BusinessMirror August 17, 2021 by BusinessMirror

Lockdowns dent BIR 7-month collection By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) fell short of its P1.226trillion collection goal for January to July as Covid-19-induced lockdown restrictions continue to hamper economic activity. Latest preliminary BIR data obtained by the BusinessMirror showed the bureau’s collection in the seven-month period settled at P1.206 trillion in the seven-month period, narrowly missing its target by 1.65 percent or P20.28 billion. However, this is still higher by 7.94 percent or P88.7 billion compared to its revenue take of P1.12

trillion in the same period last year. BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa pointed to the lockdown restrictions in the pandemic as the reason behind the bureau’s failure to hit its target for the seven-month period. For July alone, however, the BIR collected P171.85 billion, exceeding its P165.82-billion collection goal for the month by 3.64 percent. It also surpassed its P160.57billion take in the same month last year by 7.03 percent. To recall, Metro Manila and nearby provinces Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, and Bulacan were placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine from March 22 to April 11 to ad-

dress the surge in Covid-19 cases. After that, the government eased the restrictions in National Capital Region Plus (NCR Plus) to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine from April 12 to May 14. Then, NCR Plus was placed under General Community Quarantine from the latter part of May until the end of July. Guballa said they still hope to collect a total of P2.081 trillion. Last year, BIR raked in P1.95 trillion, exceeding its downscaled revenue collection target of P1.686 trillion. The government hopes to raise more revenues this year to cover the expected higher budget deficit. The

Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) now projects this to reach a new record high of 1.86 trillion or 9.3 percent of the country’s GDP. The DBCC earlier slashed its growth projection for the Philippine economy this year to 6 to 7 percent— from its previous forecast range of 6.5 to 7.5 percent—also due to the implementation of stricter lockdown measures in NCR Plus in the second quarter. The Philippine economy grew by 11.8 percent in the second quarter, the highest since the fourth quarter of 1988 when the economy grew 12 percent. See “Lockdowns,” A2

REMITTANCE LEVELS IN JUNE HIGHEST FOR 2021

Tuesday, August 17, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 307

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Police Staff Sergeant Fernando Cabilla and a PPE-clad volunteer help local government officials distribute goods to barangays in Muntinlupa City that were placed under Extreme Localized Community Quarantine (ELCQ) for having clusters of Covid-19 cases. NONIE REYES/ROY DOMINGO

By Bianca Cuaresma

@BcuaresmaBM

ILIPINO migrant workers continued to send more money back home in June, sustaining the strong growth of remittances entering the country during the month.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Monday that remittances that coursed through banks in June reached $2.64 billion. This is the highest monthly value of remittances to the country for the entire 2021. This is also a 7-percent growth

from the $2.465 billion level of remittances in June last year. Broken down, the BSP said cash remittances expanded following the increase in receipts from land-based workers by 7.1 percent to $2.136 billion from $1.994 billion in the previous year and sea-

based workers by 6.5 percent to $502 million from $472 million in 2020. The strong remittance performance in June brought the sixmonth total to $14.92 billion, 6.4 percent higher than the $14.02 billion remittance level in the January-to-June period of 2020. According to the BSP, the growth in cash remittances in January to June this year came largely from the United States (US), Malaysia and South Korea. Meanwhile, in terms of country sources, the US registered the highest share of overall remittances at 40.1 percent in the first six months of 2021, followed by Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the Unit-

ed Kingdom, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, South Korea, Qatar and Taiwan. The combined remittances from these top 10 countries accounted for 78.4 percent of total cash remittances. Remittances to the country first fell into contraction territory in April last year due to the global economic disruption caused by the pandemic. It slowly recovered throughout the year and climbed back to the growth territory starting February this year. This, despite the fact that many OFWs in countries around the world were impacted by the pandemic. See “Remittance,” A2

Social-media influencers warned: Pay tax

HE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) reminded socialmedia influencers to pay their income tax and business tax as it warned that they may be held criminally liable for failure to comply with their obligations. In its Revenue Memorandum Circular 97-2021 released on Monday, the BIR said it has been receiving reports that certain social-media influencers have not been paying their income taxes despite earning huge

income from different platforms. Apart from this, the BIR cited reports that they are not registered with the BIR or are registered under different tax types or line of business but are also not declaring their earnings from social-media platforms for tax purposes. “This Circular is therefore issued to clarify the tax obligations of all social-media influencers, individual or corporation, with the end goal of raising revenues from their undeclared income and at the same time,

PESO exchange rates n US 50.4180

reminding them of their obligations under the law and of the possible consequences of their failure to pay taxes,” read the circular signed by BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay. Unless exempted in line with the provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code, the BIR said socialmedia influencers shall be liable to pay income tax and business tax, which may either be percentage tax or value-added tax. The bureau also warned that social-media influencers who fail to file

returns and pay taxes may be criminally liable apart from paying the taxes due, as well as the corresponding penalties. It also warned against under-declaration of taxable sales, receipts, or income, or a substantial overstatement of deductions. “It must be emphasized that the BIR also has the power to obtain information from foreign tax authorities pursuant to the Exchange of Information [EOI] provision of the relevant tax treaties.

‘DISAPPOINTING’ Q2 GDP SHOWS PHL ‘AMONG LAST TO RECOVER IN REGION’

N T ER NAT IONA L t h in k tank Moody’s A nalytics said the country’s growth in the second quarter of the year proved to be “disappointing,” bolstering their view that the Philippines will be among the last countries in the region to recover economically. In a research note on Monday, Moody’s Analytics said Philippine recovery has been affected by the relatively strict movement controls during the quarter as the country continued to struggle to contain Covid-19 cases. “The early signs of recovery in the Philippine economy have proved to be short-lived.... The sluggish vaccine rollout coupled with decentralized health advice and poor adherence to social distancing measures are to blame. Conditions are not much better in the current quarter, as movement controls remain in place along with elevated infections,” Moody’s

Analytics said. The research firm also said the slow pace of the vaccination rollout remains a major drag and a downside risk to the Philippines’s economic recovery as only 10 percent of the total adult population of the country is fully vaccinated. Moody’s Analytics further warned that the country may be forced to prolong the “costly mobility restrictions” if the number of Covid-19 cases continues to be elevated. Given these conditions, the think tank said they maintain their assumption that the country will not recover lost output up until next year. “We maintain our expectation that the Philippines will be amongst the last in Asia to regain lost output from the pandemic. The Philippines is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until mid-2022,” Moody’s Analytics said. See “Q2 GDP,” A2

See “Social-media,” A2

n japan 0.4599 n UK 69.9096 n HK 6.4783 n CHINA 7.7845 n singapore 37.2363 n australia 37.1127 n EU 59.4680 n SAUDI arabia 13.4445

Source: BSP (August 16, 2021)

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A2 Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Q2 GDP… Continued from A1

Thethinktankalsonotedthatwhile in terms of annual figures, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of the year surged by 11.8 percent, the country still recorded a 1.3-percent contraction in seasonally adjusted GDP for the period. Moody’s Analytics also noted that the growth came largely due to base effects as the country contracted by 16.9 percent in the second quarter of 2020. “Major sectors of the economy rebounded off a low base effect last year, particularly manufacturing, real estate and construction. However, output from most sectors still fell short compared with the second quarter of 2019,” Moody’s Analytics said. “Service sector output, which makes up more than half of the economy, remained 9.1 percent below the second quarter of 2019. Similarly, private consumption remained 9.2 percent below the second quarter of 2019 as mobility restrictions surpassed domestic demand,” it added. Bianca Cuaresma

Lockdowns… Continued from A1

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the country’s GDP growth averaged 3.7 percent in the first semester, using constant 2018 prices. National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said the economy needs to post a growth of 8.2 percent in the second half of the year to hit the government’s low-end GDP growth target of 6 percent.

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Race vs time: DFA plucks 32 OFWs from Afghanistan

By Recto Mercene

@rectomercene

N initial batch of 32 Filipinos in Afghanistan were evacuated Sunday night, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported, and added that all efforts are being taken to work out the safe repatriation of over a hundred more who remain in the country overrun by the Taliban. The 32 Filipinos who left Kabul on Sunday are now in Doha awaiting their confirmed flights to the Philippines. However, 19 other overseas Filipino workers (OFW) were not able to leave even as CNN said “all commercial flights out of Kabul’s main airport have been canceled.” The DFA ordered the evacuation of around 130 Filipinos in Afghanistan, after its government collapsed and Taliban forces took hold of the capital Kabul. Over the past several months, several hundred Filipinos who

had worked as contractors inside American and Nato outposts in Afghanistan had been moved out in phases, after the US announced a withdrawal in April. Some of these OFWs have been stranded in Dubai, owing to new travel restrictions caused by a surge in Covid-19 cases in countries around the globe. News coming of Kabul on Monday said the American military had taken over the Kabul Airport and had given priority to American Embassy officials and personnel to board military flights out of the beleaguered country.

Chinook helicopters have been seen flying over the city, ferrying escaping American embassy personnel and bringing them to the airport. Many Afghan citizens tried to escape and rush over to the Kabul Airport to join any commercial flights, but were prevented by heavily armed American troopers. The airport perimeter was lined with razor wires. “Overnight, the focus was Kabul airport, where hundreds of desperate Afghans seeking to flee the country were waiting for flights, some dragging luggage across runways in the dark,” one news report said. There were reports of sporadic explosions within the airport compound. The DFA recently issued Alert Level 4 for the whole of Afghanistan due to the uncertain security situation in the country. “The Department and its Foreign Service Posts in the region and beyond are exploring all avenues of cooperation and are closely coordinating with governments and international partners to guarantee their immediate and safe passage,” the DFA said in a statement on Monday. The DFA said the migrant Filipino workers in Kabul “are professionals working for various international companies in the country.” The Philippine embassy in Pakistan, which has jurisdiction over Afghanistan, will oversee the repatriation of Filipinos in the area. It urged any Filipino in distress to reach the embassy through the following details: W hatsapp/ Viber: +923335244762 Messenger/Facebook at the following: https://www.facebook.com/atnoff icers.islamabadpe or http://facebook.com/ OFWHelpPH Email: isbpeatn@gmail.com After rapidly taking towns and cities across Afghanistan in just days, Taliban forces captured Kabul on Sunday, and Western-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled the country to Tajikistan as the presidential palace was seized. Other Filipinos who left Afghanistan about a month ago and stopped over in Dubai where they remain stuck were recruits of Fluor, an engineering and construction company. Those working on US and Nato bases are not counted as members of the Samahang Pilipino sa Afghanistan (SPA). OFW advocate and recruitment industry veteran Manny S. Geslani

said one problem is time. The workers’ evacuation had been tentatively set within the next two weeks. The Taliban, however, overran city after city until their fighters reached Kabul, where most of the workers have gathered for better security. Geslani said some workers were still undecided about taking the flight, apparently weighing between their chances of evacuation in a government plane and that of their company. Many OFWs want to stick it out with their employer to boost their chances of getting a good job again when the situation simmers down, Geslani explained. The tentative plan calls for the government plane to take off from Kabul with a stopover in Istanbul, which was chosen because Dubai, the logical stop, remains closed to travelers from Afghanistan, among other countries hit by pandemic surges. Geslani said the 130 OFWs still in Kabul are in the heavily fortified Green Zone “and are facing the worst crisis in their more than 14 years stay in Kabul, Afghanistan, as the Taliban has taken over major government facilities of the former President Ashraf Ghani administration.” He said the OFWs who have signified their desire to join the repatriation flight being organized by the Philippine Embassy in Pakistan are afraid that the scheduled flight on August 24 on Turkish Airways might not push through as Kabul Airport operations have been suspended for the next 72 hours. US and Nato troops are guarding the airbase and have been tasked by US President Joe Biden to safeguard the evacuation of all those at the airport who want to leave Afghanistan. The Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan has confirmed with the OFWs in Afghanistan represented by Samahang Pilipino sa Afghanistan (SPA) that the home office has approved a repatriation flight for all OFWs still in Afghanistan by the end of August. Geslani, quoting SPA President Glenn Gumpal said the situation remains fluid in Kabul, “but OFWs with the 27 companies are now ready to leave.” “However 11 of these companies are still waiting for higher management decision if repatriation of the OFWs to Dubai will be undertaken in the last few weeks while pullout of US troops continues until August 31, 2021.”

Social-media… The BIR has the means to verify their income as it is clothed with a special power to obtain information from its treaty partners. The BIR may safely rely on the data provided by its treaty partners to establish the influencer’s tax liability,” it said. “The social-media influencers are, therefore, advised to voluntarily and truthfully declare their income and pay their corresponding taxes without waiting for a formal investigation to be conducted by the BIR to avoid being liable for tax evasion and for the civil

Remittance… Earlier this month, Fitch Solutions —the think tank arm of Fitch Group—said remittances to the country are expected to be steady throughout the year and give support to the economy. “Remittances will crucially provide some upside to the current

Continued from A1

penalty of fifty percent [50%] of the tax or of the deficiency tax,” it added. For this year, BIR is targeting to collect a total of P2.081 trillion. It has so far collected P1.206 trillion as of end-July this year, based on t he l atest prel iminar y BIR data obtained by the BusinessMirror. It fell short of its P1.226-trillion collection goal for the sevenmonth period as Covid-19-induced lockdown restrictions continue to hamper economic activity. Bernadette D. Nicolas

Continued from A1

account balance over the coming years, with greater external demand for health-care workers and carers due to aging populations and still high migration from the Philippines as a result of high domestic unemployment rates,” Fitch Solutions said.

DOH on P67-B Covid funds: None wasted Continued from A12

COA findings on unauthorized grant of meal allowances have also been settled. The DOH sought approval of the Office of the President (OP) to provide the meal benefits through other forms, apart from packed meals. They then approved the provision in cash equivalents through its Memorandum issued June 1, 2021. The P 4.8-million unpaid financial assistance to health-care workers, Vegas said, was already duly paid by concerned Regional offices. COA had noted that the claims for compensation benefits unpaid at the end of the year entailed valid reasons, such as lack of required documents. However, the DOH said this was “immediately” paid by the Regional Offices upon completion of documentation. Findings on fund transfers, procurement deficiencies, and unutilized medical equipment and supplies were partially resolved, DOH said.

PITC issue

The P42.4-billion fund transfers, the DOH official said, were mostly to the Procurement Service (PS) of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Philippine International Trading Corp (PITC) for the procurement of Covid-19 supplies. COA observed that the funds were transferred without a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), and despite delays in delivery of the procured medical equipment. The DOH responded that there is no need for a MOA for the transaction, since the items procured —PPEs, testing kits, and other equipment needed for the Covid-19 response—have been classified as common-use supplies due to the pandemic. While COA flagged that the DOH needed to wait for the liquidation of all pending procurements before transferring funds to the procurement agencies, the DOH needed to ensure continuous provision of critical supplies, and had to make new purchases, while awaiting deliveries of previous purchases in order to ensure supplies and equipment for the Covid-19 response. DOH also explained that delivery issues were coordinated with the procurement agencies to ensure that much-needed supplies are delivered immediately. Of the P5.1-billion procedural and documentar y deficiencies flagged, the P2.5 billion have been addressed by the Procurement Service of the DOH Central Office. Meanwhile, the remaining P2.5 billion is being addressed by operating units in compliance with COA recommendations. COA also flagged P74 million worth of unutilized medical equipment and supplies, including those intended for Covid-19 but used in non-Covid wards, and delayed deliveries resulting in delayed utilization of procured items. To date, most of the determined “unutilized” medical equipment and supplies are being used based on the report of DOH hospitals. The remaining items in the COA report, including cash advances and petty cash funds, incomplete supporting documents relative to the death and sickness compensation, grant of various Covid-19 allowances, and management of Interim Reimbursement Mechanism funds, are being addressed by concerned offices and operating units, DOH said. “As these findings are not yet final, we were given a period of 60 days to respond and provide updates on compliance with the recommendations by COA. But we will submit even before the deadline,” said Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.

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Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Tuesday, August 17, 2021 A3

House scrutiny into DOH’s ‘missing’ funds opens today

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

@joveemarie

HE Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of Health (DOH) will brief today, Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives on reported “deficiencies” in the management of some P67.32 billion in Covid-19 funds. The DOH is likewise expected to answer its reported failure to pay the benefits of health-care frontline workers.

The House Committee on Public Accounts has invited COA and DOH top officials to brief lawmakers on its recently released 2020 annual audit reports (AAR) involving Covid-19 funds disbursed through the DOH.

Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro asked Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and other government officials to attend the lower chamber’s briefing on the spending of the DOH’s P67-billion

Covid-19 pandemic response funds. “That will be Secretary Duque’s opportunity to explain the alleged deficiencies in the management of the funds as reported by the Commission on Audit. Anyway, he has vowed to account for all of the money and has declared that none of it has been lost to corruption,” Rodriguez said. In its report, the COA flagged various deficiencies in the DOH’s management of pandemic funds worth P67.32 billion, of which, around P66.28 billion was attributed to non-compliance with pertinent laws and regulations. However, the audit body later clarified that the report itself did not mention any findings of funds lost to corruption and that the DOH still has time to comply and rectify any shortcoming. According to Rodriguez, the lower chamber also wants Duque to particularly address repeated complaints on the payment of ben-

efits Congress had granted nurses and other health workers under the Bayanihan 1 and 2 laws. He noted that the Department of Budget and Management has recently announced that it has released P9 billion for the special risk allowance and hazard pay of government and private health-care personnel. “Where is the money now? Have the funds reached hospitals? Why are our nurses complaining that they have not received their special risk allowance and hazard pay?” he asked. Earlier, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo filed House Resolution 2121 to inquire on DOH’s non-payment of Bayanihan 2 benefits and allowances to private health-care workers. P13.5 billion was appropriated for these allowances and benefits under Bayanihan 2. Last August 12, 2021, private hea lth-care workers’ (HC Ws) unions in the National Capital Region organized a dialogue with concerned agencies and lawmakers

to express their concerns about not receiving the benefits promised under Bayanihan 2. Bayanihan 2 mandated the provision of Covid-19 special risk allowance, life insurance, accommodation, free meals, and transportation to public and private health workers. It also assumed medical expenses of health workers who have been exposed to Covid-19 or any work-related disease or injury, and the provision of compensation for health workers who have contracted Covid-19.

Include PITC in House probe

MEANWHILE, House Committee on Public Accounts Chairman Jose Singson Jr. asked the COA to also conduct a close scrutiny on the activities of state-run Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC), which “had been accused of hoarding over P11 billion in government money since 2017.” Singson, in a news statement, said PITC has failed to deliver the

procurement requests made by the DOH-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine that has advanced nearly P1 billion. Singson said the 2020 AAR released by COA showed that PITC failed to construct in 2017 the proposed hospital for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases although it has received from the DOH-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine a total P126 million for the project. He said the P126 million is part of the P11 billion that DOH and other government agencies transferred to the PITC for various procurement activities. “The COA reports gave us a glaring yet sickening visual of how the PITC squandered an opportunity for our country to have a better fighting chance against the Covid-19 pandemic which started in 2020, or three years after the trading firm got the money to implement the projects,” said Singson.

DOJ panel review of deaths in 52 drug operations done–Guevarra By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

DEPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ)-led panel has wrapped up its review of cases covering 52 anti-illegal drug operations where deaths occurred under the Duterte administration, which were previously investigated by the Philippine

National Police-Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS). Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he is just going over the results of the review before he consults with the PNP on whether these can be released to the public. “All these matters will be discussed by the review panel. If criminal investigation is warranted, wit-

nesses including family members will be sought and called upon to provide information,” Guevarra said when asked if the findings would be released to the families of those who died in the 52 anti-drug operations conducted by the police. Guevarra earlier stressed that the cooperation of witnesses in these 52 drug cases where deaths occurred

are necessary in the panel’s ongoing review of these cases. United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has also challenged the panel that the reinvestigation of cases should produce “meaningful results.” The said 52 cases involved findings of administrative liability against hundreds of police personnel

for alleged misconduct in the course of anti-illegal drug operations. Aside from these drug cases, the panel has also received 107 case files from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for review. While it is reviewing these records, the panel is also monitoring the preliminary investigation and prosecution of 87 criminal

cases lodged against more than a hundred law enforcers for alleged wrongful conduct during anti-illegal drug operations. Guevarra has said the panel is ready to seek out witnesses once it is established that there is sufficient ground to proceed to a criminal investigation in any of the cases under review by the panel.

A4 Tuesday, August 17, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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Govt urged to impose 100,000 MT cap on ‘galunggong’ imports A

FOOD security group has called on the government to limit the possible galunggong importation for this year

to just 100,000 metric tons (MT), arguing that exceeding that level could greatly impact local production. Tugon Kabuhayan claimed it has received information that the volume of

possible galunggong importation for wet market sale this year may reach as much as 200,000 MT. The volume, the group pointed out, is “concerning” since it may become the “biggest” galunggong importation of the country for wet market purposes. “We consulted some fishing industries and

they are saying that 100,000 MT is enough to cover whatever shortfall we will have. [We support] 100,000 MT,” the group said in a virtual news briefing on Monday. Discussions regarding the possible importation of galunggong during this year’s closed fishing season started as early as last month. However it was only publicized last week following a statement from the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). The closed fishing season runs from October until March of next year. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua earlier said the government would be “proactive” in ensuring fish prices do not rise in the upcoming months by allowing importation for wet market sale. The proposed importation was confirmed afterwards by Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar but he and his officials remained mum on the possible volume of imports pending resolution of discussions about the matter. “No specific [import] volume yet. Stakeholders’ consultation is ongoing. The volume will be determined based on local production and

gaps as may be identified through consultation and technical study,” Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries Cheryl Marie NatividadCaballero told the BusinessMirror. Tugon Kabuhayan also proposed that the imports must arrive only during November so as not to coincide and impact local aquaculture harvest that is expected to peak in December until January of next year. “Dumping imported fish into the market at this time of year is likely to hurt not only the fishing sector but the country’s aquaculture industry as well,” the group said. “Logically, it is the first quarter of each year where production is lowest, but data shows that there is a significant increase by the second quarter,” it added. The BusinessMirror first broke the story that the country is preparing to import fish to plug supply gaps as the fishing season comes to a close. (Related story: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/10/ plugging-supply-gaps-economic-teamprepares-for-closing-of-fishing-season/) Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Group presses salary increase for rank-and-file state workers

HE Confederation for Unity, Recognition, and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) on Monday urged lawmakers to prioritize the security of tenure, salary increase and other benefits of rank-and-file employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The group issued the challenge to Congressmen Paolo “Polong” Duterte and Eric Go Yap, authors of House Bill 9962 (HB 9962), or the Career Executive Service (CES) Recognition Bill. HB 9962 seeks to increase the salaries, benefits and special allowances of CES members, or career officers with the ranks of undersecretary, assistant secretary, bureau director and the like. “While we ordinary public sector employees do recognize the effort and importance of career executives, officers and admin-

istrators in these crucial times, we assert that lawmakers, including Representatives Duterte and Yap, should prioritize first increasing the salaries of the mass of public sector employees, granting security of tenure particularly for personnel still in contractual status, and ensuring that all employees are duly-compensated for risking their lives just to be of service in the frontlines,” COURAGE National President Santiago Dasmariñas Jr. said in a news statement. The group claims that the salary grades stipulated in the Salary Standardization Law 5 implemented in January 2020 does not account for the “elephantine” inflation and economic crisis due to Covid-19, thus, any increase intended, especially for the lower salary grades already been eroded by the value of the skyrocketing prices of basic necessities. Jonathan L. Mayuga

The success of intrapreneurship

By Henry J. Schumacher

FEW weeks ago, I wrote about entrepreneurs achieve their goals and admitted that I did not achieve to become an entrepreneur. Today, I want to write about the fact that I was a happy intrapreneur throughout my business life and share with you how successful intrapreneurship can be. In this process, it may make sense to look at some realities of entrepreneurship: starting your own business is hard, with plenty of uncertainty and worry. But instead of convincing yourself that you need to make a great leap towards your entrepreneur dream, you can actually start right where you are. If you want to be a self-made person, you can start by thinking of ways to improve the skills you’ve got right now. You can do that by looking around you in your current place of work and asking yourself: “what skills would I need to enhance this place?” You can become an entrepreneur within your current place of work with just a shift of mindset. Why not use your time to think about business ideas you’ve got in your head? Why not use that time to search for a better way of doing things. If you would do something different if you run the place, test it out in this place. Try out your meeting facilitation skills, your

negotiating skills or your managerial skills right where you are. Build a mindset of productivity and growth; think about what annoys you today. That’s all an entrepreneur is, he is someone who solves problems. You can do that right now. Build a mindset of finding problems and solving them. If you’re a manager, figure out how to build an environment where people feel good about innovation. If you’re a team member, figure out a way to add more value to your team. Practice your presentation skills, practice your ability to teach, practice everything and anything you will need to be a successful entrepreneur. The beauty of a 9–5 is that you have space to create and prove value. If you can do that, well you’re pretty much set. Use the time to build your way of working. And here’s the thing. Use it all to add incredible value to the place you work right now. Find the problem and work on building something that will successfully solve it. Practice being an entrepreneur right where you are, that’s an intrapreneur. It’s a shift in mindset. You want to get better at creating ideas? Start every morning off by writing down three random ideas. Whether that be wings for pigs, drones that cut trees or pencil holders that smile at you. It doesn’t matter, the point is to get your brain thinking in different ways. Build your creative muscle.Work like you are working for yourself but instead stay right where you are. Becoming an intrapreneur gives you time, takes on zero risk and it might be just enough to scratch your entrepreneurial itch. Looking at my own career, I enjoyed my entrepreneurial life as an intrapreneur. I was happy—and so were my employers. And finally, let me tell you that I successfully managed the important transition to integrity, leaving corruption and other unfair business practices behind. I look forward to your responses; you can reach me at hjschumacher59@gmail.com

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DOE concludes virtual ‘green energy’ public consultations By Lenie Lectura @llectura

HE Department of Energy (DOE) has concluded public consultations on two proposed policies aimed at increasing the renewable energy (RE) share in the country’s generation mix to 35 percent by 2030 and further to 50 percent by 2040. The twin draft circulars— “Providing the Guidelines for the Green Energy Auction Program [GEAP] in the Philippines and “Amending Section 13 [E] and Section 18 [C] of Department Circular DC2009-05-0008 entitled, Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act [RA] 9513”—are expected to facilitate increase investment in the RE capacities through a level-playing field that would result to attainment of transparent and competitive rates. Under the GEAP, renewable energy (RE) developers will offer their capacity to consumers and to the distribution utilities (DUs) that are required to purchase RE as mandated by the RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standards). The purpose of the new guidelines on GEAP is to provide immediate and timely investments, support the development of, and increase access to financing for new or additional capacities under a competitive process, as well as implement programs that promotes clean and sustainable environment. The DOE, through the GEAP Committee, aims to conduct

the first round bid in October. “One of the things that we’ve discussed within the DOE is actually try to improve on the GEAP to hit our targets using existing mechanisms that will increase the share of RE in the market, increase the available supply of power in the grid, and at the same time will increase the RPS allocation of the DUs,” said GEAP Committee Chairman and DOE Assistant Secretary Redentor Delola in a news statement. Separately, Delola said, the agency is now finalizing the policy based on the comments received from industry stakeholders. “Hopefully, we will be able to promulgate it by end of August. Then, we will be issuing the Notice of Auction,” he said in a text message. The other draft DC on RA 9513 IRR Amendments is meant to address the long-standing outstanding concerns raised by RE developers and fabricators, manufacturers, and other target recipients on the implementation of the tax provisions, especially on the automatic availment of the 10-percent Corporate Income Tax and Zero-Rate VAT, as well as other incentives in the RE Law. Moreover, ensuring that all fiscal incentives are properly availed of through an efficient government process. “As the need for RE increases, we ardently continue to pursue our RE initiatives in achieving a Clean Energy Scenario. I am confident that the enhanced GEAP guidelines and amendments will further bring us closer to our goal,” said Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021 A5

Imus Mayor Maliksi catches virus; Isko now ‘stable’; Iloilo City Hall on lockdown By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

MUS City Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi has been confined in a hospital after he tested positive for Covid-19, the city’s information officer confirmed on Monday. This, as Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, who was also admitted to Sta. Ana Hospital on Sunday after contracting the virus, appears to be over the hump and is now in “stable” condition. Dr. Grace Padilla, director of Sta. Ana Hospital, in a Twitter post said that the Manila mayor, who emerged as a leading presidential candidate in a recent poll, has been given oral antibiotics and vitamins as supplements. According to Jay Saquilayan, Imus City Information Officer, Maliksi, was admitted at South Imus Specialist Hospital after experiencing fever. Maliksi has been fully vaccinated against the virus. Saquilayan said that Maliksi undergoes regular antigen test but on Sunday, he was not feeling well. He did an RT-PCR and it later showed Covid-positive results. While isolating, Maliksi assured that the service to his constituents will continue. “Mananatiling bukas ang mga serbisyo ng pamahalaan para sa inyo lalo na sa kritikal na panahong ito [The city government will remain open to

MAYOR Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso in one of his more recent engagements before he tested positive for Covid-19. PHOTO COURTESY OF CNN

give service to our people especially during this critical time],” the mayor posted on his Facebook account. “Babangon tayo at sama-sama nating malalagpasan ito [We will rise again and together, we can surpass this],”Maliksi added. It may be recalled that two of the mayor’s family members died of Covid-19, former Cavite Governor Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi last February 25, 2021 and sister Joan Maliksi on April 29, 2021.

Iloilo City mayor’s office on lockdown

THE Iloilo City Mayor’s Office has been placed on lockdown starting Monday, August 16, 2021 following a positive case of Covid-19 in one of its employees. Mayor Jerry P. Treñas ordered the disinfection of the executive of-

fice and contact tracing of all personnel. “All the staff will be working from home in the meantime. We will be closed from two to three days depending HEALTH-CARE workers check on Imus City, Cavite Mayor on the results of swab Emmanuel Maliksi. PHOTO FROM MAYOR MALIKSI’S SOCMED ACCOUNT test of identified close contacts,” he said. The city has been placed under First level contact tracing is curModified Enhanced Community rently being done through the City Quarantine from August 16 to Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit. 31, 2021. If needed, there will be a second level “With the presence of Delta contact tracing on Tuesday. and Lambda variants already here “I continue to urge everyone not in the region, we can protect ourto be complacent. Covid-19 is still selves by taking the test when expresent and it does not choose a periencing symptoms for proper person or place to infect. We cannot medical attention, and always folrisk anyone getting infected at this low the safety protocols. I am retime when it is still very difficult questing everyone to stay vigilant to get a room at the hospitals,” the at all times while we continue to mayor stated. shield the community,” Treñas said.

Three business groups to get cash donations to procure Covid vax, acquire testing facilities

US-BASED nonprofit charitable organization has committed to donate funds to finance the purchase of coronavirus vaccines and/or the acquisition of testing facilities to offer free tests to marginalized workers and their families of three Philippine nonprofit business groups. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the donation pledge was signed Wednesday between the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) Foundation Inc. in collaboration and support of the Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce (COFACC), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport). Under the MOU, the three Philippine business organizations expressed their desire to receive cash donations that would be generated from the fund-raising project conducted by the FACC Foundation starting August 11 to December 15, 2021. They will

PHOTO shows (from left) Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PCCI) Honorary Chairman and Treasurer Dr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr.; PCCI Chairman Ma. Alegria Sibal Limjoco; Philippine Export Confederation of the Philippines (Philexport) Chairman George Barcelon, (standing, from left) PCCI Secretary-General Ruben Pascual, Philexport Vice President Flordeliza Leong, PCCI US Business Council Chairman Enunina Mangio, PCCI Director for Small and Medium Enterprises Apolinar Aure, and Philexport Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Senen Perlada

be responsible for procuring and distributing the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine and related materials, and/or provision of free testing facilities for their marginalized workers.

The virtual signing of the MOU under the “Saves Lives, Donate Vaccines to the Philippines” project was signed between PCCI Honorary Chairman and Treasurer Dr.

FROM left: Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce (COFACC) Senior Director for International Relations Lorenzo Formoso; Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PCCI) Chairman Ma. Alegria Sibal Limjoco, PCCI Honorary Chairman and Treasurer Dr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., Philippine Export Confederation of the Philippines Chairman George Barcelon, and PCCI Acting President Edgardo Lacson, with (inset) Amb. Jose Manuel “Babe” del Gallego Romualdez, Consul General Edgardo Badajos, FACC Foundation President Ellen Samson, and COFACC President Jose Gerardo Palon

Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., PCCI Chairman Ma. Alegria Sibal-Limjoco, Philexport Chairman George Bar-

celon, acting PCCI President Edgardo G. Lacson as recipients and FACC Foundation President Ellen

Samson, COFACC President Jose Gerardo Palon and COFACC Senior Director for International Relations Lorenzo Formoso as donors, at the PCCI office in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. It was witnessed by Philippine Ambassador to US Jose Manuel “Babe” del Gallego Romualdez and Consul General Edgardo Badajos. Acting PCCI President Edgardo Lacson expressed gratitude for the donation, citing that this will go a long way in the fight against Covid-19 that has left many people unemployed and the economy in recession. Ph i le x p or t C h a i r m a n D r. George Barcelon said they appreciated FACC’s generous expression of support to save Filipino lives, economy, jobs and livelihood, even as the US is also facing challenges amid the pandemic. ECOP President Dr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. emphasized the project will not only save the lives of their workers of member-companies and their families, but also the enterprises themselves, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who are members of the three business organizations.

Lawmakers, economic managers meet on Bayanihan 3 proposal on Thursday By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

EMBERS of the House of Representatives and the country’s economic managers will meet on Thursday to discuss anew the proposed Bayanihan 3, including the funding for the expansion of Philippine Genome Center (PGC) in Visayas and Mindanao. Albay Rep. and House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Salceda said the lower chamber will push for the funding of the expansion of PGC during its meeting with economic managers on Thursday. The center estimated its funding need to be an additional P100 million, which would be fully included in the Bayanihan, said the lawmaker. The PGC is seeking P100 mil-

lion to be able to conduct genome sequencing to detect coronavirus variants. According to Salceda, the Bayanihan 3 should be passed immediately as “September and October could be the worst months” for the Philippines. “So if we don’t get a Bayanihan 3 passed to deal with this issue, you could have no power to realign any further funds for ayuda, and very few excess resources to directly address the new variants,” he added. The Bayanihan is currently pending before the Senate. Salceda, who is also the House economic stimulus and recovery cluster co-chairman, said that the House is committed to including the PGC funding in its renewed push for a third Bayanihan package. “We need to find a way to pass this bill before then, so we are working with a very tight timeline,” he said.

“We are meeting with the economic managers again on Thursday to see where we can get the funding for Bayanihan 3. There is certainly some space because the lockdowns once again delayed some of our projects. So, we can take from some items,” he added. But Salceda admitted that economic managers are still looking into what sources can be funded through Bayanihan 3. “But we are moving forward with something. On our end in the House, we are proposing a more narrow, more focused version than the big package that we proposed earlier. I think our P170 billion tag for this is more realistic and can be funded fully,” Salceda said. “It’s a more basic, tighter Bayanihan package that will deal with our most essential needs, including ayuda, medical assistance, cash-for-work, relief, and medical

interventions, including genome sequencing. It is also more flexible, so that the Executive can mix and match the allocations as needed,” Salceda said. Earlier this month, the PGC sought funding from the government and private sector for the expansion of its coverage to Visayas and Mindanao. “Absolutely, we need the powers to realign, declare savings, and seek other funding sources from the 2021 budget, because we are needing more ayuda than we predicted during the budget deliberations. And the budget is quite inflexible without these powers,” Salceda said. “The genome center is one of the cheapest but life-saving measures in the proposed Bayanihan 3, especially as different variants pose different risk levels. Tracking what the variants are and where

they are is crucial. If you don’t have enough genome sequencing in Visayas and Mindanao, you are walking blindly in about half of

the country,” Salceda added. “So we need genome sequencing funding. We can’t fight Delta without it,” he said.

BusinessMirror

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

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

CHEN, MINGZHANG Marketing Specialist 1.

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

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

JIANG, HAIMING Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 13.

WU, HAO Marketing Specialist 2.

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

14.

HE, FANGHAI Project Coordinator 3.

Brief Job Description: Plan, organize, and direct the activities of a construction project, under the direction of a general manager.

LI, YANG Mandarin Customer Relations Officer 15.

XIE, MIN Project Coordinator 4.

Brief Job Description: Plan, organize, and direct the activities of a construction project, under the direction of a general manager.

16.

YUAN, WENJU Project Coordinator 5.

Brief Job Description: Plan, organize, and direct the activities of a construction project, under the direction of a general manager.

17.

Brief Job Description: Assist clients will all their concerns

18.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions, suggesting information about other products and services XIE, WEI Customer Service Representative-mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions, suggesting information about other products and services ZHANG, JIAPEI Customer Service Representative-mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions, suggesting information about other products and services KOP JANSEN, JENS Customer Service Agent Dutch

10.

Brief Job Description: Customer service agent interacts with the customer on behalf of the organization provide information about the products and services reponds to customer complaints as well

19.

11.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

GUO, NA Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking 12.

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

GUTIERREZ SANTAMARIA, VICTOR Global Venture Developer 20.

Brief Job Description: Manage project progress and adapt work as required given new constraints and unforseed issues locate and eliminate bottlenecks ensure projects meets Deadlines lead project planning sessions coordinate staff and internal resources to complete tasks on time manager relationships with clients suppliers

Basic Qualification: Any nationality who can speak and write Chinese fluently. Preferably 6 months to 1 year customer service experience.

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

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

21.

CHENG, HAILIANG Key Accounts Specialist Consultant

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking w/ at least some secondary education Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

22.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 23.

Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management

No.

26.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZHOU, JIE Chinese Translator 27.

28.

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

29.

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Mandarin language.

30.

31.

Brief Job Description: Oversee the relationships of the company with chinese clients , Responsible for obtaining and maintaining long term key customers by comprehendng their requirements

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can develop strong possitive relationships with executive and manager contacts , able to speak and communicate using mandarin

32.

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

LI, YUNLONG Key Accounts Specialist Consultant

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 24.

Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Oversee the relationships of the company with chinese clients , Responsible for obtaining and maintaining long term key customers by comprehendng their requirements

WANG, KAI Key Accounts Specialist Consultant 25.

Brief Job Description: Oversee the relationships of the company with chinese clients , Responsible for obtaining and maintaining long term key customers by comprehendng their requirements

Basic Qualification: Can develop strong possitive relationships with executive and manager contacts , able to speak and communicate using mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

Brief Job Description: Managing project progress and adapt work as required

WANG, YONG Project Manager Brief Job Description: Managing project progress and adapt work as required

ZHANG, SHIMING Project Manager Brief Job Description: Managing project progress and adapt work as required

Basic Qualification: With Good Oral and Written communications skills and fluent in mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, 5years Railway Experience, With Good Oral and written communications skills Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, 5years Railway Experience, With Good Oral and written communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate, 5years Railway Experience, With Good Oral and written communications skills Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Monitor and maintain rigging equipment to ensure safety. Report all safety concerns/issues to management immediately. Set up and breakdown necessary equipment

Basic Qualification: With good oral and communication skills, specifically in English and Mandarin language. Familiarity in field and construction works. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: With good oral and communication skills, specifically in English and Mandarin language. Familiarity in field and construction works. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

SUVO, RAKIB HASAN Senior Process Executive 33.

Brief Job Description: Service Support Solution includes diagnosis, resolution and reporting of customer issues and questions relating YouTube paid content products. Service is Tier 1 end user support with escalations to Google

Basic Qualification: BA or BS Degree Holder; Minimum 2-year(s) customer service support experience (voice, e-mail, or chat), working with direct consumers preferably in a B2C environment; Native Mandarin Speaker Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

COOLIDGE TRADING CORPORATION No.62 Karuhatan Rd. Karuhatan Valenzuela City

34.

WEN, RUIJIANG Chinese Equipment Consultant Brief Job Description: Handles Chinese cremation machine

Basic Qualification: knows how to read and write mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

D’ HOOVER RESIDENCES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Unit 43 Bsa Townhomes Brgy. Bagong Silang Mandaluyong City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can develop strong possitive relationships with executive and manager contacts , able to speak and communicate using mandarin

DONG, CUNXIANG Project Manager

XU, YANCHONG Mandarin Purchasing Coordinator

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

Basic Qualification: Can develop strong possitive relationships with executive and manager contacts , able to speak and communicate using mandarin

Brief Job Description: Transcribed and translates Chinese foreign language audio files into good grammatical English

LIU, HONGWEI Mandarin Heavy Equipment Installation Officer

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

Basic Qualification: graduate of top notch universities strong analytical and communication skills excellent project management skills / experience proficient in google workspace Programs

Basic Qualification: Can develop strong possitive relationships with executive and manager contacts , able to speak and communicate using mandarin

CHN-PHL HUAIYUAN INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Unit A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower 6784 Ayala Avenue San Lorenzo Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Mandarin language.

Brief Job Description: Oversee the relationships of the company with chinese clients , Responsible for obtaining and maintaining long term key customers by comprehendng their requirements

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CHINA RAILWAY DESIGN CORPORATION PHILIPPINE BRANCH 3/f Salcedo One Center 170 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City

Basic Qualification: Has excellent problemsolving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION XIAO, KE Key Accounts Specialist Consultant

YANG, ZILONG Mandarin General Manager 35.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin General manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin General Manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DA SUCCESS BUSINESS TRADING INCORPORATED 2503 The Finance Centre 26th Street Corner 9th Avenue Fort Bonifacio Taguig City ZHANG, QIFEI Mandarin Speaking Marketing Specialist 36.

Basic Qualification: Native Speaker

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

Brief Job Description: Oversee the relationships of the company with chinese clients , Responsible for obtaining and maintaining long term key customers by comprehendng their requirements

GAO, FENG Key Accounts Specialist Consultant

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

Basic Qualification: Analyze the productivity of the Marketing plans and projects, recommend to Senior Management

Brief Job Description: Oversee the relationships of the company with chinese clients , Responsible for obtaining and maintaining long term key customers by comprehendng their requirements

FU, YINGXIN Key Accounts Specialist Consultant

Basic Qualification: Mandarin speaking w/ at least some secondary education

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5-10/f Tower 1 Pitx Kennedy Road Tambo Parañaque City CONG, SHANSHAN Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

YANG, JINGYI Mandarin Customer Service

3D ANALYZER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. 7-8/f Double Dragon Plaza 255 Edsa Cor. Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City JIANG, LUO Customer Service Representative-mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

XIE, GUOBIN Mandarin Customer Service

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

FENG, ZHENYU Customer Service Representative (chinese Accounts)

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

WU, JIANFENG Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field of study; Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, and Outlook; Knowledge of file management, transcription, and other administrative procedures.or a related field; Good communication and interpersonal skills

Brief Job Description: Handles the concerns of the people who buy their company’s products or services.

LIU, PEIHUI Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

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

Brief Job Description: Monitor, review and report on all Marketing activity and result.

WEI, HONGLIANG Marketing Staff Mandarin Speaking

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Ability to work under pressure and motivation to succeed in a competitive environment; Should have a bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, communications or a related field; Good communication and interpersonal skills

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: Develop and create marketing materials and collaborate with the internal teams.

Basic Qualification: Expertise in marketing and fluent in Mandarin speaking Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

DEXIN INTERNATIONAL IMPORT AND EXPORT CORP. 534 Tomas Mapua St. 029 Bgy. 298 Santa Cruz Manila

37.

YI YI MYINT Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Prepare airline and customs documentations

Basic Qualification: Have skills in documentations Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC. 4th-11th Floor Aseana 3 Building Aseana Avenue Corner Diosdado Macapagal Tambo Parañaque City CHENG, SHIMING Customer Service Representative 38.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION CHU KYI Customer Service Representative

39.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

CHUNG TAC SINH Customer Service Representative 40.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

HOANG THI HO Customer Service Representative 41.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

HONG, YILI Customer Service Representative 42.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

LE CAO NGOC HIEU Customer Service Representative 43.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

LEE KYI Customer Service Representative 44.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

LI, WENKAI Customer Service Representative 45.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

LIU, GANG Customer Service Representative 46.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints LUO, XIANGYUN Customer Service Representative

47.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answeing questions, and responding to complaintsSupports customers by providing helpful information, answeing questions, and responding to complaints MENG, PEIGUANG Customer Service Representative

48.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answeing questions, and responding to complaints

NGO THI THANH Customer Service Representative 49.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

NGUYEN HUYNH DUC Customer Service Representative 50.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

NGUYEN THANH BINH Customer Service Representative 51.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

NGUYEN THI HONG HANH Customer Service Representative 52.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

PAN, MIAOMIAO Customer Service Representative 53.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

PANG, SHUO Customer Service Representative 54.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answeing questions, and responding to complaints

QU, YANSHEN Customer Service Representative 55.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

No.

SAI KYAW MAIN Customer Service Representative 56.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

65.

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

ZHANG, YUYING Customer Service Representative 66.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

YUAN, ZEKUN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answeing questions, and responding to complaints

YU, XUAN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate level, preferably with customer service or sales experience, fluent in mandarin and basic english

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

YIN, YANFEI Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate level, preferably with customer service or sales experience, fluent in mandarin and basic english

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answeing questions, and responding to complaints

YIN, MING Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

YAO, SHIBAO Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answeing questions, and responding to complaints

YAO, JIN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

WANG, HAORAN Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

TANG DUC VINH Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

SONG, FUYOU Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions, and responding to complaints

ZHOU, LIUQUAN Customer Service Representative 67.

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

Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answeing questions, and responding to complaints

Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

HA LONG PILIPINAS INC. San Luis St. Barangay 011 Pasay City

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

68.

Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

WEN, JIE Purchasing Supervisor

WU, CHENGJU Channel Manager For Enterprise Sales And Marketing Channel And Regional Business Department 69.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate level, preferably with customer service or sales experience, fluent in mandarin and basic english

70.

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

Brief Job Description: In charge of channel department sales figure management weekly tracking and opportunity evaluation

LIU, SHIYU Globe Wireless Expansion 2021 Project Financial Controller Brief Job Description: Handle financial decisions management and monitoring

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

No.

72.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

ERWIN LIAW Chinese Speaking Business Development Associate 73.

74.

75.

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

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

ZHANG, HAIMING Human Resource Director 71.

Brief Job Description: In depth understanding of the representative office business requirements, provide comprehensive HR solutions and capable in building manager and employee team

Basic Qualification: Highly trained in enterprise sales management with skills on ICT technologies computation and cloud technologies Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

81.

Basic Qualification: 10 year experience in sales related to telecom industry, 5 year experience as a human resource director in china and overseas with building relationships and people skills initiative on customers focus to emphasize excellence Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist (ITSS) is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele. MA DANG LINH It Support Specialist

82.

83.

84.

85.

Basic Qualification: Masters degree in financial management with good written and verbal communication English and chinese language Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English language both in written and verbal. Must be an expert in numeracy and have problem solving and reporting skills

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate level, preferably with customer service or sales experience, fluent in mandarin and basic english

Brief Job Description: The CHINESE IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST is an integral r of the company Infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele. LAM VINH KHIENG It Support Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: The IT Support Specialist is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele HUYNH TU HA It Support Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: The Chinese IT Support Specialist is an integral member of the company infrastructure, Application Support, and of the IT Division and is responsible for providing quality IT support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele HONG MY CHAU It Support Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or Sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: The Chinese it support specialist is an integral r of the company infrastructure, application support, and of the division and is responsible for providing quality it support of enterprise systems throughout the Chinese clientele. ZHONG, YANMING Chinese It Support Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate level, preferably with customer service or sales experience, fluent in mandarin and basic english

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: ASSIST/HELP CUSTOMERS, GIVE CUSTOMERS INFORMATION ABOUT PRODUCT AND SERVICES

CHEN, ZIWEI Chinese It Support Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate level, preferably with customer service or sales experience, fluent in mandarin and basic english

Basic Qualification: Graduate of mechanical engineer: excellent coordination and communication skills in english and chinese language Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

Basic Qualification: WITH ATLEAST 6 MONTHS CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE/GOOD IN ORAL COMMUNICATION AND WRITTEN Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ITECHNO SPECIALIST INC. 9/f 100 West Building Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City 7/f Aseana I Bldg. Bradco Avenue Aseana Business Park Tambo Parañaque City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: To combine the most advance techniques to customize for clients solutions on upgrading information communication technology (ICT )

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

INFOVINE INC. 9/f Y Tower, Moa Complex Coral Way Drive Cor. Macapagal Brgy. 076 Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate level, preferably with customer service or sales experience, fluent in mandarin and basic english

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION FU, YUFEI Sales Manager For Information Transformation Of Philippine National Police System Project

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES PHILS. INC. U-5302, 53/f Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor., V.a. Rufino St. Bel-air Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College Graduate Level, preferably with Customer Service or sales experience, fluent in Mandarin and basic English

Brief Job Description: Ensuring the confidentiality and security of files and filing system. Coordinating schedules, arranging meetings, distributing memos and reports, operating equipment and fax machine

Tuesday, August 17, 2021 A7

86.

87.

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

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

Basic Qualification: MUST BE FLUENT IN CHINESE LANGUAGE Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION THAU NGOC VAN It Support Specialist

88.

89.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien Language

90.

Brief Job Description: Make recommendations through the analysis of Chinese digital channel across the web, social media, and collaboration. WINDA Indonesian Customer Service Representative

91.

Brief Job Description: Track main industry trends in Indonesian through blogs, micro blogs and forums. HAN, SORI Korean Customer Service Representative

92.

Brief Job Description: Create and manage product in conjuction with marketing strategies to Korean customer service representative

106.

Basic Qualification: Can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: At Least College Graduate Chinese and Mandarin Speaking Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: At Least College Graduate Indonesian Speaking Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: At Least College Graduate speak and write fluently (Korean and English) Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

107.

SALDANHA, ASHWINI JAMES Fund Servicing Associate I 93.

Brief Job Description: The role includes involvement in all phases of project life cycle, with primary responsibility of manual testing and part of business implementation throughout software testing life cycle (STLC)

OMATA, YOSHIHIKO Executive Vice President & Coo 94.

Brief Job Description: Direct & manage the work plan, day to day operations of the company.

CHEW CHIN GHEE Mandarin Language Marketing Specialist 108.

109.

95.

Brief Job Description: Over all responsibility for bank operations.

110.

111.

113.

CHOI, ILDONG Customer Service Representative 96.

Brief Job Description: Interacting with customers via email, assists with complaints, orders and other queries. KIM, YONGHYUP Customer Service Representative

97.

Brief Job Description: Interacting with customers via email, assists with complaints, orders and other queries. LI, TAIYONG Customer Service Representative

98.

Brief Job Description: Interacting with customers via email, assists with complaints, orders and other queries. PIAO, MINGXU Customer Service Representative

99.

Brief Job Description: Interacting with customers via email, assists with complaints, orders and other queries. PIAO, XIAOZHEN Customer Service Representative

100.

Brief Job Description: Interacting with customers via email, assists with complaints, orders and other queries.

114.

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

MACH 86 TECHNOLOGIES CORP. 5th-13th Flr. Workspace Bldg. 1419 Industry St. Corner Finance St. Mbp Ayala Alabang Ayalaalabang Muntinlupa City

115.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese dialect (Mandarin, Folkien, Cantonese) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

116.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese dialect (Mandarin, Folkien, Cantonese) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese dialect (Mandarin, Folkien, Cantonese) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese dialect (Mandarin, Folkien, Cantonese) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese dialect (Mandarin, Folkien, Cantonese)

117.

118.

119.

120.

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

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

101.

CHEN, QIRUI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

102.

HUANG, ZHONGZHEN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

103.

KUO, TZU-YU Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

104.

LI, MINGHUI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

105.

PENG, YIFENG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin

121.

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

122.

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

123.

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin

No.

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

Basic Qualification: Excellent in speaking reading and writing in Mandarin

126.

Brief Job Description: To troubleshoot, maintain and monitor the computer system

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

124.

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

CHEN, FENGTAO Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries DUONG QUANG KHANH Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HAN, TINGXU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HUANG, DONGCHAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries JIA, LIYAN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LAI, YINGBIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, CHANGLIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LI, PENGHAI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIANG, BAICHENG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIANG, WENPIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIN, SHUJIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LIN, SIRONG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LUO, HAIQIANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WANG, HU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHANG, XIAORU Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHANG, JINLONG Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin

125.

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

OAMPI INC. 8/f 6780 Ayala Ave. Ayala Ave. San Lorenzo Makati City

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Brief Job Description: To organize its community of users and provide service support in variety of areas

DING, AIQI Mandarin Operation Specialist 127.

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

GREYLING, MARTHINUS JOHANNES Country Head Of Customer Service 128.

129.

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

Brief Job Description: Maintain highest customer satisfaction including profitability within the framework of Siemens Healthcare Customer Service

130.

Brief Job Description: Handles administrative requests and queries from senior managers officers LI, MINGWEI Bilingual Admin Support Specialist

131.

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

Brief Job Description: Handles administrative requests and queries from Senior Managers/Officers ZHAO, XIN Bilingual Admin Support Specialist

132.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

Brief Job Description: Handles administrative requests and queries from senior manager officers CHEN, YANG Bilingual Admin Support Specialist

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

Brief Job Description: Handles administrative requests and queries from Senior Managers/Officers WANG, SHENGLONG Bilingual Finance Support Specialist

133.

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

Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms for the purpose of checking account balances.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

ZHANG, WENXIU Bilingual Finance Support Specialist

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

134.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

135.

136.

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

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancements by studying work load capacity of computer systems LI, WEIJIAN Bilingual Technical Support Specialist

137.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansion or enhancements by studying work load capacity of computer system HUANG, SHAOWEI Bilingual Technical Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

Brief Job Description: Process and prepare financial business forms for the purpose of checking account balances DONG, MING Bilingual Technical Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

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

Basic Qualification: More than 10 years experience in global projects, customer service policies. Experience in overall management of service operations, execution & marketing Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

Basic Qualification: Question and answer platform using English and French language

SIEMENS HEALTHCARE INC. 10/f M1 Tower 141 H.v. Dela Costa St. Bel-air Makati City

AN, NANA Bilingual Admin Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

RED DOT MARKETING AND BRANDING INC. Unit 1514 Burgundy Transpacific Place Taft Ave. 079, Bgy. 727 Malate Manila

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading, and writing in Mandarin

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION EYETEMOU NDIBI, GHISLAIN French Content Moderation Analyst

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

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

KEB HANA BANK - MANILA BRANCH U-1, 2 & 3 33 21/f Zuellig Bldg. Makati Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas Urdaneta Makati City YOON, TAESUN General Manager

Brief Job Description: Optimize newsletter based on performance and engagement data.

ZHAO, PENGFEI Mandarin Technical Support

Basic Qualification: Minimum 15 years proactive experience in Construction or engineering firm.

Basic Qualification: Business Degree or Bachelor’s Degree with 10 years of experience in bank operations.

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

112.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

YIN, TIANJUN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

METRO SUPPLY, INC. 2f, Unit 11 & 12 Bsa Commercial Bldg. Shaw Blvd. Brgy. Bagong Silang Mandaluyong City

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 KAJIMA PHILIPPINES INCORPORATED 12/f Makati Sky Plaza 6788 Ayala Avenue San Lorenzo Makati City

SUN, JIAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.- PHILIPPINE GLOBAL SERVICE CENTER 23/f Net Plaza 31st St. E-square Zone Fort Bonifacio Taguig City Basic Qualification: Strong backgroud in multiple business areas such as securities trade processing, fixed income operations, deriverates (listed/ otc) and middle office (matching confirmation and settlements

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls

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

J-NA ALLOUT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS CORP. 3/f Lipams Bldg. #48 President Avenue Bf Homes Parañaque City LAO, LIMING Chinese Customer Service Representative

No.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Brief Job Description: Evaluates expansions or enhancements by studying work load capacity of computer systems CHAN WAI LOON Malay-speaking Customer Service Officer

138.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to resolve queries of the Malay-Customers through email and chats

Basic Qualification: Excellent in speaking reading and writing in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in speaking reading and writing in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in speaking, reading and writing in Bilingual Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in writting , Reading and speaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in Bilingual Languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent in writing, reading and speaking in Malay Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

WUHAN FIBERHOME INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES PHILS., INC. U-19d 19/f Rufino Pacific Tower 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St. San Lorenzo Makati City ZHANG, YUE Administrative Manager 139.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing and growing key customers of fiberhome in the Philippines ZONG, YUAN Finance Manager

140.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for managing and growing key customers of fiberhome in the Philippines

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and college gradute Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and college gradute Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Aug 16, 2021

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE-NCR Regional Office located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication. Please inform DOLE-NCR if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Read, and Write chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

News BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ARTA to upgrade regulation management through PBRIS By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

HE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is currently in the first phase of developing the Philippine Business Regulations Information System (PBRIS), which is aimed at improving the regulation management for both public and private sectors. Arta Deputy Director General Ernesto V. Perez said in a webinar on Monday that the agency is crafting the PBRIS with the help of the University of the Philippines Public Administration Research and Extension Services Foundation Inc. (UPPAF). It is a web-based platform wherein information about the Philippine Regulatory Management System laws and regulations relevant to the public may be accessed. The anti-red tape watchdog has so far identified over 20 participating agencies for the said project, including the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Securities and Exchange Commission, Social Security System and Philippine Statistics Authority. “Ultimately, the objective is to interconnect the government agencies and the regulations should be harmonized and aligned with other agencies,” he explained. Among the functionalities that are undergoing development are uploading of structured existing regulations; and uploading and processing of structured proposed regulations and regulatory impact assessment. The platform, in relation to this, will notify the users on the proposed and existing regulation through their registered accounts. In addition, the registered account users will also be allowed to comment on proposed and existing

regulations through consultations. PBRIS will also feature tagging and categorization of regulations per sector, case-use and locality, Perez said. Meanwhile, the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) pilot implementation is also in the first phase this year. It is conducted through RIA manual, good regulatory practices (GRP) and training modules. Perez said that Arta developed the RIA manual and training modules with the UPPAF and Center for Policy and Executive Development from 2019 until this year. These, along with GRP, are aimed to be finalized before the year ends. “For its [RIA] initial implementation, a simplified methodology will be utilized for selected government agencies. The methodology and scope will be gradually expanded as Arta and government agencies are capacitated and become experienced in the conduct of RIA,” the Arta official said. Last month, the ARTA launched the Philippine Good Regulatory Principles (PGRP), which is a regulatory management code for the government agencies to follow in a bid to further streamline processes. It seeks to serve as a “guide for regulators to provide policies, procedures, organizational values, behavioral and service standards expected of them [to enable]…businesses and other regulated entities to understand what they should expect from those who regulate them,” Perez explained. In finalizing the PGRP, the Arta worked with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; and the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All the parties signed a memorandum of understanding in February last year.

Davao City more than halfway to ‘herd immunity’ protection By Manuel T. Cayon

@awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

AVAO CITY—This city is more than half the way to the target of achieving herd immunity, and hoped that vaccine delivery would remian consistent to allow greater economic activities for its residents of 1.8 million. Combined together of those who got their first dose injections and those who have been fully vaccinated, their numbers have reached 691,214, half of the 1.2 million target who must get the inoculations for a blanket protection against the Covid-19 virus. Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesman of the city’s Covid-19 Task Force, said 24,900 doses of Moderna vaccine allocated for the city arrived last week. She said a shipment of PfizerBioNTech vaccine have also arrived, even the city was waiting for its share of more allocation. The city was expecting a share of the Sinovac vaccines that recently arrived in the country. “If there are more vaccines allocated for the city, we will achieve our target timeline faster. Again, we are dependent on the national government’s procurement and

vaccine allocation for the city,” Schlosser said. The Davao City Covid-19 Task Force adheres to the target inoculation of 70 percent of the city’s 1.8 million population, equivalent to 1.2 million Dabawenyos. As of August 10, the city has already administered vaccines to a total of 411,470 for the first dose while 279,744 for the second dose. She said that the second dose rollout was still ongoing. “We almost achieved half a million vaccinated individuals for our first dose. Congratulations to our vaccination team and the Dabawenyos. Even if we have limited vaccine allocation, we see the willingness of the public to get the vaccine. We hope that their eagerness will continue,” Schlosser said. The city has averaging 10,000 vaccinations a day and still increasing as the city puts up additional sites, this time to discourage walk-ins and accommodate those who have registered through their Davao Safe QR Code system, and a special lane for overseas Filipino workers, who must take the accepted vaccines abroad. There are 56 sites now, and the target was to reach 15,000 daily vaccinations.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021 A9

Delta emerges as top VOC in PHL, but DOH says no broad transmission yet By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

HE University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC), on Monday said that the Delta, a highly transmissible Covid-19 variant, has “overtaken” other variants of concern in the country. “Dati marami tayong Beta at tsaka Alpha. Ngayon po sa ating mga samples na nai-sequence, pinakamarami na po ang Delta variant [Before we used to have many Beta and Alpha cases. Now on the samples that we have sequenced, we saw that there

are more Delta variant cases],” Dr. Cynthia Saloma executive director of the UP-PGC, said. The Department of Health (DOH), meanwhile, confirmed Delta have made inroads in all regions of the country, except in Caraga. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, however, said that based on cumulative number of variant cases, there are still many Alpha and Beta cases that were recorded. The latest genome sequencing report showed that the total Alpha variant cases are now 2,232, Beta variant cases are now at 2,483, and

807 for Delta variant cases. But based on the latest run, Vergeire said that almost half of the 338 samples sequenced by UP-PGC turned out to be Delta variant cases. “Pag tiningnan natin ’yung mga na detect natin na [If we are going to look at it based on what we had detected it’s] Delta variant, it’s almost half. So almost 50 percent po ang Delta variant among these 338 samples in latest run. So makikita natin na mukhang proportion ng Delta variant in this initial and very rough analysis ay mukhang tumataas po talaga [So we can see that apparently proportion of the Delta variant in

this initial and very rough analysis, it seems to have really increased],” Vergeire explained. Despite this, the DOH has not confirmed yet that there is already a community transmission of Delta variant in the country. However, Vergeire reiterated that there is a need to act “as if there is already this type of transmission happening in the country.” The DOH official pointed out that they can not declare the community transmission yet, “because we need evidence for us to say that there is really community transmission of the Delta variant.”

Expert: Loosening of curbs in NCR hinges At least 16 on immunization of vulnerable population NPA rebels By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

OTWITHSTANDING the rise of Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila, a health expert said the government could still be able to ease quarantine restrictions in the region if most of its vulnerable population could be vaccinated this month. In an online news briefing, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Infectious Disease Expert Edsel Salvaña said the vaccination of senior citizens and those with comorbidities in the National Capital Region (NCR) could greatly reduce health-care utilization as well as fatalities in the region. “We know if we vaccinate [the] majority of the vulnerable population, the number of fatalities will go down by 90 percent,” Salvaña said. He noted this would give the

government the option to consider downgrading curbs in NCR, which will last until August 20, 2021. “Even if we have so many cases, if only a few [people] will have severe disease, it will not be a burden to our health-care system and we can continue to open [business establishments] so our economy could continue to recover,” Salvaña said. The government is targeting to vaccinate 12.6 million of the around 30 million population in NCR before the end of the lockdown to achieve “population protection,” where Covid-related deaths and hospitalization would be minimized. “We are on our way to vaccinating at least 50 percent of our population here in Metro Manila,” Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. Data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed the number of reported cases in NCR last week

rose by three folds compared to a month ago. It noted that the average daily reported 906 Covid-19 cases in the region from last July 19 to 25 rose to 3,260 cases from August 9 to 14, 2021. The recent surge in cases in NCR is now putting considerable strain in the health-care facilities in the region, which is now at 71 percent for intensive care unit beds; 64 percent for isolation beds; and 63 percent for ward beds. Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will discuss on Tuesday the possible new community quarantine classification of NCR after August 20, 2021. He said the classification may be finalized by Thursday after the period given to affected local government units to appeal their classifications.

Oil firms lower diesel and kerosene prices By Lenie Lectura @llectura

IL firms will reduce diesel and kerosene prices starting Tuesday. They announced Monday that diesel price will go down by P0.30 per liter and kerosene by P0.40 per liter. Gasoline prices remain unchanged. Seaoil, PTT, Petron and Shell said

they would implement the price rollback at 6 a.m. of Tuesday, August 17. Cleanfuel’s price reduction will take effect at 8:01 a.m. Other oil firms are expected to follow suit. Last week, oil firms reduced pump prices by P0.65 per liter for gasoline, diesel by P0.70 per liter and kerosene by P0.75 per liter. These resulted to the yearto-date adjustments to stand at a

total net increase of P13.25/liter for gasoline, P10.40/liter for diesel and P8.70/liter for kerosene. Oil firms adjust pump prices every week to reflect movements in the world oil market. The DOE noted that Dubai crude has decreased week-on-week by around $1.80/bbl. MOPS gasoline and MOPS diesel have also decreased by almost $1.90 per barrel and $ 1.60 per barrel, respectively.

killed in E. Samar clash

ILITARY troops raided a bomb-making camp of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Samar on Monday, killing at least suspected 16 rebels and recovered a cache of firearms. The counter-insurgency operation was carried out by the military’s Joint Task Force Storm where joint ground, air and sea strikes were launched, according to military spokesman Col. Ramon Zagala. W hile ground commanders could not give clearer details, sketchy reports said that soldiers attacked the camp located in Barangay Osmeña, Dolores, Eastern Samar at around 4 a.m. “The focused military operations conducted by the Joint Task Force Storm in Dolores, Eastern Samar resulted in 16 NPA terrorists killed. Troops also seized 29 high-powered firearms from the enemy,” Zagala told military reporters. “Figures will be updated once our troops complete the operations,” he added. Zagala said the operations were launched after soldiers received information provided by the community about the existence of the camp where rebel explosives are being reportedly being manufactured. “Details of the decisive engagement cannot be revealed as of the moment due to operational security matters,” he said. Rene Acosta

BI: South Koreans top list of foreign fugitives arrested in H1

HE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday announced that South Koreans topped its list of foreign fugitives from justice that its agents have so far arrested during the first semester of the year. In a report to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, the BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU) said it has arrested a total of 28 foreign fugitives from January to June of this year. The figure is lower compared to the 32 wanted foreigners

who were nabbed in the country during the same period last year when the pandemic broke out. “While admittedly we had much difficulty as our field operatives face exposure to virus, our officers remain steadfast in their duty to cleanse the country of these unwanted aliens,” Morente said. BI FSU Chief Rendel Sy said most of the fugitives arrested were already deported and are now serving sentences for

their crimes. They have also been banned from reentering the country. Aside from 19 South Koreans, other foreign fugitives arrested were four Americans, a Japanese, a French, an Italian, a Polish, and a Bahraini national. Among the high profile fugitives who were captured was Frenchman Julien Barbier, who is wanted for narcotics trafficking; American John Dalton Daclan, who is wanted for a string of cases such as robbery, burglary,

fraud, and battery; and Italian Antonello Ivaldi, a sex offender and alleged pedophile. In 2019, the BI recorded the most number of arrested fugitives totaling to 425, most of whom were Chinese nationals involved in illegal online gaming and telecom fraud operations. The BI arrested 260 alien fugitives in 2018, 116 of them were Chinese mostly wanted for telecom fraud and cybercrimes. Joel R. San Juan

Army ramps up inoculation of soldiers in Sulu as PNP logs 92nd Covid fatality By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

LMOST all soldiers deployed in Sulu have been fully vaccinated or received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the military said, stressing soldiers must be in tip-top shape to sustain the government’s counter-terrorism drive in the province. Sulu is where the Army’s 11th

Infantry Division is based and it is currently at the center of the government’s campaign against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and other terrorist groups, including the Islamic State. For the past three days, the Joint Task Force Sulu carried out inoculations for its personnel following a vaccination rollout, according to task force commander Major Gen. William Gonzales.

“Last week, 15,900 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived here in Sulu. Today, we’re very glad to announce that almost all of our soldiers in Sulu are either fully vaccinated or have at least got their first dose,” Gonzales said on Monday. “This is really helpful given that as public servants we actually have to work more during these challenging times,” he added, noting that soldiers deployed in Sulu are not only helping

battle the pandemic, but were also running after terrorists. Last month, a C-130 plane carrying soldiers, most of them for their first deployment to Sulu, crashed while attempting to land at the airport in the town of Patikul, killing 50 troops and injuring 46 others. The Joint Task Force Sulu said that among those vaccinated were 226 candidate-soldiers who are

currently training at the 11th ID Training School, 187 members of Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit and some candidate-soldier applicants. In Manila, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said that 79,082 or 35.66 percent of its total personnel have also been fully vaccinated while 92,914 or 41.89 percent have already received their first jab. At least 49,786 personnel are yet

to get their vaccinations. The PNP recorded 106 new cases of Covid-19 infection among its members on Monday, bringing to 1,970 the total number of active cases in the organization, which has already logged a total of 32,464 Covid-19 cases. Of the number, a total of 30,402 cases were recoveries, and those who have recovered have since been restored to full-duty status.

A10 Tuesday, August 17, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

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Protect yourself: New Covid variants are here

he Philippines has administered 26.6 million doses of Covid vaccines as of August 13, according to the National Task Force Against Covid-19. This means 12 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. We have a long way to go before we reach herd immunity, which can be attained after 80 percent of the population gets the jab. This is worrisome because the super-contagious Delta variant is still invading every corner of the country. Like much of the developing world, the Philippines is in a race between vaccinations and new Covid infections. And there are dark clouds gathering on the horizon: The Department of Health on Sunday said it has detected the first case of Covid-19’s Lambda variant in the country. Also known as C.37, the Lambda variant was first detected by the World Health Organization in Peru in December last year. Since then, it has widely circulated through South American countries, accounting for more than 20 percent of variant cases reported within the region. Initially, Lambda infections were relatively rare. However, in recent months Lambda has become the dominant variant in Argentina, Chile and Colombia. The new strain has also been identified in a number of US States, though it has yet to gain traction. While the US is grappling with a sudden surge of Delta infections, experts have been concerned over the arrival of newer strains that can complicate matters even more. Understanding the Lambda variant’s mutations and how they correspond to virological features like transmissibility, virulence, immune escape, and pathogenesis will help governments prepare for its eventual spread, according to health experts. From The Atlantic: “The US is not back to square one. The measures that stymied the original coronavirus still work against its souped-up variant; vaccines, in particular, mean that half of Americans are heavily protected in a way they weren’t nine months ago. Full vaccination (with the mRNA vaccines, at least) is about 88 percent effective at preventing symptomatic disease caused by Delta. Breakthrough infections are possible but affect only 0.01 to 0.29 percent of fully vaccinated people, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Breakthroughs might seem common—0.29 percent of 166 million fully vaccinated Americans still means almost 500,000 breakthroughs—but they are relatively rare. And though they might feel miserable, they are much milder than equivalent infections in unvaccinated people. Full vaccination is 96 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations from Delta, and unvaccinated people make up more than 95 percent of Covid-19 patients in American hospital beds. The vaccines are working, and working well. Vaccinated people are indisputably safer than unvaccinated people.” In his article—Lambda Variant of Covid-19 Might Be Resistant to Vaccines— published in infectioncontroltoday.com, Frank Diamond said a preprint study by investigators in Chile suggests that the mutation, which first surfaced in Peru last year and is highly infectious, may also be able to evade vaccine antibodies. “Our results indicate that mutations present in the spike protein of the Lambda variant of interest confer increased infectivity and immune escape from neutralizing antibodies elicited by CoronaVac,” the study said. CoronaVac is a vaccine manufactured by a Chinese company that’s being used in Peru. Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a member of infectioncontroltoday.com’s Editorial Advisory Board, argues that the emergence of the Lambda variant underscores the need to consider vaccines just one layer of protection against Covid-19 infection, and that they should be combined with masks and face shields. “It needs to be remembered that a high-quality mask can decrease viral exposure up to six-fold, making them an important adjunct to vaccines with reduced efficacy,” Kavanagh said. “Our goal needs to be to prevent both death and long-term disability.” Despite its mutation, the Lambda variant is not expected to render current Covid-19 vaccines entirely useless, and health experts stress that vaccines are still our most powerful layer of protection. You already know this: The best way to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community from Covid and the new deadly variants is to get vaccinated, wear face mask, practice physical distancing, stay out of crowded places, avoid mass gatherings, and regularly wash your hands.

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E partially locked down the economy in April this year, and yet business and economic activities flourished. We also managed to contain the virus spread for the most part of the second quarter by balancing the effort with economic reopening.

The gross domestic product figures in the second quarter showed the economy expanded and created more jobs, with the risks of virus infection being managed well. The 11.8 percent year-on-year growth reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority in the second quarter of 2021 renewed our hope that a full recovery is in the offing if we strive for it. It came as refreshing news in August as Metro Manila and other areas were placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for the third time since the pandemic began in March 2020. Authorities have declared another lockdown after active Covid-19 cases began to climb, led by the Delta variant, which was wreaking havoc across Southeast Asia. The virus reproduction rate went above 1.0 again and hit as high as 1.7, which means cases could replicate faster

in the coming weeks. If we are going to manage the situation, we should keep the reproduction rate below 1.0. I believe health-focused measures would be more effective in containing the spread of the virus, such as faster vaccination, massive testing of the population, intensified health protocols and expansion of health-care capacities. The opening of modular hospitals with a combined capacity of 108 beds built by the Department of Public Works and Highways inside the Lung Center of the Philippines compound in Quezon City is a welcome addition to our health-care facilities. We hope that more hospital beds would be built soon. We should focus our attention and resources to building more healthcare facilities to directly address the needs of Covid patients, instead of imposing widespread lockdowns. We

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GDP figures show partial lockdowns work

here are many exciting things going on, spanning the globe from the earthquake in Haiti to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and all the Covid in between. For the millionth time: T.G.Y.F. It’s not perfect, but where else would you prefer to be if not the Philippines? And if so, why aren’t you there? Or maybe you are there at least in mind and spirit.

For the rest of us, we will continue on to make the nation first survive and then thrive. Of course, there are far too many that “survive” on complaining and try to “thrive” on whining. It is extremely difficult to even think about a light at the end of the tunnel. In truth, we old guys have an advantage. Priority one is to stay alive by not contracting Covid. That is actually easy if you use common sense for your own behavior and keep the family recognizing that your health is ultimately in their hands. Priority two is to stay alive long enough to not

have to live under any sort of “CQ.” The list of gentlemen and ladies my age and older who have died under quarantine—and usually not from Covid—grows longer each day. Fortunately—from my viewpoint—my four sons know that I am worth more alive than dead. However, I know that my mental health has suffered being locked up and my family has had to bear the brunt of my frustration, anger, and disappointment. Beginning in March 2020, it was my intention for my wife Ada and I to spend one weekend a month

should also intensify the isolation of patients and contract tracing at the barangay level, where people know one another, and at work places to protect one another. A general lockdown to contain the virus spread would hurt the whole economy, impoverish communities and take away the jobs of millions of workers. The National Economic and Development Authority estimated that the two-week ECQ in Metro Manila would result in P150 billion worth of production losses. I hope the ECQ period from August 6 to 20 would give us time to reexamine the capacity of our hospitals and our inventory of medical supplies, such as oxygen and ventilators, so we can immediately replenish them if needed. The Duterte administration and economic managers deserve credit for allowing the flow of goods to continue despite the ECQ. Remember that we also implemented ECQ and a modified ECQ in April and May this year, yet our GDP still grew 11.8 percent in the second quarter. The government allowed cargoes to get in and out of Metro Manila and permitted business-process outsourcing companies, factories, construction firms and other essential sectors to continue operations. In the first ECQ last year, we closed around 75 percent of the economy, resulting in tight supply of commodities. But we can no longer afford to shackle and starve the

economy, otherwise we might create a bigger problem than the one we are trying to solve. Aware of this, the Department of Trade and Industry tweaked the ECQ mode to allow key industries and services to operate and keep public transportation available to essential workers. While the second-quarter growth ended five quarters of economic recession, we have yet to return to prepandemic level. The 11.8-percent expansion was not enough to cover the 17-percent contraction registered in the second quarter of 2020. Hopefully, the third-quarter numbers will continue to reflect growth despite the stringent lockdown in August. What I find encouraging in the second-quarter GDP performance are the 22.3-percent growth of manufacturing and the 25.7-percent increase in construction. These two essential and labor-intensive sectors support our exports and infrastructure projects. Public construction surged 49.7 percent, while private construction grew 19.1 percent in the second quarter. The government’s economic team declared that managing risks, instead of shutting down large segments of the economy, stands a better chance of improving both economic and health outcomes. While the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector declined 0.1 percent, the industry sector grew 20.8 See “Villar,” A11

(forever) at a beach resort or a fancy hotel. Would you believe that I still have a pre-paid weekend for two in a suite at the Makati Shangri-La hotel? You know the Makati Shang. The hotel that closed its doors “temporarily” on February 1, 2021? Curse you, Covid! Looking back, I wonder how the world would be different today after 18 months of pandemic if not for social media. I am relatively active on Twitter and Facebook, so I do not know about the other SocMed platforms. Abraham Lincoln—or maybe Albert Einstein—said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” Social media has removed all doubt for a tremendous number of people. But they cannot be blamed. Some studies are showing that maybe one of the long-term effects of Covid is a reduction—literally—in the brain’s “grey matter.” That is where all the neural cell bodies, axon terminals, and dendrites, as well as all nerve synapses exist. But even for the 99.9 percent that have not contracted Covid, SocMed has fed so much “official” nonsense that undoubtedly the global grey-

matter count has gone lower just as a defense mechanism. But we may take some comfort that it is not just we ordinary people that are probably less intelligent than 18 months ago. The US Congress Speaker of The House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said this on the fall of Kabul to the Taliban: “Any political settlement that the Afghans pursue to avert bloodshed must include having women at the table. The fate of women and girls in Afghanistan is critical to the future of Afghanistan.” We can hope that this is not an indication of Mrs. Pelosi’s cognitive ability and awareness and that this statement was written by a 25-yearold intern who never heard of the Taliban until last week. During the time that the Taliban were in complete power from 1996 to 2001, they never thought to consult with Afghan women as to the proper size of rock to stone to death a female victim of rape. May God have mercy on someone’s soul for the Speaker’s bizarre statement.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.

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Direct and exclusive use in registered activity: Who determines?

The Cuomos’ presidential curse Manny F. Dooc

TELLTALES

By Atty. Donato U. Vergara, III

ho determines whether a purchase from a local supplier or an importation made by a registered business enterprise (RBE) is directly and exclusively used in its registered project or activity? This is a question that needs to be clarified in view of the condition on the availment of incentives on the valueadded tax (VAT) zero-rating of purchases. Among the incentives retained by the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) are the VAT exemption on importation and VAT zero-rating on local purchases. These incentives may be granted to registered projects and activities of enterprises registered with investment promotion agencies. In recent months, the said incentive has been put on threat after the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Tax Incentives under CREATE adopted RR 09-21. The adoption of RR 09-21 effectively disregarded the VAT zero-rating incentive provided under CREATE. That interruption was halted when the authorities finally deferred the implementation of RR 09-21. There are still confusions on the application of VAT zero-rating on local purchases by registered business enterprises, even with the deferral of the implementation of RR 09-21. But this uncertainty is with respect to the transactions that are not directly and exclusively used in the registered project or activity by RBEs. The lack of clarity is with respect to which provisions of the Tax Code prevail. For the purchases made from local suppliers, which are directly and exclusively used in the registered project or activity by RBEs, the rule should be clear. These are subject to zero percent VAT. This treatment should not be affected whichever rules govern—whether the old provisions of the Tax Code on VAT zero-rating [Sections 106 and 108(B)] in relation to the crossborder doctrine remain to be applicable or the new provisions [Sections 294 and 295 on incentives as added by CREATE] prevail. Either rule supports the VAT zero-rating of sales to/purchases by RBEs, especially those located in economic/ freeport zones. In relation, however, to the condition for the enjoyment of the VAT zero-rating of purchases by/sales to RBEs under CREATE, a question needs to be clarified. Who determines whether a specific sale/ purchase transaction is directly and exclusively used in the buyer’s registered project or activity? Unfortunately, the law does not provide. Neither does the IRR include a mechanism in determining whether the goods and services involved are directly and exclusively used in the buyer’s registered activities. The IRR merely defines “direct and exclusive use” as referring to raw materials, inventories, supplies, equipment, goods, services and other expenditures necessary for the registered project or activity without which the registered project or activity cannot be carried out. But it does not provide a system in determining whether or not the subject of a sale is necessary to the customer’s registered project or activity. With the difference in treatment between goods and services that are and that are not directly and exclusively used in registered activities, without providing sufficient guidelines in separating these two types of transactions, this will certainly result in confusion. I’d like to note that in the past (that is, pre-CREATE), the availment of zero-rating had not escaped controversies. Even when the sales to ecozone or freeport zone locators were zero-rated, without limitation or with very few exceptions, the VAT status of the sales were often questioned

Since CREATE still recognizes the separate customs territory concept for special economic and freeport zones, the legal fiction that they are considered outside the Philippines should still apply. As a consequence, sales to locators within those zones should be free from VAT. during examinations. Revenue examiners would tend to disallow the zero-rating of sales made by local suppliers and leave the suppliers the burden of justifying why their sales to ecozone locators should be zero-rated. Failure to produce sufficient documents and information to substantiate the treatment made would often result in assessment of the suppliers or denial of their refund claims. Because of these experiences, some suppliers would take the conservative approach by opting to impose the 12-percent VAT on transactions that otherwise qualify as zero-rated. That in effect negates the benefits supposedly enjoyed by registered enterprises located in economic zones. And that’s not the only effect. The ultimate effect—the passed on VAT is lost in the process. The rules do not allow the ecozone locators to reclaim input taxes through refund, when the related purchase should have been treated as zero-rated. Instead, the remedy is for the buyer to reclaim the VAT component of the purchase from the supplier. But how can the supplier reimburse a tax that had already been remitted to the tax authority? If these situations happen in transactions where zero-rating should be automatically recognized as in the case where zero-rating is not without condition, what more with respect to situations where there is a need to determine if the sold goods or services will be directly and exclusively used in registered activities? I am sure this requirement would be used to disallow the zero-rating of sales made by the suppliers or to deny the input taxes claimed by the RBE if the supplier chooses to pass on VAT. These are just among the many scenarios underscoring the need for a structured guideline or mechanism in the determination of what are considered as directly and exclusively used in registered activity. Or better yet, the better option is to return to the previous rule where sales to RBEs are zero-rated without conditions, that is, without distinction as to their use. This is consistent with the cross-border doctrine which frees from VAT goods and services destined outside the Philippines. Since CREATE still recognizes the separate customs territory concept for special economic and freeport zones, the legal fiction that they are considered outside the Philippines should still apply. As a consequence, sales to locators within those zones should be free from VAT. The author is a senior associate of Du-Baladad and Associates Law Offices, a member-firm of WTS Global. The article is for general information only and is not intended, nor should be construed as a substitute for tax, legal or financial advice on any specific matter. Applicability of this article to any actual or particular tax or legal issue should be supported therefore by a professional study or advice. If you have any comments or questions concerning the article, you may e-mail the author at donato.vergara@bdblaw.com.ph or call 8403-2001 local 320.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021 A11

ew York is the most powerful city in the US and its governor has his foot inside the ajar door of the White House. The Governor’s (Albany) Mansion is a stepping-stone to the White House. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), the longest-serving US President, was the tenant of the Albany Mansion when he was elected as the 32nd US President in 1932. Earlier, his cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President, also served as Governor of NY in 1899-1900. Governor Al Smith of New York also ran for president but lost to Herbert Hoover in 1928. In 1944, another NY Governor, Thomas Dewey ran against FDR. It was a slugfest between two former NY Governors, but FDR emerged victorious. Dewey sought the presidency again in 1948 but he was unexpectedly trounced by Harry Truman. President Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th US President (he served two nonconsecutive terms) was also the 28th governor of NY. President Martin Van Buren was the ninth governor of NY. Records show that many US presidents had ascended to the presidency from the governorship of New York. But this destiny has eluded both Governor Mario Cuomo and his son, Governor Andrew Cuomo—two of the ablest chief executives who ever occupied the Albany Mansion. Together, they held the NY governorship for over 20 years. Long enough to establish a dynasty in their home state like the Daleys of Chicago, the Browns of California and the Bushes of Texas. Mario Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of NY for 3 terms, from 1983 to 1994. Before that, he was elected as the Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor of the state. Mario Cuomo was a powerful speaker; one of the finest orators of modern times. His oratory soared, which mesmerized the crowd. Mario Cuomo once said that American politicians “campaign in poetry but govern in prose.”

The very popular and well-loved President Ronald Reagan loved to refer to Washington, the seat of political power of the country, as “a shining city on the hill.” In his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 1984 entitled “A Tale of Two Cities,” Mario Cuomo attacked Reagan’s alleged accomplishments by saying: “There is despair Mr. President, in the faces that you don’t see, in the places that you don’t visit, in your shining city.” This riveting speech captured national attention and made Mario Cuomo a top favorite among the diehard Democrats. Many observers believed that both in 1988 and 1992, the Democratic Party’s nomination for president was his for the asking. But he did not ask. Mario Cuomo’s indecision whether to run or not to run for president had earned him the infamous sobriquet “the Hamlet of Hudson.” In fact in 1991, Mario Cuomo chartered a private plane and had it waiting at the tarmac to

take him to the New Hampshire primary to launch his presidential bid. At the last minute, he decided not to take the fateful ride, which would have gotten him into the race, and expectedly the nomination. Instead of delivering the acceptance speech at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, Mario Cuomo nominated Governor Bill Clinton of the small state of Arkansas for President in Madison Square Garden in his home state of New York. As usual, Mario Cuomo was at his best when he said in his nominating speech that it is time for America to elect a president “someone smart enough to know; strong enough to do; sure enough to lead: the Comeback Kid, a new voice for a new America.” Had Mario Cuomo been smart enough, strong enough and sure enough to clinch the nomination, history would have been different. When Clinton was at the White House, he offered Mario Cuomo a seat in the Supreme Court, but Mario Cuomo declined, preferring to seek a 4th term as Governor of his beloved New York. Unfortunately, he lost to George Pataki in the Republican tidal wave of 1994. He retired from politics and successfully returned to his law practice. Andrew Cuomo has served as the 56th governor of NY. He learned the art of politics directly from his father when the former served as Governor Mario’s campaign manager at the age of 25 in his father’s successful bid for governor in 1982. Andrew Cuomo acted as his father’s policy adviser but was better known as the “enforcer” while Mario Cuomo was the “nice guy.” He failed in his first attempt for NY governorship in 2002 but he got elected as the Attorney General of NY 2 years later. He won the post as NY Governor in 2010 and got reelected in 2014 and 2018 against popular and progressive opponents in the Democratic primaries. Andrew Cuomo became a house-

hold name for his efficient handling of the pandemic. His daily press briefings highlighting his program against the dreaded virus earned him admiration across the country. Some even suggested that it would have been better had he been the Democratic presidential bet instead of Joe Biden. His political star had risen and his name favorably resonated in public consciousness. But not for long. Before the end of 2020, allegations of sexual harassment have surfaced against him. A number of alleged victims, mostly female members of his staff, have come out in the open. After an investigation, the NY Attorney General reported that Governor Andrew has sexually harassed 11 women, although Governor Andrew vehemently denied them. There was mounting pressure from both sides of the political fence for him to resign. Even the top leaders of his own party, including President Joe Biden, have asked him to leave office. Finally, Andrew Cuomo announced last week that he would resign as NY governor on August 24, 2021. If he is impeached and convicted, his conviction can carry a disqualification to hold a public office in NY. Destiny has been unkind to the Cuomos. Men of lesser stature and ability had occupied the White House and left their legacy to the nation. No one can doubt the competence of both the father and the son. One famous journalist referred to Governor Mario as “both the most intelligent and wittiest politician he has ever interviewed.” Governor Mario’s exceptional handling of the pandemic had earned him the respect of the entire nation. It may be another generation before another Cuomo can appear in the political landscape of New York. It may take decades before the Cuomos can produce a political heir who can firmly plant the family flag to rally the New Yorkers behind it.

Biden’s ‘America’s Back’ vow torched as Taliban overrun Kabul

By Nick Wadhams | Bloomberg Opinion

ust last month President Joe Biden defended his Afghanistan pullout by saying that “the likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.” The images of Taliban fighters inside the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday, after a series of provincial capitals fell in rapid succession and the nation’s president fled, showed just how wrong Biden’s prediction has been. Instead of an American-trained Afghan military staving off Taliban militants for months or longer, the US’s longest war is ending with a hasty evacuation of diplomats from Kabul’s airport. Their sudden departure is raising difficult questions about Biden’s approach to the conflict, and creating a spiraling political calamity for a president who had promised to be a sure-handed steward of US foreign policy. And while Americans were left recalling the harried final days of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, the US’s biggest adversaries saw a potent sign of America’s vulnerabilities and shaky claim to leadership after the tumult of the Trump years. Even some close allies couldn’t hide their frustration. “Nobody wants Afghanistan, once again, to be a breeding ground for terror,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday. “It’s fair to say

Villar. . .

Continued from A10

percent and the services sector expanded 9.6 percent. On the demand side, consumer spending improved by 7.2 percent, while investments jumped 75.5 percent, as companies renewed their confidence in the local economy. Government spending declined 4.9 percent in the second quarter, but this was mainly due to the high

be evacuated weren’t going to be out of the country before US troops left. Domestically, the political outrage over Afghanistan’s fall from Republicans was predictable—many didn’t support Trump’s plans to withdraw, either—but Democrats were angry, too. “Given the number of American lives lost and the number of soldiers who came back with life-changing injuries, it’s devastating to watch 20 years of US support for the Afghanistan army amount to almost nothing,” Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said. Senator Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican who often clashed with Trump, said it was a “shameful, Saigon-like abandonment of Kabul.”

the US decision to pull out has accelerated things.” For Biden, the collapse was a punishing blow that may only worsen with time. The president had spent the early months of his administration basking in the glow of a rampedup vaccination drive and budget and infrastructure deals meant to heal a struggling American economy. The scenes out of Kabul will undermine those accomplishments. “It couldn’t look any worse, and that will have an impact,” said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. “It’s very easy to say, Donald Trump set us up for this and we’re just simply following through, but really any responsible leader who was listening to all of the advice he was getting would have taken a more measured approach.” For all the flaws in the deal Trump signed with the Taliban last year— following talks in Qatar in which Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government was sidelined—Biden delayed the plan he inherited by just three months. Then his administration seemed caught off-guard when it became clear that Afghan translators and other allies who wanted to

“History must be clear about this: American troops didn’t lose this war—Donald J. Trump and Joe Biden deliberately decided to lose,” Sasse added. With 6,000 US troops expected back in Afghanistan guarding its airport this week, Biden will have much to answer for, including: how could the US, with all its military might and intelligence infrastructure, so entirely fail to see how quickly the Taliban would take over the country? How could an Afghan military built up with more than $80 billion in US taxpayer support collapse in just days? After he announced his decision in

base effect from the distribution of subsidies to Filipino families in the second quarter of 2020. Meanwhile, our gross national income grew 6.6 percent in the second quarter, which was lower than our GDP growth because of the fewer international transactions this year. National border restrictions remain in place, resulting in the muted performance of the travel, transportation, tourism, hotel and leisure industries. While we may not be able to fully

contain the pandemic this year, we have learned to make the necessary adjustments to protect the economy by making sure our essential workers are productive. Let us not lose sight of this lesson, so that our economy will continue to function well despite the stringent measures put in place to stop the transmission of the virus in our communities. I hope that our orders for 148 million vaccine doses this year will arrive on time so we can administer them to 70 million Filipinos,

‘Decided to lose’

April to withdraw forces by September, Biden said the US would maintain an “over the horizon” capability to step back into Afghanistan if needed to counter terrorists. But America’s mission in Afghanistan, realistically or not, was long pitched as being about more than going after the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks. Aid workers and contractors, backed by American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization military forces, poured billions of dollars into infrastructure projects and efforts to wean Afghan farmers off poppy production, the basis of the opium trade.

Female rights

The foreign military presence also helped open up more space for girls and women, whose plight under the Taliban’s previous rule was roundly condemned and whose futures have never looked so precarious. It was not just America’s longest war, but a costly one as well—four presidents in succession spent nearly $1 trillion on a far-off conflict that killed about 2,400 American soldiers, but none until now found a way to leave. In justifying his withdrawal, Biden said there was little to be gained from staying longer. That was a perspective the Taliban knew they could capitalize on if they could sustain themselves. And over 20 years, they rebuilt themselves despite an American troop presence that swelled to 100,000 at one point. or the entire adult population, by the end of 2021, and achieve herd immunity soon. If we do that, we may avoid another general lockdown next year. Let us also encourage more Filipinos to get inoculated against Covid-19, so that we can protect ourselves, our families, our communities, and our economy. For comments, send e-mail to mbv_secretariat@vistaland.com.ph or visit www.mannyvillar. com.ph

A12 Tuesday, August 17, 2021

PANDEMIC GIVES LGU CHIEFS TIME TO SHINE By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

OCAL politicians did not waste any time in converting the pandemic into an opportunity to showcase their talents and improve their re-election prospects, according to a study by the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE). In a discussion paper titled “Don’t let a ‘good’ crisis go to waste: One-upmanship in local responses to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Asian Development Bank’s Julian Thomas B. Alvarez as well as UPSE’s Jahm Mae E. Guinto and Joseph J. Capuno found that one-upmanship was common in local responses to the pandemic. They found that 67.9 percent of the 28 neighborhood clusters in their study showed evidence of one-upmanship so mayors can show off their talents as well as improve their popularity and re-election prospects. These occurred in areas with low vote margins and many political rivals. “By outdoing their peers, mayors can improve their popularity and, thereby, secure their re-election or the bid of their anointed successors (possibly, relatives). Conversely, [there] were the prospects for a fresh term nil, the incumbent has less incentive to outdo other mayors,” the authors said. The authors also found that out of the 19, some 17 clusters where there was high oneupmanship was observed had mayors who were eligible for another term. Only two clusters had mayors who were already facing term limits. The remaining nine clusters

are areas where the findings did not show high one-upmanship. Of these, five clusters have mayors who engaged less frequently in one-upmanship; three who appear to have oneupmanship 40 to 50 percent of the time; and two clusters where the Mayors performance were also mixed. “The incumbent will be impelled to outperform her peers if by doing so improves her popularity and thereby also her chances to another term. Through social media, feedback from supporters, or personal interactions with voters, an incumbent may know if her programs are gaining attention,” the authors said. “She can further calibrate her programs by mimicking others or being the first to innovate, and increase public awareness of them. The leaders in neighboring jurisdictions may be induced to behave likewise by their own constituents,” they added. In order to conduct their study, the authors selected 25 cities nationwide. The cities were located in Metro Manila, and in some parts of Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao. The authors paired them to create 28 clusters with each cluster being composed of “neighboring” localities that may share a land border or the same political or economic prominence in a province or region. The anti-Covid-19 efforts in these clusters were observed between March 2020 and March 2021. These efforts covered national government directives and the introduction of innovations.

Chicken eggs output soars, raisers fret as prices crash

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

HILIPPINE chicken egg output soared to a record level in the first half, but layer raisers are not rejoicing as farm-gate prices start to crash, which may worsen next year as production is anticipated to further surge.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed that chicken egg production from January to June rose by 8 percent year-on-year to an unprecedented level of 320,000 metric tons (MT) or equivalent to 6.72 billion pieces of eggs. The record-level first-half output is an indication that expansion in the layer industry—driven by influx of new players from broiler and hog sectors—is not slowing down any time soon, industry players told the BusinessMirror. The country’s chicken egg output last year reached an unparalleled level of 605,786.16 MT, the first time in history that total production breached the 600,000-MT level. “There is already a supply glut.

The players that incurred losses in the broiler and hog industries ventured into chicken egg production,” Gregorio San Diego, chairman of the Philippine Egg Board Association, told the BusinessMirror. Investing in chicken egg production seemed lucrative last year, particularly at the start of the pandemic, since demand for the commodity rose, driven by the months-long lockdown and rise of community resellers and home-based bakery and pastry shops. However, the opportunity was immediately seized by new entrants, particularly hog raisers reeling from the impact of African swine fever on their businesses. “And some of the new players in the industry are big investors with

some having a capacity of one million layers,” San Diego said, noting that the current situation is forcing small-scale layer raisers to scale down on production. “I, myself, will reduce my loading from 100,000 layers to just 50,000 layers.” San Diego pointed out that the increased egg demand experienced at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer felt or seen today after consumers’ purchasing power weakened as the pandemic dragged on. San Diego explained that about 500,000 parent stock layers day-old chicks (PS-L DOCs) were imported last year, eventually resulting in the spike of output this year due to higher inventory of layers. PSA data showed that the country’s layer inventory as of April 1 reached a record-high 43.136 million birds. He noted that the current situation could be even worse than the 2007-2018 and 20172018 supply glut experienced by the industry. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2018/06/13/oversupply-sees-egg-trade-treading-onshells/) “The farm-gate price for medium-sized eggs is now between P3

and P4 per piece while large-sized eggs are averaging P4.5 per piece from P6 per piece,” San Diego said. “And the drop in prices comes at a time when our feed costs are rising,” he added. In some areas in the country the farm-gate price of eggs has fallen to as low as P2.5 per piece from P4 to P4.5 per piece, sources told the BusinessMirror. PSA data showed that the average farm-gate price of chicken eggs in the second quarter declined by 2.68 percent to P117.82 per kilogram from P121.07 per kilogram in the same period of last year. San Diego cautioned that the glut in production will persist until next year as importation of PS-L DOCs continue at high volume and may even reach an unprecedented level this year. Government data showed that PS-L DOCs imports in the first half have reached nearly 400,000. In 2018, the government estimated that 500,000 PS-L DOCs would produce around 50 million day-old pullets, which will eventually grow and mature to lay eggs. The 50 million DOPs can continuously lay eggs for at least the next 300 days of their lives, resulting in a total output of 15 billion eggs.

DOH on ₧67-B Covid funds: None wasted By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco Correspondent

HEAD of separate hearings in the House of Representatives and the Senate into the P67.3 billion “deficiencies” flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA), the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday has assured the public that “no funds were wasted.” In an online media forum of the DOH on Monday, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said the audit observations list raised by COA for the DOH ending December 31, 2020 “is not yet the final report.” “And we can still rectify the noted deficiencies so we can improve the efficiency and processes in our system,” said Vega, who is also the chief of staff of the DOH Administration and Financial Management Team. Meanwhile, Vega said DOH has postponed the procurement of four sets of “high-end” laptops amounting to P700,000. On August 4, a document from agency’s Bids and Awards Committee indicated the request for the best and final offer for the four laptops with accessories for P700,000 or P125,000 for each unit—a price that has raised eyebrows among netizens. “The transaction was put on hold pending further market study,” Vega said. On the issue of over P67-billion “deficiencies,” Vega said these have been “mostly resolved” by DOH and its operating units. The COA 2020 Consolidated Annual Audit Report covers audit findings until December 31, 2020, as such, most of these findings have

already been addressed or are currently being addressed. The DOH Central Office (CO) has closely coordinated with all its operating units composed of 65 DOH hospitals, 16 Centers for Health Development, and 12 Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers, 2 bureaus (Food and Drug Administration and Bureau of Quarantine), and 1 laboratory facility, to provide information to the public on the status and actions taken regarding their respective COA findings. Findings on fund utilization, recording of donations, grant of meal benefits, and compensation for HCWs are already resolved, DOH claimed. On the reported unobligated allotment of P11.8 billion in 2020, Vega said most of these funds remained available for use in 2021— P 5.1 billion of this amount is part of the Continuing Appropriation of Bayanihan Act II, of which 83 percent or P4.2 billion has been utilized as of June 30, 2021; as for the P4.7 billion under Foreign Assisted Projects (FAPs), this was requested for Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) in FY 2021 to pursue the unmet target of P 3.4 billion. On the deficiencies noted regarding P1.4 billion in-kind donations for which hospitals missed the submission of summary reports or lists of donations, the DOH official said such has already been addressed, and that concerned offices and facilities have provided the COA with the required listings and reports. Continued on A2

A police checkpoint is seen at the entrance to Dagonoy Market in San Andres district on Monday. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority denied a report quoting Metro Manila Council Chairman Edwin Olivarez as saying that NCR mayors have agreed to extend the Enhanced Community Quarantine up to August 30. The MMDA chairman, Benhur Abalos, said the mayors still have to meet on the matter. ROY DOMINGO

Drilon prods DOH to order now vaccine shots for ’22

ENATE Minor it y L eader Franklin Drilon pressed the Department of Health (DOH) Monday to order much earlier the vaccines for Covid-19 booster shots for 2022 in anticipation of a spreading “Delta variant” and other possible variants. “Order the booster shots now,” Drilon said even as he stressed the need for DOH to act fast before the supply runs out. The senator acknowledged the urgency of ordering the vaccines earlier amid an expected rising

demand for Covid-19 vaccines with the reported spread of the virus. Various local and international think tanks have all said the Philippine economic recovery is being hobbled by the slow vaccination rollout, which began only in March, and took time to accelerate as initial supply agreements were botched. Drilon stressed the need to acquire the booster shot vaccine supply, amid projections of more versions of the virus emerging. The Delta variant was noted as the fast-

est rising by scientists at the local genome center, and on Sunday, the Department of Health reported the country’s first Covid case involving the Lambda variant, For a start, the Senate Minority Leader suggested that the officials concerned could start preparing paperwork for the purchase of the vaccines before supply runs out for booster shots against Covid, as countries where these vaccines were made, and which have more financial resources to stockpile, are already starting to plan their

fall and winter inventories. He reminded that now is the time to place an order for the vaccine, affirming this will guarantee the timely arrival of the vaccine supply by the second quarter of 2022. Health Secretar y Francisco Duque III was blamed, months ago, for having “dropped the ball” in negotiations with US vaccine manufacturers, resulting in delays of shipment of vaccines, but he insisted that no document was unduly held up in his office. Butch Fernandez

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Companies BusinessMirror

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

DoubleDragon income up sixfold

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

roperty developer DoubleDragon Properties Corp. on Monday said its core income in the first semester grew more than sixfold to P3.72 billion from last year’s P578.29 million, despite posting flat revenues and a single-digit growth in recurring incomes. The company said its core revenues in January to June reached P2.69 billion, or almost the same as last year’s P2.64 billion. It said the company’s recurring revenues grew by 6 percent to P1.99 billion from last year’s P1.88 billion pri-

marily on the back of its rental income which rose 6.6 percent to P1.71 billion from the P1.61 billion in the first half of 2020. The company also said its unutilized debt capacity stood at P95.45 billion.

“DoubleDragon’s journey to growth, as the company progresses forward and evolves to maturity, will be filled with a collage, of both small, and bold decisions, that may be variedly perceived, from different points of view. But let me assure you, that each and every bit and piece, that consist the core of DoubleDragon, are always, deliberately intended, for the long-term benefit of all its stakeholders,” company chairman Edgar Sia II said. “We are determined to cause DoubleDragon to soon become an active contributor in the rebuilding of our new economy, and to become a major beneficiary in the next coming positive cycle post this unprecedented global pandemic.” Meanwhile, its real estate investment trust unit DDMP Reit Inc. said its income in the second quarter reached P1.44 billion. The

company did not provide its prior year’s income. Its rental income reached P547.70 million for the quarter ending June 30, some 7 percent higher than the previous quarter’s P508.58 million. “We are pleased to conduct the third consecutive cash dividend declared to the shareholders of DDMP REIT since it listed last March 24, 2021, this time covering the profits that DDMP REIT generated during the second quarter of 2021. DDMP REIT has already started to avail of the benefits of the tax incentives provided by the REIT Law of the Philippines which led to a 37.95-percent increase in dividends paid quarter on quarter,” Sia said. “As we originally anticipated these tax incentives has created a significant positive impact on the amount of cash dividends available for declaration to the shareholders of DDMP REIT.”

Hyundai sales drop by 18% in January-July

espite the robust performance of its commercial vehicle (CV) segment, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) still booked a double-digit dip in sales in January to July. The local distributor of Hyundai vehicles reported on Monday that sales for the seven-month period fell by 18 percent to 7,008 units from last

year’s 8,542 units. CV sales jumped by over fivefold to 852 units from just 156 units a year ago. The growth in the CV segment was mainly driven by strong sales of certain models, including Hyundai HD65 and Hyundai HD36 trucks and the Hyundai HD50S. “Hyundai trucks have become the choice of last mile logistics provid-

ers and government agencies due to their tough build, dependability, and flexible platform,” the car firm said. HARI’s modern jeepney line, meanwhile, has established a “considerable presence” in North Luzon and certain areas in the Visayas and Mindanao. It was endorsed by local government units and major transport cooperatives.

Meanwhile, HARI sold 2,979 units of passenger cars (PC) in the seven-month period, which is 26.5 percent fewer than the 4,054 units in the previous year. The light commercial vehicles (LCV) segment booked a 26.7-percent decline in sales with 3,177 units sold for the period, fewer than last year’s 4,332 units. Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

PLDT to invest ₧3.9B in new cable system By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

LDT Inc. is investing $80 million (P3.9 billion) in the Apricot Cable System to expand its bandwidth capacity as it expects to see greater demand for data and digital services. Alfredo S. Panlilio, the company’s president, added that the investment will “help draw in global hyperscalers expanding in the region.” “We continue to invest in international submarine cable systems, which are necessary infrastructure for global communications supporting ICT services. The construction of this Apricot cable system is vital to the Philippine economy with rapidly increasing data traffic and is aligned with our efforts to make the Philippines a strategic data center hub in the region,” he said. Apricot will be equipped with 400G transmission technology and multiple pairs of high-capacity optical fiber that span 12,000 kilometers between the United States and Asia. It will have a design capacity of more than 190Tbps connecting the Philippines to Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan and Guam. “Apricot assures our international and enterprise customers with sustained capacity availability and more resiliency options in support of their growing demand for data

and continuing digital transformation. This likewise enhances how the Philippines connect to the rest of the world, a big plus for global hyperscalers who are looking at our country for their cloud region expansion,” said ePLDT President Jovy I. Hernandez. PLDT has so far invested in 18 international cable systems, including Apricot. It has retired three of its older cable systems. The company is spending as much as P92 billion in capital expenditures this year to expand its footprint for both wireless and fixed broadband. The telco giant booked a net income of P12.9 billion in the first semester, flat compared to last year. However, its telco core income— which excludes the impact of asset sales and losses from its digital unit Voyager—grew by 10 percent to P15.2 billion from P13.9 billion the year prior. The growth momentum will likely carry over to the rest of the year, according to PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan. “For the full year, you’ll see us above P190 billion in terms of service revenues, while capital expenditures will likely to land at around P90 billion, higher by 25 percent compared to 2020, driven by continued build out of 5G and more and more fiber being laid for FTTH. For telco core income we’ll be aiming to achieve P30 billion for the full year,” he said.

Companies BusinessMirror

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

August 16, 2021

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

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK BRIGHT KINDLE COL FINANCIAL FERRONOUX HLDG NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH SUN LIFE VANTAGE

43.55 108.1 83.5 24.25 9.36 45.35 20.35 55.1 19.78 113 76 1.25 4.34 2.97 0.63 203.2 2,550 0.87

44 108.8 84 24.5 9.42 45.5 20.45 55.25 19.8 113.4 76.7 1.34 4.39 3.05 0.65 210 2,598 0.9

44.5 107.9 84.2 24.2 9.33 45.5 20.4 55.3 19.06 115.6 76.1 1.35 4.32 2.93 0.63 209 2,450 0.95

44.5 108.8 84.2 24.25 9.49 45.7 20.5 55.3 19.78 115.6 76.75 1.35 4.4 2.98 0.68 210 2,550 0.95

44 107.1 83.25 24.2 9.3 45.2 20.15 55.1 19.06 112.3 76 1.34 4.31 2.93 0.63 205 2,450 0.9

44 108.8 84 24.25 9.42 45.5 20.35 55.1 19.78 113.4 76.75 1.34 4.39 2.98 0.63 210 2,550 0.9

6,500 665,070 842,120 12,300 73,700 1,417,400 91,800 5,830 70,600 410,580 71,840 7,000 58,000 38,000 78,000 2,690 190 9,000

287,140 72,125,502 70,570,722 298,250 691,807 64,487,440 1,868,600 321,337 1,357,570 46,357,775 5,459,897.50 9,390 251,880 112,040 49,290 557,812 475,500 8,500

INDUSTRIAL

AC ENERGY ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER BASIC ENERGY FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG MERALCO MANILA WATER PETRON PETROENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL SPC POWER AGRINURTURE AXELUM CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA JOLLIBEE MACAY HLDG MAXS GROUP MG HLDG MONDE NISSIN SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH CONCRETE B CEMEX HLDG EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA TKC METALS VULCAN INDL CROWN ASIA EUROMED PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS PANASONIC SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG

9.21 1.21 23.95 0.52 27.35 73.95 288 18.12 3.13 3.93 12.7 17.7 12.68 6.08 2.81 24.9 13.16 8.2 14.2 78.7 0.65 1.16 90.15 187.3 6.55 6.01 0.223 15.7 7.57 0.95 4.46 0.13 133.3 0.79 52.7 1.21 14.98 8.16 6.6 6.07 13.6 0.99 1.44 1.69 1.83 5.4 20.1 2.7 8.2 0.89 5.66 1.21 4.6

9.22 1.22 24 0.53 27.45 74 291 18.14 3.14 3.95 12.94 17.74 12.74 6.12 2.85 25.5 13.2 8.23 14.24 80 0.67 1.18 92.3 188 7.68 6.03 0.235 15.9 7.7 0.97 4.59 0.132 136.9 0.8 62.9 1.22 15 8.2 6.64 6.08 13.88 1.01 1.45 1.73 1.86 5.45 20.5 2.71 8.21 0.9 5.87 1.22 4.62

9.02 1.24 24 0.54 26.6 73.95 289.8 18 3.11 3.93 12.46 17.62 12.8 6.06 2.83 24.75 13.58 8.28 12.5 80 0.67 1.18 92 186.9 6.02 6 0.237 15.4 7.57 0.95 4.5 0.132 131 0.79 52.7 1.22 15.34 8.1 6.62 6.06 13.6 0.99 1.43 1.71 1.86 5.4 20.2 2.69 8.31 0.9 5.65 1.23 4.65

9.28 1.24 24.15 0.56 28.05 74 291 18.12 3.14 3.95 12.94 17.78 12.8 6.12 2.85 25.5 13.94 8.28 14.2 80 0.67 1.2 92.5 192 6.02 6.01 0.237 16 7.68 0.97 4.5 0.132 136.9 0.8 52.7 1.23 15.34 8.2 6.64 6.23 13.88 1 1.51 1.71 1.86 5.45 20.5 2.76 8.31 0.9 5.7 1.24 4.79

8.94 1.21 23.95 0.52 26.6 73.95 283 17.8 3.1 3.91 12.46 17.62 12.68 6.01 2.78 24.6 13.14 8 12.5 75 0.67 1.16 88 185.2 6 5.97 0.213 15.2 7.55 0.94 4.48 0.13 131 0.79 52.7 1.2 15 8.1 6.25 6.05 13.5 0.98 1.43 1.69 1.86 5.4 20.1 2.6 8.21 0.9 5.65 1.2 4.59

9.22 1.22 24 0.52 27.45 73.95 291 18.12 3.13 3.95 12.94 17.74 12.74 6.12 2.81 25.5 13.2 8.2 14.2 80 0.67 1.18 92.3 187.3 6 6.01 0.233 15.9 7.57 0.97 4.48 0.13 136.9 0.79 52.7 1.21 15 8.16 6.63 6.07 13.88 1 1.45 1.69 1.86 5.4 20.1 2.71 8.21 0.9 5.65 1.21 4.6

59,449,000 1,044,000 4,051,400 17,128,000 559,400 59,090 309,860 1,306,200 649,000 568,000 9,200 404,200 118,000 818,200 394,000 1,761,000 598,000 3,677,800 24,968,200 330,800 14,000 4,972,000 6,710 687,030 4,000 21,400 180,000 14,681,300 24,300 3,023,000 201,000 4,120,000 1,810,080 3,207,000 10 1,713,000 282,400 2,737,800 346,200 261,600 35,500 73,000 6,503,000 30,000 6,000 42,000 2,500 5,017,000 257,100 557,000 35,200 105,000 2,864,000

-220,890 19,627,594 -11,146,060 140,933 -17,555,155 352,575 175,290.00 -15,649,057 -5,446,160.00 -23,034 450,000 -

544,516,037 1,273,690 97,295,420 9,200,680 15,425,170 4,370,117.50 89,337,410 23,548,754 2,021,460 2,232,180 117,010 7,167,850 1,503,262 4,953,293 1,112,240 44,782,850 7,957,382 30,099,122 341,621,740 26,360,265 9,380 5,838,190 612,379.50 128,794,887 24,036 128,417 41,690 232,083,180 183,520 2,878,560 900,500 536,240 245,619,780 2,555,730 527 2,080,270 4,252,126 22,238,757 2,277,597 1,586,353 481,126 72,120 9,507,150 51,040 11,160 227,450 50,930 13,498,250 2,119,260 501,300 199,038 127,300 13,331,300

63,019,886 23,069,395 2,700 -115,160 1,168,793.50 6,308,670 1,160,806 -196,530 -3,302,408 -4,045,435 -259,240 -15,755,720 -2,478 -3,075,350.00 -93,768,900 -12,846,292 5,900 -59,178 -14,018,336 2,370 -46,829,904 11,325 29,770 48,849,573 136,000 -122,000 2,989,090 -19,185,970 -303,233 -295,955 -143,550 -30,750 -303,100 -137,861 63,000 158,040

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 0.99 1 1 1.01 0.98 1 2,419,000 2,400,780 ASIABEST GROUP 6 6.7 6.5 6.6 6 6 4,400 28,780 717.5 722 720 728 715 722 187,740 135,511,070 AYALA CORP 38.6 39 37.9 39 37.9 39 2,053,700 79,491,425 ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL 9.7 9.75 9.5 9.76 9.41 9.75 5,075,300 48,593,888 4.07 4.1 4 4.1 3.93 4.07 2,019,000 8,132,230 AYALA LAND LOG 6.68 6.7 6.62 6.7 6.6 6.68 34,600 229,366 ANSCOR ANGLO PHIL HLDG 0.97 0.99 1 1.03 0.97 0.99 7,322,000 7,381,000 0.56 0.57 0.57 0.57 0.56 0.56 195,000 109,330 ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B 0.56 0.57 0.57 0.57 0.56 0.56 40,000 22,730 COSCO CAPITAL 5.13 5.14 5.04 5.14 5.02 5.14 1,879,400 9,522,936 5.99 6.02 5.95 6.17 5.95 5.99 40,429,800 244,527,370 DMCI HLDG 7.5 7.79 7.79 7.79 7.79 7.79 6,400 49,856 FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A 2.7 2.97 2.68 2.68 2.68 2.68 1,000 2,680 529.5 531 530 535.5 527 530 251,460 133,470,160 GT CAPITAL 3.85 3.88 3.86 3.86 3.86 3.86 5,000 19,300 HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT 57.6 58 56.65 58 56 58 821,650 47,461,250.50 5.53 5.97 5.54 5.54 5.54 5.54 71,900 398,326 JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR 0.65 0.66 0.63 0.69 0.63 0.66 345,000 221,810 LOPEZ HLDG 3.01 3.22 3.34 3.34 3 3.01 1,032,000 3,100,120 9.08 9.17 9.35 9.35 9.05 9.08 6,362,900 58,291,500 LT GROUP 3.73 3.76 3.72 3.78 3.71 3.76 6,712,000 25,155,200 METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG 3.08 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 11,000 35,200 2.05 2.1 2.1 2.34 2 2.06 1,176,000 2,477,870 PRIME MEDIA 1.17 1.22 1.17 1.17 1.17 1.17 2,000 2,340 SOLID GROUP SM INVESTMENTS 958.5 964 940 964.5 930 964 233,770 223,904,355 106.5 107 108.7 108.7 105 107 170,010 18,144,748 SAN MIGUEL CORP 134 138.5 133.6 138.5 133.6 138.5 420 57,612 TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS 0.26 0.27 0.255 0.26 0.255 0.26 40,000 10,300 0.191 0.192 0.194 0.199 0.19 0.192 1,140,000 220,420 ZEUS HLDG

1,139,370 15,353,125 2,605,400 8,037,463 1,191,710 1,020 1,637,084 54,335,625 -75,515,870 23,946,250 -30,036,806 2,329,930 97,700 86,507,865 -2,353,346 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.67 0.7 0.67 0.7 0.67 0.7 439,000 294,160 ANCHOR LAND 7.2 7.7 7.2 7.2 7.2 7.2 300 2,160 32.8 32.9 32.3 33.05 32.3 32.8 9,794,600 320,741,700 AYALA LAND 1.12 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.12 1.12 98,000 109,840 ARANETA PROP AREIT RT 36.65 36.9 36.9 38.1 36.65 36.65 714,800 26,374,950 1.38 1.39 1.37 1.37 1.37 1.37 73,000 100,010 BELLE CORP A BROWN 0.86 0.88 0.87 0.89 0.87 0.87 243,000 211,560 CITYLAND DEVT 0.79 0.8 0.79 0.8 0.78 0.8 194,000 153,400 0.123 0.127 0.126 0.128 0.124 0.127 220,000 27,540 CROWN EQUITIES CEBU HLDG 6.05 6.4 6.1 6.1 6.04 6.04 107,300 654,092 CEB LANDMASTERS 3.03 3.04 2.9 3.03 2.9 3.03 1,656,000 4,940,800 0.415 0.42 0.42 0.435 0.415 0.42 33,190,000 13,998,850 CENTURY PROP 10.22 10.24 10.2 10.4 10.06 10.24 357,100 3,642,694 DOUBLEDRAGON DDMP RT 1.77 1.79 1.77 1.79 1.75 1.77 15,513,000 27,550,460 6.89 7 7 7 6.89 7 50,200 349,116 DM WENCESLAO 0.285 0.295 0.285 0.295 0.285 0.295 460,000 132,900 EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO 0.31 0.32 0.32 0.335 0.3 0.32 39,350,000 12,495,600 7.39 7.4 7.2 7.58 7.2 7.4 11,781,600 87,176,515 FILINVEST RT 1.1 1.11 1.1 1.12 1.1 1.1 5,338,000 5,904,860 FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE 0.88 0.89 0.83 0.88 0.83 0.88 97,000 83,610 7.05 7.33 7.2 7.35 7.05 7.34 31,600 224,128 8990 HLDG 1.23 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.22 1.25 406,000 496,920 PHIL INFRADEV KEPPEL PROP 3.2 3.35 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 1,000 3,200 1.31 1.32 1.32 1.33 1.3 1.31 256,000 335,670 CITY AND LAND 2.8 2.81 2.77 2.82 2.77 2.81 8,455,000 23,678,900 MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED 0.29 0.295 0.29 0.3 0.285 0.29 9,570,000 2,802,200 0.5 0.51 0.52 0.52 0.5 0.5 8,662,000 4,385,740 PHIL ESTATES 2.02 2.07 2.01 2.1 2.01 2.02 148,000 298,670 PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND 16.34 16.42 16.02 16.42 16.02 16.42 1,038,000 16,954,930 0.265 0.27 0.275 0.28 0.265 0.27 2,430,000 664,300 PHIL REALTY ROCKWELL 1.5 1.53 1.52 1.53 1.52 1.53 100,000 152,070 STA LUCIA LAND 2.9 3 2.76 3 2.76 3 362,000 1,034,080 33.05 33.2 33.15 33.3 32.85 33.2 5,582,300 184,798,745 SM PRIME HLDG 3.71 3.78 3.8 3.8 3.72 3.78 12,000 44,780 VISTAMALLS SUNTRUST HOME 1.55 1.58 1.55 1.58 1.55 1.58 54,000 83,730 3.45 3.46 3.45 3.48 3.41 3.45 278,000 959,820 VISTA LAND SERVICES ABS CBN 10.98 11 11.16 11.16 10.96 11 91,800 1,012,622 GMA NETWORK 14.38 14.4 13.92 14.58 13.92 14.4 6,611,900 94,510,814 0.405 0.435 0.435 0.435 0.435 0.435 20,000 8,700 MANILA BULLETIN MLA BRDCASTING 9.2 10.46 9.21 9.21 9.2 9.2 1,000 9,209 GLOBE TELECOM 2,004 2,010 1,960 2,010 1,960 2,010 76,155 152,586,135 1,251 1,259 1,250 1,260 1,240 1,259 63,810 79,929,210 PLDT 0.104 0.105 0.109 0.112 0.104 0.104 450,460,000 48,556,150 APOLLO GLOBAL CONVERGE 26.95 27 27 27.35 26.45 27 16,272,500 437,743,515 3.91 3.92 3.65 3.92 3.65 3.92 815,000 3,059,570 DFNN INC 7.63 7.64 7.69 8.07 7.56 7.63 7,022,400 54,739,179 DITO CME HLDG IMPERIAL 1.4 1.49 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 8,000 11,280 2.2 2.3 2.26 2.3 2.26 2.3 55,000 126,020 JACKSTONES NOW CORP 2.06 2.08 2.05 2.1 2.03 2.08 523,000 1,077,140 TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.38 0.385 0.385 0.39 0.38 0.385 3,560,000 1,371,850 2.23 2.25 2.25 2.25 2.15 2.23 82,000 178,150 PHILWEB 2GO GROUP 8.05 8.2 8.06 8.2 8.05 8.05 11,600 93,665 ASIAN TERMINALS 13.98 14.1 14.1 14.1 14.1 14.1 800 11,280 2.61 2.67 2.63 2.67 2.6 2.67 136,000 359,290 CHELSEA CEBU AIR 43.7 43.85 43.95 44 43.7 43.7 534,300 23,365,840 INTL CONTAINER 181 182 173 182 173 182 721,710 129,779,674 16.22 16.94 16.24 16.24 16.22 16.22 4,400 71,370 LBC EXPRESS LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.94 0.99 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.94 10,000 9,400 MACROASIA 4.45 4.46 4.55 4.55 4.44 4.45 1,190,000 5,349,280 1.79 1.85 1.77 1.86 1.77 1.86 64,000 116,980 METROALLIANCE A HARBOR STAR 1.05 1.06 1.04 1.07 1.04 1.06 52,000 54,380 ACESITE HOTEL 1.66 1.7 1.67 1.77 1.63 1.7 310,000 523,280 0.096 0.097 0.099 0.103 0.093 0.096 184,730,000 18,145,240 BOULEVARD HLDG 2.39 2.55 2.45 2.59 2.38 2.58 55,000 134,120 DISCOVERY WORLD GRAND PLAZA 12.06 13.92 12.06 13.9 12.06 13.9 400 5,188 0.51 0.52 0.52 0.52 0.52 0.52 362,000 188,240 WATERFRONT CENTRO ESCOLAR 7 7.72 6.99 7.33 6.99 7 3,700 25,912 STI HLDG 0.345 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.345 0.345 440,000 153,350 5.31 5.48 5.45 5.5 5.31 5.48 18,200 98,805 BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY 5.4 5.49 5.5 5.6 5.4 5.4 5,975,100 32,807,651 PACIFIC ONLINE 1.98 2.03 1.98 1.98 1.98 1.98 5,000 9,900 1.4 1.47 1.45 1.47 1.4 1.47 174,000 249,220 LEISURE AND RES PH RESORTS GRP 1.66 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.65 1.7 1,260,000 2,109,190 PREMIUM LEISURE 0.405 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.405 0.405 110,000 44,950 7.23 7.45 7.5 7.5 7.12 7.23 642,100 4,651,542 ALLHOME 1.31 1.32 1.31 1.31 1.3 1.31 563,000 734,030 METRO RETAIL PUREGOLD 38.5 39 37.95 39.9 37.95 39 1,629,700 63,251,355 49.9 50 49.8 50.15 49.7 50 548,400 27,393,080 ROBINSONS RTL 87.7 90.9 88 91 87.5 90.9 4,570 403,632 PHIL SEVEN CORP SSI GROUP 1.08 1.09 1.1 1.11 1.06 1.08 8,070,000 8,757,150 22.75 22.8 22.55 23.5 22.55 22.8 843,400 19,355,460 WILCON DEPOT 0.335 0.34 0.35 0.35 0.33 0.34 320,000 107,050 APC GROUP EASYCALL 5.2 5.44 5.17 5.2 5.17 5.2 5,300 27,500 425 448 440 448 439.8 448 1,830 818,796 GOLDEN MV IPM HLDG 7 7.5 7 7.1 7 7.1 16,100 112,800 PRMIERE HORIZON 1.11 1.12 1.25 1.25 1.1 1.11 22,793,000 26,342,750 4.21 4.48 4.21 4.21 4.2 4.21 8,000 33,670 SBS PHIL CORP MINING & OIL

ATOK 6.47 6.5 6.7 6.7 6.4 6.47 125,800 811,920 1.52 1.53 1.55 1.55 1.51 1.52 1,227,000 1,873,790 APEX MINING 6.76 6.78 7.01 7.01 6.75 6.76 2,369,500 16,176,389 ATLAS MINING BENGUET A 5.2 5.42 5.44 5.44 5.2 5.42 35,200 190,880 4.98 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.2 5.3 3,300 17,180 BENGUET B CENTURY PEAK 2.8 2.88 2.75 2.88 2.75 2.88 7,000 20,030 DIZON MINES 6.21 6.38 6.38 6.38 6.38 6.38 100 638 2.37 2.39 2.41 2.41 2.36 2.39 2,550,000 6,081,380 FERRONICKEL 0.29 0.3 0.315 0.315 0.29 0.29 140,000 42,850 GEOGRACE LEPANTO A 0.14 0.143 0.149 0.149 0.139 0.14 11,220,000 1,572,190 0.144 0.152 0.148 0.152 0.143 0.152 1,080,000 159,000 LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.011 23,500,000 248,500 MANILA MINING B 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 3,600,000 39,600 0.96 0.97 1 1 0.96 0.96 713,000 695,060 MARCVENTURES NIHAO 1.26 1.33 1.34 1.34 1.26 1.26 41,000 53,260 NICKEL ASIA 5.75 5.78 5.9 5.9 5.75 5.75 6,050,600 35,091,922 0.94 0.97 0.93 0.97 0.93 0.97 70,000 66,680 ORNTL PENINSULA PX MINING 5.75 5.8 5.75 5.8 5.72 5.79 400,300 2,299,312 SEMIRARA MINING 17.02 17.1 16.76 17.4 16.76 17.1 1,205,900 20,568,196 0.0087 0.009 0.0093 0.0094 0.0087 0.0087 39,000,000 343,400 UNITED PARAGON ORNTL PETROL A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 43,100,000 474,100 ORNTL PETROL B 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 130,000,000 1,430,000 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 103,400,000 1,137,500 PHILODRILL PXP ENERGY 6.03 6.1 6.05 6.3 6.03 6.03 327,300 1,989,307 PREFFERED HOUSE PREF B 101 101.6 101 101 101 101 5,260 531,260 HOUSE PREF A 100.2 101 101 101 101 101 20,100 2,030,100 43.55 43.9 43.9 43.95 43.9 43.9 18,600 816,790 CEB PREF 102 102.9 102.9 102.9 102.9 102.9 48,450 4,985,505 CPG PREF A DD PREF 100.7 100.8 100.8 100.8 100.8 100.8 140 14,112 997 1,018 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 500 500,000 GTCAP PREF A MWIDE PREF 101 101.5 101 101.5 101 101.5 220 22,325 MWIDE PREF 2A 99 107.3 100 100 100 100 50 5,000 106.3 106.8 106.3 106.8 106.3 106.8 7,270 776,081 PNX PREF 3B PNX PREF 4 1,003 1,007 1,008 1,008 1,002 1,007 1,995 2,002,750 PCOR PREF 3B 1,150 1,160 1,160 1,160 1,160 1,160 25 29,000 75.9 75.95 75.95 76 75.95 75.95 30,210 2,294,816 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F 78.55 78.7 78.7 78.7 78.6 78.6 57,530 4,527,591 SMC PREF 2I 78.05 78.85 78.85 78.85 78.85 78.85 130 10,250.50 75.85 76 75.85 75.85 75.8 75.85 6,010 455,561 SMC PREF 2J SMC PREF 2K 76.05 77 76.2 76.2 76.05 76.05 850,500 64,680,600 PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 10.48 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 200,000 2,100,000 GMA HLDG PDR 12.82 13.08 12.48 13.3 12.3 13.08 558,500 7,214,924 WARRANTS LR WARRANT 0.465 0.47 0.38 0.485 0.31 0.465 17,470,000 7,060,600 TECH WARRANT 0.9 1.33 1 1.37 1 1.37 2,000,000 2,370,000

-700 720 64,049,890.00 -526,280 8,700 -33,670 -610,000 -444,070 -52,450 -1,338,584.00 -5,247,480 2,094 542,150 -10,032,970 -8,800 -2,202 -11,810 -15,577,310 -112,050 10,000 -22,850 2,677,358 -117,110 2,946,155 29,760 -244,980 -6,125,220 -4,711,780 -1,805,830 -87,428,775 -1,427,660 -1,040,787 10,250 -73,600 -1,277,575 -16,162,528 98,370 268,640 -11,400,018 77,300 -592,220 18,768,245 -14,548,500 -321,200 362,710 3,188,840 -10,200 -5,185,580 -30,946 -15,680 287,768 20,030 1,047,470 6,286,944 -305,832 2,164,080 -38,474 -39,515 - -2,079,000 25,560 987,000 0

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ALTUS PROP ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MAKATI FINANCE MERRYMART

17.52 2.04 4.2 2.68 3.4

FIRST METRO ETF

18 2.07 4.68 2.94 3.41

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

99.5

18 2.06 4.25 2.72 3.5

18.1 2.08 4.25 2.72 3.57

17.98 2.04 4.22 2.7 3.34

18 2.07 4.22 2.7 3.41

34,000 229,000 25,000 20,000 10,686,000

612,962 472,140 105,780 54,150 36,605,050

269,980 -338,070

100.4 100.4 99 99 45,050 4,492,573.50 142,767

www.businessmirror.com.ph

CLI income jumps by 66% in H1 on sales recovery

By VG Cabuag

@villygc

egional property developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) on Monday said its attributable income in the first semester expanded by 66 percent to P1.31 billion from last year’s P791.8 million as sales recovered. Revenues for the period grew 46 percent to P5.13 billion from last year’s P3.51 billion, though most of it came from real estate sales, while its rental income and management fees fell to single-digit rates. Reservation sales rose 12 percent

to a record P8.3 billion from P7.4 billion last year, which the company attributed to the strong demand for houses due to the pandemic. The company said six residential projects of its economic, mid- and high-end brands worth P11 billion

were launched during the period in Cebu, Iloilo and Ormoc. CLI said its leasing and hotel businesses have been crippled by the pandemic, but the company is still expanding as it is growing its hotel portfolio to 1,433 rooms by 2025, when the tourism industry is anticipated to bounce back. Earlier this year, the company launched Sofitel Cebu City, Mercure Cebu City and Abaca Resort Mactan which will account for a total of 487 rooms. Latitude Corporate Center was also completed, which added 13,000 square meter of gross leasable area. “Housing has proven to be resilient and sustainable since it is now, more than ever, considered a basic need especially with the extended pandemic,” Jose Soberano III, the

company’s CEO, said. “We intend to continue benefiting from our core business—housing—while preparing for new opportunities that global recovery and tourism will bring. We are confident VisMin will be at the forefront of this revival.” The company said it has 29,051 square meters in gross leasable area (GLA) for the first half of 2021, double the GLA at end-2020. In four to five years, the recurring business is projected to contribute 10 percent to CLI’s top line. It said CLI was able to complete five projects during the period, which generated some P5 billion in collections upon take-out and turnover. To date, CLI has 40 completed projects while 36 are under construction and 14 are in the pipeline.

Cirtek lists common shares sold via SRO

irtek Holdings Philippines Corp. on Monday listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) 249.44 million in common shares that carry a detachable warrant, which the company sold via a stock rights offering (SRO). The said shares were sold at P5.50 per share, or a total of P1.37 billion. Cirtek shares were last traded at P4.60 apiece. In his welcome message, PSE president and CEO Ramon S. Monzon cited the competitive environment of the technology solutions space given the rapid advancement in this field and expressed optimism over Cirtek’s plans for its subsidiaries. “I understand that Cirtek is eyeing new markets that would expand the product portfolio of its subsidiaries. With these activities, Cirtek’s units are well-positioned to benefit from the upbeat prospects in the semiconductor and the antenna spaces.” The company said it intends to use the proceeds from the offer to partially retire its short-term obligations and refinance working capital of its subsidiaries Quintel USA, Cirtek Electronics Corp. and Cirtek Advanced Technologies and Solutions Inc. Under Cirtek’s rights offer, the shares were offered at a ratio of one entitlement right for every 1.68 common shares held by shareholders of record as of July 7. Each share carries free detachable warrants. The exercise price for the bonus detachable warrant is P5.50. Abacus Capital and Investment Corp. and PNB Capital Corp. acted

as joint issue managers and lead underwriters. The application for the increase in authorized capital stock of the company, where the new shares came from, and amended Articles of Incorporation has been approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 10. In May Cirtek also raised some P1 billion from commercial papers. The company said the offering was oversubscribed by four times. Cirtek said its fund raising was oversubscribed since it did the offering at a time of monetary easing and consecutive rate cuts by central banks. The said paper was listed for trading on the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. The said fund raising is part of the company’s P6-billion debt program. Quintel USA designs, develops and delivers high-performance antenna products and solutions for big telecommunications companies in North America. Cirtek Electronics, meanwhile, is primarily engaged in the business as an independent subcontractor for semiconductor assembly, test and packaging services. The company has regular customers spread out in Europe, the United States and Asia. Cirtek’s net income in the first semester grew 60 percent to $7.98 million (about P399 million) from last year’s $4.98 million (P249 million). In April to June, its income rose 69 percent to $4.36 million (P218 million) from last year’s $2.57 million (P128 million). VG Cabuag

PCPPI plants bag safety seal approved by DOLE

he Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued Safety Seal certifications to Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc.’s (PCPPI’s) Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and Tanauan plants. PCPPI, the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the country, was recognized for its strict compliance with Covid-19 health and safety standards. These include wearing of face masks and shields, availability of handwashing stations and screening or triage area, social distancing, and using contract-tracing application, among others. Certifications are issued to establishments in the manufacturing, construction, utilities, information and communication, and warehousing industries. To ensure

continuous compliance with safety protocols, the certification must be renewed after its six-month validity. The Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Tourism, Department of Interior and Local Governance, Philippine National Police, and the different local government units join DOLE as designated authorities to issue the Safety Seal Certification Program. PCPPI is the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages & snacks in the Philippines, with a relationship spanning 70 years. PCPPI is a listed company in the Philippine Stock Exchange with Lotte Corp. which is a holding company of Lotte Chilsung Beverage, one of the biggest beverage companies in South Korea as the lead shareholder co-managing with PepsiCo.

mutual funds

August 16, 2021

NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share

Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

204.99

2.42%

-7.2%

-5.65%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.4094

38.48%

-1.74%

-0.29%

-9.78% 7.34%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.8269

5.7%

-11.34%

-8.62%

-9.77%

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.7376

7.1%

-6.6% n.a.

-8.25%

First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.7059 2.72%

-5.65% n.a.

-4.81%

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

6.09%

-4.98%

-3.77%

-7.75%

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4 0.6765

0.24%

-7.57%

-7.72%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

97.69

26.38%

-4.18% n.a.

-4.17%

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

41.5686

3.43%

-5.84%

-4.82%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

440.89

2.15%

-5.38%

-5%

-9.83%

Philequity Alpha One Fund, Inc. -a,d,5

1.0427

16.37% n.a. n.a.

-4.98%

4.5585

-11.27%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.1109

8.97%

-4.24%

-3.45%

-4.9%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

31.7037

5.76%

-5.08%

-3.57%

-8.82%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.8137

1.89% n.a. n.a.

-10.88%

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

4.2717

4.27%

-5.18%

-4.04%

-10.84%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

713.55

4.06%

-5.16%

-4.2%

-10.99%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.6582

7.27%

-8.66%

-6.9%

-8.44%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.3023

4.22%

-6.93%

-5.13%

-8.87%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.8148 3.68%

-5.5%

-4.34%

-11.21%

-5.27%

-3.29%

-9.29%

-4.97%

-3.68%

United Fund, Inc. -a

3.0107

4.84%

-10.96%

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

95.8114

4.05%

-10.92%

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

$1.1919

12.02%

5.45%

5.8%

-0.91%

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.8288

22.67%

12.61%

11.74%

9.33%

-1.43%

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

1.6448

5.04%

-0.57%

-2.34%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.1177

2.7%

-2.29%

-2.58%

-7.34%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.4857

2.74%

-1.25%

-1.54%

-5.38%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.1835 NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

-0.86% n.a. n.a.

1.8777

1.72%

0.42%

-0.73%

-4.39%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.5281

0.27%

-0.52%

-2.03%

-6.86%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

15.8123

0.91%

-0.41%

-1.97%

-6.64%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

1.9694

2.18%

-1.8%

-1.65%

-5.95%

2.4%

-2.83%

-2.85%

-5.64%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.3716 Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9488

0.12% n.a. n.a.

-7.22%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.8456

-0.69% n.a. n.a.

-10.91%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.8288

0.45% n.a. n.a.

-11.18%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

3.35%

0.8392

-3.61%

-3.35%

-7.6%

-5.46%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc. -a

$0.0383

-2.92%

2.86%

1.16%

-2.1%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0996

5.03%

3.59%

3.17%

-4.4%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.7888 16.76%

9.63%

8.17%

6.11%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.2231 7.45%

5.56%

4.32%

1.75%

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

372.91

1.38%

3.09%

2.42%

0.5%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9257

-1.18%

1.12%

0.14%

1.34%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2371

1.22%

3.56%

4.27%

0.7%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2634

-2.08%

2.17%

1.21%

-1.42%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4437 -0.61%

3.3%

1.73%

-0.39%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

4.4945

-4.32%

4.44%

1.16%

-3.02%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a,6

1.3186

0.83%

3.99%

2.69%

-0.2%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.9828

0.5%

4.52%

1.94%

-0.46%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

-0.28%

1.0391

-0.11%

4.81%

1.56%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.2187

1.12%

5.16%

2.31%

0.4%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

0.18%

4.52%

1.64%

-0.15%

1.7523

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

$487.34

1.81%

3.15%

2.06%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є220.39

1.55%

1.02%

0.82%

0.72% 0.55%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2022

-3.58%

2.45%

1.32%

-6.11%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0261 -1.51%

1.72%

0.7%

-1.88%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

0.23%

-1.32%

-4.44% -0.71%

$1.0442

-4.6%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.5176

-0.23%

5.05%

1.71%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a

$0.0630742

3.18%

3.56%

2.09%

1.21%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1878 -2.09%

3.17%

0.59%

-1.11%

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

130.5

1.38%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0542 Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.3077

2.53%

0.53%

1% n.a. n.a.

0.58%

1.58%

2.98% 2.79%

2.55%

0.86%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Starter Fund, Inc. -a $1.0582

1.06%

1.61% n.a.

0.55%

Feeder Funds Primarily invested in Peso securities Sun Life Prosperity World Equity Index Feeder Fund, Inc. -a,d,7 1.3422

29.78% n.a. n.a.

18.82%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2

5.26% n.a. n.a.

2.04%

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU). 1 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 2 - Launch date is November 15, 2019. 3 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019. 4 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.). 5 - Launch date is December 09, 2019. 6 - Re-classified into a Bond Fund starting February 21, 2020 (Formerly a Money Market Fund).

7 - Launch date is July 6, 2020.

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

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance

Inflation forecast feeds T-bill rate consolidation By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

HE Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) fully awarded P15 billion in Treasury Bills (T-Bills) as rates appear to be consolidating after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) hiked its inflation forecast this year to 4.1 percent. The auction was more than thrice oversubscribed as total bids reached P53.3 billion. The T-bill average rates also moved sideways, the with 91-day securities fetching a slightly higher rate and the 364-day T-bills settling at a lower rate. The average rate for the 182-day T-bills was left unchanged. Average rates across all tenors were all lower than the secondary market trading levels. “Rates [settled] around these levels following inflation forecast [that] remains around [the] 4-percent to [the] 4.1=percent area,” National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon said. “This is also supported by strong liquidity.” On Thursday, the BSP revised upward its inflation outlook for this year to 4.1 percent from 4 percent with hikes in global commodity prices, a weaker peso and delayed arrival of pork imports. De Leon said they also rejected non-competitive bids for the 182day tenor; sticking to awarding its P5-billion offering. The 91-day T-bills’ rate averaged

at 1.066 percent, inching up by 0.2 basis points from the previous auction’s 1.064 percent. The tenor attracted total bids amounting to P17.47 billion, more than thrice the P5-billion offer. For the 182-day T-bills, the average rate remained at 1.407 percent. Bids for the security hit P18.48 billion, triple the P5-billion offer. In terms of the 364-day T-bills, the average rate fell to 1.617 percent, dropping by 0.8 basis points from 1.625 percent. Tenders for the debt paper reached P17.325 billion, also thrice the P5 billion offer. For August, the Treasury has set to borrow P200 billion from the local debt market, slightly lower than the P235 billion it programmed in July. This year, the national government programmed to borrow a total of P3.1-trillion, of which around 75 percent is expected to be raised through domestic sources. The outstanding debt of the national government has already piled up to P11.166 trillion as of end-June this year, swelling by 23.3 percent from P9.054 trillion a year ago. Finance officials expect the national government’s debt-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio this year to hit 59.1 percent—last year it was at 54.6 percent. It is also expected to peak next year at 60.8 percent, which is slightly above the internationally-accepted threshold. A new set of officials could expect a debt-to-GDP ratio of 60.7 percent in 2023 and 59.7 percent in 2024.

The value of the DuPont analysis

EATING the inflation rate is needed in order to grow wealth over time. Saving is important but is not enough. Insurance is also important but is not enough. Investing is needed. Investing in the Philippine stock market can be an attractive option for many Filipinos. However, not all companies and stocks are the same. One way to differentiate the good from the bad would be through fundamental analysis. A popular tool that can be used to study the financial strength of listed companies is the DuPont analysis. The DuPont analysis was developed by Donaldson Brown and was first used by the DuPont Co. in the 1920s. It focuses on the background leading to the return on equity measure, which is the ratio of net profit to stockholder equity. Return on equity is a key measure of profitability that shows how good a company is able to translate every peso of equity or net asset into profit. There are three aspects that are considered in the DuPont analysis. These are: profitability; asset efficiency; and, financial leverage. Profitability in the DuPont analysis is measured by the profit margin. The profit margin is the ratio of net profit to revenue. While growing revenue is imperative for any company, generating good profit levels should also be a priority. One way that companies would be able to get a good profit margin is by being able to implement the right pricing for its products or services. The right price will be able to cover costs and consider anticipated impact on demand. The right price also helps build brand value of the company. Another way to improve the profit margin is by being able to manage costs and expenses. Benjamin Franklin once said that we should be mindful of costs and expenses since a small hole can sink a great ship. Business is not just about growing revenue and pricing well. Cost of goods sold and operating expenses have to be tracked and managed. A company must distinguish its muscle components from its fat components. A company must be able to negotiate well with its suppliers and work on efficiency. Asset efficiency in the DuPont analysis is measured by asset turnover which is the ratio of net revenue to average total assets. This shows

Genesis Kelly S. Lontoc

personal finance how good a company is able to convert every peso of its total assets into revenue. For fixed assets, it should be able to generate financial projections on revenues to ensure that purchases would be worthwhile eventually. For working capital, it should be able to develop good programs related to management of current assets and current liabilities so its liquidity is favorable. Financial leverage in the DuPont analysis is measured by the ratio of average total assets to average total stockholder equity. This shows how good a company is able to use its debt in order to grow assets. Debt may have a common negative connotation. Within the context of a business, debt can actually help grow value if the use of debt would be toward effective and efficient initiatives. Getting a loan for business must therefore be strategic. Future benefits must outpace costs of debt so that risks taken will be justified. There are two things that have to be taken into account when using the DuPont analysis. First, the quality of the analysis will depend on the quality of the numbers. The good thing to note is that the financial statements of listed companies are audited by reputable audit firms. Second, the numbers and the ratios of a company must be benchmarked with the numbers and ratios of companies operating within the same economic sector. A good company must be performing better or at the same mark as the average levels. Behind every number and ratio is a story. For investing in stocks, it would be good to do due diligence by studying developments that lead to financial performance. Informed decisions will potentially lead to the right investments. Every right investment helps take a person one step closer to financial freedom. Gemmy Lontoc is a registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. To learn more about personalfinancial planning, attend the 91st RFP program this August 2021. To inquire, e-mail info@rfp.ph or text at 0917-6248110.

BusinessMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Tuesday, August 17, 2021

BSP help sought vs candidates buying votes via digital system

By Samuel P. Medenilla

@sam_medenilla

H, the bane of technology. While cash transactions over digital platforms denied Covid transmission, they’re a source of concern for the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

So much so that Comelec Commissioner Rowena V. Guanzon announced the poll regulator is eyeing the assistance of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to go after candidates who will engage in illegal vote

buying through digital payments in the 2022 elections. Guanzon issued a statement after receiving reports people are eyeing using the electronic-wallet GCash for vote buying.

GCash, a mobile application owned and operated by Globe Telecom Inc. subsidiary Globe Fintech Innovations Inc., allows users to pay for goods and services as well as exchange cash sans physical money. “Vote buying is now going ‘techy’ because these politicians cannot go house-to-house and then distribute money,” Guanzon said last Monday at an online forum organized by the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines. She said BSP monitors transactions, which go through e-wallets like GCash.

Guanzon warned they will be holding not only candidates accountable but also e-wallet operators for election offenses such as vote buying in the 2022 national and local elections. Candidates as well as voters who will engage in vote buying activities can be jailed, fined a nd d i s q u a l i f i e d from holding public office. Last June, the poll body said it still looking for ways to address the use of technology in vote-buying. Doing so, according to the Comelec, would involve coordination with other government agencies.

Poe prods BSP to ensure banks flexibility amid Covid By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

ENATOR Grace L. Poe said regulators should prod banks in providing relief to their customers amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). “Ask banks to give consumers breathing room in ECQ,” Poe, chairman of the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies, said. The Senator suggested the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) flex its persuasive powers on banks to provide relief to consumers during the lockdown that began August 6. Recalling that the BSP has lowered interest rates and provided

banks regulatory relief, Poe proposed that “in the same way, it can encourage banks to provide their clients relief during these difficult times,” reminding that “banks are expected to share the same breathing room with consumers.” Poe explained it is well within the BSP’s authority to ask banks to pass on such relief. She cited an assessment of the Philippine economy released by the International Monetary Fund last week noted the amount of bad loans has not risen as much as initially expected. She acknowledged the BSP for laying down the groundwork for banks to strengthen their capital years ago, citing test results for this year showed that banks’ solvency

and liquidity are relatively resilient. The senator suggested that “providing consumers payment flexibility during the ECQ may just be what they need to stave off financial ruin.” “We are a consumer-driven economy and helping them get back on their feet is crucial in sustaining economic recovery,” Poe said. At the same time, she cited the BSP’s latest data noting total loans of commercial and universal banks amounted to P9.8 trillion as of endJune 2021. Consumer loans, dubbed by BSP as loans for household consumption, amounted to only P817.4 billion, which is barely a tenth of total loans. She pointed out that “big companies can call their banks and ask for

lower interest and an extension of the payment period.” But “for small borrowers, it is never that easy.” “Without any relief or loan restructuring, they can easily lose a home or livelihood. For TNVS drivers, they will be deprived of their vehicle and source of income,” Poe said. “If we will only think longterm, we will extend a helping hand to consumers.” She said that for pushing passage of the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Law embodied in Republic Act 11523, banks are now allowed to “offload their nonperforming loans to FIST corporations to enable banks to bankroll activities that will fuel the country’s economic recovery.”

Monetary execs further fortify payment system By Bianca Cuaresma @BcuaresmaBM

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced on Monday that it has designated the Philippine Peso Real-Time Gross Settlement (PhP-RTGS) payment system as a Systemically Important Payment System (SIPS). In a statement, the BSP said the PhP-RTGS is the first payment system to be designated as SIPS by the BSP under the National Payment Systems Act (NPSA). Under the framework, a SIPS re-

fers to a payment system posing or has potential to pose systemic risk that could threaten the stability of the national payment system. Its failure could endanger the whole economy. The law gives the BSP, as regulator of payment systems, the authority to designate a payment system if it determines the payment system as posing or having the potential to pose systemic risk or the designation is necessary to protect public interest. The PhP-RTGS is the sole payment system in the Philippines that facilitates settlement with

central bank money. BSP’s open market operations and issuance of its securities are settled through the PhP-RTGS. The system also settles the Philippine peso leg of Peso-US dollar and domestic securities transactions. It also services the deferred net settlement of retail payment systems, namely checks, ATMs, PESONet, and InstaPay. As a designated payment system, the PhP-RTGS shall observe the “Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures” standard pursuant to BSP regulations.

This includes the adoption of internationally-accepted standards to ensure that the payment system is operating in condition at par with global practices on safety, efficiency and reliability. “The public can benefit from the safeguards that the designation provides as the PhP-RTGS, being the payments backbone supporting the flow of funds in the country, continues to operate fostering economic development,” the BSP said. In 2020, the PhP-RTGS settled a total value of P544 trillion in transactions, according to data from the BSP.

IC fears additional taxes to affect insurance sales

HE Insurance Commission (IC) wants to exclude variable insurance products from the list of collective investment schemes (CIS) being studied by Congress to be placed under a harmonized regulatory and tax framework. In a letter to Finance Secretary and Capital Market Development Council Chairman Carlos G. Dominguez III, Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa said variable insurance products, also known as VUL (variable unitlinked) products, are legally defined as life insurance products and not securities that are covered by CIS. If VULs are included in the CIS, Funa said these products would be subjected to two regulatory frameworks—the Insurance Code and the single framework being worked out in the Congress for the CIS. Under this scenario, Funa warned potential customers would be dissuaded from purchasing VULs as the additional operational layers involved in regulating such products would lead to higher premiums.

This, in turn, “would cause the decline in the insurance penetration and hamper the efforts of improving financial inclusion in the country as the public would be discouraged from availing of expensive financial products,” he said. Collective investment schemes are arrangements in which funds are solicited from the investing public and pooled for the purpose of investing, re-investing and/or trading in securities and other assets. A mutual fund is an example of CIS. On the other hand, variable insurance products are life insurance policies that provide insurance benefits with an investment component. Detaching the investment component of a VUL product will subject it to more than one regulatory framework so it “does not support the ease of doing business initiatives currently in place,” Funa said. He also explained that the insurance and investment aspects of VULs are, as recognized by the Department of Finance (DOF), “indivisible” or cannot be taken as separate components. VULs are

bought as single products because “the investment component of the life insurance policy, unlike other investment products, cannot be acquired by itself”, he said. Thus, “being an indivisible insurance product, it is our position that the insurance and investment components of a VUL product should be regulated and supervised under a single regulatory framework, i.e. the Insurance Code,” Funa said in his letter to Dominguez. Funa also argued that the current regulatory and supervisory mechanisms under the Insurance Code are in place and are sufficient to protect VUL customers. But should VUL products be classified as CIS, Funa said they will adopt the DOF’s recommendation that “the IC should continue to administer, supervise, and regulate the VUL in accordance with the Insurance Code.” The Philippines, through the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), became the fourth signatory to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) CIS Framework last May. The Asean CIS Framework

aims to clear the way for qualified fund managers in the region to directly offer mutual funds and other CIS to retail investors in other participating ASEAN countries through a streamlined authorization process. The SEC of Thailand, the SEC of Malaysia and the Monetary Authority of Singapore were the initial signatories in October 2013 to a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Asean CIS Framework. A bill is pending in Congress seeking to harmonize the regulatory and tax systems for all forms of CIS products to ensure that Philippine fund managers and retail investors would be able to benefit soon from the country’s signing of the Asean CIS Framework. Participating fund managers under the CIS Framework are required to abide by a set of common rules and standards to ensure that they possess the necessary experience and track record and that the funds they are offering are regulated and managed based on industry best practices. Bernadette D. Nicolas

Tuesday, August 17, 2021 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

Art

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Today’s Horoscope

Silverlens to showcase Pacita Abad trapuntos at Basel show of Art Basel 2021

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Austin Butler, 30; Tammy Townsend, 51; Donnie Wahlberg, 52; Robert De Niro, 78. Happy Birthday: Look for opportunities that help you expand your interests and circle of friends. Take a close look at your spending habits, and curb any unnecessary habits costing you too much. Show more discipline when it comes to your health, fitness and wellbeing. Take care of what you have, and strive to achieve a simpler and less stressful lifestyle. Your numbers are 4, 11, 18, 27, 31, 35, 42.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): An open mind will help you gather the information that will encourage better decision-making. Stick to the people and projects you trust to lead you down the right path. Don’t take on something without knowing the extent of what’s expected of you. HHHHH

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Emotional matters will escalate if you jump to conclusions or an expenditure goes over budget. Get everything in writing before you agree to proceed. You may desire change, but don’t make a move that isn’t in your best interest. HHH

THE late FilipinoAmerican artist Pacita Abad with a piece from her Masks and Spirits series IMAGE

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Be honest about how you feel, and ask direct questions to find out where you stand with someone who is evasive. Spend time fixing up your space. Comfort and convenience will contribute to a healthy attitude and better personal relationships. HHH

COURTESY OF THE PACITA ABAD ESTATE via silverlens

ilverlens returns for the third time as the only Philippine gallery to participate in the Basel show of international art fair Art Basel next month, set to present the works of the late Filipino-American artist Pacita Abad. The exhibition will focus on the artist’s late-life abstraction series Endless Blues, particularly her “trapunto” paintings. The style refers to Abad’s practice of stitching and stuffing her canvases with a range of objects to achieve a three-dimensional effect. The Basel show runs from September 21 to 26 at its staple venue of Messe Basel in Switzerland, with a VIP preview in the first two days. “Silverlens presents a historically important artist for the first time to the discerning public of Art Basel,” the gallery’s statement reads. “A pluralist approach to image-making across cultures, histories and styles underpins Abad’s work throughout the decades, offering an informed and idiosyncratic global perspective on art-making as a cultural tradition rooted in many places at once.” Abad (1946-2004) was born in Batanes to a political family. She had her eyes set on traversing the same path before becoming an active student-activist in

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE PACITA ABAD ESTATE

law school opposing the Marcos regime. Due to rising political unrest, Abad’s parents urged her to leave Manila and finish her law degree in Europe. Abad made a stop in San Francisco to visit a relative and decided to study there instead. It was in the US where Abad was introduced to the world of arts. After finishing her studies, she became an itinerant painter, picking up from her travels across the world inspirations, techniques and materials that would come to define her style. Abad’s rich oeuvre contains 5,000 artworks characterized by vibrant color, experimentation and evolution. A bona fide global artist, she has produced artworks now part of public, corporate and private art collections in over 70 countries. Artworks from the Endless Blues series that Silverlens will be presenting in the Basel show were produced in the early 2000s—a particularly challenging period for Abad. Effects of the tragedy of September 11 had affected her, while on a personal level the artist had been diagnosed with cancer. In an excerpt of Abad’s 2014 book, also titled Endless Blues, the artist shared how she dealt with the difficulties.

“I turned inward and spent a lot of time in my studio painting and listening to my favorite blues music,” the line reads. “The result of course is that painting and listening to the blues was the best therapy. Like the blues, my paintings in this series are always strong, sometimes sad, a bit nostalgic and very colorful.” The Basel show of Art Basel gathers close to 300 of the world’s top galleries. Silverlens’ Abad presentation will be under the Feature sector of the fair that highlights 20th- and 21st-century artists. The gallery previously presented the works of Maria Taniguchi in 2013 and Martha Atienza in 2017 under the fair’s Statement section, which is dedicated to spotlighting emerging artists. Aside from the Abad showcase, Silverlens will be presenting three contemporary artists through an online viewing room in OVR: Basel, the fair’s digital platform. The featured artists include Pio Abad, Patricia Perez Eustaquio and Nicole Coson, who are all connected to Abad “either in form or in history,” according to the gallery’s statement. The three artists will be showing curatorially relevant pieces, including new works. n

Shattered by blast, landmark Beirut museum tries to rebuild By Sarah El Deeb & Fay Abuelgasim The Associated Press BEIRUT—The artist meticulously cuts small pieces of yellow and red glass, then lays them in a pattern to recreate the stained-glass windows that were the trademark of Beirut’s Sursock Museum, shattered in last year’s port explosion. Conservators, hunched over with magnifying glasses, fill lines of paint loss caused by the explosion with their brushes and weave together tears thread by thread under microscope. Other workers delicately piece back together broken shards of ceramics. “It has been very hard to see my work of 30 years on the ground, back to being sand.... But it is important to rebuild the museum,” said Maya Hussaini, the artist who worked on the stained-glass windows during a major renovation at the museum that finished in 2015 and is back rebuilding them now. “I had to go back to my archive to dig out my designs to bring it back to how it was,” she said.

Perched on the hills of the Achrafieh neighborhood hundreds of meters from the Beirut Port, the 60-yearold Sursock was the beating heart of Beirut’s creative scene. The country’s only modern art museum, it boasts a collection of Lebanese art dating back to the late 1800s. It has long provided a rare public and free space for art, not even closing throughout Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. Restorers and artists have been working to revive that role after the museum was decimated by the August 4, 2020 port explosion. The explosion ripped through the three-story building, unhinging the doors, wrecking everything down to the fourth underground level. Windows shattered, including the stained-glass windows of its façade. The art collection was badly hit. At least 57 of the 130 pieces on display were either broken or torn, including Dutch artist Kees Von Dongen’s portrait of Nicolas Sursock, after whom the museum is named. The nearby 19th-century landmark Sursock Palace, one of the most storied

buildings in the Lebanese capital, was also wrecked in the blast. The massive explosion, which devastated Beirut, also caused a gaping wound to the thriving creative scene for which the Mediterranean city had been famous. Many of the independent, small art spaces are in the cosmopolitan districts hardest hit by the blast. A number of galleries and private studios were destroyed. Some, already suffering from a growing economic crisis, have shut down for good. For the Sursock Museum, the blow was even harder because it had just finished in 2015 a nearly decade-long project of modernization and expansion. “At the beginning we were overwhelmed with the reality and the extent of the damage.” said Zeina Arida, the museum’s director. For three months, teams cleaned dust and chemical particles off everything in the museum. Then came the art restoration. Everything was

Continued on B5

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Talk to someone who can offer guidance or knowledge regarding something you want to pursue. Knowledge is power, and without the facts in front of you, frustration and anger are likely to lead to an emotional incident. HHH

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): It’s essential to test the waters. Mingle, share your thoughts and opinions, and listen to what others can contribute. Knowledge will help you gain insight into what’s possible. Make fitness part of your daily routine. HHHHH

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Proceed with caution when dealing with emotional matters. Sparring with a loved one will result in an irreversible change in your relationship. Bide your time, be a good listener and go about your business. Focus on self-improvement, not trying to change others. HH

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Friendly banter will help you get to know someone who interests you better. Socialize with peers, and you’ll build respect and common ground that will improve your chance to advance. Personal upgrades will add to your comfort and confidence. HHHH

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Be careful what you share with co-workers. A competitive situation will sprout quickly, leaving you in a vulnerable position. Concentrate on your work, not trying to get others to like you. Make whatever change is necessary to reach your objective. HHH

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Emotions will fester if you believe everything you hear. Someone will feed you false information to sway your opinion. Go directly to the source before you act. A problem with a friend or loved one is best handled privately. HHH

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t take unnecessary risks with your health or physical well-being. Abide by the rules and avoid indulgence. An intelligent and well-informed decision will help bring about a positive change. Don’t let uncertainty or inconsistency hold you back. Be direct and move forward. HHH

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Rely on facts and figures, not hearsay. Utilize your skills and stamina to help you finish what you start. Opportunities are within reach if you show concern, passion and the desire to make a difference. Romance will enhance your love life. HHHH

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Change will require action. Consider what you can do to put yourself in a better financial position or ease your stress to improve your overall lifestyle and well-being. Don’t give up or give in. HH Birthday Baby: You are generous, extravagant and social. You are unique and persistent.

‘three-part harmoney’ by jim holland The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

ACROSS 1 Like some grapes 5 Injure 9 Burst of growth 14 Part of a poker pot 15 Soothing substance 16 Home of the Vietnamese Women’s Museum 17 Assurances? 19 Creme de la creme 20 Middle Eastern leader: Var. 21 Academic stretch 23 Diva’s performance 25 Honey ___ bread 26 Bicycle parts with grips? 30 Jelly holder 33 A Gershwin brother 34 Man in England, for one? 35 Irish, perhaps 38 Number of seas 40 Actress Longoria 42 Insect that can hold its breath for 40 minutes, informally 43 Traps 45 “Back in the ___” (Beatles title) 47 Big name in TVs

8 Part of IPA 4 49 Make uppercase? 52 Christmas meat 53 Biography beginning? 54 Forbid 59 Optometry school student, aptly 62 Stick-on strip 63 Disintegrate? (Bonus: Note what the ends of the starred clues’ answers spell) 66 Alternative to Helvetica 67 Be the headliner (in) 68 British boys’ school 69 More than wants 70 Bills featuring the Treasury Building 71 It may end with a kiss DOWN 1 Slump 2 Unpleasant responsibility 3 Jazz’s state 4 Peruse again 5 They’re handy for emotional moments 6 PC key used with F4 7 Becomes inedible 8 Part of an astronomical shower

9 Word before “music” or “metal” 10 Buddies 11 Military subgroup 12 Memorization method 13 Seating level 18 Company concerned with overbooking 22 Antony or Anthony 24 Competent 26 Angry audience member’s sound 27 Where wrestlers face off 28 Part of USNA 29 Gun, as an engine 30 Pop icon who dated A-Rod 31 Classic name in video games 32 Christina of 1991’s The Addams Family 36 Book blunder 37 Tea with a masala variety 39 Prior to, poetically 41 ___ Minor (much of Turkey) 44 Healing sign 46 Dazed states 50 In the thick of 51 Hacked (off) 52 They’re alive in The Sound of Music

54 Strategy 55 Seldom seen 56 Theatrical award 57 Part of a baby that must be supported 58 French word before and after “a” 60 Smidgen 61 Plunder 64 Fire from a job 65 ___-size-fits-all Solution to today’s puzzle:

Show BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Tuesday, August 17, 2021

‘Free Guy’ gives box office a lift, opening with $28.4 million Fresh sounds for new generation GMA Music introduces a fresh and hip sub-label that will surely appeal to the new generation of listeners via the launch of GMA Playlist on August 11. Present during the contract-signing were the network’s top executives led by executive vice president and CFO for GMA Network and executive vice [resident and COO for GMA Music Felipe S. Yalong, senior vice president for corporate strategic planning and business development, chief risk officer and head for program support Regie C. Bautista, first vice president for business development department III Darling de Jesus-Bodegon, GMA Artist Center assistant vice president and head for talent imaging and marketing unit Simoun Ferrer, assistant vice president for corporate communications Jojo Aquio, senior manager for music production section Racquel S. Gacho, and GMA Artist Center senior talent managers Tracy Garcia, Joy Marcelo and Daryl Zamora. GMA Playlist aims to capture the hearts of the millennials and Gen Z fans craving for something hip and new, and provides a collaborative venue for artists to authentically showcase their songs and musicality. The diverse lineup of young, fresh and talented artists on GMA Playlist, include Mikee Quintos, Arra San Agustin, Anthony Rosaldo, Crystal Paras, Denise Barbacena, Faith Da Silva, Jeniffer Maravilla, Kaloy Tingcungco, Kim De Leon, Lexi Gonzales, Shayne Sava, Mark Herras and Seb Pajarillo. GMA Network chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon said that he is pleased to welcome another venue for the network’s stars to show their talents: “Congratulations to GMA Playlist on your much-awaited launch. May you create more beautiful tunes that showcase the musical talents of our current and future Kapuso stars. And may you find success in becoming one of the most influential music labels in OPM.” During the contract-signing, Yalong expressed his excitement in this new venture: “We are proud to launch GMA Playlist, a new sub-label of GMA Music. And we are equally proud of all our Kapuso artists who have been signed under this new label, as it will give them the opportunity to showcase their musical side. These are homegrown artists who are a joy to listen to, and their songs should be part of everyone’s playlists.” On the other hand, Bautista is eager to showcase the many talents of GMA artists through the sub-label: “With the launch of GMA Playlist, we are ushering in a new voice and a new sound for a new generation of Filipino music lovers. We are on the lookout for up-and-coming singers, musicians, and songwriters to help propel original Filipino music forward.” Meanwhile, Gacho says GMA Playlist aims to contribute quality songs to the industry: “The GMA Playlist sub-label was born out of our passion to contribute to the OPM industry. It is also a venue for us to release original songs and have them performed by the untapped singers of the network. We also give our listeners an alternative to their usual playlists.”

Shattered by blast, landmark Beirut museum tries to rebuild

By Jake Coyle The Associated Press

EW YORK—Free Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a background character in a videogame, opened better than expected over the weekend, collecting an estimated $28.4 million in ticket sales despite a marketplace challenged by Covid-19. After a few weeks of declining audiences and underwhelming debuts amid the Delta variant surge, Free Guy succeeded with an old-school formula: an original, star-fronted movie with good word-ofmouth playing only in theaters. The movie directed by Shawn Levy was made by the Walt Disney Co.owned 20th Century Fox, with a theatrical release contractually stipulated for the roughly $100 million production. Playing in 4,165 North American theaters, Free Guy was expected to debut around $20 million. Its surprisingly strong opening gave further proof to what some analysts have been saying throughout the year—hybrid releases that send new movies immediately onto streaming platforms can significantly harm ticket sales. The last two No. 1 movies—Warner Bros.’s The Suicide Squad and Disney’s Jungle Cruise—were launched simultaneously in theaters and homes. But however movies are being released right now, box office conditions are far from ideal. The rise in US coronavirus cases over the last month has corresponded with diminished ticket sales at theaters. Some cities, including New York and San Francisco, are preparing to make vaccine passports required for entering movie theaters. David A. Gross, who runs the movie consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research, estimates that new releases are selling about half the tickets they normally would. “Since Memorial Day weekend, the domestic box office has been running at approx. 50 percent of 2019 levels, with several spikes from strong titles, but then returning to 50 percent of 2019,” Gross said in an e-mail. “Under normal conditions, Free Guy would

be opening 50 percent higher than this weekend’s number—comfortably.” But the enthusiasm for Free Guy was enough to lead Reynolds to announce on Saturday that Disney wants a sequel. In the film, Reynolds’ character, Guy, realizes he’s a “non playable character” in a “Grand Theft Auto”-like game. It features costars Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery and Taika Waititi. Reviews were good (82 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), and a male-heavy audience gave an “A” CinemaScore. (About 60 percent of moviegoers were male, Disney said.) Free Guy also added $22.5 million internationally. Free Guy is also the latest in a comeback for gamingbased movies. After decades of futility, Hollywood is increasingly finding success by mining videogames for intellectual property. Reynolds starred in one of the best performing videogame adaptations—2019’s Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, which grossed $432 million worldwide. Free Guy will play exclusively in theaters for at least 45 days—and its strong performance through the weekend suggests it could buck the summer’s typical trend of fast drop-offs. Last week’s top film, The Suicide Squad, slid steeply, dropping 70 percent in its second weekend. After its $26.2 million debut, James Gunn’s Suicide Squad redo pulled in just $7.8 million for Warner Bros., bringing

its two-week total to $42.9 million. It’s concurrently playing on HBO Max. That film’s tumble gave a few other releases more room at multiplexes. Sony Pictures’ horror sequel Don’t Breathe 2 opened with $10.6 million, in line with studio projections. While Don’t Breathe 2 debuted with less than half the opening of the 2016 original, the sequel was made with a modest budget of $15 million. MGM and United Artists’ Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson, debuted with $8.8 million. Respect, which has drawn praise for Hudson’s leading performance, also landed an “A” CinemaScore. Its audience was 66 percent female and nearly half of ticket buyers were Black. Disney’s Jungle Cruise, starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson, landed in third place in its third weekend with $9 million. Its worldwide total is $154.3 million. It’s also playing on Disney+ for an additional $30. Apple didn’t report grosses for CODA, one of the company’s major movie acquisitions and one seen as a crowd-pleasing milestone in deaf representation of on-screen. The film, starring deaf actors Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, was a prizewinning sensation at the Sundance Film Festival in January, where Apple plunked down a festival-record $25 million for the film. CODA, which stands for child of a deaf adult, debuted simultaneously in theaters and on Apple TV+. n

SB19’s stellar showmanship P-pop group SB19

Continued from B4 restored in Beirut, except for the Nicolas Sursock portrait and two other pieces, flown to Paris for specialized treatment. A year later, builders have installed windows, ceilings and doors and are now reinstalling dividers and lights. There was broad and swift support to bring the museum back to life. The museum raised nearly 80 percent of the estimated $3 million restoration budget through the French and Italian governments, the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, Unesco, private donors and local groups. It was a major feat for a country grappling with the explosion, a financial crisis and coronavirus restrictions. The museum aims to reopen in the spring of 2022, though the economic and security conditions remain unpredictable. In recent weeks, the museum has hosted concerts and dance shows in its garden. For many artists, like other struggling professionals, the explosion was the final straw, pushing them to leave for opportunities abroad. Arida said the exodus creates a new responsibility: the need for new programs and funds to retain those who stayed. “We need to rebuild the whole sector. The museum without the other organizations, without...the surrounding heritage buildings would never be the same,” she said.

Ryan Reynolds in Free Guy, which pulled in strong numbers despite the surge of Covid cases in North America.

DUE to insistent public demand, the phenomenal P-pop group SB19 will be streaming limited replay editions of its very successful virtual concert Back in the Zone, which broke online streaming sales records for the KTX platform earlier this month. The group’s management and producer ShowBT Entertainment gave in to the high volume of requests from fans and followers of the group and has scheduled replays on August 21 for the American and Canadian territories, and August 22 for the Philippine streaming market with a special price tag of P550, still on the KTX streaming platform. We were fortunate to be able to catch the concert and we were truly impressed with how this all Filipino boy group has evolved through the years. The important details of the concert were all given the world-class stamp by the five popular young and talented performance artists—Ken, Justin, Josh, Stell and Pablo—making the show one of the most impressive virtual concerts we have witnessed. SB19 opened with the highly charged number “What?,” the music video that garnered more than 10 million views on YouTube. The group’s signature Philippine flavor was immediately highlighted as the boys dished out its past hits “Tilaluha,” “Go Up,” “Alab” and “Hanggang sa Huli” with ease, passion and professionalism.

Each of the members were given their moments and shine they did. Justin regaled with “The Scientist.” Pablo came in strong with his number “Kelan” featuring artist Josue. Ken showed his flair with his original composition “Palayo,” and Josh raised the concert roof with “Drag Me Down.” But we reckon that the one who truly soared and reached maximum musical impact was Stell when he performed the classic 1975 Eric Carmen song “All By Myself.” Stell was in his best elements that night, and his voice was both exquisite and warm, his stance confident and captivating. The group’s rendition of its current big hit “Mana” was also very well received, getting immediate massive feedback on different social-media platforms after it was performed. The boys have fans in all major cities of the world and these fans came in full force to be part of the very well mapped-out virtual concert. The last part of the group’s repertoire solidified

its place in the modern concert circuit. The song “Bazinga” was wonderfully rendered, and SB19 ended a real fun and festive night with “SLMT,” short for salamat (thank you in Filipino), perhaps sincerely grateful for how far it has come and what it has achieved not only as a once-underdog boy band but also for the country in general. No doubt SB19 continues to raise the Philippine flag in the world music scene. Just recently, the group snatched a nod in the hard-to-penetrate Billboard Music Awards, alongside Seventeen, Ariana Grande, Blackpink and the topnotch group BTS. The group’s passion and hard work are so evident that every new song that comes out of its camp is always carefully planned, outstandingly executed and well-marketed, reasons why the group soars higher than ever. Back in the Zone was a huge success mainly because of SB19’s unique brand of stellar showmanship. Bravo!

B6 Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Gov’t agencies urged to prepare for disasters

What makes a good business partner?

INVEST in the right business partner. The H100 is built with all the capabilities to help your business thrive and grow. Check out the H100 in any authorized Hyundai Dealership nationwide

HEN you start your own business, it’s fine doing it on your own. But having a trustworthy partner will help you handle and scale-up your business. So what kind of partner would be best for your negosyo? Here are some qualities that you can think about when considering who to choose.

performance especially with the 2.5L CRDi Diesel engine under its hood. One of the strongest engines in its category with 130ps @ 3800rpm and a pulling power of 26 kg-m @ 1,500 – 3,500 rpm, you can be sure that the H100 can easily carry your cargo.

Compatibility

YOU want someone who works as hard as you do. Who wants to work with someone who won’t carry his own weight? The H100 carries his own weight and then some. With a payload weight capacity of 1,661 kg including the rear cabin body, the H100 is the strongest hauler in power to payload weight ratio. That means it can easily shuttle 16 passengers or transport 60 water containers of 20L each. Imagine how much more it can carry your cargo.

PEOPLE think compatibility means sharing the same likes. In business, compatibility means having someone who is competent in areas where you are not. This helps you focus on different tasks and be more productive. The Hyundai H100 is compatible with today’s more profitable enterprises, such as cargo transport, deliveries, shuttle service, public utility, and food service. Anything that requires transporting goods or people. Leave the heavy lifting to the H100 d so that you can concentrate on operations.

Dependable

YOUR business partner should be dependable and trustworthy. Irresponsible or flaky behavior should raise a red flag. You can always rely on the H100’s

Hard Working

Budget-Efficient

WITH the rising costs of utilities, overheads, and other resources, who doesn’t want a business partner who can work within a budget and even give you more savings? The H100 knows how to spend wisely and save you a lot of money. It’s 6-Speed Manual Transmission lets you shift to higher gears, easing the stress on

the engine and uses less fuel on higher speeds. The H100 only uses 9.5L of diesel per 100 kilometers. That is a budget of 4.09 pesos for every kilometer, based on average diesel price of 43 pesos per liter.

Resilient

LASTLY, your partner should be in it for the long haul. You need someone who doesn’t give up easily and who will stand by you when things get rough. The H100 is built tough. The body and frame goes under a 7-Dip Electrodeposition process before painting. That means it has maximum protection from rusting. And the H100 confidently holds a 5-Year UNLIMITED mileage Warranty where no other vehicle in its category can. That’s roughly 45,000 pesos in savings on the usual replacement parts on the 4th and 5th years compared to vehicles with a 3-Year Warranty. Finding the right business partner is essential if you are starting or growing a business. You might think that you can save a little with a lower-priced vehicle. Think long-term. Getting the right partner is worth investing in. And the H100 has what it takes in terms of strengths, business advantage, and savings.

HLO launches waterless shampoo for pets

TARTING the month right, Happy Life Organics (HLO) launched the Happy Life Waterless Shampoo for pets. Waterless Shampoo for pets. It’s the first in the Philippines which is 100% natural and pet- friendly. This provides convenience, less effort and saves 70% of bath time. Perfect for a quick bath and for those on the go, pet owners can still groom their pets even in a hurry or during cold/rainy seasons. The waterless shampoo helps relieve pets suffering from skin and fur irritations such as but not limited to: wounds, bad odor, itchiness, scaling, mange, allergies, dandruff, hotspots, inflammation, ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, redness, viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Happy Life Organics also specializes on LC Industrial, a five-in-one product for pets as disinfectant, deodorizer, cleaner, insect repellent and insecticide, that is made only with natural and organic ingredients. A gallon goes a long way, when diluted with water it can

ITH the recent onslaught of heavy rains, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) urged government agencies to adopt safety and health standards in the workplace to protect their employees from risks due to disasters and emergencies. Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala said, “Hazards at work, especially those that may result from natural calamities such as volcanic activities and typhoons, may be inevitable but there are things we can do to prevent or at least minimize the negative impacts on people and property.” Agencies must develop safety and health policies based on their mandate and factors peculiar to their work environment. The Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2020, issued jointly by the CSC, Department of Health, and Department of Labor and Employment, contains a comprehensive list of occupational safety and health (OSH) standards. Among others, the joint circular requires agencies to: Install adequate fire, emergency, or danger signs within the building premises; Set up a Risk Reduction Management System and a Crisis Management Plan and Contingency Program; Provide trainings and drills on Disaster Risk Reduction Management for employees and staff; Provide adequate emergency supplies such as fire extinguishers and medical first aid kits; Have a first aider trained and certified or accredited by the Philippine National Red Cross or by any authorized organization; and Forge a Memorandum of Understanding or Agreement with the nearest government health facility that can provide emergency medical services.

Further, heads of agencies are directed to ensure the creation of a Safety and Health Committee, as well as the strict implementation of and regular budget allocation for OSH programs. Government agencies can also formulate their respective Public Service Continuity Plan (PSCP), an all-hazard plan that aims to ensure continuous delivery of services to the public amid any disruption. Pursuant to National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Memorandum No. 33 s. 2018, all government member agencies of the DRRM councils at all levels and other government departments, offices, bureaus, services, units, and instrumentalities are enjoined to develop their own PSCP. Relatedly, the CSC reminded government workers who may be directly affected by calamities that they may file for a Special Emergency Leave under CSC Memorandum Circular Nos. 2 and 16 issued 16 February 2012 and 17 October 2012, respectively.

Noted artist-publisher Roy Espinosa releases coffee table book about 60 Asian visual artists

ULTI-AWARDED Filipino publisher and artist Roy Espinosa just released the coffee table book “Contemporary Art by Asian Artists.” The art book explores the culturally diverse posits of 60 Asian visual artists as they “respond to personal and conglomerate notions of inner visions and exoteric realities projected in their art and art-making.” The project by Filarts, Inc. featured artworks from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and India. The artists involved articulated to a large degree the cultural identity of their nations. Espinosa, himself a revered visual artist and international art exhibit organizer, was able to make the artists work for a common purpose despite the pandemic. He related, “The fluidity by which they address personal

issues, societal concerns, and global discourses through the use of visual imagery and textual iconography is emblematic of a heuristic understanding of the role of art as an everevolving agency of change.” Filarts, short for Filipinas Institute for the Advancement of Arts and Culture, advocates the development and advancement of Filipino art by providing the platform from which to navigate the country’s culture and identity. It previously initiated collaborative undertakings through the publication of several art books, namely, “Different Strokes 1” (2015), “Different Strokes 2-Watercolor Magic” (2016), “Art Saturday” (2017), “Grupo Kwad” (2017), and “Palettes Feast of Colors” (2017). To date, Filarts publishes the Filipino Artists magazine and South East Asian Artists magazine, and spearheads collaborative art exhibitions to create intercultural exchange between the Philippines and other countries. Espinosa further explained, “Filarts’ sixth coffee table book also showcases a paradigmatic immersion on depicting universal theme unbounded by geographic border, social status, or race. A multi-faceted approach is shared across time and space by these uniquely talented visual artists as they present a united front in the promulgation of culture through the arts.” For book copy orders and further inquiries, please call at this number: 09214799189.

Kaspersky emerges as champ at a global leadership matrix

yield up to 11 gallons of solution. The solution can be used for disinfecting pet areas, repelling and killing harmful insects and making any pet area smells clean and fresh while keeping their pets safe, too. HLO’s Shampoo and Conditioner for pets is plant-based and natural that combines the great benefits of Lavender, Aloe Vera, Neem and Madre De Cacao. Last but not the least, HLO Pet

Spray is considered as an all in one spray for pets formulated for ticks, fleas and mites problem, and for disinfecting wounds, scratches and itchiness. It also deodorizes pets on the go. All products vailable via the company website: www.happylifeph. com, LAZADA, Shopee and ZALORA. For more information visit Happy Life Organics FB and IG stores: @ happylifeorganicss.

ASPERSKY has achieved “Champion” status, for the second consecutive year, in the 2021 Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix by Canalys, a renowned global technology market analyst firm with a distinct channel focus. The global cybersecurity company attained the coveted ranking with an increase of 12.7% in the overall partner rating. Kaspersky was the highestrated vendor by partners across many categories, including pricing speed and competitiveness, and quality of account management among others. The Canalys Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix assesses vendor performance in the channel, based on feedback into a Vendor Benchmark, over the last 12 months. It tracks leading technology vendors around the world, collating the experiences of channel partners when working with different vendors. The Matrix also considers independent analysis of vendors, including assessing vision and strategy, portfolio competitiveness, customer coverage, channel business, M&A activities, new product launches, as well as new and announced channel initiatives.

“We’re honored to achieve another ‘Champion’ ranking in the Leadership Matrix by Canalys and see an increase in the overall partner rating from last year’s result,” says Kirill Astrakhan, Global Head of Channel Sales at Kaspersky. “This reflects our commitment to the success of our channel partners – with a clear vision of providing profitability, delivering bestin-class channel support, and making it as easy as possible to do business with us,” he adds. Kaspersky is committed to enhancing its channel experience and profitability for partners and continuously reaches out to them for feedback to constantly improve. The company’s strong channel development roadmap is also backed by marketing campaigns, partner education programs, incentives, lead management, and dedicated platforms such as Kaspersky License Management Portal – a marketplace for partners to easily tap into the vast business opportunities available. Find out more about the benefits for Kaspersky partners at the company’s United Partner Program page – www. kaspersky.com/partners/partnerprogram.

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

The World

Malaysian PM resigns after failing to get majority support

UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysian Prime Minister Muhy iddin Yassin tendered his resignation to the king on Monday, becoming the shortest-ruling leader after conceding that he lost majority support to govern. Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin wrote on Instagram that “the Cabinet has tendered our resignation” to the king, shortly after Muhyiddin left the palace after meeting the monarch. M u h y i d d d i n ’s d e p a r t u r e comes less than 18 months after taking office and will plunge the country into a fresh crisis amid a worsening pandemic. Political leaders have already begun to jostle for the top post, with his deputy Ismail Sabri rallying support to succeed Muhyiddin and keep the government intact. A Cabinet minister Mohamad Redzuan Mohamad Yusof told The Associated Press on Sunday that Muhyiddin will submit his resignation but will also point out to the monarch that his alliance still has the biggest bloc of support despite losing the majority. Local media said the national police chief, the Election Commission chairman and the attorneygeneral were seen entering the palace Monday. They left just before Muhyiddin arrived. While Muhyiddin has dodged tests in Parliament for his leadership from the start, his rule collapsed after over a dozen lawmakers from the biggest party in his alliance pulled their support for the government, which has a razor-thin majority. Two ministers from the United Malays National Organization have also resigned from the Cabinet. Under Malaysia’s constitution, the prime minister must resign if he loses majority support and the king can appoint a new leader who he believes has the confidence of Parliament. Muhyiddin initially insisted he still has majority support and would prove this in Parliament next month. But in a U-turn Friday, the premier sought opposition backing to shore up his government. He promised to call general elections by next July. He also offered concessions including proposals to limit the prime minister’s tenure, bolster checks and balances and a senior minister role to the opposition leader, but his plea was immediately rejected by all parties. His expected departure comes on the back of mounting public

anger over what was widely perceived as his government’s poor handling of the pandemic. Malaysia has one of the world’s highest infection rates and deaths per capita, with daily cases breaching 20,000 this month despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June to tackle the crisis. Muhyiddin can advise the king to dissolve Parliament to pave the way for early polls, but this is not a likely option during the pandemic. The king can decide on a new leader, but currently, no one coalition can claim a majority. A three-party alliance, which is the biggest opposition bloc, has nominated its leader Anwar Ibrahim as a candidate for prime minister. But the bloc has under 90 lawmakers, short of the 111 needed for a simple majority. That’s also less than the 100 lawmakers believed to be backing Muhyiddin. Other contenders include Deputy Prime Minister Ismail who is from UMNO, but it’s unclear if a deal can be struck and if the king will accept it. Some opposition lawmakers also opposed such a deal, saying the whole Cabinet must resign for the government’s failings. Local media said another possible candidate was Razaleigh Hamzah, an 84-year-old prince who was a former finance minister. Razaleigh, who is an UMNO lawmaker, is seen as a neutral candidate that could unite the warring factions in UMNO. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, 96, has meanwhile called for the formation of a National Recovery Council helmed by professionals to resolve the country’s economic and health crises. Mu hy idd i n took power i n March 2020 after initiating the collapse of Mahathir’s reformist government that won 2018 elections. He pulled his Bersatu party out to join hands with the UMNOled coalition that had led Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957 but was ousted in 2018 over a multibillion-dollar financial scandal. Mahathir abruptly resigned to protest Bersatu’s plan to work with the former government. Muhyiddin’s government is unstable as UMNO has been unhappy with playing second fiddle to his smaller party. Muhyiddin halted Parliament for months last year to shore up support. He again suspended Parliament since January and ruled by ordinance without legislative approval under a state of coronavirus emergency that ended August 1. AP

Trudeau triggers Canadian election, voting day Sept. 20

ORONTO—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau triggered an election on Sunday as he seeks to capitalize on Canada being one of the most fully vaccinated countries in the world. Trudeau announced the election would be held on September 20 after visiting the governor general, who holds a mostly ceremonial position representing Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. “We’ve had your back, and now it’s time to hear your voice,” Trudeau said. “Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against Covid-19.” Trudeau is seeking to win a majority of seats in Parliament. His Liberal Party fell just short of that two years ago and must rely on the opposition to pass legislation. The election comes as Canada is experiencing a new wave of Covid-19 cases, driven by the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Trudeau called it “the fourth wave amongst unvaccinated people.” Trudeau isn’t as popular as he once was, but his government’s handling of the pandemic has been widely viewed as a success. After a slow start Canada now has enough vaccine for every citizen. More than 71 percent of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated

and over 82 percent have received at least one dose. The government has spent billions to prop up the economy amid lockdowns that have now lifted. But if the result is another minority government, the “knives will start to come out,” said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto. “Trudeau is not widely liked. He’s what the Liberals have so they will fall in behind him, but if he loses he’s toast,” Bothwell said. “It’s not that he’s unpopular but there’s no affection there. The Liberals behave as if he is this beloved figure but he’s not. The novelty is gone. But there’s still enough there and the performance on Covid was pretty solid so I think people will balance these things going into the election and vote for Trudeau.” Trudeau, the son of the late Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Tr udeau, beca me t he second youngest prime minister in Canadian history when he was first elected with a majority of seats in Parliament in 2015. The Liberal’s victory ended almost 10 years of Conservative Party government in Canada, but scandals combined w it h high e x pectations have damaged Trudeau’s standing. AP

BusinessMirror

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Australia’s Covid-zero strategy at breaking point as Delta rages

ustralian authorities are ramping up lockdown restrictions and extending stay-at-home orders in a bid to beat down a spread in the Delta variant that’s creating the nation’s most serious Covid-19 crisis since the pandemic began.

With the strain spreading hundreds of miles from its epicenter in Sydney, which on Monday suffered the bulk of New South Wales’ record 478 new cases as well as at least seven more deaths, other cities are further bunkering down. The crisis shows Australia’s so-called “Covid Zero” strategy, which has relied on closed international borders and rigorous testing to eliminate community transmission of the virus, is close to breaking point. Melbourne authorities said they will implement a nightly curfew and place more restrictions on outdoor exercise and construction; the city’s sixth lockdown since the pandemic began will also be extended for at least another two weeks. “I don’t want us to finish up like Sydney, where it has fundamentally got away from them,” Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said in Melbourne, which

detected 22 new cases on Monday. “They are locked in until they get pretty much the whole place vaccinated—that will take months.” National capital Canberra on Monday announced its stay-athome orders will be extended until at least September 2 after recording 19 new cases, up from just one the day before. Meanwhile, the tropical northern city of Darwin has entered a snap three-day lockdown as the Delta strain reaches remote regions with large populations of vulnerable Indigenous peoples. Western New South Wales recorded 35 new infections on Monday, with most of them feared to be from First Nations communities.

Pandemic fatigue

E ven as aut hor it ies race to boost a tardy vaccination rollout, more than half the nation’s population of 26 million people are now under lockdown, with

aut hor it ies such as A nd rews blaming pandemic fatigue for a wave of noncompliance that’s further spreading the virus. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who earlier this year frequently contrasted Australia’s often coronavirus-free status with the plight of other countries suffering huge outbreaks, is now signaling the nation’s Covid Zero strategy is over, even as some states isolate themselves through domestic borders in a bid to keep the virus out. “It has never been the job to get to zero Covid,” Morrison said in a television interview on Monday. “Seeking to minimize community cases, cases transmitted in the community, of course has been a goal. But the idea that you have zero Covid in any country has never been Australia’s plan.” At the weekend, authorities in Sydney said they would tighten restrictions, increase fines and ramp up policing to deter rulebreakers. The lockdown in the nation’s most populous city, in force for more than seven weeks, was at the weekend extended to all of New South Wales state. The lockdowns are starting to have a heavy economic impact. The Australian Retailers Association says the New South Wales measures alone would cost about A$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) in lost revenue a week. “Small businesses are the life blood of so many regional towns and the lockdown will come as quite a shock, given this is something many

haven’t experienced since the very beginning of the pandemic,” the association’s chief Paul Zahra said in a statement. From Monday in Sydney, there will be a “visible and increased police presence” in areas worst affected by the outbreak, including members of the riot squad, and an extra 500 soldiers to enforce compliance on top of the 300 already on the ground, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. Fines will be ramped up, including A$5,000 for quarantine breaches and A$3,000 for exercising outside of guidelines. Victoria’s Andrews, who on Monday announced playgrounds, basketball courts, skate parks and exercise equipment would also be off limits along with Melbourne’s new 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, pointed to a highly publicized recent case in the city where an engagement party was held despite social-distancing rules. More than 60 people attended, with the event leading to further Covid-19 cases. He also chastised people attending outside “pop-up” bars during the past weekend, saying such events would now be banned. “I know people are weary and I know people are sick and tired of this, but each of us have to find it in ourselves to make good choices for these next couple of weeks,” Andrews said. Only that way could case numbers be driven down, potentially allowing Melbourne “to be in a position so that we can reopen,” he said. Bloomberg News

Taliban seek to project calm as US speeds up evacuation

ABUL, Afghanistan—The US military took over Afghanistan’s airspace on Monday as it struggled to manage a chaotic evacuation after the Taliban rolled into the capital, as the militants tried to project calm amid widespread fears of unrest. The Taliban swept into the c apit a l on Su nd ay a f ter t he Wester n- bac ked gover n ment collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing a stunning end to a two-decade campaign in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the country. Thousands of Afghans, fearing a return to the Taliban’s brutal rule, are trying to flee the country through Hamid Karzai International Airport. Videos circulating on social media showed hundreds of people racing across the tarmac as US soldiers fired warning shots in the air. T he US Embassy has been evacuated and the American flag lowered, with diplomats relocating to the airport to aid with the evacuation. Other Western countries have also closed their missions and are flying out staff and civilians.

Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, August 15, 2021. AP/Zabi Karimi

By morning, Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority issued an advisory saying the “civilian side” of the airport had been “closed until further notice” and that the military controlled the airspace. Afghanistan’s airspace is often used by long-haul carriers moving between the Far East and the West. Early Monday morning, flight-tracking data showed no immediate commercial flights over the country. In the capital itself a tense calm set in, with most people hiding in their homes. There were scattered reports of looting and

armed men knocking on doors and gates. T he Taliban freed thousands of prisoners as they swept across the country and the police melted away. The Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections and sought to project calm, circulating videos showing quiet city streets. “There were a few Taliban fighters on each and every road and intersection in the city,” Shah Mohammad, a 55-year-old gardener, said after coming to work in the diplomatic quarter. He said there was less traffic than usual and fewer people out on the streets.

Suhai l Sha heen, a Ta liban spokesman, tweeted that fighters had been instructed not to enter any home without permission and to protect “life, property and honor.” The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 with a harsh form of Islamic law. Women were largely confined to their homes and suspected criminals faced amputation or public execution. The Taliban have sought to project greater moderation in recent years, but many Afghans remain skeptical and fear a rollback of individual rights gained in recent years. The Taliban had also harbored Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida in the years before they carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks. That sparked a US-led invasion that rapidly scattered al-Qaida and drove the Taliban from power. But the US lost focus during the Iraq war and the Taliban eventually regrouped. The militants captured much of the Afghan countryside in recent years and then swept into cities as US forces prepared to withdraw ahead of an August 31 deadline. AP

Death toll of powerful Haiti earthquake soars to 1,297

ES CAYES, Haiti—The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti climbed to 1,297 on Sunday, a day after the powerful temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off frantic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching storm. Saturday’s earthquake also left at least 5,700 people injured in the Caribbean nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes. Survivors in some areas were forced to wait out in the open amid oppressive heat for help from overloaded hospitals.

The devastation could soon worsen with the coming of Tropical Depression Grace, which is predicted to reach Haiti on Monday night. The US National Hurricane Center warned that although Grace had weakened from tropical storm strength Sunday, it still posed a threat to bring heavy rain, flooding and landslides. The earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemisphere’s poorest nation, almost razing some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts in a country already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination

and a wave of gang violence. The epicenter was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said, and aftershocks continued to jolt the area Sunday. In the badly damaged coastal town of Les Cayes, Jennie Auguste lay on a flimsy foam mattress on the tarmac of the community’s tiny airport waiting for anything— space at a hospital or a small plane like the ones ferrying the wounded to the capital. She suffered injuries in the chest, abdomen and arm when the roof collapsed at the store where she worked.

“ T here h a s been not h i ng. N o h e l p, n o t h i n g f r o m t h e gover nment,” Aug uste’s sister, Ber t ra nde, sa id. In scenes widespread across the region hit by the quake, families salvaged their few belongings and spent the night at an open-air football pitch. On Sunday, people lined up to buy what little was available: bananas, avocados and water at a local street market. Some in the town praised God for surviving the earthquake, and many went to the cathedral, which appeared outwardly undamaged even if the priests’ residence was destroyed. AP

Sports BusinessMirror

GIORGI REGALES

Italy’s Camila Giorgi completes a stunning run at the National Bank Open, beating Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova, 6-3, 7-5, on Sunday to win the title in her first Women’s Tennis Association 1000 final in Montreal. Giorgi, unseeded and ranked 71st, uses a strong service game to beat the sixth-ranked and fourth-seeded Pliskova, winning 71 percent of her first-serve points and finishing with seven aces. AP

| Tuesday, August 17, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, AVOIDING THIS... L

By Josef Ramos

OS ANGELES, California—The date was June 23, 2001. The venue was the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Manny Pacquiao, still a nobody from the Philippines and making his US debut, stunned Lehlo Ledwaba via a sixth round technical knockout victory, ending the South African’s string of five successful defense and snatching his International Boxing Federation super bantamweight title. Fast forward to the present day. Pacquiao, now a boxing icon and a Hall of Fame shoo-in, fights Yordenis Ugás on Sunday at the T-Mobile Arena also in Las Vegas, hoping to regain the welterweight belt the World Boxing Association gave to the Cuban, stripping the sitting Filipino senator of the title for inactivity for more than two years. Pacquiao sees a semblance of who he was 20 years ago and who he is now—and who Ugás could

Para athletes grace forum

EMBERS of the Philippine delegation to the Tokyo Paralympics and the top man of the national sports association (NSA) that produced the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal will grace the two-part session of the online Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday. Chef de Mission Francis “Kiko” Diaz and Paralympians Ernie Gawilan and Allain Ganapin will talk about the para athletes’ training and preparation for the August 24 to September 5 Para Games during the second part of the weekly session presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) President Monico Puentevella, meanwhile, opens the public sports program at 10 a.m. as he bares the federation’s plans following Hidilyn Diaz’s historic golden triumph in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. Powered by Smart with Upstream Media as the official webcast partner, the Forum is livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page fb.com/ PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and officially shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

become. “I am not taking him for granted. In fact I am taking him as seriously as I took Errol Spence,” Pacquiao, 42 and an eight-division world champion, said. “I will not make the same mistake [Lehlo] Ledwaba did when he fought me.” Ledwaba wasn’t the same again after that loss to Pacquiao and retired in 2006. He died in June from Covid-19 complications. “[Yordenis] Ugás in a similar situation,” said Pacquiao, who owns a 62-7-2 win-loss-draw record with 39 knockouts Pacquiao said he vividly remembered that he was a “very hungry” boxer for a world title when he faced Ledwaba as a replacement fighter, the same situation Ugás found himself in. “He is ready to make the most of this opportunity,” Pacquiao said. “I know what Ugás’s feeling because 20 years ago, I was Ugás.” Ugás was called in as a replacement for International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. who

needed surgery to repair a torn retina in his right eye. But what’s going Pacquiao’s favor is his work ethic that has not changed since. “I still have the same hunger to win. I live for it,” he said. “I have had a great training camp and I am well prepared.” “I want to prove to everyone, especially Yordenis Ugás, that I am still here,” said Pacquiao, who’s seven years younger. One of Pacquiao’s weapons would be his stamina. “Speaking of stamina, we’re not only good for 12 rounds but also for 20 rounds,” Pacquiao said. “What we are doing is 20, 28 or 30 rounds of [various] training,” he said. Pacquiao’s hunger for Ugas’s title emanates from the WBA’s decision to strip him of the belt and gift Ugas of the crown. “My title was given to Ugás [on a silver platter]. That’s not how you become a champion,” he said. “You earn it by winning it inside the ring. We will fight for the title. That is the proper way a champion is crowned.”

Federer will be on crutches for many weeks

MANNY PACQUIAO doesn’t want history to repeat itself—at his expense. WENDELL ALINEA

OGER FEDERER is going to miss the US Open and be sidelined for months because he needs a third operation on his right knee, a procedure he said will leave him with “a glimmer of hope” that he can return to competition. Federer announced the news Sunday via a video message on Instagram. “I’ve been doing a lot of checks with the doctors, as well, on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further during the grass-court season and Wimbledon,” Federer said. “Unfortunately they told me for the medium- to long-term, to feel better, I will need surgery, so I decided to do it. I will be on crutches for many weeks and then also out of the game for many months.” The 40-year-old Federer, who has 20 Grand Slam singles titles to share the men’s record with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, acknowledged there was a chance his playing career could be over, but he said he would rehab the knee with the goal of making another comeback.

“I want to be healthy. I want to be running around later, as well, again, and I want to give myself a glimmer of hope, also, to return to the tour in some shape or form,” Federer said. “I am realistic, don’t get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at this age right now to do another surgery and try it.” Federer missed more than a year of action after first having his knee repaired shortly after the 2020 Australian Open in February of that year. He had a follow-up procedure that June. He returned to Grand Slam action at the French Open in late May and then pulled out of the tournament after three victories. His most recent match was a loss at the Wimbledon quarterfinals last month, and he cited the knee injury in withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics. The season’s last Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, starts August 30 in New York. Nadal is dealing with a foot injury, and Djokovic pulled out of tune-up tournaments, saying he needed to rest and recuperate following the Olympics, where he failed to win a medal. AP

Youth wrestlers grab 9 medals

HE Philippine Youth team garnered nine medals to finish third overall in the United World Wrestling (UWW) Junior and Cadets World Grappling Championships held over the weekend at the Ufa Arena in Ufa, Russia. Gabriel del Rosario accounted for two of the country’s three silver medals in the event that gathered rising stars from 10 participating countries. Competing in the cadets 46 kgs, del Rosario settled for silver in the Gi

and NoGi events while Iloilo’s David Zaldarriaga took the silver in Gi event in the Cadets 42 kgs besides clinching bronze in NoGi event. Alonso Lucas Aguilar, son of URCC founder and Philippine Wrestling Federation president Alvin Aguilar, bagged the bronze in both the Gi and NoGi events in the Cadets 50 kgs. Also producing two bronze medals was Joaquin Antonio Marte in Cadets 58 kgs while Fierre Afan got his bronze in the Gi event of Cadets 85kgs.

BELGIAN TOPS STAGE 2

URGOS, Spain—AlpecinFenix rider Jasper Philipsen came out on top in the final sprint to win the second stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday, with two-time defending champion Primoz Roglic keeping his overall lead. Philipsen edged Fabio Jakobsen at the end of the 166-kilometer flat stage that finished in Burgos. Michael Matthews was third. It was the Belgian’s second Grand Tour stage win after also winning in the Spanish Vuelta last year. “It’s incredible,” Philipsen said. “It was amazing to see all my teammates there and everybody was on the frontline. I trusted the team

and I think we did a really good job. We can be happy tonight.” Roglic, the first-stage winner, safely managed the windy conditions on Sunday to retain the leader’s red jersey ahead of the first summit finish of the three-week race that will end in Santiago de Compostela. Alex Aranburu is second overall. Roglic was able to avoid a crash at the peloton with about 4 kilometers to go. “You need to be on a survival mode in such stages where crashes can happen. You need a bit of luck,” Roglic said. “I know nothing of tomorrow’s uphill finish. We’ll see tomorrow how much I like it.” AP BELGIUM’S Jasper Philipsen (center) wins the second stage on Sunday. AP

Technology legal, is it?

ECORDS are made to be broken, and a lot of them were broken in athletics at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. There’s an ongoing discussion whether it was the track or was it the shoes? According to CNN.com, “A fast track and new developments in running shoe design have seen a number of records broken at the Tokyo Olympics, but a leading sports scientist has warned athletes that they could be entering into a “Faustian bargain.” Norway’s Karsten Warholm and the USA’s Sidney McLaughlin posted new world record times—Warholm in the men’s 400-m hurdles and Mclaughlin in the women’s version of the event. Athletes have said that the track used in Tokyo was fast while others point to the shoes, the “super spikes” developed by Nike, which, some quarters are saying, gives the athlete an advantage. Let’s look into the specifics of the shoe. CNN.com continues, “The shoes feature a stiff sole plate and an air pocket under the ball of the foot, as well as using a new kind of foam which is softer, returns more energy and is very lightweight,” said Geoff Burns, a sports scientist at the University of Michigan. I remember when the adidas Predator football cleats first came out, there were concerns about the boot as stated in a 2017 article on planetfootball.com, “Back in 1994, adidas appeared to have revolutioniszd football. The ‘Predator,’ a bizarre-looking boot that later became synonymous with the likes of Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero, promised better control, harder shots and improved swerve. “And these weren’t just the usual buzzwords stuck on new shoes. Adorned with a conspicuous section of rubber spikes around the toe area, the Predator really was different. “It even had official-sounding ‘scientific tests’ to back it up. So geometrically favorable were these boots, goalkeepers—the prey, presumably—were warned they might as well give up. (Or was the ball the prey? Never figured that one out.)” In a 2009 New York Times article, Karen Crouse wrote, “In an effort to clean up its sport, the international governing body of swimming will require its athletes to show more skin. By an overwhelming vote Friday at its general congress, FINA officials decided to ban the high-tech swimsuits that have been likened to doping on a hanger. “The ban does not start until 2010, but the polyurethane-based swimsuit era that the swimwear giant Speedo introduced in the lead-up to [last year’s] Beijing Olympics will effectively be ushered out, presumably with a bang, at the swimming world

ROGER FEDERER needs a third surgery on knee. AP

championships that start here Sunday. “In the 17 months since the LZR Racer hit the market and spawned a host of imitators, more than 130 world records have fallen, including seven (in eight events) by Michael Phelps during the Beijing Olympics. “Jaked, an Italian-based manufacturer, is one of nearly two dozen companies that dived into the swimsuit race. Its 01 model has fewer panels and seams and more polyurethane than Speedo’s high-tech offering. “There were concerns that swimsuit technology was encroaching on the sport’s integrity as far back as 2000 when full-body suits were introduced, replacing men’s lycra briefs and women’s lycra one pieces.” Back to athletics, the technology that the sports brand giant used in road running has made its way to track and field shoes as well. Warholm took a swipe at his American rival Rai Benjamin’s shoe by saying, “He had his things in between his shoes, which I hate by the way,” said Warholm, who wears Puma spikes that have been developed with the help of racing car manufacturer Mercedes. “If you want cushioning, you can put a mattress there, but if you put a trampoline there, I think it’s bullsh*t and I think it takes credibility away from our sport,” Warholm said. Benjamin said it’s the track not the shoe, “People say it’s the track...it’s the shoes. I would wear different shoes and still run fast, it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “There’s some efficiency in the shoe, don’t get me wrong, and it’s nice to have a good track.” Scientist Dr. Michael Burns from the University of Michigan said that all this shoe technology is not mechanical doping because it is legal. “It’s not mechanical doping in the sense that all of these shoes are legal,” he said. “They’re not cheating.” As for the track, “The surface is supplied by Italian manufacturer Mondo, which said its main objective is to maximize the speed of athletes and improve their performance.” According to World Athletics and Mondo, more than 280 world records have been established on the company’s tracks prior to the Tokyo Olympics. If the track is working in the way that Mondo says it does, it operates on the same principle as the Nike spikes, according to Burns. “It gives more rebound to the athletes each step,” he said.” In the end, no matter what technology you’re wearing or whether you’re running on a fast or slow track, as long as you’re not cheating, doping or taking any performance enhancing drugs and you’ve trained long and hard, you should be able to compete with the world’s best. As mentioned by Dr. Burns earlier, technology is legal.

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