BusinessMirror January 11, 2023

Trade deficit in Nov falls to 2-year

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE country’s trade deficit in November 2022 declined to its lowest level in two years, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The latest PSA data released on Tuesday indicated that the trade deficit declined 21.9 percent in November 2022, the lowest since the 41.3 percent

recorded in November 2020.

Exports grew 13.2 percent in November 2022, the second consecutive month of double-digit growth while imports contracted 1.9 percent, also the lowest since November 2020.

“The balance of trade in goods [BoT-G] is the difference between the value of export and import. The BoT-G in November 2022 amounted to $3.68 billion, indicating a trade deficit with an annual decrease of 21.9 percent,” PSA said.

“The trade deficit in the previous month recorded an annual decline of 13.4 percent, while in November 2021, it posted an annual increase of 119.7 percent,” it added.

In January to November 2022, the PSA data showed the country’s trade deficit reached $53.69 billion. This was 44.7 percent higher than the deficit of $37.11 billion in January to November 2021.

The value of the country’s total exports reached $7.1 billion

in November 2022, 13.2 percent higher than the $6.27 billion posted in November 2021.

Export earnings in January to November reached $73.169 billion, 7 percent higher than the previous year’s $68.37 billion.

Of the top 10 major commodity groups, 5 recorded annual increases in terms of value, including other mineral products, which jumped by 51 percent. See

‘Exploration deal unconstitutional’

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday declared as unconstitutional the tripartite agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) entered into by the Philippine government with China and Vietnam during the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005.

Under the JMSU, which expired in 2008, the Philippines, China and Vietnam through their respective national oil corporations agreed to conduct joint explorations of the disputed South China Sea covering 142,886 square kilometers (agreement area).

However, up to 80 percent of the JMSU site is within the Philippines’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone, prompting the filing of petitions seeking to declare the agreement as unconstitutional.

Voting 12-2-1, the Court en banc ruled that the JMSU is unconstitutional for allowing wholly-owned foreign corporations to participate in the exploration of the country’s natural resources without observing the safeguards provided in Section 2, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution.

The said provision mandates that the exploration, development, and utilization (EDU) of natural See “JMSU,” A2

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) intends to continue raising interest rates as a precautionary measure against the second round effects of inflation.

In a briefing on Tuesday, BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said inflation is still expected to be within target by the third quarter of the year and will be closer to 2 percent rather than 3 percent by late 2023 or early 2024.

Based on the recent charts he reviewed, Medalla said inflation expectations are building up and that sectors that have very little

inputs, such as services, have become expensive.

“Those are signs that inflationary pressures are broadening, and we’re getting to the point where second-order inflation is beginning to be a concern. Until that is addressed, we cannot say ‘hindi puwedeng mag -rate hike,’” Medalla told reporters in an interview following a press briefing in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday.

Medalla said raising interest rates by another 25 or 50 basis points would serve as “insurance”

See “BSP,” A2

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas & Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) greenlit the importation of 21,060 metric tons (MT) of fresh yellow and red onions to temper the commodity’s retail prices, which have skyrocketed to more than P700 per kilogram in recent weeks.

Senior Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban issued a memorandum authorizing the issuance of

sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) for the importation of fresh yellow and red onions.

The memorandum was addressed to all Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) licensed onion importers and was dated January 6.

In the memorandum, Panganiban said the importation program will be implemented “to address the supply gap prior to peak harvest in 2023 and to stabilize the continuous increase in the price of fresh

“Onion,” A2

BusinessMirror

‘Airlines lost over ₧100M from airspace shutdown’

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

AIRLINES may have lost “over P100 million” due to the electrical trip that caused the shutdown of government’s air traffic control management system on New Year’s Day.

This was revealed by Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla during Tuesday’s House of Representatives Transportation panel hearing on the cause of the recent airspace shutdown, which affected close to 300 flights and some 65,000 passengers.

“As to the losses of the passengers, it is more difficult to quantify that in terms of the huge inconvenience they suffered, like for some, it affected their employment,” he said in Filipino.

In the same hearing, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) revealed that air traffic controllers and other skilled personnel manning the air traffic management system are constantly being poached by other countries due to the low wages they receive in the country. CAAP operates the country’s Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Trafffic Management (CNS/ATM) system, which experienced an electronic trip in its circuit breaker, causing the airspace shutdown. An ongoing investigation continues on the cause of the trip.

Low salaries of air traffic controllers

CAAP General Manager Manuel Tamayo said the “entry level salary of an air traffic controller is only P45,000 per month compared to P300,000 per month in the Middle East.” He did not say how many CAAP personnel have been pirated so far, but he assured lawmakers that they still had enough personnel: “Many of them have been with us for many years, and I salute them for choosing to stay in the Philippines. They are now the ones training the new air traffic controllers.”

Marlene Singson of the CAAP’s Aerodome Control Division, also revealed that many of the new air traffic controllers are receiving training for one-and-a-half years, but their experience already exceed the two-year qualifications required for the same position in countries like Qatar. The entry-level salary for air traffic controllers in Qatar, for instance, is “P380,000 and they are given free housing and allowed to bring their spouse and minor children with them.”

The United Nations also asks for volunteers for their air traffic operations, said Singson, “and they are paid per diems amounting to millions of pesos.”

Among other issues of the air traffic controllers include not being given plantilla positions and the “collapsing of three positions in air traffic management into one,” affecting the parity of salaries among the employees. She said the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and

-Controlled Corporations has promised to look into this issue. While an attached agency of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the CAAP is a GOCC.

Free rebooking on affected flights

FOR his part, DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said the agency had already proposed as early as September 2022 “either a backup system or a new” CNS/ATM system. The current air traffic management system is “at midlife” having been purchased in 2010, but operated only in 2018. The new CNS/ATM system is estimated to cost at least P13 billion, and is one of the priority projects for 2023.

Meanwhile, CAB’s Arcilla said free hotel accommodations were given to 2,940 passengers whose flights were diverted to another airport. In other cases though, such as those of passengers on flights coming from abroad, he said many choose not to leave the airport and wait it out until they are able to get on their flights.

Strictly speaking, however, in a force majeure situation, the CAB executive explained, carriers are not required to compensate or give free accommodations to affected passengers. During the New Year’s Day airspace shutdown where local carriers had to cancel many flights, he said passengers were offered free rebooking, refund, or travel fund. Most airlines, along with the Manila International Airport Authority, also served free meals to the affected passengers.

JMSU. . .

Continued from A1

resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State.

Then Bayan Muna Party-List Representatives Satur C. Ocampo and Teodoro A. Casiño, et al. along with former Senator Teofisto Guingona III filed the petition before the SC in 2008 assailing the constitutionality of the agreement.

Petitioners argued that the JMSU was illegal as it allowed foreign corporations wholly-owned by China and Vietnam to undertake large-scale exploration of the country’s petroleum resources, in violation of the of the Constitutional provision which reserves the EDU of natural resources to Filipino citizens, or corporations or associations at least 60 percent of whose capital is owned by such citizens.

They added that even if the agreement is merely for a preexploration activity, it is clear that all the data and information acquired in the implementation of the agreement shall be jointly owned by the parties, which is a clear proof that the Philippines has conceded or forfeited its ownership over the country’s petroleum and other mineral oils.

Furthermore, the petitioners said the respondents compromise its claim over the disputed Spratly Group of Islands by allowing the implementation of the said tripartite agreement.

The agreement covers 6 islands claimed and occupied by the Philippines in Spratly such as Pag-asa Island, Likas Island, Lawak Island, Kota Island, Patag Island and Panata Island.

Named respondents in the petition were then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her executive secretary Eduardo Ermita, her Foreign and Energy secretaries as well as the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) and the PNOCExploration Corp.

The Court, noting that the term “exploration” pertains to a search or discovery of something in both its ordinary or technical sense, ruled that the JMSU involves the exploration of the country’s natural resources, particularly petroleum.

Citing the text of the fifth whereas clause of the JMSU, which states the Parties “expressed desire to engage in a joint research of petroleum resource potential of a certain area of the South China Sea as a pre-exploration activity,” the Court said that it is clear that the JMSU was executed for the purpose of determining if petroleum exists in the agreement area.

“That the Parties designated the joint research as a preexploration activity is of no moment,”the Court said in a decision penned by Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan

“Such designation does not detract from the fact that the intent and aim of the agreement is to discover petroleum which is tantamount to exploration,” it added.

The Court further held that as the JMSU involves the exploration of the country’s petroleum resources, it falls within the ambit of Section 2, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution.

Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and 10 other Associate Justices concurred with the ruling. Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier and Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda dissented, while Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando was on leave and did not take part.

BSP. . .

Continued from A1

to keep high inflation at bay. He added that if, later on, the interest rates were not needed, the BSP could easily roll back the rates.

The BSP governor said the central bank would face more difficulties if it did not raise interest rates when it was warranted. This, he said, would be more dangerous for the economy.

“I would rather na naghahabol tayo sa pag-ro-roll back kaysanaghahaboltayoumakyat The moment na‘pagnawalan ng tiwala ang tao, na inflation is normalizing, that’s a more difficult path to take,” Medalla said.

“I’m not worried about the monetary policy reducing output. What I’m worried about is, if we’re late, and there’d be a greater sacrifice of output later on,” he added.

Meanwhile, in the Financial Stability Coordination Council’s (FSCC) launch of the country’s 2022 Financial Stability Report (FSR), the governor noted the country’s continuing recovery from the disruptions caused by the pandemic. He highlighted a strong growth and the improving employment figures. Yet he also underscored the need to be prepared for the challenges ahead.

“The supply and distribution of key commodities such as oil and food are still not where they were pre-pandemic. These bottlenecks would keep consumer prices high. The policy response of raising interest rates will eventually affect the demand side of economic activity. How these changing demand and supply patterns manifest in 2023 at the global stage remains to be seen,” Medalla said.

The interlinkages across commodities and across jurisdictions is the main story in the FSR. The discussion starts with macroeconomic issues that have an impact on financial markets.

He said “the current policy issues are systemic because of the interlinked cause-and-effect consequences they create.”

“This is why systemic risk analysis is particularly challenging. We need to scope the key connections among stakeholders, understand their interlinked behaviors, and only then assess how the economy is affected,” Medalla said.

“There is a lot of work done on granular data and newer methods of analysis that goes on behind the scenes. And all that is happening so that we minimize surprises in risks while we all live in the VUCA world,” he added. Cai U. Ordinario

Onion.

. .

onions in the market.”

Continued from A1

The retail price of red onions in the market has been on a par or was even more expensive than meat products. Government monitoring reports showed that the retail price of red onion even peaked at P720 per kg last month.

“Importation of fresh onions is to stabilize the price in the market. Prices should be substantially lower than the SRP [suggested retail price] set by DA after the arrival of imported onions,” Panganiban said.

Under the importation program, the country will purchase 3,960 MT of fresh yellow onions and 17,100 MT of fresh red onions. The volumes were based on the country’s monthly per capita consumption.

The agriculture department has set a limit on the number of SPSICs that will be issued for every licensed onion importer. Only one SPSIC with a 25-MT volume for fresh yellow onion and two SPSICs (50 MT per SPSIC) for fresh red onion will be issued to all licensed importers during the issuance period, according to the memorandum.

The issuance of the SPSIC for imported onions resumed last January 9 and will end on January 13. In total, the BPI, which oversees onion importation, would issue a total of 163 SPSICs for yellow onions and 326 SPSICs for red onions.

“All applications for SPSIC beyond the last day of issuance shall be rejected. Only those applications for SPSIC within the prescribed period shall be considered regardless if target volume was reached or not,” the memorandum read.

All onion shipments must arrive in the country on or before January 27. Shipments that would arrive beyond January 27 would be considered by the government as “invalid” and will be sanctioned with a “return to origin” order.

“Ports of entry shall only be in Port of Manila-South Harbor, Port of Subic, Port of Cebu, Port of Davao, and Port of Cagayan de Oro,” the memorandum read.

“Importers who failed to utilize the issued SPSIC will not be eligible to apply for the succeeding issuances of SPSIC for fresh onion,” it added.

The agriculture department also ruled that imported fresh onions must be stored only in accredited cold storage facilities as indicated in their respective approved SPSICs.

The government will allow the transfer of imported onion stocks to a new or a different cold storage warehouse aside from the one indicated in the shipment’s SPSIC.

The DA is also prohibiting the sale of approved SPSICs.

Tweaks

AGRICULTURE Assistant Secretary Rex Estoperez said the import volume was adjusted from the previous recommendation of 22,000 MT following the DA’s analysis of recent data.

Also, the deadline for the arrival of imports is one week ahead of the proposed schedule to ensure that shipments would not coincide with the main local harvest season of onions.

Estoperez said President Marcos Jr., who is concurrently the agriculture secretary, is well aware of the onion importation program. He said Panganiban sent a memorandum to Marcos to inform the chief executive about the matter.

“Definitely, they talked. [Undersecretary Panganiban] will not sign [this memorandum] if [President Marcos] has no knowledge of it,” he told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.

Estoperez said the government would come up with a mechanism to cap the retail prices of the imported onions. The government will collate and analyze all pertinent data on onion imports including the landed cost.

“We will do that. Local onion prices have a cap, therefore imported onions should also have a cap,” he said.

Estoperez said the government expects the price of imported onions to range from P150 to P200 per kg.

Onion inspection

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he wants to bring down the rate of third party inspectors, who are conducting the screening for smuggled onions, which will be sold in local markets.

During the Cabinet meeting last Tuesday, Marcos stressed the need to reduce the service fee of the said inspectors so the smuggled onions can be sold at a low price.

Currently, inspectors charge P5,000 per kilo, which is “much higher than the value of the onion,” according to the President.

In its latest price monitoring report, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said red and white onions are now being sold at P420 to P600 per kg in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“So that is our quandary. We are trying to negotiate with third parties to do the inspection. But right now we are still reviewing all of that,” Marcos said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Last Tuesday, the DA announced that authorities have seized another P78.9 million worth of smuggled agricultural products.

Among the confiscated goods were red and white onions worth an estimated P25.3 million.

Marcos said the smuggled onion must go through inspection to ensure they will be free from “transboundary diseases.”

He reiterated the government’s plan to sell the smuggled onions to bring down prices.

“Since there are so many [people] looking for smuggled onions, we are making an effort to release them to the market. Unfortunately we do not know the source of these onions. So they all have to be inspected. It cannot be random,” Marcos said.

“They really have to be very safe because if just one batch [of contaminated onion] is able to pass through [inspection], it will cause sickness,” he added.

These products included nickel oxide sinters and other intermediate products of nickel metallurgy and nickel ores.

The data also showed ignition wiring set and other wiring sets used in vehicles, aircrafts and ships grew by 23.1 percent; electronic products, 22.9 percent; cathodes and sections of cathode, of refined copper, 8.7 percent; and other manufactured goods, 4.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the country’s imports amounted to $10.78 billion in November 2022, a 1.9 percent contraction from the $10.98 billion recorded in November 2021.

In January to November 2022, imports reached $126.86 billion, 20.3 percent higher than the previous year’s $105.49 billion.

For November, the decline in imports was mainly due to the decreases in the values of four of the top 10 major commodity groups, with electronic products having the fastest annual decline of 10.1 percent.

This was followed by transport equipment, which contracted by 8.8 percent annually; cereals and cereal preparations by 5.9 percent; and industrial machinery and equipment by 3.5 percent.

In the 11-month period of 2022, imports that posted the fastest growth were corn which surged 203.6 percent; Office and EDP Machines, 153.7 percent; Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials, 82.1 percent; Metalliferous Ores and Metal Scrap, 53.7 percent; Fertilizers (Manufactured) 51 percent; and chemical compounds, 47.3 percent.

Markets

IN November, the country’s top export destination was Hong Kong where $1.16 billion or 16.3 percent to the total exports were shipped.

Other countries in the top 5 major export trading partners were the United States with 1.14 billion or 16 percent of the total and Japan which accounted for $938.30 million or 13.2 percent.

The list also included the People’s Republic of China with $876.27 million or 12.3 percent of the total and Singapore, $369.25 million or 5.2 percent of total shipments.

For imports, the People’s Republic of China was the country’s biggest supplier of imported goods valued at $2.6 billion or 24.1 percent of the total in November 2022.

Other top import sources are Indonesia, which accounted for $1.14 billion of imports or 10.6 percent of the total; Japan, $927.5 million or 8.6 percent; US, $735.4 million or 6.8 percent; and the Republic of Korea, $691.74 million or 6.4 percent.

Bill

Ex-defense OIC Faustino breaks silence, reveals

prompted him to resign

ALEADER of the House of Representatives has filed a measure seeking to mandate the provision of additional social safety nets for journalists.

Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar has filed House Bill 6543, which seeks to provide disability, health and hospitalizations benefits to all practicing journalists, saying there is a need to safeguard the welfare of journalists in their news coverage.

During important assignments, journalists face the most dangerous situations like typhoons, disasters, floods, riots, war and conflicts, to name a few, in order to deliver the news to the public,” said Villar in filing the measure.

V illar added some frontline journalists “accept field assignments bringing only their passion sans insurance or hazard pay although they risk their lives in the name of journalism.”

Under the bill, all practicing journalists are entitled to insurance, tax-exempt hazard pay and other incentives, whether they are permanent, temporary, contractual or casual journalists being employed by media entities in the Philippines.

Freelance journalists are also entitled to insurance benefits—with the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System being mandated to create a special coverage for them—specifically when they are covering war zones, conflict-stricken areas and calamity-affected places.

Additionally, journalists on the front lines or those on field assignments are entitled to disability benefits of up to P300,000 for total or partial disability, P300,000 in death benefit and reimbursement of medical costs up to P200,000 for those needing medical assistance in the performance of their duty.

It is time that journalists deserve the respect not only for the type of work that they are doing but also in the form of benefits that are long overdue. While some may not enjoy decent wages, it is necessary that journalists enjoy these perks as they have families that rely on them,” Villar said.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

SEN. Mark Villar has commended President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the launching of the Metro Manila Subway project’s tunnel boring machine.

P resident Marcos and other officials, including Senator Mark Villar, attended the launching of the Metro Manila Subway project’s tunnel boring machine on Monday, January 9, 2023.

“ Today we witnessed another milestone in the subway project. This will kick-start the tunneling works for the subway project which will level up public transportation in

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE heads of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have agreed to work together for the “smooth and immediate completion” of the 5-hectare Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VVIP) in New Clark City (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac.  I n a recent meeting, BCDA said BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) Aileen R. Zosa and DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. discussed details on the initial phases of the project,

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

RESIGNED Department of National Defense (DND) Senior Undersecretary and Officer in Charge Jose Faustino Jr. finally broke his silence over the issue of his abrupt resignation from the DND.

Based on his statement that military reporters obtained on Tuesday, Faustino, who is also a retired chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), was apparently hurt by the installation of Gen. Andres Centino as AFP chief-of-staff without him being officially informed.

With the utmost respect, I submitted my irrevocable letter of res-

ignation to the President, His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., on Friday, January 6, 2023, after learning only from news and social media reports that an oath of office of the new Chief-of-Staff, AFP had taken place at Malacañang,” he said.

President Marcos, replacing Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, who also succeeded Centino last year when Marcos assumed the presidency, reappointed Centino, a former chief of staff of the AFP, to his post.

W hen Bacarro replaced Centino last year as the top military chief, Centino did not file for an optional retirement and instead held on to his four-star rank on a “floating status.”

Reports said that when rumors

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz  @joveemarie

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday vowed to improve the facilities and equipment of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) as well as passengers’ experience this year, but raised the issue of “brain drain” affecting the domestic aviation industry.

DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista gave the assurance during a briefing with the House Committee on Transportation following the New Year’s Day technical glitch that resulted in many flight delays, diversions and cancelations.

T he DOTr, he added, will solve recurring problems in the transportation sector, especially in the aviation sector.

Bautista said recommendations have already been submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos. Jr. to improve the country’s air traffic management system.

We sincerely apologize to those who were affected by the technical glitch, which affected hundreds of flights and inconvenienced thousands of passengers,” he said.

We hope to convey to our lawmakers and to the riding public that

we are committed in coming up with a permanent solution affecting passengers and commuters,” Bautista told the members of the House Committee on Transportation chaired by Antipolo City Second District Rep. Romeo Acop.

Bautista said they are now studying proposals to install a backup system to ensure the incident will not happen again.

A ccording to Bautista, immediate amendments to the procurement law are needed for the acquisition of technical equipment in the aviation industry.

Bautista has said DOTr may need over P13 billion to upgrade the system that caused the recent technical issues at Naia.

“ We are thankful for the cooperation of other agencies that share similar sentiments about the need to amend existing procurement laws to expedite acquisition of vital technical equipment such as those of CAAP [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines],” he added.

We hope to highlight technical and financial support in upgrading the facilities in CAAP, Naia and other regional airports,” he added.

Bautista said they recovered more than 90 percent of operations at Naia within 24 hours after the incident.

[But] at the same time the intraagency investigation is being conducted on the source of the glitch, we are also addressing reports to set the record straight on what really happened,” he added.

Meanwhile, CAAP acting director general Manuel Antonio Tamayo said the CAAP has purchased two uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units to prevent another air traffic system glitch in the short term.

We evaluated the condition of our two UPS, and one of the UPS had a problem on the blower but other than that, it is functioning as it should be. The other UPS had no defects at all. The problem is not the UPS. It was the circuit breaker,” Tamayo explained.

“ But we did emergency procurement of two additional UPS because our current UPS is already mid-life. The UPS life is between five to 10 years. Our position is that, why wait seven to 10 years when this is vital equipment, so we procured two right away as a measure to prevent this from happening again,” he added.

But Tamayo said what caused the circuit breaker to fail is still under investigation. “We are not authorized to open the circuit breaker. If we find that it is not functioning, then we

will replace it as we should,” he said.

In a news statement, the CAAP admitted that the country’s Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System “is already behind when it was first used in 2019.”

It said the country’s air traffic management system is not obsolete, but upgrades should be implemented to prevent another technical glitch.

T he P10.8-billion project financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was completed in October 2017. It was only inaugurated on January 16, 2018 and commenced comprehensive operations on July 26, 2019.

B autista also vowed to address “pain points” affecting airlines passengers, including inefficient ticket booking, airport congestions, long queues, immigration issues, baggage system, transportation around the airport.

Brain drain

MEANWHILE , CAAP Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo said the country is losing aviation experts due to low salary issues.

“As I mentioned, comparing the salary of our air traffic controller as against other air traffic control-

spread last month that Bacarro would be replaced, Faustino dropped words that he would resign if Bacarro were removed from his post. In his statement, Faustino said he could not “allow the AFP’s reputation to be tarnished, maligned, or politicized,” although he assured that he would always “hold the AFP in high esteem, which its men and women have painstakingly earned.”

Through the years, the AFP has metamorphosed into an institution that the Filipino people can truly be proud of. Admittedly, it has had its own share of life’s ups and downs, but nonetheless, it genuinely strives hard to earn and deserve the trust, respect and confidence of our people and allies,” he also said.

lers in our neighboring countries or around the world, their starting salary is P45,000 here in the country, whereas the starting salary of the same qualification of air traffic controllers in the Middle East is about equivalent to P300,000,” he said.

Tamayo has asked the government to facilitate the adjustment in the salary grades of air traffic personnel.

C AAP Assistant Director General Marlene Singson, air traffic control head, said air traffic controllers undergo at least one and a half years of training to complete their service course.

“So after we have trained them, they start and are deployed to air traffic service facilities nationwide, and some of them are not even given the plantilla position yet but we continue training them for rating in the facility that is a requirement for operations,” she said.

“As far as CAAP is concerned, one of our problems, our competent technicians, air traffic controllers have been pirated due to low salaries,” she revealed.

T he Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) has already vowed to look into the pay issue of air traffic officers working for CAAP facilities.

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

our country,” Villar said.  CP 101 of the Metro Manila Subway project consists of the following stations; East Valenzuela Station, Quirino Highway Station, Tandang Sora Station and North Avenue station, all of which are ongoing.

We appreciate all the efforts of PBBM [President Marcos]. We can see that the Build Better More Program is all systems go. The Metro Manila Subway Project will definitely provide an accessible, affordable, comfortable and safe travel for the Filipino people,” Villar added.

P resident Marcos also recognized Senator Mark Villar as one of the contributors to the success of the Mega Manila Subway project in his capacity as former secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Senator Mark Villar has played a special role for us to come to this day as he was the former Secretary of the Department of Public Works and had a big hand in getting this project going and keeping it going so that we could continue it until its final fruition,” President Marcos said.

among which are the fencing and construction of an access road and dormitory.

“ The Biosafety Level 3 and 4 laboratory building will be constructed in Phase 3. In contrast, Phase 2 will include the development of the main buildings and laboratories [BSL 1 and 2] as well as the utilities and support facilities of the site,” BCDA said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.

Zosa highlighted that the VVIP is a “significant step” towards advancing the country’s capabilities in managing viruses and viral diseases.

F or its part, the DOST said the proposed design and structure of

buildings for the VVIP will follow the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), and high containment laboratories will undergo international certification before they can commence operations.

According to BCDA, the facilities comprising the VVIP Complex include an administration building, lecture hall, good manufacturing product building, human and animal virology laboratory, plant virology laboratory, animal isolation, Biosafety Level 3 and 4 laboratory building, plant cultivation area, dormitory, power station, and a sewage treatment plant.

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced the arrest of a Belarus national on Tuesday upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in connection with the rape with sexual assault charges filed by a Filipina against him before a trial court in Bacoor, Cavite.

In a news statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the alien as 31-year-old Aliaksei Rudakou, who is residing at a

condominium unit in Quezon City.

Rudakou was apprehended at the Naia Terminal 3 on January 5 upon arrival on board an Emirates flight from Dubai.

T he Regional Trial Court of Bacoor City issued the arrest warrant against him on November 22, 2022 following his indictment for rape with sexual assault.

Tansingco said Rudakou was immediately turned over to the Philippine National Police (PNP) where he is now under custody pending resolution of his criminal case.

T he BI chief recalled that following the issuance of an arrest

warrant against the suspect, the BI Board of Commissioners issued an order on December 15, 2022, placing Rudakou on its alert list and directing immigration personnel to turn him over to law enforcement authorities.

Wanted criminals who have a pending warrant of arrest are immediately turned over to the proper authorities once intercepted at any port in the country,” Tansingco said.

“ We have close coordination with local law enforcement agencies, and immediately include in our system warrants issued by courts,” he added.

of land at the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) in New Clark City to house the VVIP for a period of 50 years, which it said might be extended for another 25 years.

A ccording to an earlier story published by the BusinessMirror with the expected establishment this 2023 of the VVIP, CamSur Rep.

LRay Villafuerte said last January 9, that the Executive department had already set aside an initial P669.3 million for the VVIP’s 5-hectare research and development (R&D) projects and facilities at the NCC.

Villafuerte said the establishment of the VVIP as the country’s premier

R&D institute on all kinds of viruses and viral diseases in humans, animals and plants is contained in the consolidated House Bill (HB) No. 6452, which the bigger chamber had approved by a 216-0 vote with no abstention.

Development Advisory Council meeting convened last October 10,” Villafuerte said.

T he House-passed HB 6452 had consolidated 42 similar bills, including HB 10 that was principally authored by four lawmakers led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, and HB 308 that was introduced by Villafuerte and three fellow lawmakers from CamSur.

BCDA allotted a 5-hectare parcel

With Lenie Lectura

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

FORMER Department of National Defense officer-in-charge Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. PNA FILE PHOTO

Meralco raises power rate by ₧0.62 cent in January amid higher generation charge

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

ELECTRICITY rates will increase by P0.6232 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) this month, bringing the overall rate for a typical household to P10.9001 per kWh from the previous month’s P10.2769 per kWh.

For residential customers consuming 200 kWh, the adjustment is equivalent to an increase of around P125 in their total electricity bill, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) announced on Tuesday.

Generation charge, which represents bulk of the bill, went up by P0.3316 to P7.1291 from P6.7975 per kWh the previous month.

C harges from the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were higher by P0.4070 per kWh mainly due to the increased use of more expensive alternative fuel by First Gas Sta. Rita and

San Lorenzo as a result of insufficient supply of Malampaya natural gas.

T he peso’s appreciation, which affected 97 percent of IPP costs that are dollar-denominated, mitigated a further increase in power rates. IPPs provided 46 percent of Meralco’s energy requirement for the December supply month.

W holesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) charges also increased by P0.6808 per kWh, as the increase in average generation capacity on outage more than offset the decrease in power demand in the Luzon grid.

Due to the tight supply conditions, the grid was placed under yellow alert for three days during the December supply month and persistently high spot prices triggered the imposition of the secondary price cap of 61 percent of the time, compared to 21 percent in November.

W ESM energy share inched up to 9 percent this month from 7 percent the previous month. The suspension of the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) with South Premiere Power Corporation (SPPC) starting December 7, 2022 for 670-megawatts (MW) baseload supply following the implementation of a Court of Appeals Temporary Restraining Order, prompting Meralco to partially source replacement power from WESM.

To shield customers from exposure to volatile WESM prices, Meralco executed an Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA) last month with GNPower Dinginin Ltd.

Effective until January 25, 2023, the EPSA covers 300-MW baseload capacity and partially replaced the capacity under the suspended PSA with SPPC.  Meralco was constrained to source the remaining 370 MW from

WESM following the lack or withdrawal of offers for emergency supply from other power generation companies.

Charges from PSAs, meanwhile, went down by P0.2710 per kWh due to higher share of excess energy deliveries, which are priced at a discount, and the appreciation of the peso against the dollar. Around 36 percent of PSA costs are dollar-denominated. PSAs provided 45 percent of Meralco’s total energy requirement for the period.  F urther contributing to this month’s overall rate increase is the completion of a distribution-related refund equivalent to P0.2761 per kWh for residential customers.

Two ongoing refunds totaling P1.0579 per kWh for residential customers are still being implemented by Meralco and continue to temper customers’ monthly bills. These refunds are expected to be completed

by January 2023 and May 2023, and the impact will be felt in the succeeding billing periods—February 2023 and June 2023, respectively.

Meralco’s distribution charge, on the other hand, has not moved since the P0.0360 per kWh reduction for a typical residential customer starting August 2022.

Transmission charge for residential customers decreased by P0.0314 per kWh due to lower Ancillary Service charges. Taxes and other charges registered an upward adjustment of P0.0469 per kWh.

Collection of the Feed-In Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) remains suspended following the issuance of the Energy Regulatory Commission’s Resolution halting the collection of P0.0364 per kWh FIT-All rate for three months from December 2022 to February 2023.

Davao bizmen told: Comply with waste mgmt plan

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—Businesses here have been asked to carefully craft their Solid Waste Management Plan and abide by them as the city finds ways to reduce the daily disposal of garbage to its landfill.

T he City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) has issued the warning as businesses file this month either their application to operate or renewal of permits and pay their tax dues.

T he CENRO said a solid waste management plan is required of every operational business in the city in order to acquire a solid waste management certificate from the office.

“ The purpose of the solid waste management plan regards with their disposal system, how they manage their waste. The only major requirement is the solid management plan,” said CENRO chief Marivic Reyes.

T he certificate is required when applying for new business permits but it would not be required anymore upon renewal. However, failure to abide by the management plan once inspected anytime would still have consequent penalties for business owners, Reyes said.

“It is within the law that an establishment operating without a Solid Waste Management Certificate will be penalized because this is in violation of our ordinance, with a penalty of P5,000,” she added.

E stablishments must follow the system indicated in their solid waste management plan, a copy of which would be kept by CENRO as reference for future inspections. The plan must include segregation schematics, collection points, the disposal schedule, and other waste management details, all of which are geared at making sure that only residuals or unusable materials are collected by the CENRO.

Businesses found violating their waste management plan would be penalized and may have to reapply for another solid waste management certificate.

R eyes said measures on responsible waste management are being implemented even more stringently in the city due to the continuously increasing volume of trash collected.

In 2020, the office collected 223,431 tons of garbage. This increased to 254,750 tons in 2021 and 285,829 tons in 2022. All of these ended up in the city’s sanitary landfill, which is already full, the CENRO said.

A lthough the trend points to an increase in the total volume of garbage collected, she said the city has been effective to a certain extent in minimizing the garbage buildup with daily collection still range between 600 and 700 tons of garbage.

If we look at the studies, there really is a decrease in our collection. Most just cannot notice this because the number of subdivisions and incoming condominiums in our city have also increased,” Reyes said.

She added that maintaining the daily average volume collected within the range of 600 to 700 tons is the critical indicator to the city’s solid waste management.

House reso seeks to halt water rate hike in Jan

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz  @joveemarie

THE Makabayan bloc has filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives and the Senate to mandate the immediate suspension of the implementation of the water rate increase beginning this month, amid high prices of goods and basic services and lingering economic downturn.

I n House Joint Resolution 17 filed last Monday, Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas, Act Teachers Rep. France Castro and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel said the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) has given the green light to Metro Manila’s two main water concessionaires to increase rates gradually over the next five years, beginning in January 2023 until 2027.

“ The water rate hike is implemented amid an unprecedented economic crisis, high inflation rate, lack of adequate jobs, and low wages. This will only exacerbate the plight of poor families who are struggling to make ends meet,” said the lawmakers in the resolution.

M anila Water Co. and Maynilad Water Services Inc.’s request for rate rebasing adjustments were approved by the MWSS Board last November 10.

Philippine inflation rate remains unbearably high at 8.1 percent as of December 2022, the highest level since November 2008 or 14 years ago. It is expected to rise further in the coming months due to further commodity price hikes and with costlier payments for utilities,” the resolution read.

A s a result of the all-time high inflation rate, the lawmakers said the National Capital Region’s real wage is estimated at P490, while other regions are experiencing lower real wages.

Manila Water officials said the hike is necessary to supplement its P180 billion operational budget in the following years.

In the resolution, the lawmakers said Manila Water rates would rise by P8.04 per cubic meter in 2023, P5 in 2024, P3.25 in 2025, P1.91 in 2026, and P1.05 in 2027. Rate increases for 2026 and 2027 may reach P3.00 and P1.08, respectively.

Manila Water consumers who consume 10 cubic meters will have an increase of P41.19 on their monthly bills, from P151.23 to P192.42. Households with 20 cubic meters will pay P425 from P333.47, an increase of P91.53. There will be an additional P187.10 charge for those who consume 30 cubic meters, from P679.02 to P866.12,” the resolution added.

On the other hand, Maynilad will implement a rate increase of P3.29 per cubic meter in 2023, P6.26 in 2024, P2.12 in 2025, P0.84 in 2026, and P0.80 in 2027.

Maynilad’s rate adjustment for 2026 and 2027 will depend on the completion of the Kaliwa Dam project. Rates are expected to rise by P1.01 in the years 2026 and 2027 if the project is completed.

T he resolution said Maynilad consumers who consume 10 cubic meters would see an increase of P5.28, P20.29 for consumers who use 20 cubic meters, and P41.71 for 30 cubic meters.

With the rate increase, Maynilad will supposedly be able to fund P150 billion in water and wastewater projects over the next five years,” it said.

T he resolution added that 23 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila and Rizal would be affected by the rate rebasing adjustments of Manila Water.

Meanwhile, Maynilad’s rate increase will have an impact on 17 cities and municipalities covering the West Zone of the Greater Metro Manila.

Cops receive P7,000 service recognition pay, PNP chief says

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) announced on Tuesday that all of its 227,604 uniformed and non-uniformed personnel have already received their monetized Service Recognition Incentive (SRI).

PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said that the SRI was given to all members of the PNP on January 4, based on the report submitted to him by the PNP Finance Service.

He said all qualified PNP personnel received a standard rate of P7,000 under the fund for Personnel Services and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of the PNP.

A zurin said those who have rendered less than a total or an aggregate four months of satisfactory service as of November 30, 2022 received a pro-rated share of SRI.

He said that the pro-rated share under the SRI, 40 percent was given to those who have rendered three months to less than four months; 30 percent for those with two months to less than three months; 20 percent for those with one month to less than two months; and 10 percent for those with less than one month.

T he release of the one-time SRI to government workers through the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. under Executive Order No. 1 is in recognition to the collective and invaluable contribution to the government’s continuing efforts to ensure the responsive delivery of services to the public especially in the middle of the continuing public health emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other socio-economic challenges.

“ On behalf of the men and women of the PNP we express our gratitude to the President for granting SRI to our PNP personnel and other government employees in the country. Tayo ay nagpapasalamat sa patuloy na pagtitiwala sa ating kapulisan at sa pagkilala sa ating serbisyo para sa kaligtasan ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino,” Azurin said.

T he SRI amount that was received was subjected to 25 percent up to 30 percent taxes under the TRAIN law.

House to probe alleged existence of ‘cartel,’ anti-competitive practices in onion industry

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

ALEADER of the House of Representatives has filed Resolution 681 directing two committees of the lower chamber to look into the alleged anti-competitive practices, the alleged existence of a cartel in the onion industry and the sufficiency of the interventions of the Philippine Competition Commission  (PCC) on the matter.

In her resolution filed on Monday, House Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairperson Stella Luz Quimbo said price manipulation, hoarding, and smuggling are suspected by the Department of Agriculture (DA) that may be driving the high price of onions.

Citing National Statistician Dennis Mapa, Quimbo said that rising onion prices had a substantial contribution to inflation in December 2022, with a 0.3-percentage-point contribution to overall inflation.

Quimbo said the Philippine Competition Act (PCA) prohibits anticompetitive agreements and abuse of dominant position in order to promote free and fair competition and prevent economic concentration that will unduly stifle competition, lessen, manipulate or constrict the discipline of free markets.

A ccording to price monitoring data from the DA, as of January 5, 2023, Quimbo said the retail prices of local red onion and local white onion were at P280 to P650 and P400 to P600, respectively, in select

markets in the National Capital Region, which are significantly higher compared to the prevailing retail price of local red onion of P220 and imported white onion at P80 on the same day last year.

Concerns about the possibility of hoarding of white onions and allegations of an onion cartel have been expressed by citizens and policymakers as early as August 2022,” said Quimbo.

In September 2022, she said the Bureau of Plant Industry seized and destroyed 12,000 kilograms of smuggled white onions.

On December 4, 2022, the lawmaker said the DA discovered 100,000 kilograms or 100 metric tons of misdeclared white onions that were seized at the Manila International Container Port.

A lso, on December 13, 2022, Quimbo said a DA official admitted that he received information

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) reported that it ended 2022 with a total of 667 deals with local and international stakeholders to further strengthen the technical vocational education and training (TVET) in the Philippines.

L ast year saw the agency signed 649 memoranda of agreement, 16 memoranda of understanding (MOU) and two memoranda of partnerships with different public and private organizations.

“ By expanding partnerships and international cooperation, we can ensure that the tech-voc training of the country is at par with international standards. These also support our ongoing pursuit for an area-based and demand-driven TVET,” said Tesda Director General Danilo P. Cruz.

I n 2022, the agency continued

to beef up the Industry Boards, which are active independent organizations in the governance of TVET. These quadripartite bodies are comprised of representatives from employers, labor, academic and government sectors.

Likewise, it signed agreements with various government entities, such as the Philippine Statistics Authority, Philippine Coconut Authority-Agricultural Training Institute, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of the Interior and Local Government.

T hrough bilateral cooperation, Tesda is engaged with other countries like the United Kingdom and Australia to benchmark TVET standards and advance this sector domestically.

T he agency also works with development partners worldwide, such as the International Labour Organization, United States Agency for International Development, Asian Development Bank (ADB), World

that some onions bought at a price lower than production cost had not yet been released to the market, and that a syndicate may be hoarding red onions.

Q uimbo said the PCC has the power to conduct inquiry, investigate, and hear and decide on cases involving any violation of the PCA and other existing competition laws motu proprio or upon receipt of a verified complaint from an interested party or upon referral by the concerned regulatory agency and institute the appropriate civil or criminal proceedings.

Section 12(d) of the PCA provides that the PCC has the power to stop or redress an entity upon finding, based on substantial evidence, that it has entered into an anti-competitive agreement or has abused its dominant position after due notice and hearing, she said.

Quimbo said the PCC has a leniency

program designed to deter the creation of cartels and aid in the detection and prosecution of existing cartels.

A lso, she said Congress has to exercise its oversight functions on the PCC, which is expected to effectively perform its mandate to investigate and prosecute anti-competitive practices in the market for onions, considering the continuous rise in the price of onions.

Ombudsman probe

MEANWHILE , the Office of the Ombudsman said it would investigate officials of DA and the Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI) over the procurement of onions.

O mbudsman Samuel Martires said his office would look into the DA and the FTI’s procurement of onions from the Bonena Multipurpose Cooperative as well as involvement of traders in alleged price manipulation.

In a radio interview, Bonena Multipurpose Cooperative Chairman Israel Reguyal said traders started a bidding process that resulted in farm-gate prices reaching P550 to P570 per kilo last December.

Long overdue

MEANWHILE , House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro welcomed the investigation of the Office of the Ombudsman on DA officials over the higher prices of onions but said that this was long overdue.

“ The issue of an onion cartel is nothing new along with the rice

and garlic cartels. In fact, in 2014 the Department of Justice-Office for Competition [DOJ-OFC] completed two separate fact-finding investigations of alleged collusion in the garlic and onion industries,” she added.

Based on the DOJ-OFC newsletter, in early 2015, Castro said they confirmed that collusion and cartel existed in the onion industry.

S he added that investigation showed that the same personalities as in the garlic case used similar modus operandi to corner import permits as well as manipulate onion supply and its prices.

B oth investigation reports revealed that the commodity sector in the country is prone to anticompetitive behavior, the lawmaker said.

A mong the DOJ-OFC’s policy recommendations to weed out harmful and abusive business practices in the garlic and onion industries include the removal of the current permit system, considering that supply is dependent on imports, clear and impartial guidelines in the issuance of import permits, and amendment of existing laws and regulations, she added.

“It seems that nothing came out of these recommendations and the cases they filed because the onion cartel is back again in full force and raking in humongous profits. We hope that the Ombudsman’s probe would be more thorough and those responsible would truly be held to account,” said Castro.

Bank and Korea International Cooperation Agency.

Its participation in the recently concluded WorldSkills Competitions 2022 Special Edition, wherein the Philippines bagged a Medallion for Excellence in the Cooking skill area, not only has exposed its trainers and trainees to higher levels of learning and more advanced technologies, but also supports its pursuit of developing more diploma programs and the benchmarking of curriculum and assessment.

Additionally, Tesda gained respect and recognition from Asean when it led the Asean TVET Council (ATC) as its inaugural chair from 2020 to 2022. It hosted the 2nd ATC meeting last November 17 and 18 in Manila and turned over the chairmanship to Singapore.

T his year, it has forged with Hungary’s Ministry of Innovation and Technology a MOU, covering cooperation in the areas of TVET systems, development of compe -

tency standards, and research and development, among others.

A mong the private organizations the agency has started working with in 2023 include SM Retail Inc., Huawei Technologies Phils. Inc., Project Inclusion Network, Far East Broadcasting Corp., and Sunsmart-UFG.

Future endeavors

IN support of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, Tesda is in the process of developing the National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan (NTESDP) 2023-2028.

“ The NTESDP is the TVET sector’s road map for the next five years and will work on the strategies of new mindset, restyle, reskill and digitalization with the Area-Based, Demand Driven TVET as a central strategy,” Cruz said.

More centers aimed at pushing TVET in the country are expected to be built by the agency via the Supporting Innovation in the Philippine

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced it has seized 479 units of uncertified tires for automotive vehicles worth P1.28 million from 10 noncompliant firms along Banawe Street in Quezon City.

T he trade department said DTIConsumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo and DTI-Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau Officer-in-Charge Joseph Manuel P. Pamittan led the DTI enforcement teams in inspecting 17 retail firms in Banawe, Quezon City on January 6, 2023.

The focused enforcement of DTI technical regulations has seized 479 units of uncertified tires for automotive vehicles; with 10 non-compliant firms issued with a notice of violation [NOV], mandating them to explain within 48 hours from the receipt of the notice,” DTI said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.

According to DTI, the said number of units of uncertified tires confiscated amounted to P1,288,938.

Castelo underscored the importance of “safeguarding” the quality of tires that proliferate the market, as this is crucial in ensuring safety among car owners and passengers on the road.

DTI steps up the enforcement operations against uncertified tires for automotive vehicles as they are a pivotal part of cars. Hence, safeguarding the quality of tires that proliferates the market upholds road safety and protects car owners and passengers,” Castelo stressed.

Passenger, light truck, and truck/ bus tires should conform to PNS 25:1994 of the Philippine National Standard for pneumatic tires, according to the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS).

Under automotive-related products, the standards arm of DTI is also mandated to monitor the compliance of seat belts; child restraint systems;

helmets and their visors; safety glass for automotive; lead-acid storage batteries; inner tubes for tires; and speed limitation devices.

A ccording to the web site of BPS, part of its mandate, as provided in the Consumer Act of the Philippines, is to protect consumers against hazards to health and safety as well as to assure the public of the consistency of standardized products in the market.

Further, to carry out its mandate, the BPS said it provides for the standardization and certification of products, both locally manufactured and imported, giving the consumers access to quality and safe products conforming to the relevant Philippine National Standards (PNS).

A ccording to BPS, it currently implements two Mandatory Product Certification Schemes: the PS Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark Licensing Scheme and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Certification Scheme.

FIRE explosions can happen due to substandard liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks and can happen anytime there is a gas leak. Such happened in the LPG blast accident in a commercial center in Pagadian City last November, and in a residential area in Rizal in March, which seriously injured five family members. All are allegedly using illegally refilled LPG tanks and substandard and unqualified LPG cylinders.

To avoid dangerous accidents, the LPG Industry Association Inc. (LPGIA) warns the public of the hazards of using illegally refilled LPG cylinders. This is in compliance with the new LPG law (Republic Act 11592).

T he new law aims to establish safe operations of LPG and LPG tanks to ensure the safety and welfare of consumers.

T he new law strictly prohibits certain practices with corresponding serious penalties. The punishable practices include refilling LPG tanks without authority from the brand

owner, usage and possession of fake LPG seals, and refilling and selling generic, defective, and substandard LPG tanks.

Violators may face 6 to 12 years imprisonment and will be fined with up to P100,000 penalty per cylinder.

Consumers are encouraged to source only from government-compliant and licensed LPG dealers and retail outlets. Inspection of the LPG tank quality and its seals (should be genuine and untampered) is also highly advised.

W hen in doubt, consumers are encouraged to check the physical store, which should be in a non-smoking commercial area. Moreover, the store should be using the appropriate measuring devices.

In case of deliveries, transporting LPG tanks should be through vehicles with pertinent permits and clearances from the Land Transportation Office and Bureau of Fire Protection.

The vehicles should also be designed to be open and be durable enough to allow tank stacking in an

Technical and Vocational Education and Training System Project with the Asian Development Bank.

T his initiative is a $100 million loan that will finance the upgrade and modernization of training facilities and equipment in 17 selected technology institutions nationwide to transform them into industry responsive innovation hubs and offer higher-level TVET programs.

Tesda remains committed to improving the tech-voc sector of the country in response to the challenges brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said the agency’s chief.

He emphasized that they will expand enterprise-based training and support the employability of TVET graduates by strengthening the Apprenticeship Program.

Tesda will make sure that safeguard mechanisms are in place in rolling out this trainee initiative and that these are aligned with emerging trends.

upright position.

Consumers can also verify the legitimacy of the dealer by asking them to present necessary permits, such as a License to Operate from the Dpartment of Energy (DOE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Certificates and Licenses and documents from suppliers indicating that the dealer is authorized to carry their brand.

Established in 2000, the LPGIA is mandated to assist the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in monitoring the inspection of the LPG industry, to instigate legal cases when necessary, and help in the LPGrelated activities and information dissemination for consumer safety and protection.

T he LPGIA regularly holds symposiums, workshops and training (especially prior to the pandemic) to educate its members on industry’s best practices, standards development, market enhancement and monitoring of the industry.

15.

Brief

REN, LE Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Brief

SHEN, YEN-YI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in Mandarin Format.

TRAN BICH HUYEN Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Basic

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

16.

17.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in Mandarin Format.

TRAN VAN DAI Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in Mandarin Format.

VINCENT Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

18.

19.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in Mandarin Format.

VO DUY BINH Customer Service Representative - Mandarin Speaking

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering products and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services. Maintains customer records by updating account information in Mandarin Format.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in spoken & written mandarin and other dialect spoken in other parts of China.

Salary Range: Php

Basic

Basic Qualification:

35.

SATYEN KUMAR Technical Field Specialist

Brief Job Description: Function as a technical specialist or as a supervisor. He shall independently develop and apply advanced techniques, concepts, and approaches to unique problems that relate to the Project. He may provide technical guidance over a group or supervise staff on projects of low to medium complexity and is responsible for developing, validating, and presenting specialist/technical output.

Advanced communication, interpersonal, computer and planning skills.

Knowledge of cost and contract administration

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

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in relevant fields with at least 15 years of relevant Technical and Supervisory role, Cost Control, Planning & Scheduling experience in a Power Plant construction project. Master’s degree or local equivalent in Engineering or Construction Management is an advantage. Experience serving in a leadership role for a medium- to largesized EPC project and must have the ability to manage, lead, guide, motivate and mentor team professionals. Advanced communication, interpersonal, computer and planning skills. Knowledge of cost and contract administration

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

Basic Qualification:

96.

97.

Brief

Basic

Basic

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 98.

LE MINH TAM Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Customer Support and Data Base Services.

LE PHUONG TRANG Vietnamese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills.

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

Basic

TRAN VAN CHIEN Vietnamese Customer Service

99.

100.

Brief Job Description: Customer Support and Data Base Services.

117.

118.

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

Basic

119.

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

TRIEU THI THUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

TRUONG HUONG GIANG Vietnamese Customer Service Brief Job Description: Customer Support and Data Base Services.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills.

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

Basic

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 101.

120.

TRUONG VAN MANH Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Customer Support and Data Base Services.

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills.

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

Basic

Basic

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 102.

Basic

Basic

Basic

Pope denounces Iran death penalty following protests

By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

ROME—Pope Francis on Monday broke his silence on the nationwide protests convulsing Iran, denouncing the recourse to the death penalty there and seemingly legitimizing the rallies as demonstrations “demanding greater respect for the dignity of women.”

Francis made the comments in an annual speech to ambassadors accredited to the Vatican, a foreign policy speech the pope delivers at the start of each year outlining the areas of greatest concern for the Holy See.

In his remarks, Francis linked the Vatican’s opposition to abortion to its opposition to the death penalty, saying both are a violation of the fundamental right to life. Francis has changed church teaching on the death penalty, ruling it is “inadmissible” in all circumstances.

“The right to life is also threatened in those places where the death penalty continues to be imposed, as is the case in these days in Iran, following the recent demonstrations demanding greater respect for the dignity of women,” Francis said. “The death penalty cannot be employed for a purported state justice, since it does not constitute a deterrent nor render justice to victims, but only fuels the thirst for vengeance.”

His comments marked his first public remarks about the protests that erupted in Iran in mid-September over the death of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old woman died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. Women have played a leading role in the protests, with many publicly removing the compulsory Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab.

At least four people have been executed since the demonstrations began, following internationally criticized, rapid, closed-door trials.

At least 519 people have been killed in the monthslong demonstrations, with more than 19,200 others arrested, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that’s been monitoring the protests since they began. It’s become one of the greatest challenges to Iran’s Shiite theocracy since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Francis has been cautious to not call out Iran’s government, given his attempts to foster dialogue with the Muslim world. Francis has forged a strong relationship with the imam of the Al-Azhar in Cairo, the seat of Sunni learning. But his attempts to forge dialogue with the Shiite world

have been more circumspect, though he held a landmark meeting in 2021 with the top Shiite cleric in Iraq, the Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

There was no immediate reaction to Francis’ remarks, though Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Monday called for a “stern” reaction to the ongoing demonstrations. He said those who set fire to public places had committed “treason with no doubt”—a crime that carries the death penalty in the Islamic Republic. He also repeated an allegation that foreign powers had fomented the unrest, without providing evidence to support the claim.

The remarks by Khamenei could embolden authorities to continue the harsh punishment of detainees.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, asked for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ reaction to the death sentences and executions in Iran, told reporters Monday: “We cannot condemn enough the use of the death penalty.”

“Every time the secretary-general has spoken to an Iranian official, he has expressed his concern about the overall situation regarding the demonstrations that we have seen, among others,” Dujarric said.

Pope Francis referred to the Iran protests in lamenting overall that women in many parts of the world are treated as “second-class citizens.”

“They are subjected to violence and abuse, and are denied the opportunity to study, work, employ their talents, and have access to health care and even to food,” he said.

While Francis has appointed women to many high-ranking jobs in the Vatican, some women say they too are treated as second-class citizens in the Catholic Church since they can’t be ordained priests.

Francis also referred to Iran in

his remarks lamenting the continued threat posed by nuclear weapons in Russia’s war in Ukraine, but also in the breakdown of talks over Iran’s atomic program. Francis has changed church teaching to declare that not only the use of nuclear weapons, but also the mere possession of them is immoral. He said the stall in Iran talks was a point of “particular concern.”

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, though it now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels and has drastically limited international oversight of its atomic activities in recent years since the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers.

In his remarks, Francis listed conflicts, natural disasters and migration crises afflicting the planet, but also the threats to democracy—particularly in the Americas.

Making a last-minute change to his speech, he added in the “events in recent hours in Brazil,” a reference to the thousands of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters who stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace then trashed the nation’s highest seats of power.

“In many areas, a sign of the weakening of democracy is heightened political and social polarization, which does not help to resolve the urgent problems of citizens,” he said. “I think of the various countries of the Americas where political crises are laden with tensions and forms of violence that exacerbate social conflicts.”

In addition to Brazil, he cited Peru and Haiti, in saying that “there is a constant need to overcome partisan ways of thinking and to work for the promotion of the common good.”

China sees over 250,000 arrivals on first day of border reopening

CHINA saw about a quarter of a million travelers enter the country on its first day of reopening, though the figure remains a fraction of pre-pandemic flows.

There were 251,045 inbound passenger trips on Sunday, the official Xinhua News agency reported, citing customs data. That compares with a daily average of about 945,300 arrivals in the first quarter of 2019, according to National Immigration Administration data.

The end of quarantine for all arrivals on Sunday marked the end of Covid Zero and China’s long-awaited reopening with the world after three years of isolation. While it’s sparked a flurry of interest among diaspora keen to reunite with loved ones, expensive airfares and still-tight flight capacity mean inbound travel remains difficult for many.  China received 325 inbound flights and 396 inbound ships on Sunday, Xinhua said, citing the

customs administration. In the first quarter of 2019, the country accepted about 2,900 flights and 1,400 ships a day on average.

Hong Kong and Macau, which share land borders with the mainland, were top destinations for outbound Chinese residents.

On Sunday, more than 39,000 people visited Macau, including

almost 33,000 from mainland China, according to government data. The total visitation number was almost double the daily average for the previous seven days. On the same day, over 5,000 mainland Chinese people visited Hong Kong, more than double the level for the previous Sunday. With assistance from Shirley Zhao/Bloomberg.

Jon Gambrell contributed to this report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Edith M. Lederer from the UN

POPE Francis presides over an Epiphany mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, on January 6, 2023. Pope Francis on Monday, January 9, 2023, broke his silence on the nationwide protests convulsing Iran, denouncing the recourse to the death penalty there and seemingly legitimizing the protests as demonstrations “demanding greater respect for the dignity of women.”

AP/ANDREW MEDICHINI

TWO children wait for a relative in the arrival hall for international flights at Beijing Capital Airport on January 8. BLOOMBERG

Saudi Arabia: Hajj pilgrimage returning to pre-Covid levels

By Jon Gambrell The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will return to pre-pandemic levels this year after restrictions saw the annual religious commemoration curtailed over concerns about the coronavirus, authorities say.

The hajj, required of all ablebodied Muslims once in their life, represents one of the world’s largest gatherings of people. Before the pandemic, the pilgrimage drew millions each year to Islam’s holy city of Mecca, home to the cubeshaped Kaaba that observant Muslims pray toward five times a day.

In 2019, over 2.4 million people took part in the pilgrimage. But in 2020, amid the lockdowns sparked by the pandemic, Saudi Arabia drastically curtailed the hajj with as as few as 1,000 residents of Saudi Arabia permitted to take part. It was an unprecedented move unseen even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide.

In 2021, some 60,000 residents of Saudi Arabia attended. Last year saw 1 million faithful perform the pilgrimage.

Speaking on Monday night at a conference about the hajj in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah announced the lifting of the restrictions.

“I bring you two bits of good news in this meeting. The first: The return of the numbers of pilgrims to what they were before the pandemic without any age restrictions,” al-Rabiah said, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

“And the second: Allowing any hajj mission from around the world to deal with any licensed company that meets the requirements of the pilgrims of those countries,” he added.

Only those between the ages of 18 to 65 could attend the hajj in recent years. Saudi Arabia also had limited which private companies could conduct travel arrangements for the hajj.

The coronavirus isn’t the first public health disaster to strike the hajj. The kingdom’s Al Saud ruling family stakes its legitimacy in this oil-rich nation on overseeing and protecting the hajj sites. Ensuring the hajj happens has been a priority for them—and also a main economic driver bringing billions of dollars of non-oil revenue to Saudi Arabia.

Disease outbreaks have always been a concern surrounding the hajj. Pilgrims fought off a malaria outbreak in 632, cholera in 1821 killed an estimated 20,000, and another cholera outbreak in 1865 killed 15,000 before spreading worldwide.

More recently, Saudi Arabia faced danger from a different coronavirus, one that causes the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. The kingdom increased its public health measures during the hajj in 2012 and 2013, urging the sick and the elderly not to take part.

In recent years, Saudi officials also instituted bans on pilgrims coming from countries affected by the Ebola virus.

It wasn’t immediately clear what health precautions would be taken for the hajj, which falls according to the lunar-based Islamic calendar this year at the end of June. While Saudi Arabia has no requirement for coronavirus vaccines or testing, it does require pilgrims to be vaccinated for other maladies.

Californians warned to flee, head to high ground as floodwaters rise

By Brian K. Sullivan, Priya Anand & Mark Chediak

The parade of storms since the end of December is one of the biggest tests yet for disaster-weary California, which has endured a crucible of wildfires and extreme heat in recent years as global warming makes weather ever more extreme.

On Monday residents in the tony coastal enclave of Montecito, home to Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Prince Harry, were told by state officials in a tweet to “LEAVE NOW” while shelter-inplace orders were issued in other parts of Santa Barbara County. Several other towns throughout the state advised residents to get out before more rivers flood.

“California is experiencing coincidentally a drought emergency and a flood emergency,” said Department of Water Resources

Director Karla Nemeth during a media briefing Monday.

Highway 1, pathway to the state’s renowned coastal area of Big Sur, was closed following a mudslide, according to the California Department of Transportation website. Parts of Highway 101 and Interstate 505 were also shut as of 4 p.m. local time.

They’re just a few of several major thoroughfares and small country roads closed because of flooding, from the state capital of Sacramento in the north to the garlic capital of Gilroy near Silicon Valley to Los Angeles-area beach towns in the south.

By 4 p.m. local time Monday the state had opened a dozen emergency shelters for those told to evacuate, including in Santa Cruz County, about 75 miles (121

kilometers) south of San Francisco, where the San Lorenzo River rose 17.7 feet (5.4 meters) since Sunday. Levels on the river probably have peaked but there will be another round of intense rain, said Daniel Swain, a climatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Sacramento County on Sunday told about 3,300 people in the Central Valley town of Wilton ahead of Monday’s deluge to evacuate due to the risk of flooding if levies overflow, said county spokesperson Matt Robinson. Many downed trees are being removed to clear roads, he added.

Five rivers are being monitored for flooding including the

German, Lithuanian lawmakers show support in Taiwan visit

By Huizhong Wu The Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Lithuanian lawmakers on a visit to Taiwan took aim at China Tuesday, saying the world’s second largest economy tried to use all sorts of measures to change Lithuania’s decision to break diplomatic norms in warming up relations with the self-ruled island democracy.

Taiwan is hosting German and Lithuanian lawmakers this week. China, which objects to diplomatic contacts between the island it claims as its own and other nations, held large-scale military exercises aimed at Taiwan over the weekend and into Monday.

The Lithuanian visit is focused on national security and defense as well as economic ties, lawmakers said.

“They tried to break our will, they tried to change our decision, they tried to harass investors and they tried to make economic sanctions ... but we survived,” Laurynas Kasciunas, head of the defense committee in Lithuania’s parliament, said. “We are now resilient and stronger, and we can be a role model for other EU countries.”

The Lithuanian delegation is led by Kasciunas, along with the vice chair of the Taiwan friendship group in parliament, Dovile Sakaliene. The lawmakers drew parallels between the threat they face from Russia and the threat Taiwan faces from China, saying they both had authoritarian neighbors.

“We have very clear common goals, strengthening democracy globally...and really helping everyone around us understand very clearly. There cannot be any ambivalence. You are either with the aggressor or you are with the

victim,” Sakaliene said.

Lithuania angered China after it broke with diplomatic convention, allowing Taiwan to name its representative office in Vilnius— a de facto embassy—“Taiwan” instead of “Chinese Taipei,” a term used by other countries to avoid offending Beijing.

China expelled Lithuania’s ambassador and downgraded diplomatic ties with the Baltic country. It also sought to punish the country economically by blocking imports from Lithuania into China. Lithuania then closed its embassy in Beijing and opened a trade office in Taiwan last November.

Taiwan and the mainland have been ruled separately since 1949 following a civil war.

Beijing refuses to have official relations with governments that recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country. It has persuaded all but about a dozen countries, most of them in Africa and Latin America, to switch recognition to the mainland.

Many governments, including the United States, have official diplomatic ties with Beijing while maintaining extensive commercial

ties with Taiwan. Many maintain relations with the island’s democratically elected government through trade offices that serve as informal embassies.

Last year, Taiwan started a $1 billion credit program aimed at funding projects by Lithuanian and Taiwanese companies to counter economic pressure from China over an office that the island opened in the EU country.

The German delegates were more subdued in their language and did not offer any direct criticism of China. The delegation met with President Tsai Ing-wen Tuesday morning.

“We also believe that any change of the status quo of the Taiwan Strait can only be achieved by mutual agreement and any attempt to change the status quo by force or threatening to do it by force is inacceptable,” Johannes Vogel, vice chairman of the Free Democratic Party in Germany, said in opening remarks.

Vogel is heading the German delegation along with Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who leads the German Parliament’s Defense Committee.

Cosumnes River in Sacramento County and the Russian River in Napa and Mendocino counties in Northern California, according to Jeremy Arrich, flood management manager of the Department of Water Resources, said during the press briefing.

Heavy rain started falling Sunday night in many regions, and just less than 100,000 people were without power as the sun went down Monday in California, according to PowerOutage.us. That’s down from more than 500,000 on Sunday after an earlier storm over the weekend.

The new storm may dump 2 to 5 inches (5 to 13 centimeters) of rain in some areas and 1 to 4 feet of

snow in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range in Eastern California, said Ashton Robinson Cook, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. Wind gusts may reach upwards of 50 miles per hour in many places.

Avalanche warnings have been posted in a number of areas through the Sierra Nevada through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. “Any steep slopes could be dangerous,” the weather service said.

The storm is another in a series of atmospheric river events, long streams of moisture that can stretch for thousands of miles across the Pacific and then deliver as much water as flows through the mouth of the Mississippi River when they’re wrung out on California’s mountains. The storms already have caused more than $1 billion in losses and damages, according to an estimate by AccuWeather Inc.

While the precipitation might slacken in northern areas overnight, another round of rain will roll in off the Pacific Tuesday, said Richard Bann, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. It won’t be as severe as Monday’s deluge but with the ground so heavily saturated it won’t take much to cause problems. With assistance from Brian Eckhouse and Dan Murtaugh/ Bloomberg.

Canada finalizes agreement to buy 88 US F-35 fighter jets

By Rob Gillies The Associated Press

TORONTO—Canada will spend billions to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp. in a deal announced Monday that aims to end years of deliberations over its aging fleet and fulfill obligations to defend North America’s air space.

The first four aircraft are anticipated to be delivered in 2026 with full operational capacity for the fleet expected between 2032 and 2034.

The government has budgeted about $19 billion Canadian (US$15 billion) for the purchase in what is the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in more than 30 years. Each jet costs about US$85 million. The full life cycle of the program is expected to cost $70 billion (US$52 billion).

Canada has a close defense relationship with the United States, which includes joint missions over North American air space. Canada also has obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The announcement comes as Trudeau is set to meet with US President Joe Biden at the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico.

The government said last year Lockheed Martin’s F-35 was deemed to be the top-ranked bidder for a new fighter jet to replace aging F-18s, deciding against Boeing’s Super Hornet. Meanwhile Canada purchased some Australian F-18s to help extend the life of the Canadian F-18 program until 2032.

Before becoming prime minister, Trudeau had said Canada wouldn’t buy the F-35. A former Conservative Canadian government had announced the purchase of the F-35 in 2010 but Trudeau’s Liberal government delayed that purchase and opened up the bidding to competition.

“As our world grows darker with Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, and China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the Indo-Pacific, this project has taken on heightened significance especially the importance of interoperability with our

allies,” Defense Minister Anita Anand. “We need to ensure that especially in this changing global strategic environment we are that we are fulfilling our obligations to NORAD and to Nato.”

Asked about the Liberals change in position, Anand said: “The aircraft has matured. And we see now that many of our allies, eight countries in particular, are using the F-35.”

Lockheed Martin in a statement said a total of nine nations are currently operating F-35s, with more than 890 jets in service today.

Last month, German lawmakers gave the go-ahead for the purchase of 35 F-35 fighter jets.

Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said it was inevitable that Canada would opt for the F-35, especially since many other western allies have bought the F-35.

“The Liberals opposed the purchase a few years ago when they were in opposition. They did so because the Conservative government favored it,” Wiseman said.

“Unlike Americans, Canadians generally oppose increased defense spending and the F-35 is expensive. The proposed purchase received public blowback when the Conservatives were in office and the Liberals wanted to capitalize on it,” she said.

Wiseman said Biden will welcome the investment—F-35s are made in Fort Worth, Texas—but the US has been expecting it for some time so it won’t be a surprise to Biden.

Maintaining and operating the jets should involve 3,300 jobs and add $425 million annually to Canada’s GDP, the Canadian government said.

Canada’s decision to buy the F-35 was welcomed by US Air Force Lt.-Gen. Mike Schmidt, the senior American officer responsible for managing the stealth fighter project out of the Pentagon.

“Canada is our friend and a close ally,” Schmidt said in a statement. “The F-35 is the best in the world, providing unmatched interoperability to America, Canada and the additional 15 nations that have selected the fighter. It is a global game-changer.”

AFTER years of drought, California is in a long flood fight as waves of storms roll in off the Pacific, killing at least 14 people, closing highways up and down the state and sending residents fleeing for their lives.

A MAN wades through a flooded street in the Rio Del Mar neighborhood of Aptos, California on Monday, January 9, 2023. AP/NIC COURY

IN this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, right, poses for a photo with Johannes Vogel, vice chairman of Germany’s Free Democratic Party, left, and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, leader of the German Parliament’s Defense Committee, during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. TAIWAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE VIA AP

editorial

Making food more affordable in PHL

PHiLiPPine industry leaders have appealed to the president in July 2022 to focus on the agriculture value chain by reducing the number of middlemen to ensure the affordability of food prices (See, “Agri leaders: Cut middlemen layers to lower food prices,” in the BusinessMirror, July 11, 2022). They noted that the presence of these middlemen prevents many Filipinos from having access to nutritious food. The industry leaders made the comment following the release of the findings of the State of Food Security and nutrition in the World (SOFi) 2022, which indicated that over 75 million Filipinos were unable to purchase nutritious food as of 2020.

One of the observations of industry leaders is that there is a huge gap between the farmgate price of commodities and retail prices. The chairman of the Philippine Association of Fish Producers Inc. noted that the retail price of bangus or milkfish is nearly twice its farmgate price because of the five to six layers of middlemen in the commodity’s value chain. In July 2022, the group noted that the farmgate price of bangus reached P110 to P115 per kilogram but it was sold for P200 to P210 per kilogram in wet markets.

This pricing gap is also evident in other commodities, such as vegetables and fruits. Among the reasons cited by industry leaders behind the big disparity between farmgate price and retail price are the steep cost of transporting the commodities to consumers as well as the lack of postharvest facilities. In the case of the bangus industry, raisers need cold storage facilities and processing plants so they don’t have to sell their milkfish at a loss.

In the case of vegetables, the public relations officer of the League of Associations at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post indicated that the vegetable value chain has 7 to 8 layers of middlemen. Chief among the problems of vegetable producers is the lack of transportation system that will allow them to bring their produce to urban areas like Metro Manila. And when the typhoon season rolls around, consumers would have to pay steeply for this lack of transportation system in the form of expensive highland vegetables.

Middlemen, users, and traders who buy farmers’ produce at very low prices exist because they provide what out planters need, including transportation and production capital. More often than not, planters and other food producers are forced to bite the bullet and take out onerous loans, and then sell their products at a loss because they lack access to the basic requirements of producing food and transporting it to consumers.

The president has assured that his administration will undertake a comprehensive review of the agricultural value chain and “reconstruct” it. Fixing the ills that have plagued the farm sector for many decades cannot be done overnight, but we hope that the current administration will make significant strides in crafting feasible strategies that will make food more affordable.

PBBM’s visit to China a resounding success, exceeded expectations

By Edwin Cordevilla

iT was a brief state visit by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to Beijing from January 3-5, but it yielded a treasure trove of investment pledges, infrastructure loans, and agreements to find lasting solutions to contentious issues in the South China Sea.

President Marcos met Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok only in November last year. And yet, two months later, the two leaders managed to strengthen their camaraderie to bring the bilateral relations to a new and higher level based on mutual trust and mutual benefit.

High-powered delegation

ThE President’s three-day state visit to China sought to enhance the already warm bilateral relations since 1971, when the Philippines established formal diplomatic ties with Beijing.

To underscore the importance of this trip, Marcos brought along with him house Speaker Martin Romualdez, former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and key Cabinet members, including Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, and Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy.

The composition of the delegation reflected the president’s fervent desire to strengthen cooperation with Beijing in various areas of endeavor, such as trade, investments, tourism, and a digital economy, among others.

Economic gains

DI ALOGUES between the Philippine delegation and top Chinese leaders led to expanded economic cooperation with our closest neighbor, now an emerging global economic superpower.

The three-day state visit generated $22.8 billion worth of investment pledges from China. “It was a very quick visit, but we accomplished a lot. It was very productive. It was worth it,” Marcos said upon his return from Beijing.

The commitments from various Chinese investors included $13.76 billion for renewable energy, $7.32 billion for electric vehicles and mineral processing, and $1.72 billion for agriculture.

The Philippines secured fresh loans from China totaling $201.8 million, which will be used to bankroll key infrastructure projects of the Marcos administration, such as

bridges and flood control systems. In addition, China agreed to make available about $218 million more for future projects. According to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the additional funding brings to $1.06 billion Beijing’s loan commitments for Manila’s ongoing projects.

The delegation also signed several bilateral agreements. “The signing of these agreements demonstrates the strong commitment between China and the Philippines to deepen bilateral cooperation through infrastructure development,” said the Finance secretary.

Secretary Diokno signed four separate loan agreements with the Export-Import Bank of China for the financing of planned bridges across the Pasig-Marikina River and the Manggahan Floodway project.

he likewise concluded an agreement on economic and technical cooperation with the China International Development Cooperation Agency worth $17.7 million (P12.2 billion) for “projects to be agreed between China and the Philippines based on the development plan and specific needs of the Philippine government.”

The delegation also received the handover certificate for two Chinabuilt bridges completed in April 2022 and September 2021, respectively. Spanning the Pasig River in Manila and the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong, these bridges are now contributing to the marked improvement of the road transport network in Metro Manila.

Beijing and Manila signed a total of 14 cooperation documents covering such areas as agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing.

These agreements, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said, will bring huge benefits for the Philippine economy in the long-term as they are consistent with the Marcos administration’s Philippine Development Plan (PDP). Balisacan, who also heads the National Economic and Development Authority, explained that the strategic areas identified in the newly completed PDP for the medium term are very much the same areas covered by those different agreements.

“So it’s very promising that the PDP will be supported by trust like this and we need to move fast again. As I said, move fast, seize the opportunities, get our house in order. We have so many things to fix,” Balisacan said.

The protocols for “phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh durians from the Philippines to China” were among the areas covered by 14 bilateral agreements.

China pledged to import $2.09 billion worth of fruits from the Philippines, including coconut and bananas, a move that’s definitely good news for our farmers.

Filipino farmers will also benefit immensely from deals struck by the Philippine delegation that would help lower fertilizer prices. The deals, signed between the state-run Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) and two Chinese enterprises, seek to “ensure sustainable supply of much-needed fertilizers at reasonable prices.” President Marcos, who is also agriculture secretary, lamented how the cost of farm inputs, especially fertilizers, has “become prohibitive and unaffordable for our local farmers.” hence, providing sustainable and affordable supply of inputs such as fertilizers to our farmers will no doubt contribute to the country’s food security.

The visit also led to the signing of the Implementation Program on Tourism Cooperation with China’s Culture and Tourism Ministry.

According to Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, this program “will generate massive employment opportunities and investments across all sectors of tourism throughout the Philippines.” The two governments will work together to boost tourist arrivals, add direct flights to key destinations, conduct joint promotional activities, and invite investments in tourism infrastructure.

The new Philippine ambassador to China, Jaime FlorCruz, said the country can expect up to $2 billion in China investments to set up the first liquid steel plant here. The agreement signed by steel companies Baowu and SteelAsia will revive the domestic steel industry.

“We can see that this is aligned with our needs. This is not just because China wants to sell but also because we will benefit from these agreements,” he said.

FlorCruz said that ensuring the implementation of various agreements would not be easy and that “follow-through” would be necessary. however, he noted that higher Chinese officials had also approved the agreements, not just the Chinese companies. “This time, I feel that these pledges, the memorandums of understanding, are a sign from higher officials that this time, they will deliver tangible benefits, tangible projects,” he said.

China is currently the country’s largest trading partner. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that the Philippine trade deficit

with the Asian economic giant stood at $15.25 billion as of 2021.

Political gains

DURING the state visit, President Marcos met with President Xi, Premier Li Keng, and Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People’s Congress, while delegation members met separately with their Chinese counterparts.

“The state visit was highly successful because there were many engagements at different levels,” said Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The house leader said China’s National People’s Congress also seeks to have more engagements with their counterparts from the Philippines—the Senate and the house, especially since planned activities in the previous years were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. “So, their parliamentary system lends itself to these interparliamentary exchanges,” he said.

The one-on-one meeting between President Marcos and President Xi allowed diplomacy to work in resolving longstanding issues between the two countries.

The meeting provided an opportunity for President Marcos to obtain a commitment from Chinese President Xi Jinping to “find a compromise and find a solution that will be beneficial so that our fishermen might be able to fish again in their natural fishing grounds.”

“We also discussed what we can do to move forward to avoid any possible mistakes, misunderstandings that could trigger a bigger problem than we already have,” the President told media. Prior to the state visit, fisherfolk groups had urged President Marcos to prioritize pushing back on China’s incursions in Philippine waters that are part of our Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ.

During their meeting, Marcos and Xi covered a wide range of subjects, from addressing the trade imbalance between the two countries to sharing experiences on the shift to renewable energy, and also about climate change.

But there were two other significant outcomes of their conversation. One was that China is ready to resume talks on joint oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea. The vital sealane, which is rich in oil, gas and marine life, is where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, but it has been a source of tension between China and several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, over territorial claims.

The other agreement pertains to the establishment of a direct communication mechanism on maritime issues between the Department of See “PBBM,” A15

McCarthy passes first test as House approves rules package

By Erik Wasson | Bloomberg Opinion

SPeaKer Kevin McCarthy passed the first test of his house leadership as republicans backed a new set of rules for how the chamber operates, including one that will make it easier for dissidents to challenge him.

Despite some grumbling from swing-district Republicans, the rules were passed on a largely party line vote, 220-213, with Democrats unified in opposition.

A failure to pass the rules package would have halted all work in the House and added to the humiliation McCarthy suffered last week when it took 15 rounds of voting to elect him speaker.

McCarthy is working with a slim 222-212 Republican majority, meaning he can afford no more than four Republican defections on any partyline vote.

Moderate Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, who had said he objected to conservative threats to cut defense spending, was the lone GOP vote against the rules package.

South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace threatened to reject the changes, but ended up supporting them after she was able to register her objection to the process of secretive talks with conservatives, her office said.

A failure to pass the rules package would have halted all work in the House and added to the humiliation McCarthy suffered last week when it took 15 rounds of voting to elect him speaker.

cluding from moderate members of the GOP, then a bill can be brought to the floor over the speaker’s objections. But that move would require advanced planning given built-in delays in the procedure and could provoke primary challenges to any Republicans who go along.

The House has also adopted several spending provisions that are anathema to Senate Democrats and will add new complexity to reaching accord on spending bills.

White House rips McCarthy-GOP deal as path to ‘defund’ military

By Justin Sink | Bloomberg Opinion

The White house accused GOP lawmakers of seeking to “defund” the military, seizing on an agreement to elect Kevin McCarthy speaker of the house that may lead to defense spending cuts.

“This push to defund our military in the name of politics is senseless and out of line with our national security needs,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement. “There is bipartisan opposition to defense cuts because making us less capable of keeping the American people safe and advancing our national security interests would be a profound mistake that our nation cannot afford.”

As part of the arrangement with conservative dissidents to win the speaker’s gavel on the 15th ballot early Saturday, McCarthy agreed to insist on capping discretionary spending across the government at $1.47 trillion for fiscal 2024 — about $130 billion less than in 2023.

Some GOP lawmakers say that no part of the government should be spared, including the Pentagon.

tary aid to Ukraine, which will total $45 billion this year.

While spending cuts of the magnitude McCarthy agreed to are sure to face opposition both from the White House and the Senate, including from many GOP senators, the deal underscores the compromises the House speaker will have to make as he tries to govern with just a fiveseat majority.

Lawmakers are expected to vote Monday on a rules package for the House linked to the spending cap. At least one Republican—Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas – has said he will oppose the measure because of the threat to defense spending.

Black people.

But it’s not yet clear what practical impact the provision of McCarthy’s deal limiting spending will have on future appropriations.

In recent decades, the House Rules Committee—which traditionally is filled with loyalists to the speaker —has regularly blocked attempts by lawmakers to challenge legislation that exceeded spending caps written into a budget or rules package. But McCarthy offered holdout conservative lawmakers seats on the influential committee to secure the votes needed to become speaker.

Influential conservatives like Jordan have indicated Ukraine funding will be in their sights in the new Congress.

“Frankly, we better look at the money we send to Ukraine as well and say, ‘how can we best spend the money to protect America?’” Jordan added on Sunday. “I think that’s what the people elected us to do.”

Representative Chip Roy, who helped negotiate the deal to make McCarthy speaker, said on Twitter Monday that it was a “lie” that the agreement required defense spending cuts.

“During negotiations, cuts to defense were NEVER DISCUSSED,” Roy’s aides tweeted.

The clash highlights the increased risk of a government shutdown in the coming fiscal year – and the rapidly changing political alignment in Washington following November’s election. Just last month, President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation that ordered a $45 billion increase in defense spending above the White House’s fiscal 2023 budget request.

The president’s team also sought to balance criticism of Republicans with assurances to overseas allies that American support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion remains strong.

“Everything has to be on the table,” Ohio Representative Jim Jordan said on “Fox News Sunday,” suggesting lawmakers look to reduce the ratio of general officers to enlisted troops and eliminate “woke policies in our military.”

Democrats are eager to exploit such intra-party disagreements to paint Republicans as increasingly controlled by extremists, after Donald Trump’s presidency and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the capitol.

And McCarthy himself told Punchbowl News last year he would not provide “a free blank check” to Ukraine.

One, known as the “Holman Rule,” would allow Congress to use appropriations bills to reduce the salary of or fire specific government officials. With that Republicans could target administration officials they oppose, such as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“Ukraine is important, but at the same time it can’t be the only thing they do, and it can’t be a blank check,” McCarthy said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday that US aid would be “rock solid” through the remainder of the fiscal year, noting Congress provided $7 billion more for Kyiv’s war effort than Biden had requested.

“I do not see that money getting taken away from us,” Sullivan said.

The rules package contains a provision that gives greater power to an ultraconservative GOP faction that wants a confrontation with Democrats that could lead to a market-rattling standoff later this year over the nation’s debt ceiling and legislation keeping the government running.

One of the most significant changes would let just one lawmaker call for an immediate vote of no confidence in the speaker, effectively giving McCarthy’s detractors within his party a veto over his actions.

The threat from a similar rule was part of what drove former Speaker John Boehner from power in 2015, and many Republicans prefer a far higher threshold to prevent a small group of lawmakers from having outsize influence. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had changed it to require majority backing when Democrats controlled the House.

The new rule gives McCarthy very little leeway to negotiate any compromises on legislation with the Democratic-controlled Senate without risking a challenge to his authority.

That raises the possibility of a stalemate over the debt ceiling and government funding later in the year. Members of the conservative Freedom Caucus want to leverage any debt ceiling increase—needed sometime after July 1—to force spending cuts. A similar push by Tea Party Republicans in 2011 threatened a payment default and caused S&P Global Ratings to downgrade the US credit rating.

Republicans also removed a rule that raised the debt ceiling upon adoption of a budget resolution, creating another hurdle to averting fiscal catastrophe.

There is a procedure available to House Democrats to try to force a debt ceiling vote, however. They can file a discharge petition, and if that gets more than 218 signatures, in-

Another rule, known as “cut-go,” would require any new spending to be offset by cuts elsewhere in the budget. Deficit-increasing tax cuts are exempt from the new rule.

“The rules reduce the centralization of power in the office of speaker,” Arkansas Republican French Hill, who fashions himself as a watchdog of federal spending, said.

Outside of the formal rules changes, McCarthy agreed separately on a deal with dissidents on future fiscal policy. It commits leadership to seek a $130 billion cut to the fiscal 2024 top-line spending levels. The speaker also agreed to change the way appropriations bills are handled, including allowing unlimited amendments.

Ethics change

T HE new rules also change the independent Office of Congressional Ethics in ways watchdogs say weaken its ability to investigate allegations of abuse by members of Congress— which comes as lawmakers wrestle with how to handle newly sworn-in Representative George Santos, a New York Republican who has admitted making up much of his resume.

The changes would effectively remove the current Democratic members of the office and require bipartisan agreement to hire a new staff. In addition, there will now be a 30-day deadline for hiring the staffers, which critics say will be hard to meet.

“When Americans went to the polls last November, they voted to uphold our core democratic values— a government that is accountable to the people,” said Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs at the watchdog Common Cause. “Now, on the very first day of a new Congress, Republicans have put ethics, accountability, and transparency on the chopping block.”

And other Republicans have complained about the scope of US mili-

The White House’s statement echoed 2020 accusations by Republicans that Democrats sought to “defund the police” after some liberal Democrats proposed eliminating or cutting local law enforcement budgets over police killings of

However, other senior House Republicans—including incoming Appropriations Committee chairwoman Kay Granger—have said they do not support cutting defense spending. The office of conservative

China economy recovering but hampered by virus outbreaks

By Joe Mcdonald | AP Business Writer

BeIJING—Wang Jian is anxious to get back to work teaching basketball to children now that China has lifted anti-Covid-19 restrictions. But his gym in the eastern city of Shenyang has been closed for a month because all its coaches are infected.

The most optimistic forecasts say China’s business and consumer activity might revive as early as the first quarter of this year. But before that happens, entrepreneurs and families face a painful squeeze from a surge in virus cases that has left employers without enough healthy workers and kept wary customers away from shopping malls, restaurants, hair salons and gyms.

“I hope the situation will turn around in March or April with no more Covid shocks,” said Wang, 33, who went without a paycheck for four months when the gym closed during virus outbreaks. “If parents worry about possible reinfection, they simply won’t send their children for training.”

The abrupt decision by President Xi Jinping’s government to end controls that shut down factories and kept millions of people at home will move up the timeline for economic recovery, but might disrupt activity this year as businesses scramble to adapt, forecasters say.

“This will be a bumpy process,” said Dong Chen, chief Asia economist for Pictet Wealth Management.

“People still are struggling with infections, but we think this could be temporary,” Chen said. “Broadly, we think this is a positive surprise.”

The decision to accelerate China’s reopening is a boost for the global economy at a time when activity in the United States and Europe is weakening after repeated interest

rate hikes by central banks to cool surging inflation.

It is likely to help revive auto sales and propel demand for imported consumer goods, oil and food in China, one of the biggest global markets. Countries including Thailand with big tourism industries look forward to an influx of Chinese travelers.

The World Bank and private sector forecasters have cut estimates of China’s economic growth last year to as low as 2.2 percent due to the infection spike that started in early October and challenged Beijing’s “zero-Covid” goal of isolating every case. The International Monetary Fund expects a recovery to 4.4 percent this year, but that still would be among the lowest levels of the past three decades.

“Zero-Covid” kept China’s infection numbers low but shut down Shanghai and other industrial cities last year for two months, disrupting manufacturing and shipping. Business groups said global companies were shifting investment plans away from China because rules that required visitors from abroad to quarantine for a week kept executives from visiting.

The ruling party promised on Nov. 11 to reduce the cost and disruption. A series of surprise announcements rolled back travel and other restrictions that health experts and economists had expected to persist through mid-2023.

On Sunday, Beijing began allowing travelers to enter China without quarantines. The government has yet to say when China will resume issuing tourist visas.

“The sudden, chaotic way in which pandemic policies have been changed means that growth will be hampered in new ways,” Daniel H. Rosen, Charlie Vest and Rogan Quinn of Rhodium Group said in a report. High numbers of infections make it “realistic to expect production to be hampered for a substantial part of 2023.”

Forecasters say the economy probably contracted in the final quarter of 2022 as virus case numbers rose and retail spending and trade fell.

Exports shrank after interest rate hikes depressed American and European consumer demand. That forces Chinese planners to make up for lost foreign sales by trying to boost consumer demand.

“The key to rapid economic recovery” is to “convert income into consumption and investment as much as possible,” one of the country’s most prominent financial figures, Guo Shuqing, the ruling party secretary for the central bank, told the official Xinhua News Agency.

Informal measures show public and business activity improving but weak.

This month’s subway passenger numbers in 10 large cities recovered to 55 percent to 60 percent of the level a year ago, up from 30 percent to 35 percent last month, according to Macquarie Group. Roads are growing more congested.

Foreign companies that see China as a critical market welcome the change but are struggling, said Eric Zheng, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

“Companies were not prepared

for this abrupt change,” said Zheng, whose group has about 1,000 member companies. “It is hard to manage a workforce when a lot of people are getting sick.”

Still, “things are almost going back to normal,” Zheng said. “Once life goes back to normal and consumers are out shopping, things will definitely improve.”

Another business group, the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said more than 70 percent of companies that responded to a poll last month expressed confidence the infection wave would last no more than three months and end early this year.

The ruling party is trying to nudge up growth by easing restrictions on financing for real estate and winding down anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns on tech companies that caused their stock market values to plunge.

In December, regulators announced Ant Group, an online financial company that was forced to call off a planned multibilliondollar public stock offering in 2020, would be allowed to raise 10.5 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) for its consumer unit, more than doubling its capital.

“These measures are helpful, but far from enough to move the needle,” Larry Hu and Yuxiao Zhang of Macquarie said in a report.

Hotels, restaurants and other businesses hoping for a boost from this month’s Lunar New Year holiday, the busiest tourism season, suffered a blow when some local authorities appealed to migrant workers to skip traditional visits to their hometowns that might spread infections. Associated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report.

“President Xi seemed to be genuinely interested in all of these issues and finding a way to move forward to strengthen the relationship between China and the Philippines,” Marcos said.

“This bilateral relationship now allows both sides to manage differences in the West Philippine Sea

and so as to not allow it to hinder the rest of our fruitful engagements and multifaceted cooperation,” he said. The two leaders agreed that maritime issues “do not comprise the entirety of our relations,” acknowledging, however, that it is a “significant concern and priority” for the country.

If the discussions between the two leaders are any indication, we may well see less tension in the South China Sea in the years ahead.

How will Filipinos benefit from the state visit to China?

At this point, we should now ask: How will the 3-day state visit by Pres-

ident Marcos to China—and visits to other countries in the future—benefit the nation, particularly those Filipinos who live in the margins of society and eke out a hand-to-mouth existence on a daily basis?

Ordinary Filipinos will directly benefit from closer ties with China in the years ahead. The agreements signed between the Philippines and China on various projects covering infrastructure development, economic cooperation, trade and commerce, maritime security, and tourism, among others, will create more job and livelihood opportunities for our labor force. With more jobs made

available to Filipinos, we may yet see a gradual reduction in poverty incidence in the country, and a corresponding increase in the quality of life of our people.

We asked Aling Corazon de la Cruz, who is in her early 60s and tends a small sari-sari store in Malabon City but earns barely enough to feed her family, if she was aware that President Marcos had recently gone to China and returned home with reports of billions of dollars worth of Chinese investments here that can create jobs for Filipinos. She responded that yes, she watched TV news that reported on the Marcos

state visit. “Sana nga at mabigyan ng disenteng trabaho ang mga mahihirap na di kayang mabuhay nang maayos sa ngayon dahil sa taas ng presyo ng mga bilihin.” (I hope that poor Filipinos who now find it difficult to cope with high prices can get decent jobs.)

Mang Eduardo Santos, who sells used jeans using a kariton in Quezon City streets, says he is also aware of the Marcos state visit after reading news from a local tabloid that jobs can be available if Chinese investments do come in as a result of the Marcos trip. “Kahit anong regular na trabaho papasukan ko kung kaya,

para lang masustentuhan ang pamilya ko.” (I’m willing to get a regular job if I’m qualified, so that I can support my family.)

“And, therefore, our ability to have the resources to support Ukraine with both the security assistance it needs, as well as the economic, humanitarian, and energy assistance it needs, is confirmed.” Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China to avoid any conflict in the disputed waters.

President Marcos is scheduled to conduct state visits to other countries, including Japan and the United States, this year. These trips not only adhere to an independent foreign policy that makes the Philippines a “friend to all, enemy to none”, but also an investment in a better future for all Filipinos even after his term of office ends in 2028.

The author is an Undersecretary at the Presidential Communications Office.

44th Year of CatholiC Mass Media awards

Mass media workers, institutions honored in awards presentation

Communicating by encountering people where and as they are,” which is taken from the message of His Holiness Pope Francis for World Communications Day. In his keynote address, Manila Archbishop and CMMA Honorary Chairman Jose F. Cardinal Advincula explained that this statement is an invitation to us “to get out of our ivory towers and fortresses, open our doors and meet one another as fellow travelers on the same road heading towards the same destination.”

THE Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) celebrated its 44th Year by honoring mass media practitioners and organizations that exemplified Christian Values and Ideals in an awards presentation held on November 23, 2022, at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

After a series of deliberations by the panels of judges, a total of 59 entries emerged as winners out of the 166 finalists in the 37 mass media categories of print, radio, television, music, advertising the Internet, and Student CMMA. Prior to the awards night, the winners were announced on the official Facebook page of the CMMA.

CMMA Chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon welcomed the winners, CMMA board of trustees and officers, and guests to the awards night, which was held face-to-face for the first time in two years. In his welcome remarks, Cabangon expressed delight over the chance to once again gather in person to celebrate the momentous event. “It is an

amazing feeling that we are able to enjoy each other’s company as we honor tonight’s outstanding communicators in various fields,” he said.

Cabangon also highlighted the important work of mass media professionals, especially now that deviation from the truthfulness and accuracy of relevant information has become a possibility with the emergence of various communication channels. “This is precisely the reason why we are thankful for our communicators and media practitioners who are with us tonight. We commend your courage and dedication to getting the important message across to the public. Using your talents and skills in producing worthy media programs and other artistic works that showcase Christian values and faith, you have become instrumental in safeguarding the truth of Christian faith and morals,” Cabangon said.

This year, the theme of the CMMA is “Come and see (John 1:46):

Advincula also talked about the biggest temptation for mass media practitioners and social media influencers nowadays, which is “to hide behind the anonymity of their platforms with the aim to gain attention and profit at the expense of truth and humanity.” This practice, Advincula stressed, is not communication but commodification, which, unfortunately, seems to be the downward spiral that dominates the media today. “Mass communication is at the service of human promotion and not of dehumanization or desacralization of the human person. Mass media’s role is to seek the facts that lead to objective truth, not my subjective truth that bends the facts,” he said.

Before ending his speech with a prayer, Cardinal Advincula gave a challenge to mass media professionals. “This is what our world, whether virtual or real, desperately needs: a sense of fraternity and solidarity, a vision of peace and harmony, a dream of a shared future and destiny. As media practitioners, challenge all of you to use whatever platform or influence you have to put these aspirations into reality, one day at a time; one message at a time,” said Advincula.

This year, two more awardees were elevated to the CMMA Hall of Fame after winning in their respective categories five times. They are the ABS-CBN Corporation Creative Communications Management Division, recipient of the award for Best Station ID in the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2021; and phjesuit.org, recipient of the award for Best Website in the years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

2022 CMMA WINNERS & SPECIAL CITATIONS

SPONSORED BY:

CMMA chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon delivers his welcome remarks.

His Eminence Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, D.D., archbishop of Manila and CMMA honorary chairman, delivers his inspirational message.

The CMMA Board of Trustees and officers pose on stage during the 44th Catholic Mass Media Awards Presentation. Standing from left to right are: Fr. Hans D. Magdurulang, judges coordinator; Mr. Benjamin V. Ramos, assistant to the chairman; Mr. Antonio A. Henson, vicechairman; Atty.

Total registered prepaid SIM card hits 16M despite kinks

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

THE number of registered prepaid Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards has reached 16 million, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Tuesday.

“We already have more than 16 million SIMs registered as of January 9 and the number of complaints have significantly dropped from an average of 95 complaints during the first week, down to an average of 47 during the second week,” said DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo.

Of total 16,150,926 registered SIMs, 7,584,321 are subscribers of Smart Communications Inc., 7,137,764 from Globe Telecom Inc. and 1,428,841 from DITO Telecommunity Corp.

According to Lamentillo, the agency was able, during the first few days, to have monitored complaints surrounding the process. These complaints include users being unable to load the platform provided by public telecommunication entities (PTEs) and their inability to complete the process. Other technical issues were also raised.

“This is actually the reason why the first two weeks of the SIM registration was launched as a test period, to give the PTEs ample time to adjust and improve their system,” she added.

Lull, surge

THE agency launched the 24/7 Complaint Center Hotline 1326, which serves as the public’s direct contact to government in matters relating to the SIM registration and other ICT-related concerns.

Most of the concerns were about the SIM registration process, website malfunction or not loading and where to register. There are also queries about the following: how many SIMs one user can register; the deadline for registration; what to do when they entered the wrong details; and, concerns on data privacy.

Lamentillo said the DICT’s goal is

to register at least one million SIMs every day.

“Currently, we are on track, but there could be a lull and then a surge again once we are near the deadline,” added the DICT official.

The SIM registration is mandated by Republic Act (RA) 11934 (SIM Registration Act). Lawmakers believe that the registration would protect consumers from fraudulent calls and scams.

Privacy Commission

THE National Privacy Commission (NPC) said its officials met with officials of telecommunications companies (telcos) last December 29, specifically to address the public’s data privacy concerns in relation to the effectivity of RA 11934.

The registration officially commenced on December 27, 2022.

The NPC said it gathered various concerns from the public including matters relating to terms and conditions and privacy policies being implemented by telcos. The meeting was called by Privacy Commissioner John Henry D. Naga to shed light on these concerns, including the notices and tick-boxes that may be displayed on the websites of telcos as well as mobile applications asking for the users’ permission or consent in using their personal data submitted for marketing, profiling, or sharing with third-party partners.

Optional

ACCORDING to the NPC officials from Smart Communications clarified these are just optional and are being included to determine whether the SIM card is being used by an individual or a juridical entity. Similarly, Globe Telecom stated that the option for their clients to allow the receipt of commercial and promotional alerts and thirdparty sharing, among others were only optional while Dito Telecommunity’s SIM Card Registration, which can be accessed through its application, did not include other tick-boxes asking for consent on marketing, profiling, or sharing with third-party partners.

The NPC said Naga ordered telcos to totally remove the notices and tick-boxes pertaining to data sharing with third-party entities. He further directed telcos to put on a separate page the notices and tick-boxes related to commercial and promotional alerts. In addition, he instructed Smart, Globe and Dito to include modifications and improvements on their websites and applications to further comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

“Telcos must ensure the secure, ethical and responsible handling of data, especially in all data processing being conducted in compliance with the SIM Registration Act,” Naga was quoted in a statement as saying.

Meralco-SPBBC supply deal OK’d

THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and Solar Philippine Batangas Baseload Corp. (SPBBC) are now cleared to negotiate for their 200-megawatt (MW) power supply agreement (PSA).

This after the Meralco ThirdParty Bids and Awards Committee (TPBAC) declared the second round of Competitive Selection Process (CSP) for the utility firm’s 200-MW baseload energy requirement a failure after the SPBBC’s bid was unchal-

lenged for the second time.

The TPBAC said it did not receive any competitive bids from any challenger during the bid submission deadline on January 10. This was the second time that there have been no challenges to SPBBC’s 200 MW unsolicited proposal.

Since there are no outstanding dispute on the first and second rounds of competitive challenge for the contract, Meralco may enter into direct negotiation for the contract

capacity requirement, as provided by the revised CSP rules.

To recall, SPBBC’s offer involves a 20-year contract starting 2024 at P4.65 per kWh at 100 percent capacity factor. Once negotiations are completed, Meralco will enter into a PSA with the original proponent and seek regulatory approval for the contract.

The terms of reference for SPBBC’s 200 MW baseload supply is for 1800 MW solar and 1800-MWh bat-

teries, which would be the world’s first large-scale solar-battery baseload providing 24/7 power.

Solar Philippines has developed this project through its whollyowned subsidiary, SPBBC, which is part of SPNEC’s asset-for-share swap.

SPBBC will provide the capacity using solar and battery in compliance with Meralco’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) requirement. Lenie Lectura

UBS sees Asia M&A pick up in ‘23

THE deal appetite for highquality assets globally will continue in 2023 despite fears of a coming recession, according to the co-head of Asia mergers and acquisitions at UBS Group AG.

“There has been all this demand for more M&A, particularly cross border M&A, because it’s something that we haven’t seen in the last three years,” Samson Lo said in an interview with Bloomberg TV at the UBS Greater China conference in Hong Kong. Despite the overall recession “cross border M&A will pick up significantly in the second half of this year.”

Optimism is rebounding in Asia as China abruptly called an end to the its strict pursuit of Covid Zero last year and two days ago partially reopened its borders to foreign travelers. Globally, M&A deals shrank 33% last year, with Asian dealmaking sliding 22%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Lo said that a pick up in deals in the later half of 2023 in Asia would require some “other stars to align,” including a normalization of interest rates, a stabilization of mobility

NLEX to build new roads, roll out EVs

NLEX Corp. will continue to construct new roads and deploy electric vehicles (EVs) this year, its top official said on Tuesday.

“We will invest in major expansion and enhancement projects that are vital to the country’s economic resurgence and, at the same time, ease the travel of the motoring public as we seek to support the government’s call for the private sector to take part in nation-building,” said NLEX Corp. President J. Luigi L. Bautista said.

NLEX cited some of its major road projects, which are geared towards improving mobility, safety and connectivity for the motorists. These include the NLEX connector road and Candaba third viaduct.

The entire NLEX connector stretches eight kilometers starting from Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road up to the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Santa Mesa, Manila. It is seen to decongest major thoroughfares in the metro.

Its first section between Caloocan and España interchanges is at 94 percent completion and expected to open within the first quarter of the year. The second section, connecting España and Santa Mesa, is now 29-percent complete.

Part of the construction of the second segment is the redevelopment of the Magsaysay Boulevard that features on and off ramps in Magsaysay and Sta. Mesa, improving portions of the local road network such as Osmeña Highway, Nagtahan, Rizal Avenue Extension, G. Araneta Avenue and A.

Bonifacio Avenue. It will also enable easier travel to various areas like Manila City Hall, Quiapo Church, University Belt, Intramuros, Rizal Park, Gilmore, Cubao and San Juan.

Carbon footprint

MEANWHILE, the construction of the Candaba third viaduct is set to commence in the first quarter of 2023. The project will expand the 5-kilometer bridge from existing three lanes without shoulder to three lanes with inner and outer shoulder per direction.

NLEX will also build new expressway lanes in Pampanga from San Fernando to the SCTEX Spur in Mabalacat.

Apart from building new roads, NLEX is looking to improve its assets for better customer experience by undertaking the regular pavement repair and bridge strengthening programs, replacement of traffic safety devices and continuous enhancement of its toll systems. It is also set to install more closed-circuit television cameras along NLEX, SCTEX and SFEX and upgrade the NLEXSCTEX traffic control center.

To reduce its carbon footprint, NLEX will start using EVs in its operations. These EVs, which will be used by NLEX-SCTEX patrol crews. The tollway company will also continue this year its resource-saving initiatives of harnessing solar power in select toll plazas.

NLEX Corp. is a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the toll road arm of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Lenie Lectura

China energy stocks miss reopening boost

CHINESE energy stocks are losing out on a huge reopening rally, inching toward a bear market amid the government’s coal price controls and an uncertain demand outlook.

The CSI 300 Energy Index has fallen 18 percent from its Sept. 6 peak, nearing a 20 percent slide that that would push the gauge into bear territory. Coal miners China Coal Energy Co. and Yankuang Energy Group Co. have fallen the most, losing at least 24 percent each during the period.

The slump contrasts with an epic bounce across other Chinese assets, which have been buoyed by a swift reopening from Covid Zero. Miners have yet to reap the benefit as the economy remains sluggish, and face pressure to sell more coal on longterm contracts at regulated prices. A potential end on a ban on Australian coal imports is another uncertainty.

A resumption of coal imports from Australia has the potential to “further depress China coal shares,”

said Steven Leung, an executive director at UOB Kay Hian (Hong Kong) Ltd. The energy sector overall “needs some recovery in economic numbers to trigger” a rally in its shares, he added.

While the reopening will eventually revive demand for coal, the outlook remains unclear for now amid a slow and patchy economic recovery, while milder weather will also reduce heating requirements.

With the energy gauge an exception, all sub-indexes of the benchmark CSI 300 have risen since Oct. 31, spurred by President Xi Jinping’s policy pivot on Covid and a raft of pro-growth measures. The CSI 300 has gained 14 percent since then, while a MSCI gauge of Chinese shares in Hong Kong has jumped more than 46 percent.

The biggest loser in China’s energy gauge is Yankuang Energy, which has lost nearly 40 percent of its value since a September peak, battered also by a failed takeover of Yancoal Australia. Bloomberg News

FILINVEST REIT Corp. (PSE: FILRT), the real estate investment trust of the Gotianun’s Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI), is set to expand its asset portfolio by 64 percent over the next three years.

in China and a decline in market volatility.

The technology sector in Southeast Asia will continue to be a driving force for business, according to Lo. Many tech platforms in the region

are looking for private investments and to raise funds after the SPAC boom subsided, he said. UBS is also seeing many infrastructure funds and foreign investors chasing deals related to data centers, towers, fiber

networks in the area, Lo said.

In China, consumer brands could be a source of deal activity as many continued to do well amid regulatory upheaval and geopolitical uncertainty, he said. Bloomberg News

This translates to about 164,417 square meters in additional gross leasable area for FILRT, the company said in its disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

“FLI has an extensive list of properties within the Philippines that have good potential for qualification for future infusions,” FILRT said.

The firm said it is targeting as-

sets owned by its parent although future acquisitions are not limited to assets owned by FLI. FILRT added it is open to acquire from third parties as long as these meet its investment criteria.

Under its REIT Plan, FLI has granted FILRT a right of first refusal over all significant commercial properties of FLI and its wholly-owned subsidiaries that could qualify as REIT assets under the REIT Law.

This excludes land and projects intended for FLI’s trading business such as condominium units that are temporarily leased out. VG Cabuag

Banking&Finance

PHL missed exit from FATF grey list–Medalla

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE Philippines “clearly missed” its exit from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

In a news briefing last Tuesday, BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said, however, that the Philippines is given another year to address de-

ficiencies in its anti-money laundering safeguards.

The FATF flagged the country for supposed inadequacies in the ef-

fectiveness of the targeted financial sanctions framework (TFS) for both terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

“We clearly missed the first deadline. The first deadline was this January. We are now given until January 2024,” Medalla said. Medalla said the main challenge in exiting from the gray list is enforcement since the country has already passed the necessary legislation, except for the amendment of the Bank Secrecy Law.

He stressed that currently, there are few Filipinos being prosecuted and convicted in terms of terrorism financing and proliferation

financing.

Nonetheless, Medalla said, his meeting with the Department of Justice (DOJ) showed that if the country was “more diligent” in using a system to record these prosecutions and convictions, the numbers could be higher.

“The solution requires a whole government approach. Hindi lang AMLC [Anti-Money Laundering Council], Hindi lang DOJ, but the law enforcement also as well. The prosecutors, the policemen,” Medalla said.

‘Work unceasingly’ LAST year, the Philippine action

plan for resolving the rest of the issues—with about “84 percent” already responded to by Manila—has been submitted to FATF, which will review it in its meeting in October, senators were told.

In June 2021, when the Philippines was once again put on the FATF grey list, former BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno vowed that Philippine authorities will “work unceasingly” to satisfactorily respond to FATF recommendations, in hopes of exiting the grey list on or before 2023.

Landing on the FATF grey list does not automatically result in sanctions kicking in, but could cause

prolonged procedures in some financial transactions—something Philippine authorities are keen to avoid in order not to inconvenience, for instance, the millions of migrant workers whose remittances shore up the economy.

While upbeat on improving Philippine response to FATF issues, Executive Director Mel Georgie Racela of the AMLC Secretariat, however, admitted in a Senate Finance committee hearing that it took five years for the government to start prosecuting guilty parties under the Terrorism Financing law enacted in 2012.

Govt rakes in ₧35B after BTr fully awards T-bonds bids Is your code of ethics enduring or evolving?

WITH the world’s ethical values that seem to be going from bad to worse—is your business guided not only by the right values but relevant ones in these trying times? Enduring ethics can be relevant even with the passage of time but do your code of ethics addressed the need for ethical guidelines in this rapidly changing world?

I said rapidly changing world because not only is technology changing the world but external events such as the pandemic, climate change, deteriorating earth, etc. In a survey conducted what will life be like in 2025, in the wake of the recent pandemic and other crises in the past year, some 915 innovators, developers, business and policy leaders, researchers and activists responded. Their view is that technology and people relationship will deepen as more people will rely more on digital connections in all aspect their lives.

Technology can bring both positive and negative impacts in our lives. However, in that same survey the respondents also see that with the continued rise of technology is the rise of worsening ethical values. One important thing they see in 2025 is that the spread of misinformation will multiply and their deepest worry is “over the seemingly unstoppable manipulation of public perception, emotion and action via online disinformation” (source: PEW Research Center Feb. 18, 2021). This in turn will bring significant damage to social stability and similar negative effect on society.

Some 47 percent of these respondents said that in 2025 life will be mostly worse for most people than pre-pandemic times, while 39 percent said life will be mostly better for most people in 2025 than it was pre-pandemic. The rest of the 14 percent said that life in 2025 will not differ much from a situation where there had been no pandemic.

The book (“Ethics: Enduring or Evolving”) recently launched last November 28, 2022, by the Ethics Committee of the Financial Executives Institute of which I chaired and is one of the authors, showcased the different thoughts and experiences of these authors who are experts in their fields, on how ethics shaped the lives, businesses, workplaces, educational institutions and the world as a whole.

Some of these writings dwell on ethics that are evolving because of the times.

The pandemic, for instance, had brought significant changes in most

if not all of our everyday lives. Technology has also a great impact on the ethical values of people. This is why this Ethics Book is about enduring or evolving ethics.

The enduring ethics will be relevant no matter what the times are. But in this constantly changing world and the lightning speed at which technology evolve, these ethical guidelines should also evolve to address or keep up with these changes.

Without the proper ethical guidelines, this world which is now suffering prevalent misinformation, addiction to technology, hacking of information and data, etc. will find itself helpless in the midst of these unfortunate consequences of not putting in place the proper ethical values as a precaution and as as a deterrent to a deteriorating society.

Part I of the book is about enduring values and the legacies established by the founders and leaders of certain big corporations in the country. In Part II, we invited selected personalities to share their thoughts on ethics in their businesses, workplaces and even homes.

If you can get a hold of the copy, you will be able to read various insights on ethical values that hopefully could also guide you in your quest for an enduring and evolving ethical values.

If you want not just an interesting reading but also an informative and value-shaping book, this book is the one for you. We donate the books for free to universities and schools to help shape the values of the students. For those interested to buy, please contact Alex through amcanon@finex.org.ph or Jay through aasantiago@finex.org.ph. The book is sold at P350 each for members of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex) and at P500 for non-Finex members.

Wilma Miranda is the 2022 chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Managing Partner of Inventor, Miranda & Associates (CPAs) and member of the Board of Directors of KPS Outsourcing Inc. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions and the BusinessMirror

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE national government was able to raise P35 billion from the auction of Treasury bonds (T-bonds) for the second consecutive week, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

In its latest auction, the Treasury’s

auction committee fully awarded the P35-billion reissued 13-year T-bonds as investors’ average asking rates were in line with secondary market benchmark level.

The government debt paper fetched an average interest rate of 7.182 percent as against the 7.179 percent secondary market benchmark rate for the same long-term

security. The interest rates for the 13-year T-bonds were as low as 7.125 percent and as high as 7.23 percent.

The auction was 5.29 times oversubscribed as investors’ total tender reached P185.196 billion.

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.

BankCom trade finance biz grew more than 6 times

By VG Cabuag @villygc

BANK of Commerce, an affiliate of conglomerate San Miguel Corp., on Tuesday said its trade finance business grew more than six times in the last three years given its accelerated support to both small and medium enterprises and larger businesses throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The re-opening of the economy, coupled with higher domestic consumption and improved global demand, provided a unique opportunity for BankCom’s trade busi-

ness to scale up and provide wellthought-out solutions to meet the needs of both exporters and importers from within its client base,” BankCom president Michelangelo R. Aguilar said.

BankCom has obtained its universal banking license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 2021.

Aguilar said in boosting the bank’s capacity to deliver trade finance, especially at the height of the health crisis in 2020, the lender was able to help sustain the operations of small-and-medium enterprises in particular, helping speed up their recovery as the pandemic eases and

value chains are rebuilt.

Yearend estimates of BankCom’s trade-related contingent liabilities for 2022 are expected to reach over P19 billion average daily balance, or an increase of 637 percent over its 2019 volume of P2.7 billion.

One of its more trade business activities include issuances of standby letters of credit to sellers of goods, on behalf of the bank’s clients, who buy the goods for their operations.

Aguilar said that the revival of activity in trade enabled the bank to generate P70 billion in issuance throughput in 2022 or more than 20 times the P3.4 billion issued in

2019, the year its trade finance unit was established.

“The expansion in the highly competitive area of trade mirrors the strong partnership of BankCom and SMC in supporting the operational requirements and exigencies of tradeheavy businesses,” Aguilar said.

Meanwhile, BankCom reported that its trade fee income grew by 753 percent from 2019 to 2022.

“A close, internal collaboration among our corporate banking, branch banking and operations groups was essential to making this work despite the challenges the industry has faced,” Aguilar said.

Nomura senior Asian bankers depart amid dealmaking downturn

SEVERAL senior dealmakers are leaving Nomura Holdings Inc. in Asia as the investment bank reacts to a slump in fees with broader global cuts, according to people familiar with the matter.

Hong Kong-based managing directors Maryann Tseng, who joined the equity capital markets team last year, and Wallace Wong in mergers and acquisitions are both departing, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private matters. Bernard Lim in Singapore is also leaving, and the firm is closing its small Malaysia investment banking operation, the people said.

The majority of reductions are focused on areas where Nomura has limited scale, one of the people said.

“2022 saw a material deterioration in global investment banking fee pools and, as a result, we have had to reduce headcount in certain areas,” a representative for Nomura said. “These changes are designed to ensure we retain focus in our key areas of competitive advantage, while maintaining core capabilities to po-

sition the platform for sustainable profitability.”

Tseng and Wong did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent via LinkedIn.

Globally, the world’s biggest investment banks last year endured their worst period for dealmaking and fundraising since 2016 after

surging interest rates and economic gloom chilled the sector, contributing to retrenchment and thousands of cuts.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to eliminate about 3,200 positions, according to people familiar with the matter earlier, adding to cuts at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse

Group AG.

While Nomura has been trying to diversify its revenue streams, a global plummet in dealmaking and stock issuance is complicating those efforts. Nomura’s investment banking revenue fell 21 percent from a year earlier in the three months ended Sept. 30.

Chief Executive Officer Kentaro Okuda last year tapped Christopher Willcox to oversee operations including global trading and investment banking, counting on the Wall Street veteran to bolster a division that generates roughly half of the brokerage’s total income.

In Asia, China’s regulatory crackdowns, stringent Covid policies, and rising political tension with the US, have also forced companies to put off capital raising plans.

Morgan Stanley considered cutting about 50 investment banking jobs in Asia Pacific after dealmaking in the region plunged last year, people familiar said in November.

Goldman Sachs cut at least 25 roles in Asia, people familiar said in September. Bloomberg News

Surging inflation seen driving increased consumer demand for credit, poll bares

By Andrea San Juan

SURGING inflation may have given rise to increased consumer demand for new credit for four consecutive quarters in 2022, according to a consumer pulse study conducted by Trans Union LLC.

“The percentage of consumers seeking new credit has increased steadily for four quarters in a row, reaching 57 percent at the yearend, up from 46 percent at the beginning of 2022,” the consumer pulse study noted.

While applying for new personal lines and lines of credit topped con-

sumer credit plans in the next 12 months, the study noted that interest in refinancing personal loans increased the most in the fourth quarter last year, rising 15 percentage points (pp) to 28 percent of consumers.

Meanwhile, the study also noted rising interest rates affected consumers’ decisions on applying for new credit in 2023. In the fourth quarter last year, 46 percent of respondents indicated rising interest rates “highly impacted” whether or not they would apply for new credit, up four pps from the third quarter.

It’s worthy to note that in terms of

generations, the study noted, Gen Z consumers felt the impact most while the percentage who said interest rates had a high impact jumped from 33 percent in the third quarter last year to 46 percent in the fourth quarter.

While almost all or 96 percent of the Filipinos surveyed believe access to credit is important to achieve their life goals, 45 percent or less than half say they have sufficient access to credit and lending products.

Among those seeking new credit, the study noted that 53 percent opt for personal loans and 39 percent for credit cards, topping consumer

credit products.

Power to access WITH this, Amrita Mitra, chief operating officer of TransUnion’s Philippine business, underscored the need to advance financial inclusion as the Philippines looks to sustain its growth momentum “against the backdrop of global economic uncertainties.”

“Financial inclusion and credit literacy are not merely about understanding credit, but more importantly, leveraging the power to access opportunities made possible

by informed financial decisions and responsible lending,” Mitra was quoted in a statement as saying.

“This is crucial as consumers in the Philippines build resilience to navigate any economic uncertainties in the year ahead,” she added.

Meanwhile, additional study results show that inflation remains the top concern for the fourth consecutive quarter, with 82 percent being “very or extremely” concerned about the inflation rate, three points higher than last quarter.

According to TransUnion, when asked about how they plan to deal

with a potential economic slowdown, around three-quarters or 72 percent of Filipinos plan to cut back on spending and 69 percent said they will build up savings.

Across generations, the study noted, Gen Z, the youngest group, appears to have the “highest appetite” for savings at 74 percent; but the lowest desire for reducing spending at 65 percent.

In contrast, the study said Baby Boomers are “least keen” on savings at 49 percent, and Gen X, with 78 percent saying they are open to reducing spending.

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace

FiNex Free eNterPrise

Wilma inventor-Miranda

This April 25, 2022, photo shows a man passing by a building showing a Nomura logo. The bank’s senior dealmakers are leaving as it grapples with a downturn in the industry. BloomBerg News

BY OBIE FERNANDEZ ON UNSPLASH

MARRIED OR NOT?

HOW true are the rumors that one of the reasons why the actress and her beau, a handsome actor, cannot make any public statements about their relationship is that they are already married? There are also rumors that the marriage took place when the actress was still underage and that the union’s legality is not clear even to the parties concerned. Anyway, the gist of the story is that the relationship is in the rocks and the actor and the actress are both having difficulty making a clean break from the relationship.

ALWAYS RIVALS

THE two young stars have always been rivals. They’re close to each other in age. They are in the same showbiz niche. The guy that Young Star 1 dated is now Young Star 2’s boyfriend. To be honest, both stars are competitive and determined to outdo each other. Career-wise, the younger girl has the advantage because of social media but the older girl is also doing well. But unknown to many, Young Star 2 keeps bullying Young Star 1 in private. She does it subtly so that no one will notice. For instance, in the show where they used to work together, Young Star 2 would make demands about colors and what she prefers to wear. She would make sure these colors are what Young Star 1 would look good in. Young Star 2 would also try to fluster Young Star 1 when they have scenes together. In terms of acting, Young Star 2 has the edge because she is more experienced.

Prince Harry accuses Camilla of ‘dangerous’ leaks to media

BY DANICA KIRKA The Associated Press

LONDON—Prince Harry has accused his stepmother, Camilla, the queen consort, of leaking private conversations to the media to burnish her own reputation as he promotes a new book that lays bare his story of his life behind palace walls.

In interviews broadcast on Sunday and Monday, Harry accused members of the royal family of getting “into bed with the devil” to gain favorable tabloid coverage, singling out Camilla’s efforts to rehabilitate her image with the British people after her longtime affair with his father, now King Charles III.

HE DID IT

AN amateur adult video has been circulating and it involves a male starlet who was recently embroiled in a controversy. The funny thing is that there are rumors going around that the male starlet leaked the video himself. Why would the male starlet do this, if he indeed spread the video himself? To deflect the public’s interest in the controversy and also—this video could ignite the public’s interest in him. The actor and his ex recently figured in an ugly controversy. The male starlet has been around for some years but somehow, his career has not gained any traction.

A BIG RED FLAG

WHO is the actor known as walking red flag? The actor has had a number of relationships, most of which did not end well. He was involved with a feisty but loving actress but they eventually split. After the actress, the actor started dating another showbiz personality, from whom he borrowed a huge amount of money. Later on, he allegedly cheated on her and moved on to his next relationship. Many people thought he had settled down but what do you know? He is reportedly dating a young actress who seems oblivious to the actor’s past and all the red flags in front of her.

“That made her dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press,” he told CBS. “There was open willingness on both sides to trade information. And with a family built on hierarchy, and with her on the way to being queen consort, there was gonna be people or bodies left in the street.”

Harry spoke to Britain’s ITV, CBS’s 60 Minutes and Good Morning America to promote his book Spare, which is to be widely released Tuesday. Some UK bookshops plan to open at midnight to meet demand for the highly anticipated memoir, which has generated incendiary headlines with reports that it includes details of bitter family resentments, as well as Harry and his wife Meghan’s decision to give up their royal roles and move to California.

In the interviews, Harry repeatedly blamed the media for the troubles that afflicted the couple, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying the coverage contributed to the rift with his brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate.

“They always pitched us against each other,” he told Good Morning America. “They pitch Kate and Meghan against each other.”

Harry was also unapologetic about launching legal battles against some parts of the British media. While he said his father believes it is “probably a suicide mission” to take on the press, Harry described changing the media landscape in the UK as being “my life’s work.”

But Harry also continued to criticize the royal

family itself.

He repeated his claim that there was “concern” in the royal family about his unborn child’s skin color after he married biracial American actress Meghan Markle. Harry and Meghan first mentioned the incident during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, but they haven’t identified the family member who expressed concern.

Harry insisted his family wasn’t racist, but said the episode was an example of unconscious bias. The prince told CBS that he was “probably bigoted” before he met Meghan, and said that the royal family, which is held to a higher moral standard, needed to “learn and grow” in order to be “part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”

“Otherwise unconscious bias then moves into the category of racism,” Harry told ITV.

Spare explores Harry’s grief over the death of his mother in 1997, and his long-simmering resentment at his role as the royal “spare,” overshadowed by the “heir”—older brother William. He recounts arguments and a physical altercation with William, reveals how he lost his virginity and describes using cocaine and cannabis.

He also says he killed 25 Taliban fighters while serving as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan—drawing criticism from both the Taliban and British military veterans.

The allegations about Camilla are particularly sensitive because of her role in the acrimonious breakdown of Charles’s marriage to the late Princess Diana, William and Harry’s mother.

Diana once described Camilla, who carried out a long-term affair with Charles, as the third person in their marriage. While many members of the public initially shunned Camilla, she has won fans by taking on a wide range of charitable activities and has been credited with helping Charles appear less stuffy and more in tune with modern Britain.

Writing about his father’s 2005 wedding to Camilla, Harry says: “I had complex feelings about gaining a stepparent who, I believed, had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar.” Still, he says he wanted his father to be happy. “In a funny way I CONTINUED ON B5

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Aja Naomi King, 38; Amanda Peet, 51; Mary J. Blige, 52; Kim Coles, 61.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Position yourself for success. Put your to-do list in place and reach out to those you need in order to fortify your dreams. Your objective is to keep moving forward, regardless of what happens around you. Stay true to yourself and those you love, and ignore what’s in your way. The changes you make will greatly impact what’s important to you moving forward. Your numbers are 8, 10, 24, 27, 30, 36, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Negotiate on your behalf. What you propose will lead to success and financial gain. The extra detail you inject into your work and express to those in a position of power will resonate and bring about change that makes your life easier. ★★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Sit tight and let the dust settle. Check out ways to keep up with the trends and ensure you have the latest technology to enhance your offer. A meeting with someone who knows more than you will confirm your thoughts. ★★★★★

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A partnership may entice you, but do your due diligence first. Put greater emphasis on the way you present yourself and a connection to someone who brings out the best in you. If you present your thoughts, someone unexpected will back you. ★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Nurture someone going through a rough time. Your kindness and patience will help you recognize the skills you have to offer. Rethinking how you want to use your experience and insight for a prosperous venture will ease stress. ★★★★

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your choices will be up for questioning, and the outcome will impact your next move. Be true to yourself, and don’t apologize for looking out for your best interests. Don’t invest cash; offer your services. ★★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If you follow your heart, something good will transpire. Criticism will distance you from what you want. Focus on dealing with people openly and incorporating suggestions offered. You’ll get the backup you require to reach your objective. Speak up. ★★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Emotions will spin out of control if you don’t address issues headon. Listen to the input offered and do what’s best for the majority. A short trip, meeting or event that focuses on personal growth will point you in the right direction. ★★★

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Work quickly, leave nothing to chance and shoot for the stars. Make your plans evident to those who can see the value in following through. Establishing yourself in a community that welcomes cutting-edge ideas will boost your ego and promote success. ★★★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When you think you have everything in place, someone will offer profound insight into something you must consider. Honesty will be necessary if you want to put uncertainty to rest. ★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Look at your investments and consider the best place to put your money. A change at home may not please everyone. Stop talking and start doing; your vision will be accepted and put into place. ★★★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Discover possibilities through trial and error. Listen to the experts, then develop a plan that honors the rules and links you directly to someone who can make your dreams come true. ★★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your imagination will lead to ideas that capture the attention of someone who can see your vision and harness what it is you want to achieve. Don’t be offended by suggestions; embrace offers that add value to the outcome. ★★★

BIRTHDAY BABY: You are expressive, bright and articulate. You are charming and unbiased.

★: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. ★★: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. ★★★: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. ★★★★: Aim high; start new projects. ★★★★★: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

PHOTO

A POSTER advertises the midnight opening of a store to sell the new book by Prince Harry, called Spare, in London, on January 9, 2023. AP

RefReSHING YOUR LOOk fOR THe New Ye AR

THE 1990s aesthetic has been all the rage last year, and it’s expected to continue this 2023. We’ve seen the edgy grunge outfits (think: combat boots and leather jackets) making a comeback in the streets, and the cool minimalist looks (like smart waistcoats and simple slips or long tube dresses) on fashion shelves everywhere. When it comes to beauty, insiders are nostalgic over the 1990s, too. Our favorite celebs and influencers are sporting frosted eyeshadows and even overplucking their brows to get them thin.

And now the glazed lips are also back in their full glory, just in time for the season of new beginnings. This look requires a shiny, glossy pout that’s perfect for anyone who wants to shine the brightest this year. Whether you want to go au naturel or swipe a sheen of color, get your glazed lip look down pat with Mentholatum LipCare that offers a selection of nourishing lip products that also come with extra benefits— aside from all that shine.

When out and about with friends or running errands, keep your lips looking fresh and protect them from harmful UV rays with LipCare Therapy Lip Balm that contains SPF15 with a fresh, cooling sensation that relieves chapped lips. If your lips have taken the brunt of the ever-changing weather, bring those puckers back to life with LipCare Therapy Lip Gel that’s made with superior moisture retention formulation for faster repair and relief from dry, cracked lips.

Mentholatum LipCare also offers Lip Pure products, made with 100 percent food grade ingredients including natural beeswax that provides mild hydration for the lips’ delicate skin—making them the perfect balms for prepping and priming the lips for all those beauty looks you want to try this year or simply for everyday use.

Lip Pure Botanical Oils contains six types of natural oil ingredients such as shea butter, olive oil, macadamia nut oil, meadowfoam seed oil, jojoba oil, and almond oil to deeply moisturize and protect the lips. And there’s Lip Pure Fragrance Free that has powerful antioxidants from Brazilian berries, grapeseed oil, and soy for youthful-looking lips. It also contains royal jelly extract and manuka honey to lock in moisture and provide long-lasting hydration. Want something more personal? Find your own lippie shade with Mentholatum LipCare LipIce Magic Color. It’s a color-changeable lip balm that glides on clear and magically turns to a subtle sheer pink, a glazed lips look that’s distinctively yours.

The brand can be found at selected Watsons branches nationwide or www.watsons.com.ph, plus on Lazada and Shopee

Self-evaluations done right

of your time. This will help your manager understand your productivity and recalibrate your goals and targets as needed. Doing this will also help you understand if you need more tasks based on your core functions, or lessen involvement with activities that take away from your primary tasks.

EVERY year, people struggle to do their annual self-evaluations for so many reasons. Some have difficulty in evaluating themselves because there are no established criteria in the organization to measure how well each one did. And even if it did, there is no added incentive, so employees just accomplish it for compliance. Others do not do a self-evaluation because their evaluations are left to the discretion of their managers. Others simply do not know how to evaluate themselves.

Prince Harry

Continued from B4

even wanted Camilla to be happy. Maybe she’d be less dangerous if she was happy?”

Spare is the latest in a string of public pronouncements by Harry and Meghan since they quit royal life and moved to California in 2020, citing what they saw as the media’s racist treatment of Meghan and a lack of support from the palace. It follows the interview with Winfrey and a six-part Netflix series released last month.

In the ghostwritten memoir, Harry, 38, describes the couple’s acrimonious split from the royal family after their request for a part-time royal role was rejected.

The television interviews are certain to pile more pressure on the royal family. Harry is also appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Royal officials haven’t commented on any of the allegations, though allies have pushed back on the claims, largely anonymously.

Harry has defended the memoir describing it as his effort to “own my story” after years of “spin and distortion” by others. In the 60 Minutes interview, Harry denied his book was intended to hurt his family.

Omid Scobie, coauthor of Finding Freedom, a book on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, told the BBC. “We heard some sort of really startling confessions and stories about members of the royal family, particularly when it comes to Camilla and her relationship with the press.’’

Boston University professor Arianne Chernock, an expert in modern British history, cautioned about doomsayers suggesting the monarchy itself was in trouble. The institution has endured more than 1,000 years after all.

“This is a central component of the history of the royal family,’’ she said. “Scandal is the norm not the exception.’’ n

What these organizations do not understand is that performance reviews are opportunities for both employees and managers to agree on how they can best support the objectives of the organization. At the same time, this provides a venue for the manager to set their expectations for their team. For it to be an effective tool for your professional growth, your selfevaluation should reflect not only what you have done for the year, but also what you hope to accomplish in the next year.

Start your self-evaluation by listing your core functions so you can objectively track your accomplishments. Your primary tasks are usually based on your job description which also identifies your key deliverables. Once you have those, you can then categorize your accomplishments based on what is expected from you and what you have accomplished on top of those expectations.

From there, list down your accomplishments for the year. This should include projects that you have successfully completed, teams and committees where you significantly contributed, training activities, and any other activity that took up a significant amount

Now that you have a list of your accomplishments, highlight your top three accomplishments. The problem with annual performance evaluations is that people forget what happened during the year just concluded, and then managers evaluate you based on the successes or failures of the past weeks or months. To remind your manager, highlight your top three achievements and how these contributed to the team’s success.

Emphasize projects and assignments that are beyond your core tasks. Your manager needs to understand the different stretch assignments that you were given so they can be reminded of your extra effort in accomplishing those tasks. Just make sure that these were tasks assigned by your manager and not activities that you joined to avoid doing your job. While it is good to join organization-wide activities that enhance engagement, these should not detract you from doing your real work.

While accomplishments are important, you also need to evaluate your behavior and attitude. Whether you like it or not, you will have to work with people on your team, and with people from other departments. As you grow in your career, you will discover that aside from being competent and skilled, you need to work well with others and be professional. Part of your self-evaluation should focus on how well you worked with others.

To justify your evaluations, prepare anecdotes to substantiate your accomplishments. Your manager has so many operational tasks that they might not remember events where you excelled.

By providing specific examples, they can see how you contributed to the overall success of the team. Use the Situation-Task-Action-Result (STAR) Method to summarize your anecdotes and provide a clear picture of what you have done. For example: “There are new members in the team, and I wanted them to be up to speed with what we do so I created a new hire onboarding presentation and kit which helped

them adapt quickly to the team.” By using the STAR Method, your manager will easily get the whole picture.

Your self-assessment should also include your own weaknesses because your manager needs to know that you are working on them. For failures throughout the year, you can rephrase them as opportunities for growth and mention what you have been doing to overcome them. This can also be one of your goals for this year which tells your manager that you really want to grow.

If possible, ask trusted colleagues for feedback on your performance. They can provide valuable input to your performance, and you can improve in your work. Just make sure to keep an open mind and listen to what they have to say. Ask follow-up questions to fully understand what they are trying to tell you. On the other hand, it will also work to your advantage to keep positive feedback from the people you have worked with so that you can show them to your manager as proof of the quality of your work. These are things your manager will appreciate because positive feedback from stakeholders directly tells them you are doing well.

Include in your self-evaluation what you want to work on so they can provide the needed support to achieve your goals. Your manager can only evaluate you on certain interactions with you and might not be aware of what other tasks you are interested in pursuing. By telling them where you want to grow, they can start thinking of projects and assignments to give you as opportunities for professional development.

Lastly, ask your manager what they hope to accomplish this year. This will help you identify where you can significantly contribute to help them succeed. Remember that your success depends on the success of your leader, so your goals have to be aligned with their objectives.

In the end, you and your manager need to discuss your self-evaluation and you need to know exactly what they expect from you in the next year. Now is the best time to negotiate and set clear expectations for the coming year. Once you and your manager agree on your performance evaluation, strive to do well and exceed expectations. n

WHILE some people feel rejuvenated to kickstart 2023 with fresh plans in mind, others find themselves dejected to let go of the holiday high and to return to the daily grind.

“In a perfect world, each workday is filled with meaning, purpose and variety. You find it easy to stay engaged with your work, face challenges headon, collaborate seamlessly with your colleagues, and consistently make progress towards your goals,” stated

Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., the Henry R. Kravis professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology and former director of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College. “The problem? It’s not a perfect world,” he added. “If you sometimes feel like you’re in a rut, uninspired, or disengaged, you’ve got plenty of company.”

Riggio, who has authored over 150 books, book chapters and research articles on leadership, assessment centers and organizational and social psychology, understands that it can

be challenging to find the sense of fulfillment and stay motivated.

Echoing Riggio, the Benilde WellBeing Center (BWC) of the De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde imparted simple yet effective points to boost the mood and clear the mind to keep moving forward.

Here are several tips, which Riggio shared on www.psychologytoday.com, one of the largest publishing enterprise exclusively dedicated to mental health

1.

2. Say thank you to someone. You can make a positive impact on someone’s day with a simple thank you. You will feel a sense of purpose

and even develop a greater feeling of connectedness.

3. Change your scenery. A productivity-enhancing workstation is important. However, don’t underestimate the value of varying your locale every now and then. New environments can stimulate your brain by catalyzing new ideas and aiding problem-solving.

4. Create meaning by talking about experiences. Talk to others about your experiences. Hear how they have found purpose in their work. This can feed you ideas about how to do the same.

5. Level-up. Find creative ways to improve your skills. Test your abilities. The key is to constantly learn new things. Leveling up will help you feel accomplished.

6. Work-life integration. Do not allow work integration to overpower and consume your life. Take the time you need to be alone and with your loved ones. Maintain a healthy perspective on both aspects.

accuses Camilla of ‘dangerous’ leaks to media

PHOTO BY DYLAN GILLIS ON UNSPLASH

Focus on outcomes, but reward effort. We’re usually laser-focused on the end-product. Associate favorable feelings with effort. This helps us tackle more arduous tasks in the future. Condition ourselves to enjoy hard work.

Investing in an advanced water purification system like Waterlogic has many benefits

Camella caps off 2022 strategic expansion with 3 consecutive launches in key provinces

CAMELLA , the country’s largest homebuilder, wraps up its 2022 strategic expansion plan and celebration of its 45 years through successful launches of two vertical villages: Camella Manors Frontera in Davao City and Camella Manors Upstate in Bay, Laguna, as well as a horizontal development, Camella Alta Santiago in Santiago City, Isabela.

Consecutively held in December, these launches fortify Camella’s dominance in the national housing market and affirm its commitment of building the perfect homes for Filipinos.

Aptly titled “Vibe,” the launch of Camella Manors Upstate in Bay, Laguna signals an upshift in the life of students in the municipality. The 2.5-hectare vertical village is the first lifestyle condominium in Laguna’s first capital.

The launch of Camella Manors Frontera ushers in the rise of innovation in mega cities, where the conveniences offered by technological advancements combine seamlessly with the invigorating natural

landscapes of the countryside. Futureready, the six towers of Camella Manors Frontera offer smart home features along wellness facilities that appeal to individuals with different lifestyles.

Camella Manors Soleia, the very first condominium development rising in the Caraga region, caps its third year with the topping off of its first tower.

Completing Camella’s portfolio of successful launches in 2022 is Camella Alta Santiago, a house-and-lot expansion of Camella’s domain in town. Fit for families and lifestyles looking for larger spaces, Camella Alta Santiago is replete with modern lifestyle amenities and landscaped open-air areas. This is where residents can find countless opportunities for leisure, recreation, business, and education.

These house and lot developments and vertical villages are highly sought after as both an investment and home to create the best memories in.

For more than 45 years, Camella has been building high-quality, great-value homes, creating the sanctuaries where

Filipinos can raise their families or enjoy their golden years. The Camella properties are beautifully themed with landscaped spaces, lifestyle facilities, and business establishments integrated into the neighborhoods.

Every “Camella” is strategically located near business districts, transportation hubs, schools, places of worship, shopping centers, clinics, and churches — providing its residents with the most delightful experiences.

With close to five decades in property development, Camella has become the quintessential Filipino housing brand. The dream is to build a home wherever any Filipino wishes to raise his family. Camella communities are in 47 provinces and 149 cities and municipalities, housing over 500,000 families––making Camella the Filipino real estate brand with the widest geographic reach.

For information on Camella communities nationwide, visit www. camella.com.ph. Like and follow @ CamellaOfficial on social media.

SAFE drinking water is water that is free from contaminants or substances that can cause illness or harm when ingested. It is important to have access to clean and safe drinking water to maintain good health and prevent waterborne diseases.

Waterlogic, the global leader in home and workplace hydration solutions, has transformed drinking water in the Philippines with the world’s most advanced water purifier, the Aqua SmartGuard.

The Aqua SmartGuard water purifiers adopt a patented and most-advanced Firewall UVC technology to guarantee up to 99.99 percent protection against bacteria, viruses and cysts such as salmonella, E.coli and the COVID-19 virus. The water purifier features a unique quartz double helix that ensures targeted light waves reach each drop of water at the point of dispense for utmost purification.

The patented UVC Firewall acts as a barrier to prevent pathogens from infecting the water. Water flows up and down through the Firewall, exposing it to the UVC light and freeing it from harmful bacteria as soon as it leaves the nozzle. Besides alcohol and disinfectants, more Filipinos have turned to ultraviolet (UV) solutions to make sure their homes and things they use are safe from COVID-19.

Studies have shown that UV light, specifically UVC or the third type of UV ray in the ultraviolet spectrum, effectively reduces pathogenic and nonpathogenic organisms such as bacteria and viruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19. UVC works by altering the structure and molecular bonds of microbes’ DNA, preventing them from moving or multiplying. Among the three types of UV rays, UVC radiation requires the shortest amount of time — only a few seconds — to kill bacteria and viruses.

When it comes to purifying water, UVC works best with mechanical filtration systems to make sure that the purification process will yield safe and healthy drinking water. This is where the Firewall systems come in.

A team of microbiologists from the University of Arizona led by Dr. Charles P Gerba recently put the Firewall to the test against COVID-19. Results of the rigorous tests reveal the Firewall inactivates the COVID-19 virus by 99.9999 percent.

In homes and offices, utilizing traditional dispensers is a point transfer for viruses and bacteria by mere touch of the machine’s

body and buttons. For further protection, Aqua SmartGuard features an antimicrobial defense, the BioCote, on its surfaces, including the purification unit’s outer shell, dispensing buttons, nozzles and tray.

Exclusive to Aqua SmartGuard units, BioCote uses silver ion technology that keeps microbial cells from growing on the cube’s external surfaces. It significantly decreases the presence of microbes on the machine in just 15 minutes and reduces up to 99.5 percent of bacteria within just two hours.

Unlike other antimicrobial additives, the active agent in BioCote cannot be washed or rubbed off as it is infused during the manufacturing process and is therefore chemically bonded to the material. BioCote is able to provide continuous and long-lasting protection throughout the product’s life span.

Besides its innovative technologies and features, the Aqua SmartGuard by Waterlogic has been recognized and certified by international health organizations such as the Water Quality Association (WQA) and the and the Water Regulatory Advisory Scheme (WRAS). It also meets ISO 9001 and Energy Star standards.

Aqua SmartGuard’s “cube” purify water via its patented FirewallTM UVC system, the most advanced, widely certified water purification technology in the world.

Experience full insurance, maintenance, replacements and exceptional customer service for only P1,490 a month plus one-time installation fee! Join the water revolution! Contact us at (02) 7918-2890 or 0976 141 9707 and visit https://smartguard.ph/ to learn more.

Get the best of both worlds of work and play with the Lenovo Legion Gen 7 lineup of gaming laptops

The topic will analyze the key pillars of the ecosystem and how stakeholders from diffferent industries can navigate through the fast-growing environment of esports. ByteDance Public Policy & Government Relations Lead Faris Mufid will moderate the panel.

“New opportunities in the mobile esports economy” will be the theme of the 2nd panel discussion. Panelists include Mana Partners Co-founder Jamie Lewin, Vidio (EMTEK Group) Head of Esports Willy Tjahyadi, and GWI Senior Manager for Corp. (APAC) Handi E. Yusajap.

THE popularity of mobile esports has been exponential in Southeast Asia in the past years, constantly breaking viewership records especially for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournaments around the world. With this, international gaming developer and publisher MOONTON Games has developed an emerging esports ecosystem that has produced a plethora of opportunities outside broadcast for brands and businesses to explore.

On January 13, 2023, MOONTON Games will spearhead the inaugural M Summit in Jakarta to guide the esports and gaming stakeholders in discovering vast areas of opportunities in the industry. This year's forum will set the stage for top speakers and experts to discuss trends in Indonesia's mobile esports ecosystem, new commercial opportunities in the esports economy, and keys to holding a successful tournament and building a professional esports team.

The event will start with keynote address led by MOONTON Games Regional Esports Lead Sophie Guo, Head of Esports Ecosystem Ray Ng, and Regional

Esports Sales Head Adrian Cher. The three will share more about MOONTON Games’ demographics, partnership models, milestone, and 2023 Esports Roadmap, among others.

M Summit will also hold a dinner and networking session for every leader and participant to connect and share possible opportunities for collaboration.

“With Southeast Asia being a mobile gaming region, we hope that the M Summit connects innovative minds that will further drive the mobile esports and gaming to a sustainable future and greater heights,” said MOONTON Games Managing Director of Global Esports Lucas Mao.

The first panel discussion, “What are the upcoming trends and opportunities in Indonesia's budding mobile Esports ecosystem?” will bring together Rex Regum Qeon CEO Andrian “AP” Pauline, Mineski Global Esports Director Agustian Hwang, GroupM Indonesia Partner Supplies Lead Francisco Tinangon, and Deputy Chairman for Digital Economy and Creative Products at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Muhammad Neil El Himam.

The panel will delve into the emergence of a new wave of creatives supporting the overall growth of the mobile esports ecosystem. UniPin SEA Senior VP Community & Esports and Luna Nera Female Gaming Community Founder Debora Imanuella will moderate the panel.

Lastly, the topic, “Expanding the MLBB's Esports ecosystem: What are the opportunities in creating partners' event with MOONTON Games?” will be discussed by RSG CEO and Co-founder Jayf Soh, ONE Esports Head of Social Trent Davis, KINCIR CEO Rangga Danu Prasateyo, and PBESI Deputy Treasurer Diana Sutrisno.

The panelists will look into the sucessful case studies about organizing third-party MLBB tournament, creating content around MLBB, and building a professional team. Ray Ng will moderate the panel.

This year’s M Summit will be hosted by MOONTON Games Indonesia Head of Business Development Esports Manurung Martinus Haposan.

Get to know more about the M Summit Jakarta MOONTON Games's LinkedIn page found here: https://www. linkedin.com/company/moontongames/.

OFTENTIMES,

need devices that offer the innovation, versatility, and mobility they need to accomplish daily tasks.

Lenovo Legion, the brand’s flagship gaming line, strives to create gaming laptops that fulfill consumers’ evolving needs. Created for both personal and professional endeavors, the Lenovo Legion Gen 7 devices and IdeaPad Gaming 3i laptop deliver unyielding play and high productivity performance so both hard work and harder play are made possible.

For graphic designers, video editors, and even animators, the Legion Gen 7 lineup can run almost any Windows-compatible editing software. Edit photos and digital artwork without having to worry about color accuracy with the Legion Slim 7i’s 16-inch WQHD+ Mini LED display, or with the 16-inch QHD+ display in 16:10 format with 100% sRGB color gamut of the Legion 5i Pro.

The Legion Slim 7i and Legion 5i Pro also feature the Legion TrueStrike Keyboard that boasts soft-landing switches and a 25 percent larger trackpad despite large trackpads being uncommon among gaming laptops.

The trackpad is enhanced for great sensitivity and touch gestures, perfect for some quick editing on the go.

For designers and engineers, a device capable of running computer-aided design software is a must. Projects on these kinds of programs often take up a lot of storage and would slow down your device if it wasn’t built to keep up. Worry not, as the Legion 5i and Legion 7i have all the SSD storage you need and a powerful CPU for smooth and problemfree work.

The Legion 5i and Legion 7i laptops feature the latest Gen4 SSDs and up to 32GB of DDR5 memory configurations, as well as a 12th Gen Intel Core processor. On top of this, they both come equipped with the latest NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 30 Series Laptop GPU, perfect for hardcore software like ArchiCAD.

Design without boundaries —or time limits, as the Legion 7i is also packed with a big 99.99 watt-hour battery and Super Rapid Charge technology that charges the battery from zero percent to 70 percent in just 30 minutes.

Aside from video editing software, all of the Legion Gen 7 laptops are also capable of seamless live streaming. The IdeaPad Gaming 3i is the ideal device for those looking to stream graphically demanding games without having to worry about gameplay quality. Its powerful CPU and storage capacity make it perfect for multi-taskers working on multiple projects, and its 15.6” WQHD display screens make for efficient work across software.

The IdeaPad Gaming 3i’s improved keyboard intake technology also ensures a more thermally efficient, quieter, and cooler machine, so you won’t have to worry about the sound of fans whirring on your streams. The regulated CPU usage ensures consistent power throughout recording sessions and streams for content creators and gamers that often stream longer content.

When managing your time between work and play, coming up against sudden roadblocks might throw you off your game. While we can’t foresee accidents from happening, you can rest assured that Lenovo’s got your back with Legion Ultimate Support, the only gamercentric support service among competitors available for all Legion devices. Get 24/7 access to technicians who are armed with a wealth of product and gaming knowledge so your device is always at peak performance. The Legion Gen 7 devices also come with three-Year Accidental Damage Protection which covers accidental drops, spills, bumps, structural failures, and even electrical surges so you can always game and create content with peace of mind.

IdeaPad Gaming devices, on the other hand, come with three-Year Premium Care which gives you 24/7 access to advanced technicians who provide comprehensive support for hardware, peripherals, software, and onsite repair.

people prioritize professional growth before personal enjoyment but, making time for both work and play is better for our health and well-being. To strike this balance, most people will

Asterra raises the bar in affordable housing

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

‘Gentle” density can save neighborhoods, according to the Washington, DC-based think tank Brookings Institute.

When the pandemic struck two and half years ago, Filipinos realized the value of density. it w as quite different during the pre-pandemic period as many Filipinos viewed Metro Manilans as the gold standard for modern living. a s host to three or more central business districts and most of the country’s commercial and industrial hubs, the Metro is where the movers and shakers keep the local economy humming.

However, the sardine-like density in the big cities brought a huge toll on the stressed Filipino work force. a d ding misery to average Juan, Pedro, and to yang are the traffic and chaotic transport systems that cause foment stress, driving even longtime urbanites to seek a happy medium—the suburbs—that offers the tranquil environment they want and the conveniences of city living that they need.

Aboitiz Construction partners with SKILLS to support future Cebuano scaffolders

Addressing the density problem

Estr E l lita t an, chief operating officer of a s terra explained in the recent launching of a s terra, the affordable residential project of the Manuel Villar-led Vista l a nd,aims to address the density problem of home buyers this year when it opens 16 new projects in various municipalities in the country. While Vista l a nd has yet to reveal the locations where a st erra will rise, ta n stressed the selection process of the property developer will be based on major factors like economic and investment opportunities that combine to improve the Filipino homeowners’ quality of life.

ta n said this will assure future a s terra residents will have access to schools, hospitals, retail hubs, leisure establishments—and even corporate spaces.

ta n said a lot of home buyers today aspire for the perks of condo living in a bustling city because of the presence of modern conveniences, while others prefer

a quiet life in the countryside, far from the din and pollution of vehicular traffic.

t h ese days, however, she said intelligent home seekers are aware there is a lovely meeting point in the middle: suburban neighborhoods that offer the best features of both—the charm of rural living and convenience of city life.

ta n said Vista l a nd visualizes a s terra as a condominium development that will provide affordable urban living in the suburbs.

a c cording to the Brown ty coon’s vision, a s terra is to rise in the outskirts of the Metro, in select locales that boost the rapid appreciation of land values. ta n said this will benefit future homeowners as prices of the real estate will appreciate.

i n a ll of its developments, ta n said a st erra will have multiple buildings with 4 to 7 levels, where each unit will offer sleek, space-optimizing interiors that will serve as idyllic domiciles for young professionals and starting families.

s h e said a s terra projects will feature clusters of residential developments all with sleek, spacious, and well-laid-out interiors that active young professionals, entrepreneurs, and start-up families covet. Further, a s terra will also have various fun amenities like basketball courts, gyms, and function halls to foster warm and friendly community ties that are a trademark of all Vista l a nd developments.

Bearing the tagline “Built for you,” ta n said a s terra will have both fun and functional amenities aimed to upgrade its residents’ quality of life. t h ese include a swimming pool, basketball court, walkable open spaces, ample parking areas, a fully equipped gym, and multiple function halls that will help forge friendly ties and generate fine community values. ta n assured a s terra will be the perfect domicile for city-weary Filipinos who will thrive in suburban neighborhoods that are within a reasonable commute to urban centers.

By Roderick L. Abad

aWa r E of the growing requirements for skilled workers in the construction industry, a b oitiz Construction i n c., through the a b oitiz Group of Companies’ corporate social responsibility arm a b oitiz Foundation, seeks to help address this concern as it officially forged a partnership with the s c hool of Knowledge for i n dustrial l a bor, l e adership, and s e rvice (s K i lls ) t o sponsor the training of 50 qualified Cebuanos.

s K i lls is the corporate foundation of Cebu’s Primary Group of Builders that provides technical vocational education to marginalized and unemployed youth and adults.

t h is collaboration is aimed at upskilling the scholars and guaranteeing that a pool of scaffolders will be available for employment by a b oitiz Construction to support its maintenance projects across the country.

i n l ine with our commitment to build a better future, we continue to help em -

power workers in the communities that we serve and provide job opportunities for many Filipinos,” said a b oitiz Construction a s sistant Vice President for Human r e sources Mylynne Cabanilla-Estupin.

t h e construction unit of the a b oitiz

Group currently provides maintenance services for an industrial plant in Claver, s urigao Del n or te.

l i kewise, the company is eyeing to pursue plant maintenance activities for a b oitizPower’s t h erma Visayas i n c.’s power plant in to ledo City, Cebu.

t he Group’s Great tr ansformation focuses on capacitating its people towards the advancement of business and communities.

t h is year, a b oitiz Construction hired around 4,000 skilled workers who are now assigned to various sites throughout the country.

to s ecure growth, the firm has been focusing on projects in the industrial, infrastructure, and maintenance fields that are geared towards providing job opportunities for many Filipinos.

lG Electronics ( l G) is introducing its 97-inch l G s i gnature O l E D M (model M3), the world’s first consumer t V w ith Zero Connect1 technology, a wireless solution capable of real-time video and audio transmission at up to 4K 120Hz. t h e revolutionary new O l E D t V M3 delivers superior picture and sound quality as well as greater flexibility to install and connect. a stunning achievement of technology and design, l G ’s wireless 4K O l E D is the recipient of CE s 2023 i n novation a w ards in two categories.

Unlike conventional t Vs, where all input ports for connecting external devices are located on the rear or sides, the M3 comes with a separate Zero Connect box that sends video and audio signals wirelessly to l G ’s cinematic, 97-inch screen. Because it can be placed away from the t V, the Zero Connect box helps to create a cleaner, distraction-free viewing environment and gives users greater freedom to arrange their space. t h e box comes with multiple ports for plugging in commonly used HDM i devices, such as cable/satellite set-top boxes and gaming consoles and can also connect wirelessly with compatible soundbars for richer, more powerful audio and additional cable-free convenience. a l ong with offering users more freedom when curating their space, the M3 and its Zero Connect box allows users to easily install the new l G O l E D t V w ithout entangled cables. What’s more, without any wires to disturb users from enjoying their viewing experiences, the sleek minimalism of the 97-inch t V ’s One Wall Design becomes even more breathtaking to behold.

l G ’s wireless solution leverages stateof-the-art technologies to provide reliable

video and audio transmission to the M3’s self-lit O l E D screen, allowing users to enjoy content at 4K 120Hz and clear, crisp sound without interruption or degradation of quality. to e nsure the seamless transfer of data from the box to the t V the company developed an algorithm that instantly identifies the optimal transmission path. t h e algorithm also helps to minimize transmission errors or disruptions as it can recognize changes in the immediate environment—such as people or pets moving around the room—and switch paths accordingly. a d ditionally, for maximum signal strength, the box’s antenna can be easily rotated and/or tilted to align with the t V ’s location. For maximum usability, the Zero Connect box is voice recognition-enabled, meaning us -

ers can turn on and manage the M3 and connected devices using simple, spoken commands.

Despite the imposing size of its screen, the M3 blends in effortlessly with one’s interior décor courtesy of its understated One Wall Design. t h e M3 and its integrated bracket sit flush against the wall with no visible gap, presenting a chic, art gallery aesthetic that augments the t V ’s outstanding self-lit picture quality.

l G ’s cutting-edge 4K O l E D t V w ith Zero Connect wireless solution will be on show during CE s 2023 from January 5-8 at the company’s booth (#15501, Central Hall, l a s Vegas Convention Center). Keep up with all of l G ’s exciting announcements at CE s by following # l G CE s 2 023 on social media.

FROM left, Aboitiz Construction Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Human Resources Mylynne Cabanilla-Estupin, Aboitiz Foundation AVP for Operations Danny Cerence, Aboitiz Construction AVP for Business Transformation Karmine Andrea Ching, School of Knowledge for Industrial Labor, Leadership, and Service (SKILLS) President Paulette Liu, and SKILLS Executive Director Jessie Cubijano

A S TERRA affirms its location will be based on important factors like economic and investment opportunities that coalesce to improve the Filipino homeowners’ quality of life.

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee (POC) president

Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on Tuesday sounded the alarm barely three months before Cambodia hosts the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

“

Frankly, I don’t feel comfortable with the formula that the host country [Cambodia] came up with,” Tolentino told the special Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Pasay City.

“ They’ve tinkered big with the rules,” added Tolentino, referring to Cambodia’s decision to include events that are practically alien to the other Games SEA countries and exclude events where Cambodia has slim chances of winning.

For a country of less than 17 million people, Cambodia has lined up 608 events in 49 sports, far bigger than the 530 events in 56 sports in the Manila edition in 2019 and the 526 events in 40 sports in Hanoi last year.

But it doesn’t mean that the Philippines, this early, is giving up the fight for the biennial event scheduled May 5 to 17.

Tolentino said the POC will still make sure that the Philippines will be represented well in as many events in Cambodia and hope to match or improve on its fourth-place finish in Hanoi in May 2022.

We’ll compete in all events

in Cambodia,” he told the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), POC and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

“ We will give them a good fight,” added Tolentino, who is also counting on newly-appointed PSC chairman Dickie Bachmann as the national athletes gear up for the Cambodia Games.

It’s a good thing that the POC and PSC [Bachmann] want to go hands-on in our goals,” said Tolentino, also the president of PhilCycling.

C ambodia finished at No. 8 in Hanoi with nine gold, 13 silver and 41 bronze medals. It won golds in vovinam with three, petanque with two and kickboxing, wrestling and taekwondo with one each.

Tolentino said it will be very difficult for Cambodia to win the overall title.

“ Based on their formula, they won’t finish overall champion, but they’re aiming to be at the upper half, perhaps second, third or fourth in the medals race,” he said. “So it could be a battle for fourth all over again.”

B esides the SEA Games, the Philippines will also gear up for the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games in Bangkok in November and World Beach Games in Bali.

“ This will be our busiest year in sports,” he said.

Bachmann declares no delays in financial support to athletes

RICHARD “DICKIE” BACHMANN attended his first flag-raising ceremony as the 12th chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on Tuesday and declared that national athletes’ allowances would always be released on time.

No delays on the financial support that PSC provides the athletes,” he told PSC officials led by commissioners Edward Hayco, Olivia “Bong’’ Coo and Walter Torres during his speech after the morning exercise.

Bachmann—who’ll celebrate his 55th birthday exactly a week after he was sworn in as PSC head on Wednes-

day—stressed the athletes would always be his priority.

“If there is any delay in the [release of] allowances of any athlete, delay my salary, too,” he said. “Give me the names of those athletes, give me the names of the NSAs [national sports associations], and I myself will do the follow up for them.”

Because, when I say that there is no delay in allowances, I’m going to make it happen,” he stressed.

Bachmann also bared his plan for the PSC to again provide free meals for national team members and encouraged the PSC workforce to approach him for suggestions.

Ex-NBA player Young joins Strong Group

FORMER National Basketball Association (NBA) star Nick Young arrived in the country to join the rest of the Strong Group team that has less than three weeks to prepare for the 32nd Dubai International Championship set from January 27 to February 5.

The former Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors forward arrived Monday with fellow NBA player and former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) import Shabazz Muhammad.

Just landed in the Philippines,” tweeted by the one-time NBA champion who already met with Strong Group head coach Charles Tiu.

Welcome to Manila @ NickSwagyPYoung and @ ShabazzMuhammad ! Let’s kill it in Dubai,” wrote Tiu while posting a photo with the two NBA players.

S trong Group owner Jacob Lao was delighted with the arrival of the two imports, believing they will play key roles in their bid to keep the country’s dominance in

DRAGONS ACTIVATE POWELL IN GAME 6

BARANGAY Ginebra

San Miguel goes for the clincher in Game 6 of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Finals series.

But Head Coach Tim Cone and the Gin Kings needed to tinker with the adjustments they already made after the Hong Kong Bay Area Dragons activated import Myles Powell hoping to extend the best-ofseven series to the limit.

“We had to make a right turn since we found out while at practice [Powell’s reactivation],” Cone told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. “But yes, we did have time to prepare a bit. Powell will certainly change the way they play and we will have to change our defense.”

Powell is one lethal piece for the Dragons. With averages of 37.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in eight games before being sidelined by a foot injury, he was a major force for the Hong Kong side that lost only twice in the eliminations.

H e’ll be a guaranteed headache for Cone.

“ We’re just going to adjust our

defense and be ready for anything they [Dragons] bring,” said Cone, who’s going after his 25th crown in the league.

I mport Justin Brownlee is again expected to play a yeoman’s job as Ginebra shoots for its 15th league crown.

Brownlee and Stanley Pringle, who finished with 37 points and 20 points in Game 5, respectively, are expected to provide another solid performance as well as Best Player of the Conference Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar and Jamie Malonzo.

Cone is also hoping that veteran playmaker LA Tenorio—who is averaging 12.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the Finals—will be okay in Game 6 after suffering a groin injury in Game 5.

LA [Tenorio] is key to what we do, especially in the playoffs because he’s our leader, ball handler, organizer, big shot guy and emotional leader, so

we’re going to miss all those things if he doesn’t get a chance to play,” Cone said. “We’re hoping and praying he will play.”

I njuries are also a big concern for Dragons coach Brain Goorjian.

Playmaker Glen Yang suffered a minor ankle injury in Game 4—which the Dragons won even without prolific big man Andrew Nicholson, 94-86 to tie the series. Goorjian said that Yang “is okay to play 75-25 percent.”

He wasn’t there in Game 5 and I missed him,” said Goorjian of Yang who’s averaging 11.5 points and 5.5 assists in the Finals.

G oorjian also heaved a sigh of relief after sweet-shooting and 6-foot-10 Hayden Blakeley would be available in Game 6 after hurting his ankle on Sunday night.

A v ictory by the Dragons will force a winner-take-all Game 7 that will be played Friday at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

NorthPort, meanwhile, are in the process of acquiring 2021 top pick Joshua Munzon and Javi Gomez de Liaño from Terrafirma in exchange for Kevin Ferrer, Jesper Ayaay and a future second round draft pick.

Converge, on the other hand, got Jerrick Balanza from NorthPort for Allyn Bulanadi, who was then shipped to San Miguel Beer for Paul Zamar and a future second round draft pick. Josef Ramos

Tamayo: Bye UP, hello Japan B.League

I work best when I am on the ground—talking and listening to people I am supposed to serve,” he said. “I would rather go to the athlete, and I also encourage our commissioners to do the same.”

He also assured the PSC family that they are part of his priority.

“ You are my MVPs because of the work you do to support our athletes,” he told the PSC officials and staff who greeted their chairman happy birthday.

I want to assure everyone that I am here to be of service. Period,” he said.

“No personal agenda. I am here to serve our national athletes, the NSAs and the PSC organization.”

the annual event won by Mighty Sports in 2020.

Young will join another former NBA player and PBA import Renaldo Balkman, Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Ange Kouame and FilAmerican guard Sedrick Barefield.

A lso in the lineup are Korean Basketball League-bound Justine Baltazar, National Collegiate Athletic Association MVP and College of St. Benilde forward Will Gozum and former Ateneo Blue Eagles BJ Andrade and Inand Fornillos.

The team will face rivals from the host country, Lebanon and other Middle East nations in Dubai.

their best-of-seven series for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup trophy?

I n last Sunday’s loss that pushed Hong Kong on cliff’s edge, the Dragons’ 1-2 punch, 6-foot-10 Andrew Nicholson and team captain Glen Yang, were out on ankle injuries.

B oth stars, easily combining for 50 points a game, remain doubtful starters today, although Nicholson could be a surprise resurrection after a week of rest following the injury he suffered in the Game 3 thriller that saw Ginebra steal an 89-82 win for a 2-1 series margin.

Ginebra goes for clincher

THERE are two questions worth pondering on in Wednesday’s Game 6 between Barangay Ginebra and Bay Area.

O ne, will the visitors from Hong Kong suddenly appear with a complete line-up after their decimated ranks got bulldozed in that 101-91 Game 5 loss on Sunday?

Two, whether or not a full player rotation materializes for the Bay Area side, will Ginebra come up with the same goods it dished off three days ago to erect a 3-2 edge in

But the Nicholson-less Dragons dug deep a day later to produce a 94-86 win, tying the Finals at 2-2 despite a triple-double of 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists from Gin King import Justin Brownlee before 17,236 fans at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

S o, who could have thought Ginebra would so easily nab Game 5 and stood a step away from coach Tim Cone’s record-extending 25th PBA title?

It would be do-or-die for Hong Kong at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao where Game 6 begins at 5:45 p.m.

A nd, in desperation, will Dragon coach Brian Goorjian do the supreme sacrifice of fielding in Nicholson and Yang, in the process putting in jeopardy the future careers of his two mainstays?

CARL TAMAYO announced on Tuesday his decision to join the lucrative Japanese B.League over playing three more championship-potential University Athletic Association of the Philippines seasons for the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons.

“I am especially grateful because my playing for UP has opened the doors to even more blessings and opportunities,” Tamayo, 21, said in an Instagram post. “I would like to share with everyone that I have been invited to play in the Japanese B. League and after consulting with coach Gold [Goldwyn Monteverde], my teammates, and the UPMBT [UP Men’s Basketball

Team] management, I have decided to accept the offer to play professionally in Japan.”

The 6-foot-7 do-it-all center Tamayo was instrumental in the two consecutive seasons at UP—winning the Season 84 championship and finishing runner-up to Ateneo just last month in Season 85.

Becoming a professional basketball player is a dream I have had ever since I started playing organized basketball,” he said. “It will allow me to care for my family while playing the game that I love.”

Tamayo, a national player, averaged 13.8 points and 7.7 rebounds in Season 85. In his rookie year, he booked norms of 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds.

He didn’t reveal which Japanese club he will be joining. Josef Ramos

Ateneo’s ‘Chew’ turns pro, too

MATTHEW “CHEW” DAVES won’t play a final year of eligibility at Ateneo as he declared his intention to turn pro.

The 24-year-old Filipino-Canadian big man told the Blue Eagles management about his plan to turn pro after graduating in June.

To the Ateneo community, I just want to say thank you for accepting and supporting me these last four years,” said Daves, who already has obtained a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. “Ateneo is my home and I will never forget the memories we all made together.”

We will roll the dice,” Goorjian said. “I’m putting 5050 in Nicholson’s chances of playing.”

A bold one.

But this one could be bolder.

“ I’m putting 75-25 on Yang,” said the wily mentor, who gave Australia an Olympic basketball bronze.

But with or without Nicholson and Yang, Cone should know what to do:  Continue executing his lethal play of attacking at every opportunity, backing it up with a choking defense and, after building a sizable lead, employing his newfound slow break offense to milk the clock.

Cone will miss the services of the injured LA Tenorio?

No worries.  Stanley Pringle has rediscovered his poise.

THAT’S IT   Congratulations to Mark Jay Bacojo, Ayana Nicole Usman and Alexandra Sydney Paez for bannering the Philippines to the Team Championship in the justended Hong Kong Bauhinia Chess tournament, beating entries from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and host Hong Kong in the event that featured entries aged 18 and below.

Cheers!…A win for Ginebra today will surely be the most meaningful birthday gift for San Miguel Corp. top honcho Ramon S. Ang, the Gin Kings owner who celebrates on January 14.  Cheers!

We at Ateneo support our athlete’s decision if they want to turn professional,” Ateneo team manager Christopher “Epok” Quimpo said. “More than winning a championship, our program’s main goal is to turn student-athletes into professionals.”

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STRONG Group Coach Charles Tiu (center) welcomes former National Basketball Association star Nick Young and Shabazz Muhammad.

MYLES POWELL is expected to add firepower to the Dragons’ bid to send the series to a Game 7.

Ildefonso, Angelo Kouame, BJ Andrade and Jacob Lao also ended their collegiate

careers after a successful University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85.

CARL TAMAYO and Matthew “Chew” Daves in action during last month’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines finals.

RICHARD “DICKIE” BACHMANN attends his first flag-raising ceremony as Philippine Sports Commission chairman on Tuesday.