BusinessMirror January 05, 2023

Data showed salary-based general purpose consumption loans jumped 67.2 percent to P124.045 billion as of November 2022 from P74.205 billion in November 2021.

is accounted for 1.2 percent of the net of reverse repurchase (RRP) placements of universal and commercial banks (U/KBs) with the BSP which amounted to P10.639 trillion in November 2022.

“Sustained growth in credit and domestic liquidity will continue to support economic activity and domestic demand. Looking ahead, the BSP will ensure that liquidity and lending dynamics remain consistent with its primary mandate of promoting price and nancial stability,” BSP said.

BSP data showed the outstanding loans of U/KBs, RRP placements with the BSP, grew by 13.7 percent year-on-year in November from 13.9 percent in October.

On a month-on-month seasonally-adjusted basis, BSP said the outstanding universal and commercial bank loans, net of RRPs, rose by 0.3 percent.

Of this amount, consumer loans to residents of P1.01 trillion rose by 24.1 percent in November from 22.6 percent in the previous month, mainly driven by the year-on-year increase in credit card loans which grew 26.5 percent to P539.246 billion; and motor vehicle loans which increased 8.7 percent to P325.892 billion.

BSP data also showed outstanding loans to non-residents grew by 24.8 percent in November after expanding by 33 percent in the previous month.

Meanwhile, outstanding loans to residents, net of RRPs, went up by 13.4 percent in November after increasing by 13.3 percent (revised) in the previous month.

Outstanding loans for production activities grew by 12.4 percent in November from the same pace

PHILIPPINE Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)

President George T. Barcelon said a “good mix of sectors” including the metal and agriculture sectors are set to participate in talks with Chinese rms to expand their market potential.

“In Agriculture, we have companies here that are in the export of fruits and they want to see or expand their market potential here in China. We have a pretty good mix of sectors who are here,” Barcelon said in a televised interview on Wednesday.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is in Beijing from January 3 to 5 for a state visit

BEIJING—More engagements between the government and Beijing are now set to resolve the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) following the meeting of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the National Congress of the People’s Republic of China Chairman Li Zhanshu on Wednesday.

In an interview with reporters, House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez said during the talk, it was discussed that the deployment of a Philippine Congressional delegation to China is now being discussed to help resolve the issue and further strengthen the country’s bilateral relations with Beijing.

Romualdez was part of the Philippine delegates who accompanied Marcos during his

meeting with Li. “There could be further visits to thresh it out because it is a short visit,” Romualdez said.

The rst State Visit of Marcos in China only lasted from January 3 to 5. During the meeting, Romualdez said they are now considering resolving the WPS dispute with less third-party intervention.

“We are open to that approach in the backdrop of a very very strong diplomatic relations that we already have established,” he added.

As additional assurance to stabilize the country’s diplomatic relations with China, Romualdez said he was asked by Marcos to maintain an open personal communication with Li.

“We have gotten each other’s contact already and we will start calling one another. Direct people-to-people, person-to-person relationship. I think it will go far in helping

these contentious issues that have seen to have plagued the overall good relations of the two countries,” Romualdez said.

With the issue already being resolved, Marcos said he is now looking forward to more cooperation with China on trade and infrastructure.

Marcos made the statement during his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Kequiang.

“It is very important that these partnerships continue to be strong, continue to be encouraged. And I think that will be the way forward to the mutual bene t of our countries,” Marcos said.

Marcos said they expect to secure aid from the Chinese government in the implementation of their “Build, Better, More” infrastructure projects including their Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) Network Master Plan.

“We have many, many, many areas that we continue to have cooperation in. And I think that they should be encouraged because they are in the precise areas that are necessary to develop so that we are strong nancially as a country, we are strong in our society, and we are strong in our partnerships with our friends and allies around the world,” the President said.

Aside from Romualdez, other members of the delegates, who accompanied Marcos in his meeting with Li are First Lady Louise AranetaMarcos, former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo, Senator Imee Marcos, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Foreign A airs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual and Special Assistant to the President Secretary Anton Lagdameo.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) stood pat on its stance to support the extension of lower tari s on key commodities, arguing that the measure was “necessary” to stabilize prices in the market despite an uproar from agriculture stakeholders.

e biggest agricultural coalition stressed there is no shortage of food supply, “only exploitation” by some quarters, and lamented Malacañang’s decision to heed solely the advice of economic managers.

Agriculture Undersecretary Mercedita A. Sombilla said the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 10, which extended lower tari rates on pork, rice, and corn until the end of the year, was “necessary” to address supply pressure that the country is facing.

For example, Sombilla pointed out that the pace of recovery of local pork production could still not keep up with the country’s demand as hog farms reel from the consequences of African swine fever.

Sombilla emphasized that it is not only food producers that are a ected by skyrocketing prices but also consumers and processors.

which is expected, among others, to build on the growing trade and investment ties between Philippines and China.

As to the proposed deals or investments secured, Barcelon said he heard mostly of the ongoing ones, noting that “ ere might be discussions on the re ning of the nickel. e government has been towards that direction of not just exporting ores but re ning it. I’ve heard from people in this sector that they are lining up some discussions.”

e PCCI head also unveiled that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has scheduled three roundtable discussions which will tackle agriculture, power, energy, and mining.

Other companies present at the state visit, Barcelon noted, are in the mining, energy, and waste management sectors. On the energy side, he said there’s a company that’s dealing with renewable energy, solar panel, solar energy, and wind energy.

In a story published by BusinessMirror on Tuesday, Dario Divino, the designated focal person on industrial crops at the City Agriculturist O ce in Davao City, said it has accredited three importers of durian from China, and “there is now a huge market for durian.”

“It is really a big challenge because the market for durian is not only local. We also have China now.

SALARYBASED consumer loans continued to grow by double digits in November last year, according to data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PCCI...

ere are three approved importers from China,” he said.

In a recent statement, Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual listed the sectors with the most “considerable” export potential to China which include: electronic equipment, electrical machinery; metals; optical products, watches, and medical instruments; fruits; motor vehicle parts; processed or preserved food products; sh and shell sh, among others.

Pascual said the President’s visit to China will pave the way for strengthening the Philippines’s trade and investment relations, including building on the country’s “export gains.”

At a recent press conference in Malacañang, Foreign A airs Assistant Secretary Neal Imperial said there’s great interest from Chinese investors in the Philippine economy, especially in Philippine agriculture, renewable energy, and nickel processing.

“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.

In 2021, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said China is the Philippines’s top trade partner, with total trade valued at $38.35 billion. Meanwhile, China is also the Philippines’s second largest export market ($11.55 billion) and a leading import source ($26.8 billion).

Twitter says it will relax ban on political advertising

TWITTER

e company tweeted late Tuesday that “we’re relaxing our ads policy for cause-based ads in the US.”

“We also plan to expand the political advertising we permit in the coming weeks,” the company said from its Twitter Safety account.

Twitter banned all political advertising in 2019, reacting to growing concern about misinformation spreading on social media.

At the time, then-CEO Jack Dorsey said that while internet ads are powerful and e ective for commercial advertisers, “that power

Pag-IBIG:

THE Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-IBIG Fund, made it clear on Wednesday that it will still hold consultations with employer and labor groups be-

brings signi cant risks to politics, where it can be used to in uence votes to a ect the lives of millions.”

e latest move appears to represent a break from that policy, which had banned ads by candidates, political parties, or elected or appointed government o cials.

Political advertising made up a sliver of Twitter’s overall revenue, accounting for less than $3 million of total spending for the 2018 US midterm election.

In reversing the ban, Twitter said that “cause-based advertising

can facilitate public conversation around important topics” and that the change will align the platform’s advertising policy with those of “TV and other media outlets,” without providing further details.

Facebook in March 2021 lifted its ban on political and social issue ads that was put in place after the 2020 US presidential election.

Musk bills himself as a freespeech warrior and bought Twitter because he apparently believed it wasn’t living up to its potential as a free speech platform.

But the billionaire Tesla CEO has been forced to make huge cost cuts and scramble to nd more sources of revenue to justify the $44 billion purchase. AP

Consultations first before rate hike

fore implementing any increase in premium rate contributions.

In a statement sent to the BusinessMirror , Pag-IBIG reacted to this newspaper’s story quoting a

House of Representatives o cial urging the President to also defer premium hikes of the Social Security System (SSS) and the Pag-IBIG.

e report said “Pag-IBIG has also increased its monthly contributions to P150 starting this year [2023] from P100.”

However, the Fund o cials made it clear that “PagIBIG Fund shall rst conduct consultations with employer and labor groups before it implements any contribution increase.”

House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro on Tuesday made the suggestion to the Palace as she welcomed the deferment of the premium hike of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) due to socioeconomic challenges, as Malacañang had announced.

“ is is good but I think we can cite the same reason to also defer

the premium hikes of the Social Security System [SSS] and the Home Development Mutual Fund, or PagIBIG Fund. In ation is still rising, with the rst week of 2023 ushering in a big time oil price hike and a staggering increase in water and power rates,” said the teacher solon.

“Malacañang can also write or order the board of directors of the SSS and Pag-IBIG to defer their contribution hikes because Filipino workers need every peso that they earn to feed their families now,” added the Deputy Minority leader.

Malacañang has announced the suspension of the scheduled hike in premiums of the PhilHealth from 4 percent to 4.5 percent that would have seen the lowest-earning members pay P50 more on top of their P400 monthly contribution.

as in October, due mainly to the sustained expansion in loans to key sectors.

ese key sectors include those for real estate activities which posted a growth of 12.2 percent; manufacturing, 15.6 percent;nancial and insurance activities, 13.1 percent; and information and communication, 24.3 percent.

DPWH 2.3-kmsaysroad in Zambo Sur ‘improved’

IN an e ort to further improve infrastructure in Mindanao, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed the paving of a local road in the Municipality of Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga del Sur.

According to DPWH Region 9 Director Cayamombao D. Dia, the 2.3-kilometer Bag-ong Oroquita-Kabuhi-MagsaysayKatipunan NRJ Esperanza Road is now being utilized by locals, especially farmers, in transporting products and accessing social services.

Funded under the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) in the amount of P46 million, the project involved concreting of road as well as improvement of drainage and slope protection to promote motorist safety especially during rainy season.

“We are targeting to deliver more road projects in Zamboanga del Sur next year to support the local government’s initiative of boosting economic growth and promoting local tourism,” added Director Dia.

DA defends lower tari s, as producers raise uproar

“It is the DA’s responsibility to help in tempering and stabilizing prices. We are really trying to lower food prices because it is the whole economy that su ers, not only the producers but also consumers and processors,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

Sombilla claimed that the bene t of extending the lower tari s would “o set” whatever revenue losses the government might incur in the short term. She added that imports are needed to serve as “support” to the country’s food supply.

“[We import] not to exceed what we really need, but to import enough so that we are able to ll up whatever de cits we have and help stabilize prices, and hopefully to reduce prices,” she said.

President Marcos Jr., who is concurrently agriculture secretary, signed EO 10 last December 29, but this was only made public recently.

Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita) assured the public that its members would be able to maintain “low” wholesale prices of imported pork because of EO 10.

“We will work with the government and call on stakeholders to manage the value chain in order to lower the retail price for the consumers,” the group said in a state-

ment on Wednesday.

“ e EO is a balanced order which could mitigate the rise, if not lower, the cost of power and feed for our poultry and hog growers,” it added.

Mita called on the government to hike its support to the corn sector to make it more e cient and cost-competitive to accelerate the growth of domestic pork and poultry industries. Nonetheless, the group also reiterated its appeal to the government to make the lower corn tari permanent and maintain the lower pork tari for ve years.

“ is will allow the market to attain equilibrium and enable the consumers to bene t,” Mita said.

SINAG’S lament

MEANWHILE, the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) on Wednesday lamented the issuance of EO 10, arguing that it was “unfortunate” that Marcos heeded the economic managers instead of listening to agricultural stakeholders. e group claimed that there is no pork de cit in the country as cold storages, based on government data, are over owing with supply, majority of which are imported.

“ e content of warehouses is unprecedented. e volume is not going down, it keeps growing in

cold storages, beyond their capacity. Week in week out, it’s at 110 million plus kilos—the biggest recorded stocks of pork imports,” the group said, in a statement partly in Filipino.

e umbrella group maintained that there is no supply gap persisting in key commodities. Sinag argued that if there was a shortage, then the farm-gate prices of agricultural products would have shot up a long time ago.

“ Walang shortage, pero merong nagsasamantala [ ere is no shortage, but some people are exploiting the situation],” it said.

“Importers and traders continue to dominate the retail market and rake in pro ts; at the expense of the producers, consumers and the foregone revenues ng government,” it added.

e government, since the Duterte administration, has been using the reduction of tari s to boost local food supply and temper increase in domestic prices.

e supply constraints, expected global food supply shortage and rise in commodity prices prompted President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to extend once again the temporary tari reduction for pork, corn, rice and coal. (Related story: www. businessmirror.com.ph/2023/01/04/ palace-issues-eo-10-extending-tariffcuts-on-pork-corn-rice-coal)

says it will ease up on its 3-year-old ban on political advertising, the latest change by Elon Musk as he tries to pump up revenue after purchasing the social media platform last year.

CAYAMOMBAO D. DIA

The Nation

BARMM taps imams, asatidz vs extremism

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—The Bangsamoro government has empowered Islamic leaders to prevent violent extremism in the region.

L ast week, it gathered 450 imams (Muslim religious leaders) and asatidz (Islamic teachers) with members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIAF-MILF) at Camp Darapanan in the Maguindanao municipality of Sultan Kudarat “for a capacity development program, which involved discussions on the programs on peace, security, and public safety, and the Muslim perspective in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism [PCVE].”

T he Bangsamoro Information Office said the program was organized by the Bangsamoro Task Force on Ending Local Armed Conflict (BTF-ELAC), which is the regional government’s initiative in addressing armed conflict in the region. The BTF-ELAC is the counterpart of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

M inister Naguib Sinarimbo of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government said the program’s framework “is community resiliency, which aims to involve community leaders in helping counter

violent extremism.”

“For instance, the Islamic teachers can include in their lectures the solutions in preventing such violence,” he said.

Nya nin mana na sekitanu a native sa dalpa na sekitanu mismo i manguna sa kakontra sa nyaba a gabproblema sa dunya, dikena bu siya sa Pilipinas inya a problema, violent extremism anya [This means that, we, as natives of our communities, will lead in countering this global problem. Violent extremism is a problem not only in the Philippines],” Sinarimbo said.

Senior Minister Abdulraof Macacua said violent extremism “is never the answer in resolving conflict.”

B ARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said that “because of the dialogues and peace agreements between the MILF and the national government, BARMM was established, which ended the long history of armed conflicts.”

E brahim also stressed that the struggle or jihad to uplift the lives of the Bangsamoro people will continue.

“ Nya tanu den sa stage a pedtatabangay tanu sa national government. Dikena inya nya nin mana na tinelenan tanu den su jihad. Kagina jihad anya na taman sa kapatay na di mawa [We are already in the stage of working together with the national government. But this does not end our jihad. Our jihad will continue until the end of our lives],” Ebrahims said.

8 unvaxxed Pinoys from China test positive for Covid–DOH

tested upon arrival at the airport, the DOH said.

T he individuals are currently under isolation and have undergone confirmatory RT-PCR testing on December 31, 2022 with positive results.

The department will continue to monitor developments on the matter,” the DOH added.

T he Associated Press reported that the Chinese government has sharply criticized Covid-19 testing requirements imposed on visitors from China and threatened countermeasures against countries involved, which include the US and several European nations.

We believe that the entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting China lack scientific basis, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing Tuesday.

We are firmly opposed to attempts to manipulate the Covid measures for political purposes and will take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity,” she said. Mao did not specify what steps China might take.

By Joel R. San Juan  @jrsanjuan1573

THE Department of Justice announced on Wednesday the indictment of six alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) for murder and terrorism under the controversial Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

Indicted were Isagani Isita, Junalice Arante-Isita, Mariano Bico, Gilbert Orr, and two others with aliases Ching/Marcel and Allen/ Jane/Daniel.

T he case stemmed from the death of a nine-year-old child and the injury of a soldier during an encounter between the members of the Delta Company of the Army’s 59th Infantry Battalion and the respondents in Taysan, Batangas on July 18, 2022.

T he soldiers said they were conducting military operations in Sitio Amatong, Barangay Guinhawa in Taysan when suspected NPA rebels attacked them.

T he attack led to the wounding of an Army soldier and the death of the child who is a resident of the said barangay.

T he respondents allegedly belonged to the Sub-Regional Military Area 4C of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee of the communist rebels.

“After evaluation of the evidence, the Panel of Prosecutors

found sufficient evidence to hold respondents for trial. While it may appear that the murder victim was not the direct target of herein respondents and was just caught in the line of fire when the respondents fired upon members of the Philippine Army, her death clearly was the result of the unlawful acts perpetrated by the respondents,” the DOJ said in a resolution dated December 27 but only made public on Wednesday.

T he DOJ said the investigating prosecutors found probable cause to indict the respondents for murder and terrorism following a preliminary investigation.

Clearly, respondents’ use of high-powered firearms seriously endangered the lives of members of the Philippine Army and consummated in injury and death,” the DOJ said.

T he resolution further said the respondents’ use of high-powered weapons was intended to cause a disproportionate amount of damage or harm of sufficient magnitude.

“ The acts of respondents were calculated to seriously undermine public safety and to create an atmosphere of fear,” it added.

R ecovered from the encounter site were various firearms, ammunition, explosives and subversive materials.

T he charges against the respondents were earlier filed before the Batangas Regional Trial Court.

EIGHT unvaccinated Filipino travelers who arrived in the Philippines from China from December 27, 2022 to January 2, 2023 have tested positive for Covid-19, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on Wednesday.

THE Bureau of Immigration announced on Wednesday that it has extended the visas and the Emigration Clearance Certificate (ECC) of foreign nationals (FN) affected by the recent flight cancellations caused by an air traffic systems glitch on New Year’s Day.

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said FNs whose visas and ECCs expired during the period were given a grace period extension until January 12 to allow them to rebook their flights without added immigration penalties.

“Considering what happened to many foreign nationals who were unable to leave during their scheduled flights, we issued this advisory to assist them in rescheduling, without having to worry about overstaying,” Tansingco said.

F light operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have returned to normal after the Air Traffic Management Center of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) encountered technical issues on New Year’s Day.

A round 280 flights were canceled, delayed or diverted due to the problem, affecting more than 65,000 passengers.

Tansingco said FNs are only required to present their confirmed ticket showing their canceled flight from January 1 or onwards and/or their boarding passes.     “ This extension is given in the spirit of the hospitality of Filipino people,” said Tansingco.

Those who were affected did not mean to overstay their visas, hence appropriate considerations are given to them,” he added.

Meanwhile, the BI announced that it has commenced its 2023 annual report in compliance with the Alien Registration Act of 1950, which mandates foreign nationals with immigrant and non-immigrant visas to report to the agency within the first 60 days of every calendar year.

Under the law, aliens holding immigrant and non-immigrant visas, and were issued an alien certificate of registration identity card (ACR I-Card) are required to present themselves to the bureau for the annual report. Joel R. San

Juan

T he DOH said that they tested positive of the virus upon arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport via antigen test based on the latest report filed by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).

On Tuesday, BOQ deputy director Roberto Salvador Jr., in a radio interview, said that the BOQ has intensified its border control with the help of all agencies involved.

B ased on current protocols, non-fully vaccinated individuals who are unable to present a negative pre-departure test result are

The comments were China’s sharpest to date on the issue. Australia and Canada this week joined a growing list of countries requiring travelers from China to take a Covid-19 test prior to boarding their flight, as China battles a nationwide outbreak of the coronavirus after abruptly easing restrictions that were in place for much of the pandemic.

T he DOH also assured the public that the government continues to conduct Covid-19 monitoring and surveillance activities in the country, as well as keeping an eye for global health events that may occur. With AP

SENATE President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda welcomed the election of National Archives of the Philippines Director Victorino Manalo as the new chairperson of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and reassured her continuous commitment to promoting Philippine culture.

L egarda, NCCA’s 2016 Dangal ng Haraya: Tagapagtaguyod ng Sining at Kultura (Patron of Arts and Culture) awardee, has expressed support for Manalo’s nomination and administered his oath of office as the 14th Chairperson of the NCCA on December 29, 2022 at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila.

“

I have unwavering faith that under the leadership of Chairperson Victorino Manalo, the NCCA will continue to foster the Filipino people’s identity and develop a sense of national pride through the development of original artistic expression and the preservation, promotion, and protection of our cultural heritage,” Legarda said.

Filipino traditional heritage, including “Dayaw,” a documentary which showcases the indigenous culture and customs of Filipinos, and “Buhay na Buhay,” an informative series that introduces the eight living cultures of the Philippines.

“Lahat ng ito ay para sa kultura at sining habang naiaangat natin ang kabuhayan ng ating kapwa, ang kinabukasan ng ating bayan at pagpapayaman ng ating pagkakakilanlan,” she said.

DEPARTMENT of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Spokesperson, Undersecretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo, ranked first in a survey among spokespersons of various government agencies.

L amentillo, DICT’s undersecretary for Public Affairs and Foreign Relations, received a rating of 88 percent, followed by Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) Officer-inCharge (OIC) Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil (86 percent), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez (84 percent), Depart -

ment of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Goddess Hope Libiran (83 percent), and Department of Health (DOH) Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Beverly Ho (82 percent).

Completing the top 10 are Department of Justice (DOJ) Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano (80 percent), Department of Education (DepEd) Spokesperson Atty. Mike Poa (78 percent), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) OIC Edu Punay (75 percent), Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista (73 percent), and

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Undersecretary Patricia Caunan (70 percent).

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, and Cabinet members earned outstanding evaluations for their overall job performance in the RP Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD) “Boses ng Bayan” national survey for the year 2022.

I t confirms that their spokespeople effectively communicated government goals, initiatives, and policies, said Dr. Paul Martinez of RPMD.

L amentillo, who topped the

survey, said that the result of the survey, where the spokespersons of the various government agencies received high ratings, serves as an affirmation that the public appreciates the job that government communicators are doing.

L ast December, the OPS organized a gathering among various communications representatives from different government agencies and departments with the aim of harmonizing the government’s communication strategies to effectively deliver relevant and supplementary information for the Filipino people.

A s a staunch advocate of promoting the culture and the arts, Legarda has filed several proposed measures for the conservation of Philippine traditions and heritage.

A mong these are Senate Bill No. (SBN) 244 or the Philippine Culinary Heritage Act of 2022, SBN 624 or An Act Establishing the “Linangan ng Likhang-Bayan” (Institute for Living Traditions), and SBN 622 amending the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 to strengthen heritage conservation in the country and mandate the local government units to conduct a comprehensive cultural mapping of their areas of jurisdiction.

I n partnership with the NCCA, Legarda supported various programs to preserve and document

Rest assured that I remain your steadfast partner in strengthening the Filipino spirit, developing national identity and creativity, and protecting and sharing our rich cultural heritage,” Legarda added.

Manalo was elected head by the NCCA Board of Commissioners last December 29, 2022, replacing Chairperson Rene Escalante.

H is term began on January 1, 2023, and will end on December 31, 2025.

L egarda also congratulated Escalante for his support and commitment to NCCA and for being instrumental to many of the successes of the commission, which continuously makes significant and long-lasting contributions to the preservation, development, and promotion of Philippine culture and the arts, according to Legarda.

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

A PASSENGER arriving from China is tested for Covid-19 at the Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris on Sunday, January 1, 2023. The Philippine Department of Health reported on Wednesday that it has logged eight unvaccinated Covid positive Filipino travelers from China, which has recently eased virus restrictions that were in place for much of the pandemic. AP

DOJ indicts 6 suspected NPA rebels for murder, terrorism

BI extends visas, ECCs of FNs affected by Jan. 1 air traffic control glitch at Naia

Legarda vows to promote local culture after Manalo’s NCCA win

Lamentillo tops survey of govt spokespersons

LEGARDA

Peza vows faster implementation of ecozone transformation road map

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) has vowed to fast track the implementation of the ecozone transformation roadmap, which it said expands the different types of special economic zones that could be registered under Peza.

Under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, Peza said it is tasked to expedite the implementation of the said roadmap. This, Peza noted, includes the new “frontiers” for ecozone development, which the investment promotion agency has been advocating as a “catalyst” for growth and development.

A ccording to the PDP, the roadmap expands the different types of Special Economic Zone “registrable” under Peza to include new models incorporating townships, such as the Agro-Forestry Ecozone; Aquamarine Park; Defense Industrial Complex; halal Hub; Island City Ecozone; and the Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology Park (KIST Park), among others.

“ The creation of ecozones will be within the existing investment promotion agencies to maximize investments and promote industrial dispersion especially outside metro -

politan areas,” the PDP stated.

Further, the PDP said “ecozones will be integrated into the local economy by relaxing the requirements, facilitating the free flow of parts, components, and other inputs, and increasing open trade between zone locators and firms outside the zones.”

A paper, titled “FDI Spillover Effects: Evidence from the Philippines,” authored by Rafaelita M. Aldaba, undersecretary for Competitiveness and Innovation Group of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), endorsed “flexible” government regulations to link and integrate ecozone activities with the domestic economy.

On relaxing the requirements, the paper proposed to relax the rules on the taxation of products bought from and sold to the domestic market.

“ These should be liberalized given the country’s free trade agreements that already eliminated or substantially reduced tariffs on most products,” the paper noted.

To further open trade, the study also recommended reviewing the rules on production requirements.

The ecozone rules requiring locators to export 70 percent of their production and limit domestic market sales to only 30 percent

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

year-end product exposition raked in P7.2 million in sales and booked negotiation, as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 11 said the bigger accomplishment came

of total production should be reviewed towards the creation and expansion of linkages and more open trade between zone locators and domestic firms outside the zones,” the paper stated.

T he paper also “allow[s] manufacturers of intermediate parts and components that supply to zone locators to import their raw materials, supplies, and capital equipment and, at the same time, treat the sales of their products to zone locators like imports that are allowed to enter the ecozones tax and duty free.”

Tereso O. Panga, Peza Officerin-Charge, said the investment promotion agency is preparing more initiatives and “synergy” with other government agencies to strengthen the country’s economic zones in line with the PDP of the current administration in the next five years.

T he Peza interim chief highlighted that the authority has lobbied through the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) to include economic zones in the PDP. He stressed, “Strengthening our ecozone development initiatives is a must as this will serve as a catalyst for growth in the country.”

“ Ecozones can be shields to soft -

en the landing of the headwinds, the external constraints, and all these global disruptions happening, especially during this time. The other side to this is that ecozones can be economic drivers to accelerate economic recovery and growth,” Panga added.

In 2022, Peza said it has approved 29 ecozone development projects amounting to P96.21 billion. The agency said 11 of these were registered during the first six months of the Marcos administration, amounting to P90.65 billion.

T he largest chunk in the investment pie is a “mixed-used” special economic zone for manufacturing and tourism that will be located in Pangasinan, which Peza said has a project cost of about P81.65 billion.

A s to the breakdown of the ecozone projects in terms of sectors, the investment promotion agency said 13 are Information Technology (IT) parks and centers; 12 are manufacturing ecozones; two in tourism; one in agro-industrial and one in mixed-use for manufacturing and tourism ecozone.

Moreover, Peza said majority of the projects registered in 2022 would be located in Calabarzon with eight ecozone development projects.

Productivity experts to boost output in workplace–DOLE

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

TO help boost the country’s low labor productivity, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is now pushing for a new law for the accreditation of productivity experts who can make it easier for firms to get tax incentives for productivity schemes.

National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) Executive Director Maria Criselda R. Sy, in a text message, told the BusinessMirror these were among the highlights in their proposed provisions of the pending House Bill 637 or the Enterprise Productivity Act (EPA).

She said they also recommended for the creation of productivity improvement and incentive committee for small enterprises, the recognition of management’s role in initiating discussions of productivity incentives programs and mainstreaming of the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy.

A lso part of their proposal is the inclusion of the Productivity Incentives Committee in the labor inspector’s checklist, provision of technical aid on productivity and innovation by various government agencies to micro, small and medium enterprises.

Said inputs were incorporated in the bill endorsed by Congressman Mark Go in the Congress,” Sy said.

The NWPC head said they expect

the passage of EPA will help “tighten the nexus between wages and workers productivity, thereby promoting equity and decent work at the workplace.”

Low productivity

THE EPA part of the legislative agenda recommended under the Philippine Development Plan 2023 and 2028 to help the government achieve its goal of providing additional income to workers by linking their productivity to additional incentives.

In the new PDP, the government expressed concern over low productivity in the services sector, which has an average of 57 percent share in total employment from 2017 to 2021.

The overall labor productivity level of services sector in 2021 [P0.44 million at 2018 constant prices] is low and slower than the productivity of the industrial sector [P0.69 million at 2018 constant prices],” PDP said.

It noted among the challenges in improving labor productivity are high shipping and logistics cost, lack of access to reliable and advanced information and communication technology, infrastructure, lack of competition, lack of access to reliable and advanced information and communications technology infrastructure, lack of competition, lack of access to markets and capital, mismatch in skills and lack of skilled talent for niche job roles, and vulnerabilities of communities to the impact of climate change.

with the successful participation of small businesses that underwent its mentorship program last year.

T he DTI said that it partnered with the Mindanao Trade Expo Foundation Inc. (MTEFI) in holding the MTE Christmas Edition, dubbed as “Buy Local By Lokals” at Abreeza Mall here from December 14 to 18.

The DTI ended 2022 with a trade fair that raked in P7,250,903 in sales. This is the total for retail/ cash, booked, and under negotiation,” it said.

Some 130 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) participated in the December trade exposition, of which 110, or 85 percent of them were from Davao Region. Their products range from fashion accessories to gifts, decors, furniture and fixtures, and processed foods.

DTI 11 Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi said 61 of the featured exhibitors from the region were

Kapatid Mentor Me (KMME) graduates who occupied the 12 booths provided by DTI for each of its six provincial and field offices throughout Davao Region.

Apart from rallying our campaign called Buy Local By Lokals, we also highlighted the KMME program,” she added. She added the theme was part of “the endless campaign of the agency to entice people in supporting local products.”

T he KMME is a 10-module mentorship program “that optimizes weekly face-to-face and virtual interactions between the mentor and the mentees. The key goal here is to boost their entrepreneurial capacity through improved access to mentorship, money, and market,” Ambi said.

She said the KMME exhibitors were already qualified, “if interested to participate in high-level trade events, such as the National Trade Fairs organized by the Bureau

of Domestic Trade and Promotion [BDTP] annually.”

To prepare them for the trade fairs and widen their markets, DTI 11 has provided them with necessary interventions, including intensive product development packages, seminars and training activities, Ambi said.

“ We at DTI ensure that we provide interventions according to our MSMEs’ needs. Aside from our inhouse specialists on the different facets of the business, we have also partnered with various industry leaders and experts to prepare and improve them more,” Ambi said.

A mbi added that DTI will continue to assist local MSMEs “until they reach their full potential and corner more institutional buyers here and abroad.”

A s of December, DTI 11 has already assisted a total of 26,036 MSMEs in the region. This is 103 percent of its annual target of 25,200.

DAVAO CITY—Workers in the Davao Region would be seeing an addition of P16 to their minimum daily wage of P427 beginning this month as the second tranche of the approved wage increase takes effect, the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB) Region 11 has announced.

T he additional P16 took effect on January 1 for both non-agriculture and agriculture sector workers.

From the P427 rate since the effectivity of Wage Order No. RB-XI-21, the second tranche pegged the new minimum wage rate at P443 for non-agriculture workersandP438fortheagriculturesector workers from P422. The wage order was approved on June 19 last year.

For the retail and service establishments employing not more than 10 workers, the new minimum wage rate would now be P428 from P412.

Manuel T. Cayon

DAVAO CITY—Trade exhibitors in a

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

THE Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) is all set to perform its mandate to evaluate Philippine education sector’s performance starting January 2023, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian confirmed on Wednesday.

Sitting as co-chairman of EDCOM II, Gatchalian said the commission “will boost the administration’s efforts to effectively address the country’s education crisis aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Created by virtue of Republic Act No. 11899, the First Congressional Commission EDCOM II Act was sponsored by Gatchalian during the 18th Congress to assess the status of education nationwide in order to push reforms to deal with the crisis. “Sa pagbubukas ng 2023, agaran nating sisimulan ang maigting na pagsusuri sa estado ng edukasyon sa ating bansa. Sa pamamagitan ng EDCOM II, magpapanukala at magsusulong tayo ng mga repormang tutugon sa krisis na bumabalot sa sektor ng edukasyon,” said Gatchalian.

Amid ‘ninja’ cops’ resurgence, DILG chief seeks courtesy resignation of PNP generals, colonels

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

Benhur Abalos Jr. called on all senior police officials Wednesday to tender their courtesy resignations in a drastic move aimed at addressing the country’s illegal drugs problem by weeding out alleged drug protectors and even players from the ranks of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

T he call, which Abalos clarified was not actually an order, covers all police officials from the ranks

of colonel, brigadier general and up that may very well include PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr.,

was made during a news briefing at Camp Crame.

A zurin and the rest of PNP leadership are yet to issue any official statement on Abalos’ call, which the DILG described as necessary to clean the ranks of the national police from illegal drugs players and protectors.

“ Lumalabas na merong mga general, merong mga colonel na sangkot sa droga. At ayon sa rekomendasyon ng PNP at ng ilang kapulisan, ako ay nananawagan sa lahat ng full colonel hanggang sa general… na magsubmit ng courtesy resignation,” Abalos said.

Abalos recalled this was not the first time that all senior police officials have been asked to tender their courtesy resignations as he noted that a similar call had also been made by the late former President Fidel Ramos in 1992 for all senior

police officials to submit their courtesy resignations over a corruption issue allegedly involving some police officials then.

Recently, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, claimed that “ninja” cops, or policemen who are involved in the recycling of illegal drugs seized in police operations, have returned or resurfaced from the ranks of the PNP, and called on the Marcos administration to take drastic actions.

It was dela Rosa who spearheaded the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the Duterte administration as then chief of the PNP.

Abalos said urging the senior officials to submit their resignations was the quickest way for the police organization to make a fresh start, although he admitted that it was a very radical move.

It is a very radical approach to this problem [illegal drugs], but I do believe

[that] we must cleanse our ranks,” the DILG chief said as he admitted that illegal drugs have already infested the ranks of the National Police.

Abalos said a committee made up of five members would “filter” the officials, including looking into their backgrounds to determine whether they should be removed from the service or retained.

He and Azurin would not be a part of the body, whose members the secretary did not name yet.

Abalos assured that the officials would remain in their posts and continue to perform their duties and functions, while the committee is checking into their backgrounds and would only be removed from the service if the body finds something negative or derogatory against them.

“They should not worry because if they are really clean, there’s no problem,” he said.

T he senator confirmed the EDCOM II agenda will “evaluate how mandates are observed under the laws that created the Department of Education [DepEd], the Commission on Higher Education [CHED], and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority [Tesda],” expecting that “EDCOM II’s national assessment will also recommend transformative, concrete, and targeted reforms to make the Philippines globally competitive in both education and labor markets.”

A s passed into law, he recalled that Republic Act No. 11899 also created an Education, Legislation and Policy Advisory Council to provide the commission with expert assistance and advice, adding that last December, the Senate named the members of the Advisory Council.

Moreover, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano were named policy advisors from local government units (LGUs). Former Ateneo de Manila University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres and former University of the Philippines College of Social Sciences and Philosophy dean Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista to serve as advisors from the academe, while Mr. Alfredo Ayala and Dr. Chito Salazar will represent the business sector. Also named to represent government education agencies were former Tesda director-general Irene Isaac, and Private Education Assistance Committee Executive Director Doris Ferrer will also serve as policy advisors.

To complete the membership to the Advisory Council, Synergeia Foundation and the Civil Society Network for Education Reforms (ENet Philippines) will represent civil society organizations and development partners engaged in education.

Lawmakers call for joint House-Senate probe into Naia air traffic control snafu

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

ALAWMAKER on Wednesday said the recent air traffic control fiasco at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) clearly signals the need to separate the regulatory and commercial functions of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), even as other legislators pressed for a joint House and Senate probe in the incident.

Northern Samar First District Rep. Paul R. Daza issued the statement as around 300 flights were affected due to power outage at the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) of CAAP on New Year’s Day, affecting more than 65,000 passengers.

We are assured that an investigation is already being done, however that is also problematic because it’s the same agency investigating its own,” the lawmaker noted.

C AAP was created through An Act Creating the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Authorizing the Appropriation of Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes (RA 9497 of 2008). Its functions include both commercial and regulatory functions, potentially creating conflict of interests according to Daza.

Many have already spoken and, most likely, everyone is right. There seems to be negligence but the more critical question is, ‘How can we ensure objectivity in the investigation if CAAP is the one investigating itself?’” Daza asked.

Section 21 of RA 9497 stipulates that CAAP is tasked with both the

“development and utilization of the air potential of the Philippines” and “regulation of air transportation…”

It also enjoys fiscal autonomy (Section 15) and exemption from taxes, customs, and tariff duties in the importation of equipment, machineries, and other materials.

We could no longer afford another similar incident; thousands of lives had been put at risk and will be put at risk if this should ever happen again,” the Daza cautioned.

He also called on his colleagues in Congress to hold a joint investigation along with the Senate to get clear answers. Section 91 of RA 9497 stipulates the oversight functions by both houses of Congress.

“ The government needs to create an impartial body that will conduct an investigation on what really happened—this body should not be within CAAP,” Daza recommended.

He also recommended the immediate review and possible amendment of RA 9497.

Daza further detailed that reforming the CAAP will require filing of certain bills to ultimately and officially decouple the regulatory and developmental functions of the agency. “The CAAP must be enhanced to focus on being a regulatory body, while two other operational and independent investigative agencies must be created to perform the mentioned functions.

The same also needs to be applied to maritime regulatory agencies such as the PPA [Philippine Ports Authority],” he explained.

“ This is a wake-up call. In an archi-

pelagic country where air- and seabased travel is critical to growth, we can’t be this complacent and worse, be left behind,” Daza added.

T he Philippines’ Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system is a P10.8-billion project financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and completed in October 2017. CAAP’s Aerodrome and Air Navigation Safety Oversight Office was assigned to investigate the incident.

A lso, Deputy Minority Leader Bernadette Herrera on Wednesday called on the Senate and House of Representatives to conduct a joint investigation on the recent air traffic control service outage at Naia. Herrera said an incident as massive as this service outage at Naia air traffic control deserves a joint Senate and House investigation.

“

The service outage affected not just passengers but also many tons of cargo, incoming and outgoing, and this has lingering effects on businesses and the economy,” she said.

We need to see the authenticated copies of all maintenance logs, personnel logs, and CCTV logs of all the outage-affected equipment,” she added.

Herrera said lawmakers are particularly interested whether the many lightning storms these past months affected any of the facilities and equipment involved in the service outage.

“

Better physical security measures might also be needed at critical Naia facilities,” she suggested.

Philippine

Carlos added that the breakdown of vital infrastructure, such CAAP’s Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS-ATM) system for Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC), constitutes a threat to national security, thus the need for immediate action.

A fter the meeting, heads and representatives toured the affected equipment and facilities inside the CAAP compound.

GCG to Caap: Explain glitch

IN a statement, the GCG, meanwhile, said it has directed the CAAP to submit a report on the circumstances surrounding the air traffic management issues experienced by NAIA earlier this week. The GCG added that CAAP was given three working days to submit the report.

“As partners in national

development and public service, the said report will inform the Governance Commission, as the central oversight agency for GOCCs, on how it may further support CAAP to avoid the reoccurrence of such incidents,” GCG Chairperson Alex L. Quiroz said.

“Further, this report will help us ensure the functional operation and safe and reliable management of Philippine air navigation systems,” Quiroz added.

GCG said based on its records the Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/ Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system of CAAP was a strategic target in CAAP’s 2017 Performance Scorecard and its transition and implementation were the agency’s strategic target in its 2018 and 2019 scorecards.

To further support the implementation of CAAP’s CNS/

ATM, the Governance Commission authorized the creation of 136 Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance System Officer I plantilla positions through GCG Memorandum Order No. 2017-08,” it added.

The GCG serves as the central advisory, oversight, and monitoring body for GOCCs, monitors and evaluates the operations of GOCCs to be transparent and responsive to the needs of the public. CAAP is a GOCC created through Republic Act 94971.

T he DOTr earlier said an oversight office under CAAP will lead the investigation on the technical issues that temporarily paralyzed flights to and from the Philippines’ main gateway on Sunday. (Related story: https:// businessmirror.com. ph/2023/01/03/airport-fiascobig-probe-begins/) Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, Nonie Reyes

THE Philippine government is on top of the situation to ensure the safety of Filipinos in China amid the reported surge in Covid-19 infections in one of the world's most populous nations, Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime Florcruz said.

In an interview on Wednesday, Florcruz said the Philippine Embassy in China is ready to provide assistance to Filipinos who will be affected by the spike in Covid-19 cases.

Tuluy-tuloy naman po ang pagtulong ng gobyerno sa kung sinuman ang nangangailangan [The government will continue to provide assistance to anyone],” he said.

“Nandiyan ang embassy na tumutulong sa kung sinuman ang may kailangan. At ina-advise sila na mag-ingat hangga’t kaya [The embassy is there

Cebu City

CEBU CITY—The chief of the Cebu City police on Wednesday said it is up for the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to implement a signal jam during major activities for the Sinulog 2023.

T he opening salvo of the Fiesta Señor this year will be on Thursday dawn when thousands of devotees of the Santo Niño are expected to join the solemn “walk with Jesus” from the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda to the 457-old Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño.

C ol. Ireneo Dalogdog, Cebu City Police Office director, said they will follow the decision of the NTC on whether to jam the cellular phone signals, especially during the grand parade on Sinulog Sunday (January 15).

A s the entire city police force is placed under full alert starting Wednesday, Dalogdog said he has also recommended some measures to ensure a peaceful celebration.

Yesterday, I recommended to our regional director of the Police Regional Office-7 (PRO-7) that the nearby communities, municipalities, cities, and provinces like Bohol and Negros Oriental should conduct checkpoints to help secure the Sinulog Festival,” Dalogdog said in Cebuano.

T he police will implement a skeletal force starting Wednesday night in preparation for the opening salvo of the Fiesta Señor, he added.

PRO-7 chief, Brig. Gen. Jerry Bearis, said although the intel -

ligence community received no reports of threats to disturb the peaceful conduct of the Sinulog this year, the police will continue to coordinate with other government agencies and stakeholders to ensure a “fruitful and successful celebration.”

He said 2,500 police personnel will be deployed for the Sinulog, along with the uniformed members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Bureau of Fire Protection, among others.

Councilor Philip Zafra, chair of the City Council's peace and order committee, said the city government, along with the law enforcement group, has readied contingency measures in case of bad weather during the Sinulog Grand Parade on fiesta Sunday.

I have learned that the mayor (Michael Rama) has invited the President and Vice President, the cabinet secretaries, and all officials, especially the members of the League of Cities of the Philippines. There are confirmations but I cannot divulge yet as to whether the President will attend,” Zafra said.

Meanwhile, Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Central Visayas acting chief, Neil Balaba, encouraged devotees of the Sto. Niño to still practice the health protocols against Covid-19 when they participate in Sinulog events.

A lthough wearing of face mask has been optional in the capital city, Balaba said the spread of the virus can be prevented if measures are still in place. PNA

police back signal jamming for safe Sinulog Explain ‘glitch,’ GCG orders CAAP

to help everyone who is in need of assistance. And they were told to be careful as much as possible],” Florcruz added.

To date, there are an estimated 14,000 members of the Filipino community in China, Florcruz said.

A “high-level” meeting between World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese officials was held on Dec. 30, 2022 to get further information about Covid-19 situation in China.

D uring the meeting, officials from China’s National Health Commission and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration briefed WHO on the Chinese government’s Covid-19 pandemic response.

W HO, on the other hand, asked for regular sharing of “specific and

real-time” Covid-19 data.

Covid-19 cases ‘under control’ FLORCRUZ said the Covid-19 situation in China “seems to be under control.”

Despite this, he advised the Filipino community in China to stay cautious and follow the health protocols.

“Kumakalat pa rin sa buong China kaya maingat pa rin ang mga tao. Advice sa mga tao na mag-mask pa rin, umiwas sa malalaking crowds pero ina-advise na sila to live with Covid [It’s still spreading to other parts of China, that’s why the people here remain careful. The advice to the public is to continue wearing mask, avoid large crowds, and live with Covid],” Florcruz said.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday flew to China for a three-day state visit. PNA

DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government Secretary

Gatchalian says EDCOM II now ready to buckle down to work

govt ready to help Filipinos affected by coronavirus surge in China

NGUYEN

Basic

16.

17.

18.

PHAM HONG VAN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

PHAM THANH HUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language

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

Basic

PHAM THI TRA GIANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

19.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires.

Basic

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 20.

TO THI TUYET Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 21.

TRUONG DAC HUNG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 22.

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 23.

Basic

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 24.

Basic

55.

ZUO, YUAN Mandarin Speaking - Business Development

Brief Job Description: Identifying business development opportunities within the mandarin speaking business communities.

Basic Qualification: Speaks and writes fluent in English and Mandarin language, excellent oral and written communication in mandarin, has a notable network of potential clients locally and internationally, notable business development and marketing skills.

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

IDOM CONSULTING, ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE, SOCIEDAD ANONIMA UNIPERSONAL Rm, 802a 8/f Rci Bldg.,, 105 Rada St.,, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

BOGDEL, VLADIMIR AUGUSTO Senior Draftsman

Basic Qualification: Fluent in English and Spanish, 5-10 years experience.

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming phone calls

56.

Brief Job Description: Optimize and oversee operations in ph to ensure efficiency.

JOHN CLEMENTS CONSULTANTS, INC. 14/f Lkg Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave., Bel-air, City Of Makati

MONGIA, DEEPAK Technical Consultant

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

57.

Brief Job Description: Responsible to maintain and enhance partner relationship with the mid and senior management drove sales to grow existing client base by multi folds and increase their adoption of our services.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor degree with more than 10 years experience as technical consultant with strong negotiation skills and partner engagement success roles and has excellent written and communication skills.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

LEEKIE ENTERPRISES, INC. 8/f Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen Gil Puyat Ave., San Antonio, City Of Makati

58.

SUPRIANTO HUTAPEA System Administrator

Brief Job Description: Monitoring database health and space requirement.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree with 3 years work experience.

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

MAI MAI INFO TECH INC. 9/f Double Dragon Plaza Tower 3 Bldg., Macapagal Ave. St. Zone 10 District 1, Barangay 76, Pasay City

CHOE, JONGGYU Korean Sales Support Specialist

59.

60.

Brief Job Description: Helps troubleshoot problems with costumer’s accounts and other related issues; provide the sales team with data reports and sales guide; work with sales manager to create and implement targeted sales strategies.

KIM, JAEWOONG Korean Sales Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Helps troubleshoot problems with costumer’s accounts and other related issues; provide the sales team with data reports and sales guide; work with sales manager to create and implement targeted sales strategies.

LEE, HYUNJOON Korean Sales Support Specialist

Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can speak and relate well especially to Korean nationals.

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

Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can speak and relate well especially to Korean nationals.

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

61.

62.

Brief Job Description: Helps troubleshoot problems with costumer’s accounts and other related issues; provide the sales team with data reports and sales guide; work with sales manager to create and implement targeted sales strategies.

PARK, JUNPYO Korean Sales Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Helps troubleshoot problems with costumer’s accounts and other related issues; provide the sales team with data reports and sales guide; work with sales manager to create and implement targeted sales strategies.

Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can speak and relate well especially to Korean nationals.

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

Basic Qualification: 2 years experience; can speak and relate well especially to Korean nationals.

Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: At least 1 year experience in any field using computer as primary job tools

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 70.

SYLVIA Indonesian Language Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Manage large amounts of incoming phone calls

NEO

Basic Qualification: At least 1 year experience in any field using computer as primary job tools

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

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Salary

30,000

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: With at least 6 months customer service experience/good in oral communication and written

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 74.

Basic Qualification: With at least 6

Basic

Basic

Agriculture/Commodities

Pampi to DOTr: Scrap PPA’s container policy

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (Pampi) appealed to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to revoke an order issued by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) requiring importers to register containers.

Pampi wrote to Transport Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, who also serves as the PPA chairman, last January 3 to complain about the “economic challenges” brought about by PPA’s Administrative Order (AO) 042021. The PPA is an attached agency of the DOTr.

Pampi President Felix O. Tiukinhoy Jr. and Vice President Jerome D. Ong said AO 04-2021 places additional burden on importers as it requires them to pay for the “registration and monitoring of containers.” Said AO which was issued during the previous administration and whose contract was awarded in a

midnight deal, imposes an additional unjustifiable financial burden on our industry already battered by spiraling cost of raw materials, freight, and a broken supply chain,” the two Pampi officials said.

We do not see how such a policy can contribute to the recovery and growth of our economy. On the contrary, AO 04-2021 adds to inflationary pressures as it forces importers to pass the additional PPA charges to consumers of finished goods.”

P ampi claimed that the issuance of AO 04-2021 was a “grave abuse of authority” since it burdens the importers with the registration of containers, which it said are owned by shipping lines and not by the importers.

The use of containers is paid to shipping lines by importers as part of freight costs. Therefore, requiring importers to pay PPA for watching/monitoring containers which do not belong to them, is unwarranted and abusive.”

“

ment

“AO 04-2021 issuance by PPA is untenable as regulating movement of imports is not within its charter but which properly belongs to [the Bureau of Customs].”

AO 04-2021 was issued by the PPA in September 2021 to monitor the movement of containers in the country.

One of the objectives of the AO was to prescribe a policy environment regarding the registration and monitoring of containers entering and leaving PPA ports, including the scheduling, loading, unloading, release and movement of all containers.

“ To generate an explicit and nonrepudiable record of accountabilities to enable PPA to monitor the movement of containers from the time of entry, discharge, return and storage, and re-export,” AO 04-2021 read.

The PPA held a public consultation on the implementing operational guidelines of AO 04-2021 on January 4. The public consultation was originally scheduled last December 15, 2022.

Sultan Kudarat farmers’ groups get organic farm inputs from govt Study:

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has recently distributed a total of 300 sacks of vermicompost and 130 gallons of organic foliar fertilizer to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Sultan Kudarat.

T he DAR said the distribution of organic farm inputs aims to boost the farmers’ agricultural production and promote an environment-friendly and healthy way of producing food.

T he farm inputs, with a total cost of P247,350, were given to six differ-

ent agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs).

A total of 22 gallons each of organic foliar fertilizer and 50 sacks each of organic vermicompost were distributed to the Agrarian Reform Farmers Association in Tacurong City; the Silang Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association in Bagumbayan; the Palimbang Entrepreneurs Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries’ Organization in Palimbang; and the Sitio Lagon Farmers’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative in President Quirino.

T he Kangkong Farmers Association and Tagumpay Vegetable Growers Association, both in Esperanza,

each received 21 gallons and 50 sacks of organic fertilizers.

Hernane Fermo, President of the Agrarian Reform Farmers Association, expressed his gratitude to the DAR for its continuous assistance to the ARBOs.

“ We appreciate the DAR’s strong support, and for always remembering us, especially in times of need. These farm inputs will surely help us to produce better products that we can sell competitively in the market,” Fermo said.

T he agri-inputs is part of the Sustainable and Resilient Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs)

program of the DAR which aims to promote vegetable production to combat the effect of climate change in the province.

Engr. Rushdi Mindalano, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II, said he is “positive” that the agri-inputs will help the ARBO members deal with their farming challenges for them to gain higher profits for their organizations.

It has always been our aim to ease the problems of the farmers by helping them achieve higher farming productivity and profitability through the provision of support services,” Mindalano said.

FOOD inflation in United Kingdom stores jumped to a record high last month with retailers warning of another year of elevated prices.

T he British Retail Consortium said Wednesday that food inflation “accelerated strongly” to 13.3 percent in December, from 12.4 percent the previous month, an all-time high for the index which started in 2005.

“ 2023 will be another difficult year for consumers and businesses as inflation shows no immediate signs of waning,” said BRC Chief Executive Officer Helen Dickinson. She cited ongoing pressures from the war in Ukraine pushing up the cost of animal feed, fertilizer and energy.

T he cost of fresh food rose 15 percent from a year earlier, also a record high, up from 14.3 percent in November.

Still, overall inflation in UK stores dipped in December, marking the first decline in over a year. The BRC said shop price inflation decelerated to 7.3 percent, down slightly from November’s record high of 7.4 percent.

The leveling off in prices overall was due to retailers heavily discounting stock in the run-up to Christmas to shift excess inventory. Many stores ordered products earlier in the year when supply-chain problems still meant long waiting times and before rising inflation began to hurt spending.

The BRC was quick to warn that the dip in prices doesn’t signal an end to spiraling inflation and that retailers may have to put their prices up even more from April once the government’s support on energy bills expires.

U K retailers started discounting earlier than usual last year to entice shoppers to spread out their Christmas spending. Department store John Lewis Partnership Plc and drugstore chain Boots both began offering seasonal deals beginning in early November.

L arger-than-normal discounts may have squeezed retailers’ margins and trading updates this month will reveal by how much.

Retail bellwether Next Plc is set to

kick off the post-Christmas earnings season on Thursday.

T he first months of the year are likely to be bleak as shoppers face credit card bills for their December spend and as energy bills come due.

Consumers will prioritize spending on groceries, which are rising in price, while non-essentials like fashion and homewares are likely to suffer, according to Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NielsenIQ, which produces the data for the BRC.

The increase in food inflation is going to put further pressure on household budgets and it’s unlikely that there will be any improvement in the consumer mindset around personal finances in the near term,” he said.

Pacific storms

WHILE California tries to clean up from floods and mudslides that killed at least one person over the weekend, the next in a series of atmospheric

rivers is bearing down on the most populous state in the United States for later this week.

A powerful stream of densely moist air flowing off the Pacific Ocean is forecast to bring 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15 centimeters) of rain to a wide area from Eureka to San Francisco Wednesday into Thursday, with some isolated areas receiving as much as 8 inches, said William Churchill, a forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. These systems resemble large rivers across the sky and can carry as much water as the mouth of the Mississippi River to locations when they hit.

W hile they can be deadly, they are also an important part of how California and the US West replenish their water supplies, which have been suffering from a years-long drought that has dried up the Colorado River and parched the landscape.

T he heavy downpours will shift into Southern California late Wednesday, adding to the series of deluges

that have battered the state in the last week and soaked the ground.

While this one is the worst thing coming up in the near term, this pattern will probably continue for the next week to two weeks,” said Churchill. “This is not the last.”

A record 5.46 inches of rain fell in downtown San Francisco New Year’s Eve, which capped almost a foot of rain falling through December, according to the National Weather Service. California’s capital Sacramento also received a record 2.37 inches to end 2022. At least one person died in the deluges, according to the Associated Press.

T he danger is magnified because the water can trigger mudslides in turn areas burned by recent wildfires, filling a house in seconds.

In addition to the rain, the storms are forecast to bring more heavy snow across the state’s mountain ranges. Localized spots around South Lake Tahoe could get upwards of 3 feet (0.9 meters).

Pollination loss

removes health foods from global diets Food inflation climbs to a record high in British shops

INADEQUATE pollination has led to a 3 percent to 5 percent loss of fruit, vegetable, and nut production and an estimated 427,000 excess deaths annually from lost healthy food consumption and associated diseases, according to a study.

T he research, titled “Pollinator deficits, food consumption, and consequences for human health: a modeling study,” was led by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Published in Environment Health Perspectives last month, the study quantified the toll of insufficient wild animal pollinators on human health.

“A critical missing piece in the biodiversity discussion has been a lack of direct linkages to human health. This research establishes that loss of pollinators is already impacting health on a scale with other global health risk factors, such as prostate cancer or substance use disorders,” said Samuel Myers, principal research scientist, planetary health, Department of Environmental Health and senior author of the study.

I ncreasing human pressure on natural systems is causing alarming losses in biodiversity, the topic of the COP 15 UN Biodiversity Conference which took place in Montreal. This includes 1 percent to 2 percent annual declines of insect populations, leading some to warn of an impending “insect apocalypse” in the coming decades.

K ey among insect species are pollinators, which increase yields of three-fourths of crop varieties and are critical to growing healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Changes in land-use, use of harmful pesticides, and advancing climate change threaten wild pollinators, imperiling human supply of healthy foods.

T he researchers used a model framework, which included empirical evidence from a network of hundreds of experimental farms across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, that looked at “pollinator

yield gaps” for the most important pollinator-dependent crops, to show how much crop loss was due to insufficient pollination.

T hey then used a global risk-disease model to estimate the health impacts the changes in pollination could have on dietary risks and mortality by country. Additionally, they calculated the loss of economic value from lost pollination in three case study countries.

T he results showed that lost food production was concentrated in lower-income countries but that the health burden was greater in middle- and higher-income countries, where rates of non-communicable diseases are higher. The geographic distribution was somewhat unusual in that generally the health effects from global environmental change are centered among the poorest populations in regions such as South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Here, middle-income countries with large populations— China, India, Indonesia, and Russia—suffered the greatest burden.

T he analysis also showed that lower-income countries lost significant agricultural income due to insufficient pollination and lower yields, potentially 10 percent to 30 percent of total agricultural value.

“ The results might seem surprising, but they reflect the complex dynamics of factors behind food systems and human populations around the world. Only with this type of interdisciplinary modeling can we get a better fix on the magnitude and impact of the problem,” said co-author Timothy Sulser, senior scientist at the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Strategies to protect wild pollinators are not just an environmental issue, but a health and economic one as well. “This study shows that doing too little to help pollinators does not just harm nature, but human health as well,” said lead author Matthew Smith, research scientist, Department of Environmental Health.

T he group also said AO 04-2021 overlaps with the Bureau of Customs’ E-TRACC system that tracks contain-

erized cargo “for which importers pay a fee per container load.”

Thus, AO 04-2021 defies govern-

policy on simplifying transactions as mandated by EODB Act of 2018,” Pampi said.

PHOTO FROM WWW.PPA.COM.PH

PHOTO FROM WWW.USDA.GOV

TheBroaderLook

Police seize on Covid-19 tech to expand global surveillance

By Garance Burke, Josef Federman, Huizhong Wu, Krutika Pathi & Rod Mcguirk The Associated Press

“You have been spotted as having participated in acts of violence in the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” it read in Arabic. “We will hold you accountable.”

Ramlawi, then 19, was among hundreds of people who civil rights attorneys estimate got the text last year, at the height of one of the most turbulent recent periods in the Holy Land. Many, including Ramlawi, say they only lived or worked in the neighborhood, and had nothing to do with the unrest. What he didn’t know was that the feared internal security agency, the Shin Bet, was using mass surveillance technology mobilized for coronavirus contact tracing, against Israeli residents and citizens for purposes entirely unrelated to Covid-19.

In the pandemic’s bewildering early days, millions worldwide believed government officials who said they needed confidential data for new tech tools that could help stop coronavirus’ spread. In return, governments got a firehose of individuals’ private health details, photographs that captured their facial measurements and their home addresses.

Now, from Beijing to Jerusalem to Hyderabad, India, and Perth, Australia, The Associated Press has found that authorities used these technologies and data to halt travel for activists and ordinary people, harass marginalized communities and link people’s health information to other surveillance and law enforcement tools.In some cases, data was shared with spy agencies. The issue has taken on fresh urgency almost three years into the pandemic as China’s ultrastrict zero-Covid policies recently ignited the sharpest public rebuke of the country’s authoritarian leadership since the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

For more than a year, AP journalists interviewed sources and pored over thousands of documents to trace how technologies marketed to “flatten the curve” were put to other uses. Just as the balance between privacy and national security shifted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Covid-19 has given officials justification to embed tracking tools in society that have lasted long after lockdowns.

“Any intervention that increases state power to monitor individuals has a long tail and is a ratcheting system,” said John ScottRailton, a senior researcher at the Toronto-based internet watchdog Citizen Lab. “Once you get it, it is very unlikely it will ever go away.”

CODE RED

In China, the last major country in the world to enforce strict Covid-19 lockdowns, citizens have been required to install cell-phone apps to move about freely in most cities. Drawing from telecommunications data and PCR test re -

sults, the apps produce individual QR codes that change from green to yellow or red, depending on a person’s health status.

The apps and lockdowns are part of China’s sweeping pandemic prevention policies that have pushed the public to a breaking point. When an apartment fire in Urumqi last month left at least 10 dead, many blamed zero-tolerance Covid policies. That sparked demonstrations in major cities nationwide, the largest display of defiance in decades, after which the government announced it would only check health codes in “special places,” such as schools, hospitals and nursing homes.

Last week, the government went further, saying it would shut down a national-level health code to ease travel between provinces. But cities and provinces have their own codes, which have been more dominant. In Beijing last week, restaurants, offices, hotels and gyms were still requiring local codes for entry.

Over the past few years, Chinese citizens have needed a green code to board domestic flights or trains, and in some cities even to enter the supermarket or to get on a bus. If they were found to have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, or if the government imposed a local quarantine, the code would turn red, and they were stuck at home.

There’s evidence that the health codes have been used to stifle dissent.

This story, supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, is part of an ongoing Associated Press series, “Tracked,” that investigates the power and consequences of decisions driven by algorithms on people’s everyday lives.

In early September, former wealth manager Yang Jiahao bought a train ticket to Beijing, where he planned to lodge various complaints with the central government. The night before, a woman he described as a handler invited him to dinner. Handlers are usually hired by state security as part of “stability maintenance” operations and can require people to meet or travel when authorities worry they could cause trouble.

Yang had a meal with the handler, and the next morning Guangzhou health authorities reported a Covid-19 case less than a kilometer from where they dined, he said.

Based on city regulations, Yang’s code should have turned yellow, requiring him to take a few Covid tests to show he was negative.

Instead, the app turned red, even though tests showed that he didn’t have Covid. Yang was ordered to quarantine and a paper seal was placed on his door.

“They can do whatever they want,” he said.

An officer at the Huangcun

station of the Guangzhou police referred comment to city-level authorities on Yang’s case, saying he required proof that the caller was from the AP. Guangzhou’s Public Security Bureau and the city’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention did not respond to faxed requests for comment.

In another show of how the apps can control lives, in June, a group of bank customers were effectively corralled by the health codes when they tried going to Henan’s provincial capital in Zhengzhou to protest being unable to access their online bank accounts.

A notice said the problem was due to a system upgrade. But the customers soon found out the real reason: a police investigation into stockholders in the parent bank had rendered 40 billion yuan in funds inaccessible, according to local media reports. Frustrated after months of complaints, a group of customers decided to hold a protest in Zhengzhou at the provincial banking commission.

Customer Xu Zhihao uploaded his itinerary to get the Henan province health code after he tested negative for Covid-19 in his coastal city of Tianjin, just south of Beijing. As he got off the train in Zhengzhou, Xu was asked to scan his QR code at the station, and immediately it turned red. The train station employee called security and took him to a police booth.

Xu said police took him to the basement to quarantine. Three other people joined him, and all four realized that they had come to get their money back.

“They had set the net in place, waiting for us,” Xu said.

From a group chat, Xu and others learned that many protesters had met a similar fate, at the high-speed rail train station, at the airport and even on the highway. A government inquiry later found that red codes were given to 1,317 people, many of whom had planned to protest.

China’s National Health Commission, which has led the Covid

response, did not reply to a fax requesting comment. The Henan provincial government did not respond either.

Even after China ends lockdowns, some dissidents and human rights activists predict the local-level health codes will stay on as a technological means of social control. Early on, provinces didn’t share data, but in the past few years, that has changed.

Some provincial governments have created local apps that can link health, location and even credit information, which leaves open the possibility for these apps or the national databases they draw from to be used to monitor people in the future, according to an AP review of procurement documents, research and interviews. Xu and Yang, for instance, were both stopped in their tracks by local health codes.

In February, police in northeastern Heilongjiang province sought to upgrade their local health code so they could search PCR test results for anyone in China, in real time, according to procurement documents provided exclusively by ChinaFile, a digital magazine published by the Asia Society. A company whose parent is government-owned won the non-competitive bid to connect that app to a national database of PCR data run by the State Council, China’s Cabinet, fulfilling a national directive, the documents show. The same company, Beijing Beiming Digital Technology, also claims on its website that it has developed more than 30 pandemic apps.

“It’s the governance model, the philosophy behind it is to strengthen social control through technology. It’s strengthened by the health app, and it’s definitely going to stay after Covid is over,” said Yaqiu Wang, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch. “I think it’s very, very powerful.”

“There are two sets of laws” IN Jerusalem’s Old City, tourists

sipping fresh pomegranate juice, worshippers and locals taking a shortcut home are all monitored by Israeli security forces holding automatic weapons. The labyrinth of cavernous pathways is also lined with CCTV cameras and what authorities have described as “advanced technologies.”

After clashes in May 2021 at the Al-Aqsa Mosque helped trigger an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, Israel experienced some of the worst violence in years. Police lobbed stun grenades into the disputed compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount, home to Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third-holiest site, as Palestinian crowds holed up inside hurling stones and firebombs at them.

By that time, Israelis had become accustomed to police showing up outside their homes to say they weren’t observing quarantine and knew that Israel’s Shin Bet security agency was repurposing phone surveillance technology it had previously used to monitor militants inside Palestinian territories. The practice made headlines at the start of the pandemic when the Israeli government said it would be deployed for Covid-19 contact tracing.

A year later, the Shin Bet quietly began using the same technology to send threatening messages to Israel’s Arab citizens and residents whom the agency suspected of participating in violent clashes with police. Some of the recipients, however, simply lived or worked in the area, or were mere passers-by.

Ramlawi’s coffeeshop sits in the ornate Cotton Merchant’s Market outside the mosque compound, an area lined with police and security cameras that likely would have identified the barista had he participated in violence.

Although Ramlawi deleted the message and hasn’t received a simil ar one since, he said the thought of his phone being used as a monitoring tool still haunts him.

“It’s like the government is in your bag,” said Ramlawi, who wor -

“When

The Shin Bet’s domestic use of the technology has generated an uproar over privacy and civil liberties within Israel, as well as questions about its accuracy. The Ministry of Communications, which oversees Israel’s telecommunications companies, refused a request seeking further details submitted for the AP by the Movement for Freedom of Information, a nonprofit that frequently works with media organizations.

Gil Gan-Mor, an attorney with the nonprofit Association for Civil Rights in Israel, estimates that hundreds of Arabs in Jerusalem received the threatening message during the unrest and said the mass text message blast was unprecedented.

“You cannot just say to people, ‘We are watching you ... and we will get revenge,” he said. “You cannot use this tool to frighten people. If you have something against someone, you can put them on trial.’”

After Gan-Mor’s organization sued, Shin Bet made no apologies.

“There was a clear security need to send an urgent message to a very large number of people, all of whom had a credible suspicion of being involved in performing violent crimes,” the agency said in a legal filing last year. The filing, signed by “Daniella B.,” the Shin Bet’s legal adviser for the Jerusalem district, also acknowledged that “lessons were learned.”

In February, Israel’s attorney general upheld the continued use of the technology, saying it was a legitimate security tool, while acknowledging glitches in the system and that messages were distributed to a small number of unintended targets. Israel’s Supreme Court is now reviewing the matter.

Sami Abu Shehadeh, a former Arab lawmaker who served in Israel’s parliament at the time Shin Bet sent its warning texts, said the

JERUSALEM—Majd Ramlawi was serving coffee in Jerusalem’s Old City when a chilling text message appeared on his phone.

ries that surveillance enabled to stop Covid-19 poses a lasting menace for east Jerusalem residents.

you move, the government is with you with this phone.”

messages demonstrate the broader struggles of Israel’s 20 percent Arab minority.

“The state does not deal with us as citizens,” he said. “There are two sets of laws—one for Jews and one for Arabs.”

‘360-Degree surveillance’

TECHNOLOGIES designed to combat Covid-19 were redirected by law enforcement and intelligence services in other democracies as governments expanded their digital arsenals amid the pandemic.

In India, facial recognition and artificial intelligence technology exploded after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept into power in 2014, becoming a tool for police to monitor mass gatherings. The country is seeking to build what will be among the world’s largest facial recognition networks.

As the pandemic took hold in early 2020, state and central governments tasked local police with enforcing mask mandates. Fines of up to $25, as much as 12 days’ pay for some laborers and unaffordable for the nearly 230 million people estimated to be living in poverty in India, were introduced in some places.

In the south-central city of Hyderabad, police started taking pictures of people flaunting the mask mandate or simply wearing masks haphazardly.

Police Commissioner C.V. Anand said the city has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years on patrol vehicles, CCTV cameras, facial recognition and geo-tracking applications and several hundred facial recognition cameras, among other technologies powered by algorithms or machine learning.Inside Hyderabad’s Command and Control Center, officers showed an AP reporter how they run CCTV camera footage through facial recognition software that scans images against a database of offenders.

“When [companies] decide to invest in a city, they first look at the law-and-order situation,” Anand said, defending the use of such tools as absolutely necessary.“People here are aware of what the technologies can do, and there is wholesome support for it.”

TheBroaderLook

The tweet included photos of the software overlaying colored rectangles on the maskless faces of unsuspecting locals.

More than a year later, police tweeted images of themselves using hand-held tablets to scan people’s faces using facial recognition software, according to a post from the official Twitter handle of the station house officer in the Amberpet neighborhood.

Police said the tablets, which can take ordinary photographs or link them to a facial recognition database of criminals, were a useful way for officers to catch and fine mask offenders.

“When they see someone not wearing a mask, they go up to them, take a photo on their tablet, take down their details like phone number and name,” said B Guru Naidu, an inspector in Hyderabad’s South Zone.

Officers decide who they deem suspicious, stoking fears among privacy advocates, some Muslims and members of Hyderabad’s lower-caste communities.

“If the patrolling officers suspect any person, they take their fingerprints or scan their face –the app on the tablet will then check these for any past criminal antecedents,” Naidu said.

S Q Masood, a social activist who has led government transparency campaigns in Hyderabad, sees more at stake. Masood and his father-in-law were seemingly stopped at random by police in Shahran market, a predominantly Muslim area, during a Covid-19 surge last year. Masood said officers told him to remove his mask so they could photograph him with a tablet.

“I told them I won’t remove my mask. They then asked me why not, and I told them I will not remove my mask.” He said they photographed him with it in place. Back home, Masood went from bewildered to anxious: Where and how was this photo to be used? Would it be added to the police’s facial recognition database?

Now he’s suing in the Telangana High Court to find out why his photo was taken and to limit the

widespread use of facial recognition. His case could set the tone for India’s growing ambition to combine emerging technology with law enforcement in the world’s largest democracy, experts said.

India lacks a data protection law and even existing proposals won’t regulate surveillance technologies if they become law, said Apar Gupta, executive director of the New Delhi-based Internet Freedom Foundation, which is helping to represent Masood.

Police responded to Masood’s lawsuit and denied using facial recognition in his case, saying that his photograph was not scanned against any database and that facial recognition is only used during the investigation of a crime or suspected crime, when it can be run against CCTV footage.

In two separate AP interviews, local police demonstrated both how the TSCOP app carried by police on the street can compare a person’s photograph to a facial recognition database of criminals, and how from the Command and Control Center police can use facial recognition analysis to compare stored mugshots of criminals to video gathered from CCTV cameras.

Masood’s lawyers are working on a response and awaiting a hearing date.

Privacy advocates in India believe that such stepped-up actions under the pandemic could enable what they call 360 degree surveillance, under which things like housing, welfare, health and other kinds of data are all linked together to create a profile.

“Surveillance today is being posed as a technological panacea to large social problems in India, which has brought us very close to China,” Gupta said. “There is no law. There are no safeguards. And this is general purpose deployment of mass surveillance.”

‘The new normal’ WHAT use will ultimately be made of the data collected and tools developed during the height of the pandemic remains an open question. But recent uses in Australia and the United States may offer a glimpse.

During two years of strict border controls, Australia’s conservative former Prime Minister Scott

But the apps were also used in other ways. Australia’s intelligence agencies were caught “incidentally” collecting data from the national CovidSafe app. News of the breach surfaced in a November 2020 report by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, which said there was no evidence that the data was decrypted, accessed or used. The national app was canceled in August by a new administration as a waste of money: it had identified only two positive Covid-19 cases that wouldn’t have been found otherwise.

At the local level, people used apps to tap their phones against a site’s QR code, logging their individual ID so that if a Covid-19 outbreak occurred, they could be contacted.The data sometimes was used for other purposes. Australian law enforcement co-opted the state-level QR check-in data as a sort of electronic dragnet to investigate crimes.

After biker gang boss Nick Martin was shot and killed at a speedway in Perth, police accessed QR code check-in data from the health apps of 2,439 drag racing fans who attended the December 2020 race. It included names, phone numbers and arrival times.

Police accessed the information despite Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan’s promise on Facebook that the Covid-related data would only be accessible to contact-tracing personnel at the Department of Health. The murder was eventually solved using entirely traditional policing tactics, including footprint matching, cellphone tracking and ultimately a confession.

Western Australia police didn’t respond to requests for comment. Queensland and Victoria law enforcement also sought the public’s QR check-in data in connection with investigations. Police in both states did not address AP questions regarding why they sought the data, and lawmakers

in Queensland and Victoria have since tightened the rules on police access to QR check-in information.

In the US, which relied on a hodge-podge of state and local quarantine orders to ensure compliance with Covid rules, the federal government took the opportunity to build out its surveillance toolkit, including two contracts in 2020 worth $24.9 million to the data mining and surveillance company Palantir Technologies Inc. to support the US Department of Health and Human Services’ pandemic response. Documents obtained by the immigrant rights group Just Futures Law under the Freedom of Information Act and shared with the AP showed that federal officials contemplated how to share data that went far beyond Covid-19.

The possibilities included integrating “identifiable patient data,” such as mental health, substance use and behavioral health information from group homes, shelters, jails, detox facilities and schools. The US Centers for Disease Control does not use any of that individual-level information in the platform CDC now manages, said Kevin Griffis, a department spokesman. Griffis said he could not comment on discussions that occurred under the previous administration.

The protocols appeared to lack information safeguards or usage restrictions, said Paromita Shah, Just Futures Law’s executive director.

“What the pandemic did was blow up an industry of mass collection of biometric and biographical data,” Shah said. “So, few things were off the table.”

Last year, the US Centers for Disease Control purchased detailed cellphone location data revealing people’s daily whereabouts, nationwide. “Mobility insights” data from at least 20 million devices could be used to “project how much worse things would have been without the bans,” such as stay-at-home orders and business closures, according to a July 2021 contract obtained by the nonprofit group Tech Inquiry and shared with the AP.

The contract shows data broker Cuebiq provided a “device ID,” which typically ties information to individual cell phones. The CDC

CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said the agency acquired aggregated, anonymous data with extensive privacy protections for public health research, but did not address questions about whether the agency was still using the data. The CDC could still access aggregate, county-level mobile phone data through October, several months after its contract ended, Cuebiq spokesman Bill Daddi said on Tuesday. He added that before then, the CDC also could have analyzed privacy-protected individual mobile phone data, but chose not to.

For Scott-Railton, that sets a dangerous precedent.

“What Covid did was accelerate state use of these tools and that data and normalize it, so it fit a narrative about there being a public benefit,” he said. “Now the question is, are we going to be capable of having a reckoning around the use of this data, or is this the new normal?”

Former AP video journalist Rishabh R. Jain contributed to this report from Hyderabad, India. AP staffers Lori Hinnant contributed from Paris; María Verza from Mexico City; Astrid Suárez from Bogotá, Colombia; Edna Tarigan from Jakarta, Indonesia; Tong-hyung Kim from Seoul, South Korea; and Eileen Ng from Singapore. Daria Litvinova and retired Associated Press Afghanistan and Pakistan Bureau Chief Kathy Gannon also contributed. Deputy Editor of The Mail & Guardian Athandiwe Saba assisted from Johannesburg. Burke reported from San Francisco; Federman from Jerusalem; McGuirk from Canberra, Australia; Pathi from Hyderabad, India; and Wu from Taipei, Taiwan.

T his reporting was produced in collaboration with researcher Avani Yadav with support from the Human Rights Center Investigations Lab at the University of California, Berkeley. It was partially supported by the Starling Lab for Digital Integrity, co-founded by the University of Southern California and Stanford University, where Burke was a journalism fellow.

By May 2020, the police chief of Telangana state tweeted about his department rolling out AI-based software using CCTV to zero-in on people not wearing masks.

Morrison took the extraordinary step of appointing himself minister of five departments, including the Department of Health. Authorities introduced both national and state-level apps to notify people when they had been in the vicinity of someone who tested positive for the virus.

also could use the information t o examine the effect of closing borders, an emergency measure ordered by the Trump administration and continued by President Joe Biden, despite top scientists’ objections that there was no evidence the action would slow the coronavirus.

A WORKER in protective gear points out a QR code to scan to make health declarations for inbound travelers arriving at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in southern China's Guangdong province on December 25 2022. China will drop a Covid-19 quarantine requirement for passengers arriving from abroad starting January 8, the National Health Commission announced Monday, December 26, 2022 in the latest easing of the country's once-strict virus-control measures.

AP PHOTO/EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA

Beijing threatens tough response to ‘unacceptable’ virus measures

By Ken Moritsugu The Associated Press

BEIJING—The Chinese

“We believe that the entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting China lack scientific basis, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing Tuesday.

“We are firmly opposed to attempts to manipulate the Covid measures for political purposes and will take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity,” she said. Mao did not specify what steps China might take.

The comments were China’s sharpest to date on the issue. Australia and Canada this week joined a growing list of countries requiring travelers from China to take a Covid-19 test prior to boarding their flight, as China battles a nationwide outbreak of the coronavirus after abruptly easing restrictions that were in place for much of the pandemic.

Other countries including the US, UK, India, Japan and several European nations have announced tougher Covid-19 measures on travelers from China amid concerns over a lack of data on infections in China and fears of the possibility that new variants may emerge.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “there’s no cause for retaliation” by Beijing for countries “taking prudent health measures to protect their citizens” with Covid-related restrictions on travelers coming from China. She added that restrictions were “based on public health and science.”

“This is something that all of us, (and) other countries are doing to make sure that we are protecting

our citizens here,” Jean-Pierre said.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne defended the tests. Starting Wednesday, anyone flying from China to France will have to present a negative virus test taken within the previous 48 hours and be subject to random testing on arrival.

“We are in our role, my government is in its role, protecting the French,” Borne said Tuesday on France-Info radio.

The UK will require that passengers from China take a Covid test before boarding the plane from Thursday. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the requirement is for “collecting information” because Beijing isn’t sharing coronavirus data.

Health officials will test a sample of passengers when they arrive in the UK, but no quarantine is required for those who test positive, he said.

“The policy for arrivals from China is primarily about collecting information that the Chinese government is not sharing with the international community,” Harper told the LBC radio station on Tuesday.

Sweden’s Public Health Agency said Tuesday that it had urged the government to require travelers from China to present a recent negative Covid-19 test.

The statement from the agency comes as Sweden, which has taken over EU’s rotating presidency, has called a meeting of the EU’s crisis management mechanism for Wednesday to try to agree on a common European line.

The Swedish government “is preparing to be able to introduce travel

restrictions. At the same time, we are conducting a dialogue with our European colleagues to get the same rules as possible in the EU,” Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said in a statement.

Austria, too, plans to test the wastewater of all planes arriving from China for new variants of the coronavirus, the Austria Press Agency reported Tuesday, following a similar announcement by Belgium a day earlier.

Chinese health officials said last week that they had submitted data to GISAID, a global platform for sharing coronavirus data.

The versions of the virus fueling infections in China “closely resemble” those that have been seen in different parts of the world between July and December, GISAID said Monday.

Dr. Gagandeep Kang, who studies viruses in the Christian Medical College of Vellore in India, said that the information from China, albeit limited, seemed to suggest that “the pattern was holding” and that there wasn’t any sign of a worrisome variant emerging.

Mao, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that health authorities had recently held a videoconference with the WHO to exchange views on the current Covid situation, medical treatment, vaccination and other technical issues, and agreed to continue technical exchanges to help end the pandemic as soon as possible.

A senior Hong Kong official also

criticized the steps taken by some other countries. Some countries have applied the requirements to passengers from Hong Kong and Macao, both semiautonomous Chinese territories, as well as mainland China.

Hong Kong Chief Secretary Eric Chan said in a Facebook post that the government had written to various consulates on Monday to express its concerns over the “unnecessary and inappropriate” rules.

Some Canadian experts have questioned the effectiveness of the testing. Kerry Bowman, assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, said that people can test positive long after entering the country.

The requirement is “not based on science at this point,” he said after Canada announced measures last weekend.

China, which for most of the pandemic adopted a “zero-Covid” strategy that imposed harsh restrictions aimed at stamping out the virus, abruptly eased those measures in December.

Chinese authorities previously said that from January 8, overseas travelers would no longer need to quarantine upon arriving in China, paving the way for Chinese residents to travel.

T he Associated Press writers John Leicester in Paris, Sylvia Hui in London, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Kanis Leung in Hong Kong and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

By Damian J. Troise & Alex Veiga AP Business Writers

STOCKS gave up an early gain and ended lower Tuesday, a lackluster first trading day of 2023 for Wall Street just days after it closed the books on its worst year since 2008.

The S&P 500 shed a 1 percent gain and finished 0.4 percent lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped less than 0.1 percent and the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.8 percent. Small-company stocks also lost ground, pulling the Russell 2000 index 0.6 percent lower.

Technology stocks were among the biggest weights on the market. Apple fell 3.7 percent, leaving its market value below $2 trillion for the first time since March 8, 2021. Shares in the iPhone maker fell nearly 27 percent in 2022, their first annual decline in four years amid a broad slide in technology sector stocks.

Long-term bond yields fell significantly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates, fell to 3.77 percent from 3.88 percent late Friday. Stock and bond markets were closed Monday for the observed New Year’s Day holiday.

Investors are opening a new year with the same concerns that weighed on markets in 2022, leading the benchmark S&P 500 to plunge nearly 20 percent for the year, just its third annual decline since the financial crisis 14 years ago.

“With the market down 20 percent, things are on sale, 20 percent off,” said Randy Frederick, managing director of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab. “You’d think people would be willing to come in and buy a little bit, if they’re long-term focused. In the short term, it’s a little bit tougher.”

Inflation is easing, but remains stubbornly hot, which has prompted the Federal Reserve to keep raising interest rates to slow economic growth. That has left Wall Street bracing for the recession and higher unemployment that could result from those policies.

The Fed will release minutes from its December policy meeting on Wednesday, potentially giving investors more insight into its decision-making process and thoughts heading into 2023. The central bank’s next policy decision on interest rates is set for February 1.

The Fed’s key lending rate stands at a range of 4.25 percent to

4.5 percent after rocketing from a range of 0 percent to 0.25 percent at the beginning of 2022. The US central bank forecasts that it will reach a range of 5 percent to 5.25 percent by the end of 2023 and it currently doesn’t call for a rate cut before 2024.

Investors are also looking ahead this week to several updates on the employment market, which has been a strong area of the broader economy. That has helped buffer the economy from a recession, analysts have said, but it also makes the Fed’s fight against inflation more difficult and raises that risk that it could go too far and bring on a recession.

The government will release a report Wednesday on job openings for November, followed by a weekly report on unemployment on Thursday. The broader and closely-watched monthly report on employment, for December, will be released on Friday.

“If we get a weak report, that would be a boost to the market because it might imply that the Fed will ease back a bit on the rate hikes,” Frederick said.

Wall Street is also waiting on the latest round of corporate earnings reports, which will

start flowing heavily around the middle of January. Analysts polled by FactSet expect earnings for companies in the S&P 500 to broadly slip during the fourth quarter and remain flat for the first half of 2023.

Energy stocks also weighed on the market Tuesday as US oil prices settled 4.1 percent lower. Hess fell 5.1 percent.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms rose 3.7 percent to lead a rally in communications services stocks. Gains in several big banks and other financial stocks also helped keep the market’s losses in check. Wells Fargo rose 1.2 percent.

Tesla plunged 12.2 percent for the biggest decline among S&P 500 stocks after the electric vehicle maker’s 2022 sales disappointed investors.

Gold producer Newmont rose 5 percent, the biggest gain in the S&P 500, as prices for the precious metal rose.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 15.36 points to 3,824.14. The Dow slipped 10.88 points to 33,136.37. The Nasdaq slid 79.50 points to 10,386.98. The Russell 2000 fell 10.51 points to 1,750.73.

Markets in Europe and Asia gained ground.

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

McCarthy fails in marathon votes for new speaker, House adjourns

By Lisa Mascaro, Farnoush Amiri & Kevin Freking The Associated Press

WASHINGTON—Failing to elect party leader Kevin McCarthy as the new speaker of the House, Republicans adjourned in disarray Tuesday night, ending a raucous first day of the new Congress but hoping to somehow regroup on Wednesday from his historic defeat.

The abrupt end to a long, messy Day One showed there is no easy way ahead for McCarthy who promised to fight to the finish to claim the gavel despite opposition from the chamber’s most conservative members. Needing 218 votes in the full House, McCarthy got just 203 in two rounds—less even than Democrat Hakeem Jeffries in the GOP-controlled chamber—and fared even worse with 202 in round three.

Tensions rose as night fell on the new House majority, and all other business came to a halt. The House agreed to return at noon Wednesday.

“Kevin McCarthy is not going to be a speaker,” declared Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., among the holdouts.

McCarthy had pledged a “battle on the floor” for as long as it took to overcome rightflank fellow Republicans who were refusing to give him their votes. But it was not at all clear how the embattled GOP leader could rebound after becoming the first House speaker nominee in 100 years to fail to win the gavel with his party in the majority.

Without a speaker, the House cannot fully form—swearing in its members, naming its committee chairmen, engaging in floor proceedings and launching investigations of the Biden administration.

“We all came here to get things done,” said the second-ranking Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise, in a rousing speech urging his colleagues to drop their protest.

Railing against Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda, Scalise, himself a possible GOP compromise choice, said, “We can’t start fixing those problems until we elect Kevin McCarthy our next speaker.”

It was a chaotic start to the new Congress and pointed to a difficult road ahead with Republicans now in control of the House. Lawmakers’ families waited around, as what’s normally a festive day descended into chaos, kids playing in the aisles or squirming in parents’ arms. A new generation of conservative Republicans, many aligned with Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda, want to upend business as usual in Washington, and were committed to stop McCarthy’s rise without concessions to their priorities.

“The American people are watching, and it’s a good thing,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who nominated fellow conservative Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as an alternative for speaker.

It was the second time conservatives pushed forward a reluctant Jordan, the McCarthy rival-turned-ally, who earlier had risen to urge his colleagues, even those who backed him, to drop vote for McCarthy.

“We have to rally around him, come together,” Jordan said.

In all, a core group of 19 Republicans—and then 20—were voting for Jordan, denying McCarthy the majority he needs.

Smiling through it all, McCarthy appeared intent on simply trying to wear down his colleagues. Earlier, he strode into the chamber, posed for photos, and received a standing ovation from many on his side of the aisle. He was nominated by the thirdranking Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who said the Californian from gritty Bakersfield “has what it takes” to lead the House.

But a challenge was quickly raised by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a conservative former leader of the Freedom Caucus, who was nominated by a fellow conservative as speaker. The mood was tense, at least on the Republican side, as lawmakers rose from their seats, in lengthy in-person voting. Democrats were upbeat as they cast their own historic votes for their leader, Rep. Jeffries of New York.

In the first-round tally, McCarthy won 203 votes, with 10 for Biggs and nine for other Republicans. In the second, it was 203 for McCarthy and 19 for Jordan. On the third vote, McCarthy had 202 to Jordan’s 20. Democrat Jeffries had the most, 212 votes, but no nominee won a majority.

“The one thing that’s clear is he doesn’t have the votes,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told CNN before joining with those voting McCarthy. “At some point, as a conference, we’re gonna have to figure out who does.”

The standoff over McCarthy has been building since Republicans appeared on track to win the House majority in the midterm elections. In November a new generation of Trump-aligned Republicans led the opposition to McCarthy, believing he’s neither conservative enough nor tough enough to battle Democrats.

While the Senate remains in Democratic hands, barely, House Republicans are eager to confront Biden after two years of the Democrats controlling both houses of Congress.

After a private GOP morning meeting, a core group of conservatives led by the Freedom Caucus and aligned with Trump were furious, calling the meeting a “beat down” by McCarthy allies and remaining steadfast in their opposition to the GOP leader.

“There’s one person who could have changed all this,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., the chairman of the Freedom Caucus and a leader of Trump’s effort to challenge the 2020 presidential election.

The group said McCarthy had refused the group’s last-ditch demand for rules changes in a meeting late Monday at the Capitol.

“If you want to drain the swamp you can’t put the biggest alligator in control of the exercise,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

McCarthy’s backers grew angry as well. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., a leader of a more pragmatic conservative group, said “frustration was rising” with the minority faction opposing McCarthy.

As the day began, outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gaveled and closed the last session, moving aside for new House leadership in her Democratic Party, to a standing ovation from colleagues on her side of the aisle.

The chaplain opened with a prayer seeking to bring the 118th Congress to life.

Democrats enthusiastically nominated Jeffries, D-.N.Y., who is taking over as party leader, as their choice for speaker—a typically symbolic gesture for the minority but one that took on new importance with Republicans at odds with each other.

“A Latino is nominating in this chamber a Black man for our leader for the first time in American history,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the third-ranking Democrat, in nominating his colleague.

But there was only negative history for the Republicans, as McCarthy fell short, even with an endorsement from former President Trump.

Next steps are uncertain. The second-ranking House Republican, Scalise of Louisiana, could be a next choice, a conservative widely liked by his colleagues and seen by some as a hero after surviving a gunshot wound suffered during a congressional baseball game practice in 2017.

A speaker’s contest last went multiple rounds in 1923.

This year’s Republican deadlock was in stark contrast to the other side of the Capitol, where Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell will officially become the chamber’s longest-serving party leader in history. Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York will remain majority leader.

Despite being in the minority in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim 51-49 majority, McConnell could prove to be a viable partner as Biden seeks bipartisan victories in the new era of divided government. The two men are expected to appear together later in the week in the GOP leader’s home state of Kentucky to celebrate federal infrastructure investment in a vital bridge that connects Kentucky and Ohio.

government sharply criticized Covid-19 testing requirements imposed on visitors from China and threatened countermeasures against countries involved, which include the US and several European nations.

A MAN pushes an elderly woman past patients receiving intravenous drips in the emergency ward of a hospital on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. As the virus continues to rip through China, global organizations and governments have called on the country to start sharing data while others have criticized its current numbers as meaningless. AP/ANDY WONG

World

Japan PM Kishida vows deeper alliance with US on defense

By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press

TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday pledged to deepen his country’s alliance with the United States under Japan’s new defense policy that breaks from its exclusively self-defenseonly stance in the face of growing regional tensions.

Kishida, speaking in a news conference after visiting Ise Shrine in central Japan, said he will visit Washington for talks with President Joe Biden to underscore the strength of the Japan-US alliance and highlight closer cooperation between the countries under Japan’s new security and defense strategies adopted last month.

The US visit is part of Kishida’s upcoming trip to most of the Group of Seven countries beginning Monday. Japan will host this year’s G-7 summit in Hiroshima. Kishida said his meeting with Biden will be “very important” and “more significant than showing my face as G-7 president.”

“We will show to the rest of the world an even stronger Japan-US alliance, which is a lynchpin of Japanese security and diplomacy,” Kishida said. “We will also show our further cooperation toward achieving a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific.’”

Japan, under the new security and defense plans, is purchasing hundreds of US-developed Tomahawks and other long-range cruise missiles to preempt possible attacks and also building up defenses in southwestern Japan amid growing worries of a Taiwan emergency.

Japanese media said the US and Japan are expected to discuss how they would cooperate in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.

Earlier Wednesday, the White House announced that Biden will host Kishida for economic and security consultations on January 13.

Biden and Kishida are expected to discuss North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs,

amid concerns over the potential for another nuclear test by the reclusive nation, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, stability across the Taiwan Strait, climate change and economic issues, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

The two leaders last met in Bali, Indonesia, during November’s Group of 20 summit.

Kishida will also visit France, Italy, Britain and Canada to meet their leaders during his January 9-15 trip, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

Kishida on Wednesday also vowed to tackle Japan’s dire problem of declining births, while pushing his “new capitalism” policy that he said will generate a “virtuous cycle of growth and distribution of wealth” to achieve a steady increase in salaries that have stalled for decades.

The number of babies born in Japan last year is expected to fall to a new record below 800,000 as part of a steady decline that is seen as eroding national strength.

“We cannot wait any longer,” Kishida said. “From an economic perspective, we also need to allay the concerns of those saying they cannot invest in Japan because it’s shrinking from declining births.”

Kishida said the government will do more to expand support for childcare and reduce gender gaps in salaries and working environments to lower barriers for women.

Japan is the world’s thirdbiggest economy but living costs are high and wage increases have been slow. The conservative government has lagged in making society more inclusive for children, women and minorities.

So far, the government’s efforts to encourage people to have more babies has had limited impact despite introducing subsidy payments for pregnancy, childbirth and childcare.

Associated Press White House correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report.

Russia says phone use allowed Ukraine to target its troops

By Felipe Dana The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Unauthorized use of cell phones by Russian soldiers led to a deadly Ukrainian rocket attack on the facility where they were stationed, according to the Russian military, as it raised the death toll from the weekend attack to 89.

Gen. Lt. Sergei Sevryukov said in a statement late Tuesday that phone signals allowed Kyiv’s forces to “determine the coordinates of the location of military personnel” and launch a strike.

The Russian military is taking unspecified measures to “prevent similar tragic incidents in the future,” Sevryukov said, and promised to punish officials responsible for the blunder.

The attack, one of the deadliest on the Kremlin’s forces since the start of the war over 10 months ago, occurred one minute into the New Year, according to Sevryukov.

It was the latest blow to the Kremlin’s military prestige as it struggles to progress with its invasion of its neighbor and stirred renewed criticism inside Russia of the way the war is being conducted amid a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Ukrainian forces fired six rockets from a US-provided HIMARS multiple launch system at a building “in the area of Makiivka” where the soldiers were stationed. Two rockets were downed but four hit the building and detonated, prompting the collapse of the structure.

Details of the strike have trickled out in recent days.

UKintelligence officials said Wednesday that Moscow’s “unprofessional” military practices were likely partly to blame for the high casualty rate in Makiivka.

“Given the extent of the damage, there is a realistic possibility that ammunition was being stored near to troop accommodation, which detonated during the strike, creating secondary explosions,” the UKDefense Ministry said in a Twitter post.

In the same post, the ministry said that the building struck by Ukrainian missiles was little more than 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from the front line near Avdiivka, within “one of the most contested areas of the conflict.” Both Makiivka and Avdiivka, a key target of Russia’s grinding offensive in the Donetsk region, lie on the outskirts of its namesake capital.

“The Russian military has a record of unsafe ammunition storage from well before the current war, but this incident highlights how unprofessional practices contribute to Russia’s high casualty rate,” the update added.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin-appointed leader of the Donetsk region, one of four that Moscow illegally annexed in September, on Wednesday praised the “courage and true heroism” of the dead Russian soldiers.

Denis Pushilin said in a Telegram post that some of those killed tried to pull their comrades from the burning building.

In Samara, in southwestern Russia, locals on Tuesday gathered for an Orthodox service in memory of the dead. The service was followed by a minute’s silence, and flowers were laid at a Soviet-era war memorial, the state RIA Novosti agency reported. Unconfirmed reports in Russian-language media said the victims were mobilized reservists from the region.

The Russian Defense Ministry, in a rare admission of losses, initially said the strike killed 63 troops. But as emergency crews sifted through the rubble of the building, the death toll mounted. The regiment’s deputy commander was among the dead.

Unconfirmed reports put the death toll much higher.

The Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine’s armed forces claimed Sunday that around 400 mobilized Russian soldiers were killed in a vocational school building in Makiivka and about 300 more were wounded. That claim couldn’t be independently verified. The Russian statement said the strike occurred “in the area of Makiivka” and didn’t mention the vocational school.

Pope Francis praises ‘gentle’ Benedict ahead of funeral

By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis praised Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s “acute and gentle thought” as he presided over a packed Wednesday general audience in the Vatican, while thousands of people paid tribute to the former pope on the final day of public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Francis was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd in the Paul VI auditorium and shouts of “Viva il papa!” or “Long live the pope” as he arrived for his weekly catechism appointment with the faithful.

This week’s audience drew an unusually large crowd given the more than 130,000 people who have flocked to the Vatican following Benedict’s death on Saturday and lined up to pay their respect to the German pope, who is lying in state in the basilica.

Francis is due to preside over Benedict’s funeral on Thursday, an event that is drawing heads of state and royalty despite Benedict’s requests for simplicity and Vatican efforts to keep the first Vatican funeral for an emeritus pope in modern times low-key.

Francis drew applause when

he opened his remarks by noting all those who were outside paying tribute to Benedict, whom he called a “great master of catechesis.”

“His acute and gentle thought was not self-referential, but ecclesial, because he always wanted to accompany us in the encounter with Jesus,” Francis said.

Later Wednesday, Vatican officials were to place Benedict’s body in three coffins—one of cypress wood, one of zinc, and then a second wooden casket—along with a written account of his historic papacy, the coins minted during his pontificate and his pallium stoles. The coffins are to be sealed before Thursday’s funeral and burial in the crypt once occupied by the tomb of St. John Paul II in the grottos underneath the basilica.

Benedict, who was elected pope in 2005 following John Paul’s death, became the first pope in six centuries years to resign when he announced in 2013 he no longer had the strength to lead the Catholic Church. After Francis was elected pope, Benedict spent his nearly decade-long retirement in a converted monastery in the Vatican Gardens.

“We can’t forget the example that he gave in his resignation, that he more or less said, ‘Look, I’m not in this for the prestige, the power of the office, I’m in it for service, as Jesus taught,’” recalled Cardinal Timothy Dolan, whom Benedict named archbishop of New York in 2009 and cardinal in 2012. Dolan came to Rome for the funeral.

Thursday’s rite takes into account the unusual situation

Myanmar military leader touts poll plan on Independence Day

BANGKOK—Myanmar’s ruling military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, detailed plans for an election later this year and called for national unity in a speech on Wednesday as he led a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of independence from Britain.

He urged other nations and international organizations, as well as his country’s own people, to support “the genuine, discipline-flourishing multiparty democratic system,” a concept the ruling military has defined as its goal since it ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Min Aung Hlaing also announced a pardon for 7,012 prisoners to mark the occasion, along with a partial commutation of the sentences of other inmates not convicted of serious crimes. Some political detainees were among those being released, but there was no sign that the gesture would include Suu Kyi, who has been held virtually incommunicado by the military since it seized power.

The 77-year-old Suu Kyi is serving 33 years imprisonment after being convicted of a series of politically tinged prosecutions brought by the military, including for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching the country’s official secrets act, sedition, election fraud and corruption charges. She has been held since June in a custom-built bungalow at the main prison in the capital, Naypyitaw, kept company by three women guards but isolated from other prisoners.

Suu Kyi’s supporters and independent analysts say the cases against her constitute an attempt to discredit her and legitimize the

military’s seizure of power while keeping her from taking part in the election that the military has said would take place by August this year.

The first real move toward holding polls could occur at the end of this month, when the latest six-month extension of a state of emergency is completed. The state of emergency was instituted to allow military rule after its takeover in 2021.

The army’s takeover reversed nearly a decade of progress toward democracy after five decades of military rule. The military has said it acted due to massive voting fraud in the poll, though independent election observers did not find any major irregularities.

“Upon accomplishing the provisions of the state of emergency, free and fair elections will be held in line with the 2008 constitution, and further work will be undertaken to hand over state duties to the winning party in accordance with the democratic standards,” Min Aung Hlaing declared in his speech in the capital, Naypyitaw, where he also presided over a largescale parade.

Military units and civil servants marched in formation close to the grandiose parliament complex while fighter jets, bombers and helicopters flew overhead.

The plan for a general election is widely seen as an attempt to normalize the military’s seizure of power through the ballot box and to deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control. The military will control the entire process and has spent the past two years enfeebling any credible opposition.

Although not officially outlawed, the National League for Democracy, the popular former

ruling party, has effectively been broken up, with its leaders and many of its members either in jail or in hiding. All forms of dissent are currently suppressed by the security forces, sometimes with lethal force.

The NLD, led by Suu Kyi, won a second successive landslide victory in the 2020 general election, a result that triggered its overthrow by the military the following year.

The army’s seizure of power led to peaceful nationwide protests that the security forces quashed with deadly force, triggering armed resistance that some UN experts characterize as civil war.

Myanmar’s history even before the 2021 takeover was marked by decades of armed conflict between the central government and ethnic minorities seeking greater autonomy, mostly in border regions.

Armed conflict still rages through most of the country, and Min Aung Hlaing stressed that “the cessation of internal armed conflicts to ensure national solidarity and peace which are absolute necessities for our country and strenuous efforts are being made towards that end.”

Min Aung Hlaing’s government’s toppling of democracy and fierce repression of all opposition have also made it a pariah state among many other countries, which have instituted political and economic sanctions against the ruling generals.

“It is seen that some organizations and countries had meddled in the internal affairs of Myanmar. However, we have decided to stand firm globally, while adhering to our foreign policy in order to safeguard the sovereignty, security and interests of our nation,” he said. AP

in which a reigning pope will preside over a funeral for a retired one, making important changes to a funeral ritual for popes that is highly codified. Two key prayers, from the diocese of Rome and the Eastern rite churches, that were recited during John Paul’s funeral, for example, will be omitted because Benedict wasn’t pope when he died and because both branches of the Catholic Church still have a reigning pope as their leader: Francis.

While the funeral will be novel, it does has some precedent: In 1802, Pope Pius VII celebrated the funeral in St. Peter’s of his predecessor, Pius VI, who had died in exile in France in 1799 as a prisoner of Napoleon, the Vatican noted Wednesday.

Pakistan orders malls to close early amid economic crisis

I

SLAMABAD—Authorities on Wednesday ordered shopping malls and markets to close by 8:30 p.m. as part of a new energy conservation plan aimed at easing Pakistan’s economic crisis, officials said. The move comes amid talks with the International Monetary Fund.

On Tuesday, Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif and Minister for Power Ghultam Dastghir said the government decided to shut establishments early as part of the new energy conservation plan approved by the Cabinet. Authorities also ordered wedding halls and restaurants to shut at 10 p.m.

The government expects these measures to save energy and curtail the costs of imported oil, for which Pakistan spends $3 billion annually. In Pakistan, most of the electricity is generated by using imported oil.

So far, there has been a mixed reaction from representatives of shopping malls, restaurants and shop owners who want the government to reverse the decision.

Many Pakistanis do their shopping and dine at restaurants as late as midnight.

Business leaders say the new measures will have a negative impact on their establishments, which suffered during the pandemic under government-imposed lockdowns to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Since 2021, the coronavirus has caused 36,000 deaths out of 1.5 million cases in Pakistan.

Pakistan is currently in talks with the IMF to soften some conditions on its $6 billion bailout, which the government thinks will cause a further increase in inflation.

The fund released the last crucial tranche of $1.1 billion to cash-strapped Pakistan in August. Since then, there has been a stalemate in talks between the two parties.

Pakistan says last summer’s devastating floods caused up to $40 billion in damages to the country’s economy, making it difficult for the government to comply with some of the IMF’s conditions, including increases in the price of gas and electricity and new taxes. AP

POPE Francis poses for a photo with a group of nuns at the end of his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. AP PHOTO/ANDREW MEDICHINI

The

editorial

Let’s protect PHL’s pleasant global image

THe Philippines welcomed 2023 with an incident at the country’s premier gateway that crippled international and domestic flights. Described as “absolute nightmare”, the New Year fiasco at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) disrupted 285 flights and altered the travel plans of some 65,000 passengers. The cause: An allegedly preventable air traffic system foul-up.

The Department of Transportation has launched a probe, and senators are also planning an investigation.

Initial reports said a power outage was responsible for the incident. However, in an online press conference, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) Director General (Ret.) Capt. Manuel Tamayo both said that power supply was available. The disaster, it turned out, was traced to a technical issue related to the airport’s Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ ATM) System.

Transportation officials in the Duterte administration may have failed— deliberately or not—to spend P13 billion appropriated by Congress in 2018 for a vital backup in the air traffic control system, then declared this as savings and realigned it for what are billed as “cosmetic” civil works at the airport. Former senator Panfilo Lacson raised this possibility on Tuesday in reply to a BusinessMirror query on a report that during DOTr Secretary Arturo Tugade’s watch, the P13 billion for “redundancies” in the ATC system under the Caap was diverted to non-essential civil works at the airport. That backup system is now being seen as the vital cog that could have prevented the massive New Year’s glitch that paralyzed flights at Naia. (Read, “Check ‘diversion’ of aviation gear fund–Ping,” in the BusinessMirror, January 4, 2023).

Reacting to reports of an alleged diversion of the P13-billion outlay, Lacson tweeted on Tuesday: “Stupidity or greed? If reports are accurate that the budget appropriated by Congress for the setup of redundancies in the air traffic control system was diverted to some beautification projects at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, those responsible should spend their next holiday season in jail.”

“Incidentally, DOTr is one of the departments with the worst underspending record, year in and year out. The P13 billion must have been part of their unspent appropriations, declared as savings, then realigned,” Lacson said. He expressed hope that the Senate Public Services Committee, chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, “can look more deeply into the history of that particular appropriation” when the Senate inquiry into the January 1 fiasco rolls around.

Former secretary Arthur Tugade asked former Transportation undersecretary Artemio Tuazon to be his spokesperson to clarify claims that he supposedly caused the diversion of P13 billion in funds to upgrade the CNS/ATM System at Naia. Tuazon said Tugade “did not commit malversation of funds for the CNS/ATM System.” (Read, “No diversion of radar funds by ex-DOTr chief Tugade,” in the BusinessMirror, January 4, 2023).

Tuazon clarified that the funding for the CNS/ATM System was under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) and that the Naia beautification project was under the Manila International Airport Authority. Caap and Miaa are attached agencies of the DOTr. Tuazon clarified that the DOTr merely had “oversight functions” over the two agencies, which have their own legal charters.

“They are two different agencies and we cannot divert funds without Congressional approval—that action will be flagged by the Commission on Audit. As he is a lawyer, Tugade is not stupid to do that. It’s not true that there was a diversion of funds,” he said.

The urgent need to look deeper into the Naia fiasco that crippled international and domestic flights can’t be overemphasized. The country can’t afford another preventable incident like this, especially now that our tourism industry is starting to recover. The Philippines is perceived as the friendliest country in Asia. Let’s not allow bureaucratic inefficiencies and misappropriation of public funds to destroy the country’s pleasant global image.

An account of Benedict’s papacy to be sealed in his coffin

By Giada Zampano & Frances D’emilio | The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY—A written account of the history-making papacy of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI will be placed alongside his body in his coffin for burial, the Vatican said Tuesday in revealing plans for the first funeral of a pontiff to resign in six centuries.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people filed through St. Peter’s Basilica to view his body as it lay in state for a second day.

When the viewing ends Wednesday evening, a one-page account of Benedict’s nearly eight-year papacy will be put into a metal cylinder and placed inside the coffin, along with other items including Vatican coins minted during his reign, said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. Benedict, 95, died Saturday after 10 years in an extraordinary papal retirement lived out in a monastery in the Vatican Gardens. Pope Francis will celebrate the funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday.

Although the Vatican has stressed that Benedict wanted “simplicity” to characterize his funeral, Bruni said the liturgy will “in great detail be that of pontifical ceremonies... with some original elements.”

After the public viewing concludes at 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Wednesday, “the coffin will be closed, with a special rite,’’ Bruni said. Benedict’s body will be placed in a coffin hewn from cypress, and then put into a zinc coffin that will be sealed in a second

wooden casket.

It will be brought out of the basilica and into the square about 40 minutes before Thursday’s funeral, as the crowd gathered for the service recites the rosary for Benedict, who served as pontiff from April 2005 through February 2013.

Vatican security estimated about 65,000 people filed past the bier on Monday and 70,000 had done so on Tuesday. Two influential US churchmen, Cardinals Timothy Dolan of New York and Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston, attended Mass in the basilica at an altar just behind the central viewing area on the second day.

Among prominent clergymen coming for the funeral will be Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, his secretary said. Zen, a retired 90-yearold bishop, has been sharply at odds with Francis over the Vatican’s agreement with Chinese authorities on the appointment of bishops. Zen contends the deal betrays proVatican Catholics in China and the clergy who have suffered persecution there.

Elevated to the rank of cardinal

by Benedict, Zen had been arrested last year on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces to endanger China’s national security. While not charged with the security-related accusations, he was fined in November after being found guilty of failing to register a now-defunct fund that sought to help people arrested in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was among those at the basilica, whose doors opened before dawn. Like Benedict, Orbán has crusaded for a revival of what European conservatives view as the continent’s Christian roots.

Others paying respects included Miriam Groppelli, an altar server in her parish in Milan, who wasn’t even born when Benedict was pontiff. The 6-year-old had traveled by train with her father, Giuseppe Groppelli, 40, along with her grandparents and older brother and sisters.

“I told her his story, and she was really excited to come to Rome to say goodbye,” the father said. “Benedict has been very important for the Church, his speeches were so clear and beautiful. He leaves a great legacy of knowledge.”

Groppelli offered his take on Benedict’s unusual, nearly-decadelong retirement arrangement that saw him living in the Vatican City monastery where he died. Francis, who was elected in 2013 by fellow cardinals to succeed him, lived nearby.

“I believe there’s no real war or competition within the church and between popes. The church lives and grows every day, also thanks to their words,” he said.

Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, had served for decades at the Vatican as the church’s guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy, was known for his theological knowledge as well as for eloquent speeches.

Since Benedict was no longer head of Vatican City State, in contrast to protocols for funerals of popes who died while still reigning, only two countries—Italy and his native Germany—will send official delegations, according to the Vatican.

Instead, politicians and royalty, especially of predominantly Catholic countries, will attend in a private capacity.

With no need to elect a new pope, cardinals coming from around the world for Benedict’s funeral won’t have to stay in Rome for a conclave to pick the next Church leader. Still, Francis will have ample opportunity to confer with these “princes of the Church,’’ who serve as his privileged advisers.

The last decade saw an uneasy equilibrium over the presence in the Vatican of a retired pope and a reigning one.

Now, Francis heads the Church without that presence looming over his papacy. nicole winfield contributed reporting.

Battered by Covid, China hits pause on giant chip spending aimed at rivaling US

CHINA is pausing massive investments aimed at building a chip industry to compete with the US, as a nationwide Covid resurgence strains the world’s No. 2 economy and Beijing’s finances.

Top officials are discussing ways to move away from costly subsidies that have so far borne little fruit and encouraged both graft and American sanctions, people familiar with the matter said. While some continue to push for incentives of as much as 1 trillion yuan ($145 billion), other policymakers have lost their taste for an investmentled approach that’s not yielded the results anticipated, the people said.

Instead, they’re seeking alternative ways to assist homegrown chipmakers, such as lowering the cost of semiconductor materials, the people said, asking not to be identified revealing sensitive negotiations.

That would mark a shift in Beijing’s approach toward an industry regarded as crucial to challenging American dominance and safeguarding Chinese economic and military competitiveness. It un-

derscores how the country’s economic ructions are taxing Beijing’s resources and hobbling its chip ambitions—one of President Xi Jinping’s top priorities. That could have ramifications for spending in other critical areas, from the environment to defense.

It’s unclear what other chip policies Beijing is considering, or whether it will ultimately decide to ditch the capital investment-heavy approach that’s worked so well in propelling its manufacturing sector over the past decades. China’s government could still decide to divert resources from other arenas to fund its chipmakers. Representatives for the State Council Information Office and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology didn’t immediately respond to faxed requests for comment.

the discussions now under-

way are in stark contrast to Beijing’s prior efforts of pouring colossal resources into the chip industry, including setting up the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund in 2014.

That vehicle lies at the heart of Xi’s unhappiness with Beijing’s prior philosophy. Known within the industry as the Big Fund, it drew about $45 billion in capital and backed scores of companies, including China’s chipmaking champions Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co.

Xi’s administration grew frustrated that tens of billions of dollars funneled into the industry over the past decade haven’t produced breakthroughs that allow China to compete with the US on a more equal footing. In fact, SMIC and Yangtze, arguably the two most advanced Chinese semiconductor players, were crippled by US sanctions.

Senior Beijing officials ordered a flurry of anti-graft probes into top industry figures last summer, blaming corruption for wasted and inef-

ficient investment. The Big Fund is likely to lose its stature as a result, the people said.

All that happened as semiconductors increasingly became a key battleground in the rivalry between China and the US. Xi has repeatedly talked about the need for a sense of urgency to resolve China’s so-called chokepoints: areas where the country still relies heavily on the US and other foreign powers, including critical technologies such as chips.

He has implored top officials to achieve self-sufficiency in key technologies as the US moves to isolate China. When he secured a precedent-breaking third term in October, Xi vowed to “move faster” in implementing strategic projects to increase innovation, saying “efforts will be made to improve the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide to make key technological breakthroughs, and boost China’s strength in strategic science and technology.”

In response, Chinese officials recently discussed whether to See “Battered” A15

Four-day workweek comes to power lunch spot in Dubai

By Lisa Fleisher | Bloomberg Opinion

One of Dubai’s most popular power lunch spots is moving permanently to a four-day workweek.

LPM Restaurant & Bar, formerly known as La Petite Maison, says servers, cooks and other staff members will take on longer shifts on two days and have three days off per week at both of its branches in the United Arab emirates. Overall, staff members will work slightly fewer hours per week and keep the same salary.

The French restaurant is making the change in a bid to attract and retain the best employees in a notoriously high-pressure industry. “It was really necessary to act,” says Alexandra Audon, director of operations in the Middle East at LPM. “In an era when everyone is talking about a work-life balance, I can assure you that the hospitality industry was never known to tick the boxes.”

The move comes as companies and governments around the world experiment with four-day workweeks, accelerated by Covid-19 pandemic disruptions. Some studies of pilot programs last year concluded that the reduced or compressed hours were good for both businesses and employees. In the UK, 88% of companies that tried out the shortened week last year said the new schedule worked well.

In the ideal setup—the one championed by New Zealand-based 4 Day Week Global—employees would reduce their hours per week by a full workday but retain the same pay. At LPM, staff will work three fewer hours than before.

Other restaurants around the world have also started to experiment with their staff’s schedules.

New York chef Dan Barber reimagined the schedule at Blue Hill at Stone Barns so that staff members spend two-thirds of their time doing their traditional restaurant jobs and a third working on research and development.

The four-day workweek is more commonly tried in tech, finance, and professional services or in other of-

fice jobs than in the hospitality sector, says Joe O’Connor, director and co-founder of the Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence and former chief executive officer of 4 Day Week Global. That’s in part because there’s less slack in restaurants: fewer meetings that could be e-mails.

“It probably requires a somewhat more innovative approach,” O’Connor says. Still, he has seen it succeed. Some restaurants have automated certain processes such as reservations or payments, while others have gone so far as change the layout of floor plans to give servers shorter routes between two points, he says.

Companies that offer the same pay for fewer hours get a flood of resumes and have low turnover, O’Connor says.

The UAE already has a shortened workweek for public employees. A year ago, the country moved its official weekend to Saturday and Sunday, in line with global business schedules, and made Friday—an important religious day—a half day for most government workers. The emirate of Sharjah, north of Dubai, moved to a four-day week, altogether forgoing the half day on Friday.

LPM tried out the new workweek for several months in each location: Dubai, with 110 staff members, and Abu Dhabi, which has 67 on staff.

The operational staff (think office workers) aren’t included in the new schedule, just staff in the front-and back of the house. While some people said they had to adjust to the new routine, there were no complains, Audon says.

China’s technological ambitions.

US bank watchdogs issue joint warning on crypto activities

By Ben Bain | Bloomberg Opinion

The top US bank regulators issued a fresh warning to lenders about the risks associated with delving into crypto.

The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Tuesday detailed concerns with the volatile asset class. Officials said in a statement that it was important that risks that can’t be controlled aren’t allowed to migrate to the banking system.

“The events of the past year have been marked by significant volatility and the exposure of vulnerabilities in the crypto-asset sector,” the agencies said.

The warning follows a particularly fraught period for crypto. The collapse in November of the FTX exchange has left customers around the world facing the potential of billions of dollars in losses.

Federal watchdogs have insisted that the impact on the broader financial system from FTX’s implosion was minimal. However, it has kindled calls for American regulators to do more to prevent further calamities.

“It is important that risks related to the crypto-asset sector that cannot be mitigated or controlled do not migrate to the banking system,” the regulators said. The watchdogs said they would continue “to take a careful and cautious approach related to current or proposed crypto-asset-

related activities and exposures at each banking organization.”

Some of the risks that the regulators identified include: n Fraud and scams.

n Legal uncertainties around custody.

n Misleading statements by crypto firms.

n Contagion within the crypto sector.

Although Wall Street has been slow to embrace crypto, the FTX collapse has exposed how some smaller US banks have gotten involved in the sector. For example, the firm listed in bankruptcy filings Silvergate Capital Corp. and Signature Bank, which are both federally regulated, as places where it or related entities had accounts. Both firms have said that deposits related to the exchange represented a very small percentage of their overall deposits.

On Tuesday, Signature Bank said

The watchdogs on Tuesday took particular issue with what they said were business models that had concentrated exposure to the sector. “Based on the agencies’ current understanding and experience to date, the agencies believe that issuing or holding as principal crypto-assets that are issued, stored, or transferred on an open, public, and/or decentralized network, or similar system is highly likely to be inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices,” the agencies said.

that it supported regulators’ focus on crypto and that it has been taking steps to significantly reduce deposit concentrations related to crypto clients and others. “We do not lend in this space, nor do we trade, invest or custody crypto assets,” the firm said. Silvergate declined to comment on the joint statement from watchdogs.

In October, Bank of New York Mellon Corp. announced the launch of a digital asset platform in the US to allow some clients to hold and transfer Bitcoin and Ether. The firm declined to comment on the regulators’ statement.

The watchdogs on Tuesday took particular issue with what they said were business models that had concentrated exposure to the sector.

“Based on the agencies’ current understanding and experience to date, the agencies believe that issuing or holding as principal crypto-assets that are issued, stored, or transferred on an open, public, and/or decentralized network, or similar system is highly likely to be inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices,” the agencies said.

Lee Reiners, policy director at the Duke Financial Economics Center and a former bank examiner at the New York Fed, said the comment signals that regulators don’t want banks to hold crypto on their balance sheets, excluding custodial services.

Still, officials stopped short of announcing any additional rules, or a further crackdown on the sector. They also didn’t mention any firms by name.

“I find the response inadequate given what we’ve learned about the extent of fraud, misuse of customer assets and other misconduct,” said Arthur Wilmarth, professor emeritus at George Washington University Law School. “I would expect them to have a higher sense of alarm about this whole area.” With assistance from Yueqi Yang / Bloomberg.

Russia, shaken by Ukrainian strike, could step up drone use

By Felipe Dana The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Emergency crews on Tuesday sifted through the rubble of a building struck by Ukrainian rockets, killing at least 63 Russian soldiers barracked there, in the latest blow to the Kremlin’s war strategy as Ukraine says Moscow’s tactics could be shifting.

An Associated Press video of the scene in Makiivka, a town in the partially Russian-occupied eastern Donetsk region, showed five cranes and emergency workers removing big chunks of concrete under a clear blue sky.

“in the area of Makiivka” and didn’t mention the vocational school.

Satellite photos analyzed by The AP show the apparent aftermath of the strike. An image from Dec. 20 showed the building standing. One from Jan. 2 showed it in ruins. Other days had intense cloud cover, making it impossible to see the site by standard satellite imagery.

Vigils for soldiers killed in the strike took place in two Russian cities Tuesday, the state RIA Novosti agency reported.

In comments a day earlier, Zelenskyy had claimed the Kremlin plans to step up the use of Iranian-made exploding drones.

“We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack by Shaheds (exploding drones),” he said Monday night. Zelenskyy said the goal is to break Ukraine’s resistance by “exhausting our people, (our) air defense, our energy.”

as Ukraine claims a high success rate against the weapons. Even so, part of the intention of using drones is to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses.

During the first two days of the new year, which were marked by relentless nighttime drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, the country’s forces shot down more than 80 Iranian-made drones, Zelenskyy said.

offer additional incentives for domestic semiconductor companies, the people said. But many reckoned it would be difficult to pool a substantial amount after Beijing had spent heavily to combat Covid over past years, according to the people.

Instead, officials are now asking local semiconductor material suppliers to cut prices to provide support to their domestic customers, the people said.

Weak tax revenue, declining land sales and the cost of stemming Covid has squeezed the government’s finances, pushing the fiscal deficit to a record last year.

Meanwhile, the US is proving increasingly aggressive in going after

Last year, it accelerated a campaign to contain Beijing’s chip endeavors, wielding various tools including export controls to deter China’s progress in emerging technologies. That was part of efforts to maintain what US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called “as large of a lead as possible.”

Its key allies including the Netherlands and Japan have also agreed in principle to tighten controls over the export of advanced chipmaking machinery to China, Bloomberg News has reported, in what may be another potentially debilitating blow to Beijing’s grand chip plans.  With assistance from Debby Wu, Gao Yuan, Mayumi Negishi, Daniel Ten Kate, John Liu and Nasreen Seria / Bloomberg.

In the attack, which apparently happened last weekend, Ukrainian forces fired rockets from a US-provided HIMARS multiple launch system, according to a Russian Defense Ministry statement.

It was one of the deadliest attacks on the Kremlin’s forces since the war began more than 10 months ago and an embarrassment that stirred renewed criticism inside Russia of the way the war is being conducted.

The Russian statement Monday about the attack provided few other details. Other, unconfirmed reports put the death toll much higher.

The Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine’s armed forces claimed Sunday that around 400 mobilized Russian soldiers were killed in a vocational school building in Makiivka and about 300 more were wounded. That claim couldn’t be independently verified. The Russian statement said the strike occurred

In Samara, in southwestern Russia, locals gathered for an Orthodox service in memory of the dead. The service was followed by a minute’s silence, and flowers were laid at a Soviet-era war memorial, RIA reported.

Unconfirmed reports in Russianlanguage media said the victims were mobilized reservists from the region.

With the fighting raging much longer than anticipated by the Kremlin, and becoming bogged down in a war of attrition amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive backed by Westernsupplied weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin is mulling over ways of regaining momentum.

In a video address late Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country needs to strengthen its defenses in the face of what he described as Russian plans for a new offensive.

“There is no doubt, that todays bosses of Russia will gather all they can to try to reverse the battlefield situation or at least delay their defeat,” he said. “We must derail that Russian scenario and are getting ready for it.”

For the Russian military, the exploding drones are a cheap weapon that also spreads fear among the enemy. The United States and its allies have sparred with Iran over Tehran’s role in allegedly supplying Moscow with the drones.

The Institute for the Study of War said Putin is striving to strengthen support for his strategy among key voices in Russia.

“Russia’s air and missile campaign against Ukraine is likely not generating the Kremlin’s desired information effects among Russia’s nationalists,” the think tank said late Monday.

“Such profound military failures will continue to complicate Putin’s efforts to appease the Russian pro-war community and retain the dominant narrative in the domestic information space,” it added.

Meanwhile, drone advances in Ukraine have accelerated a trend that could soon bring the world’s first fully autonomous fighting robots to the battlefield. Experts say it may be a matter of time before Russia or Ukraine deploy them.

Putin’s additional reliance on currently available drones might not help him achieve his goals, however,

US reopening visa and consular services at embassy in Cuba

By Megan Janetsky The Associated Press

HAVANA—The United States Embassy in Cuba is reopening visa and consular services Wednesday, the first time it has done so since a spate of unexplained health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017 slashed the American presence in Havana.

The Embassy confirmed this week it will begin processing immigrant visas, with a priority placed on permits to reunite Cubans with family in the US, and others like the diversity visa lottery.

The resumption comes amid the greatest migratory flight from Cuba in decades, which has placed pressure on the Biden administration to open more legal pathways to

Cubans and start a dialogue with the Cuban government, despite a historically tense relationship.

They are anticipated to give out at least 20,000 visas a year, though it’s just a drop in the bucket of the migratory tide, which is fueled by intensifying economic and political crises on the island.

In late December, US authorities reported stopping Cubans 34,675 times along the Mexico border in November, up 21% from 28,848 times in October.

Month-to-month, that number has gradually risen. Cubans are now the second-largest nationality after Mexicans appearing on the border, US Customs and Border Protection data shows.

The growing migration is due to a complex array of factors, including economic, energy and politi-

cal crises, as well deep discontent among Cubans.

While the vast majority of Cuban migrants head to the US via flights to Nicaragua and cross by land at the US border with Mexico, thousands more have also taken a dangerous voyage by sea. They travel 90 miles to the Florida coast, often arriving in rickety, precariously constructed boats packed with migrants.

The exodus from Cuba is also compounded by rising migration to the US from other countries like Haiti and Venezuela, forcing the US government to grapple with a growingly complex situation on its southern border.

The renewal of visa work at the embassy comes after a series of migration talks and visits by US officials to Havana in recent

months, and may also be the sign of a slow thawing between the two governments.

“Engaging in these talks underscores our commitment to pursuing constructive discussions with the government of Cuba where appropriate to advance US interests,” the US Embassy said in a statement in November following an American delegation’s visit to Cuba.

The small steps are far cry from relations under President Barack Obama, who eased many American Cold War-era sanctions during his time in office and made a historic visit to the island in 2016.

Visa and consular services were closed on the island in 2017 after embassy staff were afflicted in a series of health incidents, alleged sonic attacks that remain largely unexplained.

As a result, many Cubans who wanted to legally migrate to the US have had to fly to places like Guyana to do so before migrating or reuniting with family.

While relations have always been tense between Cuba and the US, they were heightened following the embassy closure and the Trump administration’s tightening of sanctions on Cuba.

U nder President Joe Biden, the US has eased some restrictions on things like remittances and family travel from Miami to Cuba, but has fallen short of hopes by many in Cuba that a Biden presidency would return the island to its “Obama era.”

Restrictions on tourist travel to Cuba, and imports and exports of many goods, remain in place.

Also kindling tensions has

Since September, Ukraine’s armed forces have shot down almost 500 drones, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat claimed in a television interview Tuesday.

As well as seeking to wear down resistance to Russia’s invasion, the long-range bombardments have targeted the power grid to leave civilians at the mercy of biting winter weather.

In the latest fighting, a Russian missile strike overnight on the city of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region wounded two people, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, reported Tuesday.

The Russian military on Tuesday acknowledged strikes on Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk, also in Donetsk.

The Defense Ministry claimed it destroyed four HIMARS launchers in the area. This claim could not be independently verified.

A reporter with French broadcaster TF1 was live on television screens when a blast from one of the strikes erupted behind him in Druzhkivka. A German reporter with Bild newspaper suffered a minor injury from shrapnel in the same bombardment. Jon Gambrell in Rome contributed to this report.

been the Cuban government’s harsh treatment of participants in the island’s 2021 protests, including hefty prison sentences doled out to minors, a constant point of criticism by the Biden administration.

Cuban officials have repeatedly expressed optimism about talks with the U.S. and steps to reopen visa services. Cuban Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Cossio said in November that ensuring migration through safe and legal pathways is a “mutual objective” by both countries.

But Cossio also blamed the flight of tens of thousands from the island on US sanctions, saying that “there’s no doubt that a policy meant to depress the living standards of a population is a direct driver of migration.”

EXPLAIN ‘GLITCH,’ GCG ORDERS CAAP

THE Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) has directed the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to explain the alleged “technical glitch” that led to cancellation of flights at NAIA last January 1.

T his, as top aviation and security authorities agreed on the immediate upgrade of facilities and replacement of defective equipment during a top-level meeting called to address the problem caused by the power failure that resulted in the closure of Philippine air space during the New Year day.

A t Tuesday’s meeting at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) head office, the heads or representatives of heads and representatives from the Departments of Transportation (DOTr), of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and of National Defense (DND); National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and Intelligence Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) recommended the measures to prevent another breakdown of aviation following the New Year’s Day technical glitch that resulted in cancellations, suspension of international and domestic

flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Clark International Airport (CIA), Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), Davao International Airport (DIA) and other CAAP-operated airports.

A fter CAAP officials reported their findings on the most likely cause of the glitch to DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy offered to assist CAAP in expediting acquisition of the needed upgrade and repair packs.

U y said, “We will give our full support to DOTr and CAAP in resolving this issue.”

A t the interagency meeting, National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos suggested that such communications and electrical equipment are vital to national security, thereby facilitating any purchase and preventing a repeat of the incident.

C AAP also informed Carlos and Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino Jr. that this does not appear to be a cybercrime because affected electrical equipment cannot be manipulated from outside the CAAP compound. Nonetheless, a review will still be conducted by cybersecurity experts.

Continued on A5

PEZA: Work goes on despite case in Ombudsman

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has assured locators, stakeholders, investors, and the general public that the agency is performing “normally and beyond par” under the supervision of its current Officer-in-Charge amid the allegations hurled against the interim chief.

“ The agency assures the locators, stakeholders, investors and the general public that it adheres to the highest standards of public service as it pursues its objective of promoting the Philippines as a premier business investment and manufacturing hub and destination in the world,” the investment promotion agency said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Distractions and allegations perpetuated against PEZA only negatively affect the perception of the agency. With this statement, we aim to assure everybody that the agency is performing normally and beyond par under the aegis of its current OIC,” PEZA also noted.

A complaint, dated December 28, 2022, was filed by four PEZA employees against the agency’s Officer-in-Charge Tereso O. Panga. The complaint, filed before the Office of the Ombudsman in Cebu City, contains charges of Usurpation of Authority and Violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

A mando Virgil D. Ligutan, counsel for the four complainants, said in a televised interview on Tuesday that the employees filed the complaints because of the “persecution of the self-appointed” OIC of PEZA. They were persecuted precisely because they are identified as supporters of Director Plaza. The three of them were removed, their contracts were not renewed when in fact their performance was beyond satisfactory,” Ligutan said.

O n the other hand, PEZA’s statement defended Panga. “This

complaint with the Ombudsman is baseless, malicious and unfounded. Whatever issues that may be alleged therein are just rehash and obvious bad faith and forum shopping (in the case of the current employee complainant even after her appeal for status quo was granted.”

Peza said the OIC will reply to the allegations promptly upon receipt of a copy of complaint from the Ombudsman.

T he investment promotion agency said the issues raised by the employees have been properly addressed by the PEZA management with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“As for the 3 former contractual employee-complainants, they have gone due process after having filed their respective clearances with PEZA and received their final separation pay,” Peza said.

Peza also refuted the lawyer’s “misleading” claims that Panga is “self-appointed/designated.” The agency said, “Being the most senior career executive and next in rank officer of the agency, the bases of the designation/assumption of the OIC are [Office of the President]

OP Memorandum Circular (MC) Nos. 1, 3 and 9, the provisions of which are clear and immediately executory.”

T his is strengthened, PEZA noted, by MC No. 12 which was recently issued by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin for the OIC’s continuance of office until President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. appoints a permanent one.

“ There was no self-designation/ appointment made by the current OIC but rather, his assumption of the duties and discharge the responsibilities of the head of the agency until a replacement has been appointed or designated is by operation of law pursuant to MC Nos. 1, 3 and 9,” Peza stressed.

Andrea E. San Juan

M3 grows 5.4% in Nov on domestic claims hike

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

ment also rose by 13.8 percent in November from 14.7 percent in October owing mainly to the borrowings by the National Government.

Meanwhile, net foreign assets (NFA) in peso terms declined by 1.8 percent in November from the 1.4-percent contraction in October.

T he NFA of banks fell mainly on account of higher bills payable. Similarly, the BSP’s NFA position contracted by 1.0 percent in November 2022.

The results of the TDF auction came as eligible counterparties brought back their cash to the BSP’s facilities after the holidays. Going forward, the BSP’s monetary operations will remain guided by its assessment of the latest liquidity conditions and market developments,” the BSP said.

I n a report, BSP said domestic liquidity reached P15.6 trillion in November 2022. This was the same rate recorded in October 2022 and was higher than the 1.2 percent growth posted in November 2021.

B SP data showed that on a month-on-month seasonally-adjusted basis, M3 contracted 0.6 percent.

Looking ahead, the BSP will ensure that domestic liquidity conditions remain appropriate to support the prevailing stance of monetary policy, and continue to prioritize its inflation control and

financial stability objectives,” BSP said in a statement.

T he preliminary data showed domestic claims rose by 10.8 percent year-on-year in November 2022 from 11 percent in the previous month with the steady pace of bank lending to the private sector.

C laims on the private sector grew by 10.4 percent in November from the same growth rate posted in October, due to the sustained expansion in bank lending to nonfinancial private corporations and households.

Net claims on the central govern-

Meanwhile, the BSP raised the volume offering in the Term Deposit Facility auction to P390 billion from P360 billion last week.

T he total offer volume was allocated between the 7-day and 14-day tenors at P230 billion from P200 billion and P160 billion, which was the same as last week, respectively.

B oth tenors were oversubscribed, with bid-to-cover ratios (BCR) at 1.033x and 1.206x for the 7-day and 14-day TDF, respectively.

Nonetheless, total tenders received reached P430.617 billion, which was within the BSP’s expected volume range.

O f the total bids received, the BSP accepted P390 billion. The BSP awarded P230 billion from P237.656 billion in bids in the 7-day tenor and accepted P160 billion from P192.961 billion in bids in the 14-day tenor.

T he resulting weighted average interest rates (WAIR) for the awarded bids in both tenors continued to rise from last week.

T he WAIR for the 7-day TDF rose by 4.6214 basis points (bps) to 6.3322 percent whereas that for the 14-day TDF increased by 3.7709 bps to 6.4180 percent.

T he yields accepted for the 7-day tenor shifted higher and narrowed to 6.2445-6.4200 percent, while that for the 14-day tenor narrowed to 6.2445-6.5000 percent.

CABANGON NAMED HERO OF THE YEAR

C

T he Gawad Pilipino Awards is an annual event that recognizes notable Filipinos for their contributions to society through their passion and work ethics.

T he ALC Group of Companies is a conglomerate composed of several institutions serving various industries, including media, pre-need and insurance, transportation, hotels, real estate, banking and finance, and more. It is the parent company of the BusinessMirror.

THE country’s domestic liquidity grew 5.4 percent in November 2022 on the back of the doubledigit growth in domestic claims, according to the latest report from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

ALC Group of Companies chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon was named Hero of the Year during the Gawad Pilipino Awards 2022 held recently at the Novotel Hotel, Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

abangon was recognized for his humanitarian programs that benefited many Filipinos, especially those who have been affected by the pandemic, recent typhoons, and earthquakes.

INFLATION WOES An egg vendor is photographed in Blumentritt, Manila on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. Prices of eggs are continuing to rise due to supply problems brought by the global bird flu outbreak last year. NONIE REYES

AXA merger with Charter Ping An secures SEC nod

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

Charter Ping An will not be affected by the merger. In fact, all current policies will remain valid and are considered active and in force. o t her existing contracts with Charter Ping An that have not previously expired remain valid as well.

“ r e cent times have highlighted the importance of protecting what matters to us,” says AXA Philippines President and C e o Bernardo Serrano Lopez.

one of the first big local insurance companies to offer both life and non-life insurance under a single brand, said g t Capital.

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

gt Capital Holdings Inc. said on Wednesday that the approved merger is the final step in the years-long process that began when AXA acquired Charter Ping

An in 2016. t h e S e C approved the merger last December 28.

With the merger, AXA fully absorbs Charter Ping An. g t Capital said the customers of

“Since we offer different types of insurance that cater to the varied protection needs of our customers, it will be much more convenient for our customers to find solutions for their insurance needs under the single AXA brand.”

With the merger, AXA becomes

Moreover, g t Capital said AXA Philippines is better able to protect all its customers by providing them with an enhanced and robust suite of insurance products ranging from life, health, savings and investments, to car and home insurance products, to name a few. t h ere is now only one partner for all their insurance needs, accoding to g t Capital.

“Convenience has become a vital necessity. Merging life and non-life insurance under a single brand takes that convenience a big step further and becomes another means for us to be of service to our customers,” said Serrano Lopez.

Petron to repurchase $50-M notes

Petron Corp. is planning to repurchase $50 million of its $500-million outstanding senior perpetual capital securities.

t he country’s lone oil refiner said it intends to make an announcement in the Singapore Securities trading Limited on its proposed tender offer to purchase up to $50 million of its outstanding $500 million senior perpetual capital securities, it said in a filing on Wednesday.

“(Petron) today announces its tender offer to holders of the Securities to tender for purchase by (Petron) for cash such Securities

at a price to be determined pursuant to a Modified Dutch Auction Procedure, up to a total aggregate principal amount of $50 million,” Petron said.

Under the Modified Dutch Auction Procedure, Petron will determine the purchase price for the Securities following the expiration of the tender offer. t he minimum purchase price is $927 per $1,000 in principal amount of the Securities while the maximum acceptance amount is up to $50 million in aggregate principal amount of Securities.

The Securities and exchange Commission (SeC) has approved the merger between AXA Philippines—a joint venture between the Metrobank Group, GT Capital, and the Paris-based AXA Group—and its former general insurance subsidiary Charter Ping An Insurance Corp. Tesla extends slump China stock rally

“(Petron) is undertaking the tender offer to optimize the cost of capital and capital structure. t he tender offer also provides liquidity to investors at a premium to market price,” it said.

t he deadline for the tender offer is initially set on January 12, 2023 while the payment date is expected on or about January 18, 2023.

Petron has tapped Mizuho Securities Asia Limited as the dealer manager. It also engaged Morrow Sodali Limited as the information and tender agent for the tender offer.

t he country’s lone refiner reported in no vember 2022 that its net income as of end-September grew by 64 percent to P8.2 billion from P4.99 billion recorded in 2021 on account of higher revenues.

It said the combined sales volume from Petron’s Philippine and Malaysian operations as well as the group’s Singapore trading subsidiary grew 37 percent to 80.4 million barrels from 58.8 million barrels in the same period of 2021, reflecting higher fuel demand. In the Philippines, total sales volume jumped by nearly 30 percent. Lenie Lectura

extends on tech gains

TeSLA Inc. shares fell more than 14 percent after the electric carmaker delivered fewer vehicles than expected last quarter despite offering hefty incentives in its biggest markets.

t he company said Monday it handed over 405,278 vehicles to customers in the last three months, short of the 420,760 average estimate compiled by Bloomberg. While the total was a quarterly record for tesla, the company opened two new assembly plants last year and still came up short of its goal to expand by 50 percent. It’s also the third straight quarter that deliveries have missed estimates. Several analysts cut price targets on the stock tuesday, resulting in tesla’s lowest average 12-month stock forecast since october 2021. And JPMorgan Chase & Co. said tesla might never again reach its multiyear 50 percent growth sales objective.

“ o u r base case assumption is that year-on-year growth (while remaining impressive overall) is likely to decline each year from here on out,” analyst ry an Brinkman, who has the equivalent of a sell rating on the shares, wrote in a research note. te sla’s double-digit decline to $105.60 just before 12:00 p.m. in ne w York—the steepest drop since September 2020—comes on the heels of a dismal 2022 for the stock. In December, its shares plunged 37 percent and closed out the year with a record 65 percent tumble.

After Ceo elon Musk predicted an “epic” end to the year, tesla cut vehicle prices and production in China, then offered $7,500 discounts in the United States. Concerns about rising interest rates, inflation and other economic headwinds—plus alarm over Musk’s antics on tw itter, which he now owns—sent tesla shares plunging 37 percent in December and 65 percent last year. Bloomberg News

CHI n e S e stocks listed in Hong Kong rose to a fivemonth high, buoyed by a rally in tech shares and measures to ease liquidity stress at some of the nation’s too-big-to-fail developers.

t h e Hang Seng China e n terprises Index jumped 3.4 percent to close at its highest since July 28. Developer Longfor g r oup Holdings Ltd. surged almost 12 percent to be the top gainer, while Alibaba g r oup Holding Ltd. led a climb in internet stocks after regulators approved a plan by billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant g r oup Co. to raise $1.5 billion for its consumer unit.

Chinese equities are firmly back in favor after jitters over a chaotic exit from the Covid Zero policy, as traders seize on signs that the virus outbreak may have peaked in some cities. Investors are also betting that the world’s second-largest economy will receive a boost as the border with Hong Kong reopens, with an announcement likely to come as early as Wednesday.

“ r e gulatory approval for Ant’s capital raise aids market sentiment and improves the prospects of an eventual IP o for the company, which market may be expecting within the year,” said ve y-Sern Ling, managing director at Union Bancaire Privee.

Alibaba’s shares jumped 8.7 percent and were the biggest contributors to gains in the Hang Seng te ch Index, which climbed 4.6 percent. Alibaba’s peers also rose as the regulatory approval pointed to Beijing’s softening

stance on its mammoth internet sector, besides signaling progress in the government-ordered overhaul of the Ant g r oup.

Property boost

B U ILD e r shares jumped as Bloomberg reported that the Financial Stability and Development Committee told the banking and securities regulators late last week to help shore up the balance sheets of some “systemically important” developers.

China also resumed approvals for private equity funds to raise money for residential property developments, adding to a slew of recent measures aimed at rescuing the ailing real estate sector.

t h e Hang Seng China e n terprises Index rose 1.9 percent on tu esday, marking its best start to any calendar year since 2018. t h e gauge has climbed more than 40 percent since the end of o ct ober on hopes that a relaxation of Covid restrictions would revive China’s economy. Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Corp.

and Credit Suisse g r oup A g are among the Wall Street banks that are positioned for further gains in Chinese equities.

Mainland investors bought a net HK$5 billion ($640 million) of Hong Kong stocks via the trading links on Wednesday, the most since December 12, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Adding to the optimism was a pledge by China’s Finance Minister Liu Kun, reaffirming plans by the authorities to appropriately expand fiscal spending to support the economic recovery.

g r owth momentum should pick up some time starting in the second quarter of the year,” ta i Hui, APAC chief market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management, said in an interview with Bloomberg te levision. He added that there’s room for US and e u ropean investors to return to China and Hong Kong markets.

Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index ended 3.2 percent higher, while the CSI 300 Index on the mainland rose 0.1 percent. Bloomberg News

Converge IC t Solutions Inc. may now provide international connectivity services in Singapore, as the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) granted a Facilities-Based o p erations (FB o) L icence to Converge IC t Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Converge C e o Director Dennis Anthony H. Uy said the license from the IMDA, a statutory board under the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information, allows the company to deploy telecommunications infrastructure and provide connectivity services and fiber optic cable capacity to wholesale and enterprise customers in Singapore.

“ t h e grant of an FB o license to our Singapore unit significantly bolsters the ability of the Converge g r oup to sell international wholesale connectivity and capacity services, as we can now directly service clients in Singapore to cater their growing needs for intra-Asia and tr ans-Pacific connectivity requirements,” he said.

t h rough the said license, Converge will have the right to provide international connectivity services in Singapore including e t hernet-International Private Line ( e - IPL) service, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) service, Carrier et hernet ne twork service, Internet Protocol v i rtual Private

n e twork (IP-v P n ) services using Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), and sale and resale of submarine cable capacities.

Converge S g was incorporated in 2021 to market and sell international cable capacity to carriers, Internet service providers, and telcos operating in Singapore.

Uy said Converge is strengthening its wholesale business, which he said, is an “important driver” for the Filipino company’s enterprise vertical.

As of end-September, the wholesale business of Converge grew by 52 percent, monetizing its domestic and international fiber capacity.

Converge is a member of several international fiber optic cable system consortiums, including the Bifrost Cable System, the Southe a st Asia Hainan-Hongkong e xp ress Cable System (S e A -H2X), and the e AC-C2C Cable Systems.

t h e company has points-ofpresence in Singapore, Hong Kong, ta iwan, Japan, and the USA.

o u r international backbone is now one of the biggest in the country, running at half utilization. We designed it that way so in case of fiber outage or submarine earthquakes, customer experience will not be affected. o u r diverse, fully redundant international network and the establishment of the Singapore office will help us make the Philippines a digital transit hub in Asia,” Converge C o o Jesus C. r o mero said.

Ce B U Pacific (C e B ) welcomes the new year with its trademark P1S o sale for select international routes.

For as low as P1 one-way base fare (exclusive of fees and surcharges), Cebu Pacific’s #C e B SuperSeatFest is up for grabs until January 6, 2023. tr avel period is from February 1 to May 31, 2023, perfect for travelers to plan their dream trips ahead, across C e B ’s international route network.

n o w is the perfect time to fulfill your dream trips abroad, with our trademark PIS o fare offer. We are encouraged with the momentum as more international destinations ease travel restrictions, and more travelers are confidently flying again,” said Carmina r o mero, Cebu Pacific Corporate Communications Director.

Whether passengers want to visit scenic Bali; or have a coffee crawl in Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi;

or a food trip in n a goya or Hong Kong--all these and more are possible now.

C e B also extends this P1so sale for its domestic flights on the same travel period. t h is includes flights to Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, Iloilo, and a lot more across the airline’s widest Philippine network.

Passengers with existing travel funds may use these to pay for flights and add-ons during C e B ’s seat sales. Apart from tr avel Fund, other payment options may also be used, such as payment centers, credit/debit cards, and e-wallets. to date, C e B flies to a total of 34 domestic and 19 international destinations. t h e airline continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety while it operates with a 100 percent fully vaccinated crew, 98 percent of whom have been boosted - all to ensure everyJuan flies safely and conveniently on Cebu Pacific.

Privacy officials tweak rules on digital lending

By Andrea San Juan

The National Privacy Commission (NPC) said it has amended certain provisions in the guidelines on the processing of personal data for loan-related transactions to further address the data privacy concerns due to the prevalence of online lending.

According to a statement issued last Wednesday quoting Privacy Commissioner John henry D. Naga, the agency’s Circular 2022-02 provides amendments “that will serve as an added protection to borrowers and lending companies.”

Naga said the privacy body aims for “smooth transactions” between the two parties, where borrowers are afforded their data privacy rights and lending companies, on the other hand, are given the opportunity to “ethically” conduct their business and establish trust among their customers.

Under Circular 2022-02, the amendments cover the following: processing of personal data for evaluating loan applications, granting loans, collection of loans and closure of loan accounts; character references; and, a newly-added provision for guarantors.

Under Section 3 (A)(5) of the amended Circular, a lending company, financing company and other persons acting as such should provide just-in-time notices before obtaining the consent of the data subjects in loan-related transactions. (See https://www.privacy. gov.ph/2023/01/npc-amendscircular-on-the-processing-ofpersonal-data-for-loan-relatedtransactions/#:~:text=Under%20 NPC%20Circular%2 No., Privacy%20Commissioner%20 John%20Henry%20D.

According to the country’s privacy body, the just-in-time notice provides data subjects with information on how a particular piece of

information they are asked to provide will be processed.

Privacy rights

IN loan processing activities, Section 3(D) of the amended Circular provides that a lending company, financing company or other persons acting as such are prohibited from conducting unnecessary processing, which includes requiring “unnecessary” permissions that involve personal and sensitive personal information.

“When the purpose for accessing an application permission has already been achieved and there are no other applicable lawful criteria for such access, such online applications shall prompt the data subject to turn off, disallow these permissions, or inform the data subject that access to the relevant application permissions may already be revoked,” the Circular states.

The privacy body said there is also an amendment in the Circular protecting the data privacy rights of a borrower’s character reference and guarantor.

Under Section 4 of the said Circular, a character reference is a person whose contact information is provided for verification of the identity and veracity of the information provided by the borrower for the grant of a loan.

Section 4(D) of the Circular prohibits “contacting character references for purposes other than for the verification of identity and veracity of the information provided by the borrower, such as but not limited to, marketing, cross-selling, or sharing to third parties for purposes of offering other products or services.”

The NPC said violators of the amended Circular will be subject to penalties, fines and other disciplinary measures provided in the Data Privacy Act, its implementing rules and regulations and other issuances of the NPC.

BOJ boosts bond buying to cap increase in yields

Central bank orders Ayala-led BPI to explain banking snafu

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

The posts also contained screenshots of the BPI mobile app stating “We are unable to provide access at this time. Please try again,” effectively blocking users from their accounts.

Many of those who posted their rants on social media also implored that BPI should return the debited accounts saying the funds were already reserved for various expenses.

As of press time, BPI remained mum on how many of the erroneous transactions have been reversed.

The publicly-listed lender’s social media contained a post saying BPI expects “correction of the duplicate transactions within the day,” or January 4.

The central bank said it is “closely coordinating with BPI in relation to the double debit transaction incident affecting BPI account holders.”

The BSP said in a statement that it has instructed BPI “to submit a timeline and updates on the reversal of its erroneous transactions.”

The BSP said it received information that the country’s third-largest bank by assets has identified the root cause of the operational error and committed to reverse the erroneous transactions.

The BSP also said the bank assured it will restore mobile and Internet banking services at the soonest time possible.

“Given the high volume of inquiries on our online banking channels, you may experience intermittent access to our web and mobile app platforms,” BPI said in a post on its social media channel. “Rest assured that your account is safe and secure.”

‘Hoy BPI’

LAST Wednesday, “hoy BPI” and “0431 Debit Memo” trended on Twitter with many holders of BPI accounts taking to social media to air their grievances over the double debit transactions.

Based on Twitter data, as of press time, the “0431 Debit Memo” had over a thousand Tweets while “hoy BPI” is still trending and is the top 4 Philippine trending post as of press time.

Many of those who posted their grievances provided screenshots of their debited accounts containing amounts that were transacted between December 30 and 31 last year.

In the afternoon of Wednesday, Tweets from BPI account holders already contained updates that their accounts have been restored. These were posted alongside posts from other account holders who have yet to see reversals in their transaction records.

BPI said in August last year that 4.9 million of their 8.46-million client base has been enrolled in digital channels as of 2021. The bank said it also has a growing list of over 80 Application Programming Interface (API) partners covering nearly 800 products and services, with over 100 million transactions in 2021.

Digital banking

The lender’s snafu came a day after the central bank announced it partnered with bankers to fortify digital banking. (See https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/01/03/ bsp-taps-bankers-to-promotecybersecurity/)

Based on the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), the BSP will continue to use regulatory technology (RegTech) to fight cybercrimes and benefit financial sector firms and supervising agencies.

This strategy is expected to improve regulatory compliance as well as help the private sector pursue greater digitalization and improve the design and delivery of innovative financial products and services.

RegTech aims to provide efficient and effective public and private sector solutions to prevent fraud, money laundering, and terrorist financing; and streamline prudential reporting.

It can also be used to conduct effective creditworthiness assessments and provide a more efficient, timely, and accurate manner of meeting reportorial and compliance requirements, among others.

In August last year, BPI marked its 171st year by saying it would focus on “digitalization, customer obsession and sustainability efforts.”

In a statement celebrating its 171st year in the business, BPI said it “continues to reinforce its core values of nurturing, acting with integrity, being customer obsessed and acting with excellence to remain relevant to its customers.”

“Customer obsession is a movement where we will be proactive in putting the customer at the center of all that we do. We will change behavior; we will question policies; we will improve products and processes. We are taking concrete steps to lead a customer-obsessed organization,” BPI President and CeO Jose Teodoro K. Limcaoco was quoted in the statement as saying.

Limcaoco has yet to issue a statement on Wednesday’s snafu.

Investors give govt a break as bids for bonds muted

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on Wednesday was able to raise P35 billion from the full awarding of reissued Treasury bonds (T-bonds) as investors’ asking rates were in line with benchmark level.

The Treasury’s Wednesday auc-

tion was oversubscribed by 2.1 times as the total amount tendered by investors reached P75.196 billion.

The T-bonds, which had a remaining life of 6 years and 9 months, had an average rate of 6.796 percent, relatively equal compared to the 6.756 percent secondary market benchmark rate. The reissued T-bonds had a yield ranging from the low of 6.625 percent to a high

Davao City business opens tax payments via digital platforms

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

The Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) decision to double its 10-year yield ceiling was meant to improve market functioning. So far it’s triggered even heavier intervention from the central bank, threatening to reduce liquidity further in the local bond market.

The BOJ announced a fourth day of unscheduled bond buying Wednesday, offering to buy unlimited amounts of two- and five-year notes and to purchase ¥600 billion ($4.6 billion) of one-to-25 year bonds. The announcement came in addition to its outstanding daily offer to buy unlimited quantities of 10-year securities and those linked to futures at 0.5 percent, the new cap for benchmark yields.

Wednesday’s move came despite a strong start to the year in global bond markets with Treasuries surging and German bunds rallying on signs of slowing inflation. But the purchases failed to stop the selloff in Japan’s benchmark bond with yields closing 4 basis points higher at 0.45 percent amid concern that Thursday’s auction of a new 10-year note will see weak investor demand.

December’s yield-curve shift has spurred more bets from traders the BOJ will lift its cap further or scrap it altogether as inflation picks up in

Japan. That sparked a selloff in debt, requiring even more bond purchases from the central bank to keep yields in check.

The BOJ conducted similar purchase operations between December 28 and December 30, buying a total of 2.3 trillion yen of bonds.

“The BOJ is showing an abundance of caution as bets on higher JGB yields might have become too one-sided,” said eugene Leow, a fixed income strategist at DBS Bank Ltd. in Singapore. I would “focus on the bigger consumer-price inflation picture and further potential yield-curve control shifts in the coming months.”

BOJ Governor haruhiko Kuroda reiterated on Wednesday that the bank will continue with monetary easing in order to achieve its sustainable price target, speaking at a financial industry event.

Thursday auction

ThURSDAY’S benchmark bond sale may fetch a yield a little higher than 0.5 percent, Keisuke Tsuruta, a bond strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. in Tokyo., wrote in a note. Because the yield is kept lower than the 0.5 percent ceiling, 10-year notes look overvalued relative to other tenors and swaps, he said. Bloomberg News

DAVAO CITY–The local government unit (LGU) of Davao City has allowed business owners here to use digital wallets—Paymaya and GCash brands—to pay their tax obligation to the city.

Davao City Treasurer Lawrence D. Bantiding said that paying taxes could be done online through the portal of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

Bantiding, a lawyer, added the move is part of the increasing number of options to settle the annual Mayor’s permit renewal for the year. The city has tapped the DBP and Land Bank of the Philippines as partner banks of the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) for the online payment of taxes.

he hopes taxpayers would avail of the online payment platform, “wherein all processes can already be accomplished, from application to payment, to the issuance of business permit.”

Bantiding added that the move would allow more online tax payment windows, encourage prompt payments and reducing long queues during the busy first quarter of the year for businesses.

“Last year, we implemented this fully online. We are hoping that many would avail of this because we also have assigned personnel dedicated to monitoring our online payments,” he said.

Bantiding said the city would be expecting to collect more taxes from businesses this year after the Covid-19

restrictions were lifted. The CTO and Business Bureau also opened 10 processing sites for the district, where business owners may transact face-to face. he added that, for convenience, it is proper that taxpayers pay at the designated processing locations near them to avoid congestion.

Target collection

T he CTO has set a target collection of P2 billion in business taxes, or P400 million more from its 2022 target of P1.6 billion.

“This is a crucial period for the city to achieve its target now because the business permit taxes comprise 41 percent of our local taxes collection, so it is a huge chunk and has a huge impact on our city’s treasury, this fund that we can collect from the business operations,” Bantiding said.

he urged taxpayers to pay their taxes during the one-stop-shop Mayor’s Permit Renewal until January 31 to avoid surcharges.

Bantiding said it would be best for taxpayers to renew early so that their business permits will be processed earlier and can also be released immediately.

“Because if they pay beyond the renewal period on January 31, the penalty is huge,” he further said.

Bantiding said the surcharge is 25 percent of their tax due and the regulatory fees are already included in that 25 percent surcharge so it is quite big. The interest per month is also two percent so the earlier the payment the better), he added.

Bantiding said Davaoñes may pay their taxes either at the designated sites or online.

of 6.895 percent.

“With its decision, the committee was able to raise the full program of P35.0 billion, bringing the total outstanding volume for the series to P59.1 billion,” the BTr said in a statement on Wednesday.

The national government seeks to raise a total of P200 billion from the sale of Treasury bills and T-bonds this month.

For the whole year, the national government plans to borrow P2.207 trillion with a 75:25 mix in favor of domestic sources. In terms of domestic borrowings, the national government aims to raise a total of P1.654 trillion, P54.1 billion of which coming from the sale of Treasury bills with the remaining amount would be funded through auction of T-bonds.

Green lending tops fossil fuel as ‘Big Oil’ gets cash elsewhere

FOR the first time, more money was raised in the debt markets for climate-friendly projects than for fossil-fuel companies.

Roughly $580 billion was arranged in 2022 for renewable energy and other environmentally responsible ventures, while the oil, gas and coal industries turned to lenders and underwriters for closer to $530 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. But it’s not that green financing is finally winning out over fossil fuel lending. Rather, Big Oil looks to be getting more money from elsewhere. high oil prices over the past year have likely freed energy companies from their dependence on capital markets, said April Merleaux, research manager at the environmental nonprofit Rainforest Action Network.

“We’re also seeing fossil-fuel companies turn to less traditional sources of capital, such as private equity, which is much harder for us to track,” Merleaux said. Given this backdrop, “it’s difficult to say with confidence that there’s a new trend in the lending markets that will extend into 2023.”

The big question for oil, gas and coal companies is how they plan to use their balance sheets to make the transition to clean energy, Merleaux said. Currently, many are saying they plan to expand fossil-fuel production now and decarbonize later, she said.

“This is false logic, and it isn’t what the International e n ergy

Agency (Ie A) recommends,” she said. As for the banks, “they know what needs to be done, but we don’t yet see evidence that they’re really ready to follow through on their emissionsreduction objectives.”

Climate ambitions

BANK eR S are generating considerably more revenue these days from selling green bonds and loans. In 2022, they pocketed an estimated $3.3 billion of fees from these deals, exceeding the $2.5 billion earned from lining up bonds and loans for the highest-polluting energy sectors, Bloomberg data show.

Credit Agricole SA, BNP Paribas SA and Bank of America Corp. ranked as the top arrangers of green bonds and loans last year, according to Bloomberg data, while RBC Capital Markets, Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. were the leading providers to the fossil-fuel industry. however, if one looks at the bigger picture, Wall Street and its brethren clearly remain dedicated to funding the companies most responsible for global warming. Since the Paris climate agreement was announced in 2015, banks have raised almost $4.6 trillion for oil, gas and coal companies—double the $2.3 trillion gathered from green loans and bond sales. But those Big Oil banks—including JPMorgan—say they have climate ambitions, and they’re expanding. Bloomberg News

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has instructed the Ayalaled Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to submit a timeline and updates regarding reversals on the double debit transaction incidents last Wednesday.

Health& Fitness

Anthrax disease in Cagayan now under control—DOH

Recently, the d e partment of Health ( d OH) confirmed human cases of Anthrax after hundreds in s t o. n i ño, Cagayan were exposed to infected dying carabaos, some of which were butchered and consumed as meat.

t h ere was a total of 12 suspect cases reported as of d e cember 22, 2022, of which, three tested positive for Bacillus anthracis via PCR,” the d OH said.

Anthrax can cause severe illness in both humans and animals.

i t i s also a zoonotic disease that is transmitted from animal to human usually via direct skin contact or consumption of contaminated food or drink,” the d OH said.

One can also be infected through inhalation of its spores.

Dead, infected carabaos tH e d e partment of Agriculture in Cagayan Valley reported around that same time the deaths of four carabaos, all positive for the illness. tw o of the carabaos were said to have been sold as meat to residents.

As of January 3, tu esday, the d OH declared that the Anthrax disease in Cagayan as controlled as no other additional infections or deaths have been reported.

“According to the latest reports from the d OH e p idemiology Bureau [e B] and the Regional e p idemiology s u rveillance Unit [R e s U] of Region ii , t here have been no additional human cases of Anthrax recorded and no additional deaths among carabaos as of January 3. t h e health event has now been tagged as controlled,” the agency said in a statement.

According to U s - C d C , the symptoms of anthrax depend on the type of infection and can take anywhere from one day to more than two months to appear.

“All types of anthrax have the potential, if untreated, to spread throughout the body and cause severe illness and even death.”

Treatment dOC t OR s h ave several options for treating patients with anthrax, including antibiotics and antitoxin. Patients with serious cases of anthrax need to be hospitalized,” the U s - C d C s aid.

i t a dded that an aggressive treatment may be required, such

as continuous fluid drainage and help breathing through mechanical ventilation.

Prevention

Ant HR AX is rare, and most people will never be exposed to it.

t h e U s - C d C s aid that there is a vaccine licensed to prevent anthrax, but it is only recommended for routine use in certain groups of at-risk adults (for example, some members of the military and laboratory workers).

For people who have been exposed to anthrax but do not yet have symptoms, certain antibiotics can be used to prevent illness from developing.

novartis recognized for supporting eye health services amid pandemic

nOVARt is Healthcare Philippines was recognized by the n ational Committee for s i ght Preservation ( n C s P) for the company’s support to the nC sP “Maging MAtA lino” communications campaign and Online Vision s c reening Bridging Program implemented in 2020-2021.

t h e n C s P i s one of the local partners of the n o vartis Collaboration to P reserve s i ght (C t P s ) initiative, which enabled patients with vision impairment in vulnerable communities to seek medical consultation and receive treatment despite pandemic restrictions. n o vartis support for the n C s P

included capacity building of health workers, conduct of vision screening and provision of eyeglasses for adults and children in local government units of n C s P member organizations. t he se eye health interventions were implemented as part of the d e partment of Health “Kalusugan Pangkalahatan,” a high-level government commitment to Universal Health Care (UHC).

t h e n C s P pr esented n o vartis with a plaque of appreciation during the organization’s 25th anniversary celebration held last n o vember 2022 at Luneta Park Hotel in Manila.

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

tH e local subsidiary of American coffee store chain s t arbucks and its corporate social responsibility arm have banded together again with a nonprofit organization for the establishment of their third Aquato wer in the country located in ta lao-ta lao e l ementary s c hool in Lucena, Quezon.

t h is community-level water filtration system of s t arbucks Philippines,  t h e s t arbucks Foundation, and Planet Water Foundation can deliver 1,000 liters of clean drinking water per hour. it is also equipped with six faucets and integrated liquid soap dispenser used for handwashing.

t h rough the company’s continued partnership with the latter, nearly 1,800 students and teachers from the community will gain access to clean, safe drinking water and handwashing stations.

s u ch initiative is timely with the ensuing Covid-19 pandemic and the prevalence of other communicable diseases, especially in areas that ack hygiene and sanitation facilities.

Hand-in-hand Be C AU se it takes a village to teach sanitation among the kids, partners from s t arbucks Philippines volunteered to build the Aquato wer and engaged students in a one-day education program on handwashing and proper hygiene.

“We are thankful for the opportunity to provide clean water

to the ta lao-ta lao e l ementary s c hool through our partnership with Planet Water Foundation,” said Jamie s i lva, senior manager for marketing, digital customer experience and loyalty at s t arbucks Philippines.

“ i n teracting with the children and seeing how the Aquato wer and hygiene education will posi -

tively impact this community, reaffirms our commitment to enhance the well-being of all those who connect with s t arbucks,” she added.

Planet Water Foundation focuses on alleviating the global water crisis across the Asia Pacific region and Latin America.

it h as been partners with t h e s t arbucks Foundation since 2011 when they constructed Aquato wers worldwide, including six markets across Asia Pacific (AsPac), providing up to 73,800 people with access to clean water.

i n t he Philippines, st arbucks partners (employees) volunteered with Planet Water Foundation to build three Aquato wers focusing on elementary schools in rural areas of the country.    e a rlier in 2022, the firm also helped construct such facilities in Laguna at ta langka e l ementary s c hool in February and na nguma e l ementary s c hool in August.

t h ese water-filtration systems in the Philippines form part of more than 40 Aquato wers built globally to date in partnership with Planet Water Foundation through support from t he s t arbucks Foundation.

Residents in Guagua, Pampanga and nearby areas can e xpect enhanced medical and health services following the inauguration of the newly renovated main building of the d i osdado P. Macapagal Memorial Hospital ( dPMMH) last d e cember 27, 2022.

Governor d e nnis Pineda, Vice Governor Lilia Pineda and d e partment of Health ( d O H) officials led the inauguration rites of the health facility that is seen to boost the delivery of medical response efforts of t he provincial government.

d r . Fleur Zapanta, d P MMH chief of the hospital, said the hospital’s main building now houses t he operating room and delivery room, emergency room, tertiary laboratory, 2 d - echo as well as Xray and ultrasound rooms.

it a lso houses the pharmacy, cashier, admitting section, hospital information system management office, chapel and air-conditioned rooms for post-operations patients,” Zapanta said during the event.

i n a nother building, the dPMMH operates the provincial government’s molecular laboratory that conducts Covid-19 tests, Z apanta noted.

For two years, the d P MMH functioned as the provincial government’s primary center handling Covid-19 patients with mild t o moderate symptoms.

Governor Pineda, meanwhile, said the dPMMH will soon open its own dialysis center.

He said the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation ( PAGCOR) provided funds for the purchase of 20 dialysis machines.

“We are upgrading our provincial hospital and 10 district hospitals for better medical and health s ervices to our poor province mates,” he said.

t he governor also thanked Vice Governor Pineda and the provincial board members for approving health and medical projects and services, including its corresponding budget.

Vice Governor Pineda said the renovation of dPMMH gave a big boost to the Alagang n a nay Preventive Health Care program of the p rovincial government.

t h e program provides medical checkups, laboratory tests, medicines and support services for the e arly detection and treatment of ailments.

“ i am happy this morning because of the additional beds and our h ospital is now operational which is a boost to our preventive health care,” the vice governor said.

Health Undersecretary Maria Francia Laxamana, meanwhile, lauded the efforts of the officials of the province and pledged full support to the health-care programs a nd services of the provincial government.

A s a Level 1 hospital, the dP MMH operates an emergency room, laboratory, pharmacy, and X-ray and ultrasound services on a 24-hour basis.

i t a lso provides C t- s c an and animal bite treatment five times a week.

it s outpatient units in pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery r ender services six times weekly.

Wit H the goal of ushering transformative change within communities, PL d t a nd s m art, through the Better to day PH (Better to day) program, seek to promote wellness, safe spaces, and change making for children and the youth in the digital world.

i n 2 022, PL d t and s m art reached at least 12 million citizens for their efforts to champion digital wellness and safer spaces for the children and the youth, driven by the belief that to have a better tomorrow, Filipinos must be better today and work on protecting the next generation.

“ t h rough Better to day, we become enablers and advocates of digital wellness. it i s our greatest hope that through this program, we break the stigma on mental illness and cultivate a culture of kindness—for a better today for the next generation,” said Cathy Yang, PL d t and s m art First Vice President and Group Head of Corporate Communications.

t h rough collaborations with likeminded advocacy partners, PL d t and s m art were able to co-develop and advocate policies with partner local government units, create awareness and meaningful content, and empower communities to innovate solutions that will positively impact young Filipinos in traversing a path towards safer spaces in the digital world.

Culture of empathy, kindness

As a community, Better to day inspires a culture of empathy and kindness that creates a ripple effect from the level of the self, family, and the larger community. it s parks inter-generational understanding and positive conversations that are anchored on the narratives of passion and purpose, strength and resilience, empathy and community, and hope.

As a movement, Better to day links up with like-minded people, advocates, and organizations from various sectors, including local government, content creators, and civil society organizations. i n 2022, Better to day has forged and strengthened partnerships with 18 advocacy partners, seven local government co-champions, and reached over 12 million people via its social media platform. t h rough Better to day, PL d t and s m art believe in the continuous creation of shared value and on a whole-of-community approach to making the digital world safer, and better today.

Better to day is a manifestation of PL d t and s m art’s continuing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the U n s u stainable d e velopment Goals, particularly U ns d G #3 that stands for good health and well-being, and U n sd G # 16 that stands against abuse, violence, and exploitation of children.

AnthrA x, according to the US-Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (US-CDC), is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis.

Marna Dagumboy Del Rosario, PNA

Pam Panga governor Dennis Pineda inspects the Diosdado P. macapagal memorial Hospital (DPmmH). With him are hospital chief Dr. Fleur Zapanta (center) and DOH-3 Regional Director Corazon Flores (right). The newly renovated DPmmH is located in guagua town which was inaugurated on December 27, 2022. Photo courtesy of the P r ovincial government of Pam Pa nga

FR O m left are Dr. noel Chua, nCSP Chairperson; Christine Fajardo, Head of Corporate affairs, novartis Healthcare Philippines; Joel Chong, Country President, novartis Healthcare Philippines; and Dr. Peter Paul Ronque manager-medical, In-market Brands and Business Innovation (IBBI).

CHILDREn-BEnEFICIaRIES are all smiles while handling their glasses of clean, safe drinking water from the third aquaTower in the country built by Starbucks Philippines, The Starbucks Foundation, and Planet Water Foundation at Talao-Talao Elementary School in Lucena, Quezon. Joining them are volunteer Starbucks partner-employees.

Here’s to ‘The Fabulous’ new-year you

enjoy Boxing day indulgences

A HOLIDAY originally celebrated in Great Britain after Christmas Day, anglophiles around these parts can indulge in a bit of English good cheer at premium leisure destination Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong.

With lists ticked off and gifts given, and after the shopping rush is through, the leading lifestyle destination invites mall guests to indulge themselves without the stress. The Shang is celebrating Boxing Day with a mall-wide sale ongoing until January 8.

After Christmas is just the right time to get the latest tech and gadgets, furniture and accessories to refresh personal spaces, and new fits and footwear for the new year. Mall guests can access the Shang’s extensive roster of top brands offering awesome deals up to 80-percent off.

Shop for fashion and beauty must-haves at Adora, Shoe Salon, Melissa, Naram Pashmina and Beauty Bar, new eye wear at J. Vinas and LS Pascual Optical, and new things for the kids at multi-brand store Playground. Spruce up spaces with furniture and home accessories from Ashley and Sheridan, and books, crafting, art and supplies at National Book Store.

Shang is giving more reasons to join the Boxing Day Sale. Get a chance to be one of the winners of a brand-new Suzuki Jimny GLX. Every single receipt worth P2,500 entitles shoppers to claim a digital raffle coupon for the Christmas Holidaze Raffle Promo by scanning the QR code at the concierge or at www.facebook.com/shangrilaplazaofficial to submit their personal details.

Check out more brands treating mall guests as holiday cheer continues with the special Boxing Day Sale filled with indulgences just for you.

IHAVE previously shared several articles on K-dramas. All my family and friends know how much a fan I am of K-drama actors, including Song Seung-heon (Dinner Mate), Nam Joo-hyuk (Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo and Twenty-Five TwentyOne), Song Hye-Kyo (Encounter), Son Ye-Jin (Crash Landing on You and Something in the Rain), among others. I was lucky to have traveled to Korea this year for the first time when I accompanied my daughter to the Asian Fencing Championships.

Lately, however, I also started to like Japanese movies and TV series. The last one I watched which really touched my heart was First Love, a series inspired by the music of American pop singer, songwriter and producer Hikaru Utada.

In line with my last article wishing all of us simple yet meaningful abundance, I thought about the last eight-episode Korean series I watched on Netflix, titled The Fabulous. The series follows the journey of four friends in different professions in the fashion industry. Chae Soo-Bin as Pyo Ji Eun, who plays a luxury fashion public relations executive; Choi Min Ho as Ji U-min, a freelance photo retouch specialist; Lee Sang as Joseph, an aspiring and eccentric fashion designer; and Park Hee Jung as successful model Ye Seon-Ho. I felt the series depicted several views on how simple but bold beliefs bring us to “fabulous” and abundant states in our lives.

I hope my reflections below can lead you to also celebrate those “fabulous” moments you have encountered at some point in your life but were probably too busy in the moment to stop and pat yourself for a job well done. Let’s use this first week of January to reflect on these positive thoughts and gain inner inspiration for 2023.

1. Know yourself and stand by your life choices. Min Ho chooses to be a freelance despite the offer of a stable job. He again chooses to pursue his passion of street photography. When Pyo Ji Eun’s boyfriend breaks up with her because she was not well-read in business, she respects her own choice of staying in the fashion industry which she loves.

Later on, she accepts her ex-boyfriend back when he respects and accepts her for who she is. Joseph, the character I relate with the most, turns down a prestigious job in Paris because he believes in his own brand and does not want to leave behind the people he loves in Korea. In the end, a luxury brand

in Paris offers him both a creative director position in Korea, as well as a collaboration brand. What were the moments in your life that you “fought for yourself” and today feel great that you did? It does not have to be about your career. It can be life choices, like the person you married, the country where you chose to live, or like the passions that, like I did, you chose to not let go.

2. Take your time. Every dream takes time to ripen. Each of the four characters in The Fabulous not just work hard but also forge on despite many setbacks that may have brought doubts to pursue their dreams further. In the end, they all reach their dreams in fate’s unique “package.” Think of the times you were patient with life and yourself. Think of how those times of waiting allowed you to usher in something truly meant for you.

3. Love people unconditionally. I truly admire the mom of the character of Joseph, played by Jeon Soo Kyeong. As she watches her son work hard for his fashion line, she provide a huge emotional support

Ho, despite her success, defends models who are less established than her against the bullying of industry professionals. At the same time, I admire how she demands that same respect from her partner. In the end, she is able to meet someone who would fight for her at all cost. Think of the times when you defended someone whether in school or work, whether from a long time or just recently. Celebrate that feeling of doing something you might not need to have done, but did so because it was the right thing to do.

5. Accept help and hugs from people who truly care. Joseph is humble and open enough to accept help from his assistant Esther, as well as her friends. Each one of the characters is always open to receive support from one another in both their toughest and happiest moments.

Each these points raised can also be seen as continuing reflections for self-care. It might seem like frivolous time spent in the face of our daily grind, but each of them emphasizes a little kindness to ourselves. In my experience, being kinder, more patient, less judgmental and ultimately more loving to ourselves allows us to be kinder, more patient, less judgmental and ultimately more loving to people and experiences around us, especially to the people who mean to us the most. n

Better sleep for kids starts with tter sleep for parents— especially after holiday disruptions to routines

By Erika Bocknek Wayne State University

EVERYONE knows that sleep is critical for growing children and their mental and physical health. Regular, high-quality sleep habits help children consolidate memory and learn better. A lack of sleep contributes to childhood depression, anxiety and even risk of suicide, along with physical health problems, including risk of injury. The challenge is making sure kids log those valuable zzz’s.

There are three main components of high-quality sleep for children. First, they need enough total hours—sleep duration. Sleep quality is important, too—sleeping soundly during the night with few disruptions or awakenings. And, finally, there’s sleep timing—essentially, a consistent schedule, with bedtime and risetime about the same across the whole week.

Even when you know how important good sleep is, it’s easy for sleep duration, quality and timing to get knocked off track. It can happen for infrequent reasons, such as the pleasant chaos of a holiday, or the disturbances that accompany pandemic life. Healthy sleep habits are hard to maintain for everyday mundane reasons, too, such as parentchild disagreement, busy schedules and older children’s leisurely weekend behavior. But there are ways for families to get sleep back on course.

As a child development researcher and family therapist, I study parenting and family behaviors that create healthy environments for children’s sleep patterns. In particular, I help parents

to develop consistent and nurturing routines. Sleep patterns are set early, and parents play an important role in nurturing children’s perspectives and attitudes.

Here’s the overarching advice I share with families, no matter the age of their kids.

1. Set and model family values about sleep. Children are observant learners. They pay very careful attention to both the spoken and unspoken rules of their clan.

To get everyone in the household sleeping well, sleep can’t be something that only children must care about, while adults who have freedom and power joke about their own unhealthy habits. If sleep seems like punishment, rather than the gift for health that it is, children will be likely to resist it.

Adults need to talk the talk and walk the walk that sleep is a priority for everyone in the family. Be a role model. If you’ve fallen into a habit of bingewatching TV into the wee hours, for instance, work on reining that in. Use positive language about your own sleep. Pay attention to what you say, and what you communicate through your own habits, reinforcing that it’s important to the whole family to get sleep and have energy for the next day. Don’t make the mistake of discussing bedtime as a chance for adults to get distance from the kids.

2. Know your child. Remember, every kid is unique, so don’t expect one-size-fits-all sleep advice to work universally. A child’s temperament plays a significant role in the duration, quality and timing of their sleep. For instance, a

feistier child may not adapt as quickly to a sleep schedule over the first year. And temperament is a pretty stable part of who your child is and will continue to be.

routines and setting limits—but with ongoing warmth and sensitivity about the characteristics of the one-of-a-kind child you have.

When you’re exhausted and struggling with a child’s behavior, it can be hard to stay positive. My recommendation is to use the daytime hours wisely as investment in your relationship. Be proactive about noticing the good in your kid. Remind yourself that your child is their own person, learning in

easier to tap into a positive and respectful attitude during times of stress. Remind yourself that change over time is more important than control over a given moment. After all, strained parentchild relationships can actually lead to continuing sleep and behavioral problems in young children.

3. Aim for consistency, with some

flexibility. In my practice, I see two common—but opposite—mistakes that parents make around sleep.

First, many parents let go of rules and boundaries altogether. Often this happens as a result of what children bring to the equation: personal temperament or age-related phenomena. For instance, the peak in behavioral aggression that can come in toddlerhood or the shift in sleep timing that comes in adolescence can cause some parents to just throw in the towel and give up.

Alternatively, other parents become rigid. They see conflict around sleep as a struggle for power that the adult must win.

I argue that balance is key. Parents should adopt a consistent approach that fits with the sleep values they’ve been clear about all along. But they must also remain flexible to help children adapt routines to their own unique needs.

4. Manage household issues that influence sleep. Research shows that certain problems outside the bedroom create immediate and long-term risk for children’s sleep quality. These include exposure to second-hand smoke, excessive or evening-timed blue light exposure from screens and conflict in the home. Dealing with these factors will likely pay dividends when it comes to your kids getting a good night’s sleep.

Good sleep hygiene is a family affair. It’s never too late to nudge habits in a good direction and recommit to everyone getting the rest they need. Your child’s sleep habits can be a critical building block of lifelong wellness.

PHOTO BY KELSEY CHANCE ON UNSPLASH

PHOTO BY MARK ZAMORA ON UNSPLASH

BDO Foundation celebrates the season with those who have less

B DO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, celebrated Christmas with thousands of underserved Filipinos as it provided food assistance in line with its gift-giving program dubbed “Handog sa ‘Yo ng BDO Foundation.”

A total of 25,000 families all over the country received bags containing food items that beneficiaries could use for noche buena.

The foundation started the annual initiative back in 2020 as part of efforts to aid economically disadvantaged communities during the Christmas season.

Now on its third year, “Handog sa ‘Yo ng BDO Foundation” was implemented in partnership with Caritas Philippines, the social arm of the Catholic Church in the country, as well as Tanging Yaman Foundation, a non-profit organization that links donors with beneficiaries. Conducted simultaneously over two days in various locations, the program was also made possible by BDO and BDO Network Bank volunteers from head offices and branches.

Volunteers distributed food packs in Caloocan City, Quezon City, Malabon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Novaliches, Pasay City, Pasig City and Taguig City.

“Handog sa ‘Yo” also reached communities in Aurora, Biliran, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Capiz,

Catanduanes, Cavite, Cotabato, Davao, Eastern Samar, Ifugao, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, La Union, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Romblon, Sorsogon, Sulu, Surigao del Sur, Tarlac and Tawi-Tawi.

Writing on behalf of the San Antonio

de Padua Parish in Quezon City, Parish Pastoral Council secretary Charles Mercado thanked BDO Foundation, saying, “Christmas is truly a season of joy, happiness and charity. It was a fulfilling and meaningful experience to see the smiles of our parish volunteers and neighbors after receiving these gifts.”

“We thank our sponsors, who served as instruments of God this Christmas season,” he added.

Pueblo de Oro taps digital platform for homebuyer loans

potential borrowers in submitting and processing their loan applications with Matchmo’s network that include 21 of the country’s leading local banks.

“With the partnership. Pueblo de Oro offers an additional option to buyers of our properties nationwide through Matchmo’s partner financing institutions,” said PDO president and chief operating officer Rhoel Alberto B. Nolido, who signed the agreement with SVI president and chief executive officer Kevin Christian Y. Carreon.

The company also sees that the Matchmo digital platform will make the often-tedious process of loan application, documentation, and approval much easier and smoother for its customers.

New Clark City Central Park awarded in Singapore‘s landscape architecture awards

RECOGNIZED for its sustainable and inclusive design, the proposed 44.8-hectare New Clark City Central Park recently bagged the SEMEC Gold Award for the Analysis and Planning Category of the 2022 Singapore Landscape Architecture Awards.

The award was presented to global architectural firm Broadway Malyan Asia Pte. Ltd., who was tapped by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK FCDO) to design the park as part of its assistance to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) under the Global Future Cities Programme (GFCP).

Judges commended New Clark City Central Park for its “exciting design with the potential to integrate the various stakeholding communities.” They also gave the project credits for the efforts taken in carrying out extensive workshops and engagements with the community.

“We are very honored to have received this award for the Central Park at New Clark City, particularly as it is judged by professionals, academics and experts in their field. The final design for the park is the result of a lot of hard work and ideas from a team based in the Philippines, Singapore and UK, and included extensive consultation and workshops,” said Broadway Malyan Main Board Director Ed Baker.

“With the FCDO and BCDA as inspirational and ambitious clients, the team wanted to deliver a special park that was appropriate to New Clark City as a green and inclusive metropolis and a place unique to the local culture. We are very proud of the results of the final design and this award is a recognition of that,” he added.

British Deputy Ambassador to the Philippines Alistair White also welcomed the recognition given by the award-giving body for the New Clark City Central Park project.

“We are very proud of the recognition given to the Global Future Cities New Clark City Programme by the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects for the design of the New Clark City Central Park. The award is a testament to the UK’s commitment to supporting sustainable and inclusive development. We will continue to work in the Philippines to bring in the best of UK expertise to support ongoing and future infrastructure projects,” he said.

BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Aileen R. Zosa also said, “this recognition from the Singapore Landscape

Architecture Awards just shows that we are in the right direction towards the development of a sustainable and green metropolis that Filipinos can be proud of. We at the BCDA congratulate our partners in UK FCDO and Broadway Malyan for this feat. We thank them for going above and beyond at their job to help us achieve our mission.”

New Clark City, the Philippines’ first smart, resilient and green metropolis is one of the 19 beneficiary-cities of the GFCP, in line with the UK's thrust to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and urban resilience across the globe.

UK FCDO’s support to New Clark City included the development of an open space strategy, which features a 44.8-hectare public park located at the heart of the metropolis. The Central Park is envisioned to become one of the country's largest urban parks.

It also delivered the masterplan for a 33.89-hectare affordable housing project in New Clark City, as well as a framework for the creation of a Sustainability Unit in BCDA.

The Singapore Landscape Architecture Awards is a biennial event that honors and sets new benchmarks in design and best practices of landscape architecture. It celebrates the works of landscape architecture firms recognized in Singapore.

Want a healthier life? Here are three things that you need to get started on to acheive this

your blood cholesterol levels and it’s important to eat foods that help you keep control of it.

PUEBLO de Oro

Corporation (PDO), the residential

arm of the ICCP Group, is harnessing digitalization to make the process of loan applications easier for its customers.

The company signed a partnership

agreement with Snapp Ventures, Inc. (SVI), owner and operator of the mortgage brokerage system Matchmo, an online platform that digitalizes the process of home loan applications for home buyers and real estate professionals alike. SVI, through Matchmo, assists

Pueblo de Oro has seen its customer base grow and foresees the number of property buyers to increase as it develops more high quality and affordable housing projects in highgrowth areas, including Pampanga, Batangas, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.

Mang Inasal kicks off 20th anniversary celebration with 2-in-1 AnniverSAYA Deals happening in all its branches

THE new year is made even more exciting as Mang Inasal, the country’s Grill Expert, kicks off its year-long 20th anniversary celebration with the “2-in-1 AnniverSAYA Deals” happening at all its branches nationwide.

“This 2023 is a big year for Mang Inasal as we reach two decades serving Ihaw-Sarap and Unli-Saya to our customers nationwide,” said Mang Inasal’s Business Unit Head Mike V. Castro. “The 2-in-1 AnniverSAYA Deals is just the start of a thrilling year-long celebration which we want everyone to enjoy.”

Double the Ihaw-Sarap and UnliSaya with these perfect pairings available from January 1 to February 28, 2023. Simply present the physical or digital coupon to get the discounts.

Check out these 2-in-1 AnniverSAYA deals at all Mang Inasal stores nationwide: https://bit.ly/ MangInasalBRANCHES.

Want more Mang Inasal exclusives

AS The old adage goes, health is wealth and you are what you eat. In more recent times, there has been an increasing desire among Filipinos to create new lifestyle routines and habits, whether that means integrating wellness practices into your schedule, trying to stay active, or eating healthy for maintenance.

Registered nutritionist-dietitian Dr. Dexter Macalintal offers these simple tips to get started on the road to a healthier lifestyle.

TIP 1: SIMPLE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

DOING a moderate-intense physical activity for at least 30 minutes daily can go a long way. Start with one day and then try to gradually increase it to five times a week. Be sure to compute your target heart rate, based on your age, and try to consistently reach that to make each physical movement count.

It also helps to find workout styles that you actually enjoy doing. That way, it won’t feel as draining or like a chore. Simple choices such as taking the stairs or taking short walks can be just as effective.

TIP 2: A PROPER DIET

Eating right means going beyond what the stomach and gut want. Instead, choose what is ultimately good for the heart to maintain healthy living. Heart health is typically tied to

“A person with an increased level of cholesterol in their blood may lead to a possible condition called atherosclerosis that could develop when different substances form a plaque in one’s arteries and may link to stroke and heart disease,” said Dr. Macalintal.

When planning your dietary meals, it would be best to have a combination of complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats to provide the energy, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients essential for daily living. You can have a healthier option for your merienda by having a vegetable burger cooked in canola oil, partnered with wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber as the other ingredients.

TIP 3: USE HEALTHY OILS

Having heart-healthy food means using heart-healthy ingredients, especially with daily essentials like cooking oil. A staple for most Filipino households and dishes, choosing a heart-healthy cooking oil is good in replacing bad fats as this can manage the risk of heart disease and stroke.

“Canola oil with phytosterols is a good option as it has unsaturated fats in it and is known for being better and generally safe for most home cooking uses, which in this case, the dietary meals,” added Dr. Macalintal. “It also has positive effects on the body by providing nutrients such as Vitamin E which helps act as an antioxidant that is highly needed in one’s personal daily life.”

Furthermore, Dr. Macalintal advises that it is important for one to take into consideration moderation, variety, and balance when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

On your next grocery run, try Golden Fiesta Canola Oil - the healthy cooking oil with zero percent Cholesterol, zero percent Trans Fat, and Phytosterols that can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing the absorption of cholesterol into the body.

FOR the third consecutive year, BDO Foundation implemented its Handog sa ‘Yo ng BDO Foundation Christmas giftgiving initiative, providing noche buena food packs to 25,000 families in underserved communities.

Development

development

SIGNING the agreement are PDO president and chief operating officer Rhoel Alberto B. Nolido (left) and Snapp Ventures president and chief executive officer Kevin Christian Y. Carreon

SINGAPORE-BASED architectural firm Broadway Malyan Asia Pte. Ltd. receives the SEMEC Gold Award for the New Clark City Central Park project under the Analysis and Planning Category of the 2022 Singapore Landscape Architecture Awards. Photo credit: Broadway Malyan Asia Pte. Ltd

Envoys&Expats

Partnership with Israel fortified with MPIC, LR Group linkage

By Roderick L. Abad

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), through its wholly owned subsidiary Metro Pacific Agro Ventures Inc. (MPAV) and Israel-based partner LR Group, have started the ground work on The Laguna Creamery Inc. in the municipality of Bay’s Barangay Masaya.

“This is an extremely important milestone,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to the Republic of the Philippines Ilan Fluss said during the inaugural event last December 22.

The diplomat supported the Herzliya, Israel-based company, which served as the technical advisor for the closing of the deal between MPIC and Carmen’s Best Group in June last year.

The Manuel V. Pangilinan-led infrastructure-investments company entered into an agreement to acquire a 51-percent interest in The Laguna Creamery Inc., as the latter retains a 49-percent ownership. Under their pact, MPIC will further develop and expand the dairy farm’s operations and Carmen’s Best Group’s manufacturing facilities.

Metro Pacific Dairy Farms’ (MPDF) inauguration fulfills the JV, and realizes MPIC’s earlier announcement of its plan to ramp up agricultural-sector investments, and help lessen the country’s dependence on food imports amid

ongoing global supply-chain disruptions and rising inflation.

Strong relations

THE Philippines and Israel started their “warm, friendly relationship” in 1938 when President Manuel Quezon allowed 1,300 Jews to seek and secure a safe haven in local shores, as they tried to flee the Nazis invasion, per Israeli Ambassador Fluss.

“The Philippines had an open door policy,” Fluss reminded. “[In 1947 it voted in the United Nations (UN) favoring] the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel—the only country in Asia to do so.”

For these two reasons, he noted that Israel has adopted an opendoor policy for Filipinos, which allows them to visit the “Holy Land” without the need for a visa: “This is a very important moral and historical reason…Since those years we have seen the relations between our countries, the collaboration in many fields, grow—[whether they are] government-to-government, civil society, [or private sector-based],” the envoy said.

According to him, Israel’s embassy to the Philippines is focused on “nurturing the relations” of both Asian nations, which is vital for their future. Their linkage in the area of innovation and technology is geared toward creating opportunities and

introducing new solutions.

Israel has been progressive, as far as agriculture is concerned. OpenGov Asia reported that Israeli cows produced an average yield of 12,010 kilograms (kgs) in 2018, which is higher than global standards.

While the country lacks the best farming conditions because of extreme heat, humidity and lack of resources, the said country compensates in terms of technological advancements. More than 70 years ago, it produced 4,000 kgs of milk annually. Currently, its farms produce over 12,000 kgs on a yearly basis.

The Israeli embassy said that the farm will be operational within the next 18 months and is expected to produce 6.5 million liters of fresh milk every year. It will increase the dairy production capacity of the Philippines, which today is “only minimal, and heavily dependent on imports.”

Said facility will be equipped with modern dairy-farming technologies from Israel, including wearable health-monitoring devices for each cow in the herd, advanced milking control, monitoring systems and others.

The embassy, in partnership with its economic mission, hosted the first meeting between the two parties in March 2022.

[For] dairy farming, Israel is No. 1 in the world in milk production per cow. I believe it’s the most significant partnership between [our countries, and that of an Israeli company and a Philippine counterpart in the] agriculture sector,” Fluss said, referring to the JV linking MPIC and the LR Group.

“[Such partnership will contribute and be significant] to the agricultural productivity and food security of the Philippines,” he added. “This is exactly the request of President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when I met him to see more Israeli agri-technologies and more Israeli companies involved in agriculture sector here in the Philippines. They] not only will create job more opportunities and generate income for Filipinos in the barangays and in the surrounding areas, but will [also] reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition.”

‘Legen-dairy’ HERALDING their foray into the agriculture sector, the JV partners are infusing “a pretty hefty invest-

UAE honors Filipino envoy with top award for ambassadors

ABU DHABI—Ambassador

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The highest award bestowed on envoys who have served in the said country was conferred on Quintana by UAE’s Minister of State Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh on December 21, 2022 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The award was given in recognition of the ambassador’s efforts and contributions in promoting closer relations between the Philippines and the UAE, and in expanding bilateral cooperation to new fields of endeavor.

On behalf of the Emirati government, Al Sayegh expressed his deep appreciation and warm congratu-

lations to Quintana for her wideranging efforts in building robust and dynamic relations between both nations. The minister lauded her contributions toward the Philippines’s strong presence at the World Expo Dubai, where it signed with the UAE a commitment to enter into a Comprehensive Economic Partner-

ship Agreement, which is currently being negotiated.

“My primary goal in bringing our two countries closer is for the two sides to discover the intrinsic value of collaborating towards a shared goal, a better life for the next generation of Filipinos and Emiratis alike,” said Quintana. “I thank the [UAE] leader-

ship…for sharing this vision, shown in the support they have given and through this recognition.”

Her four-year term saw the further expansion of the Philippines and UAE relations with the signing of bilateral treaties on consular cooperation, agriculture, investment protection and promotion, as well as space cooperation.

She also started negotiations on artificial intelligence and advanced technology, supervised bilateral meetings on ending human trafficking and labor cooperation responsible for the resumption of Filipino household-service workers’ deployment to the UAE, enabled the opening of the Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attaché offices in Abu Dhabi, and established closer engagement with UAE’s defense conglomerate EDGE.

ment” of roughly around P2 billion for the MPDF, where they plan to annually produce 6 million liters of milk, bared MPAV’s president and CEO Jovy Hernandez.

“If you take a look at the scale of what we have in terms [of, specifically, in the farm, where we have roughly 90 to 100] milking cows… that will be immediately 6 times bigger. So the investment is really quite sizable,” Hernandez told the media during the groundbreaking ceremony. “We’re looking at a 70:30 loan-to-equity ratio. We can get local banks first of all to do that. Then, we’re 60:40 with LR [Group] for the 30 percent equity [investment].”

The state-of-the-art and integrated dairy farm facility will have 1,000 cows; 600 of which are for milking.

It will maximize fresh milk’s shelf life through highly mechanized and automated operations, which will ensure adherence to quality and safety standards.

MPDF is where modernization meets sustainability, according to the Israeli Embassy. Hence, it will also be equipped with solar farms that will produce power for the dairy facility, a water-treatment plant that

will yield human-grade drinking water for the cattle, and a waste-management facility that will allow the farm to produce fertilizer.

Apart from helping pave the way for the Philippine dairy industry, the firm also plans to work with local corn farmers for cattle feed rations.

Further, the facility will be a future training ground for farmers and experts in agriculture, in ties with academic entities.

The dairy farm facility’s construction will begin this year, and take about two years to finish. Operations are estimated to start by late 2025 to early 2026.

This JV in agribusiness affirms MPIC’s vision to be the largest catalyst for a “Sustainable Philippines” to contribute to national progress, and help improve Filipinos’ lives. It is also aligned with the company’s efforts to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 2, to “end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.”

With this in mind, Hernandez bared their goal to at least account for a quarter of the nation’s milk requirement over the next five years, as the Philippines currently imports 99 percent of its yearly dairy needs. Only 1 percent of the entire national supply is domestically sourced.

“From our perspective, targeting 25 percent of the dairy to be served locally by us, it’s already a very hard objective,” the MPAV official said, as he conceded that the facility might not be enough to reach that figure. “But as an initial salvo, we’re very ready excited about this project, and…to prove to everybody that it can be done. When we get to that point, maybe it’s time for us to expand again with LR Group.” (Read in the BusinessMirror: “MPIC

23, 2022.)

PHL shines in Warsaw’s most prestigious travel fair

ONE year after Typhoon Odette’s (international name Rai) rampage, the French government said it remains committed to provide assistance to the Philippines for emergency relief and long-term climate resilience.

The Embassy of France to the Philippines was among the first to provide funding to Filipinos affected when the howler struck the Philippines on December 16, 2021.

It claimed nearly 400 victims and displaced thousands of families.

As a response to the calamity, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its Crisis and Support Center, mobilized €1 million in emergency aid to support the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) and the French Red Cross, together with the Philippine Red Cross, and another €1 million to the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund. Their projects were carried throughout 2022, and will continue beyond that.

In typhoon-struck Siargao Island, ACTED Phils. provided hygiene kits and shelter-repair tools in the municipalities of Sison, San Francisco, San Isidro and Santa Monica in the first weeks of the response.

ACTED’s flagship project in Surigao del Norte is focused on rehabilitation of water sources; rebuilding of damaged infrastructures; and construction of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities which helped 1,269 households, or 6,345 persons.

Meanwhile, the Airbus Founda-

tion provided a helicopter that delivered medicines and supplies to French and Filipino communities in Siargao. The Philippine Air Force also extended its help to the French Embassy in bringing food, medicine and other supplies to Bohol and Siargao.

The French Chamber of Commerce and the France-Philippines United Action Foundation also had a donation drive for the benefit of communities in difficulty in Cebu, Bohol, and Siargao, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard.

THE Philippine Embassy in Warsaw successfully promoted the country’s attractiveness to Poles and the international public through the tourism campaign “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” during the 28th Edition of the International Travel and Tourism (TT) Fair in the Polish capital city late in November 2022.

At least 1,000 visitors flocked to the Philippine stall during the threeday event, attracted by the tourism sites projected on the walls of the embassy booth, as well as various displays, which included tourism brochures, video shows, craft giveaways and native delicacies. They had their photos taken in front of the huge colorful and festive tourism posters that adorned the Philippine booth.

Guests included representatives from travel agencies, tour operators, airline firms, Polish university stu-

dents who want to learn more about the Philippines, influencers who propose to promote the Asian country to the world, pilgrimage groups from the Central European nation who want to travel the Philippines, as well as visitors and travelers who have visited already and intend to go back to the latter. The embassy’s staff also entertained numerous inquiries on diving activities, then accommodated requests for advice on popular and beautiful local beaches.

The TT Fair in Warsaw is one of the most prestigious three-day events in the European tourism industry, and a popular venue for embassies there to promote their tourism destinations to a diverse, discerning, and well-traveled audience. The event also provides an opportunity to learn about the latest trends in the tourism markets, and to establish business contacts for future networking activities.

unit to expand dairy business,” December

DIRECTOR Jose Ma. K. Lim of Metro Pacific Investments (from left), CEO Jovy Hernandez of Metro Pacific Agro Ventures Inc., Congresswoman Ruth Mariano-Hernandez of Laguna’s second district, Ambassador Ilan Fluss and Cofounder-CEO Ami Lustig of LR Group. ISRAELI EMBASSY

M. Quintana received the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Medal of Independence of the First Order from the Gulf States’ president Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

AMBASSADOR Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz (center) with Polish and Philippine Embassy officials WARSAW PE

QUINTANA and UAE’s Minister of State Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh

France asserts pact to climate resilience a year after ‘Odette’

BOOSTING the strong ties between the Philippines and Israel, two firms from both countries have activated their joint venture (JV) in dairy farming.

Masters Top 8 kicks off new jr tennis season

THE top and rising players from four age groups try to come out strong from the holiday break as they clash in the Masters Top 8 which got under way Wednesday at the SRJI Center Mall courts in San Carlos, Negros Occidental.

Ivan Manila from San Jose (Nueva Ecija), Butuan’s Vince Serna and local bets Kirby Ramacho and Herman Illusorio head the boys’ cast in the 18-under class while Judy Anne Padilla from Ozamiz, La Carlota’s Alexa Milliam, AJ Acabo from Zamboanga Sibugay and Claire Nocos from Lapu-Lapu, Cebu lead the chase in the girls’ premier side of the event presented by Dunlop.

Th e tournament, sponsored by Mayor Rene Gustilo and Vice Mayor Criston Carmona and which offers ranking points, features the Top 8 in various age categories as part of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala’s incentive for those who did well in last year’s edition of the country’s longest talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro.

It also serves as the kickoff leg of another full calendar, busy season not just for the youngsters but also for the country’s top men’s and women’s players (Open) and veterans (Legends) to be highlighted by championships that coincide with the host province’s festival celebrations.

The year’s second event from January 11 to 17 will be the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City to be followed by the Gov. Fredenil Castro tournament from January 19 to 24 in Roxas City, Capiz, Mayor Alfredo Benitez juniors from January 26 to 31 in Bacolod City and the Mayor Luigi Marcel Goni tilt from February 2 to 7 in Bais City, Negros Oriental.

B acolod Lanao’s Mcleen Gomera and Sta. Rosa City’s Frank and France Dilao banner the boys’ 16-under field Jarata from La Union spearheading the title chase in the girls’ side of the event backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, Unified Tennis Philippines and Universal Tennis Rating.

SANTOS, Brazil—Brazil said a final farewell to Pelé on Tuesday, burying the legend who unified the bitterly divided country.

Ne wly inaugurated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva paid his respects at Vila Belmiro, the stadium where Pelé played for most of his career.

Pelé died last week at age 82 and was laid to rest in Santos, the city where he became famous after moving there at age 15 to play for Santos FC. The funeral Mass was held at the team’s Vila Belmiro stadium before his black casket was driven through the streets of the of Santos in a firetruck.

It was taken into the cemetery as bands played the team’s official song and a Roman Catholic hymn. Before the golden-wrapped casket arrived, attendees sang samba songs that Pelé liked.

Some Brazilian soccer legends weren’t there.

“ Where’s Ronaldo Nazario? Where’s Kaká, where’s Neymar?” asked Claudionor Alves, 67, who works at a bakery next to the stadium. “Do they think they will be remembered like Pelé will? These guys didn’t want to stop their vacations, that’s the problem.”

G eovana Sarmento, 17, waited in a three-hour line to view Pelé’s body

CHAIR BACHMANN: TOUCHÉ

By Josef Ramos

ON March 15, 2022, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the FIBA 2023 World Cup met for the very first time at the Malarayat Golf and Country Club to get the ball rolling for one of the biggest events the country will host this August since the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

R ichard “Dickie” Bachmann sat in that meeting as Operations Manager. He was handpicked for the post by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SPB) head Al Panlilio, whose day job is being the president and CEO of PLDT.

B eing Operations Manager is no simple task. He tends to venues, sports, games services, accreditation, IT, among others. Filled to the brim.

A t mid-morning on Wednesday, Bachmann was in Malacañang being sworn as the 12th chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. With him were his daughters Ciara and Sophia.

No less than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos tasked him to head the government sports arm.

Touché.

In a statement sent to media hours after his oath-taking, Bachmann said: “I am deeply humbled to have the opportunity to serve our Philippine athletes in this capacity. I look forward to working with the NSAs [national sports associations], together with our PSC team members and Commissioners, in order to help our athletes prepare for this year’s sporting events.”

I am also grateful for the continued support of the PBA [Philippine Basketball Association] community, SBP organization, and my mentor,

Wilfred Steven Uytengsu,” he added in the statement.

I bring with me nearly three decades of experience in organized sports, as well as the Alaska Aces philosophy I have learned and valued over the years, which is to win with integrity while helping our athletes to become better individuals off the court,” ended Bachmann, who completed his Business Management course at De La Salle—where he also impressed as a Green Archer—in 1991.

B achmann was all basketball during his younger life having been with Alaska as a player and executive for more than two decades. He was also named head of 3x3 by PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial and basketball commissioner for three seasons at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines—jobs he had to relinquish to serve at the PSC.

O n his Day 1 as PSC chairman, Bachmann, 54, was at the agency

facilities inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila by 7 a.m. He toured the historic venue before heading to Malacañang for the oath-taking ceremony.

He returned by 1 p.m. to the PSC, gathered Deputy Executive Directors Merlita Ibay and Anna Christine Abellana and commissioners Olivia “Bong” Coo and recent appointees Edward Lim Hayco and Walter Francis Torres—they took their oath last December 28.

A fter some two-and-a-half hours, Bachmann reiterated to BusinessMirror his mission at the PSC.

“ It’s my force of habit to come early even during my days as Alaska executive,” Bachmann said.

Bachmann bared his short-term plan that focuses on the athletes’ welfare especially because the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games are up in May and the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.

“I would like to assure that there won’t be a delay in their [athletes] allow-

ances and I would like to focus on proper nutrition,” he said. “The previous chairman [Noli Eala] had many plans and it’s just a matter of executing them.”

He also stressed that the national sports associations (NSAs) would be taken care of under his term, adding that he is willing to “show and prove to everyone that he’s not only good in managing basketball [stuff] but all sports and athletes properly as well.”

My focus are the athletes and all of Philippine sports—not only basketball as what many people know me,” he said.

Bachmann said that he seek Eala and his predecessor William “Butch” Ramirez’s advice as he thanked Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino for his congratulatory message.

I am looking forward to meeting with the POC, its president, Mayor Abraham Tolentino, to discuss what’s good for Philippine sports,” he said.

Soccer great Pelé buried at cemetery in Brazilian City he made famous

as it lay in repose. She came with her father, who was wearing a Brazil shirt with Pelé’s name.

I am not a Santos fan, neither is my father. But this guy invented Brazil’s national team. He made Santos stronger, he made it big, how could you not respect him? He is one of the greatest people ever, we needed to honor him,” she said.

C aio Zalke, 35, an engineer, wore a Brazil shirt as he waited in the line.

Pelé is the most important Brazilian of all time. He made the sport important for Brazil and he made Brazil important for the world,” Zalke said.

Pelé in the 1960s and 1970s was perhaps the world’s most famous athlete. He met presidents and queens, and a civil war in Nigeria was put on hold so people could watch him play. Many Brazilians credit Pelé with putting the country on the world stage for the first time.

Rows of shirts with Pelé’s No. 10 were placed behind one of the stadium’s

Malixi opens title drive in Orlando International

IANNE MALIXI seeks to snap back-to-back runner-up finishes as she sets out for the Women’s Orlando International Amateur firing off Wednesday at the Orange Country National Golf Center and Lodge in Florida.

M alixi launches her title bid at 7:48 a.m. on the first hole of the Crooked Cat course with American Jackie Rogowicz and Zixin Ni of China with the half of the huge 180-player field clashing at the Panther Lake layout of the vast golf complex.

Despite her failed bids in the Malaysian Amateur Open and the Citrus Golf Trail  the 15-year-old young Filipina star has enjoyed a tremendous season, winning six, including two on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tour, three on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour and the last in the Thailand Junior World as she moved to No. 158 in the world amateur rankings.

But it will be a tough climb for Malixi, who targets to break into the top 30 at the end of the new season with a slew of top ranking overseas tournaments lined up for the leading International Container Terminal Services Inc.-backed shotmaker.

PLDT taps Ricafort as coach of Hitters

PLDT tapped Rald Ricafort as the new head coach of the High Speed Hitters for the 2023 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season.

R icafort spent the last four years with Petro Gazz, steering the Angels to the 2022 PVL Reinforced Conference crown despite entering the final round as the third seed.

He is also the head coach of University of the Philippines’ men’s volleyball team and an assistant coach of the university’s women’s squad.

“ We at PLDT are excited to work with a young champion coach in Coach Rald,” PLDT/SMART Head of Sports Jude Turcuato said. “We know he can guide our players to the next level.

The “youth movement” PLDT is about to embark on what led Ricafort to sign with the team.

“ I’m very grateful to Petro Gazz in the four years that I spent there because I became the coach that I am today,” Ricafort said.

A lso brought in by PLDT was Arnold Laniog, champion head coach of the College of Saint Benilde’s men’s volleyball team in Season 92 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Petro Gazz in the 2019 PVL Reinforced Conference.

goals, waving in the city’s summer winds. A section of the stands filled up with bouquets of flowers placed by mourners and sent by clubs and star players—Neymar and Ronaldo among them—from around the world as loudspeakers played the song “Eu sou Pelé” (“I am Pelé”) recorded by him.

The crowd was mostly local, although some came from far away, and many mourners were too young ever to have seen Pelé play. The mood was light, as people filtered out of the stadium to local bars, wearing Santos FC and Brazil shirts.

Pelé had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. The medical center where he had been hospitalized said he died of multiple organ failure as a result of the cancer.

Pelé led Brazil to World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and remains one of the team’s all-time leading scorers with 77 goals. Neymar tied Pelé’s record during this year’s World Cup in Qatar. AP

in other Asian basketball leagues, and still does. Regarded as game changers and life changers for those who have caught the basketball talent scouts’ attention, it is indeed difficult to say no. Besides the adventure of playing abroad, being regarded as an import or saving angel instead of just a promising rookie in the local pro league, the pay is also Temptation with a capital T.

Salaries range from $36,000 per year to $1 million per year. Do the conversion and do not begrudge those who choose to take the open hand of the Japanese, Korean or Taiwanese recruiters.

Jerom’s brave new world

I n a new

basketball world where reigning stars are lured away from finishing their full stints in their colleges or universities by tempting, lucrative offers to play abroad, The Decision by the Kid from Dumaguete is the other side of the picture.

He had, for sure, several offers to find fame and fortune

For the Japanese league alone, the average yearly salary for imports is from $200,000 to $400,000. The lowest reported yearly salary is $100,000 per year, with max salary pegged at $1,000,000 per year. (Source: Josecolorado.com). To lure good players, we would imagine the other Asian leagues competing with Japan both numerically and perks-wise.

But Jerom Lastimosa seems to be cut from another cloth. “Actually, Jerom was also offered to play abroad (before the beginning of Season 85)” teams, but he decided to stay with Adamson University and give it a last run,” said University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) President Fr. Aldrin Suan, CM while discussing the many

UAAP stars who were to suit up for their Asian professional teams last September.

Jerom in essence was given a choice to already showcase his remarkable talent abroad and earn big bucks, or aim to play an immortal role in Adamson University lore by aiming for a UAAP championship for his school in Season 85, Fr. Aldrin said.

Jerom chose the latter. And this time, in the off season of Season 85, after mounting a heroic drive to bring the Soaring Falcons as close to glory as possible, never mind an injured foot, Lastimosa made one final heave of the basketball despite several missed attempts in the do-ordie game against La Salle for a Final Four slot. It found its mark.

A damson University went on to make its Final Four appearance—its first since 2018—despite having a dismal start to Season 85 campaign, despite being almost written off midway into the season. Because Jerom Lastimosa refused to say no. And tried again.

Th at will, that vision, that resilience is what makes Jerom Lastimosa great as a player. But his decision to stay one more year, give Adamson one more chance to try again and aim for the stars, is what makes Jerom Lastimosa a great human being.

It is not that he doesn’t need the money,” Fr. Aldrin explained. “In fact he may need it the most among the players who were offered to play abroad. But he decided to stay.”

A nd this time, he is nixing the Korean Basketball League for school pride, a college degree and loyalty. How precious is that?

W hen UAAP Season 86 opens in September this year— back to its normal timetable—coach Nash Racela will have his solid cast of Falcons playing their birds-of-prey role to the hilt. He will still have Joem Sabandal, AP Manlapaz, Cedrick Manzano, import Lenda Douanga, Eli Ramos— younger brother of Dwight Ramos who has transferred from Ateneo, and Jerom Lastimosa.

B eyond the promise of a lucrative pro career, overseas adventure and basketball fame in more than just one playing field, the allure and compulsion of unfinished business can be a strong motivating factor as well.

I n Season 86 the Soaring Falcons will be a must-watch team because of its intriguing story that began in Season 85. Will they finally take it higher this season and rule the skies? All eyes will be on this gritty team and its knight in shining armor who found romance and pursued it by committing to Adamson Basketball.

THE story of Jerom Lastimosa deciding to play his last year with Adamson University was big news the other day.

collegiate

THE casket of late soccer great Pelé is draped in the Brazilian and Santos FC flags as his remains are transported from Vila Belmiro Stadium to the cemetery during his funeral procession in Santos, Brazil, Tuesday. AP

RICHARD “DICKIE” BACHMANN is sworn into office by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin in Malacañang on Wednesday. Looking on are (from left) Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevara and Bachmann’s daughters Ciara and Sophia.