BusinessMirror August 31, 2022 by BusinessMirror

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas T HE Philippines is projected to suffer this year a short age of key ingredients in making Filipino dishes, such as white onion and garlic, as total supplies, even with imports, are insufficient to meet overall de mand for the commodities. In a presentation before law makers, agriculture officials presented the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) outlook on the country’s onion and garlic supply and demand situation for this year. The DA’s presentation showed that the Philippines would suffer a 16-day shortage of garlic by the end of the year as total supply, including imports, is projected to have a shortfall of about 63,850 metric tons (MT). The DA projected that total supply of garlic this year would be at nearly 83,000 MT compared to the total estimated demand of at least 146,850 MT. “We are not sufficient in garlic. We are really depen dent on importation,” Agricul ture Undersecretary-designate and Spokesperson Kristine Y. Evangelista told lawmakers on Tuesday.Thecountry’s garlic selfsufficiency ratio (SSR) in 2020 plunged to a record low of 7.1 percent. The SSR refers to the amount of total demand of a commodity that is supplied by localTheproduction.DAalsoprojected that the country’s onion supply this year would be more than enough to meet total demand. The DA estimated that to tal supply, including imported volume, would be at 343,427 MT, more than enough to meet 288,344 MT total demand. The country will end the year with an ending stock of 26,828 MT of onion, sufficient to last for 37 Thedays.DA,however, pointed out that the onion supply outlook includes all types of onion such as red and Agriculturewhite.officials con firmed during the House Com mittee on Agriculture and Food hearing that the country is suf fering from a shortage of white onions.Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Assistant Director Ariel J. Bay ot said the country’s combined white onion supply of locallyproduced and imported volume would only last for about 8 to 9 months from January. Bayot explained that the im ported white onions in January lasted for 5 months while local

By Joel R. San Juan THE

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie TO strengthen the Philip pine banking system, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi nas (BSP) on Tuesday called on the House of Representatives to prioritize passage of the “limited lifting” of the bank deposit secrecy law and the proposed Financial Accounts Regulation Act. At a hearing of the House Committee on Banks and Finan cial Intermediaries, BSP Senior Assistant Governor and General Counsel Elmore Capule said the BSP recommends limiting the amendments to the secrecy of bank deposit law to within the confines of BSP’s banking su pervision and its investigation of closed banks. In 1981, Capule said, the BSP was granted the authority to look into or examine bank deposit accounts when authorized by the Monetary Board pursuant to PD However,1792. he said this authority was removed in 1993 when Repub lic Act 7653 or the BSP Charter was enacted, and expressly repealed PDCiting1792. a study of the Interna tional Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, Capule said to date, only the Philippines has secrecy of bank deposits laws that constrain prudential supervision. “The current laws on secrecy of bank deposits restrict the depth of information and records that BSP can look into,” he said. “WB and IMF noted that bank secrecy laws in the country restrict the BSP’s ability to undertake ef fective supervision,” he added.

PHL TO SUFFER WHITE

n Wednesday, August 31, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 327 PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.0380 n JAPAN 0.4040 n UK 65.6093 n HK 7.1410 n CHINA 8.1104 n SINGAPORE 40.1591 n AUSTRALIA 38.6718 n EU 56.0436 n KOREA 0.0417 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9216 Source BSP (30 August 2022) A broader look at today’s business BusinessMirror 22 DEAD AS HEAVY GUNFIRE ROCKS IRAQ’S GREEN ZONE AMID VIOLENT PROTESTS THE WORLD ›› A11

BSP seeks ‘limited lifting’ of bank secrecy law See “BSP,” A2

Raw millersgonestockpilesugarsoon–bloc

See “Shortage,” A2 www.businessmirror.com.ph P25.00 nationwide | 3 sections 28 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

Supreme Court on Tues day decided to indefinitely enjoin the implementation of the no-contact apprehension (NCAP) program being implement ed by several local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila on erring motorists. SC Public Information Office (PIO) chief and spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said the Court, at its regular en banc session, issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against NCAP which had been the object of public outcry for alleg edly being unconstitutional and oppressive.TheTRO also covers ordinances issued by local government units to implement the NCAP. It also barred traffic authorities

SC STOPS LGUS FROM IMPLEMENTING NCAP ONION, GARLIC SHORTAGE

See “NCAP,” A2 See “Sugar,” A2

WB and IMF proposed, Capule said, that “BSP should be granted unimpaired access to information on all customer accounts, and the ability, without constraints, to employ and share depositor infor mation for any prudential purpose in order to fulfill its supervisory mandate to address safety and soundness concerns.” “One of the recommended actions to improve compliance with Basel Core Principles and the effectiveness of regulatory

A SIGN announcing the “no contact apprehension” traffic management policy is seen at the intersection of Delpan and Zobel streets at the boundary of Makati and Manila. The Manila City government is one of five local government units in Metro Manila that have been enjoined by the Supreme Court from implementing NCAP. The SC set oral arguments for January 2023. BERNARD TESTA T HE Philippine Sugar Mill ers Association (PSMA) on Tuesday warned that the country’s current raw sugar stockpile would be soon depleted. P SMA President Pablo Lobregat told senators on Tuesday that the country’s raw sugar stocks, which stood at about 142,000 metric tons (MT) in early August, would soon be gone.

Furthermore, Paa said the 56-percent penalty imposed on the un paid fines by the Manila City government is “unconscionable” com pared to the legal interest of 12 percent. He also argued that NCAP violates the provisions of Data Privacy Act of 2021 as it can be used to conduct unlawful surveillance and monitoring of people’s movements by private individuals.

BusinessMirrorWednesday, August 31, 2022 www.businessmirror.com.phA2 BSP. . .

Traders making a killing SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri pressed on the issue that the trad ers were making a killing out of the current sugar crisis.

Lobregat even cited the recent visit of customs officials in a Cavite warehouse that had 350,000 LKg of sugar stocks. “It sounds a lot, but that is only 17,000 MT,” he said.

Insider abuses “ BUT we have seen many times that there are a number of insider abuses in banks, the bulk of bank [failures] are insider abuse and our problem is that these people were supposed to protect the integrity of their banks,” saidUnderCapule.the proposal, Capule said an examiner of the BSP cannot look into the deposits and only the monetary board can authorize and examine the deposits of these insiders.

Zubiri disclosed that the farm-gate price of sugar in May was just around P46 to P50 per kilogram while the retail price was fetching be tween P80 and P90 per kilogram. “That is almost P30 to P40 per kilogram difference. And that is the problem. It is the traders that are earning a lot,” he said.

“The farm-gate price is P46 per kilogram. And that is not the prob lem of the farmers. That is not their doing. What we are fighting here are the rights of the farmers and sugarcane farmworkers,” he added. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas harvest last March and April was estimated to last for only 3 to 4 months. “That is why at this time yellow onion supply is zero or scarce,” Bayot told lawmakers.

Continued from A1 NCAP. . . Continued from A1 Sugar. . . Continued from A1 from making apprehensions under the NCAP programs until further orders from the Court. “In G.R. No. 261892 (Kilusan sa Pagbabago ng Industriya ng Trans portasyon, Inc. [KAPIT], et al. v. City of Manila, et al.) and G.R. No. 262192 (Atty. Paa v. Sangguniang Panglungsod ng Manila and Mayor Lacuna-Pangan), the Court resolved, and without necessarily giving due course to the Petitions, to: Issue a TRO, effective immediately and until further orders from the Court, enjoining the Land Transporta tion Office and all parties acting on its behalf from giving out motorist information to all local government units, cities, and municipalities enforcing NCAP programs and ordinances,” the SC said.

He named the Manila City government and its Mayor Honey La cuna-Pangan as respondents.

Lobregat reiterated that the country needs a combined buffer stock volume of 450,000 MT of raw and refined sugar to meet the country’s sweetener demand until November, when local milling operations are expected to ramp up. Lobregat, who owns the Sugar Crystal Milling Company Inc. that was visited by Customs officials recently, said sugar mills looked like they have a lot of sugar stocks when counted in terms of bags.

For example, Lobregat said his mill has around 446,000 50-kilogram bags (LKg) of raw sugar, which is only equivalent to some 22,000 MT.

Continued from A1 House Committee on Banks and Financial In termediaries Chairman Irwin Tieng said he is set to file the bill amending the bank deposit secrecy law as proposed by the BSP. Earlier, House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda said he will request the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to draft legislation on the country’s targeted sanctions framework in response to the rating this year by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which still included the Philippines in its “gray list.” Salceda made a statement as the FATF flagged the country for supposed inadequacies in the ef fectiveness of the targeted financial sanctions framework (TFS) for both terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

The Court issued the TRO two weeks after it issued an order last Au gust 16 directing the respondents Land Transportation Office, the City of Manila, Quezon City, Valenzuela City, Parañaque City and Muntinlupa City to comment on the petitions within a non-extendible period of 10 days. In its resolution, Hosaka said the magistrates decided to set the petitions for oral arguments on January 24, 2023 before coming up with a decision on the merit of the petitions.

No less than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. ordered the investigation after the people behind the spurious document, which appar ently contained his forged signature.

Evangelista said the DA has decided not to issue import permits for another round of white onion importation to prevent farm-gate prices from be ing depressed. Evangelista explained that they are persuading industrial users, such as restaurants, to use red onions instead of white onions as a solu tion to the current supply woes. “We have to import white onions but our di rection right now is to convince institutional buyers to buy red onions,” she said. The country’s onion SSR in 2020 was only at 72.4 percent, based on historical Philippine Sta tistics Authority (PSA) data.

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla T HE Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are now probing the fake appointment of the new head of Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Paa, on the other hand, said Manila’s NCAP should be declared unconstitutional for being violative of the motorists’ constitutional right to due process; for being oppressive and confiscatory; and for violation of privacy rights under Republic Act 10173 or the Data Pri vacy Act of 2012. He noted that the NCAP lacks the technical capability to ensure that notices of violations are received by the motorists.

It was not explained, however, why the Court would have to wait five months to hear the parties’ oral arguments on the issue. “I do not know the reason why the case was set for hearing in Janu ary next year. However, in the meantime the TRO will be in effect,” Hosaka said. The transport groups are questioning the legality of the imple mentation of NCAP, noting that it has no basis either in the Re public Act 7924 that serves as the enabling charter of the Met ropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and RA 4136 which created the LTO. They added that the ordinances of the LGUs allowing NCAP are invalid since there are no existing laws passed by Congress that allows the implementation of such regulation. RA 4136, according to the petitioners, allows only face-to-face ap prehension of traffic violators and declares traffic violations as a li ability of the erring drivers and not the registered owners.

“We don’t know how such a docu ment could be used. It can cause not just confusion but further crimes. With this in mind, he [Marcos] ordered for the investigation,” Press Secretary Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles said in a press conference on Tuesday. She said they are confident PNP and NBI have the forensic expertise to review the authenticity of the said document. Last Monday, Malacañang issued a statement denying a news report, which claimed Abraham G. Espejo Jr., a former dean of the College of Law of New Era University, will soon be the new Commissioner of BI. The reports were published in the websites of Philstar.com and Manila Standard citing a document, which was allegedly leaked by an unnamed source. The leaked document was dated July, 22, 2022 and contained an apparent signature of Marcos. As of 5:35 pm last Tuesday, both ar ticles could no longer be accessed online. Upon their inquiry into the matter, Angeles said the Presidential Management Staff, Office of the Executive Secretary, and the Office of the President denied the existence of the appoint mentSheletter. appealed to the concerned media firms to coordinate with authorities, which are looking into the“Wematter. have the so-called table investigation. We will ask for affidavits from the respondents or from the resource persons or they can also be visited by our agents of NBI or PNP,” Angeles said. She said those involved in the publication of the stories on the immigration appointment letter can be held liable if they are proven to have “conspired” to use the document despite knowing it contained falseUnderinformation. Article161 of the Revised Penal Code, forging of the seal of the government, signature of the President or stamp of the President could be meted out the penalty of reclusion temporal, which is equivalent to 12 to 20 years of imprisonment.

Money mules MEANWHILE , Capule also asked lawmakers to pass the Financial Accounts Regulation Act. “We have seen that a lot of accounts are now being abused, increasing number money mules, and it’s very hard to go after these people,” added Capule. Last August 4, House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries Chairman Tieng filed House Bill 3172 or the Anti-Account ScammingAccordingAct. to Tieng, the economic hardship brought about by the pandemic has led some people to resort to “easy money” or look for funds obtained by dubious means or for little work, such as the buy-and-sell of bank accounts that phishers or cybercriminals use to avoid arrest and crimi nalUnderliability. the bill, money mule and social engineer ing schemes shall constitute an offense punishable under the proposal. Any person found guilty of the punishable acts under the proposal shall be punished with imprisonment or fine ranging from P100,000 to P5 million.

Shortage. . .

OPS chief: 3 agencies probe fake appointment of BI head

Paa also noted that the traffic fines and penalties being imposed by the Manila City government for obstruction of pedestrian lanes are 100 to 300 percent higher than the fines imposed by MMDA and LTO.

Zubiri, whose privilege speech regarding the infamous Sugar Order 4 kick-started the Blue Ribbon committee proceedings, emphasized the huge disparity between the retail price and the farm-gate price of sugar.

Lobregat explained that the country’s monthly raw sugar demand is pegged at 170,000 MT to 200,000 MT. “By the end of this month, there will be practically no raw sugar left in the mills,” Lobregat said during the continuation of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Tuesday.

The TRO stemmed from the consolidated petitions filed by several transport groups such as the Kilusan sa Pagbabago ng Industriya ng Transportasyon Inc. (KAPIT), Pangkalahatang Sangguniang Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association Nationwide (Pasang-Masda), Alli ance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philip pines (ALTODAP), and Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO) and lawyer Juman B. Paa. Paa’s petition questions the constitutionality of the NCAP being implemented by the Manila City government after he was forced to pay huge fines and penalties for four traffic violations (obstruction of the pedestrian lane) before he could register his vehicle.

The petitioners are also complaining against the unreasonable provisions of the NCAP that include non-renewal of the vehicle reg istration until such time that the fines are settled, and for including innocent third persons liable for traffic violations.

Lobregat said his mill loads 10,000 LKg daily. At the current loading rate, Lobregat added that their stocks will be gone in 45 days.

and supervisory frameworks is to, among others, amend the bank secrecy laws to grant BSP full access to banks’ deposits and other data,” he added. Capule said the BSP includes safeguard measures against abuses. “What the BSP is proposing is a very limited lifting of bank secrecy, so we can be [on a] par with inter national best practices. We want a small exemption to prevent insider abuse. We know that under our ex isting laws owners of banks, stock holders, directors are insiders, and by law they are required to exercise most diligenceand fidelity to their depositors,” he said.

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM T HE Philippines and European Union (EU) have stressed the need for a rules-based order in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea and the need to keep these waterways open to international navigation.

B oth agreed on the stand during a recent meeting between Department of National Defense Officer in Charge Jose Faustino Jr. and EU Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Véron following the latter’s call on Faustino. T he two highlighted the “importance of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS], the preservation of freedom of navigation, and the peaceful settlement of disputes,” DND spokesman Arsenio “Popong” Andolong said.

O n the other hand, Carlson expressed hope that the joint SAR exercise will intensify cooperation between the Philippines and the United States, specifically in upholding maritime safety and maritime law enforcement. As allies, strengthening our ability to work together in critical areas, such as search and rescue and maritime law enforcement, contributes to advancing our shared goals of a more connected, open, and secure Indo-Pacific,” Carlson said. It will also enable us to advance our training in information ex change with the PCG by support ing consultations and demonstra tions on vital capabilities, such as shipboard helicopter operations, reviewing sea procedures, engi neering evolutions, and command and control processes. These ac tivities will provide immediate benefits for all participants and help shape the evolution of our cooperative efforts,” the envoy added.

DND and EU envoy affirm rules-basedorder in disputed maritime territories

www.businessmirror.com.ph Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, August 31, 2022 A3BusinessMirror The Nation

“Ambassador Véron ensured that these principles remain in line with the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy,” Andolong added. D uring their meeting, the two officials welcomed the positive developments in the ongoing bilateral relations between the EU and the Philippines as well as the EU’s interest in defense and security cooperation with partner countries in the Asean region. Véron also shared the EU’s political commitment to working with Asean and looks forward to receiving the Philippine delegation for the Commemoration of the 45th Asean-EU Anniversary at Brussels, Belgium in December this year. F austino welcomed the increasing engagements of the EU in the region and look forward to working with the EU in the future. C onsidering the effects of climate change to a country prone to tropical cyclones and other natural disasters, Faustino expressed appreciation for the EU’s aid and assistance to the Philippines’s disaster relief operations.

Rene Acosta

T HE Department of Health (DOH) reported on Tuesday a 143-percent increase in dengue cases after a total of 118,785 cases logged from January 1 to August 13, 2022. Cumulatively, DOH said, the latest dengue case count represents 143-percent jumps compared to reported cases during the same period in 2021, which is at 48,867. Based on the National Dengue Data as of August 13, 2022, cumulatively, most dengue cases were reported from: Region 3 with 21,247 or 18 percent, Region 7 (11,390, 10 percent), and National Capital Region (11,064, 9 percent). In the recent period from July 17 to August 13, 2022 where 19,816 cases were recorded, the regions with the highest number of cases are: Region 3: 3,457 (17 percent) NCR: 3,131 (16 percent) Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR): 2,106 (11 percent)Sixoutof 17 regions exceeded the epidemic threshold. These are Regions 2, 3, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, CAR, and NCR in the past four weeks (July 17 to August 13, 2022). Meanwhile, NCR is showing a sustained increasing trend from July 17 to August 13, 2022. Nationally, there were 400 deaths reported These deaths were reported on: January: August:July:June:May:April:March:February:35313747627410014

US Coast Guard cutter docks in Manila Bay in prelude to drills with PHL counterparts

A UNITED States Coast Guard (USCG) cutter docked in Manila on Tuesday for maritime exercise with its Philippine counterpart set to begin on Thursday. T he USCG Cutter Midgett (WMSL-757) dropped anchor at the Manila Bay and was welcomed by US and Philippine officials, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). US Ambassador to the Philip pines MaryKay Loss Carlson joined Coast Guard Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Charlie Rances in welcom ing Midgett and its crew who will join the PCG in a search and rescue (SAR) exercise this week. D uring the said maritime drill, PCG and USCG personnel will simulate communication exercises, maneuvering, technical demonstrations, flight operations, small boat operations, medical assistance and resolution. R epresenting the PCG during the joint SAR exercise will be the 83-meter offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402), BRP Bo racay (FPB-2401 and a Coast Guard Aviation Force (CGAF) helicopter. According to Rances, the exercise is aimed at addressing maritime safety challenges by assessing the PCG and USCG’s capability for information exchange and interoperability at sea. “ As we want to maximize this opportunity for growth and development of our human resource, we make sure to capitalize on the subject matter exchange with a focus on search and rescue operations,” Rances said. “ Due to climate change and our archipelagic nature, our country is prone to maritime accidents. Thus, we are striding to minimize loss of lives at sea and prevent sea mishaps,” he added.

Dengue case count 143% higher than 2021–DOH By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

By Roderick Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

Photo courtesy of Dost Ilocos regIonal off ce

Insufficient data hobbles govt drive to revive salt industry, BFAR admits

DIGITAL advocates have called out the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on its planned e-commerce platform, saying that it is unnecessary and not responsive to the actual needs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

T HE lack of comprehensive data on local salt production is hampering government efforts to revive the said industry, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). In a television interview on Tuesday, BFAR Chief Information Officer Nazario C. Briguera admitted the government still lacks sufficient information on salt making and is currently relying on the figures provided by the private sector, which state 93 percent of the country’s salt supply are imported. “So the government is still verifying this because the Philippine Statistics Authority [PSA] has no comprehensive data when it comes to salt,” Briguera said. “So probably part of our intervention is to first have comprehensive data [on salt production] so we could provide the appropriate intervention to the industry,” he added. Briguera said the data would be crucial for the implementation of the P100million Development of the Salt Industry ProjectDSIP(DSIP). isexpected to benefit 100 individuals from around 30 salt production groups. Among the assistance BFAR will extend to the salt makers will be the introduction of new technology and equipment in their operations to help increase their productivity and compliance with food safety. The program was launched in Region 1 and will also be expanded to Regions 6 and“Based9. on our timeline, within this year, 2022, we will be able to implement the mechanism for the [use] of this funding, which will be used to help the salt industry,” Briguera said.

During the recent MSME Summit 2022, DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual bared that they are working on an e-commerce portal that will give MSMEs access to a wider market. Setto be launched before the end of the year, the proposed marketplace will also be the basis for financing or meeting their fundingFindingrequirements. itnotmeeting the real requirements of small businesses, Digital Pinoys National Campaigner Ronald Gustilo said the program should be scrapped. “The private sector is already doing well in providing e-commerce platforms for MSMEs,” he pointed out. “Adding another platform will only be redundant and will be a waste of government resources.” Pushing through with this project, he said, the trade department would still have to market this online store not just with MSMEs but also with prospective customers.DTIdata show that 99.51 percent of business enterprises in the Philippines are MSMEs, accounting for 62.66 percent of jobs generated for Filipinos. Despite this, however, only 6 percent of them are using digital technology for their businesses, while 23 percent are not utilizing any kind of such, revealed the agency’s baseline study. “What the DTI should consider doing is providing support for MSMEs so that they can digitalize their establishments so that they can unlock broader, wider markets for their products,” Gustilo suggested. He added DTI should focus on how to make them become more competitive so that the market will patronize their businesses. “DTI should look into ways to help the growth of MSMEs by facilitating partnerships with digital banks to expand opportunities for credit and loans for additional capital and expansion,” said the national campaigner of Digital Pinoys. The trade department, for him, must be “more grounded” on initiatives it enforces to enterprises.“DTIshould have regular consultations with enterprises so that the programs that the agency would like to implement will be more grounded and meet the actual needs of their clientele. Otherwise, the efforts and resources poured into the programs will be wasted, or worse, it might affect beneficiaries negatively,” Gustilo stressed.

Samuel P. Medenilla

DTI’s proposed e-commerce platform

Redundant and wasteful: Group nixes

The Department of Science and Technology Ilocos regional office turns over a salt production facility and salt iodizing machine to Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-North La Union campus- Fisheries Research and Training Institute on July 6, 2022. The facility worth P400,000 is expected to boost salt production in the school.

A4 BusinessMirror www.businessmirror.com.phA4 Economy Wednesday, August 31, 2022 • Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

QC traffic reduction T HE Q uezon City local government, for its part, said in a statement that NCAP has significantly reduced the traffic violations in the affected ar eas by 93 percent. It has shown that it instills a culture of traffic discipline among motorists and “we believe that its implementation is legal and proper.”

Dela Rosa asserted the need to in form the public about the cases filed as a “follow-up” to the raids on smuggled goods conducted by the Bureau of Cus tomsRuiz(BOC).replied that the agency is in the process of completing the list and com mitted to submit the report. Dela Rosa voiced hopes BOC will be able to show the public the “real situa tion” on smuggling cases and what hap pens along the way in the prosecution of cases by the Department of Justice, and the conviction by the courts, if any. “I am not imputing malice into these pillars of the criminal justice system but just to clear the doubts of the Fili pino people, let us show them the real situation; give us the data,” Sen. Dela RosaSenatorclarified.Joseph Victor Ejercito la mented the “snub” by Sugar Industry Development Authority (SIDA) officials of anti-smuggling law. Ejercito expressed his frustration over the “lack of implementation” of two laws meant to protect and help Filipino sugarcane farmers and indus try Governmentworkers. agencies, he said, seemed to be “ignoring their duties” under Republic Act (RA) 10659 or the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) of 2015, and RA 10845 or the An ti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016. Ejercito first raised concern over the reduced SIDA allocation for the sugar in dustry, noting that amounts from 2016 to 2020 were way below the mandated annual appropriation of P2 billion. At the same time, Senator Risa Hon tiveros asked: “Is the president in favor of sugar Hontiverosimportation?”wondered whether Presi dent Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Execu tive Secretary Vic Rodriguez objected to the SRA proposal amid the supposed impending sugar supply shortage in the country. “Let us talk about the numbers now, and let’s talk about the volume. Did you have a reason to believe that the 300,000 metric ton importation was a ‘go’ from Malacañang?” she asked, add ing: “There might be indications that Malacañang does not want that amount but still you Respondinginsisted?”toHontiveros, former SRA chief Hermenegildo Serafica re called that on August 4, 2022, they reiterated the importation plan and presented the facts on the tightness of sugar supply and the rising sugar price in the market. Serafica added they also requested the stakeholders to submit their recommendations, adding: “Actu ally, almost all of them recommended 300,000 MT volume to be imported your honor,” Serafica said.

T HE S upreme Court’s (SC) deci sion to halt the implementation of the controversial no contact no apprehension policy (NCAP) by various local government units drew mixed reactions from a lawmaker, a former mayor turned senator and a policy think tank. House Committee on Ways and Means chairman and Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda lauded the Court’s deci sion to temporarily stop the implemen tation of NCAP by various local gov ernment units (LGU), saying policing is not something that can be subject to private-public partnership (PPP). “There were obvious flaws of legal ity from the very start. Policing is not something that can be subject to PPP, or can be conducted without inform ing the citizen of his rights or allow ing him or her adequate methods of redress. That violates due process,” Salceda said. “So, I am grateful to the Supreme Court for their action. This will prevent the policy from doing any harm until we can resolve its legality and consti tutionality,” Salceda added. Before the SC’s TRO, NCAP is being implemented in Manila, Parañaque, Valenzuela, Muntinlupa, Marikina, and Quezon City. “We are also studying what we can do to support the petitioners, including possibly an amicus brief. That’s not off the table. I particularly wish to bring to the Court’s attention problems with structuring the NCAP within PublicPrivate Partnerships,” Salceda said.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

‘Closing Meralco PSAs with SMC power units to give consumers a huge burden’

Also at the Blue Ribbon hearing, Senator Ronald Dela Rosa asked acting Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz whether he has data on the pros ecution and conviction rate of agricul tural smuggling cases.

Blue Ribbon holds 2nd hearing on sugar importation fiasco

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz S TRESSING that the benefits of face-to-face (F-to-F) classes out weigh the risk of Covid-19 infec tions, the Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday threw its support behind the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) decision to allow students and higher education institutions (HEI) personnel to participate in in-person classes regardless of their vaccination status.“Our Covid-19 response is dynamic, and always follows the latest scien tific recommendations available. The benefits of in-person and face-to-face schooling now outweigh the risk of Covid-19 infections,” DOH Officer-inCharge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

‘Trial period’ pushed F OR MER S an Juan Mayor now Sena tor Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito, for his part, said, “As a former mayor, I understand the intent of the mayors in the National Capital Region [NCR] to put order and to modernize traffic enforcement to prevent corruption.” However, he added, “Since the NCAP is still a new concept, not every one is informed about its mechanics, not to mention the glitches that comes with automation.”

Furthermore, she added, many of the bright yet disadvantaged students find it difficult to spend on devices and Internet access. “Even as proof of vaccination is no longer needed, vaccination and boost ers for all eligible individuals is still strongly recommended. Let us keep the wall of immunity strong,” Ver geireTheadded.Philippines joins at least five other countries in giving more weight on the value of in-person and F-to-F higher education, given the scientific basesTheabove.following countries have already removed the requirement for HEI stu dents and personnel to show proof of vaccination: Australia, United King dom (but strongly encouraged), Canada (strongly recommended for congregate student-living settings), New Zealand, and Singapore (but unvaccinated stu dents require biweekly testing for in doorThedining).global community, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef, supports the move. “Our PinasLakas campaign for vac cination and boosters, plus continued adherence to the minimum public health standards make this return to university and college life on cam pus possible. Students and personnel should always be BIDA: wear the Best fitting mask, Isolate when sick, Double up protection with vaccination and boosters, and ensure good Airflow. The DOH will keep working with CHED and our colleges and universities to ensure safe higher education,” Vergeire said.

Continued from A16

“It is our distinct honor and privilege to carry on the former commander-inchief’s aspiration of a truly united and progressive country, guided by patrio tism and gallantry of the heroes who preceded us,” Bacarro said. Rene Acosta

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

News BusinessMirror Wednesday, August 31, 2022 A5Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

The LGU, however, said it fully re spects, and will abide by SC’s TRO re garding the implementation of NCAP.

The DOH said that CHED consulted agency and its health experts in arriv ing at such updated policy. In a meeting on August 29, DOH, CHED, and health experts discussed the scientific bases for this update in policy. Policymakers noted the high Co vid-19 vaccination coverage in Philip pine higher education, with 77 percent of students and 90 percent of HEI per sonnel already fully vaccinated against theDOHvirus.and health experts also pre sented data showing fewer infections in the 18 to 25 age group compared to other age groups and international data showing that Omicron and its subvariants thus far have lower fatality or severity of “Face-to-facedisease.classes boost academic performance, improvement on mental health and well-being, and help develop social engagement skills,” Vergeire said.

Meralco officials presented various scenarios before the Energy Regulatory Commis sion (ERC) during Tuesday’s hearing. Under scenario 3, there is an estimated P1.6-billion incremental burden to con sumers if Meralco will source from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). “The expected WESM rates are higher by P2.94 per kilowatt hour [kWh] versus the rates of the SMC PSAs, even if the Changes in Circum stances [CIC] claims are approved. In crease in WESM prices will also affect not only Meralco customers but the entirety of customers in the Luzon and/or Visayas grids,” it said. The P2.94 per kWh difference between WESM rates and that of the PSAs are equivalent to P1.64 billion for one month, Meralco said. Under Scenario 2B, there is an estimated P25.8 billion incremental burden to consumers if the PSAs are terminated and Meralco opts to se cure replacement PSAs through con duct of competitive selection process (CSP) covering the remaining term up to 2029. It said that the replacement tariff under the replacement new PSA would be P2.24 per kWh higher than esti mated 2023-2029 rates of the SMC PSAs sought to be replaced. Under scenario 2A, there is an estimated P12.6 billion incremen tal burden to consumers if the PSAs are terminated and Meralco will opt to secure emergency PSAs through DOE exemption from CSP covering one-year term. The expected tariff under the re placement emergency PSAs will be P3.49 per kWh higher than the rates of SMC PSAs sought to be replaced and P1.92 per kWh higher compared to rates of the SMC PSAs, even if the CIC claims are approved. “Meralco believes that it can con tinue supplying power to its customers at the least cost by preserving the PSAs while addressing the financial concern of power suppliers through recognition of the CIC claim. This is inline with the twin objectives of EPIRA to balance the interest of consumers and investors,” Meralco said. The ERC has yet to decide on the Southcase. Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) asked the ERC for a rate in crease from January to May 2022, of P0.80 kWh from P4.3 to P5.1/kWh for its 670 megawatt (MW) of con tracted baseload capacity from the Ilijan plant, and an average of P4.0/ kWh, from P4.3 to P8.3/kWh for San Miguel Energy Corp.’s (SMEC) 330 MW contracted baseload capacity from the Sual plant. The net rate impact however to Meralco, assuming that this cost re covery claim is granted by the ERC, is just P0.28/kwh over a period of six Ifmonths.theERC fails to act on the joint petitions and SMC’s power units ter minate their PSAs with Meralco, elec tricity prices are still expected to go up by as much as 30 percent starting October, SMC warned.

Military ends period of mourning for FVR

“This loophole which is used to extend the life of allotments that expire at the end of the year, and prevent their return to the Treasury, should be plugged,” Recto said.

DOH backs CHED’s lifting of Covid vax requirement for F-to-F classes

SSS, GSIS payouts must help retirees survive–Alan

‘Reconsideration’ F OR MER l awmaker and Infrawatch PH Convenor Terry Ridon said, ”With the suspension of the noncontact ap prehension program in various lo cal government units, drivers who wantonly violate traffic rules, such as [the] petitioners who have ignored pedestrian lanes, will once again lord over our streets, and traffic enforcers who have fleeced hapless motorists in street corners will return.” He added: “With the TRO, we are more than certain that the evils sought to be avoided by implementing new technology in our roads will return.” NCAP, Ridon said, has effectively removed ground-level corruption in the streets and have raised the dignity of traffic NCAPenforcers.haskept motorists honest in driving their vehicles, as there was always a certainty of accountability for traffic violations, he pointed out. “It is our hope that the Supreme Court will reconsider its order, and allow the NCAP to proceed while de liberating the merits of the ongoing petitions,” Ridon said.

Such practice, he said, creates the fiction that the budget has been spent when it has not been. Recto said this “pasa-buy” type of government procurement has re sulted in delivery delays, overpriced purchases and substandard goods.

“While I do not object to PPPs being used to deliver the services in the process of traffic apprehension, identifying the fault of the motorist itself should be within some police or quasi-judicial authority. It cannot be a private party telling the government to apprehend this or that motorist, especially if that private party has an interest in getting more violations caught,” he Currently,explained.Salceda said, private companies through PPP schemes are carrying out NCAP. “That’s a very bad incentive, and certainly risks the motorists’ privacy, the right to due process, and the integ rity of the use of the police power of the state,” the lawmaker said. Under the NCAP, motorists will be fined P2,000 (first offense), P3,000 (second offense) and P4,000 (third of fense) for the following violations: dis obedience to traffic control signals and signs, obstruction of pedestrian lanes, driving on yellow box, over speeding, non-wearing of helmet for motorcycle riders, and disregard to lane markings. Meanwhile, a much heavier fine of P3,000 (first offense), P4,000 (second offense), and P5,000 (third offense) await violators who committed: coun ter-flowing reckless driving and nonwearing of seatbelts.

A 44- Y EAR o ld 20-yearbusinesswomanFilipinaandherolddaughter were stabbed dead in Toronto, Canada, and a man “known to the victims” was arrested for the brazen daytime double ho micide.The Toronto Police Service identified the Filipina victims as Elvie and Angelica Sig-od. Toronto police said they re sponded to a call about a stabbing incident in the area of Bathurst Street and Ellerslie Avenue in Ontario last Friday at around 3:30pm.Thecall alleges that a 46-year old man became involved in an altercation with both Elvie and Angelica.“During this altercation, all three were injured. Both women succumbed to their injuries at the scene,” the TPS said in its report.The two Filipina victims knew the man, who was later identified as Godofredo Sig-od. Although the victims’ surnames and the suspect’s surname are apparently identical, the To ronto Police did not state how they are Godofredorelated.was immediately arrested at the crime scene. He later appeared on court via video link Saturday. He was charged with two counts of second-de greeThemurder.Toronto police said any one with information may reach their Homicide and Missing Per sons Unit at (1416) 808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at (1416)-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.AGoFundMeaccount was set up by the victims’ pastor, Mar vin Dolores, to raise fund for the funeral and repatriation of the remains of the fatalities back to the“TheyPhilippines.donot have relatives here in Ontario to arrange their funeral, so as their Pastor, I decided to ask for your help to raise funds to provide them with a decent funeral and send their bodies to the Philippines,” Do loresAccordingwrote. to the Department of Foreign Affairs, they are still awaiting for the report from the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto about the incident.

Pinay man4deaddaughtermom,stabbedinToronto;6-year-oldnabbed

RECTO: PITC SHOULD GO BACK TO 1ST MANDATE

THE Manila Electric Company (Meralco) warned on Tuesday that consumers would have to shoulder billions of pesos if its power supply agreements (PSA) with San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) power units were terminated. The same result will happen if the temporary rate relief petitions they filed will not be approved.

Continued from A16 If most Filipinos are indeed covered by PhilHealth, why do they still require a card in the ospital? Shouldn’t it be enough to just state one’s name?” he said. Cayetano referred to the 2018 Con sumer Finance Survey that showed that 83.7 percent of the 18,000 households nationwide (except ARMM and Leyte province) have no insurance or pen sionHeplans.lamented the fact that the Philip pines ranks dismally in the retirement income system, placing 41st out of 43 countries according to the 2021 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index. He said it won’t help to keep blaming each other, and “all of us are at fault. This is a systemic problem over genera tions, over decades,” while conceding that, “the SSS has improved greatly overCayetanotime.” further highlighted the SSS’s need to lay the groundwork and keep in mind the report of the United Nations concerning the slow pace of aging in the Philippine population: this will eventually impact the social security arrangements and its sus tainability.In2021, the SSS had registered earnings of P28 billion, with contribu tions and investment income exceed ing benefit payments and operating expenses. SSS’s fund life is estimated to last until Cayetano2054.commended Quiroz for his assurance of full cooperation and partnership regarding GOCC perfor mance, even in compelling them to sub mit documents or be under inspection.

NCAP freeze draws mixed reactions

T HE m ilitary ended on Monday its month-long mourning for the late former President Fidel V. Ramos and rendered its final tribute that included volleys of fire. The mourning for the military, which Ramos had formerly led as Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Defense Secretary and later as Commander-inChief, began on July 31 right after the official reading of his death. AFP Chief of Staff General Barto lome Bacarro led the ceremony at the general headquarters, which was simul taneously held at the headquarters of the major services, unified commands and the Philippine Military Academy. Military Public Affairs Office chief Col. Jorry Baclor said three volleys were fired at 4:30 p.m. in honor of the late President, followed by the removal of mourning bands of military personnel. The lowering of the National Flag concluded the ceremony. In his speech, Bacarro recalled Ra mos’s legacy as a military officer and public“FVR,servant. being a former military com mander, prioritized establishing last ing peace in our country. We mark the end of military mourning in honor of a great statesman, a highly respected commander, and a model citizen of our nation,” he said.

“I maintain my position that NCAP be put on a trial period for six months before full implementation. A proper information drive and troubleshooting to remedy the glitches should be done during this period,” he said.

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

Continued from A16 The “original sin” here, Recto said, is that an import corporation under the Trade department was given tax payer funds for a public works project it has no competence to undertake. As part of procurement reforms, Recto called on the Marcos adminis tration to disauthorize the transfer of expiring agency allotments to PITCs.

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

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ADAM, OUMAR ABDRAHMAN ABDRAHMAN Arabic Agent (technical Support)

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BIG EMPEROR TECHNOLOGY CORP. Eastfield Center, Cbp1, Macapagal Blvd., Barangay 76, Pasay City 9. CHEN, MandarinTIEN-LIENCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

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C’EST LA VIE EVENT MANAGEMENT INC. 230, Narra Street, Marikina Heights, City Of Marikina 12. LYU, FieldMINGCONGSalesConsultant

CCA EQUIPMENT RENTALS INC. Unit 304 Westria Residences, 77 West Avenue, Paltok, Quezon City 14. XU, ChineseWENDERental Equipment Sales Manager Brief Job Description: The Chinese Rental Equipment Sales Manager will develop sales opportunities and relationships, ensuring sales targets are met, using the tools and resources that CCA Equipment Rentals Inc. has to offer.

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GAMMA INTERACTIVE INC. 21/f Alphaland Makati Place, 7232 Ayala Ave. Cor. Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 32. MENG, FANKAI Marketing Executive Chinese Speaking Brief Job Description: Manages the execution of different marketing strategies for a company and developing efficient and intuitive marketing strategies.

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27. SHAN, BO Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic CollegeQualification:graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic PhpSalaryEnglishRange:30,000-Php 59,999 28. TAK, SIVLEANG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic CollegeQualification:graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic PhpSalaryEnglishRange:30,000-Php 59,999 29. ZHANG, XIN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic CollegeQualification:graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic PhpSalaryEnglishRange:30,000-Php 59,999 30. ZHANG, YANG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

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DATACLICK INTERNATIONAL CORP. E. Rodriguez St., Roxas Blvd. St., Barangay 3, Pasay City 23. ZHONG, CustomerFANGLONGSupportSpecialist

BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phWednesday, August 31, 2022

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13. XIE, FieldSHUTINGSalesConsultant

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CCT CONSTRUCTORS CORPORATION 3/f Planters Products Bldg., 109 Esteban St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 15. KOYANO, TAKAHIRO Electrical / Mechanical Assistant Manager Brief Job Description: Manage and execute overall plan for the assigned project

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J-NA ALLOUT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS CORP. 3/f Lipams Bldg., #48 President Avenue, B. F. Homes, City Of Parañaque 49. KANG, HYUN MI Korean Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Track main industry trends in Korean through blogs, micro blogs and forums.

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PENG, XIAOQIN Finance Internal Control Manager For Huawei Technologies Phils. Inc.

71. DUONG THI THU HIEN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

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ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 39. MA, JINGWEN Chinese Speaking Customer Financial Officer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 GRAND PREMIUM CREST HOLDING INC. 16/f Tower 6789, 6789 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati 40. CHRISTINE WIRAWATI Chinese Speaking Business Financial Officer

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83. LIM CHEE HSIUNG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

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Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

SALADI, VENKATA RAGHAVENDRA ABHILASH Group Manager Brief Job Description: Act as the engagement escalation point for risk related items between the engagement and the larger R&C corporate organization. Basic Qualification: Good understanding of PCI-DSS compliance and certification process, should be able to conduct the assessment and support external PCI audits (For Manila position only) Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 43.

75. HTET HTET MOE KHAING Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service. Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 76. KAUNG HTUT SAN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 63. THANDAR AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

48. ZHANG, CONG Gaming Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fast-growing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time

81. LE NGOC CHI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

87. MAI CONG LONG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service. Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 88. MAY THAZIN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate, speaks and write fluently (Korean, English and mandarin). Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

82. LE THI HA GIANG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service. Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Preferably 6 months -1-year as Business Consultant; Fluent in Mandarin or Vietnam and English Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 LUCKY365 CONSULTING LIMITED CORP. U/18a 18f 18/f Trafalgar Plaza, 105 H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 53. TAKASAKI, AI Japanese Business Consultant Brief Job Description: Meet with assigned Japanese clients when needed and perform an initial assessment of a problematic situation Basic Qualification: Fluent in Japanese Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City 54. MYA MYA WIN Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 41. WANG, JIANKE Chinese Speaking Customer Financial Officer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 69. CHO TUN NAING Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

72. GIENG MY DIN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service

73. HE, RUQIN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fast-growing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time Basic Qualification: A Passion for Delivering Excellent Customer Service, Excellent Communication Skills in Chinese, Both Spoken and Written, Previous Experience in a Similar Role in the Offshore/ online Gaming Industry or Less Experience but a Good Attitude and Motivation to Learn Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 47. WONG YET SENG Gaming Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fast-growing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time

Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

BusinessMirror A7www.businessmirror.com.ph Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Basic Qualification: Able to speak mandarin Chinese and English Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 K.B.C. DREAM TRAVEL AND IMMIGRATION CONSULTANCY CORPORATION (K.B.C. TRAVEL AND IMMIGRATION CONSULTANCY) U-ug02 Cityland 8 Condo., 98 Sen Gil Puyat Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 52. NGUYEN DUY CUONG Mandarin Business Consultant Brief Job Description: Helps Mandarin/ Vietnamese client’s business owner to improve their business strategies and operation. A consultant may specialize in a specific area, such as information technologies, human resources, or marketing, or may offer general services in all areas of business. Facilitate problem solving and collaboration with the Mandarin/ Vietnamese client.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 60. SAI SHWE AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 55. NYI NYI LWIN Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

KUANG, NING-KUAN Gaming Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 65. AYE MIN KYAW Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 66. BANYAR AUNG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 67. BUI THI LINH TRANG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 68. CHAR TIN KIYIN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 59. SAI SHWE AUNG Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 62. SUE KYIN PAUK Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

JOHN CLEMENTS CONSULTANTS, INC. 14/f Lkg Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati 50. KRISHNAN, PARINEETA Executive Consultant Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:fortheformulation of business directions of the executive search and selection division in the light of business environment, competition and market segment that the division can effectively dominate Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree comparable with technology including conceptual understanding (ats), media pug-ins, and industry standardsdevelopment Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

JSLINK INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION 803-804 Ri-rance Building, Aseana Enclave Aseana City, Tambo, City Of Parañaque 51. MAO, TechnicalLIYONGConsultant Brief Job DocumentingDescription:information system and application instructions, testing products and applications

Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 139. NGUYEN HUY VAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 116. DESMOND Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 117. ENA MARIANA Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 118. STEVEN LAU Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 119. TSENG LI CIA Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 122. PATRICK TAN TZE HIONG Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 123. RICKY LIEW YIT VUI Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 126. CAO MINH TUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 97. PHAM VAN DUC Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service. Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 98. SHAUK SI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 99. TAN LIH TONG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 100. THIHA TUN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

MYO THANT OO Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 90.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 130. DANG VAN LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

107. GUO, WEI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 108. LIU, JUNQING Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 101. TRAN QUANG DIEU Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service. Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 102. VI VAN XUYEN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 140. NGUYEN THANH SON Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 141. NGUYEN TIEN DUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NGUYEN DUY QUANG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service. Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 91. NGUYEN PHUONG HUYEN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service. Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 92. NGUYEN THI THOI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service. Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 93.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 120. DICK LAW SHIONG YEING Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 103. VONG THANH HUNG Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/Basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 104. DENG, LEI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 105. DENG, TIANLI Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 110. VAXOR, THAITHOR Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 124. BUI VAN DUAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

149. PHAM THI TAM Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

153. PHAN VAN CUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

146. PHAM NHAT MINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 131. DINH QUANG THAI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 111. WANG, YIXIANG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 112. WANG, ZHONGLIN Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 89.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 129.

CHU VAN TIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 127. CHU THI LIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 113. XU, QIANG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 114. ZENG, JIANTING Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phWednesday, August 31, 2022

145. PHAM DINH THE Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

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

152. PHAN TRONG HA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 121. ONG ZECK MING Malaysian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

151. PHAN THI HIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

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

OOI CHOON HAO Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 96. PANG SENG WEI Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 109. SUN, HE Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

147. PHAM QUOC DAT Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

148. PHAM THANH HUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

142. NGUYEN VAN HAO Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

144. NONG THI HUE Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 106. GONG, ZHILONG Chinese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

NGUYEN THI YEN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in Mandarin / basic English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 94. NGUYEN VAN TUAN Call Center Agent Brief Job Description: Customer service.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 128. CHU THI NGOC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

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

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 115. CALVIN ANDERSON Indonesian Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 132. DINH THI HUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 133. DOAN XUAN TU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 134. DU THI KIM LIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: College graduate / level and fluent in mandarin / basic english. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 95.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 143. NGUYEN VIET PHAP Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 125. BUI VAN HAU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 135. DUONG VAN VU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 136. HOANG DUC MANH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

150. PHAM VAN VU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 137. HUA VIET SAM Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 138. LE VAN PHUC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

VU THANH TIEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 176.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 188. ZHANG, XULIANG Chinese Speaking Data Entry Clerk Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 173. VI HUYNH DUC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 174.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 202. LIU, ChineseQIANGSpeaking Program Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

TRAN THI THAM Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 163.

VIEN MANH DUC Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 175.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 199. WANG, ChineseYANGSpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services

VU THE TUAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 198. WANG, ChineseCHUNRENSpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 196. TAO, ChineseXUELISpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services

TRAN DUN LAM Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 159.

TRUONG THI PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 172.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 195. LI, ChineseSIRONGSpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 200. LI, ChineseLIANGSHANSpeaking Program Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customer information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 192. DONG, ChineseJIANSpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services

BusinessMirror A9www.businessmirror.com.ph Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 187. LIU, ChineseJIALUSpeaking Data Entry Clerk Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

NEW CROSS CREDIT AND FINANCING GATE PH, INC. 16/f M1 Tower, 141 H.v. Dela Costa St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 207.

KELMAN, CONNOR ROBERT Senior Account Executive Brief Job Description: In charge of identifying business opportunities by looking for prospects and evaluating their position in the industry. He will maintain relationships with clients and engage and educate senior executives on importance of financial health in the workplace Basic Qualification: Minimum 2 years of experience in B2B sales with proven success in achieving targets. Basic knowledge of the banking and finance industry or eagerness to put in some extra work to learn about it. Knowledge of SDR processes and methodologies. Creative problem-solving skills. Passionate, dynamic, and highly motivated. Fluent in English and Tagalog (preferably) Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

PHAN VAN PHI Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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

SAN CHUC NGUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing Incoming calls and customer service inquires. Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 158.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 156.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 177. VU VAN HUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 MOL LOGISTICS PHILIPPINES, INC. Ech Plaza, 8006 Dr. A. Santos Avenue, B. F. Homes, City Of Parañaque 178. OSHITA, NAOKI Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Brief Job Description: Manages the Sales and Marketing Department in terms of its activities, performance, administration, and development.

PHUNG VAN PHONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 157.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE 154.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

TRIEU VAN CHUY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 168. TRINH THI PHUONG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

PHUNG THANH NAM Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/Goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 181. LI, ChineseLINRUISpeaking Admin Associate Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 182. SHEN, ChineseLILEISpeaking Admin Associate Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 184. XIAO, ChineseDANYANGSpeaking Admin Associate Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 186. MA, ChineseKAIXINGSpeaking Business Development Associate Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 190. CHEN, ChineseZHENXIANSpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/Goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 201. LIU, ChineseMINGCHUSpeaking Program Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 194. LAI, ChineseZHIJIANSpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

169.

TRAN THI TUYET NHUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 164.

TRAN VIET HOANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 167.

VANG SEO AO Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

TRAN VAN GIANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 165. TRAN VAN KY Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 166.

Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 209. YU, MandarinPENGWEITechnical Support Brief Job Description: Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and networks.

TRAN THI BICH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 161.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 NEO NorthINCORPORATEDTowerCentrum Bldg., Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Baclaran, City Of Parañaque 180. JIANG, ChineseDONGSHENGSpeakingAdmin Associate Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customer information about product and services

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 185. ZENG, ChineseZI-XINSpeaking Admin Associate Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 155.

TRAN THI HOA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 162.

TRAN THANH HA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 160.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 189. CHEN, ChineseYINSpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 205. WU, ChineseSHENGWEISpeaking Program Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customer information about product and services Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/Goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 206. WU, ChineseSHENGWUSpeaking Program Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customer information about product and services Basic Qualification: `With at least 6 months customer experience/Goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 191. DOAN THI MY DUYEN Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

197. VAN QUANG THANG Chinese Speaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: Has 2 years experience handling accounts.JapaneseAbletospeak and write in Japanese. Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999 MUXING INTERNATIONAL SERVICES INC. Room 210, Gedcor Bldg.,, N. Aquino Ave.cor Irasan St., San Dionisio, City Of Parañaque 179. ONG ZI MandarinXIANSpeaking Customer Service Brief Job Description: Give customers information about products and services, take orders, process returns

TRINH VAN BINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 170.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 203. MERRY ChineseFITRYANTISpeakingProgram Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 204. WANG, ChineseZHONGWEISpeakingProgram Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

TRUONG THI NGUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 171.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 183. WANG, ChineseTAOSpeaking Admin Associate Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services

OCEANIC SYMPHONY SERVICES INC. 3/f Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 208. LAI, MandarinYUNG-CHINGCustomer Service Brief Job Description: Serves customers by providing product service info.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 193. KE, ChineseDUDUSpeaking Graphic Designer Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services

Brief Job Description: 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.

LI, MandarinLIANJUNProject Planner

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 239.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 222.

BusinessMirrorA6 www.businessmirror.com.phA10 Wednesday, August 31, 2022

DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

WANFANG TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, INC. 6-9/f Tower 2 Double Dragon Plaza, Edsa Cor. Macapagal Ave., Barangay 76, Pasay City 240.

HAN, MandarinYANCHENProject Planner

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

Basic Qualification: With atleast 6 months customer experience/goodservice in oral communication and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin, both oral and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 212. JIANG, MandarinPENGTechnical Support Brief Job Description: Provide specialized services to assist end-users in technology needs.

TRAN DINH THIEN TOAN Vietnam - Speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Prepares product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information.

Brief Job Description: Places software into production by loading software into computer; entering necessary commands. Basic Qualification: At least 6 months’ work related experience, good oral and Salarycommunicationwrittenskills.Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 POWERCHINA PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2101 21/f Bdo Equitable Tower, 8751 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati 219.

Brief Job Description: Conduct market research to find answers about consumer requirements, habits and trends Basic readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritingin English and their respective native language for the position applied for. Fluent in Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 242.

TCL SUN, INC. 4/f Zen Tower, 1111 N A Lopez St., 071, Barangay 659, Ermita, City Of Manila 236. CHENG, ManagerJIE Brief Job Description: Developing key performance goals and managing the performance of staff.

LUONG THUC VAN Chinese Speaking Technical Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: Year of service experience as manager, excellent organizational and project management skills. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

TRANCY LOGISTICS PHILIPPINES, INC. 4th Flr., R Magsaysay Ctr. Roxas Blvd., Barangay 699, Malate, City Of Manila 237. MATSUHASHI, RYUSUKE Executive Vice President/treasurer Brief Job Description: N/A Basic Qualification: N/A Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

Brief Job Description: Introduce, execute and grow various programs help Shoppe better management Basic Qualification: Must have degree in business and management Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 SKY DRAGON GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES CORP. 2f-5f, Unit 710 Shaw Blvd., Global Link Center, Wack-wack Greenhills, City Of Mandaluyong 231. KO, KWANGWOON Customer Service Representative Brief Job CustomerDescription:relationsservice provider

Basic Qualification: In-depth understanding of construction procedures, materials and project management principles. Must have understanding in cost planning and contracts administration. Familiarity with construction/project management in Mainland China and the Philippines. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 228. ZHU, MandarinJIALEProject Planner Brief Job Description: 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.

SPEEDWELL INC. 5/f King’s Court 2 Bldg., 2129 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 233. SHEN, ChineseGUOPUSpeaking Technical Consultant Brief Job Assist/helpDescription:customers, give customers information about product and services.

OH, SEUNG KWANG Software Analyst Brief Job Description: Develop, analyze and implement testing procedures, programming, and documentation Basic Qualification: At Least a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering or Another Related Field; Fluent in Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

YAO, MandarinWANGLONGProject Planner Brief Job Description: 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.

YIN, MandarinYIBIN Project Planner

ZHU, MENGSHENG Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Chinese Cargo Office Agent facilitate shipments of goods through shipping, and trucking terminals and docks station in China and Philippines

ZENG, MandarinQINGSIProject Planner

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE OCTAGON PRIME OUTSOURCING SERVICES INC. 30/f Tower, 6789 Ayala Ave.,, Bel-air, City Of Makati 210. CHEN, MandarinBAOCHENTechnical Support Brief Job Description: Provide specialized services to assist end-users in technology needs. Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin, both oral and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 211. CHEN, MandarinYAJUNTechnical Support Brief Job Description: Provide specialized services to assist end-users in technology needs.

Basic Qualification: Ability to communicate effectively in Mandarin and basic English, both verbally and in writing. Must have an experience in shipments of goods, tariff coding system or any similar field. Strong knowledge of China and Philippine Customs Regulations and Tariffs Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PAYPAL PHILIPPINES, INC. 17/f Filinvest Axis Tower One Bldg., Northgate Cyberzone, Filinvest City, Alabang, City Of Muntinlupa 216. ALTHAF HUSSAIN, IRFAN AHAMED Technical Lead For I.t. Operations Brief Job Description: To oversees and execute valuable policies that can help improve the company and it’s services and being thego-person when there is a technical issue that involves for desk technician and local business as the I.T. subject matter expert Basic Qualification: 2-3 years lead role experience required and has experienced in develop tools such ash SCCM, CASPER, and system design agile, as well as various cloud providers such as azure Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999 PLATINUM PROVIDERS TECHNOLOGIES INC. 7/f Salamin Bldg.,, I97 Legaspi St.,, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 217.

CAO, MandarinXINZHEProject Planner

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Mandarin, both oral and written Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 SODEXO ON-SITE SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. 11/f Ba Lepanto Bldg., 8747 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-air, City Of Makati 232. MERVYN JOSEPH PAPPA Division Director Cum Regional Key Account Manager Brief Job ResponsibleDescription:inbudgeting, planning and controlling the financial needs of the company; lead the program design and development of new projects; monitor the profit and loss of the company; implements, maintains, and reviews payroll processing systems to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions including salaries and benefits; check the quality of incoming and outgoing materials and operations for the company; and interview, assess and recruit potential candidates for the company. Basic Qualification: Must be knowledgeable and resourceful in f&b; has sales & marketing background; possess excellent communication and writing skills; computer literate; expert in payroll management; must be knowledgeable in menu design and engineering; and experienced in project management. Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

VPC CORPORATE SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED 11/f 100 West, Sen Gil Puyat Ave. Cor., Washington St., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati 238. HOANG NGUYEN HAI LINH Vietnam - Speaking Customer Service Officer Brief Job Description: Prepares product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information.

SURESTE PROPERTIES INC. The Executive Offices, Solaire Resort & Casino, 1 Asean Avenue, Entertainment City, Tambo, City Of 235.ParañaqueKOBAYASHI, HISASHI Sous Chef, Sushi Brief Job Description: Train, supervise and work with all cook and culinary staff Basic Qualification: Proven ExperienceProfessional Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

YILV SUNNY TRAVEL CORPORATION Unit 25d 2/f Zeta Ii Bldg., 191 Salcedo St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 244. FU, MandarinSANGPINGTravel Specialist Brief Job Description: Ticket booking, hotel reservations, organize transportation Basic Qualification: Abe to Speak Mandarin Chinese and English Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 245. LI, MandarinBENSHUANGTravel Specialist Brief Job Description: Ticket booking, hotel reservations, organize transportation Basic Qualification: Abe to Speak Mandarin Chinese and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 246. XU, MandarinFANGCHENGTravel Specialist Brief Job Description: Ticket booking, hotel reservations, organize transportation Basic Qualification: Abe to Speak Mandarin Chinese and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 *Date Generated: Aug 30, 2022

SUPREME CHENGHAO MANAGEMENT OPC Level 26-a Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati 234.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in mandarin, both oral and written. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 PANPHIL MARINE SERVICES CORP. 2626 Maytubig St., Corner P. Ocampo St., 078, Barangay 719, Malate, City Of Manila 213. HUANG, YANLING Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Chinese Cargo Office Agent facilitate shipments of goods through shipping, and trucking terminals and docks station in China and Philippines Basic Qualification: Ability to communicate effectively in Mandarin and basic English, both verbally and in writing. Must have an experience in shipments of goods, tariff coding system or any similar field. Strong knowledge of China and Philippine Customs Regulations and Tariffs Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 214. LIU, YAN Chinese Cargo Office Agent Brief Job Description: Chinese Cargo Office Agent facilitate shipments of goods through shipping, and trucking terminals and docks station in China and Philippines

YANG, MandarinZHI Project Planner Brief Job Description: 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.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 223. LU, MandarinZHAOQUANProject Planner Brief Job Description: 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.

SHOPEE PHILIPPINES INC 37/f Seven/neo, 5th Avenue E-square Crescent Park West Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig 229. TAN SHI YUN, CHANEL Assistant Manager Brief Job Description: Plans, strategize and manages marketing campaign

BAI, MandarinWENHAOProject Planner

YONG KAI SHENG Chinese Speaking Technical Support Specialist

ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS No. NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL , POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

NGUYEN THI QUYNH Vietnamese Marketing Specialist Brief Job Description: Conduct market research to find answers about consumer requirements, habits and trends Basic readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritingin English and their respective native language for the position applied for. Fluent in Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 WIKITECH SERVICES INC. 10/f Alphaland Corporate Tower, 7232 Ayala Avenue Ext. Corner Malugay St., Bel-air, City Of Makati 243. LIU, MandarinZHENGTeam Leader Brief Job Description: Maintain and drive program knowledge for self and team Basic Qualification: Can speak mandarin Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: B.S Business Management/ Economics Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999 230. CHENG, Associate-sellerYU-HUNGManagement

NGUYEN TRUNG HIEU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Conduct market research to find answers about consumer requirements, habits and trends Basic readingProficientQualification:inspeaking,andwritingin English and their respective native language for the position applied for. Fluent in Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 241. NGUYEN THI NGOC QUY Vietnamese Marketing Specialist

WHO director in Asia accused of racism, abuse put on leave

• Editor: Angel R. Calso A11

By Samya Kullab The Associated Press B

“There are firefights around the embassy in Baghdad. Our staff are now working at the German embassy elsewhere in the city,” Hoekstra wrote. Dubai’s long-haul carrier Emirates stopped flights to Baghdad on Tuesday over the ongoing unrest in Iraq. The carrier said that it was “monitoring the situation closely.” It did not say whether flights would resume for ProtestersWednesday.loyaltocleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who resigned Monday, pulled down the cement barriers outside the government palace with ropes and breached the palace gates. Many rushed into the lavish salons and mar bled halls of the palace, a key meet ing place for Iraqi heads of state and foreignIraq’sdignitaries.militaryannounced a na tionwide curfew, and the caretaker premier suspended Cabinet sessions in response to the violence. Medical officials said dozens of protesters were wounded by gunfire and tear gas and physical altercations with riot police.

L ONDON—The World Health Organization’s top director in the Western Pacific, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, has been indefinitely removed from his post, according to internal correspondence obtained by The Associated Press. Kasai’s removal comes months af ter an AP investigation revealed that dozens of staffers accused him of racist, abusive and unethical behav ior that undermined the UN agency’s efforts to stop the coronavirus pan demic in Asia. WHO Director-General Tedros Ad hanom Ghebreyesus told staff in the Western Pacific in an email on Friday that Kasai was “on leave” without elaborating further. Tedros said Dep uty Director-General, Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, would be arriving Tuesday in Manila, WHO’s regional headquar ters, to “ensure business continuity.” Two senior WHO officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the press, said Kasai had been put on extended administrative leave after internal investigators substantiated some of the misconduct complaints. In a statement, WHO said it was unknown how long Kasai would be away. The UN health agency said the investigation into him was continu ing and that it was believed to be the first time a regional director had been relieved of their duties. Kasai did not respond to requests for comment but previously denied he used racist lan guage or acted unprofessionally. In January, the AP reported that more than 30 unidentified staffers sent a confidential complaint to senior WHO leadership and members of the organization’s Executive Board, al leging that Kasai had created a “toxic atmosphere” in WHO’s offices across the Western Pacific. Documents and recordings showed Kasai made rac ist remarks to his staff and blamed the rise of Covid-19 in some Pacific countries on their “lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race and socioeconomics level.” Several WHO staffers working under Kasai said he improperly shared sensitive corona virus vaccine information to help Ja pan, his home country, score political points with its donations. Days after the AP report, WHO chief Tedros announced that an in ternal probe into Kasai had begun. Several months later, however, WHO staffers alleged that Kasai was manip ulating the investigation. In a letter sent to the UN agency’s top governing body in April, the Executive Board, the staffers wrote that Kasai had ordered senior managers to destroy any incriminating documents and in structed IT staff “to monitor emails of all the staff members.” Kasai is a Japanese doctor who be gan his career in his country’s public health system before moving to WHO, where he has worked for more than 15 years. Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

By Maria Cheng AP Medical Writer

AGHDAD—Supporters of a prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric fired rocket-propelled gre nades into Iraq’s Green Zone as ma chine gun fire crackled overhead Tuesday, deepening the political chaos gripping the Mideast nation. Those backing influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr fired into the Green Zone, where it appeared Iraqi secu rity forces were firing back at them. Live television footage showed the chaos, with at least one wounded man being taken away in a threewheel rickshaw, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry visible behind them. The death toll rose to 22 Iraqis on Tuesday after the unrest erupted the previous day, according to two medical officials. Neighboring Iran closed its land borders to the country. Iraq’s military said four rockets were launched into the heavily forti fied Green Zone. Outside of sporadic unrest in southern Iraq, the rest of the country appeared unaffected for the time being by the violence as oil con tinued to be pumped in the country. Al-Sadr’s sudden resignation has catapulted Iraq into violence and cha os with no clear path out. The cleric derives power from his ability to mo bilize and control his large grassroots following, but with his stated exit from politics, he has implicitly given them the freedom to act as they see fit. To avenge the killing of unarmed loyalists, al-Sadr’s militia Saraya Salam clashed with Iraqi security forces in the Green Zone using an array of weapons, including mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, two security officials said. The militia also took over some headquarters belonging to rival Iran-backed mili tia groups in the southern provinces overnight.Iranian state television cited “un rests” and “curfew” in Iraqi cities for the reason for the border closures. It urged Iranians avoid any travel to Iraq while urging Iran’s Shiite pil grims in Iraq to avoid further travel between cities. Iraq’s government has been dead locked since al-Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in October parliamentary elections but not enough to secure a majority govern ment. His refusal to negotiate with his Iran-backed Shiite rivals and subsequent exit from the talks has catapulted the country into politi cal uncertainty and volatility amid intensifying intra-Shiite wrangling. To further his political interests, al-Sadr has wrapped his rhetoric with a nationalist and reform agenda that resonates powerfully among his broad grassroots base of supporters. They are calling for the dissolution of parliament and early elections without the participation of Iranbacked Shiite groups, which they see as responsible for the status quo. The decision came as millions of Iranians were preparing to visit Iraq for annual pilgrimage to Shiite sites. Kuwait meanwhile has urged its citizens in neighboring Iraq to leave the country. The state-run KUNA news agency also encouraged those hoping to travel to Iraq to delay their plans over the eruption of violent street clashes between rival Shiite groups in the country. The tiny Gulf Arab sheikhdom of Kuwait shares a 254 kilometer (158 mile)-long border with Iraq. The Netherlands has evacuated its embassy in the Green Zone, Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted early Tuesday.

BusinessMirror Wednesday, August 31, 2022 The World www.businessmirror.com.ph

22 dead as heavy gunfire rocks Iraq’s Green Zone amid violent protests

The World BusinessMirrorWednesday, August 31, 2022 www.businessmirror.com.phA12

Several scientists say the recordbreaking flooding in Pakistan has all the hallmarks of a catastrophe juiced by climate change, but it is too early to formally assign blame to global warming. “This year Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. So far this year the rain is running at more than 780 percent above average levels,” said Abid Qaiyum Suleri, execu tive director of the Sustainable Devel opment Policy Institute and a member of Pakistan’s Climate Change Council. “Extreme weather patterns are turning more frequent in the region and Paki stan is not an exception.” Pakistan saw similar flooding and devastation in 2010 that killed nearly 2,000 people. But the government didn’t implement plans to prevent future flooding by preventing construction and homes in flood prone areas and river beds, said Suleri of the country’s Climate Change Council. Floods and monsoon rains have dam aged one million houses and affected 33 million people. It reflects how poorer countries often pay the price for climate change largely caused by more industrialized nations. Since 1959, Pakistan is responsible for only 0.4 percent of the world’s historic CO2 emissions. The US is responsible for 21.5 percent, China for 16.5 percent and the EU 15 percent. According to the National Disas ter Management Authority, at least 498,000 people in the country of 220 million are in relief camps after being displaced.Manymore displaced flood victims are believed to be living with relatives, friends or out in the open, without shelter.Pakistan started receiving interna tional aid this week, and more planes carrying aid from Turkey and the Unit ed Arab Emirates landed at an airport near Islamabad on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the military. It said Chinese planes carrying aid will also arrive in Pakistan later Tuesday.Pakistan has also deployed at least 6,500 soldiers to help authorities in rescue and relief operations.

By Munir Ahmed The Associated Press I

Pakistan is accustomed to monsoon rains and flooding, Rehman said, but not like this.

SLAMABAD—The United Nations and Pakistan are set to appeal Tuesday for $160 million in emergency funding for nearly a half million displaced victims of record-breaking floods that have killed more than 1,150 people since mid-June, officials said.

HOMES are surrounded by floodwaters in Sohbat Pur city, a district of Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province on Monday, August 29, 2022. Disaster officials say nearly a half million people in Pakistan are crowded into camps after losing their homes in widespread flooding caused by unprecedented monsoon rains in recent weeks. AP/ZAHID HUSSAIN Pakistani authorities backed by the military, rescuers and volunteers have been battling the aftermath of the floods that have affected more than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis.Although rains stopped three days ago and flood waters in some areas were receding, large areas remain un derwater. Rescuers were evacuating stranded people to safer ground, includ ing makeshift tent camps have sprung up along highways, inundated villages andAccordingtowns. to initial government es timates, the devastation caused $10 billion in damage to the economy. “It is a preliminary estimate likely to be far greater,” Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal told The Associated Press. His comment came hours before the United Nations and Pakistan were to launch an appeal in Islamabad for help. A day earlier, the International Mon etary Fund’s executive board approved the release of a much-awaited $1.17 bil lion for PakistanPakistan.and the IMF originally signed a large bailout accord in 2019. But the release of a $1.17 billion tranche had been on hold since earlier this year, when the IMF expressed concern about Pakistan’s compliance with the deal’s terms under the government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was ousted through a no-confidence vote in the parliament in April.

Last week, the United Nations in a statement said it has allocated $3 million for UN aid agencies and their partners in Pakistan to respond to the floods. This money will be used for health, nutrition, food security, as well as water and sanitation services in flood-affected areas, focusing on the mostOnvulnerable.Monday,Climate Minister Sherry Rehman and meteorologists told the AP that new monsoons were expected in September. Monsoons have hit earlier and more heavily than usual since the start of summer, officials say—most recently with massive rains last week that affected nearly the entire country.

UN to seek $160 million in emergency aid for victims of Pakistan floods

VLADIMIR , 66, stands next to the wreckage of his house after being bombed by Russians in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Monday, August 29, 2022. On May 3, witnesses heard a plane approaching and dropping bombs that destroyed a large number of houses, including his own, killing five of his relatives who were sleeping at the time.

Eyes on Kherson as Ukraine claims bold move on Russians

BusinessMirror Wednesday, August 31, 2022 The World www.businessmirror.com.ph A13

By Paul Byrne The Associated Press K YIV, Ukraine—A surge in fighting on the southern front line and a Ukrainian claim of new attacks on Russian positions fed speculation Tuesday that a long-expected counteroffensive to try to turn the tide of war has started. Officials in Kyiv, though, warned against excessive optimism in a war that has seen similar expectations of changing fortunes before.Even though independent verification of battlefield moves has been extremely tough, the British defense ministry said in an intelligence report that, as of early Monday, “several brigades of the Ukrai nian Armed Forces increased the weight of artillery fires in front line sectors across southernAttentionUkraine.”centered on potential damage Ukraine might have inflicted on Russian positions around the port city of Kherson, a major economic hub close to the Black Sea and one of Moscow’s prized possessions since it started the invasion just over half a yearUkraine’sago. presidential office reported Tuesday that “powerful explosions con tinued during the day and night in the Kherson region. Tough battles are ongoing practically across all” of the strategic area. Ukrainian forces, the report said, have de stroyed a number of ammunition depots in the region and all large bridges across the Dnieper that are vital to bring supplies to the Russian troops. Russian state news agency Tass reported five explosions rocking Kherson on Tues day morning—blasts likely caused by air defense systems at work. The Ukrainian military’s Operation Command South also reported destroying a pontoon crossing the Dnieper that the Russian forces were setting up and hitting a dozen command posts in several areas of the Kherson region with artillery fire. “The most important thing is Ukrai nian artillery’s work on the bridges, which the Russian military can no longer use,” Ukrainian independent military analyst Oleh Zhdanov told The Associated Press. “Even the barges have been destroyed. The Russians can’t sustain forces near Kher son—this is the most important.” On Monday, the southern command cen ter’s Nataliya Gumenyuik told Ukrainian news outlet Liga.Net that Kyiv’s forces have launched offensive operations “in many directions in our area of responsibility and have breached the enemy’s first line of de fense.” The statement quickly made head lines after weeks of reports that Ukraine forces were preparing an offensive there and as Ukrainian attacks on the Kherson regionZhdanovintensified.saidthat Russia has three lines of defense in the Kherson region, and breaching the first one signals only “isolated offensive actions by the Ukrai nianThearmy.”warhas ground to a stalemate over the past months with casualties rising and the local population bearing the brunt of suffering during relentless shelling in the east and also in the wider area around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant which has also been at the heart of fighting in Ukraine. Amid fears the plant could be damaged, leading to a radioactive leak, a UN nuclear watchdog team has arrived in Kyiv and is further preparing a mission to safeguard the Russian-occupied plant from nuclear catastrophe.Thestakes couldn’t be higher for the In ternational Atomic Energy Agency experts, who will visit the plant in a country where the 1986 Chernobyl disaster spewed radia tion throughout the region, shocking the world and intensifying a global push away from nuclear energy. “Without an exaggeration, this mis sion will be the hardest in the history of IAEA,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmy tro Kuleba Compoundingsaid. an already complicated task is the inability of both sides in the war to agree on much beyond allowing the team to go there. Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling the wider region around the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, time and again. Nikopol, which is just across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia plant, once again came under a barrage of heavy shell ing, local authorities said, with a bus sta tion, stores and a children’s library sustain ingThedamage.dangers of an accident are now so high that officials have begun handing out anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelen skyy reacted to speculation about whether

his forces had launched a major counteroffensive by asking in his nightly video address Monday, “Anyone want to know what our plans are? You won’t hear specif ics from any truly responsible person. Because this is war.” His adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, cau tioned against Crimea,cow-appointedoffensive.announcements”“super-sensationalaboutacounterFromtheotherside,theMosregionalleaderofSergeiAksyonov,dismissed the Ukrainian assertion of an of fensive in the Kherson region as false. He said Ukrainian forces have suffered heavy losses in the area. And For its part, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces had inflicted heavy personnel and military equipment losses on Ukrainian troops. The Kherson region is just north of the Crimean peninsula that Rus sia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 to set off a conflict that was frozen until the February 24 invasion.

By Yongchang Chin O IL held the biggest gain in more than a month as traders weighed supply concerns, including the possibility of an Opec+ output cut. West Texas Intermediate was steady near $97 a barrel after jumping 4.2 percent in the week’s opening session amid concerns about the potential for supply interrup tions in Libya and a bullish energy market outlook from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Despite militia clashes in Libya, the state oil company reported output of about 1.2 million barrels a day on Monday. The Organization of Petroleum Export ing Countries and its allies convene on Sept. 5 after a warning from leading member Saudi Arabia that an agreement to reduce production was possible as, in Riyadh’s view, oil futures didn’t reflect fundamen tals. Other states in the alliance signaled theirOil’ssupport.jumpon Monday pared a monthly drop that’s been driven by concern a global slowdown and tighter monetary policy will hurt energy consumption. Still, Europe re mains gripped by an energy crisis as Russia chokes off supplies of gas amid the war in Ukraine, and the European Union moves to tighten curbs against Moscow. Shell Plc Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden warned Monday the crunch may last for more than one winter. “A combination of fresh supply risks from Libya, along with uncertainty over the upcoming Opec+ meeting, has provided a boost,” said Warren Patterson, ING Groep NV’s head of commodities strategy. “How ever, fundamentally the market is in a more comfortable state, and in the absence of a large supply disruption or Opec+ interven tion, it is difficult to see significant upside in the short Widely-watchedterm.” crude time spreads also suggest a return of market tightness. Brent’s prompt spread—the difference between the two nearest contracts—was $1.90 in backwardation, compared with 60 cents two weeks ago.

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Oil holds biggest gain in 6 weeks with supply risks ascendant

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GrowinG

“I need to be completely relaxed, to find a place where I will not move the rifle when I pull the trigger,” he says. “I don’t think about anything. It’s a kind of vacuum.” In a semicircle around his head are boxes of bullets, printouts of charts, a heavy-duty stapler and a roll of tape. Strapped to his wrist is a monitor, which is the shape of a jewelry box. It’s a ballistics calculator to factor in the wind and other surrounding conditions. Bees persistently circling his head and scope are ignored. After a long pause, he says the word “shot” in Ukrainian. Crack! A sound not unlike a starting gun used at sporting events produces a reflexive jolt in people unaccustomed to war. Six months ago, the noise might have startled Andriy, who had moved to Western Europe to pursue a career in engineering.Hisexperience resembles that of many Ukrainians who returned home to the war, abruptly pulled from civilian life to embrace fighting methods—modern but also makeshift—that have held back the far larger russian military. Andriy comes from Bucha, a district near Kyiv’s airport that was hammered during the russian advance. Hundreds of civilian killings took place there, the bodies found in mass graves or left lying where they were shot in what the United Nations describes as potential war crimes.

It’s just a necessity to be here now and do what we’re doing here.”

“Love my kids to death, and they’re everything I would ever want in my life,” she says. “But if I, rationally speaking, could choose to do it over...no kids at 18. “Wait till I’m like 35. Wait till I have a whole house, a pension, a 401(k), a savings, three cars. Like, wait till you are financially able and stable.’’ Her children are staying with her parents for a few days; Eberhart wants them to know nothing of her plans. That night, at her unusually quiet house, Eberhart plays video games and watches TV. She doesn’t feel scared or worried. Still, she struggles to sleep. In the morning, the father, a friend who’s been supportive of Eberhart’s decision to seek an abortion, arrives to pick her up. “I’m finally on my way,” she tells herself. She manages to nap during the 2.5-hour drive, hoping to stave off pregnancy-induced nausea. They arrive about noon at the Indianapolis clinic—a low-slung, nondescript building in a modest neighborhood. As at the Ohio facility, anti-abortion demonstrators gather here nearly every day, and an armed security guard is posted at the door. Opponents believe unrestricted abortions disregard human life and argue that strict limits or bans are needed to protect the unborn. For Eberhart, the demonstrators are a nonfactor in her decision. Adoption was never an option for her—she spent time in foster care herself and says she knows the system is overflowing with children. She wants to move forward with the abortion; then, as she’ll later say, “no more unplanned babies.” See “Women,” A15 look at today’s T. Anthony C. Cabangon Lourdes M. Fernandez Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace Angel R. Calso Ruben M. Cruz Jr. Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes D. Edgard A. Cabangon Benjamin V. Ramos Aldwin Maralit Tolosa Rolando M. Manangan

Volunteer sniper embodies Ukraine’s versatile military

“I think with the help of our friends in Europe and the United States that we can push them out of our territory,” he said. His desire to become a sniper came from a familiarity with hunting rifles, common in Ukraine, and playing the role of a distance shooter in video games. But his goal at war: “It’s to return to my home, to my family,” he says.

Tall and with a good command of English, the sniper spoke to The Associated Press while practicing alone at an informal firing range near Kyiv, hoping to resolve some issues with his weapon through hours of trial and error before his next deployment.

A manager for a beauty supply store, she lives paycheck to paycheck, and she struggles with post-partum depression from the birth of her youngest. She relies on her parents to help care for all three kids—ages 4, 3 and 10 months.

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Here in the Philippines, the National Economic and Development Authority estimated that some P100 billion would have to be invested annually between 2020 and 2030 to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, spending on water-related initiatives has reached only P5 billion, according to the Neda (See, “PHL has to invest P1.1T until ’30 for water, sanitation,” in the BusinessMirror, September 16, 2021). Because of low investments, only 44 percent of Filipino households have individual connection to a proper and fully reticulated waterworks system. Failure to put in place the necessary reforms to improve the allocation and delivery of water would have implications for health and hygiene as well as food production. Here in Luzon, irrigation for rice fields is cut off whenever water in dams falls to a critical level. Drinking water for residents in the National Capital region is prioritized over farms in Central Luzon that rely on irrigation water from Angat Dam. The World Bank said this practice of reallocating water from agriculture to other uses would increase in frequency in the coming years as water becomes scarce. Sans adequate investments in the maintenance or irrigation and drainage systems and other waterrelated initiatives, Filipinos must brace for more expensive food and higher health expenses. It would do well for the new administration to focus on improving the water sector, which is in line with the administration’s priority of increasing food production and ensuring the country’s food security.

www.businessmirror.com.phWednesday, August 31, 2022 • Editor: Angel R. Calso Opinion BusinessMirrorA14

Like most women at the clinic, she is undeterred.

By Derek Gatopoulos & Adam Pemble | The Associated Press K Y i V, Ukraine—Before taking a shot, Ukrainian sniper Andriy buries his face in a foldout mat, breathing slowly and deliberately.

By Lindsey Tanner & Patrick Orsagos | The Associated Press DAYTon, oHio in the dim light of a clinic ultrasound room, Monica Eberhart reclines on an exam table as a nurse moves a probe across her belly. waves of fetal cardiac activity ripple across the screen.

lowland rice requires a lot of water, according to the Laguna-based international rice research institute. irri said it takes 1,432 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of rice in an irrigated lowland production system. The amount is equivalent to the daily water intake of more than 500 men and women who will consume an average of 2.5 liters a day.

Women race political clock, cross state lines for abortions

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World Bank Water Global Practice Global Director Saroj Kumar Jha—citing estimates made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—said water demand will outstrip supply by 40 percent in less than a decade. Jha said water scarcity is a growing problem, with one in four people living in water-scarce areas. Delivering safe water and ensuring water supply would require huge investments, pegged at around $150 billion a year to put in place the necessary infrastructure and interventions.

The Indiana clinic can squeeze her in the next day, despite the influx of patients. The appointment gives her just enough time to meet Indiana’s requirement for an 18-hour waiting period after the in-person education and counseling session. Anti-abortion advocates hope some women will decide against the procedure in that window, but Eberhart knows what she wants.

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Irr I said irrigated rice receives an estimated 34 percent to 43 percent of the world’s irrigation water, or about 24 percent to 30 percent of the entire world’s developed fresh water resources. The institute noted that continuous flooding of water generally provides the best growth environment for rice. Without the requisite amount of water, rice stalks would produce fewer grains. Top rice consuming countries, including the Philippines, would need huge amounts of water to produce the grains required by their growing population. Unfortunately, the increasing requirement of an expanding population for fresh water is shrinking available water resources. And, according to the World Bank, demand for water would soon outstrip supply (See, “Water lack worsening food insecurity—WB,” in the BusinessMirror, August 30, 2022).

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“No one of us wanted to be a warrior, a shooter, a sniper.

Military specialists are encouraged to learn new skills and even find their own equipment, with Western suppliers still delivering to Ukraine in a private market that is monitored by the army. To protect his hearing, Andriy acquired a set of hunter’s headphones that suppress the noise from his rifle while amplifying voices. “You really need these,” he says. russia has more than doubled the territory it controls in Ukraine since launching the invasion in February, to about 20 percent of the country, but Andriy shares the optimism of many fellow Ukrainians that victory will be possible after the winter.

both clinics. She knows they’re likely to shutter next month. Until then, she focuses on preparing her Ohio patients to travel. During Eberhart’s visit, she and Corwin sit in her office. States have various requirements on what patients must be told—procedure details, after-care instructions, birth control methods. But Indiana, Corwin explains, requires her to give what she derides as false information about fetal pain, and to discuss medical cremation. It is, she says, a bureaucratic process aimed at dissuadingEberhartabortions.listens.

He asked only to be identified by his first name and that some details of his civilian life remain private. Andriy scrambled home, taking a flight to Budapest and arranging an 1,200-kilometer (750-mile) overland route that included paying “a big amount of money” to a driver willing to take a risky journey eastward. Within a few days he had joined the ferocious fight around Kyiv, adopting the war nickname “Samurai.” He bought his own gear and a USmade sniper rifle, and began receiving training from a special forces instructor, connected through friends in the“Earlymilitary.inthemorning on February 24, I received a call from my mother. She lives in Bucha and told me the war had started. She could hear helicopters, airplanes, bombing and explosions. I decided to return,” he said. While not allowed to discuss any specifics of his operational activity, Andriy describes Ukraine’s military as a force that prides itself on flexibility, harnessing a wide range of skills from its personnel to become more versatile in combat. Snipers, he said, are often used to spot russian military positions for artillery targeting.

“The heartbeat,” the nurse says. “About 10 weeks and two days.” Eberhart exhales. It’s good news. “That means I’m just under,” she says, raising her hands and crossing herThefingers.23-year-old mother of three is racing a political clock. When she learned she was pregnant again, she decided abortion was her best choice—even if meant navigating a patchwork of state laws enacted since the Supreme Court overturned roe v. HoursWade.after the ruling in late June, Ohio imposed a ban on abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, at about six weeks of pregnancy. Since then, Women’s Med clinic in Dayton has been referring hundreds of patients like Eberhart to its sister facility of the same name in Indiana, 120 miles away. There, in-clinic abortions are allowed until 13 weeks and six days of pregnancy—for now. Indiana lawmakers recently approved a ban on almost all abortions, after weeks of debate in the Statehouse. The law takes effect September 15. At just over 10 weeks into her pregnancy, Eberhart will need to travel to Indianapolis for an abortion. It’s disruptive, an inconvenience—but she’s more than ready. With new state laws and court challenges popping up on what seems like a daily basis, she doesn’t want to wait any longer. “I have to get it done, I can’t really wait. I’ve put everything on hold just to get this one thing handled,” Eberhart says. “I absolutely cannot afford another baby, whether that be financially or mentally.” Women’s Med has performed few abortions in Ohio since the state ban was enacted; most women don’t learn they’re pregnant until after six weeks. The Dayton clinic, a two-story building that blends into its leafy suburban surroundings, has been in business for almost 40 years. recent days have become increasingly chaotic, workers say. They see desperate patients—a teenager who was raped, women with ectopic pregnancies, families unfamiliar with Ohio law. Some workers have left for more stable jobs. Those who remain say they’re determined to keep helping patients, even when it means sending them out of state. “We are going to see as many people and do as much for these people as we can until we close down,’’ says Dr. Jeanne Corwin, who works at

“I have also gained experience in tactical medicine, with drones and shooting with assault rifles,” he said.

editorial Taking care of PHL’s water requirements

By Farnoush Amiri | The Associated Press A

“I’m generally in good spirts,” she says. “I knew what I signed up for.” Over the next few days, she has minor cramps, some hormonal moodiness—but no regrets. Mostly, she feels an overwhelming sense of relief—that she was able to find a clinic to give her the care she wanted, that the fast-closing win dow for abortion had remained open long enough.

To some advocates, more change is still needed. The legislation only partially closes the loophole because dating partners subject to a domes tic violence restraining order, as in Thomas’ case, are still able to buy and maintain access to firearms. “It will for sure save lives. But also to be clear, this is a partial closure of what’s known as the boyfriend loophole. There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Jennifer Becker, the legal director and senior attorney for Le gal Momentum, a legal defense and education fund for women, told The Associated Press. Federal crime data for 2020 showed that out of all murder victims among intimate partners—includ ing divorced and gay couples—girl friends accounted for 37 percent, while wives accounted for 34 per cent. Only 13 percent of the victims were boyfriends, and 7 percent were husbands.In2018, a group of researchers who looked at intimate partner homi cides in 45 states from 1980 to 2013 found that when firearm prohibi tions linked to domestic restraining orders included people who were dat ing, deaths dropped by 13 percent. “It suggests that when you cast that wider net, by covering boy friends, you are able to cover people who are more dangerous and poten tially save more lives,” April Zeoli, a researcher at the University of Michigan who was part of that study, told the Thomas’AP. family hopes the chang es in the law will save lives and en sure their daughter’s death wasn’t in vain. They say Thomas was do ing everything she could to protect herself when she left her yearslong relationship with 36-year-old An toine Oliver in late September 2021. It was only after her death in Oc tober that her family members found out that the protective order Thomas had filed three days earlier, detailing how her former partner had access to firearms and she felt unsafe, was never served. Sheriff’s deputies in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where Thomas and Oliver lived, had been trying to reach him by phone. When law enforcement finally reached Oliver, he told them he would come to accept service of the judicial order the following day. Instead, au thorities said, he killed Thomas that day before fatally shooting himself. “Some days I just sit and review the paper she had filed with the court just a few days prior and just think, what else could she have done to pro tect herself?” said Nadine Thomas, her mother. Gilbert Thomas, her father, said his daughter did every thing she was supposed to do, but it was the system that failed her. “She feared for her life and what did the police do? They called him and made arrangements for him to come to pick up the order,” he said. “There was no urgency placed on it.” But now the family is bracing for the anniversary of Thomas’ killing. The weight of grief is heavy, partic ularly for her 11-year-old daughter, Kylei, whom Thomas had from a relationship before she met Oliver. In the months before her death, Thomas had been making plans to buy a home for her and her daughter. She was saving up from her job with the D.C. Office of the State Superin tendent of Education, where she was assigned to an intervention program to help some of the district’s most challenged students. “We really were starting to map out some things and it just got taken away,” her sister, Keeda Simpson, said. “One of the last things we talk ed about was her wanting to evoke change for other women.

As Chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) where the country’s leading organization of textile and garment manufacturers are among its members, I find the filing of HB 3845 a desperate move by the House to boost the govern ment’s revenue sources by legalizing and taxing the importation of used clothing. But the federation is con cerned that with the government’s temerity to enforce regulatory laws relatively tax, legalizing the importa tion of used clothing to raise more tax revenues for the government could only result in more used clothing smuggling attempts. Even with the law banning the importation of used clothing al ready in place since 1966, the smug gling of used clothing (ukay-ukay) in the country continues. Ukay-ukay stores are now all over the country. You can find used clothes being sold in stores, malls, street markets and even private homes. We saw this thing happen in the steel indus try when the government imposed quality standard regulations on the importation of steel bars. Imported sub-standard steel bars are still be ing sold openly to clueless and price driven consumers in the local mar ket. And yet the House and other government agencies remained tight-lipped on the issue, even if some House members filed the Bill to abrogate RA 4653. Would the si lence of concerned public officials on the issue for years be tantamount to a crime of omission? Thus, I am amused, if not con fused, why HB 3845 was filed in the first place, knowing that RA

4653 was enacted to safeguard pub lic health and the nation’s dignity. Moreover, the prescribed penalties for its violation include a fine, im prisonment and perpetual absolute disqualification from holding pub lic office.Smuggling of used clothing (ukay-ukay) is largely being blamed on the dying state of the country’s once blooming garments and tex tile industry. From over one million spindles prior to the onset of “ukayukay” smuggling, it dwindled to only over a hundred thousand spindles to day. On a 24-hour run, each spindle would need 35 workers to operate. Consider then the millions of Fili pinos who lost their jobs because of ukay-ukay smuggling. And imagine the number of Filipino families that may have missed a meal because the breadwinner lost his/her job in the garments industry. Would the taxes generated for legalizing the importation of used clothing be able to compensate for the millions of jobs lost due to the smuggling of used clothing? The House should prioritize the economy through industry protection and preservation. As one of the country’s pillars of economic development, its strong industry base would generate more revenues for the government and make the lives of the Filipinos better. What makes some House members think then that imposing taxes on used clothing importations would stop smuggling and help in crease government revenues, when the government miserably failed to stop the smuggling of sub-standard steel and wood products, after impos ing quality standard regulations on theirTheimportation.Federation therefore ap peals to the members of the 19th Congress to review HB 3845 to rationalize its provisions and to help strengthen RA 4653, instead of abolishing the Act. As one of the leading industry organizations in the country, we are willing and ready to help the House by giving our inputs on the issue. RA 4653, an Act to Safeguard the Health of the People and Main tain the Dignity of the Nation by Declaring it a National Policy to Prohibit the Commercial Importa tion of Textile Articles Commonly Known as Used Clothing and Rags, provides a penalty or fine of not less than P200,000 and imprison ment of not less than two years but not more than five years, including perpetual absolute disqualification from holding public office.

“The biggest discussion that took us a long time at the end was around the question of how you would get your rights back after you had been Murphyprohibited.”andother Democratic negotiators were able to persuade Republicans by including a narrow path to restoring access to firearms for first-time offenders after five years, only if they are not convicted of another misdemeanor for violent crime. For married couples, and those who have had a child together, the firearm ban is permanent.

Associated Press writer Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecti cut, contributed to this report.

A factory worker from southern Indiana says her strict, Catholic fa ther would disown her over an abor tion. She’s certain she’s going to hell. But as a 28-year-old single mom, she knows she can’t raise another child. A high school honor student got pregnant when her boyfriend’s con dom broke. She told her mom, who revealed a secret she’d kept even from her husband— she had two abortions long ago, before marriage, when any notion that Roe v. Wade could be overturned seemed remote. All these women—who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, over fears that family and friends would learn of their abortion plans—will see Dr. Katie McHugh. She and the other staff in Indianapolis are per forming twice as many abortions as they did before the Supreme Court ruling. In July, 474 patients had abor tions there, compared with just over 200 in May. At least half come from otherMcHughstates. sees more fear in her patients these days, and she tries to extend extra kindness. “There’s a sense of desperation,” she says.

sHINGtON—Nikiesha thomas was on her way to work one day when she told her sister that she was thinking about getting involved with domestic vio lence prevention.

Women. . . continued from A14

Would the taxes generated for le galizing the importation of used clothing be able to compensate for the millions of jobs lost due to the smuggling of used clothing?

Zombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches

Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza MAKE SENSE

Carefully study House Bill No. 3845

By Seth Borenstein AP Science Writer G REENLAND S rapidly melt ing ice sheet will eventually raise global sea level by at least 10.6 inches (27 centimeters)— more than twice as much as previ ously forecast—according to a study published Monday. That’s because of something that could be called zombie ice. That’s doomed ice that, while still attached to thicker areas of ice, is no longer getting replenished by parent gla ciers now receiving less snow. With out replenishment, the doomed ice is melting from climate change and will inevitably raise seas, said study co-author William Colgan, a glaci ologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. “It’s dead ice. It’s just going to melt and disappear from the ice sheet,” Colgan said in an interview. “This ice has been consigned to the ocean, re gardless of what climate (emissions) scenario we take now.” Study lead author Jason Box, a glaciologist at the Greenland sur vey, said it is “more like one foot in theThegrave.”unavoidable ten inches in the study is more than twice as much sea level rise as scientists had previously expected from the melting of Green land’s ice sheet. The study in the jour nal Nature Climate Change said it could reach as much as 30 inches (78 centimeters). By contrast, last year’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report projected a range of 2 to 5 inches (6 to 13 centimeters) for likely sea level rise from Greenland ice melt by the year 2100. What scientists did for the study was look at the ice in balance. In perfect equilibrium, snowfall in the mountains in Greenland flows down and recharges and thickens the sides of glaciers, balancing out what’s melt ing on the edges. But in the last few decades there’s less replenishment and more melting, creating imbal ance. Study authors looked at the ratio of what’s being added to what’s being lost and calculated that 3.3 per cent of Greenland’s total ice volume will melt no matter what happens with the world cutting carbon pol lution, Colgan said. “I think starving would be a good phrase,” for what’s happening to the ice, Colgan said. One of the study authors said that more than 120 trillion tons (110 trillion metric tons) of ice is already doomed to melt from the warming ice sheet’s inability to replenish its edges. When that ice melts into wa ter, if it were concentrated only over the United States, it would be 37 feet (11 meters) deep. The figures are a global average for sea level rise, but some places further away from Greenland would get more and places closer, like the US East Coast, would get less. Although 10.6 inches may not sound like much, this would be over and above high tides and storms, making them even worse, so this much sea level rise “will have huge societal, economic and environmental impacts,” said Ellyn Enderlin, a geosciences professor at Boise State University, who wasn’t part of the study. “This is a really large loss and will have a detrimental effect on coast lines around the world,” said NYU’s David Holland who just returned from Greenland, but is not part of theThisstudy.is the first time scientists calculated a minimum ice loss— and accompanying sea level rise— for Greenland, one of Earth’s two massive ice sheets that are slowly shrinking because of climate change from burning coal, oil and natural gas. Scientists used an accepted technique for calculating minimum committed ice loss, the one used on mountain glaciers for the entire gi ant frozen Pennsylvaniaisland.

State University glaciologist Richard Alley, who wasn’t part of the study but said it made sense, said the committed melting and sea level rise is like an ice cube put in a cup of hot tea in a warm“Youroom.have committed mass loss from the ice,” Alley said in an email. “In the same way, most of the world’s mountain glaciers and the edges of Greenland would con tinue losing mass if temperatures were stabilized at modern levels because they have been put into warmer air just as your ice cube was put in warmer tea.” Time is the key unknown here and a bit of a problem with the study, said two outside ice scientists, Leigh Stea rns of the University of Kansas and Sophie Nowicki of the University of Buffalo. The researchers in the study said they couldn’t estimate the tim ing of the committed melting, yet in the last sentence they mention, “within this century,” without sup porting it, Stearns said. Colgan responded that the team doesn’t know how long it will take for all the doomed ice to melt, but making an educated guess, it would probably be by the end of this cen tury, or at least by 2150. Colgan said this is actually all a best case scenario. The year 2012 (and to a different degree 2019 ) was a huge melt year, when the equilibrium between adding and subtracting ice was most out of balance. If Earth starts to undergo more years like 2012, Greenland melt could trigger 30 inches (78 centimeters) of sea level rise, he said. Those two years seem ex treme now, but years that look normal now would have been ex treme 50 years ago, he said. “That’s how climate change works,” Colgan said. “Today’s outli ers become tomorrow’s averages.”

“I just want to do what’s right for my body and my life,” she said. Tanner reported from Indianapolis.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022 Opinion A15BusinessMirrorwww.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

In new gun law, a quiet breakthrough for victims of abuse

IstIll cannot fathom why House Bill 3845 that seeks to repeal the more than 50-year-old Republic Act 4653, which bans the entry of second hand clothing into the country to safeguard pub lic health and the nation’s dignity, is being vigorously pushed at the House of Representatives.

The idea gave Keeda Simpson pause. Her younger sister had never mentioned anything like that before, and she was bringing it up in a phone call just days after filing for a protec tive order against her ex-boyfriend. It was their last conversation. Less than an hour later, Thom as’ ex-boyfriend walked up to her parked car in a southeastern neigh borhood of the nation’s capital and shot through her passenger window, killing the 33-year-old. It’s cases like hers, where warning signs and legal paperwork weren’t enough to save a life, that lawmakers had in mind this summer when they crafted the first major bipartisan law on gun violence in decades. The measure signed by Presi dent Joe Biden in June was part of a response to a harrowing string of shootings over the summer, includ ing the slaying of 19 children at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The package included tougher background checks for the youngest gun buyers and help for states to put in place “red flag” laws that make it easier for authorities to take weap ons from people adjudged dangerous. Also tucked into the bill was a proposal that will make it more dif ficult for a convicted domestic abuser to obtain firearms even when the abuser is not married to or doesn’t have a child with the victim. Nearly a decade in the making, lawmakers’ move to close the “boy friend loophole” received far less attention than other aspects of the legislation. But advocates and law makers are hopeful this provision will save lives and become a major part of the law’s legacy. “We have so many women killed —one every 14 hours, from domestic partners with guns in this country,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a longtime advocate for the proposal, said before passage of the bill in June. “Sadly, half of those involve dating partners, people who aren’t married to someone, but they are in a romantic relationship with them in some Federalway.”law has long barred peo ple convicted of domestic violence or subject to a domestic violence re straining order from being able to buy a gun. But that restriction had only applied to an individual who is married to the victim, lived with the victim or had a child with the victim. As a result, it missed a whole group of perpetrators—current and former boyfriends or intimate partners— sometimes with fatal consequences. At least 19 states and the District of Columbia have taken action on this issue, according to data com piled by Everytown for Gun Safety. Klobuchar and domestic violence ad vocates have worked for years to do the same on the federal level, with littleThesuccess.struggle over defining a boy friend in the law remained difficult to the end. Negotiations in Congress nearly broke down over the provi sion. The same thing happened in March when a similar bipartisan effort to reauthorize a 1990s-era law that extended protections to victims of domestic and sexual vio lence passed only after Democratic lawmakers took out the loophole pro vision to ensure Republican support. “That was the toughest issue in our negotiations,” Sen. Chris Mur phy, D-Conn., a lead negotiator of the gun package, said of the loophole proposal.

“They feel so lucky that they got in just under the wire.” Depending on laws in patients’ home states, the clinic offers abor tion by procedure or pills, with women taking two prescription medicines days apart. It’s the pre ferred and most common method to terminate pregnancy in the country, typically for women up to 70 days intoEberhartpregnancy.isbarely past that limit — but even if she qualified, she’d still need to have the more invasive medi cal procedure to empty her womb. The clinic won’t risk the legal liability of patients using the pills back home, in more restrictive states. Over an hour after arrival, it’s time for Eberhart’s procedure. The doctor tells her, “I’m sorry you had to come all the way here, but we’re glad we can help.’’ Eberhart lies down on the exam table in a cramped procedure room and places her feet in the stirrups, a paper sheet covering her legs — much like an ordinary gynecological exam. McHugh talks Eberhart through each step—feeling for the uterus, applying a numbing medication. Eberhart winces as she feels a pinch, then relaxes. She makes a bit of small talk, telling the doctor about her kids. McHugh inserts a thin, hollow tube. It’s attached to larger tubing and a suctioning pump. McHugh uses it to remove the pregnancy. The procedure is over in five minutes. Eberhart feels little pain. McHugh tells her to take care. Eberhart moves to a recovery area, rests on a reclining chair and snacks on a small bag of chips.

Eberhart and a steady stream of other patients file into the clinic. They sit, some fidgeting on padded waiting-room chairs, staring at pas tel walls and a droning soap opera on the TV. Each feels the urgency brought on by looming legislation. There’s the nurse who got preg nant when her IUD failed. The 27-year-old is still breastfeeding her 5-month-old and recovering from ovarian-cyst surgery. She and her partner worry that another pregnancy is too dangerous. At 11 weeks pregnant, she, too, traveled from Ohio. A retail worker in Louisville got a ride from a friend when her ap pointment was abruptly canceled over a new state ban there. Indiana’s waiting period means she’ll have to make the two-hour drive again, an other day. The 27-year-old was on birth control when she got pregnant.

Blue Ribbon holds 2nd hearing on sugar importation fiasco SSS, survive–AlanhelppayoutsGSISmustretirees Continued on A5 QUINTANILLA

THE Procurement ServiceDepartment of Budget and Management’s “controver sial twin,” the Philippine Interna tional Trading Corp. (PITC), should also be “disenfranchised as a park ing lot of billions in government funds,” a leader of the House of Representatives said on Tuesday.

PENSIONERS must receive enough retirement benefits for them not just to survive but to be sustained in their old age, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said on Tuesday.

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

Q uintanilla said Pagcor is ex pected to generate P54 billion by the end of 2022. “ Total income generated from January to June 2022 [is already] P26.7 billion,” said Quintanilla, adding “the contribution allocation to nation building from January to June is already at P15.2 billion.”

A fter more than two years into the pandemic, Pagcor said it has shown signs of recovery with its 68.11 percent year-on-year revenue increase for the first half of 2022. T he state-run gaming firm post ed P26.70 billion in total income from January to June, a signifi cant leap from the P15.88-billion revenues during the same period last year. Such amount was also 9.39 per cent higher than the agency’s rev enue target of P24.40 billion for the first six months of this year. Meanwhile, Pagcor’s net income (after tax) also grew by 2,630.51 percent or P2.15 billion compared to the P79.07-million net income in the first semester of 2021. Because of improved gaming rev enues in the first half of the year, Pagcor’s contributions to nationbuilding significantly increased by 62.69 percent—from P13.05 billion in the first six months of 2021 to P21.23 billion this year. O f the P21.23-billion contribu tions to nation building, the lion’s share of P11.71 billion went to the National Treasury as 50-percent government share; P6 billion also went to the national coffers as cash dividends (for dividend year 2021); while P1.23 billion went to the Bureau of Internal Revenue as franchise tax. T his year, Pagcor has also re mitted significant contributions to the Philippine Sports Commission (P587.18 million); Dangerous Drugs Board (P30 million); Board of Claims under the Department of Justice (P22.70 million); and National Gov ernment Agencies (P52.39 million). Likewise, the agency allocated P1.23 billion to fund the government’s so ciocivic programs as well as Pagcor’s own corporate social responsibility projects.

Continued on A5 Continued on A5 A16 Wednesday, August 31, 2022

A t a hearing of the House Com mittee on Appropriations, Sharon Quintanilla, Pagcor assistant vice president, said P37.65 billion of the Pagcor’s projected income of P55.89 billion for 2023 will go to the national government. For 2023, Pagcor aims to gener ate a total of P55.89-billion income and allocated P37.65 billion to nation-building based on the pro posed corporate operating budget for submission to DBM [Depart ment of Budget and Management],” sheTsaid. heamount is higher than its expected income contribution of P35.5 billion this year. Pagcor said the promising gam ing outlook in the country was fu eled by the easing of community quarantine and travel restrictions, increased vaccination rate among gaming personnel and guests, and implementation of strict health protocols in all Pagcor-operated and regulated gaming venues. Gaming taxes paid and contri butions made by Pagcor include a 5-percent franchise tax, a 50-per cent government share and the dividends it gave to the Dangerous Drug Board in line with Republic Act (RA) 9165, or the Comprehen sive Dangerous Drugs Act. Pagcor also earns from shares, license fees, offshore gaming opera tions, rental and entertainment, apart from its casinos.

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM S ENATE Blue Ribbon probers on Tuesday convened their second hearing on the sugar importation “fiasco” inquiry trig gered by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, digging deeper into problems of supply and high prices of the sweetener that impact both industries and household consumers.Attheoutset, Sen. Francis N. Tolentino, Blue Ribbon chairman, said the continuation of the inqui ry expects to uncover the follow ing context and justification for the issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 (SO4): a) whether or not there was a genuine sugar shortage to justify the issuance of SO4; b) whether or not industry groups were con sulted prior to the issuance of SO4; c) whether or not sugar industry personalities were misled to be lieve that the President wants SO4 to be issued to address a national emergency. Tolentino said he will try to find out whether or not Under secretary Leocadio Sebastian and the other members of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board had legal authority to issue SO4; whether or not for mer DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian was authorized to sign SO4 pursuant to the July 15 Ex ecutive Secretary memorandum, and whether or not there was a valid corporate action. B esides Sebastian, senate prob ers also grilled ex-SRA chief Hermenegildo Serafica and Acting Customs commissioner Yogi File mon Ruiz. A ppearing before senators, businessman Paolo Lobregat, rep resenting the sugar millers’ group, stressed that the supply crunch with sugar should prompt both government and all stakeholders to attain “self-sufficiency” in crucial crops, because, he said, “weather is a key factor” now driving short ages around the world. This partly accounts for the lower sugar pro duction in the country, a situation he said they have been flagging government for a long time. L obregat noted that Spain, for example, is projected to produce “50 percent less olive oil this year,” a critical problem because the Iberian country is a major world supplier. In another example, he cited Indo nesia recently stopped exporting its palmWhenoil. push comes to shove, ev erybody will hold on” to what they produce if supply is shrinking, Lo bregat said, adding: “That is why the country “must try to attain… self-sufficiency in every crop” that it uses or exports in substantial volumes.Besides the weather that partly accounted for lower production, senators also sought to confirm the chain of events that led to a supposed shortage and the issu ance of controversial SO No. 4 in early August, allowing the im portation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar. SO 4 was recalled after President Marcos, the concurrent agriculture secretary, disowned the grant of authority to his des ignated representative in the SRA, Undersecretary Sebastian. Before SO4, two courts in Negros had issued a temporary injunction on Sugar Order No. 3 in March, but the prohibition was limited to the areas of jurisdiction of the regional trial courts. R eplying to Blue Ribbon probe chairman Sen. Francis Tolentino, Atty. Manuel Santos Jr. of the Office of the Government Cor porate Counsel clarified that the “preliminary injunction issued by an RTC is effective only in the region where the RTC is located,” as provided by the Judiciary Re organization Act.

G iven “tens of billions of money by hundreds of govern ment agencies,” the PITC, how ever, failed to deliver on time the goods, equipment and infrastruc ture it was contracted to buy “for a fee,” Recto said. By end of 2019, Recto said it had undelivered orders or unre turned advances valued at P33.2 billion from 79 government transactions. Thefollowing year, he said the backlog value slightly went down to P31.5 billion, involving 61 Rcontracts.ectosaid the latest COA report, for year 2021, placed at P14.9 billion the funds described by government auditors as being held by PITC “in trust for govern ment agencies for the procure ment of various items.” T he top 5 agencies with “parked funds” at PITC have pending orders worth more than P1 billion each, Recto said. R ecto listed these as: the Bu reau of Fire Protection (P2.66 billion), Philippine Army (P2.23 billion), DICT (P2.19 billion), Bu reau of Customs (P1.33 billion) and DOH (P1.19 billion). O ther agencies with unpur chased items worth more than P500 million are the Philippine Navy (P947 million), TESDA (P783 million), UP-PGH (P687 million), and PNP (P507 million), the lawmaker added. R ecto said based on the man date of the requesting agencies, “you can surmise that these are essential goods, such as medical equipment from UP-PGH and DOH, or fire prevention equip ment or building from the BFP.” In October 2020, I already raised on the Senate floor PITC’s failure to complete” not even one of the 98 fire stations it was con tracted to build “at a budget of P892 million,” Recto said.

RECTO: PITC SHOULD GO BACK TO 1ST MANDATE

I n a statement, Deputy Speak er Ralph Recto said PITC, a De partment of Trade and Industry (DTI) agency, should go back to its original mandate as a state international trading arm, un dertaking countertrade or im porting essential goods for mass distribution by the government such as medicine and fertilizer.

“Our long-term goal is to reach a point where, through SSS and GSIS,” retirees can “live sustainably with the amount they are giving,” Cayetano said in his opening state ment as chairman of the Senate Committee on Government Corpo rations and Public Enterprises dur ing its first organizational meeting. Many of the retirees and pen sioners really have complaints. The way I see it, many of our people are happy that they can get something from GSIS and SSS. But the amount they’re getting is not enough to sur vive,” he added, speaking partly in Filipino. Cayetano said the aver age SSS pension received by senior citizens amounts to P4,984, which is inadequate to support the basic needs of senior citizens. “ The current poverty thresh old for a family of five members is P12,000. Kitang kita po natin na this is more of magic math than reality. That may be the minimum of the minimum,” he said, referring to the pension amount for retirees. Talking to the chairman of the Governance Commission for Gov ernment-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (GCG), retired Justice Alex Quiroz, Cayetano also raised the coverage problem of PhilHealth membership, citing its claim that 90 to 100 percent of the population is already covered by its health in surance.“GOCCs have an integral role in delivering goods and services to the public,” Cayetano said. He recalled that when he was Speaker, corrup tion at PhilHealth “was really a big issue.” PhilHealth likes to claim that 90-100 percent of the population are members, he said, but noted that “everywhere I go, when I ask the non-PhilHealth members to raise their hands, many still do so.

The parking lot is actually a duplex, the PITC being the other one,” Recto said. It has to stop being a local pro curement arm of other agencies. It is a job it has largely bungled,” Recto said.

Pagcor looking to turn over ₧37.65-B income to NG in ’23

STATE-OWNED casino operator governmentoverCorp.AmusementPhilippineandGaming(Pagcor)iseyeingtoturnP37.65billionearningstothenextyear.

busi-

BusinessMirrorEditor: Jennifer A. Ng Companies B1Wednesday, August 31, 2022

AyalaB2

REMEMBERING L. CABANGON CHUA

logistics unit acquires 60% stake in Air21 for ₧6.06B

has reached a deal

PLANTING HOPE FOR THE FUTURE GENERATION AT LA MESA NATURE RESERVE In honor of Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua’s 88th Birth Anniversary, Fortune Life Insurance Company, Inc. (Fortune Life) planted 100 seedlings during its tree planting activity at La Mesa nature Reserve, Quezon City on August 26, 2022. This activity is in cooperation with ABS-CBn Foundation in support of the Bantay Kalikasan: Save La Mesa Watershed Project. This is Fortune Life’s way of paying tribute to its founder as he was fond of planting trees and preserving nature.

According to Fortune Life Special Assistant to the President for Social Media D. Cecilia A. Cabangon, “this activity brings us all together as a community as we are not just planting trees but we are also planting hope for the future.” La Mesa Watershed is the only major watershed in Metro Manila where residents can get clean and safe water. Project Operations Head Sarah A. Agcaoili of Save the La Mesa Watershed Project believes that this partnership is not just a one-time activity and they hope to continue this corporate sustainability project in the future.

AC Logistics Holdings Corp. said it is buying a 60-percent interest in Air21, which has controlling interests in eight operating companies that include Airfreight 2100 Inc., Air 2100 Inc., u Freight Philippines Inc., u Ocean Inc., Cargohaus Inc., LGC Logistics Inc., Waste and Resources Management Inc. and Integrated Waste Management Inc. The said deal is worth P6.06 billion.Innovember 2021, AC Logistics and Lina signed the investment agreement which governed the terms of the acquisition. The two sides concluded the transaction by signing the closing documents on Tuesday. Ayala’s logistics journey started in 2018 when it launched entrego Fulfillment Solutions Inc. Since then, it has expanded from last mile delivery to domestic freight forwarding, contract logistics and warehouse operations. This initial foray into logistics led Ayala to further expand its presence in the logistics sector. The acquisition of Air21 provides Ayala with a more capability to provide logistics services across the entire supply chain, including door-to-door express delivery, multiple types of warehouse operations, management and digitization, international and domestic freight forwarding and waste management services, it said. “AC Logistics is a realization of Ayala’s commitment to create shared value with our stakeholders. I have full confidence that the vision we created together with Mr. Lina will come to life through our teams’ shared experiences and unique expertise,” Rene Almendras, president and C e O of AC Logistics, said in a statement.

AMB. ANTONIO

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Continued on

ON HIS 88TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

AyA lA Corp.’s logistics unit with nessman Alberto D. lina Holdings Inc.

The addition of the Air21 Group to the AC Logistics portfolio, together with entrego, creates synergies that can generate greater operational efficiency and more efficient asset utilization.

The combination of their respective capabilities puts the Ayala Group in a better position to provide technology driven end-to-end logistics services that can help address some of the challenges related to pharma and healthcare aides access, food preservation, and proper waste management, it said. “From our decades of service excellence in the logistics industry, the Lina Group has nurtured a family of talented and resilient experts who are committed to deliver delight to our loyal customers. We are extremely excited to partner with the AC Logistics team to grow to greater heights in the future,” said Lina, chairman of Air21. AC Logistics was advised by BPI Capital Corp., Villaraza and Angangco and KPMG for the deal, while Air21 was supported by its advisor Fortman Cline Capital Markets Ltd.

for the acquisition of a majority stake in Air21

RECOGNIZING OUTSTANDING TEACHERS THROUGH THE “GINTONG PARANGAL PARA SA EDUKASYON” FORT u ne Life, in partnership with the Department of education (Deped) and Marylindbert International, recognized 13 outstanding teachers and Deped leaders on the 11th year celebration of their Values Advocacy Program, “The Value of Hard Work and Discipline” on August 5, 2022 at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, Deped Central Office, Pasig City. This is through the Gintong Parangal para sa edukasyon award in honor of Fortune Life founder, the late Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua. This award, which has two categories—Guro and Pamumuno, is bestowed upon deserving teachers and Depe d leaders with valuable contribution to the community who have shown their dedication in their projects and embraced the value of hard work and discipline in forming the right values of the young generation.

In fact, its products are still reasonably priced to cater to various market demographics and classes, especially the C and D. This is the same strategy that the owner has always adhered to in his other businesses, including his new venture—the BC Net. This Internet service provider aims to bring Wi-Fi, especially to far-flung remote areas in the“Ourcountry.guiding principle at Ever Bilena is ‘looking good is no longer a luxury’ because we want ordinary Filipinos to have access to our cosmetic products. This time, I’d like to take the same principle as I venture in wireless communications by making Internet access available to all Filipinos across the country, especially in the remote areas,” shared Sy. BC Net has been leveraging on the strong demand for connectivity by expanding its prepaid Internet service that targets the unserved and underserved markets across the nation using satellite and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system. It was a big help that it won the Free Wi-Fi For All bid conducted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). “This is in line with our stance that the Internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity especially to the education of Filipinos,” he said of their provision of free Internet to all public places in 20 provinces, including Aurora, Batanes, Camarines Sur, Guimaras, Maguindanao, Romblon, Samar, Southern Leyte, Agusan Del Sur, Bohol, Catanduanes, Davao Del Norte, Davao Oriental, Eastern Samar, Marinduque, Masbate, Northern Samar, Palawan, Sorsogon, Surigao Del Norte, and Kalayaan.

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28

DAVAO CITY—The Department of Agriculture awarded a total of P5.5 million as start-up capital for micro agro-fishery enterprises pitched by individuals and groups in the Caraga Region. The capital was given to 75 awardees from the five provinces of the Caraga region through the DA’S 2nd Young Farmers Challenge: Kabataang Agribiz Competitive Grant Assistance Program at the VCDU Convention Center in Butuan City on Monday, August 22.

Lynn A. Pareñas, assistance chief of the DA-Caraga Agribusiness and Marketing, said the awardees were 40 entries from the individual category and 35 entries from the group category as their working capital for their agribusinessTheplans.provincial winners received a financial grant of P50,000 for the individual category and P100,000 for the group category. The 75 young farmers in the region received a total grant of P5.5 million.Rebecca R. Atega, acting director for operations, said the DA program was supported by the office of Senator Imee Marcos to encourage aspiring youth to engage in agri-fishery-based enterprises focused on production, processing, and supply chain marketing.

Atega encouraged the awardees to sustain their planned enterprises. “I hope you will pursue a more profitable agribusiness to help our country. Agriculture is the solution to ensuring that the country will have access to safe, affordable, and available food. We are here to support you for you to become agripreneurs,” she said. One of the grantees, Jessa Myr T. Balandra, 24, from Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, said the demand for goat meat presented a good business potential for her Uma Alima Goat Production venture “With the start-up capital provided by the DA, I intend to purchase highly productive meat goat breeds, the Anglo Nubian and Boer, which are excellent choices for producing meat. As a young entrepreneur, this is a huge help to me in realizing my plans,” she said. Not only did the grantees already received their capital grants: They also advanced to the regional level.The program was also a search for outstanding business plans and project proposals to ensure that grantees have working projects. The proposals contained the details of the financial expenditure for the project.

The awarding of the grants were witnessed by the DA Caraga Regional Technical Director for Research, Regulations and ILD Nicandro M. Navia Jr., Executive Assistant to Mayor Roscoe Plaza of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte representing the office of Senator Imee Marcos Myco Cassion, APCO Chiefs June Anthony Ouano and Maria Theresa Espenido, and DAACPC personnel. Manuel T. Cayon

Agro-DigitalPh Cofounder henry Sison and Vivanti Advantage General Manager and Chief Revenue Officer Guita Gopalan taught budding entrepreneurs and owners of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) about the concepts of the growth mindset, Lean Start-up methodology, and Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) that are critical to their success. The former described the growth mindset as a state of abundance that enables one to face challenges and be inspired by the success of others. “It’s pushing for growth despite success or failure. Achieving growth is a journey and success is just a point in time—always remember to keep on improving,” he said during the recent first leg of 2022’s Shell LiveWIRE VirtualSison,homeroom.likewise, discussed how important the D&I in facilitating business expansion, especially “when you solve problems or develop solutions with your clients, allowing you to keep the best interests of all parties when coming up with something new. What’s important is getting that growth mindset, that ‘positiveness,’ and marrying it with D&I.” Gopalan suggested the participants to come up with ideas that consider all stakeholders as a form of inclusivity. “Something simpler is better. Simpler for yourself, employees, potential customers, and end-customers. You could also innovate your business model. That’s really where magic happens in the start-up space: when companies can be able to innovate on traditional business models,” she pointedCompaniesout. in their first stage of operations can test and prove their business models as these develop via the so-called Lean Start-up methodology, a cycle of building, measuring, and learning, particular to their industry. “Ifyou adopt the Lean Start-up mindset and boost that up with the methodologies and tactics, you’ll really pull together the key insights that will help your business grow better whether you are starting out, already established, or part of a company trying something new,” Gopalan said. Shell LiveWIRE, a premier community and tech start-up accelerator in the country and Pilipinas Shell’s flagship global enterprise development program, serves as a platform for thriving business founders to pitch their innovative concepts, and make their business designs viable, readily scalable, and attractive to investors. Since 2020, it has engaged more than 700 young Filipino innovators, including community and social enterprises, and over 20 successful start-ups receiving support via training, mentoring, and capital funding. “The Shell LiveWIRE homeroom Sessions aims to develop the business skills of aspiring business owners, established entrepreneurs, and start-up leaders by focusing on solutions that offer innovation and provide job creation. Practical tips on relevant topics such as having the right growth mindset, establishing business partnerships, and branding basics will be shared by our panel of industry experts,” Pilipinas Shell Vice President of Corporate Relations Serge Bernal said. Two more legs of this event will be held on August 25 about the vital strategy of establishing partnerships and transforming them as a platform to grow one’s digital business, and on September 8 revolving around how participants can increase their brand influence by creating their digital footprints. To register, visit http:// www.shell.com.ph/LiveWIRE. Interested business and enterprise owners are also invited to pre-register for the 2023 Shell LiveWIRE competition.

Roderick L. Abad Experts push ‘new mindset’ for start-upsMSMEs,

BusinessMirrorwww.businessmirror.com.ph

Dioceldo “Deo” Sy is a firm believer that Filipinos deserve nothing but the best. Subscribing to this, he had persevered to make quality yet affordable products and services easily accessible to his countrymen.

In a Special Order signed by DAR Undersecretary for Support Services Atty. Milagros Isabel Cristobal said the course would provide the ARBs with technical guidance and institutional support to sustain their livelihood recovery through product consolidation and collective marketing of their members’ products.

A CCEPTING and honing the potentials of talents—despite cultural, religious, gender, and socio-economic differences—are pivotal in strengthening the business growth of an organization, according to industry leaders.

The menu, judging by the company app introduced a day before the store’s formal opening on Thursday, August 18, would look familiar to any StarbucksStarbuckscustomer.said Thursday it had no comment on the new stores. Seattle-based Starbucks was one of the most visible of the wave of foreign companies that pulled out of Russia or suspended their operations in response to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Others include McDonald’s, IKEA and fast-fashion giant h& M. The departure of these companies was a psychological blow to Russians who had become used to the comforts of Western-style consumer culture. But Russian entrepreneurs saw opportunity in suddenly unoccupied stores. Former McDonald’s outlets are reopening and attracting sizable crowds under the name Vkusno — i Tochka. Though the name doesn’t roll off the tongue easily and is a little awkward to translate (roughly: It’s Tasty—Period), the menu is a testament to imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. Timur Yunusov, a popular rap artist who uses the stage name Timati, and restaurateur Anton Pinskiy partnered to buy the Starbucks assets, then took the imitation strategy a step further by giving the operation an English-language name. At a news conference Thursday, they vowed to reopen all the former Starbucks under their new identity and even expand theThebusiness.UScompany had built its Russian operation to about 130 stores since entering the country in 2007. The stores were owned and operated by a franchisee, Alshaya Group of Kuwait. While the close resemblance of the new operations to their predecessors could be seen as riding someone else’s inspiration and effort, the Starbucks and McDonald’s successors also fit a national-pride concept. Since Russia was walloped by sanctions and foreign pullouts, officials frequently assert that Russia will overcome by relying on its own resources and“Nowenergies.the economic situation is difficult, but this is a time of opportunity,” Oleg Eskindarov, president of the holding company that partnered in the Starbucks deal, told the state news agency Tass. “For the past four months, we have been very actively looking at exiting companies following the example of Starbucks. There are several more similar examples, but we cannot talk about them yet.”

Cristobal said 105 DAR staff and representatives of the various local governments and ARB organizations are set to participate in the course, “a blended activity where simultaneous separate face-to-face sessions will be held in various locations.” Earlier, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. emphasized the importance of better coordination mechanisms between the national and local governments in the area of food supply.

P5.5M awarded to Caraga farmers for agro-fishery project proposals

By Jim Heintz | The Associated Press

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • Wednesday, August 31, 2022 B3

Stars Coffee, anyone? Russian entrep opens Starbucks successor in Moscow

From beauty to IT: Ever Bilena cosmetics maker ventures into wireless technology

RuSSian singer and entrepreneur Timur Yunusov, better known as Timati, drinks coffee at a newly opened Stars Coffee coffee shop in the former location of the Starbucks coffee shop in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, august 18, 2022. a new chain of coffee shops opens Thursday in Moscow, after Yunusov, better known as Timati, together with Russian restaurateur anton Pinskiy bought the Starbucks stores following company’s withdrawal from Russia.

DAR program seeks to transform farmers into agri-entrepreneurs

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

Connectivity in tough times BC Net has been pivotal in giving much-needed signal for communication in devastated areas during some of the biggest calamities in the country—thanks to its being satellite-based.Togetherwith DICT Luzon, it offered free ICT services to include Internet connectivity utilizing VSAT system, free charging and free satellite phone calls for essential communications to Palaweños after typhoon “Odette” (international code name: Rai) late last year. The same services were extended to the victims of typhoon “Rolly” (international code name: Goni) in Catanduanes.Whileit provides free Internet in remote areas, the firm’s core strengths also include Internet connectivity to companies for their offices and sites. It installs Wi-Fi in public places, such as coffee shops, fast food chains, dormitories, hospitals and school buildings, to serve theirAsidecustomers. fromthat, the company also offers voice over Internet platform or VOIP, subscription revenues from Internet customers, prepaid Wi-Fi cards, Internet installation contracts, sale of apps and hardware, and hosting Internet-related service demands.Withhis latest venture, Sy has once again provided a new avenue to ensure that Filipinos are granted the essential services that they deserve.

Starting from just peddling nail polish along the busy streets of Manila, he took inspiration from such humble beginning to establish a locally owned beauty empire called Ever Bilena in 1983. With his reputation for bringing a slew of makeup brands within reach of Filipinos masses, he is often referred to as the father of cosmetics in the Philippines. In just a short span of two years, Sy managed to grow his business into a full cosmetics enterprise with seven brands under its umbrella, hundreds of product variants and retail outlets nationwide. IT leap AMID the success of Ever Bilena— with its fast-expanding portfolio of quality cosmetics—it has remained to be within reach of the consumers.

BUSINESSMAN

Entrepreneur

MOSCOW—People in Moscow who were disappointed when Starbucks closed its coffee shops after Russia sent troops into Ukraine may now feel a caffeine jolt of hope: A nearly identical operation is opening in the capital. The name’s almost the same: Stars Coffee. The logo could be the separated-at-birth twin of the Starbucks mermaid, with flowing hair, a small enigmatic smile and a star atop her head — though instead of a Starbucks crown she wears a Russian headdress called a kokoshnik.

ThE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is embarking on a program to promote agro-enterprise development and transform members of farmers’ organizations intoDARagri-entrepreneurs.SecretaryConrado Estrella III said the initiative also seeks to create a sound marketing strategy to promote farmers’ products, stressing the need to provide agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) the technical know-how in farming as well as in business management to increase their harvests, while developing their confidence in dealing with various establishments for farm inputs and outputs. Estrella said a refresher course for agro-enterprise development has been set for DAR staff and representatives of various local government units and agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations with the end in view of developing a well-coordinated working relationship between and among them. “We need to bring all hands on deck to improve the food supply in the country,” Estrella said.

BusinessMirrorWednesday, August 31, 2022 • Editor: Dennis D. EstopaceB4 www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM

National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon expressed confidence there will be a strong demand for the long tenor. De Leon said she has seen this in the 14-year T-bonds the government issuedForrecently.theother auction days, T-bonds with a 3.5-year tenor will be sold on Santiago F.

THE Marcos administration is set to borrow P200 billion from the local debt market in September.

SBCorp OKs ₧52-M loan to aid OFWs gain income

Exporters seek devt financing for MSMEsSweepstakes office wants documentary stamp tax on lottery tickets cut by 15%

September 6 while 10-year debt papers will be offered on September 13. Meanwhile, 7-year T-bonds will be auctioned off on September 20. In terms of Treasury bills, P15 billion in 91-day, 182-day and 364-day tenors will be offered on each of the four Mondays of the month. In a related development, the Treasury rejected all bids for T-bills on offer as rates rose across the board. Full award of the 91-day, 182day and 364-day T-bills would have fetched average rates of 2.685 percent, 3.561 percent and 4.399 percent, respectively, which were all above the secondary market levels. De Leon said investors asked for higher yields after US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled they would keep interest rates higher for longer to combat inflation. “Full rejection as market asked for higher yields with Powell’s rhetoric higher for longer from [the] Jackson Hole [Economic Symposium],” she“Wesaid.are taking forceful and rapid steps to moderate demand so that it comes into better alignment with supply, and to keep inflation expectations anchored,” Powell said at the symposium sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “We will keep at it until we are confident the job is done.” Locally, inflation in July has hit 6.4 percent, the highest recorded since October 2018’s 6.9 percent. This brings the Philippines’s average inflation from January to July 2022 to 4.7 percent, beyond the government’s target range of 2 to 4 percent for the year. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas recently raised its main benchmark rates by another 50 basis points as it expects the inflation rate to reach 5.4 percent for this year, higher than its previous forecast of 5 percent. Former President Duterte ended his term with the national government’s debt stock soaring to another record-high of P12.79 trillion as of end-June this year as government borrowed more as the economy stalled after imposing mobility restrictions in 2020. This year, the government is set to borrow a total of P2.21 trillion, of which 75 percent would be sourced locally; the remaining 25 percent will come from foreign sources.

A S a diversion, I invite the reader to a brief mental excursion on the concept of risk, more as a by-the-way playful pursuit than a serious examination of cognitive profundities (pardon the pompous phrase). I’ve been reading lately about business risks and risk management, and I’ve come to be reawakened to a “eureka” moment all this time in my business career; everything I do is really risk-taking without taking much thought of it. But I am presented in current business literature with a deluge of risk models, risk frameworks and matrices, risk management tools and so many erudite approaches to risk management—all implying that deliberateness is a cornerstone of making good decisions. The more unnecessarily cluttered my thinking gets in the sense that it could slow down my decisionmaking process. I need to get through the thickets of my mind that has read too many risk theories. Business, we are taught in our schools, is all about decision-making, setting up goals, developing possible future scenarios, deciding which scenario can happen or likely to happen and assessing what risks can derail expectations. Then we apply our efforts to avoid or mitigate these risks so we can achieve our goals. It looks like a neat, rational, hardto-dispute decision-making process. Yet, many of our business decisions we make intuitively without conscious regard to the risks involved because our personal experience tells us those risks won’t probably happen; or those risks are inconsequential in impact. And this attitude has simply trivialized those risks. For if we had to precede every decision with an analysis, we could considerably slow down the running of the business. For example, a large food retail chain might just decide to open a new retail outlet without much agonizing about the risks, because the business has the empirical evidence of past success. Sure, the decision-making could be preceded by the ritual preparation of financial projections and ROIs. But when the business owner or the Big Boss makes the final go-or-no-go decision, it could be just intuitive. For another example, in my first exposure to a bank’s board meeting, when the loan application of a Chinese businessman came up for consideration, a fellow Chinoy who was a director stood up and commented simply: “I know him. He’s all right.” And the loan application was approved forthwith, to the dismay of the Americans who were in the minority in the board. Granting a loan is risk-taking, and in this case, even if we might disagree to its intuitiveness, it was in the least “gut-feel,” if we can make that difference. Even the corner sari-sari store takes day-to-day risks giving credit to its many small-purchase tingi-tingi customers without checking on their individual credit profile. The storeowner probably doesn’t even know where they live, and usually it’s just the kasambahay buying on credit for the amo. The storeowner grants credit to the many suki, and takes the credit risk intuitively. Having said these, I hasten to add that the “momentous” or critical decisions in running the business certainly cannot be left to intuition. That would be foolhardy. What I would share in this conversation is that, indeed, the pursuit of business always involves taking risks, whether you address them intuitively or not. And so I come to the conclusion that persons who cannot take risks should not make Corollarydecisions.tothis, I have also come to the conclusion that business managers, well, all of us, must learn to develop a comfort in embracing the uncertainties of every kind of risk. Without this comfortable feeling, which cannot be faked, the business manager will sooner or later be paralyzed out of the stability of sound management. And yes, being comfortable even in doubt about the future, can be developed. Think about it. There are, of course, approaches to handling the uncertainty of future events by developing methods of decision-making.

The PhilExport official, nonetheless, recognized the role of banks as having the responsibility to their stakeholders. Leong added that PhilExport is also pushing for additional amendments to the Magna Carta for MSMEs and for its extension to another decade. She cited critical provisions in Republic Act 9501 that can be a “gamechanger.”

Amendments LEONG also cited a pending measure that centers on the removal of the regulatory cover of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Small Business Corp., the lending arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The said measure, she added, has been stalled in the Senate.Private sector group the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said in a statement on Monday it is also pushing for the amendment of RAThe9501.Magna Carta for MSMEs recognizes that small and medium scale enterprises have the potential for more employment generation and economic growth and therefore can help provide a self-sufficient industrial foundation for the PhilExportcountry.hopes the bill would get Senate action.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) plans to raise P140 billion through longer-term tenors through Treasury Bonds (T-Bonds) and another P60 billion through Treasury Bills (T-bills).

By Andrea San Juan

Stray notes on risk FinEx FrEE EntErpriSE

Dumlao Jr.

LOCAL micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are in need of development financing to sustain their operations as many merchants remain unable to access affordable credit, an official of the umbrella organization of Philippine exporters said on PhilExportTuesday.Vice President for Advocacy, Communications and Special Concerns Ma. Flordeliza C. Leong said in a forum last Tuesday that while there are capacity-building programs and digital platforms aimed at helping merchants, “these are good; but these are not what MSMEs need.”Leong said at the forum organized by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc. that during the early stage of their business, MSMEs “need hand holding; they need to be spoon-fed” and “they need development financing.” She underscored that there are still MSME members of PhilExport “who complain that they cannot access [funds] because the terms are too difficult for them like requirements.” “They don’t have collateral, which is I think the norm in banks.”Leong added that PhilExport has gradually shifted its advocacy by asking government for traditional assistance for MSMEs. “We now look at government” so that the terms are more lenient and flexible—mey be they wouldn’t require a collateral— ”to bridge the huge gap.”

THE Trade Department’s financing arm Small Business Corp. (SBCorp) announced that as of August 30, it has approved P52 million loans to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) through a lending program it calls “Heroes.” The program aims to help the displaced, repatriated or the returning OFWs to rebuild their lives in the Philippines by helping them start their own business. In addition, SBCorp Board Director Voltaire B. Magpayo said during a televised interview last Tuesday that the microfinancing institution has already received about 100,000 loan applications from OFWs. Magpayo explained the government established the loan facility for OFWs after they were displaced when markets across the world shut down. Remittances from OFWs account for nearly 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Magpayo said that OFWs can avail of loans ranging from P30,000 to P100,000, which he added has a grace“Whenperiod.we say grace period, hindi po sila magbabayad ng interest o principal sa loob ng isang taon at wala po kaming collateral na hinihingi at ang maganda po rito ay walang interest,” he added. [They won’t have to pay interest or the principal for a year. We also don’t require any collateral. And there is no interest on theTheloan.]SBCorp official said applicants need to have a certificate of completion of training issued by the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), scanned copy of their passport, video presentation (applicant will be given guidance during the PTTC training) and business-model canvas for loan amounts beyond P50,000. Magpayo said OFWs who wish to apply for a loan can apply through any Go Negosyo” center nationwide; an online application is also an option. Aside from the “Heroes,” Magpayo said SBCorp also opened a second lending facility for OFWs seeking to expand their businesses. He added there’s also a lending program for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) wherein SBCorp has released P8 billion in loans to about 300,000. Magpayo said SBCorp, government’s microfinancing institution, also offers loans to MSMEs that have capitalization of below P3 million. “We want them to become sustainable at hindi na aasa sa mga dole out o utang sa gobyerno,” he added. [We hope they will no longer rely on dole outs or borrow from government.]

BTr sees strong demand for long tenors

Based on the schedule released by the Treasury on Tuesday, P35 billion worth of T-bonds will be offered for each of the four Tuesdays of the month. The Treasury will be auctioning off 16-year T-bonds on September 27.

Banking&Finance

One would expect that enough management theories have been produced by scholarly research to explain, and they continue to be studied. “Regardless of our methods,” the author Charles Duhigg puts forward, “the goals are the same: to see the future as multiple possibilities rather than one predetermined outcome; to identify what you do and don’t know; to ask yourself, which choice gets you the best odds? Fortune-telling isn’t real. No one can predict tomorrow with absolute confidence. But the mistake some people make is trying to avoid making any predictions because their thirst for certainty is so strong and their fear of doubt too overwhelming.”Duhigggoesfurther to suggest: “How do we learn to make better decisions? In part by training ourselves to think probabilistically. To do that, we must force ourselves to envision various futures—to hold contradictory scenarios in our minds simultaneously—and then expose ourselves to a wide spectrum of successes and failures to develop an intuition about which forecasts are more or less likely to come true.” (Charles Duhigg. (2016). Smarter. Faster. Better. UK p.175) Now, lets get out of the world of business and see how risks play out in some such very major personal decisions like getting married. Will he or she turn out to be a good, loving spouse? Can we live together in peace and compatibility throughout our marriage? Can we keep our promise to stay together in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, till death do us part? Marriage most certainly presents the greatest risk taking in any one’s lifetime decision, yet bride and groom usually don’t see this as a risk, but a beautiful grand opportunity that demolishes any need for rational justification. Perhaps this is the attitude we should have in managing risks in business. Just dream big, and let the enormity and passion of that dream drive you to handle every and any risk that comes your way—because the human spirit will always capacitate the big Amdreamer.Imaking any sense? Serendipitously, as I was ready to submit this article, my wandering fingers scrolled to a Harvard Business School blog, “Working Knowledge,” featuring a book excerpt by Michael Blanding interviewing Joseph L. Badaracco, the John Shad professor of Business Ethics at HBS, who has just come out with a new book, “Managing the Gray: 5 Timeless Questions for Resolving Your Toughest Problems at Work.” In his book, Badaracco quotes Alfred P. Sloan, the brilliant practitioner of business analysis, who wrote in his autobiography, “The final act of business judgment is, of course, intuitive.” But this is tempered intuition, not initial instinct, Badaracco clarifies.

Santiago F. Dumlao Jr., past president of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, is the current Secretary-General of the Association of Credit Rating Agencies in Asia. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the BusinessMirror

“In the last Congress, [the measure already had a committee report at the Lower House] but [at the] Senate, it’s not moving so we’re back to zero,” Leong said. “I hope they use the Committee report version.” As she underscored the importance of this critical provision in the Magna Carta for MSMEs, Leong said “if we pass this, then maybe, within our lifetime, we can achieve that elusive dream of inclusive, sustainable MSME growth, which is really the biggest job generator.” The Magna Carta for MSMEs is proposed to empower SBCorp. with more funds for this type of lending and to facilitate flexible and more lenient terms for MSMEs, according toLeong. Capacity-building AS for capacity-building, she said the PhilExport is continuing to work with the government and the private sector “towards capacity-building.”“It’strueweneed to teach our MSMEs how to build their books, how to be financially literate, how to borrow, how to keep a sound financial or cashflow,” among others. Last month, PhilExport President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. said the government needs to come up with “out-of-the-box” solutions to help small merchants contribute to the economic recoveryOrtiz-Luispath. noted that in order for MSMEs to generate jobs, it has to be spared from the traditional and burdensome lending process that makes these merchants go through a series of steps and fees. The Philexport chief also mentioned that at the height of the mobility restrictions to address the Covid-19 pandemic, numerous small enterprises closed down. Ortiz-Luis added that while SBCorp., the financing arm of the DTI didn’t impose interest rates, it still required payment for a service charge and documentation.Still,Ortiz-Luis stressed that since the SBCorp. is under the supervision of the central bank, it has to follow the rules of lending. Andrea San Juan By Bernadette D. Nicolas @BNicolasBM S TATE- R UN Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) appealed to Congress to bring down the current 20-percent documentary stamp tax rate (DST) imposed on the purchase of lotto tickets to as low as 5 percent, lamenting that the high tax rate reduced their available funds for their medical assistance program (MAP).During a briefing by the House Committee on Appropriations on the proposed 2023 national budget, PCSO Chairman and former Rep. Junie E. Cua said the imposition of the DST tax rate on lottery tickets “substantially reduced” available funds for the MAP, the PCSO’s flagship charity program. Following the enactment of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law (Republic Act 10963) in December 2017, the DST rate was doubled to P0.20 from P0.10 per lotto ticket. In his presentation, Cua said their budget for MAP dropped from P8.6 billion in 2018 to P2.1 billion in 2021 due to the 20-percent DST rate. Likewise, the number of MAP beneficiaries in 2018 declined from 528,190 individuals in 2018 to 272,130 individuals in 2021. For the first half of this year, the PCSO’s budget for MAP stood at P850 million, benefitting only 110,403 individuals.“Infact, we would like to seek the support of Congress to reduce it to 5 percent so that we will be at par with the tax levied on Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.]; Pagcor is levied only 5 percent. And yet it does not have the mandate that is required of us,” Cua said. “We are supposed to use our funds to support medical assistance program with the national government while Pagcor does not have that kind of mandate.”Basedon their latest estimates, Cua said they are expecting their net charity fund next year to reach P16.4 billion. However, the bulk of which 9P11.15 billion) will go to the 20 percent DST while their MAP will only get P1.39 billion. The remaining balance of the projected net charity fund will go to their mandatory contributions (P2.36 billion), Small Town Lottery Charity Fund Share (P982.7 million) and equipment lease rental (P499.7 million). Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee already endorsed for plenary approval the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation (Pifita) or Package 4 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP), which included a provision on reducing the DST rate from P0.20 to P0.10. For the first semester of this year, Cua also reported that their ticket sales have reached P25.92 billion, surging by 32.15 percent from P19.61 billion a year ago on the back of the full reopening of thePCSOeconomy.isaiming to hit P46.1 billion in ticket sales this year and P55.78 billion next year. To further enhance revenue generation, Cua said they are eyeing commercialized operation of a customized PCSO lottery system for five years, digital selling and marketing of PCSO lotteries using mobile phones and personal computing devices and development and test run of new entertaining games using digital platforms.

By Kristen Lucken Brandeis University

PHOTO BY UNSPLASHGOODMANJASONON

Is your team leaving you?

SUMMER vacations are coming to an end though not everyone took one. Under federal law, US companies aren’t required to offer a single paid vacation day, compared to the at least 20 required in the European Union. About 1 in 4 US workers don’t receive any, and even among those who do, few make full use of them. More than half leave at least some vacation days untouched, and almost 1 in 5 say they feel guilty leaving the office, according to a 2019 survey by Priceline. Americans in lower income brackets are less likely to get away on vacation—a particular concern this summer, with food and gas prices high. This no-break culture has real consequences for physical, mental and spiritual health. A 2014 Gallup poll found that taking regular vacations with family and friends is linked to a higher sense of well-being, regardless of one’s income. Activities that lead to an improved sense of well-being are positively associated with improved health and productivity. The importance of getting away from it all isn’t just backed up by contemporary research, though. As a scholar who studies the sociology of religion, I know that religious practices have long emphasized rest and contemplation, which not only improve a person’s mental and physical health, but can also boost a sense of spiritual well-being. And escaping the busyness of everyday life does not have to drain one’sThewallet.Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam view a day of rest each week as a sacred right and responsibility of believers. The traditional Jewish Shabbat offers a 24-hour period beginning at sundown on Friday when the busyness of everyday life halts. Participants gather to worship, share a meal, study and pray. Similarly, practicing Muslims celebrate their holy day on Fridays. This is a time when Muslims step away from work to attend a midday jumah, a prayer service at a local mosque, where imams offer sermons on a range of intellectual, spiritual and practical topics and lead congregations in prayer. Although attendance numbers are declining, many Christians observe the holy Sabbath on Sundays through church attendance, communal worship, music and the sharing of the Eucharist, when Christians consecrate and consume bread and wine representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The Christian Sabbath represents a time to rest, pray, worship and spend time with family. Through the practice of meditation, religious traditions quiet the senses to achieve a mindset of rest that they believe brings about heightened consciousness. Hindus, Buddhists and Jains teach the concept of dhyana, which generally translates to “contemplation.” Through yoga, meditation and other contemplative practices, practitioners can achieve a state of meditative consciousness and self-awareness that can lead to better mental, physical and spiritual health. Religions emphasize the need for rest and quiet reflection so our overcluttered minds can focus on prayer and other contemplative practices. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul discusses how cultivating the “fruit of the spirit” through prayer and contemplation moves us toward patience and away from Buddhistsegocentrism.believethat quieting the mind through meditation can help people recognize that their feelings, perceptions, worldviews and even the self are impermanent features of life that can cause suffering. It can also help people contemplate their connectedness to the world around them. Rest and contemplation help connect religious people with the deeper sources of meaning they seek to cultivate through scriptural study, meditation and prayer. As the American Trappist monk Thomas Merton explains in his 1948 autobiographical book The Seven Storey Mountain contemplation is a time of rest, the suspension of activity and a “withdrawal into the mysterious interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the immense and fruitful silence of God.”Medical science has become religion’s unexpected partner in confirming the benefits generated by these religiousResearcherspractices.have found an association between downtime, learning and creativity. Sleep, nature walks and exercise offer a number of life-enhancing benefits, including improved memory, productivity and physical health. Recent advances in neuroimaging technologies have allowed researchers to observe brain changes during times of intense prayer, yoga and mindfulness meditation. Scientific evidence suggests that engaging in these practices may lead to improved health and well-being. A broad range of clinical studies note that regular meditation can physically alter the brain and how it responds to the world. For instance, these practices have been found to transform the brain’s neural pathways and create new neurological networks that can lead to improved health and well-being.Research on the practices of Japanese and Chinese Buddhist monks reveals benefits for physical and mental health. Furthermore, active meditations, such as yoga, qi gong and tai chi, are found to increase a sense of well-being through the regulation of mood and the reduction in anxiety andIfdepression.youcan’tbreak away from work this summer, you can still improve your physical, mental and spiritual health by taking time to rest, exercise, sleep, meditate or pray. Think of these practices as mini “staycations” that allow us to vacate our minds of stress and worry while improving our wellbeing. CONVERSATION

Editor:

ONE of the common challenges that organizations face is retaining their top talents. When this happens, some organizations instinctively focus on gimmicks and programs to stop their people from resigning, but these employees eventually leave. These organizations fail to effectively identify why their talents leave, or rely heavily on engagement tactics that do not work at all because these do not address the workplace issues their employees face. When it comes to something as complex as maintaining workforce engagement, you need to look at all the indicators that point to whether your team is in it for the long haul, or are they packing their bags to leave. Attrition rate, or how fast people leave the organization, is just one indicator of engagement. If you have an exit interview, it is easier to discover the common reasons why people leave. Information from the interview will help you generate strategies and programs to retain your existing talent. If their reason for leaving is a core value or desired culture in the organization, you can use it as a screening question for incoming applicants to ensure culture fit with the organization.Anothercommon tool for measuring engagement are organization climate surveys. While this is the most comprehensive and widely used tool to measure engagement, it can be time-consuming and, if not done properly, can yield conflicting results. If done by Human Resources, there is a tendency for the results to be tweaked based on what the management wants to hear. To be truly objective, it needs to be done by a disinterested third party to ensure the results are interpreted impartially. Of course this needs to be validated by focus group discussions and interviews, but a third party can provide better recommendations and solutions because of their lack of familiarity and bias with the people in the organization. Another common engagement indicator is your team’s absences. When people frequently do not show up for work, this could be an indicator that they do not find their work fulfilling or rewarding. Worse, they are absent because they are looking for new work. Absenteeism can affect not just the performance of the absentee, but also the team members who have to take on more work to make up for lost manpower. On the other hand, you should also be on the lookout for how many of the vacation leaves are used by your team. Unutilized vacation leaves can also be an indication that a team is overworked to the point that they could not take a vacation, or they have bosses who do not know how to manage their workload and time well. When your team does not take the time to rest and avail of their leaves, they lose the chance to regenerate and be exposed to other experiences which can help them think critically and creatively.Which brings us to your team’s productivity. As a people manager, you have your own way of measuring your team’s output whether you are using a people analytics app or by closely monitoring your team’s deliverables. Changes in productivity can be caused by factors other than disengagement, like the lack of tools or training. But these should be addressed as soon as possible because these could contribute to your team’s lack of engagement and motivation later on. When your team’s productivity is taking a dip, find out why as soon as you can. You can also look at your onboarding program for new hires. If it is difficult to retain new hires in the first 90 days, you might want to invest in an onboarding program. If you do have an onboarding program, ask how many were regularized and chose to stay in the organization after the probation period. The first 90 days are crucial in the engagement of new employees because it will determine how well they have adjusted to their new role. And even if they did finish their probation period, this is not a guarantee that they will stay because by then, other factors would have affected their engagement. But this will disengage.

Another key indicator for engagement is how many have been promoted internally. A key factor in a team’s engagement is the availability of a professional development plan. A review of your organization’s succession planning and how many of your top performers are promoted indicates the level of your team’s engagement. While external hires can provide a fresh perspective and new ways of working, this could also frustrate and discourage existing employees who are eyeing the position. Also, hiring external applicants indirectly tells your team that no one is ready to take on the role, which in turn indicates your lack of succession planning or poor mentoring skills. When available, read online company reviews or even mentions in social media. These will give you an idea how current and past employees view the organization, and provide insights on what previous and present employees feel about the organization.

n USE ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLIANCES. If you can’t switch to solar yet, you can look for appliances that use less electricity. You can get inverter air conditioners or refrigerators and check any product’s energy-efficiency factor (EEF) number, which is usually on a yellow sticker. You can also get a smart plug, which can be programmed to turn off an appliance when it is on standby. The mall chain has been designed to be both energy- and water-efficient. It uses LED lighting systems which amounts to 50 percent energy savings, and sensor-activated escalators which save another 30 percent. The skylights, green walls and windows also make full use of natural light.

n FIND WAYS TO REDUCE THE USE OF GASOLINE. Gasoline prices are at an all-time high, so budget-savvy Filipinos are turning to cheaper (and greener) forms of transportation, such as riding the bike and carpooling. Aside from saving money, it prevents air pollution and has lower carbon emissions. SM Supermalls has long supported the use of environment-friendly transportation, with dedicated bike lanes, hundreds of bike racks, vending machines and service repair stations. It also has produced Biker’s Safety Videos and Manuals which you can download from bit. ly/3Kt2hj4. Moreover, the chain has also deployed the country’s first in-mall free charging stations for e-vehicles in SM Aura Premier, SM City North Edsa, SM Mall of Asia, and SM Megamall.

n SEGREGATE YOUR TRASH. Segregating biodegradables and recyclables helps lower the amount of trash that goes into landfills, which affect the health of the nearby communities and can also contaminate the soil and water supply. Landfills also emit methane, nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide, which contribute to global warming.

Popular leisure chain embraces clean energy

HOW does the country’s biggest mall chain conserve water and electricity? SM Supermalls has implemented many measures to be more energy-efficient and make better use of natural resources in order to protect the environment. You can adopt some of their ideas into your own home to save money and the planet.

• Wednesday, August 31, 2022 B5 Image BusinessMirrorwww.businessmirror.com.ph

n COLLECT RAINWATER. Water is a valuable resource. That’s why SM malls have rainwater catchments to harvest rainwater, especially in flood-prone areas, which serves the double purpose of conserving water and helping its communities to stay safe and flood-free. At home, you can collect rainwater in large barrels for gardening or cleaning the floors. There are many guides you can find online that can teach you how to save rainwater. See bit. ly/3e6rbJ3.

All these measures are part of SM Supermalls’ commitment to protecting the planet. “SM has always strived to nurture and give back to all the communities we serve. That includes creating a greener, safer environment,” says Steven T. Tan, SM Supermalls president. “Through our programs, we also hope to make it easier for people to make eco-friendly choices in everyday life. The Green Movement is not just about what SM does within the malls, but what we can do together as a community.”

At the end of the day, all these indicators need to be validated by the collective experience of the organization to validate results and should be used to generate projects and programs that address the root cause of the disengagement. Some organizations think that the solution to any engagement issue is to have events and give corporate giveaways when, in fact, employees need better benefits or working conditions. You need to discover the best combination of engagement indicators given the nature of your organization, and then develop the right combination of activities, benefits and rewards to keep your team n Gerard Ramos

n SWITCH TO SOLAR PANELS. Traditional electricity production uses thousands of liters of water each year for cooling generators, and fossil fuels release harmful gases that pollute the air and contribute to global warming. SM Supermalls is using solar energy as part of its commitment to sustainability. Mall of Asia was the first Philippine mall to use rooftop solar decks. Now, these are used in 10 of its malls, with plans to install 50 more over the next few years. Currently, the mall chain is sourcing around 68 percent of its energy from renewable sources, which has helped reduce energy consumption by 28 percent, and carbon emissions by 31 percent. Home solar panels are now becoming more affordable, and with the money you save on electricity bills, these eventually pay for themselves. You can also start with small changes, like switching to outdoor solar lights or solar water heaters.

THE

You can make informed decisions on retention programs that can be sustained, and which ones need to beOnestopped.indicator you can include in the engagement survey is the Employee Net Promoter Score, which asks the respondents to answer, “How likely are you to recommend working at our company to a friend or a colleague?” and then a Likert scale of up to 10, with 10 being most likely. You can tally the scores with those answering 9 and 10 as Promoters, 7 and 8 as neutral, and 6 below as detractors. This will give you an idea of how your workforce perceives the organization generally, and how engaged they are with their work and their work environment.

Getting away from it all is good for the mind, body and spirit

AY Foundation, Inc. and JCI Manila awards two winners for Saint Teresa of Calcutta Awards

“Hunger is depriving a generation of Filipino children of their rights and heavily impacts their growth and development. The role of the private sector and corporate partners, as well as institutional donors, is ever expanding. Your support and active participation are crucial in accelerating progress for children and creating a lasting change in their lives,” said Atty. Albert Muyot, CEO, Save the Children Philippines. In 2021, Save the Children Philippines was able to reach 4.4 million individuals, including children, through its health and nutrition, education, protection, and humanitarian work in 15 regions in the Philippines.

TMP first vice president for Vehicle Logistics Aimee Josephine Lopez said the BOC has always been crucial in supporting the local automotive industry and TMP in its commitment to deliver quality products and services to Toyota customers. “Process automation initiatives as well as the highly reliable port personnel continue to support Toyota’s operations through efficient customs processing and timely release of shipments,” Lopez added.

One of the highly-esteemed humanitarian awards in the country, STCA has been an annual project of the AY Foundation, Inc. (AYF) and the Junior Chamber International Manila (JCI Manila) since 1983. STCA seeks to celebrate lay individuals who have selflessly dedicated at least 25 years of their lives to humanitarian work for underprivileged Filipinos.

Angela Maria “Beth” Luna Pangan was named the 38th STCA awardee for 2021, while Consuelo Misa Balbero was recognized as the 39th STCA awardee for 2022. Both awardees were commended for their steadfast commitment to children’s welfare and protection.

NOT once, not twice, but thrice! MR D.I.Y. has done it again. The largest home improvement retailer has been named Frost & Sullivan’s 2022 Company of the Year in the Malaysia Home Improvement Retail Industry. In 2020, MR D.I.Y. was accorded the Market Leadership Award, and in 2021, for the very first time, the Company of the Year Award. A research and consulting firm, Frost & Sullivan takes a meticulous and stringent approach when selecting the nominees in each award category, making a detailed evaluation across two key dimensions – visionary innovation & performance, and customer impact. The firm’s Company of the Year Award is its top honor that recognizes visionary innovation, market-leading performance, and unmatched customer care through its Best Practices Award analysis.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022B6

NORFIL is a nonprofit organization that helps neglected, abandoned, or disabled children gain access to basic services, shelter, and rehabilitation programs. Under her leadership, NORFIL holds a Community-based Inclusive Development Program for Children and Youth with Disability, facilitates Department of Social Welfare and Development-licensed foster home programs and adoptions, and has counseled and housed abused, unwed pregnant mothers. Eighty-nine-year-old Beth has been involved in social service for 38 years and continues to do so. The 39th STCA awardee, Consuelo Misa Balbero, heads the child caring agency Kanlungan sa Er-Ma Ministry, Inc. (KSEM) as its administrator and executive director. Her direction and passion for upholding children’s rights and protecting the youth

Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria’s Xin Tian Di is World Luxury Restaurant Awards Nominee for Best Chinese Cuisine

A Chinese dining custom can also be experienced in Xin Tian Di as you sample the famed Dim Sum Unlimited, a scrumptious lunch buffet that offers over 60 selections of Dim Sum variety from noodles, rice, vegetarian dumplings, desserts and more. Truly, Xin Tian Di is the perfect place to experience and savor the flavors of China.

T HE World Luxury Restaurant Awards is a recognized global organization that provides luxury restaurants with recognition for providing top quality cuisine combined with excellent service, in the luxury restaurant industry. This year, Xin Tian Di at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria is recognized as one of the nominees together with distinguished restaurants around the globe.

AY Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of the Yuchengco Group of Companies.

SAVE the Children Philippines held a partners’ day at Sheraton Manila Hotel, the official event venue partner, to recognize the valuable role of its corporate and institutional donors, gift-in-kind donors and media agencies for their commitment to uplift the lives of Filipino children most impacted by inequality and discrimination – from raising awareness on issues faced by children to generously funding and supporting the programs of Save the Children.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Jerrold Ong - JCI Manila Commissioner, Dir. Carlo Manuel V. Delantar - JCI Manila Director for Business and Development, Sen. Ramon Sevilla Bagatsing Jr - JCI Manila Senator & Ambassador of the Philippines to India, Jaime E. Barlizo - JCI Manila Executive Vice President of JCI Manila, Consuelo M. Balbero - Kanlungan sa ErMa Ministry, Inc., Angela Maria Pangan - President and Founder of NORFIL Foundation, Helen Y. Dee - Chairman of AY Foundation & Yuchengco Group of Companies, Yvonne S. Yuchengco - AY Foundation Trustee, Vice Chairperson of Malayan Insurance, Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea - AY Foundation Trustee, President of Mapua Institute of Technology, Paolo Luigi H. Balinas - JCI Manila Vice President of Internal Affairs, Keon Kester Chioa - JCI Manila Commissioner have enabled KSEM to reach out to abused and homeless children. At 69 years old, Consuelo continues to spearhead programs that extend essential needs like education, food, shelter, and protection to at-risk or indigent youngsters. Her 38 years of welfare work have allowed her to impact thousands of marginalized and maltreated youth. STCA is a recognition program dedicated to the late St. Teresa of Calcutta. St. Teresa was known worldwide as the ‘Living Saint” because of her selfless humanitarian work and ideals that inspired many to follow in her footsteps, which led to her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

D.I.Y., Narciso Podda, Director of Frost & Sullivan, said “MR D.I.Y.’s market leadership is highly fragmented home improvement retail industry remains unchallenged with its attractive value proposition for consumers, business scale, and internal operational efficiencies. This top-of-mind brand fulfils consumer needs for affordable home improvement products, complementing value for money with shopping convenience. With more stores and new store formats opening across the country, the company will continue driving innovation and overall industry growth, as reflected in its revenue growth that outperforms the industry average.”

T HE Saint Teresa of Calcutta Award (STCA) has announced the 2021 and 2022 winners of the distinguished Philippine-based humanitarian awards after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

IN PHOTO are (from left) TMP first vice president for comptrollership Dennis Ben-hur Escuro, TMP first vice president for vehicle logistics Aimee Josephine Lopez, and BOC-POB district collector Atty. Ma. Rhea Gregorio during the BOC-POB’s 65th Founding Anniversary event held in Batangas City.

Announcing the achievement, MR D.I.Y. Senior Marketing Manager Mark Charles Salecina said, “We are proud to be accorded this award by Frost & Sullivan for the third time in as many years. This is indeed great recognition of the work that we do every day, and it also demonstrates that we continue to stay relevant to our customers with our promise of ‘Always Low Prices.’ We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this award without the passion, commitment, and loyalty of our employees nationwide, as well as the trust and confidence of our business partners, suppliers, and friends. This award goes out to them.”

One of the event’s highlights was when guests were served with a small portion of rice and kropek (fish crackling), a typical meal of the children in Samar. This experience was a glimpse of reality to the 3.4 million Filipino families who experience hunger.

Frost & Sullivan accords MR D.I.Y. “ Company of the Year” award for the 2nd year in a row

T OYOTA Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP) was recently recognized as the second top importer by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) - Port of Batangas (POB) for the period January to July 2022. The country’s largest automotive and mobility company remitted to the government a total of P16.46 billion in the form of duties and taxes. The amount is the second highest collected by the POB, contributing to the Port’s higher revenue performance versus the same period last year. TMP works closely with the POB for the importation of automotive products including various Toyota and Lexus vehicle models, multi-sourced parts for production, and service parts from the Asia Pacific region. Moreover, the POB serves as a major gateway for TMP’s distribution of automotive products to Toyota dealerships in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. With the establishment of the 32-hectare TMP Batangas Vehicle Center (BVC), TMP processes the completely-built-up units (CBU) arriving from the nearby POB at a higher capacity and level of efficiency. While it is equipped with state-ofthe-art facilities and global Toyota standards and systems, the BVC’s proximity advantage contributes to quality assurance and sustainability.

“Save the Children cannot do it alone. The government, civil society groups and NGOs, communities, children and their families, and of course, the private sector including your respective companies, need to work together to put an end to child hunger in the Philippines. We need a whole-of-nation approach,” said Ms. Universe Charity Pauline Amelinckx. Mars-Wrigley Foundation, Cargill, and Sony Corporation were awarded with the Grant Funding Merit for providing support that enabled Save the Children to conceptualize and implement longer term projects from start to Corporatecompletion.Fundraisers, Marriott Worldwide Business Councils Philippines, Real Asset Management, and Atlassian were granted with the Corporate Fundraiser Merit for funding and supporting Save the Children Philippines’ health, education, protection, and humanitarian work. The Campaign Merit Award was awarded to Micro Focus, Axa Asia & Africa, and Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., for providing creative resources to the organization to effectively raise awareness in campaigns such as #SavetheChildrenfromHunger.QBEFoundation,Shein,and Prudence Foundation were granted the Emergency Response Merit award for assisting in Super Typhoon Odette Response in Bohol, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte. Netsuite, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., and Robinsons Handyman Inc., provided essential and strategic resources for Save the Children Philippines’ programs allowing the organization to increase its support to affected children and their families. GMA Network, Business Mirror, and ABSCBN were awarded with Media Merit for their important work in raising public awareness on the issues, challenges, and situation of Filipino children and their families. “Because of your unwavering support we have a new generation of children who are better prepared to meet present and future challenges,” said Mike Novell, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Save the Children Philippines.Theevent showcased an interactive exhibit of products and services of Save the Children and its partners. Actor Adrian Lindayag graced the event with a special performance.

Save the Children Philippines and partners commemorate lifesaving work for and with children, pushes for zero hunger

“We have come a long way since we opened our first store in 2005 in Malaysia and in 2018 in the Philippines. We commit to creating innovative retail experiences that capture the imagination of our valued customers, to always deliver value, and to serve our communities so that we positively impact lives,” added Salecina Commenting on its recognition of MR

Inspired by the vision of it's founder, Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco, the AYF has grown into an organization that undertakes pro-poor and developmental programs nationwide such as scholarships, national discipline and community service awards, health programs, relief operations, among others.

Angela Maria “Beth” Luna Pangan, the 38th STCA winner, is president and chair of the NORFIL Foundation.

The restaurant has an opulent ambiance, designed with rich colors and decor blending traditional and modern Chinese aesthetics. The whole area is spacious and can accommodate large crowds at a time, ideal for business travelers and families looking for a sumptuous treat.

Toyota Motor Philippines is one of Port of Batangas’ top revenue contributors

MR D.I.Y. has commandeered several major accolades over its 17-year history, including being inducted into the FTSE4Good Index, being recognised as Brand of the Year for four consecutive years by the World Branding Awards, being listed in the Deloitte Malaysia Best Managed Companies Awards 2021 in Retail Category. For more information about MR D.I.Y., visit mrdiy.com, Facebook, and Instagram.

Authentic Chinese Flavor is the essence of Xin Tian Di (New Heaven and Earth in English). Among its long list of specialties is the signature aromatic roast duck - known for its succulent meat encased in crisp skin cooked with state-of-the-art duck oven technology.

A GUEST looking at the interactive exhibit of the products and services of Save the Children and its partners.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022Editor: Tet Andolong B7BusinessMirror

ESG

SuStainability

Manta Corporate plaza, a building designed as a modern “bahay na bato”

I N t oday’s fast-paced world, find ing time and spaces to protect one’s well-being has become a bigger priority for many. It would be ideal to find a home that also serves as a sanctuary that nurtures one’s physical and mental health while also being in a comfortable range to still be close to life’s essentials. Enter RLC Residences’ Woodsville Crest, a nature-inspired develop ment in Parañaque which offers an inviting opportunity for residents to find a haven they can call home. “We built and designed Woodsville Crest on the idea that disconnecting from the daily rush and spending more time with their loved ones are now a bigger priority among many people. With that, we want to make this ideal lifestyle more accessible by offering special deals,” says RLC Residences Head of Marketing and Chief Inte gration Officer Karen Cesario. Serene living now made within reach WO ODSVILLE C rest lets its resi dents enjoy a daily retreat without leaving the complex. With its re freshing swimming pools, a peace ful jog trail surrounded by landscape areas, a gym with a scenic view, and a well-designed clubhouse filled with amenities, basking in nature’s beauty is only a few paces away from home. At the same time, stepping back into the city is no hassle at all. With Oak and Pine launched to the pub lic as the first two buildings of this development, Woodsville Crest is located within Merville, Parañaque, which makes it close to major roads and highways that lead to top-tier schools and hospitals, favorite malls, and the central business districts in Alabang, Makati, and BGC. Living this idyllic lifestyle has now been made more affordable by RLC Residences, because home seek ers can avail of a studio type unit for as low as P11,400/month. Mean while, 1-bedroom units are available for as low as P17,000/month and 2-bedroom apartments go for as low as P31,000/month.Potentialbuyersmay also take ad vantage of several limited-time dis counts.

THE environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy is the response of the property sector towards building and developing a sustainable future.

A 4% introductory discount may be availed by early birds when purchasing a unit in the Woodsville Crest Oak which launched in Novem ber 2021, while a 5% discount comes when securing a place in Woodsville Crest Pine, which aunched only in February of this year. Previous RLC Residences buyers are also entitled to a 0.5% loyalty discount. “With these special deals, there’s really no better time to start the journey towards owning your own sanctuary in the South but now.” encourages Cesario. “We invite you, to take this opportunity to come home and invest for your future at WoodsvilleInterestedCrest.”individuals may learn more about Woodsville Crest by se curing a slot in the upcoming Hom evestment: An Online Property Preview by RLC Residences this September 17, 2022 at 2 p.m. Con nect with a Property Specialist today through rlcresidences.com and follow RLC Residences’ Facebook and Ins tagram pages for more information.

hElpinG

LiMiteD tiMe offeRS foR natuRe Loving hoMe SeekeRS

Jeg tower @ o ne acacia is leading the way in promoting eco-friendly modes of transport among its occupants by allocating space for bike racks and parking spaces for Low-emission fue l-efficient (Lefe) vehiclesMobi L e access is designed to meet the eSg r equirements

SMDC openS now ReSiDenCeS ShowRooM anD offiCe in paMpanga

SM Development Corporation (SMDC) solidifies its presence in Pampanga with the opening of the Now Residences Showroom and Office last Thursday, August 18, in SM City Clark Pampanga. Now Residences is a mid-rise residential garden community in the first-class, highly progressive city of Angeles, seen to provide residents with a luxurious, sustainable, and fulfill ingLlifestyle.eadingthe blessing and inaugu ration of the Now Residences Show room and Office (from left) are: De partment of Human Settlements and Urban Development Regional Direc tor Felix Brazil Jr., SMDC President Jose Mari Banzon, Angeles City May or Carmelo G. Lazatin Jr., and Vice M ayor Vicenta L. Vega-Cabigting.

Alex Tan, Commercial Director, Physical Access Control Solutions, Asean, HID Global told the Busi nessMirror that ESG has become a top agenda for organizations worldwide coupled with the shift of changing buyer behavior and preferences. “Thus, organizations should aspire to take a proactive role in embracing every aspect of ESG, using recent development on environmental standards when implementing a solution or devel oping a product,” he said. As a contactless solution, mo bile access is designed to meet the ESG requirements as it’s a sus tainable solution in the long run. Moreover, Tan said contactless so lutions such as mobile access will be the current and future trend for smart cities and commercial build ings. “We foresee a large number of developers in the Philippines who are keen to follow the trends and best practices of other developing countries.” Heurged organizations to take a proactive role in embracing ev ery aspect of ESG, using recent development on environmental standards when implementing a solution or developing a product. Mobile ac cess as a contactless solution is designed to meet the ESG require ments as it’s a sustainable solution in the long run. Shaping the workplace of the future S A RMIENTO R ealty-controlled JEG Realty is responding to the call of ESG by developing the JEG Tower @ One Acacia, the pioneer ing green, leadership in engineer ing and environmental design (LEED) Gold-certified office and retail high-rise development in CebuMarkoCity. Sarmiento, president of JEG Realty, outlined six sustain ability features of JEG Tower @ One Acacia by putting more emphasis on the need to create healthier and more sustainable workspaces. First, JEG Realty promotes green transportation. He said JEG Tower @ One Acacia stands at the forefront of promoting ecofriendly modes of transport among its occupants by allocating space for bike racks and parking spaces for LowEmission Fuel-Efficient (LEFE) vehicles. “Allemployees are encouraged to own a bike to live a healthier lifestyle and reduce carbon foot prints,” Sarmiento said. Moreover, JEG Tower @ One Acacia has also a green roof to provide office employees a relaxing space that features endemic flora and fauna, which can help bolster humidity levels to the 30%–60% range required for human health. Sarmiento said JEG Tower @ One Acacia is pioneering the use of solar power in Cebu to limit the production of greenhouse gases and reduce operational costs. It also entered into a 20-Year Power Purchase Agreement with COREn ergy for a Zero Cash-Out solar photovoltaics (PV) plant. “The development utilizes a 40 kWp Solar PV System from over 100 pieces of Polycrystalline PV Modules installed on the build ing crown,” explained Sarmiento. “JEG Tower @ One Acacia prom ises around 32% reduced water usage by employing a rainwater collection system and low plumb ing fixtures. This can also reduce utility costs,” Sarmiento added. It is also equipped with 100 percent backup power that can runSarmiento24-7. pointed out JEG Tower @ One Acacia prioritizes proper waste disposal and recy cling. It collects and stores waste materials for recycling, which are redirected back to the manufactur ing process and appropriate recla mation sites. Lower carbon footprint AYALA L and Inc.’s mixed-use de velopment project Arca South’s strategic location is attracting many locators from the different locations in Metro Manila as it will help in reducing the carbon foot print of the employees. “As an office location, Arca South appeals to companies in many ways. After the pandemic, companies have increasingly con sidered the location of their offices vis-à-vis where employees live. Aside from being a low-density area, Arca South’s close proximity to the airport, key thoroughfares, and the residential areas of Taguig and Parañaque makes it an attrac tive option for occupiers,” Monica Gonzalez, Santos Knight Frank Director of Occupier Strategy and Solutions said. Arca South recently launched the 14-story grade A office build ing called Manta Corporate Plaza. Manta will host 12 floors of office and two levels of retail spaces, in cluding 5 basement parking floors, with a building management capa ble of supporting 24/7 operations. Gonzalez said Manta Corporate Plaza, developed by Manta Equi ties Inc. will be a modern adapta tion of the “Bahay Na Bato.”

propErty SEctor to achiEvE

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

RLC ReSiDenCeS’ wooDSviLLe CReSt pReSentS

W hat memory will stick with her the most from the evening?“When I walked out, the reception was really overwhelming. It was loud and I could feel it in my chest. It was a really good feeling,” said the owner of six US Open championships and 23 Grand Slam titles overall, numbers unsurpassed by any other player in the sport’s professional era. “ It’s a feeling I’ll never forget,” she added. “Yeah, that meant a lot to me.” Th is opening outing against Kovinic, a 27-year-old from Montenegro ranked 80th, became an event with a capital “E.” Spike Lee participated in the pre-match coin toss. Former President Bill Clinton was in the stands. So were Mike Tyson and Martina Navratilova, sitting next to each other. And sitting with Dad and Grandma was Williams’s daughter, Olympia, who turns 5 on Thursday, wearing white beads in her hair just like Mom did while winning the US Open for the first time at age 17 back in 1999. W illiams is now 40, and told the world three weeks ago via an essay for Vogue that she was ready to concentrate on having a second child and her venture capital firm. A sked after her victory Monday whether this will definitively be her final tournament, Williams replied with a knowing smile: “Yeah, I’ve been pretty vague about it, right?” Then she added: “I’m going to stay vague, because you never know.” The night session drew 29,000 folks, a high for the tournament— more than 23,000 were in Ashe, thousands more watched on a video screen outside the arena—and the place was as loud as ever. Certainly louder than any other first-round match in memory. B oth players called the decibel level “crazy.” Kovinic said she couldn’t hear the ball come off Williams’s racket strings—or even her own. E arly, Williams was not at her best. Maybe it was the significance of the moment. There were doublefaults. Other missed strokes, missed opportunities. She went up 2-0, but then quickly trailed 3-2. Then, suddenly, Williams, looked a lot like the champion she’s been for decades and less like the player who came into this match with a 1-3 record since returning to action in late June after nearly a year off the tour. “At this point, honestly, everything is a bonus for me, I feel,” Williams said. “It’s good that I was able to get this under my belt.... I’m just not even thinking about that. I’m just thinking about just this moment. I think it’s good for me just to live in the moment now.” S he rolled through the end of that opening set, capping it with a service winner she reacted to with clenched fists and her trademark cry of “Come on!” That was met with thunderous cheers and applause—as was the ending of the one-hour and 40-minute contest, as if another trophy had been earned.

nationalsTaekwondoup T HE

S TRUCTURES ticking down the time to the historic event were unveiled in co-host countries Philippines, Japan and Indonesia with less than a year to go until the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. The countdown clocks sponsored by Tissot will not only stand as remind ers to how long before the global meet from August 25 to September 10 next year, but will also symbolize the unified determination of the three nations serving as first-ever co-hosts. Together with our co-hosts, we are so happy to have you join us as we officially begin the countdown to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023,” said Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan at the activation of the Manila Tissot countdown clock at SM by the Bay last Saturday. We have put our hearts and minds into the all the preparations,” Pangilinan said. “Let’s continue working together to make FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 happen, and happen successfully.”Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio thanked the support that the LOC is receiving. Co-hosting an international event of this magnitude is truly an honor, and at the same time, a huge challenge,” Panlilio said. “But it is also an opportunity to showcase our country, our culture, and our people.” A lso present were Philippine Olym pic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, FIBA President Hamane Niang and Secretary General Andreas Zaklis, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Chairman Richard Car rion and Executive Director David Crocker, SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios and Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director of SM Prime Holdings Hans Sy. Tissot countdown clocks were also activated in Okinawa in Japan and Jakarta in Indonesia. The activation of the Manila Tissot countdown clock was punctuated by a spectacular drone show and elaborate fireworks display, as well as a performance from popular rock band 6cyclemind. Two days prior, the one year-to-go milestone was celebrated in the Philippines by introducing ambassadors who will be tasked to re-emphasize the global meet’s message of working together.“ThePhilippines has not hosted a basketball tournament of this magnitude. We have called on all stakeholders to do their part in making this a successful event. As such, we have tapped local ambassadors who will collaborate with FIBA global, Japanese, and Indonesian ambassadors to continue boosting our message worldwide,” said SBP Vice President Ricky Vargas in the press conference at the TV5 Media Center. Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and the Gilas Pilipinas team that competed in the 2013 FIBA Asia Cup and then the 2014 FIBA World Cup were named as Philippine ambassadors who will get their kababayans excited not only to see their national team in action, but also to show their hospitality as hosts. I think pride overflows from our kababayans when we see each other excel. It reminds me of the feeling I felt when I represented our country, and now I’m given this chance to also encourage our countrymen to express their support, it gives me so much pride and joy,” said Gray, who is one of the more notable and newsworthy pageant winners in recent history. We’re very happy and honored to be part of this. When we were playing back in 2014 in the World Cup, a lot of these guys in the current team were cheering for us. It’s now our turn to give back and show them our support,” LA Tenorio said.

A nd do you know that several hundreds more were refused entry not only due to overcapacity issues but—hold your breath—also because of tight security measures as President Marcos Jr. came in unannounced? L et’s call a spade a spade but the President’s gesture spoke volumes of how a country’s supreme leader should show support to our national athletes out to do battle on the global stage. Even as our Gilas Pilipinas was the overwhelming favorite to thrash the Saudis, Mr. Marcos still saw it fit to come if only to show solidarity to a throng eternally enamored with basketball. I c an only imagine basketball chief, my tukayo Al Panlilio, smiling in unmistakable glee. Thus, from a scale of one to 10, I give the President a resounding 10 for his unabashed show of recognizing efforts at building bridges for a nation’s continued confidence despite tight resources through the power of sports. Th ree senators led by Bong Go, the Senate chair of the sports committee, were also there, together with Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto who came in with his father, the TV/ movie star Vic Sotto, among others.

NEWbefittinglastwidecameYORK—Theyfromfarandfor Serena—nonamerequired,someoneas much an icon as superstar athlete— to see her practice and play and, it turned out, win a match at the US Open on Monday night, turning out in record numbers to fill Arthur Ashe Stadium and shout and applaud and pump their fists right along with her. Serena Williams is not ready to say goodbye just yet. Nor, clearly, are her fans. And she heard them, loud and clear. I n her first match at what is expected to be the last US Open—and last tournament—of her remarkable playing career, even if she insists that she won’t quite say so, Williams overcame a shaky start to overpower Danka Kovinic, 6-3, 6-3, amid an atmosphere more akin to a festival than a farewell.

SERENA WILLIAMS is not ready to say goodbye just yet. Nor, clearly, are her fans. And she heard them, loud and clear. AP

Sports BusinessMirror B8 | Wednesday, august 31, 2022 Editor:mirror_sports@yahoo.com.phJunLomibao

Clarkson doesn’t disappoint

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has already succeeded in the naturalization of Ange Kouame, originally from Ivory Coast, but his availability remains in doubt. He remains eligible to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. R eyes said the SBP has concrete plans on naturalizing more players but refused to identify them.

NOBODY ever believed that Saudi Arabia would defeat Gilas Pilipinas in their Monday meeting for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. But despite that palpable truth, why did our cage-crazed fans still come in droves, packing the MOA Arena in Pasay to the rafters as though a rock concert featuring the BTS, if not Ben & Ben, was in the offing? A dear friend of mine shelled out P20,000 for two tickets just to be with the 19,829 animated screamers at the arena by the bay this National Heroes Day.

kicks off this weekend at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Pasay City with more than 2,000 jins expected to participate.Theorganizing Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) said the jins will come from 20 different regions including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mind anao, Cordillera Autonomous Region, CARAGA and the National Capital Region are competing in the event. R epresentatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including the Philippine National Police, members of the national and major collegiate leagues such as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association have also confirmed their participation in the two-day event supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Milo. The competition features the Advance and Novice category for men and women with four divisions—Senior, Junior, Cadet, and Grade School. The event is an individual competition.

LOCAL Organizing Committee (LOC) Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan leads the countdown ceremony for the country’s co-hosting of the World Cup with (from left) Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President Al S. Panlilio, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, FIBA President Hamane Niang, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Chairman Richard Carrion and Tissot representative Denise Dy.

P INUNO Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid filed a Alisson1andAlessandra2NadineVielleGeciAngeles,silver;Tan,bronze;golds,Anicka2JodiKatherinegoldsJasmineMackenzie,were Erphy13of13Philippineshighlighted‘Pinoydeeper“Theircompetitions,”inareAugustwhichremarkablyperformedhowperformance”delegationcommendingcongratulatingresolutionandthePhilippineonits“outstandinginSkateAsia2022.Inhisresolution,LapidnotedtheentirePhilippinedelegationcommendablyandduringSkateAsia2022washeldfromAugust6to14inKualaLumpur,Malaysia.It’shearteningthatourathleteswinningoneafteranothermajorinternationalsportsLapidsaid.conquestsgivesameaningtothePride.’”Theresolutionthatthedelegationofskatersbaggedatotal45medals—28golds,silversand4bronzes. ThemedalistsClaire6golds;DawnGothong,5and1silver;StaciaLee,3golds;CatherineDino,goldsand2silvers;ShanelTan,21silverand1ErianaEricka2goldsand1ShekinahVianne1goldand2silvers;CaitlinCos,2goldsand1silver;SophiaTriste,2goldsand1bronze;AdriannaHowOng,1gold,silvermedalsand1bronze;NicoleHowOng,1goldmedal2silvers;ElishaRaeVillanueva,goldand1bronze;andNatashaHowOng,1silver.

T’S not about who will be in the lineup for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 but more on how much time a Gilas Pilipinas team will be able to log in hundreds of hours of practice and tune-up games. We just really need more time to learn to play together,” Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes told BusinessMirror on Tuesday, the morning after the Philippines blasted away at Saudi Arabia, 84-46, for a much-needed victory following a string of stinging setbacks in the World Cup qualifiers and FIBA Asia Cup. R eyes, always the object of criticism each time the national men’s team gets walloped—stressed Gilas remains a work in progress. What happened last week, our game against Lebanon, is just part of the process,” Reyes said. “We have to move on…we still have some plans right now.” Gilas played an away game in Beirut last Friday and lost, 81-85. The country—as host with a world ranking of No. 34 is assured of participation in the World Cup— has won three and lost as many matches in the fourth window of the qualifiers.Another that concerns Reyes is the team’s naturalized player for the qualifiers’ fifth window in November. National Basketball Association (NBA) standout Jordan Clarkson was Gilas’s naturalized player in its last two games and did wonders in both. He averaged 25 points in both games—27 points, seven assists and six rebounds against the Lebanese and 23 points, six assists and five rebounds against the Saudis in front of a crowd of almost 20,000 at the MOAThArena.eNBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in the 2020-21 season, the FilipinoAmerican Clarkson wowed the crowd, including President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., with spectacular plays as he played his first game on Philippine soil.

One-year countdown on for FIBA ’23 World Cup in PHL, Japan, Indonesia

“ I cannot discuss it right away, but everything is a work in progress after our games in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia,” Reyes said. The SBP, meanwhile, praised the team for its victory over Saudi Arabia, but continued to admit that chemistry remains vital with the team. W hile chemistry takes time to build, it clearly showed in this game [against Saudi Arabia] on our home court Gilas Pilipinas played as one team united,” the statement said. “Everyone contributed, inspired by the cheers of the packed crowd which included no less than our very own President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.” “Credit to the players for their teamwork and selfless play. Credit for the entire coaching staff for their strategic adjuistments in preparation for this game. And credit to all our hardworking partners of SBP who have given their full support to the team,” the statement added. C larkson, meanwhile, told 7-foot3 Kai Sotto to keep his NBA dream alive.“Stay with it, I think he [Sotto] has a bright future in basketball because he’s still young so he needs to spend time with it,” Clarkson told reporters after the Philippines-Saudi Arabia game. Sotto, the son of former 6-foot7 pro player Ervin Sotto, had 16 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in that game. He had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the loss to Lebanon.He’slearning as he grows playing in Australia as a pro,” Clarkson said. “It’s sky’s the limit for Kai. I’m proud of him the first time I saw him.”

SERENADONEAIN’TYET

The game was close at the start and Saudi Arabia even won the first quarter, 14-11. But after the Saudis had taken a 22-21 lead early in the second period, Gilas said enough is enough and quickly sped to a 37-28 spread at the half. There was no turning back for Gilas as the 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto and National Basketball Association hot shot Jordan “JC” Clarkson, easily the star of the night, sparked sizzling spurts at will, bewildering the Saudis no end. A fter taking a 25-point, 61-36 third quarter lead, Gilas became unstoppable coming home en route to the 84-46 rout. N ot one single soul from the sellout crowd left even as Gilas had become so unreachable already. And, if you come down to it, they stayed to cherish Clarkson in his fullCsplendor. larksondidn’t disappoint, firing a game-high 23 points marked by 4-of-5 shooting from behind the arc, with Sotto having a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. It feels great,” said Clarkson, playing on home soil for the first time and paying homage at every opportunity to his grandmother who hails from Bacolor, Pampanga. “We are just trying to get ready for the World Cup next year.” A ll the best, JC. THAT’S IT Albert MG Garcia is calling on his pals to join the BRAFE 15 Golf charity event on October 3 at Forest Hills. Tee off time is at 8 a.m. Dubbed “Golfing For Education,” registration fee is P5,000 that includes green fees, shared carts, snacks, raffles, rain jackets and giveaways…San Miguel Beer or TNT in tonight’s Game Five to break their 2-2 count? Too close to call.

Expect exciting, fast competition in DavNor 5150 W HILE Penong’s 5150 Davao will be Tagum City’s first crack at endurance racing hosting, the racecourse which conforms to international standards guarantees a fast, exciting race when it is fired off Sunday in Davao del Norte. B ohol’s Jonathan Pagaura and Team Next Step Tri spearhead Bea Quiambao will set out as the triathletes to beat in their respective sides in the Olympic distance 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run race at The Wrec, Hijo Resort Davao given their recent performances. Pagaura is out to top the 2:07:40 clocking posted by absentee Satar Salem of Lanao del Norte in the Sun Life 5150 Bohol where he placed second last July while Quiambao seeks to improve on her time of 2:27:13 in pursuit of back-to-back 5150 crowns. But the fancied bets will be in for a tough, demanding challenge with the rest of the 445 bidders of various skills and talents all primed in both the age-group categories and the overall championship. Meanwhile, registration is ongoing. For details, log on to penong’s.5150philippines.com or follow us on social media accounts: Penongs5150Davao with Hashtags (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter): #Penongs5150 and #5150Davao. We are all excited and we have prepared an excellent racecourse and a safe race for everyone,” said Neville Manaois, race director of the event organized by The Ironman Group/ Sunrise Events Inc. The opening swim leg will be a counter-clockwise route starting at the Banana Beach at Hijo Resorts, featuring a 270-meter stretch with participants turning left to the 630-meter part of the course before heading to the final turn for the last 600 meters. the cutoff is one hour.

HEAD Coach Chot Reyes said the national team is a work in progress. FIBA.COM By Josef Ramos

TaekwondoSports45th Smart/MVPFoundationNationalChampionships

‘Pinuno’ praises Filipino skaters

It’s not who, but how time–CoachmuchChot

Wednesday, August 31, 2022 C1www.businessmirror.com.ph A BusinessMirror Special Feature

Vice President and Educa tion Secretary Sara Z. Duterte an nounced that starting November 2, 2022, all public and private schools should have transitioned to five days in -person classes. This was in cluded in Department of Education (DepEd) Order 34 series of 2022 which contained the calendar of ac tivities for school year 2022 to 2023. “Starting November 2, 2022, all public and private schools shall have transitioned to five days inperson classes. After the said date, no school shall be allowed to imple ment purely distance learning or blended learning except for those that are implementing alternative modes,” the DepEd order read.

In an interview with Busi nessMirror, Chavez-Arceo said St. Vincent College was ready as early as April 2020 for the off-campus delivery of learning. Preparations included increasing Internet band width and acquisition of a second ISP or internet service provider to ensure no disruption. We got a globally known and reliable learning management sys tem to ensure our clients that we are ready to deliver the educational ser vices off-site and online. Our enroll ment, payment, student records and faculty monitoring, among others, were digitalized, enhanced, and lev eled up,” Chavez-Arceo explained. I agree with a tech expert who said that our future success will be directly proportional to our ability to understand, adopt and integrate new technology into our education al system,” she added.

A her daughter to school for. TESTA

Education resiliency

Investing in Education

Digitalization WHILE working on the digitaliza tion of their system, St. Vincent was also preparing the facility require ments for face-to-face classes back in May 2020 because the school thought that classes would be faceto-face for school year 2020 to 2021. Constant communication and orientation of all school commu nity members or stakeholders must be done to ensure that everybody is aligned and fully compliant with

By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz W ITH all the lessons that were learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, schools in the Philippines are more than prepared for the full implementation of face-to-face classes in November 2022.

MOTHER brings

BERNARD

Slowly but surely, schools are ready for face-to-face classes continued on C3

INVESTING IN THE NEXT NORMAL

JAN CHAVEZ-ARCEO, Executive Trustee and Vice President for Aca demic and External Affairs of St. Vincent Collage of Cabuyao in La guna, said the Covid-19 experience taught the school that foresight, planning, steadfastness, agility, and strong faith are the keys, if not vital, to education resiliency.

During the pandemic, private schools saw a 50 percent decline in enrollment from pre-pandemic numbers, according to Joseph Noel Estrada, managing director of the Coordinating Council of Private Ed ucational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA). With the constant efforts of various champions of education, the numbers have started to go up again.

A s of August 2022, data from the Department of Education show that over 27 million students across the country have enrolled for the school year (SY) 2022–2023. DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said that roughly 24,175 public and private schools have adopted the system of conducting in-person classes five days a week, while the rest are experimenting with hybrid, hyflex, and blended learning modalities.

Rex Education helps students and their parents transition back to school

C2 Wednesday,

T HIS school year marks a significant beginning as millions of Filipino students go back to the classroom—some, for the first time—after two years of studying from home.

A FTER over two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, some schools are finally opening their doors for face-to-face classes. While some are opting to continue the online teaching route, and oth ers have chosen to try a hybrid setup of learning, this new development is a sign that the country is slowly but surely adapting to a new normal. With the start of a new school year, experts have studied how the pandemic and the subsequent social distancing and quarantine protocols affected schoolchildren. Homeschooling and online learn ing became essential for students during this time, but this also re sulted in an increase in screen time and mobile device usage, which led to a significant ris e of myopia cas es, or nearsightedness, in children. The worsening eyesight of Fili pino children has been a develop ing problem for many years now. In 2016, the Department of Health (DOH) announced that 10 percent of grade school-age children have eye problems. Many of the cases stay undetected until the condition has grown worse. In 2018, during the Depart ment of Information and Com munications Technology’s (DICT) National Digital Parenting Con ference, it was revealed that 29 percent of Filipino children suffer fromTnearsightedness.oday,30percent of children have to wear glasses in order to see clearly not just in the Philippines, but worldwide.Thoughthis may be alarming, eye doctors and experts have de termined several ways that parents can help decrease the risk of their child developing impaired vision. First, it is recommended for children - and even adults - to take frequent breaks, regulate screen time, use larger screens from far ther away, and follow an early bed time, especially if they are required to use a mobile device regularly in their studies or work. These small changes enable the eyes to rest, and lessen the possibility of eye strain. Second, doctors also recom mend developing a healthier, more active lifestyle. Encouraging chil dren to play outdoors or get involved in sports keeps them busy and occu pied, lessening the probability that they will turn to mobile devices for entertainment and leisure. It is also helpful to visit an eye doctor and schedule regular appointments, so that eye health can be monitored. Finally, give kids a multivi tamin supplement that also pro motes better eye health. Hi-Smart is an over-the-counter multivita min supplement specially formu lated with Taurine, which prevents retinal degeneration, and Vitamin A which is essential for good eye sight. Hi-Smart also contains Ly sine to stimulate a healthy appetite, B Complex for muscle building, Vi tamin D3, Vitamin C and Zinc to help boost immunity, growth, and development, and Folic Acid for healthy cell reproduction. Education promises a bright future ahead but taking care of children’s eyes ensures they will be able to see it happen. Distributed exclusively by New Marketlink Pharmaceutical Corpo ration (NMPC), Hi-Smart is avail able in drugstores nationwide and comes in syrup form and oral drops for younger children. To know more about Hi-Smart, head on to https:// nmpc.com.ph/product/hi-smart/.

REX’s suite of learningsolutions makes the transition more seamless OVER the past years and during the pandemic, REX has released and finetuned an array of resources that parents, teachers, and learners can utilize to help them adjust to the new demands of this transition period. A s parents continue to take a hands-on approach to their children’s schedule and learning environment, it could become increasingly difficult to discern when they should intervene or let their children be on their own to learn. Additionally, schedule changes due to online and on-site classes could disrupt the study habits and practices learners and their families have previously established.Addressing these challenges is the HOMES Guide, a competencybased learning companion grounded on DepEd’s Most Essential Learning Competencies. Available for the five major subject areas of grades 1 to 10 and the core subjects and applied track subjects of grades 11 and 12, HOMES is meant to assist parents in monitoring and supporting their children’s progress. On top of that, the easily downloadable guide provides instructions on how to use REX’s various printed and online resources geared toward home-based learning opportunities and experiences.

If the concern is related to mastering essential competencies August 31,

The increase in enrollment is a step in the direction of ensuring quality education for every Filipino learner. True to its promise of being every learner’s partner in education, Rex Education is ensuring that its products and services are tailored to the needs and demands of the times— whether in-person or online. The goal is to make the back-to-school experience as seamless as possible for the students and their parents.

Investing in

2022 | www.businessmirror.com.ph A BusinessMirror

synchronization, classroom management options, and over 800 learning materials on grade school and high school subjects to make learning more engaging for today’s learners who are also digital natives. C lassroom management, assessment, and communication among teachers, students, and parents are all made easier through a dedicated LMS. With apps such as Personalized Courses, Calendar, Messages, Dropbox, Online Tests, Integrated Apps, Groups, and Grade Book embedded into Schoology, learners and educators can efficiently switch between online and face-to-face instruction. Schoology is accessible on PCs and laptops and is also available as a downloadable app on mobile phones and tablets. In this crucial transition period, to help parents and students overcome both the persisting and new challenges of hybrid and hyflex learning, REX vows to continue providing you with the support, expertise, and evidencebased practices, so our learners can continue to thrive in this new learning environment,” said Don Timothy Buhain, Rex Education chief executive officer. A mid the ever-changing landscape of education, REX’s learning solutions, programs, and initiatives are a testament to the company’s commitment to championing education— supporting learners and parents every step of the way. Be it in the pandemic or the new normal, REX strives to be part of every Filipino child’s lifelong learning journey. Stay updated with Rex Education’s latest releases. For more information about REX’s array of learning solutions, visit rex.com.ph or contact cicsupport@ rex.com.ph.

See better, feel better, and learn better and skills, the Learning Pathways mobile app offers a personalized approach to help learners from different backgrounds, skills, motivations, and learning styles. The app brings interactivity to the forefront by making learning more digital, personalized, and stress-free for students. It is available for download on Android and iOS devices and is compatible with all REX worktexts for Science, Math, English, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan. Schoology has been a popular learning management system (LMS) during the peak of online distance learning, and its usefulness and features can enhance the hybrid or hyflex learning experience. Designed to support teachers, students, and parents, Schoology has seamless

TEACHER Allan T. Flores of Irineo L Santiago National High School in General Santos City, is a strong be liever of the age-old saying of “Pre vention is Better than Cure.” We have faced the conse quences of not planning and an ticipating disasters such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and we cannot afford to stumble on the same stone once more. Thus, the risk manage ment system must be intensively and extensively incorporated into the strategic planning of educational institutions from top management down to the lowest level of their or ganizational structure,” he said. He added that flexibility is the key to surviving the new normal, “a time when things keep on changing.” “ The pandemic forced every teacher to embrace and integrate technology into their instructional methods. Traditional teaching had its own glorious days. Now the digi tal era has taken the limelight in the educational sphere. Whether one likes it or not, he must adopt it to maximize learning in the new normal,” Flores said. According to Flores, the public schools are ready for face-to-face classes because all means were ex hausted to prepare all classrooms for the new school year. The teach ers underwent training so that they would be able to adopt different learning modalities and technology tools for their instruction delivery. “Aside from this upskilling, teachers also underwent psycho social training to prepare them mentally and emotionally for the face-to-face classes after two years. After this training, the teachers are expected to provide psychosocial support during the first week of the school year to promote, protect and prioritize the learners’ socio-economic wellbeing,” Flores said. Child-friendly WHEN it comes to dealing with students who are not vaccinated against Covid-19, Flores said that all students will be welcomed to school regardless of their vaccination sta tus. He stressed that “every school is a child-friendly institution.”

“If a child develops a fever dur ing class hours within the school premises, the class adviser or any teacher can get the vital signs since they have been trained to do so.

Slowly but surely, schools are ready for face-to-face classes continued from C1 ALLAN T. FLORES JAN CHAVEZ-ARCEO

But these setbacks did not de ter John from moving forward. He decided to try KodeGo’s classes to help his family out and pursue his dreams.KodeGo is the online tech bootcamp of Globe’s 917Ventures. It offers short-term courses with no upfront payment, allowing stu dents to pay with a percentage of their income after graduation. Fortunately, nabigyan ako ng opportunity ni KodeGo to hone my skills. I didn't pursue college. Nag ing praktikal ako sa buhay. Mas okay na mag-work muna. Since pandemic, ‘yung business ni Papa natamaan so financially unstable kami,” he said. John made the right call. His decision to join KodeGo led to a career-altering shift. Because of his excellent per formance, John received multiple job offers with the help of KodeGo’s team even before he graduated. And at his current job, he got pro moted as development lead in just six months.SaKodeGo, three months lang mapi-place ka talaga. Sila kasi ang naging bridge ko to the employers. Overwhelming na nakakatuwa. Before graduation, ang dami nang nangungulit. May mga nag-iinter view na. Happy to say lahat sila binigyan ako ng offer. I chose saan ako maggo-grow,” he shared. John encouraged other high school graduates and career shift ers to try KodeGo if they want to penetrate the IT industry. The lessons are beginner-friendly and easy to understand, he said. "Hindi picky ang KodeGo. As long as may eagerness to learn, Ko deGo is there to help you. Ie-expose ka nila sa industry. Bibigyan ka nila ng opportunity outside the boot camp itself. Guided kasi. Hang gang ngayon nga hindi pa rin ako pinapabayaan. Community and family din talaga,” he added.

Now that classes are in full swing, Chavez-Arceo said parents should always remember that the safe ty and health of their children should be their priority and grades are secondary during this next normal phase. “Please remember that teach ers are humans too with families of their own. The success of our learn ers to transition to this new normal state of education will depend on the consistent, synergistic, har monious partnership of parents, teachers, and school administra tors,” she said. “It does take a whole nation working together to educate a Fili pino youth. They are in fact the fu ture of our nation, working togeth er harmoniously and strategically in educating the Filipino youth to define our future,” she said. Th is was echoed by Flores who said that “it takes a village to edu cate a child.” “Protecting oneself by follow ing instructions, and proper disci pline is not only the responsibility of the teachers but more of the par ents. It is crucial especially at such a time as this that students must control themselves and limit their movements because the health cri sis is far from over,” he said. He added that it was important that parents are easy to reach so that they can respond immediately should their children need them. If parents were, most of the time, unavailable and unreachable before the pandemic, this should not be the case anymore. Their children’s lives are at risk and their cooperation is crucial and lifesaving,” Flores said.

Schools only follow directives from the higher offices. Vaccina tion is not mandatory but is high ly encouraged. The school will just need to intensify all measures in mitigating the spread of the virus through various relevant train ing, orientation and policy making among others,” he said. W hile she appreciated Duterte’s decision not to require students to be vaccinated against Covid-19, Chavez-Arceo said St. Vincent will adhere to its internal policy of only allowing fully vaccinated employees and students on campus. “ We believe that it is our re sponsibility to each other as mem bers of our academic community to ensure that we do not pose any threat health wise to any student or employee of the school. This is one way we can protect our con stituents and help our local and na tional government in achieving the national vaccination plan targets,” she explained.

WENTY-year-old John Michael Baldonado has always wanted to venture into a career in tech, even taking the STEM track in senior high school to prepare. He was all set to go to college, but the pandemic struck. His father’s business suffered, leading to financial struggles in the family.

The schools also have their own Co vid task force which is composed of trained health professionals among the pool of teaching and non-teach ing personnel,” he said.

Vince Yamat, 917Ventures Managing Director, said KodeGo is determined to raise the caliber of Filipino software engineers and address employment gaps in the country.Aspart of the Globe Group, this is aligned with KodeGo’s support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which fosters innovation and infrastructure as economic drivers under SDG No. 9, and highlights partnerships to wards achieving the SDGs under SDG No. 17. As with all our ventures, our vision for KodeGo is to give Filipi nos an accessible upskilling plat form that will equip them with the necessary training and make them more competitive in the IT indus try,” Yamat said. With the program, Yamat hopes to see more young people become front-end, back-end, and full-stack web developers. Students who apply for the program will learn via extensive hands-on ex perience, peer-programming, and building real-world projects. After undergoing intensive tech boot camps, they are then matched with partner companies. KodeGo is one of the business ideas taken in by the 917Ventures program for promising ventures. It plans to offer tech and non-tech courses in the future. L ast year, the startup secured SG$30,000 and recently landed a spot among top six finalists at the Singtel Group Future Makers Pro gram, a regional social innovation and capacity building program that supports promising social impact start-ups with innovative technol ogy solutions that help address social and healthcare challenges in vulnerable communities.

John’s positive experience in KodeGo prompted him to inspire his father to also join the bootcamp.

High school grad carves out IT career after KodeGo bootcamp

Safety, health are priorities

www.businessmirror.com.ph | Wednesday, August 31, 2022 C3BusinessMirror Special Feature all the health and safety protocols,” Chavez-Arceo said. She added that it was also im portant that non-teaching person nel, parents and students who need to be constantly aligned and ad vised on “the new and ever evolving protocols that are intended for en hancement of safety and security of not just the students but everybody whether in-campus or off-campus.” Prevention better than cure

Institutional policy She added that this was the least they could do to ensure that the in stitutional policy of education resil iency is upheld. “ That means minimum of zero disruption in the learning delivery. A sole case of infection on campus during a face-to-face class ses sion can easily shut down the en tire school operation for at least a week. That is something we do not wish to have to experience,” Chavez-Arceo said. If one of their students con tracts Covid-19 during face-to-face classes, Chavez-Arceo said they were ready to implement hybrid learning, something that they have been do ing since the last school year. In a public-school setting, Flores said there is a designated quarantine facility for those who manifest symptoms of Covid-19.

For now, Flores said the school’s safety and health protocols can lessen the probability of infection because students who are fever ish will not be allowed to enter the school premises.

INVESTING IN THE NEXT NORMAL

in Education

THE pandemic tested the media industry, forcing newsrooms around the world to overhaul the way they do their job while following strict health protocols in order to survive a deadly infection.

In November 2021, the business broadsheet was recognized as the “Business News Source of the Year” for 2020 by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (Ejap), the country’s premier organization of business reporters, editors and wire agencies. It was a 4-peat for BM, having gotten the same honors for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019.And, as in the past Ejap awards, it also swept half of the individual categories, with its seasoned reporters adjudged as best in their respective coverages. Earlier in 2021, the BusinessMirror was given the Pro Patria Award by the Rotary Club of Manila, for “its commitment of valuable resources for the protection of free expression and its resilience in disseminating fair and truthful information resulting in an informed and enlightened citizenry.” It was just the latest recognition from the prestigious Rotary Club, which named it “Business Newspaper of the Year” for 2018-2019, and again in 2020. In all, it has received six top Rotary journalism awards in its short 16-yearTheexistence.BusinessMirror has also consistently reaped top awards in the Brightleaf Journalism Awards for Agriculture and the Philippine Agricultural Journalists-San Miguel Corp. (PAJ-SMC) Binhi Awards, also for the best in agriculture journalism. The BusinessMirror was also repeatedly adjudged the leading daily in biotechnology journalism, a recognition bestowed by the Jose G. Burgos Jr. Biotechnology Journalism Awards.The “broader look” mantra also drew recognition from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) which named the BusinessMirror, at its first awards rites in 2018, as the inaugural “Data Champion.” In the first “Bantog Science for the People” awards for media from the Department of Science and Technology, the BusinessMirror got the top award for the Institution category for Print; and the grand prize in the individual category for science journalist Stephanie Tumampos. In 2018, Environment Reporter Jonathan Mayuga received the Luntiang Aligato award from the Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit organization founded by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore.The Broader Look at biodiversity was also recognized. It was named among the Asean Champions of Biodiversity, for the Media Category, by the Asean Centre for Biodiversity. T he Broader Look also extended to the paper’s corporate social responsibility. It organized and staged the first-ever recognition rites for the best of the Philippines’s friends in the world, with the “MISSION PHILIPPINES: The BusinessMirror Envoys & Expats Awards.” The initiative won a Gold Anvil in 2019. Distinguished institutions in government have also repeatedly recognized the BusinessMirror’s role in spreading the word about the work they do—information that shines a light on good governance and committed public service to uplift people’s hopes. Most notably, these are the Social Security System and Pag-IBIG Fund. Sixteen years, two of them in a pandemic, have tested the promise of a Broader Look. But they are also a measure of the unstinting support of friends—advertisers and news sources alike—and readers who continue to believe in that promise.

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The BusinessMirror, the country’s premier national business daily, was tested like everyone else, and survived, even continuing to live up to its promise to provide a broader look at today’s business.

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