BusinessMirror December 30-31, 2022

By Samuel P. Medenilla sam_medenilla

STRENGTHENING the country's business and bilateral r elations with China with the signing of several new agreements tops the agenda of President F erdinand R. Marcos, Jr. during his two-day State Visit in Beijing next week.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), however, gave assurances the country’s territorial d ispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) will also be

tackled during the trip from January 3 to 5.

The state visit is also expected to reaffirm the cordial and neighborly relations between the two co untries, ensure continuity in many facets of the bilateral relationship and chart new areas o f engagement,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Neal Imperial said in a press conference in M alacañang on Thursday.

“It is also expected to build on the growing trade and investment ties between the two economies as well as address security issues

of mutual concern,” he added.

Over 20 percent of the country’s existing global trade is w ith China.

Imperial noted the President will be accompanied by a “sizable business delegation” during the trip for the completion of new business accords.

There’s great interest from Chinese investors in the Philippine economy, especially in Philippine agriculture, renewable e nergy, and nickel processing.

By VG Cabuag @villygc

THE country’s inflation rate is expected to remain elevated, even reaching up to 8.6 percent in December, driven by persistently high costs of food and energy, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said in its report.

The BSP said it projects December inflation to settle within the range of 7.8 to 8.6 percent.

“Upward price pressures for the month are expected to emanate from higher electricity rates, uptick in the prices of agricultural commodities, elevated meat and fish products and higher LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] prices,” the BSP said.

The reduction in petroleum and rice prices as well as the peso appreciation could contribute to easing price pressures for the month, the BSP said.

THE residential real estate prices of various types of new housing units in the Philippines rose faster in the third quarter of the year 2022 by 6.5 percent year-on-year and 4.6 percent quarter-on-quarter, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed.

By area, residential property prices increased in the National Capital Region and areas outside the NCR, but declined quarter-onquarter outside of Metro Manila.

On a year-on-year basis, residential property prices in NCR and outside of Metro Manila increased by 17.5 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively, primarily driven by the increase in the prices of con -

dominium units and single-detached or attached houses, which outweighed the decrease in the prices of townhouses.

On a quarter basis, residential property prices rose by 14.6 percent in the NCR, but contracted by 0.4 percent outside of NCR.

Likewise, prices rose across housing types, except townhouses, the BSP said.

In the third quarter, prices of duplex housing units, condominium units and single-detached or attached houses contributed to the yearly growth in the nationwide real estate prices as these prices increased by 26.7 percent, 19.2 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, prices of townhouses

declined by 16.3 percent.

The 4.6-percent quarterly growth in the residential prices may be attributed to the higher prices of condominium units, which were up by 12 percent; duplex housing units, up by 3.4 percent; and single-detached or attached houses, up by 2.7 percent. Meanwhile, prices of townhouses declined by 2 percent.

Nationwide residential real estate loan availment for new housing units fell yearly, but grew on a quarterly basis.

In the third quarter, the number of residential real estate loans granted for all types of new housing units in the Philippines fell by 4.2 percent yearly as loans in the

NCR and outside of NCR contracted by 2 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively.

In contrast, the nationwide availment of housing loans rose by 19 percent quarter-on-quarter, following the 32 percent and 11.5 percent growth in loans in the NCR and outside of NCR, respectively.

The average appraised value of new housing units in the country stood at P84,589 per square meter in the third quarter. The average appraised value per square meter in NCR was at P139,283, higher than both the national average and the average appraised value in outside of NCR at P47,129.

orders continued suspension of e-sabong

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the continued nationwide suspension and crackdown on e-sabong or electronic cockfighting.

Last Wednesday, Marcos issued Executive Order (EO) No. 9 extending indefinitely the suspension on auxiliary e-sabong operations, which was first implemented by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte on May 3.

The restriction will cover livestreaming or broadcasting of live cockfights outside cockpits or cockfighting arenas or other premises where cockfights are held.

Also suspended are online/ remote online/remote, or offcockpit wagering/betting on live cockfighting matches and/or activities streamed or broadcast live, regardless of the location of the betting platform.

The order does not cover traditional cockfights authorized or licensed under existing laws.

Marcos issued EO 9 amid questions on whether the suspension will remain in effect following the change of administration.

thai ambassador tull traisorat, lao ambassador Sonexay Vannaxay, alc group chairman Mr. D. Edgard cabangon, Ms. Sharon tan, and Deputy chief of Mission of the chinese Embassy Mr. Zhou Zhiyong. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

YOU n g rice plants are seen in this recent photo taken in jaen, nueva Ecija. Persistently high costs of energy and food, particularly agricultural commodities, are seen to keep the country’s inflation rate elevated, even reaching up to 8.6 percent in December, the bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said on thur sday. NONIE REYES

In the third quarter, single-detached and attached houses continued to constitute the largest weight at 58 percent. Meanwhile, condominium units, townhouses, and duplex housing units accounted for 24.5 percent, 17.0 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively.

The weight of each type of housing unit is determined by dividing the total floor area in square meters of a specific type of housing unit over the total floor area of all housing types.

The BSP’s data is a measure of the average change in the prices of various types of housing units, such as single-detached or attached houses, duplex housing units, townhouses, and condominium units, based on banks’ data on actual mortgage loans granted to acquire new housing units only. It is a chainlinked index, which is computed using the average appraised value per square meter, weighted by the share of floor area of each type of housing unit to the total floor area of all housing units.

VG Cabuag

DOT, DOH: Existing protocols are fine, amid China Covid fears

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) believes the current entry protocols of the Philippines are enough to address any concerns on the arrival of Chinese tourists. The same view was shared by the Department of Health (DOH) despite the continuing spread of Covid infections in mainland China, citing the high rate of vaccination among Filipinos.

In a Viber message to the BusinessMirror , Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said, “Protocols are already in place for foreign nationals arriving into the Philippines, whether they are of Chinese nationality or any other, as we do not discriminate against any nationality.”

She added, “Pending the signing of the Implementation Program for the Tourism Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and China, there have been no changes to existing protocols, nor am I aware of any discussion of any intention to institute any change thereto.”

The signing of the implementation program will be held during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s visit to Beijing from January 3 to 5, 2023. Pre-pandemic, China was the second top source market for tour -

ists at 1.74 million arrivals in 2019. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday, members of the Philippine delegation to China will be tested for Covid prior to their return to Manila.

The United States, Taiwan, and Japan, among others, have already announced stricter entry protocols for Chinese tourists, including pre-departure testing or testing upon arrival.

‘No need to follow other countries’ protocols’

In a news briefing on Thursday, DOH OIC/ Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said, “There is no need to close our borders or impose these restrictions specific to China only because of what’s happening to their country. We are in a much better position

PBBM: No

need for total border closure with China

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. ruled out the implementation of a total border closure with China amid its rising Covid-19 cases.

Instead, he said the government may impose restrictions to minimize the risk of Covid-affected travellers from China from spreading infection in the country.

“As long as it’s based on science and we feel that there’s a need, we will do it. But again, it depends on what the true risk is to us,” Marcos said.

“I’m sure we can find a way to—not completely close our borders to China but to find a way to have a procedure so that those coming from China who may have been exposed or who may have been infected will be tested,” he added.

The President made the statement after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said stricter travel requirements may be imposed for travellers from China.

Several countries such as Japan and India have already imposed such measures after the Chinese government announced it will allow its citizens to travel abroad on January 8, 2023.

There has been a reported surge in Covid-19 infections in China after Beijing eased its zero-Covid protocols.

With this in mind, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said members of the official delegates who will accompany the President during his State Visit to China next week, will undergo testing before returning to the country.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Neal Imperial said those who will test positive for Covid-19 must stay at a special isolation facility until they recover.

But he said they hope none of the members of the delegation will become infected since all precautions will be enforced during the visit.

“We have received assurances from our Chinese hosts that all arrangements are being made to ensure the safety of the President and his delegation during the visit. And the bubble arrangement has been agreed for the Philippine delegation to minimize the risk of exposure to the virus,” Imperial said in a press conference.

Among the precautions will be for the President to skip his meeting with the Filipino community in China in line with protocols of the Chinese government.

“It’s too bad but we have to follow the Covid protocols there in China. So, there cannot be any big gatherings, which is usually what the President does; when he goes overseas he meets the Filipino community in big gatherings,” Imperial said.

Imperial said the President will push through with the visit due to the pending business and bilateral agreements set to be signed upon his arrival in China.

Samuel P. Medenilla

currently compared to one or two years ago, because most of our citizens are fully vaccinated [and] most of our citizens have learned the good behavior of practicing the minumum public health standard. We cannot just keep closing and opening. We are already moving forward to the new normal.”

Asked about the new arrival protocols on imposed by the Philippines’s neighbors, she countered: “It doesn’t follow that if other countries near our borders or these high-income countries are closing their borders or imposing stricter regulations for China that we should follow, because it is the direction of this administration that as much as possible, [inbound travel] restrictions should be minimal, that we don’t compromise health, but we also favor the opening of the economy.”

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, along with Senator na ncy Binay, chair of the Senate Committee on Tourism, and private stakeholders have recommended stricter entry requirements for Chinese tourist arrivals.

(See, “Nancy, tourism players, DOTr: Tighten border controls for Chinese tourists in PHL,” in the BusinessMirror, December 29, 2022.)

This developed as Shanghai-based Juneyao Air has announced flight services to several points in Southeast Asia, including Kalibo, Aklan, although no exact date was mentioned. Boracay Island is among the favorite destinations of mainland Chinese especially for the Lunar Year, which begins on January 22, 2023.

Boracay stakeholders D I n D O S A LA z AR chair of the Boracay Foundation Inc. said, “We will suggest to step up requirements specifically for Chinese tourists. We will be meeting the Governor [Jose Enrique Miraflores] on the matter.”

He added, “We are not sure yet how fast are the testing facilities in Kalibo. If slow, we will recommend testing 48 hours before departure [from China] using an RTPCR test.” In the absence of Chinese tourists on the island, taking up the slack are travelers from South Korea, the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Germany, among others.

the BSP is also not keen on cutting the Reserve Requirement Ratio (RRR). He said doing this while increasing interest rates may only lead to confusion.

“There is an urgent need to reiterate the continued suspension of all e-sabong operations nationwide, clarify the scope of existing regulations and direct relevant agencies to pursue aggressive crackdown against illegal e-sabong operations, in accordance with law,” Marcos said in his three-page EO 9.

He instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to coordinate with local government units (LGUs), other concerned government agencies, private entities, authorities to ensure the suspension will be fully implemented.

Pagcor will be assisted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine n a tional Police (P n P) in prosecuting those who will violate the suspension.

Samuel P. Medenilla

China imports 70 percent of its nickel ore and concentrates requirements from the Philippines. So, there’s a lot of potential in those sectors,” Imperial said.

O ne of the expected business deals to be signed, he said, was for Durian importation.

“The Chinese market has a voracious appetite for Durian. So, we expect a lot of interest in our Durian exports, and also possible investments in the Durian producing regions in Mindanao,” Im perial said.

Bilateral agreements

DFA also announced that 10 to 14 bilateral agreements on trade and investments, agriculture, renewable energy, i nfrastructure, development cooperation, people-to-people ties and maritime security cooperation are expected t o be signed during the State Visit.

Among the pending accords is the renewal of the country's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative of China to augment the government infrastructure program.

“ We are looking at possible grants from China amounting to 1.5 billion renminbi. And the framework for the three priority bridges crossing PasigMarikina River, and the Manggahan Floodway Bridges construction project,” Imperial said.

There is also a planned memorandum of understanding (MOU) on digital cooperation to promote exchange o f best practices and capacity building in digital connectivity, data-emerging technologies.

Also set to be signed are agreements on tourism cooperation—expected to help draw more Chinese visitors to the country—and creating a direct communication between DFA and its counterpart ministry in China “to avoid miscalculation and miscommunication in t he West Philippine Sea” issues.

WPS issue

DFA said Marcos will also continue to defend the country's interest with the WPS during his meeting with Chinese officials.

In November, the country’s inflation rate rose to 8 percent, its highest in 14 years, and was up from the previous month’s 7.7 percent and last year’s 3.7 percent.

Year-to-date, the country’s inflation rate was at 5.6 percent, above the government’s target of between 2 to 4 percent.

BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla earlier said the policy-making Monetary Board may not pause on its rate increases, but would not resort to any extreme forecasts in rate increases.

Medalla said it is possible that inflation will peak in December, rather than the November timeline that they earlier predicted.

However, he said, the higher inflation in November largely owed to the typhoons which affected the supply of vegetables, fish and seafood prices, among others.

With the rate increases, Medalla said,

If the BSP would no longer be on rate-increase mode, it is possible to cut the RRR down to around 10 percent from the current 12 percent. Medalla also said: “symbolically, we can make it 9.9 percent.

“In reality, we should be able to do that because all we have to do is borrow more to mop up the liquidity cost by the RR cut. But to avoid confusing the market, it has to wait when we’re no longer in an increasing mode,” the BSP chief said.

Medalla said inflation is expected to start slowing in 2023 and would be closer to 3 percent than 4 percent in the third quarter of next year. Inflation will also be expected to be below 2 percent near the end of 2023 or even early 2024.

He said next year would also see the end of the strong dollar period, which would contribute to cooling inflation. This will also be accompanied by lower oil prices, which have also been listed among the main reasons for the increase in commodity prices nationwide.

“The President wants a peaceful and stable situation in the West Philippine Sea, and we’ll continue to uphold our country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights during his meetings with Chinese leaders,” Imperial said.

He pointed out the discussion may also cover the country’s possible joint oil and gas exploration with China, which was already discussed by Marcos with Chinese President Xi Jinping i n Bangkok at last month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) S ummit.

The DFA official made the remarks when asked if the President will discuss the recent reports of the construction activities of China in unoccupied features in the Spratly when he meets with C hinese leaders.

“We do not wish to preempt or second-guess what the President will say t o his counterparts, but the President will raise important issues affecting our bilateral relations, among them the issue on the West Philippine Sea. So, we c an’t say how specific the discussions will be,” Imperial said.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Death toll from Christmas weekend rains climbs to 34

THE

toll

heavy rains and floods that devastated parts of the Philippines over the Christmas weekend have risen to 34 with 24 others missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Thursday.

A n Associated Press dispatch said more than 56,000 people were still in emergency shelters after bad weather disrupted Christmas

celebrations in the eastern, central and southern Philippines.

Images from the southern province of Misamis Occidental showed

rescuers carrying an elderly woman on a plastic chair as they waded through a flooded street. Some residents in the province were seen hanging on to floaters as Philippine Coast Guard rescuers pulled them across chest-deep floods using a rope.

Eighteen of the 32 deaths were reported in the Northern Mindanao region, while 22 of the 24 missing were from Eastern Visayas in the central Philippines and the eastern Bicol region, the NDRRMC said.

Most of the deaths were from drowning, while among the missing were fishermen whose boats capsized, the agency said.

O ver 4,000 houses were damaged by the floods along with roads and

bridges, and some areas were without power or water, the agency reported.

A shear line—the point where warm and cold air meet—triggered rains in parts of the country, the state weather bureau said. It forecast light to heavy rains in the next 24 hours for some of the same areas affected by the floods.

Meanwhile, members of the Joint Task Force ZamPeLan under Maj. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete are continuing to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations in flooded areas in Misamis Occidental.

Nafarrete said the heavy rainfall on Christmas Eve caused a landslide in Barangay Mialen, Oroquieta City,

which swept away three houses and buried two individuals. Search, rescue and retrieval operations were immediately conducted which resulted in the recovery of the bodies of Mario Sambio, 70, and his daughter, Inday Calamian, 38.

T he different municipalities of Misamis Occidental were also flooded due to the heavy rain. The Army’s 10th Infantry Battalion assisted local government units and Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices in the evacuation of affected residents.

Troops transported 3,000 family food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Region 9 in Pagadian

City to Misamis Occidental. The Emergency Response Company of the 1st Infantry Division also aided in the loading and unloading of the food packs.

Your Armed Forces will continue to support the local government in delivering assistance and providing protection not only during manmade disasters but also during natural calamities. We are here to reach out to families most affected by the storm in Misamis Occidental through the distribution of relief packs prepared by the DSWD and Office of the Civil Defense,” Marine Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas, acting commander of the Western Mindanao Command, assured. Rene Acosta with AP

Estomo orders Metro cops to intensify drive vs illegal firecrackers ahead of New Year’s Eve

By Glen Jacob Jose

TO reduce the fatalities and injuries caused by firecrackers during the New Year revelries, National Capital Region Police (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Jonnel Estomo ordered the five police district heads and the police chiefs in their areas to intensify their campaign against illegal firecrackers.

T he five districts covered by the NCRPO are the Manila Police District (MPD), Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Northern Police District (NPD), Southern Police District (SPD), and Eastern Police District (EPD).

Estomo said they would crack down on illegal firecrackers that are harmful to the people as the NCRPO will coordinate with the local barangays and village peacekeepers to ensure proper enforcement of the order and apprehension of violators.

Estomo said Metro Manila cops would sustain maximized deployment for “Ligtas Paskuhan 2022” with 1,369 police officers to strictly implement existing firecracker-related rules and regulations.

P ursuant to Executive Order (EO) 28 and Republic Act (RA) 7183, which regulates the sale, manufacture, distribution, and use of firecrackers and other pyrotech -

nic devices, Estomo reminded the public to be responsible and follow the designated firecracker display zone and community display area for the safety of everybody.

H e also said the Metro Manila police also support the designation of common firecrackers zones to promote the safe use of legal pyrotechnics.

He added that a strategic deployment of personnel was plotted wherein police officers will be deployed to secure places of convergence as well as to monitor the designated firecracker zones.

Every year, the police remind our countrymen to be careful and

Bill prescribes basic education for future cybersecurity experts

By Butch Fernandez   @butchfBM

SEN. Sherwin T. Gatchalian, aiming to ensure future cybersecurity experts start from basic education, prodded the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to open short-course training programs for cybersecurity experts and software engineers to further “develop talent for cybersecurity” starting from basic education.

Citing the country’s “vulnerability to cybercrimes,” Gatchalian pressed the importance of filling the country’s shortage of cybersecurity experts, citing information conveyed by DICT Secretary John Ivan Uy that

the Philippines has only around 200 certified cybersecurity experts compared to Singapore’s 3,000.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, stressed the need to increase enrollment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand of senior high school, where potential cybersecurity talents can be developed, noting there were only 612,857 senior high school students enrolled under the STEM strand, which is equivalent to only 16 percent of senior high school enrollment.

“ Even in our basic education system, where we could potentially cultivate the talent going into cybersecurity, it’s virtually non-existent,” the senator pointed out.

He suggested that “skills related to cybersecurity should be taught at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Gatchalian added that “when it comes to coding, for example, I think it should be introduced as early as junior high school level so that students will be exposed and by the time they reach senior high school, they can actually do more complex tasks related to information technology.

“When they move to college, they can already specialize in various fields,” he said.

I n filing Senate Bill No. 476, to be known as “The Equitable Access to Math and Science Education Act,” he sought to  “build a math and science high school in the country’s provinces.”

follow the laws regarding fireworks and lighting. We will always remember that welcoming the coming New Year is happiest if we, our loved ones and the people around us are safe and healthy,” Estomo said in a news statement issued on Thursday.

Estomo also called all gun owners to be responsible and avoid negligence, blatant disregard of safety standards and indiscriminate firing to safeguard innocent lives welcoming the year of 2023.

All NCRPO personnel were ardently warned not to use their issued firearms during this annual occasion, otherwise, they will face strictest sanction. [PNP personnel]

were trusted and confided by the Chief PNP, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. to behave with propriety by not taping their issued firearms,” said Estomo.

M eanwhile, Estomo has expressed his high esteem and gratitude to “Gawad  Pilipino” for recognizing his devotion to duty as one of the 100 Heroes of the Year during the awards night on Tuesday, December 27, at Novotel Hotel and Resorts at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

Gawad Pilipino is an annual event that aims to recognize Filipino men and women through their passion and work ethics that greatly affect the Philippine culture, tradition, and

society for humane innovations.

During the awarding ceremony, Estomo was represented by NCRPO spokesperson Lt. Col. Dexter Versola, who guaranteed that the selfless service to people will continue for the next coming months.

We will continue to serve and protect our countrymen. May this serve as an inspiration so that we can further improve the relationship between the police and the people in Metro Manila),” Estomo said.

E stomo is known for his outstanding S.A.F.E. NCRPO security and public safety formula, which is credited for a historic and victorious anti-criminality feat.

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE government has completed the resilience road maps for 16 vulnerable areas, which will serve as a guide in managing disaster risks and climate vulnerabilities in the Philippines.

T he road maps and their corresponding investment portfolios for risk resilience (IPRR) are for 12 climate-vulnerable provinces and four major urban cities.

T he road maps were recently turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center under the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) last December 19 in Quezon City.

Developed under the Risk Resiliency Program (RRP) of the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation, and Disaster Risk Reduction, each road map with IPRR contains recommended actions to manage the risks and vulnerabilities in the climate-vulnerable areas in the

form of specific resilience measures. Key findings and relevant experiences were also presented by the study teams that conducted the risk assessments in the climate-vulnerable areas, during the turnover ceremony.

“ These planning documents will definitely help inform both local and national investment programming, resulting in more efficient and climate-responsive programs that make better use of our limited resources,” DENR Undersecretary for Finance, Information Systems, and Climate Change Analiza RebueltaTeh said in a news statement.

The road maps were developed for the provinces of Siquijor, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sulu, Lanao del Sur, Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Catanduanes, as well as the urban centers of Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Metro Iloilo, and Metro Davao.

T he initiative is implemented by the Neda-PPP Center and the DENR under the project “Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships in the Philippines” with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB)

and the Government of the United Kingdom, through its Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund.

Key officials who witnessed the turnover were DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones; PPP Center Executive Director Cynthia Hernandez and Director Lerma Advincula; ADB’s urban climate change resilience specialist Dr. Ramon Abracosa; and Jacques Miel-Soliguin, Climate Change, and Energy Attache of the British Embassy.

Biotech option

BIOLOGICAL technology offers powerful solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

A s climate change compels expeditious and wise action toward biotechnology, the DENR is committed to building opportunities in biotechnology to help address this global phenomenon and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth for all Filipinos, DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs Jonas R. Leones said in a statement.

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IPOPHL reports 4.4% rise in IP protection filing

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said applications for IP registration increased by 4.4 percent

to 36,709 in the first nine months of 2022, driven by an increase in economic activities.

“January to September filings for trademarks, patents, utility models [UMs] and industrial designs [IDs]

stood at 36,709, expanding from 35,172 in the same period in 2021,” IPOPHL said in a news statement issued on Thursday.

T he nine-month total, IPOPHL said, books in a 3.1 percent growth over filings in the first nine months in 2019 or pre-pandemic.

IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba attributed the growth to the increased economic activities in the country, as reflected in the 7.8 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first nine months of the year.

“ The latest figures show impressive recovery in IP filings as we are on track to exceeding the pre-pandemic volume. This is largely driven by increased economic activities as several areas where quarantine restrictions have de-escalated to their laxest yet,” Barba said.

A s to the breakdown of the IP filings, IPOPHL noted that trademark filings pushed the growth, growing

by 5.6 percent to 31,665. It also noted that residents accounted for 62 percent of the applicants at 19,762.

According to IPOPHL’s glossary of terms, a trademark is any visible sign capable of distinguishing the goods of one enterprise from that of another, or identifying the source or provider of the goods.

In terms of sectors, IPOPHL noted the bulk of trademark filings were in pharmaceuticals, health, cosmetics, with 19 percent share; followed by agricultural products and services, 16.8 percent; and scientific research, information and communication technology, 14.5 percent.

Meanwhile, the agency noted that patent filings climbed 2.3 percent to 3,116 with non-residents contributing 90 percent or 2,807.

Patent is an exclusive right that allows the inventor to exclude others from making, using, importing or selling the product of his intervention during the life of the patent, as

per the definition of terms published on IPOPHL’s web site.

IPOPHL said patent filings were “concentrated” on pharmaceuticals with 29.3 percent share; organic fine chemistry, 11.6 percent; and biotechnology, 8.6 percent.

Industrial designs (IDs), which protect the “unique appearance” of a product, climbed by 1 percent to 923. IPOPHL said the biggest boost came from non-residents at a 56 percent share or 516.

“An industrial design application is an application for a patent to protect against the unauthorized use of new, original, and ornamental designs for items of manufacture,” IPOPHL glossary read.

For ID applications, the agency said means of transport or hoisting contributed the most with 18.7 percent share; followed by packages and containers for the transport or handling of goods, 9.1 percent; and furnishing, 8.4 percent.

A s for utility models (UM), which provide “patent-like” protection at a shorter duration and with a less rigorous application process, filings contracted by 17.2 percent to 1,005. IPOPHL said majority of the filings were filed by residents making up 96 percent or 960.

According to IPOPHL, most UM applications were in food chemistry, with 46.8 percent share; other special machines, 9.1 percent; and IT methods for management, 4.4 percent.

Meanwhile, the agency noted that registrations for copyright jumped 69.1 percent to 2,602, mostly driven by books, pamphlets, articles, ebooks, audio books, comics, novels and other writings, with 29 percent share; other literary scholarly, scientific and artistic works, 27.8 percent; and drawings, paintings, architectural works, sculpture, engraving, prints, lithography or other works of art, models or designs for works of art, 9.3 percent.

BARMM okays five-year devt plan, creates intl development committee for financial aid

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—The Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC) approved last week the five-year Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) and established the Bangsamoro International Development Assistance Committee (BIDAC) aimed at generating wider global financial assistance to the nascent region.

T he BDP would span the period 2023-2028.

E ngr. Mohajirin Ali, directorgeneral of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) and the vice chairman of the BEDC, presented the salient features of the drafted second BDP 2023-2028 to the officials and members of the

BEDC, while emphasizing the remarkable changes in the region’s overall context.

“BARMM has the fastest economy and BARMM [and] was able to achieve five out of six macroeconomic targets set in the 1st BDP 2020-2022,” Ali shared.

A hod Ebrahim, chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and also the chairman of the BEDC, said the council spearheaded the formulation of the second BDP through its five sectoral committees along with the assistance of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) being the council’s technical secretariat.

“I would like to congratulate the BEDC sectoral committees and the BPDA for leading the formulation of second BDP that will serve as our

guide in the development of our region,” Ebrahim said.

The BARMM government is taking the step in developing a mechanism that would consolidate the efforts and initiatives of development partners that supports the government in facilitating the efficient and effective delivery of services to Bangsamoro communities,” he said.

T he BEDC would be referred to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the interim Parliament of the Bangsamoro government, for deliberation “since it will be the basis for the preparation of next year’s budget proposal of the ministries, offices and agencies,” the Bangsamoro Information Office said.

Meanwhile, the creation of the BIDAC was also ratified by the BEDC, which would serve as coordination mechanism involving the Bangsam-

oro government and international development partners.

T he BEDC meeting inducted Cotabato City Mayor Mohammad Ali “Bruce” Matabalao and Bangsamoro Attorney General Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba as new members of the BEDC. Both were sworn to fulfill their duties as members of the council and committed themselves to democratic means in pursuit of the ideals and aspirations of the Bangsamoro people.

T he BEDC also approved the resolution allowing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Cotabato Branch to attend council meetings with observer status.

T he BEDC was likewise directed “to strengthen the surveillance of the economic financial affairs of the BARMM through its representation in the council.”

₧10-M med warehouse to rise in Davao de Oro

DAVAO CITY—A warehouse to store medicines and other essentials drugs and vaccines badly needed during emergencies would be constructed inside the capitol complex of Davao de Oro.

G overnor Dorothy MontejoGonzaga led the groundbreaking ceremony in mid-December to start the construction of a 1-story Provincial Medicine Warehouse located at the Provincial Capitol Complex in Nabunturan, 86 kilometers north of this city.

T he medicine warehouse would cost P10 million.

P rovincial Health Officer Dr. Antonio P. Ybiernas said the building

would serve as a storage facility for commodities, including medicines and vaccines, as well as a satellite office to ensure the day-to-day operations of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) as well.

This would have a small office for our supply officer so that he would be able to safeguard and monitor the commodities, so that our people would not have a problem on medicines or vaccines,” Dr. Ybiernas said.

Dr. Annabelle P. Yumang, regional director of the Davao Center for Health Development (DCHD), said the warehouse is essential, especially in times of emergencies. “Remember during the Bagyong Pablo, there are lot of people

who wanted to donate, but we have no place to store them. We only have tents. We should not wait for another calamity to realize that we need this warehouse,” Yumang said.

Yumang said supply officers would be trained to look after the supplies, including proper temperature requirements to avoid contamination from pests. She said the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO) would support the warehouse for maintenance and monitoring of the building.

Governor Gonzaga expressed her gratitude to the Department of Health (DOH) for supporting the construction of the building.

Local government officials who wit-

nessed the groundbreaking ceremony were Acting Provincial Administrator Fatima Montejo, DOH representative Dr. Annie Larosa, Dr. Mary Cyrel Pasaol of PHO, Dr. Abigail Amores and Engr. Moises John Fortulazo of the Heavy John Engineering Consultancy. Meanwhile, Dr. Ybiernas bared plans for more infrastructure projects for the health sector, including the construction of “super” health centers in strategic locations of the province that would be providing specialized health services, such as an outpatient department, laboratory, X-ray, ultrasound, birthing services, diagnostic, blood chemistry and dental services.

Manuel T. Cayon

563 farmers in Pangasinan  receive land titles from DAR

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed on Wednesday individual and electronic land titles (e-titles) to a total of 563 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the province of Pangasinan.

T he distributed land titles, covering a total area of 217 hectares of agricultural land, are located in Tayug, Sto. Tomas, Balungao, Rosales, Umingan, and Lingayen.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella II said of the 563 ARBs, 88 were given etitles issued under the agency’s Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling or Project SPLIT.

The 88 ARBs under the Project SPLIT were previously awarded lands under collective certificates of land ownership award [CCLOAs]. This time, they were

given individual e-titles after the department went through the process of subdividing the CCLOAs,” Estrella said.

T he Project SPLIT aims to strengthen the ARB’s land tenure security and property rights to their lands.

T he remaining 475 ARBs were awarded regular land titles or CLOAs issued under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

T he distribution activities are anchored on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s plan “to empower the farmers and boost the agricultural sector,” Estrella said.

Meanwhile, Estrella announced the approval in the final reading of House Bill Number 6336, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which aims to free the ARBs from the financial burden of paying loans extended in relation to awarded agricultural lands under CARP.

Airport GM meets airlines on post-holiday departures RED CROSS WARNS AGAINST FLOOD-SPAWNED DISEASES

HEAVY rainfall brought by the shear line and which flooded several towns in Mindanao on Christmas Day may cause leptospirosis, dengue, and other water-borne diseases, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) warned on Thursday.

W ith this, the Mindanao Red Cross 143 (RC143) volunteers conducted health activities and campaigns in the affected areas to prevent and manage the risk of these diseases.

T he PRC also helped evacuate 193 people trapped by floods in Mindanao.

L ikewise, it alerted and mobilized its units to conduct health activities and campaigns to prevent and manage the risk of leptospirosis, dengue and other water-borne diseases.

To shed light on the nature, risk, symptoms, and prevention of leptospirosis, dengue, and other waterborne diseases, the PRC Chapters in the region posted and distributed brochures and flyers, disseminated information through SMS alerts and texts, and conducted health promotion sessions in communities and evacuation centers.

I cannot stress enough the importance of preventive measures to restrain transmission of these diseases. A flooded area could serve as an effective breeding ground for infected rodents and mosquitoes, and some people have no choice but to wade in floodwaters,” explained

PRC Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon.

A ccording to Gordon, they are conducting such health campaign “to help our kababayans in Mindanao protect themselves from threats of these preventable diseases.”

I n addition to health campaigns, the PRC Health Services sent Doxycycline, a prophylactic agent used for the treatment of Leptospirosis, to Mindanao.

A ccording to the PRC, an individual with open wounds or skin lesions can become infected through direct contact with water, soil, and mud contaminated with infected animal urine.

W ithout immediate and proper treatment, Leptospirosis can damage kidneys and cause liver failure. Children and pregnant women, however, cannot take the medication.

M eanwhile, the PRC community health announcements included a reminder to practice the 4-S campaign for dengue prevention: Search and destroy breeding places, Secure selfprotection, Seek early consultation, and Support fogging/spraying in hotspot areas.

Meanwhile, PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn T. Pang said the foremost humanitarian organization is on full alert and monitoring the further health and medical needs of the affected communities in Mindanao.

MANILA International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Cesar Chiong met with representatives from over 30 airline companies operating at the premier NAIA Terminals, with a directive for them to

C hiong, who  was accompanied by senior assistant general manager Bryan Co in the meeting, zeroed in on the need to open the check-in counters on time and possibly, even earlier, in order to accommodate the passengers who arrive early at the terminals to avoid traffic.

He noted that based on standard advisories being issued by the airlines, the passengers are told to come to the airport three hours prior to their slated boarding time if they are flying interna -

tional and two hours for domestic travelers. Because of the holiday crunch, they have even been told to come in earlier than these.

T his advice, he said, is useless if the counters do not open to accommodate them early, too.

W ith the counters opening early, Chiong said that the congestion of passengers in the lobby area will be eased.

It was learned that the airlines pay cheap rates for every counter opened

and this, according to Chiong, is nothing compared to the convenience that their passengers will enjoy.

C hiong said he held the meeting in anticipation of the influx of passengers at the end of the holidays early next week.

T housands of people, he said, are expected to depart once the holidays are over and as such, there is the need to make sure that the processes are not only efficient but also swift.

It is important to let travelers depart with a good lasting impression of their trip so that they can share this with others who may be encouraged to also visit the Philippines. Nonie Reyes

ensure a hassle-free travel at the end of the holidays.

CHIONG

Lack of info on China’s Covid outbreak stirs global concerns

By Ken Moritsugu & Huizhong Wu The Associated Press

from a caged China to the world to risk further infections of potentially hundreds of millions more in other countries,” Yu said in an e-mail.

India, South Korea, Taiwan and Italy have also announced various testing requirements for passengers from China. German health authorities are monitoring the situation but have not taken similar pre-emptive steps.

“We have no indication that a more dangerous variant has developed in this outbreak in China that would be grounds to declare a virus variant area, which would bring corresponding travel restrictions,” Health Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Guelde said.

and politically motivated,” Wang said at a daily ministry briefing.

China rolled back many of its tough pandemic restrictions earlier this month, allowing the virus to spread in a country that had seen relatively few infections since an initial devastating outbreak in the city of Wuhan in early 2020.

The spiraling of infections led to shortages of cold medicine, long lines at fever clinics, and emergency rooms turning away patients because they were at capacity. Cremations have risen several-fold, with a request from overburdened funeral homes in the city of Guangzhou for families to postpone funeral services until next month.

US will require Covid testing for all travelers from China, HK and Macao

By Carla K. Johnson AP Medical Writer

THE US announced new Covid-19 testing requirements Wednesday for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections.

The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation’s strict anti-virus controls. China’s “zero Covid” policies had kept the country’s infection rate low but fueled public frustration and crushed economic growth.

The new US requirements, which start Jan. 5, apply to travelers regardless of their nationality and vaccination status.

In a statement explaining the testing, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of adequate and transparent information from China, including genomic sequencing on the viral strains circulating in the country.

impact in slowing the spread of Covid-19,” Dowdy said.“We have a whole lot of transmission of Covid-19 here within our borders already.”

Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University, agreed China isn’t sharing enough genomic sequencing information. But he also said the US has become a little complacent about sequencing and needs to redouble its own efforts. The CDC also announced the expansion of an early warning program that tests volunteers at select airports for new and rare variants of the coronavirus. That program will expand to airports in Seattle and Los Angeles.

Under the new US rules, travelers to the US from China, Hong Kong and Macau, will be required to take a Covid-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone 2 years and older, including US citizens.

There have been no reports of new variants to date. But given the country’s track record, the worry is that China may not be sharing data on any signs of evolving strains that could spark fresh outbreaks elsewhere.

The US, in announcing a negative test requirement Wednesday for passengers from China, cited both the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of information, including the genomic sequencing of the virus strains in the country.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed a similar concern about a lack of information when he announced a testing requirement for passengers from China earlier this week.

More broadly, Director-Gener -

al Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said recently that the WHO needs more information on the severity of the outbreak in China, particularly regarding hospital and ICU admissions, “in order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground.”

That dubiousness, tinged with anger, on the part of the international community is a direct outcome of the ruling Communist Party’s sudden and poorly prepared exiting of its hardline policies, said Miles Yu, director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute think tank.

“You can’t conduct the lunacy of zero-Covid lockdowns for such a long period of time, which was doomed to fail, and then suddenly unleash a multitude of the infected

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said last week that China has always shared its information responsibly with the WHO and the international community.

“We stand ready to work with the international community in solidarity to tackle the Covid challenge more effectively, better protect people’s lives and health and jointly restore steady economic growth and build a global community of health for all,” she said.

However, in a hardening of China’s rhetoric, Mao’s colleague Wang Wenbin on Wednesday lashed out at critical foreign reporting on China’s new approach.

“This type of rhetoric is driven by bias, intended to smear China

China has not reported this widely and blamed Western media for hyping up the situation. The government has been accused of controlling information about the outbreak since the start of the pandemic.

An AP investigation showed that China was controlling dissemination of its internal research on the origins of Covid-19 in 2020. A WHO expert group said in a report this year that “key pieces of data” were still missing on the how the pandemic began and called for a more in-depth investigation.

Wu reported from Taipei, Taiwan. AP writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed.

“These data are critical to monitor the case surge effectively and decrease the chance for entry of a novel variant of concern,” the CDC said.

Some scientists are worried the Covid-19 surge in China could unleash a new coronavirus variant on the world that may or may not be similar to the ones circulating now. That’s because every infection is another chance for the virus to mutate.

“What we want to avoid is having a variant enter into the US and spread like we saw with Delta or Omicron,” said Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

But the CDC’s action may be less about stopping a new variant from crossing US borders and more about increasing pressure on China to share more information, said Dr. David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, adding he hopes the restrictions “aren’t kept in place longer than they need to be.”

“I don’t think it’s going to have a major

It will apply to people traveling from China via a third country and to people connecting through the US as they go on to other destinations. Anyone testing positive more than 10 days before the flight can provide documentation showing they’ve recovered from Covid-19 instead of a negative test result.

It will be up to the airlines to confirm negative tests and documentation of recovery before passengers board.

Other countries have taken similar steps in an effort to keep infections from spreading beyond China’s borders. Japan will require a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival for travelers from China, and Malaysia announced new tracking and surveillance measures. India, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan are requiring virus tests for visitors from China.

Lunar New Year, which begins Jan. 22, is usually China’s busiest travel season, and China announced Tuesday it will resume issuing passports for tourism for the first time since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

APScienceWriterLauraUngarcontributed.

BEIJING—Moves by the US, Japan and others to mandate Covid-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concerns that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak—and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough.

Massive fire at Cambodia hotel casino kills at least 16

By Sopheng Cheang The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—A massive fire that lasted more than 12 hours in a Cambodian hotel casino killed at least 16 people and injured about 50, while other victims were apparently not yet accounted for Thursday, as neighboring Thailand sent firetrucks to help fight the blaze in a bustling border town.

Videos posted on social media showed people falling from a roof after they were trapped by the fire at the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel in the border town of Poipet. Many of those inside, both customers and staff, were from neighboring Thailand.

In a video posted by Cambodia’s firefighting agency, onlookers could be heard shouting pleas to rescue people trapped on the roof of the hotel complex, which is more than a dozen stories tall at its highest point. The video showed at least one man falling as the flames reached the roof.

“Oh, please help rescue them. Pump water...pump water,” shouted the onlookers.

The Department of Fire Prevention, Extinguishing and Rescue posted that calls for help were heard from the 13th, 14th and 15th floors at 4 a.m. and hands were seen waving from windows as well as a mobile phone’s flashlight signaling from inside the complex.

“The fire was massive, and was inside the casino, so it was difficult for our water cannons to reach it,” observed a firefighter on the video posted online by the fire department. He said that was the reason the fire continued burning for such a long time.

The blaze, which started around midnight Wednesday, was finally put out at 2 p.m. Thursday, said Sek Sokhom, head of Banteay Meanchey’s information department. He said a local Buddhist temple was being prepared to receive the dead.

The province’s deputy governor, Ngor Meng Chroun, told Cambodia’s Bayon Radio the death toll had reached 16, with about 50 other people injured. The number of deaths appeared likely

to rise, as more bodies of those trapped inside were discovered and critically hurt people succumbed to their injuries.

Banteay Meanchey police chief Sithi Loh said 360 emergency personnel and 11 firetrucks had been sent to the scene of the fire, whose cause was not yet known. The casino employed about 400 workers.

“Right now, we are trying to bring the dead bodies from the building down. I don’t think there will be any survivors because of very thick smoke. Even we all (the rescue staff) have to wear proper gear when we go inside the building, otherwise we cannot breathe at all,” said Montri Khaosa-ard, a staff member of Thailand Ruamkatanyu Foundation, a social welfare organization that sends volunteers to the sites of emergencies.

Thai and Cambodia rescue teams worked side-by-side in Thursday’s search of the badly burned premises.

Thailand’s public television network, Thai PBS, reported that 50 Thais, both staff and customers, had been trapped inside the casino complex. It reported that Cambodian authorities requested help to deal with the fire from Thailand, which sent five firetrucks and 10 rescue vans.

Poipet in western Cambodia is opposite the city of Aranyaprathet in more affluent Thailand, and there is busy cross-border trade and tourism.

Thai PBS cited reports that Aranyaprathet Hospital’s emergency ward was full and other victims had to be sent to other hospitals.

Casinos are illegal in Thailand, but neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos host the lucrative industry. Cambodia has an especially active casino industry because the Southeast Asian country is also a popular tourist destination with convenient international connections.

The Grand Diamond City casino is just a few meters (yards) from the border checkpoint with Thailand and popular with customers who make the four-hour drive from the Thai capital, Bangkok.

The Associated Press reporter Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Ukraine regions, Kyiv face another massive Russian missile barrage

By Renata Brito & Hanna Arhirova The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Several regions of Ukraine, including its capital, were facing a massive Russian missile attack Thursday morning, the latest in a series targeting national infrastructure.

Air raid sirens rang out across the country. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia launched over 120 missiles.

In Kyiv, air defense systems were activated to fend off the ongoing missile attack, according to the regional administration. Sounds of explosions were heard in the city.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said numerous explosions took place in Ukraine’s second-largest city. Explosions were also heard in the city of Lviv near the border with Poland, according to Mayor Andriy Sadovyi.

Ukrainian authorities in several regions said some incoming Russian missiles were intercepted.

The governor of southern Ukraine’s Mykolaiv province, Vitaliy Kim, said five missiles were shot down over the Black Sea. The Ukrainian military’s command North said two were downed over the Sumy region, located on the border with Russia in the country’s northeast.

Fragments from downed Russian missiles damaged two private buildings in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, the city administration said. An industrial facility and a playground in neighborhoods located across the Dnieper River also were damaged, city officials said. No casualties were immediately reported.

The widespread attack was the latest in a series of Russian strikes targeting vital infrastructure across Ukraine. Moscow has launched such attacks on weekly basis since October, causing widespread blackouts and cutoffs to water supplies.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned Thursday that there could be power outages in the capital, asking people to stockpile water and to charge their electronic devices.

After earlier attacks, the Ukrainian military reported shooting down incoming Russian missiles and explosive drones, but some still reached their targets, increasing the suffering of the population amid freezing temperatures.

As the latest wave of Russian strikes began Thursday, authorities in the Dnipro, Odesa and Kryvyi Rih regions said they switched off electricity to minimize the damage to critical infrastructure facilities if they were hit.

Earlier this month, the United States agreed to give a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine to boost the country’s defense. The US and other allies also pledged to provide energy-related equipment to help Ukraine withstand the attacks on its infrastructure.

Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said that Russia was aiming to “destroy critical infrastructure and kill civilians en masse.”

“We’re waiting for further proposals from ‘peacekeepers’ about ‘peaceful settlement,’ ‘security guarantees for RF’ and undesirability of provocations,” Podolyak wrote on Twitter, a sarcastic reference to statements from some in the West who urged Ukraine to seek a political settlement of the conflict.

editorial10 crises the world can’t ignore in 2023

The International Rescue Committee is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development non-governmental organization that responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. In 2021 the IRC and its partners reached over 31.5 million people in countries affected by crisis.

Founded at the call of Albert Einstein in 1933, the IRC is now at work in over 40 crisis-affected countries. Part of its mission is to provide health care, help children learn, and empower individuals and communities to become self-reliant.

The IRC said many countries across the globe continue to struggle with decades-long conflicts, economic turmoil, and the devastating effects of climate change. Here’s the IRC’s Watchlist for the 10 humanitarian crises seen deteriorating the most in 2023.

First on the list is Somalia, which is facing an unprecedented drought and hunger crisis in 2023. People are dying of starvation, and the country is on the brink of famine. With its food production decimated by climate change and conflict, Somalia’s dependence on imports has proven disastrous over 90 percent of its wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine.

Next is Ethiopia, which is heading toward its sixth consecutive failed rainy season. The drought has already affected 24 million people. At the same time, various conflicts across the country are preventing humanitarian organizations from delivering aid to about 28.6 million.

Third is Afghanistan, where an entire population is being pushed into poverty. Over a year since the shift in power, Afghans remain in economic collapse. While a rapid increase in aid prevented famine last winter, the root cause of the crisis persists. Ongoing efforts to engage the government and improve the economy have fallen short.

In Congo, over 100 armed groups fight for control in the eastern part, fueling a crisis that has lasted for decades. After nearly 10 years of dormancy, the M23 armed group launched a new offensive in 2022, forcing families to flee their homes and disrupting humanitarian aid. Major disease outbreaks—including measles, malaria and Ebola—continue to threaten an already weak health care system, putting many lives at risk.

In fifth place is Yemen, where an eight-year-old conflict between armed groups and government forces remains unresolved. While a ceasefire reduced fighting for several months, it collapsed in October 2022. Yemen is at increased risk of violence in 2023 unless a longer ceasefire agreement is reached.

Next is Syria, where over a decade of war has destroyed its health system and left the country on the brink of economic collapse. Currently, 75 percent of Syrians are unable to meet their most basic needs, and millions rely on humanitarian aid.

South Sudan, one of the most fragile countries in the world, is in seventh place. More South Sudanese people than ever before—7.8 million—will face crisis levels of food insecurity in 2023. Despite severe flooding, destroyed crops and disease outbreaks, funding shortages forced the World Food Programme to suspend part of its food aid in 2022.

Next is Burkina Faso, where armed groups now control as much as 40 percent of the country. Tensions among political factions have contributed to the instability. Members of the armed forces seized power twice in 2022 alone. A growing number of vigilante groups has added to the violence. While needs are dire, humanitarian aid is limited by conflict and lack of funding.

Number nine is Haiti, where armed gangs regularly take control of distribution routes, causing shortages of basic goods and fuel. Rising prices make it increasingly difficult for people to afford to buy the food they can access. Gang violence will continue to disrupt people’s livelihoods and essential services. Kidnappings, rape and killings are all rising, putting thousands at risk of death.

Ukraine occupies the 10th spot because of the Russian invasion, which created the world’s largest displacement crisis 6.5 million Ukrainians have been displaced inside the country, while more than 7.8 million are refugees across Europe. Ukraine is not higher on the IRC Watchlist only because the huge scale of the international response helped to mitigate the impact of the war.

The countries on the IRC’s 2023 Watchlist are home to just 13 percent of the global population, yet they account for 90 percent of people in humanitarian need and 81 percent of the people who have been forcibly displaced. These are the 10 countries likely to face the worst humanitarian crises next year, and they urgently need global help.

Safeguarding hope

sonny M. angara

Better Days

ACCoRdIng to a recent Pulse Asia survey of 1,200 respondents, some 43 percent said they expected this year’s Christmas to be more prosperous than last year’s, while up to 42 percent believed their holidays would be as prosperous as what they had experienced the year before. Based on the same survey, it appears that this upbeat disposition will carry over to the new year, given that up to 92 percent of respondents said that they will face the incoming 2023 with hope.

Many Filipinos do have something to look forward to as some of the reforms under the previous administration that we sponsored will take effect with the coming of the New Year. Specifically, income tax rates for some government and private sector workers will be lowered starting from January 1, 2023, under the third tranche of rate reductions mandated by RA 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law.

While workers with yearly income worth P250,000 or less will

remain tax-free, those earning over P250,000 but less than P400,000 will be levied a 15-percent tax. Previously, the rate was 20 percent.

For those earning yearly incomes between P400,000 and P800,000, the tax due will consist of a fixed obligation worth P22,500 plus 20 percent of the excess over P400,000. Before, the fixed amount was P30,000 while the percentage levied was 25 percent.

Then, workers earning over P800,000 but less than P2 million will now be expected to pay P102,500 plus 25 percent of the excess over

What matters the most

P800,000. Under the previous structure, fixed income earners needed to pay P130,000 and 30 percent of the excess over P800,000.

Finally, for those with annual incomes between P2 million and P8 million, their tax obligations will consist of P405,500 plus 30 percent of the excess over P2 million. Previously, these workers needed to pay P490,000 and 32 percent of the excess over P2 million.

Some tax experts say the new rates could result in additional takehome pay of up to P18,000 a month, depending on the income brackets workers are situated. Any additional amount can help ordinary families cope with rising prices of basic commodities and services, and keep their hopes up about life getting better for them.

This hope should be safeguarded and nurtured among our families, as it will be crucial for helping the country tide over some of the challenges that are expected throughout the incoming year—including continuous price increases, persistent global supply chain disruptions, and slowdowns in many of the world’s largest economies.

Keeping our people’s hopes up in the face of crises entails preparing

our government to provide whatever assistance and support our people may need. And this is why, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, we took steps to ensure that the Executive branch will be provided with enough funding to give out assistance or ayuda—albeit in a more targeted fashion—if ever our people will need it.

For instance, under the 2023 budget, up to P102.6 billion has been provided for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which is the government’s long-standing conditional transfer scheme that targets many of the country’s poorest households. Up to P50 billion has also been authorized to be devoted to the social pensions of our indigent senior citizens for their daily subsistence and medical needs.

Many of the programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have also been allotted ample funds in the coming year. This includes P36.8 billion for the DSWD’s Protective Services for Individuals and Families in Difficult Circumstances; P5.2 billion for its supplementary feeding program; P6.7 billion for the KALAHI-CIDSS program where local governments

Dr. alvin P. ang

eaGLe WatCH

The Christmas season festivities will soon die down, and people will go back to reality, as it were. Reality, for most people, is to face the challenges that were temporarily put on hold because of the holidays. In spite of what they are experiencing, most people would have said, “Pasko naman kasi.”

Nevertheless, that limit cannot be pushed further if they will continue to face rising prices of sugar and onions. People will get frustrated as they get back to work if they continue to be doing “diskarte” as Nicole Tengco beautifully explained in her Rappler Opinion article last Christmas Eve. We cannot continue to believe in the “diskarte” or the Filipino’s ability to doing life fixes in the daily grind.

So, there has to be a clear and formal strategy to properly address these challenges without having to push our people to do their own “diskarte”. This, indeed, is what matters the most to the majority. We should set aside grand dreams and plans that will take years before making a significant impact on our people’s lives. The priority ought to be clear: Government should address the issues of the daily grind, to the best

that it can, no matter what.

The global headwinds that added to the rising prices of 2022 are most likely to dissipate by the first half of the coming new year. Three key events will change the course of the global gloom towards recession. First, there is the possible endemicity of Covid-19. Second, there is the reopening of the China economy. Third, there is potential peace in Ukraine. These three will shake the global economies and cause a global shift from gloom to optimism.

A World Health Organization announcement regarding the end of the pandemic could help reprioritize resources towards lessening, or even totally removing, mobility and goods restrictions. This will be boosted by China’s full reopening that could reignite global trade with its factories going back to produce for the world. This reopening will, in turn, address

supply bottlenecks and shortages to ultimately help lower supply-induced inflation. Moreover, recent pronouncements of Russia seem to point to their willingness to go to the negotiating table. These three will certainly help “normalize” global trade, bring back the cost of production and shipment to comfortable levels, and make commodity prices such as oil and food predictable based on weather and capacities rather than speculations.

These events, if they do happen, will, in all likelihood, help soften prices, though not immediately. They could also bring governance back into complacency. We should not allow global events to dictate how we respond to our domestic needs and requirements. It should be noted that the Philippines would end the year with more than $8 billion in balance of payments (BOP) deficit due to the high volume of imports coupled with high costs of imported goods. Besides, interest rates will most probably remain high as the country adjusts from the global interest rates push.

These global and local economic conditions should be seen as impetus for governance to be taking a headway. Lower global prices do not mean they will remain the same. While we could benefit from it now, there should now be a recognition that being connected to the global value chain must also mean that we are domestically secured in terms

of our food and basic necessities— things that matter the most to our daily grind.

Yes, it will take some time before our trains and subways will run. There must be something that should be done so that people will not turn to buying more vehicles. It will take a coordinated system of public transportation and traffic management that is incentive-based to be implemented, particularly in our major cities. For food and basic necessities, there must be a local approach of having an inventory of what a city/ locality is able to produce, what they have, what they do not have, what they can sell, and what they need to buy. This simple tracking of resources and needs at the local level will put governance on their toes, regardless of what is happening in the global markets.

Hence, 2023 can be a good year for the country, regardless of the global conditions, if we just focus on what matters the most in the daily grind. First should be our localities, and then our cities, and then the nation.

Let us work together to have a common “diskarte” and not leave that to every Juan in the street.

Praying that your 2023 will be better in health, finance, and governance!

Dr. Alvin P. Ang is the Chairperson of the Department of Economics at Ateneo de Manila University. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development.

Overhaul the Labor Code–now!

Dr. Rene E. ofreneo

LaBoREM EXERCEns

THe overhaul of the labor Code is long overdue. The Code was issued in 1974, or 48 years ago. President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., exercising extraordinary legislative power under a martial law government, issued Presidential Decree 442 to promulgate the Code.

The Code, essentially a compilation of pre-martial law labor legislations, is focused on the protection of the rights of paid employees in the formal or organized sector of the economy. However, the interpretation and implementation of the labor relations and labor standard laws (Books III to VI) have been narrow. Only a minority of workers, the regulars or permanent employees, are able to enjoy union formation and collective bargaining rights. As a result, the number of workers covered by registered collective bargaining agreements today is estimated to be over 200,000 only, a puny number compared to the 47 million reported by PSA as employed as of October 2022.

Who are the excluded? In the formal sector, these are the“endos”, casuals, project employees, shortterm hires, “job-order” government workers, “sacadas,” “pakiao” and other categories of non-regular paid employees. They have difficulties organizing themselves into unions or workers’ organizations that can assist employees in negotiating for job security, higher benefits, social protection coverage and redress for grievances.

And yes, the Labor Code is silent on the rights of the workers in the vast “informal economy.” The informals include the migrant workers, home-based workers, street vendors, jeepney/tricycle drivers, micro worker-entrepreneurs, unregistered service workers, agricultural tenants, landless rural workers, fisherfolks, informal construction workers, etcetera, etcetera.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the workers in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy are guaranteed equal protection and support from the government. The charter labor clause is clearly aligned with the 1948 UN Human Rights Declaration (UNHRD), which states that all humans should be recognized as “born free” and “equal in dignity and rights”.

The Labor Code is not aligned with the Constitution and the UNHRD. Why? The Labor Code, under Article 3 (“Declaration of policy”), fails to specify that the labor rights outlined in the Code are universal or for everyone, that is, without any exception. In contrast to the labor clause of the Constitution (Section 3, Article XIII) and the UNHRD, the Code omits the word “all” when referring to workers. The Code simply states in a vague and general way that the “The State shall afford protection to labor, promote full employment, ensure equal work opportunities” and so on.

The non-universal character of the Code’s policy declaration on labor rights becomes clearer with the kind of laws that the Code provides.

The various provisions of the Code, especially those dealing with labor standards and labor relations, are applicable mainly to the paid workers in the formal economy.

And when it comes to the formation of unions and collective bargaining, only the regulars or permanent workers are able to enjoy these rights. This is reinforced by labor jurisprudence that supports the contention of employers and their lawyers that only regular employees who are able to pass the four-way test on the existence of employer-employee relations can enjoy the unionism/ bargaining rights outlined in the Labor Code. The four-way test poses the following litigious questions in establishing the legal status of an employee: Who hires the worker? Who pays the worker? Who disci-

The Labor Code is not aligned with the Constitution and the UNHRD. Why? The Labor Code, under Article 3 (“Declaration of policy”), fails to specify that the labor rights outlined in the Code are universal or for everyone, that is, without any exception.

plines the worker? Who controls the work process?

In summary, the Labor Code is far from being inclusive. It is not a Labor Code for all workers.

This is why we welcome the declaration by Senators Sonny Angara and Jinggoy Estrada on their commitment to have the Labor Code revamped or overhauled. The two also happen to be long-time sponsors of the proposed Magna Carta for Workers in the Informal Economy (MCWIE), which failed to get the nod of the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th Congresses. For two decades, the two legislative chambers had managed to ignore the demand of the numerous informals for equal treatment under the law.

Hopefully, this time it will be different. Senators Angara and Estrada, together with Congressmen Raymond Mendoza and Dan Fernandez in the House, are in a good position to lead Congress in the passage of a historic “magna carta” for the most numerous: the informals.

The two senators have also articulated additional reasons on the urgency of having a Labor Code overhaul. First, there is a need to recognize the rise of the digital work force and the absence of protective legislations for these workers, especially the gig workers and the online delivery boys and girls. Second, some of the old provisions of the Labor Code such as the night differential for women workers have become meaningless with the 24-7 transformation of the economy and the labor market.

Former DOLE Undersecretary Josephus Jimenez, who has been campaigning for a new, inclusive and forward-looking Labor Code, has also raised other arguments in support for a Labor Code overhaul. He describes the present Labor Code as “anti-development, anti-people and anti-business”. He wrote that the total development of the work force or “human capital development” (HCD) of all should be the overall guide in the crafting of a new Labor Code.

The HCD framework means, among other things, the overhaul of Books One and Two (on preemployment and human resource development) by putting emphasis on the nurturing of home-grown talents and high-level professional work force to boost the country’s own socio-economic development. This means less promotion of and dependence on outward migration, which divides families, weakens national economic capacity and benefits mainly host countries in need of Filipino skills and talents.

Jimenez also questions the way the Books dealing with labor standards and labor relations have been formulated. In particular, he labeled Book Five as being “topsy-turvy, hodge-podge, incoherent and has been subjected to a series of disjointed amendments.” Of course, a Labor Code that is “topsy-turvy, hodge-podge, incoherent” is good for certain labor law practitioners, who prosper in a highly confusing and legalistic labor situation. Atty. Jimenez is clearly not one of them.

At any rate, the Labor Code’s overhaul is truly long overdue.

Navigating the Islands of Faith

Tito Genova Valiente annoTaTions

IN the ninth and last essay, the writer asks, “What can we learn from the missionary journey of the Church after 500 years?” The writer is not a historian in the strict disciplinal sense of the word. He is a Catholic priest, a missiologist, theology professor, and pastor. He is what you may call a historian of faith. In this essay, titled “Mission Makes the Church: New Horizons of Missio Ad Gentes for the Philippines Today and Beyond,” Fr. Andrew Gimenez Recepcion is once more a pilgrim.

While we, laypersons and critical viewers of our own colonized history, have our own take on the Church we belong to, the book, The Islands of Faith enables us to look at the unfolding of events from the institutional Church. More than privileging an intellectual position, Recepcion, with confidence presents another view, not any less important than those we, the laity, uphold. For Recepcion, “celebrating the quincentennial of the arrival of Christian faith is not like dusting off a precious artifact that has been kept in a museum for 500 years.” He stresses: “In fact, mission is ever new, valid and urgent at all times and for all peoples.”

We do have our own concepts of missions and missionaries. We think of religious men and women traveling to distant and remote places. Somehow, we cannot think of our neighborly parish priest as a missionary. Recepcion corrects these impressions and more. He notes how the world has rapidly changed and how “Missiologists today suggest that we need a new mindset, a new language and a new praxis when we talk about missio ad gentes.”

The term, “missio ad gentes” literally means “our mission toward all the people” but, in a broader sense, it points to the phrase of going out into the world to preach the Gospel to all people.

Religion being contentious, perhaps we may find these concepts unnecessary, but the value of the essay goes beyond the formal content of evangelization; rather, it shows us a very old organization being con-

scious of the massive shifts happening to the social world in which all kinds of religions are located. Thus, Recepcion, a lecturer at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, states: “Mission in our contemporary society has multifaceted human frontiers in today’s disrupted, hybrid, and global world.”

When one reads the essays in the book of Recepcion, one is made acutely aware of a world where religion participates in a tapestry rather than a territorial enclave. The variation in the people’s response and the changes in one’s religion all underscore a point-of-view ready to accommodate alterations and shifting. The essays are also differing in terms of persuasion and level of knowledge. There is the first essay, which is about Diakonia and how the word changes in terms of usage and historical context. The word can mean “mediator” but not a servant or a slave. The scholar, as expected, cites non-Christian sources if only to ferret out the nuances of the word. Relevant to his world as a missiologist, Diakonia can refer to listening to a command and executing it, a notion that gives rise to the servant-leader or servant-Church.

From hermeneutical exercise, the essay goes to tackle Mission as Counter-Cultures in the Global Village. At the heart of this essay is the multi-pronged piece on globalization, defined as a force that becomes out of our control. The essay has the feel of a popular rumination, with talks about the ubiquitous SM and its megamalls.

Recepcion writes: “In the dynamics of cultural globalization, megamall is one of the indicators of the Philippines as one global nation. It could be considered as a new temple of Filipinos where they can come in contact with the values of the global village through the various manifestations of global culture offering promises of flawless beauty, better comforts, new identity and virtual reality.” Then, Recepcion, aware of the corporate social responsibility of SM as manifested in the holding of Masses in their premises, speaks of how these malls “can create new avenues for reaching out to the unchurched (underscoring mine) and opening up new pastoral strategies like celebrating Sunday Masses in megamalls and putting up prayer rooms or chapels as one of the services provided by the operators.”

Recepcion closes the paragraph with this: “A megamall captures cultural globalization in the local scene.”

More topics are covered by this collection of essays, with the other papers dealing with the themes of diaspora or migration, ecology, and Pentecostalism.

One of the most accessible essays in the compendium is the one on migration. It is also the most incisive

with Recepcion asking or doubting how migration is perceived as having had an impact on our identity. Against the perception that migration has become an integral part of the culture in the Philippines, he inquires whether the Filipino value system supports the conclusion that “migration has become a constitutive part of Filipino identity in the sense of culture as existential symbolization, that is, as a source of meaning and identity.”

The book, The Islands of Faith. Crossroads of Mission, is published by the Ateneo de Naga University. Its author, Andrew Gimenez Recepcion, is a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres. He is currently the Spiritual Director of the Pontifical College, Rome, Italy. He holds a doctorate in Missiology from the Pontifical University in Rome, Italy. The book was launched during the month-long celebration called Saeculum, organized by the Ateneo de Naga University Press, Ateneo de Naga University Research Council, Savage Mind Bookshop, Tugawe Cove Café, Isarog Highlands, in cooperation with the National Book Development Board.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

Britain’s youngest workers are too sick to work

By Liza Tetley | Bloomberg News

MeNTAl health issues are keeping Britain’s workers out of work at record levels at a time when the economy needs them the most.

Amid a bleak economic outlook, falling real wages and a creaking National Health Service, there’s mounting evidence that the country’s young working age people are suffering from long-term health issues that are keeping them out of work at increasingly alarming rates. There was a 29 percent increase in 16-24 year-olds citing long-term sickness as a reason for being economically inactive and a 42 percent jump among people aged 25 to 34 who said the same, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That data is for the second quarter of 2022 when compared to the same period before the pandemic.

It’s not just young people, either.

Work-related stress was reported as the biggest driver of inactivity among 50-54 year-olds, according to government data. Overall, mental health issues account for a total of around 600,000 economically in-

Angara

are engaged in the identification, implementation, and completion of poverty alleviation projects and community-driven development; P6.5 billion for the Sustainable Livelihood Program to provide nearly 200,000 household beneficiaries with microenterprise assistance or employment facilitation services,

active people across all age groups, according to ONS data, a 10 percent increase on pre-pandemic figures.

Given the strong correlation between mental health disorders and worklessness, a rise among Britain’s youth has direct economic consequences. It’s feeding salary competition between firms, adding to pressures on inflation that’s already near a four-decade high. The data also point more generally to a worrying decline in the health of the nation, with the youngest workers facing a recession and wages that fail to keep up with double-digit inflation.

Chronic problems

THIS is not just a post-pandemic phenomenon—industry experts say it’s been building over the past decade. Louise Murphy, economist at the Resolution Foundation said health among the younger generation was already

among many others.

These funds are on top of the P100.2 billion lodged under the National Health Insurance Program to help subsidize the medical costs of our people; the P32.6 billion for medical assistance to indigent and financially-incapacitated patients; the P20.1 billion for the emergency employment services of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) under its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged /

deteriorating “quite dramatically” before the pandemic. But the issue has become more acute since Covid.

“There’s no doubt that Covid has accelerated the mental health problems in this age group,” said Majorie Wallace, chief executive officer of the mental health charity Sane. “They’ve been out of schools, potentially exposed to fractious domestic atmospheres at home, and spent more time on social media.” NHS Digital data showed that one-in-four 17-19 year-olds in England had a probable mental disorder in 2022, up from one-in-six in the previous year.

This adds to recent research from the Institute for Public Policy Research that showed that mental health problems were the most common conditions among those out of the workforce due to long-term sickness. The report from December also said that 20 to 29 year-olds not working because of illness were 50% more likely to report a mental health problem than older working-age adults.

The problem is particularly pronounced among men, according to the Resolution Foundation. The number of inactive males with men-

Displaced Workers program and its Government Internship Program (GIP); and the billions more devoted to government scholarships, subsidies, vouchers, student loans, and other student financial assistance that enables more of our youth to keep on learning.

It’s a testament to their inner strength that despite many challenges, our people have chosen to receive the New Year with hope and optimism. Such positive energy is

tal health issues increased to 37,000 in 2021, a 103 percent increase on 2006 figures, and substantially higher than levels seen among women.

“The reason that (deteriorating health) hasn’t been a big story in recent years is that it was this almost exactly outweighed by fewer young women being inactive to look after families,” said Murphy. “But when you split it up by type of inactivity, it’s quite clear.”

Why now?

BOTH the ONS and the IPPR point towards an overworked and underperforming NHS as a key factor in the nation becoming sicker, including with mental health disorders, adding that longer waiting times since the pandemic have likely exacerbated the problem.

Figures from Imperial College London show that the number of GP appointments attended by people aged between 15-24 years declined by 31 percent during the first Covid lockdown in 2020 when compared with previous years. That may indicate a potential increase in undiagnosed problems.

essential to our success as a country. This is why it is only right that the government has taken steps and preparations to keeping this hope alive.

Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 18 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 9 as Senator. He has authored, co-authored, and sponsored more than 330 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.

E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara

BusinessMirror

Law schools hailed for providing legal aid to poor during pandemic

PHILIPPINE law schools that accorded free legal advice to the underprivileged and helped improve their access to justice during the pandemic were recently honored.

The Legal Education Board (LEB) awarded the said schools during the first Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) Summit held in Taguig City.

The top awardee of the first CLEP Frontliners’ Awards was Mindanao State University (MSU), which received the “Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo Virtual Legal Advocate Award” for the most adaptive use of technology in giving legal-aid and clinic services to the community.

The distinction cited MSU’s initiative to build the Sarimanok Virtual Law Clinic, which extended free online legal services in the Bangsamoro Region. Chief Justice Gesmundo himself handed the award to the university.

Meanwhile, Saint Louis University was conferred the “Community Advocate Award” for serving the most number of indigent clients—a total of 1,200—across the Cordillera Administrative Region. It also received the “Pioneer Law School Clinic Award,” as alumnus Elijah Roland A. Cosalan was honored with the “Pioneer Law Student Practitioner Award.”

Cagayan State University was bestowed the “Solidarity Award” for its inspiring dedication to implement clinical legal education, and its con -

tribution to access to justice despite adversities and challenges. The award, reserved for small or disadvantaged law schools, recognizes that despite the small budget for the law school clinic, the said university stayed true to its CLEP commitment.

Rizal Memorial Colleges received the “Breaking New Ground Award” for its efforts in providing legal-aid services to the Manobo tribe in Eastern Mindanao. It recognized new and innovative uses of clinical legal education in providing community services and access to justice.

Other awardees were Ateneo de Naga University with a special citation for assisting distressed overseas Filipino workers trafficked in Syria, and the San Sebastian College-Recoletos which received the “Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin Award” for Pioneer CLEP Pedagogy.

The CLEP Awards is part of the LEB’s support in the implementation of the Supreme Court’s law-student practice rule, which required law students to enroll in law-school clinics to assist poor and indigent Filipinos.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh headed the awards’ selection committee, com -

posed of Regional Trial Court judges Karla Funtilla-Abugan and Rigor Pascual.

Solid, collaborative partnerships

THE Asia Foundation (TAF), meanwhile, hailed the Supreme Court’s leadership in creating a broad network of fully operational law clinics in the country, and enhancing the capacity of law schools to render legal-aid services.

The development and adoption of the Revised Law Student Practice Rule enabling CLEP was “an inspired decision that will continue to have positive impacts for decades to come,” said Country Representative Sam Chittick.

“There have been significant, fundamental changes in the way the country organizes and prioritizes legal education, [with] so many improvements,” added Chittick. “For the past five years, we have been able to contribute to these improvements—through solid and collaborative partnerships with legal education stakeholders in the judiciary—to improve clinical legal education, thereby [upping] the quality of graduates, and the availability of legal services around the country.”

The country representative has visited some of the law schools around the Philippines that have implemented CLEP, and hailed their commitment to ensure law students get an education “which is not just preparing them for an exam, but [for them to become] lawyers who are ethical, socially responsible, and…work for the good of all.”

Chittick went on: “To see the way the partner-law schools are interpreting and building their own clinical legaleducation programs for their commu -

nities, and finding ways to increase access to justice for those Filipinos who most need it, is most heartening. I look forward to seeing how these continue to grow and evolve.”

He added it is fitting that the first CLEP Summit follows the recent release of the Supreme Court’s five-year strategic plan: “Justice Real Time: A Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027.” It cements the CLEP’s value by committing to the program’s institutionalization in all law schools, while reinforcing legal-aid projects.

Chief Justice Gesmundo, who delivered the keynote at the summit, said the public’s access to justice has increased, while the marginalized sector has been assured a place in society through the CLEP: “Indeed, through the [program], we have increased access to justice, and given the poor and marginalized sectors of society an assured place in our judicial system.”

LEB, the government agency responsible for the supervision of legal education in the Philippines, implemented its full integration through the Revised Model Law Curriculum.

TAF implemented a five-year legalaid project: “Strengthening Rule of Law through Legal-Aid Clinics in the Philippines” to support the reform roll out. All 124 law schools are mandated to establish and operate a law clinic under a CLEP.

CLEP is also a requisite for the 2023 Bar examinations. Students graduating in 2023 and are taking next year’s exams should have completed CLEP and rendered legal-aid service under their school’s law clinic or externship program to qualify.

Germany reaffirms human rights commitment thru quality education

FOR Germany, human rights are the very basis of a functioning democracy. Due to their high relevance in everyone’s life, the protection and reinforcement of human rights remain to be some of Germany’s major commitments to the international community. This is why it plays a significant role in German foreign policy and projects supported by its federal government abroad.

The German Embassy actively advocates for the improvement of the human- rights situation in the Philippines by partnering with “trusted organizations.” A core element in these projects is education and awareness to help improve the lives of those from vulnerable sectors.

“A robust education system is the basis of a country’s economic success,” said Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel. “Especially in a country like the Philippines where… majority of the population is below the age

of 30, it is essential to tap the full potential of the youth by investing in education.”

Following the extended closure of schools as a reaction to the pandemic, Reiffenstuel feels there is much to be done in ensuring the quality of education has improved for affected Filipino children.

“Education is the key to raise awareness for yourself and your rights,” the envoy shared. “It is important to know your rights, and to fight for them.”

She added that basic education ensures a child’s literacy, as it not only opens avenues for better paying jobs; it’s also a precondition for being able to access vital information: “For example, [it is your right to learn and enjoy] social services that you have a right to benefit from. Education also helps you detect and dismantle misinformation, or disinformation, which is imperative in every vibrant democracy.”

Starting them young SETTING children up for success is of utmost importance. One of the best ways to do this, as affirmed by Reiffenstuel, is through quality education. With the sponsorship program of German charity organization Freunde der Erziehungskunst Rudolf Steiners (Freunde), needy children from Iloilo Province are given a shot at learning.

Waldorf School-Gamot Cogon provides quality and holistic learning experiences to students who are encouraged to contribute to society and be a force for good. The school system takes into account the age and development stage of each child as deciding factors in picking a teaching method.

Its curriculum also integrates physical education and the arts. This enables students to grow up as wellrounded and emotionally resilient adults. In the case of Gamot Cogon, they are given time to play outdoors and appreciate nature as well.

About one-third of the students are from Brgy. Libongcogon, which is a low-lying coastal area vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoons and flooding. Their families struggle to make ends meet. Yearly, the school receives financial support from Germany through Freunde, allowing them to accept scholars and cover the costs of general school operations. Having access to education—a basic human right—has given the Libongcogon children a great environment to grow and thrive, improving the overall quality of their life.

“Over the past several years we have seen the community children thrive and excel in their studies, and in… various aspects,” shared Gamot Cogon Administrator Angel de la Flor. “We also take pride in knowing that there has been a strong culture of inclusivity, harmony and equality among our students who come from various backgrounds, and from all walks of life.”

MOTIVATED by its mission of innovation and inclusive education while preparing its students to be “real world ready,” the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde has collaborated with SkyArt, the leading supplier for aviationthemed Cabin Service Trainer (CST) in constructing a mock-up aircraft that meets internationally recognized standards and product-safety directives.

Installed at the Angelo King International Center, the genuine unit complies with the original dimensions of an actual Airbus and built using genuine parts, including the panels, overhead cabins and lavatory. It likewise includes models for several fixtures to ensure an authentic secured learning environment.

Editor: Mike Policarpio

By Roderick L. Abad

YOUNG Filipinos have the chance to gain needed skills to make them employable, as SAP continues its partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in support of Generation Unlimited (GenU) for an additional three years in helping prepare the youths for the labor force.

While the population of young people ages 14 and 24 grew by over 30 percent to 1.2 billion in just two decades, their participation in the labor market went down by 12 percent. This figure is expected to decrease with time, according to a recent report by the International Labour Organization.

In addition, GenU, PricewaterhouseCoopers and UNICEF noted in their latest study that young people worldwide find it difficult to join the labor force because they cannot identify or acquire the required skills for today’s job m arket, thus contributing to a global skills gap and youth unemployment. Just less than a quarter of the young populace in lower-income countries are, likewise, estimated to b e on-track to gain the necessary skills to thrive in school, work and life.

“Today’s young people are three times more likely than adults to be unemployed, which makes for a very uncertain future for all of us,” GenU CEO Kevin Frey said. “To keep up with the ever-changing demands of the labor market, young people need a full set of skills to compete locally and globally.”

“I am delighted that SAP and GenU are continuing our long-standing partnership,” Frey noted. “Together, we will support even more young people worldwide to unlock opportunities.”

W ith this in mind, SAP and UNICEF will leverage on GenU’s signature program “Youth Agency Marketplace” to start a new initiative that supports “learning to earning” pathways in the digital green economy for marginalized youths, helping them acquire new skills to flourish.

The Philippines is the only country in Asia Pacific and Japan Region selected for this endeavor, alongside Nigeria and South Africa. Set to start in early 2023, this new program aims to provide more than 500,000 young people with fo undational and digital skills acquisition opportunities by the end of the first year to transform their life trajectories.

The partnership will also support SAP’s “educate to employ” undertaking to teach soft skills and imbibe the foundational knowledge to the youth. This initiative includes developing SAP skills using the student zone on t he SAP Learning site, where students can learn about the latest SAP solutions for free via this site, which would help them gain the knowledge they can use to kick-start their careers.

SAP and UNICEF first joined forces to back up GenU in 2019, and since then have reached 3 million youth in India, Turkey and Vietnam with transformative education models.

“Education is one of the key priorities in the Philippines, especially regarding science, technology, engineering and mathematics [or STEM],” said Rudy Abrahams, SAP Phils. managing director. “With the plans laid by the current administration, especially as it strengthens its government d igital transformation initiatives, we believe that upskilling talents, particularly their digital skills, is likewise integral.”

“In collaboration with UNICEF and GenU, this new program adds to SAP’s projects and initiatives, geared toward h elping upskill Filipino talents, particularly among the youths,” he added.

Expanded initiative

APART from its partnership with UNICEF, SAP pledged to help upskill 2 million people globally by 2025, thereby strengthening its commitment to creating opportunities through learning and development.

In view of such, the enterprise-application software provider recently launched its expanded digital-skills initiative to make vital learning resources accessible to underrepresented and underserved groups in technology.

SAP also kicked-off its renewed collaboration with Coursera to offer in the latter’s global online-learning platform an online, seven-course SAP Technology Consultant Professional Certificate, where participants can l earn more about the company, the role of a technology consultant, and the value its professionals bring to customers. Available exclusively on Coursera’s portal, this o ffering provides focused, role-based entry-level learning resources for everyone.

The aircraft can accommodate 24 passengers, with four rows of six abreast Sicma Triple Economy Class convertible seats, made from authentic, brand-new leathercushion covers, and with functional seatbelts. It also has Airbus Passenger Service Units with active reading lights, ventilation nozzles, crew call buttons, speakers, passenger oxygen-mask compartment, plus “No Smoking” and “Fasten Seatbelt” signs.

The service area consists of two crew seats with four-point seat belts, storage compartments for demo kits and the crew’s

life jackets, plus an operative original intercom handset with “Pushto-Talk” feature for live announcements.

The A320 CST Sound System, with its high-quality speakers, works in conjunction with the Cabin Intercommunication Data System that allows both prerecorded and real-time messages.

The installation is capped with illuminated exit signages, functional window blinds, aviation-grade floor carpet, safety placards, and an emergency stop button for crisis management. Warning and instruction notices are in English and Filipino.

For more information on Benilde’s Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management program, visit https:// www.benilde.edu.ph/undergraduatetourism-management/.

Other initiatives in the Philippines include the SAP University Alliances program, which enables faculty and teachers across the globe to educate next-generation talents with SAP skills. Members can access SAP software a nd learning content, learn best practices for integrating program resources into teaching, and be inspired to partner with the SAP ecosystem of customers and partners.

A round 23 member-schools nationwide are under the SAP University Alliances program, which constantly seeks to empower Filipino educators in better equipping the next generation of talents with the latest SAP technologies and relevant skills.

M eanwhile SAP has also been tying up with Asean Foundation in enabling youths with data-analytics skills to create solutions for the region’s pressing social issues through the Asean Data Science Explorers competition.

The Philippines is among active participating nations in this program that complements the country’s current programs geared toward upskilling young Filipinos and empowering Asean youths with essential digital skills, collaboration skills, as well as the ability to communicate ideas and think critically.

SAP, UNICEF, ‘GenU’ fortify ties for Filipino youths’ employability

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

A Jolly ChristmAs BeACh holidAy

Being swamped with work and personal commitments, i felt my cup was already empty, thus the invitation to join the Christmas Tree Lighting event at Pico de Loro Cove couldn’t have come at a better time. Passing through Cavite, the traffic was unkind and heavy but that didn’t dampen my spirit because i was so ready to leave the harsh and suffocating environment of the Metro to touch some sand and get my fill of the so-called “vitamin sea.”

My sister and I arrived at the Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club hotel lobby around lunchtime, so we quickly had a filling meal and were quickly ushered to our Premiere Mountain View room. After dropping off our bags, we immediately went out to enjoy a lovely stroll and check out the premier leisure club of Hamilo Coast.

At the country club, the swimming pools for adults and the ankle-deep one for kiddies are inviting for a quick dip. The sports center is enormous where you can play volleyball, basketball, and badminton. There are also billiards, bowling, and a separate room for e-games. Heading toward Pico Beach, we enjoyed the open wide spaces, the sea breeze, and the canopy of trees. We were amused at a raft of ducks paddling at the lake before we took a knack at crossing in the wooden hanging bridge at the lagoon. Not too

long of a walk, we reached the beach but opted to head back quickly to our rooms to prepare for the night’s main event.

With the theme “A Holly Jolly Holiday,” Pico de Loro Cove opened the festive season by lighting a 30-foot Christmas Tree by the beach. This holiday activity was led by Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club Chairwoman Elizabeth T. Sy; Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club President Rita Dy; SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation Senior Vice President for Operations Walid Wafik; and Costa del Hamilo Vice President for Project Development Ms. Imee Francisco. Stage and film actor Vien King delivered several songs to the crowd, followed by a ceremonial gift-giving for Children’s Joy Foundation Inc. headed by Jennalyn Platon. The foundation will be receiving donations from the sale of Green Christmas products from the Housekeeping Team. They are also the same team be -

hind the creation of the Pico bird-inspired Christmas tree and the handmade holiday decorations, spearheaded by Supervisor and Chief Designer Florencio Garcia together with the Engineering team led by Chief Engineer Paul King.

After the program and cocktails prepared by the culinary team headed by Executive Sous-Chef Charles Marinduque, our party of property officials, guests, and media friends were ushered to a private room to feast on a special Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine. As it turns out, this is just a preview of the menu of a res -

taurant that’s going to be opened soon. We were served Pan con Tomate, Camaron Macerado En Ginebra, Tabla De Embutidos y Quezo, Pate de Sardinas, Salsa Monja, and a platter of grapes, dried fruits, and nuts for starters. Then we had our fill of the Ensalada de Naranja and Cebolla Y Aceituna. Next, we were served the Sopa de Lentejas before the house specialties were presented at the table. The delectable main entrees were the Cochinillo and Langostinos Con Ajo Ala Plancha partnered with Paella Valenciana and Paella Negra. Already heavy on the tummy, we had to take

a breather before indulging in the dessert. Created for the night’s feast, we took delight as we savored a special gelato called Tarta de Santiago Helado Crema Catalana. Capping the night was the customary group photo op but this one captured our smiles while holding on to our Santas. As a souvenir of our holiday on the beach, we were gifted a handcrafted Santa coin bank made from bamboo and coconut husk. After the good nights and goodbyes, we sauntered back to our hotel room with tummies full of yummy treats and our hearts full of Christmas cheers.

Ka B ayan H otel has long been a favorite for accommodations among o v erseas Filipino Workers as its strategic location in the e D sa Pasay area offers ease of access to the airports, employment agencies, government offices, and allied services. i t is also a place where they are treated to warm and thoughtful Filipino hospitality as their send-off to their destination countries or as their first stop upon their journey home.

With its expansion to a new building situated only a few meters from the original hotel structure, Kabayan Hotel has introduced more amenities that offer bonding opportunities for their valued guests and their families.

Pinoy pride

Furnis H e D with modern Filipiniana touches, the new property welcomes guests through a revolving glass door into a spacious lobby that is designed for convenient check-in. t he Filipino artwork at the common areas including the elevator highlights local craftsmanship using materials such as hardwood, piña embroidery, and mother of pearl inlays.

t h e s a lo restaurant offers Filipino food favorites served family style at the ground level. a m ong the

Comfort for your journey

mission to heart. We treat our guests like we treat our visitors at home. t hat i s our service philosophy. We make sure that they are comfortable, relaxed, and well-taken care of,” says Kabayan Hotel General Manager r a ymund a v es.

Kabayan Hotel

MM o D at ions F o r kababayans at every stage of their journey such as the Pad Premium, s u perior, te am, s t andard, Pads, Flats, Dormitories, and Kapsule Beds. e a ch room combines comfort and function, with amenities that are fit for the budget-conscious traveller.

t h ose who would like to experience more space and convenience can now book at the brand-new Pad, Mabuhay, and Kabayan suite categories located at the upper levels of the new hotel building. Perfect for staycations, these well-appointed suites can comfortably accommodate families as they relax in the heart of the metro, near major malls and entertainment centers for their leisure activities.

t h e new hotel building likewise has a s a lo function room that can accommodate up to 150 guests celebrating their special milestones, or holding important com -

pany conferences. a rooftop deck will soon be added to its list of amenities for special gatherings. While the hotel is very accessible to public transportation, there is also elevated and guarded parking available

at the back for room and function guests.

hospitality at heart

“Fili P ino hospitality is world-class and we take our

Hotel services that are tailor-fit for o F W kababayans include an o F W Help Desk than can refer their government agency-related inquiries or assist them with processing and printing their documents onsite. t her e are even weighing scales available at their convenient luggage packing area located at the lobby.

“a t K abayan Hotel, we tell them, ‘kasabayan namin kayo’, whether they are at the start of their journey as aspiring o F W s staying at our Dorms and Kapsules, to returning overseas workers who have been able to save up for our s t andard s u perior r o oms, and now our s u ite rooms are able to accommodate them as they relax and bond with their families,” a v es says. “With our new rooms and facilities, we are evolving from ‘kasabayan namin kayo’ to ‘Bagong Kabayan Para sa Bagong Makabayan’, as we continue our support for our guests’ journey to success.”

For more information and to book a stay at Kabayan Hotel, visit www.kabayanhotel.com.ph

Story by Carla Mortel-Baricaua

BRIAN GOORJIAN pulled something from his sleeves that’s normally unheard from most coaches—a sort of “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

“All we tried to do was to figure out how the game is going to be called and make the adjustments,” Goorjian told the post-match press conference after the Hongkong Bay Area Dragons fought back hard against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Gin Kings, 99-82, in Game 2 to level their Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Finals series at 1-1.

Unlike in Game 1 where the Dragons groped to lose the opener, 96-81, on Christmas Day, the visitors were more composed and calculating in Game 2 to the dismay of the pro-Ginebra crowd that jampacked Smart Aranata Coliseum.

Tonight we defended without fouling, we made the adjustments according to the PBA rules of playing ‘D [defense]’ without fouling and to move forward, we’ve got to stay on that page,” he said. “That’s my job in between games—to do the adjustments.”

“ We are in a [best-of-seven finals] series in your game at your country, in the PBA. If  the rules that I play in Australia were different in the rules in America, the rules in America were different in the international rules— and that was our first game in this finals series,” Goorjian added.

Goorjian is considered the most successful coach in Australia, which he led to an unprecedented bronze medal finish at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

A nd he’s showing what stuff he’s made of in the Finals.

“ We did not complaint about the referees,” said Goorjian, stressing that his team has never done that since their first game in the Commissioner’s Cup.

“I want to say to everybody that I think there’s a confusion on what was said after the game [1]. First of all, No. 1, no one on our team is sick, no one on our team is hurt. It was no excuse that they kicked our ass [in Game 1],” he said. “No. 2, everything is first—first road game, first hotel meal, first basket and first final game.”

A ndrew Nicholson had 30 points and 15 rebounds in Game 2, with Hayden Blankley and Songwei Zhu also contributing well to the win with 25 and 17 points, respectively.

I mport Justin Brownlee was his usual disciplined self and led Ginebra with 32 points and 11 rebounds.

Game 3 returns to the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on January 4.

Josef Ramos

MARK THIS: 60-21-10 Dallas star

Luka Doncic has 60 points—a Dallas franchise record—a career-best 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the Mavericks’ 126-121 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in Dallas. And that’s not all—forget the numbers for a second and focus on how Doncic sends the game into over time despite the Mavericks training by nine with 27 seconds left in regulation. AP

POC SENDS MESSAGE TO CHAIR BACHMANN

By Josef Ramos

THE Philippine

Olympic Committee (POC) is praying for a responsive and interactive Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) which, two days

ago, saw former basketball player and now executive Richard “Dickie” Bachmann replacing Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala as chairman.

“The sudden changing of the guard at the PSC is surprising for us [POC], although we have already built a good partnership with former chairman [Jose Emmanuel Noli] Eala,” Tolentino said on Thursday. “We, nonetheless, have the same expectation with the new leadership.”

Malacañang announced on Wednesday the appointment of Bachmann as chairman,

replacing Eala who headed the government sports arm for only four months.

“I fervently pray for the POC to have a good and honest relationship with the new chairman,” Tolentino added.

Bachmann and the PSC is staring at a challenging and busy 2023 marked with major international competitions— the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May and Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, as well as the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and World Beach Games.

Doz ens of qualifying tournaments are also calendared in 2023.

“ We cannot deny the fact how important the support of the PSC to all the athletes, especially now with the Olympic journey, we are very sensitive with the precious assistance and of course lessening the strenuous process of providing contribution of the PSC to our NSAs [national sports associations],” Tolentino said. “That is our utmost concern.”

Tolentino added: “We all have the same goal of having the chance to promote our country through sports, therefore, we should initially unite in helping them prepare for the Olympics.”

A lso appointed as commissioners of the five-member PSC board were former national fencer Walter Francis Torres and Edward Lim Hayco, former head of the Cebu Sports Commission. They joined bowling great Olivia “Bong” Coo who was named commissioner in July.

I n a brief message to the BusinessMirror on Thursday, the 54-year-old former Alaska player and executive said he would first settle his remaining responsibilities with the Philippine Basketball Association where he heads the

Dr. Jose P. Rizal: Father of PHL judo?

By Eddie Alinea Special to BusinessMirror

IS National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal the father of Philippine judo? He could be.

Malixi fights back with 2nd-rd 69, jumps from 33 down to joint 7th

RIANNE MALIXI fought back from a disastrous 78 start and with four birdies against a lone bogey carded a 69 to jump from 40th to joint seventh midway through the Citrus Golf Trail Ladies Invitational still paced by Vanessa Zhang in Sebring, Florida, Wednesday.

A lthough Malixi still blew a number of birdie chances, including four in a five-hole stretch from No, 5 inside seven feet, she drained two long putts—highlighted by a 20-footer on No. 15 where she teed off and a monster stroke from way out after overshooting the par-3 second hole of the Sun ‘N Lake layout.

I’ve pretty much adjusted today.

I hit more fairways and greens, then converted some putts,” Malixi said. “I also left some putts out there, but so far I have been stroking it well.”

The International Container Terminal Services Inc.-backed Malixi nearly chipped in for eagle on the par-four No. 5 and banged in a sevenfooter for her fourth birdie on No. 13 to negate her lone miscue on No. 3 on a missed six-footer bid for par.

W hile Malixi found her range and touch, Vanessa Zhang lost hers as she stumbled with a 73 after a fiery 69 although the Canadian stayed in control at 142, still two strokes clear of Ffion Tynan of Arkansas, who fought back with a 70, and American Angela Zhang, who also fumbled with a 74.

M alixi, who has posted a win, three runner-up finishes and two third-place efforts in her last seven tournaments overseas, remained five strokes behind at 147 but her big second round fightback should boost her confidence heading to the last 36 holes of the championship.

A fter holing out from long range on No. 15, Malixi nearly rolled in another birdie putt from the fringe on the next, missed another chance on the 18th and left her six-foot birdie putt on the first hole short.

YUKA SASO vowed for a better performance in the coming Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) as she braces for a challenging campaign given the everimproving level of competition in the world’s premier ladies circuit.

Saso made history with a major breakthrough in the US Women’s Open in 2021 but didn’t seem to impress in 2022.

S he remained positive though.

It’s [2022] been good. It’s my first whole year in the LPGA. It meant a lot,” Saso said. “I learned a lot about great golfers.”

W ith just one runner-up effort at the LPGA Mediheal last October with four other top 12 finishes in 26 tournaments and marred by seven missed cuts—including three in the majors—things didn’t look good for the International Container Terminal Services Inc.-backed ace, who showed a lot of promise when she beat the best at the US Women’s Open via

Former Philippine Amateur Judo Association president, retired police officer Rey Jaylo, attested to the possibility that Rizal indeed brought judo from Japan to the Philippines.

A ccording to Jaylo, Rizal earned the distinction of being the first Filipino and, for that matter, Malay, to have practiced and taught the Japanese martial art.

Consolacion Cristobal-Reyes wrote that during one of Rizal’s visits to Japan, he learned to admire the simple but bountiful beauty of the country, the industriousness of its people and the distinct Japanese arts and culture.

Judo was among the arts that caught Rizal’s attention, who, at that time, was courting a Japanese lady who Jaylo identified as Osei San.

The girl’s father, Jiguro Kano, Jaylo said, happened to be a proponent of the Kodokan style of judo and in his desire

to attract the girl, he enrolled at the school ran by Kano.

R izal fell in love not only with the girl but the sport as well. Judo’s principle employs mental and physical strength taught him by Kano.

R izal won both and espoused judo when he returned to the country.

Kodokan, as a discipline, involves the practice of the “Way of Ju,” which means the “natural way that accords with the truth of the universe and the one that human beings have to follow.”

Dr. Rizal’s exile to Dapitan City gave him the opportunity to practice the educational theories he learned from his travels around the world,” Cristobal-Reyes wrote in her article. “He opened a school of judo for boys aged 17, mostly descendants of the living citizens of the town.”

“Aside from teaching his students the three Rs [reading, writing, arithmetic], Rizal made his pupils do rigid physical training he learned while a judo student,” CristobalReyes wrote. “With the seashore serving as outdoor gymnasium, he and his pupils set up bodybuilding paraphernalia composed of parallel bars, Roman rings and chinning bar.”

Together with his physical

fitness program, Rizal propagated the Japanese sport of judo, Spanish fencing, American boxing, Filipino indigenous sport arnis and marksmanship,” the article furthered.

Jaylo said that this is probably the reason why up to this day, youth from the Zambaonga Peninsula, especially those from Dapitan City, continued to be source of outstanding judokas for national teams who brought honors in various international competitions.

John Baylon, a two-time Olympian (1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona), is one of them. He won nine gold medal in judo at the Southeast Asian Games besides capturing medals, too, in Asian Games and World Masters.

He hails from Zamboanga, now famous for producing the country’s first Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo and boxer Eumir Felix Marcial.

Friday marks Rizal’s death anniversary. He was shot by firing squad at Bagumbayan, now Luneta, on December 30, 1896.

3x3 program, University Athletic Association of the Philippines where he’s basketball commissioner and the FIBA World Cup Local Oorganizing Committee where he’s head of operations.

“ I just received the news about the PSC appointment,” Bachmann said. “It’s a huge honor, and I would like to thank the President [Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.] for his trust and confidence.”

B achmann is expected to fly back to the country Friday with his family from their US vacation.

“ I will be meeting with [PBA] Commissioner Willie Marcial, [UAAP] Executive Director Rebo Saguisag and FIBA LOC to discuss my current responsibilities as soon as I get back,” he said.

Balkman, Barefield, Kouame beef up Tiu’s team

2020 edition—a feat that brought pride to the Filipino community in the United Arab Emirates.

playoff over Nasa Hataoka.

Saso is eager to resume her campaign starting next month in Florida stronger and a lot wiser and still armed with that “enjoy, have fun, think positive” mindset.

“ I’m very excited for next year. I will not forget having fun playing golf. I appreciate all the help,” said Saso, whose LPGA buildup also got a shot in the arm by tying up with Federal Land Inc. the other day.

S he also admitted to have been inspired by the youngsters, seven of whom took part in a mini-golf clinic she conducted after signing up with country’s premier real estate developer and gracing the opening of the first-ever Mitsukoshi Mall in the country at the Grand Central Park in North Bonifacio Global City last Tuesday.

It’s still 50-50…I inspire them but they also inspire me,” she said. “Hopefully, I can continue doing those stuff in the future.”

I f ever, this could be the 38-year-old Balkman’s swan song, and coach Charles Tiu is looking forward to another triumphant partnership with the former Philippine Basketball Association import.

I’ve had two championships with Balk [Balkman], and I want to try to keep rolling,” said Tiu, who was the same coach who steered Mighty Sports to victory the last time. “He says he’s been in shape and is very eager to come back to the Philippines to come finish his legacy here.”

Tiu, who guided College of Saint Benilde back to the recent National Collegiate Athletic Association Finals for the first time in two decades, said Kouame and Barefield will provide youthful exuberance while Balkman and former Golden State Warriors player Nick Young are expected to give the team leadership.

Team manager Jacob Lao and Tiu are both excited to have the 6-foot-3 Barefield and Kouame on the team.

“ We are very thankful to Gilas and the SBP [Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas] for allowing us to borrow Ange in this tournament,” said the 22-year-old Lao.  “He’s my teammate and we just won in Ateneo, and hopefully we can win one more together.”

A ccording to Tiu, Barefield, who went undrafted in the in the 2019 NBA Draft, is a good catch because of his versatility.

Goorjian does a ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ in Finals

NATIONAL Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal loved sports.

RIANNE MALIXI’S no longer bothered by jetlag in the second round.

FORMER National Basketball Association player Renaldo Balkman, Filipino-American Sedrick Barefield and naturalized center Ange Kouame beef up the Strong Group-Philippines in its initial foray in the Dubai International Championship next month.

A m any-time member of Puerto Rican national team, Balkman is no stranger to Dubai’s annual tournament having played a key role in Mighty Sports’ title win in the

FILIPINO-AMERICAN Sedrick Barefield (center) poses with Strong GroupPhilippines Coach Charles Tiu (left) and player-agent Marvin Espiritu. AP

Saso eyes better LPGA campaign in new season

BACHMANN TOLENTINO

Property market rebound to continue till ‘23–study

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

PROSPECTS on the country’s real estate industry is upbeat this year on the back of improved market conditions and performances across property segments, according to a top executive of a diversified professional services and investment management company.

The Philippine real estate sector is expected to finish 2022 strong, an optimism that is expected to persist through 2023 as recovery prospects are boosted by strong macroeconomic fundamentals,” said Joey Roi Bondoc, associate director for research at Colliers Philippines.

He attributed the positive forecast for this year to enhanced office transactions, higher condominium supply and demand in Metro Manila, increased mall traffic, and better hotel occupancies and average daily rates (ADRs).

Room for expansion

BASED on Collier’s latest Philippine Property Outlook report, a positive net take-up for the office sector is seen by the end of 2022, with absorption reaching 140,000 square meters (sq m), a turnaround from the recorded—181,300 sq m and—273,100 sq m in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

T itled “Aiming for a strong finish: Philippine property recovery spills over into 2023”, the study shows a continued uptrend

next year, with commitments on 338,600 sq m of office space, mostly from information technology-business process management firms and traditional corporate occupiers (companies in various sectors such as legal, engineering and construction, government agencies, and flexible workspace operators).

Because of muted pre-leasing in upcoming buildings, office vacancy rate forecast for this year is adjusted from 18.2 percent to 19.5 percent. It is projected to go up even further— around 20.5 percent—in the next 12 months with the delivery of 603,900 sq m of new supply.

A s more offices in Metro Manila will remain unoccupied amid a glut in supply, rents are likely to drop by another 10 percent in 2022 before bottoming out in 2023. The company is beginning to see a stabilized leasing in submarkets with declining vacancies such as Fort Bonifacio and Makati central business districts (CBDs). Meanwhile, submarkets with significant amount of new inventory and low take-up will see a further decrease in rents in the coming year.

“ In our view, office developers should take advantage of a rebound in leasing within and outside Metro Manila by constructing new office towers and offering more flexible workspaces,” Bondoc recommended.

Home is where the growth is GOOD business will be sustained

in three consecutive years for the residential sector as Colliers sees an average completion of 8,100 units annually from 2022 to 2024, from the 7,800 units finished yearly from 2019 to 2021. In 2023 alone, 5,600 new condominium units are set to be delivered, about two-thirds of which will be in the Bay Area.

T he following year, condominium stock in major business districts in the National Capital Region (NCR) will reach 166,400 units, a 17-percent hike from 142,200 units in 2021. The bulk of which will coming again from the Bay Area as it will likely overtake Fort Bonifacio as the biggest condominium market in the metropolis in 2024, with 44,100 units or 27 percent of stock during the period.

Vacancy-wise, the firm expects a slight drop in the secondary market from 17.6 percent in 2022 to 17.1 percent next year. Expatriates and local employees wanting to stay in condominium units near their workplaces will augur well to a strong demand for residential projects for lease.

As the Metro Manila pre-selling condominium market recovers, we urge real estate developers to integrate sustainable and green features into their projects, as well as highlight amenities such as open spaces and green areas,” the associate director for research said, referring to these factors as top concerns of housing unit buyers per Collier’s Third Quarter

2022 Residential Survey.

Revenge buying: Boon for retail WITH the easing mobility restrictions due to the improving pandemic situation in the country, mallgoers have begun to frequent again the retail establishments.

In fact, major mall developers have been reporting that foot traffic reached between 85 percent to 95 percent of pre-Covid levels in the third quarter of this year, from only 40 percent the previous year. The domestic retail market saw several imported brands that opened shop across NCR malls in 2022.

T he company sees more foreign and local retailers to be taking up the 448,900 sq m of new physical mall space in 2023 to take advantage of rising traffic and anticipated strong purchasing power of consumers. Nevertheless, vacancy will grow from 16 percent this year to 17 percent over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, rents are seen to bounce back following a better retail space absorption and mall consumer traffic.

Given the improved conditions in the retail scene, Colliers suggests that mall operators reactivate their event spaces or activity centers by organizing events such as trade fairs, exhibits and concerts to attract more mallgoers. Food and beverage, as well as clothing and footwear retailers should also consider opening pop-up stores, especially those testing the feasibility

of the local retail market. The firm also encourages mall operators and retailers to keep on implementing regular sanitation and other health and safety protocols amid the ensuing health crisis, especially in high-density retail spaces.

Industrialization to bolster take up in ecozones

ENCOURAGING manufacturing activities in the country that will help generate job opportunities for Filipinos was among the political agenda pushed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during his candidacy.

“ The industrial sector is expected to benefit from the new administration’s push for industrialization,” Bondoc said.

C olliers believes that enhancing the competitiveness of the country’s manufacturing industry should lead to greater inflow of investments and these should benefit industrial parks, especially those located in northern and central Luzon.

A pproximately 112 hectares of industrial supply are projected to become available in the CALABA (Calamba-Laguna-Batangas) corridor. Such ample space is expected to be taken up by expanding manufacturing and logistics firms in these areas. This trend will continue as 210 hectares of new industrial space are scheduled to be delivered from 2023 to 2024, particularly in Tarlac and Subic.

Robust accommodation

THE relaxation of Covid-19 measures, including the optional mask removal, has also lured more visitors to the country. This, in turn, has somehow brought a relief to the hotel industry being one of the sectors highly affected by the pandemic.

D ata from the Department of Tourism show that foreign arrivals as of November 14, 2022, reached 2 million, surpassing already the full-year target of 1.7 million. As of June of this year, hotel occupancies in Metro Manila have already gone up to 47 percent from 44 percent in the second half of 2021—thanks largely to the return of business travel and resumption of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) activities.

T he firm sees a completion of a record-high 3,900 rooms next year as developers anticipate the imminent recovery in global travel. From 2023 to 2025, it expects the annual delivery of 2,120 rooms, higher than the 720 rooms completed yearly from 2020 to 2022.

“Colliers sees the opening of more foreign-branded hotels, while the spike in local and foreign tourists will likely result in improved occupancies and ADRs,” Bondoc said, while citing that about 44 percent of the new supply are multinationals and are likely to open in the Bay Area, Makati and Ortigas.

DA eyes to set red onion SRP to ₧250 by Dec.

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has confirmed that it is eyeing to set the suggested retail price (SRP) of red onions at P250 per kilogram before the year ends.

A griculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said the agency is targeting to implement the SRP on December 30, 2022. She made this remark a day after the agency held a meeting with stakeholders.

“ Based on our meeting with the stakeholders yesterday [Wednesday], our recommendation was to implement an SRP of P250 per kilo. This will be effective until the first week of January. After that, we will meet again since there will be expected harvest so we will look into how to bring the cost even lower,” Evangelista said, partly in Filipino.

T he DA official admitted that the farm-gate price is contributing to the rise in prices of red onions in wet markets.

What we are seeing with the price monitoring is the increase in prices of red onions is almost P50 every day in the wet markets, so we had to check what’s causing such. We found out that what’s fluctuating is the farm-gate price,” Evangelista said.

“So for this instance, it’s not the layers of traders that’s causing the problem, but the farm-gate price which is increasing. That’s why we have to coordinate with our producers,” she added.

Evangelista said that farmgate price reached P460, adding that this is the reason behind prices of red onion in wet markets spiking up to around P600 to P720 per kilo.

T he DA said farmers could already gain profit from the P250 per kilo SRP of red onions since the agency has already “factored in” the different costs including transport cost in the “revised cost structure.”

“ Production cost in a normal situation is at around P50 normally but there should be room for fuel cost, fertilizer

cost, and of course the losses of the farmers due to typhoons,” Evangelista explained.

So with P250 po na retail price, if ang ating magsasaka will sell it at P170, P190, meron na po sila mga margin dyan na mas maganda compared sa mga dating margin na tinitingnan na P10 lang at ang bulk ng kita ay nasa biyahero,” she added.  Evangelista also said onions will be sold for P170 per kilo in Kadiwa centers. She added that the Kadiwa outlets are present in Mandaluyong, Manila, Makati, Quezon City and Valenzuela.

A side from increasing production, Evangelista said the agency’s role is to ensure affordability of agricultural commodities.

S he said importation may always be an option but not in this instance since the timing of harvest will overlap with the time of importing the commodity.

“ We will put our confidence sa ating local producers kaya kami nakikiusap na ibaba ang presyo ng farmgate,” she said.

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

THE City Government of Makati has announced that over 8,000 City Hall employees will receive up to P20,000 as Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) after the city council approved the ordinances for its immediate funding.

“ I would like to extend my gratitude to our City Council for quickly granting the release of the additional incentive for our city employees. I hope this incentive will inspire our employees to continue to work hard in the service of our Proud Makatizens,” Mayor Abigail Binay said.

C ity Ordinance No. 2022-A168, passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Makati last week, authorizes the allocation of P163,998,000 for the SRI.

M eanwhile, City Ordinance Nos. 2022-A-168 and 2022-A-169 were signed on Wednesday to grant

job order employees a P5,000 gratuity pay and 25 kilograms of rice assistance.

On December 16, 2022, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Administrative Order No. 01, which authorizes the SRI for government employees for the fiscal year 2022.

Binay said there are 3,434 regular, 4,695 casual and 17 contractual employees who will receive the SRI.

T he ordinance stipulates that an employee must occupy a casual, regular, or contractual position and is still in government service as of November 30, 2022.

T he personnel must have rendered at least four months of satisfactory service, including services rendered under any alternative work arrangements prescribed by the Civil Service Commission.

A n employee who has served less than four months is entitled to a pro-rated share of the SRI.

For employees with three months but less than four months in ser -

vice, 40 percent of the SRI; for two months but less than three months, 30 percent; for one month but less than two months, 20 percent; and 10 percent for employees less than one month in service.

A dditionally, the ordinance says that the employees should have received only the additional year-end benefit in the fiscal year 2022 over and above the authorized benefits under RA 6686 and RA 8441.

M eanwhile, Administrative Order no. 03, signed by the President on December 23, 2022, will give 2,259 job order employees a P5,000 gratuity pay and 25 kilograms rice assistance.

T he mayor added that the SRI for regular and casual employees and the P5,000 gratuity pay and rice allowance for job order employees is a welcome Christmas gift for everyone.

We are thankful for blessings big and small, and I am sure our employees at city hall appreciate these additional gifts,” Binay said.

₧20K each: Council approves SRI perk for Makati City Hall employees that may include JO workers

Basic Qualification: School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese mandarin, can operate mandarin characters

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 38.

JIANG, XIAOGANG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative (CSR)

LI, CHENGYUE

40.

Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative.

LIANG, HONGZHEN Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Customer Service Representative (CSR)

Basic Qualification: School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese mandarin, can operate mandarin characters

Basic Qualification: School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, can operate Mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 39.

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

Basic Qualification: School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese Mandarin, can operate Mandarin characters

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

41.

LIU, RUIQI Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative.

LIU, YONGRONG Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative.

Basic Qualification: School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese mandarin, can operate mandarin characters

Basic Qualification: School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write fluent Chinese mandarin, can operate mandarin characters Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 42.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 43.

LONG, QIAOLING Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Customer service representative.

Basic Qualification: School graduate in Chinese, can speak and write

Spectrum partners with OB Montessori for solar rooftop project in Fairview site

SPECTRUM, a wholly owned subsidiary of Manila Electric Company (Meralco), has partnered with Operation Brotherhood (OB) Montessori Center for a solar power project in the latter’s campus in Quezon City.

Through this partnership, Spectrum will install 99-kilowattpeak (kWp) solar photovoltaic (PV) system in OB Montessori Fairview, allowing the educational institution to generate approximately 132,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year.

This is expected to translate to estimated annual savings of close to P900,000 per annum.

The project marks OB Montessori’s gradual shift to clean energy and signifies its commitment to sustainability, upping it a notch by going beyond its array of environmental stewardship activities such as tree planting, coastal clean-ups, and going paperless among others.

Through this solar rooftop project, OB Montessori also aims to broaden awareness among its students on the effective ways to help reduce the country’s carbon footprint.

Once the solar project becomes operational, OB Montessori can expect to reduce its carbon footprint by around 94 tonnes, which is equivalent to planting more than 4,300 trees or reducing around 232,200 miles in vehicle travel per year.

Recognizing the trust and confidence given by the school, Spectrum Chief

Operating. Officer Patrick Henry T. Panlilio said: “Meralco, our parent company, and OB Montessori both share the steadfast commitment to sustainability and nationbuilding, making this partnership more promising. Through Spectrum’s energy expertise and end-to-end solar solutions, OB Montessori is assured to receive not just excellent and reliable service but also the necessary strong support that they will need as they transition to clean energy to further advance their existing sustainability practices.”

OB Montessori joins the roster of international and local companies that engaged Meralco and Spectrum to advance their sustainability goals through utilization of renewable energy.

Spectrum offers tailor-fit solutions for industrial, commercial, and residential customers through an in-depth understanding of energy consumption behaviors and strategic partnerships with world-class technology partners.

OB Montessori, on the other hand, is one of the well-known private educational institutions in the country. Established in 1983, it embodies the legacy of Operation Brotherhood through its academic programs for pre-school up to senior high school designed to hone a child’s ability to learn and develop socially at an early age. To date, it has five campuses located in Greenhills in San Juan City; Sta. Ana in Manila; Fairview in Quezon City; Angeles in Pampanga; and Las Pinas City.

Meralco on full alert for the holidays, issues electrical safety tips for public to practice

THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has assured its customers that it will continue to provide 24/7 service and advised the public to practice electrical safety to ensure bright and hassle-free celebrations this holiday season.

Throughout the Christmas and New Year celebrations, Meralco personnel will be on standby to respond to any power-related emergency. Contingency measures are also in place should pyrotechnics, firecracker explosions, and even weather disturbances affect distribution facilities.

Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga cautioned the public against using firecrackers and party props such as balloons and confetti near power lines.

“We advise the public not to play with firecrackers and pyrotechnics near electric lines and transformers as these may cause power interruptions and even result in accidents,” Zaldarriaga said.

Although Meralco regularly upgrades and maintains its facilities to ensure that they are in tip-top condition, overhead lines are still vulnerable to firecracker explosions and pyrotechnics.

To ensure a bright, merry, and accidentfree holiday celebration, Meralco the following electrical safety measures that the

public should follow:

Use Christmas lights with quality control markings and make sure to use the appropriate type for indoor and outdoor use. When installing decorations outdoors, inspect for loose connections first and possible damages especially near power lines.

Avoid “octopus” connections or overloading since this could result in fires and other accidents.

Always use firecrackers outdoors with a bucket of water or fire extinguisher nearby in case the sparklers come in contact with flammable materials. Ensure that family members know how to use fire extinguishers.

Stay clear from electrical facilities when using party items. Refrain from using party poppers and balloons near power lines as this may also cause power outages.

While Christmas lights and colorful lanterns make the house more festive, don’t forget to unplug them before going to bed or when leaving the home.

For those going on a holiday trip, remember to unplug all appliances. It is also better to turn off your circuit breakers before leaving. “Our Call Center is ready to respond to customers’ needs at any given time even during the holidays,” Zaldarriaga said, adding that customers can call Meralco’s 16211 hotline.

WITH a location that’s right in the center of the metro’s vibrant Eastwood City township, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel is the perfect venue for your Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. Experience convenience, excitement, and the unmistakable festive mood this season brings when you book a holiday stay or relish a sumptuous feast at the hotel. And with the hotel’s refreshed look at the lobby, sparkling Christmas ornaments, and friendly staff, your Richmonde Christmas will definitely be jolly!

This has been a critical unsolved pain point for many new graduates, early to mid-career professionals, and individuals aiming to start doing something new in life.

and individuals to learn more about a certain career, hobby, skill, or life, in general, is to seek advice directly from those who have experienced and journeyed through it before.

Eastwood is the place to be on December 31st and you can have a stylish welcome to 2023 with the New Year’s Eve Room Packages at rates starting at P9,600 nett inclusive of brunch buffet for two, and P12,600 nett for a night of revelry with two tickets to the New Year’s Eve Countdown Party and buffet brunch for two.

iWanna soft-launched just recently, making it one of the newest and most unique gifts you can give your loved ones this holiday season.

The platform hosts experiences specifically for individuals to improve their skills, try out new hobbies, explore potential side hustles, and experience other careers.

Currently, iWanna offers day-long experiences where experience-takers will be able to shadow and learn from professionals in many different industries for a day.

Its experience-givers distill what they’ve learned throughout the years, and even decades, to give its experiencetakers the best learning and most empowering experiences that they can learn from and lean on as they go on their own journeys.

“It took me years to figure things out, to get to where I am today. Getting here was a rocky path but it was worth it because there were a lot of lessons learned that I would’ve never received if I didn’t go through what I did,” said Bettina Bernabe, Managing Director of B-Line IMC, Inc. and iWanna experience giver.

“iWanna is here to help people who are going through what I went through, what my friends and peers went through, but fast-tracking the process and their progress, their journeys, with the guidance of someone who's possibly walked that path before,” added Bernabe.

iWanna’s experiences help anyone looking for the next steps in their careers, an opportunity to pursue their passion, ideas for potential side hustles, and quality mentorship to help them upskill.

During the early stages of designing and building iWanna, the team interviewed millennials and Gen Zs and discovered that they were having trouble finding ways to help them (1) advance in their careers, (2) find and jumpstart a side hustle, and (3) upskill and get experience.

These two groups also said that they didn’t know where to get quality mentorship from established professionals who have gotten through the exact same problems they are going through today.

And on-the-ground data backs this up. A 2019 JobStreet survey showed that up to 71 percent of Filipino millennials and Gen Zs focus on an employer’s promotion opportunities, self-development programs, and skills development programs when looking for a new job. Sixty-three percent of millennials and 65 percent of Gen Zs also found mentoring programs significant.

Furthermore, a separate study conducted by Deloitte revealed that on top of their primary job, 63 percent of Filipino Gen Zs and 61 percent of millennials have an additional part-time or full-time job.

By offering these day-long experiences, iWanna helps young professionals and anyone looking for a change in life chase their dream careers, get mentorship to help them advance in their careers, and explore potential side hustles.

Each experience comes with A-plus mentorship with its network of career professionals and industry leaders.

iWanna has partnered with startup founders, chefs, fitness coaches, baristas, hosts, music producers, content creators, and financial advisors to take individuals on experiences that will give participants insight into their careers.

It firmly believes that one of the best and most efficient ways for young professionals

iWanna’s experience-givers include boutique integrated marketing communications firm B-Line IMC, Inc. Managing Partner Bettina Bernabe, J.Cuppacakes owner and founder Chef Julianne Bernardo, POUND and Werq coach Madie Pfiffner-Dinglasan, founder of farm to kitchen platform Zagana Inc. Joshua Aragon, Host, TV Presenter and Journalist Lia Cruz, and Cherries to Cup Coffee Solutions, Inc. owner Coffee Specialist Mark Neil Madrelejos.

Other experience-givers include ANTHILL Fabric Gallery co-founder and managing director Anya Lim, Rags2Riches co-founder Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, Big Baby Studios music producer Mikey Amistoso, and Insular Life financial coach Katrina Lee and Matthew Singson.

iWanna’s mission is to inspire and enable experience-takers in their own journeys towards their goals whether that be upskilling, career-shifting, exploring a new hobby, getting their foot in the door, and so much more.

iWanna’s looks forward to offering more and more experiences with varying setups and immersion in the coming year.

With a new year right around the corner, iWanna is looking to introduce one-onone coaching calls, and multi-day miniinternship experiences as early as mid-2023.

Currently, iWanna has opened the waitlist for a number of one-on-one coaching call experiences for those who want to meet and get advice from a creative entrepreneur, pastry chef, impact startup founder, barista, and financial coach.

iWanna has also opened the waitlist for more immersive experiences. It is piloting this setup for those who are interested in seeing how coffee gets from the farm to their cup. Here, experience-takers will be able to go to an actual coffee farm in Northern Luzon and see how coffee is grown, harvested, and brewed. To learn more about iWanna, and the experiences they offer, click here. Stay updated with iWanna’s Facebook and Instagram accounts to keep up to date with their latest experiences!

After all the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s time for some rest and relaxation before buckling down to work. For your extended holiday from January 1 to 15, 2023, rates start at P4,950 nett with breakfast buffet for two. All room and package rates are inclusive of taxes, Wi-Fi access, complimentary use of the pool, and parking for one vehicle (first come, first served basis).

Bid 2022 adieu with a fun blast from the past at the Rockin’ Retro New Year’s Eve Countdown Party happening at the hotel lobby from 9pm to 12mn on December 31st. For only P1,799 nett, revel in flowing drinks and a filling international-themed cocktail buffet featuring Chinese (sharks fin, lechon Macao, siomai, spring rolls, butchi), Japanese (tuna & salmon sashimi, oyster iburi, dragon roll), Western (beef sliders, chicken wings, sausages, chicken & waffles, shrimp cocktail), South American (birria tacos, Peruvian chicken, tostones, ceviche), Spanish (chorizo pardon, gambas, salpicao, boquerones, queso), and Korean

(kalbi rice balls, tteokbokki, soy peanuts) cuisines. Sweet tooths will have their fill, too, of assorted luscious cakes. Drink all the sodas, house cocktails, and local beer as you can while you dance the night away to all-time favorite throwback music performed live by the Brown Soul Band. At the strike of 12mn, toast to the new year with a glass of sparkling wine.

After a night of partying, keep the merriment going with a hearty New Year’s Day Brunch Buffet, served at the Ballroom from 10am to 2pm for only P1,550nett. Set the tone for prosperity and abundance in 2023 with a bountiful buffet loaded with turkey ham, honey bacon slab, lechon baka, sausage patties, baked oysters, salmon coulibiac, and pancakes, eggs, and taho at the live stations. Drinks include coffee, tea, hot & cold chocolate, chilled juice, iced tea, and winter coffee latte.

Kids certainly can’t be left out of the celebrations this season. All buffet offers are free for children five years old while children six to 12 years old get 50% discount on the full price. For inquiries and bookings, call (632) 8570 7777 / (63) 917 531 6867 or email stay@eastwoodrichmonde.com. For table reservations, call (63) 917 821 0333 or send a message via Eastwood Richmonde Hotel’s official Facebook page.

SMX Convention Center Clark is Now a Department of Tourism-Accredited facility, ready for MICE, tourists

stand-alone convention center of SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) following SMX Manila. SMX Convention Center Clark is a modern MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) facility located at the gateway of the Philippines, Clark in Pampanga. It is strategically located beside Park Inn by Radisson Clark across SM City Clark, and near Clark International Airport, making it very accessible to both local and foreign delegates.

SMX Convention Center Clark was recently

accorded its Accreditation from the Department of Tourism (DOT). The DOT Accreditation is a comprehensive program that ensures tourism-based businesses and enterprises in the country are able to meet the minimum standards and procedures stipulated under the R.A. 9593, also known as the Tourism Act of 2009. It acknowledges tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance. The main objective of this policy is to boost tourism in the country with the proper implementation of standards and procedures to guarantee the quality of services provided by tourism enterprises.

SMX Convention Center Clark is the second

SMX Clark boasts a gross leasable space of 4,000 sq. m., which is spacious enough to host corporate meetings, incentives, exhibitions, and conferences for up to 4,620 persons.

The facility houses three huge halls with a floor area of 1,620 sq. m., three pillarless and customizable function rooms with a total of up to 1,664 sq. m., and 14 meeting rooms that are suited for small-scale events such as: meetings, workshops, training sessions, and seminars.

SMX Convention Center Clark, which opened in May 2022, strives to contribute in making Northern Luzon one of the premiere destinations for MICE in the country. All events held at SMX Convention Centers adhere to the IATF, DOT, and LGU guidelines, as well as SMX’s safety protocols.

FROM left, Meralco Head of Biz Partners Group Joy P. Mendoza; OB Montessori Center President and CEO Sara Soliven de Guzman; and Spectrum Chief Operations Officer Patrick Henry T. Panlilio signed the deal for a 99-kWp solar rooftop project in OB Montessori’s Fairview Campus.

Have your staycation, celebrations, festive buffets at strategically located Eastwood Richmonde Hotel

SHRIMP Cocktail at the International-themed Cocktail Buffet of the Rockin’ Retro Countdown Party

NEW experience booking platform

Looking for the perfect gift? Booking platform iWanna offers newest, most unique gifts for your loved ones

Coffee Connoisseur Mark Neil Madrelejos teaching the art of coffee. Photo: Mark Neil Madrelejos

PSEi closed at 6,500-point level on last day of trading

By VG Cabuag @villygc

THE benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSEi) index closed barely unchanged at 6,566.39 points during the last trading day of the year last Thursday, down by mere 0.15 points from the previous day’s trade. Year to date, the main index decreased by almost 8 percent.

Daily average value turnover for the year was at P7.3 billion (about $130.756 million at current exchange rates), down by 19 percent from last year’s P9-billion average.

The market registered P67.95 billion-worth of net foreign selling versus the P2.75 billion net foreign selling in 2021.

For the year, total capital raised from primary and secondary shares amounted to P110.29 billion, more than half lower than the P234.48 billion raised in the previous year.

Despite the lower capital raised figure, the PSE had nine initial public offerings (IPOs) this year, the most number of IPOs in a single year since

2007. Other capital raising activities conducted this year included one listing by way of introduction, five stock rights offerings and 12 private placements in 2022.

Banner year

PSE President and CEO Mr. Ramon S. Monzon said they still consider 2022 “a banner year in terms of the number of IPOs and we look forward to continuing the listing momentum in 2023.”

“We see the equities market becoming a more attractive option for capital-raising given the rise in interest rates and as valuations gradually recover,” Monzon added.

THE Philippines has produced 84,138 motor vehicles in the first 11 months, a 6.9-percent increase compared to the same period in 2021, according to Asean Automotive Federation (AAF).

While the country continued to post an increase in motor-vehicle production, data shows it still lags behind majority of its neighbors in the Southeast Asia region.

Based on data from the AAF, Myanmar posted a triple-digit growth of 134.4 percent in motor vehicle production compared to the same period in 2021;

This was followed by Vietnam, with 52.7-percent growth; Malaysia growing by 48.2 percent; Indonesia by 32.5 percent; Thailand with 16.9

percent growth; and, the Philippines by 6.9 percent.

Total motor vehicles assembled in the region as of November reached 4.06 million, a 27.4 percent growth from the 3.18 million motor vehicles produced in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, in terms of motor vehicle sales, the Philippines sold 315,337 units in the 11-month period, a 31 percent increase yearon-year. Data shows that this is the third largest growth among the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) during the said period.

Malaysia had the biggest growth in motor vehicle sales at 44.8 percent followed by Vietnam at a 43.5 percent growth.

He expressed optimism that the stock market can bounce back in 2023 as the global economy continues to open up and corporate earnings return to pre-pandemic growth levels. “While risks from geopolitical tensions, higher inflation and increasing interest rates remain, the Philippines has shown its resiliency through better-than-expected GDP [gross domestic product] growth during the previous quarter, which we hope will carry over for the fourth quarter and in 2023,” Monzon said.

Motorcycles, scooters

INDONESIA and Thailand posted increases, at 19.2 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively.

On the other hand, Singapore and Myanmar posted declines in motor vehicle sales, at 28.8 percent and 17.2 percent, respectively.

Motor vehicle sales in Asean grew by 27.2 percent to 3.13 million motor vehicles from the 2.46 units sold in the same period a year ago.

Data from the AAF also showed that the Philippines’s motorcycles and scooters production increased by 7.1 percent to 865,246 units.

Malaysia and Thailand posted increases in motorcycle and scooter production, at 43.6 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively.

Motorcycles and scooters pro-

The PSE saw the listing of three new real estate investment trusts (REITs) this year, with two being energy-themed REITs.

“The local REIT market is still teeming with potential opportunities and we expect our REIT roster to expand and potentially diversify to include other themes beyond what we have listed so far,” Monzon said.

The bourse’s market capitalization registered an 8.4-percent decrease at P16.56 trillion from P18.08 trillion from the previous year.

AC Logistics Holdings Corp. on Thursday said it signed an agreement for the transport, handling and management of hospital and hazardous waste across the island resorts of El Nido.

The agreement was made through its subsidiary Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) and Ten Knots Philippines Inc. The latter is a subsidiary of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp. that operates a number of resorts in El Nido in Palawan.

IWMI will be in charge of collection, transport and proper treatment and disposal of Ten Knots’s medical and infectious wastes. Full service includes documentary evidence of how the generator’s hazardous wastes are treated and disposed.

IWMI is one of the leading waste management companies in the Philippines specializing in the handling of hazardous waste that include industrial and hospital wastes, among others. IWMI claimed that it serves some 40 percent of medical establishments in Metro Manila.

The recent pandemic resulted in an increase in volume of hospital waste like face masks, hazmats, PPE, vials and syringes, diluents and expired medicines that requires proper handling and disposal.

“As our businesses grow and the tourism industry recovers, the chal-

lenge of managing different types of waste escalates, too,” Ayala Land Hotels President and CEO Javier D. Hernandez said. “We at Ten Knots are only too glad to work with IWMI in addressing these challenges and meeting our sustainability objectives.”

IWMI has been in the business of collecting and treating infectious and hazardous wastes for more than 30 years.

Being ISO 14001 Certified, IWMI has been one of the most trusted partners in the industry, with clients ranging from government to private institutions.

“It is an honor to be working with the Ten Knots Group in ensuring proper waste management in hotels and tourism estates. Our team is excited to collaborate with the group’s El Nido Resorts and Lio Beach in exploring innovative solutions and practices that protect El Nido’s communities and natural environment. Through this partnership, we hope to encourage more organizations to institutionalize proper hazardous waste management and ensure longterm positive impact,” IWMI President Cezar Christopher Gregory G. Pacheco Jr. said.

IWMI is part of the Ayala Group’s logistics subsidiary AC Logistics Holdings Corp. VG Cabuag

duced within the region increased by 16.4 percent to 3.32 million units.

The Philippines posted an 11.2 percent increase in motorcycle and scooter sales during the 11-month period, selling 1.45 million units.

Malaysia had the largest growth in motorcycle and scooter sales, growing by 42.5 percent to 617,448 units. This was followed by Thailand with a 12.8 percent increase, selling 1.65 million units.

Likewise, Singapore posted growth at 5.5 percent, selling 11,049 motorcycles and scooters.

Motorcycles and scooters within Asean increased by 16.1 percent to 3.73 million units, from the 3.21 million units recorded in the same period a year ago. Andrea San Juan

Cecilia Bobadilla-Bitare.

THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) was recognized anew as one of the top-performing government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) in the Philippines, after it gained an “outstanding” assessment rating in the 2021 Corporate Governance Scorecard of the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG).

This is the seventh consecutive year that the BCDA has scored over 90 percent on its performance scorecard. This shows BCDA’s continuous improvement in delivering consistent and efficient policies and practices in corporate governance and stakeholder relations, pursuing disclosure and transparency and implementing Board responsibilities with competence and accountability in line with good governance conditions.

By Henry Empeño

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has named eight appointees to the board of directors of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) ahead of the reported reorganization next month in the policy-making body that manages this free port and special economic zone.

Appointment letters obtained by the BusinessMirror that were addressed to the SBMA board of directors and dated December 23 indicated five appointees to represent the private sector, one representative of the national government, and two appointments for the business and investment sectors.

Those appointed as acting members representing the private sector are Honorio Cabaguio Allado III, Jose Mari Balandra Ponce, Kenneth Lemuel Go Rementilla, Amable Bancod Tolentino and Maria

Allado was named as replacement of Brian Patrick H. Gordon while Ponce replaced Rogelio G. Roque. Rementilla replaced Edwin Y. Enrile and Tolentino replaced Julita S. Manahan.

Bitare, who was a member of the previous board, was reappointed.

Rementilla was a former SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business under the Business and Investment Group but left the service in 2021.

Meanwhile, to represent the national government in the SBMA, Malacañang appointed Allan Troy Dandan Baquir, replacing Marvin Ted R. Macapagal.

For the business and investment sectors, Edelberto Salgo Mozo replaced Benasing O. Macarambon Jr., while Tomas Fausto Lahom Jr. was reappointed for the same position.

The new appointments made for a total of 13 SBMA board members, including incumbents Rolen C. Paulino, who sits as agency chair-

man and administrator, Rolando E. Ampunin, Teodoro D. Del Rosario, Herminia B. Roman and Paulino’s wife Cynthia.

A person familiar with the appointment process in the SBMA said the incumbents who were appointed by the previous administration will continue to serve as directors until they were replaced.

Under Section 13-c of Republic Act 7227 or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, the SBMA Board of Directors shall be composed of 15 members.

These include representatives from different sectors such as the local government units that concur to join the Subic Special Economic Zone; two representatives from the national government; five representatives from the private sector coming from the (former) naval stations, public works center, ship repair facility, naval supply depot and naval air stations in Subic; and representatives from the business and investment sectors.

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

CAPPING its banner year with a bang—thanks to a slew of major connectivity breakthroughs, partnerships and awards—Converge ICT Solutions Inc. is pinning high hopes to keep on growing and provide quality service to customers in 2023, according to its top ranking officials.

The fiber internet service provider has been recognized as the Top-Rated Fixed Network in the Philippines in the Ookla Speedtest Awards for the first and second quarters of 2022 by Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence, testing applications and related technologies.

Converge Marketing Head Orange Ramirez attributed such achievement to the company’s “customer-centric approach to simplifying and personalizing their experience”—the very “core” of how it does things.

For Converge Chief Operations Officer Jesus C. Romero, winning such an accolade affirmed that the firm is on “the right path” in its mission to “fiber power the whole Philippines.”

“There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the results of consumer-initiated ratings from Ookla. Such honor reflects our subscribers’ satisfaction and preference for our brand of service and encourages us to do better,” he said.

“We want to give the Filipino people the kind of service they deserve, so being distinguished as the Top-Rated ISP [internet service provider] in the country by Ookla

is something we take very seriously and will continue to be motivated by next year,” Ramirez added.

Having more than 600,000 kilometers of pure fiber assets and 53 percent household coverage nationwide, Converge is on track to bolster its reach across the country and provide affordable high-speed broadband internet to unserved and underserved Filipinos.

This year saw the successful launch of its tailor-fit connectivity products, such as GameChanger for gaming enthusiasts, XCLSV for elite high-bandwidth users, and HomeBase for microbusinesses.

Moreover, the company offered a free speed upgrade to its FiberX Plan 1500 subscribers. In November, it announced that it had doubled all of its plans’ bandwidth without extra cost, with the base plan’s speed increasing from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps.

E nabling the country to move forward through the digital revolution, the firm also announced that it is investing to join in the SEAH2X Submarine Cable System and the trans-pacific Bifrost Cable System to significantly increase connectivity capacity and bring network diversity to consumers and businesses in the coming years.

“Optimizing customer experience is always at the forefront of our mindset whenever we develop and introduce new products,” said Converge Head of Product Management and Network Solutions Gilbert T. Virtucio.

“Identifying the pain points of our customers allows us to customize our offerings to address their increasing needs and demands. It’s a never-ending practice that we are happy to do to continue to always improve our services,” he said.

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Wall Street’s big banks score $1 trillion of profit in a decade

By Max Abelson & Hannah Levitt

MALICK DIOP felt something shifting on Wall Street. He’d joined Morgan Stanley in the grim days of 2009, when big banks were trying to pay back taxpayer bailouts and deflect public fury. But four years later, the ire was fading and ambition was the order of the day.

“It really felt like, for the first time, the job and the career weren’t defined by the context of the financial crisis,” Diop said. “We are past this now. And now it’s time for us to do new deals.”

In the years that followed, his rise to managing director traced a new boom. He helped orchestrate a multibillion-dollar deal with SoftBank Group, whose breakneck investments defined an era, then closed a huge SPAC merger at the height of that rush.

Diop didn’t know it, but he was playing a small role in something almost unfathomably lucrative: The first trillion-dollar decade for the six giants of US banking. That’s not $1 trillion of total revenue, it’s pure profit.

Such a haul didn’t seem possible before the decade began, when Wall Street was the target of a global protest movement and politicians at both ends of the spectrum were seething over bailouts or aiming to break up too-big-to-fail lenders.

They swelled instead, outpacing corporate America so handily that JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp., and even hobbled Wells Fargo & Co. are on track to make more profit over those 10 years than all but a few publicly traded US companies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley aren’t far behind. And together the six are poised to make even more next year.

While much of the world’s attention was focused on the riches minted by Silicon Valley, banks were gaining momentum. There isn’t one way to explain how they pulled it off: Volatility juiced Wall Street’s trading hauls, investment bankers like Diop rode a dealmaking boom, and Donald Trump boosted bottom lines by slashing taxes. Likewise, there isn’t one reaction across the industry to the milestone.

“Sometimes there’s this sense that the fact that they profited that much is somehow terrible, and I just don’t think that’s the case,” said Betsy Duke, a former Federal Reserve governor who chaired Wells Fargo’s board until 2020. “About everything you could throw at the financial system has been thrown at it in the last 10 years. These banks have not just survived but they’ve actually thrived.”

In a decade of public anger at the banks, tougher rules, geopolitical havoc, the pandemic and some treacherous market swings, banks “were able to cope with all

of that, and not only cope with it but earn $1 trillion,” Duke said.

Analyst estimates show the six banks are quickly closing in on that feat—$1 trillion in a 10year period—and that if they don’t reach the milestone at the end of this month, they will sometime in the first few weeks of 2023. It isn’t just the scale of profit that’s so startling, though, but the industry’s ability to push through scandals and thrive anew.

Ten years ago, JPMorgan, now the most profitable and valuable US bank by market capitalization, was in the doghouse after the London Whale trading fiasco. Wells was on top of the big six, the most valuable and the sole member of the group pulling in more than $20 billion. Though its earnings were later derailed over revelations of consumer abuses, analysts see it nearing that level again in 2023.

What didn’t transform over those years is the broad outline of the business: Banks sell stocks and bonds, trade financial instruments, advise on corporate takeovers, manage wealth, handle payments and lend. Back in 2013, some traders were already mourning the casino-style risk-taking that Dodd-Frank of 2010 threatened, even if Washington was still hammering out the exact rules.

Paying for scandals TO get out of the shadow of the global crisis, the banks had to pay. In 2014, Bank of America agreed to a record-breaking $16.7 billion settlement to end probes into shoddy mortgage practices, passing JPMorgan’s $13 billion. By then, some banks were mining new veins of profit that got them into trouble.

Employees inside Wells Fargo, under pressure to meet sales targets, set up millions of accounts for customers who hadn’t asked for them, the most famous in a series of scandals that ultimately spanned most of its businesses. And in Malaysia, Goldman Sachs finished raising billions of dollars in 2013 for a state-owned investment fund known as 1MDB, which was then pilfered by a group including the former prime minister.

“My biggest regret in the last decade was not stopping the 1MDB transaction,” said former Goldman partner Robert Mass, a compliance executive. “Each issue was vetted, in some cases multiple times, but in the end the answers that we received satisfied us.” Mass, who now teaches philosophy at Hunter College in New York, said the firm was “misled by our own people, who were

in on the bribe, in a way that we had no reason to doubt and could not disprove.” He wasn’t sure if he learned any lessons, “other than to be less trusting.”

The magnitude of profit makes those mistakes look like hiccups. One person the industry can thank, Trump, taunted banks on the campaign trail before putting two Goldman alumni in charge of a tax overhaul that helped transform corporate profits. Banks that had gotten used to paying three in ten dollars to the government found themselves forking over less than one in five for 2018. Their tax bills went down from there.

That year marked a new intensity for Wall Street’s growth. Banks that had made less than $70 billion in 2017 made $120 billion in 2018 thanks to tax cuts, an uptick in interest rates and surges in retail banking and dealmaking. Their combined assets, which hovered around $10 trillion for years, began to shoot up.

The way top Wall Street lawyer H. Rodgin Cohen sees it, all of this shouldn’t be a surprise. “Banks may be seen as always winning with a couple of exceptions because of their role in the economy,” said Cohen, who is now senior chair of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. “They are intermediaries. They’re borrowing and they’re lending.”

The decade was a frothy time to be a banker. Personnel expenses for the six companies, which had hovered around $148 billion at the beginning of the era before dropping for a few years, jumped to $154 billion in 2019, never mind that their overall number of employees had actually fallen. Jamie Dimon, the JPMorgan boss who’d already become a billionaire, would eventually get such a big pay package that a proxy advisory firm told shareholders to vote against it.

“One of the goals of a good society is that everyone, including those people at the bottom, have enough to survive and flourish,” said Mass, the former Goldman partner who now studies ethics. “I am OK that people are paid well for producing products and services that increase the overall level of wealth in society, but only when we combine that with appropriate taxation and sufficient social safety so that those at the bottom can flourish.” He added that he isn’t enough of an expert to say if current taxes and safety nets are the right size.

Few things transformed the landscape of Wall Street as profoundly as the pandemic’s arrival in 2020. To avoid economic cataclysm, the government rolled out relief programs for consumers and businesses, and the Fed

bought trillions of dollars of assets. The market mayhem brought back the volatility that trading floors crave. Corporations lined up to borrow, raise capital or buy weakened competitors.

Things were changing inside the banks, too. When police murdered George Floyd that May, Diop found himself inundated with messages from classmates and colleagues.

“It was from an actual good place and well meaning, but at the same time you get 20 of those calls because you are the lone person that comes up,” he said. It was “exhausting to be everyone’s Black friend at that moment.”

That September, the news that Jane Fraser would become the first woman to run one of the big US banks was greeted by her colleagues with cheers, but also frustration for how long it took.

“I tried to change the industry from the inside out at the three largest banks and I failed—I have the shards of glass on my head to show it,” said Anne Clarke Wolff, a former executive at Citigroup, JPMorgan and Bank of America who founded Independence Point Advisors last year. “In 10 years at a big bank, the CEO didn’t spend 10 minutes with me—and I was among the most senior women.”

In early 2020, analysts were

writing obituaries for Wall Street’s run of record profits. Instead, the banks helped spark the boom of blank-check companies known as SPACs. Later, once regulators got jittery and prices soured, investors were left holding the bag.

Profits in 2021 also got help from an accounting move: The banks felt good enough about the economy, thanks to government intervention, to release some of the reserves they had set aside in case loans soured. The big six made more profit in 2021 than in 2013 and 2014 combined. Even when Russia invaded Ukraine this year, the chaos helped traders defy expectations of hard times.

The tally of profits from the past 10 years eclipses the prior decade’s even if you take into account inflation and big bank mergers during the financial crisis.

Yet other corporate titans, especially in Silicon Valley, did too well for Wall Street to claim a monopoly on success. Apple Inc. alone made more than half a trillion dollars. Microsoft Corp., Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Alphabet Inc. topped JPMorgan, followed by Exxon Mobil Corp. edging out Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

Banks would attribute some of their gains to innovation, after they invested in tech platforms and improved offerings including credit card rewards. They’ve also helped companies tap capital markets to grow the economy. And they’ve held on to some of the profit, adding more than $200 billion to their capital buffers over the past decade to make a repeat of 2008 less likely.

Critics would counter that the banks didn’t do it alone. Many of them wouldn’t have survived 2008 if it weren’t for taxpayer aid, and those buffers are the result of stiffer capital rules, sometimes enacted over bankers’ strident objections. Moreover, it was another government intervention that propped the economy up during the pandemic, teeing up those record profits. Among other knocks: Some banks have focused on a narrower slice of clients, limiting opportunities for many communities, and have been slow to pass along rate hikes to savers, betting that customers won’t flee to smaller rivals.

Ultimately, banks’ fortunes depend on the health of their clients, Cohen said. Their epic profits will drop “if the economy takes a downturn, a real downturn,” he said.

Diop’s career shows the potential pitfalls. Two major mortg age companies he helped bring to the public markets during the pandemic are down more than 50 percent, battered by higher interest rates and economic concerns.

Even when markets were ebullient, Diop worried about how things would look when the mood turned. “But you can’t be on the sidelines for every deal,” he said.

This year, he left Morgan Stanley to become an executive at Hoorae, the media company run by the actor and producer Issa Rae, his sister.

“I actually already miss it a little bit,” he said. “I miss figuring out what’s next.” With assistance from Mathieu Benhamou, Jennifer Surane, Katherine Doherty, Alexander McIntyre and Michael Moore/Bloomberg.

THE New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, in New York. Volatility juiced Wall Street’s trading hauls. AP/JULIA NIKHINSON

Banking&Finance

FCDU outstanding loans slightly falls in Sept

By VG Cabuag @villygc

OUTSTANDING loans granted by foreign currency deposit units (FCDU) of banks slightly fell to $15.67 billion as of end-September, a decrease of $44 million or by 0.3 percent from the end-June 2022 level of $15.71 billion.

The central bank said the decrease in FCDU loans may be attributed to gradual move in easing credit parameters and net tightening of overall credit standards of lender banks resulting in an unchanged or deliberate lending operations and credit activity amid uncertainty in the economic outlook. There is also the borrowers’ reduced demand for FCDU loans in light of foreign exchange volatility and rising borrowing costs.

Year-on-year, outstanding FCDU loans decreased by $164 million or

by 1 percent from the end-September 2021 level of $15.8 billion.

As of end-September, the maturity profile of the FCDU loan portfolio remained predominantly mediumto long-term debt [or those payable over a term of more than one year, which comprised 78 percent of total.

FCDU loans granted to residents comprised 63 percent of total outstanding FCDU loans. Of the $10 billion outstanding loans to residents, majority went to power generation companies at $2.7 billion or 27 percent, merchandise and ser-

Salceda nixes IMF bid to shift vehicle taxation basis

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenillaa

HOUSE Ways and Means

Chair Joey Sarte Salceda opposed the proposal of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the country to shift its taxation regime for vehicles from being luxury-based to an emissionsbased system, saying this is unfair to the poor.

In a statement on Thursday, the representative of the Second District of Albay noted the recommendation of the IMF in its new report will impose an additional tax burden to the poor since it will cover public utility jeepneys (PUJ), which remains

one of the country’s main forms of commuting.

“I can’t justify taxing a low-emission luxury car at a lower rate than a public utility jeepney–especially during elevated inflation and the return of face-to-face engagements,” Salceda said.

“I can’t justify that to the Filipino commuter, or to the PUJ driver, who was impoverished by the Covid-19 (novel coronavirus disease) restrictions on travel,” he added.

The lawmaker did agree with the IMF that there is a need to update the taxation scheme for vehicles for the government to generate additional revenue with the use of gross vehicle weight as basis.

to release ₧100M in education assistance

THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the pension fund for government workers, said last Thursday it will release a total of P100 million in financial assistance to 10,000 qualified children of GSIS members.

The fund will be coursed through the GSIS Educational Subsidy Program (GESP) for academic year 2022 to 2023. The qualified children of members will receive an educational subsidy of P10,000 per academic year, the pension fund said.

“We share [the] view that education is the foundation of a prosperous nation,“ GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo A. Veloso was quoted in a statement as saying.

The pension fund said its Corporate Social Advocacies and Public relations Facilities Department received a total of 12,140 applications nationwide. Of the 10,000 applicants who were selected as grantees of GESP for academic year 2022 to 2023, a total of 1,235 grantees are from the national Capital region,

2,212 grantees from north Luzon, 2,251 grantees from South Luzon, 2,005 from the Visayas region and 2,297 from Mindanao.

The grantees were selected based on the members’ employment status, annual basic salary and loan payments. The qualified children of members are enrolled in any year level of a 4-year or 5-year course in a Commission on Higher Educationregistered private institutions or state universities and colleges with a general weighted average of 80 percent.

To receive the subsidy, new GESP recipients must submit a signed and notarized GESP agreement, information sheet with two copies of the student’s latest 2×2 ID pictures and Land Bank of the Philippines account number.

These requirements must be submitted to the nearest GSIS office w ithin 60 calendar days from the publication of the list of qualified students in the GSIS website or official social media account. VG Cabuag

He said the new system will account for the contribution of a vehicle to road damage, congestion, and environmental harm.

To mitigate the impact of the scheme to commuters, the lawmaker said the government should also provide “direct subsidies for purchasing new units of cleaner jeepneys.”

Revenue generators

SALCEDA also backed the IMF proposal on the implementation of measures with high revenue gains, but will not stifle economic growth.

Among such measures is the enactment of the Ease of Paying Taxes bill, which is still pending in the Sen-

ate, to make it more convenient for low-income earners to settle their taxes.

“Low-income taxes should be coupled with higher tax collection efficiency. The crucial link is easier tax compliance. Even if we lower rates, if compliance is still difficult, taxpayers will not comply faithfully,” the lawmaker said.

Another way to improve government revenue, Salceda said, will be the “broadening the Valued Added Tax base.”

“We are exploring getting rid of the de minimis for VAT and duty-free importation. We suspect that to be one of the bigger sources of technical smuggling,” Salceda said.

vice exporters at $2.4 billion or 24 percent and management/holding and stock brokerage at $1.2 billion or 12 percent.

Gross disbursements in the third quarter of the year reached $14.6 billion and were 6 percent lower than the previous quarter’s figure mainly due to decrease in funding requirements of a foreign bank branch affiliate. Loan repayments in the same quarter, meanwhile, reached $14.6 billion, an 8 percent decrease from the previous quarter’s figure. These resulted in overall net disbursement.

FCDU deposit liabilities stood at $45.8 billion as of end-September, lower by $838 million or by almost 2 percent) from the end-June level of $46.6 billion.

The bulk of these deposits, or about 97 percent, continue to be owned by residents, essentially constituting an additional buffer to the country’s gross international reserves. Year-on-year, FCDU deposit liabilities decreased by $102 million or by 0.2 percent from the end-September 2021 level of $45.9 billion.

Kick-Start 2023: Be a Future-Ready Leader

IF you have a motorcycle, then you know that to make its engine run, you need to kick-start it by pushing a ratcheting lever with your foot.

Figuratively, “to kick-start” is to kick off a project or initiative, i.e., start a process and get things in motion.

To kick-start also means to make something happen more quickly or improve on it.

The year 2023 is coming up and after almost three years of the pandemic, many organizations, including associations, are gearing up for business. The “living with Covid” world will continue to bring massive disruption, change, and uncertainty.

As a leader, you can’t guarantee certainty, but you can give your organization more clarity and confidence.

This was the premise of a webinar I attended recently which was conducted by Australia-based futurist Gihan Perera who enumerated three processes to gain clarity and confidence for your organization:

them head on is one thing; looking for possibilities that are equally important for you to grow in the future is another, as different people have different goals and expectations.

You can’t be future proof, but you can be future ready. Future-ready leaders find the right balance between the needs of their people and the goals of their organization. They treat their people first, but know that performance also matters.

What new skills should I focus on? What matters most to your members now? These are some of the questions you need to answer.

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) issued an official statement last Thursday saying it acknowledges the decision of the Supreme Court affirming the Commission on Audit’s (COA) ruling that disallowed certain allowances given by the Corporation in 2014.

“We wish to inform the public that PhilHealth immediately discontinued the subject allowances after receipt of the notice of Disallowance from COA,” the statement signed by Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Eli Dino D. Santos read.

“The subsequent benefits given to our employees have since been aligned with those prescribed under the Salary Standardization Law IV, and now with the Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS) issued by the Governance Commission for Government-

EastWest Ageas expects hikes in premium in ’23

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

EASTWEST Banking Corp.

partner EastWest Ageas Life Insurance Corp. anticipates a 15-percent increase in gross written premium (GWP) and a 50-percent increase in the amount of the first year premium (AFYP) in 2023, according to its incoming president.

Sjoerd Smeets, the newly-appointed President and CEO of the insurer, cited the vital role of their parent firm in enhancing the company’s position through cutting-edge computing technology and other new services.

“The partnership with East West Bank (since 2015) has seen success in providing financial solutions to many Filipinos. We look forward to streamlining it further with a new IT system, new products, and Unit Linked Funds,” Smeets told the Business Mirror in an email interview.

He said EastWest Bank has provided an advantage to EastWest Ageas because the bank has provided them with a large pool of potential customers through its various offer-

ings such as salary accounts, credit cards, and car and home loans

According to EastWest Ageas’ market research, Smeets said agents sell more than half of all life insurance products.

“We entered this market segment in 2022 and intend to expand it over the next few years to become a significant part of our portfolio,” he said.

As a young company, Smeets said EastWest Ageas has benefitted from the modern IT infrastructure fully supported in the cloud. He said going digital was one of the reasons why the company’s were not affected by Covid. All employees could work from home using their laptop computers, and our services remained operational, he recalled.

However, Smeets said face to face interaction is still important as a client expects insurers to interact with them differently. Moreover, he said this will also vary greatly depending on the company’s customers’ life stages, geographical locations, and financial literacy.

“As a result, we see digital as an enabler for providing better solutions to our customers,” he said.

With the launch of the agency channel, EastWest Ageas introduced a new front-end to our agents, allowing for a simple, and quick) quotation and a discussion with our customers about their insurance needs.

“We will implement paperless processes and conduct business through in-person and virtual meetings,” Smeets said.

Smeets said EastWest remains committed to the Philippine market as it offers huge potential with a population of 115 million. With an annual population growth rate of 1.6 percent, a very young population, and GDP growth of around 6 percent, he stressed the prospects for the future are bright.

Moreover, he said the company can leverage elements of the Ageas group’s strategy locally, focusing on health and environment, social and governance (ESG).

“Finally, and perhaps most importantly, our entire management team is a strong advocate of CustomerCentric thinking, and we will take all our employees on that journey to provide excellent service to our customers,” Smeets said.

Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG),” Santos, also a lawyer, added.

“We maintain, however, that those allowances were given in good faith, above board, not extravagant and most of all, well deserved by the hardworking officers and employees of the stateinsurer.”

He added that in the meantime, Philhealth will be waiting for the decision of the Supreme Court on its Motion for r e consideration filed last December 20. PhilHealth will fully comply with the directive of the Court once issued with finality, the statement read.

“We assure the public that PhilHealth is prudent in administering its funds, and ensure that meeting our financial obligations, especially the payment of benefit claims, is always our top priority,” Santos said.

1. Understanding and accepting reality. The future isn’t used to be and is different from what you’ve expected before. In understanding reality, you need, not only to know about yourself, but also what’s going on around your area and what’s happening to the rest of the world. Assessing internal and external factors and pressures is key to clarity and confidence building.

In an organizational setting, a scenario planning tool you may use to assess external factors is “Pestle”— acronym for political, environmental, social, technological, legal and economic. This provides information on challenges you may encounter in fulfilling your proposed activities and prepare for actions and solutions to mitigate them.

In the context of associations, accepting the reality that your members will expect more from you in the days to come will enable you to plan ahead and execute with confidence.

2. Exploring possibilities. Knowing the challenges and meeting

3. Setting priorities. You won’t be able to do everything you’ve planned to do so prioritizing is a must. Perhaps the “AHA” (for “ActionHabit-As if”) approach may help.

Action sets the tone on the “what” and the “how to.” What are the things most valuable that you can do in the short term to make an impact? Habit provides you with the discipline of doing something each single day until this becomes your nature. The “as if” gives you another persona or a role model to emulate. AHA creates the momentum to make things happen.

In a fast-changing world, you can’t do many things all by yourself. The old style of top-down leadership is obsolete. The new environment is full of complex problems that need diverse thinking to find solutions. Future-ready leaders don’t build better followers; they create more leaders.

Octavio B. Peralta is currently the executive director of the UN Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” E-mail: bobby@pcaae.org.

Criminal charges vs. crypto trader offer no shield vs. consequences of alleged fraud

CrIMInAL charges against a crypto trader who claimed to have walked away with about $50-million worth of digital assets after exploiting a decentralized finance platform show that even as DeFi remains mostly unregulated, it offers no shield against the legal consequences of alleged fraud.

“There’s a difference between what’s regulated and what’s legal,” neal Kumar, partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, said in a phone interview. “Just because it’s not regulated doesn’t mean that you could do any activity you want,” he added, and “government can still pursue fraud and manipulation.”

Avraham Eisenberg was arrested in Puerto r ico this week and charged with fraud by the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan in connection with the October exploit targeting Mango Markets. Before his arrest, the trader was outspoken on social media platforms about his “highly profitable trading strategy,” which he claimed was perfectly legal. Authorities allege it included market manipulation.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, Eisenberg allegedly used two Mango Markets accounts he controlled to manipulate the price of Mango perpetual swaps, which are fu-

tures that allow traders to keep their potions open. He then used his swaps to borrow and withdraw about $100 million worth of a number of tokens, which came from the deposits of other investors on Mango Markets.

Eisenberg has been highlighting his escapades to more than 40,000 followers on Twitter, all the while saying he’s putting pressure on the fledgling DeFi industry to implement better risk controls. Many of the strategies he uses, such as generating trades to inflate the price of a cryptocurrency and then borrowing against the now higher-valued asset, are typically viewed as manipulation in traditional markets and a crime.

The decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, that runs Mango eventually agreed to let Eisenberg keep almost half of the more than $100 million in assets he pocketed in exchange for releasing the rest of the funds. Meanwhile, the self-declared exploiter of Mango Markets was convinced that he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I’m a trader trying to make money, but I also point out issues I think should be fixed and advocate for them,” Eisenberg, wrote in a message to Bloomberg news in the days following the exploit.

He couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday, and he didn’t have a lawyer listed in court filings.

In claiming innocence, Eisenberg was likely tapping in to the “code is law” ethos of DeFi, a belief that the ultimate authority in crypto is the pieces of computer code that underly most projects. If the code allows for a trade to be implemented, for instance, it is the law as far as crypto believers are concerned - or so goes the theory.

“There is an objective opinion that ‘code is law’ with decentralized finance,” Steve Walbroehl, chief security officer and co-founder of blockchain security startup Halborn, wrote in a statement.

“One can argue that the Mango hacker Avraham Eisenberg was just using the environment and the smart contract rules to play ‘the game.’”

But Tom Schmidt, partner at digitalasset venture capital firm Dragonfly, said that Eisenberg and his way of promoting his trades is not in the spirit of that ethos.

“Fraud is fraud,” Schmidt said. “I think people mistake ‘Code is law’ for ‘Code is above the law.’”

The case is USA v. Eisenberg, 1:22mj-10337, US District Court, Southern District of new York (Manhattan).

GSIS

Philhealth acknowledges SC decision on COA ruling on disallowed allowances

Octavio Peralta

Association World

DOH honors Davao City for 100% vax coverage, including elderly

By Che Palicte

DAVAO CITY—This city has been recognized by the Department of Health in Davao Region (DOH-11) for achieving 100 percent primary vaccination coverage against Covid-19, including full vaccinations for all senior citizens who are most vulnerable to the virus.

“ Only Davao City achieved the feat among other local government units in the region,” said Dr. Ashley Lopez, acting city

health officer, in a statement on Monday.

D uring the December 15 awarding ceremony led by DOH-11, the

City Health Office (CHO) received a P150,000 cash prize for the achievement.

Under the Covid-19 response, our vaccination has reached 101 percent, and we have also reached our target for A2 or senior citizens. That is a really big achievement,” Lopez said.

Likewise, the city also vaccinated 100 percent of the target population for senior citizens and achieved more than 30 percent of its target for the first booster.

It is a collective effort, coming from the Dabawenyos, the LGU, our health sectors, private partners, and our citizens. Without the cooperation of the Dabawenyos we would not have achieved this,” Lopez said.

A side from the Covid-19 re -

sponse, the city also received other awards for newborn screening, tuberculosis and malaria control programs, and local health systems.

Two health facilities, the Bunawan and Toril-B district health centers, also received awards for best practices on newborn screening.

T he city was also cited as the Top 2 Performing LGU for Tuberculosis Control Program.

For the malaria control program, the districts of Marilog and Paquibato were acknowledged as malariafree zones.

Under the local health systems, the CHO received a citation for the development of the City Epidemiology Surveillance Disaster Unit, also a first in the region. PNA

China races to vaccinate elderly, but many seniors are reluctant

By Joe McDonald The Associated Press

BEIJING—Chinese authorities are going door-to-door and paying people older than 60 to get vaccinated against Covid-19. But even as cases surge, 64-year-old Li Liansheng said his friends are alarmed by stories of fevers, blood clots and other side effects.

“ When people hear about such incidents, they may not be willing to take the vaccines,” said Li, who had been vaccinated before he caught Covid-19. A few days after his 10-day bout with the virus, Li is nursing a sore throat and cough. He said it was like a “normal cold” with a mild fever.

China has joined other countries in treating cases instead of trying to stamp out virus transmission by dropping or easing rules on testing, quarantines and movement as it tries to reverse an economic slump. But the shift has flooded hospitals with feverish, wheezing patients.

T he National Health Commission announced a campaign November 29 to raise the vaccination rate among older Chinese, which health experts say is crucial to avoiding a health care crisis. It’s also the biggest hurdle before the ruling Communist Party can lift the last of the world’s most stringent antivirus restrictions.

China kept case numbers low for two years with a “zero-Covid” strategy that isolated cities and confined

millions of people to their homes. Now, as it backs off that approach, it is facing the widespread outbreaks that other countries have already gone through.

T he health commission has recorded only six Covid-19 fatalities this month, bringing the country’s official toll to 5,241. That is despite multiple reports by families of relatives dying.

China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official Covid-19 toll, a health official said last week. That unusually narrow definition excludes many deaths other countries would attribute to Covid-19.

Experts have forecast 1 to 2 million deaths in China through the end of 2023.

Li, who was exercising at the leafy grounds of central Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, said he is considering getting a second booster due to the publicity campaign: “As long as we know the vaccine won’t cause big side effects, we should take it.”

Neighborhood committees that form the lowest level of government have been ordered to find everyone 65 and older and keep track of their health. They are doing what state media call the “ideological work” of lobbying residents to persuade elderly relatives to get vaccinated.

In Beijing, the Chinese capital, the Liulidun neighborhood is promising people over 60 up to 500 yuan ($70)

Share your faith by showing, not telling

“Christian” politician posted a clueless message about Christmas being the season of giving and sharing.

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

AS I am writing this, it is the morning after my 71st Christmas day. The street is quiet. Why do I feel a little low? I’ve barely touched the slices of ham on the breakfast table. Is it a post-Christmas hangover? Have I finally outgrown Christmas?

I can’t help but share an observation.

During the holidays, I received a lot of pictures on my soc med accounts. Party pictures. Food pictures. Christmas decor pictures. Family reunion pictures.

Exchanging Christmas gifts pictures. Out-of-town travel pictures. Happy times pictures.

But there was no posting of pictures

I would have been delighted to see. Pictures of the sick, the aged, orphans, the lonely and the depressed being visited by kindhearted strangers. Not one.

Christmas, of all seasons, would have been the best time to put our

religious beliefs in action. We love to talk about our faith and how we want to encourage change in individual lives, yet we always miss out when the time comes to show it through our actions.

One piece of news that made me seethe with silent indignation concerns a certain governor in the US who bussed and then dumped immigrants out on the freezing streets of a far-off city without shelter or coats on Christmas Eve. It was obviously a cheap political stunt aimed at pleasing his followers labeled as “Christian nationalists.” I don’t know if authentic Christians will see this for what it is, a gross misrepresentation of their faith, given the story of Christ’s birth and His message: “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.”

To add insult to injury, that same

But I don’t have to look elsewhere for mockery of the basic Christian message of love and compassion. Here in our street, on the morning of Christmas day, children from the informal settler community living in hovels along a nearby creek came in batches, knocking on closed gates with repeated cries of “namamasko po!” They were mostly ignored by Christian homes.

In contrast, the only Muslim family who lived in the same street and moved in just a couple of months ago opened their gate to them, giving out plastic bags of goods and coins.

A s individuals and as a community, many of our fellow Christians love to talk and brandish our common faith especially on social media. We take pride in posting quotations from the bible, appropriating them as supporting points in even the most secular arguments. Many times we take them out of context just to slam the door shut on other

people who don’t necessarily buy our line of reasoning.

I f action speaks louder than words, do we Christians do as we believe? How are we actually doing? Let’s take a peek at the naked revelations of a recent survey of adults who profess to be Christians:

75 percent admit to stealing at least once from their employer.

60 percent of them can’t have a 10-minute conversation without lying at least once.

54 percent of marriages now begin with unmarried cohabitation.

90 percent of them believe infidelity is unacceptable, yet 41 percent of spouses admit to infidelity.

More than 50 percent admit they would have an affair if they knew they would never get caught.

Last year, there were 21 billion visits to adult web sites.

W hat in the world is happening? We Christians supposedly got “the Good News,” but it seems more and more of us are not getting the message.

I am reminded by the term “split-level Christians” coined by the eminent Filipino Jesuit psychologist, Fr. Jaime Bulatao, referring to Christians who have “two

to get a two-dose vaccination course and one booster.

T he National Health Commission announced Dec. 23 the number of people being vaccinated daily had more than doubled to 3.5 million nationwide. But that still is a small fraction of the tens of millions of shots that were being administered every day in early 2021.

Older people are put off by potential side effects of Chinese-made vaccines, for which the government hasn’t announced results of testing on people in their 60s and older.

Li said a 55-year-old friend suffered fevers and blood clots after being vaccinated. He said they can’t be sure the shot was to blame, but his friend is reluctant to get another.

“It’s also said the virus keeps mutating,” Li said. “How do we know if the vaccines we take are useful?”

Some are reluctant because they have diabetes, heart problems and other health complications, despite warnings from experts that it is even more urgent for them to be vaccinated because the risks of Covid-19 are more serious than potential vaccine side effects in almost everyone.

A 76-year-old man taking his daily walk around the Temple of Heaven with the aid of a stick said he wants to be vaccinated but has diabetes and high blood pressure. The man, who would give only his surname, Fu, said he wears masks and tries to avoid crowds.

or more thought-and-behavior systems that are inconsistent with each other.”

O rdinary Christians circumventing the message is nothing new and shocking. But now even priests, pastors, and lay ministers of all people are being embroiled in scandals. Using the words of actor Simon Callow who is also appalled by revelations of highly admired citizens and reputable people leading double lives, this can be described as “doubleness, the schism of the soul, the lie in the heart.”

W hen exposed, these people either deny it or play victims, justifying their transgressions as natural human weakness, temptations of the evil one and part of God’s test, and even throwing the expose back at the accusers with the inevitable “he who is without sin let him cast the first stone.”

One readily available excuse, so overused and abused it has lost its real meaning, is a line from St. James: “Love covers a multitude of sins.” Indeed, a high position and designation is often used to cover up a multitude of immoral transgressions.

Dismayingly in many cases, all is forgiven, and they go back to their sinful ways albeit in a more

Older people also felt little urgency because low case numbers before the latest surge meant few faced risk of infection. That earlier lack of infections, however, left China with few people who have developed antibodies against the virus.

Now, the families and relatives of the elderly people should make it clear to them that an infection can cause serious illness and even death,” said Jiang Shibo of the Fudan University medical school in Shanghai.

More than 90 percent of people in China have been vaccinated but only about two-thirds of those over 80, according to the National Health Commission. According to its 2020 census, China has 191 million people aged 65 and over—a group that, on its own, would be the eighth most populous country, ahead of Bangladesh.

“Coverage rates for people aged over 80 still need to be improved,” the Shanghai news outlet The Paper said. “The elderly are at high risk.”

D u Ming’s son arranged to have the 100-year-old vaccinated, according to his caretaker, Li Zhuqing, who was pushing a facemask-clad Du through a park in a wheelchair. Li agreed with that approach because none of the family members have been infected, which means they’d be more likely to bring the disease home to Du if they were exposed. AP researcher Yu Bing and video producers Olivia Zhang and Wayne Zhang contributed

secretive manner.

This is why bible-quoting people are a turn off for me. I smell hypocrisy from a thousand mile away.

We Christians shoot ourselves in the foot by not doing what we preach, by sounding self-righteous, judgmental, indifferent, hypocritical, pushy, and all the perceptions that make our faith repulsive to others and make nonbelievers or silent Christians push back. No wonder, we hear comments from non-believers or lapsed Christians such as: “I’m sick of Christians trying to push their agenda on me,” or “Stop shoving your message down my throat.”

W hen we take a closer look at the life of Christ, we see something dramatically different. He let his actions do the talking. He even forbade his followers from bragging about the wondrous stuff he was doing.

Words have a way of inflating our sense of self. This is why when I was invited to be part of an online chatroom to exchange personal perspectives on the bible, I politely declined.

If we want to make the new year ahead of us truly meaningful, I suggest that we talk less and do more on making our faith a positive force for good.

THE Department of Health in Davao Region (DOH-11) recognized Davao City on December 15, 2022 as the only local government unit achieving 100 percent primary vaccination coverage against Covid-19 in the area. The DOH-11 received a cash prize of P150,000 for the achievement. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVAO CIO

AN elderly man gets vaccinated against Covid-19 at a community health center in Nantong in eastern China’s Jiangsu province on December 9, 2022. Chinese authorities are going door-to-door and paying people older than 60 to get vaccinated against Covid-19. CHINATOPIX VIA AP

Relationships

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON DECEMBER 23: Eliza Dushku, 42; Tyrese Gibson, 44; Laila Ali, 45; Meredith Vieira, 69.

Happy BIRTHDay: Preparation and flexibility are mandatory to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Putting a hold on unnecessary projects will ease stress and allow you to pay attention to what’s essential to your emotional well-being. Building confidence in yourself and others will bring high returns. Practice moderation and set a good example. Your numbers are 8, 13, 25, 33, 36, 45, 47.

aaRIES (March 21-april 19): Take note of what everyone around you is doing before you agree to participate. It’s in your best interest to be a friendly observer until you know you can keep up and surpass your expectations. Practice makes perfect; prepare to win. HHH

bTaURUS (april 20-May 20): Check out every angle before you indulge in something questionable. When in doubt, take a pass. A decision to update your skills or learn something new will inspire you to reach out to an expert. HHH

cGEMINI (May 21-June 20): A kind gesture will be appreciated and reciprocated. Refuse to let your ego or emotions step in and cause upset instead of stability. Choose to take the high road, regardless of what others do or say. HHHH

dCaNCER (June 21-July 22): Steer clear of sensitive issues. Emotional discussions will lead to trouble. Keep a positive attitude, and do your best to make others feel comfortable. Be a good listener, and you’ll gain access to confidential information. Romance is encouraged. HH

eLEO (July 23-aug. 22): Set your sights on what you want to accomplish, and don’t stop until you are confident you’ve done your best. The difference you make with a last-minute adjustment will pay off and encourage you to be more spontaneous in all aspects of life. HHHHH

fVIRGO (aug. 23-Sept. 22): You don’t have to spend money to impress others. Your charm and hands-on help will lead to opportunities for positive change and better relationships. A short trip, friendly gathering or constructive research will set you on the right path. HHH

Susan “Toots” Ople, secretary, Department Christmas movie! I like the scene where the character of Meg Ryan (Annie Reed) had to decide whether to go to the Empire State Building to meet Tom Hanks’s character (Sam Baldwin) or accept her fiancee Walter’s (Bill Pullman) proposal. It became a Christmas habit because it‘s a quietly joyful and romantic movie that one can watch with family members and my dogs. Hindi nakakaumay even though I’ve watched it repeatedly. I’m a Nora Ephron and a Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan fan.

(played

Stern), subtly reveals

taking responsibility

protecting his home at all costs, no matter how inventive, naughty and childish. In the end, the whole family reunites, wiser, more tightly bonded, and with a new perspective. In real life, this happens, too, especially during Christmas.

gLIBRa (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put yourself to the test and take on a challenge that requires agility, strength and discipline to navigate your way to the end. The satisfaction and results you get will give you the boost you need to offset any negativity you encounter. HHH

and other spirits) who chooses one dark soul (i.e., a Scrooge) every year in a bid to change him/her for the better in time for Christmas. This year’s “perp,” as you can probably guess by now, is PR/political operator Clint Briggs (Reynolds), who isn’t beneath doing opposition research and destroying the political aspirations of a grade school pupil’s run for class president.

Hilarity ensues as the spirits try to redeem’s Briggs’s soul. There’s singing, there’s dancing, there’s a hefty amount of childish behavior not usually from the kids, with a surprising twist for both Ferrell’s and Briggs’s characters. Spirited is streaming on Apple TV+ More friends share their favorite holiday films:

Irwin Lee, president, Universal Robina I have two favorite Christmas movies, and . It’s almost 20 years old, it’s a great romantic comedy from director Richard Curtis with a star-studded cast (Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, etc), which is a perennial re-run favorite in the UK where I lived for nine years. It’s emotional and light at the same time, with an enjoyable soundtrack to boot. The other movie is Die Hard. Some people may not think of this as a Christmas movie, but it’s a fun one for the festive season. Bruce Willis, playing the lead character John McClane, gives us an exciting action movie set at Christmas time—there are explosions with fireworks, a bad guy is thrown off Nakatomi building, the hero saves the girl and they drive off in a limousine as snow falls on the ground.  Yippeekayey!

n Arturo P. Boncato, president, World Trade Center, Manila: Home Alone and the sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York are my favorite movies in the Christmas season. They are very playful and entertaining movies that easily carry the light and happy mood of the season. The focus on family in a flurry of crazy activities during the busiest time of the year is very relatable. And the transition of the young, bratty main character, Kevin McCallister (Macaulay

n Pacita “Chit” Juan, president, Philippine Coffee Board: The Holiday is a nice film to watch, and makes you feel like you’re eating comfort food. It’s a feel-good movie, with good familiar actors— Cameron Diaz (Amanda), Kate Winslet (Iris), Jude Law (Graham), and Jack Black (Miles). Just when you think life’s a bore, or unfair, or frustrating, there’s a surprise at the end of the rainbow. It’s definitely a movie we need this Christmas, when everything seems to be so noisy and busy. I liked it because it is a story of hope and looks forward to better times. I’m a positive thinker and an optimist, so I feel good just watching something so pleasant. Just what we need in this turbulent season. Good vibes only.

n Capt. Stanley Ng, president, Philippine Airlines: My favorite Christmas movies are those with Santa Claus in them. Santa is an icon of joyful anticipation for all children, and that’s what our kids need. Christmas is the best time of year for children, a season of giving and love that teaches kids to be generous and compassionate. Santa embodies this in the way that he reaches out to children all over the world. He’s not just giving toys and material gifts. He is spreading hope, the promise of a future that is caring and loving. And the Christmas season also reminds us to love one another and share our blessings, and to forgive one another and create new wonderful memories.

Wishing everyone a joyful new year celebration. Let’s pray for a kinder, gentler 2023. n

h

SCORpIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Talks will resolve problems you want to clear up before the end of the year. Be the one to start the conversation on a positive note and make suggestions. The input will be better than anticipated but emotionally costly. Listen, make amends and move along. HHH

iSaGITTaRIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You can be entertaining without going overboard. Watch how much you eat and drink, and keep your spending within a budget. Make your presence notable for your humor, generous spirit and assistance. HHHHH

jCapRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll require patience and common sense when dealing with money, friends and relatives. Have faith in yourself. Pay attention to what you do, how you look and what you want to achieve. HH

kaQUaRIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Fine-tune your plans for the upcoming year. A breakdown will help you budget and prepare to reach your goal. A positive adjustment at home will make it easier for you to implement the changes that will make your life easier. HHHH

pISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take note of what others say, but don’t respond unless you have something positive to contribute. Arguing will waste time and leave you in limbo regarding your plans. Choose to be helpful, supportive and kind. HHH

BIRTHDay BaBy (DECEMBER 23): You are friendly, conscientious and practical. You are responsive and cooperative.

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

by Joe Pesci and Daniel

Kevin’s strength of character by

for

The old year and the new: Cinematic

LAST year, a month before December, the question was: Will there be Christmas? And when 2021 was coming to a close, we all asked: Will we be able to celebrate the New Year?

We are almost out of the woods. Even as there are warnings every now and then of numbers rising at an alarming rate, we are convinced that the pandemic has now become an endemic—a scary phenomenon reduced by language to a controllable anxiety.

We are alright and the signs are all around us. In the previous year, the practice of cocooning the film production was part of the social and health protocol in the industry. This meant a lowering of the chance for any person who is part of the shoot to contaminate the team. The practice also implied any actor or film person had limited chances of having more works—and more moolah—than usual.

A defining moment, not necessarily in the positive sense of the word, was the May 2022 presidential election. This divided the showbiz world and, for now, I dread categorizing who went with what presidential candidate, who was the most vociferous and vocal, the literate and the unthinking. Let us just say that the industry was polarized to a degree that one side was brains and the other was amoral. Both were political. Both played to the hilt the newly discovered virtue that unabashed popularity could be a social capital indeed.

And yet, locked down or locked in, the industry burst forth with vigor toward the latter half of the year.

Thinking of the cinematic outputs for 2022, two films became major not because of gravitas but because of the gravity with which they pulled down whatever gains cinema as a pedagogical tool has made. These films are Katips and Maid in Malacañang Suffice it to say that both films will forever haunt us— those who supported them and viewed them and even those who turned away their gaze from them. Let us leave them at that. Let us leave them to film historians to either turn them into small footnotes or aberrant chapters in the next big book on Filipino cinema.

It was in 2022 when Viva Films rose to become Vivamax. Maybe the production outfit had always been there but it was this year when its name became a modifier, a brand, a feel.

Island of Desire, Kaliwaan, Pa-Thirsty, Biyak, Bula, The Escort Wife...Major and minor film directors became part of this wave, just wave. Be very cautious not to add any modifier to that wave lest the Father of the French New Wave—Jean-Luc Godard—rise from his grave. The man who gave us films, like Breathless and Contempt reportedly died by way of assisted suicide. This was confirmed by his lawyer.

Speaking of transitions, we lost this year actors like Angela Lansbury and Sidney Poitier. The list includes William Hurt, Peter Bogdanovich, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, and Louise Fletcher (who can forget her Academy Award-winning turn as Nurse Ratched in Milŏs Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?).

One morning, we all woke up to Olivia NewtonJohn singing “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” The BritishAustralian singer-actress who fleshed out the AllAmerican girl in Grease was dead.

Queen Elizabeth II was not nominally part of the film industry but her reign defined a continent, politics and cultures. She passed on this year in grand ceremonies as only England could put up. But it was also as the year was coming to a close that Netflix released Harry and Meghan. I wonder what Pauline Kael, were she alive, would have said about this documentary. There is a review circulating which is almost Kaelish, as it describes the show as “vomitinducing.” (Replete with pity parties from two supremely entitled individuals esconced in a sprawling luxurious home in a pictureque part of California, the show is indeed vomitinducing.—Ed.)

The Philippine film industry became more alive also when Dolly de Leon received nominations for her scene-stealing performance in Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness. The film had won the Palme D’or in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and with that fame, the presence of De Leon became the next big thing. There are talks of a nomination for nothing less than an Oscar. The announcement is yet to come out but

in many columns, she is being bruited as one of the frontrunners. Even before the film academy, De Leon has already been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the Golden Globe.

Talking of significant international breaks, two other Filipino actors are at the cusp of international screen success. They are Chai Fonacier, who stars in Nocebo, and Soliman Cruz in To the North. Nocebo described as a thriller, is a Filipino-Irish co-venture and was the first recipient of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)’s International Coproduction Fund (ICOF) in 2020.

By the middle of the year, moviehouses were reopened. At first, snacks were not allowed but soon normalcy prevailed. I, too, became part once more of the moviegoing public. My first attempt to watch a film in a moviehouse happened only this December. The film was Plan 75, another Filipino co-production venture. I reviewed it and was blown away by the narrative and the performances of the actors led by Chieko Baisho. The Japanese actress is winning awards left and right for her performance as an old lady who is thinking of joining a government-backed euthanizing program targeting senior citizens.

There is another quiet presence in the film and that is Stefanie Arianne, a Filipina actress. Plan 75 is Japan’s entry to the Best International Feature Film category in the 95th Academy Awards.

Even as I write this, the Metro Manila Film Festival was finishing its awarding ceremonies. Cinema is back—as a festival. n

GMA, Ayala Foundation team up to honor the works of Dr. Jose Rizal

THE production and creative team of GMA Network’s top-rating, massively popular series Maria Clara at Ibarra take part in the latest #MagingMagiting advocacy program of the Ayala Foundation Inc. which highlights the heroism of Dr. Jose Rizal.

On December 29, Ayala Foundation premiered on its Facebook page the seventh edition of the Digital Magiting Conference with the theme Rizal Revealed: Muling Kilalanin ang Magiting na Bayani Present during the recorded digicon were GMA senior vice president for entertainment group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, vice president for drama Cheryl Ching-Sy, Maria Clara at Ibarra creative consultant Suzette Doctolero, series director Zig Dulay, and lead star Dennis Trillo who plays the role of Ibarra.

Rasonable recounts the moment they pitched the exceptional concept of Maria Clara at Ibarra for the first time: “One of the most nerve-wracking processes para sa aming mga producers ay ang mag-present sa top management lalo na kapag ang konsepto ay kakaiba. But I am proud to say that those concepts were the ones greenlighted by our bosses. And we thank our top management because that is the reason why the Entertainment Group

has been able to present a really wide range of topics.”

Ching-Sy also shares how they came up with the story of a Gen Z who enters the world of Noli Me Tangere: “At that time we were looking for material that will challenge the drama department in all aspects of production. It was Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes who came up with the idea. Sabi niya, ‘Why don’t we do a retelling of Noli and El Fili?’ And then Suzette Doctolero took the challenge and she added the element of Gen Z to resonate with the younger audience.”

Dulay narrates the main factor for

his accepting this groundbreaking project: “Noong sinabihan ako na irireimagine ang obrang ito, sobrang saya ko kasi sino lang ba ’yung nabibigyan ng pagkakataon para makaambag sa bansa gamit ang sining. Super favorite ko ang Noli at El Fili dahil bukod sa great love story nina Maria Clara at Ibarra, itinataas niya rin ang konsepto ng pag-ibig maging sa bayan at sa sarili bilang isang Pilipino. Sa isang henerasyon kung saan usong-uso ang fake news, ang saya sa pakiramdam na magtanghal ng ganitong klase ng teleserye.”

Trillo, on the other hand, reiterates that their series is a significant way to commemorate the bravery of

Rizal:“Magandang pagkakataon ito na ituro sa kanila ang mga likha ni Rizal at malaman ng bawat Pilipino na siya ay isang halimbawa na dapat tularan, lalo sa kanyang adhikain para sa bayan at kabataan. Hindi siya natakot kahit ganito ka-dark ang kwentong isinulat niya kaya’t na-expose ang sitwasyon ng mga Pilipino noong panahon ng pananakop ng mga Kastila.”

Viewers of the digicon are primarily public school teachers. Hence, GMA Network and Ayala Foundation aim to inspire them to see Rizal in a new light and therefore share with their students a newfound enthusiasm for his novels.

“Each and every one of us sa broadcast industry has that responsibility to promote love of country,” Rasonable said.

Dennis Trillo believes that through his craft, he can manifest the patriotism of Rizal: “Pinatunayan ni Rizal ang kagitingan niya sa pamamagitan ng paglaban kung ano ang tama at makatarungan. Malaki ang role namin para ipakita sa kabataan ang ganda ng bansa at mga katangian natin para mas lalo nilang mahalin ang pinagmulan nila.” Maria Clara at Ibarra airs weeknights at 8 pm on GMA, and at 9:40 pm on GTV. Viewers abroad can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV.

An ‘El Bimbo’ high, and showbiz progeny make

good

I HAVE to be honest: I am still on a Huling El Bimbo high. That reunion concert of the Eraserheads is, as what the young ones say, “one for the books.”

I have to agree. Ely, Raimund, Marcus and Buddy brought us back to the 1990s and the early 2000s in a three-hour musical experience. The concert was kicked off with a set from The Diegos—a pair of rock musicians slash DJs Diego Mapa and Castillo who played songs from 1995. They were energetic and set the crowd into a frenzy, a perfect teaser for the fun nostalgia about to come as The Eraserheads open their concert with a spitting, sprightly number “SuperProxy 2K6.” Of course the highlight was the jaw-dropping hologram of Francis Magalona doing the rap portion but Ely’s and Francis M’s kids: Elmo and Arkin Magalona and Eon Buendia made a huge impact.

In case you didn’t know, Eon and Arkin were featured in the original music video of “SuperProxy.” Long before the “Lip Synch for Your Life” portion of Drag Race, Eon and Arkin 16 years ago did it in the video and, shantay, they both slayed with their cuteness.

Now, the two kids are trying to make a name of their own in the entertainment business. In a TV interview on CNN Philippines, Ely revealed that he “discovered” his musical talent when Eon came out of his room singing his own songs. In the same interview, Eon revealed that while comparisons to his own father would be “inevitable, I guess even if he wasn’t my dad I would still be compared to other artists anyway. Might as well just go for it.”

And go for it he did. Eon is now busy with Nobody’s Home, a band he formed with his friends guitarist Justin Punzalan and drummer Cairo Peralta. Their single Cigarette Daydreams, a cover of a Cage the Elephant song, shows their influences of 90s rock but with a modern pulsating rhythm. Other songs in their Spotify playlist are Happy Thoughts and 12:00 Midnight, have an unrelenting enthusiasm with enrapturing riffs. The band is currently signed on Sony Music.

In the meantime, Arkin Magalona has juggled studies, showbizness and music starting at such a young age. He was also a print and TV commercial model, and then did a number of acting and hosting stints. He would occasionally perform on TV in either GMA or ABS-CBN musical shows. He is currently concentrating on his studies but is still into making music and into gaming. Of course, from the looks of it, he is is still very much open to TV guestings and even hosting.

But personally, this writer personally experienced the “Arkin magic” in performing. Minutes before his appearance onstage, Arkin was just nonchalant. He would talk to us as if it was just a normal day and there wasn’t a crowd of 75,000 for an audience. A few minutes before going onstage the second time in the concert, Arkin was even fixing some stuff for his friends who came to the concert to support him. And then a concert PA went to the dressing room to announce that he and Eon should be on standby. A few seconds later, the self-confessed introvert and quiet man transformed onstage. He was fiery and explosive, rapping and pumping the crowd. Along with Eon, they truly made Huling El Bimbo a much more memorable experience.

In the meantime, those who missed or want to relive the Huling El Bimbo experience, this writer included, would have to wait for a documentary possibly to be shown in cinemas and streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. A world

LEGENDARY Japanese actress Chieko Baisho brings grace and dignity to Plan 75, Japan’s entry to the 95th Academy Awards.

Photo CrEdit to MyktograPhy

Motoring

The next step is an EV charging solution, not just in terms of availability but abundance and ease of access, to convince Filipinos to make the pivotal transition. For starters, EV distributors bundled home charging kits to buyers. Then came a dealership network that set up charging stations in their branches and offered EV charging for free. Even corporate giants have set up EV charging hubs in malls, properties, and offices. Best part? It is free of charge for now.

One company providing sustainable home energy has entered the scene to offer a partnership with the hospitality industry and residential properties to provide EV charging stations. Enter Solarius EV Charging, a sister company of Solarius Energy and they offer free charging units and installation to location partners. The company recently launched its network of public EV charging locations.

The company was established in 2017 and has become the leading solar dealer and installer serving Northern Luzon. They cater to the solar energy needs of residential, commercial, and industrial customers with grid-tie, hybrid, and off-grid systems. The company has installed over 600kWp of solar panels and over 160kWh of Lithium-Ion battery storage for more than 60 customers.

Commercial EV Charging Station

“SOL a r I uS EV Charging's mission is to eliminate range anxiety for EV drivers by building a world-class, nationwide network of 'destination' EV charging locations," said Peter Wilson, CEO. Solarius provides EV owners with a convenient and cost-effective charging experience and financially viable business models for location partners. The target is 60 locations energized by the end of the first quarter (2023), 180 locations by the end of 2023, and over 500 locations by 2025. These EV charging stations will be strategically installed in hotels, shopping malls, and other popular public places.

according to Solarius, charging sessions

are activated by scanning each station's Qr code. The SOL a r IuS app is available for download on the apple app store and Google Play, providing an enhanced charging experience. EV drivers are presented with the charging costs before initiating the charging session. Payment methods include credit cards, apple Pay, and Google Pay, as well as pre-paid plans funded by G-Cash, PayMaya, and Western union. Solarius also offers EV Charging solutions for condo and apartment property management companies to enable tenants to charge at home. They also provide solar-powered EV Charging solutions for private residences and businesses. Cost-wise, charging in partner hotels is at P35/kWh or around P2,450, using a standard charger, achieving 80-90 percent battery charge in 10 hours.

Residential Solar Integrated EV Charger

SOL a r IuS is an authorized dealer and installer for uK based "myenergi." The Zappi EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) is a level 2 charger that can integrate seamlessly with a solar system. according to Solarius, the system automatically senses when the solar system can produce more energy than the home or office consumes. It diverts the excess power to the EV, which ensures enough charging with as much free solar energy as possible and keeps the car battery topped up. There is also a clever boost mode for faster charging, even at night.

The company offers a 7kW Single Phase model. It is the most common charger and would fully charge most EVs in eight hours or less. It is perfect for daytime charging with solar or an overnight charge. There is also a 22kW 3-Phase model, valid for some customers with a three-phase grid power supply who own multiple EVs and want to use a single charging system. If an EV can take a 22kW charge rate, then this charger could recharge that EV in less than 3 hours.

Partnership with Raffles Fairmont Hotel Makati

MEa NW hILE, r affles Fairmont hotel Makati’s breakthrough partnership with Solarius is in line with accor’s sustainability initiative, Planet 21. Since its launch in 2011, Planet 21’s vision has been “To drive the change towards positive hospitality wherever we are.” Some of Planet 21’s critical programs are “Plant for the Planet,” which aims to plant 10 million trees by the end of 2021. It was initially devoted to reforestation projects and has now evolved into agroforestry projects. healthy & Sustainable Food Charter is one program that targets controlling food wastage by nurturing an appetite for healthy, sustainable food and a waste-free diet.

a ccording to a u brey a d a, r a ffles Fairmont hotel Makati’s hotel Manager, the hotel’s ongoing Planet 21 sustainability and eco-consciousness initiatives also include operating their bee farm and herb garden, including removal of guest-facing single-use plastics (packaging, straw, nonreusable key card, water bottle in rooms, and the likes). Further, they partnered with Plastic Bank Philippines to recycle and reuse PET bottles and a waste management system to save food and eliminate wastage, among others.

“We are happy to partner with Solarius EV Charging as we share the same vision of promoting clean energy and providing con-

CHERISHEd tRadItIon FRoM SMC’S RSa

ONE good thing about San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is its long-admired consistency of commitment when it adopts a policy. unwavering.

Take the waiving of fees when we pass through SMC’s vaunted infrastructure thrusts on the nation’s major road networks on select occasions.

T hrough the years, SMC has gifted us that luxury, making free passage to their expressways at STa r , SLEX, the Skyway system, Na I a X , and the TPLEX another holiday delight. It’s been a cherished tradition that the conglomerate has avidly kept.

T his year was no exception.

T hus, after the “toll holiday” given us by SMC from December 24 to December 25 (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.), the toll-free trip on the said expressways will continue from December 31 from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. of January 1 next year.

a s a happy result, traffic at said expressways had been almost flawless during the Christmas rush to get to our destinations,

thanks also to SMC’s deployment of additional traffic enforcers.

a ga in, the chief beneficiaries were motorists traversing the Southern Tagalog a r terial road (STa r), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the Skyway System, Na I a Expressway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La union Expressway (TPLEX).

Traffic build-up and congestion at our expressways, ports, and airports is something we all expect at this time of the year,” said SMC President r a mon S. a n g ( r S a ) appealing to motorists to have an extra patience when confronted with delays along the way.

a ng continued to appeal to make sure “your vehicles are in good condition, and that your electronic toll collection accounts are topped up, to prevent any delays to you and other motorists as well.”

he also advised us to always keep our autosweep ETC cards in our vehicles and prodded us to observe the “Seamless Program”—the system that cuts down toll stops south-bound

at the Skyway System, SLEX, and STa r from five to just two entry and exit points—transforming the Calamba, SLEX Greenfield, and Sto. Tomas, Batangas toll plazas into passthrough lanes to reduce potential traffic chokepoints.

We started implementing the ‘Seamless’ system last December 1, so that motorists can start feeling its benefits during the busy Christmas season,” said a ng.

Positive results had been immensely reported.

“Smoother traffic flow now has been observed, and we’re hoping this will translate to a better driving and travel experience overall for many motorists this holiday season,” a ng said.

a n g also said the company is keeping its a utosweep customer centers and r F ID installation kiosks at gasoline stations along SLEX open for motorists who have not yet availed of their free ETC sticker tags.

With SMC continuing to show the way, it won’t be long when travel becomes seamless all over the land.

PEE STOP Much appreciated is the P1-million donation of Isuzu Philippines Corp. for health care uplift to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro, Irosin District hospital in Sorsogon, Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City and Dumarao Medicare hospital in Capiz. Cheers!...Thank

to all the wellwishers.

venience to our EV-driving guests. We look forward to launching and setting into motion more sustainability milestones aligned with our Planet 21 thrust”, said ad a. W ilson, for his part, shared, “We’re delighted that Fairmont r a ffles h o tel in Makati is our first location partner in Metro Manila. a ccor group is leading the hospitality sector to provide convenient

EV charging facilities for its guests and shares Solarius’ vision of accelerating the shift to electric mobility in the Philippines.” Solarius provides free charging stations to qualified location partners and is looking for many more hotels and resorts to add EV Charging facilities nationwide. EV drivers can enjoy comfortable stays at conveniently located resorts and hotels while charging their cars overnight.

Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino