BusinessMirror August 24, 2022 by BusinessMirror

“WFH,” A2

REMEMBERING ‘THE CRY’ Workers arrange flowers that were offered at the Cry of Pugad Lawin Shrine in Quezon City, August 23, 2022, in preparation for its 126th anniversary. The 1896 Cry of Pugad Lawin marked the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spain. NONOY LACZA

www.businessmirror.com.ph P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 26 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEKn Wednesday, August 24, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 320 PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.1070 n JAPAN 0.4081 n UK 66.0323 n HK 7.1508 n CHINA 8.1935 n SINGAPORE 40.1539 n AUSTRALIA 38.5792 n EU 55.8096 n KOREA 0.0418 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9411 Source: BSP (23 August 2022) A broader look at today’s business BusinessMirror IT-BPO FIRMS’ WFH DEAL EXTENDED TILL MARCH

“Coca-Cola,”

By Andrea E. San Juan THE information technology and business process out sourcing sector, a pillar of the economy, has gotten a reprieve of sorts in its long-running dispute with regulators on the application of hybrid work arrangements in economic zones without forfeit ing locators’ incentives.

SENATORS: WAS SUGAR ORDER NO. 4 See See A2

IT and Business Process Asso ciation of the Philippines (IBPAP) members were told by the Phil ippine Economic Zone Author ity (PEZA) they can extend workfrom-home arrangements until March“Our2023. partners in PEZA have recently advised IBPAP mem bers that the 30 percent workfrom-home arrangement [can] be By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas C OCA-COLA Beverage Philippines Inc. has run out of premium bottler’s grade refined sugar, high-rank ing officials confirmed to the BusinessMirrorHowever,Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief David plantscrunch,hitCoca-colabysugarsomeidled By Butch Fernandez butchfBM WAS the importation order data-driven? This was a key is sue raised by Senate probers at the Blue Ribbon committee on Tuesday as they grilled officials involved in the sugar importation fiasco that led to resignations at the Sugar Regulatory Adminis tration (SRA) and complicated the Marcos administration’s ef forts to ensure stable supply and pricing of the staple.

See “SO4,” A2

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri—an agriculturist by pro fession whose resolution led to the Senate inquiry—demand ed to know how the resigned SRA officials came up with the 300,000-metric ton requirement for sugar import, and why the inordinate rush to issue SRA’s Sugar Order No. 4, which was re called after President Ferdinand R. Marcos said he had not autho rized it, despite his being signed as “For” by former Agriculture Secretary Leocadio Sebastian.

DATA-DRIVEN?

Minority Leader Koko Pimen tel, during the hybrid inquiry of the Blue Ribbon Committee Tuesday, noted that “apart from the lack of authority, the Sugar Order No. O4 (SO4) became con troversial because of the quantity of sugar SRA wanted to import. “So my question is, what led you to that number of 300,000 metric tons?” In reply, former SRA Admin istrator Hermenegildo Serafica told the Senate committee that the quantity was based on data since SRA is the repository of all records of production of all mills and refineries in the country. “On the weekly basis, they (data) are transmitted to the SRA by way of SMS and these are col lated also on a weekly basis and from there we can do projections on what happens on every particu lar issue. In this case your honor, we just put the shortage on the minimal based on a 3-year average monthly demand,” said Serafica. Serafica’s claim, however, was disputed by a leader of the sugar planters, Manuel Lamata of United Sugar Producers Fed eration (UNIFED), who spoke online to senators after Sen. Jing goy Ejercito Estrada asked Blue Ribbon chairman Sen. Francis Tolentino to give stakeholders a chance to Lamataspeak.said“I wrote [Mr. Se rafica] four, five times to do a national survey [to accurately assess the sugar inventory] as done in past administrations at the SRA,” but was apparently ignored. Such surveys were done periodically “before, during and after” milling, Lamata said.

T HE

Continued from A1 Coca-Cola.

The Business Mirror sought Coca-Cola’s comments regarding its refined sugar supply but it has not responded yet as of press time.

Continued from A1 extended through the end of March 2023 and that is well within the PEZA law,” said IBPAP President and CEO Jack Madrid at a virtual event on Tuesday. This, Madrid said, as the letters of authority (LOAs) granted by PEZA to allow 30-percent WFH arrangement are set to expire on September 12. In June, Madrid said the LOAs enabled companies to accommodate the strong preferences of their employees and execute a smooth, phased return to on-site operations in the immediate term before a permanent WFH or hybrid work policy is established. Meanwhile, Madrid said during the virtual event that IBPAP had numerous talks with key government partners as the flagship organization for the IT-BPM industry gears towards a more permanent hybrid work set-up.

However, Alba pointed out that the Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc., the maker of Pepsi products, and ARC Refreshments Corp., producer of RC Cola, have available bottlers’ grade refined sugar supply today.

“We are just putting the mechanics in place for the new importation program. The standing order of the President is to immediately issue SO 2,” he said.

ALBA said the new SRA board is now finetuning the mechanics for the importation of additional 150,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar in the country.

. .

“We are currently consolidating the data as to how much is really needed so we can recommend the necessary actions we need to take to the President. The Sugar Board just took office and we ask our industry partners to indulge us with some time so we can address this issue based on established facts,” he added.

up 280%,

exploiting our children in this heinous manner, well we’re here to punish you,” Remulla said. To expand the campaign against OSAEC, Aba los said government will procure forensic software for online investigations, to complement their close coordination with local government units in information dissemination and reporting of OSAECDILGincidents. alsorecommended passage of the SIM Card Registration bill. Teodoro said tracking down people in OSAEC using SIM cards is difficult since SIM cards re mainTheunregistered. Departmentof Information and Communi cations Technology (DICT) will monitor the other digital tracks of OSAEC perpetrators, including their online transactions, by coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and its international partners. “Then once we track them, then we work with these international agencies on how to stop the money flow,” Information and Communications Secretary Ivan John E. Uy said.

In a separate statement, Coca-Cola claimed that the beverage makers require at least 450,000 MT of premium bottler’ grade refined sugar to keep all their bottling plants working at 100 percent.

‘Be forthright’ NEGROS Occidental 5th District Rep. Emilio Yulo urged bottling firms to be “forthright” in their statements regarding their refined sugar stocks. Citing official government data revealed in the House inquiry on the sugar import mess, Yulo said Pepsi still has 200,000 50-kilogram bags of bottler’s grade of refined sugar while RC Cola has about 130,000 50-kilogram bags in its SRA-accredited warehouses. Yulo also confirmed to the Business Mirror that Coke has run out of bottlers’ grade of sugar. “The SRA Deputy Administrator for Regulations confirmed during the hearing the records that there are still outstanding sugar balances for ARC and Pepsi in SRA-accredited warehouses,” Yulo told the Business Mirror “If we want to have a solution let us be forthright with our statements,” Yulo added.

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla government has declared war on online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) as the country becomes the top source of such illegal content. online child porn cases PHL declares ‘war’

Coca-Cola, Pepsi and ARC issued last week a rare joint statement disclosing that they are experiencing supply shortage for premium bottlers’ grade refined sugar.

Under this provision, only registered business enterprises (RBEs) performing activities within their respective geographical boundaries of the zone or Freeport are entitled to the incentives provided in the CREATE law. Madrid said they also had meetings with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual also expressed support for the WFH and hybrid move. The IBPAP chief said they have yet to meet with National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan next week.

“We still do not have access [today] to bottlers’ grade sugar,” he said. “This is now the worst [shortage] in my 7 years in the Coke system,” he added.

BusinessMirrorWednesday, August 24, 2022 www.businessmirror.com.phA2 WFH. . .

Depleted imported stocks SPEAKING before senators, Coca-Cola’s Director for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Juan Lorenzo Tañada revealed that the bottling firm has depleted its supply of imported bottlers’ grade refined sugar under Sugar Order (SO) 3. Tañada said Coca-Cola got 10,000 metric tons of allocation out of the 200,000-metric ton importation program under SO 3.

On regulator y efforts being done, the IBPAP chief bared that they have been coordinating with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), who Madrid said is now reviewing the Telecommuting Act “and how we can harmonize that with Section 309 of [Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises] CREATE.” Section 309 of the CREATE law or the Republic Act No. 11534 partly reads: “A qualified registered project or activity under an Investment Promotion Agency administering an economic zone or Freeport shall be exclusively conducted or operated within the geographical boundaries of the zone or Freeport being administered by the Investment Promotion Agency in which the project or activity is registered.”

“We got our 10,000 MT allocation and it was all used up in only two to three days’ time,” he told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Tuesday. Tañada explained that Coca-Cola felt the “scarcity” of bottlers’ grade refined sugar at the start of this year. Tañada added that the bottling firm was forced to “source” whatever available stocks were there in the market despite a “dramatic” surge in prices.

Lamata added that when the SRA offi cials contacted them regarding the impor tation plans, “we were made to believe that the President ordered importation, it being a ‘national emergency’ [issue].” He added that they signed their assent but stressed that what they signed for was “all refined,” and not brown sugar, both for SO 3 and SO 4. Estrada grilled former DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, who was designated in July as ex-officio member of the SRA to rep resent its chairman, President Marcos—the concurrent DA secretary. Estrada zeroed in on the circumstances be hind the issuance of the special order autho rizing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar. He asked Sebastian why he signed SO4 without the prior consent of President Marcos Jr. “Did you talk or approach the Presi dent before signing SO4? I have a document which shows that your signature appears above the name of the President. Why did you not ask the permission of the President? I be lieve that you should have asked for clearance from the President because the authority to act as chairman of the board emanated from the President,” Estrada pointed out. Sebastian said he acted in good faith and was prompted by the urgency of the matter. He further explained that a memorandum dated July 15, 2022, allowed his actions to be considered as “regular” unless disapproved or reprobated by the President—as the latter did, on SO4. An angry Zubiri confronted the officials with documents showing ample inventory of sugar, belying the claims of a “shortage.” He showed onscreen images of last week’s raids on warehouses in Central and Southern Lu zon believed to hold sugar kept by hoarders while prices of the sweetener kept climbing to an unprecedented P115 and over in recent months.ThePresident has since talked to industry leaders and retail chains to bring down the prices to P70. Also at the Tolentino-led hearing, Execu tive Secretary Rodriguez gave senators a time line of the events leading to the issuance, and subsequent recall, of SO4, stressing that at no time did the President give clearance to importing the 300,000 metric tons of sugar, since he had not finished consultations when SO 4 was issued by Serafica et al. “There is nothing more important than food security, its availability to the most or dinary Filipino and ensure food price stability to achieve our goal that no Filipino would go hungry…” Rodriguez said.

In May, Madrid said the LOA provides necessary relief to address the cost and competitiveness pressures that the IT-BPM industry has been under since the pandemic began. Moreover, it gives affected organizations leeway to transition and set up their offices for returning employees as they strengthen their immediate-term strategies amid continuing global shifts. The IT-BPM industry successfully navigated the pandemic, recording 10.6-percent growth from 2020 levels to $29.49 billion in 2021, surpassing its recalibrated target for 2022. Meanwhile, its employment figures recorded a 9.1-percent growth compared to 2020, or an increase by 120,000 full-time employees, bringing the sector’s total headcount to 1.44 million in 2021.

The additional importation program was recommended and approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to alleviate the supply problems experienced by industrial users like the beverage makers. Marcos Jr. sits as the ex-officio chairperson of the SRA board in his capacity as the concurrent agriculture chief of the country. Alba said Sugar Order (SO) 2 authorizing the 150,000-MT importation program will be issued after SO 1, which outlines the sugar crop year production policy, is issued.

“We acknowledge that there is a shortage as far as refined sugar being used primarily by the beverage industry. Coke has no sugar available for its plants while Pepsi and RC still have sugar in their warehouses,” he said.

Continued from A1 SO4.

“We’ve had a number of very productive meetings with different government partners who have all expressed support for the need for a more predictable and longer term work from home policy,” said Madrid.

In a press conference of the InterAgency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) in Malacañang on Tuesday, Special Envoy to the United Nations Monica “Nikki” Prieto-Teodoro said the country now leads in terms of child trafficking and online pornog raphy“It’sworldwide. upbyover 280 percent. Why? Because it’s easy to do,” Teodoro said. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said the data was “culled from different international agencies” and is now a source of national shame in the international community. He said IACAT members are de termined to put a stop to such illegal activity as part of the priority agenda of the current administration. “That is why we want to end this . . . We are declaring a war on this. That is why all of us are in this room together so that everything we can do for the country we will do—100 per cent of the law enforcement and 100 percent of the jails and correctional facilities are onboard,” Remulla said in Filipino. Henoted that culprits are often the parents of the victims, while those who watch such materials are from Europe.

For the first half of this year, 26 such operations were conducted. This brings to 227 the total number of anti-OSAEC operations conducted by authorities since 2017, which re sulted in the filing of 198 cases and 67 convictions. InteriorSecretary Benjamin D. Ab alos, Jr. attributed the rising OSAEC cases over the years to the increasing accessibility of technology and inter net access of more people. He said this became more so dur ing the pandemic lockdowns. “This kind of a crime [is something] that you could just do....in a bedroom, to do it in a room with a camera with no witnesses, just a child who’s very inno cent—so easy to do it,” Abalos explained. “We know that during the pan demic, many are now suffering from poverty and unemployment. We can not tell exactly what their reasons are [for engaging in OSAEC], but these are some of the factors,” he added.

John Thaddeus Alba assured Coca-Cola that it is fast-tracking the importation of additional bottler’s grade refined sugar. Alba confirmed to the Business Mirror that Coca-Cola’s supply of bottler’s grade refined sugar for its plants has been depleted, resulting in the stoppage of operation of some of the bottling firms’ plants.

150,000-metric ton importation

With

Rising trend BASED on latest data from the De partment of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the number of operations conducted by authorities against OSAEC cases has risen from just 12 in 2017 to 34 in 2018, 48 in 2019, and 62 in 2020. It slightly de creased last year to 57 incidents.

Whole of government approach REMULLA said an effective way to deter OSAEC is by ensuring that perpetrators face “certainty of punishment.” “Wewillmake sure of that, that’s why we’re here together. This state ment we’re making and for those who will insist on doing their old ways of

. .

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla & Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

www.businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, August 24, 2022 A3BusinessMirror The Nation

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

On Monday, the DOH said that on August 21, there were 811 severe and critical cases admitted in hospi tals due to Covid-19. Of the 2,586 ICU beds for Co vid patients, 699 (27.0 percent) are occupied.

Another big-ticket item in the DSWD’s budget, Recto pointed out, is the P39.9 billion for “Protective Services for Individuals and Families in Circumstances.”DifficultTheprogram aims to help 3.06 million families. Recto said the DSWD also invests in “microenterprise startups” with a budget of P4.8 billion thisTheyear.agency maintains a network of traditional centerbased facilities, such as those for battered women and abandoned children, for which it was given P2 billion to attend to 11,000 wards.

Recto outlines DSWD’s manpower ‘dilemma’ Group: E-sabong return should be professionalized, regulated

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

sario Vergeire has confirmed an increasing number of severe and critical Covid cases in the past weeks. “Yes, we confirmed that the number or the percentage of se vere and critical infections have been noted to be increasing for these past weeks,” said Vergeire at a news briefing shortly after the PinasLakas event at Rizal High School in Pasig City. The DOH official reported that there are at least 800 severe and critical Covid-19 patients. She also noted that 60 percent of these severe and critical patients are "unvaccinated or just partially vaccinated.”However, she explained, “if you are going to look at the bigger pic ture, these severe and critical cas es did not surpass the 10 percent threshold or 1,000 cases.” “It is still 800 plus—nandoon lang tayo sa trend na iyon. Although hindi natin gustong maliitin ’yung numero na iyon [we are still on that trend. Although we don’t want to belittle that number],” Vergeire said.

A SENIOR lawmaker is press ing local government units (LGUs) along with the De partments of Education (DepEd) and of Health (DOH) to work in unison in further ramping up the Covid-19 vaccination program in schools, fol lowing this week’s reopening of inperson classes in light of unsettling official reports that more than 22 million students and teachers have yet to get their full or partial anticoronavirus shots.

P RESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. suspended gov ernment offices and classes in all levels in the National Capital Region (NCR) and six provinces in Luzon due to the heavy rains brought about by severe tropical storm “Florita” (international code name Ma-on) in the said areas. Press Secretary Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles said the President made the decision based on the rec ommendation of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). “The President has declared a suspension of work and classes in all levels today until tomorrow (Wednesday, August 24), for all gov ernment offices and public schools in NCR, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bu lacan, Zambales and Bataan, due to Severe Tropical Storm Florita,” Angeles said in a brief statement issued on Tuesday. This was contained in Memoran dum Circular No. 5 issued by Execu tive Secretary Victor D. Rodriguez. Exempted from the said dec laration are frontline agencies, which are providing basic and health services, preparedness/re sponse to disaster and calamities, and/or performance of other vital services. TheOCD said the suspension “will prevent any untoward inci dents and will ensure the safety of the general public” in the affected areas. Angeles noted private schools and offices would be given the discretion to also implement a similar suspen sion of Tropicaloperations.Storm Florita made landfall over Maconacon, Isabela at 10:30 am last Tuesday and is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility the follow ingItday. caused the preemptive evacu ation and issuance of flood warn ings in Zambales, Tarlac, Bataan andThePampanga. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has over 100,000 available food packs, which can be distributed to storm-victims in regions 1 and 2. Army HADR units deployed THE Philippine Army through the 5th Infantry Division (5th ID) mobilized on Tuesday its humani tarian assistance and disaster re sponse (HADR) units and equip ment as Florita barreled toward the coastal areas of Cagayan and Isabela provinces.

Police told to work harder to curb criminalityrising

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

driveupurgedGovernmenttostepvaccinationinschools

The National Disaster Risk Re duction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that at least 180 families in the Cordillera Ad ministrative Region and in Region 2 were preemptively evacuated as the government stepped up its re sponseSeveraloperations.areasinNorthern Luzon and Bicol regions were flooded due to heavy rains ahead of Florita’s landfall, but the NDRRMC said the flooding in some of the affected ar eas have already receded. The NDRRMC said classes in the provinces of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Rizal and Quezon and in most parts of La Union and Pan gasinan and some parts of Laguna have been suspended due to the typhoon.Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the 501st Infantry Brigade of the 5th ID mobilized HADR teams and equipment in the towns of Lal-lo, Lasam and Rizal in Cagayan and Flora, Apayao.Onthe other hand, the 77th In fantry Battalion (IB) and the 17th IB marshaled HADR teams that are now on standby in the towns of Al cala, Baggao, Gattaran and Santa Teresita, all in Cagayan. Trinidad said the 502nd Infantry Brigade also mobilized HADR teams in the town of Echague, Isabela while the 86th Infantry Battalion and the 95th Infantry Battalion prepared HADR teams in the towns of Jones and San Mariano and the City of Ilagan in Isabela. The 503rd Infantry Brigade and its line units likewise mobilized HADR teams and equipment in di saster-risk areas of Kalinga. “Ready reserve units in the re gion are also on alert. The 202nd, 203rd and 204th Community Defense Centers of the 2nd Re gional Community Defense Group mobilized reservists who will be deployed for possible rescue and relief efforts in Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya provinces,” Trinidad reported.

DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) UndersecretaryOfficer-in-ChargeMariaRo

Given the August 22 opening of school year 2022-2023 with partial face-to-face (F-to-F) classes, Cama rines Sur Rep. and National Unity Party (NUP) President LRay Villa fuerte said local executives plus ed ucation and health officials need to dial up a notch the vaccination drive in schools amid official reports that about 22 million students and some 37,000 of their teachers are believed to have returned to school this week without having been fully vaccinated against the deadly virus. “Amid the higher Covid-19 case load ahead of Monday’s opening of school year 2022-23 with a combi nation of face-to-face and online classes, I am appealing to LGU ex ecutives together with our education and health officials to act in concert on further ramping up the vax drive to make sure our schools do not be come fertile grounds for possible superspreaders among our students and their parents and teachers,” Vil lafuerte warned. The former CamSur governor earlier called on LGU executives to work closely with the DepEd, DOH and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in putting up anti-Covid 19 vaccine centers in schools in their respective localities, in support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s appeal for all concerned sectors to ensure the safe return of students and their teachers to F-to-F classes.

GAPP Bulacan President Maw Acierto also said that e-sabong stake holders and enthusiasts should have control of their spending as the game was initially designed to become a livelihood.Headded that money should be used correctly and responsibly so the industry will be looked at in a different light from just regular gambling. “Lahat lang po sana ilagay lang sa tamang lugar, sa tamang kontrol. Sigurado naman táyong ang GAPP... ay patuloy na mag-i- improvise ’yan to continuously professionalize itong ating industriya,” Acierto said.The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation has been keen on setting-up an independent regu lator for e-sabong as the industry saw skyrocketing numbers in income 2021 and early 2022. Part of the regulation that is be ing sought is its window operations and controlled staking in games. And with continued regulation, betting confidence and numbers are expect ed to go E-sabongup. generated around P640 million a month in early 2022. It gen erated a total of P2.03 billion in the first half of the year, according to Pagcor Chairman and Chief Execu tive Andrea Domingo.

Marcos meets members of reorganized SRA board

FOLLOWING the recent spate of crimes, a lawmaker on Tuesday called on the Philippine Na tional Police (PNP) to exert greater effort to deter crime in the country. Rizal Fourth District Rep. Fidel Nograles issued the call as he be moaned the string of crimes that have recently hit the news, the latest being the killing of four people in his district in Montalban. “We are seeing cases of crime be ing conducted in broad daylight. The police must put a stop to such brazen disregard of the law by criminals,” Nograles said. Two males and two females had been found dead in a vehicle in Balag bag, Barangay San Isidro in Montal ban on Monday morning. Meanwhile, on Sunday, an un identified suspect shot three people dead in Barangay Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. A man was also abducted by armed men at a gasoline station in Taal, Batangas. He was later found dead in Quezon province. The lawmaker said he is looking forward to hearing the plans of the PNP to enforce its mandate of ensur ing people’s safety. He also urged the police to “be more visible” and to constantly con ductThe lawmakerpatrols. said the PNP should constantly work to improve its emergency response time and make emergency hotlines more accessible.

Samuel P. Medenilla

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

T HE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has the smallest number of regular staff with only 2,993 serving 61.6 million Filipinos, a leader of the House of Representatives said on Tuesday. Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto, in a news statement, said the agency’s flawed aid distribution to indigent students was a “teachable moment” which exposed an “organizational Achilles heel”—the lack of “DSWDpersonnel.serves 61.6 million people, more than half of the population, with only 2,993 regular personnel, the lowest regular staff-to-clientele ratio in the entire bureaucracy,” Recto said. With a 2022 budget of P205 billion, Recto described the DSWD as “a big ATM—Ayuda at Tulong Machine.” It maintains a regular payroll bigger than the national government’s, in terms of payees, saidTheRecto. lawmaker said these are the 4.4 million households of 22 million people under the 4Ps grant and the 3,835,066 indigent seniors who each get a P500 pension a month. “The combined P132.7 billion budget of the two alone— P107.7 billion for 4Ps and P25 billion for senior pension—is higher than the agriculture department’s P102.5 billion budget this year.” Recto said DSWD also runs a “big catering operation,” feeding 1,936,868 children age two to five in community and neighborhood sites, with a hot meal each day for 120 days, at a cost of P4.2 billion, “for a total of 234 million meals served.”

DOH confirms increase in severe, critical Covid cases in past weeks

“Lahat naman ng bagay ay tama na mayroon dapat regulasyon, sapagkat tayo ay pumapasailalim sa batas. At maganda na rin naman na bagaman marami ang nakikinabang sa industri ya ng [e-sabong]... dapat mapatupad ang tamang regulasyon,” Solis said in a news conference with Pitmasters Live.He added that with the addition of modern technology, the e-sabong industry will further be regulated in modern ways. “Talagang nakatutulong ang mod ernong paraan [sa pag-unlad ng indus triya ng e-sabong],” he added. Solis also said that with the pro fessionalization of e-sabong, vet erinaries, feed suppliers, and other stakeholders will have a sustainable economy and will provide a liveli hood for others.

The department also has P1.25 billion as Quick Reaction Fund authorized under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund which it uses to maintain depots of relief goods. Because its functions were devolved to local governments three decades ago, Recto said the DSWD maintains no office at the city or municipal level.With this, Recto urged the DSWD, the Department of Budget and Management and the Civil Service Commission to speed up the process of changing the employment status of those qualified for said.order”“contractofonwhich,employees,band-aid”toregulartotalsharenationalReform’spercent, DepartmentDepartmentpeso”“4.5complementregularization,”servicethewillgreatofwho,“Secretaryregularization.Erwin[Tulfo],intheoverallbalancethings,hasbeendoingajobsofar.Iknowhechampionthepleasofdeservingthattheirlongberewardedwithjobhesaid.HesaidDSWD’sleanstaffmeansthatitspendscentavosforeverybudgetforpersonnelcompensation.SuchislowerthanofEducation’s81ofAgrarian49percent,andthegovernment’s28percentofpersonnelservicescosttobudget,hesaid.ToshoreupDSWD’ssmallstaff,DWSDhasresortedwhathasbecomea“permanentofhiringtemporaryRectosaid.Thisisthe“armyofcasuals,”perlatestCommissionAuditreport,consistsmostly13,252“contractuals,”12,326ofservice”and878“jobpersonnel,thelawmaker

“Our people have to be reassured that the police are on top of things,” said Nograles.

THE much-awaited return of e-sabong to the country will be professionalized and regu lated to address concerns of the pub lic regarding the negative impacts it has on Thissociety.waswhat Gamefowl Af filiates of Pitmasters-Philippines (GAPP) Batangas President Fermin Solis has to say as he sees that this can be an industry with a big poten tial to grow further. Solis said that he understands that there are laws to follow and the online cockfighting com munity should also heed them for it to become a professional industry.

THE newly reorganized Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is now crafting two new orders for the possible importa tion of sugar and allocation of local production of the sweetener for the next crop Executiveyear. Secretary Victor D. Rodriguez disclosed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. convened the Sugar Regulatory Board (SRB) on Monday after the oath-taking ceremony of its three newThemembers. SRBisthe policy making body of the SRA. It is now composed of Marcos as its chairman, SRA Acting Adminis trator David John Thaddeus Alba, while Pablo Luis Azcona and Ma. Mitzi Mangwag were appointed SRA board members to represent sugar planters and millers, respectively. Rodriguez said among those dis cussed was Sugar Order (SO) No. 1, which will determine how much of the locally produced sugar will be for export or for local use for crop year 2022 to 2023. Also discussed in the meeting were the details of the SO No. 2 for the proposed importation of 150,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar. “The allocation will be 75,000 metric tons for industrial and 75,000 metric tons for home consumption,” Rodriguez said in a Senate hearing lastMarcosTuesday. already announced the plan for the government to import additional sugar by October to help augment the dwindling supply of sugar.Malacañang attributed the “artificial” shortage of sugar to those who are hoarding the said commodity. Asidefrom importation, other measures being implemented by the government to keep the price of sugar affordable was to secure the commitment of major super market chains to sell some of their inventory at a cheaper price and to go after Rodriguezhoarders.saidthe government is determined to ensure Filipinos will have sufficient supply of sugar and other food commodities.

Palace suspends govt work, classes in NCR, 6 provinces due to ‘Florita’

Sugar sufficiency IN a separate presentation dur ing the hearing, former head of the Sugar Regulatory Administra tion (SRA) Hermenegildo Serafica, shared that if the Philippines is to be sufficient in the commodity for this year, the country had no choice but to import. Serafica said raw sugar require ment for one month or in Septem ber is 170,000 metric tons (MT). In the next three months, or between September and November, the re quirement was estimated to reach 255,000 MT. He estimated that there would be a refined sugar balance of 129,251 MT from the importation allowed under Sugar Order (SO) 3 series of 2021-2022, the total requirement would be 295,749 MT. T his, Serafica said, was the reason for the need to import 300,000 MT of the sweetener. This will be enough to address the sugar demand needed for the months of September, Octo ber, and November. “Because SO 3 was stalled, sugar supply became tighter and tighter and the prices kept increasing,” Se rafica said in a presentation. Based on the August 12 SRA price monitoring, the price of raw sugar was at P69.50 per kilo; washed sugar, P73.50 per kilo; and refined sugar, P99 per kilo. Compared to September 2021, the start of the 2021-2022 crop year, raw sugar retail prices increased 54 percent from P45 per kilo; washed sugar, 50 percent from P49 per kilo; and refined sugar, 81.65 percent from P54.5 per kilo.

L earning retention through remote learning in the Philippines is signifi cantly lower than in western countries like the United States.

W hile SO 3 was met with tem porary restraining orders, 55 in dustrial users from the food and beverage manufacturers availed of theSorder.ome22 SRA registered inter national traders also facilitated the importation for these indus trial users. O ut of the importation of 200,000 MT, some 185,633.9 MT has been issued with SRA impor tation clearance. Of this number, some 148,650 MT has been reclas sified as “B” sugar or for domestic use.W hen sugar imports arrive in the country, these shipments are considered “C” sugar or reserve sugar. These can be reclassified as “B” sugar, which is considered for local consumption. I n order to reclassify these imports, industrial players must apply this with the SRA. Of the amount that was reclassified as “B” sugar, some 58,251.5 MT have already been utilized by industrial users.Atotal of 19,869 MT have been released from the BOC and are now in SRA registered warehouses. How ever, these imports have yet to be reclassified by the SRA. Further, Serafica said, 7,114 MT of the expected shipments are in transit or in the BOC waiting for release. Some 14,366.9 MT of ship ments have yet to apply for impor tation clearance.

Finally, we have a law that insti tutes government support for the creatives industry,” said Atty. Tim Abejo, co-convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines. “Our artists and work ers in the creatives sector have been needing this for a long time because of the many factors that undermine their work, cause them to feel un dervalued and even exploited, and limit their potential.”

“ The council that will oversee the implementation of the law has been placed under the DTI for a specific reason,” said Abejo. It is there to ensure that Filipi nos’ creative spirit, aside from being encouraged, will also translate to a level of competitiveness that will al low Filipinos to develop entire indus tries instead of just being hired here and there by bigger international outfits?” he asked. T his new law will benefit the cre ative industries in general and our individual artists and the direct and indirect stakeholders of the Philip pine creatives industry, Abejo added. With government support, the possibilities will only be limited by ourAimagination.”bejopointedout, however, that the passage and even the imple mentation of RA 11904 would not be enough to protect creatives prac titioners without the immediately amending the Intellectual Property Code to enable the purging of online piracy web sites.

“ PGH is at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. At the height of the health crisis, it was full of Covid-19 patients,” he Rsaid.odriguez suggested that the DBM restore the UP and PGH re ductions by sending a budget er ratum or errata to the House of Representatives.Theydidthatin the past. It is they who could easily make the necessary adjustments,” he said. For her part, House Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairper son Stella Luz Quimbo assured the public that the lower chamber would look into the DBM-approved 2023 budget of the PGH, a premier hos pital in the country. PGH is one of the recipients of budget amendments every year. Kung mababa sa NEP (National Ex penditure Program) magagawan pa ng paraan during the budget hear ings and plenary deliberations,” sheTsaid.helower chamber is expected to start the 2023 national budget deliberations on Friday.

PIDS study outlines inequality in pursuing quality education

T he PIDS researchers lamented that the free tuition currently in ef fect in SUCs will not solve the “in equitable access” to education that is being experienced by many lowincome students. In order to address this, Orbeta and Paqueo cited the need to increase access for the poor at the start from basic education to high school. This will improve their chances of entering college and earning a degree. “ The equity of access issue cannot be readily solved at the tertiary level since most of the poor do not reach college. This is the basic reason col lege education will always be skewed in favor of the richer households even if we assume the same propensity to enroll in higher education across in come classes,” the authors said. A ffordable quality education is only one of many challenges faced by the sector, the PIDS researchers said. The challenges also include the pandemic which has forced millions of students to study remotely.

“ The proposed piece of legislation empowers the IPOPHL to implement rolling site blocking to efficiently go after online pirates who violate in tellectual property and threaten the viability of the industry,” Abejo said, adding that this method is already being adopted by other countries to satisfactory results.

RA 11904 mandates the government to promote the development and the rights afforded to the creatives industry and to Filipino creatives. It establishes the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council (PCIDC), an agency that would be attached to the Department of Trade andTIndustry.hegovernment has earlier said it envisions the Philippines to be the number one creative economy in Southeast Asia in terms of the size and value of our creative industries, as well as creating strong demand for our creative services and original content in international markets. T hus, support for the creatives industry also harnesses its potential to compete globally.

BusinessMirror www.businessmirror.com.ph Economy Wednesday, August 24, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie A LAWMAKER on Tuesday urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Depart ment of Budget and Management and Congress to restore the P3.3 bil lion budget cuts of the UP System, including the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). B ased on the proposed P5.268trillion 2023 national budget, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said UP would suffer a funding reduction of P2.5 billion, while PGH would lose P893 million.

Sugar imports as of Aug. 15 surpass entire ‘21 volume at 179.08-M kilos

In a joint hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability and Agri culture and Food, BOC Customs Im port and Assessment Service Direc tor Yasser Abas reported that sugar imports had reached 179.08 million kilos as of August 15. T he figures are almost double the 98.77 million kilos of the sweetener that was imported by the Philippines in the whole of 2021. “ There was a difference of 80.3 million or an increase or positive deviation of 81.3 percent,” Abas said in the hearing dedicated to discussing the sugar importation controversy.Basedonthe BOC data, 99 percent of the imported raw and refined sugar as of August 15 was shipped only in the last 2.5 months. Data showed that from June to August 15, a total of 177.49 million kilos of the sweetener entered the country. The largest shipment was received in June at 76.48 million ki los, while July saw a volume of 70.85 million kilos. In the first two weeks of August, BOC data showed a total of 30.16 million kilos of sugar were imported by the country. M eanwhile, Abas said the high er amount of imported sugar al lowed the government to collect P1.16 billion worth of revenues from the shipments. This was 125.7 percent more compared to the P515.46 million posted in the whole of 2021. Sugar importation revenues for June, July and the first two weeks of August also accounted for the bulk of revenues in the January to August 15 period in 2022. Revenues earned by the govern ment in June reached P482.77 mil lion; July, P454.06 million; and in the first 15 days of August, a total of P194.89 million.

T his is a welcome development, following the recent visit of US State Secretary Antony Blinken to the country, when he paid a courtesy call on President Ferdinand “Bong bong” R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang last August 6. During their meeting, the top American official expressed high re gards on US-based Filipino nurses as he praised them for their work ethic, especially when they perform their duties amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

T he National Economic and De velopment Authority (Neda) earlier said only 37 percent of the learning is absorbed via online classes. In the United States, 52 percent is retained by students through virtual classes. A DB estimated that the loss in lifetime earnings of Filipino children could be as high as $36.138 billion under the “pessimistic” scenario. The loss in lifetime earnings could reach $26.904 billion under the optimistic scenario and $30.696 billion in the intermediate scenario. “ The pandemic, which forced the country to remote learning mode largely unprepared like many countries, introduced another set of challenges in addition to its prepandemic problems,” Orbeta and Paqueo said. “The country needs to learn from these experiences, rely more on data, and build rigorously validated evidence on what works for our educational system using our experience as edu cational outcomes are highly contextsensitive,” they added. Earlier, Neda said the Philippine economy will take a decade to go back to its pre-pandemic growth path due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and the lockdowns.

“In the long run, this will also be good for consumers who will have a greater array of original, quality, and home-grown content,” Abejo added. B ut the next question, Abe jo said, is whether our govern ment would be able to implement the law so it achieves its objectives of building a globally competitive creatives industry. T he law defines the creatives in dustry as “trades involving persons, whether natural or juridical, that produce cultural, artistic and inno vative goods and services originating in human creativity, skill and tal ent, and having a potential to create wealth and livelihood through the generation and utilization of intel lectual property.”

THE country’s sugar imports as of August 15 were almost double the full year 2021 volume, data presented by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) showed.

“ We should be increasing the budgetary allocations of state uni versities and colleges (SUCs), which are the poor student’s schools of choice, and government hospitals, which are the pauper’s go-to health facilities, instead of reducing their funds,” he said. He said the Marcos administra tion would be sending the wrong message if it insists on cutting fund ing for UP and PGH.

H e added that UP and other SUCs are where indigent stu dents from all over the country prefer to enroll because taxpay ers subsidize education in these schools.Onthe other hand, Rodriguez said that PGH and other govern ment hospitals are where indigents patients go for their health-care needs.

Unlike private health facili ties, these hospitals are allo cated medical assistance funds in the national budget, which they use to help poor patients,” he Hadded.esaid depriving PGH of P893 million would mean cutting medi cal assistance funds and hospital requirements for treating people infected with Covid-19.

Compared to other professions in the US, more registered nurse jobs will be available through 2022, according to the American Nurses Association. To avoid a further shortage, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics esti mates that 11 million additional nurses are needed. A part from tapping American talents, US employers go overseas, including the Philippines to employ qualified nurses. To apply for and secure lucrative nursing roles across various Ameri can states, as offered by Sharp BH Global Manpower, interested candi dates, with or without National Coun cil Licensure Examination (NCLEX) credential, can visit and register at https://sso.trueprofile.io/register A wide range of specialties are relevant, including Medical-Surgical, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Telemetry, Intermediate Care/High Depen dency/Stepdown unit, Rehabilita tion, Emergency Department, and Hemodialysis nurses. Once accepted, Filipino nurses will enjoy a host of benefits, including an annual salary starting at $57,600, which is based on 40 hours a week at $30 per hour, and additional over time pay of $45 an hour.

Group lauds creatives industry law, but urges blocking of piracy web sites Filipino nurses now in demand in United States

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio A N advocacy group champion ing citizen welfare has lauded the lapsing into law of Repub lic Act 11904 or the Philippine Cre atives Industry Act, saying that this is a major step toward achieving the full potential of our creatives indus try, even as it warned that the law would only work as envisioned if it is implemented adequately. “

INEQUALITY in the country may worsen if quality education re mains inaccessible for low-income Filipinos, according to a study released by the Philippine Institute for Devel opment Studies (PIDS). I n a study, PIDS President Aniceto C. Orbeta Jr. and Senior Research Fellow Vicente B. Paqueo said socio economic status of families affect the quality of education received by chil dren. This prevents education in the country from being a “great equalizer” in society.Quality basic education, for one, can only be accessed by children be longing to middle-or high-income households. This makes them the only children able to avail themselves of quality education opportunities such as free education offered by State Uni versities and Colleges (SUCs). The students in public HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) are not predominantly poor but come from the middle class and include children in upper-income classes. In addition, it may even worsen the inequity as better academically pre pared children of richer households will outcompete less academically prepared children of poor households for limited slots in SUCs and LUCs (local universities and colleges),” Or beta and Paqueo said.

“Along these lines, we also ar ticulate our plea to our lawmak ers for the fast passage of House Bill 0799 that increases the pow ers of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPO PHL),” said Abejo. T he bill gives regulators power to mete out “permanent blocking orders, take down orders, cease-anddesist, or disable access orders, to the intermediary service providers, do main name registries and registrars, web site owners, online intermedi aries, online platforms, social media platforms, or any similar medium in relation to an online violation of intellectual property rights.”

DBM urged to restore UP, PGH budget cuts

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

Br Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor HEALTH-CARE career plat form provider TrueProfile. io announced that nursing roles are now available for Filipino nurses, who are keen to live and work in the United States (US), through its partnership with Sharp BH Global Manpower, a specialist recruitment company based in the Philippines.

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Regional Office No. IV-A 4th Flr. Andenson Bldg. II, Brgy. Parian, Calamba City Telefax No.: (049) 545-7362 August 24, 2022 NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION/S FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT/S (AEP/S) Notice is hereby given that the following companies/employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s: Wednesday, August 24, 2022BusinessMirror A5www.businessmirror.com.ph NO. ESTABLISHMENT NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL, POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 1 ADVANCE INC.TRAININGASSISTANCEABILITYCENTER, Unit 215, 2nd Floor, Pulong Santa Cruz, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna SHIMIZU, HIROKI Interpreter/Translator Brief Job Description: Must be able to analyze, speak, read & write fluently both Japanese & English language Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in any field is preferred Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 2 CORPORATIONMANUFACTURINGBOJIE Lots 1-8, Block 4, Golden Business Park, Buenavista II, City of General Trias, Cavite YANG, HONGLI Deputy Section Chief of QC Inspector Brief Job Description: Inspect raw materials to ensure consistency and integrity Basic Qualification: With expertise in manufacturing of decorative lights Salary Range: Php60,000 - Php89,999 3 CANON (PHILIPPINES),MACHINESBUSINESSINC Lot 4, Phase 1B, FPIP, Ulango, City of Tanauan, Batangas MURAMATSU, MASAKI Molding Department Manager Brief Job Description: Ensure that manufacturing processes run reliably and efficiently Basic Qualification: Fluently speak Japanese language for effective communication to company headquarter, customers and suppliers Salary Range: Php150,000 - Php499,999 4 CANON (PHILIPPINES),MACHINESBUSINESSINC Lot 4, Phase 1B, FPIP, Ulango, City of Tanauan, Batangas BABA, JUMPEI Part Engineering Department Senior Technical Advisor Brief Job Description: Ensure that manufacturing processes run reliably and efficiently Basic Qualification: Responsible for planning production schedules, and ensure efficiency; Fluently speaks Japanese language for effective communication to company headquarter, customers and suppliers Salary Range: Php150,000 - Php499,999 5 PHILIPPINESFORTUNECROSSINC. Lot 14, Block 16, Phase 4, Main Road, PEZA, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite AHN, JOONG HOON Chief Marketing Officer Brief Job Description: Evaluate and develop the marketing strategy plan to increase monthly sales Basic Qualification: College graduate with 5 years of experience Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 6 IBIDEN PHILIPPINES, INC. Road 1, FPIP, Santa Anastacia, City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas HISHIDA, ATSUSHI New Product Development (NPD) Assistant Manager Brief Job Description: Lead the customer development activity both of CPU and CS/SOC. Develop new processes and establish process condition and capability with high quality and competitiveness Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Japanese language; strong leadership and decisionmaking skills; familiarity with latest technologies and methodologies Salary Range: Php150,000 - Php499,999 7 JAPLAS MOULDERSINJECTIONCORP. Lot 4E-2/4D First St., First IndustrialPhilippinePark,Santa Anastacia, City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas INOMATA, KEITA General Manager Brief Job Description: Responsible for overseeing all administrative and manufacturing functions in the organization Basic Qualification: Proficient in English and Japanese language, computer literate, with 5 to 10 years relevant experience Salary Range: Php60,000 – Php89,999 8 LS CORPORATIONONE Lot 2680, Arnaldo Highway, San Francisco, City of General Trias, Cavite CHOO, KWANG SIK Marketing Officer (foreign Market) Brief Job Description: Create and maintain a product marketing plan for increasing sales and revenue Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing Korean and English languages Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 9 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite CHEN, JIE Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Island

10 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Pulvorista,

Island

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite ZHENG, GUOQIANG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 16 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite LINA BONG Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 17 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite HAN DUC CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 18 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite HO VINH DUC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 19 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite HOANG DUY CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 20 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite HOANG THI NGUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 21 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN HOANG MANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Kawit, Cavite

MAO, JINCHENG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description:

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CHEN, YUNPENG Chinese Customer Service Representative

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Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 11 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite WENHAO Chinese Customer Service Representative

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XIN, JIANG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 14 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite ZHANG, WEIQI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 15 MOA

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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24 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE

Island Cove II, Covelandia

Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NANG SEIN PWINT Burmese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, Php30,000 – Php59,999 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Description: Manage incoming

Brief Description: Manage incoming

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Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN THI HUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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25 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE

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Cavite NAY LIN TUN Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job

Brief Manage incoming calls and customer Able to speak, read and Chinese Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite KYEIN CHIN Burmese Manage incoming calls and Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999

calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

22 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN THANH TU Vietnamese Customer Service Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

language Salary

SHWE ZIN KHAING Burmese Customer Service Representative

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27 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN VAN HOAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 28 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN VAN THUAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 29 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite VO THANH LONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 30 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite JI SAN BUU Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 31 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite KYAW KYAW KHAING Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 32 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NANG AYE KHAM Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 33

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

37 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite CHEN, GUO Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 38 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite JIN, WEITING Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 39 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite LU, CHANGMOU Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 40 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite SHAO, LEI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 41 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite WEI, LEIMING Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 42 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite ZHAO, BINBIN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 43 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite BUDIMAN Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 44 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NELLY Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 Wednesday, August 24, 2022 BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.ph

23 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN THI HONG NGA Vietnamese Customer Service Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Representative Brief Job Description:

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26 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN THI THUY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range:

Representative Brief Job Description:

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 Php30,000 - Php59,999 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN THI LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

PHAN VAN TRUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Covelandia CORP.CLOUDZONE Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista,

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 59 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II,

Representative Brief Job

Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite THAI HUU TAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 60 MOA

inquiries Basic Qualification:

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN DUC TUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE

45 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite PHANG QI WEN Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 46 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite WONG CHIM FOO Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 47 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite CAO QUYNH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 48 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite CAO XUAN PHUOC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 49 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite LE QUY SUU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 50 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite LE THI HA LIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 51 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite LE VAN QUOC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 52 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite LUONG THI LINH CHI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 53 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite LY VONG DUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 54 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGO THI DUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 55 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGO XUAN TAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 56 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite NGUYEN CONG ANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 57 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE

Representative Brief Job

Island

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Kawit, Cavite TRAN VAN THUYET Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 61 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite VO THI UYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 62 MOA CORP.CLOUDZONE Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite VY VAN TUAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php30,000 – Php59,999 63 CO.MANUFACTURINGPHILIPPINEOFMURATA,INC. Lot 2A Phase 1B, FPIPSEZ, Pantay Bata, City of Tanauan, Batangas OTA, AKIHIKO Manager Brief Job Description: Machine engineer improvement team manager, will grow into an organization where improvement can be considered locally Basic Qualification: College graduate with 10 years of experience in overseeing machine process in the production Salary Range: Php90,000 - Php149,999 64 TECHNOLOGIESPHILSYNC CO. LTD. CORPORATION CBC Asia Technozone, 9002 Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Talaba IV, City of Bacoor, Cavite HOU, WUJIE Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 65 TECHNOLOGIESPHILSYNC CO. LTD. CORPORATION CBC Asia Technozone, 9002 Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Talaba IV, City of Bacoor, Cavite LIU, WENXING Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 66 TECHNOLOGIESPHILSYNC CO. LTD. CORPORATION CBC Asia Technozone, 9002 Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Talaba IV, City of Bacoor, Cavite QI, XULIANG Mandarin Speaking Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with good oral and written communication skills Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999 Wednesday, August 24, 2022BusinessMirror A7www.businessmirror.com.ph

“Protect[ion] of well-being, men tal health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) must be fully integrated into educational responses. Increased MHPSS provisions for teachers, chil dren and their families should be con sidered to help protect their wellbeing and economic security. Teachers must also be capacitated in identifying children experiencing violence and/ or neglect, and in supporting chil dren’s recovery. Children can also be enrolled in early childhood care and development (ECCD) to help prepare them for formal school.”

T he organization said health and safety protocols should be in place and ensure that schools have ad equate ventilation, safe spaces, and proper water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities. Students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel should have access to regular testing and vac cination, as applicable, they added.

Save the Children is committed to help address this education crisis,” the organization said as they issued the same call to national government agencies, local government units (LGUs), including the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Educa tion (MBHTE) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Min danao (BARMM) and all sectors of society to work together.

Banner program MTB-MLE is the government’s banner program for education as a salient part of the implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education pro gram under the administration of the late former President Benigno Aquino III in 2012. Its significance was underscored by the passing of Republic Act 10523, otherwise known as the “Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.” MTB-MLE is education, formal or non-formal, in which the learner’s mother tongue and additional lan guages are used in the classroom. L earners begin their education in the language they understand best —their mother tongue—and develop a strong foundation in their mother language before adding ad ditional languages. T he DepEd then cited that research stresses the fact that children with a solid foundation in their mother tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language, stressing that their knowledge and skills transfer across languages.

It is imperative, the organization said, that all should take collective steps to improve the overall quality of education, make up for lost learning, and support disadvantaged students as the school year starts, including investing in data and research, and implementing concrete catch-up pro grams and remedial education, espe cially in marginalized communities; proactive approaches to reintegrate out-of-school children; accommoda tion for children with disabilities; and improving teachers’ professional development. Alltheseinitiatives must ensure that the adverse effects of the pan demic do not cross over to the next generation, the group said.

THE Supreme Court (SC) has issued a writ of amparo in favor of two labor union organizers said to be held by the military following their disappearance a few months ago.

T he petitioner said her father told his sister some information that confirmed that he and Loi were abducted on May 3, 2022. Juat last visited her sister on June 27, 2022 and stayed until July 1, 2022 and never returned since.

“ This sustained IP enforcement support we have been receiving for the past years is a reflection of the empowerment of our netizens and the concerned public through our IP rights awareness campaigns. More and more brand and IP owners have also been coming forward to voice their concerns about protecting their rights. This is the type of proactive IP rights protection that we hope to foster as we begin to see effects of the rebuilding economy,” IPOPHL Deputy Director General Teodoro C. Pascua said.

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

D epEd Undersecretary Epi maco Densing III, last month, questioned the effectiveness of such a policy following result of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in which Filipino students fared badly compared to their counter parts from 79 other countries in reading comprehension. Likewise, Filipino students also scored second lowest in both math ematical and scientific literacy. But being practical about it, if this has been effective, then why have we failed in the PISA evalua tion?” Densing asked. He, however, acknowledged that legislation is needed to amend the K to 12 law.

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

“There should also be referral mech anisms and contingency plans for reclo sure and reopening of classes, as well as alternative/flexible learning options, as necessary. Teachers should also be trained in the assessment of learners’ level of learning to inform remedial efforts and provide age-appropriate learning support. Investment on the digital literacy of teachers and students is also critical so they can competently adapt to the ever-changing demands of the global education landscape. “

SC issues writ of amparo for two ‘missing’ labor union organizers

On June 9, 2022, Maureen said she tried to call her father on his cell phone and was able to talk to him. Maureen said her father told him that he was fine and that he was just waiting for his pass before he could be allowed to leave Camp Aguinaldo. On June 13, 2022, Juat allegedly visited his sister anew and stayed in her house overnight.

T he agency’s enforcement of ficial also noted that brand own ers have become more aware and knowledgeable of their rights and how they can utilize the complaints mechanisms of platforms. However, IPOPHL said, while ne tizens continued to be the primary reporters of counterfeiting and piracy activities with a 64.2-percent con tribution, the share of brand and IP rights owners remarkably increased to 18.9 percent from the previous year.

However, in the case of Juat, petitioners claimed that he was able to visit his sister Marielle in Pandacan, Manila on her birthday last May 27, 2022 or weeks after hisDdisappearance. uringthatmeeting, Juat al legedly informed his sister he was staying in Camp Aguinaldo without providing further details.

Likewise, they said that education systems should be strengthened and access to quality and inclusive edu cation schools should be able to ad dress educational inequalities and be able to support the specific needs of children most impacted by inequality and discrimination.

DepEd may restore English, Filipino as medium of instruction in schools

Maglalan said Loi was last seen by her fellow labor organizers on May 3, 2022 during their meeting at Ba rangay Punturin in Valenzuela City together with Juat.

DepEd, DOH urged to ensure health and safety of learners

THE Department of Education (DepEd) is mulling over the possibility of bringing back English and Filipino as medium of instruction instead of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Educa tionD(MTB-MLE).epEdspokesperson Atty. Mi chael Tan Poa, in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel, disclosed reverting the current medium of in struction is the “direction” that they are“considering.Butagainsubject to discussion with experts but that’s the direc tion that we want to go back to Eng lish and Filipino as the medium of instruction,” Poa said adding that they will also consult with education stakeholders about their plan before making any decision.

SAVE the Children Philippines has called on the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) to en sure health and safety and protect the mental health of students as they participate in the face-to-face (F-toF) classes for school year 2022-2023.

IP violations occuring mostly online–IPOPHL continued from a18

T he order was issued, according to the SC-Public Information Office (PIO), during the Court’s regular en banc session on Tuesday. Likewise, the SC referred the peti tion filed on behalf of Elizabeth “Loi” Magbanua and Alipio “Ador” Juat by Ruth Maglalan and Maureen Juat, life partner and eldest daughter of the victims, respectively, to the Court of Appeals for summary proceedings. T he SC directed the appellate court to hear the petition on Au gust 30, 2022 and to decide the case within 10 days after its submission for decision. It also granted the plea of the petitioners for the issuance of a temporary protection order (TPO), enjoining the respondents from going within a radius of one kilometer of the petitioners and their immediate family. B ut the resolution did not men tion the Court’s action on the re quest of the petitioners for the is suance of an order allowing them, their lawyers, representatives of the Commission on Human Rights and health workers to inspect two military headquarters where Mag banua and Juat were said to be be ing held. Furthermore, the SC ordered the respondents to make a verified re turn of the writ of amparo and file a comment to the petition before the CA within 72 hours after its service. Named respondents in the pe tition were Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Ba carro, Department of National Defense Officer in Charge retired Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director Ricardo de Leon, Philip pine Army Commanding General Romeo Brawner, Army’s Acting Chief of Staff Maj. Gen Roy Galido, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Intel ligence Maj. Gen. Romulo Manuel, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for CivilMilitary Operations Brig. Gen. No lasco Mempin and the Chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP. Under the Rule on the Writ of Amparo, the return of the writ of amparo must contain the follow ing (a) The lawful defenses to show that the respondent did not violate or threaten with violation the right to life, liberty and security of the aggrieved party, through any act or omission; (b) The steps or ac tions taken by the respondent to determine the fate or whereabouts of the aggrieved party and the per son or persons responsible for the threat, act or omission; (c) All rel evant information in the possession of the respondent pertaining to the threat, act or omission against the aggrieved party; and (d) If the re spondent is a public official or em ployee, the return shall further state the actions that have been or will still be taken to verify the identity of the aggrieved party; to recover and preserve evidence related to the death or disappearance of the person identified in the petition which may aid in the prosecution of the person or persons responsible; to identify witnesses and obtain statements from them concerning the death or disappearance; to de termine the cause, manner, location and time of death or disappearance as well as any pattern or practice that may have brought about the death or disappearance; to identify and apprehend the person or persons involved in the death or disappear ance; and to bring the suspected offenders before a competent court. T he rule added that “a general de nial of the allegations in the petition shall not be allowed.”

BusinessMirror www.businessmirror.com.ph News Wednesday, August 24, 2022

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Brief Job Description:

BOSKALIS PHILIPPINES INC. Unit 3701, 3801 The Orient Square, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

29. BJØRNBAKKEN, CATO Multilingual Service Desk Operational Lead Brief Job Description: Resolve issues by utilizing excellent customer service skills to ensure outcome of customer satisfaction Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Norwegian language and in PhpSalaryEnglishRange:90,000-Php 149,999 CITIBANK N.A. 16th Floor, Citi Plaza, 34th St. Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 30. DASGUPTA, ARGHYA Trade Product Manager Brief Job Description: The Trade Product Manager is a strategic professional who stays abreast of developments within their field and contributes to directional strategy consideringby the application of their expertise in the business. The overall objective is to lead and formulate the growth strategy of the trade business and to commercialize trade services and trade finance solutions to target customers. Basic Qualification: With at least 5 years of experience in managing trade products; Strong handle on credit risk PhpSalarymanagement;Range:150,000- Php 499,999 CLOVERSENSE TECHNOLOGY INC. 29/f Robinsons Summit Center, 6783 Ayala Center, Bel-air, City Of Makati 31.

CONDUENT BUSINESS SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 7f One E-com Building, Palm Coast Avenue, Mall Of Asia Complex, Pasay City 32. CRUZ, MARTINHO ANTONIO DA Customer Experience Associate Brief Job Description: Answers telephone, email, chat queries related to HR with

Brief Job Description:

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Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LI KWAY MyanmariLINCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

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the use of Portuguese language. Basic Qualification: At least 2nd year college or senior high school graduate; minimum 6 months bpo experience; fluent in English and Portuguese language. Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 33. TAI, QualityFAN-JIUNAssurance Analyst Brief Job Description: Monitors program and project workflow with the use of Mandarin language Basic Qualification: At least 2nd year college or senior high school graduate; minimum 6 months BPO experience; fluent in English and Mandarin language Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 DOWINNPHIL INC. House No. 2702, A-204, Antel Seaview Tower Bldg., Barangay 76, Pasay City 34. LIN, MandarinBINGZHUSpeaking Customer Service Brief Job Description: Give customers information about products and services, take orders, and process returns Basic PhpSalaryLanguageFluentQualification:inChineseRange:30,000-Php59,999 35. LIN, MandarinJIANJINSpeaking Customer Service Brief Job Description: Give customers information about products and services, take orders, and process returns Basic PhpSalaryLanguageFluentQualification:inChineseRange:30,000-Php59,999 FUTURENET AND TECHNOLOGY CORP. 4502 The Finance Centre, 26th Street And 9th Ave., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 36. FENG, PerformingBriefTechnicalQINGTAOConsultantJobDescription:analyseson hardware, software and network capabilities; consulting with management and other departments as required. Basic PhpSalarynetworks.knowledgeChinese;skillswrittenandgoodCollegeQualification:graduatewithmoralcharacterexcellentverbalandcommunicationbothEnglishandfundamentalattelecomRange:60,000-Php89,999 GAMMA INTERACTIVE INC. 21/f Alphaland Makati Place, 7232 Ayala Ave. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati BusinessMirror A9www.businessmirror.com.ph Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 KYAW MyanmariKHANTCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 KYWIN MyanmariKYUCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Basic 499,999PhpSalarycompany.internationalexperienceextensiveMinimumQualification:3yearsworkwithandredgingRange:150,000-Php

Job Description:

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 KYAW WIN NAING Myanmari Customer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SHAUK MyanmariKYUCustomer Service Brief Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

CGI (PHILIPPINES) INC. 2/f One World Square, Mckinley Hill, Pinagsama, City Of Taguig CALVIN NG KAI WEN Sports Trader - Bahasa Speaking I

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Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LI KYAR MyanmariSIKECustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

14.

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

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WU MyanmariCHONECustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LIN MyanmariTUNCustomer Service Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LIN MyanmariKYAWCustomer Service Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

OSEJO, JORGE ManagesBriefSuperintendentARTUROJobDescription:andsupervises the execution of a part of the project according to the contract in a safe, timely, qualitatively optimal and cost-efficient manner.

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27. SLOBODA, ManagesBriefSuperintendentZORANJobDescription:andsupervises the execution of a part of the project according to the contract in a safe, timely, qualitatively optimal and cost-efficient manner.

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Basic 499,999PhpSalarycompany.internationalexperienceextensiveMinimumQualification:3yearsworkwithandredgingRange:150,000-Php 28. VAN WEEGHEL, LUUK ManagesBriefSuperintendentJobDescription:andsupervises the execution of a part of the project according to the contract in a safe, timely, qualitatively optimal and cost-efficient manner.

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 DUONG THI NINH Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 KWAY MyanmariCHINCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Brief Job Description: Good in statistics or probability Basic Qualification: Must Have Good Analytical Skills, Excellent in Writing, Reading and Speaking Thai and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic 499,999PhpSalarycompany.internationalexperienceextensiveMinimumQualification:3yearsworkwithandredgingRange:150,000-Php

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ABBPOWERGRIDS PHILIPPINES, INC. Km. 20 West Service, Road South Super High Way,, Marcelo Green Village, City Of 1.ParañaqueJEFRIPlans,BriefProjectGHOZALIManagerJobDescription:monitors,andcontrols project activities, proactively to maximize cash flow. Basic UnderstandsQualification:critical path scheduling and assures a minimum but sufficient project Minimumfloat.3to 5 years of work experience in managing projects, bachelor’s degree in engineering With domain experience in the business, project manager certification Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque 2. IndonesianMERRY Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 3. TRAN THI KIM OANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ARNZ FOOD INC. F & B L3 L/l Greenhills Promenade, Gsc, Greenhills, City Of San Juan 4. AU KAM TAT BriefChef Job Description: Prepare and cook individual Malaysian and oriental dishes and foods. Basic FluentQualification:inmandarin and English language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 AV-S CORPORATION (ONE EL NIDO SUITE AND ONE HAPPY TICKETING) Rm. 701 Scenic Tower, Galeria De Binondo Numancia St., Barangay 285, San Nicolas, City Of Manila 5. SHI, OverseesBriefWarehouseZHENFAManagerJobDescription:receiving,warehousing and distribution process. Basic PhpSalaryMandarin.ChinesespeaksandofforlinessuppliesKnowledgeableQualification:inandproductcomingfromChinatheefficientprocessreceiving,distributionwarehousing,andthestandardlanguageofRange:30,000-Php59,999 BETONBAU PHIL., INC. U-410 4/f Dhi Bldg. 2, Lapu Lapu Ave., Magallanes, City Of Makati 6. LAI YEE NANDAR MON DirectlyBriefProject-in-chargeJobDescription:reportstothe Senior project manager and executes the details of the work as instructed, point of contact with the client in the absence of the Project Manager and coordinates with client’s counterpart on work and technical issues Basic Qualification: Must be a graduate of Civil Engineering, with working experience as site engineer and planning engineer, with experience working with Japanese and Korean companies, can speak English and Burmese, advanced knowledge in using minimumBluehost,ofthree years experience in railway and road improvement, landfill PhpSalarysubstation,aquarium,wall,development,reclamationretainingboxculverts,spunpileandflexibleroadRange:30,000-Php59,999 BIG EMPEROR TECHNOLOGY CORP. Eastfield Center, Cbp1, Macapagal Blvd., Barangay 76, Pasay City 7. KAW ZHEI ONN Malaysian Customer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in MALAY language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 8. KOO HON KIT Malaysian Customer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in MALAY language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 9. SAW YUE MalaysianRENCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in MALAY language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 10. QUAN, MandarinFENCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients. Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in MANDARIN language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 11. KAING MyanmariFANECustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Brief Job Description:

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MOE MyanmariAUNGCustomer Service Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

12.

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 NAY LIN MyanmariHTWECustomer Service Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

Basic Qualification: At least college level and able to speak, read write and type fluently in BURMESE language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LYO SONE ANN Myanmari Customer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

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23. WAI

24.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 37. ZHOU, MarketingSHIYIExecutive Chinese Speaking Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for a company and developing efficient and intuitive marketing strategies. Basic Qualification: 21 years old and above with marketing executive PhpSalaryexperience.Range:30,000-Php 59,999 GENX SPORTS & MEDIA PRODUCTION CORP. 26th And 27th Flr. Eastwood Cyber One Bldg., Eastwood City Cyberpark, No. 188 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave. 3, Bagumbayan, Quezon City 38. YAN, CustomerJIE Service Representative - Chinese BriefSpeakingJob RecommendsDescription:potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customers’ needs. Basic PhpSalaryskills.goodwithinmarketingexperienceProvenQualification:workingindigitalparticularlytheindustryandcommunicationRange:30,000-Php59,999 39. ZHOU, CustomerJINPENGService Representative - Chinese BriefSpeakingJob RecommendsDescription:potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customers’ needs. Basic PhpSalaryskills.goodwithinmarketingexperienceProvenQualification:workingindigitalparticularlytheindustryandcommunicationRange:30,000-Php59,999 40. CHEW QIAO YING Customer Service Representative - Malaysian BriefSpeakingJob RecommendsDescription:potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customers’ needs. Basic PhpSalaryskills.goodwithinmarketingexperienceProvenQualification:workingindigitalparticularlytheindustryandcommunicationRange:30,000-Php59,999 41. CHUNG KUI LI Customer Service Representative - Malaysian BriefSpeakingJob RecommendsDescription:potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customers’ needs. Basic PhpSalaryskills.goodwithinmarketingexperienceProvenQualification:workingindigitalparticularlytheindustryandcommunicationRange:30,000-Php59,999 42. TEOH BOON ENG Customer Service Representative - Malaysian BriefSpeakingJob RecommendsDescription:potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customers’ needs. Basic PhpSalaryskillsgoodwithinmarketingexperienceProvenQualification:workingindigitalparticularlytheindustryandcommunicationRange:30,000-Php59,999 GOOD FUTURE TRAVEL AND TOURS CORP. 5/f Regray Bldg., 705 J.p Rizal St., Valenzuela, City Of Makati 43. UBALAT, PADAGAWF a.k.a. HUANG, I-CHEN Mandarin Event And Host Organizer Brief Job Description: Assisting with the planning, preparation and organization of events. Basic PhpSalaryplanningorganizationalExcellentQualification:management,andskills.Range:30,000-Php59,999 HIKVISION SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. PHILIPPINES BRANCH 37th/f Joy Nostalg Center, Adb Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig 44. WU, ResponsibleBriefGeneralTIANLONGManagerJobDescription:forplanning and overseeing project to ensure the completion within budget. Basic FluentQualification:inmandarin and English language both verbal and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES PHILS. INC. U-5302, 53/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor., V.a. Rufino St 45. HE, DirectorLIFENGSupply Chain Management Department Brief Job Description: Manage well of the suppliers to make sure Huawei supply has no problem in the future. Basic 499,999PhpSalaryMandarin.readingProficientQualification:inspeakingandwritinginRange:150,000-Php INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION 3rd Floor, E Six West Campus Le Grand Avenue, Mckinley West,, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig46. KONG, MandarinXIANGLUCustomer Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

KING-MERCHANT BUSINESS TRADING INCORPORATED Unit 2505-f, The Finance Centre 26th St., Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 55. WANG, ChinesePEISpeaking Sales Marketing Specialist Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services Basic Qualification: With

Basic PhpSalaryorganization.dispersedbackgroundsofandmanage,andleadershipability;marketingprovenpharmaceuticalpositionsexperienceextensiveofprovenandmedicine,degreebusiness;inUniversityQualification:degreebioscienceoradvancedinbioscience,businessoreconomics;track-recordP&Lresponsibility;(>12)years’inexecutivewithintheindustry;salesandmanagementsignificantexperience,provenabilitytoteamwith,motivateassociateswidelyvaryingacrossaandmatrixedRange:500,000andabove

48.

BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phA10 Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

VietnameseTHUONGCustomer Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

54. VU MINH VietnamesePHUONGCustomer Support Specialist

OCTAGON PRIME OUTSOURCING SERVICES INC. 30/f Tower, 6789 Ayala Ave.,, Bel-air, City Of Makati 85. YIN, MandarinWEIGANGTechnical Support Brief Job Description: Provide specialized services to assist end-users in technology needs.

50. NGO DINH VietnameseQUYCustomer Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience.

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

Basic FluentQualification:inmandarin, both oral and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

49. DUONG DINH DANH Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

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

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 at least Philippines; he/she delivers transformative innovation, drives the customercentric transformation, and strengthens the organization foundation to lead the Philippines organization to achieve our ambition in the market; embed a culture that enables us to be bold, agile and a great place to work for empowered associates in the Philippines who want to have an impact on health; take bold, strategic choices that improve the day-to-day lives of patients and hcps with the collective impact of our insights and expertise, delivered using data, digital & new ways of working.

53. TO VAN VietnameseSI Customer Support Specialist

6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and PhpSalarywrittenRange:30,000-Php 59,999 MCP BUSINESS CONSULTANCY INC. Gmf Bldg., Unit B Armstrong Avenue Cor., Yosemite Subd.,, Moonwalk, City Of Parañaque56.LIN,ToBriefManagementPINGPINGConsultantJobDescription:guideclientsthrough all procedures required and responsible for furnishing clients with relevant information Basic PhpSalaryskillExcellentBusinessBachelor’sQualification:DegreeinManagement,CommunicationverbalorwrittenRange:30,000-Php59,999 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City 57. PHONE MIN THANT Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 58. BOUNMANYTHOR, VATHASINH Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 59. CHONG, YAU SHING Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 60. JIANG, ChineseFENCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 61. LIUWU, YONGQI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 62. NENGVALOR, PHIALOR Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 63. WANG, ChineseHAOCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 64. CECILYA IndonesianCATHERENECustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 65. IndonesianERLINA Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 66. IndonesianISMIATI Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 67. BONG HOW HAN Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 68. SHEK CHERN HAN Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 69. TING SIE MalaysianQICustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 70. DINH PHUONG HOANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 71. HONG DAU VietnameseSINHCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 72. HUYNH CHI CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 73. LAM MY VietnameseHAOCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:incomingcalls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 74. NGUYEN DINH HOA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 75. NGUYEN PHU HUY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 76. NGUYEN THI ANH TUYET Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 77. NGUYEN VAN HAO Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 78. NIM VUN VietnameseHUNGCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 79. TRAN THU VietnameseHACustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 80. VONG MY VietnameseANCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 81. VY VAN VietnameseHUNGCustomer Service Representative Brief Job ManagingDescription:Incomingcalls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MPOTECH DIGITAL SYSTEM INC. 47/f Pbcom Tower, 6795 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 82. IndonesianSUSANTO Language Customer Service ProvideBriefRepresentativeJobDescription:product/services, information, answer questions and resolve emerging problems Basic PhpSalaryproblem-solvingcriticalbachelorGraduateQualification:4yearsdegreewiththinkingandskillsRange:30,000-Php59,999 NEPC POWER CONSTRUCTION CORP. 15/f Cyber One Bldg., Eastwood Cyberpark City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City 83. QIANG, MandarinHAOTechnical Works Officer Brief Job Description: The mandarin technical works officer 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 PhpSalarypresentationinterpersonalcommunication,worksmandarinProvenQualification:experienceastechnicalofficer,excellentandskills.Range:30,000-Php59,999 NOVARTIS HEALTHCARE PHILIPPINES, INC. 5/f & 6/f Ayala North Exchange Tower 1, Ayala Ave. Cor. Salcedo & Amorsolo Sts., San Antonio, City Of Makati 84. JOEL CHONG HSIN HUA Country President Brief Job Description: Ultimate accountability for the strategy, quality, operations, and sales results of direct responsibility products of innovative medicines in Novartis

52. MAI ANH VietnameseVANCustomer Support Specialist

51. NGUYEN THAI HOA Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

Brief Job Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

POWERCHINA PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2101 21/f Bdo Equitable Tower, 8751 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati

Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in Vietnamese and at least college level with related BPO experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 BUI HUY VietnameseHINCustomer Support Representative

47.

101.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

Basic Qualification: Must be knowledgeable in developing and reviewing project quality plans, contract documents and project specifications. Must have Knowledge to a wide range of PhpSalarytechniques.materials,constructionmethods,andRange:30,000-Php59,999

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

WANG, MandarinFUJIProject Planner

The Mandarin Project Planner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gathers and analyzes information to prepare status report. Evaluate current procedures and recommends changes to improve the efficiency of planning and scheduling of projects.

96.

89.

98.

100.

Basic PhpSalaryPhilippines.Mainlandmanagementconstruction/projectFamiliarityadministration.planningunderstandingprinciples.andprocedures,ofIn-depthQualification:understandingconstructionmaterialsprojectmanagementMusthaveincostandcontractswithinChinaandtheRange:30,000-Php59,999 ZHANG, TheBriefMandarinMINGDONGProjectPlannerJobDescription:MandarinProjectPlanner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gathers and analyzes information to prepare status report. Evaluate current procedures and recommends changes to improve the efficiency of planning and scheduling of projects.

PhpSalaryPhilippines.Mainlandmanagementconstruction/projectFamiliarityadministration.planningunderstandingprinciples.andprocedures,ofIn-depthQualification:understandingconstructionmaterialsprojectmanagementMusthaveincostandcontractswithinChinaandtheRange:30,000-Php59,999 MandarinCHANGXIProject Planner

DONG, MandarinYICHENGQuality Control Officer

108. YAN, MandarinDEXIANQuality Control Officer

1705, 17/f East Tower, Psec Exchange Road Ortigas

109. ZHANG, MandarinJIANKANGQualityControl Officer

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

Brief Job Description:

88. TANG,

Brief Job Description:

95. CAO, MandarinQINGBOQuality Control Officer

87.

FENG, MandarinWENXINGQuality Control Officer

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

GONG, MandarinBOWENQuality Control Officer

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

Antonio, City Of Pasig110. LUZURIAGA, ADRIAN GEOVANNI FAJARDO ConsultantBriefConsultantJobDescription:forBusiness Development in Finance Credit, Audit, and Licensing Basic Accountant;CertifiedQualification:PublicMaster’s in Business PhpSalaryWritingAcumen;Building,StrongAuditsExternalExperienceFormation;Controls,Governance,Planning,Methods,andofDemonstratedOrganizations;MultinationalChangesProgressiveLeadingRecordandIndia,CountriesinandFinance,FamiliarityManagementandRoles,in(25)MinimumAdministration;Twenty-fiveYearsExperienceSeniorManagementWithExternalInternalFinancialExperience;WithBusiness,Credit,Audit,LicensingPracticesKeyAsia-pacific(China,Japan,Korea,Singapore,USA);ProvenTrackofSuccessinandManagingOrganizationalandDevelopmentKnowledgeFinancialAccountingReporting,FinancingBusinessCorporateInternalandPolicyinDepthManagingandInternalandReviews;Coaching,TeamandInterpersonalExceptionalandSpeakingSkillsRange:150,000-Php499,999 REVON MOTION BUSINESS CONSULTANCY INC. G/f Pmj Bldg., Evangelista Cor. Cuangco Sts., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 111. NGUYEN THI THU HIEN Mandarin Collection Officer Brief Job Description: Call customers to remind them of payments for past due accounts; explain and clarify with customers on non-payment and/or another service/product issue Basic PhpSalarytheExperienceSkills;ExcellentandinCollegeQualification:Graduate;FluentCantonese,Taiwanese,MandarinLanguage;CommunicationAtleast1YearRelevanttoPositionRange:30,000-Php59,999 112. TRAN HUNG KHOI Mandarin Collection Officer Brief Job Description: Call customers to remind them of payments for past due accounts; explain and clarify with customers on non-payment and/or another service/product issue Basic PhpSalarytheExperienceSkills;ExcellentandinCollegeQualification:Graduate;FluentCantonese,Taiwanese,MandarinLanguage;CommunicationAtleast1YearRelevanttoPositionRange:30,000-Php59,999 113. NGUYEN THI NGOC YEN Mandarin Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Provide customer service support to the organization by obtaining, analyzing and verifying the accuracy of order information promptly Basic PhpSalarytheExperienceSkills;ExcellentandinCollegeQualification:Graduate;FluentCantonese,Taiwanese,MandarinLanguage;CommunicationAtleast1YearRelevanttoPositionRange:30,000-Php59,999 BusinessMirror A11www.businessmirror.com.ph Wednesday, August 24, 2022

91.

93. ZHANG, MandarinSHANLUProject Planner Brief Job Description:

GUO, MandarinRUJIEQuality Control Officer

Basic

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

105. WANG, MandarinLIZHONGQuality Control Officer

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

Basic 94. ZHOU, TheBriefMandarinCHANGYOUProjectPlannerJobDescription:MandarinProjectPlanner is responsible for planning and scheduling various workloads. Gathers and analyzes information to prepare status report. Evaluate current procedures and recommends changes to improve the efficiency of planning and scheduling of projects.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

106. WANG, MandarinQIWANGQuality Control Officer

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

Basic

92.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

107. WEN, MandarinHUICHAOQuality Control Officer

90.

104. LUO, MandarinYUANANQuality Control Officer

Brief Job Description:

97. DING, MandarinJIANQuality Control Officer

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

102. LI, MandarinCHUANGJIANGQuality Control Officer

CHEN, MandarinSHOUFENGQuality Control Officer

Brief Job Description:

99.

PREMIERE HORIZON ALLIANCE

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

103. LI, MandarinYONGCHUNQuality Control Officer

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Quality Control Officer ensures that the quality of product from plans to actual construction is strictly implemented.

Php 59,999 157. WANG, MandarinWEITechnical Support Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and network. Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000

Leader Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forleading

129. NIE, MandarinLEI Operations Specialist Brief Job Description: Maintain accurate sales record

Brief Responsible for the smooth running of the computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them

Basic Qualification:

benefits from them Basic Qualification:

company

137. LAN, MandarinPING Team Leader Brief Job Description: Maintain

self and team. Basic

maximum benefits from them Basic Qualification:

134. CAI, MandarinJIE Team Leader Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forleading

153. QI,

140. CAO, MandarinJIA Technical Support Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forthesmooth running

148. LIU, MandarinQUNQUNTechnical Support Brief Job MonitoringDescription:andmaintaining computer systems and network. Basic Qualification:

138. LIU, MandarinHUILONGTeam Leader Brief Job Description:

135. CAI, MandarinSHILIANTeam Leader Brief Job Description: Maintain and drive program knowledge

Basic Qualification:

150. LIU,

Qualification:

Basic Qualification:

130. SOMRUEDEE, PANATCHA Mandarin Operations Specialist Brief Job Description:

155. SHE,

Basic Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MandarinYUTAOTechnical Job Description: Responsible for the smooth running of the computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them

133. XUE, MandarinYONGMINGProduct Developer Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forresearching, developing

Mandarin.

speak Mandarin. Salary

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 and for the

Basic Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WAI MandarinCHENTechnical Description: Responsible for the smooth running of the computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 TZE MandarinCHITechnical Responsible for the smooth running of the computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MandarinJIANZONGTechnical Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and network. Can speak Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MandarinJIANBAOTechnical Responsible for the smooth running of computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MandarinCHONGTechnical Support Responsible for the smooth running of computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them. Can speak Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999-

154. QIN,

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 of the ensuring users get Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 ensuring users get maximum Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Can speak Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Can Speak Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Php - Php Php - Php Php 30,000 - Php Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Can Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MandarinSHENGCAITechnical

144. LEI, MandarinLEI Technical Support Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forthesmooth running of computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them. Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin. Salary Range:

products

their activities

139. TSAI,

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

131. ZHANG, MandarinXINJIEOperations Specialist Brief Job Description:

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 for Qualification: Can speak Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 the subordinate team in all

156. SUN, MandarinGUIDETechnical Support Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and network. Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000

Php 59,999 158. WANG, MandarinZHIWEITechnical Support Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and network. Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 159. WU, MandarinFANGCHENGTechnical Support Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and network. Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 160. WU, MandarinJIAXUTechnical Support Brief Job Description: Responsible for the smooth running of the computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WISHLAND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY INC. 28/f Techzone Condo Corp., 213 Buendia Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati 161. CHI, YUAN-CHUN Chinese Language - Marketing Staff Brief Job ProvidingDescription:detailstoclients relative to services being offered. Basic readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritingin PhpSalaryChinese.Range:30,000-Php 59,999 162. CUI, ZIPENG Chinese Language - Marketing Staff Brief Job ProvidingDescription:detailstoclients relative to services being offered. Basic readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritingin PhpSalaryChinese.Range:30,000-Php 59,999 163. HSU, JUI-LIN Chinese Language - Marketing Staff Brief Job ProvidingDescription:detailstoclients relative to services being offered. Basic readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritingin PhpSalaryChineseRange:30,000-Php 59,999 164. MA, LI Chinese Language - Marketing Staff Brief Job ProvidingDescription:detailstoclients relative to services being offered. Basic readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritingin PhpSalaryChineseRange:30,000-Php 59,999 WNS GLOBAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 9/f 1880 Bldg., Eastwood City Cyberpark, Bagumbayan, Quezon City 165. DIKSHIT, ManagingPUNEETDirector/ President And CEO Brief Job Description: To get involved. co-create and execute the location business strategies in order to attain the goals for business units and profitable growth for the organization Basic andsituationsAnalyzeQualification:problematicandoccurrencesprovidesolutionsto ensure company survival and PhpSalarygrowth.Range:500,000and above ZAPPORT SERVICES, INC. 36/f Burgundy Corporate Tower, 252 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 166. DEVID Indonesian-speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job IndonesianDescription:writtenreports on a daily operation of call center activities performing customer oriented telephone activities and various background operation duties Basic Qualification: Indonesian Speaking and Written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Aug 23, 2022 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 National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this Pleasepublication.inform DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals. foreign nationals. ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phA12 Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Support

Support Brief Job

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 and drive program knowledge for self and team. Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team.

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 developing and new for the

Mandarin

59,999 145. LI, MandarinMANXINTechnical Support Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forthesmooth running of the computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range:

30,000

Brief Job Description:

143. DU, MandarinJINJIN Technical Support Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forthesmooth running of the computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them Basic Qualification:

Job Description:

30,000

launching

132. KONG, MandarinJUNProduct Developer Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forresearching,

151. LOO

59,999 146. LIANG, MandarinGUOWEITechnical Support Brief Job MonitoringDescription:andmaintaining computer systems and network Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range:

Basic Qualification: Can Speak Mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 the subordinate team in all their activities

152. NG

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Maintain accurate sales record.

launching new products

Qualification:

Support Brief Job

Support Brief

Support Brief Job Description:

136. KANG, MandarinZHIWEITeam Leader Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forleading

59,999 147. LIU, MandarinJUNJIANTechnical Support Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forthesmooth running of computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary

Basic Qualification: Can speak Mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MandarinYI-LINTeam the subordinate team in all their activities

141. CHANG, MandarinCHIEHTechnical Support Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forthesmooth running of computer systems and

142. CHIEN, MandarinI-ANTechnical Support Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forthesmooth running of computer systems and ensuring users get maximum benefits from them. Basic Qualification:

149. LIU,

computer systems and

Support Brief Job Description:

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 Maintain accurate sales record

ROADKOREA INC. House No. 62, Flr. No. G/f, Mezzanine Bldg., Don Benito Hernandez St., Barangay 76, Pasay City 114. CHOI, IE HYUN Korean Manager Brief Job Description: Creating and managing team schedules Basic Qualification: Has an PhpSalaryManagerialExcellentExperienceRange:60,000-Php89,999 SHANG SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS, INC. 11/f Pbcom Tower, Ayala Avenue, Salcedo Village, Bel-air, City Of Makati 115. YOSEPH WILLYAS SUTANTO Bahasa Indonesian Language - B2b Channel Support Officer Brief Job RecognizeDescription:potentialpartners among clients, perform various marketing activities to promote partner program Basic Business,Bachelor’sQualification:DegreeinMarketing, and Other Relevant Courses; Fluently Speak and Write Chinese, Bahasa Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Thai to Cater Foreign Market Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SKFG CORPORATION 5/f Fems Tower I, 1289 Zobel Roxas St., 082, Barangay 758, Santa Ana, City Of Manila 116. TULSIYANI, YOGESH Sales Manager Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:insalesincrease clients & managing clients allocated section of market based maintaining clients’ good relations for the company’s growth Basic PhpSalarybachelor’scompetitiveworkprograms,withhighcommunicationsverbalExtremelyQualification:strongandwrittenskillslevelproficiencyMSofficecapacitytoindependentlyspiritwithdegreeRange:30,000-Php59,999 TOTAL CREST BUSINESS SUPPORT, INC. 26/f & 27/f Alphaland Corporate Tower, Ayala Ave. Extn. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of 117.MakatiLUONG VAN THINH Bilingual Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information. Basic PhpSalarybilingualreadingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginlanguages.Range:30,000-Php59,999 118. VU THI BilingualHUECustomer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Prepare product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information. Basic PhpSalarybilingualreadingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritinginlanguages.Range:30,000-Php59,999 TOTAL GLOBAL SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 9f World Plaza, Block 5, Lot 4, Crescent Park West, 5th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, City Of 119.TaguigCHATI, KARIM Project Engineer Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:forcoordinating all activities related to the central process facilities and well pads and with the identified third-party provider during specific phases of the assigned project. Basic experienceMinimumQualification:10yrs.inoiland gas project, minimum of 5 yrs. relevant experience with a diploma in engineering and project management skills. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 VIKKI REED SERVICES INC. Level 21 8 Rockwell Bldg., Hidalgo Cor. Plaza Drives Rockwell Center, Poblacion, City Of Makati120. HIRAKI, DAIKI Senior Japanese Speaking Customer Support Brief Job PerformingDescription:customer-oriented telephone activities and various background operations duties Basic ExpertQualification:withregards to Japanese software Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 121. GAO, BilingualQIANGTechnical Support Specialist Brief Job EvaluatesDescription:expansions or enhancements by studying work load capacity pf computer system. Basic readingExcellentQualification:inwriting,andspeaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 122. SHAN, BilingualZHONGYITechnical Support Specialist Brief Job EvaluatesDescription:expansions or enhancements by studying the workload capacity pf computer system. Basic readingExcellentQualification:inwriting,andspeaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 123. ZHENG, BilingualGUOYINTechnical Support Specialist Brief Job EvaluatesDescription:expansions or enhancements by studying the workload capacity pf computer system. Basic readingExcellentQualification:inwriting,andspeaking in bilingual languages Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 VSL CIVIL WORKS PHILIPPINE BRANCH # 162, 2/f, Unit 201 D Paragon Plaza, Highway Hills, City Of Mandaluyong 124. PHONGXAIYASENE, SAVIVAN Senior Rebar Specialist Brief Job CoordinationDescription:andmanagement with rebar steel suppliers. Basic Qualification: 5-10 years’ experience; expertise with armacad PhpSalarysoftware.Range:30,000-Php 59,999 125. PHOUVANNASONE, XAYPHONE Senior Rebar Specialist Brief Job CoordinationDescription:andmanagement with rebar steel suppliers. Basic Qualification: 5-10 years’ experience; expertise with armacad PhpSalarysoftware.Range:30,000-Php 59,999 WESERV SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC. 11f Net 2 Square, 3rd Ave. Crescent Park West, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 126. SHIMOGAMI, AKIRA JDU Service Head Brief Job PromotionDescription:ofcross-organizational business operations of the gdc (such as promotion of shared services and standardization across the gdc). Basic 499,999PhpSalaryindustriessecuritiesintegrationExperienceQualification:insystemsfortheandexchangefor15years.Range:150,000-Php 127. TAKAO, NORISUKE PMO Lead Of JDU-AS Brief Job PromotionDescription:ofstandardization for management process/pm process audit to let all pj comply. Basic PhpSalaryoperationdevelopment,ExperienceQualification:indesign,andfor12years.Range:30,000-Php59,999 WIKITECH SERVICES INC. 10/f Alphaland Corporate Tower, 7232 Ayala Avenue Ext. Corner Malayag St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 128. FANG, MandarinXIAOQIANGCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Opens customer accounts by recording account info.

company.

Basic Qualification:

UKRAINIAN servicemen stand on top of a tank while taking a break during training with their unit in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine on Monday, August 22, 2022. AP/DAVID GOLDMAN

BusinessMirror Wednesday, August 24, 2022 The World www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Angel R. Calso A13

In speaking to policy re searchers from Stanford Uni versity’s Hoover Institution think tank, President Tsai Ing-wen referred to the Sec ond Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, a conflict in which the Chinese military conducted prolonged shelling in Tai wan’s outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands. Tsai said the military and civilians worked together then to safeguard Taiwan. “That battle to protect our homeland showed the world that no threat of any kind could shake the Taiwanese people’s resolve to defend their nation, not in the past, not now and not in the future,” she said. “We, too, will show the world that the people of Taiwan have both the resolve and the confidence to safe guard peace, security, freedom and prosperity for ourselves.”

“China’s actions are unacceptable toward the Japanese and Taiwanese people who have shared values in democracy free doms, rule of law and hu man rights. We oppose this type of threat from China,” he Furuyasaid. also said “what is most important is for Taiwan to cooperate closely with the international community with Japan and the US at the center to completely suppress China’s attempts to change the status quo.”

Tsai later said to the Japa nese lawmakers that aggres sion against Taiwan would have a major impact against the entire Indo-Pacific region.

Ukraine says 9,000 of its troops killed since Russia began war

TAIWAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE VIA AP

On Monday though, Moscow turned its attention to one specific civilianRussiadeath.blamed Ukrainian spy agencies for the weekend car bombing on the outskirts of Mos cow that killed the daughter of a far-right Russian nationalist who ardently supports the invasion of Ukraine.Russia’s Federal Security Ser vice, the main successor to the KGB, said Monday the killing was “prepared and perpetrated by the Ukrainian special services.” It charged that the bombing that killed 29-year-old TV commenta tor Darya Dugina, whose father, political theorist Alexander Du gin, is often referred to as “Putin’s brain,” was carried out by a Ukrai nian citizen who left Russia for Estonia quickly afterward. Ukrainian officials have vehe mently denied any involvement in the car bombing. Estonian officials say Russia has not asked them to look for the alleged bomber or even spoken to them about the bombing.Onthe front lines, the Ukraine military said it carried out a strike on a key bridge over the Dnieper River in the Russian-occupied Kherson region. Local Russiainstalled officials said the strike killed two people Monday and wounded 16 others. Photos on social media showed thick plumes of smoke rising over the Antonivskiy Bridge, an impor tant supply route for the Russian military in Kherson. On the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, anxiety has been spreading following a spate of fires and explosions at Russian facilities over the past two weeks. The Russian-backed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, ordered that signs showing the lo cation of bomb shelters be placed in the city, which had long seemed untouchable.Razvozhaev said on Telegram the city is well-protected but “it is better to know where the shel tersSevastopol,are.” the Crimean port that is the home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, has seen a series of drone attacks. A drone exploded at the fleet’s headquarters on July 31, and another was shot down over it last week. Authorities said airdefense systems have shot down other drones as well. On Monday evening, Sevas topol residents reported hearing loud explosions on social media. Razvozhaev said the air-defense system had shot down “an object ... at high “Preliminaryaltitude.”(conclusion) is that it is, again, a drone,” he wrote on RussianTelegram.President Vladimir Putin didn’t directly mention the war during a speech Monday mark ing National Flag Day but echoed some of the justifications cited for the“Weinvasion.arefirm in pursuing in the international arena only those policies that meet the fundamen tal interests of the motherland,” Putin said. He maintains that Russia sent troops into Ukraine to protect its people against the encroaching West.

“The Second World War didn’t take away my father, but the Rus sian war did,” noted Pavlo Shysh kin, his son. The UN says 5,587 civilians have been killed and 7,890 wound ed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24, although the estimate is likely an undercount. The UN children’s agency said Monday that at least 972 Ukrainian children have been killed or injured since Russia in vaded. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said these are UN-verified figures but “we believe the number to be much higher.”

At a veteran’s event, Ukraine’s military chief, Gen. Valerii Za luzhnyi, said many of Ukraine’s children need to be taken care of because “their father went to the front line and, perhaps, is one of those almost 9,000 heroes whoIndied.”Nikopol, across the river from Ukraine’s main nuclear pow er plant, Russian shelling wounded four people Monday, an official said. The city on the Dnieper Riv er has faced relentless pounding since July 12 that has damaged 850 buildings and sent about half its population of 100,000 fleeing.

By Eileen Ng The Associated Press P UTRAJAYA, Malaysia—Former Prime Minister Najib Razak sought Tuesday to remove Malaysia’s top judge from the final appeal against his 12-year prison sentence in a graft case linked to the massive looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund, saying she may not be impartial. In a new twist, Najib said in his application that the husband of Chief Justice Maimun Tuan Mat, who is leading a five-member Federal Court bench, had been critical about his leadership over the 1MDB scandal. In his affidavit read out in court his lawyer, Najib said Zamani Ibrahim had, in a Facebook post right after Najib’s ouster in 2018 general elections, concluded that Najib “had siphoned sovereign government funds” into his personal account. Najib said this was “highly disturbing” as it was likely that Zamani influenced Maimun’s view on his alleged culpability. As such, the court’s findings may be seen as “tainted with bias, and the public perception of the independence of the judiciary will be in doubt,” Najib said in his Prosecutorsapplication. accused Najib of making the application in bad faith to delay the conclusion of his final appeal. Najib, 69, would become Malaysia’s first former prime minister to be imprisoned if his appeal fails. He has maintained he is innocent and has been out on bail pending his appeals. His latest move came after the Federal Court last week rebuffed several attempts by Najib to delay the hearing. It rejected his attempt to introduce new evidence that could spark a retrial on allegations of bias by the high court judge who sentenced him in 2020. The court also refused to postpone the hearing for Najib’s newly appointed lawyers to prepare for the case. Najib’s new lead counsel, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, then asked to withdraw himself as he wasn’t given time to prepare but the court denied his request. Hisyam then said he would not make any new submissions in the appeal. Najib has protested that his right to a fair hearing was at stake as he was left with no effective counsel or proper representation in such a case. The hearing then began Thursday. The prosecution ended their arguments Friday, and his defense is due to start Tuesday. But at the start of the hearing, Hisyam told the Federal Court the defense has made an application to recuse Maimun and for a new panel to hear the appeal. He said there was a real danger of bias on Maimun’s part that would cause her not to be objective andMaimun,impartial.Malaysia’s first female chief justice appointed in 2019, has come under attack on social media from Najib’s supporters. Police arrested a man over the weekend in connection with death threats made against Maimun. Hundreds of Najib’s supporters amassed outside the court in a show of support. 1MDB was a development fund Najib set up shortly after taking power in 2009. Investigators allege at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates. Najib was found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering for illegally receiving $9.4 million from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the US and several other countries and caused the downfall of Najib’s government in 2018 elections. Najib faces a total of 42 charges in five separate trials linked to 1MDB, and his wife is also on trial on corruption charges. Still, Najib remains politically influential. His United Malays National Organization leads the current government after defections of lawmakers caused the collapse of the reformist government that won the 2018 polls.

IKOPOL, Ukraine—Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already killed some 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers since it began nearly six months ago, a general said, and the fighting Monday showed no signs that the war is abating.

Najib seeks to remove Malaysia’s top judge from final graft appeal

“The total number of different Russian cruise missiles that Rus sia used against us is approaching 3,500. It is simply impossible to count the strikes of Russian artil lery; there are so many of them, and they are so intense,” Zelensky saidWesternMonday.nations had already scheduled a council meeting on Wednesday—the six-month anni versary of the Russian invasion— on its impact on Ukraine. Vladimir Rogov, an official with the Russia-installed administra tion of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, claimed that because of shelling from Ukraine, staffing at the nuclear plant had been cut sharply. Ukrainians say Russia is storing weapons at the plant and has blocked off areas to Ukrainian nuclearMonday’sworkers.announcement of the scope of Ukraine’s military dead stands in sharp contrast to Russia’s military, which last gave an update on March 25 when it said 1,351 Russian troops were killed during the first month of fighting. US military officials estimated two weeks ago that Russia has lost between 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers, both killed and wounded in action.

“I feel hate towards Russians,” said 74-year-old Liudmyla Shysh kina, standing on the edge of her destroyed fourth-floor apartment in Nikopol that no longer has walls. She is still injured from the Aug. 10 blast that killed her 81-year-old husband, Anatoliy.

Leading the Japanese del egation was Keiji Furuya, an ultra-conservative who heads a Japan-Taiwan parliamentar iansFuruyagroup.criticized China’s military exercises in the past few weeks in his speech ahead of his meeting with Tsai.

IN this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ingwen, center left, poses for photos with a delegation from Japan, in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, August 23, 2022. Taiwan’s president invoked an armed conflict from 1958 as an example of the island’s resolve to defend itself while she met Tuesday with more foreign visitors amid the highest tensions with China in decades.

Taiwan’s Tsai says resolve in self-defense cannot be shaken amid elevated tensions

US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Britain, France and Germany pleaded Sunday for Rus sia to end military operations so close to the Zaporizhzhya nucle ar plant—Europe’s largest—but Nikopol came under fire three times overnight from rockets and mortar shells. Houses, a kinder garten, a bus station and stores were hit, authorities said. There are widespread fears that continued shelling and fighting in the area could lead to a nuclear catastrophe. Russia has asked for an urgent meeting of the UN Secu rity Council on Tuesday to discuss the situation—a move “the audac ity” of which Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried in his evening video address.

On Monday, Tsai met with the Indiana state governor, who came to discuss business and academic cooperation with Taiwanese institutions on the issue of semi-conduc tors, an industry in which Tai wan dominates globally. A delegation of former Japanese defense officials and a US congressional del egation that followed Pelosi have also visited Taiwan recently.

By Hanna Arhirova The Associated Press

By Huizhong Wu The Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan—Tai wan’s president in voked an armed con flict from 1958 as an example of the island’s resolve to de fend itself while she met Tues day with more foreign visitors amid the highest tensions with China in decades. US policy researchers and Japanese lawmakers are the latest visiting delegations, just weeks after China re acted to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan by holding large-scale mili tary exercises that included firing missiles over the island and sending ships across the midline of the Taiwan Strait. China claims self-ruled Tai wan as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary, and sees high-level foreign visits to the island as interference in its affairs and de facto recogni tion of Taiwanese sovereignty.

AP/SAKCHAI LALIT

Emmanuel Durand, a French civil engineer who volunteered for the government-commissioned team of experts, told The Associated Press that the speed of the tilt rapidly accelerated overnight on Monday, just hours before the collapse. “There was a very sharp acceleration, which was expected,” Durand explained. “When this happens, you know it’s going to go.”

Surging inflation has triggered a wave of interest-rate increases by central banks worldwide, includ ing the US Federal Reserve, which drives up the costs of sovereign loan repayments. Meanwhile, de veloping nations have amassed a quarter-trillion dollar pile of dis tressed debt that threatens to cre ate a historic cascade of defaults by economies that were strug gling even before the Covid-19 pandemic.Beijing, which has come under criticism for its lending practices to poorer nations, accounts for almost 40 percent of the bilateral and private-creditor debt that the world’s poorest countries need to service this year, according to the World Bank. It has helped forge recent debt-relief agreements, participating in the Group of 20 suspension of repayments during theThepandemic.announcement last week highlights China’s efforts to build ties with developing na tions, particularly through its Belt and Road Initiative. The US and China are competing for influence around the world, and Beijing’s announcement comes at a low point in ties between the two superpowers, with tensions rising following a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pe losi earlier this month and Bei jing’s support of Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine. “What Africa wishes for is a fa vorable and amicable cooperation environment, not the zero-sum Cold War mentality,” Wang said, according to the post. The IMF’s record $650 billion resource injection last year was in tended to help its members weath er the effects of the outbreak, but fund chief Kristalina Georgieva has urged richer nations to do more by lending their reserves to poorerChinaones. received the equivalent of about $38.2 billion through the IMF’s recent injection of spe cial drawing rights, which work like an overdraft and come with no conditions. Wang said that China is willing to channel $10 billion worth of China’s SDRs through two of the fund’s trusts set up to help poor and middleincome nations.

BANGKOK—Thailand’s Con stitutional Court on Mon day received a petition from opposition lawmakers seeking a ruling on whether Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has reached the legal limit on how long he can remain in office. The petition, signed by 171 mem bers of the House of Representa tives, asks the nine-member court to rule on an article in the consti tution limiting prime ministers to eight years in office. The court is widely expected to announce on Wednesday whether it will rule on the petition. It is uncer tain whether the court, if it accepts the case, would temporarily suspend Prayuth from his duties until it is sues a ruling. At issue is the date that should be used in determining how long he has been in office. Prayuth, then army commander, seized power in May 2014 after toppling an elected government in a military coup. He led a ruling junta and was in stalled as prime minister on Aug. 24, 2014, under a provisional postcoupHisconstitution.criticsandseveral legal ex perts contend this means he will complete eight years in office on Tuesday.Hissupporters say the country’s current constitution, which con tains the provision limiting prime ministers to eight years, came into effect on April 6, 2017, and that should be used as the starting date. An even more generous interpreta tion is that the countdown began on June 9, 2019, when Prayuth took office under the new constitution following a 2019 general election. The move to oust Prayuth has raised political tensions. Polls show the prime minister’s popularity is at a low ebb and his critics have been seeking his exit for more then two years, saying he came to power il legitimately. He has also been ac cused of mishandling the economy and botching Thailand’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prayuth and his coalition govern ment, however, have survived four no-confidence votes since the 2019 election, most recently last month. Several street protests urging the court to rule against Prayuth have been held in the past few days, and some critics have also suggested he take the initiative in stepping down. If he is not forced out of office, he must call a new election by March next year, though he has the option of calling one before that. The eight-year limit was meant to target former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist billionaire who was ousted by a 2006 military coup but whose po litical machine remains powerful. The army in 2014 also ousted the government of Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who was forced from office shortly before the takeover by a controversial courtThailand’sdecision.traditional conserva tive ruling class, including the mili tary, felt that Thaksin’s popularity posed a threat to the country’s mon archy as well as their own influence. The courts have been stalwart de fenders of the established order and ruled consistently against Thaksin and other challengers.

By Ana Monteiro & Tom Hancock C HINA, the largest government creditor to emerging economies, said it will forgive 23 interestfree loans to 17 African countries and redirect $10 billion of its International Monetary Fund reserves to nations on the continent.

Bloomberg News

China waives 23 Africa loans, offers $10 billion in IMF funds

THAI Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha arrives at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand on August 16, 2022. On Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, Thailand’s Constitutional Court received a petition from opposition members of the House of Representatives, seeking a ruling that could terminate Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s time in office this week because he may have reached the legal limit of how long he can hold the position.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court asked to rule if prime minister must step down

Current President Alberto Fernández also expressed “soli darity” with his number two in a social media post. Luciani told judges they will have the final say on whether “corruption or justice” prevails. Although Fernández has faced numerous accusations of corrup tion for events that took place while she was in office, this marks the first time a trial against the former president has gotten this far to include a prosecutor formally requesting a Fernández,sentence.69,isaccused of leading a conspiracy that involved awarding 51 public works con tracts for roadworks to Lázaro Báez in southern Santa Cruz prov ince. Many of those public works were never Prosecutorsfinished.sayBáez, a former bank employee who went on to be come a public works mogul, created the company Austral Construccio nes as a way to win state tenders. An additional 12 people are also indicted in the case, includ ing Báez and Julio De Vido, the minister who was in charge of public works during Fernández’s administration.Asentence is expected by the end of the year and could be appealed. AP

ARGENTINA’S Vice President Cristina Fernandez speaks during a ceremony celebrating the 100th anniversary of the state-run oil company YPF, in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 3, 2022. Prosecutors asked a judge on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, to sentence Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández to 12 years in prison and bar her from holding public office for life for allegedly leading a criminal conspiracy that irregularly awarded public works contracts to a friend and ally.

AP/GUSTAVO GARELLO

By Kim Tong-Hyung The Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea—South Korean police say they believe a possible relative of two chil dren whose bodies were found in suitcases in New Zealand last week is likely in South Korea. Immigration records show that the unidentified woman in her 40s arrived in South Korea in 2018, but there has been no record of her departure since, said Park Seunghoon, an official at the National Police Agency in Seoul. Park said South Korean police have conveyed the information to New Zealand police after receiv ing a request for investigative help. But South Korean police currently have no authority to track down the woman’s where abouts or detain her as she re mains a New Zealand citizen possibly linked to a crime that had happened in New Zealand, Park said. It would be difficult for South Korean police to pursue her un less New Zealand officially re quests for her extradition, which may happen if the investigation proceeds to a point where Inter pol places a red notice against her, Park said. The woman was born in South Korea and later moved to New Zealand where she gained citizen ship. New Zealand police suspect the woman could be the mother of the children found dead, as her past address in New Zealand was registered to a storage unit where the suitcases were kept for years, according to Park. The remains of the children were found last week in suitcases a New Zealand family purchased from an online auction that in volved abandoned goods. The children were between 5 and 10 years old and had been dead for a number of years, and the suit cases had been kept in storage for at least three or four years, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faa manuia Vaaelua said. AP

NEW ZEALAND police investigators work at a scene in Auckland on August 11, 2022, after bodies were discovered in suitcases. A family who bought some abandoned goods from a storage unit in an online auction found the bodies of two young children concealed in two suitcases, police said on August 18, 2022.

The World BusinessMirrorWednesday, August 24, 2022 www.businessmirror.com.phA14

Foreign Minister Wang Yi an nounced the cancelations in a meeting last week of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, ac cording to a post on the ministry’s website. It didn’t provide details on the value of the loans which it said matured at the end of 2021, nor did it state which nations owed theSincemoney.2000, Beijing has an nounced multiple rounds of debt forgiveness of interest-free loans to African countries, canceling at least $3.4 billion of debt through 2019, according to a study pub lished by Johns Hopkins Univer sity School of Advanced Interna tional Studies. The canceled debt was limited to mature, interestfree foreign aid loans, with Zambia receiving the most cancellations over that However,period. thevast majority of China’s recent lending in Africa such as concessional loans and commercial loans have never been considered for cancelation, the re port added, though some of it has been restructured.

BUENOS AIRES—Prosecu tors on Monday asked a judge to sentence Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernán dez to 12 years in prison and bar her from holding public office for life for allegedly leading a crimi nal conspiracy that irregularly awarded public works contracts to a friend and ally. “We are faced with the biggest corruption maneuver that this country has ever known,” pros ecutor Diego Luciani said in his closing arguments in the trial of Fernández, who was president of Argentina from 2007 and 2015, before becoming vice president in 2019.Thealleged fraud against the state cost the country’s coffers around $1 billion, Luciani said. The former president has ve hemently denied charges against her in the three-year trial and has said the judges already have the sentence against her “written and evenFernándezsigned.” has characterized the trial as an effort to use the courts to stop her from ever hold ing elected office again and her allies have characterized it as a political prosecution. The presidential office came out in support of Fernández, saying she is the victim of a “persecution by the courts and media.”

South Korean link suspected to New Zealand suitcase deaths

DEAN PURCELL/NEW ZEALAND HERALD VIA AP

The country’s caretaker environment minister, Nasser Yassin, told Lebanese TV that the government will now look into how to ensure the southern block remains standing. He urged residents near the port to wear masks, and said experts would conduct air quality tests. In April, the Lebanese government decided to demolish the silos, but suspended the decision following protests from families of the blast’s victims and survivors. They contend that the silos may contain evidence useful for the judicial probe, and that it should stand as a memorial for the 2020 tragedy. In July, a fire broke out in the northern block of the silos due to the fermenting grains. Firefighters and Lebanese Army soldiers were unable to put it out and it smoldered for over a month. Officials had warned that the silo could collapse, but feared risking the lives of firefighters and soldiers who struggled to get too close to put out the blaze or drop containers of water from helicopters. Survivors of the blast and residents near the port have told the AP that watching the fire from their homes and offices was like reliving the trauma from the port blast, which started with a fire in a warehouse near the silos that contained hundreds of tons of explosive ammonium nitrate, improperly stored there for years.

By Kareem Chehayeb The Associated Press B EIRUT—Another significant section of the devastated Beirut Port silos collapsed on Tuesday morning in a cloud of dust. No injuries were reported— the area had been long evacuated—but the collapse was another painful reminder of the horrific August 2020 explosion. The collapse left the silos’ southern part standing next to a pile of charred ruins. The northern block had already been slowly tipping over since the initial explosion two years ago but rapidly deteriorated after it caught fire over a month ago due to fermenting grains. The 50-year-old, 48-meter (157 feet) tall silos had withstood the force of the explosion on August 4, 2020, effectively shielding the western part of Beirut from the blast that killed over 200 people, injured more than 6,000 and badly damaged entire neighborhoods.

The environment and health ministries in late July issued instructions to residents living near the port to stay indoors in well-ventilated spaces. OF PORT SILOS COLLAPSES

LARGE SECTION

SMOLDERING BEIRUT

Argentine prosecutors want 12-year sentence for VP

Hyundai Motor Co., LG Energy Solutions Ltd. and SK On Co. have said the need to relocate more production to the US and use less Chinese materials could hurt theirHyundaicompetitiveness.Motoris investing $5.5 billion to build an EV assem bly and battery plant in Georgia, and is also spending $300 million to expand a plant in Alabama. Sourcing critical minerals for batteries from regions such as the US and its Free Trade Agreement partners may be more challenging for Korean firms, Nomura Hold ings Inc. said in a note last week. China dominates the EV battery supply chain, and accounts for more than 50 percent of lithium processing capacity. South Korea will “actively” consider filing a complaint to the World Trade Organization as the law violates the two countries’ bilateral free trade agreement by excluding EVs built outside of US from tax breaks, Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang said on TheMonday.billhas been fueling gains in the Korean firms’ share prices. Hanwha Solutions and CS Wind have both jumped around 40 per cent from lows in mid-July. Hyun dai Energy Solutions Co., which distributes solar modules in the US, has also risen sharply over the same period, while Doosan Fuel Cell Co., which is involved in hydrogen projects, is up as well. Hanwha and CS Wind both closed up 3.7 percent on Tuesday as the Korean benchmark share index“Withinfell. Asia, South Korea stands out as one of the major ben eficiaries,” said Ulrik Fugmann, senior portfolio manager and cohead of the environmental strat egies group at BNP Paribas Asset Management. “It’s clear that the climate bill is the US response to take on Asia as a leader in environ mental technologies, and the IRA has a heavy emphasis on domestic supply chain.”

Fauci said he planned to continue working after leaving the govern ment, saying he wants to use his experience “to hopefully inspire the younger generation of scientists and would-be scientists” to consider a career in public service. For all the rancor of the corona virus pandemic, it wasn’t Fauci’s first run-in with an angry public. He became head of the infectious diseases branch of the National Institutes of Health in 1984 when the nation was in the throes of the AIDS crisis. Activists protested what they saw as government in difference and Fauci, frustrated at being unable to save dying patients in the NIH’s hospital, brought them to the table in the hunt for treatments.Later,under President George W. Bush, Fauci helped develop PEPFAR, the President’s Emer gency Plan for AIDS Relief, to bring life-saving HIV treatments to developing countries. In 2008, Bush awarded Fauci the Presiden tial Medal of Freedom. Fauci said Monday he’d hoped there would be a successful HIV vaccine before he retired but “it wasn’t for lack of trying” to over come extraordinary scientific challenges posed by that virus. Fast forward to Covid-19, and for many Americans, Fauci has re mained a trusted voice even as sci entists were surprised again and again by a fast-evolving new virus. The NIH had laid the scientific groundwork for the speedy devel opment of powerful coronavirus vaccines that, while not perfect, are highly effective at preventing serious illness and death. Fauci told the AP that he re mains frustrated at the country’s divisions over how to handle the pandemic.“Ifever there was a situation where you wanted a unified ap proach and everybody pulling together for the common good, it would be when you’re in the middle of a public health crisis,” he said. “As a physician and a scientist, I and my colleagues have the respon sibility to do what’s correct, what is science-based.”

Known for his candor and for the ability to translate complex medical information into everyday language, Fauci has been a key ad viser to seven presidents starting with Ronald Reagan. Fauci became the face of the government response to Covid-19 as it hit in early 2020, with fre quent appearances on television news and at daily press confer ences with White House officials, including then-President Donald Trump. But as the pandemic deep ened, Fauci fell out of favor with Trump when his urgings of contin ued public caution clashed with the former president’s desire to return to normalcy and to promote un proven treatments for the virus. Fauci found himself marginal ized by the Trump administration, but he continued to speak out pub licly in media interviews, advocat ing social distancing and masks in public settings before the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines. He was also the subject of politi cal attacks and death threats and was given a security detail for his protection.WhenBiden won the White House, he asked Fauci to stay on in his administration in an elevated capacity.“I’vebeen able to call him at any hour of the day for his ad vice,” Biden said in a statement. “Whether you’ve met him per sonally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resil ient, and healthier because of him.”

Fauci to step down in December after decades as top US infection expert

Asian shares fall on Fed worries after broad sell-off on Wall Street

By Marcia Dunn AP Aerospace Writer

BusinessMirror Wednesday, August 24, 2022 The World www.businessmirror.com.ph A15

A PERSON wearing a protective mask walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei 225 and New York Dow indexes at a securities firm on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, in Tokyo. Asian shares are trading lower Tuesday, echoing a broad sell-off on Wall Street amid speculation about another interest rate raise from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

With assistance from Youkyung Lee and Ishika Mookerjee /

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 1.3 percent in morning trading to 28,413.04. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slid 0.5 percent to 7,009.30. South Korea’s Kospi dipped near ly 1.0 percent to 2,438.19. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.7 percent to 19,520.36, while the Shang hai Composite fell 0.3 percent to 3,267.19.“Investors are being cautious as continuous risk-off flows have hit global markets,” said Anderson Alves at ActivTrades, noting that rising gas prices were a big risk, especially for Europe. The S&P 500 had its biggest slide since mid-June, sliding 2.1 percent, nearly doubling its loss es from last week, when it broke a four-week winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 1.9 percent and the Nas daq dropped 2.5 percent. Technology companies and retailers had some of the heavi est losses Monday. Smaller com pany stocks also lost ground, pulling the Russell 2000 index 2.1 percent lower. Bond yields gained ground. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences rates on home mortgages and other loans, rose to 3.03 percent from 2.97 percent lateTheFriday.broader market’s losses come on the heels of a weekslong rally. Investors are trying to figure out where the economy goes from here as stubbornly hot inflation hurts businesses and consumers. Record-high inflation also has in vestors focusing on central banks and their efforts to fight high prices without further damaging economic“You’vegrowth.hadquite a rally and there’s reason to not be sure where we’re going from here,” said Tom Martin, senior portfolio man ager with Globalt Investments. “There’s still decent potential for a recession.”Minuteslast week from the Fed eral Reserve’s July board meeting affirmed plans for more rate hikes despite signs of weaker economic activity. Traders worry aggressive steps to slow the economy might go too far and bring on a recession. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to give a speech on Fri day morning at the central bank’s annual meeting in Jackson Hole, which starts Thursday. The Fed is holding its meeting following a heavy week of company and eco nomic data that showed inflation is still squeezing the economy, but consumer spending remains resilient.“Idon’t think we’re out of the woods yet on inflation,” Martin said. “We still don’t really know how inflation is going to pan out and what the Fed is going to do.” In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 54 cents to $90.23 a barrel. Brent crude, the interna tional standard, added 77 cents to $97.25 a barrel. In currency trading, the US dol lar fell to 137.14 Japanese yen from 137.49 yen. The euro was little changed at 99 cents. AP Business Writ ers Damian J. Troise and Alex Veiga contributed.

By Lauran Neergaard & Zeke Miller The Associated Press W nation’sAnthonyASHINGTON—Dr.Fauci,thetopinfectious disease expert who became a household name—and the subject of partisan attacks—during the Covid-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will leave the federal government in December after more than five decades. Fauci directs the National In stitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and also leads a lab studying the immune system.While the Covid-19 pandemic introduced him to millions of Americans, he’s given straighttalk to the nation about numerous outbreaks including HIV/AIDS, SARS, pandemic flu, Ebola and the 2001 anthrax attacks. “I’ve gone into this campus and into the labs and into the hospital every day, including most week ends, for 54 years. The idea of walking away from it obviously is bittersweet,” Fauci told The Asso ciated Press. In announcing his departure, the 81-year-old Fauci called his roles “the honor of a lifetime” but said it was time “to pursue the next chapter of my career.”

AP/ALEX BRANDON

By Yuri Kageyama AP Business Writer

OKYO—Asian shares were trading lower Tuesday, echoing a broad sell-off on Wall Street amid speculation about another interest rate raise from the US Federal Reserve.

DR . Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, November 4, 2021, in Washington. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert who became a household name, and the subject of partisan attacks, during the Covid-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than 5 decades of service.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—The world’s newest and biggest space telescope is showing Jupiter as never before, auroras and Scientistsall.released the shots Monday of the solar system’s biggest planet. The James Webb Space Telescope took the photos in July, capturing unprecedented views of Jupiter’s northern and southern lights, and swirling polar haze. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, a storm big enough to swallow Earth, stands out brightly alongside countless smaller storms. One wide-field picture is particularly dramatic, showing the faint rings around the planet, as well as two tiny moons against a glittering background of galaxies. “We’ve never seen Jupiter like this. It’s all quite incredible,” said planetary astronomer Imke de Pater, of the University of California, Berkeley, who helped lead the observations. “We hadn’t really expected it to be this good, to be honest,” she added in a statement. The infrared images were artificially colored in blue, white, green, yellow and orange, according to the US-French research team, to make the features stand out. NASA and the European Space Agency’s $10 billion successor to the Hubble Space Telescope rocketed away at the end of last year and has been observing the cosmos in the infrared since summer. Scientists hope to behold the dawn of the universe with Webb, peering all the way back to when the first stars and galaxies were forming 13.7 billion years ago. The observatory is positioned 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth.

JUPITER’S AURORAS, TINY MOONS

Investors will be looking for insight into these unknowns later this week, when the Federal Re serve holds its annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “The downbeat mood in Wall Street is playing out in the Asia ses sion as well, and although another round of rate cuts to benchmark lending rate in China yesterday may aid to cushion some losses, overall upside could still remain limited amid the shunning of risks,” said Yeap Jun Rong, mar ket strategist at IG in Singapore. The People’s Bank of China cut a lending rate Monday, a week after it cut interest rates.

THIS image provided by NASA shows a false color composite image of Jupiter obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope on July 27, 2022. The planet’s rings and some of its small satellites are visible along with background galaxies.

NASA VIA AP

Bloomberg US climate law gives big boost to S. Korean clean-energy firms

AP/EUGENE HOSHIKO

NEW SPACE TELESCOPE SHOWS

“Without the Chinese firms in the picture, Korean compa nies in the clean energy sec tor are the clear winners,” said Shin Jin-ho, co-chief executive officer at Midas International Asset Management Ltd. “Given that the legislation is designed to cut American dependence on Chinese supplies, that should offer benefits to even auto and battery makers in the long term.” Hanwha is planning a multi year, multibillion-dollar invest ment in rebuilding its US solar supply chain now that the legisla tion has been signed, a company spokesman said, adding that the firm will receive additional credits as its capacity increases. CS Wind is weighing further investments as the environment has turned more favorable due to the law, according to a company official. The law may make life more difficult for Korean automakers and EV battery manufacturers, however.

Benchmarks in Asia slid across the region in morning trading, in cluding Japan, China, South Korea and Australia. The latest market slide comes as investors grapple with uncertainty over when the highest inflation in decades will ease signifi cantly, how much the Fed will have to raise interest rates in order to get it under control and how much the rate hikes will slow the economy.

By Heesu Lee S OUTH Korean clean-energy companies are major foreign winners from Washington’s landmark climate law as they ben efit from tax credits and a turn away from HanwhaChina.Solutions Corp., a so lar equipment maker with manu facturing and research sites in North America, said it’s expect ing to get more than $200 mil lion in tax credits annually from next year. CS Wind Corp., which operates the biggest US facil ity to build wind towers, is also forecasting a big windfall from the credits. Both companies are considering further investments as a result of the law. The Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law last week, earmarks $374 billion for decarbonization and scaling up local manufacturing in areas like wind, solar, batter ies and green hydrogen. Wash ington’s goal to cut dependence on equipment from China, which dominates many of these markets, should also give Korean firms a competitive edge.

The poll by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also shows majorities of US adults view both reducing gun violence and protecting gun ownership as importantTheissues.poll was conducted between July 28 and Aug. 1, after a string of deadly mass shootings—from a New York grocery store to a school in Texas and a July 4 parade in Illinois—and a 2020 spike in gun killings that have increased attention on the issue of gun violence. Overall, 8 in 10 Americans perceive that gun violence is increasing around the country, and about two-thirds say it’s increasing in their state, though less than half believe it’s increasing in their community, the pollTheshows.question of how to prevent such violence has long divided politicians and many voters, making it difficult to change gun laws. In June, a conservative majority on the Supreme Court expanded gun rights, finding a constitutional right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.

By Sara Burnett | The Associated Press

PSA data indicated that shipments of all coconut products recorded increases during the period. Coconut oil, the top farm export, more than doubled, while desiccated coconut shipments surged by nearly 32 percent. Export earnings from other coconut products more than tripled, the PSA said. The jump in shipments of the country’s top farm export was largely due to the surge in demand for products that make use of coconut oil. The recovery of major economies and the loosening of Covid-related restrictions have boosted demand for soaps, detergents, as well as bread products. Coconut can also be used in manufacturing edible fats and vegetable shortenings.

editorial Govt support to boost coconut production E xports of the country’s agro-based products jumped by more than a third in January to June to $3.25 billion, from last year’s $2.37 billion, according to the latest data from the philippine statistics Authority (psA). of the total agro-based products exported during the period, shipments of coconut products accounted for a chunk of export earnings, led by coconut oil. Coconut oil alone accounted for more than $1.26 billion of the export receipts in the first half.

The latest PSA data illustrate the importance and the potential of the sector to generate more export dollars for the Philippines. Key to enabling the sector to increase its contribution to export receipts is boosting its productivity. More productive coconut trees and diversification would mean more income for millions of coconut farmers.

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“I think people would start trying to hoard guns,” she said, adding that a better approach is to make smaller changes and see what impact they have. The poll shows bipartisan majorities of Americans support a nationwide background check policy for all gun sales, a law preventing mentally ill people from purchasing guns, allowing courts to temporarily prevent people who are considered a danger to themselves or others from cial academic costume of UP officially adopted in 2000. The sablay gets its inpiration from the Muslim malong, a loose garment made from a seamless bolt of cloth. It incorporates various traditional elements found in other Philippine cultures.Running through the sablay are geometric motifs of indigenous Philippine tribes. The university colors of maroon and green frame the initials of the University rendered in yellow gold alibata characters, the ancient Philippine alphabet. The sablay is worn initially over the right shoulder. After the President has conferred the degree, it is moved from the right to the left shoulder without being taken off. There are 1,433 students who graduated this year with Latin honors: 147 summa cum laude, 652 magna cum laude, and 634 cumThislaude.isthe highest recorded number of honor graduates not only in the history of the Diliman campus but also of the entire UP System. A Latin phrase that translates to “with the greatest honors,” summa cum laude is the university’s highest academic distinction for graduates with a weighted average grade of 1.20 or higher followed by the magna cum laude (1.21-1.45) then cum laude (1.46-1.75). Former vice president Leni Robredo, who spoke during the UP Law Batch 2022’s graduation rites, encouraged the law graduates to continue fighting for a just and humane society, and not to lose the will to fight for what is right. While she believes that historical distortion and lies will end, Robredo also called on the law graduates to be there in the “battlefield” so that the “war for justice, for dignity, for truth, inclusiveness, and solidarity be ultimately won.”

Dennis D. Estopace Angel R. Calso Ruben M. Cruz Jr. Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes D. Edgard A. Cabangon Benjamin V. Ramos Aldwin Maralit Tolosa Rolando M. Manangan BusinessMirror is published daily by the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc., with offices on the 3rd floor of Dominga Building III 2113 Chino Roces Avenue corner De La Rosa Street, Makati City, Philippines. Tel. Nos. (Editorial) 817-9467; 813-0725. Fax line: 813-7025. (Advertising Sales) 893-2019; 817-1351, 817-2807. (Circulation) 893-1662; 814-0134 to 36. E-mail: news.businessmirror@gmail.com www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com Printed by brown madonna Press, Inc.–Sun Valley Drive KM-15, South Superhighway, Parañaque, Metro Manila Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Founder Since 2005 ✝ MEMBER OF

The government has already rolled out the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan, which will be funded by the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund pursuant to Republic Act 11524 (See, “DA launches CFIDP to boost Philippine coconut industry,” in the BusinessMirror, June 27, 2022). One of the goals of the CFIDP is to boost the country’s average annual coconut production to 150 nuts per tree from the current 45 nuts. The CFIDP also has other programs including health and medical, crop insurance, scholarships, training and farm schools, organization of cooperatives and associations, and hybridization operations. Increasing the income of coconut farmers is also one of the primary goals of CFIDP. This is an important goal given the crucial role of planters in ensuring the country’s food security. We hope that the money allocated for the plan will eventually allow the Philippines to further boost its export receipts from coconut, which will help Filipino coconut farmers increase their income.

The bright yellow sunflowers lead the way for graduates towards the iconic Oblation statue and behind it the Amphitheater where the commencement exercise is held. Sunflowers bloom around the same time the students graduate— it used to be around April. When UP shifted their academic calendar, the people in charge of the sunflowers found a way for these flowers to bloom even during the rainy season around June or July. The Diliman campus was my solace for a decade as a student at the UP School of Economics from 1987 to 1991 and later at the UP College of Law from 1992 to 1998. After engaging in graphs, formulas and laws of supply and demand as an Economics major, I crossed the street to pursue my law degree. However, I do not have any recollection of blossoming sunflowers during my two graduation ceremonies.Ialso did not wear a sablay as the amphitheater was just a sea of traditional black togas. The emergence of sunflowers and sablays gave UP graduation a new and colorful twist in tradition. Sunflowers have become the symbol of the ultimate rites of passage in the university, as graduates hurdled every academic requirement through sleepless and restless days andAsnights.aparting gift for graduating students, sunflowers symbolize devotion and loyalty. In the various stages of growth and decay, these flowers become succinct reminders of the various cycles of life and death. As one blossom inside the campus, there will come a time that one will have to Sunflowers,leave. in order to grow, need full sun, just as every student treat every experience inside the university as necessary for their individual growth.Sunflowers also always follow the direction of the sunlight. Graduates should always follow the light, a light that calls them to serve the country. “Sablay,” translated from tagumpay, or “triumph,” is just a fitting sash for the students that have completed their studies, which became the offi-

UP, as an educational institution, must remain a safe haven for civilized and intelligent discourse of all beliefs and forms of democratic expression, where students and teachers can discuss freely without fear of censorship or retaliation.Thecampus molded us to fight for the causes we believe in, trained us for the skills we need to communicate ideas and rally others to effect changes in society. The university teaches what textbooks cannot capture, the state education curriculum avoids, or the military censors erase or prohibit.UP’smission is aptly couched in a quote from my UP Law professor and Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen: “Serve the people. Do not betray your humanity.” An academic community all too easily fractured by politics and personal interest, the cheer “UP FIGHT!” reverberated during the past UAAP games as the UP Fighting Maroons fought UP style. To the new UP graduates, savor the brightness of the sunflowers and be true to the lyrics “Humayo’t itanghal, giting at tapang. Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!.” Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 0908-8665786. See “AP-NORC,” A17

IvIsItEd this week the diliman campus of University of the philippines to run and see if the sunflowers are still in full bloom. social media recently has been flooded with photos of two Up graduation icons—sunflowers and sablay. Sunflowers and sablay: UP symbols of ultimate rites of passage

T. Anthony C. Cabangon Lourdes M. Fernandez Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion,

She said other restrictions— such as banning sales of AR-15 rifles—are “going too far” and may not solve the problem. Whitelaw pointed to the the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many people bought up all the toilet paper they could find.

The easing of quarantine restrictions not only in the Philippines but also in many parts of the world has likewise resulted in an increase in the consumption of products that make use of desiccated coconut. The reopening of restaurants pushed up the demand for meat products, such as pork and beef. The revival of the food and beverage industry resulted in an increase in the uptake of copra meal, which is used for manufacturing animal feeds. Even before the pandemic, the coconut sector has already been contributing significantly to the country’s overall export receipts. Despite the numerous challenges it faced, such as aging coconut trees and threat of pests, the sector has never failed to prop up farm exports. In fact, the sector has even managed to surpass the export earnings of fruits and vegetables, including bananas, mangoes and canned pineapple in January to June.

AP-NORC Poll: Most in US want stricter gun laws

Later that same month, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan gun safety bill. The package, approved in the wake of shootings like the one that killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, was both a measured compromise and the most significant bill addressing gun violence to be approved in Congress in decades—an indication of how intractable the issue hasThebecome.poll found 71 percent of Americans say gun laws should be stricter, including about half of Republicans, the vast majority of Democrats, and a majority of those in gun-owning households. Nicole Whitelaw, 29, is a Democrat and gun owner who grew up hunting and target shooting in upstate New York with her strongly Republican family. Whitelaw, who now lives along Florida’s Gulf Coast, supports some gun restrictions, such as prohibiting people convicted of domestic violence from owning firearms and a federal law preventing mentally ill people from purchasing guns.

KuwentongDennisPeyupsGorecho

www.businessmirror.com.phWednesday, August 24, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso Opinion BusinessMirrorA16

CHICAGo—Most Us adults think gun violence is increasing nationwide and want to see gun laws made stricter, according to a new poll that finds broad public support for a variety of gun restrictions, including many that are supported by majorities of republicans and gun owners.

As inflation soars, access to indigenous foods declines

JOHNSTOWN, Ohio—Ohio’s largest-ever economic development project comes with a big employment challenge: how to find 7,000 construction workers in an already booming building environ ment when there’s also a national shortage of people working in the trades.

In addition to new and out-ofstate workers, some will likely be pulled from the residential con struction industry, thinning out an already short supply of homebuild ers, said Ed Brady, CEO of the Wash ington, D.C.-based Home Builders Institute.Thatcreates a housing shortage risk that could slow the very type of economic development that Intel is sparking, said Ed Dietz of the Na tional Association of Home Builders. “How do you attract those busi ness investments if you can’t also provide additional housing available for the growth in the labor force?” he said.

Intel will rely on lessons learned in building previous semiconductor sites nationally and globally to ensure enough construc tion workers, the company said in a statement.“Oneof Intel’s top reasons for choosing Ohio is access to the region’s robust workforce,” the company said. “It will not be without its challenges, but we are confident there is enough demand that these jobs will be filled.”

The filing requests the appoint ment of a special master not connect ed the case who would be tasked with inspecting the records recovered from Mar-a-Lago and setting aside those that are covered by executive privilege—a principle that permits presidents to withhold certain com munications from public disclosure.

Reinhart acknowledged that pos sibility in his Monday order, writing, “I cannot say at this point that partial redactions will be so extensive that they will result in a meaningless dis closure, but I may ultimately reach that conclusion after hearing further from the government.”

By Claire Savage, Hannah Schoenbaum & Trisha Ahmed The Associated Press/Report for America C HICAGO—Blueberry bison tamales, harvest salad with mixed greens, creamy carrot and wild rice soup, roasted tur key with squash. This contemporary Native American meal, crafted from the traditional foods of tribes across the United States and prepared with “Ketapanen”—a Menominee expression of love— cost caterer Jessica Pamonicutt $976 to feed a group of 50 people last November.

AP-NORC. . . continued from A16 By Eric Tucker The Associated Press previouslysaidunnecessaryaftermathfore,theasprotectslongtheseizeddetailedthatwarrantaggressivefromeredsearch,investigation.bertionalmoresincemarkedrecoveredreportedtoargumentsattheaimsinceTrump’sfederalappointeduntilhisviewjudgeWASHINGTON—LawyersforformerPresidentDonaldTrumpaskedafederalMondaytohalttheFBI’sreofdocumentsrecoveredfromFloridaestateearlierthismonthaneutralspecialmastercanbetoinspecttherecords.Therequestwasincludedinalawsuit,thefirstfilingbylegalteaminthetwoweeksthesearch,thattakesbroadattheFBIinvestigationintodiscoveryofclassifiedrecordsMar-a-Lagoandthatforeshadowshislawyersareexpectedmakeastheprobeproceeds.ItcomesasTheNewYorkTimesthatthegovernmenthasmorethan300documentsclassifiedfromMar-a-LagoTrumpleftoffice,includingthan150retrievedbytheNaArchivesinJanuary—anumthathelpedtriggerthecriminalThelawsuitcaststheAug.8inwhichtheFBIsaiditrecov11setsofclassifieddocumentsMar-a-Lago,asa“shockinglymove.”Italsoattackstheasoverlybroad,contendsTrumpisentitledtoamoredescriptionoftherecordsfromthehomeandarguesthatFBIandJusticeDepartmenthastreatedhim“unfairly.”“LawenforcementisashieldthatAmerica.Itcannotbeusedaweaponforpoliticalpurposes,”lawyerswroteMonday.“Thereweseekjudicialassistanceintheofanunprecedentedandraid”atMar-a-Lago.Inaseparatestatement,Trump“ALLdocumentshavebeendeclassified”—though

“Being fluid and resilient is what we’re used to,” Thompson said. “That’s like the history of indigene ity in North America.”

The high court turned down Trump’s plea to block records held by the National Archives from being turned over to the Jan. 6 committee, saying then that his request would have been denied even if he had been the incumbent president, so there was no need to tackle the thorny is sue of a former president’s claims. The lawsuit paints Trump as “fully cooperative” and compliant with investigators, saying members of his personal and household staff were made available for voluntary interviews and quoting him as tell ing FBI and Justice Department of ficials during a June visit to Mar-aLago, “Whatever you need, just let us know.”Butthe chronology of events makes clear that the search took place only after other options to recover classified documents from the home had been incomplete or unsuccessful. In May, for instance, weeks before the search, the Justice Department issued a subpoena for records bear ing classification markings. The Trump team’s lawsuit was as signed to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who was nominated by Trump in 2020 and confirmed by the Senate 56-21 later that year. She is a former assistant U.S. attorney in Florida, handling mainly criminal appeals.Themonths-long investigation, which burst into public view with the Mar-a-Lago search, emerged from a referral from the National Archives, which earlier this year retrieved 15 boxes of documents and other items from the estate that should have been turned over to the agency when Trump left the White House. An ini tial review of that material concluded that Trump had brought presidential records and several other documents that were marked classified to Mara-Lago.FBIand Justice Department of ficials visited Mar-a-Lago in June and asked to inspect a storage room.

“There are many benefits to eat ing traditional Native foods,” said Jessica Thurin, a dietician at Native American Community Clinic in Min neapolis. “The body knows exactly how to process and use that food. These foods are natural to the Earth.”

At hand is the $20 billion semi conductor manufacturing operation near the state’s capital, announced by Intel earlier this year. When the two factories, known as fabs, open in 2025, the facility will employ 3,000 people with an average salary of aroundBefore$135,000.thathappens, the 1,000acre site must be leveled and the semiconductor factories built. “This project reverberated na tionwide,” said Michael Engbert, an Ohio-based official with the Labor ers’ International Union of North America.“Wedon’t field calls every day from members hundreds or thou sands of miles away asking about transferring into Columbus, Ohio,” he said. “It’s because they know Intel is coming.”Towinthe project, Ohio offered Intel roughly $2 billion in incentives, including a 30-year tax break. Intel has outlined $150 million in educa tional funding aimed at growing the semiconductor industry regionally andConstructionnationally. is expected to accel erate following Congress’ approval last month of a package boosting the semiconductor industry and scien tific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with in ternational rivals. It includes more than $52 billion in grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry as well as a 25 percent tax credit for those companies that in vest in chip plants in the US. For the central Ohio project, all 7,000 workers aren’t required right away. They’re also only a portion of what will be needed as the Intel proj ect transforms hundreds of largely rural acres about 30 minutes east of Columbus.Justsix months after Intel re vealed the Ohio operation, for exam ple, Missouri-based VanTrust Real Estate announced it was building a 500-acre (200-hectare) business park next door to house Intel suppli ers. The site’s 5 million square feet (464,515 square meters) is equiva lent to nearly nine football fields. Other projects for additional sup pliers are California-basedexpected.

$20, “you end up going to a fast food place instead to feed your family,” RoxasMoresaid.than 70 percent of Native Americans reside in urban areas – the result of decades of federal policies pushing families to leave reserva tions and assimilate into American society.Dorene Wiese, executive direc tor of the Chicago-based American Indian Association of Illinois, said members of her community have to prioritize making rent payments over splurging on healthy, tradi tionalEvenfoods.though specialty chefs like Pamonicutt aim to feed their own communities, the cost of her pre mium catering service is out of the price range for many urban Natives. Her meals end up feeding majority non-Native audiences at museums or cultural events that can foot the bill, said Wiese, a citizen of the Minnesota White Earth Band of Ojibwe Indians. “There really is a shortage of Na tive foods in the area,” she said, But the problem isn’t unique to Chicago. Dana Thompson, co-owner of The Sioux Chef company and executive director of a Minneapolis Indigenous food nonprofit, is another Native businesswoman striving to expand her urban community’s access to traditional local foods like lake fish, wild rice and wild greens amid the food price Thompson,surge.of the Sisseton Wah peton Oyate and Mdewakanton Da kota people, said inflation is “really impacting the food systems we have here,” which include dozens of Indig enous, local and organic food produc ers. At Owamni, an award-winning Indigenous restaurant under The Sioux Chef umbrella, ingredients like Labrador Tea—which grows wild in northern Minnesota—have been especially difficult to get this year, Thompson said. When an ingredient is not con sistently available or affordable, she changes the menu.

“Where I could have been able to provide maybe 100 boxes, now we’re only able to provide 50,” Serna said. For 57-year-old Emmie King, a Chicago resident and citizen of the Navajo Nation, getting the fresh in gredients she grew up with in New Mexico is much more difficult in the city, especially with inflation biting into her budget. She finds ways to “stretch” the food she buys so it lasts longer, pur chasing meat in bulk and freezing small portions to add to stews later on. “I get what I need, rather than what I want,” she said. But King was able to enjoy a taste of home at an Aug. 3 luncheon at the American Indian Center of Chicago, where twenty elders gathered to en joy turkey tamales with cranberryinfused masa, Spanish rice with qui noa, elote pasta salad with chickpea noodles and glasses of cold lemonade. The mastermind behind the meal was Pamonicutt herself, shar ing her spin on Southwestern and Northern Indigeneous food tradi tions. Through volunteering at se nior lunches and developing a food education program, the chef is con tinuing to increase access to healthy Indigenous foods in her community.

A written order from US Magis trate Judge Bruce Reinhart largely restates what he said in court last week, when he directed the Justice Department to propose redactions about the information in the affi davit that it wants to remain secret. That submission is due Thursday at noon.Justice Department officials have sought to keep the entire document sealed, saying disclosing any portion of it risks compromising an ongoing criminal investigation, revealing information about witnesses and divulging investigative techniques. They have advised the judge that the necessary redactions to the affida vit would be so numerous that they would strip the document of any sub stantive information and make it ef fectively meaningless for the public.

The new poll finds 88 percent of Americans call preventing mass shootings extremely or very impor tant, and nearly as many say that about reducing gun violence in gen eral. But 60 percent also say it’s very important to ensure that people can own guns for personal protection. Overall, 52 percent of Ameri cans—including 65 percent of Re publicans and 39 percent of Demo crats -- say both reducing mass shoot ings and protecting the right to own guns for personal protection highly important.University of Chicago professor Jens Ludwig said the poll’s findings show that concerns raised by oppo nents of gun restrictions are “very off base.” Led by the National Rifle As sociation, the gun lobby argues that any new limitations on who may have a gun or what type of firearms may be sold will lead to nationwide bans on all weapons and ammunition.

But many people the clinic serves are low-income and do not have the luxury of choosing where their food comes from. Food deserts—areas with limited access to a variety of healthy and affordable foods—are more likely to exist in places with higher rates of poverty and concen trations of minority populations.

AP Polling Reporter Hannah Fingerhut in Wash ington contributed to this report. he has not produced evidence to support that claim — and described the records as having been “illegally seized from my home.” The Justice Department countered in a terse three-sentence statement pointing out that the search had been autho rized by a federal judge after the FBI presented probable cause that a crime had been committed.

In some other high-profile cases — including investigations involving Rudy Giuliani and Michael Cohen, two of Trump’s personal attorneys — that role has been filled by a for mer“Thisjudge.matter has captured the attention of the American public. Merely ‘adequate’ safeguards are not acceptable when the matter at hand involves not only the constitutional rights of President Trump, but also the presumption of executive privi lege,” the attorneys wrote. The lawsuit argues that the re cords, created during Trump’s White House tenure, are “presumptively privileged.” But the Supreme Court has never determined whether a for mer president can assert executive privilege over documents, writing in January that the issue is unprec edented and raises “serious and sub stantial concerns.”

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins | The Associated Press

Wanted: 7,000 construction workers for Intel chip plants

Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Jill Col vin in New York and Mark Sherman in Washing ton contributed to this report.

Inflation is similarly impeding the American Indian Center of Chicago’s efforts to improve food security. Ex ecutive Director Melodi Serna, of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, said the current prices of food boxes they distribute – with traditional Midwestern foods like fish, bison, venison, dairy products and produce—are “astronomical.”

Today it costs her nearly double. Pamonicutt is the executive chef of Chicago-based Native American catering business Ketapanen Kitch en. She is a citizen of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin but was raised in the Windy City, home to one of the largest urban Native popula tions in the country, according to the American Indian Center of Chicago. Her business aims to offer healthconscious meals featuring Indige nous ingredients to the Chicago Na tive community and educate people about Indigenous contributions to everyday American fare. One day, she aims to purchase all ingredients from Native suppliers and provide her community with af fordable access to healthy Indigenous foods, “but this whole inflation thing has slowed that down,” she said. US inflation surged to a new four-decade high in June, squeezing household budgets with painfully high prices for gas, food and rent. Traditional Indigenous foods— like wild rice, bison, fresh vegetables and fruit in the Midwest—are often unavailable or too expensive for Na tive families in urban areas like Chi cago, and the recent inflation spike has propelled these foods even fur ther out of reach. Risk of disease compounds the problem: healthy eating is key to bat tling diabetes, which afflicts Native Americans at the highest rate of any ethnic group in the United States.

“I don’t know of a single commer cial construction company that’s not hiring,” said Mary Tebeau, executive director of the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio, a construction indus try trade Offsettingassociation.theimbalance are training programs, a push to encour age more high school students to en ter the trades, and pure economics. Including overtime, pay for skilled tradespeople could hit $125,000 an nually, said Dorsey Hager, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbus Building Trades Council. Or as Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, the state’s economic development point person, puts it, the Intel project is so big and lucrative it will create opportunities for people who didn’t see construction jobs in their“Whenfuture.you’re willing to pay people more to do something, you will find the talent,” he said.

Labor leaders and state officials acknowledge there’s not currently a pool of 7,000 extra workers in cen tral Ohio, where other current proj ects include a 28-story Hilton near downtown Columbus, a $2 billion ad dition to The Ohio State University’s medical center, and a $365 million Amgen biomanufacturing plant not far from the Intel plant. And that’s not counting at least three new Google and Amazon data centers, plans for a new $200 mil lion municipal courthouse south of downtown Columbus and solar array projects that could require nearly 6,000 construction jobs by themselves.Federaldata shows about 45,000 home and commercial construc tion workers in central Ohio. That number increased by 1,800 from May 2021 to May 2022, meaning a future deficit given current and fu ture demands.

Claire Savage, Hannah Schoenbaum and Trisha Ahmed are corps members for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Savage reported from Chicago, Illinois, Schoenbaum from Raleigh, North Carolina, and Ahmed from Minneapolis, Minnesota. purchasing a gun, making 21 the minimum age to buy a gun nation wide and banning those who have been convicted of domestic violence from purchasing a gun. A smaller majority of Ameri cans—59 percent—favor a ban on the sale of AR-15 rifles and similar semiautomatic weapons, with Dem ocrats more likely to support that policy than Republicans, 83 percent vs. 35 Chrispercent.Boylan, 47, from Indianapo lis, opposes restrictions on guns. As a teacher for many years, Boylan said he has “buried more kids than I care to count” and believes gun violence is a major problem. But the Republi can, who said he leans more toward Libertarian in his personal stances, believes the issue is more about men tal health and a too-lenient criminal justice“Blamingsystem.the gun is an oversim plification of what the issues really are,” Boylan said. “It’s not the gun. It’s a hearts-and-minds issue to me.”

Trump seeks special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 Opinion A17BusinessMirrorwww.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Several weeks later, the Justice De partment subpoenaed for video foot age from surveillance cameras at the estate. After the meeting at Mar-aLago, investigators interviewed an other witness who told them that there were likely additional classified documents still at the estate, accord ing to a person familiar with the in vestigation who was not authorized to speak publicly about it. Separately Monday, a federal judge acknowledged that redactions to an FBI affidavit spelling out the basis for the search might be so ex tensive as to make the document “meaningless” if released to the public. But he said he continued to believe it should not remain sealed in its entirety because of the “intense” public interest in the investigation.

“In these situations, there are limited healthy food options, not to mention limited traditional food options,” Thurin said. Aside from health benefits, tradi tional foods hold important cultural and emotional value. “It’s just comfort,” said Danielle Lucas, a 39-year-old descendant of the Sicangu Lakota people from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.Lucas’ mother, Evelyn Red Lodge, said she hasn’t prepared traditional dishes of the Great Plains, like wojapi berry sauce or stew, since May be cause the prices of key ingredients —berries and meat—have soared. Pamonicutt, too, is feeling the pinch. Between last winter and this spring, the price of bison jumped from $13.99 to $23.99 per pound. Shipping costs are so high that the chef said it’s often cheaper to drive hundreds of miles to buy ingredients, even with spiking gas prices. She’s even had to create her own suppli ers: the 45-year-old’s parents are now growing crops for her business on their Wisconsin property near the IllinoisGinaborder.Roxas,program coordinator at Trickster Cultural Center in Scha umburg, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, has also agreed to grow Native foods to help the chef minimize costs. When a bag of wild rice costs

“I want kids to learn where these foods come from,” the chef said. “That whole act of caring for your food...thanking it, understanding that it was grown to help us survive.”

S ENATE probers are poised to dig deeper into online in vestment scams defrauding victims, mounting an inquiry into scams estimated to amount to “mil lions or even billions.”

PHL may allocate all sugar production for domestic use

Butch Fernandez A18 Wednesday, August 24, 2022

T he consensus to mount a thor ough probe into the growing finan cial menace was forged at Tuesday’s organizational meeting of the Sen ate Committee on Banks, Finan cial Institutions and Currencies, chaired by Sen. Mark Villar. S enators sitting in the panel, particularly Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, are keen on digging deeper into reported cases, including those involving digital currencies. A ngara asked resource persons, particularly the Securities and Ex change Commission (SEC), regard ing the ongoing iinvestigation of “investment scams using digital platforms.”TheSEC officials who virtually attended the hearing informed the committee that the SEC is cur rently “relying on the Securities Regulation Code” which provides that no securities will be offered within the Philippines unless registered with the SEC and that the commission issues cease and desist orders as well as advisories for purposes of raising the red flag on accounts that are in their respective inbox. A ngara, however, conceded the unique challenge posed by digital scammers to authorities. “I am just trying to get the grasp on the nature of the new financial frauds because a cease and desist order is a tool used in actual physical in vestigations,” Angara said, adding that “you can actually physically monitor compliance but in terms of digital fraud, the nature of the ‘beast’ or the nature of what you’re regulating is already kind of beyond your physical.”

AC EN Corp. President Eric Fran cia said the power arm of conglom erate Ayala Corp. is “very pleased” with the appointments in DOE and ERC, saying Lotilla and Dimalanta are leaders known in the industry for their competence and integrity. “We have enormous challenges in the sector given the global energy crisis and tight supply situation in the country, and we look forward to working with out new leaders to help address these challenges,” he said in a text message.

THE Philippines may be allocating all its sugar production in crop year 2022-2023, which starts on Sept. 1, for domestic consumption as total demand continues to outpace output.

IP VIOLATIONS OCCURRING MOSTLY ONLINE–IPOPHL

I POPHL’s IP Rights Enforcement Office (IEO) data shows that year-to-date, Face book still tops this list, making up for 65.8 percent of the overall filings. This was fol lowed by other websites accounting for 13.2 percent; Shopee with 9.2 percent; Instagram with 6.6 percent and Lazada with 5.3 per cent of the overall reports and complaints. This, IEO Officer-in-Charge Ann N. Edillon stressed, even though IPOPHL saw a 48-per cent decline in its overall counterfeiting and piracy reports from January to June 2022.

“ The marching order of the President to me and to the SRA board was to get SO 1 done,” Alba said in a phone inter view on Tuesday. S O 1 refers to the production policy that the SRA board issues at the start of a new crop year. SO 1 provides guidance to the whole sugar industry on how the raw sugar production in a given crop year would be allocated.

I n a statement on Tuesday, IPOPHL said it received a total of 56 reports and com plaints on counterfeiting and piracy in the first half of 2022, which decreased by 48 percent from the 107 recorded reports and complaints in the same period in 2021.

T his could be the second consecutive crop year and the only third time in the past decade that the Philippines allocated its entire raw sugar production for the do mestic market. P undits and industry players have blamed the persistent La Nina phenom enon for the lower crop yield worsened by the damage caused by Super Typhoon Odette on sugarcane plantations last De cember 2021. T he Philippines will be ending the cur rent crop year 2021-2022 with a raw sugar production of about 1.8 million metric tons, the lowest level in 22 years.

E dillon urged online users, especially in tellectual property rights holders, to watch out for counterfeiting and piracy activities.

A pparel—shoes, clothes, bags, and eye wear—remains to be the most counterfeited category with a 65.9-percent share in re ports and complaints, according to IPOPHL.

New head

“Despite this decline, we cannot deny that the IP rights enforcement is also now a battle fought online. We further encourage the netizens and IP rights holders to continue being vigilant and maximize the IP protection features on sites where they observe any counterfeiting and pi racy activities,” Edillon said in a statement on Tuesday. “If the online features cannot address the IP rights holder’s concerns, IEO welcomes formal complaints that can be filed at IPOPHL for assessment,” Edillon added. T he agency said reports and complaints amounted to 53 and 3, respectively. Meanwhile, Counterfeiting accounted for 53 or 95 percent of the total reports and complaints received by IPOPHL’s IP Rights Enforcement Office.

A pparel is followed by perfume and beau ty products with a 9.1- percent share; gad gets with 6.8 percent; home items with 6.8 percent and other items such as keychains and umbrellas with 4.5 percent. A s for Piracy, IPOPHL noted that shows and movies were the top area of concern among complaints and reports, account ing for 44.4 percent. This was followed by artworks and paintings with 22.2 percent; general eBooks with 22.2 percent; and soft ware with 11.1 percent. E dillon said the decrease in complaints and reports can be attributed to the pos sible decline of incidences of counterfeit ing and piracy during the period due to the continuous awareness campaigns and capacity sessions, aimed at building respect for intellectual property. “Mechanisms in place are working. For ex ample, e-commerce platforms have become stricter as required by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between brand own ers and e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee,” said Edillon, referring to the MOU which IPOPHL helped facilitate in 2021 to push for stronger notice-and-takedown procedures among platforms. of

T he three newly-appointed SRA board members were present during the meet ing: Administrator Alba, SRA board members Pablo Luis Azcona (planters’ representative) and Ma. Mitzi Mangwag (millers’ representative). T his was the very first SRA board meeting convened by Marcos in the af termath of the controversial “illegal” 300,000-metric ton (MT) additional sugar importation under Sugar Order (SO) 4.

respect,AccountabilityERC:andaboveall Is vsCodeRegulationSecuritiesenoughscammers? Continued on A8

S ugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief David John Thaddeus P. Alba told the BusinessMirror that the SRA board has recommended to classify the whole sugar production in the next crop year as all “B” or sugar for domestic use.

By Andrea E. San Juan O NLINE space remains to be the lead ing source of intellectual property violations, accounting for 75 per cent of the overall reports and complaints, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

T he SRA board on Monday held a meet ing that was personally chaired by Presi dent Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the con current agriculture chief and ex-officio chairman of the board.

T he SRA board has the power to classify the country’s sugar output depending on its destined market: A for the US market, B for the domestic market and D for the world market. A “C” sugar would refer to reserved sugar that could be further re classified by the SRA board as either A, B, or D. A n all “B” sugar output allocation would mean that the Philippines may not export a single volume of sugar to the US market. The Philippines enjoys an annual allocation under the US tar iff-rate quota system. There will be no allocation for the US quota. This will of course be subjected to thorough consultation with all industry stakeholders,” Alba said. A lba said the industry stakeholders’ consultation will happen this week. Alba added that they expect the proposed all “B” sugar allocation to be unopposed by sugar industry stakeholders. A lba explained that the tight supply was behind their proposed decision to allocate all raw sugar production for the domestic market amid. “ We have an estimated demand of 2.2 million metric tons to 2.3 million metric tons. We do not see that our production would hit the demand,” he said. Why are we going to export when we cannot supply the domestic market? We do not see any opposition against the [pro posed] SO 1,” he added.

A ngara added that “potentially It’s millions or even billions of people getting defrauded.” By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

By Lenie Lectura @llectura T HEY say that independence and accountability are two sides of the same coin, as one cannot exist without the other. T he new Energy Regulatory Com mission (ERC) chief on Tuesday said the agency is embarking on a transformational journey towards being the country’s most trusted government agency. Respect, she said, should always be the baseline in all its dealings.

ERC Chairperson and CEO Atty. Monalisa C. Dimalanta explained that this respect should beget ac countability within ERC to serve the consumers and the industry. “Don’t take it personally if I ask questions, if I challenge you. It is not to prove that I’m right and you’re wrong. Our work demands it; our people deserve nothing less than the best decision that we can make, and we can only arrive at the best decisions if we question each other and challenge one another.” S he is the 7th chairperson and CEO of ERC and will serve until July 10, 2029. Prior to her appoint ment, she served as chairperson of the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) from 2019 to 2021. She recently resigned from her post as the compliance officer of Aboitiz Power Corp. Meanwhile, the new energy sec retary vowed that his office will be independent and fair to all. “ Independence is the main in gredient here. And I can assure you, as far as I am concerned, and the people I’ve worked with, that they will be independent,” adding, they are committed as well to support “the President’s desire to have a level playing field.” “ Because at the end of the day, it is when we are fair, that the inves tors will come, and our people will benefit. If we skew our decisions, one way or another, because we our owe appointments to this and that sec tor, then we would have done these people a favour. And that’s the legacy we don’t want to leave behind,” said DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla. L otilla served the same post from 2005 to 2007 during the Arroyo ad ministration. Prior to his appoint ment as this administration’s new energy chief, Lotilla served as lead independent director of Aboitiz Power. He resigned last July 11. Various groups welcomed the appointments of Dimalanta and Lotilla.The Philippine Solar Alliance welcomes the appointment of Atty. Monalisa Dimalanta as chair of the ERC. Her track record in NREB bares the type of governance she will promote in this critical regula tory body—professional and with integrity,” said PSSEA chairperson Tetchi Capellan. D evelopers of Renewable Ener gy for AdvanceMent Inc. (DREAM) President Jay Layug said the group is looking forward to working with them.“We look forward to working with her on addressing all pertinent is sues relating to the RE sector as we are certain that she has a great un derstanding of the industry, having served also as former NREB chair man,” Layug said. T he Philippine Independent Pow er Producers Association Inc. (PIP PA) recognizes Lotilla’s invaluable leadership and decades-long con tribution to the Philippine energy industry. “PIPPA believes that his experience and in-depth knowledge of the energy sector makes him the best candidate in this crucial time,” PIPPA said in a statement.

Editor:

Judges now need to approve the suit as an opt-out collective action before it can progress. o n ce certified the claim could sweep in 8.9 million customers and garner as much as £5 billion ($5.9 billion) in damages. Anyone in the UK who has purchased digital games or extra content on their console or through the PlayStation store since August 2016 is included in the lawsuit. US style o p t-out class lawsuits, where someone impacted doesn’t have to be aware of the case to be included, are on the rise in the UK. n o t a single claim was allowed to go ahead in the five years since rules in 2015, but 2021 saw four claims given the green light. There are now nine claims certified at the Competition Appeal Tribunal with many more waiting expected in the coming months. News

M ining firm Benguet Corp. said its income in the first half rose 18 percent to P974.1 million from last year’s P821.69 million. Revenues for the period came in at P2.72 billion, 19 percent higher than last year’s P2.28 billion. “These numbers were achieved from higher nickel ore exports coupled with the rise in metal prices, and favorable foreign exchange,” the company said in its disclosure.Forthe April to June period, its income grew 82 percent to P553.42 million from last year’s P303.12Revenuesmillion.forthe quarter reached P1.46 billion, 46 percent higher than the previous P999.58 million. The company said it is “moving full steam forward” with all operating units reporting profits.

SMC unit to terminate power deals as oil, coal prices soar

SMCgP said electricity prices in Metro Manila and nearby provinces might rise by as much as 30 percent starting o c tober if regulators will not act on the petitions. i f the temporary relief is granted by the e nergy Regulatory Commission ( e RC), electricity prices in Luzon will go up by only P0.30 per kwh over a period of 6 months. ho wever, without it and with the termination of the PSAs, Meralco has estimated an increase of at least P0.80 up to P1.30/kwh in the price of electricity over the next 3 to 4 months, as it will have to find alternative sources that will most likely be costlier, including the w holesale e lectricity Spot Market ( w e SM). Should Meralco opt for emergency power supply procurement, the rate of increase is expected to accelerate with the weakening peso and surging global fuel prices. Coal prices in the world market continue to hover beyond $400 per metric ton, threatening to push electricity bills even higher.

Petition SMCgP President Ramon S. Ang issued a statement asking the eRC for “a fair and objective assessment” of its petition, which it filed back in May, seeking a temporary increase for six months for the combined capacities supplied by its Sual Coal Plant and i l ijan natural ga s plant to Meralco, following the record rise in global fuel prices that were driven by economic and geopolitical forces.withmuch regret, we have to admit to the public that the current situation is seriously jeopardizing our other critical operations, projects, and financial obligations. we a re only seeking partial adjustment in price so we can continue supplying to Meralco and minimize the impact of termination on industries and consumers, particularly those from the lower-income households who will get hit harder,” AngThesaid.company also expects hefty price increases over the term of the contracts until 2030 if the temporary relief intended for partial cost recovery is not acted upon. The temporary rate hike is meant to allow the Sual and i l ijan facilities to not only recover some P5 billion in losses but also ensure their fixed-rate PSAs are maintained over the longer term, which will continue to mitigate the soaring cost of electricity for consumers.Angsaid SM g C P’s current PSAs actually help keep electricity low for consumers, as they are among the last of the fixed-rate power supply agreements that do not pass on any additional costs to consumers.essentially, the facilities had been softening the impact of record fuel prices on consumers, which other generation companies have been passing on to them. i f they are terminated, consumers will no longer enjoy such benefits under new PSAs. Corp. the power arm of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) said that it has already notified the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) of its intent to terminate their power supply ments (PSAs).

BusinessMirror

Tuesday

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror T he heirs of the late sugar baron and diplomat Roberto S. Benedicto (RSB) are considering to reopen h o tel Jen, but with local branding, after scrapping the management contract with Shangri-La i n ternational h o tel Management Ltd. According to a source close to n e w Riviera h o tel Development Corp., who requested not to be named, the company could redevelop the property as “an independent hotel with local branding, but not that soon.” This is among the firm’s “low-budget options.” J e n Manila by ShangriLa announced on Monday, it will cease operations on September 1, 2022 (See, “Another Shangri-La hotel in PHL closes,” in the B usiness M irror , August 22, 2022). The source explained, “Both parties mutually agreed it was in the best of interest for all [to close the hotel], as it was no longer feasible and sustainable to operate further at this time due to the unclear tourism and financialTheoutlook.”source added, “Many provisions and requirements of the Shangri-La g r oup could not be met by the owners, thus it came to this final decision.” Among these was the need to invest more funds to renovate and refurbish the hotel to maintain the look of the brand. This would have been a sizable amount, said the source, which n e w Riviera may not have. The last management contract was signed in 2012 and was supposed to last between 2015 and 2035. Other redevelopment options The discussion between n e w Riviera and Shangri-La “has been going on for quite some time and all options were looked into,” said the source. The grandchildren of Benedicto, a crony of the late strongman Ferdinand e Marcos Sr., run n e w Riviera. Another “low-budget” redevelopment option for n e w Riviera is to convert the hotel into a residential or serviced apartments, or turn it into a mixed-use condominium with residential and commercial spaces. i t is also considering a “major redevelopment,” which would mean n e w Riviera tying up or entering into a “joint venture with a big residential/condo developer.” Selling the hotel is “a last option, only for the right price,” the source added. The hotel owner has already spoken with the employees and its union, and they will be paid a “generous sum” for their hard work, covering until December 31, 2022. The 308-room hotel has about 100 employees, according to a separate source. Memories from patrons n e w S of the hotel’s closure has sparked a wave of memories from patrons, who were going there even before the Benedicto family contracted Shangri-La to manage theirBusinessmanhotel. and bon vivant Prandy yu lo, shared that in the 1970s and the 1980s, “[The hotel] was my watering hotel, where i discovered Kuh Ledesma.” w r iter Buddy Recio recalled in the 1970s, “Braukeller at h o liday i n n was a good jazz joint.” h o liday i n n Manila was opened in July 1976 and rebranded as Traders h o tel in 1995. i t rebranded as h o tel Jen in December 2014. Tourism leader Bob Zozobrado expressed surprise, like many, of h o tel Jen’s closure. “ i am really surprised by this because i pass by there very often and all the rooms are practically lit up, which means high occupancy.” h e also said he liked the Japanese restaurant at the hotel, called Kitsho, where fugu, or blowfish, was among the delicaciesMeanwhile,served.an executive at a company which recently sponsored Cinemalaya 2022, noted that h o tel Jen also sponsored the event. “They even provided catering for the sponsors’ night on July 7 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. i t ’s surprising because business seems to be doing well. i asked [their representatives] about their occupancy and they said it was good even during the pandemic. The fact they even sponsored the event showed [the closure] wasn’t on their radar.”

agree-

(SMCGP),

S ony Playstation is facing the prospect of a class action suit in the United Kingdom over allegations it “ripped” consumers off by overcharging for games and in-game purchases. The lawsuit, filed at London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, accuses the games console maker of abusing its market dominance by imposing unfair conditions on developers who then pass on “excessive and unfair” prices to consumers.“Thedrivetowards in-game purchases allows companies like Sony to profiteer and abuse their power because they have a captive audience,” Alex ne ill, leading the claim, said. “Sony knows its customers are hooked once they are part of the PlayStation world and it exploits them with exorbitant charges on every digital purchase.”

Sony Playstation faces UK lawsuit

For the first half of the year, the gold project’s revenue rose by 10 percent, the nickel project generated a 20-percent increase in revenue while the ita i r isan lime project recorded a 29-percent revenue hike. i n April, its nickel subsidiary, Benguetcorp Resources Management Corp., formerly BenguetCorp n i ckel Mines i n c. received several awards and recognition from the Mines and g e osciences Bureau Region 3 including highest average tenement, safety and health, environment and social development score for the metallic category in Region 3, best recorded improvement on its mine operations and rehabilitation and a safety award for attaining 2 million man hours worked without any lost time accident up until the end of 2021. VG Cabuag

Jennifer A. Ng Companies B1Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Bloomberg

SMCgP cited “unexpected and unprecedented change in circumstance,” including sky-rocketing global fuel prices brought on by multiple factors including the war, in terminating the PSAs. The termination is effective starting oc tober 4, if no relief is given. The relief pertains to the joint petition of SMCgP units--South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) and San Miguel energy Corp. (SM e C )-with Meralco for a temporary and partial cost recovery relief on their power supply agreements (PSAs). SPPC and SM eC are administrators of the i l ijan and Sual plants, respectively.Theyrecently filed a temporary and partial cost recovery relief only for the losses incurred from January to May, in the form of a rate increase on its contract capacity under the PSAs to be amortized over a period of 6 months. The SM g C P units said this would allow the power generation facilities to continue sourcing the necessary fuel and allow it to viably operate and supply power. w h ile this will result in a temporary increase in prices, the grid would continue to have adequate supply of reliable base load power.

RSB heirs consider reopening JEN Manila as locally branded hotel Benguet Corp. income up in H1

Continued on B2 By Lenie Lectura @llectura SMC Global Power Holdings

BusinessMirror A6www.businessmirror.com.ph Wednesday, August 24, 2022

HHH AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t let anger take over when action is required. State your case openly, play fair and give everyone a chance to contribute facts. Work alongside others to reach a joint decision, and good things will transpire. Self-improvement and romance are favored. HHH PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You can have fun without going overboard. Surround yourself with people who contribute to your plans without putting you in a compromising position. Don’t judge what others do; take another look and you’ll discover common ground. HHHHH

ALEXIA BANTCEVEE ON UNSPLASH

HH GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Getting anxious won’t solve problems, but choosing what makes you feel comfortable will point you in the right direction. Maintain a disciplined attitude and strong work ethic; your efforts will stand out. Let your creativity shine and lead to new beginnings.

By Brooke Lefferts & Mike Cidoni Lennox The Associated Press THE prequel to Game of Thrones is set to forge its own storytelling path, with a new set of characters and a more diverse team behind the scenes. House of the Dragon takes place two centuries before the events of the original series, which ended its hit eight-season run in May 2019. The 10-episode prequel begins Sunday on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The story focuses on House Targaryen, made famous in Game of Throne by Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys and her fearsome dragons. But don’t expect House of the Dragon to be a remake of Game of Thrones, cast member Steve Toussaint said. “It’s been done and they did it exceedingly well,” said Toussaint, who plays the very rich Lord Corlys Velaryon. “You know you’re in that world, but you’re seeing a different story, different characters, different motivations.”Amongthe new faces in the clan is Prince Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith. His villainous character is a lot more complex than he appears to be on first viewing, the actor said. “I think the reason I’ve had fun is because he’s maybe not just a villain,” he said. “I think there’s actually a huge amount of fragility and depth and inner madness there.... It’s not black and white. It can go either way with Daemon at any point.”

BIRTHDAY BABY: You are meticulous, quick-witted and inventive. You are big-hearted and helpful.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, the drama was cocreated by Martin and Ryan Condal, whose credits include the 2016-2019 sci-fi drama Colony. Condal is an executive producer and coshowrunner with director Miguel Sapochnik, who brings his experience on Game of Thrones to the prequel. House of the Dragon, much like its predecessor, focuses on familial succession with a female heir being overlooked. But Sapochnik notes a key difference between the two series: The team making the prequel is more diverse, including a 50-50 split between male and female directors, including Sapochnik, Clare Kilner, Geeta Vasant Patel and Greg Yaitanes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Stay on track, regardless of what’s happening around you. Take your time, plan your actions and execute your intentions with intelligence and strength. Make this the year to address the past and bring into focus what you want to achieve moving forward. Embrace what’s best for you instead of following in someone’s footsteps. Offer sound ideas and help. Your numbers are 4, 10, 16, 24, 32, 37, 46. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Relax; a balanced lifestyle will encourage success. You’ll gain respect and friendship if you mix business with pleasure. Romance is encouraged, and time spent with someone special will enhance your relationship.

HHHH LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Be open about how you feel and what you want, and you’ll gain the confidence and respect of the people who share common interests. Build a strong foundation, and you will make a difference in your community, family and the industry in which you work.

ACROSS 1 Dull pains 6 Islamic officials 11 Shade tree 14 Bird’s perch 15 Established fact 16 Fifth month 17 Back-and-forth switching between scenes, in film 20 “___ you no shame?” 21 Quaker grain 22 Sixth zodiac sign 23 Bankrupt energy company in 2001 news 25 Knowledgeable (in) 26 Jokey name for a wastebasket 30 Like days of yore 31 Dedicated poem 32 Roaster setting? 36 Surveillance grp. 37 Playground devices for two, and a phonetic hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, 47- and 60-Across 41 End of a prof’s e-mail address 42 Be on the ___ wavelength 44 NY engineering school 45 Ohio’s “Rubber City” 47 1967 Aretha Franklin hit whose lyrics mention a weak link 51 Brass and bronze 54 Physics Nobelist Bohr 55 The underworld, to Hades 56 Hi-___ graphics 57 Centurion Card’s corp. 60 Method used to handle stress 64 180 degrees from WSW 65 Liberty Mutual rival 66 Mesa’s kin 67 Indian lentil dish 68 Prying tool 69 Hollywood’s Hawke DOWN 1 Lead-in to “enemy” 2 Countess Crawley of Downton Abbey 3 Lake Mead’s creator 4 Intrinsic nature 5 Canonized people: Abbr. 6 Lizard with a dewlap 7 Fly catcher 8 Wide rd. 9 ___ student (aspiring dr.) 10 Whine and whimper 11 Middle Eastern leaders 12 Two-time Oscar winner Jessica 13 “Goodness gracious!” 18 Like fall temperatures, often 19 Weary 24 Bleeds in the wash 25 Penthouse perk 26 Deceitful schemes 27 Rick’s “kid” in Casablanca 28 Violin bow need 29 Pfizer overseer: Abbr. 33 “Toys in the Attic” band 34 Fan club focus 35 Basks by the pool 38 Historic times 39 Prefix for “center” 40 Word before “house” or “passage” 43 Meat recall reason 46 Caffeine-rich seed 48 Pew songbook 49 Like a small garage 50 Carp or cod 51 Curved like a rainbow 52 British pop singer Lewis 53 Corsage place 56 Name hidden in “bare necessities” 58 “Como ___ usted?” 59 Mutant heroes of filmdom 61 “Goodness gracious!” 62 VJ employer 63 “Honest” prez

B4 Show Wednesday, August 24, 2022 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos www.businessmirror.com.phBusinessMirror

“You definitely don’t feel like a device or a prop and you don’t feel like the sexy wench or the mother,” said Olivia Cooke, who plays the adult Alicent Hightower, longtime friend to Rhaenyra. “You feel that you’ve got a fully fledged character which is really nourishing to play.”The ensemble cast also includes Emily Carey, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Rhys Ifans and SonoyaCarey,Mizuno.whoplays the younger Alicent, calls the inclusion of women in all aspects of production a step “in the right direction” for the fantasy genre. Although virtually every female character faces misogyny, each is “still a fully fledged, threedimensional female character,” Carey said. “They still have multiple other story lines and a whole life away from that misogynistic story line. They’re not just put in the show to serve a purpose. And I think that’s what makes it so special.”

HH SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Be the one to make the first move. Set yourself up for success and refuse to let anyone answer for you. Put your ideas out there and choose to make your dreams come true. Action leads to power and new opportunities.

HoroscopeToday’s

HHHH TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take a wait-andsee approach, but make sure you are fully prepared to make a move when the time is right. Refuse to let emotions or your love for someone push you to do something you wouldn’t do under normal circumstances.

Crossword/Edited by

The

BAD RATINGS

A HINDRANCE THE actress’ boyfriend is reportedly a businessman but those who know the actress say that the guy’s business was funded by the actress. Even the house he lives in is a literal extension of the actress’ home. The guy is connected but he doesn’t really have money. The actress and her boyfriend have been on and off for a few years. The actress’ family is not a fan of her boyfriend. They’ve always seen him as a gold-digger and they see the actress’ relationship with him as a hindrance to her career.

Rafkin Solution to today’s

PADDY CONSIDINE as King Viserys Targaryen in a scene from House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones. AP

HHHH SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Digest what’s happening around you and decide what to do next. Learn through observation, and explore your options before you make a move. An unexpected decision someone makes will leave you confused. Don’t fear taking a different path.

HER REDEMPTION JUST two years ago, this young actress’ name was considered poison after she allegedly “stole” an actor from his girlfriend. Everyone hated her and called her a snake while the actor got away with everything. But things have shifted for the young actress. She and the actor have shown that what they have is not fleeting. Their relationship is going strong for now and career-wise, things are going well for her. A role in a Korean drama remake that was intended for another beautiful actress will reportedly be given to her. Her career is doing well and people are now recognizing her talent as an actress.

House of the Dragon screenwriter Charmaine DeGraté said “it was important for George (R.R. Martin, a prequel executive producer) for it to be this way. Female-driven characters, female-driven shows and female-driven writers rooms just sort of elevates the story. That’s a wonderful way to expand the universe.” n

HER REAL SOURCE OF INCOME? EVERYONE is wondering how the beautiful model can seem to lead a jet-setter’s life when she doesn’t have a job and when she can book gigs, it’s as a fitness model or an influencer. Well, according to the grapevine, the model also gets gigs as a highly-paid escort. The model is not only young, beautiful and sexy, but she is also smart and witty so she is said to be very much in-demand. According to rumors, among the model’s regulars are celebrities and CEOs. It’s not your usual escort services as the model reportedly literally accompanies her regulars to holidays, parties and other appearances that require someone personable and presentable.

IT’S too bad the beautiful couple’s show will likely be cancelled because of poor ratings. It’s not because they don’t have fans but the project is not the right fit for them. The actress-wife has not had a good project in a while and whatever projects she’s had have been flops. However, she is a social-media sweetheart and these flops have not affected her stature as an endorser and brand ambassador. The husband is also doing well in his career as a TV personality and endorser so if the show is really cancelled, it won’t have a big effect on them.

edge’ BY

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HHHH CANCER (June 21-July 22): Share your true feelings and adjust whatever situation doesn’t fit your lifestyle. Think outside the box, and you’ll devise a plan to help you get ahead without taking a risk. Don’t go overboard emotionally, financially or physically.

HHH LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Consider everything a blessing, and look for the good in everyone before planning. Knowing what you are up against will help compensate for what can go wrong. Before participating, speak up regarding financial matters, shared expenses and donations. HHH VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’ll get fired up quickly if you let the little things get to you. Take a moment to collect your thoughts and feelings before making a move. Protect against health risks, injuries and problems with authority figures. Strive for a stellar reputation.

HHHHH CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Consider what’s possible and make it happen. Invest time and money into something meaningful you can share with someone you love. If you ignore the signals someone is sending you, disappointment will follow. Be mindful of what others want.

H: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. HH: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. HHH: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. HHHH: Aim high; start new projects. HHHHH: Nothing can stop you; go for gold. ‘leading GEORGE JASPER Universal Amanda puzzle:

‘Game of Thrones’ prequel keeps dragons, adds diversity

By Eugenia Last CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Rupert Grint, 34; Kali Reis, 36; John Green, 45; Cal Ripken Jr., 62.

There was a conscious push to be inclusive behind the scenes, Sapochnik says. “We really tried to, as much as possible, hire as many female crew as we could, because we think that’s a really important shift that needs to be both recognized, acknowledged, acted upon, maybe give opportunities to people who don’t get opportunities,” he explained. The team making Dragon is equally as diverse, and—for the fantasy genre—boasts a relative bounty of women in the writers’ room. The gender balance affects the show’s story and tone, according to some of its female cast members. The series opens with an aristocratic council naming Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) as heir to the Iron Throne, bypassing his older cousin Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best). But Viserys must have his own heir, with dreams of power held by Daemon, his younger brother, and Viserys’ daughter Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy plays the adult version, Milly Alcock the youth).

YOU FEEL PRESSURED TO PAY YOU’RE not required to hand out money even if you have the means to be generous. You have the right to say no when you feel stressed or uncomfortable. Don’t let others talk you into something you’ll regret. Saying no can be challenging, especially when dealing with family or a close-knit community. Senses of guilt and obligation often cloud judgment. Your mother raised you, so the least you can do is pay her credit card debt, right? Not if it enables her to repeatedly overspend and turn to you for money. A lot of people who are the first in their families to come to this country or go to college “can really quickly become other people’s financial safety nets,” Rivera says. That’s a heavy burden to bear. Having conversations about finances with loved ones early and often helps set expectations. “It’s

When is it OK to be selfish with money?

Quiet quitting and how to avoid it

totally OK to reestablish or establish for the first time what money looks like in discussion with friends, in discussion with family,” says Kate Mielitz, an accredited financial counselor, or AFC, in Tumwater, Washington.Taketime to process each money request that comes your way. Consider passing if you’re concerned with getting taken advantage of or supporting harmful financial behavior.

n • Wednesday, August 24, 2022 B5 Image www.businessmirror.com.ph

“If you can’t afford to give it as a gift with no expectations on your end, then you can’t afford to help,” says Lacy Rogers, a certified financial planner in Fort Worth, Texas. Saving toward a “giving budget” in a designated account can create a clear separation for your spending, says Valerie Rivera, a Chicago-based CFP. If you don’t have enough funds in the account, that signals that you can’t spare the money.

YOU CAN HELP IN OTHER WAYS SUPPORTING the people you care about doesn’t always have to cost money. Your time, skills and knowledge are valuable, too. Say you have an elderly neighbor you used to purchase groceries for. “Maybe you can’t buy their groceries for them anymore but you can help them out with the yardwork, and maybe that eases the burden on them in a different way,” Rogers says. If you’re unable to pitch in personally, point your loved ones in the direction of those who can. “Familiarize yourself or help your friends and family familiarize themselves with resources in the area—if that’s a food bank, if that is secondhand clothing, if that is job services or resume help that’s in the community—to help them move forward and get a stronger foot up,” Mielitz says.

BUILD IMMUNITY RESILIENCE FROM MORNING TO NIGHT MAINTAINING good health for you and your family requires discipline, hard work, and consistency. As a breadwinner, the responsibility of taking care of your family goes beyond being the main provider and paying bills, extending to other duties like running errands and, of course, making sure their health is in top form. In order to accomplish all that, taking care of yourself must also be a priority, as sickness is not an option. With the rise of disease-causing germs and viruses along with the challenges of modern-day living, breadwinners are looking for the best and most effective ways to strengthen their own and their family’s immunity to avoid illnesses. Here are some of the immunity-boosting habits that you can start practicing to build a healthy routine that supports and strengthens your family’s immune system:

ENGAGE IN AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE: Exercise doesn’t just keep you fit, but it also improves your mood and can help decrease the risk of chronic diseases. Whether it’s a full-body workout, playing sports, or even simple activities like walking for half an hour, make it a part of your daily schedule to move your body every day.

PRACTICE SAFETY PROTOCOLS: Prevention is always better than the cure when it comes to you and your family’s health. Continuing to practice minimum safety protocols such as wearing proper masks, social distancing, and constant cleaning of your hands and surfaces will save you a lot of the potential hassles that sickness brings.

YOU’VE SET ASIDE MONEY TO TREAT YOURSELF TAKING care of your needs and goals (and giving to others) is important. But everyone deserves a little fun, too. “We’re human and we need balance. We can’t only save for later and not enjoy life today,” Rivera says. If you have discretionary money, don’t spend it all on others. Leave room for self-care, entertainment or whatever brings you joy. “A lot of times, we use money to find ways to enhance our mood. Whether that is dining out or going out for a drink with a friend or buying a book,” Mielitz says. “But you’ve got to put together a spending plan and know what you have access to, because there are times when we don’t have the money and we spend it anyway.” Regularly setting aside funds or shuffling expenses around can give you the flexibility to splurge on yourself without hurting your finances. If you can’t find extra money, make use of free resources. An expert can help guide your money in the right direction. “Life in general is a series of trade-offs,” Rivera says. “So it’s picking and choosing, what really is going to add value to your life?” AP

TAKE VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS: There are days that your body will not be able to receive the sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals it needs. On those days, supplements are your best friend since essential nutrients are needed to help strengthen the immune system and help fight off the germs and viruses that may cause diseases, with proper diet and exercise. The world’s pioneer immunity brand since 1934, Redoxon has finally arrived in the Philippines. Boosting your mornings with this family breakfast immunity drink, you can be confident in getting the essential micronutrients you and your family need.

By Lauren Schwahn NerdWallet AMID rising inflation, interest rates and recession worries, money is getting tighter for many folks— and probably for you. Yet there may be charitable organizations you want to support, friends or family asking for financial help, and things you want to buy for yourself. It’s possible to do these things even on a limited budget. But if you want to be responsible with your money, you have to know where to draw the line. When is it OK to put your own interests first? Use these criteria as guidance.

PHOTO BY MUSEUMS VICTORIA ON UNSPLASH

n START YOUR MORNINGS RIGHT: Mornings don’t need to be dreadful if you swap out worrying about the tasks of the day with setting aside some me-time sessions instead. Getting up earlier than the world and enjoying the peace and quiet with a morning meditation under the sun will instantly brighten your mood and give you an extra dose of vitamin D. If you have no access to an outdoor area, don’t miss out on your vitamin D and get your daily immunity boost with just one tablet of Ascorbic Acid + Zinc + Cholecalciferol (Redoxon) Triple Action dissolved in a glass of water, along with proper diet and exercise.

WHEN YOUR FINANCES ARE AT RISK THINK carefully before spending any amount of money on somebody else, whether that’s $20 or $2,000. Will it jeopardize your ability to pay bills or save for emergencies? Picking up the lunch tab for a friend or helping put your kid through college shouldn’t come at the cost of your own expenses and goals. A crucial part of this assessment: Assume you’ll never get the money back. There’s no guarantee your loved ones will repay you, no matter how wellintentioned they may be.

I N one of the peer group sessions I attended recently, we talked about work-life balance, and the idea of doing the bare minimum at work came up. Because of the pandemic and online collaboration apps, some people found it hard to delineate work from their personal lives. Now that people are trickling back to the office, some people still find it difficult to go back to leaving work at the office and enjoying their time at home. And to top it all off, there is no additional compensation for overtime work. It is not surprising that there is a growing movement among the workforce, especially the millennials and the Gen Zs, on quietly quitting. This is in response to the hustle culture in the workplace highlighted by the return to office, and collaborative apps that seemingly make team members available 24/7. Quietly quitting is a way to set boundaries between one’s work and personal life by only doing work that is within the confines of their job description and doing the barest minimum. This actually makes sense because if organizations expect their employees to go above and beyond, they should also be able to incentivize their employees accordingly.Evenwithout the pandemic and the apps, I can understand why people quietly quit. There are abusive managers who will heap on you more work if you do not push back and to avoid that, some slack off. This is also understandable when a person has just been promoted and they need to familiarize themselves with the new role before taking on more assignments. Quiet quitting also forces your manager to look at workload distribution and makes them think of ways so that one team member is not unduly burdened. Moreover, quiet quitting helps you focus on emergency personal concerns and resolve them, so you can go back to work faster. However, quiet quitting can also be a sign of dissatisfaction with what the team is currently doing, or it could indicate burnout because of the heavy workload. It could also point out that your organization has a dismal compensation package, or lacks the opportunities for professional development. For a team member, they might quietly quit because they were passed over for a promotion they deserved, or, worse, they might be looking for new work. There are ways to know which of your team members are quietly quitting. Watch out for changes in their behavior, especially their attendance and the meetings they join and do not join. Notice changes in their output and their demeanor when assigned tasks and their diminished participation in office activities or general lack of enthusiasm. Your role as a team leader is to identify what is causing your team members to quietly quit. While there are some things beyond your control, your role is to keep your team working effectively and efficiently. Your team will always have their own personal reasons, but there are some things you can do to encourage engagement and productivity. The challenge of leadership is that regardless of conditions, you will continue to keep your team engaged and productive, and to know when to motivate them and when to leave them alone. One of the best things you can do is to talk to your team members and establish a work relationship that includes not just asking them how they are doing at work, but also with how they are doing in their personal lives. While we want clear delineations between life and work, we cannot deny that their personal lives will invariably affect their work. This will help you better understand your team’s personal motivations so you can provide opportunities where their personal goals are aligned with the team’s. Knowing your team also helps you understand how you can help them find purpose in what they are doing. Most employees look for fulfillment in their work. When they do not know how they contribute to the organization’s goals and objectives, or when they do not see you as someone who understands their full potential, they are likely to do just the bare minimum. Your need to make them appreciate the unique role they play in the success of the team and the organization. In a previous organization, I remember the owner saying that everyone is dispensable. Imagine how that made the employees feel. Soon enough, people started doing the bare minimum or looked for other employment. As a leader, you need to respect boundaries for work and personal concerns and then set the example. One way you can do this is by respecting your team’s personal time off or when your team has gone for the day. If you really need to, acknowledge that you are inconveniencing them and allow your team to decline the task. If you are sending an e-mail just so you do not forget, schedule it so that it only sends during work hours. Remember also that as a leader, you need to protect your team from unwarranted work from your own manager. You can accept other tasks but you need to check in with your team if they will be able to do additional tasks. If you do not know how to say “no”, chances are you will be running your team to theMonitorground. your team’s workload so one team member is not unduly burdened. It goes without saying that as the leader, you should be on top of everything. An overworked team member is the result of a manager’s failure in time management, planning and monitoring. Make sure that people in your team have a general idea of what others are doing so that you can assign tasks to others when needed. I firmly believe that people go to work because they are intrinsically motivated and would want to meaningfully contribute to their team. As a leader, you need to know how you can tap that motivation and stoke it until it becomes their own personal purpose. Otherwise, you will find yourself stuck with a team that does only the bare minimum, whose ultimate goal is to go from paycheck to paycheck.

n MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET: It’s the No. 1 advice of doctors for a reason. A healthy and balanced diet contains the essential nutrients to support the immune system. The key to this is in meal planning. You can start by preparing a weekly meal plan for your family that incorporates more fruits and vegetables in every meal to limit your family’s consumption of processed food and excessive sugar.

Staff—is long overdue, and will cost the government only some P58.125 billion in receivables that the government has found difficult to collect anyway,” Salceda was quoted in a statement as saying. The lawmaker added that “the productive capacities that such emancipation will unlock far outweigh the fiscal implications, which have already been incurred anyway.”

“ADB and USAID share similar goals in addressing development challenges in the region,” ADB Director General for the Pacific Leah Gutierrez said. “This new partnership will provide for stronger collaboration in Pacific island countries as they continue to address climate change risks, strengthen efforts to mitigate and respond to disasters and improve management of natural resources in the Pacific region.”

BSP Senior Assistant Governor and General Counsel Elmore Capule, meanwhile, said while the EO is a welcome initiative to their push for digitization, he urged legislators to legislate the mandate to establish funding and systems in place. “We believe that this should be ‘hard-coated’ in a law because essentially it will require operations and budget for the creation of the system. And because of the mandate of the BSP on digital payments and digital access, we are going to support this bill,” Capule, also a lawyer, told the senators.Following the issuance of EO 170, two state-run banks responded with boosts to their digital platforms.

In June this year, Development Bank of the Philippines announced that it has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. to facilitate the payment of insurance claims to depositors of closed banks. This collaboration, according to the bank, is an effort towards using digital channels in the delivery of the government’s services. In the same month, Land Bank of the Philippines Inc. (Landbank) announced that it is rolling out a P1-billion initiative to support rural banks in their bid to digitize their operations to keep up with the demands of times. In a statement, Landbank said their new program, which will be called “Digitalization of Countryside Financial Institutions Lending Program,” aims to help banks in the countryside onboard new clients, especially those who are unserved and underserved by the banking system.

There is a need for national sense of urgency to address this problem. And this applies to all countries in the world. Our attention was caught by the devastating impact of this virus causing millions of deaths worldwide. The next is the impact on the economy, causing more suffering due to job losses, the rise of poverty, the rise of prices of commodities, etc. But the third impact, we are not so mindful because we can only feel its consequences in the future: the loss of learning capability of students because of the lack of inroom teaching or interactive education, which no remote learning can ever replace. And when damages that this Covid-19 are tallied, according to the World Bank report, the biggest loss could be the loss of learning of our students. However, hybrid learning (online learning and in-classroom learning) can be effective too, and is here to stay. An effective partnership of the government and concerned agencies with educators is crucial to provide the learning that our students need to get back the education that was lost in the two years that they were out of the classroom. Further, it can hopefully avert the problem of permanent damage. But the time to act is NOW. Wilma Miranda is the 2022 chairman of the Finex Ethics Committee, the Managing Partner of Inventor, Miranda & Associates, CPAs, and member of the Board of Directors of KPS Outsourcing Inc. The views she expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions and the BusinessMirror

ADB, USAID ink climate-support deal

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario T HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United States Agency for International Development (USA ID) agreed to better respond to climate and disaster impacts, pandemics and economic shocks.Under the agreement, USA I D will support efforts to strengthen community resilience and governance and advance resilient economic growth in theThePacific.Regional Development Objective Agreement was signed by ADB Senior Advisor for Strategy, Policy and Partnerships Kenji Yuhaku and USA I D Acting Mission Director for the Philippines, Pacific Islands and Mongolia Betty Chung.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon expressed optimism that investors would strongly support the Marcos administration’s first RTB offering. “Auction results already showed strong interest,” De Leon told reporterse. De Leon said during the launch of the government’s 28th RTB offering that the proceeds from the issuance will be used to support the new administration’s 8-point socioeconomic agenda. These include initiatives on improving the health care system, ensuring food and energy security, expanding infrastructure, promoting investments to provide better and greener jobs and establishing livable and sustainable communities. Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said in his keynote speech during the event that the issuance serves as an important component of the government’s fundraising efforts for its development programs aimed at building a sustainable, inclusive and broad-based economy. Diokno said the government has so far raised over P4.37 trillion since the first issuance of RTBs in 2001. “Our growing retail sector is proof that the retail treasury bonds are a viable pillar of domestic financing,” he said. “With their consistently strong reception from both local and overseas investors, the retail treasury bonds now account for around 35 percent of the Bureau of the Treasury’s outstanding government securities.” This year, the government is set to borrow a total of P2.21 trillion, 75 percent of which will come from domestic sources while the remaining 25 percent will be generated from foreign lenders. In March last year, the Treasury sold P457.8 billion from its sale of 5-year RTBs.Generally considered low-risk investment instruments, RTBs allow investors to earn interest based on prevailing market rates. Investors are paid quarterly during the term of the bond. With a minimum investment amount of P5,000, retail investors can participate in the latest offering. The bond is set to mature on March 7, 2028. Eligible investors for the RTBs may include individuals, cooperatives, retirement funds and provident funds. Holders of maturing debt papers (FXTN 10-57, RTB 5-11, FXTN 10-58 and RTB 3-10) may also swap these with the latest TheRTBs.public offer period for the RTBs that started last Tuesday would end on September 2; the issue date or settlement date is set on September 7. Interested retail investors may purchase the RTBs via over-the-counter or traditional channels through the branches of the selling agents, via online channels through the RTB ordering facility, which can be accessed through the Treasury website or through the mobile applications of Land Bank of the Philippines Inc. and the Overseas Filipino Bank or the Bonds.PH app. The joint lead issue managers for the latest RTB offering are Development Bank of the Philippines and LandBank. The joint issue managers are: BDO Capital & Investment Corp.; BPI Capital Corp.; China Bank Capital Corp.; First Metro Investment Corp.; PNB Capital Corp.; SB Capital Investment Corp.; and, UnionBank of the Philippines.

‘Condone farmers’ debts to boost growth’

Govt offrom₧162.72BbagssaleRTBs

Only 8.2% of total person-to-government payments made digitally W E may not be aware of it, but the long period when students are not attending in-classroom learning may result to serious, long-lasting if not permanent effects. It can create a big inequality in this generation of students who happen to be between 4 years old and 25 years old in 2020 and 2021. According to an article in blogs. worldbank.org dated February 1, 2022: “We are losing a generation: The devastating impacts of Covid-19. Unless swift and bold action is taken, learning poverty can reach 70 percent.” Schools were closed in the Philippines since the pandemic started in 2020 and only recently this year were students finally get to attend in-room class teachings. But even then, most of the schools were only opening in-classroom teaching every other week. Like the Philippines, countries in South Asia, Latin America, Middle East and even in East Asia, schools are closed for long periods of time. In Europe, our 8-year old granddaughter had been attending classes since 2020. This is because Europe reopened their schools quickly, knowing perhaps the adverse effect it might have on students and a lack of sufficient information on the benefits of complete and long closure. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been engaging Europe’s decisionmakers with the help of parents, teachers and school administrators. A WHO report showed that children and adolescents are generally at low risk of infection; and if they become infected, it is likely to be mild. Although there are some children and young people who were severely affected with the disease and a few have died. The biggest losers are kids from the poorest families like in our country since they lack internet access and computers or devices for remote learning. Such remote learning cannot replace interactive classroom teaching. This further widens the already large inequality of opportunity for the poor. It is extremely sad to think that in a developing country like the Philippines, Covid-19 has the most negative impact. Aside from lowering growth, it increases poverty and more inequality for a generation of our students compared to the more developed ones. According to a report of the World Bank, it will be a “terrible triple threat to global prosperity for decades to come.”Inother countries like Brazil and India, educators measured the learning efficiency of continuous learning and found out that after a year without in-person classes, students had learned 27-percent less than what they would have learned in normal times. The loss of learning in the Philippines has not been fully quantified, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. However, a joint report which was published in March 2022 with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Bank, the Unicef reported that the Philippines had the longest closure–more than 70 weeks–among the 122 countries that were subject of the survey by the report. While schools in other countries closure was 20 weeks to 21 weeks, which is the global average, the Philippines was 50-weeks longer in closure and over the global average. Thus, it not surprising that the report also shows that fewer than 15 percent of 10-year old Filipino students could read a simple text. (Source http://ccp. jhu.edu).

Estate tax incentives SALCEDA also crafted an incentives package for those who have already paid part or all of their agrarian reformHedebts.explained that the proposal also includes an estate tax amnesty as an incentive for those who have paid part of their amortizations, until June 30, 2025. The lawmaker said he expects the measure to yield P6.1 billion in additional estate tax collections everySalcedayear. said the proposal also mandates the Department of Agriculture and the DAR to compile a list of support programs where ARBs that have paid part of their amortizations will be given preference to. “This will serve as an equalizing provision for those who have exerted efforts to pay at least part of their amortizations.”

The EO mandates all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the government, including state universities and colleges and government-owned or -controlled corporations, and enjoins local government units to utilize digital channels in the disbursement and collection of payments.

Salceda noted that National Scientist and Economist Raul V. Fabella estimates that in 2019 alone the economy lost P390 billion in economic activity due to suboptimal use of agrarian reform lands. Married to the land THE lawmaker explained that debt burden has also meant that farmers are “married to their land” rather than economically uplifted, which was the initial purpose of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform ProgramHe(CARP).added that the ARBs’ obligations for the land transferred to them under the CARP are imposed an annual interest of 6 percent and should be paid in 30 years. However, only 17 percent of ARBs are paying their amortization, resulting in massive loan defaults, Salceda said. “As such, liens and encumbrances are attached to their lands, making these beneficiaries unable to sell their lands, and making such lands idle in the absence of a financial capable or willing farmer to exploit them,” the lawmaker explained.Theproposal will release farmers from debt and release lands from unproductive possession by condoning agrarian reform debts, lifting liens and encumbrances on agrarian reform“Thisland.will allow the transfer of such lands to younger farmers or more efficient users, allow existing ARBs to collateralize their land for productive credit, and unlock transfer taxes for the national government,” Salceda said.

DESPITE the spur of digitization during the pandemic, individuals who chose to pay for government transactions and fees are few and far between in 2021, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Duringsaid.aSenate Hearing last Tuesday, BSP Deputy Director of the Payment System Oversight Department (PSOD) Bridget MesinaRomero said that as of end-2021, only 8.2 percent of the total personto-government payments were made digitally.Thisis in contrast to the total government disbursements during the year where almost 97 percent of all outlays by the government were alreadyPaymentsdigitized.from businesses to the government, meanwhile, were at 34.8 percent digitized during the year. Mesina-Romero, who is also a lawyer, said she is “optimistic” that the recent executive order of the national government that encourages digital payments would spur more digitization in terms of collection in the next few years. Before stepping down from office, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) 170 to urge the entire government to spur digitization efforts in the financial system.

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie A leA der of the House of representatives has filed House Bill (HB) 3797, or the New Agrarian emancipation Act, which will result in the condonation of agrarian debts of 654,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (A rBs), possessing or overseeing a total of 1.18 million hectares of awarded lands.

The partnership aims to expand access to affordable and climatesmart energy systems through private sector-led investments.

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM THE government raised an initial P162.72 billion in its latest offering of 5.5-year Retail Treasury Bonds (RTB), the first one for the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. The latest RTB offering fetched a coupon rate of 5.75 percent during the rate-setting auction, higher than the benchmark secondary market rates for the 5-year and 6-year tenors at 5.434 percent and 5.640 percent, respectively. Total bids for the RTBs reached P225.32 billion, making the auction more than seven-times oversubscribed. Due to the overwhelming demand for the RTBs, the Treasury decided to upsize the offering from the initial P30 billion.

The agreement between ADB and USAID will also strengthen health systems and health coverage, to help the region become more resilient to shocks and more able to overcome the challenges of distance and isolation.“We believe that by advancing an open, connected, prosperous, resilient and secure Indo-Pacific, countries in the region will be more empowered to adapt to the challenges of the 21st century and to seize its many opportunities,” Chung said. The ADB said it is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.

BusinessMirrorWednesday, August 24, 2022 • Editor: Dennis D. EstopaceB6 www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Banking&Finance

MEDALLA AT EJAP Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe M. Medalla (left) said the BSP is ready to take necessary policy actions to anchor inflation expectations and bring inflation back to the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. The central bank chief was a guest speaker during the 2022 Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (Ejap) forum held recently at the Ayuntamiento Building in Intramuros, Manila. Also present in the forum were (from right) Budget Undersecretary Joselito R. Basilio, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan and Finance Undersecretary Zeno Ronald R. Abenoja. Photo courtesy Bangko sentral ng PiliP nas FinEx FrEE EntErprisE Wilma inventor-Miranda

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda’s version was endorsed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and is the administration version of the reform that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. proposed in his State of the Nation Address last July. “This measure—first proposed by this representation in the 1990s, then as a private sector analyst and, later, officially to the Cabinet in 2007 during his stint in the Arroyo administration as Presidential Chief of Students–The biggest loser in the pandemic?

Fabian pointed out the completion of Gateway Mall 2 enables Araneta City to offer a broader choice in fashion and accessories, recreation and entertainment, health and wellness, and gadgets and gaming from local and international brands in over 500 outlets. She said Gateway 2 will also offer several dining concepts such as family fare, traditional comfort food, concept restaurants, regional cuisine, and bars and lounges to over 100 diningInoptions.all,the Gateway Square will soon boast of a huge complex with two shopping malls, two office towers, two hotels, a parking building, and a coliseum right at the very heart of Metro Manila. Other mall features of the Gateway Square include a 500-seat iconic church on the roof deck, sensory and culinary gardens, a 3,700 sq.m supermarket, and a 700 sq.m Atrium for various activities and events – all in one establishment that interconnects the MRT and LRT stations and straddles the Big Dome, Gateway offices, the Novotel and ibis Styles hotels, Gateway shopping, and parking"Thesefacilities.new properties revitalize the integrated Gateway Square—a development that offers opportunities for an experience where you can personalize yourself in a thoroughly modern and contemporary environment," Fabian explained. Once the Gateway Mall 2 opens, Fabian said the public can access the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum through doorways located inside the new establishment. With this development, Fabian said Gateway Mall 2 will be the only mall in the country that is directly connected to an indoor arena. The Gateway Square will be a huge complex with two shopping malls, two office towers, two hotels, a parking building, and a coliseum right at the very heart of Metro

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

Gateway Mall 2 exterior

SHDA recommended that strengthening the incentives and addressing the price ceilings, particularly when it comes to socialized housing, will improve greater participation in housing activities that had been affected by inflation in materials, skilled labor, and raw landAcuzarprices.bared the initiatives that the government and DHSUD were exploring as programs for the next six years, including working handin-hand with the LGUs and the beneficiaries in the maintenance of the housing in their jurisdiction. Beyond housing alone, he explored concepts in community planning that will bring down the cost of living for the buyers, increase employment, and uplift living standards, in dispersed areas. The new housing secretary guaranteed the department’s openness to suggestions and continuing participation for SHDA and stakeholders.Thelargest housing organization in the country and the DHSUD expect proactive partnership between the public and private sectors, different organizations, and stakeholders to achieve national goals in housing and national development.

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 B7Editor: Tet

Araneta City to bank on revenge shopping and travel for growth

By Roderick L. Abad THE designation of the new housing secretary by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has been welcomed by the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), which also backs up the government’s goals for the housing industry in the next six “Weyears.fully support the President’s appointment of Secretary Jose Acuzar as the new head of the DHSUD (Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development) and his vision of considerably accelerating Filipinos’ access to affordable shelters, and entering new approaches to urban development throughout the country. We look forward to working with him, in exploring these inspiring ideas, as well as in streamlining processes and policies already started for housing and real estate in the country,” SHDA National President May Rodriguez said during their recent courtesy call at the DHSUD in Quezon City. The DHSUD is the quarterback department in both the management of housing needs and the organized urban development of the country, according to SHDA Chairman George Siy. In lieu to the President’s State of the Nation Address that mentioned the adoption of a rationalized National Land Use Plan (NLUP), the group of housing developers identified some of the keys to increase building of houses, such as access to land, additional affordable forms of finance, and policies on vertical development.Withsome balancing of the concerns of different sectors, preparation or updates at the national and local levels, SHDA believes that NLUP would help organize and accelerate development projects nationwide by both the public and private sectors. It also identified the rationalization of licensing and permitting process as an important priority, and the digitization of the required submissions and payments systems to government offices, and data sharing, would greatly lessen the cost and time to do business, and result to a more affordable cost of housing. Secretary Acuzar shared ideas with SHDA on how to unlock further access to sustainable financing for housing and entice the participation of other government and private financial institutions in housing finance.Addressing the dwelling needs of the lower segment of the population, public housing, and reversing the increasing backlog top the government’s priorities, he cited. Also tackled during the meeting were innovative approaches such as rental housing, cooperative housing, and activities involving the national government, local government units (LGUs), private sector, and the communities.

REVENGE shopping and revenge travel are going to be the growth drivers of Araneta City’s Gateway 2 and Ibis Styles Hotel as they gear up for their openings on December 2022 and first half of 2023 respectively.

"TheseManila.newproperties revitalize the integrated Gateway Square—a development that offers opportunities for an experience where you can personalize yourself in a thoroughly modern and contemporary environment," Fabian said. Ibis Styles Hotel, the modern, creative, and trendy member of the Ibis brand family, will have almost 300 guest rooms and six function rooms for meetings and conferences. Its roof deck will feature an overhanging swimming pool and a bar that overlook the Metro Manila skyline and the stunning Manila Bay sunset.

BusinessMirror

WITH over two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, where individuals were confined to the comforts of their own homes, the market’s perspective has shifted to an increasing demand for wide open spaces. Damosa Land, one of the leading property developers in Mindanao, stays on top of this renewed market interest through their eco-friendly developments anchored towards enriching the agriculture industry and economic development of the Davao region. Located in the agriculture-rich area of Panabo, Davao Del Norte is Damosa Land’s Ameria, a premier subdivision that offers its future residents a chance to live a contemporary, nature-filled lifestyle within Agriya—an agritourism site recognized by the Department of Tourism as among the country’s “future farms.” The property boasts of wide open spaces anchored in nature—a perfect example of what the future of real estate is bound to look like postpandemic.Kidsget to appreciate where their food came from before it gets to their tables through the interactive farming activities that are integrated in Ameria.With this increasing demand for nature-filled communities, there has been a loud call for public and private sectors to adapt and redesign spaces.

Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC) has called for urban planners and public health advocates to address the need for more green spaces in the country. In the same way, the World Health Organization (WHO), also encouraged that experiencing outdoor spaces and doing physical activities in natural environments are helpful remedies to one’s mental health. Supporting the call of HPAAC and WHO, Damosa Land allotted over 6,000 square meters of space for open parks, playgrounds, and community garden patches for the future residents of Ameria. This is as big as an average of 13 basketball courts combined—a strong testament to their perseverance to develop green communities in the“WeSouth.wantour investors and residents to feel safe and free within our integrated communities, like Ameria. We strive to establish green and eco-friendly spaces, so that individuals and families alike can breathe clean and fresh air while engaging in fun community activities within the property,” shares Damosa Land President Cary Lagdameo. Further supporting communities engaged within the outdoors, the development will also feature amenities such as a village clubhouse, multipurpose hall, and a swimming pool.

Lorna Fabian, vice president for leasing of the Araneta group, said the P5-billion Gateway 2 development project covering 190,000 sq.m will have 11 levels of additional choices for shopping, dining, entertainment, and leisure in Araneta City "Gateway Mall 2 promises to be like no other mall in the world. This is the latest in our ongoing efforts to keep providing more memorable firsts in the City of Firsts," Fabian said.Fabian added the Ibis Styles Hotel, the first hotel under the Ibis Styles brand in the Philippines, plans to start operating in 2023. Situated adjacent to the Gateway Mall 2, the P2-billion hotel will be operated by the international hospitality brand AccorHotels, the same company that manages Novotel Manila AranetaFabianCity. said the completion of the Gateway Mall 2 and Ibis Styles Hotel will have a total of 400,000 sq.m mixed-use Gateway Square superblock which already includes the Gateway Mall, Gateway Office, Gateway Tower, Novotel Manila, the iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum, and the Parking Garage South Building.

A community anchored on agriculture and cultural heritage DA MOSA Land stays true to their call for more sustainable and green communities in the Davao region. In 2020, Ameria was awarded by PropertyGuru as Winner of Best Housing Development in Metro Davao. This is in addition to Agriya’s award from the same body as Winner of Best Residential Green Development. Complementing this goal for curating nature-friendly neighborhoods, each available lot and model unit include urban garden spaces strategically designed to inspire individuals to curate their own local produce.

Living within an eco-friendly community SHDA hails new housing secretary, proposes priority agenda

“We believe that together, we will accomplish many things for the housing industry. We are here to support his programs in any way we can,” Siy said.

Revitalized Gateway Square With these new developments, Araneta City's Gateway Square is expected to provide more opportunities for a break from the routine. The superblock will have a total of 18 cinemas with VIP lounges, over 3,000 parking spaces, and convenient links to attractions such as the air-conditioned indoor floating garden The Oasis, the open-air Topiary Park, and the arts sanctuary Gateway Gallery. Andolong

UNDER threat of Russian attacks in a war that stopped all soccer in Ukraine in February, a new league season starts Tuesday in Kyiv with the goal of restoring some sense of normal life. The elegant Olympic Stadium has staged the biggest European soccer games in the past decade though none as poignant as the opening-day meeting of Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 from Kharkiv—teams from eastern cities that are fighting for their very existence. No fans will be allowed in the 65, 0 00-capacity downtown stadium for the 1 p.m. local time kickoff and the players must be rushed to bomb shelters if air-raid sirens sound. “ We have rules in case of an alarm and we should go to be underground,” Shakhtar captain Taras Stepanenko said Monday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “But I think the teams, the players will be proud of this event.”Weare ready, we are strong and I think we will show to all the world Ukrainian life and will to win,” the national-team veteran said. The Ukrainian Premier League returns with the blessing of the nation’s leaders and in a week heavy with meaning. Tuesday is Ukraine’s national flag day and Wednesday—August 24—is the celebration of independence from control by Moscow that the former Soviet Union republic declared in 1991. I spoke with our president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, about how important football is to distract,” Ukraine soccer federation president Andriy Pavelko told the AP in June about the commitment to restart. “We spoke about how it would be possible that football could help us to think about the future.” No competitive soccer has been played in Ukraine since midDecember when the league paused for a scheduled midwinter break. Games were due to resume on February 25, until the Russian military invasion started one day earlier. The 16-team league restarts without Desna Chernihiv and Mariupol , teams from cities that have suffered brutal destruction. A ll games will be played in and around Kyiv and further west and will be shown domestically, abroad and on YouTube in a deal with broadcaster Setanta agreed last week. The total value of $16.2 million over three years is less than some elite English Premier League players will earn this season. The concept of home-field advantage may have gone for most teams though simply playing on Ukrainian soil—other games Tuesday are in Kyiv, Uzhhorod and Kovalivka—is remarkable. AP

The Volleyroos, who will take on the Japanese at 1 p.m. on Thursday, fell to 0-2. Josef Ramos

E RNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA returns to action on Wednesday at the Jockgrim Stabhochsprung Meeting in Germany—one of seven remaining competitions that the world championships bronze medalist has lined up as he aims to finish No. 2 in the world after the outdoor season. O biena, whose bronze at the Oregon worlds last July earned him the No. 3 world ranking, is focused at completing the season behind world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden. “ I hold myself to the highest standards,” Obiena, 26, told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. “Hence, I’m dissatisfied with my recent performances.”

June Mar Fajardo unloaded 14 of his 24-point total in the first two quarters. But then, the wind blew toward TNT’s direction in the third period, speeding to a 66-60 advantage before wresting a 70-64 margin going to the fourth quarter. W hen the Tropang Giga made it 79-69 at the 7:27 mark, the Beermen grappled and groped for daylight that finally took shape in the last 120 seconds of the game. W ith TNT up, 84-79, on Jayson Castro’s magical reverse stab underneath, SMB was roused from sleep by Fajardo’s jumper, followed by Vic Manuel’s stunning three-point play that knotted the count at 84. A fter both sides had swapped misplays, Marcio Lassiter fouled Poy Erram to use up SMB’s maximum six fouls at the 1.6-second mark. From the TNT timeout, Ryan Reyes was tasked to inbound. That keyed the Tropang Giga’s final killer. R eyes had deftly inbounded to the weakly-defended Castro, who, upon catching the pass, twice dribbled lightning-quick toward the left flank and, seeing Simon Enciso’s token resistance, fired a not-so-impeded jumper, the ball going straight to the hole just as the final buzzer sounded.Withovertime nixed, TNT took the Finals opener and will now carry a monumental momentum going into tonight’s Game Two encounter. But the Tropang Giga will play minus their chief strategist Chot Reyes, who will coach Gilas on Thursday (Aug. 25) versus Lebanon in Beirut in the Fiba qualifiers. He will likewise miss Game Three on Friday (Aug. 26). I f that’s not a big plus for San Miguel Beer, what is? THAT’S IT Congratulations to Princess Superal for winning the Asia-Pacific golf crown last weekend in Jakarta. Long in the hunt for a major trophy the last five years or so, her patience finally paid off and won a whopping P5.5 million ($100,000) in her breakthrough victory. Her win was timely as it came amid the struggles hounding Yuka Saso after the Fil-Japanese won the US Open last year.

TNT

By Josef Ramos T NT goes for a 2-0 lead but not one Tropang Giga believes Game 2 would be easy picking as they expect a San Miguel Beer side with a solid championship bloodline to avoid another meltdown in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Finals. Everybody knows how strong and solid San Miguel Beer is, and it takes a lot of collective effort offensively and defensively to beat them,” Jayson Castro, TNT’s hero in Game 1, told BusinessMirrror on Tuesday. “We have to execute our game plan.” A nd to execute their game plan means assistant coaches Yuri Escueta and Sandy Arespacochaga and even team manager Jojo Lastimosa have to step up in the absence of head coach Chot Reyes. R eyes was on a flight headed for Beirut with the national men’s team on Tuesday for Gilas Pilipinas’s Fiba World Cup Qualifiers game against Lebanon on Friday. “ We just have to keep our defense intact all the time when you’re facing a solid team like San Miguel Beer,” Castro, once Asia’s best point guard, said. “At the same time, we need to limit our turnovers and get good [open] shots.”

C hinese-Taipei ends its preliminary round stint against Thailand at 4 p.m. Wednesday, with the No. 2 ranking in Pool B at stake. The Thais also sport a 1-1 record. C hang knows that like Japan, which leads Pool B with a 2-0 card, the Thais are also quick.

BusinessMirror B8 Wednesday, august 24, 2022 Editor:mirror_sports@yahoo.com.phJunLomibao

Big San Miguel Beer (SMB) realize revenge or will TNT winThagain?at’sthe question going into Wednesday’s Game Two of the fight-for-four series for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup trophy at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. A s per tradition, every title playoff in the league’s 47year history has always been as complex as our Skyway signage set-up: It’s always been neither here nor there. You miss your exit because the sign suddenly appears when you least expect it. By the time you see it, you are almost past it. O r the sign is placed somewhere, the letters too tiny most of the time that they make the near-sighted agonize trying to figure out what’s been written there. A lmost every PBA Finals is also like that. Very unpredictable as in a woman’s mood. Take Game One of the ongoing PBA Finals. Even though TNT is the defending champion, SMB has been given the slight edge to prevail in the match-up deemed to be a grueling seven-game marathon. It was, indeed, going the Beermen’s way in the Finals opener when they zoomed to a 15-point margin before settling for a 49-37 halftime lead after SMB cornerstone

PSC gears up for busy 2023 podium finish at the Sielesia leg of the Diamond League last August 6 in Poland.No excuse for the weather conditions although it’s clear it played a major role given the number of ‘No mark’ by some of the best in the world,” said Obiena, who jumped 5.45 meters for that fourth place in Hungary. World championships silver medalist Christopher Nilsen and Rio 2016 Olympics gold winner Thiago Braz da Silva didn’t make the grade in the rainy and windy Hungary meet. “My goal is to end this season competing for No. 2....I know I can do it,” he said. “So it’s up to me and my pole.” Obiena’s busy schedule for the next three-and-a-half weeks include the Athletissima in Lausanne on August 25, True Athletics Classics in Leverkusen (Germany) on August 28, St. Wendel City Jump in Germany on August 31, Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on September 2, ISTAF Berlin on September 4 and Golden Fly in Shaan, Liechtenstein, September.

plus for SMB WILL

T HE CommissionSportsPhilippine (PSC) wanted to march into 2023 locked, loaded and ready to go by seeking a P546-million budget from general appropriations for the country’s participation in five major international competitions.

MISSED CATCH Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton fails to catch a single by Texas Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran during the sixth inning of their Major League Baseball game on Monday in Minneapolis. The All-Star center fielder 2-1.thewithBuxtonByronexitsearlyhiptroubleasRangerswon, AP JAYSON CASTRO knows the series won’t be a breeze.

EYES 2-AND-OH

Castro knows when to take open shots—or even the most difficult of them. He nailed a jumper against San Miguel Beer’s Simon Enciso with 1.6 seconds remaining to lift TNT to a 86-84 squeaker. He finished with 15 points but his three rebounds and two assists were redeemed by that winner in Game 1. R eyes’s absence, Castro said, also motivates the Tropang Giga in the game starting at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “ We can prove also that we can win without coach Chot,” he said. June Mar Fajardo, San Miguel Beer’s six-time Most Valuable Player, said they should learn from that Game 1 loss. That’s what we need to address— when we are holding a huge lead, we have a tendency to relax, so we have to work on it as coach Leo [Austria] always stress,” said Fajardo, who posted 24 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks in Game 1. N ational Basketball Association (NBA) veteran Quincy Miller, 29, will be reinforcing Converge in the Commissioner’s Cup that starts next month.The 6-foot-9 former Denver Nuggets forward arrived on Tuesday and headed straight to practice in Mandaluyong City, according to team owner Dennis Anthony Uy. T he FiberXers are now coached by Aldin Ayo.

THE Australians give the Taiwanese a scare before yielding a five-setter in a two-hour and 47-minute contest. NONIE REYES

Sports

He was referring to his fourthplace finish at the Hungary Athletics Grand Prix last August 8 that followed his successful campaign in the worlds where he also reset his own Asian men’s indoor pole vault record and a

EJ WORLDTARGETSNO. 2

The PSC proposed a P250 million budget for Filipino athletes’ campaign in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games that Cambodia is hosting from May 2 to 16, 2023, as well as another P100 million for the postponed Hangzhou 19th Asian Games from September 23 to October 8. A lso included in the proposal is the P72-million appropriation for the FourthWorld Combat Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 5-14, another P67 million for the Sixth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok and Chonburi in Thailand from November 17 to 26 and P67 million for the Second World Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia, from August 5 toTh17.e PSC will also propose fundings for the Asean Para Games and Asian Para Games scheduled after the SEA Games in Cambodia and Asian Games in Hangzhou, respectively, as well as Gilas Pilipinas’s campaign in the FIBA World Cup where the country is the lead host and the Filipinas’ participation, a historic first for the Philippines, in the Fifa Women’s World Cup. We are hoping that the proposed budget will be approved by our country’s leaders. As a former athlete, the unwavering support of the government along with the full backing of the Filipino people are vital for our success,” PSC Commissioner and Officer-in-Charge Bong Coo said.

Josef Ramos V IETNAM beat Iran, 25-17, 25-14, for its second straight win and Chinese-Taipei past Australia, 23-25, 25-22, 25-27, 25-21, 15-6, to enter the win column in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women on Tuesday at the PhilSports Arena.

M ahsa Kadkhoda hammered 10 kills, while Maedeh Borhani Esfahani contributed six points for Iran, which failed to follow up their straight-set win over South Korea on Monday night. V ietnam wraps up its Pool A assignments against winless Korea at 1 p.m. on Wednesday while Iran plays the Philippines at 7 p.m. K an Ko-Hui tallied 16 points, while Chang Li-Wen added 15 points for the Taiwanese, who rose to 1-1 in Pool B. Despite recording six aces, Chang admitted that they struggled with their serves that allowed the Australians to win the first and third sets. Our serves were not very strong in the first and second sets and they had good receptions,” said Chang after the two-hour and 47-minute contest. “After we got our target, our service got stronger.”

“ I think Thailand and Japan have similar team style,” said Chang, emphasizing the need for her squad to have good timing to counter their opponent’s plays. C aitlin Tipping had 27 points, including a combined 16 in the Volleyroos’ first and third set wins, while Rebecca Redgen and Stefanie Weiler chipped in 11 and VIETNAM BOOK SECOND STRAIGHT VICTORY AT IRAN’S EXPENSE 10 points, respectively. A ustralia had 18 blocks, with Tipping and Weiler each accounting for five. “ They are too tall, we want good defense but it was not easy and the tempo was not very fast,” Chang said.

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Tran Thi Thanh Thuy scored seven points in each set to finish with 21 points, while Nguyen Thi Trinh chipped nine points for the Vietnamese, who frustrated the Philippines on opening day Sunday but forced and lost to five-time winner China in five sets on Monday. The Vietnamese needed one hour and 22 minutes to book the Pool A win over the Iranians, who’re now 1-1 won-lost in third place in the group.