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LOCKDOWNS PUSH DBCC TO CUT GROWTH TARGET www.businessmirror.com.ph

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Thursday, August 19, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 309

P.  |     | 7 DAYS A WEEK

AN increasing number of hospitals in Metro Manila, such as Santa Ana Hospital and Pasay City General Hospital, are reaching full capacity due to a surge in Covid-19 infections, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. The Department of Health on Wednesday logged 11,085 additional Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 1,776,495. NONIE REYES/ROY DOMINGO

B B D. N

@BNicolasBM

HE government’s economic team decided to forgo its 6- to 7-percent growth target for the Philippine economy this year following the reimposition of lockdowns to curb the spread of the more contagious Covid-19 Delta variant.

The Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) announced on Wednesday that it has cut its GDP growth target this year to 4 to 5 percent. If not for the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, the economic team said their original growth target could have been attainable. “Without the present spike, the original growth target of 6.0 to 7.0 percent would have been achiev-

able. However, with the global emergence of the Delta variant, the second-half growth outlook was revised downwards to reflect the additional restrictions imposed by the government, which are necessary to curb its spread,” it said in a statement. Meanwhile, the DBCC retained its growth targets for 2022 at 7 to 9 C  A

‘Mandanas ruling makes 2022 local polls crucial’ B C U. O @caiordinario

OCAL elections may be more important next year given that the Mandanas ruling will take effect starting 2022, according to a former Dean of the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG). In an Eagle Watch briefing on Wednesday, former ASOG Dean Antonio La Viña said the Mandanas ruling is expected to increase the budgets of national governments by 20 percent to as much as 50 percent. La Viña said this is one of the “critical issues” in the coming Presidential polls. Other issues include exiting from the pandemic, social inequality, education challenges,

China, and Islamic extremism, among others. “A very big elephant in the room in terms of issues is the Mandanas Ruling,” La Viña said. “This is a game changer, I think, regardless of how this plays out, eventually local governments are going to be more important, they can have more money, the national government will have less money. Let’s see how that turns out.” La Viña said he agreed with the Supreme Court in siding with former Governor Hermilando Mandanas. He said Governor Mandanas was correct in interpreting that “the 1991 LGC clearly decided that all taxes need to be 60-40 [percent].”

RETURN TO ’19 GROWTH LEVEL TO TAKE UNTIL END-2023, SAYS ACERD B C U. O @caiordinario

HE Philippine economy may not recover its prepandemic or 2019 level of growth until the end of 2023, according to the latest estimates of the Ateneo Center for Research and Development (ACERD). In its Eagle Watch briefing on Wednesday, ACERD Director and former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cielito F. Habito said his medium scenario will allow the economy to go back to its 2019 growth path by the end of 2023. The optimistic scenario, Habito said, would lead the economy to a recovery as early as the end of next year. The pessimistic scenario would mean growth will recover much later, “well into 2025.” “I’m looking at the middle scenario because it has about the same slope as the quarter on quarter growth we were seeing from 2018 roundabout the fourth quarter of 2019,” Habito said. “If that is the normal pace of growth that our economy has, then we can expect the restoration of the levels we had in 2019, only at the end of 2023,” he explained. Habito said a recovery in 2022 “is somewhat optimistic” given the current situation. He said while the economy grew 11.8 percent in the second quarter of 2021, this is only due to base effects. In truth, what the economy went through was a double-dip recovery given the country’s seasonally adjusted GDP growth which contracted 1.3 percent. In other countries, Habito

said, the quarter on quarter seasonally adjusted GDP growth is seen as the better measurement of a country’s economic output because seasonality is taken out of the picture, removing any impact caused by base effects. “[We have to] remember that it took us six years to recover from the recession of the early 1980s and that was just a recession due to capital flight, it was a supply side recession. This is a recession on both the demand and supply sides. So in a sense, you can argue, it is more severe,” Habito explained. ACERD expects inflation to be around 4 to 5 percent on the back of supply and demand side pressures. This already takes into consideration the “pork pandemic” or the African swine fever. Habito said the employment rate in the country would likely average 92 to 93 percent while the unemployment rate would hover around 7 to 8 percent given that the “recovery remained constrained.” GDP growth, Habito said, would be modest at around 3 to 4 percent given the recent quarter on quarter performance of the economy. This outlook, he said, was realistic particularly for the third quarter this year. “I consider it a realistic projection that essentially factors in how we have handled the pandemic so far. But it could get worse if the ECQ is further extended or keeps coming back,” Habito said.

DOF: Despite system woes, PhilHealth cash flow viable B B D. N @BNicolasBM

ESPITE admitting that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) is “struggling” with its systems to pay its current debts, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the state health insurer still has a “very viable” cash flow. Dominguez told finance reporters that PhilHealth has a reserve fund of P164.1 billion as of June this year. Citing tentative figures, the finance chief said PhilHealth’s deficit as of June this year also stood at P25.5 billion, which is covered by P44.6 billion in subsidies given by the national government for the first half of the year. “Well, PhilHealth has about a P160 billion in reserve funds. That’s my recollection and of course they are, at the moment, struggling with their own systems to pay off

their current debts. So PhilHealth is amply covered by the subsidy provided by the national government,” said Dominguez, who is an ex-officio member of PhilHealth’s Board of Directors. While the finance chief expressed confidence that the state health insurer “will not disappear” and can sustain massive spending for “several years,” he said there might be some changes in terms of its coverage. “PhilHealth is still very viable on the cash flow basis but again let us point out that PhilHealth has in fact incurred a drop in contributions because of the problems with the Covid and there’s also experienced increase in expenditures, but so far I believe they can handle the situation,” he added. The Insurance Commission (IC) has also come out with a prelimiS “DOF,” A

Human cost

BEYOND the economic costs of the crisis, Habito said, are the S “R,” A

S “M,” A

PESO EXCHANGE RATES ■ US 50.5580

■ JAPAN 0.4614 ■ UK 69.4819 ■ HK 6.4886 ■ CHINA 7.7952 ■ SINGAPORE 37.1259 ■ AUSTRALIA 36.6798 ■ EU 59.2186 ■ SAUDI ARABIA 13.4807

Source: BSP (August 18, 2021)

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Thursday, August 19, 2021

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Duque to Gordon: We’ll look for DOH funds for HCWs

B C M-C

@Claudethmc3

ELEAGUERED Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III on Wednesday ordered the “immediate determination” of the amount from the savings of the Department of Health (DOH) that can be used to pay some health-care workers (HCWs) who have not yet received their special risk allowance (SRA) for the year 2020.

Duque, appearing virtually at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the P67.3billion Covid funds of the DOH which the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged for “deficiencies,” immediately gave the order after he was urged by Sen. Richard Gordon, the Blue Ribbon chairman, to identify a funding source for the SRAs and other benefits for the HCWs. See re-

lated story on page A12, “Senators grill DOH, DBM on HCW pay, P42-B fund transfer.”

“Today, I will already order the immediate

determination of that amount, your honor,” Duque said adding, “We will look into freeing up of the funds...since today there are still ongoing procurement.... Aayusin namin [We will fix it]. We have to look into it [to see how much we can realign].” Earlier, Sen. Sonny Angara, main sponsor of the Bayanihan 2 in the Senate, had pointed out that even with the lapse of the two Bayanihan laws, funds for pandemic response such as for the health-care workers can still be given for as

long as the President has declared a national emergency. Agencies like DOH can use savings for such. Gordon, meanwhile, also urged Duque to determine who among his staff were remiss in their jobs, causing the agency’s failure to disburse funds for HCWs. “Certainly we will look at the documents. We continue to complete the requirements from COA that’s giving us 60 days to give our actions on their recommendations and also our rejoinders to each one of these findings and from there, we will see if in the final audit decision [there is a] notice of disallowance, then that will already trigger the necessary investigation or the process to exact accountability on negligent individuals,” Duque explained. Duque also assured Gordon he will look into the complaints of HCWs across the country who said they failed to receive the benefits due them. Filipino Nurses United Secretary-General Jocelyn Andamo told the Senate that some nurses catering to Covid-19 patients have yet to receive their SRA. “This is really a sad event,” Andamo said in Filipino. Duque said DOH regional offices are the ones that were tasked to distribute the allowances to hospitals. He noted that the process of

HEALTH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III

validation was conducted. “Our hospital chiefs need to validate. We cannot just give SRAs to those not catering to Covid patients,” Duque added stressing that SRAs and hazard pay can’t be given to HCWs in non-Covid wards as stipulated under Bayanihan laws. The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), on the other hand, welcomed the Senate committee initiative of investigating the issues flagged by COA. In an interview with the BUSINESSMIRROR, PNA National President Melbert B. Reyes expressed hope that the Senate would recommend the

filling of appropriate charges if indeed funds were mismanaged by the DOH. While they play a critical role in the spread of the virus, Reyes admitted that they were saddened upon hearing the reported “irregularities” in Covid funds of the DOH, yet most of them were not able to receive special allowances and hazard pay promised to them. On the issue of over P67.3 billion “deficiencies,” the DOH earlier said that it has 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, the DOH said, 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 were already resolved, DOH officials said.

percent, and for 2023 and 2024 at 6 to 7 percent. The Philippine economy grew by 11.8 percent in the second quarter this year, the highest since the fourth quarter of 1988 when the economy grew 12 percent. The Philippine Statistics Authority said the country’s GDP growth averaged 3.7 percent in the first semester, using constant 2018 prices. National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa earlier said the economy needed to post 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. To hit its revised GDP growth target this year, the DBCC said they are banking on carefully managing risks by imposing granular quarantines to allow a vast number of people to earn a living. At the same time, it also said it will continue to accelerate the country’s vaccination rates. The government aims to vaccinate 50 million to 70 million of the country’s adult population to achieve population protection this year.

As of August 15, a total of 27.8 million doses have been administered, consisting of 15.2 million and 12.6 million for the first and second dose, respectively. “Last August 5, the country recorded an alltime high of 710,482 jabs in a day, while in the past week, the total average daily jabs reached more than 475,000. At this rate, and with recent vaccine deliveries arriving as scheduled, we are confident that we can inoculate the required number of individuals, particularly in the densely populated areas, by the end of

NONETHELESS, Habito said, there are “green shoots and silver linings” that could help the economy recover faster in the near and medium term. These include the declining trend in inflation owing to the importation of rice and pork. These allowed inflation to taper off, especially among the poor households who are very sensitive to food inflation. He added that in terms of jobs, unemployment eased to 7.7 percent from 17.7 percent in the second quarter last year. Habito also noted that the number of lost jobs have already been regained. He said there was already a net increase of 2.4 million jobs in the economy since before the pandemic began. However, he said, the economy lost 530,000 wage a salary jobs and gained 1.7 million new self-employed. Only 6,000 of these self-employed became self-employed with employees or small entrepreneurs. BM that their actuarial division told him that they are still planning to do a comprehensive actual review but they are still hiring an actuarial consultant to do it. The technical services group and the legal team of IC also said they have a non-disclosure agreement with PhilHealth when it comes to the release of the findings. In March this year, PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Dante Gierran admitted that the agency is “slow” in settling the unpaid claims of private and public hospitals because of the Covid-19 pandemic. PhilHealth recently said it is working double time to process the remaining P25.6 billion in claims received from the hospitals, adding it has already paid a total of P166 billion in claims. National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon also earlier said in March that PhilHealth’s fund life is seen to shorten by six months from August 2028 to February 2028 due to the proposed deferment of the pre-

mium hike and the expected reduction in the number of payors amid the Covid-19 pandemic. According to de Leon, PhilHealth is projected to book a net loss of P17.5 billion this year with the deferment in the premium rate increase and the decline in the number of payors. However, she said this would be covered by the reserve fund which will be reduced from P160.6 billion to P143.5 billion. De Leon added PhilHealth’s total liabilities, including its contingent liabilities, had already amounted to P6.09 trillion as of end-2020. Early this year, PhilHealth had announced that it is temporarily deferring the implementation of its scheduled premium contribution rate hike to 3.5 percent from 3 percent for direct contributors following President’s directive. Gierran said an “interim arrangement” will be good until Congress passes a new law allowing the deferment of scheduled premium adjustment in the Universal Health Care law.

2021,” the DBCC said. As more individuals get inoculated, the DBCC said “this will significantly reduce the need for wide-scale quarantines, especially in key economic centers where the majority of Filipinos work.” International think tank Fitch Solutions recently slashed its growth forecast for the Philippines to 4.2 percent, down from its earlier projection of 5.3 percent, citing continued disruptions to output from rising Covid-19 cases. Another international think tank Moody’s Analytics earlier 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 Asia to recover economically. The research firm also lamented 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. Last year, the Philippine economy contracted 9.6 percent, the worst recorded since World War II.

Return...

said the education sector took a “severe blow” due to the pandemic. He said teachers and students both suffered with remote learning in terms of limited or no Internet connectivity. Many children struggle to even buy gadgets that will allow them to continue their schooling. “These are posing long-term threats to the future of our country, especially our economy,” Habito said.

C  A

human costs which he considered as the most worrying. The poverty and hunger levels in the country have escalated. He said data from the Social Weather Stations saw hunger doubled from 2019 levels. This has led to elevated levels of severe malnutrition and stunting in Filipino children. There is no telling, however, if this would lead to another lost generation. It can be noted, he said, that stunting is an “epidemic” in the country. He said stunting rates, according to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), improved to 28.8 percent in 2019 from 30.3 percent in 2018. Nonetheless, this still means that around a third of the country’s children aged zero to 59 months are stunted. He earlier said that stunting may make these children “mediocre” when they grow up or be workers that have “low productivity.” Habito said, in a previous briefing, that if the working population are disadvantaged from a young age, the country’s demographic dividend could become a demographic time bomb instead. The problem of hunger is compounded by the challenges of the education sector. Habito

DOF...

C  A

nary report following its actuarial study on PhilHealth, according to Dominguez. Dominguez stopped short of revealing the findings of the IC on PhilHealth, but he said it’s like most institutions wherein “some things are good and some things are bad.” “They are in discussions again with PhilHealth board and PhilHealth management on their findings. This is the first time ever that IC has examined government institutions,” he said. “I leave that to IC to release when they are ready to release their findings, and of course we will not publish it until all the board members of PhilHealth are also aware of those findings,” he added.

IC’s Funa: Review planned

FOR their part, Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa told the

C  A

With this, La Viña said debates have surfaced regarding the additional mandates that could be given to LGUs because of the sudden increase in their allocation in the national revenues. However, it may not be necessary, La Viña said, because the Local Government Code of 1991 already devolved certain sectors that had to be financed using local funds. These sectors are health, agriculture, and social welfare. “For the local governments, this doesn’t mean they will accept new funds from [the national government and] accept new mandates because these were the mandates that were given to them, 30 years ago in 1991. There’s a debate about that because how much money will be left at the national government given the mandates of the national government is that enough, right?” La Viña said. Apart from the Mandanas Ruling, the pandemic and the way forward will be at the top of the minds of voters in the coming polls. This will require candidates to create their own economic and health strategies to exit the crisis. Related to the pandemic is the widening of social inequality. La Viña said this will also be a critical issue given the number of “populist” candidates in the coming elections. Candidates that could raise these issues include Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso. La Viña said the two politicians know the struggles of the poor and the disparity between the haves and the have nots. “I think that social inequality in all its forms, in the way it manifested itself in the pandemic as well as old issues that we have been able to deal with [before], could be a big issue,” La Viña said. Other issues, La Viña said, include the country’s education challenges; relationship with China; Islamic extremism; and the threat to accountability in government, given the latest issue with the Department of Health (DOH). La Viña said that in the Commission on Audit reports, these are common during this time of the term of an administration. The only difference was the reaction of the President to the issue. Further, human rights will also be an issue such as the war on illegal drugs; the case filed against President Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC); and political killings. Also expected to be critical issues are the Lumad schools and the youth sector; judicial reform; the peace process in Mindanao; and, to a certain extent, climate change. On climate change, issues on adaptation vs mitigation and “elephants in the room” notably energy, forests, land use, reclamation, and mining, will be critical.

LOCKDOWNS PUSH DBCC TO CUT GROWTH TARGET C  A

‘Mandanas...

‘Green shoots’

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The Nation BusinessMirror

US combat ship docks in Manila; PHL, Australia boost military ties

LITTORAL combat ship of the United States Navy has docked in the country, the Philippines and Australia signed a military logistics agreement that further deepened and strengthened the defense relations between the two countries. The Philippines and Australia has an existing Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) and Canberra has assisted the Philippine military in ending the occupation of Islamic State fighters of Marawi City in 2017 by providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The Independence-variant USS Charleston (LCS 18) arrived in the country on Monday in what the US said was the first visit by a commissioned US Navy warship since 2019 that highlight the strong alliance and military relations between Manila and Washington. “Our US Navy ships’ presence at sea and in ports like Manila promote security and stability that drives the peace and prosperity for the benefit of regional countries,” US 7thFleet Commander Vice Admiral Karl Thomas said, as quoted by Lt. Lauren Chatmas of Command Destroyer Squadron 7.

The USS Charleston is on rotation deployment from San Diego, California under the Destroyer Squadron 7, supporting the Commander, Task Force 76/ Expeditionary Strike Group 7. The warship’s presence followed the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s to Manila several weeks ago wherein President Duterte took back the Philippine government’s notice to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US. “The US security commitment to the Philippines is ironclad, and that commitment… extends to the South China Sea,” Austin assured in the presence of Charleston. On the other hand, Australia said that the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement will make it easier for Manila and Canberra and to work together to address regional security challenges. Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven J. Robinson AO said the agreement will provide a “solid framework for the Philippines and Australia’s defence organisations to conduct more complex engagement, and enhance interoperability in practical ways.” Rene Acosta

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Thursday, August 19, 2021 A3

Metro mayors: It’s IATF’s call to extend tight curbs in NCR By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

HE Metro Manila Council (MMC) will defer to the “sound and wise” judgment of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on the next community quarantine status to be implemented in the National Capital Region (NCR) after August 20, 2021. “The LGUs [local government units] are at the forefront and they know what is really happening on the ground, but we have to weigh both economic and health factors in our decision. We deem it best to leave the decision to the wisdom and judgment of the IATF,” MMDA and concurrent MMC Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. said. Although the decision of the Metro Manila mayors who are at the “battleground is ‘very critical,’ they seek to find balance of health and economic

concerns, thus no recommendation was made but will leave it up to the IATF,” the MMDA chief added. He, however, assured that whatever community quarantine status will be implemented after August 20, Metro local governments will continue ramping up their Prevent-DetectIsolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) measures to further curb and mitigate the spread of the virus, especially this time when the highly transmissible Delta variant has made its inroads in most parts of the country. “Whatever the decision of the IATF will be, the mayors are committed to continue doubling up their vaccination efforts. Stricter implementation of health protocols and comprehensive testing and contact tracing will also be continuously imposed,” Abalos said. Abalos explained that the recent enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is different from past ECQs as the government has already started

its vaccination program, prioritizing A1 (health-care workers), A2 (senior citizens), and A3 (persons with comorbidities) groups. Vaccination rollout has also started for those who belong to A4 (economic frontliners), and A5 (indigent population) categories.

Missed vaccination goal

ABALOS also admitted that the target of 4 million jabs or 250,000 per day while on ECQ, was not achieved. The highest number of administered jabs was recorded on August 12 at 240,000 doses. “Sustaining the record-high 240,000 administered jabs last August 12 in Metro Manila, which we did during this most recent ECQ, would lower risk classification of health-care utilization rate in Metro Manila,” he explained. As of August 16, total doses administered stood at 10,716,042 for the entire Metro Manila, out of which 909,969 (90 percent) are se-

nior citizens administered with the first jab and 774,066 (77 percent) with second dose. Meanwhile, more than 1.7 million (46 percent) individuals with comorbidities in Metro Manila received their first vaccine shot while around 1.3 million (35 percent) already completed their jabs. “Critical Covid-19 cases are lesser despite the rise in the number of active cases as majority of Metro Manila residents already received their jabs,” Abalos said. During the ECQ, Abalos inspected several vaccination hubs in several cities in Metro Manila and lauded LGUs for their orderly and systematic vaccination process. “We see more people outside during this ECQ because of the vaccination, which we intend to finish immediately for NCR [National Capital Region] to achieve population protection, and subsequently herd immunity, the soonest possible time,” he said.

A4 Thursday, August 19, 2021 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

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DTI assures logistics support for vaccine manufacturing By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) assured that the country has the logistics to back up the manufacturing and distribution of Covid-19 and other vaccines amid the pandemic. Trade Secretar y R amon M. Lopez said in a TV interview on Wednesday that importing vaccine input for fill-and-finish production would need logistics support, citing the temperature requirement for storage. “When you talk of that, you are talking of required temperature in these different vaccines,” he said. “We have the means to import, to manufacture and to distribute.” Out of eight pharmaceutical firms that expressed interest, Lo-

pez said, two of them are already in the advanced stage of their application to set up a vaccine facility in the country. The trade official named one of them, Dr. Zen Biotech Inc., noting that he is still confirming if the other pharmaceutical company would be willing to be disclosed. The said two companies already have secured technology partners owning vaccine brands and undergone research and development, he said. “They have the facilities, it is a matter of expanding and adding more equipment [to allow] import-fill-finish type of operation,” he added. To qualify as a vaccine manufacturer, Lopez said, the applicants should have already gained emergency use authorization for their

doses to allow distribution. The DTI chief explained that the potential vaccine manufacturers are not only producing Covid-19 jabs, but also other necessary doses in demand. While the finished products are intended for local consumption, Lopez said, the vaccine manufacturers may also reexport their doses. “They will have that market and more or less, and an assurance that they can sell in the country, but there is nothing preventing them from reexporting some part of it,” Lopez noted. As such, Lopez pitched that the accepted vaccine manufacturers be given at least preliminary volume commitment to attract more companies in the country. The trade official also said that vaccine manufacturers would be

PHL cargo delays seen amid China port woes By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

granted tax perks based on the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act. Under CREATE, the investment priority plan cites the pharmaceutical sector as one of the critical industries. In May, the Anti-Red Tape Authority, along with DTI and other government agencies, established a green lane through a joint memorandum circular for vaccine manufacturing applicants, setting the processing period for 20 days or less. This mandate hopes to allow the company to set up a facility within 10 months of the approval. In anticipation of Covid-19 vaccine demand next year, Lopez said that the Philippine International Trading Corp., which is the purchasing arm of DTI, may consolidate the purchases to lower the prices.

HILIPPINE-BASED importers and exporters should make “necessary” operational adjustments as the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) foresees delays in cargo due to the partial closure of ports in China, no thanks to the pandemic. PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago advised importers and exporters to prepare early “to reduce the negative impact of the delays in their overall daily operations, thus, allowing them flexibility in the long run.” “We need to prepare. Eventually, the delays in cargo shipments will catch up with us due to the congestion being experienced in these transshipment ports,” he said. To recall, China partially closed some of its ports due to the surge of

the Delta variant of Covid-19. Aside from this, major ports in the region were reported to have been congested due to the pandemic. Many of Philippine imports and exports pass through transshipment ports. “We are encouraging all importers and exporters to take the necessar y steps to adjust and secure their operations to mitigate the impact of the slowdowns or partial closures of the big ports in their overall operations,” Santiago said. He noted that Philippine major port gateways still operate under optimum conditions and way below the threshold level of utilization set at 75 percent. “PPA assures the shippers that Philippine ports, can handle the bulk of the delayed shipments when conditions at the transshipment ports start to normalize,” Santiago said.

DICT justifies acquisition of ₧170.2-million gadgets

HE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Wednesday defended its P170.2-million acquisition of gadgets, which the Commission on Audit (COA) recently flagged. DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said there was “no irregularity” in the procurement of tablets and laptops, justifying that the supplier Lex-Mar General Merchandise and Contractor was “found be a technically, legally, and financially capable supplier.” Honasan said Lex-Mar is both a general construction firm and a

wholesaler of office supplies and equipment, including computer units and tablets. Likewise, he claimed that LexMar’s financial statements have also met the requirements for the procurement, adding that the supplier provided the department completed contracts with the local government of Quezon City. Honasan also underscored the importance of the project, which was implemented under its Digital Education Program (DEP). He said the gadgets “were intended to assist its partner local government units facili-

tate ICT-enabled education, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.” “Through these initiatives, we aim to be more responsive to the needs of our students under the online and blended learning modalities as face-to-face classes are currently suspended during this public health emergency,” he said. He explained that the first pilot project is for tablets for the DICT’s Cybersafe Learning for Education spearheaded by the ICT Literacy and Competency Development Bureau (ILCDB) and intended to benefit the students from the University of Makati. Meanwhile, the second project pertains to the tablets procured for the Cybersafe Learning for Education of the Cybersecurity Bureau (CSB), with ILCDB’s support, in coordination with the City Governments of San Juan and Makati. Lastly, the third project was for the Digital Learners and Teachers, a project of the ILCDB that benefited learners and teachers from Pinaglabanan Elementary School in San Juan City. “Overall, the projects involved aim to support the primary objective of the government to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus as more and

more agencies and LGUs rely on the technical expertise and functions of the DICT to address the greater need for digitization, interconnectivity, and ensuring cyber-security awareness of the public, during this new normal,” Honasan said. The cities, he said, we “pilot sites” that were chosen based on their readiness for implementation and capacity to “generate rich data” for policy formulation. Honasan also said “this is not the first time that the highest executive arm of the government that manages national ICT development has provided ICT equipment to a government partner, client or beneficiary.” He cited a partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the iSchool Project in 2010, an exercise that aimed to provide ICT equipment to qualified schools in the Philippines. “It is with more reason that during this time of pandemic when going digital spells individual resiliency or vulnerability that the government should spare no effort in making sure that ICT resources and services are provided to government partners, clients, and beneficiaries,” Honasan said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

SSS continues to extend filing deadlines for SN and SB claims

HE Social Security System (SSS) informs its members and covered employers that Sickness Notification (SN), Sickness Benefit (SB) application, and SB Reimbursement Application (SBRA) filing deadlines remain extended for sicknesses or injuries occurring on March 1, 2020 until the lifting of all types of community quarantine being implemented in the country. SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said the SSS implemented the extension since May 2020 to help members and covered employers avoid reduction in their sickness benefits or have rejected claims. “We understand the current situation that our stakeholders are facing. This is the reason why we provided these more flexible guidelines in their favor,” Ignacio said. Under normal circumstances, employee members must submit their SN forms to their employers within five calendar days. Employers must submit these forms to the SSS within five calendar days after its receipt from their employees. Self-employed and Voluntary members must submit their SB application forms to the SSS within five calendar days after the start of confinement, while overseas Filipino worker (OFW) members are given 35 calendar days to do so after the start of confinement. With the extension of the period for filing, employee members are given 60 calendar days after the lifting of the community quarantine to submit

their SN forms for home confinement to their employers. Employers are also given 60 calendar days after the receipt of the said forms to submit them to the SSS. If the country is still on community quarantine on the last day of submission, the employer may still submit the said form within 60 days after the lifting of the community quarantine. Likewise, Self-employed, Voluntary, and overseas Filipino worker (SE/VM/ OFW) members are given 60 calendar days to submit their SB application forms for home confinement to the SSS after the lifting of the community quarantine. Moreover, SB claims for home and hospital confinement of SE/VM/OFW members and employed members for employer reimbursement claims will not be reduced or denied if the deadline of the filing period falls on March 1, 2020 until the end of the community quarantine. They may still file their sickness benefit claims within 60 calendar days after the lifting of the community quarantine. The extension follows SSS Circular 2020-004-b, which can be accessed at https://bit.ly/CircSicExt. SB is a daily cash allowance paid to a qualified member for the number of days he/she is unable to work due to sickness or injury. For more information, follow the SSS on Facebook and YouTube at “Philippine Social Security System,” Instagram at “mysssph,” Twitter at “PHLSSS,” or join its Viber Community at “MYSSSPH Updates.”

The World Thursday, August 19, 2021

Race to become Malaysia’s next PM heats up as deadline looms K

ing Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has ruled out a new general election because many parts of the country are Covid-19 red zones and health facilities are inadequate. Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned as prime minister on Monday, has been appointed caretaker leader until a successor is found. Muhyiddin departed after less than 18 months in office amid infighting in his alliance and 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, despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June. The king’s role is largely ceremonial in Malaysia, but he appoints the person he believes has majority support in Parliament as prime minister. Sultan Abdullah met political party chiefs Tuesday, and decreed that all lawmakers must individually submit the names of their preferred candidate for the top job to the palace by 4 p.m. (0800 GMT) Wednesday. Local media said the country’s Malay Rulers will meet Friday at the palace, where the king is likely to discuss the lawmakers’ choice. The race appeared to have been whittled to two main candidates: former Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Muhyiddin appointed Ismail, 61, as his deputy in July in a bid to ease tensions with the United Malays National Organization, the biggest party in his alliance. Ismail then led a faction in UMNO that defied a party order to pull support for the government. In the end, 15 UMNO lawmakers withdrew, causing the government that has a razor-thin majority to collapse. Ismail has started to lobby for support even before Muhyiddin stepped down. He appeared to be the frontrunner for the job after UMNO’s 38 lawmakers reportedly agreed to set aside differences at a meeting late Tuesday and back him as their candidate. UMNO secretary-general Ahmad Maslan tweeted that “only one name will be sent as Prime Minister nominee” that is Ismail. Another lawmaker Azalina Othman told local media that Ismail is believed to be able to muster the backing of at least 111 lawmakers for a simple majority. For Anwar, 74, it appears tough for him to reach the 111 vote needed. His three-party alliance has 88 lawmakers and if all smaller opposition parties back him, he would still only have 105 votes. Anwar was due to succeed then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad before their reformist alliance collapsed in February 2018 sparked by the withdrawal of Muhyiddin’s party. Muhyiddin then formed a new government with corruption-tainted UMNO, that was ousted in 2018, and several others. While the king is constitutionally obliged to pick the candidate with the majority votes, analysts said Ismail would be a poor choice as he is associated with the failings of Muhyiddin’s government. “He carries the baggage of a ‘failed government.’ What Malaysians want is a clean break from unpopular policies of the past government. There is more a hint of continuity than a sharp departure if the premiership were to pass on to Ismail,” said Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, political science professor at Malaysia’s University of Science. It will also set the stage for increased politicking in UMNO as Ismail, who is now a vice-president, may later mount a challenge against the party president, he said. AP

US reaffirms commitment to Taiwan and allies after leaving Afghanistan

he US has said it remains committed to Taiwan and other allies, pushing back at concerns about its resolve after its departure from Afghanistan led to the Taliban taking over Kabul. “We believe that our commitments to our allies and partners are sacrosanct and always have been,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday during a press conference in Washington. “We believe our commitment to Taiwan and to Israel remains as strong as it’s ever been.” When asked how Washington is countering questions about its resolve from Beijing and Moscow, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said “we, of course, are in touch with the Chinese and the Russians.” “Our message is very clear,” Psaki added. “We stand by partners around the world who are subject to this kind of propaganda that Russia and China are projecting. And we’re going to continue to deliver on those words with actions.” State media outlets in China have said that neither the US nor President Tsai Ing-wen would fight in the event of a conflict. The Global Times ran an opinion piece on Monday that said Washington abandoned Afghanistan and asked whether Taiwan would be any different. Comparisons between Taiwan and Afghanistan are difficult, however. Taipei has enjoyed a quarter of a century of democratic rule without internal strife and saw American forces depart more than four decades ago without incident. Moreover, the need to concentrate extra American forces in the Western Pacific to defend security partners such as Taiwan from Chinese pressure is a major argument of those who support withdrawal from Afghanistan. China sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has asserted the right to unify both sides by force, if necessary. Bloomberg News

BusinessMirror

Thursday, August 19, 2021

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

No.

8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5/f To 10/f, Tower 4 Pitx #01 Kennedy Road Tambo Parañaque City HUANG, YIWEN Mandarin Customer Service Representative 1.

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information , support and problem, resolution to inquiries and order status LI, JUNYANG Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status LUO, YALING Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status SHEN, LI Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status WEN, SHILIN Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status ZHANG, XIAOSHAN Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status ZHAO, HUAN Mandarin Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Interact with customer to provide information, support and problem resolution to inquiries and order status

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written

19.

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

Brief Job Description: Manage the delivery of clients assigned; own multiple client delivery & relationship JONES, JOSE SIMAO FILIPE Bilingual Service Desk Analyst – Portuguese

Brief Job Description: Deliver client facing engagements / work at Philippine delivery centre. Will be in charge of translating communications, verbal and written, from Portuguese to English and English to Portuguese, so that the Accenture Philippines members can communicate with the stakeholders speaking the language. Will be in charge of translating work tickets, TAWEESARN RUTCHAYA Collection Support Analyst

10.

Brief Job Description: Executive order to cash process with ftr (first time right) quality, efficiency and focus on overall continuous process improvement PEREZ BUENO, ALFREDO Language Specialist – Spanish

11.

12.

Brief Job Description: Security event monitoring and incident handling on a 24/7 basis. Maintenance of used cases and log source tracking. Service review and reporting. Tracking open high and critical vulnerabilities. Translation tasks for both ticket handling and customer response. LARKINS, CRAIG ASHLEY Service Delivery Ops Senior Manager Brief Job Description: Responsible for meeting current operational requirements LEE, SUAH Transaction Processing Analyst

13.

Brief Job Description: Performs invoice processing, reconcilations, reporting & helpdesk functions related to accounts payable transactions of medium to high complexity

LEE, GOWOON Transaction Processing Analyst 14.

Brief Job Description: Performs invoice processing, reconciliations, reporting, and helpdesk function related to accounts payable transactions of medium to high complexity.

15.

16.

17.

18.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LING, XINXIN Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LUONG XUAN TUNG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries VO MINH HAI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries ZHANG, GUANGTONG Chinese Customer Service

20.

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

AZBIL PHILIPPINES CORPORATION 4/f Republic Glass Bldg. 196 Salcedo St. San Lorenzo Makati City

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written

Basic Qualification: Provides professional advice & guidance in a specific domain of expertise

21.

PHAM THI HUONG IT Support 22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Preferably a graduate of accountancy, finance, or any business-related course; fluent in both Korean and English language; must be knowledgeable with ms office tools.

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

30.

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

BOON KAH LEONG Mandarin Speaking Computer Support Specialist 36.

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

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Brief Job Description: Investigate user problems and prepare reports for developers. FEI, LINGHUAN Mandarin Speaking Computer Support Specialist

37.

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

Brief Job Description: Investigate user problems and prepare reports for developers.

Brief Job Description: Arrange project schedules, supervise workers QIU, YIGUO Construction Admin Brief Job Description: Arrange project schedules, supervise workers XU, FAN Construction Admin Brief Job Description: Arrange project schedules, supervise workers XU, QINGXIANG Construction Admin Brief Job Description: Arrange project schedules, supervise workers

Brief Job Description: Analyzes expenses and cost transactions, ensure the transaction recorded CHEN, JIANHUI Logistics And Inventory Staff Brief Job Description: Supervision of technical aspects of construction projects

Brief Job Description: Monitor and maintain rigging equipment to ensure safety; Report all safety concerns/issues to management immediately set up and break down necessary equipment.

31.

LI, GUANGMING Chinese Equipment Consultant Brief Job Description: Handles Chinese cremation machine

Basic Qualification: Proven project management and self-management skills. HORA, ANKUSH Assistant Vice President - Digital Transformation Front Office

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

Basic Qualification: strong troubleshooting and critical thinking skills

38.

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 Basic Qualification: strong troubleshooting and critical thinking skills Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Brief Job Description: In-depth understanding of front transformation tools and technologies like Omni channel, CTI, conversational IVR, interaction analytics preferably Google analytics or using tensor floe incuding speech, chat bot, unified agent desktop, identify & analyze information related to existing client systems visibly show the handsoff/handshakes between the various system, departments in the organization, work closely with stake holders to identify issues or bottlenecks within operations processes and come up with innovative solutions to increase efficiency and effectiveness of operations.

32.

Brief Job Description: Renders spoken message accurately, quickly and clearly.

PRABHAKAR, NAINA Assistant Vice President - Operations Delivery

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Monitoring, Fluent in Mandarin and English, College graduate

39.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Monitoring, Fluent in Mandarin and English, College graduate

33.

Brief Job Description: Respond to customer queries and identify customer needs

Brief Job Description: Ensure proper planning, staffing, direction, and delivery of operation functions to meet strategic organization and EXL goals, review team performance daily, weekly and monthly to ensure that all performance metrics are met, evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of business to comply with client and company objective.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Monitoring, Fluent in Mandarin and English, College graduate Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Monitoring, Fluent in Mandarin and English, College graduate

SRINIVASAN, DATTATRAYAN GANAPATI Vice President - Digital Solution And Transformation

40.

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

Brief Job Description: Manage the end-to-end delivery of the business transformation projects to drive process and performance improvements, collaborate with digital technology team to design develop new products that will reshape digital in healthcare payer market, lead and enhance innovation labs and executive briefing centers for influencing client stakeholders.

34.

35.

Brief Job Description: Conducting and updating database XIE, SHANLONG Marketing Executive Brief Job Description: Conducting and updating database

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

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.

SINGH, VIRAJKUMAR Vice President - Operations 41.

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

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin speaking and have good communication skills

42.

43.

44.

45.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: 15 years of rich experience in driving digital transformation, robotics strategy & learn six sigma consulting, experience in digital transformation enabled by disruptive technology including robotics and artificial intelligence, identify & implement platforms which have plug and play AI & RPA solutions for logistics & finance & accounting.

Brief Job Description: Respond to OPS, RFPs and other client acquisition oppurtunities by creating a winning response that addresses client business needs and demonstratrates EXL’s value proposition, interface with client teams to seek clarifications on the RFP and presenting solution to key stockholders.

Basic Qualification: A performance driven professional with over 13 years career in operations management, strategic planning, process with UK utilities, US, Europe, UK & Australia p & c insurance provider, extensive experience in managing operations with an aim to accomplish corportae plans and goals successfully, experience of implementing procedures and service standards for business excellence, excellent leadership, communication & organizational skills with proven abilities in team management.

FIRST GREAT COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES INC. Lot 5 Sta. Agueda Cor. Queensway Pagcor Drive Sto. Niño Parañaque City

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

Basic Qualification: Extensive experience in operations management, quality and process excellence, process improvement, new business development, process management, client servicing, training delivery and content development, certified six sigma blackbelt, resourceful at maintaining relationships with clients to achieve quality products and service norms by resolving their service related issues.

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

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

Basic Qualification: A technocrat with 14+ years of experience in project management and other areas such as: omni channel, speech analysis, IT business analysis, project and program management, budget & cost optimization, resource planning and control, customer satisfaction, system migrations / integrations, infrastructure planning & security, voice design & implementation, strategic & tactical planning, risk management, and client relations, process broad competence in strategic management and technical matters, strong problem solving & technical skills

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate, Fluent in Mandarin and English, Monitoring project status

DIGISPARK TECH CORP. Unit 701 Fss Building I Scout Tuason Corner Scout Castor Laging Handa 4 Quezon City CHEN, RONGJUN Marketing Executive

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

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

DA SUCCESS BUSINESS TRADING INCORPORATED 2503 The Finance Centre 26th Street Corner 9th Avenue Fort Bonifacio Taguig City LIN, FENGSHI Mandarin Customer Support

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

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

Basic Qualification: Monitoring, Fluent in Mandarin and English, College graduate

COSMOLINK GLOBAL SOLUTIONS INC. Flr. No. 6th, 7th & 8th Bldg. No. 100 Necc Bldg., Andrews Ave. St. Newport City Subd. District 1, Barangay 183 Pasay City WANG, MEIWAN Admin Officer (Mandarin Translator)

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

EXLSERVICE PHILIPPINES, INC. 6th Floor, One E-com Center Harbor Drive Mall Of Asia Complex Pasay City

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

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

CAI, JIARONG Construction Admin

UTHAUG, DEAN CHARLES Mandarin Assistant Project Supervisor

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

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

No.

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

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 Basic Qualification: Must be able to communicate effectively, verbal & written both english & korean

Brief Job Description: Monitor and maintain the computer systems and networks of an organization

SHI, GONGFU Cost Analyst

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, has 10 years of industry experience

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

CHINA INTERNATIONAL WATER AND ELECTRIC CORP. (BRANCH OFFICE) 1350 11/f Suite 1106 Ermita Center Bldg. Roxas Blvd., 072 Bgy. 668 Ermita Manila

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, or other reliant fields; proficient in spanish language; english excellent communication skills coth written and oral.

Brief Job Description: Monitor and maintain the computer systems and networks of an organization YU, SANLONG IT Support

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Most avail to communicate write and read thai fluently

Brief Job Description: Plan and designate project resources, prepare budgets, monitor progress and keep stakeholders informed the entire way

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS

BRENMEDIA INTERNATIONAL INC. 10/f Unit Q Cyber One Bldg. Eastwood Cyberpark City Bagumbayan 3 Quezon City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree graduate. Undergraduates are welcome to apply; can communicate effectively in both oral and written English and Portuguese; knowledgeable or work on holidays, weekends, shifting schedules and extended working hours, as needed.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

HIRAYAMA, HIROAKI Project Manager

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

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D. Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street Tambo Parañaque City BACH THU HUYEN Chinese Customer Service

XU, ZHIZHAO Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin both oral and written

ACCENTURE, INC. 7f Robinsons Cybergate Tower 1 Pioneer St Mandaluyong City GUPTA, ANSHUL App/Cloud Support Manager

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

www.businessmirror.com.ph

46.

47.

CHANG, SHENG IT Technical Mandarin Brief Job Description: Configure and maintain system and networks LI, JING IT Technical Mandarin Brief Job Description: Configure and maintain system and networks LI, QILIANG IT Technical Mandarin Brief Job Description: Configure and maintain system and networks DENG, JIAYAO Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: To provide Chinese customer service QIN, YILIN Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: To provide Chinese customer service SONG, TIANCHENG Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: To provide Chinese customer service

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applicants Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applicants Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applicants Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in managing incoming calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in managing incoming calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Knowledgable in managing incoming calls Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No.

48.

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION WU, JIE Mandarin Customer Service Brief Job Description: To provide Chinese customer service

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable to managing calls

No.

67.

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

GENPACT SERVICES LLC 5f Genpact Bldg. Cyberzone Northgate Alabang Muntinlupa City

NEDUNURI, SHILPI Senior Manager 49.

Brief Job Description: Relevant work experience preferably in HR Shared Services or any other people function area; Excellent communication skills (verbal and written); Sound domain knowledge required in terms of process deliverables; and Experience in audits or process compliance and project management.

Basic Qualification: Relevant work experience preferably in HR Shared Services or any other function area; Excellent communication skills (verbal and written); Work closely with payroll team, HR, Centers of Excellence (COEs) and senior management in supporting company administered benefits.

68.

Brief Job Description: Reporting to management and executing instructions; Liaising with management and staff regarding administrative matters

51.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions, suggesting information about other product and services

69.

Basic Qualification: Skills and competence for the nature of work, punctuality, work output, quality of work, resourcefulness, initiative, obedience to company rules. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in chinese mandarin , english and their respective native language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

70.

52.

Brief Job Description: Develop and execute company’s strategic plans handle Korean clients. Engage with local/international, vendor & consumers. Allocate budget resources, create opportunities for expansion & growth by developing new business relationships.

71.

53.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the efficient and effective coordination of field operations.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree; Experience in International companies, experience in a similar role. Must be fluent in both written and verbal Korean and English language.

72.

Basic Qualification: Min. 5 years experience relevant to the designated projects & had held a position of supervisor

73.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58.

Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls HUANG, HUIHANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Mandarin speaking customer relations service provider LI, SHENGWAN Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls ZANG, WANXI Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Responsible for handling service support calls ZHANG, HONG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider Brief Job Description: Mandarin speaking customer relations service provider

74.

75.

76.

77.

78.

Basic Qualification: Responsible for handling service support calls

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

65.

66.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

79.

HENG, KE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries HUANG, RENJIE Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LE PHONED KIGHT Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries LE VAN HOA Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LI, LI Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries TAO, SHUANGSHUANG Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries WU, SHANXING Chinese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents ZHAN, JIANG Chinese Customer Service

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower C4 Rd. Edsa Ext. Brgy. 076 Pasay City GU, PING Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file the documents.

YOU, LIANG Chinese Customer Service

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file the documents.

YANG, QITONG Chinese Customer Service

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file the documents.

TANG, FAN Chinese Customer Service

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file the documents.

SUN, YANGYANG Chinese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Responsible for handling service support calls

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

SHI, ZUNZENG Chinese Customer Service

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

LI, LONGFEI Chinese Customer Service

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

MEGA-WEB TECHNOLOGIES INC. 6,7,8,9,10,11/f Met Live Bldg. Edsa Cor. Macapagal Blvd. Brgy. 076 Pasay City GAO, DAIGENG Mandarin Speaking Customer Relations Service Provider

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file the documents.

JIANG, MUSHENG Chinese Customer Service

MC CONNELL DOWELL PHILS., INC. Level 4 Nol Tower Commerce Ave. Mbp Muntinlupa City CASEY, SEAN CHRISTIAN Marine Superintendent

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

GAO, SHUAI Chinese Customer Service

K AND L JINRO INC. 3/f Gei Bldg. 50 Polaris St. Poblacion Makati City PARK, YOCHUL Korean Speaking General Manager

ZENG, WEIFENG Chinese Customer Service

DU, HUIXIN Chinese Customer Service

JIU ZHOU TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. 31/f Tower 6789 6789 Ayala Avenue San Lorenzo Makati City LIU, PEI-FANG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

CHEN, GUIJIANG Chinese Customer Service

HIKES GROUP HOLDINGS INC. 26th/f The World Centre 330 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Bel-air Makati City

50.

XUE, NINGNAN Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file the documents. ZHANG, HUIXIONG Chinese Customer Service

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

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

ZHANG, RUIZHI Chinese Customer Service

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

80.

81.

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

82.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 83.

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

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

CHANG, SZU-LAN Taiwanese Customer Service

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

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints , provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

SHAN LE Myanmari Customer Service

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

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file the documents.

CHANG, YU-KANG Taiwanese Customer Service 84.

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file the documents.

No.

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

NEW ORIENTAL CLUB88 CORPORATION 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th/f Pearl Marina Building Pacific Drive Don Galo Parañaque City

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

XIE, ZHILI Chinese Speaking Admin Associate

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Thursday, August 19, 2021 A7

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and English)

SHI, WEI Radio NPO Specialist 85.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similad field speak and write fluently native Language

86.

87.

88.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and english) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and english) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and English)

89.

90.

Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

Brief Job Description: Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe products or services, in order to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

Brief Job Description: Communicate, monitor, assist, coordinate promotional campaign in line with Chinese traditional cultures YAO, WEIHU Advertising Performance Specialist

91.

Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Can speak read and type mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Excellent oral and written communication in mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Vietnamese (Verbal and written skills) Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Communicate, monitor, assist, coordinate promotional campaign in line with Chinese traditional cultures

Basic Qualification: College graduate; Mandarin speaking Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate; Mandarin speaking Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

THE STUDIO TECHNOLOGIES PHILS. INC. 41st Floor, Pioneer Highlands West Tower 2 Madison St. Brgy. Barangka Ilaya Mandaluyong City GUPTA, AMIT President 92.

Brief Job Description: Shall have administration and direction of day-to-day affairs of the corporation

Basic Qualification: Must have the expertise to manage the affairs of the corporation Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

VALUESERVICESTECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED G/f Horizon Bldg. Andrews Ave. Newport City St. Zone 20 Barangay 183, District 1 Pasay City VONG CANH LINH Customer Service Representative 93.

Brief Job Description: Field incoming help request from users via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner VONG VENH KIN Customer Service Representative

94.

Brief Job Description: Field incoming help request from users via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner VONG VINH PHUNG Customer Service Representative

95.

Brief Job Description: Field incoming help request from users via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner YU, BINHAI Customer Service Representative (Mandarin Speaking)

96.

Brief Job Description: Field incoming help requests from users via both telephone and work orders in courteous manner

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin / English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin / English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin / English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin/English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor. Washington St. Pio Del Pilar Makati City LE VIET HA Vietnam-speaking Customer Service Officer 97.

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

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

WANFANG TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, INC. 6-9/f Double Dragon Plaza Edsa Cor. Macapagal Ave. Brgy. 076 Pasay City CHIN, MING-LUN Chinese Customer Service Representative 98.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese Mandarin, English and their respective native language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

XINCHUAN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL PHILIPPINE PROJECT LTD CORP. 16/f Tower 6789 6789 Ayala Ave. Bel-air Makati City

XIAO, SA Mandarin Construction And Facilities Supervisor 99.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Construction and Facilities Supervisor 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 Construction and Facilities Supervisor, Familiarity, Knowledge and awareness on Machinery and heavy Equipment use by company, Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and english)

SU, HAI Mandarin Customer Service Specialist

LOH CHEE HOU Advertising Performance Specialist

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

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

SUNNY DAY 360 MEDIA INC. No. 100 M. Concepcion Ave. Buting Pasig City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language

Brief Job Description: Creating and updating customer account information

NGUYEN PHAM YEN VY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree, Excellent Communication skills and Technical Expertise

SOMI UNLIMITED SOLUTIONS, INC. 10/f Tower 2 Double Dragon Plaza Bldg. Edsa Corner Macapagal Ave. St. Zone 10. Barangay 076, District 1 Pasay City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and english)

GENG, XUECONG Mandarin Customer Service Specialist

KE, BENCHENG Mandarin Marketing Specialist

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and English)

Brief Job Description: Aims to monitor network and improve performance, optimize the big data platform algorithm and take technical discussion on the additional delivery feature, parameter design for each new feature

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

SKYLUSTER TECHNOLOGY, INC. 11/f The Enterprise Center Tower 2 Ayala Ave. Cor. Paseo De Roxas San Lorenzo Makati City

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Basic Qualification: College graduate, Preferably 1 year experience the similar field speak and write fluently native Language

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

XU, HANG Mandarin Field Service Supervisor 100.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Field Service Supervisor 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 Field Service Supervisor, Familiarity, Knowledge and awareness on Machinery and heavy Equipment use by company, Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Aug 18, 2021

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

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.

Basic Qualification: College graduate, preferably 1yr experience in the similar field, speak and write fluently (native language and english)

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

NOKIA SHANGHAI BELL PHILIPPINES, INC. Penthouse W Fifth Bldg. 5th Ave. Bonifacio Global City Fort Bonifacio Taguig City

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

News

BusinessMirror

A4 Thursday, August 19, 2021 A8

PHL country coordinator for Asean-UK cooperation By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @TyronePiad

HE Philippines was recently welcomed as the country coordinator for the Association of Southeast Asian (Asean)-United Kingdom (UK) economic relations, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced. In a news statement issued on Wednesday, the DTI shared that Manila, represented by Trade Assistant Secretary Allan B. Gepty, recently met with other Asean senior economic officials and UK trade representatives for the first dialogue partner

consultations earlier this month. The UK is the newest dialogue partner of the Asean bloc. The European country was represented by UK Trade Commissioner Sam Myers and UK Ambassador to Asean Jon Lambe during the said meeting. The new partnership aims to further strengthen the trade and investment relations between the Asean member-states and the UK, in addition to supporting economic recovery initiatives amid the pandemic. “Having been granted the Dialogue Partner status, the UK and Asean will have more regular engagement to discuss the implementation

of economic cooperation initiatives,” the Trade department noted. Gepty said that the Philippines, along with the regional bloc, is looking forward to boosting economic cooperation on digital innovation and financial services with the UK. Asean businesses, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), have been pivoting to digital platforms amid mobility restrictions, DTI said. “The Philippines appreciates the UK’s support to Asean in the areas of digital innovation and financial services as these initiatives will significantly advance the region’s digi-

talization agenda,” he added. Meanwhile, the Asean economic officials welcomed the developments in several UK-funded programs, including in the areas of economic recovery, digital innovation, supply chain resilience, financial services and sustainable growth. The trade officials will meet formally next month. As such, they discussed possible priorities and principles that will set the direction of the Asean-UK ties. The Philippines cited MSME development, public-private sector partnership, and technical and vocational training, among others.

BBM to IATF: Let the faithful visit their places of worship

ORMER Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appealed for the easing of the restrictions on churches and other places of worship and allow vaccinated people inside to observe their faith even during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period. “Let them visit their places of worship as long as they follow the IATF-imposed minimum health protocol,” said Marcos in a statement, addressing the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The former senator was making the appeal following his conversations with leaders of various churches who lamented on the lack of government’s consultation with them before closing down their

places of worship. Marcos said the government should consider that Filipinos are devoted to their faith and it would contribute to their mental well-being and upliftment of their spirits when they can go inside the church to hear mass or pray. “May sinasabi nga kami, pati simbahan siguro, pwedeng buksan din. Basta vaccinated na, payagan ng pumunta sa simbahan o mosque, para manalangin o sumamba. It would be a big help to our well-being, pati na sa mental health pag nakakasimba o nakakapunta sa simbahan,” the former lawmaker proposed. “Tayo pa naman dito sa Pilipinas, very devoted tayo e. Gaya nga ng sinabi ko kanina, may epekto sa mental health ito. Nakakatulong ’yung nananalangin ka kahit paano. ’Yung nakakasimba ka,

nakakapunta ka sa simbahan, kahit papaano nakakagaan ng puso ’yan e. Ang karaniwang Pilipino e hinahanap natin ’yan,” he added. Marcos noted that most churches are spacious enough. Hence, it would be easy to ensure social distancing. Due to the enhanced community quarantine last year, religious activities had to be held virtually to prevent mass gatherings. When the restrictions were later on eased, churches were allowed to fill up 10 percent to 30 percent of their capacity. But they were closed again for masses and other group activities when the ECQ was imposed again. When the government banned religious gatherings last March, Catholic bishops decried the lack of consultation over the government’s

Comelec to extend voter listing hours, but won’t delay Sept. 30 registration deadline By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has approved the extension of voter registration hours, but rejected calls from senators to add another month to the registration period. Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez announced on Wednesday that the Comelec en banc decided by majority vote not to extend the voter registration period beyond September 30 because of operational concerns. Jimenez said the decision was reached after the Comelec en banc discussed the Senate resolution calling for a one-month extension to the voter registration period

given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The Commission is concerned that if we delay the end of voter registration it will also cause corresponding delays in all other preparatory activities, especially those which depend on the finalization of the list of voters. And that will…potentially adverse the timelines in the preparations for the presidential elections,” Jimenez said. Although Comelec rejected the proposal to move the last day of voter registration to October 31, the poll body allowed longer hours to register, including on Saturdays and during holidays. According to Jimenez, the exact details on the extension of voting registration hours will be an-

nounced once the actual resolution is promulgated. With longer hours now for voter registration, Jimenez said, they are expecting less than a million voters to register. “I think it is probably going to be under a million, conservatively because of again as you pointed out, there are several lockdowns in effect right now,” he said. To date, Jimenez said, there are already over 60 million registered voters, beating their 59 million projection. Of this total, he said 4.3 million are newly registered. “We will continue working until the end of this registration period to accommodate whoever might still be trying to get registered for the 2022 elections,” he said.

decision, especially during Holy Week. With the country celebrating its 500 years of conversion to Christianity, the restrictions added to the dismay of the Catholic faithful. In a public statement, Bishop Broderick Pabillo himself urged the government regulatory bodies to consult the sectors concerned when making policies about them. For his part, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David lamented that while churches are “locked down,” fitness centers are allowed to operate at 70 percent capacity and 50 percent in establishments for personal care services, including spas. He expressed hope that the government would at least allow a 20 to 30 percent capacity of churches following strict protocol.

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LTFRB explains low-fund spend on commuter service program By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

HE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Wednesday that the Commission on Audit (COA) report on the P5.5-billion Service Contracting Program only covered the initial phase of the program, clarifying that it has disbursed P1.5 billion of the total to beneficiaries. Aside from this, the regulatory body is also working with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the release of P3.3 billion on the remaining account payables. “To set the records straight, with the actual funds downloaded to LTFRB only in November 2020, the Service Contracting Program was immediately implemented to incentivize public-utility vehicle [PUV] drivers and operators who were given permission to operate during the Covid-19 pandemic,” the transport regulator said. The LTFRB signed in December 2020 an agreement with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) for the release of the cash subsidies to beneficiaries. “Therefore, it is misleading to angle certain reports and columns that only 1 percent was used from the P5.56-billion funds for the Service Contracting Program, where in fact, the 1-percent utilization rate only covers the implementation month of December 2020, which is also the coverage/extent of the COA report that was released,” the LTFRB said. To recall, the COA recently flagged the Service Contracting Program in its 2020 report, which said the LTFRB only used 1 percent

or P59 million of the P5.56-billion fund for the initiative. The report claimed that the delays in the implementation of the program, which it said ranged between two and 10 weeks, resulted in “minimal fund utilization of only P59.720 million or 1.07 percent of the project fund.” “As of June 30, 2021, P1.5 billion was released to beneficiary drivers nationwide and for procurement of the Systems Manager, responsible in the development and management of all project systems. Wherein, initial payouts of P4,000 were provided to 23,410 drivers; one-time onboarding incentives of P25,000 were provided to 8,461 drivers; one-time onboarding incentives of P20,000 were provided to 702 drivers; and; 18,864 drivers received their weekly payouts,” the LTFRB clarified. It added that it has still P3.3 billion of account payables that have already been coordinated with the DBM for release. Aside from the “minimal fund utilization” the audit body also said in its report that only 29,800 drivers or almost 50 percent of the 60,000 targeted participants were registered in the program as of end-2020. However, according to the LTFRB, at end-June, there were 70,303 registered participants, of which 50,068 had executed contracts. “Rest assured that the LTFRB is committed to helping the DOTr [Department of Transportation] achieve its goal in improving the public transport system towards the development of long-term solutions in the service of our drivers, operators, and the public in general, especially during this time of the pandemic,” the LTFRB said.

Senators grill DOH, DBM on HCW pay, ₧42-B fund transfer continued from a12

The senator recalled that Ombudsman Samuel Martires last year ordered the preventive suspension of eight PhilHealth executives and five DOH officials for various offenses involving “use of people’s money” during the pandemic. Poe said that as she recalled it, when someone asked if the suspension won’t lower the morale of health workers, Martires reportedly replied, “but haven’t the people’s morale been brought down” as a result of the alleged shenanigans? Poe asked at the hearing: “The fact that we cannot even go out of our homes—are we happy with what is happening? Are the medical

frontliners happy with what is happening to them? Somebody must be held accountable.” She recalled that in the 2020 COA report, a total of P11.89 billion remained unobligated on top of the P42.1 billion that was “transferred to partner agencies without a memorandum of agreement,” lamenting that “this is not just negligence, it is a criminal offense.” Gordon concluded the six-hour hearing with a promise to representatives of health-care worker (HCW) groups that they will prod the relevant agencies to act on the delayed pandemic-related benefits for HCWs, as well

as the still-unimplemented ruling by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea upholding the workers’ petition to reverse a DBM circular that resulted in the demotion of many nurses. On the delayed payments of pandemic benefits, Sen. Sonny Angara, main sponsor of Bayanihan 2, asserted that, “Although most provisions of the Bayanihan 2 have lapsed, provision for HCW benefits subsists as long as there is a national emergency as declared by the President.” Angara added, “There is legal basis to continue providing these benefits, and savings from other sources can be re-aligned for this.”

Leonen bares 24 testing centers across PHL for November Bar examinations By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

HE Supreme Court-Office of the 2020/2021 Bar Chairperson has announced that a total of 24 institutions have been approved to serve as local testing centers for the forthcoming Bar examinations in November. At the same time, Associate Justice and 2020/2021 Bar Examinations Chairperson Marvic Leonen gave Bar applicants the leeway to select their chosen testing centers once their applications have been approved by the Court en banc. “The Bar Chairperson also advises the applicants to choose the testing center closest to their residence. This will not only reduce their expenses, but will also free up the slots in vicinities closest to those with the least resources. In this pandemic, while we allow the applicants to make their own choices, we hope that they will do so with responsibility and compassion,” the Office of the 2020/2021 Bar Chairperson said in its Bar Bul-

letin No. 23, Series of 2021. The Court earlier allowed the regionalization of the next Bar examinations to reduce the examinees’ travel and accommodation expenses, as well as minimize their transit in compliance with existing health guidelines being implemented amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the approved testing centers in Metro Manila are Ateneo de Manila University Law School, Ateneo Professional Schools in Makati City (maximum 269 slots); Manila Adventist College in Pasay City (maximum 450 slots); University of Makati (maximum 1,000 slots); Far Eastern University (maximum 600 slots); University of Santo Tomas, España Boulevard, Sampaloc, Manila (maximum 500 slots). For the Cordillera Administrative Region, the Office of the Bar Chairperson designated St. Louis University School of Law in Baguio City with maximum 1,035 slots; for Region 1 or the Ilocos Region the testing center assigned is St. Louis College in

San Fernando City, La Union with maximum 1,280 slots; for Region 2 or Cagayan Valley the designated testing center were Cagayan State University College of Law in Carig Sur, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan with maximum 421 slots and St. Mary’s University College of Law, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya with maximum 259 slots. For Bar examinees in Region 4A (Calabarzon), the De La Salle University in Lipa City, Batangas with maximum 1,125 slots, while the testing center for those in Region 4B (Mimaropa) designated testing center is the City College of Calapan in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro with a maximum of 200 slots. The other testing centers are University of Nueva Caceres in Naga, Camarines Sur with maximum 1,000 slots (Region 5 or Bicol Region); Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo City, Iloilo with maximum 475 slots and the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental with a maximum of 1,340 slots (Region 6 or the Western Vi-

sayas); University of San Jose Recoletos in Basak, Pardo, Cebu City with a maximum of 600 slots, University of Cebu School of Law in Banilad, Cebu City with a maximum of 1,000 slots, University of San Carlos School of Law and Governance in Cebu City with a maximum 200 slots, Silliman University College of Law in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental with maximum of 1,000 slots all in Region 7 or Central Visayas. Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation in Tacloban City, Leyte with maximum of 400 slots for Region 8 (Eastern Visayas; Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur with maximum 365 slots, for those in Region 9 or the Zamboanga Peninsula; Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan College of Law in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental with maximum 240 slots and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte with maximum 250 slots for those in Region 10 (Northern Mindanao); Ateneo de Davao University

in Bangkal, Davao City with maximum 800 slots for those in Region 11 (Davao Region); and Mindanao State University in General Santos City with maximum 204 slots for those in Region 12 (Soccsksargen). The SC added that four other local testing centers in Metro Manila and in Central Luzon are still being considered. “Separate memoranda of agreement were executed between the Supreme Court and the local testing centers. All parties have guaranteed that the required health and safety protocols shall be strictly implemented and that the community quarantine classifications per area shall be respected,” the Bar bulletin stated. Under the current set-up, each bar applicant will have to select their local testing center through the Bar PLUS (Personal Login Unified System). “To make the Bar examinations more inclusive to all examinees, venue-matching will not be on a firstcome, first-served basis. Instead,

applicants from remote areas will be prioritized. Locations within the Philippines will be ranked from the least to the most remote, and the Bar PLUS will first process the choices of the applicants from the most remote locations,” it added. The SC launched last July 15, 2021 the Bar PLUS web site for the digital filing of applications to take the Bar examinations. In connection with this, the Court also announced that Bar applicants now have additional option to pay the Bar application fee online through Landbank Link.Biz portal and the Judiciary ePayment Solutions. Prior to this, applicants were directed to pay for their Bar application fee via over-the-counter cash deposit in Land Bank of the Philippines branches nationwide. Bar applicants will also soon have the option of using Visa and Mastercard debit cards and credit cards to pay the fee. The Judiciary ePayment Solutions was integrated into Bar PLUS last August 12, 2021.

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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Thursday, August 19, 2021 A9

Govt crafting standards for slaughtering rabbits By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

HE government is developing national standards for slaughtering rabbits as part of its efforts to boost the domestic production of rabbit meat, which it considers as an alternative to pork. The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) has started consultations on the draft Philippine National Standard (PNS) on rabbit slaughtering practices, which will be scrutinized by the public and private stakeholders. BAFS is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA) mandated to “formulate and enforce standards of quality in the processing, preservation, packaging, labeling, importation, exportation, distribution and advertising of agricultural and fisheries products.” “On August 10, 2021, a consultation on the initial draft PNS was aimed at gathering technical and commercial information on the slaughtering practices for rabbit,” BAFS said in a recent statement. “The consultation, conducted virtually, [had] 23 relevant stake-

holders from government agencies, academe, research institutions, and private sectors [as participants].” BAFS said a technical working group (TWG) has been created, composed of representatives from regulatory agencies, academe, research institutions, and a private sector organization to oversee the crafting of the PNS. The TWG will meet next month to deliberate on the comments and information gathered from the initial consultation to craft a working draft standard. “The working draft standard is expected to undergo another final stakeholder consultation and a series of TWG meetings before it is finalized and subsequently endorsed to the DA Secretary for approval by the 2nd quarter of 2022,” it said. BAFS said the crafting of the PNS on rabbit meat slaughtering stemmed from an agreement forged between the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the Association of Rabbit Meat Producers Inc. (ARaMP) last year. BAI and ARaMP noted that standards related to rabbit production must be developed to support the development of the industry.

PHOTO from www.usda.gov

“The objective is to promote rabbit meat as an alternative source of protein after the swine industry was devastated by the African swine fever

[ASF],” BAFS said. In a December 2020 meeting with BAI and ARaMP, BAFS said it was agreed that a PNS on the slaughter-

HE recent government approval for the commercial cultivation of Golden Rice (GR) is a most welcome, long-awaited development for the science community, according to National Scientist Emil Q. Javier and retired UPLB professor of plant breeding. GR is a new, unique variety of rice specially bred to contain beta carotene, the precursor of vitamin A, an essential nutrient which humans cannot synthesize on their own, and therefore cannot live without. This rice variety is first of its kind in the scientific world because the genes for beta carotene bred into it were obtained by genetic engineering from a genetically distant edible relative, yellow corn. “We had long been waiting for its regulatory clearance,” said Dr. Nina Gloriani, former dean of the College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, and past presi-

BUSINESSMIRROR FILE PHOTO

Scientists welcome approval for cultivation of Golden Rice

dent of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines. The permit to cultivate GR was finally granted by the Bureau of Plant Industry after the proponent, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), complied with the lengthy, rigorous food safety and environment regulatory requirements prescribed by the Joint Department Circular issued by Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government. “Lack of vitamin A predisposes people, especially children, to increased risk to respiratory diseases, diarrhea, measles, night blindness, and can lead to death. Vitamin A deficiency [VAD] continues to be a major nutrition and public health concern in low- and middle-income

countries, including the Philippines affecting some 190 million children under five years of age worldwide,” said Gloriani. Gloriani said the Philippines had been “remarkably successful” in combating VAD in recent years. Citing data from the DOST, she said VAD prevalence among children declined to 17 percent, from 40 percent, between 2003 and 2008. “However, among the poorest fifth of Filipino children, VAD prevalence remains unacceptably high at 26 percent. Moreover, these deficiency numbers have not changed between 2008 and 2018. And therefore, a lot remains yet to be done.” According to the 2019 EENS survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), only two out of 10 Filipino households meet the estimated average equivalent (EAR) for vitamin A. Partial relief could be provided by Golden Rice, the scientists said. “Laboratory and human feeding trials suggest that one cup of cooked GR can provide 30 percent to 42 percent of vitamin A EAR for pre-school children.” “Since the beta carotene is naturally embedded in the GR grain, the needed essential nutrient comes at no additional cost and effort to the consumer, a significant benefit to poor households.” Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr., chairman of the Agriculture Sciences Division of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and current president of the Coali-

tion for Agriculture Modernization of the Philippines, said the development of GR took over 20 years because the beta carotene genes from yellow corn had to be meticulously transferred into popular rice varieties acceptable to farmers. Otherwise, the farmers will not plant them. Scientists said the new GR varieties must have high yields, resistant to pests and diseases, suited to a wide range of growing conditions and with superior eating quality. The conversion of regular rice varieties into GR involved conventional plant breeding methods spanning over many crop generations and years. Unlike the regular white wellmilled rice, the grains of GR are translucent golden yellow in color. When cooked, GR looks very much like the saffron-colored rice in the Spanish paella, which dish many Filipino chefs have adopted as very much part of the country’s cuisine. Initially, according to rice specialist, Dr. Reynante Ordonio, PhilRice will promote cultivation of GR versions of two registered varieties—PSBRc 82 and NSICRc 283. As the GR beta carotene genes are regularly incorporated in national rice breeding programs, more GR inbreds and hybrids are expected to be released in the future not only in the Philippines but also in parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America where VAD is rife and where rice is the major staple.

Strict labeling rules seen stalling release of imported pork continued from a12

“Why should the weight be in kilograms? Why not accept pounds? And why [should] the label for the packing date or manufacturing date be in a day, year, month format in alphabets. Why [are] numbers not allowed?” he said. “There is no national legislation that the packing or manufacturing date should be in that format. What’s the big deal with that?” he added. Cham also reiterated their concerns with the mandatory shelf life or expiry date label, pointing out

that the system implemented by the competent authorities from the meatexporting countries do not require the inclusion of such information on their products. “And now they are requiring the FME to issue a certificate for deficiencies of label. They cannot say the FME has a deficiency because the Philippine government accepted the system being implemented by our trade partners,” he added. The BusinessMirror received information that the meat labeling

requirements of the government are among the reasons why frozen pork inventory, particularly imported ones, is continuously increasing and setting new record-levels. Of the 77,000-MT frozen pork inventory as of August 9, 75,000 MT were imported. The BusinessMirror first reported that at least 2.5 million kilograms of imported meat products are currently being held in cold storage facilities pending resolution of the labeling issue. (Related story: https://busi-

nessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/11/ meat-labeling-rules-seen-affecting-food-supply/) The BusinessMirror broke the story that strict enforcement of labeling requirements for meat products had gotten importers and traders worried that it may hinder the government’s program of flooding the market with cheaper imported pork. (Relatedstory:https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/04/tradersworry-over-label-rules-for-meatimports/) Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

OWWA chief: Mocha Uson had no role in ₧1.2-M deal continued from a12 In a related development, Cacdac said they were already assured by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) that additional funds will be given to OWWA to cover the quarantine and accommodation expenses for returning OFWs. Cacdac said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello wrote the DBM

to request for an additional P7.5 billion to augment their funds for the quarantine and accommodation expenses of the OFWs, which have grown given the extension of the quarantine period to 10 to 14 days from three days before. “Besides that, we have been also, jointly with DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs], shouldering some

of the repatriation flights to fly out our OFWs in various parts of the globe,” he said, partly in Filipino. If their funds will not be augmented, Cacdac said this will be depleted by third week of September. He said they got an “assurance from [DBM] OIC [Officer In Charge] Secretary Tina [Canda] that there will

ing practices should be developed first. BAFS included the PNS on rabbit slaughtering in its priority list for standardization this year.

be a response from DBM. Funds will come from the national government. As early as now, we are grateful. Of course, all this is subject to the approval of the President,” he said. He added they are expecting around 95 more OFWs to be repatriated from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in that country on Sunday (August 15).

Citing the United States Department of Agriculture, BAFS said rabbit meat is one of the healthiest meat products as it has low content of cholesterol, saturated fats, calories, sodium and can provide 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin B12. “Rabbit is considered as a domestic pet and eating them is still perceived as taboo in the Philippines. However, consumption of rabbit meat can be a healthier alternative to other types of meat, and rabbit production for meat consumption can be profitable, when managed properly.” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said rabbit meat could serve as an alternative to pork as the country grapples with high pork prices due to the devastation caused by ASF on hog farms. Dar noted that rabbit meat production has a shorter cycle than other livestock or poultry animals and could be cheaper than chicken meat. “We are supportive of the rabbit industry. We are serious [in this]. Poultry is the number one option but rabbit meat is part of our basket of options,” he said in an interview last year.

Group thumbs down ethanol producers’ bid to import molasses A

N industry group is opposing the proposal of the Ethanol Producers Association of the Philippines (EPAP) to import molasses as the country has sufficient supply of the feedstock. The United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed) on Wednesday reiterated its “strong opposition” to the importation of molasses during the Bioethanol Consultative Board (BCB) virtual meeting last Tuesday. “This move by EPAP was thumbed down by members of the BCB last month, yet they found ways to raise the issue up through the House Committee on Energy, chaired by Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo,” Unifed President Manuel Lamata said in a statement. Lamata welcomed the position of the BCB to stand pat on its decision to oppose the purchase of imported molasses. The BCB’s position will be adopted by the Sugar Regulatory Administration and will be submitted to the Department of Energy and to Arroyo, according to Unifed. Unifed said EPAP asked Arroyo’s help for the reconsideration of the National Biofuel Board “to allow the importation of molasses equivalent to the deficit in the supply volume of the locally-produced molasses.” However, Unifed maintained during the BCB meeting that the country has sufficient supply of molasses at more than 270,000 metric tons (MT), which can be purchased by ethanol producers. The group also said current sugar crop year 2020-2021 data showed that molasses supply reached 1.3 million metric tons (MMT) while demand was only at 1.098 MMT. “We are already reeling from the effects of Covid-19 and we need to embrace the thrust of the national government to buy local as our way to help boost the economy, and here is EPAP pushing for importation again,” Lamata said. “They [EPAP] should support the local industry. If storage is their problem, EPAP should invest in building large storage tanks where they can keep their local molasses during the milling season.” In their letter to Arroyo, EPAP said the country has a molasses deficit of about 440,000 MT to 673,000 MT per year, based on sugar crop year 2019-2020 data. Members of the BCB include representatives from six sugar federations, EPAP, the Philippine Sugar Millers Association, the Philippine Independent Millers Association, the Philippine Sugar Technologists Association and the Department of Agriculture. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

A10 Thursday, August 19, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

editorial

Why Afghanistan fell

T took the US 20 years to realize it, but President Joe Biden hit the nail on the head with this statement: “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.” There’s no better way to sell a humiliating end to America’s longest war. Biden said in an address to the nation on Monday: “We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong, incredibly well-equipped. We gave them every tool they could need. We paid their salaries, provided for the maintenance of their air force, something the Taliban doesn’t have.” The Taliban have 80,000 troops. And they surprised the world—and maybe themselves—when they managed to capture Kabul in just seven days. In March 2021, US intelligence briefings for Biden administration officials were reporte dly warning that the Taliban could take over most of the country in two to three years. Important background: Under the Reagan administration, US support for the Afghan mujahideen evolved into a centerpiece of US foreign policy, called the Reagan Doctrine, in which the US provided military and other support to anti-communist resistance movements in Afghanistan, Angola, and Nicaragua. With US backing, Afghan resistance fighters pushed the invading Soviet forces out of Afghanistan in 1989. Mullah Mohammad Omar, a mujahideen commander, founded the Taliban in 1994. When they captured Kabul in 1996, they imposed their interpretation of Islamic law on the country in their desire to remove any foreign influence. The Sunni Islamist organization put in place strict rules: Women had to wear head-to-toe coverings, weren’t allowed to study or work and were forbidden from traveling alone. The War on Terror, also known as the Global War on Terrorism, started when the US and close allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 after the September 11 attacks, which was orchestrated by Saudi Arabian exile and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden operated from inside of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and the US government demanded his extradition. When the Taliban refused US demands that they hand over bin Laden, US special operations forces, allied with Northern Alliance fighters, launched a series of military operations in Afghanistan that drove the Taliban from power by December 2001. The goal was to destroy al Qaeda and its Taliban hosts and to establish a democratic Afghan state. A republic was established in Afghanistan in 2004, but the new government struggled to secure centralized authority over the country against a powerful Taliban insurgency. The Taliban found sanctuary in neighboring Pakistan while they mounted an insurgent campaign to regain power in Afghanistan. In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed a deal that laid out a 14-month timetable for America to withdraw all of its forces from Afghanistan. In the interim, talks between the Taliban and Afghan government meant to end the war gained little traction. From the November 2013 Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan: “Afghan security forces are now successfully providing security for their own people, fighting their own battles,” and could hold the gains “made by a coalition of 50 nations with the best trained and equipped forces in the world.” By 2014, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) reportedly “led 99 percent of conventional operations and 99 percent of special operations” and remained “at just under the full authorized level of 352,000 personnel.” Three years later, there were reports that tens of thousands of “ghost” soldiers were being removed from the rolls—suggesting that there were never close to 330,000 troops available to fight the Taliban. There were appropriations for ANDSF, but year after year Afghan soldiers went months without pay. After being driven from power, the Taliban gradually rebuilt, financed by opium and illegal mining. Poppy production in Afghanistan continued to increase for most of the past decade, with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimating a 37 percent increase in acres under cultivation in 2020. Even without American military support, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces should have been in a position to defend major cities and critical military installations. But, as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, no amount of billions spent can convince someone to fight for their country. “You can’t buy willpower,” he said. Afghanistan’s fate unfortunately boils down to weak governance, as shown by political leaders who gave up and fled the country. The survival of Afghanistan should not have been solely dependent on the presence of American troops. The Afghans were given every chance to determine their own future.

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The great game Asia style John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

lthough different in magnitude by a factor of a million, what happened in Afghanistan has similarities to what happened prior to World War II.

On September 30, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned from meeting with Adolf Hitler. Chamberlain, from outside 10 Downing Street, said: “My good friends, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time. Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.” On July 8, 2021 from the White House, President Joe Biden answered questions regarding “Our military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31.” Q: Is a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable? A: No, it is not. The Afghan troops have 300,000 wellequipped—as well-equipped as any army in the world—and an air force against something like 75,000 Tal-

iban. It is not inevitable.” And “The only way there’s ultimately going to be peace and security in Afghanistan is that they [the Afghan government] work out a modus vivendi with the Taliban.” Both Chamberlain and Biden made the same error; they gave a clear game plan to an untrustworthy foe. For one year, Chamberlain travelled Europe calling for peace and for UK allies to increase their battle readiness. Hitler waited quietly and patiently—while building his war machine—for the UK and Europe to “Go home and get a nice quiet sleep”. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, starting WW II. Biden made two specific points. The US publicly stated that the Afghan military could fend off and

sustain an armed conflict against the Taliban. Further, and perhaps more importantly, that the freely (more or less) elected Afghan government had to work out an agreement with the Taliban. This gave the Taliban a precise route to victory. Almost psychically being able to read Biden’s July 8 remarks, the Taliban three days earlier (on July 5) said they could present a peace proposal to the Afghan government in August. Modus vivendi. Since May, the Taliban already had been on the military offense. Now the Taliban had to rapidly and decisively show that the Afghan military was not invincible and that a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was now possible and maybe inevitable. August 6: Zaranj in the south becomes the first provincial capital to fall. Many more follow in the ensuing days, including Kunduz in the north and Herat in the west where veteran Afghan commander Mohammad Ismail Khan is captured. August 13: Four more provincial capitals fall in one day, including Kandahar, the country’s second city and spiritual home of the Taliban. On August 15, Taliban fighters take the eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively sur-

rounding Kabul and begin to enter the capital as Afghan government forces dissolve around the country. The Taliban took the capital as the government collapsed. The Chinese Communist Party’s The Global Times newspaper August 16: “Afghanistan today, Taiwan tomorrow? US will abandon Taiwan in a crisis given its tarnished credibility: experts.” “If it can make such a huge miscalculation and suffer such a catastrophe in Afghanistan, then who is going to trust its judgment in East Asia or the South China Sea?” Within hours of the Taliban takeover, US Secretary of State Blinken was on the phone to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. SCMP.com: “He [Blinken] was told Beijing was willing, but Washington would need to step back the pressure on its greatest rival, according to China’s state media.” The US may now have some serious foreign policy credibility issues to overcome in Asia that would be better resolved with “speaking softly” rather than with a “big stick.” 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.

No shot, no proof, no service: NYC businesses begin checks

By Bobby Caina Calvan | Associated Press

EW YORK—People dining indoors at New York City’s restaurants, browsing its museums or sweating in its gyms had to show proof that they were at least partially inoculated against Covid-19 as the city on Tuesday began the nation’s largest effort yet to exclude the unvaccinated from public places. Signs on the front door and windows of The Stop Inn, a Queens diner, warned patrons arriving for breakfast that they had to show proof of at least one vaccine shot to be allowed to dine inside. Still, Norbu Lama, 17, said he was surprised when a server politely asked for his vaccination card soon after he slid into a booth with his parents and sister. “We didn’t know we had to bring it,” he said. The server appeared relieved when Lama and his family presented copies of their vaccination cards on their phone, Lama said. The vaccination mandate, announced two weeks ago by Mayor Bill de Blasio, aims to persuade more people to get vaccinated or else miss out on city amenities like restaurants and bars, movie theaters, bowling alleys, concert halls, indoor sports arenas, and other entertainment venues. Employees of those businesses also must be vaccinated, with holdouts facing the possibility of being fired if they refuse. The measures are also fraught

with complications, as restaurant servers, bartenders and ticket agents become the frontline enforcers for vaccination rules. Skittish about losing business, but mindful that another economic shutdown could be disastrous, some restaurant and bar owners are embracing the mandates as a way to control the virus and keep their doors open. Others—particularly in parts of the city where people have resisted getting the vaccine—worry it will be a fatal blow to businesses that were prevented for months last year from serving patrons indoors. “We do not want to go back to restrictions,” de Blasio said at a virtual news conference Tuesday. “The key to our progress is vaccination.” The city makes exceptions for children under 12, who now don’t qualify for the vaccine. It is also exempting certain workers, like players on visiting professional sports teams. Since early August, more than 300,000 additional people have gotten at least one shot of a vaccine, according to city data. At least 5.2 mil-

lion of the city’s 8.8 million residents have gotten at least one shot, with nearly 5 million fully vaccinated. The number of people getting shots has ticked upward again in the city as the more contagious Delta variant that has fueled a surge in infections and hospitalizations. New York City averaged 2,000 new cases of the coronavirus a day over the past seven days, up from around 200 a day in late June. Some cities and states, as well as the federal government, have moved more aggressively to get more people inoculated or have them face consequences such as regular testing or losing access to elements of public life. Since New York City made its announcement, San Francisco and New Orleans have followed suit with policies to exclude the unvaccinated from some businesses. Los Angeles is considering similar measures. All are led by Democratic mayors, underscoring the political divide over mandates on vaccines, masks and other measures. Nevada’s governor enacted a similar policy this week, and the Las Vegas Raiders responded by becoming the first NFL team to require proof of vaccination to attend games in 2021. The New Orleans program, which requires patrons of restaurants, gyms, bars and event venues to produce proof of vaccination or a recent negative test, took effect Monday, but

enforcement won’t begin until next week. New York City’s new rules went into effect Tuesday, but it won’t begin fining businesses that don’t comply until September 13. The Museum of Modern Art was not requiring visitors to show proof of vaccination Tuesday. A ticket agent said he didn’t know when the requirement would start. Avner Balkany, visiting from Israel, said he was unaware of the new rules but would have been prepared anyway, reaching for his wallet to show his vaccination card. “We have to persuade as many people as possible to get vaccinated,” he said. “I know this is problematic— people’s rights—but, still, this is an emergency, in an emergency, you have to take aggressive measures.” A $10 million media blitz was also launching Tuesday as part of the city’s visitor outreach. The mayor also announced that about 100 vaccination sites will pop up at such places as gyms and that the city would send out over 600 canvassers to help. Leon Ellis, the owner of Chocolate, a restaurant in Harlem, said the sacrifices are needed to keep the virus from wreaking more havoc on businesses. “This Covid is a big deal. So we need to do everything that we can to make sure that we get it in check,” he said. “Whatever the guidelines are, we will comply.”

Opinion BusinessMirror

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Biden poised to unleash boosters amid first-shot shortage abroad By Josh Wingrove and Antony Sguazzin Bloomberg Opinion

resident Joe Biden is set to unveil a plan to give more Americans coronavirus vaccine booster shots to head off the Delta variant, a move that is stoking criticism that the US is hoarding doses while poorer nations continue to languish under the pandemic. Under Biden’s plan, which he’s set to discuss in a speech Wednesday about the broader Covid-19 response, high-risk groups including healthcare workers and the elderly may be able to get a third dose of Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. vaccines as soon as September, or eight months after they received their second shot. The Food and Drug Administration already has signed off on boosters for those with weakened immune systems and would need to clear them for other groups. It isn’t clear how soon, or whether, boosters will be made available to all adults. Some doctors and observers have pointed to a lack of evidence that a third dose would create significantly more protection for people. That uncertainty, they argue, means that the doses would be better used in countries where vaccines are still scarce. “There is zero evidence that a booster dose is required to protect against severe disease in the foreseeable future,” said Shabir Madhi, a vaccinologist from Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand, who led trials of both AstraZeneca Plc and Novavax Inc.’s shots in South Africa. “It speaks to the moral fiber of high-income country governments to use precious doses of Covid vaccines to prevent the sniffles, whilst allowing those out of sight to continue dying from Covid due to hoarding and misuse of the limited supply of vaccines,” Madhi said. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday said it was a “false choice” to suggest that administering booster shots in the US was tantamount to denying doses abroad. “We can do both,” Psaki said. “We will continue to be the arsenal for vaccines around the world. We also have enough supply, and we have long planned for enough supply should our booster be needed for the eligible population.” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for a moratorium on Covid-19 booster shots through September to enable poorer countries to catch up on vaccination rates. A spokesperson for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which co-leads the Covax sharing program, said that rich countries giving boosters will only exacerbate inequities and called on countries to share all excess doses with Covax. Earlier this month, US regulators cleared third doses for people with severely compromised immune systems, a small group whose protection after two doses is weaker than it is for the general population. For those people, “there’s a clear case to be made for a third dose,” said Celine Gounder, a physician who served on a Covid advisory board during Biden’s presidential transition. Boosters may also help for those over 80 years old and nursing home residents, where outbreaks are particularly risky, she said. But for others, such as younger seniors and health-care workers, “there’s a much weaker case for that,” Gounder said. She said the US should focus on getting first shots administered, at home and abroad. “What will protect me best is actually not me, myself, getting that extra dose; it’s giving that extra dose, using that extra supply, elsewhere,” she said. “It’s not just humanitarian. This is not the best use of our resources from a pragmatic, cold perspective.” Some countries have begun issuing booster shots already, though that includes cases where mRNA vaccines—like Pfizer and Moderna’s—

Dorit Reiss, a professor who studies vaccine policy at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, said the optics of giving third doses in wealthy nations right now are “horrible.” are being used as boosters for other vaccines, as opposed to giving a third mRNA shot, which is what the US is proposing. Countries’ plans for boosters are evolving quickly, and some leaders, including Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, are expressing skepticism. “It’s natural for pharmaceutical companies to want to boost consumption of vaccines, and we need to acquire vaccines that are necessary, and define a policy that protects people, not a trade or commercial policy,” he said Tuesday. Others have focused on inequity. “We should give more people one dose, before giving people a third dose,” said Nicholas Crisp, the deputy director general in South Africa’s Department of Health, who is responsible for coordinating the country’s vaccine rollout. “We can’t tell another country what to do. The US has given us a pretty big donation. We would like to see more vaccines going to other African countries,” Crisp said. Nearly 170 million people in the US have been fully vaccinated, though only a fraction would become eligible in the next few months for a booster. It isn’t clear whether the 14 million people who got the single-dose J&J vaccine would also be eligible. “We should start with the most vulnerable groups and work our way down if the data supports that,” said Howard P. Forman, director of the Health Care management program in the Yale School of Public Health. Still, the prospect of extra shots for such a large cohort—as well as the potential authorization of shots for kids younger than 12—will claim US supply that may otherwise have been donated abroad. The US has donated more than 100 million doses so far and already pledged at least 500 million more. Even with boosters for all people aged 12 and up, the US would have a surplus of approximately 608 million doses in total in 2021, according to estimates from Airfinity, a science information and analytics company. Krishna Udayakumar, director of the Duke Global Health Innovation Center, said new data suggests that the efficacy of vaccines gets lower after six to nine months, an important signal for considering boosters. “It’s understandable that some countries are considering boosters, especially for high-risk populations,” he said. “It’s not politically feasible to ask countries not to follow the science and do what might be best for their own populations.” Dorit Reiss, a professor who studies vaccine policy at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, said the optics of giving third doses in wealthy nations right now are “horrible.” “I’m not sure we have good evidence that a booster for the people who are willing to take the shot would dramatically help us. Part of the problem right now is that there are people who are not taking the shot,” Reiss said. “It’s short-sighted to prioritize a third booster for the United States over waiting to get the world vaccinated.”

Thursday, August 19, 2021 A11

In Taliban’s 7-day march to power, a stunning string of wins By Matt Sedensky | AP National Writer

N just seven days, any lingering dreams of a free Afghanistan died. As last week dawned, many clung to hope that the Taliban could be held back, though key trade routes had been seized, border crossings overtaken and swaths of remote areas clutched. But then, in just a week, militants won city after city, toppled the government and grabbed the grand prize of Kabul. On its streets, ads with women in Western clothes were covered in white paint, while men in jeans and T-shirts rushed to change into traditional tunics. At the US embassy, staff raced to destroy documents as helicopters shuttled away diplomats. Fingers once splashed with purple ink—residue of voting, a badge of democracy—now clenched tickets seeking exit, and franticly punched ATMs to withdraw life savings. All in seven days. “The only thing people are thinking about is how to survive here or how to escape,” said Aisha Khurram, a 22-year-old headed to class Sunday at Kabul University before being turned back, unsure whether she would ever be able to return, or if females will once again be barred from school. “The only thing we have is our God.” Even for a country scarred by generations of warfare, it was an astonishing week.

Monday

The week dawns with news that insurgents claimed the northern cities of Aybak and Sar-e Pul. In some districts, pro-government forces surrender without a fight. In others, where firefights sprout, desperate residents are forced from their homes, trudging hundreds of kilometers on foot in exodus. “We walked with slippers, didn’t have the chance to wear our shoes,” says Bibi Ruqia, who left northern Takhar province for Kabul after a bomb hit her house. “We had to escape.” The fall of Aybak and Sar-e Pul pleases the Taliban fighters; afterward, they are seen on video relishing their victory outside one of the government buildings they now controlled. But Americans and the Afghan troops they spent years training had reasons to take heart: The cities were just the fourth and fifth provincial capitals to crumble. Twenty-nine more remained.

Tuesday

IN the sparkling Qatari capital of Doha, American envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrives with a warning to the Taliban: Any gains made by force would be met with international condemnation and assure their status as global pariahs. The effectiveness of the diplomacy is diminished, though, by Taliban forces’ push into the western city of Farah. They are seen in front of the provincial governor’s office. As the United States’ self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw its troops nears, the Taliban steadily gains ground while hundreds of

thousands are displaced. Kabul’s parks swell with the newly homeless, while the United Nations releases tallies of civilian deaths and injuries they know would only grow. “The real figures,” says UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, “will be much higher.”

Wednesday

Three more provincial capitals fall in Badakhshan, Baghlan and Farah, giving the Taliban control over two-thirds of the country. With those regions lost, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rushes to Balkh province, already surrounded by Taliban-controlled land, to secure help from warlords linked to allegations of atrocities and corruption. But he is desperate to push back the insurgents. At the White House, President Joe Biden signs off on a plan to mount a full-scale evacuation of Afghans seeking to flee their country after a new intelligence analysis makes clear the country’s government and military are unwilling or unable to mount any significant resistance. Afghan special forces, left to pick up much of the burden of defending multiple fronts, are stretched increasingly thin. As the Taliban’s drive widens, they emerge in more and parts of the country carrying M-16 rifles and driving Humvees and Ford pickup trucks, equipment paid for by American taxpayers.

Thursday

Any hope that the Taliban’s successes might be limited to Afghanistan’s more remote reaches vanish, as the country’s second- and thirdlargest cities are captured. With Kandahar and Herat, a dozen provincial capitals are now in the group’s grasp. And with security rapidly deteriorating, the US reverses course, announcing 3,000 troops will be sent to help evacuate the embassy. Zahra, a 26-year-old resident of Herat, is on her way to dinner with her mother and three sisters when she sees people running and heard gunshots blast. “The Taliban are here!” people scream. She spent most of her life in an Afghanistan where girls got an education and women dared to dream of careers and she had spent the past five years working with nonprofit organizations to press for gender equality. Now, her last name is shrouded to avoid making her a target, and she hunkers down indoors with her family. “How can it be possible for me as a woman who has worked so hard and tried to learn and advance, to

now have to hide myself and stay at home?” she asks. Taliban fighters finally break through at Herat after two weeks of attacks. As they move in, witnesses tell of Taliban members once detained in the city’s prison are spotted moving freely in its streets.

Friday

AS the Taliban push ever further into the country they once again seek to rule, reports of revenge killings trickle out: A comedian. A government media chief. Others. Signs of a new day in Afghanistan proliferate. In Herat, two alleged looters are paraded through the streets with black makeup smeared on their faces, reminders of the unsparing version of Islamic law the Taliban has imposed. In Kandahar, militants commandeer a radio station that had beamed Pashto and Indian songs into residents’ homes, music banned by the Taliban. The tunes stop, abruptly. And the station is renamed Voice of Sharia. Militants complete their sweep of the country’s south, taking four more provincial capitals. Among them is Helmand province, where American, British and other allied Nato forces fought some of their bloodiest battles. Hundreds of Western troops died there during the war. Now, many of their families ask why.

Saturday

Ghani delivers a televised speech in which he vows not to give up achievements of the 20 years since the Taliban were toppled. But the group pushes forward, notching more victories. Along the Pakistani border, the provinces of Paktika and Kunar fall. In the north, Faryab province is taken. And in the country’s center, Daykundi is captured. Biggest of all, Mazar-e-Sharif—the country’s fourth-largest city, a heavily defended swath that government forces had pledged to defend—is now under Taliban control. The unfolding disaster prompts a statement from President Joe Biden, standing firm in his decision to finish the withdrawal of US forces that began under Donald Trump. “I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan—two Republicans, two Democrats,” he said. “I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.” In Kabul, long lines form outside the international airport. Afghans seeking to flee push carts loaded with carpets, televisions and mementos as they waited hours to enter the terminal. On normal days, Afghans in business suits and traditional dress mingle beside tattooed military contractors in wraparound sunglasses and aid workers from across the globe. Now, the panicked masses fill the airport, scrambling to leave. Farid Ahmad Younusi abandoned his Kandahar contracting firm for

a chance to escape. Everything he built, he says, now appeared to be lost, and militants were searching for him. “Taliban have everything that I worked for over the past 20 years,” he says. In sight of the airport, the mountains ringing the capital rise in the distance as the walls seem to close in. As Saturday wears on, news arrives of new Taliban wins. Just south of the capital, Logar province falls. To the north, insurgents take Mihterlam, reportedly without a fight. Members of the Taliban are reported in the Char Asyab district, just 11 kilometers (7 miles) from Kabul. The city’s fate seems all but sealed.

Sunday

The Taliban seize Jalalabad, the last major city besides the capital, and a string of victories follows. The capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces, as well as the country’s last government-held border post falls to militants, and Afghan forces at Bagram Air Base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrender. Insurgents had no air force and just days earlier had no major city. They were far outnumbered by Afghan troops, who were trained by the American military, the most well-funded and strongest on the planet. And yet, the impossible is now true: The capital of Kabul and its 5 million residents is theirs. Helicopters whirr. Smoke rises. The American flag is lowered at the embassy. Ghani, who hours earlier urged his people not to give up, has now fled himself, his abandoned palace occupied by heavily armed fighters, his name cursed by his own countrymen. “They tied our hands from behind and sold the country,” says Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. In the US, Biden’s CIA director cuts short a foreign trip to return to Washington. Others in the administration reject comparisons to the fall of Saigon even as many find the resemblance impossible to ignore. With preparations underway to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that drove the US to war, the top American general warns of a rise in terrorist threats to come. Whiplash over the sheer speed of Afghanistan’s fall jars those in seats of power. “You want to believe that trillions of dollars and 20 years of investment adds up to something,” says Sen. Chris Murphy, a Biden ally and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Night falls with Taliban fighters deployed across the capital. Abandoned police posts are claimed. And on nearly empty streets, men carry the black-and-white flag of the Taliban. Their victory is complete. Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Matthew Lee and Nomaan Merchant in Washington and Rahim Faiez in Istanbul contributed to this report.

California fires threaten towns as winds loom to fan blazes By David R. Baker, Brian K. Sullivan & Mark Chediak

Bloomberg Opinion

ildfires in droughtstricken California threatened towns, severely injured two people and forced the evacuation of more than 21,000 residents on Tuesday, with the state bracing for an early-season windstorm that could send flames raging out of control. The fast-moving Caldor Fire, which swelled to 6,500 acres (2,600 hectares) Tuesday in the hills east of Sacramento, was blazing with zero containment and injured two people who had to be air-lifted to medical facilities, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. The department didn’t describe the nature of their injuries.

California is struggling through one of its worst fire seasons on record, and conditions could deteriorate further in coming days. Strong, dry winds were expected to hit the northern half of the state late Tuesday, prompting utility PG&E Corp. to start cutting power to about 51,000 homes and businesses to prevent its electrical lines from sparking more blazes. The company said it would continue blacking out customers in small parts of 18 counties throughout Tuesday evening. “Everything is just ready to burn,” said Emily Heller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Low humidity and winds gusting as high as 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour will create dangerous conditions through late Wednesday, she said. Such windstorms more typically arrive in September and October, not August. “We have a trough passing to

the northeast and when that happens we get northerly winds, which tend to dry out portions of our area even more,” Heller said. On Monday, California broke a milestone of 1 million acres burned; the earliest it has reached that mark in history. Crews are battling 11 large blazes, including the Dixie Fire, the state’s second largest in history. It had grown to 626,751 acres as of late Tuesday on its way to destroying at least 1,208 structures, according to Cal Fire. Across the Golden State, 6,540 fires this year have torched at least 1,857 structures. No deaths were reported through Monday. Temperatures will linger in the 90s Fahrenheit through the rest of the week in the Sacramento area, Heller said. In addition to dangerous conditions in California, red-flag fire warnings are also posted across parts of Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska and the Dako-

tas. Air quality alerts due to smoke pollution have spread across the West including through California’s Central Valley and covering almost all of Idaho and Montana. The Caldor fire, which started Saturday, was threatening the towns of Grizzly Flats and Pollock Pines. It’s a “rapidly developing incident because of the shifting winds, dry fuel and humidity levels around 10 percent,” said Chris Vestal, a spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. As drastic as California’s fire season has been so far, it is still weeks away from its peak, when the Santa Ana and Diablo winds start to blow from the east. As the weather patterns of summer give way to fall, large high-pressure systems typically build over the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah, sending winds rushing from the east to low-pressure systems that often develop off the Pacific coast.

A12 Thursday, August 19, 2021

STRICT LABELING RULES SEEN STALLING RELEASE OF IMPORTED PORK

EAT importers and traders warned of further delays in the release of imported pork in the market as the government imposed more stringent labeling procedures before the meat products hit the market. The cautionary tone by the Meat Importers and Traders Association (MITA) comes after the country’s frozen pork inventory reached a new recordlevel of 77,000 metric tons (MT), with some of the imported pork barred from being released pending rectification of meat labels. MITA President Jesus C. Cham said the latest National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) circular that added more bureaucratic layers to modification of deficient meat labels would certainly cause additional delays in the sale of imported pork in the market. NMIS OIC-Executive Director Jocelyn A. Salvador issued MC 08-2021-024 that outlined the supplemental guidelines for the modification of non-compliant labels of imported meat. Per the MC, importers of meat shipments held in abeyance by the government due to non-compliant meat labels must follow a six-step procedure that includes submitting a formal letter to concerned NMIS departments. The letter of request to modify the meat labels must include a draft of the modified label and

a letter or certification from the foreign meat establishment (FME)—the exporter of the meat products—indicating the missing label information such as, but not limited to, expiry dates. The importers’ letter will be reviewed by the NMIS Meat Import Export Section (MIES) before being recommended to the Regional Technical Director (RTD) for approval. Once the request for modification is approved, the importer and NMIS will “mutually” agree on a date for the modification of the label that must be witnessed by a NMIS Plant Officer (PO). “It just adds more layers of bureaucracy. And it is jeopardizing the country’s food security,” Cham told the BusinessMirror. “All these uncertainties will add up to further delays in our meat supply especially we still have shipments arriving that will be affected by this,” Cham added. Cham said the industry’s suggestions was just to allow meat importers to apply the modified label containing the pertinent information being required by the NMIS. Cham elaborated that the importers and traders have concerns with the details and formats being required by the NMIS for the meat labels such as the use of metric system for the weight of the goods and use of words for the production date. Continued on A9

ECQ likely dented rebound of manufacturing–expert

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad @Tyronepiad

HE implementation of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) may have tempered some of the gains by the manufacturing sector, which has been showing signs of recovery recently. Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes, Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) associate director, said in a webinar on Wednesday that imposing the strictest form of community quarantine in the National Capital Region (NCR) hurt the industry as it is a major manufacturing hub, along with Calabarzon area. “The strength of the recovery of manufacturing production will most likely be curtailed in August because of the heightened quarantine restrictions imposed on major manufacturing centers of the country such as the NCR and Calabarzon,” Peña-Reyes explained. “When these areas got locked down, it affected our entire country’s performance. It is easily threefifths of the economic activity concentrated here,” he added. NCR is under ECQ from August 6 to 20 amid the threats of the Covid-19 Delta variant. While the mobility restrictions have thrown a wrench to the man-

ufacturing operations, the ACERD economist said the sector is already showing signs of recovery. Peña-Reyes stressed, however, that a return to pre-pandemic level may take some time. “We cannot reasonably expect...things to go around in just one year. It will take quite a while, maybe two or three years,” he said. For example, he cited the improved value and volume of production on certain items in June. These include food products; coke and refined petroleum products; basic metals; and electrical equipment. The ACERD official tagged these as the “most promising manufacturing industries” given the demand. The capacity utilization rate for manufacturing also showed a Ushaped recovery, he added. “The gradual reopening of the economy that came with less restrictive quarantine restrictions has revitalized demand and motivated greater production,” he

explained. “Many producers are priming themselves to quickly respond to stronger future demand (forward-looking expectation) by building up their inventories.” Meanwhile, Peña-Reyes noted that the producer price index for manufacturing is still below the pre-pandemic level. “There’s perhaps less pressure on the demand side, which presumably would also spillover to the supply side,” he said. He added that the manufacturing sector can aid in the recovery of agriculture and services sectors if the pandemic response improves the Covid-19 situation in the coming months. Based on the latest quarantine guidelines, manufacturers of medicines and vitamins, medical supplies, devices and equipment, including suppliers of input, packaging and distribution are allowed 100-percent capacity during ECQ. Manufacturing related to food, beverage and other essential goods; and products for construction and maintenance works are also allowed to fully operate during ECQ. Howe ver, t he gover n ment banned other manufacturing activities during ECQ. These include electrical machinery, wood products and furniture, non-metallic products, textiles and wearing apparels, paper and paper products, rubber and plastic products, coke and refined petroleum products, other non-metallic mineral prod-

ucts, computer, electronic and optical products, electrical equipment, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers and other transport equipment.

‘Buy local’

TO boost the manufacturing sector, ACERD Director Cielito F. Habito encouraged the consumers to buy local products instead of imported items. “Patronize products of your small community enterprises,” Habito said in the same webinar. He said that spending on domestic products will have a multiplier effect for the local industry, thus benefitting the economy. On the other hand, the ACERD director called on the government to assist small businesses so they can retain their current workforce despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic. He cited government subsidies for costs related to safety protocol measures, Covid-19 tests for employees and vaccines. In addition, Habito asked to ease red tape and documentary requirements; and provide tax relief for the struggling businesses. The Department of Trade and Industry recently reported that the number of micro, small and medium enterprises that shutdown increased to 16 percent during ECQ from 8-10 percent. The department said the closures were due to depleted cash flows amid the restrictions.

Senators grill DOH, DBM on HCW pay, ₧42-B fund transfer By Butch Fernandez

@butchfBM

ENATORS on Wednesday sought explanations from health officials on the delays in the grant of hazard pay and special risk allowances to health workers as mandated by the Bayanihan Law governing the pandemic response. Blue Ribbon chairman Sen. Richard Gordon, grilling health officials led by Secretary Francisco Duque III, ferreted out the fact that part of the delay by DOH was also the result of the fact that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released the bulk of the funds for such to the DOH on June 25, five days before the expiration of Bayanihan to Heal As One law, or Bayanihan 1. Nonetheless, Senators took the DOH to task for P975-million in unobligated funds, with Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon expressing dismay over this. Addressing the first Blue Ribbon hearing on the Commission on Audit (COA) report of the DOH Covid-19 funds, Drilon said he found it “alarming that out of the P77-billion COVID-19 budget of the DOH, the COA has found deficiencies on the management of P67 billion.”

Transfer to DBM

HE added that the “transfer of P42 billion to the Procurement Service of the DBM (PS-DBM) without documentation is the most alarming item,” a matter that Sen. Imee Marcos also weighed in on later in the hearing. The senator noted that “it comprises the biggest chunk of the mismanaged P67 billion DOH Covid-19

funds,” recalling that “the COA said the P42- billion fund transfers were not supported with complete documentary requirements contrary to law and regulations, and casted doubts on the validity, regularity and propriety of transactions.” Moreover, Drilon indicated probers are keen to know “who ordered the DOH to pass on the P42 billion to PS-DBM? Why are there no MOAs?” Marcos, and later Sen. Risa Hontiveros, recalled that several local manufacturers that invested in retrofitting their factories—at government’s prodding—in order to produce quality, affordable PPEs that were then badly needed and in short supply around the world at the start of the pandemic, had complained how they were shut out of biddings done by the PS-DBM in behalf of DOH. The Budget undersecretary who headed the PS-DBM, Christopher Lao, had resigned in June, and Gordon asked the DBM OIC-Secretary Tina Rose Marie Canda, to help the Blue Ribbon reach out to Lao, whom he planned to invite for the committee’s next hearing on August 25. For her part, Senator Grace Poe wanted to know why Health Secretary Francisco Duque has not yet been suspended “for alleged acts bordering on negligence.” In her opening remarks, Poe asserted that Duque should have been suspended after the Commission on Audit’s (COA) recent report on the DOH’s “long list of deficiencies.” “Shouldn’t Sec. Duque be suspended by now if you are going to apply the same judgment as what happened to the PhilHealth executives?” Poe asked. Continued on A8

COLORFUL vegetables are on display at Las Piñas Market. With reports that vegetable prices have gone up, the Department of Agriculture called for the unhampered transport of farm and fishery products to the Metropolis and other areas to avoid pushing up food prices anew. NONIE REYES

OWWA chief: Mocha Uson had no role in ₧1.2-M deal By Bernadette D. Nicolas

@BNicolasBM

HE head of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is awaiting the explanation of its ranking agency official on the P1.2-million purchase of various items for pandemic operations but clarified that controversial OWWA executive Mocha Uson is not in any way involved in the transaction. In a statement on Wednesday, OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac said the funds used for the

purchase of P1.2 million worth of hygiene kits, food, and other supplies last year were not sourced from the OWWA Trust Fund, but the General Appropriations Act or the national budget. “The COA finding is not yet final. Deputy Administrator Faustino Sabarez III, who headed our ground operations at the height of Enhanced Community Quarantine or ECQ in March-June 2020, is given a chance to explain his side and liquidate his cash advance,” Cacdac said. In its 2020 audit report, COA questioned OWWA’s purchase of

hygiene kits, sanitary napkins, and thermal scanners amounting to P969,920 from MRCJP Construction and Trading, which cannot be found in the address stated in the Collection Receipt provided. Apart from this, bottled water and snack items worth P300,000 were also purchased from a caterer from Quezon City’s Barangay Old Balara even if there are several supermarkets in Pasay. Nonetheless, Cacdac said they are currently undergoing the COA process of explaining the questioned operational expenditure.

He also stressed that the agency received an unqualified opinion or the highest standard from COA for its P8.9 billion expenditures under last year’s national budget. “Per COA Unqualified Opinion, our people fulfilled their fiscal responsibilities 99.9 percent of the time in FY 2020, and so I am confident that we shall further abide by this auditing process,” he said. “Lastly, I wish to emphasize that Deputy Administrator Mocha Uson is not, in any way, involved in this isolated transaction,” he added. Continued on A9

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Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Tougher Covid curbs to cut car sales in August–Campi

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

@TyronePiad

fter posting a 4.7-percent sales growth last July, the automobile industry expects sales to decline this month due to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila. Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) President Rommel Gutierrez said in a statement on Wednesday that the “the industry welcomed the year-on-year growth of 4.7 percent but anticipates a decline in sales this month with the reimposition of ECQ in NCR [National Capital Region], among other high-risk areas.”

NCR is under ECQ from August 6 to 20 amid the Covid-19 Delta variant threat. ING Bank Manila said the ECQ will dent car sales, forecasting a 2.5-percent year-on-year contraction in the third quarter. This is a significant reversal from the 205-percent uptick in the second quarter. “ECQ season 3 running through

August will likely force vehicle sales to retreat once more on the back of heightened restrictions as well as the likely deterioration in incomes as sentiment sours further,” it said in a commentary. “The absence of car sales from the country GDP accounting will translate to a softer GDP print emanating from the capital formation account which will likely accompany fading government spending and lackluster consumption.” In July, car sales grew by 4.7 percent to 21,498 units from 20,542 units in the same month last year, according to a joint report by Campi and Truck Manufacturers Association. The commercial vehicle (CV) segment accounted for the bulk of the sales during the period with 14,396 units, which is nearly flat from last year’s 14,385 units. Passenger car (PC) sales, mean-

while, rose by 15.3 percent to 7,102 units in July from last year’s 6,157 units. In January to July, industry sales were up 46.1 percent to 154,265 units from 105,583 units a year ago. CV sales rose by 38.7 percent to 104,757 units from last year’s 75,514 units. Sales for the PC segment jumped 64.6 percent to 49,508 units in the January-to-July period from last year’s 30,069 units. In the seven-month period, Japanese brand Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. continued to dominate the market with 48.31-percent share. It sold 74,521 units, or 67.5 percent more than the 44,481 units recorded in the same period last year. Other top sellers were Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. and Suzuki Phils. Inc. with 22,504 units and 11,635 units, respectively.

AllDay seeks nod for ₧6-B IPO By VG Cabuag @villygc

he Villar Group’s AllDay Marts Inc. has filed its registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its P6-billion initial public offering (IPO). The company said it will sell some 6.85 billion unissued shares to be offered by way of primary sale, while the over-allotment option shares will comprise up to 685.71 million issued shares in secondary offering. The shares will be sold at an indicative price of P0.80 apiece. The company engaged PNB Capital and Investment Corp. as the sole issue manager for the offer. BDO Capital and Investment Corp. and China Bank Capital Corp., along with PNB Capital, will serve as joint lead underwriters and joint bookrunners. “We intend to use the net proceeds from the primary shares for

debt repayment and capital expenditures and initial working capital for store network expansion,” the company said. The company said it intends to pay off its high-cost debt amounting to P4.1 billion which was used primarily to fund its past and ongoing store network expansion. “We believe that pursuing this strategy will increase the overall shareholder value of the company as this will decrease our financing cost by as much as P264.4 million per annum. Any balance of the net proceeds will allow us to partly fund our store network expansion. We believe, however, that we will still be able to access debt funding from our various relationship banks as the need arises in the medium-term.” The company said it will pay off its loans from several banks that carry interest rates of between 5 percent to 8.08 percent. These loans were obtained to fund the capital expen-

ICTSI unit in Argentina to launch new feeder service By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

nternational Container Terminal Services Inc.’s (ICTSI) subsidiary in Argentina is teaming up with a port administrative entity to introduce a new feeder service to connect the Port of Santa Fe to Brazil and Asia. Through its partnership with the Sta. Fe Port Administrative Entity, TecPlata—the Argentine subsidiary of ICTSI—will be able to establish the twiceper-month feeder service that uses 500 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) barges. Newport Management operates the barges. “We are very eager for this project to begin. The opportunity to reactivate the Port of Santa Fe, and that we are part of it, is very important because we are going to start this new logistics circuit that will connect the export cargo of the province with Brazil through a transfer in TecPlata,” TecPlata CEO Bruno Porchietto said. With this service, he said export cargo from the Container and General Cargo Terminal at the Port of Santa Fe will be transported by barge to TecPlata from where it will connect to log-in existing regional shipping network to Brazil. Cargo destined for Asia will then be transshipped from the Port of Santos in São Paulo through the service operated by Evergreen. The partnership is expected to benefit stakeholders and operators through reduced exporting costs, efficiencies, and favorable tariffs of TecPlata. TecPlata has a 30-year concession in Buenos Aires. It has invested roughly $450 million to build a modern terminal that has an initial capacity of 450,000 TEUs and has options for expansion of up to 1 million TEUs.

ditures and initial working capital of its 33 existing stores These banks are Union Bank of the Philippines, which accounts for P1.67 billion; Philippine Business Bank, P900.4 million; Maybank Philippines Inc., P149.9 million; Security Bank Corp., P200 million; RCBC Capital Corp., P600 million; Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, P380 million; and Cathay United Bank Co. Ltd., P200 million. The remaining proceeds of about 22 percent of the primary shares, will be used to fund the capital expenditures and as initial working capital for its store network expansion plan. “As part of our store network expansion, we plan to have up to a total of 45 stores by 2022 and 100 stores by the end of 2026. The viability of a potential location for a new store is based on a number of factors, including the demographics of the area, the size of the popu-

lation, its income levels, local government and local infrastructure and support, and, in particular, proximity to residential developments,” the company said. The new stores planned up to the end of 2022 will be funded mostly from the net proceeds from the sale of primary shares. Out of the P1.19 billion of the net proceeds intended for store network expansion, some P710.9 million will be allotted for capital expenditures while P479.8 million will be set aside as initial working capital. “As all of our stores are leased, we will not incur any expenses for construction. We do not have plans to acquire land,” the company said. AllDay said it recorded a profit of P179.6 million in the first semester, 59 percent higher than the previous year’s P114 million. Sales for the period rose 19 percent to P4.49 billion from last year’s P3.75 billion, the company said.

Jollibee to open first store in Spain–exec

ocal fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. on Wednesday said it will soon open its flagship store in Spain, choosing Madrid—the country’s capital and most populous city—as its first location. The store will open later this year as part of its 50-store expansion plan across Europe. “Opening Jollibee stores in Spain is a milestone that forms part of our vision of becoming among the top five restaurant companies in the world and part of our commitment to grow in Europe. The fried chicken segment is underrepresented in Spain’s restaurant segment compared to other markets, so we are very excited to introduce the Chickenjoy we are known and loved for around the world to the people of Spain,” Ernesto Tanmantiong, the company’s president and CEO, said. “Entering Spain is a key part of our accelerated expansion plan in Europe. The way that local mainstream consumers patronize Jollibee in the UK [United Kingdom] and in other parts of the world such as the US [United States], UAE [United Arab Emirates], Singapore, Vietnam, and Hong Kong shows the universal appeal of Chickenjoy and our other bestsellers, and we are excited to replicate this success in Spain as well,” Dennis Flores, president of Jollibee Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia. The company said it intends to continue its success in expanding its customer base beyond Filipinos in Spain just as it did in the UK, in which 75 percent of its customers in its latest stores are now the mainstream British. Jollibee’s first restaurant in Spain will feature its bestsellers such as its fried chick-

Photo from www.jollibeeusa.com

en, sweet spaghetti and the chicken burger. “Our future customers in Spain are looking to return to their normal social lives. And restaurants play a key role in that. As we grow, we are simultaneously investing in technology while ensuring we never lose the friendly customer service that Jollibee is known for. Ultimately, we are committed to create a great place for our customers to spend time with friends and family,” said Adam Parkinson, business head for Jollibee Europe. With changing customer habits brought about by the pandemic, Jollibee said it will implement several changes at its Madrid restaurant, including the designation of outdoor seating areas, external pick-up areas for take-away food, and setting up digital kiosks for easier transactions and hand-wash stations. The store will also have spaces where customers can gather, creating a community feel that is “warm and welcoming for all who walk through the door.” VG Cabuag

DMCI Mining: H1 nickel shipments hit all-time high D

MCI Mining said its nickel ore shipments in January to June reached an all-time high, rising by 45 percent to 1.24 million wet metric tons (WMT), from last year’s 853,000 WMT. Of the total shipments, 718,000 WMT came from Berong Nickel Corp. while Zambales Diversified Metals Corp. contributed 522,000 WMT. “This is the first time that both our mining assets are operating at full capacity. We expect shipments to remain strong in the second half since we were able to extend Berong’s mine life from June until third quarter this year,” DMCI Mining President Tulsi Das C. Reyes. Average nickel grade of the shipped nickel dropped to 1.37 percent from 1.39 percent while average selling price per metric ton rallied 57 percent to $44 from $28 owing to China’s surging stainless steel production, strong demand for electric vehicles and the continuing Indonesian nickel ore export ban. “The uptrend in nickel prices is likely to continue in the coming months because of production-consumption gaps. Major nickel producers are seeing lower output because of Covid-19 lockdowns and various operating is-

sues but industrial manufacturing is still ramping up,” Reyes said. Nickel is mainly used in stainless steelmaking, but is also a vital ingredient for the lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles (EV). The International Energy Agency estimates that global EVs will grow 14 times to 145 million by 2030. DMCI Mining revenues in the first half grew 123 percent to P2.7 billion from last year’s P1.2 billion. Including a nonrecurring income of P247 million mainly due to deferred tax liability remeasurement and 2020 income tax adjustment under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act, its standalone net income soared 409 percent to P1.2 billion from P241 million. Its parent company, DMCI Holdings Inc., earlier reported that its net income jumped almost five times to P9.5 billion in the first semester, from the P2 billion it reported last year. DMCI Mining accounted for P818 million, a 345-percent improvement from P184 million on the back of higher production, average grade and shipment amid a booming nickel market. VG Cabuag

URC starts vaccinating workers

Universal Robina Corp. Sugar and Renewables work force in La Carlota Sugar Mill and Distillery after getting vaccinated. Contributed Photo

niversal Robina Cor p. (URC) has begun vaccinating its workforce, as it pursues its role in keeping the Philippines’s food supply chain robust amid a still lingering Covid-19 pandemic. URC, one of the Philippines’s largest food and beverage firms, is aiming to have 70 percent of its more than 33,000 workers fully inoculated by the end of 2021. Some 88 percent to 90 percent of the workforce at URC Sugar and Renewables’ mills and distillery at its sugar mill SONEDCO and La Carlota Sugar Mill and Distillery in Kabankalan City and La Carlota City, Negros Occidental were inoculated through COVID Protect, the Gokongwei Group’s vaccination program last July 30 and 31 and August 1 and 2, in time for the new milling season this month. In attendance during the vaccination at La Carlota Sugar Mill and Distillery were La Carlota City Mayor Rex Jalandoon, Roberto S. Benedicto (RSB) Barangay Chairman Elmar Aries, RSB Barangay Council members and health workers, and representatives of the Public Information Office (PIO) in La Carlota City. The vaccination rollout at SONEDCO was attended by Kabankalan City Mayor Pedro Zayco, Camugao Barangay Captain Josephine Talatala, Head of City Health Dr. Abet Junto and Disaster Risk Reduction Management Head Judson Cabalatungan. SONEDCO and La Carlota have a combined milling capacity 26,000 tons of sugarcanes per day that URC uses for its juices, biscuits, candies and other sweetened products. Robinsons supermarkets sells its repacked raw and refined sugar under the Presyong Risonable Dapat. It also supplies sugar to major food and beverage brands and other industrial users. URC La Carlota has an integrated sugar mill and bio-ethanol distillery complex that produces bio-ethanol fuel products from sugarcane. URC recently diversified into pharmaceutical-grade rubbing alcohol to

support the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. URC said its vaccine rollout will soon span its other workforce in Metro Manila and across the Philippines throughout its network of factories, mills, distilleries, and distribution and logistics hubs. Most of the company’s work force are considered as “essential workers” for their role in ensuring food security for a population still coping with various quarantine restrictions to keep the coronavirus in check. “URC, along with its offices outside the Philippines, strongly support the fight against the pandemic,” said Irwin Lee, president & CEO of URC. “This effort is in line with our parent company’s [JG Summit Holdings Inc.] thrust to help the government with its vaccine rollout, as well as to aid the country in achieving herd immunity.” URC workers were among the Gokongwei Group employees belonging to priority categories, who were able to avail of the LGU-initiated vaccination rollouts happening in Robinsons Malls across the country. In an earlier statement, JG Summit Holdings Inc. President and CEO Lance Gokongwei said that the safety of their people translates to the safety of the general public. “We believe that our people are our most valuable asset, as they are the lifeblood of our organization, and we recognize that health and safety is a primary concern.” Through budget carrier Cebu Pacific, the conglomerate has helped transport some 16.5 million vaccine doses from China to Manila. The airline has also ferried more than 5.5 million jabs across the country. Thirty Robinsons Malls, meanwhile, have teamed up with local government units to provide safe and comfortable vaccination sites. “We highly anticipate and very much look forward to the arrival of our vaccines as this will provide us with an added layer of protection against the virus that is so vital for our economic recovery,” said Gokongwei.

Companies BusinessMirror

Thursday, August 19, 2021

PSE STOCK QUOTATIONS

August 18, 2021

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

ASIA UNITED BDO UNIBANK BANK PH ISLANDS CHINABANK EAST WEST BANK METROBANK PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK COL FINANCIAL FIRST ABACUS FERRONOUX HLDG MEDCO HLDG NTL REINSURANCE PHIL STOCK EXCH VANTAGE

43.8 111.9 83.75 24.25 9.38 46.2 10.5 20.6 55.15 19.4 113.4 76 4.29 0.6 2.94 0.345 0.64 209 0.87

44 112.8 84 24.75 9.39 46.25 10.6 20.65 56.05 19.7 113.5 76.5 4.3 0.64 3.08 0.36 0.65 218 0.88

43.7 111.1 83.2 24.75 9.36 45.15 10.2 20.6 55.2 19.32 113.5 76.65 4.29 0.6 2.92 0.345 0.65 208.4 0.88

44 112.8 84.45 24.75 9.41 46.2 10.6 20.75 56 19.32 114.9 76.65 4.31 0.6 2.94 0.36 0.65 218 0.9

43.7 111 83.2 24.25 9.36 45.15 9.76 20.35 55.15 19.32 113.1 75.55 4.29 0.6 2.85 0.345 0.64 208.4 0.88

43.75 112.8 84 24.25 9.38 46.2 10.6 20.65 56 19.32 113.5 76.5 4.3 0.6 2.94 0.36 0.64 218 0.88

3,300 144,965 2,387,290 267,589,188 6,581,910 552,653,495.50 1,600 39,445 38,400 360,873 1,574,700 72,330,200 11,900 122,284 115,500 2,383,485 7,940 442,410.50 500 9,660 195,470 22,200,919 12,490 949,828 37,000 158,930 1,000 600 117,000 341,350 220,000 76,350 50,000 32,200 70 14,804 14,000 12,520

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 VIVANT AGRINURTURE AXELUM BOGO MEDELLIN CENTURY FOOD DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EMPERADOR SMC FOODANDBEV ALLIANCE SELECT FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR MAXS GROUP MG HLDG MONDE NISSIN SHAKEYS PIZZA ROXAS AND CO RFM CORP SWIFT FOODS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VICTORIAS CEMEX HLDG EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP HOLCIM MEGAWIDE PHINMA VULCAN INDL CROWN ASIA EUROMED LMG CORP MABUHAY VINYL PRYCE CORP CONCEPCION GREENERGY INTEGRATED MICR IONICS PANASONIC SFA SEMICON CIRTEK HLDG

8.76 1.18 24.95 0.54 27.6 74 284.8 17.92 3.16 3.93 12.48 18.32 12.68 15 6 2.79 65.35 24.75 12.5 8.31 16 80.15 0.65 1.16 91.55 194.8 23.8 5.99 0.22 16.02 7.6 0.94 4.4 0.129 141.6 0.8 2.26 1.21 14.3 8.06 6.6 6.18 13.88 1.41 1.69 1.81 4.13 5.3 5.4 20.05 2.82 8.12 0.91 5.7 1.19 4.38

8.77 1.19 25 0.55 27.8 74.4 285 17.96 3.17 3.95 12.86 18.4 12.7 15.86 6.07 2.81 71.9 24.8 12.54 8.34 16.02 80.2 0.67 1.17 92 194.9 28 6 0.225 16.04 7.79 0.95 4.57 0.13 141.7 0.81 2.45 1.22 14.54 8.25 6.79 6.19 13.9 1.43 1.71 1.87 4.94 5.39 5.44 20.75 2.86 8.15 0.93 5.84 1.2 4.39

8.99 1.22 24.55 0.54 28 74 287 17.96 3.18 3.95 12.46 18 12.6 14.54 6 2.84 68.1 24.75 12.42 8.2 14.36 80.7 0.65 1.19 91.1 193.5 28 6.07 0.218 16.08 7.8 0.97 4.46 0.129 140.5 0.8 2.35 1.23 14.12 8.2 6.65 6.1 13.9 1.49 1.7 1.88 4.13 5.3 5.41 20.1 2.85 8.3 0.91 5.84 1.2 4.44

9.02 1.22 25 0.56 28.1 75.6 287 17.96 3.18 3.95 12.86 18.46 12.74 14.54 6.1 2.85 68.1 25.45 12.56 8.35 16.36 80.7 0.65 1.19 94 195 28 6.07 0.225 16.36 7.8 0.97 4.46 0.132 143.6 0.82 2.35 1.23 14.56 8.3 6.79 6.19 14 1.5 1.7 1.88 4.13 5.4 5.41 20.1 2.91 8.3 0.92 5.88 1.21 4.44

8.73 1.19 24.55 0.54 27.6 73.95 278 17.88 3.15 3.95 12.46 18 12.6 14.5 5.92 2.78 68.1 24.7 12 8.06 14.36 79.7 0.65 1.15 91.1 193 28 6 0.218 15.9 7.55 0.93 4.4 0.129 140.1 0.79 2.35 1.21 14.12 8.06 6.3 6.06 13.88 1.4 1.7 1.81 4.13 5.3 5.4 20.1 2.81 8.15 0.91 5.7 1.19 4.2

8.76 1.19 24.95 0.55 27.8 74.4 285 17.96 3.17 3.95 12.86 18.4 12.68 14.5 6.09 2.81 68.1 24.75 12.5 8.31 16 80.2 0.65 1.17 92 194.8 28 6 0.225 16.04 7.6 0.94 4.4 0.13 141.6 0.81 2.35 1.21 14.5 8.25 6.79 6.18 13.9 1.41 1.7 1.81 4.13 5.4 5.4 20.1 2.86 8.15 0.92 5.84 1.19 4.39

40,132,300 1,544,000 5,013,600 9,179,000 1,194,700 48,250 151,070 348,500 407,000 1,000 16,400 681,700 37,300 2,000 240,700 218,000 20 708,200 892,800 9,631,000 29,369,300 270,200 350,000 12,709,000 19,490 214,550 400 139,700 1,170,000 7,220,900 119,100 9,547,000 10,000 2,000,000 750,630 1,277,000 2,000 425,000 38,200 1,053,600 191,200 215,200 73,300 10,162,000 56,000 18,000 1,000 200 60,000 3,200 8,655,000 299,500 71,000 4,800 150,000 5,180,000

-92,400 130,000,537 -100,435,070.50 14,613,465 -302,740 6,856,349 -303,546 48,300.00 -

354,747,524 1,841,510 124,885,555 5,044,010 33,398,930 3,580,697 42,929,144 6,244,802 1,290,900 3,950 207,824 12,467,412 472,622 29,072 1,465,155 618,570 1,362 17,576,495 10,991,252 79,899,284 459,197,698 21,654,835.50 227,500 14,791,380 1,810,264 41,688,848 11,200 838,616 260,880 116,770,414 904,926 8,985,270 44,340 259,530 106,157,936 1,024,590 4,700 518,030 546,060 8,683,688 1,264,496 1,324,822 1,018,240 14,639,020 95,200 33,200 4,130 1,070 324,020 64,320 24,753,620 2,447,977 64,920 27,998 179,130 22,594,710

-8,991,784 71,900 10,423,750 27,440 25,330,565 -18,199.50 -11,855,626 100,576 647,750 -2,394,410 -31,516 140,310 -59,400 1,521,578 2,788,471.00 99,352,480 -5,889,123.50 110,050.00 584,935.50 13,048,821 186,550 -2,637,978.00 666,260 644,980 1,290 26,967,205 16,940 2,344,531.00 -204,352 -60,555 25,640 -64,320 -39,970 -949,038.00 636,250

HOLDING & FRIMS ABACORE CAPITAL 1.02 1.03 1 1.02 1 1.02 2,854,000 2,890,000 6.1 6.35 6.4 6.4 6.1 6.1 2,300 14,069 ASIABEST GROUP AYALA CORP 727 728 720.5 730 720.5 728 157,420 114,482,760 39.5 39.75 39.75 39.8 39.4 39.75 876,900 34,842,185 ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL 9.81 9.83 9.75 9.97 9.62 9.81 2,832,600 27,891,452 4.06 4.07 4.12 4.13 4.05 4.07 1,573,000 6,402,910 AYALA LAND LOG ANSCOR 6.51 6.86 6.65 6.65 6.1 6.1 143,400 936,882 0.93 0.94 0.93 0.96 0.93 0.94 887,000 829,990 ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A 0.57 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.58 0.58 53,000 30,740 5.03 5.05 5.01 5.06 5.01 5.03 319,500 1,610,084 COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG 6.25 6.26 6.12 6.31 6.12 6.26 23,277,400 145,510,704 7.5 7.8 7.55 7.55 7.5 7.5 46,700 350,505 FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC 0.3 0.32 0.3 0.33 0.3 0.32 920,000 282,800 528.5 529 530.5 535.5 528.5 529 236,870 125,516,140 GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV 3.79 4.28 3.81 3.85 3.81 3.85 302,000 1,162,620 60 60.7 60 60.7 59.2 60.7 1,530,380 92,144,756.50 JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG 5.55 6 5.99 6.1 5.99 6 2,800 16,930 5 5.5 5 5 5 5 1,000 5,000 KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR 0.64 0.66 0.63 0.67 0.63 0.66 186,000 119,230 3.01 3.03 3.01 3.03 2.96 3.01 1,244,000 3,742,980 LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP 9.06 9.07 9.1 9.15 8.9 9.07 8,175,000 74,050,827 0.44 0.5 0.425 0.425 0.425 0.425 10,000 4,250 MABUHAY HLDG MJC INVESTMENTS 1.52 1.62 2.28 2.28 1.58 1.62 22,000 37,120 3.87 3.9 3.86 3.93 3.82 3.9 18,743,000 72,790,420 METRO PAC INV PACIFICA HLDG 3.09 3.19 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 2,000 6,120 1.96 2 1.91 2 1.86 2 596,000 1,156,910 PRIME MEDIA REPUBLIC GLASS 2.6 2.85 2.61 2.61 2.6 2.6 4,000 10,430 990 1,000 963 1,000 957.5 1,000 208,660 207,012,440 SM INVESTMENTS SAN MIGUEL CORP 110.7 112 110.9 112 110 112 170,010 18,951,664 0.68 0.69 0.67 0.68 0.67 0.68 85,000 57,450 SOC RESOURCES TOP FRONTIER 133.2 138.6 133.4 133.4 133 133.1 530 70,575

954,220 7,919,240 -13,176,825 -10,919,519.00 2,318,430 -402,089 43,595,010 -60,050 -87,463,485 -1,155,000 41,447,499 -5,490 -107,090 -43,495,449 5,722,880 72,980 90,854,590 -3,256,915 8,160 -

PROPERTY ARTHALAND CORP 0.66 0.68 0.67 0.67 0.67 0.67 308,000 206,360 33.8 34.05 32.95 34.05 32.95 34.05 5,323,300 179,836,760 AYALA LAND AREIT RT 36.6 36.7 36.8 36.9 36.65 36.7 304,000 11,174,690 1.37 1.38 1.37 1.37 1.37 1.37 65,000 89,050 BELLE CORP A BROWN 0.86 0.87 0.88 0.89 0.87 0.87 230,000 201,600 0.78 0.79 0.78 0.79 0.78 0.78 386,000 301,710 CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES 0.125 0.127 0.125 0.127 0.123 0.127 7,170,000 900,060 3.07 3.09 3.1 3.12 3.05 3.08 1,147,000 3,544,940 CEB LANDMASTERS CENTURY PROP 0.42 0.425 0.42 0.43 0.41 0.425 14,600,000 6,164,500 10.16 10.18 10.2 10.26 10.1 10.18 387,600 3,942,940 DOUBLEDRAGON DDMP RT 1.82 1.83 1.82 1.85 1.8 1.83 5,715,000 10,381,020 6.98 7 7 7 6.9 6.98 18,200 126,335 DM WENCESLAO EVER GOTESCO 0.325 0.33 0.32 0.335 0.32 0.325 14,610,000 4,783,600 7.31 7.35 7.4 7.4 7.28 7.31 1,544,700 11,307,536 FILINVEST RT FILINVEST LAND 1.11 1.12 1.1 1.11 1.1 1.11 3,039,000 3,367,210 0.85 0.88 0.89 0.89 0.84 0.84 505,000 426,890 GLOBAL ESTATE 8990 HLDG 7.08 7.42 7.2 7.43 7.08 7.43 33,400 238,543 1.31 1.32 1.34 1.36 1.3 1.33 858,000 1,133,770 PHIL INFRADEV CITY AND LAND 1.27 1.29 1.28 1.3 1.27 1.27 201,000 256,620 2.81 2.83 2.84 2.86 2.81 2.81 8,865,000 25,108,850 MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED 0.285 0.29 0.29 0.295 0.285 0.285 9,070,000 2,595,000 0.5 0.51 0.5 0.52 0.495 0.51 6,114,000 3,087,620 PHIL ESTATES PRIMEX CORP 1.93 1.95 2.04 2.04 1.9 1.93 501,000 968,840 16.3 16.42 16.6 16.6 16.28 16.3 2,444,200 40,111,002 ROBINSONS LAND PHIL REALTY 0.265 0.275 0.265 0.28 0.26 0.275 1,460,000 387,600 1.5 1.53 1.52 1.52 1.5 1.5 65,000 98,500 ROCKWELL STA LUCIA LAND 2.95 2.99 3 3.02 2.9 2.99 115,000 339,990 34.5 34.9 34 34.9 33.95 34.9 5,386,300 186,450,910 SM PRIME HLDG SUNTRUST HOME 1.52 1.58 1.52 1.58 1.52 1.58 3,000 4,680 3.45 3.47 3.43 3.47 3.4 3.45 1,423,000 4,883,380 VISTA LAND SERVICES ABS CBN 10.94 10.96 11 11 10.96 10.96 293,400 3,220,646 13.4 13.42 13.6 13.78 13.4 13.42 3,343,000 45,251,556 GMA NETWORK MLA BRDCASTING 9.16 9.17 9.17 9.17 9.17 9.17 300 2,751 2,120 2,134 2,082 2,134 2,082 2,134 152,685 323,518,520 GLOBE TELECOM PLDT 1,250 1,255 1,260 1,260 1,250 1,250 63,240 79,166,440 0.106 0.107 0.107 0.109 0.105 0.106 170,070,000 18,058,050 APOLLO GLOBAL CONVERGE 27.2 27.25 27.25 27.35 26.8 27.2 4,884,800 132,657,235 3.95 4 3.75 4.04 3.75 4 364,000 1,411,690 DFNN INC DITO CME HLDG 7.65 7.66 7.45 7.72 7.35 7.65 5,370,900 40,698,317 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 18,000 26,750 IMPERIAL JACKSTONES 2.18 2.25 2.2 2.25 2.2 2.25 23,000 50,750 2.06 2.09 2.04 2.14 2.04 2.06 978,000 2,030,110 NOW CORP TRANSPACIFIC BR 0.38 0.39 0.395 0.395 0.38 0.385 1,600,000 615,500 2.21 2.26 2.24 2.26 2.19 2.26 90,000 199,330 PHILWEB 2GO GROUP 8.1 8.2 8.14 8.2 8.14 8.2 5,300 43,328 2.53 2.58 2.56 2.6 2.53 2.58 721,000 1,836,460 CHELSEA CEBU AIR 43.7 43.8 43.85 43.85 43.45 43.8 53,400 2,336,610 184 184.3 180.1 185.4 180.1 184.3 1,371,190 252,665,399 INTL CONTAINER LBC EXPRESS 16.24 16.3 16.3 16.3 16.3 16.3 800 13,040 4.5 4.54 4.51 4.55 4.49 4.54 280,000 1,263,640 MACROASIA METROALLIANCE A 1.78 1.85 1.77 1.78 1.76 1.78 108,000 191,700 1.75 2.01 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.75 2,000 3,500 METROALLIANCE B HARBOR STAR 1.06 1.07 1.06 1.07 1.06 1.07 44,000 46,660 1.65 1.68 1.66 1.68 1.64 1.65 384,000 635,500 ACESITE HOTEL BOULEVARD HLDG 0.098 0.099 0.097 0.101 0.096 0.098 123,400,000 12,137,290 2.38 2.56 2.57 2.57 2.57 2.57 1,000 2,570 DISCOVERY WORLD WATERFRONT 0.52 0.53 0.5 0.53 0.5 0.52 169,000 87,700 0.34 0.35 0.335 0.34 0.335 0.34 330,000 112,000 STI HLDG BERJAYA 5.51 5.52 5.5 5.69 5.46 5.52 25,400 140,494 5.78 5.8 5.53 5.8 5.53 5.8 4,809,300 27,284,267 BLOOMBERRY PACIFIC ONLINE 1.96 1.98 1.97 1.97 1.97 1.97 30,000 59,100 1.43 1.49 1.48 1.49 1.43 1.49 370,000 546,170 LEISURE AND RES PH RESORTS GRP 1.66 1.67 1.64 1.67 1.63 1.67 949,000 1,558,600 0.405 0.41 0.415 0.415 0.405 0.405 1,070,000 438,700 PREMIUM LEISURE ALLHOME 7.4 7.5 7.3 7.4 7.23 7.4 129,200 944,779 1.28 1.3 1.33 1.33 1.28 1.28 672,000 867,800 METRO RETAIL PUREGOLD 39 39.3 39 39.45 38.95 39 991,800 38,770,015 49.95 50 49.9 50.25 49.45 50 555,900 27,765,260 ROBINSONS RTL PHIL SEVEN CORP 89.1 89.5 89 91 89 89.5 500 45,010 1.08 1.09 1.08 1.1 1.08 1.09 1,107,000 1,199,510 SSI GROUP WILCON DEPOT 24.05 24.1 23.5 24.15 23.45 24.05 3,095,700 73,836,865 0.33 0.34 0.33 0.34 0.33 0.34 50,000 16,900 APC GROUP EASYCALL 5.2 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.18 5.2 99,700 517,757 441 448 435 448 435 448 1,410 631,190 GOLDEN MV PRMIERE HORIZON 1.08 1.09 1.1 1.15 1.06 1.08 18,746,000 20,614,620 4.18 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 5,000 21,000 SBS PHIL CORP MINING & OIL ATOK 6.45 6.49 6.4 6.5 6.35 6.45 200,400 1,284,168 APEX MINING 1.51 1.52 1.54 1.54 1.52 1.52 829,000 1,261,640 6.3 6.36 6.52 6.52 6.2 6.3 1,492,300 9,441,562 ATLAS MINING BENGUET A 5.25 5.42 5.43 5.43 5.15 5.42 22,200 118,329 5.13 5.34 5.3 5.34 5.1 5.13 51,600 264,426 BENGUET B COAL ASIA HLDG 0.285 0.295 0.29 0.3 0.29 0.295 220,000 64,050 2.8 2.88 2.75 2.88 2.75 2.88 20,000 56,300 CENTURY PEAK DIZON MINES 6.21 6.39 6.4 6.4 6.39 6.39 1,100 7,030 2.36 2.37 2.36 2.38 2.35 2.37 901,000 2,127,340 FERRONICKEL LEPANTO A 0.138 0.139 0.139 0.14 0.138 0.139 10,530,000 1,461,040 0.142 0.144 0.145 0.145 0.144 0.144 1,750,000 253,250 LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.011 48,900,000 517,300 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.01 0.011 12,500,000 129,300 MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES 0.96 0.97 0.97 0.97 0.95 0.96 841,000 804,030 1.25 1.31 1.32 1.32 1.24 1.31 100,000 126,420 NIHAO NICKEL ASIA 5.63 5.65 5.75 5.77 5.6 5.63 8,337,200 47,016,045 0.96 0.97 0.97 0.98 0.96 0.98 330,000 320,500 ORNTL PENINSULA PX MINING 5.53 5.55 5.65 5.65 5.52 5.55 1,652,300 9,184,561 17.34 17.48 17.58 17.8 17.32 17.48 1,909,200 33,521,474 SEMIRARA MINING UNITED PARAGON 0.0086 0.0087 0.009 0.0092 0.0081 0.0086 236,000,000 1,995,700 16.2 16.5 16.22 16.86 16.2 16.5 61,500 1,003,676 ACE ENEXOR ORNTL PETROL A 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.012 0.011 0.011 16,300,000 189,300 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.011 1,500,000 16,900 ORNTL PETROL B PHILODRILL 0.011 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.011 25,100,000 286,100 6.05 6.07 6.2 6.2 6.05 6.05 540,600 3,280,826 PXP ENERGY PREFFERED ALCO PREF B 100.6 103.4 100.6 100.6 100.6 100.6 12,000 1,207,200 103.1 109 110 110 110 110 20 2,200 ALCO PREF C CEB PREF 43.6 44.5 43.55 44 43.5 43.6 4,400 191,665 102.4 102.9 102 102.9 102 102.4 720 73,538 CPG PREF A DD PREF 100.7 100.9 100.8 100.8 100.8 100.8 6,000 604,800 103.1 105.4 103.4 103.4 103.1 103.1 26,720 2,755,862 FGEN PREF G GTCAP PREF A 998 1,025 998 998 998 998 2,000 1,996,000 1,021 1,042 1,021 1,021 1,021 1,021 35 35,735 GTCAP PREF B MWIDE PREF 100.4 101 101 101 101 101 600 60,600 102.6 102.7 102.6 102.6 102.6 102.6 44,020 4,516,452 MWIDE PREF 2B PNX PREF 4 1,003 1,007 1,003 1,007 1,002 1,007 1,005 1,007,135 1,110 1,117 1,110 1,110 1,110 1,110 70 77,700 PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B 1,150 1,160 1,160 1,160 1,160 1,160 140 162,400 75.9 76 75.95 76.2 75.95 75.95 16,470 1,251,270 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E 75.8 76 75.75 75.75 75.75 75.75 1,000 75,750 78.55 78.6 78.65 78.65 78.5 78.6 34,240 2,690,694 SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H 76.2 76.95 76.5 76.5 76.5 76.5 15,000 1,147,500 76 76.15 75.8 76.15 75.8 76.15 13,420 1,017,243 SMC PREF 2J SMC PREF 2K 76.1 76.8 76.1 76.1 76.1 76.1 67,140 5,109,354 PHIL. DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ABS HLDG PDR 10.4 10.5 10.36 10.5 10.36 10.5 15,400 161,630 12.1 12.2 12.44 12.58 12.1 12.12 433,100 5,297,192 GMA HLDG PDR WARRANTS LR WARRANT 0.51 0.52 0.56 0.63 0.5 0.52 22,811,000 13,099,610 1.6 1.63 1.22 1.68 1.16 1.6 38,784,000 55,610,360 TECH WARRANT

85,778,130 -262,960 8,690 6,250 263,510 -128,150 -1,485,342.00 -4,206,960 250,800 -721,889 48,840 -10,210 -4,684,180 -8,550 -52,020 -7,730 12,059,472 5,300 10,882,665 -800,260 29,673,470 -6,988,805 430,900 -13,049,760 431,010 135,665 74,480 -12,300.00 547,200 -23,852,687 500,190 14,560 -98,600 4,652,691.00 42,540 423,141 -209,120 -7,592,170 -21,075,155 3,640 106,920 37,812,915 -1,817,160.00 -22,375 178,194 -10,600 28,800 249,350 -1,100 -16,381,384 -328,256.00 1,500,998 -7,400 -109,598 -1,207,200 -56,620 -1,959,930 -60,600 -681,472 - -156,450 -3,484,554 -1,911,680 -477,220

SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

ALTUS PROP ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MERRYMART

17.86 2.05 4.22 3.41

FIRST METRO ETF

100.2

17.9 2.09 4.6 3.42

EXHANGE TRADE FUNDS

100.5

17.84 2.05 4.22 3.5

18 2.1 4.22 3.5

17.84 2.04 4.22 3.41

17.9 2.09 4.22 3.42

30,900 57,000 5,000 2,662,000

553,972 117,600 21,100 9,145,210

135,884 22,880

100 101 100 100.5 7,680 771,342 43,232

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Hedcor Bukidnon hydro plant now operating at full capacity By Lenie Lectura

@llectura

edcor Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp., said Wednesday two units of its hydropower facility in Bukidnon resumed operations last week. “As of August 10, 2021, units 3 and 4 of Hedcor’s Manolo Fortich 1 Hydro are now online and re-synced to the Mindanao Grid after completion of restoration works,” said AboitizPower.

It can be recalled that persistent rains were experienced in Bukidnon in June last year. The incident caused soil saturation, erosion, and mudslides. This resulted in pipe dislocations, pipe bursts, and dam-

age to the high head penstock line. The two units, with a combined gross capacity of 32 megawatts (MW), were temporarily de-energized to make way for pipe repairs. Restoration works for affected facilities were completed in 358 days. Together with the four units of Manolo Fortich 1 Hydro (45.94MW) and another four units of Manolo Fortich 2 Hydro (27.38MW), Hedcor Bukidnon is now generating power at full gross capacity of 73.32MW. These plants generate Cleanergy, AboitizPower’s brand for clean and renewable energy for customers and communities across the Mindanao region. AboitizPower is one of the largest power producers in the Philippines

with a balanced portfolio of assets located across the country. It is a major producer of Cleanergy, its brand for clean and renewable energy with several hydroelectric, geothermal, and solar power generation facilities. It also has thermal power plants in its generation portfolio to support the baseload and peak energy demands of the country. In the next 10 years, the company will significantly expand its Cleanergy portfolio, in support of the government’s efforts to promote renewable energy in the country and as the company’s contribution to the global renewable energy targets. AboitizPower is aiming for an almost 50:50 Cleanergy and thermal capacity mix by 2030.

Emperador to list in Singapore By VG Cabuag @villygc

he board of Emperador Inc., the liquor arm of businessman Andrew Tan, has approved the company’s plan to list on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX). In its disclosure, Emperador, which has acquired known European distilleries and vineyards, will pursue its secondary listing by way of introduction on SGX later this year. It will keep its primary listing in the Philippine Stock Exchange and Emperador’s stock will be traded at both the Philippine and Singaporean exchanges. “We believe that SGX, one of the most developed exchanges in Asia, is the appropriate secondary exchange to raise the international profile of Emperador. We are very excited at the prospect of becoming the first ever PSE-primary listed company to conduct a secondary listing in the SGX and are optimistic that our secondary listing will serve as a catalyst to enhance the strategic collaboration between the PSE and the SGX,” Tan said. “Over the years, Emperador has established itself as a leading global spirits company with established footprint in over 100 countries and leading market positions in brandy and whisky. We believe that a secondary listing on the SGX will create

stronger awareness of Emperador and its world-class brands, as well as increase our stock’s visibility and international investor participation reflective of our global operations and revenue,” Emperador President Winston S. Co said. Emperador owns United Kingdom-based Whyte and Mackay Group Ltd., the fifth largest Scotch whisky manufacturer in the world; Bodegas Fundador S.L.U in Spain, owner of the iconic Fundador brand; and Domecq Bodega Las Copas, S.L which manufactures Mexican brandies and wines. As of end-2020, the company’s brandy products held an 86.5-percent market share among all local and imported brandies in the Philippines based on volume according to Nielsen Co. In 2020, the company was the largest brandy producer in the world, according to the International Wines and Spirits Research, one of the largest overall spirits producers in the Philippines and the fifth largest Scotch whisky manufacturer in the world based on total Scotch production capacity according to the Scotch Whisky Industry Review. For the first semester, its revenues from brandy grew 10 percent to P16.34 billion, from last year’s P14.9 billion, while revenues from Scotch Whisky rose 35 percent to P8.99 billion from the previous P6.63 billion.

ERC issues GEOP rules

he Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has promulgated the regulatory framework for the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP), a new policy that allows endusers to choose renewable energy (RE) as their source of energy. “The Green Energy Option Program is a scheme that empowers electricity consumers by giving them the option to choose renewable energy [RE] as their source of electricity, which is clean and environment-friendly. In the long run, the GEOP will help us to achieve energy independence as it reduces our dependence on imported energy sources,” said ERC Chairperson and CEO Agnes VST Devanadera. RE can be sourced from geothermal, solar, wind, hydro, or biomass. The ERC said the GEOP framework sets the technical and interconnection standards and wheeling fees of RE generating facilities. It also seeks to guide the following stakeholders: GEOP end-users; RE suppliers; distribution utilities (DUs); economic zone developers; economic zone utility enterprises; National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) or its successors-in interest; Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC)/Market

Operator; supplier of last resort; central registration body; RE registrar; and the metering service providers authorized by the ERC. End-users with a monthly average peak demand of 100 kilowatts (KW) and above, for the past 12 months, and an end-user that has been in operation for less than 12 months upon effectivity of the GEOP rules are qualified to join the GEOP. Qualified end-users need to inform their current DU that they are interested in the GEOP at least 90 days prior to the signing of GEOP contract with a GEOP supplier. The same applies for end users categorized as directly connected customers. They must notify TransCo. The concerned parties are then expected to enter into a GEOP supply contract with its prospective RE supplier. For now, the Department of Energy (DOE) has registered 10 entities qualified under the GEOP. These are Aboitiz Energy Solutions Inc., Prism Energy Inc., Adventenergy Inc., Bacman Geothermal Inc., First Gen Energy Solutions Inc., SN Aboitiz Power-Magat Inc., SN Aboitiz Power-Res Inc., AC Energy Philippines Inc., Sparc-Solar Powered AgriRural Communities Corp., and Citicore Energy Solutions Inc. Lenie Lectura

mutual funds

August 18, 2021

NAV

One Year Three Year Five Year

per share

Return*

Y-T-D Return

Stock Funds ALFM Growth Fund, Inc. -a

212.85

6.59%

-5.95%

-4.87%

ATRAM Alpha Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a

1.4291

41.5%

-1.13%

-0.28%

8.84%

9.67%

-10.28%

-7.93%

-6.59%

-6.54% n.a.

-8.32%

ATRAM Philippine Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc. -a 2.9265

Climbs Share Capital Equity Investment Fund Corp. -a 0.737 6.95% First Metro Consumer Fund on MSCI Phils. IMI, Inc. -a 0.7292 First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund,Inc. -a

4.7206

6.2% 10.09%

First Metro Save and Learn Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a,4 0.7044 25.31%

-4.7% n.a.

-6.32%

-1.67%

-3.81%

-3.07%

-4.47%

4.71%

-6.17%

-6.94%

-4.38% n.a.

-4.8%

MBG Equity Investment Fund, Inc. -a

97.05

PAMI Equity Index Fund, Inc. -a

43.244

7.97%

-4.49%

-4.04%

-7.69%

Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

457.78

6.28%

-4.11%

-4.28%

-6.38%

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

1.0624

18.39% n.a. n.a.

-3.18%

Philequity Dividend Yield Fund, Inc. -a

1.1372

11.67%

-3.45%

-3%

-2.65%

Philequity Fund, Inc. -a

32.8894

9.92%

-3.87%

-2.85%

-5.41%

6.52% n.a. n.a.

-7.01%

Philequity MSCI Philippine Index Fund, Inc. -a

0.849

Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc. -a

4.4467

8.76%

-3.8%

-3.23%

-7.19%

Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp. -a

742.42

8.63%

-3.8%

-3.4%

-7.39%

Soldivo Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. -a

0.6787

10.9%

-7.61%

-6.32%

-5.59%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Equity Fund, Inc. -a 3.4367

8.66%

-5.61%

-4.34%

-5.16%

Sun Life Prosperity Philippine Stock Index Fund, Inc. -a 0.848 8.26%

-4.13%

-3.54%

-7.6%

United Fund, Inc. -a

-4.17%

-2.56%

-6.19%

-3.61%

-2.87%

3.1135

8.69%

-7.29%

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

99.6875

8.59%

-7.31%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities $1.1785

11.7%

5.87%

5.42%

-2.03%

Sun Life Prosperity World Voyager Fund, Inc. -a $1.8269

ATRAM AsiaPlus Equity Fund, Inc. -b

22.44%

12.82%

11.68%

9.21%

-0.59%

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

1.6587

5.69%

-0.23%

-2.15%

ATRAM Philippine Balanced Fund, Inc. -a

2.1596

4.56%

-1.64%

-2.17%

-5.5%

First Metro Save and Learn Balanced Fund Inc. -a 2.5408

4.83%

-0.43%

-1.08%

-3.28%

First Metro Save and Learn F.O.C.C.U.S. Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a,1 0.187 NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc. -a

1.917

1.08% n.a. n.a.

3.98%

1.2%

-0.32%

PAMI Horizon Fund, Inc. -a

3.6077

2.5%

0.29%

-1.6%

-4.76%

Philam Fund, Inc. -a

16.1593

3.14%

0.4%

-1.56%

-4.59%

Solidaritas Fund, Inc. -a

2.0128

4.62%

-1.06%

-1.19%

-3.88%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Balanced Fund, Inc. -a 3.4587 5.07%

-1.96%

-2.4%

-3.2%

1.7% n.a. n.a.

-5.59% -8.08%

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2028, Inc. -a,d 0.9654 Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2038, Inc. -a,d 0.8725

2.5% n.a. n.a.

Sun Life Prosperity Achiever Fund 2048, Inc. -a,d 0.8567

3.94% n.a. n.a.

-8.19%

Sun Life Prosperity Dynamic Fund, Inc. -a

6.26%

-2.62%

0.8644

-2.62%

-2.82%

-5.84%

-2.39%

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

$0.0384

-2.59%

2.87%

1.25%

-1.84%

PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc. -b

$1.0948

4.69%

3.67%

3.03%

-4.82%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc. -a $4.7905 16.77%

9.79%

8.2%

6.15%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Wellspring Fund, Inc. -a,3 $1.2252 7.7%

5.72%

4.34%

1.92%

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

372.97

1.31%

3.09%

2.42%

0.51%

ATRAM Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.9261

-1.24%

1.16%

0.24%

1.36% 0.71%

Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc. -a

3.2375

1.23%

3.56%

4.27%

Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc. -a

2.2639

-2.25%

2.19%

1.19%

-1.4%

First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund,Inc. -a 2.4441 -0.78%

3.3%

1.7%

-0.37% -3.03%

Philam Bond Fund, Inc. -a

4.4941

-4.61%

4.46%

1.14%

Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc. -a,6

1.3189

0.68%

2.7%

-0.17%

Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc. -a

3.9823

0.49%

4.39%

1.84%

-0.47%

Soldivo Bond Fund, Inc. -a

1.0394

-0.63%

4.88%

1.53%

-0.25%

Sun Life of Canada Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc. -a 3.2197

0.69%

5.17%

2.18%

0.43%

-0.36%

4.52%

1.51%

-0.13%

Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc. -a

1.7527

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

$487.65

1.93%

3.17%

2.09%

0.78%

ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc. -a

Є220.48

1.62%

1.03%

0.85%

0.59%

ATRAM Total Return Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -b $1.2037

-5.99%

-3.08%

2.49%

1.34%

First Metro Save and Learn Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a $0.0262 -1.13%

1.85%

0.78%

-1.5%

PAMI Global Bond Fund, Inc -b

0.38%

-1.17%

-3.88% -0.39%

$1.0503

-3.95%

Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc. -a

$2.5258

0.33%

5.17%

1.84%

Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc. -a

$0.0630979

3.3%

3.57%

2.09%

1.25%

Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc. -a $3.1985 -1.26%

3.28%

0.72%

-0.78%

2.54%

0.55%

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

130.52

1.37%

2.99%

First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.0544 0.99% n.a. n.a. Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund, Inc. -a 1.3079

1.56%

2.8%

2.55%

0.6% 0.87%

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

1.05%

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 1.3376

30.87% n.a. n.a.

18.41%

Primarily invested in foreign currency securities ALFM Global Multi-Asset Income Fund Inc. -b,d,2 $0.99

4.21% n.a. n.a.

1.02%

a - NAVPS as of the previous banking day. b - NAVPS as of two banking days ago. c - Listed in the PSE. d - in Net Asset Value per Unit (NAVPU). 1 - Launch date is September 28, 2019. 2 - Launch date is November 15, 2019. 3 - Adjusted due to stock dividend issuance last October 9, 2019. 4 - Renaming was approved by the SEC last October 12, 2018 (formerly, One Wealthy Nation Fund, Inc.). 5 - Launch date is December 09, 2019. 6 - Re-classified into a Bond Fund starting February 21, 2020 (Formerly a Money Market Fund). 7 - Launch date is July 6, 2020.

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

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Banking&Finance BusinessMirror

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace • Thursday, August 19, 2021

IFC loan commitments to PHL firms hit $399M

By Cai U. Ordinario

@caiordinario

HE International Finance Corp. (IFC) has committed a total of $399 million to Philippinebased investments in fiscal year 2021. The private sector lender of The World Bank Group said in a statement that most of its investments in the Philippines were “aimed at fostering a more resilient and inclusive recovery from Covid-19.” The IFC said its Covid-related investments in the country during the fiscal year benefitted the following: Card Bank Inc. and Card SME Bank

Inc.; Cebu Air Inc.; Union Bank of the Philippines; and Growsari Inc., a B2B (business-to-business) startup. “The Philippines has been deeply affected by Covid-19, which has reversed many of the development gains the country has achieved,” Jean-Marc Arbogast, Country Manager for the Philippines at IFC, said. “This has created an even greater

sense of urgency to foster a more inclusive recovery; and IFC is committed to remaining a steadfast partner to the Philippines through the challenges that lie ahead,” Arbogast added. The investment in Card Bank Inc. and Card SME Bank Inc. is expected to benefit over 60,000 companies, 44,000 of which are micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owned or led by women. The IFC said its investment in budget carrier Cebu Air was in the form of convertible bonds aimed to help the airline continue to provide affordable transportation. Investment in Unionbank was a 7-year social bond. The proceeds for the bond issuance will be used to finance over 2,000 loans to MSMEs.

The IFC said its investment in Growsari aimed to help lower prices, boost sales and digitalize supply chains in the country. The technology solutions firm connects momand-pop stores in the Philippines with manufacturers and wholesalers of milk, rice and other consumer products. Globally, the total commitment of IFC is at $3.8 billion. This includes $2.8 billion in long-term financing from its own account and $956 million mobilized from other investors. In addition, the IFC said it provided $1.5 billion in short-term finance in the Southeast Asian region to facilitate trade flows. The IFC also said it has committed $1.9 billion to Covid-19 response efforts since the onset of the health

crisis in the East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) region. “Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, IFC continues to play a critical role in leveraging the private sector to mobilize long-term capital for infrastructure, provide green, blue, social and sustainable financing, attract cross-border investments and promote innovation-led growth to accelerate the recovery in East Asia and the Pacific,” Alfonso Garcia Mora, IFC’s Vice President for Asia & Pacific, was quoted in a statement as saying. The first transaction under IFC’s $4-billion “Global Health Platform,” which addressed the severe shortage of medical supplies in developing countries, was in the EAP region. About $3 billion was also commit-

ted to support the region’s financial institutions serving MSMEs. MSMEs, which have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, account for the vast majority of businesses in the region and are collectively EAP’s largest employer. Around 26 percent of projects, which amounted to $744 million in long-term financing, focused on tackling climate change and the marine plastics crisis. The IFC said the EAP region contributed 30 percent of global gross domestic product and is home to 30 percent of the world’s population. The region is also responsible for 60 percent of global greenhousegas emissions with some of the biggest contributors to marine plastic waste.

Bank secrecy as Congress Auditors’ help sought as changes to Audit Code eyed priority welcome–Diokno By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

ANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno welcomed the inclusion of the Bank Deposits Secrecy bill among the legislative priorities of the 18th Congress, citing benefits to the banking sector if the bill is enacted into law. In a statement last Wednesday, the BSP said the Office of the President (OP) has informed the BSP that it has referred the Bank Deposits Secrecy Bill to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council for prioritization and inclusion in the Common Legislative Agenda for the Executive and Legislative. According to the Central Bank, the OP’s actions were in response to separate communications sent by the BSP requesting that said bill be included in the list of priority bills and be certified as urgent by the President. “We are glad that the President has identified the Bank Deposits Secrecy Bill as a legislative priority. In view of this, the BSP will further step up its efforts to coordinate with Congress and other stakeholders for the immediate passage of the measure,” Diokno was quoted in the statement as saying. Earlier this year, a group of 26 financial and economic organizations issued a statement calling for the urgent passage of the Bank Deposits Secrecy bill. The group, led by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex) said the country’s

existing bank secrecy laws weaken the exercise of the BSP’s mandate of maintaining a sound and stable banking system as it constrains the central bank’s supervisory activities and assessment, especially in cases involving unsafe and unsound banking practices. A Bank Deposits Secrecy law “will equip the BSP with tools necessary to prove the commission of fraud, serious irregularity or unlawful activity if a reasonable basis exists,” Diokno said. “Particularly, this will allow BSP to effectively fulfill its mandate and enable it to have a holistic examination of a banking institution so that certain risk areas will be considered in assessing a bank’s financial condition, risk management and corporate governance,” he added. The governor said the BSP is in constant communication with the House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries for the interpellation of the bill. The BSP has also touched base with various offices of Senators for possible sponsorship and conducted briefings in this regard, he added. Diokno said that aside from enhancing the BSP’s capacity to fulfill its mandate of promoting the safety of the banking system, the bill will also enable compliance with international standards on transparency. “That will also bolster the public and the global community’s trust in the domestic banking system,” the governor said. Bianca Cuaresma

Consumer lender, fintech ink deal for credit scoring

onsumer lending company SB Finance Co. Inc. announced it has partnered with FinScore Inc. to enhance its credit scoring efforts using alternative data. SB Finance is a joint venture between Security Bank Corp. and Thailand’s Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri). The lending firm said in a statement that by using FinScore’s “telco credit scoring solution,” SB Finance will be able to predict the creditworthiness of borrowers and assess their capability to avail of the company’s various loan offerings. SB Finance didn’t disclose the financial amount of its contract with Finscore. “With several Filipinos needing access to funds, being able to determine their creditworthiness is critical, as we rise from the economic effects of the pandemic,” SB Finance President and CEO, Abigail Marie D. Casanova was quoted in the statement as saying. “Through our collaboration with FinScore, more Filipinos will be able to avail of SB Finance’s services therefore improving financial inclusion to those with no credit

footprint.” SB Finance said FinScore’s solutions are based on over 400 telecommunication variables such as voice usage, top-up patterns, duration of calls and location, among others. “Derived through cutting-edge systems, the telco score has high predictive power and offers unique data about consumers,” the company said. With the growing needs of enterprises to grow their businesses and address the market’s needs, FinScore continues its pursuit of developing and providing analytics solutions for a more inclusive scoring, SB Finance said. Christo Georgiev, FinScore country manager and chief strategy officer, was quoted in the statement as saying that his company and SB Finance “share the same mission of making credit accessible to Filipinos who lack financial history.” “This partnership will pave way for the underserved markets to gain confidence and establish creditworthiness powered by alternative data and predictive analytics,” Georgiev added.

S the public continue to learn of how government officials spend taxes, a lawmaker on Wednesday asked auditors’ assistance in a possible move to amend the 43-year-old State Audit Code of the Philippines. Rep. Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun of Agusan del Norte, a member of the House Committee on Public Accounts, issued a statement following adverse audit findings in the Department of Health’s handling of billions of pesos in Covid-19 funds. “Our State Audit Code is not the legal architecture our country needs for the challenges and demands of this 21st Century,” Fortun claims. He noted that the Audit Code was enacted in 1978 and “is long overdue for updating and upgrading.” “Yes, the implementing rules and regulations are adjusted every now and then by the COA [Commission on Audit]. However, spring waters cannot rise higher than its source,” the

lawmaker said. He added that Presidential Decree 1445 “is the source of that spring from which COA draws its operational powers.” According to Fortun, global accounting and auditing standards have been keeping up with the times and technologies but the country’s State Audit Code has not as the PD 1445 is based on accounting and auditing concepts and practices going decades back much further. “I therefore urge the [COA], the Accounting Standards Council, the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and all the accounting and auditing firms in our country to recommend to Congress draft legislation on necessary and urgent amendments to or overhaul of PD 1445,” he said. Fortun added that Congress “is always relying on the COA’s annual audits of government agencies to evaluate their performance be alerted on probable anomalies on the use of public funds.” “This fact is highlighted yet again with the COA findings on discovered

deviations from the approved budget of the Department of Health,” he said. “While Congress ascertains the facts and details of the audit findings, I also wish to draw public focus on the need to give COA the powers and means it needs to keep on serving the public interest,” he added. Meanwhile, Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Representative France L. Castro slammed the administration for multiple observations across agencies of “possible corruption, mishandled and unspent funds and delayed benefits” as millions of Filipinos have been infected, with thousands having died, from Covid-19. “The [government] has been making all kinds of excuses following the release of COA reports, which flagged almost all corners of the Duterte administration,” Castro said. “The COA is a Constitutional body tasked as the supreme auditor of taxpayers’ money. They cannot and should not simply stop auditing government agencies just because the president doesn’t

like it or a department secretary feels wrecked by the observations and findings of COA.” According to Castro, “the findings of the COA only mirror what is happening on the grounds and how the government is spending the people’s funds. “We are still in a pandemic. The economic crisis continues to worsen as more Filipinos are jobless, the healthcare system is once again overflowing with patients as thousands of Filipinos test positive for Covid-19 and many more have no access to hospitals for other illnesses,” she added. The solon said the COA findings are proof that practically “all agencies do not fulfill their mandates and do not serve the people.” “Stop flogging COA for flagging your failed administration,” Castro said in statements directed against Malacañan. She further said that the COA “is simply doing its mandate to examine what the government is doing with taxpayers’ money.” “Why not emulate COA and do yours?” Castro said.

SSS urges pensioners not to borrow from loan sharks By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

TATE-run Social Security System (SSS) urges its pensioners to avoid loan sharks that offer high-interest rates and confiscate their debit cards as collateral. The SSS instead encourages pensioners to avail of the agency’s pension loans with “low interest rate” of 10 percent per annum. For the first half of this year, the SSS has already approved the release of P1.47 billion pension loans for 33,007 retiree-pensioners, the pension-fund manager said in a statement. Of the amount, P1.38 billion was approved for 30,772 retiree-pensioners who filed their applications through SSS branches; the remaining P96.62 million was approved for 2,235 retiree-pensioners who filed

applications online. The SSS said that under its pension loan program (PLP)—launched in September 2018—qualified retiree-pensioners may avail a loan of up to three, six, nine or 12 times their basic monthly pension (BMP) plus the P1,000 additional benefit, not exceeding the maximum loan amount of P200,000. Moreover, their net take-home pension must be at least 47.25 percent. Pension loans of three times and six times the pensioners’ BMP plus the P1,000 additional benefit have respective payment terms of six months and 12 months, while pension loans of nine and 12 times the BMP plus the P1,000 additional benefit have a payment term of 24 months. Apart from a low interest rate, the SSS said the first monthly amortization for pension loans is due on the

second month after the loan was granted. Further, a 1-percent service fee is waived as a means to subsidize the payment for the premium of the credit life insurance of the borrower. The SSS aid it has been enhancing its online facility to accommodate first-time PLP applicants. To qualify for the loan program, a retiree-pensioner must satisfy the following: n must be 85 years of age or below at the end of the last month of

the loan term; n must have no deductions such as outstanding loan balance, benefit overpayment payable to the SSS, etc., from his/her monthly pension; n must have no existing advance pension under the SSS Calamity Assistance Package; and must be receiving his/her regular monthly pension for at least one month and the status of pension is “active.” Applications of those availing the SSS’s pension loans for the first time must be coursed through SSS branches, following community quarantine protocols and servicing guidelines (number coding system, drop box system, or appointment system). On the other hand, retiree-pensioners who have previously availed the program and have already paid their loans in full may submit their applications online via the SSS web site.

Yuan’s global use tested as crackdowns spook markets

S leveraged loan investors are starting to push back against companies that are trying to borrow outsized amounts of money at some of the most aggressive terms ever seen. Midcoast East Texas, a natural gas pipeline and transport business, has postponed a $400 million leveraged loan sale. Teaching Strategies, a provider of curriculums and software for educators, had to offer higher interest on Tuesday for a $320 million leveraged-buyout (LBO) loan it is selling. Accounting firm EisnerAmper improved investor protections known as covenants on a $400 million loan for its leveraged buyout. And Cooke Inc., a fish farming company, has missed its expected pricing date, usually a sign of relatively weak demand.

These hiccups don’t yet represent a dramatic shift. Covenants are still the weakest ever on average, according to a Covenant Review index for August. But investor resistance does signal that money managers can only be pushed so far, and future loans might be harder for companies to sell. “There has been pushback on some of the very aggressive covenant packages for loans that otherwise aren’t attracting strong demand in the market, but those packages usually still end up aggressive,” said Scott Macklin, director of leveraged loans at AllianceBernstein. The pushback comes as companies try to sell heavy volumes of leveraged loans, with the market on track for one of the busiest Augusts on record. New money financings, those backing acquisitions and dividends,

swelled to more than $40 billion in June and July, the first back-to-back months at that level since Bloomberg began tracking syndicated leveraged loan data in 2013. The next few months are likely to be active as well, with billions of dollars of loans queued up in the pipeline. “There’s been so much issuance, record levels, that there’s some deal fatigue developing,” Roberta Goss, co-head of the bank loan and CLO Platform at asset manager Pretium Partners, said. “Earlier in the year, you’d put a loan out there and it would be oversubscribed in 24 hours. That’s not happening anymore.” The pushback isn’t happening on every transaction, Goss added. And it’s not always affecting pricing. Specialty chemical company W.R. Grace, for example, last week

cut the size of its acquisition loan to $1.25 billion from $1.45 billion, and improved some of its covenants for investors, but also got better pricing on the loan in the end, selling it at 99.75 cents on the dollar instead of the 99 cents to 99.5 cents range it had previously discussed. And biopharmaceutical outsourcing services company Parexel improved covenants on a $2.7 billion LBO term loan priced last week to gain more investor interest, but still paid interest at the low end of the range it gave. The borrower sweetened the so-called most-favorednation clause intended to keep the current loan pricing similar to any raised in the future, and it reduced its ability to freely make investments and dividends, among other changes. Bloomberg News

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EU-Asean specialists upbeat on PHL as dialogue coordinator T

Canada donates ₧757M for development projects

MID barriers brought about by geopolitical realities and the pandemic, European Union (EU)-Asean relations are seen to expand and flourish in the coming years. With the country assuming the role of dialogue coordinator, the EU Delegation to the Philippines conducted a webinar on August 12 on the topic: “What does the Strategic Partnership mean for EU-Asean Relations?” It provided a platform for diplomats to discuss ways the two regional blocs can continue ensuring peace, prosperity, sustainability and connectivity among their peoples and stakeholders. The event also commemorated Asean Day and aligned with the Philippines’s adopted theme of “Building the Future Better.” EU Ambassador Luc Véron and former foreign affairs secretary Delia Domingo-Albert delivered the opening and closing remarks, respectively. Panelists included Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and Asean Affairs Maria Theresa P. Lazaro, EU Ambassador to Asean Igor Driesmans, and Ambassador Kok Li Peng who is Singapore’s permanent representative to Asean. Véron said the two regions’ stra-

tegic partnership should be an occasion to strengthen cooperation in addressing global issues such as global warming, combatting and recovering from the pandemic, peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. “By their very nature, global challenges cannot be addressed by countries alone,” he said. “The more regional organizations work together, the stronger we are collectively, and the more robust the multilateral system becomes.” The ambassador further expressed: “The EU wants to deepen its cooperation with Asean members to promote effective multilateralism, able to address the challenges that we are facing—for example, in the ongoing process to strengthen the World Health Organization’s capacity against pandemics, or at the forthcoming [United Nations’ (UN)] Climate Change Conference, or COP26.” “The EU-Asean agenda is broad and deep, and we care deeply about it,” Véron noted. “I believe that,

hand-in-hand with the Philippines, we will strengthen our relationship with Asean. This journey is a workin-progress.” Meanwhile, Driesmans emphasized that the EU is committed to work closely with the country in advocating for a green partnership, enhancing security and military ties, as well as promoting connectivity in the region. He underlined that there should be more endeavors to increase people’s awareness of the efforts done by both regions. “It is sometimes not enough to do the things that we mentioned; we also need to make them known to a wider audience,” the EU official said. “In many ways, we are Asean’s closest partner, but...few people know about it. Communication and visibility should be part and parcel of everything we do.” The promotion of a rules-based international order will remain a key undertaking during the Philippines’s turn as dialogue coordinator. “Asean-EU will continue to champion the respect for international law, including the 1982 [UN Convention on the Law of the Sea],” Lazaro commented. “[Both] should continue to reaffirm the importance of maintaining peace, security, safety, and the right of freedom of navigation [and overflight in the South China Sea [/West Philippine Sea], as well as the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, particularly the...UNCLOS.” She added, “Certainly, the future

of EU-Asean cooperation will build on the milestones in the previous years.” For her part, Kok highlighted that the strategic partnership paved the way for the establishment of the world’s first region-to-region air transport pact through the AseanEU Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement. This, she said, should create new growth opportunities for the aviation industry during the pandemic. The envoy likewise noted the importance of the elevation of the Asean-EU relationship: “Indicative of a maturing relationship, the strategic partnership is a conduit for frank exchanges on difficult issues. While we may not agree on [each], the strategic partnership underscores the values we share while offering a platform to air our views on areas of divergence.” Domingo-Albert concluded the event by reaffirming the need to continue the inspired conversations between the two regions on developing synergies for the Asean outlook for the Indo-Pacific, the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, and important cross-cutting issues involving the role of women in peace, security, and diplomacy. Professor Manuel Enverga III of the Ateneo de Manila University moderated the webinar. More than 700 members of the diplomatic community, Philippine government agencies, academe, think tanks, the local business community, and the media attended the event.

Sweden, UNDP link up to support BARMM’s women, peace, security T

HE government of Sweden and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines recently launched a new partnership to support the integration of the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda into peacebuilding efforts in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Ambassador of Sweden Harald Fries and UNDP Philippines’s Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran inaugurated the collaboration in a virtual launch with the Bangsamoro Women Commission. Through the agreement, Sweden will support UNDP and BWC’s ongoing work in implementing the Bangsamoro Regional Action Plan (RAP) on WPS, alongside the new Bangsamoro Community Resilience Framework. The initiative also aims to promote women empowerment and strengthen communities against natural disasters, conflicts and pandemics, respectively.

FRIES (left) and Ramachandran

Among the key projects covered by the partnership is the Women Insider Mediators-Rapid Action and Mobilization Platform (WIM-RAMP)—a group of community-based women mediators from Moro and indigenous peoples communities in BARMM who are committed to work together toward the empowerment of Bangsamoro women as peacebuilders, conflict mediators and community leaders. In his message, Fries emphasized the importance of the partnership, while noted the promotion of women empowerment and gender equality is mainstreamed in Swedish govern-

ment work, as his country is known globally for its feminist government and feminist foreign policy. “Gender equality is an objective in itself,” the envoy further stated. “However, one should also see gender equality as an essential element to achieve other objectives, such as peace, security and development.” He added, “Studies show that the quality, legitimacy and sustainability of peace agreements and peace building are significantly higher when women are included as active participants, and have real influence in the peace process.” “The launch of this project and its subsequent implementation will

certainly contribute to the implementation of the Bangsamoro RAP on WPS, especially in this period of transition,” said MP Hadja Bainon Karon, BWC chairperson. Developed with the support of UNDP and other UN agencies, the BWC launched the Bangsamoro RAP-WPS 2020-2022 in October 2020. It seeks to enhance the role of Bangsamoro women in implementing the peace agreement and the protection of their human rights in conflict and post-conflict transformation. In his message, Dr. Ramachandran noted that “the UNDP acknowledges the resilience of women mediators and peacebuilders in the face of intersecting vulnerabilities brought about by conflicts, natural disasters and the ongoing pandemic. With Sweden’s support, we will be able to expand the work by the BWC and WIM-RAMP...in humanitarian response, conflict prevention and peacebuilding.”

USAID, private sector partners launch 1st Phil. Water Challenge

HE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has just partnered with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), Manila Water, and Maynilad to launch the inaugural Philippine Water Challenge (PhlWC)—the first-ever platform to generate water and sanitation solutions in the country. More than 700 participants from the water sector joined the virtual launch event. The PhlWC will be an annual competition aiming to identify innovative solutions that benefit both water services providers and users, identify community demonstration

projects, and promote cross-sectoral collaboration to address water and sanitation challenges. Registration for applicants is now open until September 30 via pdrf.org/philippinewaterchallenge. “USAID is proud to join the [project proponents,] as we continue working toward our shared goal of providing a water-secure future for all Filipinos,” USAID Philippines Acting Mission Director Sean Callahan said. The state of water supply and sanitation in the country remains a concern for the government. Around 12 million Filipinos do not have access to safe drinking water, and almost 10

percent of the population lack access to sewerage systems. In the next two months individuals and organizations can submit their solutions addressing the Philippines’s water supply and sanitation challenges for a chance to win a cash prize, incubation support, as well as coaching from water and sanitation experts to enhance their solutions. Socioeconomic Planning Assistant Secretary Roderick Planta recognized the role of innovations and technologies in helping address the country’s water challenges as part of its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development

Goals targets of universal access to safe water supply and sanitation services by 2030. The PhlWC is also sponsored by the the Embassy of Israel in the Philippines, Coca-Cola Foundation, Smart Communications, IdeaSpace, and QBO—five key players in the water and innovation sectors. This year USAID is celebrating 60 years of partnership for development with the Philippines. It taps the power of stakeholder-led innovations in providing safe water and sanitation services to the underserved and most vulnerable, while sustainably managing water resources.

HE government of Canada recently announced seven new development assistance projects for implementation in the Philippines over the next five years, which cost approximately P757 million (about CAN$18.9 million). The initiatives focus mainly on supporting the country’s economic response to the health crisis, empowering and improving the health of women and girls, as well as assisting vulnerable people in underdeveloped areas of Mindanao. “Canada stands together in solidarity with the Filipino people in the face of unprecedented challenges resulting from the...pandemic, including the negative physical, mental, social and economic effects many are experiencing every day,” said Ambassador Peter MacArthur. “We support our partners in the government of the Philippines, civil society and multilateral agencies in rolling out a wide range of programs to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, [as well as] jump-start the economic recovery of those who have been adversely affected by this global crisis,” MacArthur added. “Canada continues to work in a coordinated manner with government agencies and [nongovernment] organizations (NGO) to ensure...these projects will reach their target beneficiaries,” he added. “These initiatives reflect the spirit of the [UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda], and I am confident...they will contribute to inclusive economic growth in marginalized communities, gender equality, youth empowerment, good governance, and sustained peace in Bangsamoro.” The projects include: n Education initiatives imple-

MACARTHUR FILE PHOTO

mented by Save the Children, in close partnership with the Department of Education, in the cities of Parañaque and Taguig, the municipality of Pateros, as well as by Vancouver, British Columbia-based Big Bad Boo Studios, Inc., in coordination with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education to reach children in Grades 4 to 6; n Health-care efforts implemented by Canada-based NGO Inter Pares and its Philippine partner Likhaan Center for Women’s Health to help more than 54,000 women and girls in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, as well as by the United Nations Population Fund in at least 10 municipalities in CALABARZON Region; and n Empowerment and inclusive governance efforts implemented by the Mennonite Economic Development Associates to support resilience and inclusion through investments for sustainable agriculture in BARMM and Davao Region by the Philippine Business for Social Progress to advance gender equality and women’s rights across the country, and by the Forum of Federations to promote sustained peace in BARMM by aiding the governance capacity of its officials. Recto L. Mercene

PHL-led Asean community pantry opens in Timor-Leste

SCENES at the Asean community pantry DFA

ILI —The five resident Asean missions in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste: the Kingdom of Brunei, the Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines, and the Kingdom of Thailand, banded together to launch the first-ever Asean Community Pantry in Dili, Timor-Leste on August 3. The Philippine Embassy in Dili organized the community pantry and invited Asean resident missions in Timor-Leste to converge in one location to provide help to locals. Around 150 people benefitted from the initiative. The staging of the community pantry is in-line with the 54th Asean Month celebration, as it fostered stronger goodwill between the regional organization and the Timorese people. Meanwhile, the Community Pantry in Timor-Leste (CPTL)—an

initiative wholly managed and operated by the Philippine Embassy in Dili personnel and their dependents, together with a small core group of Timorese locals—had benefited more than 1,500 Timorese individuals in the capital district of Dili and Timor-Leste’s largest district of Viqueque between April 20 and August 3. The CPTL was a response of the Philippine Embassy to the damage and hardship caused by Cyclone Seroja in Dili on April 4 and the “mandatory confinement” of Dili from March to June 2021 due to the pandemic’s surge. Filipinos based in Timor-Leste and from the Philippines were the community pantry’s main donors, with the Policia Nacional TimorLeste as one of its partners. CPTL was also able to organize up to 100 local Timorese youth volunteers for its pantry operations.

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• Thursday, August 19, 2021

How courage is built: Part I Cooking classes to beat the ECQ blues IT’S ECQ again for Metro Manila and for most of the Philippines, and as a gift to help everyone, cooking school The Maya Kitchen (www.themayakitchen.com) is inviting everyone to upcoming cooking classes. On August 28, 10 am, parents can master how to come up with a meal plan to serve their family three times a day with Easy Cooking Ideas for Menu Planning. Get menu-planning guidance and cook along with the kitchen’s very own Chef Cha, in this fully interactive Zoom class. All enrollees will also get one of The Maya Kitchen’s bestselling menu-planning cookbooks for free: Mix & Match Meals Book 6: Your 4-Week Menu Guide to Easy Gourmet Cooking. This class is P2,500. On September 4, 10 am, parents learn how to cook bento box favorites in the Tempura and Karaage Online Cooking Class. Also via Zoom, chef instructors walk them through how to make Chicken Karaage, crunchy deep-fried pieces of marinated chicken, and Ebi and Vegetable Tempura, shrimp and veggies lightly coated in batter and deep-fried to crispy perfection. This class is also P2,500. The Maya Kitchen continues to offer quality cooking and baking classes online to help people improve their skills and better learn their way around the kitchen. These classes are all conducted via Zoom, where students have a chef instructor who provides step-by-step coaching for every recipe and answer any questions participants may have. Whether you’re looking to start your own cooking journey or improve your skills as a baker or experienced home cook, there’s a class for you.

Clockwise: Marcus at 4 showing his work; Marcus at 6 with Meagan at the zipline at Quezon City Memorial Circle; Marcus at 6 after his violin solo at his school; and Marcus at 7 trying to be an aquanaut at Manila Ocean Park.

HIS Covid situation continuously brings us many uncertainties. Just when you thought there was hope with the availability of vaccines, the Delta strain poses new threats. As I observe from people around me, one is either immobilized by the uncertainties, or pivots to hopefully not just survive but also fly. I have heard many industry leaders speak about how they maneuvered through this pandemic; and the main value that resounded to me was courage. It made me think of our kids’ futures and how much courage is needed to not “fold” when challenges arise. I want to start with my son’s speech last January 2020, when he was chosen to compose and deliver this to the parents’ of potential enrollees during their school’s Open House (I took out the name of my son’s school in the speech). I want to share this because my son was one of the most shy boys I have known. He actually only spoke to one classmate in pre-K, and to only one classmate for the next two years of kindergarten. This is why I was very surprised and teary-eyed when I heard his speech. “Hello, I am Marcus Co Say from Grade 4B and I enjoy [going to school]. This is my second year, and in that short time I have grown to love [school] and am proud to call it my second home because everybody here is really friendly. My mom transferred me because she believes [the school] can give me a holistic and values-driven education. “I love being [a student here] because of the support I get from my classmates and teachers. I know that I am in a safe and loving environment. For example, when I got accidentally scratched on my hand with my pencil, my friend Nico was there to help me walk to the clinic. As for my teachers, they push and challenge me to bring out the best in me. One way they do it is by encouraging everyone to speak in class, even if you’re not raising your hand, so everyone can understand the topic. One of my favorite and most memorable classes is probably when we wrote about our fears in Language Arts last semester. As the lesson went on, it made me less scared because I knew other people have some of the same fears I have. I consider the...community a family because even when I was a new student last year, they treated me like I had been always here. “We have great teachers here in school. My favorite is Mr. Bilog because he has so much faith in all of my classmates and me. He is the teacher who expects the most of me and I want to live up to his expectations. He goes out of his way to make sure that

we are okay.... “One of my favorite school experiences is when I didn’t get into the basketball varsity because it made me realize that I need to be more determined and work harder. Even this year, I still did not get in the varsity but now I go to the park near my house to practice basketball so hopefully I get in next year. But even if I don’t make it, I still want to get better and will keep on trying. “Our virtue campaign now is on excellence and we believe that excellence is not about being the best, but doing the best with the gifts and talents that God has given us. Excellence is a combination of all the other virtues, like charity...being excellent is also being charitable to others. “Here in [school] we are offered various academic and non-academic activities. One of the clubs that taught me a lot is Conquest. It taught me how to share, that losing is okay and winning is just a bonus. I can apply this in everything I do. I’m also part of

Knights of the Altar, which is a chance for us to serve God and the priests and have a greater connection with God. Fr. Felipe and our missionary, Pato, taught us how to serve at Mass properly and even if we’re not perfect and make mistakes, we keep learning along the way.” I cried not only because he has developed so much confidence to speak in front of a big crowd, but mostly because of how courageous he is in wanting to try out again in basketball after two failed attempts. He even chose this as his most favorite experience. I love seeing Marcus today exude confidence. I love observing the spark in his eyes whether he is trying a zip line or shooting hoops. I love his courage of not worrying about the outcome but just learning, laughing, and getting up again...all while developing the value of courage in the process. Next week, let me share my personal tips on how each parent can build their child’s courage regardless of how shy or fearful they might be. n

5 healthy eating habits that benefit moms during breastfeeding and beyond IT’S a given that breastmilk is still the best for babies. At this stage of motherhood, mothers need to observe healthy eating habits to meet their nutritional needs and support their body in making breastmilk for their little one. These healthy eating habits developed during their nursing years will also serve as a great foundation for their health later in life. This Breastfeeding Month, Filipino plant-based brand Sekaya shares some healthy eating tips that can help moms stay healthy during and after the breastfeeding years. Available at Mercury Drug stores and the brand’s official e-commerce stores Sekaya (www.sekaya.com.ph) is under Synnovate Pharma Corp., the natural products company of Unilab. n Follow the pyramid. Moms can check the food pyramid to help them keep a well-balanced diet and ensure they eat a variety of foods across all food groups in proper amounts. It is a dietary guide that serves as a reference on the optimal amount of nutrients one needs in any stage of their life. The country’s own Food and Nutrition Research Institute has a daily nutritional guide pyramid not only for pregnant women and lactating moms but also for toddlers to teens and adults to elderly, further helping moms plan their food for the entire household. n Go for the right fuel. Breastfeeding requires mothers to consume additional calories on top of their usual daily recommended calorie intake a day. This is because mothers need to replenish the nutrients that their bodies use in making milk. Choose the right calories by going for highly nutritious food, specifically those that are rich in iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and D. n Some greens aren’t always in. Green leafy vegetables are mainstays in a healthy diet, but mothers should be wary that not all greens are good for breastfeeding. Parsley, peppermint, and sage may have health benefits but lactating moms are advised to avoid these three leaves because they affect milk

supply. Tea, which is derived from Camellia sinensis leaves, should also be avoided since it has caffeine and tannins that might cause insomnia to the mom and her baby who gets her breast milk. Greens that are galactagogues are mother’s best friends during lactation, such as moringa or malunggay which is known for its superb powers in enhancing milk production. Other green leafy galactagogues include spinach and kale. n Choose healthy snacking. Having little healthy snacks throughout the day can help nursing moms refuel their body and curb hunger. While it might be enticing to get some fastfood or processed food to cut down meal prep, they will only do more harm than good. Instead, stock up on food that are dense in nutrients and are plant-based such as fruit or nut bars, smoothies made from fruits and vegetables, veggie snacks, like singkamas and boiled kamote and saba, and fresh fruits. n Be discerning when it comes to supplements. It’s possible that eating healthy food may still be inadequate in supporting a mom’s health needs. Mothers can rely on natural, plant-based supplements like moringa to help them achieve their daily recommended nutrition intake. After all, it’s a superfood that’s packed with over 90 nutrients, 46 antioxidants, and amino acids potent enough to help address 300 diseases— making it a great supplement for any stage of motherhood, too. Sekaya Organic Moringa is the only 500mg EU-certified organic moringa supplement in the country that is 100 percent sourced and manufactured in the Philippines, meaning it has met international standards on how it’s produced and

processed. Made with moms and their babies in mind, this product is tested against microbial contamination,

pesticide residues, heavy metals, and molds— ensuring them that what they consume is safe and of high-quality.

B6 Thursday, August 19, 2021

Solar Power: Cheap and sustainable solution to Luzon’s worsening power woes Manila Water’s TBM-driven NovalichesBalara Aqueduct 4 project nears completion

THE TBM exit shaft at La Mesa, where the intake tower will be built.

HE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) celebrates Manila Water’s milestone in its landmark NovalichesBalara Aqueduct 4 (NBAQ4) project as the tunnel-boring machine (TBM) being utilized for the project has already broken through at the La Mesa Reservoir, more than seven kilometers away from its entry shaft at Balara in Quezon City. The Php5.5B NBAQ4 project, one of the largest MWSS-led water supply infrastructure projects undertaken by Manila Water, entails the construction of a fourth aqueduct from the La Mesa Reservoir to the Balara Treatment Plants (BTP) 1 and 2 to improve the reliability and security of the raw water transmission system.

In a simple ceremony held last August 14 to celebrate this milestone, workers and guests witnessed the exposure of the TBM cutter head from the soft concrete at the exit shaft. The tunnel-boring machine technology, used for the first time in Metro Manila for this project, has been laying the 7.30-kilometer long and 3.10-meter diameter NBAQ4 underneath Commonwealth Avenue, without impact to traffic since its launch on January 28, 2020. With the pipelaying complete, the TBM named “Dalisay” and its accessories will now be dismantled and the construction of intake tower, outlet tower, and downstream network system will now commence. The project is expected to be completed by June 2022. Manila Water’s partners in this project are Arup

as the project management consultant; and NOVABALA joint venture, the project’s design and build contractor composed of CMC di Ravenna (Italy), First Balfour, Inc. (Philippines), and Chun Wo Engineering (Hong Kong). MWSS Board of Trustees Chairman and OIC Administrator Gen. Reynaldo Velasco (Ret.) said that this flagship project of Manila Water is part of the agency’s water security program under the current administration. “Part of the agency’s landmark achievements is coming up with interim and long-term water source projects to approximate at least 4,000 million liters per day (MLD) in the next 10 or 25 or, hopefully, 50 years,” he said. Noting that the three existing aqueducts, built in 1929, 1956, and 1968 respectively, are already nearing, if not already exceeding, the service life of 50 years for concrete structures, Velasco cited the urgent need of assessment and rehabilitation even as he commended Manila Water for the completion of this important water security component flagship project. The existing aqueduct system continuously transmits 1,600 million liters per day (MLD) of raw water to BTP. The NBAQ4 project shall provide a new aqueduct to enable the sequential temporary service suspension of the existing aqueducts for inspection, assessment, and subsequent rehabilitation to help ensure continuous water supply for more than 7 million population served in the East Zone. The NBAQ4 system is composed of a new intake facility at La Mesa, a 1,000-MLD underground aqueduct, and an outlet facility at BTP.

Cleanfuel boosts presence in Rizal with Tanay station opening

OTATIONAL blackouts are expected to get worse in 2022 as aging power plants stop running. Solar power might be the answer to sustaining the country's economy. More power outages are expected in Luzon in the years to come as the Philippines grapples with heavy reliance on renewable energy sources, leading to concurrent shutdowns of several baseload power plants. Amidst the oppressive summer heat, the Department of Energy (DOE) implemented rotational blackouts beginning in May to manage power demand and supply. The situation might worsen next year with anticipated forced outages in power facilities, the reduction of gas plants' power rating, and a shortage of gas fuel from the Malampaya field.

Time to shift to a sustainable solution

SIMPLY augmenting coal-fired power plants and importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) are not sustainable solutions. Heavy reliance on imported fuels also increases risks of energy supply under the current pandemic. We need to look for flexible renewable energy options like solar PV. Transitioning to solar power now ensures that Filipino energy users don't bear the cost when these fossil fuel plants eventually become unusable. Solar PV is now the cheapest source of energy in many countries in the world,

including Philippines. In addition, it's a clean energy source, making it a great way to reduce our carbon footprint that meets the Philippines commitment to climate change. Solar power doesn't release environmentharming greenhouse gases. Apart from clean water for occasional maintenance, off-grid solar installations do not require other resources to function. Solar power is the perfect choice for a tropical country like the Philippines with high irradiation. Photovoltaic technologies convert solar irradiation into electrical current, and the power can be used as a direct electricity source in households or stored in batteries. LONGi Solar is the industry leader in manufacturing monocrystalline solar products used in many major solar panels in the PV industry. Founded in 2000, LONGi is the fastest-growing PV module manufacturer. LONGi entered the Philippines market in 2017 and today the company has already become an established brand in the country. LONGi has supplied the 100MW PV + 132MW wind hybrid project in Ilocos Norte, with another 80MW project expected to be completed in 2021. Having a sustainable solution using solar power is better for more Filipinos in the long run. It not only provides us with a solution for reducing our carbon footprint but also increases productivity at home, making us better equipped to navigate an increasingly digital post-COVID-19 world.

Official Pokemon Account is now on Tiktok

HE Pokémon Company (Minatoku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Tsunekazu Ishihara) opened an official Pokémon account on the short video platform, “Tiktok” in August 2021. The official Pokémon account is now open on “TikTok”, the short video platform. “We will be moderating this new media account so we can deliver an even closer Pokémon experience to everyone,” the Pokémon Company said. Currently short videos such as Pikachu and friends dancing to music are available. More Pokémon will be making an appearance. “We plan to upload unique TikTok videos and new updates on Pokémon. Please give us a follow and check it out. Through the Official Pokémon TikTok account, we hope many people will learn about Pokémon and develop a new form of socialization,” the company added. “Uniquely Pokémon” and “Uniquely TikTok” short videos to be uploaded regularly.

More Pokémon will be making an appearance with unique TikTok videos and new updates on Pokémon. Check out Pokemon’s official Tiktok account: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSJVSayaq/ TikTok is a short video platform on mobile. TikTok’s mission is “to capture and present the world's creativity, knowledge, and moments that matter in everyday life.” Its service is available worldwide and it holds global offices in various cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Chooks-to-Go extends financial help to 1988 Summer Olympics bronze medalist Leopoldo Serantes and family

AST Luzon’s well-known twisties and scenic spots will serve as the latest home for independent oil company Cleanfuel, as the company recently inaugurated the latest addition to its retail network branch in the municipality of Tanay in Rizal province. Strategically-located on F.T. Catapusan Road, in Plaza Aldea, Cleanfuel Tanay is the company’s fourth station in the Rizal area, adding to the stations in Antipolo and in Cainta to cover the major thoroughfares such as Sumulong and Marcos Highway. “We want to send the message that we are committed to helping Filipinos access Quality Fuel for Less during these tough times,” Cleanfuel President and CEO Atty. Jesus “Bong” Suntay said. “This is our way of telling our kababayans that we are with them and that we believe in

the Filipino resiliency in the face of any challenge.” Understanding that the majority of Tanay households depend on the industries of fishing, agriculture, and local commerce, the new station guarantees the residents and commercial establishments in the area the support that they need for daily transport, providing quality fuel products at an affordable price. Motorists can fuel up at the Cleanfuel Tanay station with Clean 91, Premium 95, and high-grade diesel products. During the station opening, motorists were able to take advantage of freebies, including FREE face shields, energy drinks, and limited dri-fit Cleanfuel shirts for the customer who will gas up 15 liters and above. The new station is ready with the

new normal payment solution as it is also equipped to provide cashless payments to its clients. Furthermore, Cleanfuel assures safety with every transaction as the whole service staff follows highly stringent safety protocols such as wearing of face masks and face shields, thermal scanning of personnel, social distancing, disinfection of workstations, and hand washing. Meanwhile, the chief executive reiterated the company’s plans to cover more ground as the year progresses. “We are expanding and opening more stations in cities where transportation is vital in the development of trade and commerce. Even in the face of this pandemic, we assure our patrons that we will provide quality fuels and the highest level of customer service, along with our unique rewards program,” Suntay said.

FTER Chooks-to-Go has given 1996 Summer Olympics silver medalist Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco Jr. with his own store for his service to the country, the company honored another sports hero. “We honor another forgotten hero in 1988 Summer Olympics bronze medalist and former soldier Leopoldo Serantes with PHP 100,000.00 monthly allowance for life. He brought home a bronze medal, our only medal in the 1988 Seoul Games which ended a 24year medal drought,” Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas recently announced. Taking a lead from netizen Jhay San Antonio, and with the help of Onyok

Velasco, the company found 59-year-old Olympian Leopoldo Serantes bedridden at the Philippine Veterans Hospital due to serious pulmonary and heart ailment. “His family is barely able to make both ends meet due to his daily medical needs. We want to see our sports hero who brought so much pride and honor to our country live a life with dignity befitting a living hero. Mabuhay ka, Leopoldo Serantes!” Mascariñas said. For those who want to make his life better, here is his bank account details: Leopoldo Serantes Landbank savings account 2376111326 #PusoParaSaPinas

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

Health&Fitness BusinessMirror

Thursday, August 19, 2021 B7

China-made capsule shows potential vs Delta variant By Rory Visco

Contributor

here is another surge happening around now. With many hospitals almost in full capacity, whether in the National Capital Region (NCR) or other provinces, the presence of the new Delta variant is deemed the culprit of this new uprising in the number of cases. The plight of those suffering with Covid-19 is becoming more pitiful, scenes reminiscent of the woeful situation just a few months ago hogging the headlines of both traditional and online media. The government’s efforts toward fast-tracking the inoculation of citizens is going haywire, with many still hesitant, and while many want to be inoculated, supply is the issue.

Inhibitory action BASED on the latest research findings from the State Key Labora-

tory of Respiratory Disease based in Guangzhou, China, Lianhua Qing wen, a China-made capsule, showed “effective inhibitory action on the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2.” One of the laboratory’s eminent professors, Professor Yang Zifeng, and his team, said that by focusing on the development of the Delta variant, their team focused their research on diagnosis, medication, and prevention. With regard to medication, among the drugs that played a critical role in 2020 and still

works up to now in dealing with the Delta variant, was the Lianhua Qingwen capsules developed and produced by Yiling Pharmaceutical, and some monomers extracted from herbs. Ex per iments show t hat against the Delta variant, Lianhua Qingwen has displayed obvious and stable in-vitro antiviral and inhibitory functions not just against the Delta variant but also with the Alpha and Beta variants as well. At present, what the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease is doing now also includes the research and development of vaccines, and how to integrate the use of drugs such as Lianhua Qingwen and vaccination to provide double protection for people.

Conquering Covid There is no doubt that Metro Manila is experiencing another “serious surge” of Covid-19 cases and now is not the time to let our guards down as the Delta variant proves to be a tough nut to crack among the variants, primarily because of its high transmissibility.

The country, specifically, the NCR, is currently experiencing its third version of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ ) and the OCTA Research Group said new infections may reach as high as 13,000 daily by the end of August. Many experts say the situation should be approached with great caution to effectively manage and control the spread of the virus and its variants. There are two most important approaches, as mentioned in a recent webinar by the Department of Foreign Affairs Foreign Service Institute: “early intervention” and “integration of Chinese and Western medicine with Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Treatment.” Academician Dr. Zhang Boli, one of the speakers during the webinar, emphasized the importance of medication in the cure, control and prevention of Covid-19. He said the earlier it is detected, the better. “Cooperation is vital to the efficiency of all preventive and control efforts. The implementation of a top down, side-to-side

and bottom-up approach ensures that the paramount objective of having a proper communication and information dissemination to the entire community involving all sectors of society is met.”

Not much emphasis He said there are many treatments that were not given much emphasis throughout the pandemic, such as physiological, emotional and psychological rehabilitation treatments, which can also play a big part in battling the virus. “There are three Traditional Chinese Medicines to treat Covid-19 in China and we are very lucky to have one of these TCMs registered and widely distributed in the Philippines—the Lianhua Qingwen capsule. However, he reminds that preventive measures like social distancing, wearing of face masks and shields, frequent hand washing, using of sanitizers like alcohol and keeping healthy through exercising, getting enough sunshine, eating healthy and getting enough sleep, are still needed. But should people catch the

virus despite observing safety protocols, and since the Delta variant is supposed to be airborne, early treatment is a must. “Quarantine and medication are key. Do not wait until symptoms become worse. Take the capsule at the onset of symptoms to be able to recover quickly.” He likewise reminded about the importance of the PDITR +V strategy, which is “Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, Reintegrate and Vaccinate,” to cut off the transmission chain. “With the cooperation of more Filipinos, we can do our share to help control and manage the surge of the Covid-19 virus,” testing czar and Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong once said. T h is is a wa r bet ween a n elusive virus and man. Working together will mean success against this invisible enemy, a victory that will benefit future generations. Lianhua Qing wen requires doctor’s prescr ipt ion, and is available in most major drug stores and other pharmacies with P288 SRP per box (24 capsules).

Pinoys prone to developing Don’t let your guard down vs dengue–DOH official noncommunicable diseases By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

he World Health Organization (WHO)-Western Pacific Regional Office said a that significant proportion of Filipino adults continue to be exposed to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), risks of tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. As such, this makes millions of Filipinos vulnerable to developing NCDs in the future. In the Philippines, NCDs continue to contribute to death and disability. However, the Department of Health (DOH) said their effects can be reversed by modification of daily behavior habits including reducing tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

Mobile survey

In January 2021, the DOH conducted the second mobile phone health survey which focused on the five associated noncommunicable NCD risk factors—tobacco use, alcohol use, diet, diabetes, and hypertension. A total of 3,087 Filipino adults participated in the survey to help inform them of public health programs, policies and policy makers. Respondents were subscribers to the three leading mobile phone networks and were randomly selected via random digit-dialing to complete the survey using SMS or mobile web mode.

Tobacco use

On tobacco use, the survey revealed that overall, 15.5 percent of Filipino adults are tobacco smokers, with 22.6 percent of men and 8.5 percent of women currently smoking tobacco. Approximately 1 in 10 adult men (13.4 percent) smoked tobacco on a daily basis compared to women (4.4 percent). Men also reported higher rates of smokeless tobacco use, 6.2 percent among men, compared to 1.6 percent among women.

Alcohol use

On alcohol use, consumption was high, with four in 10 Filipinos (40.1 percent) reporting that they drank alcohol in the 30 days prior to the survey. Alcohol use was higher in men compared to women, with 51.4 percent of men and 28.9 percent of women reporting current drinking habit. One in three adult Filipinos (33.1 percent) reported drinking six or more drinks in a single drinking

occasion. Men reported higher rates of heavy drinking occasions compared to women (43.2 percent men vs. 22.9 percent women.)

Diet

On diet, 90.1 percent of respondents reported consuming less than the recommended five servings of fruits or vegetables on a daily basis; less than one percent reported consuming neither fruits nor vegetables daily. Dietary salt intake was high with 60.2 percent reporting that they always or often added salt in some form when cooking or preparing foods. Two out of five (39.5 percent) adult Filipinos always or often added salt or salty sauces to their food before eating and approximately one third (31.4 percent) of adult Filipinos reported always or often eating processed foods high in salt content. Overall, one in 10 adults Filipinos reported receiving a clinical diagnosis of raised blood sugar or diabetes (14.1 percent among men and 11.3 percent among women).

Diabetes meds

Of these, almost half (49.2 percent) were currently under diabetes medication. One quarter of adult Filipinos (25.8 percent) reported that they were told that they were hypertensive by their doctor or health professional, and 54.5 percent were currently on medications to control their hypertension. The Philippines is the first country to repeat a national survey using mobile phone technology; the first NCD mobile health survey was done in 2018. The respondents were limited to adults who have access to a mobile phone and the majority of survey participants reported high educational achievement.

Strengthen the prevention strategies

The study affirms that NCDs and its risk factors affect the individual and Filipino society at large. The data presented a strong basis to further strengthen the prevention strategies being undertaken by the Department of Health. “Results of the study will provide the DOH supplementary national data in addressing NCDs in the country even as we make health services more available and responsive to more people and move towards Universal Health Care,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III concluded.

engue, a viral disease, hits everybody. The disease is not only a concern during the rainy season; it is an all-year round concern. Signs and symptoms of the disease are severe headache, pain behind the eyes, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and skin rashes. T he Philippines shared the progress in its dengue prevention and control since the Declaration of the National Epidemic in August 2019. Data shows that there has been an 81 percent decrease in dengue cases and deaths for 2020 compared to 2019. Based on the Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Report, there is an observed continued 55 percent decrease in cases and 56 percent decrease in deaths during the same time period.

4S-Strategy vs dengue

The DOH underscored that such a milestone can be attributed to the implementation of the “Guidelines for the Nationwide Implementa-

tion of the Enhanced 4S-Strategy against Deng ue, Chikung unya and Zika.” The main strategies include: 1) Search and destroy mosquitobreeding sites; 2) Self-protection (i.e., wearing long pants and longsleeved shirts, and daily use of mosquito repellent); 3) Seeking early consultation; and 4) Support fogging/spraying only in hotspot areas in anticipation of increased infectious diseases, especially during the rainy season. To further strengthen its prevention measures, the DOH, through the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau (DPCB), has released policy issuances related to the current Dengue activities such as Department Order 2020-0536, titled “Guidelines in the Conduct of a Dengue Mortality Review,” and Administrative Order 2021-0009, titled “Guidelines for the Establishment of Dengue Centers of Excellence [COEs] in Tertiary Hospitals.’’ These interventions aim to identify current gaps in clinical management and to improve the service delivery for dengue.

Despite the decreasing trend, Centers for Health Development (CHDs) and Local Government Units (LGUs) are encouraged to continuously implement the Enhanced 4S-Strategy to meet the goal. Likewise, everyone is enjoined to take part in the social media challenges in place such as the BIDA+ 4S OOTD Challenge and the Kapihan session that took place on June 17, 2021 to learn more about the DOH program on National Aedes-borne Viral Diseases Prevention and Control Program.

DOH-Calabarzon

The DOH- Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) reported a decrease in dengue cases in the region from January 1, 2021 to August 7, 2021 with 4,179 or 41 percent lower compared to the same period last year with 7,933 cases. According to the Regional Surveillance and Epidemiology Unit (RESU), the age of the cases ranged from two years old to 88 years old. There were 15 deaths recorded. The province of Rizal has the

highest number of reported cases with 1,377; the second is Cavite province with 1,276 cases; and Laguna province with 895 cases. Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo advised residents to be wary of mosquito bites especially now that we are still in the middle of the rainy season. “We should make sure that we are not only protected against Covid-19 but dengue as well,” Janairo said. “We should keep our homes and our surroundings clean so that there will be no breeding grounds for mosquitoes. These mosquitoes can bite you any time of day and you might get dengue because of these bites,” he said. Janairo also reminded parents to safeguard their children, especially those who are aged between two to 10 years old, as they are more prone to getting mosquito bites. “Use insect repel lent, wear bright colored long-sleeved shirts and long pants and most important is to control mosquitoes inside and outside your home by destroying their breeding sites,” he concluded. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Group marks first year with new officer appointees

he Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines (CDC Ph) recently marked its first founding anniversary with the appointment of respected professionals from the fields of medicine, business, news and arts and culture. The new officers are: Homer Lim, MD, president; Mari Kaimo, vice president; and Lovely Rivero, corporate secretary. Dr. Lim, who earned his medical degree from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), has been in medical practice for 18 years, specializing in regenerative medicine, geriatrics, and fighting chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and autoimmune disorders. He is also currently serving as the Vice-President of the International Society for Integrated Anti-aging Medicine, and President of the Philippine Society for Orthomolecular Medicine, which promotes integrative medicine in South East Asia. “ The most effective weapon against the Covid-19 virus is accurate scientific information. CDC Ph has been and will always be at the forefront in disseminating databased solutions that will save the lives and livelihoods of Filipinos,” said Dr. Lim, a much sought-after resource speaker on integrative medi-

products under the brand name, A Taste of Love.

Non-partisan group

From left, Homer Lim, Mari Kaimo and Lovely Rivero

cine and cancer treatment, both in the Philippines and internationally. Mari Kaimo, the incoming CDC Ph Vice-President, worked as a reporter, anchor, and program host for news and public affairs programs in major television networks for almost 2 decades. He has been the co-host of “The 700 Club,” the longest-running Christian television program in the country, and “The 700 Club Asia” since 1989. Mari also serves as Executive Director of Roof Chamber Media, a Dallas, Texasbased online Christian ministry,

where he also co-hosts the regular podcast, “Roof Chamber Live!” Lovely Rivero, the incoming CDC Ph corporate secretary, is a veteran actress, part-time TV host, an entrepreneur and current chair of the Covid Task Force of the Rotary Club of Makati, Dasmariñas. Rivero is president of Fabuloso Events and Entertainment, which has been booking Filipino bands, celebrities, and entertainers for international live entertainment concerts and events since 2003. She also distributes gourmet bottled-food

CDC Ph is a non-partisan organization composed of professionals and experts from the medical, health, business, financial, and research industries who are proposing science-driven, evidence-based solutions to the biggest challenges facing the nation during the Covid-19 outbreak. Over the past year since its inception, CDC PH has been constantly reaching out to the Covid-19 Inter-Agency Task Force to provide medical solutions that prioritize boosting immunity, prophylactic regimens that prevent expensive hospitalizations, and early treatment protocols using repurposed drugs available in the market today. CDC Ph has been advocating for data-based solutions to avoid the problems that have ravaged the economy over the past year and, as reported by the National Economic and Development Authority, will cost the economy another P300 billion in output losses in the next two weeks. “If ever there was a time for Government to consider getting a second opinion on how to handle the pandemic,” Kaimo said, “... it is now.”

Sports

Duterte to lead virtual send off for Paralympians

BusinessMirror

| Thursday, August 19, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

MANNY PACQUIAO’S face-to-face meeting with Yordenis Ugás is not your typical trash talkmarred presentation. WENDELL ALINEA

PACQUIAO TO UGÁS: IT’S NICE TO SEE YOU L

By Josef Ramos

AS VEGAS, Nevada— Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao finally met his substitute opponent, Yordenis Ugás, in the flesh on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) at the formal Grand Arrival ceremony outside the T-Mobile Arena fronting the Toshiba Plaza in Las Vegas, Nevada. And the first words the fighting senator said of his Cuban foe? “Oh, it’s okay, it’s nice to see him,” Pacquiao told the crowd when asked about his impression of the 35-year-old Ugás “It’s going to be a good fight, more action in the ring.” “I would like to invite the fans all over the world, especially Filipinos, to watch the fight,” said Pacquiao, who was obviously shorter—three inches—to the 5-foot-9 Cuban. “See you there.” Wearing a red tracksuit, the World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight titleholder Ugás (26-4 win-loss record with

12 knockouts) showed class and respect to the 42-year-old eightdivision world champion, who responded in the same manner in their first face-to-face meeting. Ugás, a replacement for unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., said the late adjustments in training have leveled the playing field. Interestingly, Ugás’s supposed foe, Fabian Maidana of Argentina, in the undercard of the PacquiaoSpence “Legacy Fight” card, suffered the same torn left eye retina like Spence. “I don’t think anybody has the advantage because he was preparing for a southpaw, [then] I was preparing for a conventional fighter,” Ugás said. “And we just had 10 days to prepare, so I do not think anyone has the advantage.” “If this is Pacquiao’s last time in the ring, he will fight someone who is of high caliber like me,” said the 2008 Olympics bronze medalist Ugás. “We’re going to put on a great fight for the fans around the world.”

But Pacquiao (62-7-2 record with 39 knockouts) reminded Ugás about the “hard truth why he’s the present champion” after the WBA took his crown last January for “ring inactivity.” On Sunday, he’s coming to get the title back. “It means a lot. I just need to prove that it’s not good to take my belt without fighting me. So, I think it’s kind of a challenge and a good fight,” Pacquiao said. “We are well prepared for this fight.” Pacquiao also dismissed notions he didn’t have enough time to tinker with his strategy. “I have been fighting righthanded boxers, I was able to adjust right away,” Pacquiao, clad in a white polo shirt and black pants, said. Will this Ugás be his last fight? Pacquiao said it could be. “It depends on the result and the fight, but I really love doing this, I am happy doing this,” he said. “It’s still the same feeling, I am very passionate about this sport.”

HE country’s six Paralympians will be feted on Thursday in a virtual send off ceremony arranged by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). It will be streamed on the agency’s Facebook page starting at 6 p.m., three days before the delegation flies for Tokyo. President Rodrigo Duterte will deliver his message of support to the para athletes, according to PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez. “The PSC Board of Commissioners are in full support of the six athletes,” said Ramirez, who encouraged them to “enjoy the experience and have fun” in their Paralympics campaign. Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, and Isabela Rep. Mike Dy, Chairman of the House Committee on Youth and Sports, along with Philippine Paralympic Committee President Mike Barredo will also grace the virtual event. The athletes will compete in six sports—wheelchair athlete Jerrold Mangliwan, para discus thrower Jeanette Aceveda, swimmers Ernie Gawilan and Gary Bejino, powerlifter Achelle Guion and taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin. Mangliwan will be the flag bearer in the opening ceremony while Gawilan will carry the country’s colors in the closing ceremony. They will be joined by chef de mission Francis Carlos Diaz.

GOLD MEDAL HOME

Hidilyn Diaz mimics her Tokyo Olympics gold medal- and Games record-winning form after receiving the keys to her brand new house-and-lot courtesy of Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino in Tagaytay City on Tuesday. Diaz, along with her parents—Eduardo and Elemita who flew all the way from Zamboanga City—and strength and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo, are awed by her new two-story home—220square meter floor area and 220-square meter lot area—located inside Isabel Heights in Barangay Kaybagal Central. The three medalist boxers—silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam and bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial—also joined Tolentino and Senator Francis Tolentino in the ground breaking ceremony for their own house-and-lot in Barangay San Jose also in Tagaytay City.

Girls, girls, girls ONE Championship is going all out for gender equality in September with ONE: Empower, the all-women fight card that will make history in the fight world. Set to air live across the world on Friday, September 3, this “Girls Night Out” in the ONE Circle is the first such event hosted by a major global martial arts organization where all the bouts from preliminaries to main card feature women protagonists. It is a daring, innovative concept in MMA’s big league that will show the strength of the women’s division of the Singapore-based mixed martial arts, Muay Thai and kickboxing promotion. It will also be a chance for the women athletes of ONE to show off their skills and talents and prove that not just the men have the right to flex their strength or flash their savvy moves in the sport. The event will feature two Filipina mixed martial arts athletes who are at the moment the most exciting to watch. One is Denice Zamboanga, born and raised in Quezon City and now fighting with Bangkok-based Marrok Force. She is out to prove her mettle once more after a long lay off, her last fight being almost a year ago, August 28, 2020 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok. There she defeated Watsapinya Kaewkhong by submission at ONE Championship: A New Breed at the Impact Arena in Bangkok. She is called “Lycan Queen” for a reason. She is fierce and aggressive like a she-wolf. To date her fight record stands at 8-0. Five of her eight victories have been through knockout (2) or submission (3). She will face South Korean mixed martial artist and kickboxer Seo Hee Ham in the Grand Prix quarterfinals. Denice is honored that she will represent the Philippines in the star-studded celebration of girl power. “I want to win for the country. I want to make sure I bring honor to the Philippines,” she said. The former Polytechnic U student says ONE: Empower is “such a big opportunity for women’s mixed martial arts.” “We’re rounding up the best female fighters in the world in one event. This shows just how big women’s mixed martial arts is, not only in ONE, but in the world.” Also set to thrill in the landmark show is Lady Lakay Jenelyn Olsim who stunned the martial arts world with her shocking victory over Number 5 ranked Maria Mazar of Brazil in Fists of Fury III in Singapore. Olsim marked her debut in the circle with strong punches, savvy Muay Thai moves, devastating kicks and a spectacular deep choke executed while standing. The victory gave a solid boost to Olsim’s confidence,

making her aware that she can truly match up with the best in ONE. It also catapulted her straight up to No. 5 in the ONE Athlete Rankings in the women’s strawweight division. Now everyone is excited to see how Jenny will build more myth when she faces Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen of Thailand. How will she do it? “After my first fight in ONE Championship, I became more confident in my ground game. I knew the things that I had to do and if I had the chance to lock in a submission, I should never waver and lock it in,” said the ONE Warrior Series standout. “But again, I know that I still have so much more to work on. I have to keep learning and keep improving. In this sport, you can’t reach perfection and evolution is very important.” Strong and skilled as she is, the Team Lakay fighter isn’t resting on her fame or her laurels. Still she expresses trust in the training she is getting from Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao and knows that they have done everything in their power to prepare for this next big challenge. Olsim knows that subduing Nguyen won’t be easy. She is after all one of the top fighters in the women’s atomweight division for the past few years. The Vietnamese-American has squared off with some of the best in the promotion, with her last fight being a split decision win over Indian sensation Ritu Phogat at ONE: Dangal last May. Aware of this dangerous threat, Olsim understands that she has to truly be at her best when she matches up against Nguyen. “Bi is a tough fighter. She has that strong heart and I admire her for that. I have seen her fights and undoubtedly, she has that will power that I have to watch out for. But I believe with the training that we’ve had, I will have an answer for that,” she said. Olsim thinks that despite their differences in terms of experience, she will have the edge when they face each other in the Circle. “The fans can all expect an action-filled match, maybe a more technical Jenelyn,” she added. “I don’t want to predict what the finish will be, but either way, I’m going there with all my heart and I’ll do everything just to get the win. Whatever it takes…It’s going to be a good show,” she said. Here are the other powerful females to watch out for when Empower is unleashed: Meng Bo (#2-ranked ONE atomweight) of China vs. Ritu Phogat of India. Stamp Fairtex (#4-ranked ONE atomweight) of Thailand vs. Alyona Rassohyna (#3-ranked ONE atomweight) of Ukraine. Undefeated judoka Itsuki Hirata of Japan vs. ONE Championship newcomer Alyse Anderson of the United States. French kickboxing star Anissa Meksen vs. Spain’s Cristina Morales. In the featured lead card bout of ONE Super Series Muay Thai, Filipino-American striking sensation Jackie Buntan vs. Argentinian Daniela Lopez. In a pair of World Grand Prix alternate bouts, former ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title challenger Mei Yamaguchi of Japan vs. Julie Mezabarba of Brazil. Grace Cleveland of the United States vs. the winner of Bi Nguyen vs. Jenelyn Olsim.