BusinessMirror August 14, 2023

BSP: Efforts to stabilize PHL Peso successful

THE Philippine peso’s depreciation has been under a percent and remains smaller compared to other currencies in the region, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Given this, BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. recently said this means efforts to stabilize the peso have been successful. These efforts involved the BSP’s “occasional” intervention in the foreign exchange market.

R emolona said the BSP’s forward guidance has also helped stabilize the peso. This, he said, reduced uncertainties when

it came to the peso. We have judiciously intervened when things get too crazy in the foreign exchange market,” Remolona said in a recent briefing at the House of Representatives. “Of course, if the peso is moving in the direction that fundamentals say it should move, then we let it move in that direction.”

To date, Remolona said the peso has remained below 55 pesos to one dollar. He said the BSP hopes this will continue in the months ahead.

O n Friday, however, the peso depreci

ated to P56.315 to the greenback. This marked the third day the peso traded at the P56 to the dollar level and was the lowest since December 2022.

Nonetheless, Remolona is confident that remittances as well as business process outsourcing (BPO) revenues will be robust this year until next year.

R emittances, based on BSP’s projections, may reach $33.5 billion this year while BPO revenues could reach $29.9 billion by year end.

T he BSP expects this to offset the weakness in the country’s net foreign di -

rect investments (FDIs). This year, FDIs could reach $9 billion.

“

The BPO and remittances are about six times the foreign direct investment. And the foreign direct investments have weakened a little bit. And we expect it to stay around the same amount next year,” Remolona said.

T his will ultimately affect the country’s foreign reserves. However, the BSP still expects the country’s Gross International Reserves (GIR) to average $100 billion this year and next year.

See “BSP,” A2

NG SUBSIDIES TO STATE FIRMS RISE 20.77% IN H1

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE national government’s total subsidies to state-owned financial institutions, corporations and agencies rose by a fifth in the first half to P63.701 billion from P52.745 billion driven by higher releases to other government corporations.

L atest Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) data showed that the national government subsidy as of end-June was 20.77 percent higher than what was recorded in the same period of last year.

Treasury data showed that more than half or about 53 percent of the subsidies extended by the national government went to other

government corporations led by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Total subsidies to other government corporations expanded by 72 percent during the six-month period to P34.108 billion from P19.774 billion recorded last year, based on BTr data.

FINANCE Secretary Ben -

jamin E. Diokno remains confident that the country would still achieve a 6-percent full-year economic expansion this year on the back of an anticipated ramped-up government spending despite a tepid second quarter GDP growth.

D iokno emphasized that an “aggressive” catch-up plan for government infrastructure projects coupled with “deliberate spending” by government agencies are “essential” in helping the country’s economy meet the 6 percent to 7 percent growth target for 2023.

The Philippine economy has to grow by 6.6 percent in the second half of the year to achieve the lower end of the 6 to 7 percent growth

target for 2023,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

“ While there are formidable external challenges, the prospect for achieving this lofty goal is largely in the hands of the current administration,” Diokno said. D iokno noted the 7.1-percent contraction in the government’s final consumption expenditure, which was the lowest since the first quarter of 2011 when it declined by 15 percent.

Nonetheless, Diokno explained that countries that depend on exports are more vulnerable to the impact of a slowing global economy.

The Philippines is not as export-dependent as some of its Asean neighbors,” he said.

PINOYS, FIL-AMS AMONG THOSE AFFECTED BY HAWAII WILDFIRE

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome @maloutalosig

FILIPINOS and FilipinoAmericans who are based in Maui, Hawaii are devastated following the raging wildfire that killed at least 89 people in the deadliest such disaster in US history, a Fil-Am community leader said.

K it Zulueta-Furukawa, member of the board of Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce, said she has no official record on the number of Filipinos affected by the fire but she personally knew some of their members who have lost their homes and are now in emergency shelters. Some have gone missing.

We are such a tight-knit small community,” the 38-year Filipino immigrant told the BusinessMirror. “Almost everyone is a Filipino. Everyone has a cousin, auntie who is a Filipino. Even the Japanese here, they are part Filipino.”

S he said Maui is such a small island that one can drive around

the island in three hours.

“ Everyone knows almost everybody. We are like one big family. It’s the culture here in Maui.  With that said, a pain of one is a pain of all. All are affected by the fires,” she added.

A cursory look at a shared Google Sheet of missing people in Maui fires at https://mauipeople.org  shows a number of Filipino-sounding names listed.

Maui fire

ON August 7, a series of fires broke out in three areas in Maui— Lāhainā town, Pulehu /Kihei and Upcounty Maui.

D isaster officials estimate 2,207 houses were totally destroyed in the blaze.

H awaii Gov. Josh Green said 89 people died from the fire, and they expect the numbers to go up as only 3 percent of the burned area of Lahaina has been thoroughly searched by dogs. Of the 89 casualties, only two were identified.

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

Ferdinand Martin

SPEAKER

G.

Romualdez

on Sunday

commended the Department of Agriculture (DA) for beginning talks with Vietnam and India to guarantee the nation’s adequate supply of rice. He emphasized, however, that the government must move quickly to explore all options to ensure supply and a fair price for the staple food of the Filipino people.

T he Speaker was referring to the recent announcement of DA Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban that upon the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to open talks with Vietnam, some Vietnamese exporters are offering prices that are $30 or $40 lower than before.

Apart from the talks with Vietnam, Panganiban said the Philippine government is also working with India to discuss the possibility of their selling the Philippines some rice on humanitarian grounds, despite its recent ban on all rice exports.

I commend the Department of Agriculture’s quick response to our efforts in securing a stable and affordable rice supply for our country. This is a significant step towards fulfilling our commitment to the Filipino to put food on their table at prices within their reach,” Romualdez said.

It may be recalled that during Romualdez’s bilateral meeting with the President of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Vuong Dinh Hue, in Indonesia last week, the latter gave assurances that Vietnam would provide the Philippines with a stable supply of rice at affordable prices. R omualdez and Hue met on the eve of their participation in the 44th AIPA (Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly) General Assembly in Jakarta.

“

With the current volatility in the price of rice in the world market amid projected supply constriction, the government must waste no time exploring all available options to ensure adequate supply and a reasonable price of our staple food,” Romualdez said.

‘Meeting GDP goal needs catchup, spending boost’

OFF US AND EUROPEAN RELIANCE ON RUSSIAN NUCLEAR FUEL

Zubiri vows Dec passage of Negros Island Region bill

BACOLOD CITY—Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has pledged to see through the passage of the Negros Island Region (NIR) bill in the Senate by December this year.

“ I committed that before we go on a break in October, we will be able to at least tackle it, debate on it. We’re hoping to do the second reading before [the] end of September. At the very latest, it would be passed into law before Christmas.

Our Christmas gift to the region, as long as it will not be vetoed,” Zubiri said during a press briefing here Saturday.

T he senator, who traces his roots on the father side to Negros Occidental, said he would talk to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. about the NIR bill as he acknowledged that the Department of Budget and Management is not keen on the creation of

Pinoys...

Wire reports quoted police officials as saying as many as 1,000 people are missing.

Filipinos, Fil-Ams in Maui

WHEN asked if it is safe to assume that there may be “hundreds” among the

more regions and departments.

Zubiri said he sees no opposition among his colleagues at the Senate.

As far as I’m concerned, I’ve committed it to the people of Negros, I will pass it in the Senate,” he added.

Zubiri said Negros Island has an area and a population, which is more than 4.6 million, large enough to become a region.

G overnors Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental and Manuel Sagarbarria of Negros Oriental have expressed support for the creation of the NIR.

I n the Senate, the Committee on Local Government has initially ap -

1,000 people who were declared missing, Zulueta-Furukawa said,“Yes. But we are hoping that they are alive because the communication is still down.”

T he Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu also could not ascertain the number of Filipinos affected by the Maui wildfires.

“According to the Maui Police Chief, there are an estimated 1,000 people still missing. There is no breakdown as to ethnicity. So we cannot yet confirm that hundreds

proved Senate Bill 1236, authored by Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, seeking to create the NIR to boost the efficiency of the delivery of government services and provide convenience for the region’s residents in line with the administration’s goal of rightsizing.

I n March, House Bill 7355, creating the NIR, was passed on the third and final reading in the House of Representatives.

T itled “An Act Establishing the NIR, and Appropriating Funds Therefor,” it provides that the NIR shall be composed of the cities, municipalities and barangays in Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and the island province of Siquijor.

D uring his weekend visit here, Zubiri inspected the ongoing construction of two key infrastructure projects funded through his initiative.

T hese are the Bacolod City Mu -

of Filipinos are among those missing,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said, quoting a report from the Consulate.

M aui has an estimated Filipino American population of 25,000 people, comprising 17 percent of the population. Most of the Fil-Am population in Maui are naturalized Americans. “Only a few are Filipino citizens,” De Vega said. Consul General Emil Fernandez said since the wildfire broke out, they have issued advisories in their social media sites for Filipinos to call them

seum in Barangay Alijis and the Bacolod City General Hospital in Barangay Vista Alegre.

T he museum-auditorium will cost more than P400 million when fully completed next year.

We wanted to have a museum where locals and tourists alike can learn about and appreciate the story of Bacolod and our people. This museum-auditorium will also be a place for contemporary and future artists, who continue to enrich our sense of pride and identity here in Bacolod,” the senator said.

For the hospital, Zubiri has facilitated the release of P400 million from the General Appropriations Act to partly fund its construction.

“Bacolod is the most populous city in Western Visayas, and for it to not have its own dedicated tertiary government hospital severely limits the health options of its over half a million residents,” he added. PNA

if they need the Consulate’s help.

The Consulate is in touch with local authorities and local community leaders, and so far, they have no information on any Filipino among the reported fatalities,” Fernandez told the BusinessMirror

T here are also Filipino teachers who were hired by the Hawaii Department of Education and are based in Maui under the Exchange Visitor Program.”The Maui-based Filipino teachers are accounted for, safe and in temporary shelters, according to our DOE contacts,” Fernandez added. Zulueta-Furukawa said Mauians affected by the fire are calling for help, basic needs to survive—food, clothes, medicine, hygiene, gasoline.

The Consulate continues to monitor the situation and stands ready to assist any Filipino national distressed by the wildfires in Maui,” Fernandez stressed.

R emolona said the country’s foreign reserves remain ample and would be able to shield the country from the impact of the expected slowdown in the US economy next year due to the monetary tightening of the Federal Reserve.

It’s [monetary tightening] bound to slow down the US economy, maybe even cause a mild recession in the United States, but it will also cause a slowdown around the world,” Remolona said.

And this poses risks to us because there are accidents, financial accidents, that could happen and it’s a good thing that we have ample reserves to defend us against those negative global spillovers,” he added.

He noted in a recent conversation with Nomura’s Euben Paracuelles, that he found similarities between the recent tightening of the US Federal Reserve and the 1994 Fed tightening cycle.

T he tightening cycle was eventually followed by the Tequila Crisis. The Tequila crisis was the slang for the economic fallout caused by the devaluation of the Mexican peso.

“ I find similarities to the 1994 Fed tightening cycle followed by the Tequila crisis, and you can trace the Asian financial crisis to that tightening too. The literature now calls it ‘the global dollar cycle.’ I lived

through that and to me it has some resonance in today’s situation,” Remolona said in his conversation with Paracuelles.

T his is part of the reason, Remolona said, the country was “not out of the woods yet.” There are many risks and these include the El Niño weather phenomenon which could again raise inflation as well as geopolitical trade tensions. T he combination of a slowdown in the global economy or major trade partners, the severe drought, and trade tensions could again create supply shocks and make food, among other commodities, expensive.

Poor sensitive to food items POOR Filipinos are sensitive to expensive food items. Based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), food has a weight of 51.38 percent of the CPI for the Bottom 30 percent of the population.

T his is significantly higher than the 34.78 percent weight of food in the CPI for all households. This only shows that because of their low incomes, poor Filipinos spend more of what little they have on food.   I n July, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that headline inflation averaged 4.7 percent while core inflation averaged 6.7 percent.

A ccording to the Food and Agriculture Organization, rice prices for July surged by 2.8 percent to 129.7 points, the highest in almost 12 years, on the back of India’s rice export ban and adverse weather conditions that could impact production.

Panganiban said the negotiations with Vietnam and India could pave the way for the country to get better terms for the 300,000 metric tons (MT) to 500,000 MT of rice it needs to import this year.

Transparent

PhilHealth accounted for 44 percent of the subsidy received by the other government corporations as it got P15.033 billion in budget.

PhilHealth did not receive a single peso in terms of subsidy during the first half of last year.

Next to PhilHealth was the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) Corp. with a total subsidy of P5 billion.

Treasury data showed that major non-financial government corporations received P29.244 billion in subsidies during the reference period. The amount was P3.532 billion lower than the P32.766 billion they got in the first half of last year.

T he National Irrigation Administration (NIA) topped the list of major non-financial government corporations in terms of subsidies at P21.810 billion, 19 percent higher than the P18.346 billion it received last year.

N IA was followed by the National Food Authority (NFA) at P4.572 billion, which was 41 percent over the P3.243 billion it got in the first half of 2022, Treasury data showed.

B oth the NIA and NFA are attached agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

T he other government corporations that received a substantial amount of subsidies during the first half were Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC).

T he BCDA received P2.910 billion in subsidy while the PCIC got P1.934 billion, based on BTr data.

Philtoa will host its 34th Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) from September 1-3 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay. The travel fair will bring together nearly 200 exhibitors from all 17 regions of the Philippines, from hotels to resorts, travel agencies, tour operators, and tourism offices under one roof. The

AS these discussions progressed, Romualdez emphasized the importance of maintaining transparent and open communication between friendly countries to foster a stronger partnership.  Open dialogue and cooperation are key to ensuring the success of this endeavor. I look forward to

the positive outcomes that will arise from these talks, as we work together for mutually beneficial arrangements to achieve food security and stability,” he added. R omualdez said the assurance of supply from Vietnam could boost the country’s rice supply and dampen possible price spikes fueled by speculation over possible shortages.

To reciprocate Vietnam’s gesture, Romualdez said the Philippines is willing to provide Vietnam with specific products and materials it may need to meet the demands of its industries or consumers.

L ikewise, the two leaders of parliament discussed opportunities for partnership and cooperation to improve the supply chain between the Philippines and Vietnam involving other agricultural products and construction materials, such as cement.

It’s growth is consumptionbased. That is why it is less susceptible to the weaker exports demand owing to the slowing global economy which is partly due to the aggressive monetary tightening, supply bottlenecks and rising commodity prices resulting from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine,” he explained.

He emphasized that the “more dependent” the country is on experts, the “slower” its economic expansion would be because of a “slowing global economy.”

S ocioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan earlier disclosed that the economic team is “committed” to accelerate government spending for the rest of the year “to facilitate the recovery of the country’s growth momentum.”

“ To do this, we will accelerate the execution of government programs and projects, including the delivery

one-stop shop makes it easy for patrons to check out vacation packages from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. PTM visitors will be able to avail of discounts and deals available only during on-the spot bookings.

“ We are grateful for the strong partnerships with the Department of Tourism, Tourism Promotions

of public services, under the 2023 national budget,” the economic managers said in their joint statement. T he Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has given state agencies and corporations five weeks to submit their catchup plans to accelerate spending and address government’s “underperforming” expenditure level as the economy shows signs of slowing down. (Related story: https:// businessmirror com.ph/2023/08/11/government-units-firms-told-to-hasten-spending/)

D uring the budget briefing of the House of Representatives’ Development Budget Coordination Committee last Thursday, DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the obligation rate of the entire national government as of end-March stood at 30.5 percent.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Board, Philippine Airlines, BPI, and our media partners,” said Philtoa president Fe Abling-Yu. “The 34th Philippine Travel Mart is not only a showcase of our country’s incredible destinations but also a celebration of our industry’s resilience and strength as a major contributor to the country’s growth and progress.”

LIVE IN MANILA, LOVE MANILA

New San Jose Builders showcases condo living at its finest in PHL capital

By Candy P. Dalizon

Simply no place like Manila.

IMAGINE living in the bustling historic Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, that is both a cultural melting pot and a modern metropolis making it a popular choice for singles and families to live in. There are many other reasons for this, as living in the city offers a wide range of advantages.

L iving in Manila and within the university belt is a smart decision for students, as it allows them to focus on their studies without having to spend hours traveling to and from school. For employees or professionals, coming home to a convenient location that also provides a sense of comfort and exclusivity after a long day at work is priceless.

For homemakers, seniors, frequent travelers, and single people, Manila presents a lot of things to see and do such as going to churches, parks, museums, shopping malls, and an abundance of restaurants to choose from.

Commuting is also relatively easy in Manila as there are three train routes – LRT1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 – which reach nearby cities such as Quezon City and Pasay.

R ising with the thriving location of Manila are the quality yet affordable condominium projects of New San Jose Builders, Inc. (NSJBI).

Building quality, yet affordable homes since 1986

NSJBI is one of the first and largest real estate developers and construction companies in the Philippines. Established in 1986, NSJBI builds high-quality, yet affordable homes that are designed to meet the needs of Filipino families. The company’s track record speaks for itself and its commitment to making homeownership a reality for every Filipino family makes NSJBI a trusted name in the real estate industry.

NSJBI is a full-range property developer of quality projects — from high-rise mixed-use condominiums to prime subdivisions, hotels, offices, and malls. Its projects have transformed and elevated the living landscape of Metro Manila, such as in Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan City, Makati City, and Bonifacio Global City.

NSJBI pioneered the sports tower condominiums to promote healthy and active city living. Currently, among its sports-inspired residential condominiums are Victoria Sports Tower, Victoria Sports Tower Monumento, Victoria de Valenzuela, Victoria de Hidalgo, and Victoria de Manila 2. S oon to rise is an arts and theater tower in Quezon City that features elegant and magnificent designs of homes and amenities.

Victoria de Manila 1 and 2

Victoria de Manila 1 and 2 are located on Taft Avenue, a major thoroughfare that is home to several of the city's leading colleges and universities. As such, these condominiums are considered to be part of the University Belt known for the concentration of educational institutions in the area.

V ictoria de Manila 1 and 2 are located just a stone's throw away from De La Salle University, De La Salle - College of St. Benilde, University of the Philippines Manila, St. Scholastica’s College, Philippine Christian University, Philippine Women’s University, and other reputable educational institutions. The condominiums are also near Robinsons Place Manila, Star City, Manila Ocean Park, United States Embassy, and Philippine General Hospital.

V ictoria de Manila 1 and 2 are wellconnected to schools and workplaces, with a variety of transportation options available. These condominiums stand right beside LRT Pedro Gil station and are also in close proximity to government institutions such as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Department of Finance, Manila City Hall, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Supreme Court. This makes it an ideal residential building for those who want to be close to their places of education, work, and recreation.

T hese condominiums do not just provide a “quality lifestyle” but also strive to keep their residents fit and healthy with their own sports complex, office areas, commercial centers, residential units, and many modern features.

Being a sports condominium, Victoria de Manila 2 has a variety of amenities for residents to enjoy including a full-sized hardwood basketball court, professional-grade tennis and badminton courts, an olympic-size swimming pool, billiards hall, and a fitness gym.

T hese properties are also a good investment for buyers who want to generate passive income by renting out the units to students, employees, as well as to foreign and local tourists.

Victoria de Malate

Victoria de Malate is a 45-storey condo community in the midst of Manila. It is located along Angel Linao corner Quirino Avenue in Malate.

Malate is popularly known as one of Manila’s liveliest places especially for tourists because of its rich history, vibrant nightlife, and the delightful dining experience it offers.

Situated near Manila Bay, Malate offers a good mix of modern developments and historical landmarks. Several educational institutions which are part of the University Belt are located in Malate as well as prominent secondary schools. Among the universities

and colleges in the area are University of the Philippines Manila, St. Paul University Manila, Philippine Women’s University, Adamson University, and Emilio Aguinaldo College.

Malate is also home to the aweinspiring Baroque style Malate Church, the Philippine's first sports stadium - the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, and the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden. There are also nearby malls, popular restaurants and watering holes making it among the best places to live in Manila.

A s holiday or weekend approaches, you can take a brief drive to Laguna, Batangas, or Tagaytay. The South Super Highway is just a short drive away, making it easy to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. And since the Skyway Stage 3 project is accessible via Quirino Avenue and is in close proximity to Victoria de Malate, travel time going to NLEX or SLEX will be reduced.

Residents of Victoria de Malate can enjoy top-notch recreational facilities that include a swimming pool, fitness gym and multipurpose function room.

T his project offers an attractive lease option which makes it affordable and economical for students and employees, as well as tourists who come to this district. Victoria de Malate not only offers an ideal location but also a wide range of amenities that makes it truly a comfortable and relaxing place to live in.

Victoria de Hidalgo

A sports-inspired condominium, Victoria de Hidalgo is a perfect match for those looking for more than just a great home experience in urban Manila. The presence of sports facilities and amenities in Victoria de Hidalgo can encourage physical activity and provide convenient access to fitness opportunities. This can lead to improved overall well-being, as well as help people break-free of sedentary lifestyles.

The property has an array of amenities and sports facilities which include a basketball court, fitness gym, badminton court, table tennis court, bowling alley, sports lounge, billiard and dart hall, KTV rooms and sports bar, a swimming pool, water spa, bistro, dance studio, event hall, and function rooms.

Located in the center of Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, it offers a modern condo community in historical Manila. Quiapo is geographically located at the very center of the city of Manila and is also considered as the “Old Downtown Manila.” One of its most famous sites is the Quiapo Church, home to the Black Nazarene, a miraculous image of Jesus Christ. As the center of Manila’s trade and commerce, there are also a lot of shops in Quiapo where you can find a wide array of good deals.

In a eral colleges and universities

in the vicinity, such as Far Eastern University, University of the East, Manuel L. Quezon University, National Teachers College, San Sebastian College, Centro Escolar University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, San Beda College, La Consolacion College Manila, and University of Santo Tomas.

V ictoria de Hidalgo is also near Manila’s Binondo neighborhood. Home to a rich culinary history, Binondo is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established at the turn of the 16th century as one of the Philippines’ biggest centers of commerce.

T he high-rise residential community, Victoria de Hidalgo, presents a great view of the majestic Pasig River and the Malacañang Palace and its sprawling park to the south; on the north and east, the diverse skyline of churches, schools, and other famous landmarks while the western horizon gives a scenic view of the world-renowned Manila Bay.

About New San Jose Builders, Inc.

With its wealth of experience and expertise, New San Jose Builders is committed to provide homes that are built to last and affordable for everyone. As its mission states, “Having our home buyers' satisfaction as our top priority, the company aims to provide only the best residential experience through quality, affordable, accessible, secured, comfortable and convenient homes.”

The NSJBI exists today to help realize this mission and the founder's vision which is to help each and every Filipino have a home," said Chief Operating Officer Leo Barrosa.

NSJBI is one of the few select Quadruple 'A' rated construction companies in the country with an impressive portfolio in building service and recreational facilities, transport infrastructures, sustainable townships, and prime residential developments. It was recently recognized as one of the Top 10 Developers in the Philippines by BCI Asia Philippines, Inc.

NSJBI also promotes heritage, culture preservation, and Filipino artistry and craftsmanship through its premier development, the Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar situated in Bagac, Bataan. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar takes pride in being the largest heritage resort in the country. There is also a Las Casas in Roosevelt, Quezon City for a closer Las Casas heritage experience for those living in Metro Manila.

N ew San Jose Builders is also the partner developer of the Philippine Arena, the largest indoor arena in the world which has a seating capacity of 55,000 people. For more information about these condominiums and other NSJBI projects, call 09178002206 or visit the New San Jose www.nsjbi.com.ph and @newsanjoseoffi -

Victoria de Hidalgo Artist’s Perspective

Monday, August 14, 2023

Asean, China to meet in Manila for code of conduct on SPS/WPS

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

DIPLOMATIC and maritime officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China are arriving in Manila on Tuesday to resume the decades-long negotiations for a set of rules on how claimant countries should behave in the South China Sea/West Philippines Sea (SPS/WPS).

The meeting comes more than a week after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and two civilian vessels were blasted with water cannons on their way to send provisions to soldiers stationed in Ayungin Shoal, some 105 nautical miles off Palawan.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Chinese and Asean diplomatic officials will hold another round of talks for the so-called “Code of Conduct in the South China Sea” on August 22 to August 24.

This is the 21st year that Asean and Chinese diplomats have been hammering out the rules of engagement to prevent the sea disputes to escalate and disrupt one of the busiest waterways in the world.

Aside from the Philippines and China, other claimant countries of South China Sea are Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. Taiwan, considered by China as a renegade province, is not involved in the negotiations though it has occupied islands in Spratlys and Paracels, too.

Foreign ministers of China and the 10-nation Asean had committed in 2002 to come up with a code of conduct in the SCS/WPS.

Pending resolution of who owns the islands, Asean and China agreed to “exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes.” Such destabilizing activities include “inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands” and other rock formation.

They also agreed to “handle their differences in a constructive manner.”

In 2017, a “Hotline Communications” was set up among senior officials of the Asean member states’ and China’s ministries of foreign affairs. The hotline was set up to enable countries to respond to maritime emergencies in the contested waters.

It was only six years later, in 2018, when

both sides agreed on a single draft text that they will use as basis for negotiations.

The first reading happened in July 2019 in Malaysia but textual negotiations stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last May, the textual negotiations among senior officials resumed in Vietnam, with the “second reading of the draft.”

Last month, Asean and Chinese foreign ministers approved the guidelines to “accelerate the early conclusion of an effective substantive code of conduct.”

Both the draft text and accelerate-talks guidelines were not published.

Ian Storey, senior fellow at Singaporebased research center ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said that the guidelines called for an increase in the frequency of meetings of the Joint Working Group to four or more a year.

“Curiously, it also includes an aspirational deadline of three years to complete the talks but without specifying an exact timetable,” Storey added.

Despite the two readings of the draft text, Storey said, four major issues remain

Law designating WestPH sea lanes pushed amid tensions

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

unresolved:

1. Geographical scope: China insists on including the area in their ancient map with the 9-dash line and doesn’t want a mention of the 2016 Arbitral Award.

2. List of prohibited activities like land reclamation, militarization of occupied rock features, harassing of ships

3. Legal status of code: Is it legally binding?

4. Littoral states to cease cooperation with foreign energy companies in “disputed” waters. China “seems” to have inserted this provision in the draft text “in an attempt to coerce other countries into signing joint development agreements with Chinese companies.”

“In short, the second reading does not appear to have moved the CoC dial very much. Agreement has been reached on some paragraphs, but the most contentious issues are still unresolved. As such, it looks likely that the talks will drag on for at least several more years before final agreement is reached—if it can be reached at all,” Storey wrote in a website published by the Institute.

SCHOOL OWNERSHIP NEW FOCUS OF MAKATI-TAGUIG ALTERCATION

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573 & Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

IT seems the legal dispute between the leaders of Makati City and Taguig City is still far from over despite the Supreme Court’s final decision awarding the jurisdiction of the 729-hectare Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation—including the Bonifacio Global City complex and several barangays—to Taguig City.

This after the Makati City government, led by Mayor Mar-len Abigail “Abby” S. Binay, threatened to file criminal and administrative charges against those responsible for the “forcible attempt” to take over several public schools located in so-called “embo” barangays. The latter are among those affected by the SC decision on the boundary dispute between the two cities.

In a statement, Makati City Administrator Claro F. Certeza maintained that these public schools are properties owned by the City of Makati and the improvements were paid for by the City of Makati.

“These ‘enforcers,’ who did not possess any writ of execution or any other lawful order, created unnecessary tension in these areas,” he said. Certeza branded Taguig’s action “an act of duplicity and bad faith.” He pointed out that the city government of Taguig has written to the city of Makati

requesting discussions for a smooth transition.

“Makati has already created a transition team headed by the undersigned to sit down with Taguig. We were ready to offer arrangements that would benefit the students,” Certeza said. “But Taguig apparently was not sincere and was in reality intent on using force.”

DepEd Order

CERTEZA said the city government would treat Taguig’s attempt to unlawfully enter and take possession of properties owned by Makati as a criminal act that “can be used as basis in instituting appropriate criminal and administrative cases.”

In a separate statement, Taguig City government headed by Mayor Maria Laarni “Lani” L. Cayetano admitted that 14 public schools in “embo” areas “are now under the management and supervision of the Division of Taguig-Pateros by virtue of Department of Education-National Capital Region Memorandum Order (MO) 2023-735 signed by DepEd Regional Director Wilfredo E. Cabral issued on August 4, 2023.

Among these schools are: Makati Science High School; Comembo Elementary School; Rizal Elementary School; Pembo Elementary School; Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino High School; Tibagan High School; Fort Bonifacio Elementary School; Fort Bonifacio High School; Pitogo Elementary School; Pitogo

High School; Cembo Elementary School; East Rembo Elementary School; West Rembo Elementary School; and, South Cembo Elementary School.

Court insider

THE Makati City government stressed that the Court’s final ruling on the land dispute issued on December 1, 2021 “did not transfer to Taguig ownership of properties owned by the City of Makati.”

Aside from public school, Binay said among the properties affected by the ownership-row are the Ospital ng Makati, University of Makati and barangay health centers.

A Court insider who is privy to the case said a writ of execution is needed before the Taguig City government can implement the SC ruling.

However, the source clarified, a motion for the issuance of a writ of execution may be filed before the “court of origin” and not before the SC.

When told of the disagreement between the two cities over the ownership of the Makati city government’s facilities in areas declared by the SC under Taguig’s jurisdiction, the source said: “Aren’t they owned by Makati except they are now in Taguig?”

‘Brigada

Eskwela’

THE Taguig city government branded the statements made by Certeza as a “lie” and

Go seeks review of flood control tack, agri support

SENATOR Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T.

Go outlined his appeals to help address two pressing issues in the country namely agricultural support and flood control, in a bid to bolster the agricultural sector and the country’s food security.

“Malibanposamgainterventionsnatin

para sa ating local farmers, kailangan din nating paigtingin ang ating kampanya laban sa agricultural smuggling,” said Go in an interview on August 10 in Alaminos City, Pangasinan. [Apart from our interventions for our local farmers, we also need to intensify our campaign against agricultural smuggling.]

Go said that both farmers and consumers cannot just wait when market prices are better. He appealed to concerned agencies to provide marketing assistance to farmers to help them trade and sell their products

on their own at better prices.

“Unahin po natin, proteksyunan po natin ang ating local farmers, suportahan po natin sila. At importante dito, ang mga farmersnatindapatpomagingmasaya,” he added. [Let’s first protect our local farmers; let’s support them. It’s important that our farmers be happy.]

He emphasized the need to empower farmers to form cooperatives and to establish post-harvest facilities.

“Marami naman pong tulong ang ating gobyerno, importante po ma-guide sila ng maayos. Importante po magkaroon sila ng post-harvest facilities. Malaking tulong po ito na mapanatili ang quality ng kanilang produktoatmaibentanilasatamangpresyo,” Go said. [Our government has a lot of help, it’s important to guide them properly. It is important that they have post-harvest

facilities. This is a big help to maintain the quality of their product and sell it at the right price.]

Go is one of the authors of Republic Act 11901, which expanded the agriculture, fisheries and rural development financing system. He has also been advocating for other programs to support farmers and fishermen in the country, such as the enhancement of the irrigation of farmlands and expansion of the National Rice program.

Go also co-authored the New Agrarian Emancipation Act that was recently enacted into law. The measure seeks to condone loans that agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) incurred in owning lands under the government’s agrarian reform programs.

Moreover, the senator also filed Senate Bill (SB) 2117, which aims to provide full crop insurance coverage for agrarian reform

an attempt to “mislead the public.”

It claimed that following the SC’s final decision and the issuance of DepEd-NCR MO 2023-735, the public school officials, teachers, parents, community leaders and the City of Taguig have been conducting regular meetings in preparation for the “Brigada Eskwela” and the opening of the school year.

“It is in this context that the DepEd Superintendent of Taguig and Pateros has requested assistance from the City of Taguig, including the deployment of security personnel to ensure the welfare of the students, teachers and staff and the peaceful and orderly conduct of the aforesaid activities,” the Taguig city government said.

“In acceding to the request, the City of Taguig instructed its security provider to coordinate with the school superintendent, the City of Makati—the former security provider, the Philippine National Police and all relevant agencies,” it added. However, Taguig claimed Makati City, “in connivance with their private security firm and a few allied barangay officials,” illegally blockaded the public schools and streets.

“In light of this, we take strong exception to the misleading and patently false statements made by the City Administrator of Makati, including the threats of criminal and administrative cases to be filed,” the Taguig City said.

beneficiaries and SB 2118, which aims to provide better insurance coverage and services to farmers and help mitigate the impact of natural disasters on the agricultural sector, if enacted into law.

Meanwhile, Go appealed to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to review strategies on flood control projects given this recurring problem that also affects agricultural lands.

“Kahapon po, during [the] Senate Committee [on Public Works] hearing on the country’s flood control, masterplan and priority projects, una ko pong hiningi sa kanila ‘yung kanilang accomplishment report,” he said.

He cited that during a hearing on August 9 by the Senate Committee on Public Works, he asked the DPWH for an accomplishment report. Go said that during the time of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2019, there was a fund of about P82 billion for flood control.

CONGRESS is being asked to frontload

remedial legislation in the midst of escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

This as Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian prodded Congress to pass a remedial legislation for Malacañang to promptly sign into law seeking to establish the country’s archipelagic sea lanes amid heightened tensions between the China Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Gatchalian’s remedial legislation covering the WPS followed protests over China’s “malicious maneuvers” that included the use of water cannon against PCG vessels on a resupply mission.

“It is critical and imperative that we pass legislation that would designate the country’s archipelagic sea lanes to protect the country’s national security, and economic and environmental interests, particularly in the [WPS],” Gatchalian stressed.

In filing Senate Bill 2395 to be known as the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, the senator suggested: “Kailangan nating siguruhin na mapoprotektahan ang seguridad at soberanya ng bansa kabilang ang kapakanan ng mga kababayan nating mangingisda na pumapalaot sa ating karagatansaWest Philippine Sea.” [We need to ensure that the security and sovereignty of the country will be protected including the welfare of our fellow fishermen who fish our waters in the WPS.]

He reminded that the laws already aligned the country’s archipelagic baseline

system with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), to which the Philippines is a signatory, Gatchalian added that apart from the establishment of archipelagic sea lanes in Philippine archipelagic waters, the measure also seeks to protect the country’s ecological integrity by prohibiting fishing, marine bioprospecting, exploitation of marine resources, unauthorized research and survey statistics, and dumping of wastes and other noxious substances.

If enacted into law, the proposed measure, among others, will prohibit foreign ships or aircraft from conducting unauthorized research and survey activities as well as fishing, marine bioprospecting, loading, and unloading of persons, goods, or currency.

Gatchalian emphasized that the proposed measure supports Unclos, which recognizes the sovereignty of the archipelagic states over its archipelagic waters, the air space above them, the seabed and subsoil below them, and the resources contained therein. The Unclos also affords all ships and aircraft archipelagic sea lanes which may be designated by the archipelagic state.

The Senate recently adopted a resolution urging the Department of Foreign Affairs to bring to international attention China’s harassment of Filipino fishermen in the Philippine exclusive economic zone. The 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated China’s claims to historic rights and resources within its 9-dash line. It also confirmed China’s violation of the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the disputed area as well as its marine environmental protection obligations under the Unclos.

Tree-planting to mark post-Brigada Eskwela

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox

DAVAO CITY—The planting of trees

nationwide would be a key feature in the partnership of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) with the Department of Education (DepEd) in the post-Brigada Eskwela period.

As both agencies are under Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, the OVP said the planting of trees would be undertaken by selected schools in two different activities next month and in October; timed with the observance of the National Teachers’ Day and the World Teachers’ Day.

The first leg of the simultaneous treeplanting activity would be done during the celebration of National Teachers’ Day on September 5. The second leg of tree planting would be conducted during the celebration of World Teacher’s Day on October 5.

The OVP would first coordinate its partnership with the DepEd during the Brigada Eskwela on Monday, with the intention to inculcate cleanliness of the surroundings and to prepare all public schools functional and ready for the opening of this school year.

The OVP said the Brigada Eskwela activity would be done through the ten OVP Satellite Offices in Dagupan, Isabela, Region V, Cebu, Bacolod, Tacloban, Davao, Surigao, Zamboanga and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm).

On August 14, the OVP would be participating in the Brigada Eskwela in East Central Integrated School in Dagupan, Cauayan South Central School in Isabela, Gogon Central Elementary School in Legazpi, Labagon Elementary School in Cebu, St. Francis Elementary School in Tacloban, Victoria Elementary School in Surigao and Salum Elementary School in Zamboanga, Duterte’s office said.

The Satellite Office in Davao would assist with preparations at the Governor Vicente Duterte National High School on August 15, while the OVP-Barmm would extend help to the Barangay Pagalamatan Elementary School on August 17, it added.

Brigada Eskwela is a nationwide school maintenance program that engages all education stakeholders to contribute their time, effort and resources in ensuring that public schools are all set in time for class opening, the OVP said.

Earlier on August 7 in kick off ceremony of the Brigada Eskwela in Tarlac, Duterte cited DepEd Order 21 (series of 2023), or the “Brigada Eskwela Implementing Guidelines” “on how it can pave the way for a brighter and more resilient start for Filipino learners.”

“Brigada Eskwela is an appeal to the Bayanihan spirit of every Filipino to help prepare our schools for the opening of classes,” Duterte said. “It is to make our schools functional, clean and orderly inside and outside the classrooms and within the school sides.”

Land reclamation in Verde Island Passage flagged

ACOALITION of communities, sectors and advocates of the Verde Island Passage (VIP) welcomed the decision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to suspend all the ongoing land reclamation projects in the Manila Bay area pending the cumulative impact assessment by experts.

Although long overdue, the group called “Protect VIP” said the order highlights the fact that Manila Bay is highly vulnerable and needs protection against destructive development activities.

In the same vein, Protect VIP said the president and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) should also look into the vulnerabilities of the VIP. The DENR is expected to lead the cumulative impact assessment of the land-reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

The group expressed concerns on the land reclamation activities that form part of the ongoing construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and power plants in the region, particularly Batangas. The latter is one of five provinces surrounding the Verde Island Passage, a region described by scientists as the center of the center of shorefish biodiversity.

The group also said they hope that the suspension of the land reclamation in Manila Bay was not merely because of

geopolitical concerns raised by the United States but by a genuine concern to protect the environment. Protect VIP added that the Chief Executive should also order the suspension of ongoing land reclamation activities in Batangas and other areas in the VIP, one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world.

“We of course welcome the move of the government to protect, albeit belatedly, the environment of Manila Bay. It is only a matter of curiosity for us if the motivation is environmental or geopolitical,” Protect VIP Convenor and Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Edwin A. Gariguez was quoted in a statement as saying. “If it is the former, then the President should also order the DENR to review the status of gas terminals around the VIP that involve land reclamation, displacement of [fishermen] and surrounding communities and destruction of marine habitats.”

“It is only then that we can be convinced that both the government and DENR are sincere on its new stance on reclamation,” Gariguez added.

The group said the Verde Island Passage is at risk of hosting over 20 gas facilities, which host communities and advocates are opposing due to their impact on the environment, fisheries and the local economy. Jonathan L. Mayuga

• Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

LWUA asks lawmakers for help vs system loss

THE chairman of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has sought Congress’s help in addressing LWUA’s problem of water system loss, which reaches around 488 million cubic meters annually.

LWUA Chairman Ronnie L. Ong met with Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez at the House of Representatives last week to seek the Lower Chamber’s help in reducing, if not totally eliminating, the almost 30-percent annual water system loss of water districts under the agency’s jurisdiction.

Romualdez said he was optimistic that the problem can be solved through the rehabilitation of water supply systems and capacity building.

“The solution to these water service interruptions could be right under our noses. Patching up these water system losses means more water for all at a time when El Niño remains a very serious threat to our daily convenience and food production,” Romualdez said.

The lawmaker added that he has instructed the Lower House to look for ways “to help LWUA tackle this.”

The ongoing deliberations of the House Committee on Appropriations chaired by Rep. Elizaldy S. Co on the proposed P5.768trillion budget for 2024 provide “the perfect opportunity to explore solutions, including the rehabilitation of water supply systems and modernizing LWUA,” Romualdez added.

Per the monitoring of LWUA, Ong informed Romualdez that the water districts—which serve areas outside Metro Manila—yield an average non-revenue water (NRW) rate of 29.34 percent.

The LWUA official said that NRW rate translates to an annual water loss of around 488 million cubic meters, a quantity surpassing half the capacity of Angat Dam, which is the water lifeline for Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Romualdez vowed to “direct all congressmen to commit” to the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to conserve

‘Retailers, consumers to gain from global

QR-code

system’

water “by closely working with LWUA and addressing the wastage of water in their respective water districts.”

Last June, Marcos issued Memorandum Circular (MC) 22 to compel government offices to enforce water conservation measures.

Inadequate funds

ONG said the NRW problem has a “capitalintensive infrastructure” component to address physical losses. However, he added, water districts have inadequate funds to also digitalize or build their capacity to address the commercial or virtual water-loss component due to meter inaccuracies, illegal connections and billing errors.

Romualdez and Ong agree that addressing NRW is the “low-hanging fruit” or “the first domino tile” among all solutions to ensuring water security.

Ong emphasized that NRW is a pervasive issue or one that has been going on for decades simply owing to the fact that most water districts do not have the budget to install new pipes with better quality and ensure speedy maintenance and repairs as water systems deteriorate over time or are damaged during typhoons and road projects.

Documents from the LWUA showed there are at least 244 water districts with NRW rates exceeding 21 percent. Of these water districts, at least 20 have NRW rates ranging from 48 percent to 71 percent.

“Solving the NRW will have an impact on food security as well since reduced water system losses would mean that we won’t have to spread our water resources to thinly to the detriment of farmers, livestock, and other food-producing industries,” Romualdez said.

LWUA is a government agency with technical expertise and a lending function on water supply projects, as well as regulatory power over 532 water districts in cities and provinces outside of Metro Manila.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

By Andrea San Juan @andreasanjuan

FILIPINO retailers and consumers would benefit from a barcode system scheduled to be implemented worldwide by 2025, according to the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA).

All retailers are required to have the quick-response code on their packaging, PRA President Roberto S. Claudio told reporters on the sidelines of the 29th National Retail Conference and Expo (NRCE) 2023 last Thursday in Pasay City.

Claudio said in his speech at the conference that the biggest event that will transpire in the retail industry worldwide will be the transition to the “GS1 Barcoding” system managed by Brussels, Belgiumheadquartered GS1 AISBL.

He added that the whole world will transition from the 1-dimensional blackand-white vertical lines to QR Code Matrix 2-dimensional barcodes.

Claudio said that by the first quarter of 2024, the PRA will undertake a trial “towards

migration” wherein retailers “will migrate from the 1D to the 2D barcode.”

“This is a big transition because this will make the whole retail industry more efficient in product distribution,” the PRA president added.

He cited that scanning the product using the new QR code system would show its ingredients, which is only one of the system’s features.

More information

CLAUDIO cited as example a QR code on a can of sardines would tell the potential buyer what type of fish is inside—“tamban or hasa-hasa [short mackerel]”—and in which sea they were caught. The latter, which is traceability, is another feature of the new QR-code system, he added.

“Kunwari nagkaroon ng red-tide sa Zamboanga; e di madaling hanapin. Lahat ng galunggong [big-bellied round scad] na binebenta dyan, galing sa ganitong lugar. Madalingi-trace; madalingi-withdraw [ang product],” Claudio said. [For example, red tide occurred in waters near Zamboanga;

it’s easy to find where specifically that it was there that all the big-bellied round scad being sold came from this place. The product would be easy to trace and easy to withdraw from the market.]

This practice, he said, will let consumers gain access to and control of the components of a product being distributed in the market.

The QR code will also lead you to the website of the manufacturer as well as a link for recipes that would suggest how you may want to cook or prepare the product, he explained. Aside from this, the code could also show calorie count and nutritional value of a product.

“In essence, the QR code gives more information, unlike the black-and-white straight-line barcode,” Claudio said.

According to the PRA chief, because of these features, consumers can appreciate more the products they would purchase.

Cottage industry

HOWEVER, Claudio acknowledged that the adoption of the global QR code system may be difficult for micro-scale, small and mediumsized enterprises (MSMEs).

The system could mean added cost, “pero kaunti lang‘yan [it’s minimal].”

“It’s just that [those in the] cottage industry; [those who make] jams, bagoong [anchovies] or pastillas [milk-based confections] in the provinces, wala silang [they don’t have a] barcode,” Claudio said.

It’s also worth noting that there will be a new scanner, which can read both 1D and 2D codes, that would be sold in the market.

According to Claudio, producers or manufacturers are required to have a number as the GS1 Barcode would become an international standard.

He said the number assigned to the Philippines is 480 and, hence, would inform the buyer that a product that starts with that number is registered in the Philippines. However, the number does not necessarily mean that a product was made in the Philippines.

The next four digits, meanwhile, is the company code.

According to Claudio, the PRA expects the new QR code system would further expand the whole channel of distribution in the Philippines “and even in the whole world.”

Landbank-financed Batangas hog farm boosts local pork production

LIPA, Batangas—Spouses Jerome and Anna Trofeo were having trouble sourcing healthy hogs to meet their customers’ requirements two years ago, with the African Swine Fever significantly affecting hog growers nationwide.

Determined to keep their “Annie & Jerome Trofeo” meat stall running, Anna decided to expand their business and establish their own commercial swine farm.

The couple turned to the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) for financial assistance to make the business pivot that actually paid off.

Landbank approved a P24-million loan line to finance the requirements of their AJ Piggery Farm, under the bank’s “Special Window and Interim Support to Nurture Hog

Enterprises,” or “Swine,” lending program.

Of the total amount, P20 million financed the construction of three piggery buildings to separately house nursery, farrowing and gestation pens, as well as support facilities that include an office and staff quarters.

The loan also covered the construction of a manure lagoon and waste water treatment facility to minimize the environmental impact of the farm, while the remaining P4 million financed the acquisition of young female hogs for breeding.

With the opening of AJ Piggery Farm, the couple’s meat stall is able to sell around 900 kilograms of pork per day to accommodate the demand of meat retailers.

The stall is also able to supply around

1,650 kilograms of pork per week to two (2) local supermarkets in Laguna and Batangas, thereby increasing the meat shop’s income to around P0.5 million to P0.6 million per month from the previous P0.3 million.

Landbank said it has approved a total of P8.05 billion in loans to 36 borrowers under the “Swine” facility as of end-June 2023.

The loans financed projects for swine production, including the purchase of hogs and feeds, construction and expansion of facilities such as piggery buildings, and working capital, among others. Commercial hog raisers registered as cooperatives or farmers’ associations, small and medium enterprises and large enterprises or corporations may borrow up to 80 percent of the total project.

THIS undated photo courtesy of the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) shows piggery farm co-owner Jerome Trofeo with his livestock. According to the Landbank, a P24-million loan line it opened allowed Jerome and spouse Anna to establish a commercial hog farm. LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES (LANDBANK)

Govt to traders: Stop hoarding red onions

By Raadee S. Sausa @raadeeboy

THE government is appealing to traders to refrain from hoarding red onions as this can lead to an artificial shortage and higher onion prices.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Rex Estoperez also said the government would be forced to import onions if traders will not release their stocks.

“If the red onions will not be released from cold storages, that will be to their [traders] disadvantage,” he told reporters in an interview.

“They should not force us to import red onions as it is detrimental to them. We are appealing to traders to cooperate with the government.”

Estoperez said the government does not want to see another spike in onion retail prices, similar to what happened in December last year, when red onions were sold for as much as P720 per kilo.

“We will not allow that [P720 per kilo of onions] to happen. Last time, the traders promised to release their inventory but it did not happen and even caused the delay in the importation.” He also said the government

would have to allow the importation of white onions because of the increasing demand for it among restaurants and institutional buyers.

Based on the inventory of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), the country’s stock for white onions would only last for 30 days.

Stocks of red onions in cold storage facilities are good for 100 days, according to BPI.

BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban said at least 4,000 metric tons (MT) of imported white onions are expected to arrive in the country next week.

Estoperez said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. must issue a special order for the importation of onions.

Furthermore, Estoperez said “there is no need for President

Rice planters told to enlist in RSBSA to receive seeds

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) is urging farmers to enlist in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) to obtain certified seeds through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

Citing a report from the International Rice Research Institute ( IRRI ), the DA said the RCEF budget allocation was evaluated based on the results from the quantitative and qualitative assessments using four criteria: quantitative impact on yield, inclusivity of the component, budget utilization and efficiency in achieving stated targets.

“The seeds component has high marks on all four criteria, which suggests overall efficiency of the program in meeting its goals and relevance for the individual farmers,” the DA said.

“However, many farmers who could be recipients of CS [certified seeds] are not yet registered in the RSBSA during the period covered in the evaluation.”

The Philippine Rice Research

Institute (PhilRice) has confirmed that 3 percent to 5 percent of farmers had experienced late delivery of CS based on surveys that were echoed by focused group discussions and key informant interviews.

The midterm evaluation as of July also brought up the need to establish a mechanism to identify locations where delivery is late, followed by synchronization of the timing of seed delivery with the cropping calendar in areas where late seed delivery was experienced, the DA said.

The agency noted that RCEF was designed to improve the competitiveness of rice production in the Philippines to increase the income of farmers.

Central to current efforts in promoting the competitiveness of rice farming is the creation of the RCEF made through the passage of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) in March 2019.

Section 13b. of Republic Act (RA) 11203 creating RCEF provides that PhilRice use 30 percent of the RCEF

[Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr.] or DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban to issue a special order for the importation of more white onions.”

“We are doing this [importation] to sustain the current retail prices and prevent prices from spiking again.”

Meanwhile, the DA said it is targeting to sell smuggled sugar in Kadiwa stores before the end of the third quarter.

“December is already far away. Ideally we are targeting within [the third] quarter,” Estoperez said.

“We have already memorandum of agreement [MOA] signing that’s 4,000 MT of confiscated sugar, but it has to be subjected to testing by the SRA [Sugar Regulatory Authority].”

(P3 billion) to implement the development, propagation and promotion of certified inbred rice seeds to rice farmers and the organization of rice farmers into seed grower associations/cooperatives engaged in seed production and trade.

IRRI said since the RCEF implementation in 2019, rice supply has become more stable with record production of 19.96 million tons (palay terms) in 2021.

“Rice production slightly declined in 2022 with 19.76 million tons, but this level is still much higher than rice output in the first two years of the RCEF program.”

The DA said the midterm evaluation noted that rice yield went up to 4.11 tons per hectare in 2022 from 4.04 tons per hectare in 2019.

“Domestic rice production is also complemented by imports with an average volume of 3 million tons [milled terms] over the period 2019 to 2022.”

Besides improvements in national rice output, prices of milled rice “declined much more rapidly following the RTL.”

The DA said this enabled the country to compete with prices in its rice producing neighbors like Thailand and Vietnam. Raadee S. Sausa

China faces early attack from crop pests

CHINA’S farmers are facing an earlier than expected assault on their crops this year as extreme weather accelerates the spread and growth of destructive diseases and pests such as the dreaded fall armyworm.

At risk are key crops including corn and rice, a globally important food staple that’s already seeing threats to supply elsewhere in Asia. China is the world’s biggest producer and importer of the grain that feeds billions.

Plant pests that ravage crops are becoming more destructive and posing a bigger threat to the world’s food security due to climate change, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, a UN agency. China’s government said heavy rains and winds, including those whipped up recently by deadly Typhoon Doksuri, have helped with the migration of insects and spread of disease.

Insects that devour rice paddies and corn fields have appeared earlier in major growing regions in China’s north and south this year, according to a unit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Along with the recent rains and flooding, warmer weather has also aided the spread of pests.

“More extreme weather events, brought on by climate change, have a significant impact on migration and occurrence of crop diseases and insects,” said Hu Gao, a professor at Nanjing Agricultural University.

“It’s getting harder to predict, as the incursion has become a bit irregular.”

Hu’s key focus is the planthopper and leaf roller, two common invaders of rice paddies.

He says the occurrence of the insects in southern China—where most of the nation’s crop is grown—is more severe than the past few years, although he added that the impact on production is so far limited.

Any significant damage to rice output would likely place additional strain on the global market should China need to import more. Prices in Asia jumped to the highest level in almost 15 years this week on supply issues.

Each year, plant diseases cost the global economy over $220 billion and insects at least $70 billion, according to the FAO. As much as 40 percent of the world’s crops are lost to plant pests, the UN agency said.

Fall armyworm has been detected in 20 provinces in China so far in 2023, and has appeared in the nation’s major growing

region in the north earlier than previous years, the government said. However, state-run Beijing News reported that control measures have prevented most of the insects from crossing the Yangtze river, reducing the impact on crops.

Corn rust, a fungal pathogen that can kill plants, is also causing headaches.

“It just started to emerge,” said Song Quanyong, a farmer in the central province of Henan.“In previous years, it would come much later, near harvest time. All I can do is spray some pesticide and try to control its spread. Fall armyworm is here too, but not much.”

The crop in Henan is typically harvested around October, meaning the earlier arrival of corn rust leaves plants more susceptible to damage. The province accounted for almost 8 percent of the national harvest in 2021.

China is bracing for more extreme weather following the heavy rains caused by Typhoon Doksuri, which destroyed some crops in the northeast, known as the nation’s grain basket. Remnants of another storm—Khanun—is set to lash the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia region. Bloomberg News

PHOTO BY NONOY LACZA

The World

Russia downs 20 drones over Crimea following spate of attacks on Moscow

By Susie Blann The Associated Press

By Claire Rush, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher & Beatrice Dupuy The Associated Press

LAHAINA , Hawaii—As the death toll from a wildfire that razed a historic Maui town reached 89, authorities warned Saturday that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. It’s already the deadliest US wildfire for over a century.

Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said.

Editor: Angel R. Calso

found the bones of his 68-year-old friend in the back seat of his car, lying on top of the remains of the Bogars’ beloved 3-year-old golden retriever Sam, whom he had tried to protect.

Trejos, a native of Costa Rica, had lived for years with Bogar and his wife, Shannon Weber-Bogar, helping her with her seizures when her husband couldn’t. He filled their lives with love and laughter.

“God took a really good man,” Weber-Bogar said.

Fourteen drones were shot down by Russian air defenses and a further six were jammed electronically, the ministry said in a Telegram post. No casualties or damage were reported.

Kyiv officials neither confirmed nor denied Ukraine’s involvement in the attacks.

As videos circulated on Russian social media Saturday appearing to show smoke rising above a bridge linking Russia to Crimea, the annexed peninsula’s Moscow-appointed go vernor, Sergei Aksyonov, reported that Russian air defense had also prevented an attack there by shooting d own two Ukrainian missiles. The bridge was not damaged, he said, although traffic was briefly halted. An adviser to Aksyonov, Oleg Kryuchkov, claimed that “a smoke screen was put up by special services.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry “strongly condemned” the attempted attack o n the Crimean bridge. The ministry said in a statement that such “barbaric actions” by the Armed Forces o f Ukraine “will not go unanswered.”

Shortly after reporting the downing of the two Ukrainian missiles, A ksyonov said Russian air defense had shot down another missile over the Kerch Strait.

The bridge connecting Crimea and

Russia across the Kerch Strait carries heavy significance for Moscow, both logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for military and civilian supplies and as an assertion of K remlin control of the peninsula it illegally annexed in 2014.

Last week, a Ukrainian sea drone hit a Russian tanker near the bridge, while an attack on the bridge last month killed a couple and seriously wounded their daughter, leaving a span of the roadway hanging perilously. The damage appeared to be less s evere than that caused by an assault in October, but it again highlighted the bridge’s vulnerability.

The attempted drone and missile attacks follow three consecutive d ays of drone attacks on the Russian capital, Moscow. Firing drones at Russia, after more than 17 months of war, has little apparent military value for Ukraine but the strategy has served to unsettle Russians and bring home to them the conflict’s consequences.

Drone attacks have increased in recent weeks both on Moscow and on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014—a move that most of the world considered illegal.

Elsewhere, Russia claimed Saturday it had regained control of the

Western forces warn shippers to stay away from Iran waters

By Jon Gambrell The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Western-backed maritime forces in the Middle

E ast on Saturday warned shippers traveling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz to stay as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible to avoid being seized, a stark advisory amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US.

A similar warning went out to shippers earlier this year ahead of Iran seizing two tankers traveling near the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes.

While Iran and the US now near an apparent deal that would see billions of Iranian assets held in South K orea unfrozen in exchange for the release of five Iranian-Americans detained in Tehran, the warning shows that the tensions remain high at sea. Already, the US is exploring plans to put armed troops on commercial ships in the strait to deter I ran amid a buildup of troops, ships and aircraft in the region.

US Navy Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the Mideast-based 5th Fleet, acknowledged the warning had been given, but declined to d iscuss specifics about it.

A US-backed maritime group called the International Maritime Security Construct “is notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimize the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to de-escalate,” Hawkins said. “Vessels are b eing advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible.”

Separately, a European Unionled maritime organization watching

Police and emergency vehicles parked at the side of the wreckage of the drone that fell near the Karamyshevskaya embankment after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia on Friday, August 11, 2023. The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, said a drone fell in western Moscow after it was shot down by air defense systems. Sobyanin said no one was hurt when the drone fell near Karamyshevskaya embankment and that no serious damage was caused. Russian social media channels shared videos of what they said was a drone flying low above Moscow and of smoke rising above the Moscow River. AP Photo

v illage of Urozhaine in Ukraine’s easternmost Luhansk region in an overnight counterattack.

A 73-year-old woman was killed early Saturday morning in Russian shelling of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, according to regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov.

Ukrainian internal affairs minister Ihor Klymenko said a police officer w as killed and 12 people wounded when a guided Russian aerial bomb hit the city of Orikhiv in Ukraine’s partially occupied southern Zaporizhzhia region. Four of the wounded w ere also police officers, he said.

In the neighboring Kherson province, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said that two people were wounded i n Russian attacks on Saturday. A 70-year-old was wounded when a shell hit a residential building in the village of Ponyativka, while a man, 72, was hurt when a drone dropped explosives on the village of Odradokamyanka.

A 70-year-old man was wounded when a shell hit a residential building

By Riazat Butt

The Associated Press

shipping in the strait has “warned of a possibility of an attack on a merchant vessel of unknown flag in the S trait of Hormuz in the next 12 to 72 hours,” said private intelligence firm Ambrey.

“Previously, after a similar warning was issued, a merchant vessel was s eized by Iranian authorities under a false pretext,” the firm warned.

The EU-led mission, called the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency cited this AP report without quoting any Iranian officials about it. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request f or comment.

The Strait of Hormuz is in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, which at its narrowest point is just 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide. The width of the shipping lane in either direction is only 3 kilometers (2 miles).

A nything affecting it ripples through global energy markets, potentially raising the price of crude oil. That then trickles down to consumers through what they pay for gasoline and other oil products.

There has been a wave of attacks on ships attributed to Iran since 2019, following the Trump administration unilaterally withdrawing

A merica from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposing crushing sanctions on Tehran.

T hose assaults resumed in late April, when Iran seized a ship carrying oil for Chevron Corp. and another tanker called the Niovi in May.

T he taking of the two tankers in under a week comes as the Marshall Island-flagged Suez Rajan sits off Houston, likely waiting to offload sanctioned Iranian oil apparently seized by the US.

KABUL, Afghanistan—Afghanistan’s universities are ready to readmit female students, but the ruling Taliban’s leader has the ultimate say on when that might happen—if it happens at all, an education official said Saturday.

The Taliban barred women from campuses last December, triggering global outrage. Girls had been banned from school beyond sixth grade soon after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Afghanistan is the only country in the world with bans on female education.

Afghanistan’s higher education minister, Nida Mohammed Nadim, said at the time the university ban was necessary to prevent the mixing of genders and because he believed some subjects being taught violated the principles of Islam.

He said the ban, issued from the southern city of Kandahar by the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, was in place until further notice.

An adviser at the Higher Education Ministry, Molvi Abdul Jabbar, said universities were ready to readmit female students as soon as Akhundzada gives the order for the ban to be lifted. He was unable to say when or if that would happen.

Akhundzada “ordered that the universities be closed, so they closed,” he told The Associated Press. “When he says they are open, they will open the same day. All our leaders are in favor of (restarting girls’ education), even our ministers are in favor of it.”

Jabbar said he last met Akhundzada seven or eight years ago. He fought alongside him against the Russians during the 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan and has been part of the Taliban for 27 years.

“It is only because of our obedience

in the village of Ponyativka. Local officials said explosions rang out Saturday morning in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, but that there w ere no known casualties.

On Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, the city of Odesa opened several beaches for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Odesa Gov. Oleh Kiper said that six beaches were open, but he stressed that accessing beaches during air raid alerts was forbidden.

The strategic port and key hub for exporting grain has been subject to repeated missile and drone a ttacks—particularly since Moscow canceled a landmark grain deal last month amid Kyiv’s grinding efforts to retake its occupied territories— while Russian mines have regularly washed up on the city’s beaches. Associated Press writer Elise Morton in London c ontributed to this report.

“We’ve got an area that we have to contain that is at least 5 square miles and it is full of our loved ones,” noting that the death toll is likely to grow and “none of us really know the size of it yet.”

He spoke as federal emergency workers picked through the ashen moonscape left by the fire that razed the centuries-old town of Lahaina. Teams marked the ruins of homes with a bright orange X to record an initial search, and HR when they found human remains.

Pelletier said identifying the dead is extremely challenging because “we pick up the remains and they fall apart ... When we find our family and our friends, the remains that we’re finding is through a fire that melted metal.” Two people have been identified so far, he said.

Dogs worked the rubble, and their occasional bark—used to alert their handlers to a possible corpse—echoed over the hot and colorless landscape.

“It will certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced,” Gov. Josh Green remarked Saturday as he toured the devastation on historic Front Street. “We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them health care, and then turn to rebuilding.”

At least 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed in West Maui, Green said, of which 86% were residential. Across the island, he added, damage was estimated at close to $6 billion. He said it would take “an incredible amount of time” to recover.”

At least two other fires have been burning on Maui, with no fatalities reported thus far: in south Maui’s Kihei area and in the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry. A fourth broke out Friday evening in Kaanapali, a coastal community north of Lahaina, but crews were able to extinguish it, authorities said.

Green said the Upcountry fire had affected 544 structures, of which 96% were residential.

The newly released death toll surpassed the toll of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California, which left 85 dead and destroyed the town of Paradise. A century earlier, the 1918 Cloquet Fire broke out in drought-stricken northern Minnesota and raced through a number of rural communities, destroying thousands of homes and killing hundreds.

The wildfires are the state’s deadliest natural disaster in decades, surpassing a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people. An even deadlier tsunami in 1946, which killed more than 150 on the Big Island, prompted development of a territory-wide emergency alert system with sirens that are tested monthly.

Hawaii emergency management records do not indicate the warning sirens sounded before fire hit the town. Officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations, but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.

Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, the wildfires on Maui raced through parched brush covering the island.

“It outpaced anything firefighters could have done in the early hours,” US Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell said, adding that it moved horizontally, structure to structure and “incredibly fast.”

“It was a low-to-the-ground fire. It was grass-fed by all evidence that we could observe today,” she said.

The most serious blaze swept into Lahaina on Tuesday and destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000, leaving a grid of gray rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes.

Maui water officials warned Lahaina and Kula residents not to drink running water, which may be contaminated even after boiling, and to only take short, lukewarm showers in well-ventilated rooms to avoid possible chemical vapor exposure.

Maui’s firefighting efforts may have been hampered by limited staff and equipment.

(to Akhundzada) that we are following his orders,” he said.

His comments are another sign of diverging opinions within the Taliban about the decision-making process and Akhundzada’s edicts, with chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid moving quickly to reject reports of division. They also show the authority that Akhundzada wields over the Taliban.

Minister Nadim had presented the ban as a temporary measure while solutions were found to fix issues around gender segregation, course material and dress codes. He said universities would reopen for women once they were resolved.

The Taliban made similar promises about high school access for girls, saying classes would resume for them once “technical issues” around uniforms and transport were sorted out, but girls are still shut out of classrooms.

Jabbar said the education sector was as it was before.

“Everything is ready in advance, whether it’s school or university studies. It may be that the (start) times are different, boys in the morning and in the afternoon there will be girls. Or there will be girls in the morning and boys in the afternoon.”

Emergency managers in Maui were searching for places to house people displaced from their homes. As many as 4,500 people are in need of shelter, county officials said on Facebook early Saturday, citing figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center.

He encouraged those with missing family members to go to the family assistance center.

“We need you to do the DNA test. We need to identify your loved ones,” Pelletier said.

Those who escaped counted their blessings, thankful to be alive as they mourned those who didn’t make it.

Retired fire captain Geoff Bogar and his friend of 35 years, Franklin Trejos, initially stayed behind to help others in Lahaina and save Bogar’s house. But as the flames moved closer and closer Tuesday afternoon, they knew they had to get out. Each escaped to his own car. When Bogar’s wouldn’t start, he broke through a window to get out, and then crawled on the ground until a police patrol found him and brought him to a hospital.

Trejos wasn’t as lucky. When Bogar returned the next day, he

Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association, said there are a maximum of 65 county firefighters working at any given time, who are responsible for three islands: Maui, Molokai and Lanai. Green said officials will review policies and procedures to improve safety.

“People have asked why we are reviewing what’s going on and it’s because the world has changed. A storm now can be a hurricane-fire or a fire-hurricane,” he said. “That’s what we experienced, that’s why we’re looking into these policies, to find out how we can best protect our people.”

Lahaina resident Riley Curran said he doubted that county officials could have done more, given the speed of the onrushing flames. He fled his Front Street home after seeing the oncoming fire from the roof of a neighboring building.

“It’s not that people didn’t try to do anything,” Curran said. “The fire went from zero to 100.” Kelleher reported from Honolulu, and Dupuy reported from New York. Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho; Andrew Selsky in Bend, Oregon; Bobby Caina Calvan in New York; Audrey McAvoy in Wailuku, Hawaii; Ty O’Neil in Lahaina, Hawaii; and Lisa J. Adams Wagner in Evans, Georgia contributed to

KYIV, Ukraine—Russia thwarted an attack by 20 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

AF g h AniS TAn’S higher education minister nida Mohammed nadim is interviewed on Saturday, August 12, 2023, in Kabul, Afghanistan. nadim says universities are ready to welcome back female students but the Taliban supreme leader has to give the order for their return. The Taliban barred

women from campuses last December, triggering global outrage. AP Photo/ Siddiqull A h Aliz A

Afghan universities ready to readmit women with Taliban leader’s approval

Maui death toll reaches 89; effort to count the losses is just starting

Thai poll winner faces dilemma over support for tycoon’s PM bid

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat

A new coalition that’s being formed by Pheu Thai Party plans to nominate property tycoon Srettha Thavisin as its choice for prime minister. Voting against Srettha risks pushing Pheu Thai toward conservative adversaries and pro-royalist senators, who thwarted Move Forward’s efforts to form a government under Pita Limjaroenrat.

Move Forward’s lawmakers are gauging the mood among its supporters — largely urban and young voters — to decide its strategy. While Pita has said the party is in no hurry to decide, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, a co-founder of disbanded predecessor Future Forward Party, said Move Forward should unequivocally state its resolve to sit in the opposition and rule out support for Pheu Thai’s coalition.

“Move Forward will likely upset many of its supporters if they vote for a Pheu Thai premier candidate who will lead a reconciliation pact with conservatives,” said Peter Mumford, Southeast Asia practice head at consultancy Eurasia Group.

A policy paralysis has hurt investor confidence in Thailand, which has been under a caretaker government since March with no major powers. Political parties are now under pressure to end the post-election stalemate and tackle economic issues such as a fragile economic recovery, high household debt and dwindling disposable income.

Move Forward was the frontrunner to run the government in the weeks after the May 14 election and now risks being relegated to the opposition, largely due to its unwillingness to back down from a pledge to amend royal insult laws and other platforms that may hurt pro-military business elites.

Pheu Thai has made an outreach for support and calls for reconciliation among political parties, citing the best interests for the nation.

Move Forward’s decision could potentially determine the shape of Pheu Thai’s coalition as promilitary parties and senators have yet to back the alliance.

Pheu Thai’s new alliance is well

short of the majority in the two chambers of parliament, which together have 750 members and will decide who becomes the prime minister. The coalition had the support of 238 lawmakers as of Thursday, 13 short of the majority in the elected House of Representatives.

Move Forward’s 151 lawmakers can effectively seal Srettha’s win even without the support of the senators or military-aligned groups.

Pheu Thai, backed by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s family, is pushing for what it calls a reconciliatory government with the support of parties from across the ideological divide. The party said it’s time to put behind decades of color-coded politics—red for Shinawatra supporters and yellow for their royalist opponents—and focus on measures to revive the economy.

Thaksin’s plan to return to Thailand from 15 years of self-imposed exile is also seen weighing on Pheu Thai’s government formation. It potentially raises the necessity to

Opposition fails to alter status quo in malaysian state elections

By Eileen Ng The Associated Press

broker deals with military-backed parties who represent the establishment to ensure his safe homecoming and the likelihood of receiving a royal pardon, said Napon Jatusripitak, a visiting fellow at the ISEASYusof Ishak Institute.

That too leaves Pheu Thai in a dilemma, as it needs to decide if it should align with the militaryaffiliated parties despite having other options, Napon said.

“Pheu Thai is not counting on Move Forward’s support and seems to have ventured quite far down the ‘dark side’ already,” said Napon.

“The actual challenge for Pheu Thai lies in the fact that certain options might significantly damage its reputation as a pro-democracy party, even if they lead it to power, or grant Thaksin a safe passage home.”

Though Southeast Asia’s secondlargest economy is poised to expand more than 3% this year due to a rebound in tourism and private consumption, it faces headwinds from sluggish global demand for its goods and rising borrowing costs.

Investors are also concerned the delay in forming a government may push back state budget approvals and public spending.

Srettha sees the formation of a government at the earliest as a solution to urgent economic problems facing Thailand, and doesn’t rule out an alliance with militarybacked parties.

“We need to be realistic,” he told reporters late on Friday. “We need a new government. To solve Thailand’s problems, it’s imperative that Pheu Thai leads the government.”  Bloomberg News

AP gets rare glimpse of jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy news publisher Jimmy

By Louise Delmotte

The Associated Press

By Lisa Du

THE U S and Japan are expected to announce an agreement to jointly develop missile interceptors for hypersonic weapons when the leaders of the two nations meet later this week, the Yomiuri reported, citing several people in government.

US President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon SukYeol for a summit on August 18. Biden will also meet with Kishida separately and one of the issues on which they are expected to reach agreement is the collaboration on missile interceptors, the Yomiuri said.

The US and Japan will aim to develop the new missile defense system within 10 years, according to the report.

China and Russia have both made advancements in the development of hypersonic weapons, and the US Defense Intelligence Agency said in March that China may have already deployed a weapon capable of hitting American bases in the Pacific.

The US and Japan earlier this year said they plan to strengthen defense cooperation on land, at sea and in space on growing concern about the challenge posed by China and its ties with Russia. Bloomberg News

HONG KONG—Jimmy Lai, a former newspaper publisher and one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, spends around 23 hours a day in solitary confinement in a maximum-security facility while he awaits a trial that could send him to prison for life.

In exclusive photos taken by The Associated Press in recent weeks, the 75-year-old Lai can be seen with a book in his hands wearing shorts and sandals and accompanied by two guards at Stanley Prison. He looks thinner than when he was last photographed in February 2021.

Lai is allowed out for 50 minutes a day to exercise. Unlike most other inmates, who play football or exercise in groups, Lai walks alone in what appears to be a 5-by-10-meter (16-by-30-foot) enclosure surrounded by barbed wire under Hong Kong’s punishing summer sun before returning to his unairconditioned cell in the prison.

The publisher of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, Lai disappeared from public view in December 2020 following his arrest under a security law imposed by Beijing to crush a massive prodemocracy movement that started in 2019 and brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets. More than 250 activists have been arrested under the security law and vanished into the Hong Kong legal system.

Photographers used to be able to catch a glimpse of activists in remand at another detention center in Lai Chi Kok as they were taken to and from court. Authorities started blocking this view in 2021 by making the detainees walk through a covered pathway.

In a separate case, an appeals court is due to rule Monday on a challenge that Lai and six other activists have had filed against their conviction and sentencing on charges of organizing and taking part in an unauthorized assembly nearly four years ago. The others are Lee Cheuk-yan, Margaret Ng, Leung Kwok-hung, Cyd Ho, Albert Ho and Martin Lee.

Lai, a British national, is accused of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring to call for sanctions or blockades against Hong Kong or China. He also faces a charge of conspiracy to print seditious publications under a colonial-era law increasingly used to crush dissent.

He was scheduled to go on trial last December, but it was postponed to September while the Hong Kong government appealed to Beijing to block his attempt to hire a British defense lawyer.

“My father is in prison because he spoke truth to power for decades,” Lai’s son, Sebastien, said in a May statement to a US government

panel, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

“He is still speaking truth to power and refusing to be silenced, even though he has lost everything and he may die in prison,” Sebastien Lai said. “I am very proud to be his son.”

Lai is allowed two 30-minute visits by relatives or friends each month. They are separated by glass and communicate by phone.

In a separate case, he was sentenced in December to almost six years in prison on fraud charges.

In May, a court rejected Lai’s bid to halt his security trial on grounds that it was being heard by judges picked by Hong Kong’s leader. That is a departure from the common law tradition China promised to preserve for 50 years after the former British colony returned to China in 1997.

Lai, who suffers from diabetes and was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2021 while in detention, is treated as a Category A prisoner, a status for inmates who have committed the most serious crimes such as murder.

KUALA

LUMPUR,

Malaysia— Malaysian state elections

Saturday ended in a return to the political status quo, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government and the Islamist opposition both retaining control of three states each as widely expected.

The Election Commission announced that Anwar’s multi-coalition government triumphed in Selangor and Penang, two of the country’s richest states, as well as Negeri Sembilan. It said the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) bloc, which includes the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), captured three poorer Malay heartland states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu in the north.

Analysts said the outcome lifted some of the pressure on Anwar and would boost the stability of his nascent government. But it will still be challenging as the PN bloc, led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, made inroads in the three government-held states and a nearly clean sweep of seats in its three states. Of the 245 seats contested, PN swept 146 compared to 99 by Anwar’s government.

Anwar said his federal government remained stable and strong and urged all sides to accept the people’s decision. “This is the time for everyone, for all the parties, whether they win or lose, to work together to protect national peace, raise the dignity of the country and concentrate on developing Malaysia,” he told a news conference.

But Muhyiddin said the people had rejected Anwar’s unity government as his opposition bloc won 60 percent of the total assembly seats. “It is a clear sign that the people want change,” he said, adding that Anwar must take moral responsibility and resign.

The polls are widely viewed as an early referendum both on Anwar’s leadership and the strength of the Islamist opposition after a divisive general election in November.

Anwar has zig-zagged across the country pitching the appeal of political stability and his concept of a progressive government,

even marking his 76th birthday on Thursday by giving fiery speeches late into the night at political rallies. He said a win for his unity government would save the country from racial and religious bigotry, and appealed for time for his government to deliver on its promises for reforms.

“The status quo result is a huge relief to Anwar and his government. He would have been in real political trouble had he lost one of the three states under his coalition. Now he has some room to undertake real reforms,” said James Chin, professor of Asian studies at Australia’s University of Tasmania.

Malaysia’s politics were thrown into disarray after November’s general election led to an unprecedented hung Parliament. Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance won the most seats but failed to win a majority after many ethnic Malays threw their support behind the PN bloc and PAS emerged as the largest single party in Parliament.

At the behest of the king, rival parties came together to form Anwar’s unity government. The support of the once-dominant United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and other smaller parties gave Anwar a two-thirds majority in Parliament, but analysts say this loose alliance is perceived as unstable and needs stronger support from the Malay majority.

Many in the Malay community view Anwar as too liberal. They fear their Islamic identity and economic privileges under a decades-old affirmative action program could be chipped away. By law, all Malays are Muslims and Islam is the official religion in Malaysia. Malays make up over 2/3 of Malaysia’s 33 million people, with large Chinese and Indian minorities.

The rise of PAS, which espouses a theocratic state and has long positioned itself as a defender of Islam and Malays, partly reflected a growing religious conservatism. Despite a poor economic track record in the three states it rules, PAS retained loyalty through its religious agenda. PAS hardline leader Abdul Hadi Awang has earlier said that the opposition can topple Anwar’s government if it sweeps all six states.

PLUM, Pa.—Four people were dead and a fifth was unaccounted for following a house explosion in western Pennsylvania that destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others Saturday morning, authorities said.

Allegheny County officials said three people were taken to hospitals after the blast shortly before 10:30 a.m. in the borough of Plum, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh.

Three people were transported to area hospitals, including one who was listed in critical condition and two who were treated and released. More than 20 firefighters were evaluated, many for heat exhaustion, authorities said.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office was expected to provide additional information about the deceased victims.

Emergency officials suspended operations Saturday night due to weather and concern for the safety of investigators. Crews were expected to resume working at the site on Sunday morning.

Emergency responders reported people trapped under debris after one house apparently exploded and two others were engulfed in flames, county spokesperson Amie Downs said.

Crews from at least 18 fire departments worked to douse the flames with the help of water tank -

ers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, Downs said. Officials told reporters at the scene they did not know exactly who was at home and who may have h ad visitors at the time of the explosion, so they could not provide an exact number of people considered missing.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by Plum and county law enforcement and the county fire marshal’s office. The state public utilities commission and local utilities also were at the scene.

George Emanuele, who lives three houses down from the home that exploded, told the TribuneReview that he and a neighbor went to the home before the fire got out of control, where they found a man laying in the backyard and dragged him away from the scene.

Rafal Kolankowski, who lives a few houses away, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the explosion broke the windows in his house and knocked him and his wife to the ground.

After recovering and checking on his son, Kolankowski went outside and a woman told him another woman had been upstairs and a man was in the basement. The other woman later emerged covered in white ash, but the individual in the basement had not yet exited, he said. AP

Move Forward Party, the surprise winner in Thailand’s May election, is in a quandary over whether to back or oppose a former ally’s candidate for prime minister after its own leader was rejected in his bids for the position.

US, Japan set to announce pact on missile interceptors:

4 people dead after explosion destroys 3 structures in western Pennsylvania

editorial

Tell me what China wants; what it really, really wants

WhaT China wants, China gets. That’s a fallacious statement and a preposterous idea. But we need to know what China wants in the South China Sea (SCS) to understand the reason behind its persistent bullying in waters that are clearly within our exclusive economic zone.

Experts said China’s interests in the SCS can be understood along three categories: Economic, military, and national security. Economically, full control of the South China Sea would allow China sole access to about 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 11 billion barrels of oil.

China claims about 90 percent of the SCS, one of the world’s most commercially vital waterways, as its sovereign possession. President Xi Jinping said there is no room for compromise on this issue. “We cannot lose even one inch of the territory left behind by our ancestors,” Xi told then-US Secretary of Defense James Mattis in 2018.

China’s broadest objectives include achieving reunification with Taiwan; building a prosperous society and a modern socialist country; defending territories in the nine-dash line area; and flipping the global hierarchy by controlling the rules.

From its broad goals, concrete objectives regarding the South China Sea and Southeast Asia can be gleaned from official statements or deduced from China’s actions. These include: Control of claimed territory and prevention of rival claimants from accessing disputed areas; increased control over the airspace of the South China Sea to overwhelm regional militaries (including those of other claimant states); control of resources within the nine-dash line through bullying and intimidation.

China is also seeking to legitimize policies at home and abroad, and delegitimize unfavorable rules, including the Arbitral Tribunal’s ruling invalidating China’s nine-dash line claim.

The Asian giant is also trying to increase its influence over regional neighbors’ key policies and decrease the influence of others (particularly the US) over those neighbors. In 2010, then-Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told 10 Southeast Asian countries that “China is a big country and you are small countries, and that is a fact.”

Since 2013 China has scaled up land reclamation and construction of facilities on and around several disputed islands, including ports that could accommodate combat ships, runways, aircraft hangars, and radar for military use. The plan is to expand its military control over the South China Sea and Southeast Asia.

In their book, Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China, Hal Brands and Michael Beckley described China’s grand ambitions. They said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is undertaking an epic project to rewrite the rules of global order in Asia and far beyond. “China doesn’t want to be a superpower— one pole of many in the international system. It wants to be the superpower —the geopolitical sun around which the system revolves,” the authors said.

They added: “That ambition is hard to miss in what CCP officials are saying. It is even more obvious in what the CCP is doing, from its world-beating naval shipbuilding program to its effort to remake the strategic geography of Eurasia. China’s grand strategy involves pursuing objectives close to home, such as cementing the CCP’s hold on power and reclaiming bits of China that were ripped away when the country was weak. It also includes more expansive goals, such as carving out a regional sphere of influence and contesting American power on a global scale.”

From TIME Magazine, August 8, 2023: “Experts say that China appears to be baiting a military response from opposing claimants in the South China Sea [or their allies] that would trigger an even more dangerous but legally justifiable use of force on its part, but so far none of the nations involved have militarily engaged with China over the issue. The Philippines has repeatedly pursued diplomatic pathways to file its grievances, including summoning the Chinese ambassador over the incident on Monday. Short of military escalation, however, experts say China appears to be discerning more and more of what it can get away with—and isn’t likely to stop antagonizing its neighbors.”

“Empires have no interest in operating within an international system,” writes former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in his book Diplomacy, “they aspire to be the international system.” The Danger Zone authors said that’s the ultimate ambition of Chinese statecraft today.

World domination is what a cosmocrat really, really wants.

Our economy in the first half of 2023

RISING SUN

LaST week, our economic managers released a joint statement on the country’s economic performance for Q2 2023. and while they recognize that the economic environment will still be quite challenging for the remaining months of the year up to 2024, they are also optimistic about the Philippines’ overall economic performance. They also mentioned that since we were able to surmount the challenges caused by the pandemic, we are now better equipped to face both external and domestic risks and challenges.

Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) report, the country’s GDP for Q2 2023 expanded by 4.3 percent, which brought our GDP growth to 5.3 percent for the first half of 2023. Remember that our target growth rate is 6-7 percent, which means that GDP still needs to grow by at least 6.6 percent in the third and fourth quarters of this year.

Our economic growth from January to June 2023 was mainly due to high employment levels, the tourism sector picking up from a long slack, our students’ return to the classrooms, and the increase in new investment registrations.

managers said. The implementation of government programs and projects will be expedited from hereon, with the agencies being instructed to formulate catch-up plans and to frontload the implementation of their programs.

Our economic growth from January to June 2023 was mainly due to high employment levels, the tourism sector picking up from a long slack, our students’ return to the classrooms, and the increase in new investment registrations.

Government spending decreased by 7.1 percent in the first semester of 2023, but this will accelerate in the coming months, the economic

As there have been typhoons and flooding in some areas of the country recently, the use of our Quick Response Fund and other disasterrelated budgetary instruments is advised. Fiscal stimulus activities are also underway to increase the productive capacities of both the public and private sectors.

As far as inflation is concerned, we know it has been decelerating these past months, reaching 4.7 percent in July 2023. But to maintain stability

in prices in the midst of weather and climate disturbances, trade tensions, and the imposition of export bans in some countries, the Philippine government will continue to intensify its supply-side interventions and demand-side management measures. This, along with the implementation of targeted measures to protect vulnerable sectors from the effects of high inflation. Our economists will be monitoring the effects of the global economic slowdown and the recent wave of trade protectionism while facilitating the diversification of external markets with the view of extending better opportunities to our exporters. Domestic and external developments will be closely monitored so we are always ready to make policy adjustments, as needed. Aside from monitoring, consultations with sectors and stakeholders affected by the global slowdown and other economic shifts are important in designing policies and assistance measures. This way, their actual needs can be assessed and addressed efficiently.

Small shareholders of Holcim get support

WiTh the sense of panic gripping the small shareholders of holcim Cement who are facing the hassle of additional burdens in the tender process, it is noteworthy to learn that brokers have made appeals to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) to lift the suspension meted on the listed issue. The suspension is particularly hard on the small shareholders, the very people that the PSE wants to court for their eventual participation for capital development.

Brokers have communicated their support for the lifting of the suspension following the sense of rage that is now whispered about in the small stockholder communities that track the developments in the PSE, with an average daily trades of $100 million, against Vietnam and Thailand with trades of $2 billion.

Somehow, the PSE actuation does not sit well with the minority shareholders who are to be slapped a capital gains tax plus documentary stamp taxes and the submission of trading documents that could lead to delays in the payment for their tendered shares.

Market newsletter Merkado Barkada, which we consider far ahead of the game, has made a Q and A article that explains fully the

Somehow, the PSE actuation does not sit well with the minority shareholders who are to be slapped a capital gains tax plus documentary stamp taxes and the submission of trading documents that could lead to delays in the payment for their tendered shares.

do (or not do).

predicament that the Holcim minority shareholders are facing. Having received several “angry and confused e-mails” from minority shareholders who received from their brokers the way forward for the tendering process, Merkado said: “What’s the problem? Well, the crucial point is what will happen on the settlement date when the tender offer shares actually need to be transferred from the shareholders to Holderfin. The PSE’s point is that since the shares are technically suspended, shareholders can’t use the PSE’s infrastructure to transfer the shares to Holderfin. The PSE might be able to lift the suspension to permit the transfer of shares easily on its system at the settlement date, but so far it’s not clear what the PSE will

“What are the steps if the PSE doesn’t lift the suspension?”  If the PSE doesn’t lift the suspension, the minority shareholders have to contact their broker to request “upliftment” of their HLCM scriptless shares into certificated shares, which can take a month or longer to complete. The request must include photocopies of ID and other annoying proofs, and brokers usually charge a fee for the conversion plus a courier charge to have the physical certificates delivered to the shareholder. The second step is to send all the required documents to the Tender Offer Agent, including an Application to Tender Shares (in triplicate), photocopies of ID, two original copies of Deed of Absolute Sale, two original copies of Irrevocable Proxy, photocopy of TIN, two original copies of signature cards, plus an original copy of CAR (Certificate Authorizing Registration) from the BIR or Special Power of Attorney.”

T he suspension on Holcim has

raised the issue of the suspension of Abra Mining for the sale of unregistered and unlisted shares, apparently by officials of the issue. That suspension also put in limbo the minority shareholders as the PSE could just have haled to court the erring officials, which the PSE trading platform can easily identify and then perhaps the PSE can proceed with the brilliant and innovative solution that PSE President and CEO Ramon Monzon has advanced: a white knight for Abra Mining or AR. Monzon’s brilliant idea, an outof-the-box thinking, according to some market veterans, has not been discussed fully in the PSE when it represents an easy way out for the minority shareholders to cash in their shares, losses notwithstanding. A white knight for AR could be considered.

Also, why can’t the PSE force Philippine National Bank to now list its property dividends of PNB Holdings by way of introduction, which was approved on April 26, 2021? That is more than two years ago and shareholders of PNB are still unable to cash in their shares. Perhaps, a suspension on PNB can wake up the bank from its stupor so it will pay the capital gains tax on their properties. It seems that bank hotshot Wick Veloso, who shepherded the property dividend declaration to unlock PNB’s land assets, is still in wonderment having been enveloped by the PSE “magic.”

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

Stones for the smaller and the weaker Vision 2050: The Philippines, a First-World economy

By George T. Barcelon

When this concept was put on the table by no less than Visionary Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox, the reactions from many of us were mixed and different.  We feel it’s ambitious, and jokingly, we asked are we still alive by then?

But then again, we come to realize we are envisioning a world that may not benefit us of this generation but for the ones to come after. Such endeavor is laying the groundwork for our apos, the children of our children, to leverage their future.

I did my research and found out that now is the best time really to plan ahead. Our country is in a demographic spot with a young population averaging 25 years old and by 2050, the average will still be only 31 of approximately 145-148 million people; still a young, dynamic and productive population.

Vision 2050 envisions the Philippines as one of the world’s industrialized economies. Jun, who leads the 49th Philippine Business Conference and Expo, believes that this vision, although quite ambitious, is attainable if we start laying down the groundwork this early.

Hence, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) initiates discussions and embarks on policy advocacies geared toward achieving this vision.

Architect Palafox, who made a substantial contribution to the creation of the 5-year Philippine Development Plan, believes that the Philippines has a number of advantages as it strives to have a first-world economy by 2050. These benefits include its geographic location, an abundance of natural resources, and a good demographic profile with a growing working-age population, sometimes known as the “demographic sweet spot.”

Another important component of Vision 2050 is having a  progressive and educated workforce that spurs production and innovation, moving the country ahead. To effectively take advantage of the nation’s position and abundance of natural resources, a long-term plan with actionable activities must be set in motion.

I truly believe that the success of this revolutionary journey depends on coop-

eration between the public, private, and civil society sectors. This collaboration is essential to promote equitable growth and a robust, and dynamic economy. Although the path ahead may be difficult, the Philippines must aim to rank among the top 20 economies in the world by 2050 with efficient, effective, visionary, and action-driven leadership. The nation has the capacity to rise to the level of first-world nations and forge a bright future for both its people and the rest of the globe with tenacity and strategic alignment.

The PBC&E is happening on October 25 and 26 at The Manila Hotel. We expect over a thousand business delegates, local chambers, and partners from across the country and overseas to participate. We have curated an interesting program and invited visionary and top business leaders and policymakers. Join us and be part of this year’s biggest and most highly-anticipated business conference in the country. For inquiries, e-mail our PBC&E Participation Committee @juris.raz@philippinechamber.com or message us on our Facebook page @pcciofficial

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

MenTIon the phrase “water cannon” to a toddler and instantly, images of water blasters or water guns come into the picture with innocent play involving an aquatic arena. Such sense of naiveté, however, cannot be said of the water cannons used by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel on August 5 against a chartered supply boat of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Our Philippine Coast Guard likewise reported how a Chinese Coast Guard ship maneuvered so close to the PCG boat’s bow and pointed a water cannon at it. With the gravity of a maritime territorial dispute between China and the Philippines, these incidents were far from being games among toddlers. No matter the differences in our personal opinions, these acts of intimidation are clear manifestations of bullying by one country against another. The PCG video footage eloquently demonstrated that the water cannons from the Chinese ship were highpressure streams, more likely with flow rates of up to 20 liters of water per second, an operating pressure of 15 bar (220 pound per square inch) and can send water 219 feet away! Metrics aside, there can be no reason for a vessel to move so close to another and send out jets of water except to push the other back. Same thing with water hoses on land; they are used to push back rioters or demonstrators!

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros has referred to these bullying as “repeated provocations” that “are in complete violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award.” Our legislators must be on the verge of xenophobia as they collectively passed Senate Resolution 718 “strongly condemning” China’s moves in the West Philippine Sea, as it exhorted the Marcos administra-

Assessment of the CPA Philippines education

Joel L. Tan-Torres

DEBIT CREDIT

For a long time now, I have been an advocate for promoting and enhancing the CPA Philippines brand. The Certified Public Accountants of our country have long been serving the world and the Philippines. The centennial year of the accounting profession is now being commemorated this year. Yes, the Professional regulatory Board of Accountancy has been churning out nearly 200,000 CPAs over the past 100 years since 1923 when BoA was created. For all these milestones and accomplishments, there is a need to assess once more the state of CPA Philippines, including what must be done to push forward the accounting education.

I have been invited to be a resource person in a forthcoming session of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). From August 16 to 17, I will join the various stakeholders of the accounting profession in a workshop to deliberate on the policies, standards and guidelines (PSG) for the Graduate and undergraduate Accountancy programs.

This is an important undertaking to update the building blocks of CPA Philippines. The last major endeavor to overhaul the PSGs was in 2017 when I, as the then chairman of BOA, collaborated with the CHED Committee for Accountancy in the issuance of CHED Memorandum Orders 27 to 30. CMO 29 to 30 prescribed three new specialized accounting degree programs of Management Accounting, Internal Auditing, and Accounting Information System. The CMO 27 enhanced the PSG for the traditional Bachelor of Science in Accounting. This current initiative is overdue since it has been more than six years since the last review was made.

I am sure that there will be a lively discussion during the twoday event. Employers will be able to address their concerns about whether the new accounting graduates that they hire are meeting their expectations. The educators will be able to ventilate their issues on how to increase the dire lack of teachers and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Specialty organizations can share the best practices in competence building and global certifications. The BoA can lead the discussion on how to improve the administration of the CPA licensure examinations.

It is good that the key stakeholders have been invited to the workshop. Representatives from auditing firms, employers, specialty organizations, and higher education will be participating. I note that there seems to be no invitee

tion to take actions as high up the United Nations, should the provocation persist.

Globally, bullying incidents are abound, the most recent of which is the lingering “military action” by Russia in Ukraine. Post 9/11, USA can easily be perceived as one of the most powerful bullies as it has waged military actions against the Muslim populace in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, and Libya. Branding such exercises as its “war on terror,” US military forces have displaced 37 million people, per Brown University’s Costs of War project. Suffice to say that advocates of torment are not limited to countries.

In the Philippines, many students have been found to be bullied, despite the passage of Republic Act 10627 or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, putting the country to the top spot among 70, as recently reported by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

This bullying sphere almost always involves the stronger against the weaker or the bigger versus the smaller. The stronger intimidates; the weaker gets intimidated. The bigger becomes the victor; the smaller becomes the victim.

But this wasn’t the case in the biblical drama of David and Goliath, as narrated in 1 Samuel 17. Giving a unique glimpse of this story, one Ohio preacher relates that Goliath

As the weaker Philippines is up against the stronger China, in the physical sense, it would be unwise to use the same physical weapons—water cannon or otherwise. Being known as prayerful people, every Filipino’s faith (even as small as a mustard seed) in Almighty God could be our “smooth stone,” borrowing the term of Swindoll! Together, we can bring down the ultimate bully, which is not China, but the wrong ideals that have held China’s leadership in bondage.

was simply huge and could have been a spokesperson for Under Armor as Goliath wore a bronze armor that weighed 125 pounds and armed with a spear whose tip alone was the size of a 15-pound bowling bowl. Twice a day for 40 days, the bully in Goliath challenged the Israelites to a fight, yet no one dared, believing he was invincible. Those 40 days of a challenge were Goliath’s version of modern day stronger China’s water cannons firing out high-pressure jets of water against the weaker Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea. As the chronicle goes, David, the smaller and weaker lad never considered the much bigger and stronger Goliath as unbeatable. In the process, David, without armor or shield, but only with five smooth stones and a sling, defeated Goliath, handily. With a five-word battlecry—“The battle is the Lord’s!”

(1 Samuel 17:47 ). With the smooth stone, the smaller struck the bigger on the forehead and killed him, much to the astonishment of both the Philistines and Israelites.

Undeniably, we often fail to decipher what David knew and relied on during that monumental bullying incident. Any battle is never our sole responsibility. While how we respond to battle is our responsibility, the outcome is under the control of our Almighty God. The weaker vs. stronger battle (or the

Lord’s battle), which stood before David is similar to China’s repeated acts of intimidation in the West Philippine! But David’s edge, which should be ours as well as a people, was that he had a heart for God and devotion to Him and to His values. Ergo, whenever we face any intimidating giant that can be gathered from the life of David, let us learn from the wise preaching of author Chuck Swindoll who said that, “God is saying to you right now. All I ask of you is five smooth stones and a sling of faith. I’ll take it from there. You just trust Me.” Easier said than done, but this is precisely the beauty of the seeming impossibility and of the supposed uncertainty. When God strips us down to nothing but faith, the “smaller” in us in fact becomes the “bigger” in the battle since the battle is His. After all, believers anchor their faith in the Bible which says, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) As the weaker Philippines is up against the stronger China, in the physical sense, it would be unwise to use the same physical weapons —water cannon or otherwise. Being known as prayerful people, every Filipino’s faith (even as small as a mustard seed) in Almighty God could be our “smooth stone,” borrowing the term of Swindoll! Together, we can bring down the ultimate bully, which is not China, but the wrong ideals that have held China’s leadership in bondage.

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission. For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

from the government sector that relies on the services of CPAs and accountants. I also think that representatives from the Department of Education should be involved in this assessment exercise to provide inputs on the implementation of its Accounting, Business, and Management strand that provides the source of the students for the accountancy programs in college. I am sure that there will be a lively discussion during the twoday event. Employers will be able to address their concerns about whether the new accounting graduates that they hire are meeting their expectations. The educators will be able to ventilate their issues on how to increase the dire lack of teachers and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Specialty organizations can share the best practices in competence building and global certifications. The BOA can lead the discussion on how to improve the administration of the CPA licensure examinations. I hope the deliberations will dwell on emerging topics affecting accounting, including the impact of technology (and artificial intelligence), the economic, social, and governance values, and greater emphasis on the education of regulatory compliance and code of ethics.

At the end of this exercise, I have high hopes that CPA Philippines education will be moving forward.

Joel L. Tan-Torres was the former Dean of the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business. Previously, he was the Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, and partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. and the SyCip Gorres and Velayo & Co. He is a Certified Public Accountant who garnered No. 1 in the CPA Board

Allies of Niger president overthrown by military appeal to the US and others: Save his life

By Ellen Knickmeyer & Tracy Brown

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON—After nearly three weeks of appealing to the United States and other allies for help restoring Niger’s president to power, friends and supporters of the democratically elected leader are making a simpler plea: Save his life.

President Mohamed Bazoum, leader of the last remaining Westernallied democracy across a vast stretch of Africa’s Sahara and Sahel, sits confined with his family in an unlit basement of his presidential compound, cut off from resupplies of food and from electricity and cooking gas by the junta that overthrew him, Niger’s ambassador to the United States told The Associated Press.

“They are killing him,” said the ambassador, Mamadou Kiari Liman-Tinguiri, a close associate who maintains daily calls with the detained leader. The two have been colleagues for three decades, since the now 63-yearold president was a young philosophy instructor, a teacher’s union leader, and a democracy advocate noted for his eloquence.

“The plan of the head of the junta is to starve him to death,” LimanTinguiri told the AP in one of his first interviews since mutinous troops allegedly cut off food deliveries to the president, his wife and his 20-year-old son almost a week ago.

“This is inhuman, and the world should not tolerate that,” the ambassador said. “It cannot be tolerated in 2023.”

On Saturday, the president’s captors allowed a doctor to visit the family for the first time, and brought some food, a presidential adviser told the AP. The adviser, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to give details.

Bazoum sits in the dark basement, the ambassador said. He answers the phone when a call comes in that he

knows to be his friend or someone else he wants to speak to. The beleaguered president and his ambassador, whom junta members have declared out of a job, talk one or more times a day.

Bazoum has not been seen out in public since July 26, when military vehicles blocked the gates to the presidential palace and security forces announced they were taking power. It is not possible to independently determine the president’s circumstances.

The United States, United Nations and others have expressed repeated concern for what they called Bazoum’s deteriorating conditions in detention, and warned the junta they would hold it responsible for the well-being of Bazoum and his family.

Separately, Human Rights Watch said Friday it had spoken directly to the detained president and to others in his circle, and received some similar accounts of mistreatment.

However, an activist who supports Niger’s new military rulers in its communications said the reports of the president’s dire state were false. Insa Garba Saidou said he was in contact with some junta members but did not say how he had knowledge of the president’s lot.

“Bazoum was lucky he was not taken anywhere,” Saidou said. “He was left in his palace with his phone. Those who did that don’t intend to hurt Bazoum.”

Niger’s military coup and the plight of its ousted leader have drawn global attention—but not because that kind of turmoil is unusual for West Africa. Niger alone has had about a half-dozen military takeovers since independence in 1960. Niger leaders have suffered in coups before, most notably when a military-installed leader was shot down in 1999 by the same presidential guard unit that instigated the current coup.

Niger’s return to reflexive armed takeovers by disgruntled troops is reverberating in the US and internationally for two key reasons. One is because Bazoum came to power in a rare

democratic presidential election in the Africa’s unstable Sahara and Sahel, in the only peaceful, democratic transfer of power that Niger has managed.

The United States alone has invested close to $1 billion in Niger in recent years to support its democracy and deliver aid, in addition to building national forces capable of holding off north and West Africa’s al-Qaidaand Islamic State-allied armed groups. The US-backed counterterror presence is the second key reason that Niger’s coup is resonating. Americans have a 1,100-strong security presence and have built bases in Niger’s capital and far north into its main outposts to counter West Africa’s armed jihadist groups. The Biden administration has yet to call what has happened in Niger a coup, citing laws that would obligate the US to cut many of its military partnerships with the country.

Military or military-aligned governments dominate Niger’s region and a growing number of them have entered security partnerships with Russia’s Wagner mercenary groups. The soldiers who ousted Bazoum have announced a ruling structure but said little publicly about their plans. US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with Niger’s junta members in the capital this week but called them unreceptive to her demands to restore Niger’s democracy.

“They were quite firm about how they want to proceed, and it is not in support of the constitution of Niger,” Nuland told reporters after.

The junta also told Nuland that Bazoum would die if the regional ECOWAS security bloc intervened militarily to restore democracy, US officials told the AP.

Late this week, the ambassador shrugged that threat off, saying the junta is already on track to kill Bazoum by trapping his family and him with little more than a shrinking supply of dried rice and no means to cook it. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick contributed from Niamey, Niger.

George T. Barcelon is the president of PCCI and Private Sector Representative to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

BARCELON

Tax reformers have alcohol in their sights once again

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

RAMP UP DEVT, SUSTAIN FUNDS FOR PAGASA ISLAND–PADILLA

protect Filipinos from its harms, ranging from the increased risk for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease and cancer to domestic violence and road accidents.

T he World Health Organization (WHO) recently stated that there is no “safe” level of alcohol consumption. AER said HB 5532 “will broaden the scope of alcohol products that will be subjected to higher tax.”

MALACAÑANG Palace was prodded to bolster the country’s assertion of its sovereign rights over the Kalayaan Island Group by arranging  more development projects immediately and ensuring sustained funding for the island chain in the West Philippine Sea.

Senator Robin Padilla , following a recent visit to the remote territory’s biggest island Pagasa, pressed the government  to promptly line up projects for residents to stay in the Islands.

A ER issued the statement on the heels of the proposal of House of Representatives Ways and Means Chairperson Jose Sarte Salceda who filed House Bill 6993 to increase tax rates on non-essential goods.  Luxury taxes aim to tax wealthy individuals and hence are progressive taxes.

T hese non-essential goods, based on the bill, include highend bags, jewelry, perfume, yachts,

luxury cars, and wristwatches. Increasing the tax rates of these goods to 25 or 30 percent will generate P15.5 to P18.6 billion in revenues.

“According to Adam Smith, ‘sugar, rum, and tobacco are nowhere necessities of life, which [have] become objects of almost universal competition, and which are therefore extremely proper subjects of taxation.’ Thus, Rep.

Salceda is following Smith and his classical economics in pursuing the taxation of goods that are ‘nowhere necessities of life’,” AER explained.

A lcohol, AER said, is a non-essential and harmful product that should be taxed higher. They noted that Salceda has filed a bill raising tax rates on alcopops or premixed alcoholic beverages, House Bill (HB) 5532.

A ER said there is a need to impose a higher tax for alcohol to

Our community of health advocates is hopeful that Rep. Salceda and the House Committee on Ways and Means will soon hold a committee hearing for HB 5532. His bill aims to protect the youth from the harms brought about by the consumption of alcopops or pre-mixed alcoholic beverages,” AER said.

U ltimately, the health taxes will not only raise revenues, especially for the government’s health, food, and nutrition programs, but also deter Filipinos from consuming harmful, non-essential products.

T hese health taxes should likewise be supplemented by other measures like providing food subsidies to the poor and enabling the poor to have access to cheap or affordable food.

Stressing that “Pag-Asa is ours,” the lawmaker prodded the Marcos government to implement projects that benefit residents living there “so that they need not leave the island.”

“Mga mahal kong kababayan, naniniwala po ako na napakalaki ng magiging papel ng storya ng

Pag-Asa Island sa kasaysayan ng

Pilipinas,” Padilla stressed, adding: “Atin po ito. Huwag po nating hayaang maangkin ito ng kung sinosino lang (My dear countrymen, I believe Pag-Asa Island will play a big role in the Philippines’s history. This is ours. We should not allow others to take it).”

He added, “Mabuhay Pag-Asa!

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas (Long live Pag-Asa! Long live the Philippines)!”.

A ccompanied by his wife Mariel, Padilla delivered a speech

before the Filipino community on the importance of developing Pag-Asa island, including  a plan to make the area a fishing hub.

“Kailangan ma-develop natin ang Pagasa Island para pag nadevelop natin ito, ang mga civilian nandito talaga. Huwag na kayong umalis. Imbes na pakaunti kayo kailangan dumami kayo. At sana ang mga proyekto ng ating kaibigan si Dick Penson gawing fishing hub ito, ang lugar na ito magiging pugad ng mangingisda (We must develop Pag-Asa Island for civilians, so more Filipinos will live here. Please don’t leave. There should even be more of you here. I hope projects like that of Dick Penson to turn the island into a fishing hub will take place),” he said. Butch Fernandez

Bacolod’s goal: Be first 100% RE city

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM

Special to the BusinessMirror

BACOLOD is turning to renewable energy (RE) to power the city next year, along with the fielding of electric vehicles for its public transportation.

M ayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee”

Benitez made this announcement at a news conference in Manila, after he presented the city as a tourism destination during the Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa) general membership meeting. “By next year, Bacolod will be the first city to go completely use 100 percent renewable power as an energy source. We are in the process of finalizing it... We are very serious about [protecting] our environment. We would like to pay our dues and make sure we are protecting our future and the future of our children.”

I n his presentation, he said the city has already started the shift to RE by initially installing solar panels at the Bacolod City Government Center and on school buildings, in its bid to become a “super city.”

He added, the city is also “gearing up our public transportation to

using electric vehicles.”

Golden age of infrastructure

BENITEZ cited his administration’s commitment to promote “green development” and initially started with the “Trash for Cash program” to get citizens into recycling. The local government’s investment in RE will help ease the high cost of power in the city. Aside from solar farms, Bacolod also produces biomass.

I n December, the local chief executive proposed to the Department of Energy that the city government be allowed to directly deal with power generators, which can offer lower rates or P8-9 per kilowatt hour (kWh), instead of buying its energy from the wholesale electricity spot market where prices are at P11-P12 per kWh. Also, the Central Negros Electric Cooperative supplies power to the city at P16 per kWh.

“ We will finance the golden age of infrastructure in Bacolod City, which includes the construction and improvement of roads, public markets, health centers, recycling centers, solar power generation facilities, and government buildings. This also includes reha -

bilitation of our major food tourism spots and underground cabling of electrical wires,” Benitez told Philtoa members.

Meanwhile, the local executive highlighted the many offerings of Bacolod—from food, culture and heritage, arts, to hotels and convention spaces making it an ideal tourism destination, especially for MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions).

Philtoa hosting Travel Mart

He added that “revenge travel” has boosted the tourist arrivals in the city; from January to May 2023, it attracted 342,212 tourists, exceeding the 336,116 who arrived in the same period in 2019, or prior to the pandemic. Earlier, the city tourism office shared with the BusinessMirror that visitor arrivals last year reached 618,612, of which 31,000 were foreign travelers. It added that arrivals will likely reach 700,000 this year, with at least 14 percent visiting during the popular Masskara Festival. (See, “Bacolod tourism back in business; arrivals pick up,” in the BusinessMirror , May 29, 2023.)

See “Bacolod’s,” A2

APART from luxury goods, higher taxes should also be imposed on non-essential goods such as alcohol, according to the Sin Tax Coalition and the Action for Economic Reforms (AER).

BACOLOD Mayor Albee Benitez showcases the myriad tourism offerings of the City of Smiles, including the popular Masskara Festival. DOT PHOTO)

SALCEDA

PADILLA

Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

ACEN to govt: Include hybrid solar in GEAP

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

ACeN President er ic Francia said this technology should be included in the next Ge A P, as it can help address grid constraints and encourage distribution utilities (Dus) to procure Ge A P capacity. It also enhances the reliability of Ge A P as a source of supply, he said.

“We are hoping that in the next green energy auction that the notion of at least a solar-storage hybrid should be considered.

Why? Because that is a more efficient use of scarce resource which is transmission, right?

If you inject more R e [renewable energy] into the grid that puts a strain on the grid. Why? Because you have large capacities output but intermittent [or] less efficient use of the grid.

In other words if you have solar at 16 percent capacity factor output, if you have wind at around 30 percent, you are only using typically that much of the grid. you are effectively or potentially crowding out other capacities from going to the grid,” he said.

Francia urged the Department of energy (DOe) and other concerned agencies to look at the proposed solar-storage hybrid.

“Whole-of-sector approach, whole-ofsociety. I think a policy has to do with it. If you ask me, it would be great. I think it’s worthwhile for the DOe to invest in a concept of having a hybrid solar for the next

Ge A P. What does it look like? Bid it like a mid-merit plan.”

Asked about the pricing of solar-storage hybrid, Francia said this would depend on battery storage prices, which are still in flux.

“At the end of the day, solar-storage hybrid should be compared to the alternative which is gas,” adding that at current global liquefied natural gas prices, mid-merit gas would cost around P8/kWh but this could be subjected to significant price volatility due to foreign exchange movements, fuel prices, and supply chain considerations.

Monday, August 14, 2023

B1

CLI net income hits ₧2.11B in Jan-June

“Solar storage has mostly fixed cost and harnesses indigenous and clean energy. This ensures energy security and protects customers from price volatility,” Francia added.

Meanwhile, PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) said it is expanding the use of solar energy for its cell sites using solar panels with battery storage systems.

“The ‘Solar and energy Storage as a Service’ model will improve availability of power supply especially in areas where there is limited or no commercial power allowing us to serve more remote communities.

This will also reduce Smart’s use of power from carbon sources. Once fully implemented, we’re looking at a reduction of as much as 88 percent in greenhouse gas emissions in offgrid sites,” said First Vice President and Network head at PLDT and Smart er ic Santiago.

Smart has completed proofs of concept for 4 power source types—Good Grid, Poor Grid, Bad Grid and Off-Grid—in two locations. The first one is an off-grid site in Palawan, where the installation successfully energized the tower the entire day. The second location is a commercial grid-powered site along STAR Tollway. The facility proved it can seamlessly switch from being energized by the commercial grid, to being electrified by surplus power stored in batteries.

Palawan mining operations halted

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

The National Commission on Indig-

enous People (NCIP) has issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against the nickel ore mining operations of Celestial Nickel Mining Corp. and Ipilan Nickel Mining Corp. in Brooke’s Point, Palawan.

According to the NCIP, the mining companies failed to secure a certification precondition (CP) and the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) from concerned indigenous people (IP) that have ancestral domain claim over in the area.

Officials of the mining companies were also accused of bribing members and leaders of the IP communities to support their operations.

CP is a certificate issued by the NCIP, signed by the chairperson, attesting to the grant of FPIC by the concerned indigenous cultural community (ICC) or IP after compliance with the requirement provided for in the revised guidelines for FPIC, a requirement before a company can operate within the ancestral domain of ICCs/IPs.

The order dated August 11, 2023, and signed by Marie Grace T. Pascua, NCIP’s regional director in Mimaropa, cited an en banc resolution of the agency in favor of the Palawan ICCs/IPs of Brooke’s Point.

They were given 5 days to comply with the cease-and-desist order upon notification.

NCIP said the order would only be lifted upon compliance of the companies to secure a CP from and FPIC from concerned ICCs and IPs.

Alayansa Tigil Mina (ATM), an antimining group composed of mining-affected communities and environmental advocates welcomed the move and hailed the NCIP’s Mimaropa Office for “being true to its mandate of protecting Indigenous Peoples.”

“By this decision, the NCIP-Mimaropa has shown that the voices and will of the IPs can prevail over the interests of the mining companies,” the group said.

“The CDO order likewise gives hope to the IPs as well as the mining-affected communities that the further destruction of their environment and livelihoods can be permanently stopped.”

Lawyer Gerthie Mayo-Anda, executiveDirector of the environmental Legal Assistance Center (eL AC) underscored the need to implement the order “to prevent further damage to people and the environment.”

“While we welcome the NCIP’s decision, we believe that the immediate implementation of the CDO is very critical to address the IPs’ displacement and the deforestation of their ancestral domain covered by mining operations. Since 2017, thousands of trees have been cut inside their sacred grounds and watersheds. The continuing threat to the IPs’ livelihood, culture, and food security needs to be addressed.”

“We are pleased with the decision of the NCIP-Mimaropa Office. The CDO is a victory for the IPs of Palawan and the individuals and groups bravely resisting the illegal operations of the mining companies. The order further strengthens our resolve to continue our fight against mining and to stand firm in our convictions,” said Victor Colili, a Councilor of Brooke’s Point, Palawan, and among the leaders opposing mining operations.

CeBu Landmasters Inc., a regional property developer, said its net income in the first half rose 32 percent to P2.11 billion from last year’s P1.59 billion on higher construction progress and takeup of new launches. The growth in earnings was due to the good results across all revenue streams which pushed CLI’s consolidated revenue to rise by 23 percent to P9.15 billion, from P7.36 billion last year.

“Residential demand continues to heavily outweigh supply in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, especially in the middle-market and economic segments which comprised the bulk of our launches,” CLI Chairman and CeO Jose Soberano III said.

“CLI remains to be at the forefront of the action, while maintaining a strong financial and operational discipline in order to healthily sustain the company’s growth.”

The company’s rental revenues grew 41 percent to P50 million, attributable to strategic rental increases and higher occupancy.

Travel and leisure sector resurgence, meanwhile, propelled CLI’s hotel operations to achieve a robust 74-percent growth, fueled by an increase in bookings and higher room rates of Citadines Cebu City.

The listed company is expected to grow its recurring income with three more hotels opening within the year, with the openings of lyf Cebu City, Citadines Bacolod City and CLI’s first co-living brand, The Pad Co-Living in Banilad Cebu City.

Revenue from management fees of CLI Property Management Inc., the company’s

property management arm, also went up by 26 percent to P31 million from the 28 completed projects it handled during the period.

CLI launched six projects worth P13.5 billion in the first half. This includes Casa Mira Towers Palawan’s fourth tower after the successful sale of its first three towers, Costa Mira Beachtown Panglao’s third tower after its first two sold out last year, and the company’s first house and lot project in Davao, the Casa Mira homes Davao.

This fresh supply of inventory, particularly on the strong demand for the company’s Casa Mira brand resulted in its highest first-half reservation sales, which rose by 36 percent to P10.5 billion during the period.

Reservation sales came the strongest from Davao, comprising 35 percent of the total for the period. The listed company opened its first house and lot project in Davao last June, which reached close to 80 percent sales in just 3 days.

Meanwhile, the other 31 percent of reservation sales came from its Cebu operations. Bohol produced 15 percent, Bacolod and Palawan combined for 8 percent, and the rest came from other cities like Iloilo and Dumaguete.

The company’s year-to-date capital expenditures amounted to P5 billion, of which 79 percent was spent on residential development, 12 percent paid for land acquisitions and 9 percent for investment property.

CLI is launching its residential project in Butuan within the year and is expanding in Mindanao by recently acquiring 21 hectares in General Santos City. VG Cabuag

Toby’s Sports to open 4 stores

TOB y S Sports will construct 4 stores in areas outside of Metro Manila in 2024, according to its chief Roberto S. Claudio.

The C e O of the multi-brand sports retailer said the company may put up a store in Mindanao, two in Northern Luzon and one in the Visayas.

Claudio said Metro Manila is already a saturated market for the retailer. Currently, he said Toby’s Sports has 51 stores in Metro Manila.

Currently, Toby’s Sports has a total of 75 stores with three formats including Toby’s, Runnr, and ur ban Athletics nationwide.

Claudio said Runnr focuses on runningrelated products such as shoes and apparel while ur ban Athletics is a street lifestyle store that houses popular sports brands such as Nike and Adidas. ur ban Athletics, he said, sells more sneakers which he

described as the “culture” of the youth nowadays.

The core of Toby’s Sports’ business operations, meanwhile, is the retailing of sports and fitness equipment.

Claudio said Toby’s Sports opened two new stores over the last two months, including one in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan.

he said he is confident about the prospects of the sports retailing business given the fact that people are now more conscious about their health due to the pandemic.

Because people are working from home, Claudio said they are “dressing down; they’re no longer dressing up.”

Mga tao pumapasok sa opisina, nakajogging pants, naka -shirt. It’s a phenomenon; people are dressing down because of this pandemic. Wala nang nagsusuot ng shirt and tie.” Andrea E. San Juan

ACEN Corp. is pushing for the inclusion of solar-storage hybrid technology in the next round of the Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP).

NGCP to address govt order on franchise tax

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) announced its commitment to address the latest ERC order suspending the pass-on costs of its 3-percent franchise tax to consumers.

While the grid operator has yet to receive a directive from the ERC, it vowed to act on this once there is an official resolution.

Sought for comment, NGCP Assistant Vice-President Cynthia P. Alabanza said the firm has “not received a copy of the resolution.”

“We will address the matter once we receive the resolution in full,” Alabanza, also a lawyer and the firm’s spokesman, added.

In a Special Commission Meeting last August 8, the ERC suspend the effectivity of ERC Resolution 7 (series of 2011) on the inclusion of the 3-percent franchise tax of NGCP in the monthly transmission costs billed to distribution utilities (DUs).

Section 9 of Republic Act (RA) 9511 requires NGCP to pay a franchise tax equivalent to 3 percent of all gross receipts derived by the

NGCP from its operation under its franchise.

Because of RA 9511, the Commission issued its resolution allowing the inclusion of the franchise tax in the monthly billing of DUs.

The ERC said it will formalize its directive in another resolution to be issued on this matter. Once effective, the NGCP franchise tax can no longer be passed on to consumers on the following billing month. Alabanza earlier said the resolution does not give a “special consideration” as the three-percent franchise tax is based on gross receipts, unlike a regular income tax, which will be derived from net income.

In a statement issued last July 30, Camarines Sur Rep. LRay F. Villafuerte warned that Congress may have to consider revoking the 50year franchise awarded to the NGCP. Villafuerte said there’s a need for the Department of Energy to first review what lawmakers say is the power grid operator’s “subpar performance.” (See https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/07/31/ ngcp-performance-review-keyto-franchise-deal-solon/)

Perspectives

Supply chain visibility improves overall resiliency

THE Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war snarled global supply chains, causing shortages of goods and materials around the world. These disruptions highlight a longstanding problem that most manufacturers and retailers haven’t been able to resolve: They can’t see deep into their supply chains to understand where the risks are, and without that visibility, they are, in effect, “flying blind.”

Even in normal times, companies don’t have advance warning about issues like growing component shortages or labor disruptions. Without such visibility, companies risk being unable to fulfil their own customers’ orders, forcing them to find more reliable or cheaper suppliers, or worse, find themselves at the mercy of a suppliers interruption.

Perhaps, no better example of the risks at hand is the recent experience of automakers, which have struggled due to the raging semiconductor shortage: their pain has occurred, in part, because they lacked direct knowledge of supply issues upstream.

On the other hand, when companies do have visibility into their supply chains—from one end to the other—they gain the resiliency to better react and manage those disruptions and reduce risk. Wide ranging visibility across the supply chain allows companies to better align demand and supply and improves their ability to make rapid, fact-based decisions with extended business partners. It clarifies the trade-offs needed to address supply chain constraints and enhances how the financial impacts of their decisions are made.

Companies have tried to develop the visibility they need. But a general resistance between companies and their suppliers to share information and the difficulty of getting all parties to understand the benefits of finding a solution have hampered these efforts.

The Philippines, like other countries, experienced disruptions in supply chains during the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to shortages of goods and materials. Given that businesses in the country rely on global and regional supply chains for sourcing raw materials, components, and finished products, and without visibility into these supply chains, there have been challenges in fulfilling customer orders, managing disruptions, and making informed decisions.

KPMG in the Philippines Advisory Principal and Consumer and Retail Head Jerome Andrew H. Garcia shares: “By investing in visibility, leveraging technology and analytics, and fostering collaboration with suppliers and customers, companies can make betterinformed decisions, enhance customer satisfaction, and optimize their operations for profitability and success.”

Supply chain complexity prevents visibility

GAINING supply chain visibility isn’t an end

IC bullish insurance density, penetration to further grow

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

the country’s insurance penetration rate is at 1.75 percent.

The IC defines insurance density as the average spending per Filipino individual on insurance while insurance penetration refers to the contribution of the insurance sector to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Regalado pointed out that financial literacy programs and digitalization would encourage more Filipinos to avail insurance products.

sion has also introduced digitalization programs such as the online submission and approval of new insurance products and is set to release the regulatory guidelines on Islamic insurance within the year,” it said.

IC Commissioner Reynaldo A. Regalado was cognizant that the country’s insurance density and insurance penetration remained paltry despite the insurance industry’s expansion.

“In the Philippine insurance industry, while total assets, net worth, total invested assets and total premiums have all increased based on

in itself. Visibility benefits the company by supporting the resiliency needed to better reset to unexpected events. But to achieve visibility, companies must address the challenges of today’s increasingly complex supply chains.

In a recent survey of supply chain executives conducted by KPMG LLP, a large swath of respondents stressed that greater supply chain viability would support crucial date and information to minimize disruptions, enable risk mitigation, improve supply chain decision-making, and increase speed to market. In addition, the businesses surveyed emphasized the need to increase visibility into their supply chains in order to maintain operational stability going forward. What’s more, 59 percent of supply chain leaders who responded to an industry study indicated that improving supply chain visibility was their most important business priority in 2022.

So, if visibility is so important, why has it been so difficult for companies to achieve?

One reason is the sheer complexity of the modern multitiered supply chain. Even the biggest companies have trouble seeing past their top-tier suppliers to understand what is happening with tier 2 and tier 3 component suppliers down the chain. A recent KPMG global survey revealed that 70 percent of companies perceive their supply chain as “very” or “extremely complex.

Other challenges exist as well. According to our recent survey, respondents cited lack of adequate technology and the inability to access relevant data sets as the top barriers to gaining real-time visibility with tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers.

Finally, these challenges are compounded by the simple fact that some tier 1 suppliers simply don’t want to share information concerning their suppliers down that line. Nevertheless, half of businesses in our survey recognize the need to engage tier 1 suppliers to build supply chain ecosystems that cooperatively grant businesses access to critical date across supply chain activities, and nearly 60 percent plan to invest in digital technology to bolster their data synthesis and analysis.

The excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication: https://advisory.kpmg.us/articles/2023/stopflying-blind.html © 2023 KPMG Int’l Ltd. is a private English company limited by guarantee. R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership, is a member-firm of a global organization of independent member-firms affiliated with KPMG Int’l Ltd. All rights reserved. Email ph-kpmgmla@kpmg.com or visit www.home. kpmg/ph.

This article is for general information purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice to a specific issue or entity. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror, KPMG International or KPMG in the Philippines.

figures collated by the Insurance Commission as of the first quarter of 2023, the insurance density and insurance penetration remains low,” Regalado was quoted in a statement issued during the weekend.

The IC chief said the country’s insurance density as of first quarter stood at P872.56 per Filipino while

“I am optimistic that our efforts are bearing fruit, especially as total premiums collected by life insurance companies from their new business has increased to P15.47 billion, or by 18.16 percent, year-on-year,” he said.

The IC noted that life insurance companies collected a total of P15.47 billion in premiums (considered as new business) in the first quarter, about 18-percent higher than the P13.10 billion it collected last year.

“To further promote financial inclusion, the Insurance Commis-

Last week, the IC said more and more poor Filipinos are getting microinsurance to protect their lives and properties as a result of improved awareness on and accessibility of insurance products. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2023/08/11/more-filipinosare-buying-microinsurance/)

An executive of Malayan Insurance Co. Inc., meanwhile, cautioned that the number of Filipinos with non-life insurance coverage could be slashed as a result of rising premiums driven by unprecedented increase in reinsurance costs. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2023/08/10/rise-in-premiums-to-cut-insurance-coverage/)

Robust demand for used cars lifts financier’s income

By Andrea San Juan

ASIALINK Finance Corp. announced last Saturday its net income grew 43 percent to P2.654 billion in 2022 on the back of a post-Covid recovery and “robust” demand for second-hand cars.

The company said through a statement issued last Saturday that its “revenues were at P3.096 billion from P2.152 billion yearon-year.” Its asset value, meanwhile, went up 39 percent to P11.369 billion.

Asialink General Manager Eillen B. Mangubat said in her report that the company has been seeing “exponential” growth as the Covid-19 pandemic “recedes into the background.”

Mangubat noted these factors allow many industries to get back on track and seek financing to reinforce or expand their operations.

Moreover, she said the Philippines has also seen an increasing demand for second-hand cars, where Asialink said it has “established a niche” in terms of financing.

Mangubat said the company has also opened additional branches, hired more salespeople and partnered with more car dealers.

As a result, Asialink said its releases grew 27 percent to P9.124 billion in 2022.

Mangubat said Asialink has also secured additional funding of some P2 billion from its credit lines with the Development Bank of the Philippines, Cebuana Lhuillier Inc.,

Small Business Corp., Philtrust Bank, and Veterans Bank.

Asialink said that as a non-bank financial institution, it has been “playing a crucial role in bridging the gap” for micro-scale, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The company was formed in June 1997, with a capitalization of P3 million.

Today, Asialink has over 1,000 employees, thousands of independent loan consultants, and 118 branches nationwide. It added that it plans on having a total of 160 branches by end-2023. According to its website, Asialink envisions being at the “forefront” of the financing industry, by providing inclusive financial access to (MSMEs) and their communities in the Philippines and Asia.

SSS notifies employers of delinquencies of ₧6.64M

THE Social Security System (SSS) said it issued last Friday notices of violation to eight “delinquent” employers in the Makati Central Business District with P6.64 million in total estimated delinquencies.

The SSS said the delinquencies consist of P4.69 million in unpaid contributions and P1.95 million in penalties, which affected the monthly contributions of about 152 employees.

The issuance of the notices of violation was part of the SSS’s “Run After Contribution Evaders,” or “Race,” campaign that seeks to “ensure that employers are complying with

PDIC to bid out 2 Makati Sports Club shares

THE Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) announced it will accept bids for two club shares of Makati Sports Club, Inc. (MSCI) from interested businessmen, corporate executives, club share brokers, and individuals through a public bidding on September 7, 2023.

The bidding is on an “as-is, where-is” basis, and will be held at the PDIC Chino Building in Makati City, the agency said. PDIC said it will accept bids from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 pm and will be opened at 2:00 p.m. on September 7.

The two shares, classified as class A and B, are part of the 1,500 total shares and 97-percent issued shares of MSCI and were previously owned by the closed Export & Industry Bank Inc., a bank under PDIC liquidation since April 27, 2012.

Bids for the class A share, with a minimum disposal price of P0.95 million will be accepted from Filipino citizens only or from corporations or associations with at least 60-percent capital owned by Filipino citizens. Meanwhile, bids for the class B share, with a minimum disposal price of P1 million, will be accepted from Filipino citizens and foreign individuals.

Buyers will be responsible for the payment of all taxes, fees, broker’s commission, unpaid dues, and other expenses and costs of transfer, and the requirements for approval and acceptance of membership to MSCI, according to the PDIC.

their obligations” as stipulated in the Social Security Act of 2018.

The SSS-Makati Chino Roces Branch was the one that issued the notices of violation to the erring employers involved in various fields of business.

Based on the breakdown provided by the SSS, two employers were in the business of management consultancy while the others were scattered across other industries such as a specialized store of household items, wholesaler of miscellaneous consumer goods, business support service, restaurant, general merchandise, washing and dry cleaning

briefs

➜ Insurer inks deals with nonprofits

THE Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Manulife)

Philippines announced it inked agreements with nonprofit groups Haribon Foundation Inc., Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation Inc., and the Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation (CSAMF) Inc. for a reforestation program, establishment of new learning centers and expanded financial literacy sessions, respectively. “Strategic partnerships with respected non-government organizations are helping us deliver meaningful programs to help empower sustained health and well-being, drive inclusive economic opportunity and accelerate a sustainable future for Filipinos,” president and CEO Rahul Hora was quoted in a statement issued last Thursday as saying. “This has allowed us to progress and scale our Impact Agenda initiatives to support more beneficiaries and communities.” Rizal Raoul Reyes

➜ CIC, SEC promote financial literacy

THE Credit Information Corp. (CIC) announced last week it will host a webinar series on credit report and combating abusive debt collection practice in partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 18 and September 15, 2023. The country’s sole public credit registry and repository of credit information said the event will tackle various laws and SEC issuances related to: financial products and services, consumer protection, and interest rate ceilings pursuant to SEC Memorandum Circular 3 (series of 2022). It will also cover the rights and responsibilities of borrowers and lenders, as well as the importance of CIC Credit Report

business. The SSS said these employers were found out not to be remitting their share of monthly contributions for their employees.

“Among the eight delinquent employers, a management consultancy establishment incurred the highest contribution delinquency of P2.95 million, broken down into P1.46 million unpaid workers’ contributions and P1.49 million penalties,” the SSS said.

“Based on SSS records, the establishment failed to remit the social security contributions of its six employees from July 2011 to April 2023,” the SSS added.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

in improving one’s creditworthiness and access to finance.

➜ PNB posts P9.7B net income

PHILIPPINE National Bank (PSE: PNB) announced it posted net profits of P9.7 billion for the first six months of 2023 on the back of sustained growth in net interest margin and revenues from fee-based businesses. “The bank’s net interest income grew by 25 percent year-on-year to P21.6 billion, primarily driven by higher yield rates on earning assets amid the rising interest rate environment,” the lender said through a statement. “This translated to an improved net interest margin of 4.24 percent from the 3.35 percent reported in the same period last year.” PNB said its operating expenses remained flat at P14.9 billion “due to prudent spending despite the continued business growth.”

➜ SECB net profit up 8 percent in Q2

SECURITY Bank Corp. (PSE: SECB) announced last August 11 that its second-quarter 2023 results improved across the board on a sequential quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) basis. “Q2-2023 net profit was P2.6 billion, up 8 percent Q-o-Q. Pre-provision operating profit was P4.5 billion, 23 percent higher than quarter-ago level due to higher revenue growth of 10 percent compared to operating expense growth of 3 percent. Q2-2023 net interest income grew 11 percent over the quarter to P8.3 billion. Net interest margin in Q2-2023 increased to 4.58 percent, up 53 basis points quarter-on-quarter and up 22 basis points year-on-year,” the lender said in a statement.

THE Insurance Commission (IC) said it is “optimistic” that both the country’s insurance density and penetration would improve on the back of financial literacy programs and digitalization amid an expanding insurance industry.

Putin profits off US and European reliance on Russian nuclear fuel

By Martha Mendoza & Dasha Litvinova The Associated Press

some 440 plants are importing radioactive materials from Russia’s state-owned energy corporation Rosatom and its subsidiaries. Rosatom leads the world in uranium enrichment, and is ranked third in uranium production and fuel fabrication, according to its 2022 annual report.

uranium.

yet been introduced against Rosatom and its leadership,” Zelenskyy said in May, “when representatives of this company continue to occupy Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and put our general security at risk.”

The sales, which are legal and unsanctioned, have raised alarms from nonproliferation experts and elected officials who say the imports are helping to bankroll the development of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal and are complicating efforts to curtail Russia’s war-making abilities. The dependence on Russian nuclear products—used mostly to fuel civilian reactors—leaves the US and its allies open to energy shortages if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to cut off supplies. The challenge is likely to grow more intense as those nations seek to boost production of emissions-free electricity to combat climate change.

“We have to give money to the people who make weapons?

That’s absurd,” said Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Washington-based Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. “If there isn’t a clear rule that prevents nuclear power providers from importing fuel from Russia—and it’s cheaper to get it from there—why wouldn’t they do it?”

Russia sold about $1.7 billion in nuclear products to firms in

the US and Europe, according to trade data and experts. The purchases occurred as the West has leveled stiff sanctions on Moscow over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, blocking imports of such Russian staples as oil, gas, vodka and caviar.

The West has been reluctant to target Russia’s nuclear exports, however, because they play key roles in keeping reactors humming. Russia supplied the US nuclear industry with about 12 percent of its uranium last year, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Europe reported getting about 17 percent of its uranium in 2022 from Russia.

Reliance on nuclear power is expected to grow as nations embrace alternatives to fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants produce no emissions, though experts warn that nuclear energy comes with the risk of reactor meltdowns and the challenge of how to safely store radioactive waste. There are about 60 reactors under construction around the world—300 more are in the planning stages.

Many of the 30 countries generating nuclear energy in

Rosatom, which says it is building 33 new reactors in 10 counties, and its subsidiaries, exported around $2.2 billion worth of nuclear energy-related goods and materials last year, according to trade data analyzed by the Royal United Service Institute, a London-based thinktank. The institute said that figure is likely much larger because it is difficult to track such exports.

Rosatom’s CEO Alexei Likhachyov told the Russian newspaper Izvestia the company's foreign business should total $200 billion over the next decade. That lucrative civilian business provides critical funds for Rosatom’s other major responsibility: designing and producing Russia's atomic arsenal, experts say.

Ukrainian officials have pleaded with world leaders to sanction Rosatom to cut off one of Moscow’s last significant funding streams and to punish Putin for launching the invasion. Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy again pressed Western leaders to target Rosatom after Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Rosatom is running the partially shutdown plant, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that a radiation leak at the Russian-occupied facility could be a major disaster.

“Ukraine does not understand why sanctions have not

Nuclear energy advocates say the US and some European countries would face difficulty in cutting off imports of Russian nuclear products. The US nuclear energy industry, which largely outsources its fuel, produces about 20 percent of US electricity.

The value of Russian nuclear fuel and products sent to the US hit $871 million last year, up from $689 million in 2021 and $610 million in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau. In terms of weight, US imports of uranium products from Russia nearly doubled from 6.3 tons in 2020 to 12.5 tons in 2022, according to trade data from ImportGenius.

The reasons for that reliance goes back decades. The US uranium industry took a beating following a 1993 nonproliferation deal that resulted in the importation of inexpensive weapons-grade uranium from Russia, experts say. The downturn accelerated after a worldwide drop in demand for nuclear fuel following the 2011 meltdown of three reactors at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

American nuclear plants purchased 5 percent of their uranium from domestic suppliers in 2021, the last year for which official US production data are available, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The largest source of uranium for such plants was Kazakhstan, which contributed about 35 percent of the supply. A close Russian ally, Kazakhstan is the world’s largest producer of

The Biden administration says it is trying to revive uranium mining and the production of nuclear fuel, and lawmakers have introduced legislation to speed up the process. This week, however, President Joe Biden announced the formation of a national monument to preserve land around Grand Canyon National Park that would prevent new uranium mining in the region.

“It is critical that we stop funding Russia’s state-owned nuclear monopoly, Rosatom,” said Sen. John Barrasso, the Wyoming Republican who introduced legislation earlier this year to fund America’s nuclear fuel supply chain. “We also need to give America’s nuclear fuel suppliers market certainty.”

Europe is in a bind largely because it has 19 Russian-designed reactors in five countries that are fully dependent on Russian nuclear fuel. France also has a long history of relying on Russian-enriched uranium.

In a report published in March, Greenpeace, citing the United Nations’ Comtrade database, showed that French imports of enriched uranium from Russia increased from 110 tons in 2021 to 312 tons in 2022.

Europe spent nearly $828 million (almost €750 million) last year on Russian nuclear industry products—including fuel elements, nuclear reactors, and machinery—according to Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office.

Some European nations are taking steps to wean themselves off Russian uranium. Early on in the Ukraine conflict, Sweden refused to purchase Russian nuclear fuel. Finland, which relies on Russian power at two out of its five reactors, scrapped a trouble-ridden deal

with Rosatom to build a new nuclear power plant. Finnish energy company Fortum also announced an agreement with the US Westinghouse Electric Company to supply fuel for two reactors after its contracts with Rosatom subsidiary Tvel expire over the next seven years.

The Czech Republic has sought to wean itself off Russian supplies completely and turned to Westinghouse and the French company Framatome for future shipments of fuel assemblies for its only nuclear power plant, currently supplied by Tvel, with the new supplies expected to begin in 2024. Slovakia and Bulgaria, two other countries that rely on Tvel for nuclear fuel, have also turned to different suppliers.

Despite the challenges, experts believe political pressure and questions over Russia’s ability to cut off supplies will eventually spur much of Europe to abandon Rosatom. “Based on apparent prospects (of diversification of fuel supplies), it would be fair to say that Rosatom has lost the European market,” said Vladimir Slivyak, co-chair of the Russian environmental group Ecodefense.

What remains unclear, Slivyak said, are how Hungary and France will address the issue. France has not expressed a willingness to shut off Russia’s uranium spigot. Hungary, which maintains close ties to Russia, is fully dependent on Moscow to provide fuel for its four-reactor nuclear power plant. It has plans to expand that plant by two Rosatom reactors—a project that is financed by a €10-billion line of credit from a Russian bank. Those reactors, experts said, will be fully reliant on Russian nuclear fuel for years, if not decades, to come.

The US and its european allies are importing vast amounts of nuclear fuel and compounds from Russia, providing Moscow with hundreds of millions of dollars in badly needed revenue as it wages war on Ukraine.

Welcome sign at the Nogent nuclear power plant in Nogent-sur-Seine in France. France has a long history of relying on Russian enriched uranium. In a report published in march 2023, Greenpeace cited customs figures from the United Nations’ comtrade database showing that French imports of enriched uranium from Russia increased from 110 tons in 2021 to 312 ton in 2022. Olrat Dreamstime.cO m

Bayo’s fashionable changemakers

“Anyway, thanks Bayo for having me and my daughter, LEL. Go and buy local!”

Bayo—the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Filipino Retailer Award for Sustainability in the medium category from the Philippine Retailers Association—believes the future of fashion is circular. “This means that we’re continuously working to breathe new life into all our materials so that nothing goes to waste. This is why this 2023, we’re welcoming you on this sustainability journey and we’re celebrating the lovely changemakers who have inspired us.”

‘SO, is it possible to marry style, sustainability, and women of substance?” Monette Iturralde-Hamlin, president and founder of TeamAsia, an award-winning strategic marketing communications firm, pondered that question in her article for The Red Circle blog.

“Well, that is exactly what Styleshops founder Anna Lagon is doing with her labels Bayo, Viseversa and Unica. By creating sustainably made garments, Anna is forging the way ahead for other fashion houses to transform their business, reduce the wastage caused by the fashion industry, and contribute to a cleaner, greener Earth,” IturraldeHamlin mused.

According to the Stand Earth 2022 report, the global fashion industry is responsible for 5 percent to 8 percent of the world’s yearly carbon emissions. The Bayo Group, concerned about this devastating impact on climate change, is on a mission to do better, as it said to have partnered with a reputable third-party auditor that measures each of their garment’s carbon emissions, then supporting sustainability initiatives to help bring it down to zero.

As a substantial part of the solution, the Bayo Group opened a multi-brand concept store on August 10 at the Glorietta Mall in Makati City. Its statement read, “From the commitment of the brands in their design philosophies and responsible productions, such as the Journey to Zero initiative, a pledge towards a circular business model of Bayo, the sustainable solutions through fabric usage of Tela, and the style made simple of Viseversa, to the repurposed décor in the flagship boutique, there clearly exists an ecosystem of ethically sourcing raw materials and breathing new life into what would otherwise be discarded.”

Iturralde-Hamlin is part of the Bayo Group’s Fashioning Change and Journey to Zero campaign, which was launched at the Glorietta Activity Center, together with Kara Rosas, the director and cofounder of Lokal Lab Siargao, an NGO that supports the locality through sustainable and impactful projects especially after Typhoon Odette. The organization is also involved in developing Lokal Tropical School, an “educational platform for innovation, collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skills training focused on and driven by the local Siargao community and of Mother Nature.”

Completing the stylish trio of Bayo Changemakers is Rebecca Plaza-Ti, the founder and managing director at Plaza + Partners, a multi-award winning design firm. Per Iturralde-Hamlin, “Rica” is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum, sharing her expertise on designing cities in the fourth industrial revolution.

“Many moons ago, when Alabang Town Center was my stomping grounds, I’d get picked up at the ‘Bayo Entrance’ and I’d always be in awe of @bayoclothing models who weren’t just pretty faces, but are also women of substance—Stanford alum Danielle Cojuangco, equestrienne Mikee Jaworski, Tony Award winning actress Lea Salonga among many others. When I got an email asking if I would be part of Bayo’s new campaign, I was humbled, but I thought it was a scam. I also told them, ‘Uhhmm, I’m 5 months pregnant right now so I’m kinda big. Are you sure you want a pregnant muse?’ To which they surprisingly said yes.

“With its new ownership, Bayo’s commitment to heritage preservation and sustainability is so admirable and aligns with everything

ago, they closed their factories in China and moved manufacturing to the Philippines to reduce their carbon footprint and support local industry—even their raw materials are sourced domestically. Bayo has actively supported artisanal communities throughout the country, use indigenous weaves in their clothing and commit to giving a portion of their sales to supporting several foundations.

“The husband and wife duo behind Bayo, Anna and Leo Lagon are equally as admirable and have raised extremely responsible children who all work toward their shared vision. As I have gotten to know them in the last couple of months and as I work closer with @entrari and @wtadesignstudio, I look up to them and know that they’re the kind of couple I hope my husband and I can be.

Retinoid vs retinal vs retinol: What works better?

into retinojc acid, retinol, and retinol esters.

Meanwhile, retinol is another form of Vitamin A that is essential for maintaining healthy skin, as well as healthy vision and immune function. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be both found naturally or produced synthetically. Retinol can be very irritating if used too frequently or if the formulation is too strong for your skin. You only need a pea-sized amount of a low percentage (.01 percent is a good percentage) once a week in the beginning. You let your skin get used to it and increase the usage to twice a week.

LIKE many people, I get confused between retinoids, retinal, and retinol.

Retinoids are usually more powerful prescription products, while retinal and retinol refer to weaker over-the-counter formulas. I use the term “weaker” very loosely here. The two are still very powerful; it’s just that they pale in comparison to retinoids, can cause peeling for months.

Retinol is a type of retinoid Vitamin A derivatives converted into retinoic acid for use in skincare, while retinal is a type of retinoid that is formed when retinol changes to retinoic acid in human skin cells.

Then, retinoids, which require a prescription from the doctors, help improve skin’s texture and tone by increasing cell turnover and lightening dark spots. It can also treat acne. Retin-A, for instance, which I used when I was in my 30s, is a retinoid.

Retinal can work up to 11 times faster than traditional retinol. This makes it ideal for mature skin types who want to see a significant improvement in fines lines and wrinkles as quickly as possible. It works best for photoaging because it is metabolized

Retinol penetrates into the cells (which is why pregnant women are discouraged from using it) and stimulates cell turnover. When this turnover maximized, the cells are able to repair DNA damage caused by the sun and environmental stressors.

When you use a retinol, retinal, or retinoid, you need to moisturize and apply a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 every day without fail. I remember interviewing a Board-certified dermatologist who said you don’t need a higher SPF. What you need, she said, is to reapply every two hours.

There’s a misconception that the eye area is too delicate for retinol but I once read an article about a doctor saying otherwise. The doctor said to use only a small amount and apply a regular eye cream after.

Drunk Elephant’s new and improved A-Shaba Complex Eye Serum has added 0.1 percent vegan retinol, 3 percent caffeine, and copper peptides.

“Drunk Elephant has three eye serums but this improved formula is biocompatible with a pH of 5.5 and no essential oils or silicones,” said Drunk Elephant Philippines brand manager Shey Parafina.

Dermatologist Dr. Mara Evangelista-Huber said retinol increases skin-cell renewal, erasing fine lines, increasing collagen and elasticity, and lightening dark circles.

“Too-high concentrations can lead to irritation since the eye area has the thinnest skin,” she said.

“A-Shaba’s 0.1 percent is ideal for beginners,” the dermatoligst added. “It also has ceramides, niacinamide and copper peptides for anti-aging, sunscreen to protect, Vitamin C to brighten, and caffeine to constrict blood vessels. My fave ingredients—no bias—are retinol and caffeine.”

I normally don’t use eye creams because my eyes are highly sensitive to the point that I can’t even use

Monette Iturralde-Hamlin summed up Bayo’s substance: “I love the clothes that we modeled, their feel, the style, the colors, but more than that, I am totally impressed by what they represent. There’s a feel-good factor when purchasing and wearing a Bayo creation, as each garment is locally produced, made with natural materials, certified safe from toxic substances, and printed using water-based ink. Bayo’s clothes are made of carbon neutral products, which means each purchase you make supports projects that promise stronger communities, cleaner skies, and a greener Earth.”

n Bayo Group’s multi-brand store featuring Bayo, tela, and Viseversa is now open at the ground level of Glorietta. Visit www.styleshops.com.ph and www.telamnl.com, and follow @bayoclothing @tela.mnl @viseversainc on Instagram for more updates.

#LOVELOKAL WITH HELLO GLOW’S BUY-1-GET-1 PROMO

HAVING a consistent skin care regimen is a must if you aspire to keep your skin healthy, youthful and glowing.

But it’s no secret that many skin care products in the market today can get pricey. It’s also true that many consumers are more inclined to buy international versus local brands because of the notion that they are more effective. Hello Glow, one of the multi-awarded local skin care brands in the country, is changing all that with its complete line up of affordable skin care products developed with world-class product efficacy.

All their products have been formulated to suit all skin types, are vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and SLS free.

With August celebrating Pinoy pride and #LoveLokal, Hello Glow is joining in on the fun as it offers “Buy one, get one free” on all of its items for the whole month! This promo offer is available in all Watsons (products with same price or lower) and SM Beauty Department Stores (same price only) nationwide and online (Shopee, Lazada, Tiktok Shop). Promo is automatic with second item reflecting as free upon check out.

To help you choose the best product combinations with the best value for money, Hello Glow suggests to try these perfect pairings to target different skin concerns and achieve glowing skin: Skincare Sets (P360 each) and Sunscreens (P320 for 50g) for a glowing, healthy, and protected skin; Sun Care Gel 25g (P199), and Lip Balm (P135) for face and lips sun care protection; and Sunflower Oil (P250) with Sunflower Lotion (P250) for soft, smooth body skin.

Don’t miss this opportunity to give your skin its muchneeded tender love and care with Hello Glow’s monthlong buy one, get one promo.

Know more by visiting www.everbilena.com.ph/ hello-glow/.

DRUNK Elephant A-Shaba Complex Eye Serum is an eye cream with 0.1 percent vegan retinol, 3 percent caffeine, and copper peptides. PHOTOS: DRUNK ELEPHANT PHILIPPINES

mascara or eyeliner. But I have been using A-Shaba daily for over a month now and I can attest to its gentleness. I can say that there’s a difference in my under-eye area, which is now smoother and less puffy. Would I pay Php4,000 to repurchase it? I’d need to scrimp and save to do it, but yes. The improvement I’ve seen in the look of my under-eye area is significant. The crepe paper-like look was one of my insecurities, and now it looks better. It’s a serum so it’s easy to apply and it doesn’t hurt my eyes, unlike most eye creams that make me tear up.

The product claims to give the user a more youthful appearance in the eye area and I do agree with this.

Go cashless and shop with Starpay at Pasig Mega Market

Government (DILG). Electronic payment lessens the need for loose change.

Storeowners often scramble for cash in the morning because shoppers often pay their purchases with large bills. Starpay simplifies the transaction because the electronic payment goes straight into their e-wallet, which can easily be transferred to their nominated bank account. They can also use the cash in their e-wallet to buy cellphone load and pay bills.

Wellness doctor advocates anti-inflammatory diet

SHOPPERS at Pasig City Mega Market can now conveniently purchase their fresh produce, meats, dry goods, and general merchandise using the Starpay app. No need to carry cash as buyers can simply scan the merchant’s QR code using their mobile phones to pay for their purchase.

Starpay was at the forefront of the

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONIES. Pakil

Mayor Vince Soriano together with Municipal Administrator Unad Hidalgo, Councilor Ariel Fornoles, Association of Barangay Captains President Manny Laciste, Rizal Barangay Captain Eddie Cruz, Board Member Benjo Agarao, Municipal Engineer Deo Vito and Jon Corciga led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Batching Plant to be built in Pakil by JCPakil Construction Services on August 8, 2023. This is the second construction plant to be built in Barangay Burgos. It will be recalled that the first plant was a fully mechanized hollow blocks factoy of Leadline Construction Supply and Services of the Balila Family. Soriano said the municipal government will continue to invite investors to invest in the Philippines so that there will be more job opportunities for Filipinos.

“Paleng-QR Ph plus” rollout in Pasig City Mega Market. Also known as the “pambansang pitaka ng bayan” the Starpay team assisted the vendors in setting up the convenient payment system for easy cashless purchases.

“Paleng-QR Ph Plus” is an initiative of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of Interior and Local

“Users like our platform because is so easy to use, “explained Starpay Product Head Ryan Uy. “It is now being used in the different public markets in the provinces. At Starpay we believe, an e-wallet must be very convenient and safe. Our interface is very friendly and fun to use, for both buyers and vendors.”

Aside from Pasig Mega Market, cashless payments using Starpay are accepted at Dao Public Market in Tagbilrana, Lapu Lapu City Public Market, Baguio City Public Market, Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City, and People’s Market in Naga City.

Sharp PH unleashes true experience and amazing features with the newly launched Aquis XLED TV

SHARP Philippines has officially launched its new Aquos XLED TV, unleashing true experience with its amazing features, providing new standard for entertainment experience.

Sharp has leveled up its game again by providing a game changer entertainment for the Philippine market with its launch of the Sharp Aquos XLED TV. From its standard DK1X Series providing unbeatable experience, followed by its gaming TV, DL1X Series bringing real experience, Sharp has once again leveraged its technology producing the all new XLED TV that offers True to Life Experience.

Offering 65” (4T-C65FV1X) and 75” (4T-C75FV1X) model, this new product sets a new standard as it combines the best part of LCD and OLED TVs. This model is set to define a new generation flagship TV with artistic design, as well as excellent innovations, bringing users a “True to Life” viewing experience reaching new heights.

The Aquos XLED 4K TV has proven to be the best TV Sharp has produced in the 4K segment over the years as it delivers exceptional picture and audio quality with its unique True Brightness, True Color, and Immersive Sound. Also, this product has won the 2023 IF Design Award.

“At Sharp, we are committed to make an

effort to deliver high-quality, value-added products, and excellent after-sales service to Filipino families. We believe that every home deserves the best in entertainment, and our Aquos XLED TV represent this vision,” said Kazuo Kito, President and General Manager of Sharp Philippines.

The Sharp Aquos XLED 4K TV features Xtreme mini-LED technology, presenting the highest dimming zone in its class for true brightness. With over 2,000 backlight dimming zones, it offers unrivalled dynamic color contrast that sets it apart from other brands in the market. Moreover, the dramatically increased 88x* backlight LEDs bring 6x* peak brightness compared to conventional displays, creating a dazzling display.

Designed with Deep Chroma Quantum Dot technology, the SHARP AQUOS XLED 4K TV displays the highest colour coverage in the history of the AQUOS TVs, with over 20 percent more color gamut coverage area compared to conventional displays. This allows the 2023 Aquos XLED 4K TV to deliver realistic object colors and a true-tolife visual experience.

To provide an unparalleled audio experience, the cutting-edge Sharp Aquos XLED boasts Dolby Atmos technology. This innovative feature is enhanced by the

inclusion of advanced ARSS+ surround speaker system, featuring a total of 11 speakers perfectly positioned to create a 3D sound field and clear. These speakers excel in delivering exceptional sound quality across all frequencies including high, mid, and low ranges. With the Aquos XLED, be prepared to be fully immersed in a truly captivating audio performance.

In addition to elevating the visual and audio experience, the Sharp Aquos XLED 4K TV is seamlessly integrated with Google TV. Through this, users can say goodbye to the hassle of switching between multiple apps, effortlessly explore a vast library of over 400,000 movies, TV episodes, and live TV channels, conveniently organized according to user’s preferred genres and interests.

The new model has also the Dolby Vision IQ, which intelligently optimizes your TV for a perfect picture in your room at every moment. Dolby Atmos immerses you in your favorite entertainment with sound that moves all around you with breathtaking realism.

Along with Sharp’s Aquos XLED Launching Event is its ‘Unleash True Experience’ event, which was held last August 1 to 6, 2023 at Festival Mall, Alabang. Sharp Tekken Tournament and Cosplay Fest were held in the exhibit area which showcased multiple talents from the gaming community and to cosplayers all over the South and nearby cities. All the events portrayed Sharp’s Japan Technology wherein it shows Sharp’s commitment to providing Japan quality products for every Filipino household. For more updates and information regarding this new product, please visit Sharp Official Website at https:// ph.sharp/ and Sharp Facebook Official Page at https://www.facebook.com/ SharpPhilippines. You may also visit the leading appliance stores near you to check our introductory price.

YOU’RE already stressed so why should eating be just as stressful? It’s time to make nutrition a priority because it’s part of a healthy lifestyle and that is your best defence in these trying times.

Dr. Kaycee Reyes of Luminisce Clinics shares healthy eats that she curated for her family and her patients. The wellness expert and health advocate created an array of foods under the brand Innosense Organics. Each product was curated to help the consumer have an anti-inflammatory diet.

“The anti-inflammatory diet is a way to reevaluate how we’ve been eating and it brings attention to our food choices and our lifestyle. I like to call this particular diet as a reset, because it is like taking a pause of the stresses of our everyday life where we become more mindful of what we consume,” the beautiful doctor reveals.

Dr. Reyes explains that the immune system becomes activated when your body recognizes anything that is foreign. That includes invading microbe, plant pollen, or chemicals. It often triggers a process called inflammation which protects the body from these invaders. When the inflammation becomes chronic, it may cause major diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s. Some of these conditions are linked as comorbidities for Covid-19.

Inflammation can affect your body’s overall performance. Indulging too much in inflammation-causing foods (such as sugarsweetened beverages, red and processed meats, shortenings like margarine and lard) can cause skin aging.

On the other hand, foods that are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols such as fruits and leafy green vegetables can protect against inflammation. These are found in each food item of Innosense Organics.

Dr. Reyes admits that while it is a struggle to eat the best food for your body when everyone is agitated by the pandemic, the situation also reminded us of that we are blessed to live in a beautiful country that grows fresh produce like turmeric, ginger, and garlic—the biggest contributors in any antiinflammatory diet.

Innosense Organics offers artisanal granola (P170), free-range turkey broth

(P980), chicken broth (P699), free-range chicken nuggets (P580), turkey balls (P480), and turkey patties (P1,480) which are all pure organic. These are best paired with their very own pure organic cauliflower rice (P100). For healthy beverages which are made fresh daily, try the red juice (beets, apple, ginger, lemon, carrots, and cucumber); green juice (kale, spinach, cucumber, lemon, red grapes, ginger, celery, and apple); and yellow juice (pineapple, yellow bell pepper, lemon, ginger, wild honey) at P420 each bottle. Innosense Organics also has pure organic wild honey at P480 per bottle. Visit https:// shop.luminisce.com/innosense/ and discover a lot of anti-inflammatory foods available for delivery to your doorstep.

“The body is best protected from lifethreatening diseases when it is nourished properly with a well-balanced diet,” Dr. Kaycee Reyes advices. If you haven’t tried the anti-inflammatory diet, now is your chance. Your orders from Innosense Organics may just be the start of your healthy lifestyle. To know more about Innosense and eating healthy follow @innosense.ph in Facebook and Instagram. You may also call 0915-9396857.

Mang Inasal celebrates 20th anniversary with nationwide Unli-Sarap, Unli-Saya Caravan

MANG Inasal, the Philippines’ Grill Expert, will spread its 20th anniversary UNLISAYAbration through the Unli-Sarap, UnliSaya Caravan.

This was announced during the UnliSAYAbration Grand Caravan that recently happened at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

Hosted by Dimples Romana, the event treated customers with a fun program filled with games and prizes and free products that included Extra Creamy Halo-Halo and Palabok.

“As part of our full-year celebration, the Mang Inasal Unli-Sarap, Unli-Saya Caravan will tour around the country to delight our customers with free Extra Creamy Halo-Halo

and Palabok,” said Mang Inasal President Mike V. Castro. “Our UNLI-SAYAbration is all about giving thanks to the Mang Inasal Nation who have shown us their strong love and support for the past 20 years.”

The Mang Inasal Unli-Sarap, Unli-Saya Caravan will be trooping various locations in Metro Manila, Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao from August to November. Details will be announced on the social media platforms of Mang Inasal. Want more Mang Inasal exclusives NOW? Visit  www.manginasal.com  for the latest news,  https://manginasaldelivery.com.ph for delivery deals, and follow Mang Inasal on social media for more Ihaw-Sarap and UnliSaya updates!

STARPAY Team headed by Product Head Ryan Uy with Pasig Vice Mayor Robert “Dodot” Jaworski Jr.

DR. KAYCEE Reyes completed her Diploma in Dermatology from King’s College and Master of Science in Clinical Dermatology from St. John’s Institute of Dermatology at Guy’s & St. Thomas Hospital in London. She also completed her Master of Science in Preventive and Regenerative Medicine at Dresden International University in Germany

KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL AT SM. Experience a world of colors and culture at SM Lanang as we celebrate the festival of festivals! Get ready for a #VibrantKadayawanAtSM with awesome feasts, treats, beats, wonders, and so much more this August! #AWorldOfExperienceAtSM

How communicators can avoid tHe oversHaring trap

WE all know about it —posts about our daily adventures and feelings. We do it, celebrities do it. We’ve all been guilty at one point or another. When over the top, these can venture into the TMI (too much information) territory and make others silently cringe.

Oversharing can be considered a guilty pleasure in this day and age. But when we are working in the communications team of a company or agency, oversharing may ruin careers and reputations.

What is oversharing?

When is it too much?

“ O V ERSHARING is, more or less, stuff no one really wants to know,” says Hanna Lustig in an article Welcome to the Golden Age of Oversharing for Glamour.com. Or may we add, cares about. Something others feel we should have kept to ourselves.

“It’s hard (though not impossible) to overshare with your friends and your family,” she says. “But normally, there has to be some level of unfamiliarity.”

“Oversharing is like drinking too much,” advice columnist Heather Havrilesky once wrote.

“You don’t recognize you’re the only one doing it until it’s too late.”

It’s just like “looking around at midnight and realizing you’re the only one at the party with a drink in your hand, and there’s this feeling of shame that washes over you when you look back on a conversation and you realize that you’ve emptied the contents of your brain all over the place and the other person

revealed nothing.

Some background from Lustig: Overshare was declared Chambers Dictionary Word of the Year in 2014. Kim Kardashian was named the patron saint of oversharing at the Webby Awards in 2016, and by the end of the year, she was grappling with the trauma of having been robbed at gunpoint for $10 million in her jewels her attackers noticed on social media—essentially weaponizing her willingness to share so freely against her.

Oversharing became a political buzzword too, as it pertained to the NSA and WikiLeaks. Jada Pinkett Smith made oversharing a family affair with the premier of Red Table Talk in 2018.

From there, the trend began to peter out in the 2010s. But now, Lustig says, we may be entering a second age.

As communicators, how can we prevent oversharing? How can we spread the good news about the companies or brands we represent without unwittingly giving information that will not be good for their image?

the public and the private

TO start with, PR pros should be able to establish boundaries between public and private information they want to share. The lines have to be established.

For public information, it is important to have very close communication with top management so that they have a clear direction on communications. By rule of thumb, less is more with regards to confidential information which has been entrusted to us.

With regards to private information, we have to be aware that we are closely linked with the companies we represent. That way, we should avoid comments on sensitive subjects like politics, religion, and the culture. Otherwise, it may be construed we are speaking for the companies we represent.

We can also practice self-awareness in all things we do to prevent cringe-worthy moments. In an article Understand Why You Overshare and 17 Ways to Stop Doing it in livebold&bloom, Barrie Davenport gives us tips on how to avoid the oversharing trap. We share some below:

n think before speaking.

B E FORE you tell everything, ask yourself if you want to see the information in print, cautions Davenport. If the answer is no, it may not be appropriate for polite conversation.

He also recommends what’s tried and tested—counting to ten after someone asks you a question or before you speak out. “It will allow you time to gather your thoughts and filter out the details that should be kept confidential.”

n don’t brag

DAV ENPORT b elieves there is a thin line between seeming accomplished and bragging. This is especially true if you have done impressive things.

In these cases, “self-awareness helps avoid oversharing in a braggadocious manner. While some people may be interested, not everyone needs to know you climbed Mount Everest or play PGA-level golf.”

n balance the conversation

DAV ENPORT r eminds us that conversations are not monologues. “When conversing with others, make a conscious effort not to be the only person speaking.”

He adds,” just like minimizing your time talking, ensure that you do not dominate the conversation by actively drawing others into the discussion. Ask and answer questions in a give-and-take process.”

n be ar ticulate

OVER s harers tend to babble in verbal chatter that Davenport says is the result of unorganized thoughts and inefficient words. This verbal ineffectiveness can lead to unnecessary detail or extended conversations.

One way to address overshari ng? “Practice explaining ideas or telling a story,” says Davenport. “Learn new words that help convey meaning.”

n learn to listen P RACTICE a ctive listening, which Davenport says, “improves mutual understanding whether you are in a general conversation or a stressful situation.”

For him, active listening includes paying attention, giving your undivided attention, and providing feedback as a mindful comment or suggestion.

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman. We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.

n Jungo Pinoy Presents exciting line-uP of films from classics to modern hits MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Finding classic and modern Filipino cinematic hits online has never been easier with Jungo Pinoy. A streaming app created by Los Angeles-based media company Jungo TV specifically for Filipino viewers around the world, it is presenting an exciting lineup of proudly Pinoy films that span eras and a wide range of genres to celebrate the Filipino language this Buwan ng Wika. Relive those kilig moments all over again with the platform’s roster of love stories, starting with the 2017 production 100 Tula Para Kay Stella,

featuring JC Santos and Bela Padilla in a heartwarming tale of a boy longing to win over a longtime crush. Fans of classic rich girl meet poor boy stories will enjoy the unique and steamy take on the trope in 1997’s Dalhin Mo Ako Sa Langit starring Ynez Veneracion and Yda Manzano. There’s also the daring 1996 Rita Magdalena and Emilio Garcia-Starrer Pusong Hiram, where one man falls for the recipient of his deceased wife’s heart.

Sit back and enjoy some good old combo of Pinoy drama and comedy with AEIOU, which features veteran comedian Leo Martinez in a wholesome 1996 tale of five rough-and-tumble but witty kids who meet a funny but dedicated cop who eventually becomes their hero, and the 1988 film Gorio Punasan: Rebel Driver, which showcases the wisecrack talents of slapstick master Chiquito and comedy

contemporary Redford White. In search of heart-pounding action? Prepare to be enthralled by the mesmerizing and deadly Yukari Oshima. She shares the screen with Ricky Davao in Kakambal Ko Sa Tapang, a gripping narrative that seamlessly weaves scenes from renowned Hong Kong hit Fatal Chase, intensifying the thrill and excitement. For an adrenalinepumping double feature, check out Oshima’s action-packed film with Edu Manzano and Sharon Kwok, Magkasangga sa Batas, where an Interpol agent and a Chinese cop join forces to pursue a murderous gangster, ensuring an edge-of-your-seat experience that will leave you breathless.

Jungo Pinoy also hosts the largest Tagalog-dubbed movie library in the world which includes international thrillers and horror flicks. First up is Blood Ransom, where Anne

Curtis stars in her first international role as a young woman struggling against her vampiric nature while running from a psychopath and fighting to get her happily ever after. Necropath offers a unique horror twist as it follows a mentally deranged maniac who unwittingly has to fight off the undead. Finally, Anna shows the terrifying consequences of what happens when two men steal a doll from a paranormal museum.

a rc ade fil m factory ventures into the Pr oduction of r e d o lle ro’s m a buhay is a l ie MANILA , PHILIPPINES—Production house Arcade Film Factory has entered a new level with its latest venture outside of advertising production: producing the comedy special of premiere Philippine comedian Red Ollero.

Entitled “Mabuhay is a Lie,” Red’s comedy special is slated

for August 11 and 12 at Teatrino Greenhills, San Juan. The collaboration with Arcade Film Factory, SOLID OK, and Red has already sold out two shows on August 12, 4 pm and 8:30 pm, and have recently added a third show on August 11, 8:30 pm, to accommodate more fans.

According to Marius Talampas, Co-founder and Director at Arcade Film Factory, who now leads the “Mabuhay is a Lie” project as a producer, Red was looking for producers who can help him mount his comedy special in a way that’s prepared for global streaming quality.

“He told us that this was a very important project for him,” said Marius. “Red reached out to me and proposed it to Arcade for production because I’m an actual fan of the stand-up comedy scene, and I actually go to their shows. Of course, as a company that has grown because of the trust of other people, we at Arcade wanted to

help him because this also means helping the whole stand-up comedy scene in the Philippines. This is really the next step for them, making their shows available on global streaming platforms so that more people can enjoy their art form.”

“Co-producing Red’s show is a strategic decision that perfectly aligns with Arcade’s overarching vision for growth and expansion beyond advertising,” added JM Miranda, Head of New Business at Arcade Film Factory. “As we undergo a crucial transformation from a production house to a media and entertainment company, this collaboration is a significant milestone, allowing us to diversify our range of capabilities and services. It does not only enhance Arcade’s reputation as one of the leading production houses in the country but it opens up exciting opportunities for future ventures in the entertainment industry.”

Sports

B8 | Monday, august 14, 2023

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Editor: Jun Lomibao

Sen Tol, Bachmann open ROTC Games

SENATOR Francis “Tol”

Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richard Bachmann opened the inaugural Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Games Visayas leg before an enthusiastic crown on Sunday afternoon in IloIlo City.

Tolentino is the honorary chairman of the ROTC Games, a multi-sport competition among student athletes jointly organized by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the PSCA. This is indeed a milestone in the history of the ROTC, showcasing the dedication, discipline and teamwork of our future leaders.”

Bachmann said in his speech during

the opening ceremony. As we witness our cadets compete at the highest level of play, we all should realize that this is not just a showing of their physical prowess and mental agility, but also a display of their commitment to the betterment of our society—a commitment that resonates deeply with the principles of the ROTC program,” he added. A lso gracing the ceremony were IloIlo City Mayor Jerry Trenas, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., and Rep. Anthony Rolando Golez Jr. The Visayas leg, which ends Sunday, will be followed by the Mindanao leg on August 27 and a South Luzon leg in Cavite and the National Capital Region national finals.

Suarez must prove himself–Arum

Mirror over the weekend.

Suarez, unbeaten in 15 fights with nine knockouts, fights for the first time in the US against Vasquez in a lightweight clash at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

He is handled by trainer and manager Delfin Boholst and Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson.

A rum managed expectations on Suarez, saying he has to prove first that he can perform on the bigger stage before seeking a title fight.

He can be very popular with Filipinos in the US and can be a big attraction here,” he said. “He is a good prospect and I believe he will prove himself along [the way].”

By Josef Ramos

CHARLY “THE KING WARRIOR” SUAREZ makes his US debut against Yohan Vasquez of Dominican Republic on August 26—a fight, Bob Arum stressed, that’s very important for the former Olympian to prove he’s ready to go big time at his age.

Suarez turned pro only four years ago and has won three regional titles— the International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Organiza tion intercontinental and World Boxing Council Asian super feather weight belts.

But at 34, Top Rank boss Arum said Suarez must work extra hard to be noticed in the lightweight class, a division the 91-yearold fight guru described as stacked with champion potentials.

“It’s going to be a little bit harder because of his age, but I think he can,” Arum told Business-

It’s a popular division and let’s see if he can excel, but I don’t want to make any predictions for now,” Arum added. “It’s great to have a Filipino again in our promotions.” Vasquez, 29, is unbeaten in 29 fights with three knockouts.

MATILDAS CARVES PATH TO HISTORY

ranked team still in the tournament at second in the world, according to FIFA. The Swedes got into the semifinals by knocking off previously undefeated Japan, the 2011 winners and last remaining champions in the tournament after so many early eliminations of the best teams in women’s soccer.

I think we have the team to go all the way,” left back Jonna Andersson said, “and now we are one step closer.”

M ackenzie Arnold’s impact on Australia’s biggest Women’s World Cup moment was so immense that it’s hardly surprising it took vanquished France coach Herve Renard to describe it best.

We came up against a Goliath of a goalie. What a game,” Renard said.

Have a BlastTV

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—There will be a first-time winner of the Women’s World Cup this year, and maybe, just maybe, it will be host country Australia.

The Matildas, serving as co-hosts of the tournament with New Zealand, became the first home team since the United States in 1999 to win a quarterfinal in nine Women’s World Cups. Australia has reached its first semifinal in team history and faces England on Wednesday for a chance to play for the title.

I genuinely really believe that this team can do great history in so many ways,” Australia coach Tony Gustavsson said, “not just winning football games,

Espartero, Sales, Lapuz show potential in Junior PGT series Mount Malarayat leg

ALONSO ESPARTERO posted a pair of runner-up finishes and one third-place effort to capture the overall crown in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) series held under the drive, chip and putt format at Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City Sunday. Espartero came away with 128 points to beat David Serdenia by five in the Round 2 of the boys’ 15-18 age category and lead the two other category winners—Harry Sales and Maria Montserrat Lapuz—in the one-day

Not the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and certainly not the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Perhaps the only one that held more sway with a Filipino sport’s fan’s imagination and interest was the National Basketball Association (NBA) that could only be watched on the Far East Network of the United States Armed Forces stationed in the Philippines.

So the PBA has to now contend not only with the NBA but also the UAAP, NCAA and pro volleyball to name a few.

I t hink today, while I enjoy Netflix, I do not watch the streaming giant alone. I have subscriptions to Amazon Prime Disney and HBO. I cannot say that all the content they have is not for me. Not at all. There’s a lot of stuff that I do not watch at all.

So I move back and forth.

but the way that they can inspire the next generation, how they can unite the nation, how they can leave a legacy that is much bigger that football.”

England, the European champion, advanced with a 2-1 victory over upstart Colombia. England also reached the semifinals in 2015 and 2019, only to finish third and fourth and never reach the Women’s World Cup final.

But before the Australia and England showdown, first-time semifinalist Spain takes on powerhouse Sweden on Tuesday in Auckland.

A side from a 4-0 loss to Japan in group play, Spain has been a force throughout the tournament. It even tuned out an earthquake roughly an hour before its quarterfinal win over

tournament disputed over the three basic aspects of the sport.

Sales, an incoming Grade 10 student at Governor Hills Science School, topped Round 3 of the boys’ 13-14 division with 124 points while Lapuz, homeschooled with Kolbe Academy (Grade 8), scored 105 points to run away with the girls’ 13-14 trophy in Round 4 play in the series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and held to develop players from the junior ranks and expand the base of golfing talents in the country.

Serdenia pooled a 123-point total while Sung came in third overall with 109 points in the premier boys’ division, while Sales defeated Luciano Copok (106) and Rafael Leonio (97), and Lapuz routed Chloe Lim and Levonne Talion, who wound up with 90 and 73 points, respectively.

2019 runner-up Netherlands.

The earthquake Friday in New Zealand’s capital of Wellington measured 5.6 on the Richter scale and created minor shaking in and around the stadium. “ We were so concentrated on the game that we didn’t feel it, although we felt some shakes at the hotel the day before,” Spain coach Jorge Vilda said. “The victory of Spain was the earthquake.” Sweden, meanwhile, is the highest

Australia won a penalty shootout, 7-6, against Renard’s team after their quarterfinal ended 0-0 in regulation and extra time on Saturday.

A rnold was “the winning factor,” the French coach acknowledged, “both in normal time but also in extra time and then during the shootout.” Indeed. Arnold was instrumental in Australia advancing to the semifinals for the first time and ending the socalled curse of the host nation Cortnee Vine, playing in her first World Cup and going on late as a substitute, was the 10th in a line of 11 penalty takers picked for Australia. She strode to the spot, aiming to finish off where two of her teammates couldn’t, and calmly converted to give the Matildas a famous victory. AP

E-Painters off to rough start in Jones Cup

RAIN or Shine fell behind early and never recovered to absorb a 98-79 defeat to Chinese Taipei A-at the start of the Jones Cup basketball tournament at the Taipei Heping Gymnasium late Saturday.

The Taiwanese, cheered on by the home crowd, caught fire early and exploded for 40 points to take a commanding 17-point lead behind Senegalese-Taiwanese Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga and 6-foot-11 naturalized player William Artino.

The two punished the Rain or Shine defense with Artino chalking up 23 points and nine rebounds and Gadiaga adding 22 points.

Chien Ting Lin also fired 16 points as Chinese Taipei built a lead that went as high as 31 points in the third quarter.

channel by genres such as Blast Cinema, Family Movies, Fear, Blast Action, Reality TV, Laff, Crime TV, Talk Shows, Game Show Central, Comic U, Showcase Drama as well as Video on Demand and catch-up content available to watch on your own time.

And that’s not all! Their global content partners include NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, MGM Television and Lionsgate. Plus, in a first in Southeast Asia, BlastTV will be the streaming home of Studio Universal, launching for the first time in the Philippines on September 15. They have sports content that I cannot get from others too! There’s the UFC and even the German Bundesliga to give me choices outside BeIn Sports.

A s busy as I am I always find time to relax and one of them—in addition to reading and playing my records is watching great stuff on these streaming sites.

R ain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao felt that the sluggish start spelled doom for the Elasto Painters although he was not all too worried for dropping their first game. That was a bad first quarter, we gave up 40 points and never got the chance to recover,” Guiao said. “Maybe it’s part of the adjustment period. We can take away a lot of lesson from the first game.” A ndrei Caracut tried to carry the fight for the Filipinos with 18 points while Ange Kouame had a doubledouble of 15 points and 16 rebounds. Nick Evans, after being held scoreless in the first half, still finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. R ain or Shine tried to get back at Chinese Taipei when it took on the host’s Team B late Sunday.

what they were doing. After two crap articles, I decided to immerse myself into that kind of programming. And I did. Quite a few friends later got into it during the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic and they all point to me as the culprit in getting them to watch.

Well I hate to burst one’s bubble but as early as mid2022, I jumped off that train. There’s a lot that I do not like—featuring criminals, narcos and stuff. Sorry not just my cup of tea.

I magine if there was only one streaming service. That’s terrible. Luckily too I am not easily bored as I find many things to interest me aside from writing and music.

The downside—at least for me—is BlastTV will be made available to every Converge subscriber as a complementary value-added service.

I g uess though that I will do something about that in the near future.

WHEN people ask me why the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) popularity has declined, I always say that there are more choices to all sports fans or people looking for something to watch on television or now their mobile phones. Yes, I experienced it when it was the only game in town.

Now there’s a new streaming service that I am greatly interested in—BlastTV!

BlastTV—a joint venture between internet provider Converge and prominent media and entertainment company Tap DMV—has a line-up of entertainment

I t hink it’s great that I have choices. There isn’t one site that has a monopoly in my tastes. I switch back and forth for content that appeals to me.

A fter being invited to interview K-Pop and K-Drama stars as early as 2017, I was embarrassed that I didn’t know

If I can put off any subscription to Amazon Prime for more than a year (before I finally subscribed) I think I can find a way to dig into BlastTV and see what they have to offer. I do love my choices.

A man with a kid in tow passes by the Tissot  Swiss Watch countdown for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 2023

World World Cup at the Mall of Asia By the Bay in Pasay City. ROY DOMINGO

MACKENZIE ARNOLD does a Goliath of a task protecting the goal for Australia as the England girls hold fort to reach the semifinals. AP

SENATOR Francis “Tol” Tolentino (third from left) and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann (fifth from left) with (from left) Special Assistant to IloIlo City Mayor Matthy Treñas, IloIlo City Councilor Sidfrey Cabaluna, Rep. Anthony Rolando Golez Jr., Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. and Commission on Higher Education Executive Director-Central Office Cinderella Jaro. NONIE REYES

HARRY SALES (from left), Maria Montserrat Lapuz and Alonso Espartero show the medals they won in their respective age groups.

SUAREZ