered widespread losses to the op position Kuomintang during similar polls in 2018, only for Tsai to win a convincing reelection victory a year lat er, fueled in part by her criti cism of China’s crackdown on Hong Kong. The KMT’s vice chairman, An drew Hsia, began a visit to China on Wednesday, despite calls from Tsai’s government to cancel the trip. The KMT oversaw an expan sion of ties with China under the “One China” framework before Tsai’s election in 2016. Hsia, a former head of the Main land Affairs Council (MAC) in Tai pei, will visit the nearby provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, where many Taiwanese work and study. The trip had been planned since June, he told reporters upon his departure, dismissing the Main land Affairs Council’s objections. The delegation will quarantine upon arrival and return to Taiwan on August 27. “The main goal is to understand the difficulties that many Taiwan ese businessmen and students faced over the years due to Cov id-19 and cross-strait relations,” Hsia said. “I think the timing is never right for MAC. Whether it’s a good timing or not depends on whether you want to do it or not.” Bloomberg News
President Joe Biden has already pointed to falling gas prices as a sign that his policies—such as releases of oil from the nation’s strategic reserve—are helping combat the higher costs that have hammered household budgets, particularly for lower-income families.
RISING smoke can be seen from the beach at Saky after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka Crimea, on Tuesday, August 9, 2022. The explosion of munitions caused a fire at a military air base in Russian-annexed Crimea on Tuesday but no casualties or damage to stationed warplanes, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. UGC VIA AP
HINA accused Taiwan’s ruling party of damaging the chances of peaceful unification, as authorities in Beijing attempted to keep the pressure on Taipei a week after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit.
sent towering clouds of smoke over the landscape Tuesday in what may mark an escalation of the war in Ukraine. At least one person was killed and several others were wounded, authorities said. Russia’s Defense Ministry de nied the Saki base on the Black Sea had been shelled and said in stead that munitions had blown up there. But Ukrainian social net works were abuzz with speculation that it was hit by Ukrainian-fired long-range missiles. Videos posted on social net works showed sunbathers on near by beaches fleeing as huge flames and pillars of smoke rose over the horizon from multiple points, ac companied by loud booms. Crimea Today News said on Telegram that witnesses reported fire on a run way and damage to nearby homes as a result of what it said were doz ens of Russia’sblasts.state news agency Tass quoted an unidentified ministry source as saying the explosions’ primary cause appeared to be a “violation of fire safety require ments.” The ministry said no war planes were Ukraine’sdamaged.Defense Ministry said sarcastically on Facebook: “The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine cannot establish the cause of the fire, but once again recalls the rules of fire safety and the prohibition of smoking in unspeci fied places.” A presidential adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, said cryptically in his regular online interview that the blasts were caused either by a Ukrainian-made long-range weap on or were the work of partisans operating in Crimea. During the war, Russia has re ported numerous fires and explo sions at munitions storage sites on its territory near the Ukrainian border, blaming some of them on Ukrainian strikes. Ukrainian au thorities have mostly remained mum about the incidents. If Ukrainian forces were, in fact, responsible for the blasts at the air base, it would be the first known major attack on a Russian military site on the Crimean Peninsula, which the Kremlin annexed in 2014. A smaller explosion last month at the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol was blamed on Ukrainian saboteurs using a makeshift drone. Russian warplanes have used the Saki base to strike areas in Ukraine’s south on short notice. One person was killed, said Crimea’s regional leader, Sergei Aksyonov. Crimean health au thorities said nine people were wounded, one of whom remained hospitalized. Others were treated for cuts from shards of glass and released.Officials in Moscow have long warned Ukraine that any attack on Crimea would trigger massive retaliation, including strikes on “decision-making centers” in Kyiv. For his part, Ukraine’s presi dent vowed to retake Crimea from Russia.“This Russian war against Ukraine and against all of free Eu rope began with Crimea and must end with Crimea—its liberation,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday in his nightly video address. “Today it is impossible to say when this will happen. But we are constantly adding the neces sary components to the formula for the liberation of Crimea.” Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian offi cials reported at least three Ukrai nian civilians were killed and 23 wounded by Russian shelling in 24 hours, including an attack not far from the Russian-occupied Za porizhzhia nuclear power plant. The Russians fired over 120 rockets at the town of Nikopol, across the Dnieper River from the plant, Dnipropetrovsk Gov. Va lentyn Reznichenko said. Several apartment buildings and indus trial sites were damaged, he said. Ukraine and Russia have ac cused each other of shelling the power station, Europe’s biggest nuclear plant, stoking interna tional fears of a catastrophe. The governor of the region where the plant is situated, Olek sandr Starukh, said Tuesday that radiation levels were normal. But he warned that an accident could spread radiation whichever way the wind blows, carrying it to Moscow and other Russian cities. A Russian-installed official in the partially occupied Zapor izhzhia region said an air defense system at the plant would be re inforced in the aftermath of last week’s shelling. Evgeny Balitsky, head of the Kremlin-backed ad ministration, told Russian state TV that power lines and other damaged portions of the plant wereTherestored.Ukrainians in recent weeks have been mounting counterat tacks in Russian-occupied areas of southern Ukraine while trying to hold off the Kremlin’s forces in the industrial Donbas region in the Alsoeast.Tuesday, a US official said Iran has agreed to supply Russia with drones for use in the war in Ukraine. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information, said “during the last several weeks, Russian officials conducted train ing in Iran as part of the agree ment for UAV transfers from Iran to Russia.”TheWhite House released sat ellite images in mid-July indicat ing that Russians had visited an Iranian airbase to see weaponscapable drones. But US officials said later that month that they had seen no evidence yet of Iran supplying Russia with the drones. Ukrainian officials this month said Iran has transferred drones to Russia and some have been used in combat.
US inflation will likely stay high even as gas prices fall
The Associated Press writer Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.
B EIJING—The top South Korean and Chinese diplomats pledged Tuesday to develop closer relations and maintain stable industrial supply chains at a time of deepening rivalry between Beijing and Washington. South Korea, a longtime US ally, is struggling to strike a balance between Washington and the increasingly assertive foreign policy of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government. US-Chinese conflict over Taiwan has added to complications for governments that want amicable ties with both sides. Foreign Ministers Park Jin and Wang Yi, in separate statements from their meeting in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, called for the development of relations based on three decades of successful commercial ties. Park’s ministry said the countries agreed to increase highlevel communication over supply chain issues, climate change cooperation and facilitating cultural exchanges. It said the countries agreed to pursue “two-plus-two” talks by vice ministerial-level officials of foreign affairs and defense within thisParkyear.and Wang gave no indication they discussed tensions over last week’s visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to self-ruled Taiwan, which the mainland’s ruling Communist Party claims is Chinese territory. Beijing reacted to her visit by conducting military drills to intimidate the island and called off dialogue with Washington on climate change and other issues. Pelosi visited South Korea last week, but South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was on vacation, talked to her by phone instead of face to face. His critics accused him of avoiding seeing her to protect relations with China. Yoon, who took office in May, wants to strengthen security cooperation with Washington and Japan in response to North Korean nuclear threats. China, North Korea’s main ally, sees Japan as a strategic rival but also is South Korea’s biggest export market.South Korea’s pursuit of closer ties with Washington could possibly complicate relations with China. South Korea is weighing whether to participate in a US-led semiconductor alliance involving Taiwan and Japan, which China sees as an economic threat.Yoon’s stated desire to install more US anti-missile systems to cope with growing North Korean threats is also concerning for China, which insists such systems could be reconfigured to peep into its China’sterritory.state-run
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who led the UK during the global financial crisis of 2008, called for Johnson, Truss and Sunak to get together and draw up an emergency budget in preparation for a “financial time bomb” in October. “It’s not just that they’re asleep at the wheel—there’s nobody at the wheel at the moment,” Brown, a member of the opposition Labour Party, told broadcaster ITV. Brown’s call was echoed by Tony Danker of business group the Confederation of British Industry, who said “we simply cannot afford a summer of government inactivity while the leadership contest plays out.” But with Parliament adjourned for its summer recess and Johnson whiling away his last weeks in office, big policies are on hold. The few government announcements in recent weeks have been decidedly modest—one was a plan from a “Chewing Gum Task Force” to get sticky stains off city Johnson’sstreets.spokesman, Max Blain, said the outgoing leader is barred from making “major fiscal interventions” during the transition period, and any new cost-ofliving remedies must be for the next prime minister to decide. “The Conservative Party—and therefore the government—is having a completely different conversation to the public,” said Alan Wager, a research associate at the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank. “And it’s quite a serious time to be having this very big Anti-povertydisjuncture.”
“We need to make these chips here in America to bring down everyday costs and create jobs,” said Biden at a signing ceremony for the CHIPS and Science Act on the White House South Lawn, joined by executives from US semiconductor firms and con gressional leaders. Biden said he had visited the US facility where Javelin missiles were made and said the bill would make the nation less reliant on other coun tries to provide the advanced chips needed for those weapons systems, as well as other “Unfortunately,products.we produce zero percent of these advanced chips and China is trying to move way ahead of us to manufacture these sophisticated chips as well,” said“It’sBiden. no wonder the Chinese Communist Party actively lob bied US business against this bill. The United States must lead the world in the production of these advanced chips; this law will do exactlyChinesethat.”Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the act showed “clear signs of protectionism” at a news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. “This would disrupt international trade and distort global semiconductor supply chains,” he added. “China firmly opposes that.” Spurred by the bill, US semi conductor companies are planning billions of dollars in new invest ments. Ahead of the signing, the White House announced that Mi cron Technology Inc. will invest $40 billion in memory-chip man ufacturing and that Qualcomm Inc. is partnering with Global Foundries, which has a facility in New York state, in a $4.2 billion agreement to manufacture chips. Micron on Tuesday said its invest ments would create up to 40,000 jobs in sectors including construc tion and manufacturing—well beyond the initial White House estimate of 8,000—and it expects to receive funding through the semiconductor bill.
PRESIDENT Joe Biden speaks before signing the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022” during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in Washington. AP/EVAN VUCCI
BusinessMirror Thursday, August 11, 2022 The World www.businessmirror.com.ph A7
Xinhua news agency said Wang and Park had an “in-depth exchange of views” over South Korea’s deployment of the US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, and both expressed hope that the issue wouldn’t become a “stumbling block” in relations. Bilateral ties took a significant hit when South Korea installed its first THAAD battery in 2017 as Beijing retaliated by suspending Chinese group tours to South Korea and obliterating the China business of South Korean supermarket giant Lotte, which had provided land for the missile system. Yoon during his presidential campaign has called for additional deployment of THAAD to better protect capital Seoul from North Korean missile threats.Park and Wang called for maintaining stable industry supply chains, a possible reference to fears that Chinese technology policy and US security controls might split the world into separate markets with incompatible standards and products, slowing innovation and raising costs. Park expressed hope the two sides will increase cooperation based on “universal values and standards.” He said they should overcome new challenges posed by a “great transition in international society” but gave no details. Park appealed to Beijing to help persuade North Korea to return to talks on its nuclear weapons program, which he called an “unprecedented threat” to peace on the Korean Peninsula. Park stressed that the UN-led international community should respond to major North Korean provocations with stern and unified measures and urged closer consultation between Seoul and Beijing over the North’s accelerating efforts to expand its arsenal, according to his ministry. China and Russia recently vetoed US-sponsored resolutions at the UN Security Council that would have increased sanctions on the North over some of its ballistic missile testing this year, underscoring division between the council’s permanent members that deepened over Russia’s war on Ukraine. Wang’s statement didn’t mention the nuclear issue and gave no indication whether he said what Beijing might do. The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Wang told Park that China will continue to make possible efforts for peace in the Korean Peninsula.Parkalso expressed hope that Xi, the Chinese leader, would visit South Korea. AP Top Chinese, South Korean diplomats pledge closer ties
IN this photo provided by South Korea Foreign Ministry, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, bumps elbows with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi prior to their meeting in Qingdao, China, on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.
Biden signs $52-B CHIPS bill into law, unleashing funding for US production
and environmental protesters have dogged Truss and Sunak at campaign events—a reminder of the world outside the Conservative bubble. In Eastbourne, several climate activists who had infiltrated the crowd stood to heckle Truss for failing to tackle the climate crisis. They were removed to chants of “Out, out, out” from the Conservative audience. The environment has scarcely featured in the contest. Both Truss and Sunak say they will keep the government’s target of cutting Britain’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, while offering policies that would make that harder. Truss supports fracking and renewed North Sea oil and gas extraction and says she will suspend green levies used to fund renewable energy projects. Sunak wants to ban new onshore wind farms, though he supports offshore wind and more nuclear power to cut Britain’s carbon footprint. Party polls suggest Truss likely has an unassailable lead in the contest. Sunak is regarded with suspicion by some Tories for quitting the scandal-plagued government last month, a move that helped bring Johnson down. The former finance minister has been painted by opponents as a high-taxing, high-spending near-socialist because of the billions he spent to prop up the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. Truss styles herself as a disruptor who will “be bold” in slashing taxes and ripping up red tape—a message many Tories are keen to Partyhear.member Robbie Lammas, part of a “Liz for Leader” contingent at the Eastbourne event, said he likes Truss’s “more optimistic view” of the economy. “It’s good to be bold and good to challenge orthodoxy,” he said.
By Jenny Leonard & Jordan Fabian P RESIDENT Joe Biden signed into law a broad competition bill Tuesday that includes about $52 billion to boost domestic semiconductor research and development, calling it a “once-in-ageneration investment in America itself.”
SOUTH KOREA FOREIGN MINISTRY VIA AP By Jill Lawless The Associated Press L ONDON—As Britain swelters through a roasting summer, and braces for a cold financial reckoning in the fall, calls for the Conservative government to act are getting louder. But the Conservatives are busy choosing a new leader, through a prolonged party election whose priorities often seem remote from the country’s growing turmoil. Britons’ energy bills have soared—and further hikes are coming—as the war in Ukraine squeezes global oil and gas supplies. The Bank of England is predicting a long, deep recession later this year alongside 13 percent inflation. Meanwhile, temperatures in Britain hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in July for the first time ever, and millions are facing limits on water use as England’s green and pleasant land dries to a desiccated brown. There is little sense of crisis among Conservatives as Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak crisscross the country wooing the 180,000 party members who will choose a successor to departing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Under Britain’s parliamentary system, the winner of the Tory leadership race—to be announced September 5—will also become prime minister, without the need for a national election.Conservative members are largely middle-aged or older, mostly middle-class or affluent, and their views don’t always reflect those of the country as a whole. “I’d like to see some true Conservative policies,” said Helen Galley, a lawyer and local Conservative official attending a candidates’ meeting in the English seaside town of Eastbourne. “Low taxation, smaller state, less regulation, freeing industry and commerce from EU regulations.… Some self-reliance and sense of responsibility for yourself.”Thosepriorities are mirrored in the campaign pitches of Truss and Sunak, who say they will tackle the cost-of-living crisis through long-term measures to boost the economy. Truss says she would cut individual and corporate taxes rather than give people “handouts.” Sunak says he’ll tackle inflation before lowering taxes, and will offer unspecified help to people struggling to pay their bills. Critics say neither candidate is grasping the scale of the crisis. Millions of households face a financial squeeze in October, when a cap on household energy bills tied to wholesale prices is next raised. Consulting firm Cornwall Insight forecasts the average household will then be paying over 3,500 pounds ($4,200) a year for gas and electricity, more than double the amount a year earlier—with a further hike due in the new year. Martin Lewis, a consumer champion who runs the popular Money Saving Expert website, has warned that “we are facing a potential national financial cataclysm,” with millions unable to heat their homes thisFormerwinter.
Bloomberg News
BRITAIN’S CONSERVATIVE GOVT ACCUSED OF IGNORING CRISES
Overseas reliance THE chips bill is at the center of the Biden administration’s effort to reduce dependence on Asian suppliers like Taiwan and South Korea, whose homegrown companies are leading the mar ket, and to address supply-chain disruptions and resulting price hikes for certain goods contain ingBiden’ssemiconductors.teamand lawmakers have stressed the national security implications of the bill, saying it was vital to competing with and countering China. A large chunk of the federal grant is expected to go to Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manu facturing Co. and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co., all of which are now building new chip fabrication facilities worth tens of billions of dollars in the US.
The bill also includes important caveats sought by Republicans and China hawks: Companies that re ceive the funding have to promise not to increase their production of advanced chips in China. It was a condition made by lawmakers and the White House and was included in the mea sure over the objection of some chipmakers. Intel, in particular, was lobbying hard against the prohibitions. In late 2021, the American chipmaker wanted to increase production in China, but the plan was rejected by the Biden traingtermhereofableMicron’sworld,inTuesdayindustryogythanmakefacturingchampionWhileadministration.China’schipmakingSemiconductorManuInternationalCorp.canchipsthataremoreadvanced28nanometers,itstechnolisstillatleastsixyearsbehindleaderTSMC. Micron’sMehrotrasaidearlierthat“todaylessthanone50chips,memorychipsintheareproducedintheUS.Withcommitment,itwillenustoproduceonein10chipstheglobalmemoryconsumptionintheUS.”Thelegislation“solidifieslongtechnologyandmanufacturleadershipofAmerica,”MehrosaidonBloombergTelevision.
Legislative wins MICRON Chief Executive Of ficer Sanjay Mehrotra attended the signing, along with Intel Corp. CEO Pat Gelsinger, Lock heed Martin Corp. CEO Jim Taiclet, HP Inc. CEO Enrique Lores and the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Dr. Lisa Su. The chips bill is one in a slew of legislative wins for the White House in recent weeks. Senate Democrats on Sunday passed a sweeping climate and spending bill—a slimmed down version of Biden’s Build Back Better agenda— after lawmakers also approved vet erans health and gun-safety bills with bipartisan support. Biden was joined at the signing by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The legislation first passed the Senate in June 2021 but lin gered in the House for months, and it took more than one year to reconcile the two chambers’ versions. Some Senate Democrats had criticized the White House for not pushing the House and Pelosi to get the legislation over the finish line sooner.
Basic Accounting,Qualification:Finance or any PhpSalarypreferredcourseBusiness-relatedgraduatesareRange:30,000-Php59,999
with
4. WATANABE, NAMIKO Transaction Processing Analyst Brief Job Description: Performs Accounts Payable transactions with medium to high complexity
Of Makati 12. CHEN, ChineseMINXINGCustomer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:Supportand Data Base Services. Basic
59,999 FLYING FUTURE SERVICES INC. 3/f Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 37. LIN, MAOHONG Mandarin Accounts Staff Brief Job Description: Assist in determining pricing quotes for customers Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 38. LI, XUESONG Mandarin Operations Specialist Brief Job Description: Maintain accurate sales record Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phA10 Thursday, August 11, 2022
- Php 59,999 20. LAU A MUI Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php
14. LONG,
Basic Accounting,Qualification:Finance or any PhpSalarypreferredcourseBusiness-relatedgraduatesareRange:30,000-Php59,999 INC. Unit Bldg. MIZUSHIMA, NAOKO ASIAN TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INC. 11/f Tower 2, Double Dragon, Macapagal Blvd., Barangay 76, Pasay City 9. KIM, ToBriefCustomerKWANGMYUNGServiceRepresentativeJobDescription:assistcustomersregardingtheir
Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:Supportand Data Base Services. Basic
23. NGUYEN HOANG LONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 24. NGUYEN THI TRINH Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 25. XIONG, CustomerBriefCustomerBENNONGServiceRepresentativeJobDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC. Ri Rance Ii Bldg., Block 2 Lot 3 Aseana City, Tambo, City Of Parañaque 26. AGNES TIONG WAN JUN Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:Service Basic PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/LevelFluentinMandarin/EnglishRange:30,000-Php59,999 27. CallAMELIACenter Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:Service Basic PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/LevelFluentinMandarin/EnglishRange:30,000-Php59,999 28. DENG, QIAO Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:service Basic PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/Level,FluentinMandarin/EnglishRange:30,000-Php59,999 29. HAN, LILAN Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:Service. Basic PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/LevelFluentinMandarin/English.Range:30,000-Php59,999 30. HUANG, FENGSHI Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:Service. Basic PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/LevelFluentinMandarin/English.Range:30,000-Php59,999 31. LIN, BO Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:service Basic PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/Level,FluentinMandarin/EnglishRange:30,000-Php59,999 32. PHAM HOANG VU Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:Service. Basic PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/LevelFluentinMandarin/English.Range:30,000-Php59,999 33. SUN, HAILONG Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:Service. Basic PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/LevelFluentinMandarin/English.Range:30,000-Php59,999 34. WEI, JIEPENG Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:service Basic
35. WEI, ZIBING Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic
- Php 59,999
89,999 COMMERCE
ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5-10/f Tower 1, Pitx Kennedy Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque 1. LE VAN CustomerTHANGService Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic PhpSalaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange:30,000-Php59,999 2. PEI, CustomerZHIKUNService Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic PhpSalaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange:30,000-Php59,999 ACCENTURE, INC. 7f, Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1, Pioneer St, City Of Mandaluyong
DRAGONFLY TECHNOLOGIES INC. Unit 602 6/f Itc Bldg., 337 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati 15. LIU, BahasaYA-CHUSpeaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Accepts inbound calls and handles customers problems from the products supported Basic PhpSalaryBahasareadingProficientQualification:inspeakingandwritinginRange:30,000-Php59,999 FAREAST OUTSOURCE PROCESSING INC. 7th, 8th, 9th Flr. Nu Tower, Moa Coral Way, Barangay 76, Pasay City 16. CHU VAN BINH Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 17. GIANG THI MY Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 18. HA HONG NHUNG Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php
and an
and
- Php 59,999 BRIGHT LUME IT SOLUTIONS INC. Unit 202 Erisha Condominium, 1142 P Ocampo Street, Sta Ana, 082, Barangay 757, Santa Ana, City Of Manila 10. IndonesianWIDIANI Speaking Customer Service ProvideBriefRepresentativeJobDescription:excellentsupport to various customer via chat, email, and phone forward and escalate technical issues resolve more complicated demanding issues with the team leader manager Basic PhpSalaryLanguageMandarinVerbalinRelatedMarketingComputerManagement,ExperienceBachelor’sQualification:Degree,WithinBusinessFinance/Software./SalesorField;FluentBothWrittenandEnglish,Chinese/KoreanRange:30,000-Php59,999 CANVA SOLUTIONS INC. 5/f Coherco Corporate Center, 116 V.a Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 11. NUNES DE FREITAS, RAFAEL Customer Happiness Specialist - Portuguese BriefBilingualJob Description: Uphold Canva’s Core Value Of Maximizing Customer Happiness; Provide Excellent Customer Service To Canva Users Globally, Through Fast, Upbeat, And Genuine Responses To Inquiries And Feedback; Answer Customer Communications In An Efficient Manner; Provide Accurate Answers And Solutions To Customer Queries. Basic
59,999 36. ZHANG, FUHAO Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level, and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic
- Php 59,999 19. LAU PHAN Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php
Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic Qualification:
3. NARA, TransactionSUMIEProcessing Analyst Brief Job Description: Performs Accounts Payable transactions with medium to high complexity
4a & 5a
Antonio,
queries, complaints, and promotions.
KUO, RAE Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:Supportand Data Base Services.
Basic PhpSalaryskills.writtenwithcomputerKnowledgeableQualification:inapplicationgoodoralandcommunicationRange:30,000-Php59,999 ChineseSIWENCustomer PhpSalaryskills.writtenwithcomputerKnowledgeableQualification:inapplicationgoodoralandcommunicationRange:30,000-Php59,999 30,000 30,000 30,000
22.
4, Salem Complex Bldg. Domestic Rd., Barangay 191, Pasay City 5.
Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above, fluent in Korean language Salary Range: Php 30,000 Qualification: Must be a Portuguese native speaker, English speaker writer; at knowledgeableposition;in PhpSalaryteams.Range:60,000-Php INGREDIENTS INC. Unit 4 Southway Condo., Yakal Cor. Mayapis Sts., San City PhpSalaryskills.writtenwithcomputerKnowledgeableQualification:inapplicationgoodoralandcommunicationRange:30,000-Php59,999 YEN-LING a.k.a.
21. LE THI PHUONG Qualification: High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LIAN, DI High School Graduate in Chinese Curriculum, Can Speak and Write Fluent Chinese Mandarin, Can Operate Computer Mandarin Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PhpSalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/Level,FluentinMandarin/EnglishRange:30,000-Php59,999 PhpSalaryEnglishRange:30,000-Php PhpSalaryEnglishRange:30,000-Php
Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:servicerepresentative Basic
video editing and graphic designing programs; and experienced in working with multiple systems and
13. KUO,
Assistant General Manager Brief Job Description: Support the General Manager to manage the school and assist from project planning to staff management. Basic ExcellentQualification:inwritten and spoken Nihongo and English. Open to MultiPhpSalarytasking.Range:60,000-Php 89,999 AMAZON OPERATION SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. B21 Three E-com Moa Complex, Harbour Drive Cor. Bay Shore, Brgy. 076, Pasay City 6. DAHIRI, ARMEL WILFRIED Accounting Assistant II Brief Job Description: Manages and resolves payment and receivables related queries received from the vendors of Amazon France. Basic PhpSalaryEnglishFluencyQualification:inFrenchandRange:30,000-Php59,999 AMUSETECH BUSINESS OUTSOURCING, OPC 2/f Rivergreen Residences, 2217 Pedro Gil St., Barangay 880, Santa Ana, City Of Manila 7. HO NGOC THICH Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking Basic PhpSalaryNeedsAnalyzingInformationCollectingtoProductsRecommendKnowsQualification:HowtoPotentialorServicesManagementbyCustomerandCustomerRange:30,000-Php59,999 8. LIAO, YU-LI a.k.a. IRIS LIAO Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in Mandarin Speaking Basic PhpSalaryNeedsAnalyzingInformationCollectingtoProductsRecommendKnowsQualification:HowtoPotentialorServicesManagementbyCustomerandCustomerRange:30,000-Php59,999
least 2 years of experience in customer service centric
ALL ASIA AIR CENTRAL,
GLOBALLGA BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING, OPC Ground Level, Level 2-5 Floor, Silver City 4, Ortigas East, Ugong, City Of Pasig
45. XIONG, SHIPEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions. Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
68. ZHU, ZHIYING Equipment Installation Specialist Brief Job Description: Manage the company’s email system and provide user support to technical and non-technical users in the office
Basic PreferablyQualification:6months -1year as Visa Consultant; Fluent in Mandarin or Vietnam and English SalaryLanguageRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
MIGHTY-MERCHANT BUSINESS TRADING INCORPORATED Unit 2505- E The Finance Centre, 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 74. LEE SHEUT CHIN Chinese Speaking Sales Marketing Specialist Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.
46. AFRIDIANSYAH Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking.
44. TAN CHIN WEI Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions.
ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE
Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in mandarin speaking.
ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE
JIANGSU DIBANG CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2106-a West Tower, Psec Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig 66. MU, XING Equipment Installation Specialist Brief Job Description: Manage the company’s email system and provide user support to technical and non-technical users in the office Basic WrittenLanguageFluentQualification:inEnglishBothinandVerbal; With Working Knowledge in SalaryConstructionRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
K.B.C. DREAM TRAVEL AND IMMIGRATION CONSULTANCY CORPORATION (K.B.C. TRAVEL AND IMMIGRATION CONSULTANCY) U-ug02 Cityland 8 Condo., 98 Sen Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 70. CHNG TING HUI Visa Consultant
Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and Salarywritten.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
42. ZHENG, YANGYANG Mandarin Operations Specialist Brief Job Description: Maintain accurate sales record Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Build sustainable
HASKELL COMPANY
INC. U-b 7/f 8 Rockwell Center, Hidalgo Drive, Rockwell Center, Poblacion, City Of Makati 64. LOPEZ
Basic Php 30,000 - Php HERYANTO relationship
Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
75. LIU, WENJING Chinese Speaking Sales Marketing Specialist Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.
47. AMAR
of trust through open and interactive communication in mandarin speaking.
Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 49. BUI THI VAN Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic SalarycustomerinformationbyservicespotentialKnowsQualification:howtorecommendproductsortomanagementcollectingcustomerandanalyzingneeds.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 50. DEFMOND Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic SalarycustomerinformationbyservicespotentialKnowsQualification:howtorecommendproductsortomanagementcollectingcustomerandanalyzingneeds.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 51. DERUWINSON Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic SalarycustomerinformationbyservicespotentialKnowsQualification:howtorecommendproductsortomanagementcollectingcustomerandanalyzingneeds.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 52. DO THI HUONG GIANG Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in mandarin speaking. Basic SalarycustomerinformationbyservicespotentialKnowsQualification:howtorecommendproductsortomanagementcollectingcustomerandanalyzingneeds.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 53. EGI CHARTOS Customer Service Representative Mandarin Speaking Brief Job Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in mandarin speaking. Basic SalarycustomerinformationbyservicespotentialKnowsQualification:howtorecommendproductsortomanagementcollectingcustomerandanalyzingneeds.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 54. FAISAL ARY LUBIS Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 55. HOANG THI TRA MY Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 56. JIANG, BIN Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 57. JOHAN GUNAWAN Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 58. JUNG, JIHYEOK Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 59. NGUYEN ANH MINH Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication in mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 60. RUDIKO HAVELIN Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 61. SURYA KURNIAWAN Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 62. VI THAI MACH Customer Service Representative Mandarin BriefSpeakingJob Description: Build sustainable relationship of trust through open and interactive communication mandarin speaking. Basic Salaryneeds.analyzinginformationcollectingtoproductsrecommendKnowsQualification:howtopotentialorservicesmanagementbycustomerandcustomerRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 GOLDEN TOPPER EQUITY HOLDINGS (PHILIPPINES) INC. 12/f Cocolight Bldg., 39th St. Cor. 11th Ave., Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 63. ZHANG, SHANYOU SVP For Construction & Engineering Brief Job Description: To oversee and direct engineering development teams, ensuring that projects are done on time, design requirements are met and company standards are upheld. Basic SalaryexperienceTenMBAEngineeringBachelorsQualification:degreeinrequired:preferred,Atleastyearsofrelatedrequired.Range:
72. YUAN, YUAN Visa Consultant Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:thatallthe information from the Chinese, Vietnamese and Taiwanese client to local documentation officer are correct. Responsible to follow up local liaison officer of all immigration issues and operations remaining up to date with any changes to legislation and overseeing all the aspects involved in processing a visa and immigration services
40. YU, DI Mandarin Operations Specialist Brief Job Description: Maintain accurate sales record Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
67. SUN, JIE Equipment Installation Specialist Brief Job Description: Manage the company’s email system and provide user support to technical and non-technical users in the office
Basic WrittenLanguageFluentQualification:inEnglishBothinandVerbal; With Working Knowledge in SalaryConstructionRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
JDB MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTANCY CORP. 107 T & D House, Magallanes St. 069, Barangay 655, Intramuros, City Of Manila
Basic Salarypresentationinterpersonalcommunication,inspector,asProvenQualification:experiencemandarinqualityexcellentandskills.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
69. YANG, LONGLONG Mandarin Quality Inspector Brief Job Description: The mandarin quality inspector will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.
39. WANG, YU Mandarin Operations Specialist Brief Job Description: Maintain accurate sales record Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
SalarycustomerinformationbyservicespotentialKnowsQualification:howtorecommendproductsortomanagementcollectingcustomerandanalyzingneeds.Range:
41. ZHANG, BIN Mandarin Operations Specialist Brief Job Description: Maintain accurate sales record Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
ANGEL Finishes Assistant Superintendent Brief Job Description: As assigned by project superintendent, is responsible for supervision of selected phases of a project and for obtaining successful cost results in labor and general materials purchases for assigned project(s). Basic Qualification: BS in Salary5-schedule.120-scheduleAbleteaminleadership.withandapplicableexperience.5-8constructionand/orormanagement,constructionengineeringequivalent.USinternationalisamust.yearsofsupervisory5-10yearsofconstructiondesignexperiencedemonstratedExperiencemanaginglarge(500+people).toscheduleCPM,andRange:
Basic WrittenLanguageFluentQualification:inEnglishBothinandVerbal; With Working Knowledge in SalaryConstructionRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
MHI POWER TECHNICAL SERVICES CORPORATION 27/f Robinsons Cybergate Center, Tower 3, Pioneer St., City Of Mandaluyong 73. ANDO, NAOTAKA Technical Supervisor Brief Job CoordinationDescription:worksto confirm work progress, schedule, lacking parts pending items etc.
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City 76. LI, XINXIN Call Center Agent Brief Job CustomerDescription:Service. Basic SalaryBasicandCollegeQualification:Graduate/LevelFluentinMandarin/English.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f, Pearl Marina Building Pacific Drive, Don Galo, City Of Parañaque 77. YAN, JIARONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.
Basic Salary&fluentlyfield,experiencepreferablyCollegeQualification:graduate,1yearinthesimilarspeakandwrite(nativelanguageEnglish)Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 A11
Basic Qualification: Must have work more than 14 yrs. Inclusive of managerial experience. Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999
Basic PreferablyQualification:6months -1year as Visa Consultant; Fluent in Mandarin or Vietnam and English SalaryLanguageRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
www.businessmirror.com.ph Thursday, August 11, 2022
Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and Salarywritten.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
59,999 48. BOBY
Basic SalarycustomerinformationbyservicespotentialKnowsQualification:howtorecommendproductsortomanagementcollectingcustomerandanalyzingneeds.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 AKBAR JIHADATULLAH
Basic PreferablyQualification:6months -1year as Visa Consultant; Fluent in Mandarin or Vietnam and English SalaryLanguageRange: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
FUWEALTH SERVICES INC. 18/f Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati
Basic SalarycustomerinformationbyservicespotentialKnowsQualification:howtorecommendproductsortomanagementcollectingcustomerandanalyzingneeds.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PHILIPPINES, RODRIGUEZ, MIGUEL Php 60,000 - Php 89,999
43. SUN, LIANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customer by answering products and services questions. Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
71. LEE, KE-AN Visa Consultant Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:thatallthe information from the Chinese, Vietnamese and Taiwanese client to local documentation officer are correct. Responsible to follow up local liaison officer of all immigration issues and operations remaining up to date with any changes to legislation and overseeing all the aspects involved in processing a visa and immigration services
78. YU, LINBO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.
65. RAM LUBHAYA Strategic And Facilitation Officer Brief Job Description: Your primary function is to help the company and its Chinese clients to generate more income for the company. Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese Salarylanguage.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic Salary&fluentlyfield,experiencepreferablyCollegeQualification:graduate,1yearinthesimilarspeakandwrite(nativelanguageEnglish)Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:thatallthe information from the Chinese, Vietnamese and Taiwanese client to local documentation officer are correct. Responsible to follow up local liaison officer of all immigration issues and operations remaining up to date with any changes to legislation and overseeing all the aspects involved in processing a visa and immigration services
BusinessMirror
Support Brief Job Description: Provide specialized services to assist end-users in technology needs
Basic FluentQualification:inmandarin, both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LEG KICKING VENTURES INC. 7/f Ba Lepanto Bldg., Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati MenuSUHARYADIDevelopment PhpSalaryCuisineAsianExcellentQualification:inWestern,andIndonesianRange:30,000-Php59,999 MANAGEMENT PHILIPPINES INC. 7/f, Sheridan North Tower Rbc, Highway Hills, City Of Mandaluyong KNIGAWKA, ANNA Global VAN HONG Service Job application with good oral and communication skills. Basic PhpSalarydataCustomerQualification:supportandbaseservices.Range:30,000-Php59,999
Specialist Brief Job Description: Staffing plans and vendors research selection, menu planning and event profiles and recaps Basic
KnowledgeableDescription:incomputer
109. WANG, BilingualFENG-YIFieldMarketing Officer Brief Job Description: Define a region-specific marketing plan that supports the regional sales strategy.
WIKITECH SERVICES INC. 10/f Alphaland Corporate Tower, 7232 Ayala Avenue Ext. Corner Malayag St., Bel-air, City Of Makati ZHAO, MandarinSHANCETeam Leader Brief Job Description: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team
In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on Jul 19, 2022, the name of CHRISTY NOVI PUBRA under the company FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC., should have been read as CHRISTY NOVI PURBA and not as Anypublished.person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this Pleasepublication.inform
Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and PhpSalarywrittenRange:30,000-Php 59,999 SUPER FIVE COLD STORAGE REALTY CORP. Lot 1c, Gov. Pascua Ave., Catmon, City Of Malabon 105. WANG, RecommendBriefConsultantHAILIANGJobDescription:righttype of storage for produce Basic PhpSalaryproductsExperienceQualification:infrozenfromoverseasRange:30,000-Php59,999 TECHMAVE SERVICES INC. 11/f Liberty Plaza Bldg., 102 H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 106. HUANG, MandarinZEHONGSystem And Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Handle service support calls, emails and chats related to inquiry from clients and / or customers through mandarin to English translation.
in technology needs
Basic PhpSalary&fluentlyfield,experiencepreferablyCollegeQualification:graduate,1yearinthesimilarspeakandwrite(nativelanguageEnglish)Range:30,000-Php59,999
Basic FluentQualification:inmandarin, both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TIAN, MandarinMUQINGTechnical
Basic readingExcellentQualification:inwriting,andspeaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic PhpSalaryLanguageExcellentQualification:inMandarinRange:30,000-Php59,999
SERVICES
Basic PhpSalarydataCustomerQualification:supportandbaseservices.Range:30,000-Php59,999 INC. Unit 2807 28/f Cityland, Pasong Tamo Tower, 2210 Chino Roces Ave., Pio give customers information about product and services.
TOTAL CREST BUSINESS SUPPORT, INC. 26/f & 27/f Alphaland Corporate Tower, Ayala Ave. Extn. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of 108.MakatiHUANG,BilingualWEN-TSUNGFieldMarketing Officer Brief Job Description: Define a region-specific marketing plan that supports the regional sales strategy.
Support Brief Job Description: Provide specialized services to assist
116. DANG VietnamAN- Speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:toresolve queries of the Malaycustomers through email and chats
NOBLE SYSTEMS PHILIPPINES Bldg., Julia PhpSalaryexperiencesales,productR&D,acrossworkleadershipmulti-locationexperience,cross-functionalitycustomersuccess,cloudoperations,managementandM&AintegrationRange:500,000andabove MandarinZHITechnical end-users
KnowledgeableDescription:incomputer application
VEDO TRADING CORPORATION 12/f Robinsons Summit, Center 6783 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati 110. LIANG, MandarinWUZHENSpeaking Marketing Specialist Brief Job Description: Plan, execute, manage and analyze user acquisition campaigns across online & offline channels
VERTEX DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 1439 Adriatico Cor. Sta. Monica St., 072, Barangay 669, Ermita, City Of Manila THONG and chats.
121. WEI, ChineseJIASHULanguage - Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Deal with and help resolve customer complaints.
124. TRAN THI THU THAO Vietnamese Language - Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Deal with and help resolve customer complaints. Basic *DatePhpSalaryVietnamese.readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginRange:30,000-Php59,999Generated:Aug10,2022
122. ZHANG, MINGTAO Chinese Language - Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Deal with and help resolve customer complaints.
91. LI, CustomerGUANGFUService Job with good oral and written communication
OCTAGON PRIME OUTSOURCING SERVICES INC. Ub 111 Paseo De Roxas Bldg., Paseo De Roxas, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 84. BAI, MandarinNIAN Technical Support Brief Job Description: Provide specialized services to assist end-users in technology needs Basic FluentQualification:inmandarin, both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 85. HUANG,
86.
CORPORATION Unit 405 4/f Ortigas Technopoint
93.
KnowledgeableDescription:incomputer application
Basic Through,Qualification:extensive & fluency in mandarin language and characters.
Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 107. LIU, MandarinZHIWEISystem And Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Handle service support calls, emails and chats related to inquiry from clients and / or customers through mandarin to English translation.
81. ZHAO, ChineseJIAMINGCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.
DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.
87.
PEARSON
Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic PhpSalarydataCustomerQualification:supportandbaseservices.Range:30,000-Php59,999 VU THI good
Service Desk Analyst Brief Job Description: Supports the global service desk senior advisor in the management of the HR global service desk to provide world class HR operational and transactional services to the organization. Basic PhpSalaryyears.Experience:studiesMasterEducationalQualification:background:ofArtsinEnglishAtleast5-10Range:30,000-Php59,999 ROYAL BAYSHORE HOTELS AND AMUSEMENT INC. Star Cruises Ctr., Newport City Villamor, Barangay 183, Pasay City 89. FUJINO, JapaneseKEIICHIROExecutive Chef Brief Job Description: Leading the management of Kitchen Operations for the Japanese restaurant, including menu planning and costing, organizing special events, developing new dishes, maintaining food quality standards and comprehensive product knowledge. Basic 499,999PhpSalarystarserviceinwithinyearsMinimumQualification:ofthree(3)ormoreexperiencethesamepositionluxuryrestaurantorinternational5hotel.Range:150,000-Php SA RIVENDELL GLOBAL SUPPORT, INC. 2/f Star Cruises Ce Bldg., Andrews Drive, Newport City St., Barangay 183, Pasay City 90. DUONG
Basic PhpSalaryVietnamese.readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginRange:30,000-Php59,999
117. NHAM VietnamTAI- Speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:toresolve queries of the Malaycustomers through email and chats
Brief Job Description: 30,000 PhpSalaryVietnamese.readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginRange:30,000-Php59,999
80. ZHANG, CHENGZONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.
oral and written communication skills.
Representative Brief
skills.
oral and written communication skills.
MY KIN It MaintainBriefSpecialistJobDescription:theoperation of electronic device Basic PhpSalaryMandarinGamingExperienceCollegeQualification:GraduateWithinMaintainingDevices;FluentinandEnglishRange:30,000-Php59,999 112. VONG HAI TUAN It MaintainBriefSpecialistJobDescription:theoperation of electronic device Basic PhpSalaryMandarinGamingExperienceCollegeQualification:GraduateWithinMaintainingDevices;FluentinandEnglishRange:30,000-Php59,999 VICCI BUSINESS CONSULTANCY CORP. 10/f Liberty Plaza, 102 H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 113. NGUYEN THI THACH TUYEN Customer Relation Representative (mandarin HandleBriefTranslation)JobDescription:servicesupport calls, emails and chats related to inquiry from clients and/or customers through Mandarin to English translation Basic Through,Qualification:Extensive & Fluency in Mandarin Language and Characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 114. HSIEH, ResponsibleBriefBilingualCHEN-HSUANMarketingSpecialistJobDescription:toresolvequeries of the Malaycustomers through email and chats. Basic readingExcellentQualification:inwriting,andspeaking in SalaryMalay Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 115. CHAN SIEW Malay-speakingLI Customer Service Officer Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:toresolve queries of the Malaycustomers through email
BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phA12 Thursday, August 11, 2022
Brief
88.
Representative Brief
ONE
111.
Del Pilar, City Of Makati 94. SHENG, MandarinYUTINGSpeaking Customer Service Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forinbound and outbound service calls Basic WritingExcellentQualification:inReading,andSpeaking in PhpSalaryMandarinRange:30,000-Php 59,999 SHOPEE PHILIPPINES INC 37/f Seven/neo, 5th Avenue E-square Crescent Park West Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig95. BIJLANI, AssistantJITESHManager, Business Development Seller EvaluateBriefManagementJobDescription:strategicnew areas of work Basic Qualification: B.S PhpSalaryManagementBUSINESSRange:90,000-Php 149,999 96. MALLAMPALLI, VENKATA SAI KIRAN Assistant Manager, Operations Customer ServiceCi & EvaluateBriefProjectsJobDescription:strategicnew areas of work Basic Qualification: B.S PhpSalaryManagementBUSINESSRange:90,000-Php 149,999 97. SHERPA, JIGMEE DORJEE Associate Business - Development, Seller Create/implementBriefManagementJobDescription:the business dev growth Basic Qualification: B.S PhpSalaryManagementBUSINESSRange:60,000-Php 89,999 98. KANG, WEI-CHUN Senior Analyst, Operations - Seller Operations Brief Job Description: Manages seller prioritizing seller evaluation/ training Basic Qualification: B.S. PhpSalaryManagementBusinessRange:30,000-Php 59,999 99. HANNAH TAY ZHI YU Senior Associate, Regional Marketing Engagement BriefTeam Job Description: Analyze data generates insight and translate into strategies Basic Qualification: B.S PhpSalaryManagement/EconomicsBusinessRange:30,000-Php59,999 SINCERELY SERVICES INC. Units 2 & 3 24/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati 100. GUO, MandarinTIANDACustomer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Answer customer inquiries completely and accurately through live chat, emails and inbound/ outbound calls to resolves customer complaints Basic readingProficientQualification:inwriting,andspeaking in PhpSalaryMandarinRange:30,000-Php 59,999 SPEEDWELL INC. 5/f King’s Court 2 Bldg., 2129 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 101. LIU, ChineseYU-HSIENSpeaking Technical Consultant Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services. Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and PhpSalarywrittenRange:30,000-Php 59,999 102. PENG, ChineseYANQIUSpeaking Technical Consultant Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services. Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and PhpSalarywrittenRange:30,000-Php 59,999 103. WEN, ChineseGUANGYUANSpeakingTechnical Consultant Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services. Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and PhpSalarywrittenRange:30,000-Php 59,999 104. YANG, ChineseFEILONGSpeaking Technical Consultant Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers,
Ortigas Home Depot, #1
Basic Through,Qualification:extensive & fluency in mandarin language and characters. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Customer
ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE
Basic readingExcellentQualification:inwriting,andspeaking in SalaryMalay Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
Basic PhpSalarydataCustomerQualification:supportandbaseservices.Range:30,000-Php59,999
118.
Basic PhpSalaryMandarin.readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginRange:30,000-Php59,999
119. PAN, MandarinGUIXIANGTechnical Support
Provide specialized services to assist end-users in technology needs Basic FluentQualification:inMandarin, Both Oral and Written Salary Range: Php
- Php 59,999 WISHLAND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY INC. 28/f Techzone Condo Corp., 213 Buendia Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati 120. LEE MENG KWANG Chinese Language - Customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Deal with and help resolve customer complaints. Basic
Basic PhpSalaryVietnamese.readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginRange:30,000-Php59,999
Basic PhpSalaryIndonesian.readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginRange:30,000-Php59,999
The
79. YUE, ChineseMINCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.
123. RONY IndonesianDESMANLanguage-customer Service Staff Brief Job Description: Deal with and help resolve customer complaints.
In the ad material of Notice of Filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on Aug 6, 2022, the name of ILANGA, MAZIME MONGO under the company ALLSECTECH MANILA, INC., should have been read as ILANGA, MAXIME MONGO and not as published.
82. YAUK SHAIN PHU Myanmari Customer Service Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.
Vargas Avenue, Ugong, City Of Pasig 83. SHARMA, PARESH VP Customer Care & Site Leader Philippines Brief Job Description: Leads a global team of L1 and L2 Support Engineers distributed around the world; to enable and lead the customer support organization channels to deliver customer service satisfaction Basic MinimumQualification:of15years of experience in customer support,
Basic readingExcellentQualification:inwriting,andspeaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999
written
CustomerHONGService Representative Brief Job KnowledgeableDescription:incomputer application with
Basic PhpSalary&fluentlyfield,experiencepreferablyCollegeQualification:graduate,1yearinthesimilarspeakandwrite(nativelanguageEnglish)Range:30,000-Php59,999
Basic PhpSalary&fluentlyfield,experiencepreferablyCollegeQualification:graduate,1yearinthesimilarspeakandwrite(nativelanguageEnglish)Range:30,000-Php59,999
Basic PhpSalaryMandarin.readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginRange:30,000-Php59,999
92. TRAN ANH DUONG Customer Service Representative Job with good
SEAGULL-WORLD
Basic PhpSalary&fluentlyfield,experiencepreferablyCollegeQualification:graduate,1yearinthesimilarspeakandwrite(nativelanguageEnglish)Range:30,000-Php59,999
The program aims to cushion the impact of the current global eco nomic challenges to the agriculture sector, and enable the food produc tion sector to be more productive.” Industry groups have earlier wel comed the expansion of the eligible beneficiaries under the DA’s FDFFP. They said expanding the coverage of the fuel discount program would help pull down the costs of domestic food production. “ That’s good news. All farm ers of different commodities have equal right to any assistance from the government,” Danilo V. Fausto, Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. President, earlier told the“BusinessMirrorAllofthemusefuel as part of their input and the fuel voucher program will help a lot in bringing down their cost, making farming a worthwhile venture.”
“
W HILE the outlook for global crops is improving from the tumultuous weeks after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the threats of drought, flooding and blistering heat are keeping supplies tight and prices elevated. C rop futures have retreated to pre-war levels, and the United Na tion’s monthly measure of food prices sank the most since 2008. That’s offering some relief to con sumers who have faced rampant food inflation since the start of the pandemic. Still, the war is putting more pressure on farmers from the United States to India to replace crop losses and make up for the shortfall in supplies from Ukraine, normally a key shipper to poorer nations in the Middle East and Africa. How much they can provide is in question. Major producers like the US, Brazil and Argentina have been facing yield issues over the last few years thanks to scorching heat, supporting prices at higher levels. Global production of corn and soybeans in 2021-2022 fell short of initial forecasts by 45 million tons. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday is expected to cut its outlook for this year’s US corn and soybean yields, according to analysts polled by Bloomberg, while wheat likely fared better. “ Unlike recent years every single bushel of production matters and even a small yield loss of 1-2 percent relative to trend is concerning given current tightness in US and global balance sheets,” said Ben Buckner, grains analyst for Chicago-based AgResource Co. In Europe, the searing heat could shrink the European Union’s grains harvest by 5 percent versus last season, according to the European Commission. Corn crops have been particularly battered by the scorch ing weather, boosting the bloc’s import needs and increasing costs for livestock farmers. Agriculture heavyweight France is suffering its worst drought on record and fields are drying up across other key pro ducers like Germany and Romania. T he situation is already critical, said Vincent Braak, a crop analyst at Strategie Grains. “Even if rains come back, for corn production, it is far too late for good yields now because pollination is done almost everywhere. We are worried for all summer crops. Even with irrigation, this temperature is totally crazy.” T his year’s French corn harvest is estimated at 12.66 million tons, down 19 percent year-over-year, the country’s agriculture ministry said in a report. If confirmed, it will be the lowest since 2016, according to USDA data. In India, temperatures soared in March to the highest ever for the month on record going back to 1901, shriveling the country’s big gest winter-sown crop during a cru cial growth period. That prompted authorities to prohibit wheat exports in May to safeguard domestic sup plies and to control rising prices. R ice, another important Indian crop, was planted on a smaller area so far this season due to a lack of rainfall in some main growing ar eas, including West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, which account for a quarter of the country’s output. This will po tentially reduce production and may trigger restrictions on shipments from India, which accounts for 40 percent of global rice trade. S oybean futures in Chicago, which rose above $17 per bushel after the invasion, advanced for a second day on Wednesday, rising 0.2 percent to $14.3125, while corn and wheat were steady. T he war in Ukraine is also im pacting future harvests. So far, grain exports are down 49 percent year-over-year and seeding has been compromised. In a sign of shifting trade flows, Egypt, the world’s larg est wheat importer, is buying much more French wheat than normal for this time of the year. T here are exceptions: Australian growers expect to pull off a decent wheat crop this season, after favor able conditions encouraged farmers to ramp up planting to near-record levels. While those supplies won’t be harvested for a few months, Austra lian exporters are still shipping out surplus grain from previous seasons following two consecutive years of bumper output. Canada, the world’s top canola grower and a major wheat exporter, is also having a good grow ing season so far. Russia is set to be the biggest mar ket winner with a massive harvest, though shipments are slower than usual as exporters must find vessels, crews and insure ships. Cooling demand THERE is also some good news in the form of cooling demand from China, the world’s biggest grains buyer. China’s corn imports in the first half of the year sank 11 per cent from a year ago, while wheat imports during the same period fell 7.8 percent and soybeans 5.4 percent from the previous year, according to customs data. Poor margins in the massive livestock industry also curbed appetite for the crops as feed ingredients, and China’s imports of palm oil have weakened as its Covid Zero policy cuts demand from the restaurant and catering industries. W hen the war broke out, prices spiked on the assumption that exports from the Black Sea would stop com pletely. Now, as more vessels find their way out, most of the “war premium” has disappeared from futures. One big question is if shipments will continue to increase enough to offset smaller than expected crops elsewhere. For the next harvests this year and in 2023, the USDA is forecasting a record global soybean crop, but that will rely on the highest ever produc tion from Brazil and the US and the biggest output from Argentina since 2018. On corn and wheat, output is expected to be smaller than the pre vious season.
www.businessmirror.com.ph Editor:
A KEY initiative called Project Coffee+ under the Nescafé Plan of Nestlé Philippines has yielded banner results, according to the food giant. Nestle said participating cof fee farmers have increased average yields by around 64 percent in 2021, driven by improvement on coffee trees maintenance, entrepreneurial farm management techniques and regenerative agriculture practices. T he Nescafé Plan in the country is a long-term program to increase the supply of Robusta coffee which lags considerably behind demand, help ing farmers increase the productivity of coffee farming towards a better quality of life. Robusta accounts for 66 percent of local coffee production and is mostly grown in Mindanao. Project Coffee+, in cooperation with the German development agency Gesellschaft für Interna tionale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), has provided 1,500 participat ing smallholder farmers in Sultan Kudarat and Bukidnon with series of trainings since 2019 to develop their agripreneurial mindset. The significant increases in their yields and incomes are attributed to their adoption of an agri-enterprise ap proach to farm operations, which includes applying learned skills in better farm planning and budgeting, in seeking financial services, money management, and farm diversifica tion through intercropping or multicropping, and raising livestock. T he findings were reported by the Rainforest Alliance, an international NGO addressing deforestation, cli Jennifer A. Ng
By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it needs an addition al P600 million to bankroll its expanded fuel voucher program that seeks to help more farmers cope with rising oil prices. T he DA said it has already re quested the funds for its expanded Fuel Discount for Farmers and Fish erfolk Program or FDFFP from the Department of Budget and Manage ment (DBM). The agency recently issued Memo randum Circular (MC) 32 in prepara tion for the implementation of the expanded FDFFP that will now include other agricultural commodities, such as sugar, coconut, tobacco, abaca. (Re latedstory:https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/08/04/da-expandscoverage-of-p500-m-fuel-voucherprogram-for-farmers/) A t present, the P500-million FDFFP only covers corn farmers and fisherfolk, who must use the subsidy to fuel their farm machinery and mo torized bancas, according to the DA.
Bloomberg News
T he DA said the FDFFP, which was rolled out in March, has created a to tal of 126,388 fuel discount accounts as of August 4. The remaining 32,342 eligible beneficiaries will have their accounts created before the end of the month, it added. T he fuel subsidy beneficiaries can immediately use their fuel discount accounts for the purchase of diesel or gasoline once they are loaded with the P3,000 subsidy. This is just part of the Depart ment of Agriculture’s package of assistance to the agriculture sec tor, which continues to face chal lenges caused by high cost of farm inputs,” Undersecretary for Con sumer and Political Affairs and DA Spokesperson Kristine Evan gelista said in a statement.
Agriculture/Commodities
T he value of crops produced in the first half fell by 2.2 percent, while that of fisheries declined by 3.9 per cent. Palay fell by 2.2 percent, while corn recorded a 0.6-percent contrac tion during the period. T he output of coconut, mango, sugarcane, pineapple, coffee and tobacco also recorded lower values. In terms of volume, the country’s unmilled rice production contracted by 0.63 percent to 8.743 million met ric tons (MMT) in January to June, from last year’s 8.799 MMT. Corn output, however, rose by 1.1 percent year-on-year to 3.926 MMT.
Regenerativeagricultureisamethod of farming that enhances resource use, rather than destroying or depleting them. It is based on farming principles that rehabilitate and enhance the en tire farm ecosystem by protecting and maintaining the health of the soil, es pousing biodiversity, and a host of other practices that promote resiliency and the delicate balance of the environment. in rice tariff law project spurs double income and yield growth for participants’
Scholarships, health benefits eyed
T he Rainforest Alliance report is showing that the Project Coffee+ farmers’ adoption of regenerative farming practices such as agrofor estry, or the use of crop cover and other vegetation, the application of organic matter, and rejuvenation of coffee trees have made a positive impact on total harvest. “Regenerative practices are indis pensable to enhancing productivity and empowering communities,” said Nestlé Philippines Chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki. “Through the Nescafé Plan, we are working to secure a reliable supply of quality green cof fee beans, helping improve the liveli hood of farmers, and contributing to the protection and revitalization of food systems for generations to come.”
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM F ARMERS covered by the Rice Tariffication Law stand to get additional benefits, including scholarships and free health services, as soon as Con gress approves a Senate bill that will amend it and Malacañang signs it into law. I n filing Senate Bill 231, Sena tor Robin Padilla was banking on lawmakers to frontload early passage of the enabling legisla tion boosting services for farmerbeneficiaries under Republic Act (RA) 11203. A t the same time, the Padilla bill also sought to increase the existing Rice Competitiveness Enhance ment Fund (RCEF) to enhance the Filipino farmers’ competitiveness in the market. T he first-term senator clarified that the remedial legislation aims to increase the amount earmarked for RCEF to P15 billion annually from the current P10 billion “to aid our farmers in reducing the rice production cost while increasing farmer incomes.” A part from the initial amend ments, Padilla proposes that 10 percent of the RCEF “be made available for scholarship, health and other similar benefits for the rice fund beneficiaries.”
M oreover, the senator cited “issues in the implementation of the law, including loopholes that, he said, allowed the entry of rice from abroad “forcing our farmers to lower the prices of their produce.” Worse, the lawmaker lament ed the P10-billion annual RCEF for farm mechanization, seed development, propagation and promotion, and credit assistance and extension services “failed to bring down production costs for Filipino farmers.” Padilla’s proposal seeks to fasttrack amendments to the law in cluding allowing the export of rice during harvest season and allocating 20 percent of the rice fund for rice seed development, propagation and promotion.Former President Duterte signed RA 11203 in 2019. Under the law, interested importers will only need to secure a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry as proof the rice they will bring in is safe for consumption. T hey will also have to pay a tariff of 35 percent if the im ports are coming from a mem ber-state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and 50 percent if from outside the region.
DA seeks more funds for fuel subsidy scheme
mate change, systemic poverty, and social inequity, which performed field-based monitoring and evalua tion to help the Nescafé Plan assess its sustainability performance and measure results against targets.
‘Nescafé
amended
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO uncertain crops slow wider relief
PROJECT Coffee+ farmers learn sustainable and profitable farming practices to improve their yield and income. By adopting regenerative agriculture practices in his farm, this farmer can expect an improved income while ensuring responsible coffee production.
Food inflation eases, but
In January to June, the value of the country’s agricultural output contracted by 0.4 percent, mainly due to the anemic performance of the crops and fisheries subsectors. Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the value of farm output in the first half reached P853.087 billion at constant 2018 prices, lower than last year’s P856.66 billion.
• Thursday, August 11, 2022 A13BusinessMirror
www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com
The global financial system is on the brink, not in terms of time necessarily but in terms of the size of the coming chaos. Government went on a serious debt binge starting around 1997 and seriously in 2000 because that is what the people wanted. We are all greedy little suckers that would prefer free-stuff from government rather than having to pay for it, at least not up front.
BusinessMirror A broader look at today’s
The global financial system is on the brink, not in terms of time necessarily but in terms of the size of the coming chaos. Government went on a serious debt binge starting around 1997 and seriously in 2000 because that is what the people wanted. We are all greedy little suckers that would prefer free-stuff from government rather than having to pay for it, at least not up Governmentfront. borrows, gives creditcreditbillthe“insert-government-program-here,”freepeoplearehappytoday,andthecomeslater.Justlikewithyourcard,whichismypoint.Ibuyexpensiveitemsonzero-iftheuse-of-moneyfactoris
MEMBER
From the Associated Press: “The head of the UN body promoting development is warning that the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and the war in Ukraine have led to “an unprecedented reversal” of decades of progress in combatting global poverty and hunger and ensuring quality education for children“Colleneverywhere.”Kelapile,who is president of the Economic and Social Council known as ECOSOC, said there is growing concern that funding for critical UN development goals including ending extreme poverty and hunger by 2030 might be neglected by Western donor nations supporting Ukraine militarily and financially in its war against Russia.” “Please, let’s not forget other pre-existing challenges. We need to finance development. We need to finance climate. We need to finance many other conflicts around the world,” Kelapile said in an interview with The Associated Press. Making a mistake and sidelining these issues, Kelapile warned, could lead to higher costs in the future if they escalate “because there is no longer attention to them.” There is a saying that “a hungry man is an angry man,” he said, citing people recently venting their anger of the lack of food and gasoline, including in Sri Lanka. The UN announcement that the world is currently seeing an unprecedented reversal of decades of progress in combatting global poverty should serve as a reminder for governments to focus on their anti-poverty programs. It would do well for the Marcos administration to confront poverty headon. Filipinos who suffer poverty’s effects are not the only victims. Poverty affects us all. Studies show that poverty is the root cause of many crimes in the world such as theft, murder, and the selling of drugs and contraband items. A US study noted that a one percent rise in poverty would amount to a 2.16 percent rise in crime and a 2.57 percent rise in violent crime. Poverty is an issue that undermines our security as a nation. We all pay a heavy price for allowing poverty to walk in our midst. As the regime of high inflation affects most Filipinos, it’s not far-fetched that households that have recently escaped poverty could be pushed back into it by skyrocketing prices. Government alone won’t succeed in its poverty reduction efforts without the support of big business. Shared prosperity also means moderating corporate greed for profit by increasing wages. As a wise man once said, lifting someone out of poverty is the most effective antidepressant in the world.
All the people you hear screaming and yelling about government debt—almost always with a political agenda—do not have any idea how the real world operates. They know just enough to speak like they know what they are talking about to be able to push their political/economic ideas. I could name names, but my sainted mother told me to never speak ill about the dead or the stupid. Besides, it would not make any difference anyway because it is probably true that dead people do not know they are dead, and dumb people are the same. Sovereign or government debt is the biggest problem on the planet. That is why you should notice that virtually every human problem from poverty to bad viruses can only be solved by giving the government more money. In fact, problems must be created as often as possible—like the carbon tax—to raise more revenues from the people for the government.
editorial L Ast week, United Nations secretary-General António Guterres strongly criticized the “grotesque greed” of oil and gas companies for making record profits from the energy crisis on the back of the world’s poorest people. the UN chief called their record profits from oil and gas amid global crisis “immoral.”
By The Associated Press BeIJING—Liu Qian, job-hunting with a new master’s degree, said two employers interviewed her and then said the positions had been eliminated. Others asked her to take lower pay.
Printed by brown madonna Press, Inc.–Sun Valley Drive KM-15, South Superhighway, Parañaque, Metro Manila Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Founder Since 2005 ✝ OF
www.news.businessmirror@gmail.comThursday, August 11, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso Opinion BusinessMirrorA14 ‘A hungry man is an angry man’
favorable. I learned many decades ago, having seven ‘Gold’ credit cards (I was a ‘wealthy’ stockbroker), that eventually you have to pay. Now, government never has to pay off their debt like you and I do. But if they cannot continue to find “Ponzi scheme” lenders to give them money, the system fails. So, the people motivate the government to borrow more money with the clear understanding that the candidate that promises the most and the office-holder who gives the most, get the votes. If you think that “The People” are more responsible with debt than government, you are sadlyAmericanmistaken.household debt has reached a new high, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Total household debt has surpassed $16 trillion for the first time in history increasing 8.6 percent YoY. The federal government had $28 trillion in debt but at least the government has a money printing press. The household debt is just as if not more serious because “The People” cannot spend debt repayment money for productive economic use. Government wastes a lot of its money anyway. American household debt now accounts for 67 percent of the country’s GDP as of March 2022. And overall, the US is not that bad. Look at the other countries’ household debt to GDP: Canada (105 percent), UK (90 percent), and Japan (69 percent). Even our neighbors are in trouble: Malaysia (106 percent), Thailand (90 percent), Vietnam (130 percent), and Australia (125 percent). The Philippines’s household debt accounted for 9.9 percent of the country’s Nominal GDP in March 2022, compared with the ratio of 10.2 percent in the previous quarter. The total Philippine household debt is down by $3.5 billion since January 2021. Indonesia’s household debt accounted for 9.7 percent of the country’s Nominal GDP in MarchPeople—and2022. governments—may be able to pay on their debt now, but as inflation and interest rates rise, that will become increasingly difficult. Government debt is the big financial system problem. But being unable to pay household debt brings the people into the streets with torches and pitchforks. E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc. this year but did not say how many might be lost to companies closing. Li said 16 million people were expected to be looking for work. Li promised “pro-job policies” including tax and fee cuts totaling 2.5 trillion yuan ($400 billion) for employers. One-third of companies surveyed between last March and this April said they plan to hire fewer fresh graduates, according to Liepin. It said 27 percent, most of them stateowned, would hire more and 18 percent had no plans to change course. China’s unusually severe approach towards Covid-19 has kept case numbers low, but the cost is soaring. The economy shrank in the three months ending in June from the previous quarter as factory activity and consumer spending plunged. The ruling party has stopped talking about being able to hit this year’s official 5.5 percent growth target. Repeated lockdowns that shut down factories and offices in Shanghai and other industrial centers for weeks at a time have disrupted the traditional labor market, said Zhang Chenggang of the Capital University of Economics and Business. Companies are “slashing hiring needs” due to a “life-saving mindset,” Zhang said. “In the future, we will face the challenges of technology,” he said. “Uncertainty in the labor market may even increase. So for university students, the most important thing is the ability to adapt.” Uncertainties loom over various industries. Internet companies are shedding jobs after the ruling party tightened control by launching datasecurity and anti-monopoly probes. Real estate is slumping after regulators cracked down on use of debt. Tao Yinxue, a 2021 graduate, left an internship in an educational institute before graduating, worried over a government crackdown on the industry that has wiped out tens of thousands of jobs. In April, she quit a job at a financial company when she realized it was promoting virtual currencies, which is “actually not legal in our country.” “The students tend to seek stability,” said Xing Zhenkai, a Liepin researcher.Twoout of five graduates surveyed want to work for state-owned enterprises that are viewed as safer and supported by the government, said Xing. associated Press video producer olivia Zhang in beijing and researcher Chen Si in Shanghai contributed to this report.
GroupAdvertisingChairmanChiefCreativeAssociateEditorPublisherinChiefEditorNewsEditorSeniorEditorsOnlineEditorDirectorPhotographeroftheBoardPresidentSalesManagerCirculationManager
Common sense solutions that were beginning to be followed in the past—like don’t throw your crap in the ocean—absolutely were not as good as giving government more money. Of course, the same problems are even more serious today so that means “MORE MONEY!”
The debt crisis: It’s your fault China’s youth face bleak job market as Covid slows economy
“The combined profits of the largest energy companies in the first quarter of this year are close to $100 billion. I urge governments to tax these excessive profits, and use the funds to support the most vulnerable people through these difficult times,” Guterres said. The UN chief said there is increasing fear that the rising costs of energy may price out many developing countries, especially the most vulnerable communities, from energy markets. These countries are already bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis, having experienced major setbacks on access to energy and progress on sustainable development since the Covid-19 pandemic. More worryingly, there could be a potential “scramble for fuel” whereby only countries paying the highest prices can access energy, he warned, adding that governments need the fiscal space to support their most vulnerable populations to avoid worsening levels of energy poverty or losing energy access altogether. At the same time, without policies that balance the need for urgency and sustainability, there is a risk of short-term energy policies that might set developing countries on a course for a high-emission and expensive energy future. “As the world charts its way forward, its plans must safeguard its commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Developing countries don’t lack reasons to invest in renewables. Many of them are living with the severe impacts of the climate crisis including storms, wildfires, floods and droughts. What they lack are concrete, workable options,” Guterres added. Guterres urged people everywhere to send a message to the fossil fuel industry and their financiers that “this grotesque greed is punishing the poorest and most vulnerable people, while destroying our only common home, the planet.”
OUTSIDE THE BOX John Mangun the Global Debt Crisis, and to a lesser extent the Asian Financial Crisis, was caused by people like you and me. Well, actually not by me because I am old and learned my lesson 45 years ago, and not by you because you are the Philippine economy.
BusinessMirror
She is one of 11 million new graduates desperate for work in a bleak job market as anti-virus controls force factories, restaurants and other employers to close. The survivors are cutting jobs and wages. “Am I not worth it?” Liu asked. “From the moment I started looking for a job, I felt as if my future were smashed by a machine, and I don’t know if I can piece it together.” Liu, 26, said some employers balked when she asked for a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan ($1,200). The average graduate last year was paid the equivalent of 9,800 yuan ($1,500) per month, according to Liepin, a job-hunting platform. There were almost two graduates competing for every job opening in the three months ending in June, up from 1.4 the previous quarter, according to the China Institute for Employment Research and Zhaopin. com, another job-hunting website. China’s job drought echoes the struggles of young people worldwide to find work in depressed economies but is especially sensitive politically in a year when President Xi Jinping is expected to try to extend his time in power.Graduates often come from urban families who are the biggest winners from China’s economic growth, an important source of political support. The ruling party needs them, especially those with technical training, to start their careers to propel industryLuckily,development.apublishing house hired Liu in late July, two months after her graduation. The official unemployment rate in June for people aged 16 to 24 was almost 20 percent, compared with 5.5 percent for all ages. That is expected to rise once the latest graduates are taken into account. Premier Li Keqiang, the top economic official and No. 2 in the ruling party, said in March the government hoped to generate 13 million new jobs business T. Anthony C. Cabangon Lourdes M. Fernandez Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace Angel R. Calso Ruben M. Cruz Jr. Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes D. Edgard A. Cabangon Benjamin V. Ramos Aldwin Maralit Tolosa Rolando M. Manangan is published daily by the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc., with offices on the 3rd floor of Dominga Building III 2113 Chino Roces Avenue corner De La Rosa Street, Makati City, Philippines. Tel. Nos. (Editorial) 817-9467; 813-0725. Fax line: 813-7025. (Advertising Sales) 893-2019; 817-1351, 817-2807. (Circulation) 893-1662; 814-0134 to 36. E-mail: news.businessmirror@gmail.com
Owner Centrica Plc says its initial return to service this winter would equate to 10 LNG cargoes, not really enough to make a significant difference.
Under the government’s latest “reasonable worst-case scenario,” Britain could face an electricity ca pacity shortfall totaling about a sixth of peak demand, even after emer gency coal plants have been fired up, according to people familiar with the government’s planning. Under that outlook, below-average tempera tures and reduced electricity imports from Norway and France could ex pose four days in January when the UK may need to trigger emergency measures to conserve gas, they said. The scenario is “not something we expect to happen,” the govern ment Department for Business, En ergy and Industrial Strategy said in a statement. “Households, businesses and industry can be confident they will get the electricity and gas they need.”While the UK doesn’t envisage such shortfalls under its base case, the analysis lays bare the difficult winter potentially in store for Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak when they suc ceed Boris Johnson as prime minis ter next month. If they materialize, the power cuts would come even as Britons face up to average annual energy bills possibly rising above £4,200 ($5,086) in January from just under £2,000 currently, stoking already soaring inflation. If the winter is particularly cold, Britain may have to rely increasingly on pipeline shipments of gas from mainland Europe—where supplies are already thin as Moscow curbs flows. That presents a dilemma for the UK, which has very little domes tic storage capacity. The nation has been shipping record amounts of gas to the continent and will want the favor returned when tempera turesTheplunge. pound hit its weakest in two weeks against the euro following the report. It erased earlier gains against the US dollar to trade around $1.2080.
Did Trump break
The nation will also face stiff inter national competition for cargoes of liquefied natural gas. The first stage of the UK’s emer gency plan involves the network op erator directing flows of gas on the system, temporarily overriding com mercial agreements, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The sec ond stage involves halting supplies to gas-fired power stations, trigger ing planned power cuts for industry and domestic users. Life could get more difficult for Britain if supply of electricity is cur tailed along huge cables connecting to France, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands. Norway said on Monday it’s looking at ways to limit power exports in winter to prevent domestic shortages. The UK has higher power prices than Norway and relies on imports, so any limitations would raise costs further and may force National Grid to utilize its strategic reserve of coal, Aurora Energy Research said.
Fast forward to 2022 and that tutorial proves instructive as an other candidate from that election, Donald Trump, is entangled in an FBI probe related to sensitive gov ernmentWhetherdocuments.anFBIsearch of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence is a prelude to criminal charges is unknown. The ac tion Monday nonetheless focuses at tention on the thicket of statutes that govern the handling of government records, though the department’s own history of prosecutorial discre tion—some high-profile investiga tions have ended without charges or in misdemeanor plea deals—makes it hard to forecast with certainty what might happen this time.
The White House views the leg islative victories as interlocking pieces fulfilling the agenda Biden laid out when he ran for presi dent in 2020 on the promise of helping the country out-compete a rising China. The policy propos als were focused on addressing generational threats and creating long-term opportunities—espe cially after what Biden viewed to be troubling setbacks during the Trump years.
From turbocharging the US com puter chip sector to shifting the nation to a greener economy, the achievements from Biden will take years to come to fruition—reflecting the sheer scope of his ambitions that, taken together, put Biden among the most legislatively productive presi dents in recent memory. Yet Democrats are also gambling that the rapid clip of recent accom plishments will persuade an elec torate that’s downcast about the economy and the general direction of the country to vote nonetheless in their party’s favor. Particularly critical, they say, is being able to il lustrate to voters what Democrats can accomplish when they hold the levers of power in Washington, even if energy bills don’t decline right away or a new bridge takes years to be completed.“Idothink this bill will have im mediate political impact, but not because people will feel the effects in the next six weeks,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said of the big health care, climate and economic package making its way through Con gress. “It’s because they know we are lawmakers who weren’t making very many laws over the last six months.” Schatz added, “It’s a vibe, and the vibe is winning.”
By Seung Min Kim, Josh Boak & Chris Megerian | The Associated Press
Truss, Sunak pledges T HERE is also a looming threat from the unavailability of Electricite de France SA’s nuclear fleet, National Grid said. Usually a power exporter, less than half of France’s reactors are running now with maintenance and repairs taking longer than expected. National Grid has warned of sky rocketing prices this winter putting even more strain on consumer bills. There’s mounting pressure on the government to do more beyond the £400 discount on household tariffs already announced earlier this year by Sunak when he was Chancellor of theJohnson’sExchequer. spokesman said this week that any further help for or dinary Britons would be for his suc cessor to decide. The prime minister on Tuesday told guests at a Downing Street reception that he was “abso lutely certain” whoever succeeds him will want to announce further as sistance for householders, and that Britain has the “fiscal firepower” to do so, according to a readout from his office. Truss, the front-runner in the leadership contest, has promised immediate tax cuts and the removal of the green levy from energy bills, saving households £153 a year. Su nak has said he’d build on the exist ing government package once the level of a new price cap on energy bills is known. At a leadership hustings in Darling ton on Tuesday evening, Sunak sug gested that if he becomes prime min ister he would focus additional support on the poorest households. Truss re fused to be drawn out on whether she would offer new handouts. That’s due to be announced by the regulator, Ofgem, at the end of August, and effect in October. There after, the regulator will adjust the cap quarterly rather than half-yearly, meaning bills are likely to rise again in January.
Biden, Democrats bet on long-term goals for short-term boost
The White House views the legis lative victories as interlocking pieces fulfilling the agenda Biden laid out when he ran for president in 2020 on the promise of helping the coun try out-compete a rising China. The policy proposals were focused on ad dressing generational threats and creating long-term opportunities— especially after what Biden viewed to be troubling setbacks during the Trump years. A 50-year veteran of Washington and a former senator and vice presi dent, Biden also aimed to avoid gov erning by executive order, a crutch of presidents for both parties when legislative dysfunction is high. Ex ecutive orders can be rewritten or overturned by a president’s succes sors — and they’re often constrained by how much they can do with out Congress acting. Biden, White House aides said, aimed not just for altering the country’s trajectory, but keeping it on that path, a move that required legislating, not emergency declarations.OnTuesday, as he signed a $280 billion bill bolstering US competi tiveness against China, Biden said he was enacting a once-in-a-gen eration investment whose impact will resonate for decades. The law sets aside $52 billion to bolster the semiconductor industry, which man ufactures the diminutive chips that power everything from smartphones to computers to automobiles. “The CHIPS and Science Act is go ing to inspire a whole new generation of Americans to answer that ques tion: What next?” Biden said. “That’s why I’m confident that decades from now, people are going to look back at this week, with all we’ve passed and all we’ve moved on, that we met the moment at this inflection point in history.”Speaking with reporters Monday, Biden said the Democrats’ massive climate and health care package— poised for final House passage Fri day—would help his party ahead of the November midterms, point ing in particular to its drug pricing provisions.“Now,some of it is not going to kick in for a little bit, but it’s all good,” Biden said in Dover, Delaware. “When you sit down at that kitchen table at the end of the month, you’re going to be able to pay a whole hell of a lot more bills because you’re paying less in medical bills.” Biden likes to talk up the bill’s pro visions capping drug costs for seniors on Medicare at $2,000 annually, al though that won’t occur until January 2024. White House officials are also touting an extension of subsidies that would help an estimated 13 million people purchase coverage under the Affordable Care Act, assistance that would have expired this year and sub sequently spike out-of-pocket costs. Other aspects of the climate and health care bill will take much longer to see. An analysis from the Rhodium Group, an independent re search firm, said the measure could reduce consumer energy costs in the longer term, with households saving between $730 to $1,135 per year, but not until 2030. The Congressio nal Budget Office has also said the inflation-reducing aspects of the “Inflationary Reduction Act” will be negligible in the short term. Chris Wilson, a Republican strat egist, said the legislation won’t help Democrats’ chances when voters al ready disapprove of Biden’s handling of the“Joeeconomy.Bidenand the Democrats are taking a big risk pushing out a major taxing and spending bill on the eve of an election,” he said.
“These are statutes that have historically not been enforced to the fullest extent,” said University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck.Much remains uncertain about Monday’s search, including precisely what documents the FBI was look ing for—Trump says agents opened a safe—or why it acted when it did. But people familiar with the matter say it relates to an ongoing Justice Department investigation into the discovery of classified material in boxes of White House records the National Archives and Records Ad ministration recovered from Mar-aLago earlier this year. To obtain a search warrant, the Justice Department would have had to persuade a judge that prob able cause existed that a crime was committed, though what statute of ficials think may have been violated is unclear.Multiple federal laws require the safekeeping of government secrets. One potentially relevant statute makes it a crime to remove classified information and retain it in unau thorized location. Another makes it illegal to mishandle national de fense information, including maps, photographs and documents, or transmit it to a person not autho rized to receive it. But if past is any precedent, the mere mishandling of classified information isn’t always enough for a felony conviction—or any charges at all. “It often comes down to wheth er there are aggravating factors in these cases,” said David Laufman, a Washington lawyer who as head of the Justice Department’s counterin telligence and export control section that oversaw the Hillary Clinton in vestigation. Those include, he said, how much classified information was mishandled, the extent to which the person knew they were in posses sion of classified information and how sensitive the material was and whether its exposure placed at risk US national security. The FBI said as much in 2016 when it closed without recommend ing charges an investigation into whether Clinton mishandled classi fied information via a private e-mail server she used as secretary of state. Comey said agents had determined that she had sent and received emails containing classified informa tion but that there was no indication she had intended to break the law. He said no reasonable prosecutor would have brought such a case. To prove his point, he said a review of past Justice Department cases established that each prosecution involved some combination of: an intentional mishandling of classified records; the vast exposure of mate rials in a way that suggested willful misconduct, disloyalty to the US or obstruction of justice. In another notable case, former CIA Director David Petraeus was permitted in 2015 to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of the un authorized removal and retention of classified information, avoid ing prison as he admitted sharing notebooks containing government secrets with his biographer. That resolution came two years after an FBI search of his home and despite an acknowledgment by Petraeus that he knew the information he was shar ing was classified. It remains to be seen what argu ments Trump might raise as the in vestigation progresses. His lengthy statement disclosing the search did not address the substance of the probe, complaining instead that the FBI’s action was a “weaponization of the Justice System and an attack by Radical Left ChristinaDemocrats.”Bobb,alawyer for Trump, said in an interview that aired on Real America’s Voice on Tuesday that supporting documenta tion for the warrant remained sealed and that she had not seen it. But she said investigators said they were “looking for classified information that they think should not have been removed from the White House, as well as presidential records.” She asserted that the president himself gets to decide what is a presi dential record, and it is true that Trump could argue that as president until January 20, 2021, he was the origi nal classification authority and had declassified on his own the classified material recovered from Mar-a-Lago. But, law professor Vladeck said, it would be a “pretty stunning” ar gument by Trump to claim as his defense that he had “declassified all of our crown jewels” and, by do ing so, effectively admit that he was a “threat to our national security.”
And, Laufman said, “The fact that he has legal authority doesn’t mean... that anything he might have chosen to take from the White House and squirrel away at Mar-a-Lago is de classified. The declassification pro cess does not exist in Donald Trump’s head. It’s not self-executing.” It is also possible he might say he was unaware of the content of the boxes as they were being packed. His son Eric told Fox News that boxes were among items that got moved out of the White House during “six hours” on Inauguration Day. But even if that’s the case, he would still have had a le gal obligation once he learned of the presence of classified information to return it, Laufman said. There are other statutes that could come into play that don’t ex plicitly concern classified informa tion. One particular law makes it a felony for someone in possession of government records to willfully mutilate, obliterate or destroy them. That law is punishable by up to three years in prison and says that any one convicted of it is disqualified from holding future office, though the qualifications of who can run for president are established by the Constitution.
WASHINGTON—The year was 2016, the presidential can didate under investigation was Hillary Clinton and the FBI director at the time, James Comey, laid out the factors the Justice Department weighs in deciding whether to charge some one with mishandling classified records.
By Alex Wickham & Rachel Morison | Bloomberg Opinion
The administration has been sen sitive to criticism that it will take years to fully realize its policies. One senior administration offi cial, insisting on anonymity to dis cuss private conversations, stressed that 18 months of talks and negotia tions were required for the computer chip funding to pass. Because it could take a decade to build semiconduc tor plants and shift more advanced chip production to the US, the official said America would have been much further ahead in the process if Con gress passed the measure earlier. The official said the administration was essentially moving as fast as it could given the speed of politics. The chips bill was more than a year in the making, but finally cleared Congress late last month with significant bipartisan margins. The Senate passed it 64-33, with 17 GOP senators supporting it, while the House followed suit with a 243-187 vote that included 24 Republicans in favor, even though party leaders began urging their ranks to vote against it after Democrats advanced the separate bill focused on climate and health care. The White House sought Tues day to begin selling the immediate impacts of the semiconductor mea sure, noting that Micron, a leading US chip manufacturer, will announce a $40 billion plan to boost domestic production of memory chips, while Qualcomm and GlobalFoundries will unveil a $4.2 billion expansion of an upstate New York chip plant. “We are working hand-in-hand with private companies who are al ready announcing new investments here at home,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Asked when Americans will see new jobs or other impacts of the new competitiveness law, Jean-Pierre de clined to say, noting the White House would have details “very soon.” But there is also a limit as to how fast the administration can pump money into the economy for tech nological breakthroughs and new infrastructure. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has stressed that the goal is ensuring funding for broad band and economic development is properly spent, not just ushered out the door quickly. Her department will take the lead on implementing the chips law. Mitch Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans who is coordinating the release of infrastructure money, has said the goal is not necessarily to achieve political gains in midterms but ensure that state and local gov ernments get the money they ur gently need. “I didn’t get hired to be a politi cal prognosticator,” Landrieu said in a May interview, noting that even Republicans who opposed the infra structure spending are now touting its benefits and “that’s OK with us because this was done for the Ameri canTuesday’speople.” sweltering South Lawn ceremony celebrating the competi tiveness bill was the latest White House event running through a veritable checklist of recent accom plishments. Biden will host another on Wednesday to sign legislation offering care for veterans suffering from exposure to toxic burn pits. The White House is also expected to hold an event after the climate and health care package clears the House.“We know there are those who focus more on seeking power than securing the future,” Biden said as he signed the chips measure. But he added that with the new law, “the future of the chip industry is going to be made in America.” Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
UK plans for blackouts in January in emergency energy plan the law?
FBI search raises fresh questions
By Eric Tucker | The Associated Press
THe UK is planning for several days over the winter when cold weather may combine with gas shortages, leading to orga nized blackouts for industry and even households.
Norway BEIS in its statement said that the UK isn’t dependent on Russian energy imports, has its own North Sea gas reserves and “steady imports from reliable partners.” It also pointed to the UK hosting the second largest LNG port infrastructure in Europe and “a gas supply underpinned by robust legal contracts.”
Thursday, August 11, 2022 Opinion A15BusinessMirrorwww.news.businessmirror@gmail.com
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden’s legislative victories have aimed to position the US to “win the economic com petition of the 21st century,” but his investments to boost the nation’s technology, infrastructure and climate resilience over the next decade are set against a 90-odd-day clock until the midterms.
The UK’s main fallback option was to restore Britain’s biggest nat ural gas storage site, Rough.
Much remains uncertain about Monday’s search, including pre cisely what documents the FBI was looking for—Trump says agents opened a safe—or why it acted when it did. But people familiar with the matter say it relates to an ongoing Justice De partment investigation into the discovery of classified material in boxes of White House records the National Archives and Records Administration recovered from Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.
Brazil to export record level of chicken meat, pork to PHL
T HE Department of Educa tion (DepEd) reported on Wednesday that the latest number of enrollees already ac counts for around 60 percent of the 28.6 million target for school year (SY) 2022-2023. “Doon sa 18.6 million, we are, I think, around 60 percent of our target of 28.6 million learners,” DepEd spokesperson Michael Tan Poa said in a press briefing. Poa said as of 7 a.m. of August 10, the number of enrollees reached 18.6 million nationwide.
Enrollees now at 60% of target, DepEd reports
A16 Thursday, August 11, 2022
NONOY LACZA
F FW President Sonny Mat ula said the bill will slow down the turnover in the labor force, which will make it harder for new jobseekers to find employ ment opportunities. “ More workers will remain in the workforce. More people will have no work unless the economic development will not be able to keep up [with the de mand],” Matula told Business Mirror in a SMS. Negotiated scheme FOR his part, Sentro Secretary General Joshua T. Mata also said it will prevent senior citizens from enjoying their twilight years and will encourage em ployers to compel their workers beyond 65 years old. He thinks the bill is unneces sary since workers, particularly those who are organized, could actually work beyond 65 years old. People could negotiate col lectively with their employer if they want to set their retirement age earlier or even beyond 65,” Mata said. I n the June round of its Labor Force Survey, the Philippine Sta tistics Authority (PSA) attrib uted the increase in Labor Force Participation rate between May and June to an increase in the number of 65-year-olds and up in the workforce. Under study THE labor leaders issued the statement after Senior Citizen party-list Rep. Rodolfo M. Or danes Jr. filed HB 3220 to com pliment the Anti-Age Discrimi nation Law, which bans an age ceiling for job vacancies. T he lawmakers said it will make senior citizens more productive.TheDepartment of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it will first study the bill before it comes out with a position on the matter.
I n the first half of 2022, Brazil’s pork exports to the Philippines rose by 277.7 percent to 41,863 MT from 11,083 MT in the same period of last year, based on ABPA data. A BPA data showed that Brazil’s pork exports to the Philippines from January to June already sur passed its total pork exports for the entire 2021 of 33,347 MT. M eanwhile, Brazil’s chicken meat exports to the Philippines in the first half rose by 43.7 percent year-on-year to 116,804 MT from 81,259 MT, based on ABPA data. For sure,” ABPA Market Direc tor Luis Rua told Filipino reporters here, when asked if Brazil’s chicken meat exports to the Philippines this year would surpass last year’s fullyear volume. I believe in the next months, we will keep the same quantities [of pork exports to the Philippines]. And of course it will depend if we are ready to offer the products that you want. You can just count on us,” Rua added. A BPA attributed the increase in Brazil’s chicken meat and pork ex ports to the strong demand for me chanically deboned meat (MDM) by Philippine meat processors and the country’s need for pork products amid the consequences of African swine fever (ASF).
Continued on A5
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie C
Safety of teachers TO ensure the safety of teach ers, non-teaching personnel and learners against Covid-19 for the in-person classes, DepEd is closely coordinating with the Department of Health (DOH) for the implemen tation of mobile vaccination drive and Wecounselling.arecoordinating with the DOH for the roll-out of a counsel ling session and mobile vaccination drive to reach the unvaccinated,” Poa said.
F or the first week alone, 10.4 million learners were enrolled. This is higher, he said, than the 2.4 million in the same period last year. Last year, DepEd data showed that 28,033,530 enrolled nation wide from the kindergarten to se nior high school levels. Poa also appealed to parents to enroll their children now, and not on the last day of enrollment. I n past years, he observed, par ents trooped to schools to enroll their kids on the last day of enroll ment or the first week when classes have already resumed. Enrolling their children early, he stressed, will help DepEd prepare for the exact number of learning materials needed, including text books.“To our media partners, please help us also to encourage our par ents to enroll their kids now,” he said. The enrollment will continue un til August 22, the day that classes for school year 2022-2023 is set to open.
By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas SÃO PAULO, Brazil—Brasilia will export a record volume of chicken meat and pork to Manila this year, cementing Brazil’s position as one of the Philippines’s top suppliers of meat products.
T he Brazilian Animal Protein As sociation (Associação Brasileira de Proteína Animal or ABPA) said Bra zil is on track this year to shatter the volume of chicken meat and pork it exported to the Philippines in 2021.
LABOR BUCKS LIFTING OF RETIREMENT AGE
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla WORKERS will face fewer job opportunities and have less time to enjoy their senior years if Congress passes the House Bill 3220 scrap ping the mandatory retirement age, according to labor groups. T he Federation of Free Work ers (FFW) and the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) reject ed the measure, warning of its consequences for the workforce.
Continued on A2Continued on A2
Growing exponentially BRAZIL’S chicken meat and pork exports to the Philippines have been constantly growing in recent years, making the country one of its most important markets in the Asian region. L ast year, Brazil’s chicken meat exports to the Philippines rose by 180.88 percent on an annual basis to 168,186 MT, making the coun try its seventh-biggest market of chicken meat in the world. Brazil’s pork exports to the Phil ippines last year surged to 33,475 MT from just 7,942 MT, based on ABPA data. The Philippines became Brazil’s eighth-largest destination of pork exports in the world. “ The Philippines is the country that is increasing the most,” Rua said.As with other Asian countries, rates of urbanization and income are increasing in a faster way than the rest of the world. Of course, we look to this trend to our country and also to other countries in the region as opportunities to develop this kind of partnership in provid ing the product [that you need],” Rua added. R ua pointed out that the mar ket profile of meat importers in the Philippines is robust as there are players that sell directly to the retail level while others are meat processors.Weseea very good opportunity [in the Philippines] and we are ready to help,” he said. A BPA President Ricardo Santin said Philippine companies now treat Brazil as a major source of chicken meat and pork products despite the long distance between the two countries. “Philippine companies are trying to diversify their suppliers. They need the best. Maybe in the past they tried to go to Brazil but it’s so far,” Santin said in a press conference on the sidelines of the SIAVS 2022, Brazil’s biggest poultry and pork event. “African swine fever and avian influenza are unfortunately in Asia and maybe it changed their mind and discussed it. It’s good to have good relations with Brazil, and now the reality is proving that Brazil can provide [the meat products] and can be a partner,” Santin added. Brazil has been one of the key markets of local meat processors for chicken MDM, a critical raw mate rial in their manufacturing, amid limited European supply of the prod uct due to bird flu-induced import bans imposed by the government. Brazil is the Philippines’s top supplier of chicken meat and the third-biggest supplier of pork prod ucts, according to Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) data.
Bulacan Ecozone bill refiled, tweaked to suit veto message
UST SPIRIT Priests, faculty members and students gather at the Plaza Mayor in front of the University of Santo Tomas Main Building on Tuesday night for the unboxing of the new Block Letters and iconic new Tiger statue, which officials say embody the school community’s fighting spirit. The design of the new statue and letters is a collaboration between the University, through the Facilities Management Office headed by its Director, Rev. Fr. Dexter A. Austria, O.P., and a Thomasian alumnus and former academic staff, Anthony E. Zamora. The similar set of structures will eventually be installed in UST’s Sta. Rosa City and General Santos City campuses.
ONSIDERING the massive potential benefits from the proposal creating the Bula can Airport City Special Economic Zone Authority, the chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means has refiled the bill creating the Bulacan Ecozone. A lbay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda re filed the proposal establishing the Bu lacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport after it was vetoed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 1, 2022 citing fiscal, eco nomic, and governance concerns. The Bulacan Airport City Spe cial Economic Zone and Freeport is expected to add USD200 billion in annual Philippine export reve nues, over the next decade. This is an increase of around 170 percent of current annual exports,” Salceda said in his explanatory note. “ The USD200 billion in incre mental exports will come from four areas: the new airport, which at P735 billion, is the largest ever single in vestment in the country’s history; a Silicon Valley-modelled technologi cal hub, focused on semiconductor manufacturing and industrial goods like batteries, essential for our en ergy independence; a University City in tie-ups with leading universities in the US, Europe, and China; and a Medical Center with tie-ups with leading medical service providers in the world,” the lawmaker added. In vetoing the bill, President Mar cos was primarily concerned about its consistency with existing frameworks for fiscal and economic planning and management, as well as issues about overlaps with the powers and func tions of regulatory agencies. However, Salceda said the refiled bill will address the President’s con cerns and also includes the safe guard provisions in the proposal. “[I am] confident that the pro posed safeguards materially, if not completely, address the concerns that the President manifested to Congress in his veto message for HB 7575,” said Salceda. New features SALCEDA said the new bill now includes: ■ Specific metes and bounds for the territorial coverage of the ecozone ■ G overnance mechanisms consistent with other ecozone laws ■ L imiting rule-making to functions of the ecozone ■ D efining relationship be tween government agencies and the ecozone ■ Cost-sharing on the defense and security of the ecozone, to ad dress fiscal sustainability concerns ■ Consistency of fiscal incen tives framework with the Tax Code ■ Changes in provisions on capi talization to ensure fiscal sustain ability and protect the public interest ■ C hanges in the composition of the governing board, to ensure the primacy of public interest ■ G eneral qualifications that the provisions of the charter are subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations ■ Audit mechanisms consistent with existing law, and protecting the authority of the Commission on Audit and the Governance Com mission for Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations ■ Protection for the mandate of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation with respect to games and amusements ■ Protections against conflict of interest ■ Protections against abuse of investors’ visa; and ■ Protections for agrarian re form beneficiaries “ We propose that the bill explic itly states that the ecozone shall be fully subject to the rules, pro cedures (including approvals), and regulations under Title XIII of the Tax Code (CREATE Act),” he said.
By VG Cabuag @villygc Chemical manufacturer D& l i n dustries i n c. said its income in the first half reached a record high of P1.63 billion, up by 17 percent from the previous year’s P1.39 billion as economic activity picked up pace during the period.alvin D. l ao, the company’s president and ceO, said at the rate that the company’s income is growing, it could reach an annualized profit of about P3.26 billion. “We are 7 percent higher than 2018 income, which means it’s possible that we can achieve a higher income level than what we hit in 2018. So that’s good news,” l a oForsaid.the second quarter alone, its income grew 22 percent to P851 million from the previous year’s P700 million.Sales, meanwhile, grew 61 percent to P22.32 billion from last year’s P13.9 billion. For the april to June period alone, its sales were even larger as it grew 79 percent to P12.33 billion from the previous P6.9 billion. The company said the higher revenues were due to the increase in commodity prices which it can pass on to its “Beyondcustomers.theforces supporting demand hinged on the economic reopening, we see a structural growth story for the company underpinned by our growing global footprint and advancing research and development and manufacturing capabilities with the commercial operations of our new plant in Batangas by early next year,” l ao said. “With this conviction, through our family holding company Jadel we will continue to buy D& l shares as we see value emerging from the currently depressed equity market valuations.”Pricesof some of the company’s key raw materials, such as coconut and palm oil, have been volatile for the period, driven by recent global developments, such as the RussiaUkraine war and the temporary ban on the export of palm oil by indonesia.Theaverage price of coconut oil rallied by 25 percent as of June and palm oil price by 57 percent, but these prices recorded slight corrections from its recent peaks. The exports division continued its momentum in the first half, with revenues jumping 69 percent for the period, the company said. e x port contribution to total revenues stood at 34 percent, with coconut-based products under food and oleochemicals as the main drivers behind the robust export growth in the period. For the first half, the company has spent some P1.63 billion in capital expenditures (capex), mostly for the construction of its expansion plant in Batangas, which would easily double its current capacity when it starts operating by next year. a s of end-June, the company has spent around P7.8 billion for the project. Quarterly capex has already peaked at P972 million in the first quarter with the second quarter capex was lower at P660 million.Once the Batangas plant is completed, capex is expected to decrease further as there are no other major expansions currently planned, and free cash flows of the company may turn positive by next year, the company said.
ONG l O m e R a T e S m i nv estments c o rp. (S m ic ) s aid it was elevated to the ha ll of Fame in the corporate governance category in this year’s edition of the a s ia Responsible e nterprise aw ards ( a R e a ) The said awards recognized Sm ic for “demonstrating transparency and completeness of disclosure and reporting of governance practices in their annual report..., while also safeguarding integrity in financial reporting, promoting ethical decision making through a structured board of committee, respecting the rights of shareholders and remunerating fairly and responsibly.”“Wearepleased to receive this award which is a recognition of our practices as we endeavor to uphold good governance and transparency in our businesses,” Sm ic President and c eO Frederic c DyBuncio said. The said award is widely regarded as the “gold standard” for corporate social responsibility and sustainability practice. it is the most prominent c SR recognition program across a s ia initiated by e nterprise a s ia.
tricity Market
T he m o nde Group has inked a power supply deal with e n ergy Development c o rp. ( e D c ) for the supply of 16 megawatts ( m W ) for the food brand manufacturer’s 9 facilities in the Undercountry.theirpower supply deal, m o nde Nissin c o rp. ( m N c ) said 5 of its facilities already started receiving clean energy from e D c ’s geothermal power facilities. Two other m N c facilities will start getting their power supply in December this year and two more nextTheyear.group is composed of m o nde Nissin c o rp., m o nde m Y. San c o rp., and Sarimonde Foods c o rp.The supply contract is valid for 5 years. m N c ’ s supply comes from e D c s Unified l e yte geothermal power plant complex, one of the company’s largest facilities. Geothermal energy is considered the h o ly Grail” of renewable energy (R e ) technologies; because it can provide uninterrupted, yearround baseload power, rain or shine. Thus, e D c refers to it as Geo 24/7. e D c has over 1,480- m W total installed capacity that accounts for 20 percent of the country’s total installed R e capacity. i t s 1,185.40- m W geothermal portfolio accounts for 62 percent of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity, making the Philippines the third largest geothermal producer in the world. m Nc said it is committed to not only manufacture food products but also to make them with the least carbon dioxide (cO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas being linked to adverse climate change and its destructive consequences such as stronger typhoons, more frequent floods, and longer droughts. This awareness explains m Nc ’s decision to partner with the subsidiary of First Gen c o rp., it said. Under m N c s partnership with e D c , the m N c Group expects to cut in half—or by as much as 100,000 tons per year—its annual emission of carbon dioxide. a l so, it will enjoy more affordable electricity rates because of the value-added tax zero rating on geothermal power generation. Geothermal rates are stable and relatively predictable; they are not indexed to any fuel commodities and foreign currencies that are subject to fluctuation. “The message is clear and consistent. We should embrace sustainability and look into more ways of incorporating sustainable practices in our businesses. What m o nde Nissin and First Gen made possible is just a fraction of what the world needs. l e t us hope that more companies move in this direction for the sake of the planet and future generations.” said m N c c h ief Sustainability Officer m a rivic c a jucom-Uy. c a rlo Vega, Vice President and head of First Gen’s Power m a rketing, Trading, and e c onomics, assured m N c that e D c will continue to collaborate with them to provide better energy solutions that will help the group meet its sustainability targets. i t is heartening to partner with like-minded companies who are also as committed in addressing the society’s present needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet theirs. a n d our new partners do this by making a conscious decision of creating a more positive impact on its consumers and on the environment through shifting to R e ,” said Vega. Lenie Lectura
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan APUBlic policy think tank that is known to have sided with smaller players said it found Dito Telecommunity corp.’s claims to be of “no relevance to public interest.”infrawatch convener Terry Ridon said Dito’s antitrust cases against Smart communications i nc. and Globe Telecom inc. are “baseless,” saying that interconnection, international simple resale (iSR), network security are “interrelated concerns, obligations and transactions of telecommunications companies.” “The failure of any telco to stop or limit iSR gives other parties the right to refuse to deal with noncompliant contractual partners, as it compromises network security and integrity,” Ridon said. “in order to show an abuse of dominant position, there needs to be a showing that transactions are subject to other obligations that have no connection with specific transactions.” Dito sued both Smart and Globe for allegedly violating the Philippine competition a c t, specifically the provisions that pertain to abuse of dominant positions. Dito claimed that its competitors violated the law by imposing barriers to entry or committing acts that prevent competitors from growing in the market and making a transaction subject to acceptance by the other parties even without connection with the transaction. adel Tamano, Dito’s chief administrative officer, earlier claimed that the two telcos were demanding commercial concessions from Dito before they increase the interconnection capacities provided to enable smooth internetwork calls. in the case of interconnection and iSR, telcos should not be made to expand interconnection agreements with competitors who fail to stop or limit fraudulent calls to other networks, as expanding interconnection without curbing fraud will only increase the likelihood of more fraudulent calls at scale,” Ridon said. “a s such, it is incorrect to say that interconnection transactions are being made subject to obligations which have absolutely no nexus to interconnection.”BothGlobeand Smart have filed cases against Dito before the National Telecommunications commission (NTc) asking the regulator to compel Dito to pay fines due to the fraudulent calls from Dito’s network. Globe claimed that an average of 1,000 fraudulent calls from Dito’s network is detected daily. Dito, Globe Group General counsel Froilan castelo said, has “persistently ignored calls for payment” even though compensation is clearly stated in its interconnect agreement with Globe. “These illegal calls clog the network to the detriment of our customers. We need to take utmost caution as iSR calls also carry the risk of exposing our customers to vishing or voice call scams,” he said. in Globe’s case, Dito is said to have owed Globe P622 million for the fraudulent calls. This amount increases by P2.5 million daily until the issue has been resolved. Smart, for its part, echoed Globe’s sentiment, with Smart VP for Regulatory a f fairs Roy i bay saying that Dito’s network is being used for fraud. “Simply put, Dito has failed to prevent its network from being misused for fraud, with Dito Sims masking international calls as domestic, resulting in huge monetary losses for Smart,” said i bay. he also called the Pcc petition a case of “forum shopping.” “it is a disturbing development that while Smart continues to interconnect with Dito despite these outstanding issues and while we were still negotiating with Dito on a bypass agreement, Dito now attempts to avoid liability for these fraudulent international calls by filing a baseless complaint with the Pcc accusing Smart of anti-competitive behavior,” i bay said.
IEMOP: Power spot prices rise despite tepid demand
pines
said on
D&L: H1 income hits historic high Dito allegations are baseless–think tankAREA honors SMIC Monde Nissin, EDC ink supply contract
By Lenie Lectura @llectura average wholesale electricity spot market (WeSM) prices last month rose by 4.82 percent to P8.92 per kilowatt hour (kWh) despite elecOperator of the Philip(IeMOP) Wednesday.
lower demand, the Independent
BusinessMirrorEditor: Jennifer A. Ng Companies B1Thursday, August 11, 2022
C
The
Demand in lu zon and Visayas for July stood at 10,785 megawatts (m W ), 540 m W lower than the June level as intermittent rains and thunderstorms over the past weeks resulted in cooler weather conditions. Despite this, supply declined to 14,701m W in July from 15,214m W i n June. The 513- m W decrease was due to the reported forced and planned outages of some large conventional generators. These resulted in a 27-m W increase in the supply margin making the supply-demand situation similar to June. a s a result, the average W eSm prices stood at P8.92 per kilowatt hour (kWh), higher by 4.82 percent as compared to the previous month. however, the imposition of the Secondary Price cap (SPc) mechanism, a mitigating measure to protect consumers against sustained high W eSm prices, was also reduced to around 28 percent of the time for the said period indicating that clearing prices at more than P9/kWh somewhat eased. iemOP also recorded a 7,226-gigawatt hour (GWh) energy consumption in July, when customers bought 599 GWh or 8.3 percent in the spot market at an effective rate of P8.91 per kWh. This is lower by P0.10/kWh compared to last month. For august, iemOP noted a significant decline in market prices for the first few days of the august billing month—covering the last week of July and the first few days of august, The average price is P6.84/kWh. This may be attributable to a higher supply margin in the power bourse averaging at 4,868 m W, much higher compared to the past two months, as well as lower market clearing prices possibly due to the easing coal prices in the global market. iemOP added that there was normal operation of the W eSm in luzon despite the sudden dip in demand caused by the tripping of some loads in the areas affected by the magnitude 7.0 quake. iemOP also activated its Business continuity Procedures to ensure continued market operations in lu zon and Visayas grids triggered during emergency situations such as force majeure events.
The a R e a aims to recognize and honor a s ian businesses and leaders for championing sustainable and socially responsible business practices. VG Cabuag
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) vowed to conduct a probe on government officials earlier tagged in a Senate report as allegedly involved in agricultural smuggling. Newly appointed Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz said the formal investigation will commence once they get the copy of the Senate Committee of the Whole report. The report identified Ruiz’s predecessor, former Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, and 21 other government officials as alleged protectors and smugglers of agricultural products. Guerrero strongly deniedOfficialsthis. from the BOC, Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Plant and Industry were among those included in the list. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is the concurrent secretary of the“OnceDA. I get a copy of the official report, yes, we will investigate,” Ruiz told reporters in a news conference. Di namin to pinapabayaan,” he added. [We’re not neglecting this.] “I promised to the President that we will curb agricultural smuggling.” Should anyone be found liable for agricultural smuggling, the Customs chief said they could only recommend that the Department of Justice (DOJ) file charges against these officials. “We will leave no guilty person unpunished,” he said. “We will not give them any peace of mind.” Seizures, cases RUIZ also said last Wednesday that the bureau has so far recorded 66 instances from January to August 7 this year wherein Customs personnel seized agricultural products estimated to be worth P701.82 million. Moreover, the bureau filed 25 criminal cases before the DOJ against 71 importers, exporters and customs brokers for the unlawful importation and exportation of agricultural products with a total dutiable value of P186.98 million and total duties and taxes amounting to P76Ruizmillion.said they plan to meet with DA officials on setting up the country’s first border-inspection facility in Subic. The Customs chief added he is “closely coordinating” with DA officials on the “enhanced” interagency data exchange in validating shipments and strengthened derogatory and intelligence information coordination.Ruizalsomet with agricultural stakeholders, including the League of Associations of La Trinidad Vegetables to discuss measures to suppress agricultural smuggling that affects local Likewise,farmers.healso assured the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNiFED), the bigger sugar bloc in the country, that the BOC would consult with stakeholders to resolve agricultural smuggling.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Baliasacan told reporters that ODA remains “in the mix” of financing options for infrastructure projects. Balisacan emphasized that what is important is for the government to be transparent about the financing arrangements.“Ourpolicyis whichever provides the cheapest and most beneficial arrangement. If it turns out that the ODA will deliver a better outcome, then we’ll do that,” Baliasacan said.
Consumer finance firm opens IT office in PHL BOC vows to probe officials linked to agri smuggling
Shopee affiliate gets OK from IC to sell life plans
“These fraudsters were also able to paste their bank details during the registration,” she added. If ever it could not be avoided going into the Internet cafes, Quayle said an SSS member should change passwords after.”
ODA in mix of options to fund state infra projects, Neda says
ODA offered by China. In terms of PPPs, Balisacan said issues raised against PPPs such as contingent liabilities calls on the government to improve the PPP model and find ways to maximize private sector support to address the country’s long-standing infrastructure constraints.“Wewill definitely, revive, enhance [and] reinvigorate PPP… mot just to ease the fiscal burden—the fiscal space is very limited because of the debt—but second, PPPs also bring in innovations, institutional arrangements that improve the quality of services,” Balisacan said. “Our job is to ensure that whatever we choose as a modality, that’s the most beneficial modality for society,” he stressed. Planning, preparation BALISACAN earlier said proper planning and preparation of strategies lie at the heart of Neda’s mandate. He assured the public that the Neda studies and coordinates projects and programs to ensure that the economy remains robust amid various challenges.
THE Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. announced last Tuesday that a total of 39 agricultural lots owned by various closed banks under liquidation by the PDIC will be up for sale via electronic public bidding (e-bidding) on September 9. The PDIC’s statement said the properties, composed of 29 agricultural lots and 10 mixed agricultural/ residential lots, will be sold individually and on an “as-is, where-is” basis. Located in Aklan, Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, Laguna, Leyte, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Pangasinan and Quezon, the property sizes range from 175 square meters (sqm) to 105,559 sqm, the PDIC said. The properties have a combined minimum disposal price of P58.3 million with minimum bid per property ranging from P167,300 to P14.5 million.The liquidator said interested buyers may send their bids online via the PDIC e-bidding portal starting at 9 a.m. of September 8, 2022, to 1 p.m. of September 9, 2022. Bids will be opened at 2 p.m. on September 9, the PDIC said. A one-time registration is required from interested buyers, which may be completed via the e-bidding portal. The complete list and description of the properties are posted on the e-bidding portal, the PDIC said. Bidders are reminded of their responsibility to determine the actual condition, status, ownership and other circumstances of the properties they wish to acquire. As part of the bid requirements, bidders must submit a certification, issued by the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO) of the Department of Agrarian Reform where the property is located, that the property subject of the bid is not covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and that no Emancipation Patent or Certificate of Land Ownership Awards has been issued for the saidAllproperty.bidders are also required to submit an Affidavit of Aggregate Land Holdings, which states that the person’s aggregate landholdings—including the property/ies to be acquired during the bidding—do not exceed the 5-hectare limit set by law. The standard format for this affidavit can be downloaded from the e-bidding portal. For participants who are submitting bids on behalf of another individual or an organization, the standard format of the Special Power of Attorney and Secretary’s Certificate, respectively, can likewise be downloaded from the said portal.
INTERNATIONAL
Banking&Finance
Future of fintech AS part of Home Credit’s mission to provide the best financial services, EmbedIT provides the technology platform to deliver expansive IT services such as AI-based identity verification, big data-based risk management, digital loan origination, virtual revolving and credit card management, and best in class servicing—all delivered in an omnichannel platform centered around theThiscustomers.showsthat EITPH is a gateway towards developing the local IT sector, showcasing potential global exposure, hands-on experience with new platforms, technology, tools, and ways of working to kick-start many IT professionals’ career opportunities.“OurEmbedIT group will allow the Philippine IT sector to develop and perform a wide range of services for consumers and businesses,” Ong“Thissaid. can revolutionize Home Credit’s digital efforts and open up more opportunities for our local IT organizations, creating the most practical business solutions and generating employment opportunities for Currently,many.”EmbedIT is focusing on co-developing Home Credit’s global mobile app as a part of its strategic goals. This will be the primary ecosystem to serve consumers to create organized transactions and uphold a better user experience across different countries.
By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM THE Insurance Commission approved the license of SeaInsure Life Insurance Company Inc. (SeaLife) owned by a Singaporean insurance firm affiliated with e-commerce giant Shopee. Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa issued SeaLife’s license on August 4, allowing it to transact business as a life insurance company in theSeaLife,Philippines.previously Reliance Surety and Insurance Co. Inc., was acquired in February this year by SeaInsure PG Private Ltd. (SeaPG), a Singaporean insurance company under tech conglomerate Sea Ltd. that currently functions as the holding company for Shopee. RSI surrendered its license on July 26 this year as part of the approval process for the issuance of SeaLife’s license. Since SeaPG’s acquisition of RSI, it was converted from a non-life insurance firm to a life insurance company.Theregulator approved the transfer of RSI’s non-life insurance portfolio to Sea Insure General Insurance Co Inc. (SeaGen), which undertook that all policies insured by RSI beyond the cut-off date, if any and any valid non-life insurance-related claims that may arise in the future, shall automatically be assumed by SeaGen.SeaGen was earlier rebranded by SeaPG from its previous corporate name AA Guaranty Assurance Co. Inc. (AAGA) when it acquired the latter in February 2021. Consequently, SeaPG launched SeaGen as a digital non-life insurance company under License 2022/31-R issued by the Insurance Commission. “The entry of Sea Limited, through SeaPG, to the local life and non-life insurance industries is a testament to foreign entities’ confidence in the Philippine insurance regulation,” Funa said. To recall, the Insurance Commission found SeaPG’s acquisition of RSI to be compliant with regulatory frameworks.Meanwhile, SeaPG parent company Sea Ltd. guaranteed provision of sufficient capital to SeaLife relative to its compliance with statutory net worth and solvency requirements. Sea Ltd. is a Singaporean global consumer internet company listed on the New York Stock Exchange with three core businesses across digital entertainment, e-commerce and digital financial services. Its digital entertainment business, Garena, is a global game developer andItspublisher.e-commerce business Shopee is the largest pan-regional e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan while SeaMoney, the digital financial services business of Sea Ltd., is a leading digital payments and financial services provider in Southeast Asia. By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief DAVAO CITY—The Social Security System (SSS) has warned its members not to go to Internet cafes to file their claims electronically, saying this action endangers the security of their accounts from hackers. Greta Fe M. Quayle, SSS regional communications officer here, said the accounts of members who use the public Internet cafes would risk being tapped and manipulated by unscrupulous individuals. “Their security is compromised because they would ask for help at the Internet cafes. These people would learn their passwords and it becomes a source for fraud,” Quayle was quoted as saying in a report by the Philippine InformationWhileAgency.there were no cases reported yet here, she said “there were reported cases of fraud particularly in Luzon where fraudsters had hacked into SSS member accounts and were able to register and claim benefits.”
BERNARDO AT BANKO
SSS tells members to never file claims in Internet cafés Agri lots for sale via PDIC e-bidding on September 9
non-bank financial institution Home Credit BV (HCI) has launched EmbedIT Philippines Inc. (EITPH) “to help strengthen its position in the financial technology space and expand solutions and opportunities for consumers and partners,” its local business Accordingsaid.toHC Consumer Finance Philippines Inc., EmbedIT is the IT service entity owned by HCI that was founded in the Czech Republic and began its operations in the Philippines early this year, “promising to offer innovative solutions and technological developments for Home Credit.” “As Home Credit aims to lead in innovative financial products and services, there is a need to establish IT hubs across our strategic markets to accelerate our technology offerings. The establishment of EITPH is poised to be a game changer,” EITPH President Susan Ong was quoted in a statement as saying. “It will help us deliver new intellectual properties that will serve not just the Philippine market but the entire Home Credit group,” Ong added. “Also, this will allow Home Credit to take advantage of the rapidly changing technology landscape and translate those changes into meaningful consumer propositions.”Aside from the Philippines, EmbedIT is also operating in India, Vietnam, and Indonesia, with the same goal to put the business of Home Credit into motion.
“We’d like to see different sources of funding as a mix.” The financing arrangement for infrastructure projects will have to go through a cost-benefit analysis in order to determine which financing option would be the most beneficial to the government. He added that this exercise will also help determine the best ODA financing given that the terms of these loans are different per country. Balisacan said, for one, that Japan’s ODA is different from the
BusinessMirror Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Thursday, August 11, 2022 B3www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com
CREDIT:
By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
Internal goal BEING the second biggest revenue collection agency, the BOC is tasked to collect P721.5 billion this year but Ruiz said he had set a higher internal collection goal of P740 billion. “We are on track to surpass it [internal target],” he said. For this month, the Customs chief also expressed confidence that they will exceed their collection goal of P62 billion. As of August 10, the BOC has so far collected P24Hebillion.alsosaid they are hoping to hit another record-high monthly collection this August, even higher than their revenue take in July this year of P84.4 billion. “We are aspiring for that…We have to understand this is August and for other countries they consider as the ghost month but the way we are going right now, we tend to surpass our monthly target,” he said. Bernadette D. Nicolas
FINANCING infrastructure projects through Official Development Assistance (ODA) remains an option for the administration even if the government is open to reviving Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).
This undated photo courtesy of BPI Direct BanKo Inc. shows (from left) BPI Direct Customer and Product Management Head Anne delos Reyes, BPI Direct President Jerome B. Minglana, actress Kathryn Bernardo and BPI Direct Financial Inclusion and Microfinance Head Rodolfo K. Mabiasen Jr. The savings bank said it tapped Bernardo “to encourage Filipinos to begin saving their hard-earned money or grow their own businesses with a trusted financial institution.” BPI DIRECT BanKo InC
Balisacan said that among the programs that will help the economy better survive the challenging times is the continuation of the Build, Build, Build (BBB) program of the Duterte administration with the help of the private sector. The Neda Chief said part of the BBB strategy is to reach out to the private sector through Public Private Partnerships (PPP). Neda, the parent agency of the PPP Center, will help ensure that these projects are “attractive” to the private sector, according to Balisacan.Inhisfirst public address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. stressed that the national government will continue and expand Duterte’s infrastructure program. Marcos said his administration will “keep the momentum” of infrastructure projects by not suspending any of the ongoing projects. Nonetheless, he said, they will study existing proposals.Byexpanding the infrastructure program, the President said, the government will turn to PPPs which “hold great potential” in expanding infrastructure initiatives and even innovation efforts.
She said the SSS website “is very secure and the only weak link is when the accounts of members are compromised through phishing, where cybercriminals or fraudsters obtain information such as passwords from theInsteadmembers.”ofgoing to Internet cafes, Quayle advised members to go to the SSS office where there are dedicated computers and personnel to help the members file their claims or register online which is a pre-requisite for“Theyfiling. can do their online transactions in the SSS office. We have e-center personnel to assist you,” Quayle said. The office is also open for members who have no internet connectivity in their areas. As the SSS goes into full digitization, she said the agency would expect to install 40 computers dedicated for filing and registration. The SSS requires online mandatory filing of nearly all benefits except for death and disability claims that, however, are still undergoing process of digitization. She said the SSS has sped up the filing of death claims online.
FACEBOOK: RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN THE PHILIPPINES
PANAMA PARTICIPATES
HARNESSING WIND ENERGY United States Ambassador MaryKay Carlson (standing, from left), Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez and Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella witnessed on August 6 the signing ceremony of the American government’s grant to Aboitiz Renewables Inc. for a feasibility study on a windenergy project. The pact, signed by US Trade and Development Agency Director Enoh Ebong (seated, from left) and ARI Vice President for Commercial Strategy, Sales and Engagement David Aboitiz, will help identify potential project sites, as well as provide technical and economic analysis. The project is earmarked to deploy up to 3 gigawatts of offshore wind-turbine generation projects, which will power more than 2 million homes and meet their growing energy demands.
T he spokesperson added that the Singaporean envoy welcomed Manila’s participation in the Fullerton Forum and the Shangri-La Dialogue, considered as Asia’s annual premiere defense forum hosted by the citystate.He also welcomed opportunities for [Faustino]…to visit Singapore,” he said. Polish CDA visits DND AS this developed, Faustino on the following day interacted with Jaroslaw Szczepankiewicz, chargé d’ affaires (CDA) a.i. of the Polish Embassy in Manila. T he DND OIC recalled the successful visit of the former defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana to Poland in 2021, and proposed the establishment of a dialogue mechanism between the defense establishments of the Philippines and Poland. He also conveyed the positive feedback on the Black Hawk helicopters that were procured by the Philippines. The CDA welcomed prospects of defense cooperation between the twoBcountries.othsidesdiscussed logistics and defense-industry collaboration, with the CDA sharing the experiences of Poland in the field of defense technology.Andolong shared that the CDA underscored the importance of training and sustaining existing technology through the establishment of service centers and maintenance of equipment. These, he said, can be achieved by “exploring possible areas of cooperation between the Philippines and Poland, to include sharing of experiences with certain defense technology.”
MILITARY officers with city officials at the opening ceremony AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY
THE Philippines and Singapore are one in pursuing peace and stability in the Southeast Asian region. D epartment of National Defense (DND) officer in chargeUndersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. and Ambassador Gerard Ho of Singapore made this commitment during a meeting at the DND Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on August 3. “ The two sides exchanged views on the security situation in the region,” DND Spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement. “Acknowledging the realities of strategic competition and overlapping territorial claims, both sides concurred on the significance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, as well as strengthening cooperation with partners.”
FACEBOOK: @CZECHEMBASSYMANILA
DND’s spokesperson also imparted that Singapore envisions itself as a long-term partner of the Philippines, and that Ho also hoped such frameworks of cooperation would be finalized soon.
FACEBOOK: EMBASSY OF PANAMA IN THE PHILIPPINES
Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region, with Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel joining partners from the Philippine and United States to provide specialized support to the mission. Some 15 ADF personnel will be involved in the mission, with a team of medical specialists arriving to join ADF gender, peace and security advisers already on-board the US’s military sealift-command hospital ship USNS Mercy. D uring its two-week visit to the country the ADF contingent will provide tailored medical, dental and surgical support; as well as guidance on gender, peace and security considerations for operations while participating in a variety of training opportunities and information exchanges. A ir Vice-Marshal Michael Kitcher AM, DSM, who is the deputy chief of joint operations, said the ADF’s support to Pacific Partnership 2022 is about enhancing resilience and preparedness in the Indo-Pacific region: “ADF participation in Pacific Partnership 2022 demonstrates our commitment to fostering enduring [ties], trust and interoperability between nations in our Covid-19region.” restrictions meant we haven’t been able to fully participate in the program since 2019, so it’s a great [way] to once again work closely with partner and host nations, learning from one another and building [capacities] within the region,” Kitcher added. “This is an important opportunity to enhance our interoperability with other nations, and demonstrate that we remain ready to respond, with our partners, if and when our regional neighbors need our help.” E ntering its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is aimed at promoting multilateral disaster-management resilience in host countries and strengthening alliances.
DRAGON BOAT RACE Ambassador Huang Xilian (right) attended the China-Philippines Friendship Dragon Boat Race at the Manila Bay Dolomite Beach hosted by the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation. The event, the envoy said, was witnessed by more than 5,000 spectators.
KEY TO CEBU Ambassador Michel Parys of Belgium (second from left) received the key to the City of Cebu from Vice Mayor Raymond Garcia (center). The envoy met local leaders and business players to celebrate Belgian National Day on July 21 at a reception hosted by Honorary Consul Enrison Benedicto. The European country’s embassy acknowledged that its “presence in the Philippines goes beyond Manila,” as it celebrated the “old and good relations” between Belgium and Cebu.
BusinessMirror
Late in July the Embassy of Panama led by Charge d’Affaires Lhuana Lopez (right) participated in the Mabini Dialogue Series with the presentation of the documentary film: Panama and the United Nations: 75 Years of Contributions to the World at the Foreign Service Institute. Fellow diplomats, officials and researchers also attended the training.
PUERTO PRINCESA—Australia has commenced its involvement in the Philippines for Pacific Partnership 2022.
T he meeting also highlighted that the Philippines and Singapore are like-minded countries that share common security concerns. Faustino recalled exchanges between the Armed Forces of the Philippines with its Singaporean counterparts during his time at the Philippine Army, and expressed satisfaction over how far [the two countries’] defense relations have come since then,” Andolong said. “The ambassador also noted bilateral exchanges, and raised the pending discussions on frameworks of cooperation between the defense establishments of the two countries.”
The OIC assured the ambassador that the DND will work with relevant agencies in following up the pending review of proposed frameworks between the Philippines and Singapore,” Andolong confirmed.
PNA/RICO H. BORJA GUEST SPEAKER Ambassador Jana Šedivá of the Czech Republic graced the 2,357th lunch meeting of the Rotary Club-Makati West. Speaking before top executives of the country’s leading corporations, she shared key priorities of her country’s presidency of the Council of the European Union vis-à-vis maritime and economic threats, as well as opportunities in the Indo-Pacific Region.
T he two officials exchanged views on current regional and global security situations, as well as longterm security outlooks and the existing alliances of their respective countries.Theyalso recalled their countries’ histories in their respective regions. Both sides also mentioned the local economy, and the importance of food security.Faustino expressed appreciation for the CDA’s call, as Poland is one of the European countries that have existing defense relations with the Philippines.
FACEBOOK: CHINESE EMBASSY MANILA
Envoys&Expats
Singapore, Poland pursue peace, stability efforts
T he funding seeks to provide safe drinking water and sanitation, hygiene, mental health and psychosocial support services, as well as education, to the most vulnerable in the hardest hit-areas. C hargé d’Affaires a.i. Ana Isabel Sánchez Ruiz of the EU Delegation to the country said that: “With this assistance, the [bloc] reaffirms its commitment and solidarity toward the victims of…disasters in the Philippines.”Sánchez Ruiz also said that the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) had activated satellite imagery and other data, such as Copernicus Maps, to assist relief agencies in their delivery of emergency assistance. A ccording to the delegation, CEMS is an EU program aimed at developing European information services based on data from an Earth-observation satellite and in situ, or nonspace. Its objective is to monitor and forecast the state of the environment on land, sea and in the atmosphere to support climatechange mitigation and adaptation strategies, the efficient management of emergency situations, as well as the improvement of the security of every citizen.
Thursday, August 11, 2022 www.businessmirror.com.phB4
Priam Nepomuceno/PNA THE European Union will provide €800,000 (P45.27 million), in emergency funds to assist persons affected by the earthquake that struck Northern Luzon on July 27.
Australian defense force joins Pacific Partnership ‘22 in PHL
EU extends immediate aid to earthquake survivors
FACEBOOK: @BEEMBASSYMANILA LOCAL PARTNERSHIP Ambassador Marat Pavlov of Russia (left) met with Chair and CEO Fernando L. Martinez of Gazelle Motors Corp., which is the exclusive distributor of the GAZ Group of Companies—one of the federation’s biggest manufacturers of buses and trucks. Martinez was satisfied with the performance of the Russian-made vehicles in the tropical climate of the Philippines, and expressed the intention to continue promoting these products to the local market. Both sides also discussed possibilities of broadening the cooperation between their countries—including the supply of high-demand commodities such as fertilizers and grain— particularly feed wheat and mineral fuels.
3. VISIT THE SCHOOL AHEAD OF TIME. If possible, especially for children going to a new school, visit the school and practice walking to their classrooms. Many schools offer orientations for students and their caretakers. If there is no orientation, call the school and ask when it might be possible to come to walk around with your children to help familiarize them with their new classrooms. This will provide a level of comfort to your child on the first day of school.
Parentlife
My Conclusionback-to-schoolpost-pandemicguide:
Let me end this series with my favorite lesson from the book. As parents, even if we may not always agree with our children, sometimes even disappoint them or even have to discipline them, the most important thing is that they know we will always be there for them...and this truly paves their path toward being stronger, more emotionally-resilient people in the longHappyrun. post-pandemic back-to-school, everyone. n
4. SIGN UP FOR AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. Encourage your child to participate in one or two after-school activities, whether school- or community-based. If the after-school activities are off-site from the school, ask school employees or after-school program providers aboutParticipationtransportation.inextracurricular activities that interest your child can increase their motivation and ability to pay attention, both in the activity as well as school in However,general.becareful not to overschedule your child.
SOME of my kids’ happy gradealsowhereCatholicinhisschool;presidentmadeposterMeaganunderMontessorirecitalsinjourneys:learningMarcusoneofhisviolinatPhilippineCenterTeacherLois;witharunningsheforherrunforathernewMarcuswithbelovedadvisersSaintJudeSchool,Ms.Liuwasmysecondteacher.
MINIMALIST Paper Source A5 and A6 planners to keep your schedule on track. BLUETOOTH headset for your online lectures. ALL in one school backpack for only P299.
By Suzanne McLeod Binghamton University, State University of New York AS a former school principal and district superintendent, I’ve witnessed firsthand how some students struggle to settle into routines when a new school year begins. Some students would show up late, if they came at all. Some told their parents they were sick and wanted to stay home. A lot of this was due to the anxiety over going to a new school or having to adapt to new friends, new teachers and a new schedule. But sometimes it was the simple result of kids having gotten used to staying up late and sleeping in over the summer. The sudden change of having to wake up early to go to school can make kids very cranky. Even though it can be challenging for some kids to start a new school year, there are a few simple steps that parents can take to make the process easier and less stressful. Here are four of my top recommendations:
1. REESTABLISH A BEDTIME Don’t wait until the night before the first day of school to bring back bedtime.
• Thursday, August 11, 2022 B5
RECHARGEABLE desk lamp for your daily reading. UNLEASH your creativity with these sketchpads.
Do it a week or two before school starts. Then, stick to the schedule throughout the school year. Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest detriments to students of any age doing well in school. Children of all ages need adequate sleep to improve their mood and their Properbehavior.amounts of sleep range from nine to 12 hours for elementary and middle schoolers and from eight to 10 hours for high schoolers. And, to ensure your child’s sleep is uninterrupted, keep technological devices out of the bedroom.
2. PRACTICE THE MORNING ROUTINE. A week before school begins, start practicing the morning routine. Are clothes and shoes chosen and ready to go? Are lunches and snacks packed? Are backpacks packed and easy to find? Part of healthy child development is giving children a sense of control. To further this goal, let children pick out and lay out their clothes for the next day. Provide some basic guidance on what’s appropriate to wear to school. Allow children to pack the lunch or snack, again providing guidelines of what’s appropriate and what’s not.
Editor: Gerard S. Ramos
IT’S BACK-TOSCHOOL SEASON
THE pandemic lingers but the schools are all poised to reopen. Whether your kids are bound to attend face to face or virtual classes, SM Stationery (www. smstationery.com.ph) has all the school stuff a student needs for the back to school season. Keeping up with the times, there are digital accessories ideal for e-learning. These include a wireless mouse, keyboard, headset, tripod, and monitor riser. These will surely make virtual schooling easier and more convenient for kids. A desk lamp would be the light stuff for your home school area.And of course, there are notebooks to keep one in track with lessons and schedules. Keep your kids creative with writing pads, pens, as well as sketchpads for budding artists. Fun and fashionable backpacks, totes and carry-all bags will help keep their things organized as they head off for school. All these and more are available at SM Stationery located in all The SM Store branches nationwide.
BusinessMirror
The benefits of extracurricular activities—which include a stronger sense of belonging to the school community, higher grades and improved academic engagement—are maximized when after-school activities are limited to two. THE CONVERSATION
4 ways to get the new school year off to a good start
I T has been five weeks of sharing my personal playbook for this post-pandemic back-to-school season. It started with providing context and information on the reality that we all faced and might continue to face, especially our children, in this pandemic. Then, we encouraged that path of opening up our children with all their thoughts and feelings through family communication. As our children get ready for going back to physical or hybrid school, for me one of the more important 21st-century learning skills needed is confidence, so I spent two columns on how our children can build confidence through play, sports and academics. And since academics have had different effects on our children because of prolonged distance learning, I chose to direct us to a positive solution I have discovered called S.T.E.A.M. Lastly, our tip last week recognized how collaboration with our children’s environment—like school teachers and administrators, our extended family and even the mentors and coaches of our children—provides great support not just to our children but to us, as well. These are the ways how I continuously guided my children in their happy learning journeys, like Marcus being guided by Teacher Lois, who has been his violin teacher since he was 4, to find his voice both literally and figuratively; or how Meagan found the courage to run for class president in the second semester after just moving to a new school, and even after she lost in the first semester; or how with the collaboration with his second grade teachers in St. Jude, Marcus was able to excel academically, even if he had not been a regular honor student in the past. I often shared my view with parents how important it is to develop our children’s love for learning; and how studying is not necessarily learning. The traditional view of studying well is getting high grades, so the skill of memorization is often honed and lauded. Developing interest, deeper inquisitiveness and having fun with the subject matter were not the priority then. I have seen how my children’s experience in school played a critical role in building their emotional well-being, so I also know how I equip my children in “how to learn” and nurture them at home is more critical in today’s learning environment.Theclosure of physical schools has been admittedly challenging to my children, like losing motivation due to the online method of learning, lacking physical interaction with peers, and developing not-so-favorable habits like procrastination and increased screen time. But it also forced us to work more closely as a family to support each other. I realized from the book A Mind of Their Own: Building Your Child’s Emotional Wellbeing in a Post-Pandemic World by Katherine Hill, that there might be future challenges that would hit our family and society again, but as the book pointed out, for those with a stable family environment, this safe place helped eliminate everyday worries of children including anxiety about appearance, bullying, and their social lives during the pandemic. Thus, I wanted the last take-home thought of this series to focus on how important it is to start and continuously build “family resilience.” For all these months of uncertainty on when regular school would actually start for my kids, it was good to have used these past two years as preparation for soft skills for my family like patience, empathy, adaptability, dealing with failure, finding your self-worth, and seeking positivity. It is good that the book pointed out that “there are all kinds of families in all kinds of situations. There are couples who are parenting together and those who are parenting apart. There are families with single parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, step parents and grandparents. But whatever its shape or size, and whether just at the moment our children are a delight or they are breaking our hearts, the one thing that unites every family is that it provides the best place for the foundations for the life to be laid. The most important learning takes place in the home.
It’s the place where we learn to relate to one another, appreciate our differences, manage conflict, and handle power; the place where we learn to forgive and be forgiven, to love and to be loved. Indeed, according to Winston Churchill: ‘There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society are created, strengthened and maintained.’”
Starpay and City of San Juan partnership
S TARPAY Corporation is now the official partner of the City of San Juan Business Permit and Licensing Office (BLPO). Residents and entrepreneurs can now conveniently process their business permits anytime, anywhere without visiting the LGU’s physicalThisoffice.partnership is in line with Mayor Francis Zamora’s commitment to transforming San Juan into a Smart City. “The official tie-up between San Juan and Starpay for the digitalization of our Business Permit and Licensing Office will allow our investors, [and] our business sector to process payments on time,” said Mayor Francis Zamora during the launch.City Administrator Atty. Dennis Pamintuan added that since 2019, it has been the thrust of Mayor Zamora’s administration to digitalize San Juan, and that these efforts would help in the fight against corruption.“Starpay is committed to supporting the government and LGUs”, shared Starpay Operations Head Richard Rosettes. “ We have been helping our fellow Filipinos during the pandemic through the efficient delivery of financial support. We intend to continue assisting the government and even private institutions in delivering reliable digital services. Also present at the event were Starpay Chief Financial officer Ulysses Lao, Corporate Secretary, Atty. Philip Co Jr. and Director Ryan Uy. San Juan business owners can pay their permits via Starpay WITH the Staypay partnership with the City of San Juan, those applying for business permits can log in to the LGU’s e-service portal, fill up the form and attach all required scanned documents. The BPLO office will conduct the assessment, and once approved applicants will receive an email, which includes the online payment procedure. Applicants will receive a Starpay QR code which can be scanned with Starpay application. Users can also use a compatible QRPH-compliant application to settle payments. The app is equipped with an interoperable QRPH standard, even non-Starpay users can settle their payments by simply scanning the Starpay QR code. Starpay foresees tremendous growth of its platform, with more Filipinos appreciating the convenience of digital financial technology. With Starpay, users can pay their bills online, buy e-load, send money through InstaPay, and purchase gaming pins. The company is currently focused on addressing the needs of unbanked communities.Organizations and LGU units who wish to kickstart the transformational efforts can send an email to partnerships@starpay.com.ph. Starpay Corporation is a licensed electronic money issuer, regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Starpay is available to download on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and Huawei App Gallery.
Suzuki will also have a display booth presenting its line-up of scooters that are not just easy and fun to ride but also exceptionally fuel-efficient. With the increasing price of commodities and fuel, motorcycles are the perfect riding companion of the Filipinos. On display are the newly launched muscular sporty scooter – Avenis (intro price of Php 77,900), the much loved affordable maxi scooter Burgman Street (Php 80,900) and the versatile Skydrive Crossover (Php 71,900) which can be used both on paved and unpavedVisitorsroads.of the Suzuki booth will receive an exclusive promo upon purchase of the scooters. They will get a Free Burgman Street hoodie jacket for every purchase of a Burgman Street and a Free Suzuki Drybag for every purchase of an Avenis or Skydrive Crossover during the SM 3-Day Sale display. The much-anticipated annual SM Supermalls 3-Day Sale kicked off at SM City Cebu, SM City San Pablo and SM City Sucat in July and will run through the remaining 69 participating malls until November, 2022. To find out more about Suzuki motorcycles and the list of participating malls, please visit mc.suzuki.com. ph or join the Suzuki community on Facebook at suzukimotorcyclesphilippines,facebook.com/Instagram at instagram.com/suzukimotorsph or Youtube at suzukimotorcyclesphilippines.youtube.com/
O RMOC City Pop-up booths line a portion of SM City Ormoc as SM Foundation launched its Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers Market Day in western Leyte’s economic and commercial hub. The KSK farmers training program of SM Foundation helps farmers improve the quality and increase the quantity of their harvests. To date, close to 28,000 farmers have been trained in high value crops cultivation under the program. The KSK Farmers Market Day is a collaborative effort between SM Foundation, DSWD, DTI and the local agriculture office. Fresh harvests from farm lots cultivated by KSK farmer graduates are sold in the pop-up booths at reasonable prices. Several KSK Farmers Market Day have been launched in other parts of the country where there are SM Markets/ Malls. KSK farmer-graduates from nearby areas are tapped to be suppliers. The KSK Farmers Market Day at SM City Ormoc is the latest among these.
IN PHOTO (FROM LEFT). Starpay Chief Financial officer Ulysses Lao, Corporate Secretary, Atty. Philip Co Jr. City Administrator Atty. Dennis Pamintuan, Mayor Francis Zamora, Starpay Operations Head Richard Rosettes and Director Ryan Uy.
Links for individual and group registration are up at film-http://csc.gov.ph/pcsa2022-online-zumba-and-showing.html.
Catch Suzuki Scooters at the SM 3-Day Sale
S ECURITY Bank employees took part in the “Hope Begins with a Meal” food-packing activity held by nongovernmental organization, International Care Ministries (ICM), in partnership with Rise Against Hunger, to help 16,000 ultrapoor families across ICM programs in the Philippines.Eachpack contained specially formulated, ready-to-cook rice-soy to feed families in need. ICM provides ultra-poor families with the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to create lasting change in their lives. The organization relies heavily on volunteers to run its programs on the ground. With a network of some 10,000 pastors across the country, ICM is able to bring its programs to ultra-poor families in some of the remotest areas. Security Bank has been a partner of ICM for its various programs that help support the community since 2021. In December last year, the Bank partnered with the organization to provide financial support to ultra-poor families heavily affected by typhoon Odette. For more information, you may visit Security Bank’s website or its Facebook page.
T HE Civil Service Commission (CSC) invites all government agencies to join the virtual launch of the 122nd Philippine Civil Service Anniversary (PCSA) celebration on 8 August 2022, 9 a.m. CSC Chairperson Karlo Nograles will lead a panel of experts from institutions that led the way in future-proofing organizations and building resilience. “In 2022, the thematic focus of the PCSA is on resilience, which is part of building smart organizations and a future-ready civil service. Resilience has been shown by the civil service during the pandemic in its readiness to accept challenges and ability to give continued assistance to the public,” explained Chairperson Nograles. The CSC Chairperson shared that Transforming Public Service in the Next Decade: Honing Agile and Future-Ready Servant-Heroes is the 10-year overarching theme of the annual celebration to reflect the path the civil service has to take to build on the gains of last year’s modernization efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of HR in building a competent and credible workforce in the new normal. The virtual launch will start at 9 a.m. and will be live on the CSC’s official Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/civilservicegovph.
Security Bank employees joins foodpacking activity for food-stricken families GET a chance to win a brand new Suzuki Burgman Street for every Php 1,000 purchase (accumulated or single receipt) in any participating merchants during the SM 3-Day sale.
KSK farmers market day now in Ormoc City
N OW on its 9th year, Suzuki and SM Supermalls partner again for a fun and rewarding 3-Day Sale activity. Shoppers get a chance to win a brand new Suzuki Burgman Street for every Php 1,000 purchase (accumulated or single receipt) in any participating merchant during the SM 3-Day sale.
Thursday, August 11, 2022B6
For a cause FOLLOWING the success of last year’s Online Zumba and Film Showing in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the CSC will once again hold the event on 4 September 2022. Dubbed ZumBayani, the event is open to all government officials and employees and their families who must be at least 18 years of age at the time of registration. Proceeds will go to the Pamanang Lingkod Bayani (PLBi) program, a special project honoring civil servants who died in the line of duty.The registration fee is PHP250 per participant. Upon registration, each participant will receive a voucher with codes to access the selected films from the FDCP website: https:// fdcpchannel.ph and avail of the free films and ZumbaGovernmentsessions. workers and their family members who are 18 years of age may register until 15 August 2022. Downloadable forms may be accessed through com/2022PCSARegistrationForm.https://tinyurl.
Government workers are encouraged to support the PLBi program as help to the families of fellow state employees who lost their lives in the service of the Filipino. Through the program, the family of qualified nominees are provided with one-time financial assistance, as well as scholarship opportunities in partnership with the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges. This fund-raising event also promotes health and wellness and appreciation of Philippine arts and culture. The online Zumba and film showing activities are some of the highlights of the 122nd Philippine Civil Service Anniversary celebration in September, which commemorates the establishment of the entire Philippine civil service on 19 September 1900 by virtue of Public Law No. 5. For more information on registering for ZumBayani, please send an email to 2022pcsafilmshowing@gmail.com or contact Mr. Momer N. Suringa at (02) 7508-0377.
Experts on resilience to lead launch of 122nd Philippine civil service anniversary
T HE m onth of August is Na tional Breastfeeding Month and breastfeeding is the most complete and sustainable nutrition for the first six months of life. l i kewise, breastfeeding and a nurturing mother-infant interac tion help prevent deadly infections like pneumonia, diarrhea, and sep sis, and promote the health and de velopment of children. According to the 2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey, the per centage of zero to five months old children who are exclusively breast fed remains low at 29 percent. l e t us raise awareness that breastfeeding is best for new-born children until two years of age. l e t’s work together to spread the benefits of about breastfeeding,” Depart ment of Health (DOH) Officer-inCharge Undersecretary Maria Ro sario Vergeire Breastfeedingsaid.remains to be a lifesaving intervention, all the more in this time of Covid-19 pandemic. The DOH noted that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has made the practice of breastfeeding more chal lenging as it has taken its toll on many Filipino families’ health. The DOH and its development partners stress the importance of ensuring that the correct information on health and nutrition reaches Filipino families, especially when health and other community services are themselves disrupted or limited.
by the University of the Philippines in partnership with UP Manila NIH National Telehealth Center and in cooperation with UP Philippine General Hospital, Dr. Regina Berba, Chair, Infection Control Unit, UP Philippine General Hospital, said there is a need for an up-to-date and relevant response to monkeypox. “There is a need for all the coun tries in the world to be involved and have that global solidarity to stop this from evolving into something far worse,” she said. She said that if the country is to identify the objectives of the response, it should be to identify cases efficiently, reduce new cases, reduce confusion, reduce the stigma, and protect the health-care workers (HCWs).“It’simportant for our responses on an institutional level, collectively and individually, because we don’t want to lose our patients. We want them to come to us and be diagnosed as efficiently as possible and hope to achieve all the identified objec tives,” she said. How to deal with suspect patients? DR B erba said there should be a pathway on how suspect patients can be brought to specific areas in a hospital where they can be treat ed. She cited that at the PGH, they have already posted information posters on monkeypox and where the clinics are, and informed their large infectious disease community of HCWs, all of whom may be asked to manage patients who are suspect or probable cases. The patients with a rash may also be brought to the PGH’s SAGIP clinic,
W HI l E m any Filipinos under stand the concept of self-care, not too many of them practice it properly.According to Dr. Manuel Dayrit, former Dean of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health and former Health Secretary, self-care has per sonal, societal, and national implications in the Philippines. He said that Filipinos are naturally familiar with the concept of self-care but because of limited literacy and access, not everyone practices it. He said they conducted a three-part study that tried to understand what self-care meant to Filipinos. One part was where they did a literature review, where they found very little was written about self-care in the country. He said most literature they found involved the use of herbal medicines and traditional practices. In the body of knowledge on self-care per se, very little had been done. “What’s interesting is that the Univer sal Health Care [UHC] l aw has a section, though it didn’t mention self-care, but health literacy, which means the ability of a person to find, evaluate and use in formation to make informed health care decisions. If you’re health literate, you can do that, which means a high level of discernment,” Dr. Dayrit said during the commemoration of the 11th Internation al Self-Care Day held every July 24, and in celebration of the 75th anniversary of French-Filipino relations. Sanofi and the French Embassy in the Philippines organized “Health In Your Hands,” a selfcare global awareness event that aims to highlight the importance of responsible self-care practices. In terms of policy, Dr. Dayrit said the UHC law would be the pillar in promoting self-care in the country through promot ingTheself-literacy.secondpart, he said, involved in terviewing diverse types of people: farm ers, community health workers, govern ment executives, policymakers, pharma ceutical executives, and doctors. All were given various scenarios of various ail ments and what they would do. The study revealed that people do practice self-care but with different approaches. “People in the rural areas rely more on herbs, the traditional things they were used to like using guava leaves for diarrhea.” For those in the urban areas, it’s more of self-medication using over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. For others, it’s rest, hydra tion. “It showed that people practice selfcare but in different ways, and also because of their context, their background, but self-care is practiced in the country,” Dr. Dayrit emphasized. The third aspect of the study, he said, involved a nationwide survey with ran domized samples, and people were also given a scenario and then were asked to decide what they are going to do. He said the attributes of the questions were: who would give them the cost of consultation, who would give them the travel time to the health center or doctor, and who would give them the time to recover. The findings of the survey showed that first, people were concerned about avoid ing costs when deciding, but Dr. Dayrit said it did not mean they would not go to a doctor. Second is time, where time is also translated to economics, where if one must see a doctor, a day’s wage is lost. “People would do self-care or endure the pain.” He added that self-care is really ev erything, not just about physical. Though manifestation is physical, self-care is also about emotional and spiritual well-being. “If one’s stress levels is very high, it could lead to a certain ailment like hyperten sion,” he explained. Self-care based on science H E e mphasized that people should do self-care that is scientifically proven, do the practices that are scientifically proven, but warned that not all good practices are scientifically proven, so cul ture is involved. He cited the traditional practices, which should not be ignored since it’s been done for hundreds of years. “Many of these practices have been done for a long time but it’s not scien tifically supported since no studies were done, but they’re good, like virgin coconut oil, for example. They’ve been shown to have beneficial effects and don’t do any harm,” Dr. Dayrit pointed out. According to Vanee Gosiengfiao, Gen eral Manager, Consumer Healthcare, Sanofi Philippines, they are advocating that self-care be practiced daily, saying that taking active charge of one’s own health has never been more important. She said that at Sanofi, they are pas sionate about helping people lead health ier and fuller lives, and by celebrating International Self-Care Month, it serves as a reminder for everyone that health is in our “Self-carehands.needs to be made part of our everyday lives from making healthy lifestyle choices, to self-recognition of symptoms, making responsible use of non-prescription medicines to selfmonitoring and management. It plays a key role in empowering individuals, families, communities in managing their own wellbeing, and plays a positive im pact on economies. It’s time that we unite toward adopting self-care, because selfcare is shared care for everyone,” she said. Rory Visco
By Roderick L. Abad Contributor M ARKING its four decades of giving back to its communi ties, Pilipinas Shell Founda tion, Inc. (PSFI), the social arm of Pili pinas Shell Petroleum Corp., looks back at one of its successful projects, Move ment Against Malaria (MAM), which has reduced the number of malaria cases in the country and saved the lives of many Filipinos for over 20 years. Initially known as Kilusan l i gtas Malaria, MAM was founded in 1999 and provided testing, awareness, pre vention, and treatment of the illness commonly caused by a parasite trans mitted via mosquito bites which, if left untreated, could result in fever, chills, pain, vomiting, and death. Anti-malaria’s ‘first frontier’ T HE success story of MAM started in Palawan, where before its inception, had 77,189 malaria cases and 103 deaths in 1998, as shown in its Provin cial Office’s record. At that time, there was no proper diagnosis of patients in the region, and some patients were cured only for the symptoms. “The elders said back then that they thought what was spreading was just a regular fever. Many patients actually died of malaria, but the people didn’t know the name of the disease at that time,” l aurensa Joldanero from San Jose, Oc cidental Mindoro said. When she was assigned as a midwife in l a bangan, Poblacion, she accompa nied local government officials in doing health checks in many areas. According to her, the people were not even aware of the name of the medical condition before MAM was implemented. The mountainous terrain posed a chal lenge for the program in bringing proper medical aid to those who lived in secluded areas. Volunteers like l i libeth Mansuri from Brooke’s Point, Palawan not only gave treatment but also explained to the locals how to deal with malaria. “It’s a big deal that I volunteered as a health worker to do rapid diagnostic tests [RDT], deliver the medicines, and translate the information into their lan guage. We did that so the people can bet ter understand the importance of this program,” she said. Spread the word G IVING out information about the dis ease was pivotal to the campaign’s suc cess in the communities. Doing borderline spraying and infor mation dissemination during the PSFI seminars, Mansuri recounted: “Now when the people feel any symptoms, they immediately approach the malaria per sonnel because they already know more aboutAccessmalaria.”toinformation also increased volunteerism which Joldanero said that “now that they have seen the good ben efits of this program, they also join and help do borderline spraying.” Since its initial success in Palawan, MAM has been rolled out to other areas nationwide. Its constant efforts to battle the disease resulted in a drop of cases to 4,266 and three deaths for the entire country in 2021.
Complementary food W H I l E e xclusive breastfeeding means giving a baby only breast milk, and no other liquids or solids, not even water, the DOH said the food that is to be given to babies af ter six months should complement breast“Breastfeedingmilk. should continue when complementary food items are introduced for up to two years of age or beyond,” the DOH said. Breastfeeding has continued benefits when done with comple mentary feeding for older infants andThechildren.DOHalso clarified the mis conception that when a mother is tired, she should not breastfeed because it has a negative effect on the“Thebaby.mother needs practical help to lessen the feeling of tiredness. Mother can drink water to refresh herself, sit or lie down comfortably, clean herself so that she can be worry free when feeding her baby.”
While the first monkeypox case has already been recorded in the Philippines, the public should not panic too much as the Department of health (DOh) has already issued a memorandum as early as May of this year on how to respond to this new public health emergency of international concern (PheiC). the dermatology clinic or even the emergency room. There is also the need to create a pathway and make the facility safe and efficient for pa tients like setting up the facility first before the first patient arrives, get all the needs for diagnostics like kits and PPEs, plus set up a courier network that will bring diagnostic samples to the Research Institute for Tropi cal Medicine (RITM), and network with the local Epidemiology Bureau (EB) and the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU). In terms of facility response, Dr. Berba said it boils down to two ar eas: identifying an isolation area for suspected monkeypox cases, which should be a stand-alone, dedicated facility where monkeypox cases should not be mixed with other pa tients; and have a process in place for referral of suspected cases for monkeypox testing or transfer to designated referral centers. “Even before a suspect case is identified in the facility, the infec tion prevention and control unit [IPCU] should already coordinate with the local epidemiology surveil lance units, whether municipal, city or regional, to determine the pro cedures to be followed in the event a monkeypox case is identified in the facility. This process should be worked on, written, and modified accordingly,” she said. At the UP-PGH, Dr. Berba said they have created an interim path way for monkeypox cases, sort of a flowchart or more of a checklist where there are questions with a cor responding action depending on the answer to the questions. Initially, Dr. Berba said that they will admit patients who will an swer “Yes” to the questions, but she learned from Dr. Franco Felizarta, Infectious Disease Specialist and is part of the UP Medical Alumni As sociation in America (UPMASA), that not all monkeypox cases may have to be admitted because they may not be sick so they would be discharged. “The pathway should be fluid, people should know what to do, what to expect and how to take care of themselves once the patient ar rives,” she added.
PHL response to monkeypox in place, should be updated regularly—expert
Pinoys know self-care but do not practice it—study
National Lung Month E V ERY August, the National l u ng Month is celebrated to create aware ness and educate people on the im portance of prioritizing lung health to reduce the risk of lung disease. Health experts says that lung disease can be avoided if people don’t Accordingsmoke. to the American l u ng Association, cigarette smoking is the “major” cause of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary dis ease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Smoking and vaping, which has been linked to severe lung disease, renders the air passages to narrow, making breathing more difficult. Before you know it, your lung tissues have been destroyed and may trigger changes that grow into cancer. Atty. Benedict Nisperos of HealthJustice Philippines, a nongovernment organization, said that the state plays a vital role in protect ing the youth against the negative impacts of smoking and vaping on the“Thelungs.right policy for the state should be pro-health and not proprofit of a harmful industry. Our laws should protect our children, the youth, and non-smokers from easier access to these toxic products. Regu lation of health-related products like vapes should be under the Food and Drug Administration,” Nisperos said. He mentioned this in the context of the recently lapsed vape bill. Nisperos, Dr. Imelda Mateo, president of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, Imelda Goco tano, president of and convenor of Parents Against Vapes, and Dr. Corry Avancena, head of the Philip pine Academy of Pediatric Pulmon ologist Task Force on Inhaled Envi ronmental Hazards and a member of the Philippine Pediatric Society, Tobacco Control Advocacy Group discussed the health consequences of smoking, heated tobacco prod ucts, and vaping, in a press briefing on August 4, 2022. Since the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, also known as the vape bill, has lapsed into a law, these health advo cates have vowed to continue to take an active stance against these harm ful “Weproducts.arealarmed that the vape law has lapsed into law. This only affords our youth the opportunity to access the sweet-smelling yet toxic prod ucts, to the detriment of their health,” GocotanoMeanwhile,said. Bonnie HalpernFelsher, Stanford Professor of Pedi atrics and Director of the Tobacco Prevention Toolkit said: “ l e t’s call this youth vaping crisis what it is: A Juuling epidemic, as studies have repeatedly shown that young peo ple use e-cigarettes because of the flavors.”“Ifflavors didn’t exist, they say they wouldn’t vape. Many of the more than 15,000 unique e-cigarette fla vors have names, such as Honey Doo Doo, Booger Sugar, and Barney Peb bles. Names that aren’t exactly aimed at an adult audience. Kids are also at tracted to the mint and menthol fla vors, long thought to be the purview of adults,” Halpern-Felsher said.
Inverted or flat nipple MOTHERS with breast or nipple prob l ems can still breastfeed. They should ask help from breast feeding/IYCF (Infant and young child feeding) or lactation counselor in the hospital, health venter, or even in the barangay with support group, the DOH encouraged. Breast milk just stopped T H ERE i s a substance in the breast milk which can reduce or inhibit milk production. “Ifalotof milk is left in the breast because the baby did not feed well or did not feed at all, the inhibitor will protect the breast from the harmful effects of being too full by not pro ducing anymore milk,” the DOH said. The DOH added that it is impor tant that mother gives only breast milk in the first six months of life and allow the baby to stop on his own to empty the breast and be ready for the next production of breast milk. Breastfeeding should continue af ter six months while complementary food items are given until two years and beyond.
Insufficient supply All women, the DOH said, are ca pable of producing milk. It is a mis conception that a newly delivered woman has no milk. “The frequent suckling of the baby of her mother’s breast stimulates oxy tocin [love hormone] for milk ejec tion. Some factors will hinder oxy tocin reflex like; stress, worry, pain and doubt, but are just temporary.”
Breastmilk is still best for babies, says DOH
Screening the rash T HI S i nvolves determining whether the suspect is monkeypox or not like the appearance of a rash, the other links like travel history in the past 21 days, were there multiple sex part ners in the last 21 days, and other epi demiologic links. A checklist should also be handy, a fully accomplished Monkeypox Case Investigation Form (CIF) that is like the Covid-19 track ing form, then collection of speci mens and instructions on proper collection of specimens. However, Dr. Berba reiterated that not all rashes are monkeypox so there’s dengue, syphilis, chickenpox, herpes, measles, other skin lesions or even non-infectious hypersensi tivity reactions.
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco H E once dreamed of having his own car mechanic shop to help his widowed mother provide for their family. But that dream was abruptly cut short due to an illness that he didn’t think would hit him at an early age: heart Clipoldisease.(not his real name) started smoking when he was 13. People around him smoked and this enticed him to take on the hab it. In his young mind, adult smok ers looked cool when they puffed cigarettes.At16,however, he became sickly, prompting his mother to bring him to a doctor. He was told that he has an enlarged heart. The doctor also told him that this was aggravated by his smoking habit. At 20, he was gone. Clipol is just one of the 16.6 mil lion Filipinos who smoke. According to a 2015 Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 23.8 percent, or 16.6 million people in the Philippines were reported to be smokers, with the av erage number of cigarettes smoked each day being 11. Heart disease and throat cancer are just two of the diseases that one can get from smoking. Often, ciga rette smoking impacts the lungs.
HeALtH AdvoCAteS HIgHLIgHt dANgerS of SMokINg tHIS NAtIoNAL LuNg MoNtH
Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz Health& Fitness BusinessMirror Thursday, August 11, 2022 B7
It is important, the DOH added, that breastfeeding mother is feeling relaxed and confident that she can feed her baby optimally. Effective “suckling” will help pro duce breast milk. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
During the webinar titled “Mon keypox, nandito na. Are we ready?”
By Rory Visco | Contributor
Memories of volunteers’ malaria fight highlight 40 years of PSFI
Sixth Man of the 2020-2021 season with the Utah Jazz, is expected to arrive on Monday He donned the Gilas jersey in the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games where he displayed his NBA class act despite the Philippines finishing in fifth place on three wins and two losses. Uichico said the 6-foot-4 Clarkson will be at his comfort zone as guard and small forward while the 7-foot-2 Sotto will be at center. Uichico, however, said that Clarkson could play multiple roles in the team. “Our previous naturalized players [Marcus Douthit and Andre Blatche] were not totally inside players,” Uichico said. “They were perimeter players and can drive to the basket so there’s no big adjustments on our part.”
By Josef Ramos
National wheelchair hoops team honored C HOOKS-TO-GO treated members of the national wheelchair basketball team with a feast befitting heroes on Tuesday at Chooks! dine-in restaurant at the Ali Mall in Cubao. The team clinched silver at the recent 11th Asean Para Games. C hooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas personally invited and welcomed the Pilipinas Warriors, who booked second place finishes in 5x5 and 3x3 wheelchair basketball in the games held in Indonesia last week. It was an eat-all-you-can dinein experience at Chooks! for the athletes and coaches. B esides the sumptuous meals, Mascariñas gifted each player and coach with a P20,000 bonus and Chooks-to-Go chicken vouchers. “ We pay tribute to this brave group of athletes who brought honor to our country,” Mascariñas said. “Their gallant stand and achievement in the Asean Para Games should serve as inspiration for all of us to realize that there is no challenge in life that cannot be overcome by an earnest belief in one’s self and a genuine desire to make the country proud.”
SAYING “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand TuesdayWilliamsSlam champion Serena announcedsheisreadyto step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. I n an essay released Tuesday by Vogue magazine, and a post on Instagram—the sorts of directto-fans communication favored these days by celebrities, a category she most definitelyWilliamsfits—was not completely clear on the timeline for her last match, but she made it sound as if that could be at the US Open which begins August 29 in New York. There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction. That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. But now, the countdown has begun,” Williams, who turns 41 next month, wrote on Instagram. “I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just (as) exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.” W illiams, one of the greatest and most accomplished athletes in the history of her—or any other—sport, wrote in the essay that she does not like the word “retirement” and prefers to think of this stage of her life as “evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.” “I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads,” she wrote. “I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the is not all that surprising, given her age—her 10 Grand Slam titles after turning 30 are unsurpassed—her history of injuries and her recent record: one victory in a singles match in the past 12 months (that win arrived Monday in Toronto—she is scheduled to play again on Wednesday). Serena Williams is a generational, if not multigenerational, talent who had a profound impact on the game of tennis, but an even greater influence on women in sports, business and society. At a time when our nation and the world have wrestled with essential issues of identity, Serena has stood as a singular exemplar of the best of humanity after breaking through countless barriers to her participation and ultimate success,” US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster said. “She leaves an indelible legacy of grace and grit that will inspire athletes, female and male, for many generations to come. We can’t thank her enough for all she has done for our sport.” W illiams’s status as an athlete, and a groundbreaker, is obvious to everyone.Shewas the first Black woman since Althea Gibson in 1958 to win a Grand Slam title; Williams and her older sister, seven-time major singles champion Venus, helped broaden the sport’s audience and attract new players. I grew up watching her. I mean, that’s the reason why I play tennis,” Coco Gauff, an 18-year-old AfricanAmerican who was the runner-up at this year’s French Open, said Tuesday. “Tennis being a predominantly white sport, it definitely helped a lot, because I saw somebody who looked like me dominating the game. And it made me believe that I could dominate, too.” AP Age-group netfest title chase resumes with Mandaue leg C LASHES in the boys’ 12-under division and girls’ 14-under play ushered in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala (PPS-PEPP) Mandaue City national age-group tennis tournament on Wednesday with a mix of old and new joining the hunt in the second leg of a four-leg swing in Cebu at the New Mandaue Tennis Club’s clay courts. O rmoc City’s John David Velez and Quezon City’s Tiffany Nocos go for back-to-back victories in the premier 18-under class after toppling Marc Jarata of La Union and Ormoc City’ Kimi Brodeth in their respective sides in last week’s skirmish in LapuLapu City. But both brace for a tougher challenge this time along with the rest in the other divisions of the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.More than 200 entries from all over the country are going for top honors in eight divisions with the boys 14- and 16-under classes drawing huge 64-player draws each, underscoring the continued popularity of the country’s longest talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro as part of his commitment to help develop the sport and produce future members of the national team. T he girls’ 14- and 16-under sides also feature 32-player charts each with Jana Diaz from Bacoor, Cavite, Adriana Lanza, Maristella Torrecampo and Kate Imalay headlining the 14-under cast and Brodeth, Diaz and Imalay looming as the players to beat in the 16-U side of the event backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and Universal Tennis Rating.
SERENA ON TO DIFFERENT DIRECTION P12M
But as the off-season morphs into the pre-season, the blood starts pumping again. Th is prelude to the real thing is not just a preview of things to come when the season proper starts. It’s a time to test out the machines, try out new combos, see what needs fixin’ and bolt tightening. B esides providing fans and collegiate ball addicts reason to live again, this period is all-important because it lets team staffs assess their teams’ strengths and weaknesses as they prepare for another grueling campaign. It’s also a good way to size up the opposition. R ight now there are three pre-season tournaments providing a preview of how teams will perform in the season proper. The oldest of the three is the 15th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup (formerly known as Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup) which has 17 teams participating in two groupings. All the UAAP and NCAA teams are here, with the exception of Ateneo de Manila who pulled out at the last minute because of its inability to form a complete squad. The other pre-season tournament, the PG Flex Linoleum UCBL Invitational Tournament has 12 teams participating in the event—four UAAP teams and four NCAA teams competing with teams from other leagues, namely Olivarez College, Philippine Christian College-Dasmariñas, Emilio Aguinaldo College-EOG and University of Batangas. A t hird tournament, the Pinoy Liga Cup, is absolutely keeping teams on their toes, especially if they are also participating in the other leagues, simultaneously. So far, the NU Bulldogs are at the top of the Filoil EcoOil tourney chart after they dealt the UAAP Season 84 champs, the UP Fighting Maroons their first loss in a battle of the undefeateds last Sunday, August 7. The Maroons meanwhile are lording it in the UCBL and Pinoyliga. It is interesting how the top two teams of UAAP Season are attacking their respective pre-seasons. The Blue Eagles are now in Japan, playing in the inaugural World University Basketball Series—a four-team tournament in Tokyo where they will play against Tokai University of Japan, National Chengchi University from Taiwan and Universitas Pelita Harapan of Indonesia. So far, the Season 84 runners-up have given a sampling of their might in the land of the Rising Sun. Ateneo pulverized their Indonesian opponents by 86 points on their debut game, 125-39. Playing without Kouame and Ildefonso, the Eagles flashed new mighty Eagles in Kai Ballungay, Andrew Bongo, Inand Fornillos, Joseph Ubasa, Sean Quetavis, JC Fetalverso, Jacob Lao and Paul Garcia. “Old” reliables Forthsky Padrigao, Joseph Ubasa, Kyle Ong, Gab Gomez, Joshua Lazaro and Matthew Daves helped let it rain at Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Tokyo. They will face NCCU and Tokai next. A s for the Fighting Maroons, they’re all over the place. They’re playing in all three pre-season tournaments in the Metro and took advantage of a free schedule to fly to Iloilo City for a two-game exhibition game with a local selection team on July 30 and 31, which they won. They will fly next to South Korea to train and play a series of games against pro teams of the Korean Basketball League: the Suwon KT Sonicboom, SeoulSamsung Thunders, Changwon LG Sakers, Jeonju KCC Egis and Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus. There they’ll see and go up against old friends playing as Filipino imports, the likesof Will Navarro (Thunders), Justin Gutang (Sakers) and RJ Abarrientos (Phoebus). Maybe SJ Belangel too? The Maroons will be there from August 28 to September 10. So? The heat is on. What might be the next chapter in the new rivalry of the university league? It’s going to be an exciting new collegiate season come October. bonus for successful para athletes
T HE country’s medalists in the recent 11th Asean Para Games at Surakarta, Indonesia, will receive a total of P11,998,125 in cash incentives from the government, according to Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Officer-in-Charge Attorney Guillermo Iroy. I roy told BusinessMirror that the PSC already wrote the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) on the bonuses that will be given to the 28 gold winners, 31 silver medalists and 46 bronze medalists in the para games. We already wrote to Pagcor about the incentives for our para athletes who brought honor to the country,” Iroy said. “They deserve to be rewarded for their successful stint.” The cash bonuses are mandated under the Athletes and Coaches Incentives Act. For the Asean Para Games, a gold medal is worth P150,000 silver P75,000 and bronze P30,000. F IDE Master Sander Severino won four gold and two silver medals in chess, while Ariel Joseph Alegarbes and Angel Otom bagged three golds each and Ernie Gawilan two golds and one silver in swimming. Severino is expected to bank P500,000, Alegarbes and Otom will get P450,000 each and Gawilan will bring home P375,000. This is another milestone for Team Philippines. We have surpassed our past Asean Para Games participation with the big medal haul for this edition,” Iroy said. “The PSC is very grateful for their inspiring performance. We are proud of them.” Swimming accounted for 12 gold, five silver and five bronze medals, chess contributed 10 golds, 11 silvers and five bronzes, and the athletics team bagged six golds, five silvers and 14 bronzes. The tally put the Philippines at fifth overall, the same finish in the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur where a team pulled a 20-20-29 gold-silverbronze haul. Josef Ramos
GILAS SYSTEM CHANGES WITH CLARKSON, SOTTO
Sports BusinessMirror B8 | Thursday,
T HE Philippines relied on International Master (IM) Paulo Bersamina’s crucial win on board four to upset third seed Norway, 2.5-1.5, Tuesday and finish on a bright note in the 44th World Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. A l ast-minute replacement for an ailing Grandmaster (GM) Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla, Bersamina brought down GM Frode Olav Olsen Urkedal to lift the Filipinos to a shock win against a team that faultily decided to rest reigning world standard champion Magnus Carlsen. GMs Mark Paragua, John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo eked out draws on Boards 1 to 3 to pave the way for Bersamina’s magnificent lastgasp triumph against Urkedal. The upset put the 52nd-seeded Filipinos, whose participation in the Olympiad is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, at 32nd place, an improvement from the 39th spot the team posted in the last over-theboard edition of the biennial meet in Batumi, Georgia, four years ago. It was also a solid effort individually for all five Filipinos, who all gained FIDE rating points from the tournament with Gomez and Paragua benefitting the most for posting 7.0 and 6.5 points, respectively, in 10 matched. The Filipinas, on the other hand, failed on their bid of registering their best effort in the Olympiad after faltering against 14th-seeded Cuba, 2.5-1.5.WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIMs Marie Antoinette San Diego and Kylen Joy Mordido all drew their games on Boards 1, 3 and 4, respectively, but WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda lost her match on Board 2. They finished at 39th with 13 points, much better than the 67thplace finish a team posted in Batumi.
The members of the 3x3 team are Alfie Quiñones Cabañog, John Rey Escalante, Rene Macabenguil, Kenneth Christopher Tapia and Clifford Trocino while the 5x5 squad consists of Freddie Magdayo, Marlon Nacita, Jefferson Legacion, Moises Escobar, Kyle Carlo Carandang, Jannil B. Cañete and Mark Vincent P. Aguilar. Juanito Mingarine, Vernon Perea, Michael Angelo Galea, Harry Solanoy and Yolanda Hernandez are the coaches.TheWarriors have long been close to the hearts of Chooks-to-Go and Mascariñas.Beforethe pandemic, Chooks-toGo gave the team new equipment and bankrolled its training for the Asean Para Games.
Pre-season heat WHEN the pre-season of the country’s top two collegiate leagues—University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)—begins, that’s when the fire starts to kindle. A fter the ultimate game of UAAP Season 84 was played out in May, the pace of life for both teams and fans slow down as much-needed rest, repair and recharging becomes the order of the day.
CHOOKS-TO-GO
11, 2022 Editor:mirror_sports@yahoo.com.phJunLomibao
W ITH Jordan Clarkson bringing his Sixth Man act and Kai Sotto making himself available for this month’s International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Qualifiers, expect a men’s national basketball team displaying a different chemistry. It’s something new, but we’ll have to wait and see how they play together,” Gilas Pilipinas assistant coach Jong Uichico told BusinessMirror on Wednesday. “Hopefully it will prosper and bring positive things during games.”
PHL men wind up in 32nd place, women 39th in Chennai Olympiad
President Ronald Mascariñas personally invited and welcomed the Pilipinas Warriors. augusT
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) confirmed in a statement on Wednesday Sotto’s inclusion in the national team to the two qualifiers—an away game on August 25 in Beirut and a home match against Saudi Arabia on August 29. We are glad to have Kai into the Gilas fold and thank him for his proactive response to the call to play for flag and country for the August qualifiers,” SBP executive director and spokesperson Renauld “Sonny” Barrios said in theSstatement.ottowillfly home from Australia—where he signed a fresh contract with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League— next Thursday. C larkson, named the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) SOTTO
