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A broader look at today’s business n
Saturday, January 16, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 97
P25.00 nationwide | 12 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
The online economy, which boomed amid the Covid-19 crisis, is seen to outlive the pandemic and continue in the new normal.
C
By Cai U. Ordinario
RISES present opportunities, and when the pandemic hit, many Filipinos found their hope online. Many Filipinos, including those who lost jobs because of the lockdowns, put up online businesses. Last year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) estimated that 73,276 online businesses registered during the pandemic between March 16 and August 31, the height of the lockdowns. According to experts, online businesses represent not only a coping mechanism for individuals and companies who could not operate through face-to-face interactions. The online economy will outlive the pandemic and continue in the new normal. With the possibilities opened by the Internet for businesses, it will be difficult to live in the new normal without them. “The online platform economy can indeed catalyze inclusive growth but we need to get the whole of government to make that happen, especially in developing countries such as the Philippines,” Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan said in a recent forum of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Sailing stormy seas
THE Philippines has imposed one of the longest lockdowns and strictest quarantine measures in the world. This includes the imposition of an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila
and other high-risk provinces on March 16, with select extensions in May. In order to help people cope, ADB said the government provided a comprehensive set of support measures for households and businesses, such as an emergency subsidy program for families and wage supplements to employees of small businesses. But these were not enough to prevent millions from going hungry or joining the ranks of the poor and unemployed. Data shared by Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the economic shutdown forced 23.7 million Filipinos to go hungry and 4.5 million into poverty last year. Further, a total of 2.7 million Filipinos became unemployed and some 438,809 Filipinos died between January and October 2020 due to non-Covid-19 reasons. He noted that based on data from the PSA, between January and October 2020, only 5,746 Filipinos died due to Covid-19, while 100,676 Filipinos died of other causes. This is on top of the 78,850 who died due to ischemic heart diseases; 50,195 deaths caused by neoplasms or cancers; and 43,182 deaths due to cerebrovascular diseases.
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 48.0670
Chua added that 29,638 Filipinos died of diabetes mellitus; 27,684 deaths due to hypertensive diseases; and 26,219 caused by pneumonia.
Opportunities in digitalization
HOWEVER, ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada said that while the pandemic reversed the gains in poverty reduction, it also highlighted the growth opportunities offered by digitalization. In a recent survey, Sawada said e-commerce accelerated during the pandemic. B2B companies became more digitalized by increasing their online support and e-commerce transactions. ADB estimates supported these findings as their own estimates showed online purchases as of May 2020 increased. It was particularly high in South Korea where the increase in online purchases increased by around 50 percentage points. In the Philippines, the increase was around 20 percentage points. “I think there’s going to be a permanent impact of digitalization and I think there are lots of positive aspects because online platforms can enhance market functioning and there’s a huge potential to make transactions more inclusive,” Sawada said. “But at the same time, I think there are also challenges [such as] infrastructure and affordability of technology, cybersecurity, etc. So I think connections between agencies and ministries and also partnership between private and government as well as MDBs [is important],” he, however, said.
Challenges
SOME of these challenges mentioned by Sawada were identified by Best Accounting Software, which reviews and rates financial software for small and medium enterprises, as the reasons for the low
ranking of the Philippines in its recent study when it comes to setting up online businesses. In the study, Best Accounting Software ranked the Philippines 78th out of 99 countries in terms of the Best Countries to Set Up an Online Business. The country only recorded an overall score of 34.34. Why the low ranking? The country scored poorly in indicators that pertained to Internet, broadband connectivity, and especially in Internet security. Best Accounting Software measured the performance of economies according to Internet Coverage and Penetration as well as Country Wealth and Ease of Processes. In terms of mobile Internet speed, the country averaged 17.83 mbps and scored 7.47 overall; Broadband Internet Speed, 27.07 and scored 9.85; Number of Fixed Broadband Subscriptions, 3.87 people per 100 population; and Internet Users, 67 percent of the population and scored 57.33. For Social Media Users, the Philippines averaged 67 percent of the population and scored 65.59 overall; and Bills Online, 9.9 percent of the population and scored 10.11 overall. In terms of Secure Internet Servers, only 111 Filipinos per 1 million people had secure servers
and gave the country a score of 0.04 overall. This is the lowest performance for this category compared to other Asean countries included in the ranking. In terms of Country Wealth and Ease of Processes, this included Corporate Tax Rate; GNI (Gross National Income) per Capita; Individuals with a Finance Account; Payment Processing Providers; Economic Freedom; Number of Start-Up Procedures; Days Required to Start a Business; Cost of Start-Up Business Procedures; and Time Zones. The Philippines Corporate Tax Rate is at 30 percent, the highest among the Asean countries in the ranking. This gave the country a score of 14.29 overall. There’s an urgent push to bring down the corporate tax rate to 25 percent in the first year of implementation of the CREATE bill, now under deliberation in a bicameral conference committee of Congress. GNI per capita of the country is at $3,850, which enabled the country to get a score of 3.62; about 34.5 percent of the population have finance accounts, which earned for it an overall score of 16.8; and economic freedom, a score of 61.21 overall.
Doing business
IN doing business, the country re-
corded 13 procedures to register a business, the most number among the Asean countries on the list. It takes 33 days to register a business in the country and costs 23.33 percent of GNI. There are six countries with the same timezone as the Philippines; 237 co-work spaces, the second highest among the Asean countries on the list; digital skills, a score of 77.22, the third highest in the Asean nations on the list; logistics, a score of 39.53 overall; and postal development index score, 37.93. These challenges initially made the digital economy unattractive to many Filipinos. The results of the National ICT Household Survey (NICTHS) showed more than half or 63.7 percent of interviewed communities do not have telecommunication towers in their areas. Further, the NICTHS data showed majority or 70.2 percent of interviewed barangays do not have fiber-optic cables installed in their communities. The data also showed 87.8 percent of these barangays did not have free Wi-Fi. As a result, only 2 percent or 643 of survey respondents are selling online and only 8.8 percent or 3,000 respondents said they buy products online. Most of these online sellers and shoppers still prefer to pay on a cash-on-delivery scheme instead of other digital modes of payment such as electronic wallet or online banking. The data even showed that majority or 54 percent of sampled individuals in the NICTHS said they were unaware that financial transactions can be performed online. In terms of region, Filipinos living in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were the most unaware that financial transactions can be made online at 89.3 percent. Continued on A2
n JAPAN 0.4631 n UK 65.8085 n HK 6.1993 n CHINA 7.4223 n SINGAPORE 36.2879 n AUSTRALIA 37.3817 n EU 58.4495 n SAUDI ARABIA 12.8137
Source: BSP (January 15, 2021)
NewsSaturday BusinessMirror
A2 Saturday, January 16, 2021
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He was one of Asia’s richest men. Now he’s fending off debt collectors By Apple Lam & Shawna Kwan
I
Bloomberg News
N just five years, Hong Kong property tycoon Pan Sutong has gone from ranking among Asia’s wealthiest people to having his company’s flagship skyscraper seized by creditors chasing more than $1 billion of debt. It’s a swift fall from grace for Pan, 57, who was Asia’s fourthrichest man in 2015 with a net worth of $27 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. But after shares of his Goldin Financial Holdings Ltd. plunged and with most of his properties locked up as collateral for loans, he has fallen off the list of the world’s 500 wealthiest people. Pan’s initial wealth came not from property but from dealing in and then manufacturing electronics, an area he ventured into after moving to Hong Kong from California, where he’d spent his teens skipping school and hanging out at his family’s chain of Chinese restaurants.
Covid and HK unrest
PAN transitioned to property investing in 2008, a few years into a
red-hot boom that would mint numerous fortunes in Hong Kong and make it one of the world’s most expensive real-estate markets. He now joins other investors in the city who over-extended themselves during the boom, only to be undone as months of civil unrest and the coronavirus pandemic plunged Hong Kong into its worst recession on record. Tang Shing-bor, a veteran investor known as the “Shop King” for his vast holdings of retail properties, is seeking to sell billions of dollars of real estate. A group of investors who paid $5.2 billion for The Center in the world’s mostexpensive office deal have been unable to flip floors as the market ground to a halt last year. “Asset seizures are very company specific,” said Edward Chan,
a credit analyst at S&P Global Ratings in Hong Kong. “If property seizures happen then the company must be in a very bad financial position, with high debt and leverage.” Chan declined to comment specifically on Goldin Financial’s situation because S&P doesn’t cover the developer. Pan, and Goldin Financial, racked up around HK$38 billion ($4.9 billion) of debt between May 2017 and September 2020 for four Hong Kong properties, according to stock exchange filings and data compiled by Bloomberg. At least $1 billion of that debt remains outstanding and tied to Goldin, according to company filings last month. The latest available figures show Goldin’s net debt to Ebitda, a key measure of leverage, was about nine times at the end of 2018. That compares with a ratio of 2.3 times at the end of 2019 for Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., the city’s biggest developer, and around 2 times for smaller developer HKR International Ltd. The loan, offered to a unit that owned the firm’s flagship Goldin Financial Global Centre office tower, was to repay borrowings of HK$3.4 billion by intermediary parent companies, Debtwire reported in August. It’s unclear why the CK Asset loan wasn’t used to clear the debt, but the security trustee on the loan is apply-
PAN SUTONG draws the barrier 8 for the Hong Kong Derby Barrier Draw 2017 in Sha Tin racecourse parade ring. KENNETH CHAN/SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST/GETTY IMAGES
ing to a Bermuda court for Goldin Financial to be wound up. The next court hearing will be held on February 12, according to a Goldin Financial filing.
Business shift
PAN moved from manufacturing consumer electronics such as mobile phones and MP3 players to property in 2008, when he renamed his electronics firm Goldin Properties Holdings Ltd. and purchased a listed company, christening it Goldin Financial. Goldin Properties was delisted in 2017 and Pan owns a controlling stake in both firms. Goldin Financial’s downfall can be traced back to Pan’s strategy of splitting ownership of properties between the company and his own private interests. Between 2011 and 2020, Pan and Goldin Financial purchased one commercial and two residential properties. Goldin Financial took a 60-percent ownership stake, while Pan eventually held 40 percent privately. There was a similar ownership structure for a majority stake in a third residential plot. But starting in 2018, Pan decided he wanted to take full ownership of one of the residential properties and a majority stake in another, which are located in Kowloon’s prestigious Ho Man Tin neighborhood and offered good profit potential.
In turn, he sold his share in the other two assets to his listed company. These included 40-percent stakes in the Goldin Financial Global Centre, his firm’s flagship office tower that was saddled with debt, and an expensive land parcel near the former Kai Tak airport that would have been costly to develop. As a result, Pan became sole guarantor for a HK$7.19-billion loan for one of the residential developments, according to people familiar with the matter. At least four banks involved in the loan didn’t agree to the terms of the deal and exited, they said, declining to be identified as they aren’t authorized to speak publicly. This made it harder for Goldin Financial to close subsequent credit lines. Pan didn’t respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Goldin Financial said the company doesn’t comment on Pan’s investments that aren’t related to the company and wouldn’t provide information about its own financial situation beyond previous announcements. The Kai Tak project subsequently hit snags. In late 2019, Goldin Financial failed to raise a loan partly to fund development of the site, the people said. The firm later sold the plot for about HK$3.5 billion, less than half what it had paid in 2018, stock exchange filings and a government land ten-
der announcement show. The company’s eponymous skyscraper is at the heart of an asset grab by creditors after Goldin Financial failed to make timely payments on its outstanding debt. In July, lenders of the HK$3.4-billion loan demanded immediate repayment, while holders of a HK$6.8-billion senior bond threatened to take over the office block, which had been pledged as security. Eventually, the receivers linked to the bonds successfully applied to Hong Kong’s High Court to take control of the 27-story building, and were granted ownership in September. They have since entered an agreement to sell the building after a months-long tender.
From landlord to tenant
GOLDIN said in an exchange filing on Sunday that it’s been told by the receivers that the skyscraper’s sale will be sufficient to repay both the bond and the outstanding loan. The listed company also said that its board is confident that once the sale is completed, legal proceedings relating to the bond and the loan “will be resolved amicably.” The sale will put Goldin Financial in the unenviable position of going from landlord to tenant as the building housing its headquarters passes from its ownership, a move that mirrors Pan’s own decline in fortunes.
A DIGITAL FUTURE Continued from A1
Future is still digital IN 2019, the government said it is eyeing to attract some half a million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to do business online by 2022 as part of the new road map on ecommerce aimed at digitalizing trade in the Philippines for the next three years. Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the tentative target for the new road map on e-commerce is to get 500,000 MSMEs ready to transact with consumers online. Should it be approved, this is a 400-percent increase from the existing target of 100,000 MSMEs doing e-commerce. With this, Lopez is mulling over to hike the contribution of e-commerce to the economy to 50 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. At present, the objective is to make e-commerce contribute 25 percent to GDP by 2020, from 10 percent in 2015
based on data from i-Metrics Asia-Pacific Corp. Despite the issues that prevent the Philippines from maximizing the gains of the digital economy, in the e-Conomy SEA Report 2020 the country is seen growing its ecommerce market by 6 percent to $7.5 billion, from $7.1 billion last year. As such, the country is poised to reach its forecast of breaching $28 billion by 2025. Many Filipinos are also seeing the advantages of increasing their online transactions. The e-Conomy SEA Report 2020 said the Philippines is one of three Southeast Asian countries that saw a rise in digital consumers from the rural areas. Majority of new e-commerce users in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines came from nonmetro locations. “It’s [online businesses and transactions] actually going to increase the value of doing things offline. I think it’s going to be a byproduct [of growing the digital economy],” Japan Fair Trade Commission
Commissioner Reiko Aoki said. Moving forward, growing the digital economy and e-commerce in general was one of the best contributions of the pandemic to the world and to the Philippines. It helped small and medium enterprises cope with the decline in consumption spending and limited mobility restrictions that kept them away from their clients and consumers. It also helped jobless Filipinos make ends meet when they lost their jobs. The pandemic also forced Filipinos to think outside the box, imagine a “new normal” that was unimaginable when 2020 arrived. And the Internet made it possible to create this. Nobody knows what lies ahead and more studies are needed to maximize the digital economy. But as far as experts and the millions who found their hope online are concerned, the digital economy is here to stay and millions of people will be all the better for it.
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ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS NO.
FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY
ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS POSITION
8 STONE BUSINESS OUTSOURCING OPC 5-10/f Tower 1 Pitx Kennedy Road Tambo Parañaque City
NO.
ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS POSITION
EASTERN GOLD CORPORATION 503 Nueva St Binondo Manila
1.
ZENG, XIFENG Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
2.
BOON KAH LEONG Malaysian
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
3.
FEI, LINGHUAN Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
4.
GUO, HUALI Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
42.
HE, JIN Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
43.
6.
HU, JIE Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
7.
HUANG, CAILI Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
8.
HUANG, LIUYUN Chinese
9.
5.
FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY
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CAO, YONGGUI Chinese
MARKETING AND SALES AGENT
41.
YAP KOK LOONG Malaysian
MARKETING AND SALES AGENT
FAREAST OUTSOURCE PROCESSING INC. 7th, 8th, 9th Flr. Nu Tower Moa Coral Way Brgy. 076 Pasay City AFAROMEO Indonesian
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)
NONG, TINGQUAN Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CSR)
FLYING DRAGON NETWORK PHILIPPINES INC. 4th-11th Floor Aseana 3 Building Aseana Avenue Corner Diosdado Macapagal Tambo Parañaque City
NO.
FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY
ESTABLISHMENT / ADDRESS POSITION
NO.
LOGICALSOURCE1 CALL CENTER INC. 8/f Sultan Cityland Central Brgy. Highway Hills Mandaluyong City
LI, ZHAN Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
86.
LI, KAIWEI Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
87.
LIN, PEIGEN Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
88.
LIU, JIE Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
125.
OTCS SPANISH PROCESS EXPERT
89.
MA, QINGJI Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
DOMINGUEZ GARCIA, JOSE ADONAY Salvadoran
126.
SEALAND PROCESS EXPERT SPANISH SPEAKER
90.
WANG, ZHAOKUN Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
SAEZ VARGAS, DAVID ANDRES Chilean
MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower C4 Rd. Edsa Ext. Brgy. 076 Pasay City
91.
WANG, BAOYUAN Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
92.
WU, JINHUA Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
44.
09081973214
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
45.
GAO, WEI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
KELLY LAI SIEN CHI Malaysian
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
46.
HE, LANFANG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
10.
LI, QIHAO Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
47.
HU, KAIMING Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
11.
LING, ZHENDONG Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
48.
HUANG, GANGPING Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
93.
YANG, QINGYIN Chinese
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MANDARIN SPEAKING
12.
PENG, NANSHU Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
49.
HUANG, QIYU Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
94.
GONG, XIAOMEI Chinese
13.
SONG, HONGXIA Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
50.
JI, JIANGNAN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
95.
14.
WANG, WEI Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
51.
LI, LIN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
96.
15.
WEI, CANHONG Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
52.
LI, ZHIZHAO Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
16.
WU, DAHUI Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
53.
LI, JINGYUAN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
17.
XUE, BINBIN Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
54.
LI, JIA Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
18.
ZHANG, LE Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
55.
LIAN, YUNJING Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
19.
ZHANG, ENTONG Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
56.
LIU, SHUANGMING Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
20.
ZHONG, ZHIWEN Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
57.
LIU, WENLONG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
21.
ZOU, YANG Chinese
MANDARIN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
58.
MU, XUE Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
22.
LYU, LINGLING Chinese
MARKETING STAFF MANDARIN SPEAKING
59.
NIU, HAO Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
60.
SHI, PENGPENG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
HWA LUN CORPORATION Unit 1606 B Sunjoy Bldg. 525 Lavezares St. Tondo I/ii Manila
61.
SHI, PEILI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
100.
LI, FUJUN Chinese
62.
WANG, XIXI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
101.
63.
WANG, TIANSHENG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
64.
WANG, JIANXU Chinese
65.
23.
CAI, JIANWEN Chinese
24.
CAI, DONGXUAN Chinese
25.
DANG VAN CONG Vietnamese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
BIZ ‘N CLOUD NETWORK INC. Unit 2302-a West Tower Pse Center, Exchange Rd., Ortigas Center San Antonio Pasig City 26.
LEE, MYUNGHEE South Korean
MARKETING OFFICER (KOREAN MARKET)
C’EST LA VIE EVENT MANAGEMENT INC. 230 Narra Street Marikina Heights Marikina City
CHEN, WU Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
130.
CHEN, RUI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
MARKETING STAFF MANDARIN SPEAKING
131.
CHEN, LIXIN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
WANG, RUQUN Chinese
MARKETING STAFF MANDARIN SPEAKING
132.
DENG, XIAOWEI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
SHE, XIAOHUI Chinese
MARKETING STAFF MANDARIN SPEAKING
133.
DING, WEI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
134.
GONG, YANG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
135.
JIA, SHAOLONG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
136.
LI, FENG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
137.
LIANG, XIGANG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
138.
LIU, SIYANG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
139.
LIU, XIAOCHEN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
140.
LONG, HONGYAN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
141.
LYU, ZHANFEI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
142.
MAO, YONGQIU Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
CHINESE ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER
143.
MAO, YU Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
WU, XIAOPING Chinese
CHINESE ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER
144.
MO, JINLIN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
102.
HU, XIAOMIN Chinese
CHINESE COOK
145.
NGUYEN HUY THUC Vietnamese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
103.
XIE, SHAOQING Chinese
CHINESE OFFICE SUPERVISOR
146.
RONG, HAIFENG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
WANG, CHUNQI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
104.
CAI, DIWEI Chinese
CHINESE PROJECT SUPERVISOR
147.
TANG, CHAO Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
66.
WU, GUOXING Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
105.
ZHANG, FENQIANG Chinese
CHINESE PROJECT SUPERVISOR
148.
VONG MY PHONG Vietnamese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
67.
XU, JIAN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
106.
CAI, LIANGXIN Chinese
CHINESE PURCHASING MANAGER
149.
WANG, TILONG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
150.
WANG, HAIJIN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
151.
WEI, JINLIAN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
152.
WEI, XINCHAO Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
153.
WU, ZHIQUAN Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
154.
XU, DAICHAO Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
155.
XU, YIBING Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
156.
XU, SHIQIANG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
157.
YANG, XING Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
158.
YAO, JINGLONG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
159.
YAW KYEIN YONE Myanmari
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
160.
YU, RUI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
161.
YU, XIAOBING Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
162.
YU, XIAOYU Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
163.
ZHANG, GUIHUO Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
HECTECHURE CORP. Units A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St. San Lorenzo Makati City 97.
JIA, HAOMING Chinese
MANDARIN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
HITACHI PLANT CONSTRUCTION LTD. PHILIPPINE BRANCH U-801 8/f Bank Of Makati Bldg. Ayala Ayala Ave. Extn. Cor. Metropolitan Ave. Bel-air Makati City 98.
WATANABE, HIDEHITO Japanese
BRANCH MANAGER
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES PHILS. INC. U-5302, 53/f Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor., V.a. Rufino St. Bel-air Makati City 99.
HUANG, FANGHUI Chinese
GO TO MARKET (GTM) MANAGER FOR HUAWEI DEVICE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
SUN, LIZHEN Chinese
CHINESE SECRETARY
28.
BHUPINDER KUMAR Indian
FIELD SALES CONSULTANT
69.
ZOU, BO Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
108.
WANG, PEIXUE Chinese
CHINESE SECRETARY
C3/CUSTOMERCONTACTCHANNELS PHILIPPINES LTD. 11/f, 17/f, 18/f, 19/f, 20/f Bonifacio One Technology Tower 3030 Rizal Drive Cor. 31st St. Bgc Fort Bonifacio Taguig City
70.
ZOU, ZULIANG Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
109.
HUANG, ZHIJIAN Chinese
CHINESE SITE SUPERVISOR
110.
RUAN, CHUANJIAN Chinese
CHINESE SITE SUPERVISOR
111.
XIAO, ZENGRONG Chinese
CHINESE SITE SUPERVISOR
112.
HU, XIAOYONG Chinese
GLASS AND ALUMINUM INSTALLER
113.
KANG, JIABIN Chinese
PROJECT MANAGER
CHINA HARBOUR ENGINEERING COMPANY 5/f Rm 501 Ramon Magsaysay Center 1680 Roxas Blvd. 076, Bgy. 699 Malate Manila
GLOBALLGA BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING 2nd, 3rd & 6th Flr. Ortigas Technopoint 2 Ortigas Home Depot Complex #1 Doña Julia Vargas Ave. Pasig City GUO, BIN Chinese
CHINESE IT SUPPORT
WANG, LIANG Chinese
CHINESE IT SUPPORT
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LIU, YANG Chinese
DING, WANG Chinese
MANDARIN ELECTRICAL COMMISSIONING SPECIALIST
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YU, HAIYANG Chinese
CHINESE IT SUPPORT MANDARIN SPEAKING
33.
ZHOU, WU Chinese
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WANG, YUANHUI Chinese
34.
TANG, SU Chinese
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78.
XU, SHIQIANG Chinese
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79.
CHEN, SONG Chinese
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WONG KOK YEW Malaysian
COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS PHILIPPINES, INC. 5th And 6th Floors, 8/10 Upper Mckinley Building Mckinley Hill Cyberpark Fort Bonifacio Taguig City 35.
36.
JACOME DUQUE, KEVIN ARTURO Colombian POBLANO TOVAR, PAOLA Mexican
37.
SUWANNASRI, MARIA KRISTINE Thai
38.
ROSILLON CHICOTTE, ALEJANDRO DAVID Venezuelan
SENIOR PROCESS EXECUTIVE 80. SENIOR PROCESS EXECUTIVE
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JAGDEV SINGH Indian
CHENG, YANG Chinese
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KANNAMMANAVAR, DEVARAJ MAHESHAPPA Indian
APPLICATION DEVELOPER JAVA FULL STACK
IDNPLAY CORPORATION 8/f Burgundy Corporate Tower 252 Sen. Gil J.puyat Ave. Pio Del Pilar Makati City 115.
AHMAD REZA ARIFANI Indonesian
INDONESIAN-SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE
116.
DAVID CHANDRA WINATA Indonesian
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117.
HENDRA JONATHAN Indonesian
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164.
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ZHANG, JINFU Chinese
165.
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
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ZHU, GUANGTAO Chinese
119.
MARSHELA BELEN Indonesian
166.
INDONESIAN-SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
120.
RINDY Indonesian
AN, DAOLIN Chinese
167.
CHEN, JIANGYANG Chinese
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168.
FENG, CHANGHAI Chinese
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
169.
HUANG, HUAFEI Chinese
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170.
LIANG, LI Chinese
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171.
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HE, CHUNJIN Chinese
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INVECH TREASURE PROCESSING CORPORATION 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Floor Six West Campus Mckinley West Fort Bonifacio Taguig City
83.
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121.
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TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST
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IBM SOLUTIONS DELIVERY, INC. 5th Floor, Ibm Plaza 8 Eastwood Avenue, Eastwood City Cyberpark Brgy. Bagumbayan Quezon City
GONG, YUN Chinese
81.
COUNTRYWIDE TRAVEL & TOURS CORP. 2/f Rfc Mall Alabang-zapote Road Pamplona Tres Las Piñas City
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DIRECTOR
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BERIWAL, VINAY KUMAR Indian
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YANG, WENLONG Chinese
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CAPGEMINI PHILIPPINES CORP. 12f, Ten West Campus Bldg. Le Grand Avenue, Mckinley West Fort Bonifacio Taguig City
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
CHINESE CUSTOMER SERVICE
CHINESE - BOOTH FABRICATION SPECIALIST CONSULTANT
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FU, GUOXING Chinese
CAO, YONG Chinese
ZHANG, JUNJIA Chinese
DIRECTOR - TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
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POSITION
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ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D. Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street Tambo Parañaque City
FOREIGN NATIONAL / NATIONALITY
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QA(QUALITY ASSURANCE) SPECIALIST
KUMU INC. 7th/f Robinsons Cybergate 3 Pioneer Barangay Ilaya Mandaluyong City 122.
MILLER, CASEY WYATT American
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TheWorld
Editor: Angel R. Calso
BusinessMirror
Saturday, January 16, 2021
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Biden unveils $1.9-Trillion plan to stem virus, stabilize economy W
IL M I N G TO N , D e l a w a re — P re s i d e n t elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9-trillion coronavirus plan on Thursday to turn the tide on the pandemic, speeding up the vaccine rollout and providing financial help to individuals, states and local governments and businesses struggling with the prolonged economic fallout. Called the “American Rescue Plan,” the legislative proposal would meet Biden’s goal of administering 100 million vaccines by the 100th day of his administration, while advancing his objective of reopening most schools by the spring. On a parallel track, it would deliver another round of aid to stabilize the economy while the public health effort seeks the upper hand on the pandemic, aides said. It includes $1,400 checks for most Americans, which on top of $600 provided in the most recent Covid-19 bill would bring the total to the $2,000 that Biden has called for. The plan would also extend a temporary boost in unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through September. And it shoehorns in long-term Democratic policy aims such as increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, expanding paid leave for workers, and increasing tax credits for families with children. The last item would make it easier for women to go back to work, which in turn would help the economy recover. The political outlook for the legislation remained unclear. In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer praised Biden for including liberal priorities, saying they would move quickly to pass it. But Democrats have narrow margins in both chambers of Congress and Republicans will push back on issues that range from increasing the minimum wage to providing more money for states, while demanding inclusion of their priorities, such as liability protection for businesses. “Remember that a bipartisan $900 billion #COVID19 relief bill became law just 18 days ago,” tweeted Sen. John Cornyn, Republican-Texas. The emergency legislation would be paid for with borrowed money, adding to trillions in debt the government has already incurred to confront the pandemic. Aides said Biden will make the case that the additional spending and borrowing is necessary to prevent the economy from sliding into an even
deeper hole. Interest rates are low, making debt more manageable. Biden has long held that economic recovery is inextricably linked with controlling the coronavirus. “Our work begins with getting Covid under control,” he declared in his victory speech. “We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality or relish life’s most precious moments until we get it under control.” The plan comes as a divided nation is in the grip of the pandemic’s most dangerous wave yet. So far, more than 385,000 people have died of Covid-19 in the US. And government numbers out Thursday repor ted a jump in weekly unemployment claims, to 965,000, a sign that rising infections are forcing businesses to cut back and lay off workers. Under Biden’s multipronged strategy, about $400 billion would go directly to combating the pandemic, while the rest is focused on economic relief and aid to states and localities. About $20 billion would be allocated for a more disciplined focus on vaccination, on top of some $8 billion already approved by Congress. Biden has called for setting up mass vaccination centers and sending mobile units to hard-to-reach areas. The plan provides $50 billion to expand testing, which is seen as key to reopening most schools by the end of the new administration’s first 100 days. About $130 billion would be allocated to help schools reopen without risking further contagion. The plan would fund the hiring of 100,000 public health workers, to focus on encouraging people to get vaccinated and on tracing the contacts of those infected with the coronavirus. There’s also a proposal to boost investment in genetic sequencing, to help track new virus strains including the more contagious variants identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Throughout the plan, there’s a focus on ensuring that minority communities that have borne the brunt of the pandemic are not shortchanged on vaccines and treatments, aides said. With the new proposals comes a call to redouble efforts on the basics. Biden is asking Americans to override their sense of pandemic fatigue and recommit to wearing masks, practicing social distancing and avoiding indoor
gatherings, particularly larger ones. It’s still the surest way to slow the Covid-19 wave, with more than 4,400 deaths reported just on Tuesday. Biden’s biggest challenge will be to “win the hearts and minds of the American people to follow his lead,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a public health expert and emergency physician. With the backing of Congress and the expertise of private and government scientists, the Trump administration has delivered two highly effective vaccines and more are on the way. Yet a month after the first shots were given, the nation’s vaccination campaign is off to a slow start with about 10.3 million people getting the first of two shots, although more than 29 million doses have been delivered. Biden believes the key to speeding that up lies not only in delivering more vaccine but also in working closely with states and local communities to get shots into the arms of more people. The Trump administration provided the vaccine to states and set guidelines for who should get priority for shots, but largely left it up to state and local officials to organize their vaccination campaigns. “This is going to entail coordination at all levels, as well as resources,” said Dr. Nadine Gracia, executive vice president of the nonpartisan Trust for America’s Health. “There is a commitment the [incoming] administration has articulated to address the needs of communities.” Biden has set a goal of administering 100 million shots in his first 100 days. The pace of vaccination is approaching 1 million shots a day, but 1.8 million a day would be needed to reach widespread, or “herd” immunity, by the summer, according to a recent estimate by the American Hospital Association. Wen says the pace should be even higher—closer to 3 million a day. It’s still unclear how the new administration will address the issue of vaccine hesitancy, the doubts and suspicions that keep many people from getting a shot. Polls show it’s particularly a problem among Black Americans. “It’s important to acknowledge the reasons why it exists and work to earn trust and build vaccine confidence in communities,” said Gracia. Next Wednesday, when Biden is sworn in as president, marks the anniversary of the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the United States. AP
Why many Asian countries are being cautious on vaccines
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he nations quickest to enact social distancing and contact-tracing systems have mostly kept Covid-19 in check, but their citizens now find themselves lagging in receiving the shots needed to finally end a pandemic that has devastated millions of lives. Governments from Japan and Australia to Hong Kong and South Korea are taking their time before granting regulatory approvals for vaccines, in stark contrast to the Western nations that have rushed to inoculate populations. That cautious approach may seem strange given the urgency to resume normal life, but low infection rates mean that Asian governments are able to wait to see how the unprecedented vaccination drives play out elsewhere. Still, the strategy runs the risk of leaving them economically disadvantaged against places that botched containment but rushed out vaccination. In New Zealand, which has the top spot on Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking of major economies that have best fought the pandemic, the main opposition party asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to explain why the country “has fallen behind the rest of the world with its vaccine program.” In South Korea, an editorial in newspaper Hankyoreh said “we cannot forever ask people to stop their daily lives and endure the economic pain.” But officials are defending their pace as the safer approach, and one that they’ve earned. “It’s not a bad thing to sit back a bit and see how others are doing,” said Lam Ching-choi, a medical doctor and a member of the Executive Council that advises Hong Kong’s leader. “I’m totally sympathetic where they don’t have the luxury and they need to do it in the quickest manner to kill the epidemic.” Australia, which shut its border to non-residents when the pandemic began and has instituted strict lockdowns when cases emerge, expects to approve the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE by the end of January and the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine next month, with shots also beginning in February. By contrast, the US and UK have already administered nearly 14 million shots in total after expedited approvals last month, while Israel has delivered 2 million doses, or 22 shots per 100 people.
Vaccine anxiety
Asian officials and health experts remain anxious because it’s the first use of this particular mRNA
technology for vaccines, which instructs the human body to produce proteins that then develop protective antibodies. It’s also the first global vaccination effort undertaken at such great speed. Although millions have gotten jabs without incident, there have been some allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock and incidents like the death of a health worker 16 days after receiving the Pfizer shot, though a link has not been established. “This extra time will allow those countries to learn from the experience of countries that have commenced distribution,” said Adam Taylor, a virologist at Griffith University in Australia. “The more information you have on the process of distribution and the safety of the vaccines, the more confidence you have in your own rollout. The technology used for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines has never been used before in humans and although safety looks good, the more data the better.” Some countries are concerned over the fact that pharmaceutical companies have been granted legal immunity in rushed negotiations. South Korean Health Minister Park Neunghoo said countries have been forced into “unfair contracts” with these firms due to the “incomprehensible” nature of the pandemic. Seoul plans to administer shots in February. “It is nearly universal around the world that extensive immunity from liability is being demanded” from the companies, Park said at a recent news briefing, noting that Korean officials need time to scrutinize safety data closely since companies won’t take responsibility for any mishaps. “Rushing to vaccinate populations before we identify risks is not so necessary for us.”
Herd immunity
Such explanations may not sit well with the citizenry of Asian economies that were hit by the virus before the West, and have therefore spent nearly a full year wearing masks, staying at home and abiding by strict social distancing rules. “Everyone is trying to survive and I think they should get the vaccines as soon as possible to the people who are comfortable taking it,” said Aron Harilela, chairman of Harilela Hotels Ltd. and former chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. “You can keep on worrying that you make the wrong decision, but the whole world is taking vaccines, because all economies are gonna be on their knees if we don’t open up.”
Xi asks Starbucks’ Schultz to help repair U.S.-China ties
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EIJING—President Xi Jinping is asking former CEO Howard Schultz of Starbucks to help repair US-Chinese relations that have plunged to their lowest level in decades amid a tariff war and tension over technology and security. A letter from Xi to Schultz repor ted Friday by the official Xinhua News Agenc y was a rare direc t communication from China’s paramount leader to a foreign business figure. S chultz opened Starbucks’ first China outlet in 1999 and is a frequent visitor. Xi wrote to Schultz “to encourage him and Starbucks to continue to play an active role in promoting Chinese -U.S. economic and trade cooperation and the development of bilateral relations,” Xinhua reported. No text of the letter was released. Xinhua gave no indication whether the letter reflected an initiative to ask American corporate leaders to help change policy after President-elect Joe Biden takes office next week. Economists and political analysts say Biden
is likely to tr y to revive cooperation with Beijing over Nor th Korea and other political issues. But few changes on trade are expec ted due to widespread frustration in Washington over China’s human rights record and accusations of technology theft. The Cabinet press office didn’t immediately respond to questions about what Xi wanted Schultz to do and whether he contacted other American business leaders. Schultz, who was Starbucks CEO until 2017 and chairman until 2018, led an aggressive expansion that made China its biggest market outside the United States. Starbucks says it has more than 4,700 stores and 58,000 employees in almost 190 Chinese cities. Schultz said in 2019 that he was considering running for president as an independent but later dropped that. Xinhua said Xi was responding to a letter from Schultz that congratulated the Chinese leader on “the completion of a well-off society” under his leadership, Xinhua said. AP
In New Zealand—which closed its border early and snuffed out the virus—the opposition has been critical of the country’s slow vaccination timeline, citing a global resurgence of the virus and the emergence of more transmissible variants. New Zealand’s rollout is slated to begin in the second half of 2021. Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson denied that the country is merely being “polite,” and said that other countries with rising death tolls have priority. “We’re doing every single thing that is possible to get the vaccines here as soon as we can,” Robertson told NewstalkZB this week.
Botched rollout
Another reason for proceeding slower than desperate Western nations is that they don’t want a botched rollout to undermine public confidence in the vaccines, potentially jeopardizing the ability to inoculate a sufficient percentage of the population for herd immunity. That’s particularly important among Asian populations where confidence in vaccines is already low. A World Economic Forum-Ipsos survey on global attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines found that the percentage of respondents who agreed with taking a vaccine dropped up to 9 percentage points from October to December in countries including Korea and Japan, which is now posting record numbers of new cases and is slated to start inoculations in late February. “Governments charging in too early when they buy vaccines at great cost and find they cannot use them meaningfully or they are expired—that could be a disaster,” said Jeremy Lim, associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Officials have also tried to lower expectations, arguing that rollouts will not immediately allow restrictions to be lifted since it will take the better part of a year for enough people to be vaccinated for conditions to become safe again. Most public health experts suggest around 80 percent of the population needs jabs before anything resembling herd immunity is achieved. Lim added there’s no point rushing to get to 65 percent of the population, but stumbling along the way and being unable to vaccinate the remaining 15 percent. “It doesn’t matter how fast you are,” he said. “It’s how strong you finish.” Bloomberg News
Norway warns of vaccination risks for sick patients over 80
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orway says there are risks that Covid-19 vaccinations may be too risky for the very old and terminally sick, after 23 people died within a short time of receiving their first shot. Of those deaths, 13 have so far been autopsied with the results suggesting that common side effects may have contributed to severe reactions in frail, elderly people, according to the Norwegian Medicines Agency. “For those with the most severe frailty, even relatively mild vaccine side effects can have serious consequences,” the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said. “For those who have a very short remaining life span anyway, the benefit of the vaccine may be marginal or irrelevant.” Norway has so far given at least one dose to about 33,000 people, focusing on those considered to be most at risk if they contract the virus, including the elderly. Most of the shots given are from BioNTec/ Pfizer, with the Moderna vaccine now also being administered. Bloomberg News
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News BusinessMirror
Saturday, January 16, 2021
DFA chief Locsin holds bilateral meeting with visiting Chinese counterpart Wang Yi
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oreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., and his Chinese counterpart, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, will hold a bilateral meeting today, January 16, to explore ways to accelerate mutually beneficial cooperation, particularly in the priority areas of trade and investments, infrastructure development and addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr. Wang flew in on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for a two-day official visit. He was welcomed at the airport by Foreign Affairs Protocol Chief Porfirio Mayo. Together with their virtual meeting in July last year, the State Councilor’s visit attests to the sustained high-level engagement of the two countries, a news statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
It also symbolizes the determination and steady progress of both sides toward gradually reopening their societies and economies, the DFA statement added. The DFA said there would be a Guest Book signing ceremony at the Shangri-La Hotel in Fort Bonifacio Global City followed by photo sessions and the release of statements from both parties. The DFA invited members of the media to send their representatives to witness the signing ceremony but added interviews would not be allowed. Wang is making an official visit to Manila, on January 15 and January 16, which the DFA said is a reciprocal visit of Secretary Locsin’s visit to Beijing in October 2020. Recto Mercene
Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug • www.businessmirror.com.ph
PHL dollar defenses continue to grow amid crisis; GIR up $4.98B in Dec. ’20 By Bianca Cuaresma
The GIR could have been larger, the BSP added, if not partly offset by the NG’s payments of its foreign-currency debt obligations. At this level, the BSP expressed confidence that the Philippines’s dollar reser ves are more than adequate to prote c t t he e conomy f rom external shocks. “The latest GIR level represents an adequate external liquidity buffer, which can help cushion the domestic economy against external shocks,” the BSP said. “This buffer is equivalent to 11.7 months’ worth of imports of
goods and payments of services and primary income. Moreover, it is also about 9.6 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 5.5 times based on residual maturity,” it added. In its recent rating action commenta r y, Fitc h R at ings lauded the Philippines’s ability to keep its international reserves high in a time of global economic strain. “ T he Philippines’s external finances remain a credit strength. Foreign-currency reserves remain high and gross external debt levels are manageable,” Fitch said.
PHL extends travel ban on 33 countries until January 31, ‘21
City Garden allowed to operate despite DOT ruling on suspending accreditation
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HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday a $4.98-billion rise in the country’s dollar defenses in the last month of 2020. T h e Ph i l i p p i n e s ’s g r o s s international reser ves (GIR) hit $109.8 billion in December last year, up from November’s $104.82 billion. It is also significantly higher than the $87.84 -billion GIR level seen in end-December 2019. The country’s GIR is the level of foreign-exchange holdings that is being managed by the
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By Recto Mercene
he Bureau of Immigration (BI) has extended travel restrictions on at least 33 countries until January 31, 2021 as recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) in an effort to curb the entry of the more transmissible Covid-19 B117 variant. In the expanded travel restrictions, foreigners coming from, or have been to the 33 travel-restricted countries within 14 days from their arrival in the Philippines shall be excluded or denied entry upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other airports and seaports in the country. Currently, the government is implementing a travel ban on aliens coming from the United Kingdom (UK), Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, The Netherlands, People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, and the United States. Also included in the travel ban are those coming from Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, Austria, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, and Oman. “We expect further decrease in the number of travelers in the coming weeks due to the reported new variant of Covid-19,” said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente. “We shall continue implementing existing protocols on arriving Filipinos from the 33 countries,” he added. Morente likewise reminded international
Central Bank during a given period. The GIR is a crucial component of the economy as it is often used to manage the country’s foreign-exchange rate against excess volatility. According to the BSP’s statement, the month-on-month increase in the GIR level reflected inf lows mainly from the BSP’s foreign-exchange operations, national government’s (NG) foreign-currency deposits with the BSP of proceeds from its issuance of ROP Global Bonds, and revaluation gains from the BSP’s gold holdings due to the increase in the price of gold in the international market.
travelers to practice social distancing and hygiene while traveling. “We are implementing strict social distancing measures in the immigration areas at the airports, to ensure that contact is minimized during travel,” he said. Studies found that the B117, or the UK variant, is nearly 70 percent more transmissible than the original Covid-19 variant. However, there is no evidence yet that could show it is deadlier than the previous variant. The government’s fresh directive came after the new variant was detected in a 29-year-old Filipino male who arrived home from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 7. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said there was no decision yet to prohibit the entry of foreign travelers from the UAE. “The President will be the one to declare that, if ever. The list is for extension of restrictions and not for new,” he said when asked about the possible inclusion of UAE in the travel restriction. Roque said the IATF-EID had already directed the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to strictly implement issuances against airlines that allow the boarding of passengers who are prohibited from entering the Philippines, pursuant to the travel restrictions imposed by the Office of the President and the IATF-EID. The travel ban was supposed to expire on Friday. Filipinos from areas covered by the travel restrictions were initially allowed to come home, on condition that they undergo an “absolute” facility-based 14-day quarantine, notwithstanding a negative
reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result. However, the IATF-EID resolution issued on Thursday states that the temporary travel ban is applicable to “all travelers coming from or transiting” through the banned countries. Roque said the exemptions to the entry restrictions may be issued by the IATF-EID technical working group, in coordination with concerned government agencies. “The IATF, in coordination with other agencies, may issue implementing guidelines on the exemptions to these entry restrictions,” he said.
New variant
Following the detection of the new UK variant in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said that they will prioritize genomic sequencing of inbound international travelers who tested positive using RT-PCR test. However the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) is expanding capacities to enable the shift to active biosurveillance to include sequencing of other RT-PCR positive samples.
Covid cases
As of 4 p.m. of January 15, the Covid cases surged to 496,646. An additional of 2,048 cases were logged with 551 recoveries and 137 deaths. Of the total number of cases, 5.4 percent (27,033) are active cases, 92.6 percent (459,737) have recovered, and 1.99 percent (9,876) have died. With Claudeth Mocon-
Ciriaco and PNA
Execs told to bare Covid vaccine prices; chided for snub of key cold-chain group
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By Butch Fernandez
ENATORS on Friday pressed officials i n v o l v e d i n Co v i d - 1 9 v a c c i n e negotiations to reveal the prices of several vaccines they are sourcing to finally quell speculation that the government is “favoring” cer tain manufac turers, particularly the Chinese-made Sinovac, which has been described as among the most expensive but with a “low” efficacy rate of 50 percent. At the resumption of the Senate Committee of the Whole inquiry, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Panfilo Lacson raised the issue, with Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto weighing in on the matter. Almost all senators were keen to know this.
Endorsement based
NATIONAL Task Force against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr., for his part, assured senators that vaccine procurement will be based on vaccine expert panel endorsement. Galvez said that selection, procurement and administration of Covid-19 vaccines in the country will strictly adhere to the government’s stringent protocols to ensure transparency and accountability. “Only those vaccines endorsed by the vaccine expert panel will be purchased. Only those issued an EUA [Emergency Use Authorization] by FDA [Food and Drug Administration] will be administered. With regard to the prices of vaccines, we also want to assure the public that the negotiations will result in the best price available given our total volumes,” Galvez said at the hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the national government’s Covid-19 vaccination program. The Food and Drug Administration granted Pfizer-BioNTech an emergency use authorization (EUA) on Thursday. AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Gamaleya have also submitted their respective applications for EUA. According to the vaccine czar, the government’s “Whole-of-Nation Approach” will ensure that the government will be able to secure safe, effective and sufficient vaccine doses for all Filipinos. Meanwhile, Rec to recommended rearranging the Duterte administration’s Covid vaccine target beneficiaries. “We suggest that the inoculation priority should be given to health workers, senior citizens and teachers,” Recto said. At the same time, Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri lamented that senators had a hard time getting the Department
of Health (DOH) to disclose the cost of the vaccine, but were eventually told it amounts to P240 per dose. The senators were keen to know first hand from vaccine czar Secretary Galvez the various quotations received by the government, as they questioned repeated claims that prices are part of the nondisclosure agreements Philippine officials signed with manufacturers. Lawmakers’ effort at transparency gained currency after Presidential Adviser Joey Concepcion III confirmed that AstraZeneca— which several local government units and private firms had sourced vaccines from—was giving vaccine doses at a low price of 5 dollars each, or about P500 for the required two doses per person. Concepcion said while the price is indeed confidential, “it’s been reported all over the place anyway.” Before the hearing, Senate President Sotto was asked on CNN Philippines’s “The Source” if he would raise the matter of vaccine pricing, with Pinky Webb noting that Presidential spokesman Harry Roque had said “it was not the most expensive, it was actually among the middle of the six vaccines that could be made available here in the country.” To this, Sotto said: “That’s why, if it is not the most expensive, how much is it? Why don’t you tell us? Because it is the people, let me be very blunt about this, it is the people who are worried. It is not us, it is not the Senate, so for those who are criticizing us for calling these hearings, please know that it is the public that wants this. They want to be clarified; they want to know more.” Noting that prices are “found on the Internet,” Sotto said the matter of prices should not be confidential. “And now that there are other vaccines that are available, let’s make it all available, let’s make them all available,” the Senate President stressed. Sotto also wants the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) to explain the overreliance on vaccines, and seeming low priority for medication. “There are two or three countries that I have heard who are not afraid of whether they have a vaccine or not, because they found the medicine to cure. It’s like, if you have a cough or cold, or fever, there’s a cure for that...How are we into also finding a medical cure, not just a vaccine because the vaccine will last how long, six months? One year? Thereafter, what happens, we must be inoculated again?”
Cold-chain issue
On the matter of the cold-chain network
that needs to be set up to ensure the safe and reliable transportation and distribution of vaccines across the land, Senator Nancy Binay was taken aback by the insistence of Health Secretar y Francisco Duque III—supported by Galvez—to limit their negotiations to “pharma-grade” coldchain providers, ignoring the big facility network already in place under the Cold Chain Association of the Philippines (CCAP). The CCAP president, Anthony Dizon, who was at the hearing, said their group had reached out to DOH several months ago, but despite repeated inquiries, got no response. “How can we prepare to assist government if we haven’t been given any guidance on what exactly government needs?” Dizon said, in reply to Binay. “We just need to know” if the group is going to be brought in by the government, he added. “We need here pharma-grade cold chain” services, Duque explained, in reply to Binay, and listed several companies the DOH is already talking to: Zuellig, Unilab, Orca, Royal Cargo, Metropak, among others. The CCAP had earlier told the BusinessMirror in interviews that even though most of them are providing agriculture or food-grade coldchain services, many of their members have facilities that can be used even for pharmagrade operations. Binay pointed out to Duque and Galvez that, while they are talking to those pharma-grade cold-chain firms, there are players in the agriculture-grade cold-chain outlets willing and ready to shift to pharma grade, given the right guidance, “so why aren’t we talking to them yet?” She said that, since these CCAP members are well dispersed, they could be tapped to fill in gaps in the cold chain, especially for hardto-reach areas. Otherwise, she said, those in remote areas which DOH’s cold-chain partners might have difficulty reaching might have low priority in inoculation, “raising the issue of equity.” Binay also pressed Duque to provide details of the information technology aspects of the vaccine road map, noting that with such a “massive operation,” there’s need to have the technology to constantly track, say sources of vaccine batches in case adverse reactions are reported from parts of the archipelago. D u q u e re p l i e d t h e y a re s e t t i n g up a Covid Immunization Elec tronic Registry, and a “dashboard to monitor end-to-end supply systems.” Vaccinees’ experience will be tracked from pre- to post-inoculation, he said.
With Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
Special to the BusinessMirror
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ITY GARDEN Grand Hotel (CGGH) in Makati City continues to operate despite the decision of the Department of Tourism (DOT) on Thursday, to suspend its accreditation for six months, following the death of flight attendant Christine Dacera on New Year’s Day after a night of revelry. In its resolution dated January 14, 2021, the DOT found the hotel “liable for the offense of gross and evident bad faith in dealing with clients/fraudulent solicitation of business or making any false, deceptive, or misleading claims or statements for the purpose of soliciting business from clients under Sec tion 13.2 (c) of DOT Memorandum Circular No. 2018-03,” otherwise known as the Progressive Accreditation System. In a news statement, the DOT said other penalties include a fine of P10,000 and the revocation of the establishment’s certificate of authority to operate as a quarantine hotel. The decision of the DOT, however, is not final and executory as the hotel, owned by businesswoman Jeanette Lim Macasieb, still has 15 days to file its appeal, as per the agency’s regulations. The DOT also found the hotel to have “misrepresented itself to the public as being allowed to accommodate guests for leisure or staycation purposes despite being a quarantine facility. Under DOT Administrative Order No. 2020-002-C, hotels operating as quarantine facilities are prohibited from accepting guests for leisure purposes.” The agency added, “In the course of the investigation, the DOT-National Capital Region [DOT-NCR] considered other pieces of evidence which were not limited to the circumstances surrounding the incident on 31 December 2020. The pieces of evidence showed that even prior to the incident, and until now, the CGGH is marketing packages to accept leisure guests and never indicated that it is a quarantine hotel.” The DOT reiterated its warning to all accredited accommodation establishments “to confine their operations to the authority given them, limited to just one per given time.” This means if the hotel’s CAO is a quarantine facility, it can only sell its rooms for this purpose. Similarly, if its CAO is for a staycation or leisure, it can only offer its room for said purpose. In a news briefing on Tuesday, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat reiterated quarantine and leisure guests cannot be mixed in one hotel. “Unless these hotels can present an infectious disease doctor that says it’s okay to mix these kinds of guests in one facility,” the DOT’s rules on separate CAOs remain. Only four and five-star hotels may be allowed to apply as staycation hotels. At present, there are only 15 of such hotels in Metro Manila. With health and safety of guests and workers as primary concern, it is encouraged that similar incidents in violation of DOT rules and regulations be reported to the DOT’s Office of Tourism Standards and Regulations (OTSR) via feedback@tourism.gov.ph or otsr. dotdirector@gmail.com. Earlier, a DOT official said the agency is looking to review its penalties or sanctions on violations made by tourism stakeholders in the light of the increasing number of hotel violators during the pandemic. The move has the support of a major tourism stakeholders group in the country. (See, “Group backs stronger sanctions vs stakeholders’ violations,” in the B u s i n e s s M i r ro r , January 11, 2021.)
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Josefina Natividad: Mentoring micro entrepreneurs, creating opportunities
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By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes
FTER working in the banking industry for over 30 years, Josefina Natividad is enjoying her current job in the microfinance industry as the president and chief executive officer of Maybridge Financing. “My current work is fulfilling because of trust, transparency and empowerment coupled with enough room to be a value creator of unexplored opportunities. The company is also forward thinking, which enables us to navigate through difficult times without losing sight of our mission to help the unserved and underserved segments of society,” Natividad told the BusinessMirror in an e-mail interview. Prior to joining Maybridge, Natividad held senior positions in Philippine Veterans Bank, Chinatrust Commercial Bank (Philippines), ABN AMRO Bank (Philippines), Solidbank Corp. and Asianbank Corp. Holding a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in economics, the seasoned banker said she was fortunate enough to be mentored by Maybridge Financial Group Chairman Joey Bermudez. Natividad explained that Bermudez always considered her whenever there’s an available position in the company that suits her qualifications. “I gladly took the opportunity to become part of the company since I share his passion for social advocacy, aside from the fact that he is a leader who inspires and has the gift for opportunity recognition and
NATIVIDAD
creation,” Natividad said. Natividad acknowledged that the microfinance industry in the country is currently facing several challenges. She mentioned three major problems confronting the industry. The first problem is financial support for micro entrepreneurs who are in operation already, and for start-ups. She pointed out that micro entrepreneurs start their own business using their savings as initial capital. However, their meager savings won’t be enough to tide their operations even for a year, which usually discourages them to continue running the business. She said the formula that the big traditional financial channels offer to the market should not be the same as what is being enjoyed by the big companies. “One should be on the ground and listen to the voices of
micro entrepreneurs to better understand what their needs are and which model will be a fit for them. The micro entrepreneurs should feel that they are a partner and not just as a source of profit,” Natividad said. Natividad also cited the low level of financial literacy among some micro entrepreneurs, and their business difficulties need to be addressed. Their low level of financial skills is manifested in the lack of basic recording system of transactions and monitoring of profit and loss. She said the lack of financial information and knowledge of micro entrepreneurs discourages most traditional financial channels to extend financial support. “The micro entrepreneurs are more focused on the products they sell or where to get the supplies to make their products and the sales for the day, which is often used to put food on their table. Micro entrepreneurs are encouraged to set an amount for their salary where household expenses will be taken out and the rest will be used for business operations,” she said. Natividad said it would be a good move for micro entrepreneurs to have extensive training on financial literacy even before business registrations or permits are given. The training module should be basic and simple enough to be understood. A lot of micro entrepreneurs also lack the ability to innovate in terms of marketing and selling. This could be attributed to their lack of confidence to get out of their comfort zones. Natividad said the use of technology, specifically digital technology, is an example of how to promote their products and eventually expand their markets not only locally but also internationally. Currently, micro entrepreneurs use technology mostly to facilitate communication and operations. She
said a lot of women micro entrepreneurs fondly called Nanays in Iskaparate do not even have personal Facebook accounts because they do not know how to create one. Navigating the social media was difficult for them. “By providing training on technology and guiding them on how to use the social-media platforms to promote their products, they will gain confidence to explore avenues on how to sell their products even without a brick and mortar setup,” Natividad said. Iskaparate is a partner of Maybridge that is helping its Nanay members establish micro enterprises around the country, and to sell food, services and household items using the online platform. Parent company Maybridge was born in 2008 in Canada at the peak of a global crisis that dealt severe blows to major economies of the world. It was organized by a group of entrepreneurs and bankers who felt that too many sectors of the economy were being kept out of the mainstream financial system because of too many barriers. Maybridge started as a lender to micro-entrepreneurs and salaried professionals. Later, it evolved into an enterprise finance institution that catered to small and medium enterprises, especially those in health care, education, renewable energy, low-cost housing and financial technology. At the same time, it continued to allocate a significant portion of its risk capital to financing wage earners, and overseas workers. In 2017, Maybridge became an education-centric finance company when it launched an ambitious program to help narrow the financing gaps in the education sector by financing small private schools, as well as their suppliers, vendors, students and business partners.
DSWD disburses ₧983-million aid for Caraga seniors in 2020 By Alexander Lopez
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UTUAN CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) social pension program has disbursed a total of P983.2 million in aid to at least 168,163 indigent senior citizens in Caraga region last year. In a statement on Tuesday, DSWD-Caraga (DSWD-13) said a total of 168,163 qualified indigent senior citizen beneficiaries in the region directly benefited from the program last year. “The Social Pension Program is a government assistance of P500 monthly stipend distributed per semester, amounting to P3,000 for the first semester [January-June] and another P3,000 for the second semester [July-December], which will be distributed in the municipality/city in a specific date scheduled by DSWD in coordination with the local government unit [LGU],” DSWD-13 said.
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development in Caraga reports the release of P983.2 million for the social pension program in 2020 that benefited 168,163 indigent senior citizens in the region. The qualified senior citizens include those who are 60 years old and not receiving other pensions from the government. PHOTO FROM DSWD-13 FACEBOOK PAGE
The agency added that senior citizens qualified under the program are those 60 years of age and above who are already frail, sickly, or with disability.
Seniors without regular pension from the government through the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Veterans Affairs Of-
fice (PVAO), Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association Inc., and those with no permanent source of income and no regular support from the family or relatives are also qualified to benefit from the program. A total of 170,000 indigent senior citizen beneficiaries were targeted for the program in Caraga last year, DSWD-13 said, adding that at least 3,957 individuals were disqualified after a review. “The disqualified individuals were found to be deceased, some have transferred residences, and there were cases where a beneficiary cannot be located. Some were also receiving regular pensions and family support,” the agency said. Of the 168,163 recipients last year, 37,879 senior citizens are from Agusan del Norte, and 42,897 are Agusan del Sur residents. In Surigao del Sur, 42,215 benefited from the program last year, 33,348 in Surigao del Norte, and 11,824 in the province of Dinagat Islands. PNA
Romania Holocaust survivor dies from Covid-19 at 98 By Vadim Ghirda The Associated Press
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UCHAREST,Romania—Iancu Tucarman, one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Romania, was buried on Monday after dying from Covid-19 last week. He was 98. Dozens gathered at Tucarman’s funeral in Bucharest to pay respects and mark a horrific legacy of World War II. The funeral was held in line with anti-virus measures. Tucarman died on January 8 after
battling the coronavirus. Romania has been hit hard in the outbreak, recording more than 16,000 deaths in the country of 19 million people. Tucarman was 18 years old in June 1941 when German and pro-Nazi Romanian troops rounded up thousands of other Jews in the northwest city of Iasi during the events that became known as the “Iasi Pogrom.” Iasi Jews were crammed into trains and driven around Romania until most of them suffocated inside or died of dehydration. About 13,000 people died.
“A survivor of unimaginable horrors during the Iasi Pogrom, a man with an incredible will to live, Iancu Tucarman could not fight this unforgiving virus,” Israeli Ambassador David Saranga said after Tucarman’s death. Saranga attended the funeral on Monday as did US Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman, who has described Tucarman as a “kind soul.” “The American flag at our embassy has been flying at half mast in honor of Iancu, a true Romanian hero,” said Zuckerman, who evoked Tucarman’s
love of music. “Through it all, he never lost his passion for life or music.” Upon capture in Iasi, Tucarman was first brought to the police station along with around 5,000 Jews, nearly half of whom were shot or beaten to death on the spot. The remaining Jews were then packed into freight cars and vans. The “death trains” were sealed and moved back and forth between railway stations when 2,650 people died or lost their sanity, according to the World Holocaust Commemoration Center Yad Vashem.
Editor: Angel R. Calso • Saturday, January 16, 2021 A7
Benny was his name By Nick Tayag
MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH
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HEN I was in elementary, like all good Catholic boys, I put to memory the Guardian Angel’s prayer: “Angel of God, our guardian dear...” From time to time, I would reflexively recite it, especially in moments when I would be in risky situations such as driving at night through a storm, or walking alone in a dark street and similar situations. Do I believe in such invisible beings that look after our welfare on a daily basis? Why not? What do I have to lose? This is a story I got from my good friend Lito P. It’s about a man and the sequence of incidents, or should I say co-incidents in his life that, he swears, really happened. Here’s his testimony: My name is Antonio “Tony” Agustin. I am happily married to Nina. Nina is the daughter of Eliseo and Concepcion Asistio. Eliseo and my Dad were very close friends who lived in the same community. In 1969, I fell in love with Nina and soon we got engaged. Being in love inspired me to work harder at PNR where I was employed, following in the footsteps of my father, who was employed there until retirement. There were days that I was requested by the manager to work overtime but at that time, overtime pay was not allowed due to company restrictions. So, internally, within the department, it was agreed that I could accumulate OT hours and in lieu take equivalent amount of vacation leave. On January 31, 1973, Nina and I decided to get married, using my accumulated vacation leave. One of the sponsors was my manager in PNR. Unfortunately, after a week of our marriage, someone reported that I was dishonest as I collected my salary during the day of my marriage, although there was an internal agreement regarding the use of accumulated leaves. To my dismay, my manager did not support me. Maybe he was caught in a bind since legally there was no defense against my action because it went against written company policy. So I got terminated, left without a job during the early days of my marriage. That’s when I experienced what real poverty means. My poor wife and I subsisted on rice only and sometimes salt as the main dish. I was compelled to look for a job fast but I was not successful. I persevered, in spite of my hopes being dashed time and again. One day, I managed to reach the final interview stage for an accounting clerk position with RFM (Republic Flour Mills) in Boni Avenue. That day, I left the house with 2 pieces of pandesal and just enough fare for me to be able to go to the interview and then back home. There were 3 of us in the final interview—a lady and 2 gents (including me). Unfortunately, it wasn’t my day. The lady applicant was hired. But while waiting for the verdict, I and other male applicant started chatting for a while and getting more acquainted. He said his name was “Benny Cabalsa.” He was good looking, around 5’11 tall, fair brown complexion, curly hair and a moustache. I shared one of my pandesal with him during our brief conversation. Just for my personal file, I managed to get him to jot down his name and home address. There were no cell phones then. As we started to go our separate ways, I told him I would be walking towards Edsa where I would take a bus to go back home in Caloocan. Then he said he would walk with me since he too was going towards Edsa. He mentioned that he had a pending application at PLDT on Reliance Street. Benny rode the same bus I took. Then
suddenly he said: “Why don’t you come with me, there’s a job opportunity in Meralco.” I was tempted to go since this was another opportunity, but I replied that I couldn’t go with him. The reason, which I was too embarrassed to disclose, was that if I went with him to Meralco, I wouldn't have any money left for the bus fare to Caloocan. But I do not recall anymore what happened, I just found myself alighting from the bus with him when we reached Ortigas. We then walked to the Meralco head office and took the elevator up to the HR department at the 10th floor. But as luck would have it, the office was closed for lunch. Unlike today, offices ceased work during lunch breaks. Benny apparently was familiar with the building so in a jiffy he took me down to the cafeteria located at the basement. Before I could utter anything, he assured me the lunch was on him. After a hasty lunch, at almost 1:00 p.m., we went back to the HR at the 10th floor. The clerk gave Benny an application form, and I was denied because they only entertained university graduate applicants. I started to argue with the clerk and my raised voice must have called the attention of the HR manager who came to see what the ruckus was all about. I pleaded to the manager to give me a chance. Maybe he was moved by my plea, or just to silence me once and for all, the manager relented and directed the clerk to give me the preliminary test. Happily, I passed the preliminary test so the clerk gave me the application form. As I started to fill up the application form, I happen to note that a 1x1 photo was required. Overcoming my embarrassment, I disclosed to Benny that I would not be able to go through the application as I didn’t have money for the photo and that I had to walk home. With no hesitation, he calmly told me to go with him without questions. We got into a taxi that took us to Ali Mall in Cubao in a few minutes. There I had my photo taken, and then we returned to Meralco HR, so I could complete and submit the application in time. So I wouldn’t have to walk all the way back to Caloocan, Benny gave me money for the bus fare, to my profuse thanks and extreme embarrassment. Sagad ang tulong. The following days, I passed a series of entrance exams and to cut the story short, I was hired, to my wife’s relief and joy. But as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t share the happy news to my new found benefactor, because I did not see Benny again since the time he helped me. Remembering that I had his home address on a piece of paper, I looked at it again and the location was somewhere in Tayuman, Manila. Hoping to surprise him, I excitedly went to that address in Tayuman. When I knocked on the door, an old woman opened it. I asked, “Nandyan po ba si Benny?” She replied, “Sinong Benny?” Then I showed her the written address but she emphatically said that no one named Benny Cabalsa lived there. “Walang Benny na nakatira dito. Kung sino man ’yan hindi dito nakatira!” As I was walking from that address, I was seized by the sudden realization: was Benny a real person? Was he a ghost? Or was he my guardian angel? With indubitable certainty, I then chose to believe, which I hold even now, that what happened to me was the result of Divine Providence, working through my anghel de la guardia named Benny, short for Benedictus, or Blessed. Since then, my life veered towards a more spiritual direction. Yes, there is a being that is watching over each of us. We are loved and cared for.
Education BusinessMirror
A8 Saturday, January 16, 2021
Editor: Mike Policarpio
DepEd’s learning-continuity plan further fortified by Nestlé Phils.
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FIVE-YEAR agreement reinforcing the implementation of the government’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) nationwide was formalized on Wednesday between the Department of Education (DepEd) and Nestlé Phils.
SIGNATORIES of the memorandum of agreement from the Department of Education and Nestlé Phils.
Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones and Nestlé Phils.’ Chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki led the virtual signing ceremony of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) which w ill effectively strengthen the multinational food and beverage company’s support for the Education Department. This will be through the provision of online modules and educational kits which will help aid the country’s shift to blended learning. “The [DepEd is committed to help our learners] achieve their
dreams, and we are thankful to Nestlé Phils. in supporting our mission of delivering quality education amid the pandemic,” Briones commented. “Their initiative to develop health and wellness within the Filipino family [is a] good support for our learners, parents and… teachers.” The secretary added: “We always welcome assistance that gives importance to the health of our stakeholders and their well-being, and we look forward to more engagements like this, as we believe
that it will take a nation to educate a child.” In her recorded message, the DepEd chief shared that health is instrumental to successful learning while enabling learners to achieve more and be productive Filipino citizens. As the current academic year unfolds, the DepEd is in full pursuit of efforts to ensure students across the Philippines have access to quality education despite the limitations imposed by the pandemic. For his part, Marzouki said, “As the ‘Kasambuhay ng Pamilyang Pilipino’—the trusted companion in life of Filipino families—and as a longstanding partner of the [Education Department], we are fully committed to support the BELCP, which lays the foundation and direction for the country’s education system at this critical time. Our partnership with the DepEd provides us the opportunity to stay true to our focus of helping raise and educate healthy and wellrounded Filipino children.” Under the MOA, Nestlé Phils. will gather together experts to collaborate under the Nestlé Wellness Campus with Milo and Bear Brand Fortified while co-creating modules based on the DepEd’s Most Essential Learning Competencies or MELCs. These modules, according to Marzouki, will be uploaded on DepEd Commons, making them accessible to all public schools and teachers in the country. “This MOA reflects [the way] Nestlé Phils. has intensified its partnership with the DepEd by sponsoring [more than] P120 million worth of online modules, as well as physical educational and nutrition kits for this school year,”
Marzouki explained. “We hope to be able to support the teachers, students and parents as they too, levelup to adopt a new way of learning.” In addition to the modules on healthy habits for children, including solid-waste management, Nestlé Wellness Campus also produced a “danc-ercise” video. Sports instructional materials were also created in collaboration with Milo and the brand’s established sports partners to encourage students to stay active. A Nestlé Wellness Campus Facebook Group for public-school teachers will also be activated. According to Marzouki, these initiatives further signify Nestlé Phils.’ unwavering commitment to encourage Filipinos, especially young children, to develop health and wellness practices together with their families at home. The CEO also re-confirmed the company’s full commitment to the Philippine government’s learning program. He affirmed that for years, Nestle has been producing good food that enhances the quality of life and education for generations. MOA signatories also included Education Undersecretaries Tonisito M.C. Umali, Esq. and Diosdado M. San Antonio, as well as Nestle Phils.’ Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Arlene Tan-Bartolo. The DepEd leaders acknowledged the challenges met by local blended learning which is “far from perfect,” but somehow managed to deliver through distance-learning modalities. Tan-Bartolo, on the other hand, averred that the learning materials will encourage both students and teachers to stay active at home, eat right, and practice proper hand sanitation.
What the shift to online learning could mean for working pros
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E SPI T E t he e conomy opening up after months of st r ic t qu a r a nt i nes across the country, many companies are opting to continue the work-from-home setup for their employees. The education sector took this same approach, with many institutions shifting to online learning to ensure educational continuity, as well as the health and safety of students and faculty. OEd, the country’s first institution to offer full online degree programs and a member of AMA Education System (AMAES), noticed the way this development inf luenced a significant trend among its enrollees.
“There was an uptick in professionals enrolling in short courses and post-graduate programs,” said AMAES Vice Chairman and CEO Dr. Amable C. Aguiluz IX. “Reasons for enrollment mainly centered on taking advantage of our full online education offerings. Those who have been putting off continuing their studies now have a convenient method available to them.” The transition from the physical to a virtual classroom provides an opportunity for professionals to fulfill goals of continuing development by taking short courses or post-graduate degree programs. As sheltering-in-place is the current normal, barriers
such as long commutes and going to different locations to attend classes are eliminated. Even before the pandemic, OEd has been a platform for professionals to take courses fully online. It has proven to be effective as last year, a total of 162 graduates—including candidates for Bachelor’s and Master’s programs hailing from 18 countries—have benefited from distance learning through OEd. “In the past, some might have been dissuaded by barriers such as distance and time to pursue further studies,” explained Aguiluz. “With the need to stay at home for health and safety reasons, professionals now have the unique op-
portunity to take steps for a better future by taking short courses or post-graduate programs online, and we encourage them to start their journey with OEd.” Professionals interested in taking short courses or postgraduate programs on OEd must first register through www.oed.com.ph, where more information about the courses may be referenced. Once qualified, they can then choose from a variety of short courses in the fields of communication, finance, the arts, and information technology. Those looking to take post-graduate degrees in the fields of business, education and IT also have a variety of options to choose from.
Fil-Am chorale in podium finish at international choir competition
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TEAM-UP between chorale groups from the Philippines and institutions from the United States has received the Silver Award in a capella category of the recently concluded second edition of the INTERKULTUR Video Award 2020 online international choir competition. The collaborative performance of the Manila-based Coro San Benildo, the internationally acclaimed resident chorale of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde—and the award-winning ensemble Azusa Pacific University Chamber Singers of the Azusa Pacific University in California—clinched the said recognition. Capriccioso from Germany and Gemas Cariocas from Brazil meanwhile bagged the Gold Award for the same category for choirs. The tilt was hosted by INTERKULTUR, an organization that gathers peoples of all countries, cultures and world views in peaceful competitions, which believes that “singing together brings nations together.” First staged in June 2020 at the height of the pandemic, it once again challenged choirs from all over the globe in an online battle and just recently, through partnerships with fellow chorales.
CORO San Benildo
Coro San Benildo and Azusa Pacific University Chamber first got together in France during the 2017 Florilège Vocal de Tours, where they forged friendships founded in their shared love for music. “This year, INTERKULTUR paved the opportunity for us to once again perform not as competitors, but as dear friends,” Coro San Benildo Company Manager Tao Avellanada shared.
The winning four-minute entry virtually gathered 31 vocalists from Coro San Benildo and 29 members from Azusa Pacific University Chamber Singers in an outstanding rendition of Spanish organist Josu Elberdin’s Izar Ederrak or “The Beautiful Star.” “The song is a story, in the Basque language, of a beautiful shining star surrounded by eight angels—one of whom is ‘lovesick’ [with] the
star,” Avellanada stated. “It comes to life with a cappella voices through rich harmonies and a memorable melody, We [chose this piece for its message in our desire to be beacons] of hope and share the light with everyone.” He added: “This is the first time...both choirs studied the piece and recorded it from scratch. Since the song is written in a language not common to the two, this performance is truly a product of our commitment to [create] music even with the limitations brought about by the pandemic.” Coro San Benildo, under conductor Lorenzo Gealogo, has participated in choral competitions locally and internationally, where they received international distinctions—including the folklore category in the first Hoi An International Choral Competition in Vietnam. The group likewise bagged a number of top prizes in the 54th Seghizzi International Choral Competition in Gorizia, Italy and top spots at the Youth Choir Competition in the 70th Llangollen Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, United Kingdom. Watch the top entries and the announcement of winners through INTERKULTUR’s official YouTube channel: interkultur.tv.
THE Shalom Club Phils. at Maringalo Elementary School in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija. EMBASSY OF ISRAEL
Israel’s Mashav scholars send learning sets to N. Ecija schools
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EMBERS of the Shalom Club Phils. Inc.–Nueva Ecija Chapter held their annual holiday activity by donating printing materials to three schools in the province. Through its embassy in Manila, the State of Israel’s Center for International Cooperation or Mashav also contributed to the activity by donating printers and additional copy papers to the Alberto G. Bautista Elementary School, Maringalo Elementary School, and Puncan Elementary School. The Mashav scholars provided support to the distance learning approach of the schools due to the pandemic. In lieu of their annual Share-A-Lunch and gift-giving with students from the province, the Shalom Club opted to adjust their activity based on the needs
of these schools. Mashav Officer Gladys Baniqued-Turiano represented the embassy during the turnover ceremony of the learning equipment. Shalom Club is the international organization of professionals who received Mashav scholarship training in Israel. The Philippines has produced numerous scholars from various sectors throughout the years. Israel also recently donated learning equipment to the Department of Education to help its ongoing efforts in coping up with the pandemic and to aid in providing distance learning to Filipino students. It also built a handwashing facility in Makati High School and Quirino High School, emphasizing the importance of clean hands in helping control the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.
Taiwan offers higher-learning scholarships for Filipino students
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HE Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) in the Philippines has announced new scholarship opportunities for qualified Filipino students who wish to pursue degree studies in Taiwan for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees, or for those who desire to learn Mandarin Chinese. In view of the huge demand and positive response from Filipino students in recent years, Taiwan‘s Ministry of Education (MOE) has decided to offer more scholarships slots for Filipinos to pursue their studies in Taiwan. The MOE also presents the opportunity for Filipinos to learn Mandarin Chinese, not only with highly qualified teachers in more than 50 language institutions, but also the chance to experience the rich and vibrant Taiwanese culture and broaden their international perspectives while residing there. In 2021, Teco in the Philippines will accept applications for the following scholarship programs:
1. MOE Scholarship: Grants a fouryear aid for undergraduate studies, a two-year scholarship for Master’s, and a grant of up to four years for Doctoral. The MOE will shoulder up to NT$40,000 (about P68,500) each semester for corresponding tuition and miscellaneous expenses. The remaining costs will be shouldered by the scholarship recipient. An additional NT$15,000 (about P25,700) will be provided to recipients undertaking university undergraduate studies, and NT$20,000 (about P34,000) as the monthly stipend for those pursuing Master’s and PhD degrees. Application is from February 1 to April 30. More information may be sourced at https://edu.law.moe.gov. tw/EngLawContent.aspx?lan=E&id=250. 2. Huayu (Mandarin) Enrichment Scholarship: Allows applicants to pur-
sue either intensive Mandarin courses (two months or three months), or up to 12 months of Mandarin courses, subject for approval. The grant provides a monthly stipend of NT$25,000 (about P42,800) to cover tuition and miscellaneous expenses, among others. Application is from February 1 to March 31. More details via https://edu.law.moe.gov.tw/EngLawContent. aspx?lan=E&id=70.
3. International Cooperation and Development Fund or ICDF: The grant-
covers the full tuition fee, living expenses, economy-class airfare tickets and textbook costs. Scholars pursuing Master’s degree will receive a monthly stipend of NT$15,000, while those seeking Doctoral degrees will receive
NT$17,000 (about P29,100). Application is until March 15. Know more at http://www.icdf. org.tw/ct.asp?xItem=12505&CtNode=30 316&mp=2. Each applicant can only apply for one scholarship program among these offerings and must initially process their university admission with their preferred university in Taiwan. They also have to comply with and submit necessary scholarship requirements to Teco in the Philippines for review and recommendation based on the indicated deadlines of each program. Teco also advises that an applicant will be ineligible to apply if he or she is currently enrolled in another program in Taiwan. Scholarship guidelines and other requirements prescribed can be sourced at https://www. roc-taiwan.org/ph_en/cat/38.html. Applicants may also refer to the “Study in Taiwan” web site for more information on the universities and programs available, as well as some featured universities by the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education or FICHET via https://www.studyintaiwan. org/discover/education or https://www.studyintaiwan.org/upload/file/2017-2018FeaturedUniversities_FICHET.pdf. Since the introduction of the scholarship programs to Filipinos, Taiwan has partnered with Philippine institutions and universities to attract a growing number of young and capable talents to study in Taiwan. More Filipinos have become interested in pursuing their studies in Taiwan because of various reasons. According to Teco, aside from being the Philippines’s closest neighbor, Taiwan is also known to be one of the safest countries to reside in the world. The Taiwanese, it said, share the same qualities as their Filipino neighbors, as Taiwan provides a very affordable living environment for those staying there. Taiwan also has some of the world’s renowned professors and topnotch university facilities. Not only is the island-nation considered a melting pot of different cultures, but also boasts of high-quality living standards suitable to all international students. For further information on these scholarship programs, check the “Study In Taiwan” section found on the official web site of Teco in the Philippines: https://www.roc-taiwan.org/ ph_en/cat/36.html or contact Teco’s Education Division at philippines@mail.moe.gov.tw.
Tourism&Entertainment At journey’s end in Irkutsk BusinessMirror
Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua
THE end of autumn and the beginning of winter in Lake Baikal, a UNESCO-listed site.
THE Epiphany Cathedral is one of the most beautiful churches in the city.
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Saturday, January 16, 2021 A9
Story & photos by Joshua Berida
was on the overnight train from Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk, on my last few days of my trip around Russia. I only took a part of the route of the famous Trans-Siberian Railway because I didn’t want to spend a couple of days traveling by land through cities I was only vaguely interested in. I’ll save it for another trip. I didn’t know what to expect with this glimpse of Siberia, but I kept an open mind on Irkutsk.
An impression of the city
Unlike Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Irkutsk doesn’t wow visitors with its beautiful details, or overwhelm you with its big-city-atmosphere. It was small, functional, but has a bit of Siberian charm. The temperature was freezing; ice covered part of the sidewalk while snow covered the streets. I didn’t have a particular destination in mind. I wanted to see as much of the city with the few days I had. During the early parts of the 19th century, many Russians were exiled to Siberia because of their participation in the revolution against the monarchy. Dreary Irkutsk then became the cultural center for artists and nobles. I saw some of the wooden houses they had built; they were old, but had a distinct look that contrasted with the Soviet-style buildings dotting the city. The first thing I noticed were their unique windows and hand-carved details; a hint of humanity in an otherwise cold and monotonous cityscape. The communists and revolutionaries may have stunted religion in the region, but there were still beautiful churches in different parts of
the city. The Epiphany Cathedral stood out with its white and colorful façade. It’s more than two centuries old, but doesn’t show; the reconstructions had kept it fetching and a major tourist attraction of the city. Temperatures were at zero or below zero degrees Celsius regardless of the time of day. I walked in and out of streets, the movement kept my body warm. It was getting dark and colder. I’ve had enough of the winter weather and walked back to the hostel after catching a glimpse of the city.
A FETCHING building in Irkutsk with eye-catching architecture. Spassky Church was established in 1706.
Old wooden houses are mostly found around Karl Max Street.
IRKUTSK can’t compare with Saint Petersburg or Moscow, but its structures from the Soviet era are attractive just the same.
IRKUTSK is also known for its wooden architecture such as those in traditional homes.
THE large windows of these old houses are distinct and beautiful.
over; the water near the shore was already glass-like. There wasn’t much hustle and bustle, but I liked the serenity that nature offered at this juncture of my trip. I walked from one end to another; getting different views of the lake. The autumn leaves were withering and shed the last shades of yellow and orange the season clothed them in.
play along,” “life’s one big joke or one great adventure” or “true love never dies.” Something like that. I think of the people I’ve met, maybe I’ll stay in touch, maybe we’ll see each other again, or maybe we’ll have a conversation as if we just met yesterday. Maybe I’ll become a better person after this. Maybe this journey’s end is the beginning
of something. I kept pondering on life’s ifs and maybes. Some things I was sure of at that moment: the sun setting in the horizon; the glacial but steady freezing of the lake’s water; and that my flight leaves for Beijing the next day. I made my way back to the parking lot and waited for the van bound for Irkutsk.
formation and growth. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay updated on the latest news and BIG Points of-
fers. Download the BIG Rewards app, sign up as a BIG Member today and start living the BIG life! #EarnBIGLiveBIG
A day in Lake Baikal
The main reason tourists go to Irkutsk is to use it as a base to explore Lake Baikal. It is convenient to visit the lake from the city, with many marshrutkas (vans) going to and from different parts of Baikal. It was a lazy day with the temperature hovering around -10 degrees Celsius. I had doubts about going, but decided to go anyway. I went to the parking lot and looked around for marshrutkas bound for Listvyanka. I didn’t need to say much because the drivers knew where I wanted to go. I went in the van and waited until we arrived at our destination. It was already low season when I went to Lake Baikal. There were very few tourists and I was one of them. The lake has begun to freeze
The vastness of the lake in front of me, the quiet ambiance and the approach of winter gave me the chance to look back at my trip around Russia. Maybe I’ll learn something from this adventure, maybe come up with life slogans like “with great boredom, comes great responsibility,” “destiny says something profound and we just
BIGLIFE announces exciting rebrand B
IGLIFE, a recognized leader in the loyalty marketing platform market who operates the award-winning BIG Loyalty program, today unveiled a new brand name and new brand logo—BIG Rewards, in line with the growth of its diverse offerings and fast e-commerce transactions. Started as an airline loyalty program for AirAsia, today BIG Rewards has grown into a comprehensive lifestyle rewards platform that goes beyond flights. With a diverse range of partners
across lifestyle, travel and financial services categories, BIG Rewards is now one of the biggest points platforms that allows borderless earn and burn activities across Asean and beyond. Spencer Lee, chief executive officer of BIGLIFE Sdn Bhd said, “The word ‘Rewards’ spells out the benefits for our members and is a stronger and more attractive proposition in today’s e-commerce world. Under the new brand name, BIG Points will continue to power the airasia.com ecosystem
as a digital loyalty currency, rewarding BIG Members with BIG Points and greater savings as points can be used like cash for payment across all lines of business—travel, shop, food, fresh, etc., on airasia.com.” “The rebranding exercise represents change. BIG Rewards is changing because the world around is changing. BIGLIFE is determined to never stop leading the way in innovation and continuously creating value for our partners and members,” added
Spencer. BIG Rewards celebrated its 10th year milestone last year with the launch of several innovative products—BIG Deals enables members to redeem a variety of lifestyle deals using BIG Points; and BIG Xchange, an instant points exchange hub, gives members the freedom to convert their desired points instantly on one single platform. The future of BIG Rewards lies in BIG Points payment and BIG Xchange 2.0 as the key drivers for business trans-
A10 Saturday, January 16, 2021 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos
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DANILO ROSAL (grand champion) and brothers Andrew and Adriel Andres (second runner-up)
WHY I’M MORE OPTIMISTIC ON THE NEXT DECADE IN COMMUNICATIONS BY ANNA ZNAMENSKAYA Rakuten Viber Chief Growth Officer
Filipino traders top online trading competition
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WO Filipinos were among the top 3 traders to earn the highest percentage in returns during the recent ATFX online trading competition in Southeast Asia participated in by more than 100 traders from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, Cambodia and Myanmar. Grand champion Danilo Rosal from Quezon City bested everyone with a 34.75 percent profit, while Raelan Mario Andam Andres from La Union finished second runner-up after posting a 14.27 percent profit. “There are some things you will not learn in school. When you are a trader, you have to always keep yourself informed of what’s going on around you. You have to keep on learning and reading. Then, you apply what you learn so that you can make money,” said Rosal who has 22 years of trading experience. Rosal traded major currencies for many years of his career. It was only recently that he has entered gold commodities, energy and oil markets. It was his first time to join an online trading contest and was aware of the fact that there could be better, younger traders, especially since the competition was open to traders from different parts of Southeast Asia. However, this did not bother Rosal because his original intent was different. He joined the competition, not for the purpose of bagging an award
but to make money out of the $300 he had set aside for the competition. He set a specific threshold of what he would spend for the competition and just intended to make the most out of it. He also acknowledged that he could lose $300, an amount he was willing to risk. This proved to be a smart plan that led to a bigger win. Because there was no pressure on himself to win a competition, Rosal only focused on putting all his strategies on how to work his $300 investment. “I used a combination of trading strategies that I’ve learned over time. For this one specifically, what proved to be helpful was fastest, moving averages and parabolic,” he said. To be a successful trader is a feat; to be one at a young age is something most people can only dream of. But to make it a family affair is something that is very unique in the story of the Andres family. Father Raelan competed with his sons Andrew, 27, and Adriel, 25, in the background. It was in fact Andrew who first got into online trading. Two years after he graduated, Andrew was introduced to forex trading by a friend. Looking for extra streams of income and the attractiveness of earning while enjoying time freedom, he realized that he liked trading. As he progressed with his trading journey, Andrew came across ATFX. Having tried several other brokers, what stood out for the Andres family was the assistance that ATFX extended to them. Their ATFX consultant attended to their concerns promptly and professionally. Asked for advice for those who want to join trading competitions, Andrew said, “Join for the experience but always trade with care. We all know there are risks in this kind of investment, so set in mind your boundaries.”
A GIFT FROM FOODPANDA
ON-DEMAND food delivery service foodpanda gave each of its riders a special noche buena package in
appreciation for their hard work and dedication this year. When the first lockdown orders were imposed in March, food and grocery delivery suddenly transformed from a measure of convenience to a matter of necessity. Braving the frontline were these pink shirt-wearing modern heroes who fulfilled their duties in order for customers to stay safe at home. “foodpanda believes that its greatest asset are its people. We care and value our riders’ hard work and dedication in delivering quality service to our customers, and we wanted to give back during the Christmas season by providing them a noche buena package for them to enjoy with their families. foodpanda’s serious commitment to taking care of its communities and celebrating the dreamers truly make it one of the best companies to work for,” said Daniel Marogy, foodpanda Philippines managing director. The special Christmas gift packs were repackaged by foodpanda employees in Metro Manila, Bacolod and Cagayan de Oro. A thousand riders across the country received the holiday package, which was just the latest of the many gifts foodpanda extended to its riders. Having a caring workplace is a source of pride for foodpanda, wherein riders can come to work and feel safe, secure and welcomed. The drivers are motivated to perform at their peak through the economic empowerment from foodpanda, which gives them opportunities to earn and financially sustain their families. The company also ensures the riders are well-equipped to perform their delivery duties, from covering insurance policies to providing communications allowance, to distributing essential gears for smooth and safe deliveries, including raincoats and face masks, among others. Through foodpanda’s platform, riders are also able to create a difference in their communities with regular social work events and emergency response initiatives. ■
Roku buys library of the short-lived streaming service Quibi ROKU is buying the content library of Quibi, the short-lived streaming service, to bulk up its own free ad-supported channel. Quibi, short for quick bites, raised $1.75 billion from investors including major Hollywood players like Disney, NBCUniversal and Viacom. It produced shows that were released in 10- to 12-minute increments or less, believing that there was strong demand from people stuck doing anything from waiting in lines to commuting. But it stepped into a market already saturated with short videos from YouTube, TikTok and other platforms, and that content is essentially generated free of cost. Quibi also launched in April 2020, when a global pandemic scrambled the routines of
millions, including commutes to work. It shut down last month. Roku created its business solely as a hub for other streaming services, but has recently begun piling up content for its free Roku Channel. With the acquisition, Roku will acquire 75 staccato-style programming with some very big names attached. Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Liam Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Richie, Chrissy Teigen and Lena Waithe have all been in Quibi shows. That includes more than 12 shows that never aired on Quibi before it was shuttered. The shows target the 18-35 demographic, an attractive segment for advertisers. Roku spokesman Dallas Lawrence said the short format will work well for the ad-
supported Roku Channel because there are “natural commercial breaks built into the programming.” The Quibi content, created for mobile viewing, can still be viewed on phones via Roku’s mobile app. Roku says its channel reached 61.8 million people in the fourth quarter, double that from the prior year. More people are streaming entertainment as people stay at home during the pandemic, but there’s growing competition, too. New streaming services including Discovery+, NBCUniversal’s Peacock, HBOMax, and others have been launched to rival older services like Netflix and Hulu. The Roku Channel includes more than 40,000 free movies and shows and 150 free live linear television channels. Financial terms were undisclosed on Friday. AP
IN these modern times, nothing has been considered as influential and revolutionary as technology. It practically altered the way we do things, the way we live. Promising to make our lives easier, technology has also constantly evolved with every new iteration—faster, more efficient and exciting than the previous one. In the past decade, we’ve seen how technology slowly permeated almost every aspect of our lives, especially in how we receive and get information, in how we communicate. If search and social media marked the 2000s, citizen journalists and influencers became a hit in 2010s. Instead of just being at the receiving end of information, we realized that we too can be the source and took back some control of the information we get online. We realized that we do have the power to create our own content and make our voices heard on social media sites. But this newfound power also brings with it an influx of information, and a lot of them are just plain noise. The same power that helped Internet users take an active role in shaping the news also paved the way for some to question hard facts and take misleading narratives as gospel truths as long as these aligned with their personal beliefs. This decade also saw the rise of disinformation, which can be lethal especially at a time when falsehoods can lead to the spread of a new deadly virus. Experts have repeatedly said that social media algorithms which dictate our news feeds, and trolls which appeal to our emotions exacerbate this growing fake news problem. But it’s not only fueling the fire—social media sites have also been so slow in quelling the spread of disinformation shared by their users, and in punishing fake accounts that deliberately share falsehoods to sway public opinion. Before a malicious post is taken down, the false information has already reached thousands, turning facts into mere personal perspectives, or watering these down to something less than what they actually mean. The damage has been done. It’s already too late. Disinformation has been so rampant in the past years that organizations like the World Health Organization and the Philippines’ Department of Health made sure to take action and partnered with Rakuten Viber to bring verified, timely and ultimately life-saving updates about the Covid-19 pandemic. And this is for a good reason, as one of the best ways to combat fake news is to grow and educate online communities, which are insulated by algorithms and troll armies. And it seems like the users are loving it. In the first weeks of the pandemic, engagement within Viber Communities surged up to 120 percent in the Philippines alone. The DOH Viber Community has also become one of the largest Communities in the world, gaining two million followers in just a few months. Even micro, small, and medium enterprises and big brands have also created their own online Viber Communities to provide topnotch customer service during the pandemic and beyond. While Viber Communities are user-created, (the company) only enables one for public search after we manually verify and ensure the content meets our policy for the further protection of our users. With these in mind, it’s really about time we rethink about the communications channels we use. Doing so doesn’t mean that we’re disengaging from our connections. With apps like Viber, we can still maintain our social circle—and even better, pay more attention to forging real, trusted connections and having meaningful conversations with family and friends. As user privacy remains a priority at Viber, it also gives you the opportunity to find safe and secure spaces to build and grow communities. But that’s not all. Messaging apps like Viber are taking the welfare of their users seriously that they’re entering a new era, one that moves communication platforms beyond messages and calls. We’re entering an era wherein our messaging app can also serve as our digital wallet thanks to key partners in the fintech space, making it easier for users to make in-chat payments. And the possibilities are endless and more exciting than what we’ve seen in the past decade. We can’t wait to share what we have in store for all in the coming years, and move to a more positive future of how we communicate and connect with the world.
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Amazon buys 11 jets for 1st time to ship orders faster NEW YORK—Amazon said on Tuesday that it bought 11 jets from Delta and WestJet airlines to boost its growing delivery network and get orders to shoppers faster. The company said it’s the first time it has purchased planes for its delivery network. Over the past couple of years, Amazon has been leasing planes to build its fleet. “Having a mix of both leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations,” said Sarah Rhoads, vice president of Amazon Global Air, in a blog post. Seattle-based Amazon has been working to deliver most of its packages itself and rely less on UPS, the US Postal Service and other carriers. Besides its fleet of planes, Amazon has also built several packagesorting hubs at airports, opened warehouses closer to where shoppers live and launched a program that lets contractors start businesses delivering packages in vans stamped with the Amazon logo. Amazon said the 11 planes, all of which are Boeing 767-300s, will be converted to hold cargo instead of passengers. The four jets that it is buying from WestJet will join Amazon’s fleet this year, and the seven from Delta will be ready by next year. The purchases will bring its total fleet to 85 planes by 2022. Amazon.com Inc. declined to say how much it is paying for the planes. AP
Bank extends feel-good gift-giving MANY of our plans might have been put on hold, but who says that reconnecting with our loved ones has to be one of them? With a slew of video conferencing tools, same-day delivery apps, and mobile chat software to choose from, we’ll never run out of ways to reunite even virtually with people dear to us. Along with schedules slowly being filled with Messenger calls, Viber quick chats, Zoom conferences, and separate-but-together online events, gift-giving can also bridge the physical gap between us and our loved ones. With several of our favorite stores going digital and many of us finding new holy grails in online shopping apps, we see ourselves going for contactless and cashless payments. To those who are shopping for items at select SSI stores, they may use their Security Bank Mastercard credit card and a qualified singlereceipt purchase will automatically donate up to P500 to the Philippines Red Cross. For other online purchases, Security Bank Mastercard debit or credit card gives us a P100 Shopee voucher we can use to get a discount on the next item in our carts. Remember that during this time, every cost-saving promo counts. Since gatherings are still limited, we might not get a chance to see our godchildren and hand them the crispy bills. But there’s an easy way to send money is through Security Bank’s eGiveCash. More information can be found at www. securitybank.com.
Editor: Gerard S. Ramos
• Saturday, January 16, 2021 A11
From Yaya to Google, how to ‘smarten up’ your home
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IKE many 1980s kids, I grew up enjoying the benefits of having a “voice-activated assistant”—even though smart homes, at that time, were just the stuff of science fiction movies. We might not have had so-called smart devices at the time, but we still could do all sorts of things without even having to stand up and leave our seats. All we had to do was lovingly call out “Yaya.” Yaya was the “OG” of all these virtual assistants, and she was Siri, Google and Alexa combined. She might not have the resources of Wikipedia to help us do our homework or create a playlist we could agree on, but she was the family member whose attention we competed for—because she could do it all. Maybe that’s why the allure of having a smart home is so compelling, because it’s like having a Yaya all over again. You can unlock the door with your phone, walk into your house, and have the lights turn on automatically and have music already playing as you make your entrance. Even when you are not home, you can still program a robot vacuum to clean the place and monitor everything with security cameras. The actual reality, however, isn’t quite as magical as those advertisements make us believe since there is no simple, singular solution that can flawlessly automate your entire house as reliably as Yaya. But at least its getting a lot easier. Smart home technology is becoming more popular and advanced, even condo unit owners who want to automate and integrate smart devices into their condo units can easily do it. For example, Vista Residences, the condominium arm of the country’s largest homebuilder, Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., recently collaborated with Cherry Mobile’s IoT product line Cherry Home to make it easier for its residents to automate their condo units through the use of different smart devices. If you want to take a virtual tour of Vista Residences ready for occupancy and preselling units in Manila and Quezon City, simply head over to www.vistaresidences.com.ph. The Cherry Home Smart Security Sensor is a smart device that enables you to get security notification and logs every time the sensor detects that your condo unit door or window is opened. This compact smart device is Wi-Fi controlled and can also be used for dresser, cabinets and more. Delivery people might not be able to get past lobby security in condos, but for those who often shop online and have their food delivered, the Cherry Home Smart Video Doorbell is another good device to consider. Instead of the typical analog fish-eye peephole, the Smart Video Doorbell will give you a decent view of your entryway as it is equipped with a tiny 1080p HD camera that can capture real-time videos with night vision. This smart video doorbell has motion sensor and can be operated with the use of battery, microUSB or
electricity. Moreover, it has a two-way audio system that allows you to communicate with the person at your door without the need for you to go out and meet them. Enable motion sensor to detect outside movements—from a passerby to moving objects—to lower the risk of constant visits from strangers. Another way to monitor your home or condo unit is through the use of smart cameras. Cherry Home GX3 Smart Swivel Camera is a plug-and-play device that can be installed with the use of the Cherry Home App. It allows remote viewing with a controllable camera view and full HD result video. Moreover, it also enables you to enjoy talking with its two-way audio feature using your smartphone camera. For those who keep misplacing or forgetting their keys, the Cherry Home Smart Entrance Lock is the convenient solution. It lets you conveniently get inside your house using the classic machine key, a key card/ RFID, fingerprint, passcode, or via the app. What’s best about the Cherry Home Smart Entrance Lock is that all four unlock features, except for in-app, can still work perfectly even without WiFi. Those who love my Yaya idea of having a companion in their condo unit, there’s the Cherry Home IR Transceiver. It is a WiFi-based IR blaster that can remotely control any IR-based home appliance like a TV, air conditioner, and other appliances. It’s easy to install and you can control it anywhere with a single tap with just the use of WiFi or data. You can also use this smart device to command your devices by using Amazon Echo, Google Home, among others. Perhaps the most popular and simplest piece of smart home tech is the smart bulb. It does not only automate your light but also smartly changes the type of lighting you want depending on your mood. If you need an affordable yet cool mood-lighting for your condo in Manila, Cherry Home offers Smart MultiColor Bulb that consists of RGB and different colors as well as a timer that allows you to set the brightness color, and even schedule for when you want these settings to be applied on this 9-watt LED bulb. Another smart device you can start with is the Cherry Home Smart Extension Cord. Just place it in your preferred area in the condo, set it up and control it with just one tap with the use of WiFi or data. It has the ability to turn on and off separate sockets depending on the schedule you have set. It also has a timer and is compatible with Google Home and Alexa. At the end of the day, smart devices should make your life easier, not difficult. So rather than obsessing about creating an integrated system, its better to identify those daily pain points and focus on solving those with the right device.
HUAWEI FREELACE PRO, BETTER THAN THE FREEBUDS?
AFTER a not-so-spectacular experience, I wasn’t too enthusiastic about reviewing the Huawei FreeLace Pro, and was actually eyeing the FreedBuds Pro instead. But after spending the last few weeks with this sporty wireless earbuds, I think its an even better option than the FreeBuds Pro. The FreeLace Pro has a lot of tricks up its sleek sleeve—or should I say “neckband.” Not only is it wireless, but it also offers active noise cancellation, a promise of 24-hour battery life, Bluetooth 5.0 and is rated IP55 for splash, water and dust resistance. First the design. As much as I like those TWS “peashooter” designs, I’ve never been confident wearing them outside as I’m afraid they might fall in the most unfortunate spots. So, I prefer using wired
or those with neckbands when I’m out for a walk or at the mall. The FreeLace Pro features a necklace/ band design that wraps around your neck. It might not look as cool as the FreeBuds, but its more practical to use for running or other sports activities. It’s very light and comfortable, you’ll forget its even there. This design also means it’s less likely to fall out and land on the ground somewhere and the eartips fit more secure in your ear. The magnetic back of the earbuds holds the two earbuds in place, so it won’t dangle around and also disconnects from your device’s Bluetooth when they’re magnetically connected and automatically reconnects once you take them apart saving you some battery life. For the controls, the volume up/down, play/pause are located on the right metal portion, together with the power button. They’re clicky and tactile and have different shapes so you can familiarize with the controls. You can use the power button to reconnect with the previously connected device as well. Pull off the bottom portion of the metal part to reveal a USB-Type C charging connector. Here’s the thing, the easiest way to charge the FreeLace Pro is via your smartphone’s USB-C port but if you don’t have one or don’t want to, Huawei has included a T cable adapter you can plug into a normal charger. A five-minute charge from your smartphone will get you five hours of playback, which is not bad. Now for the sound quality. The FreeLace Pro sounds fantastic. Just because its priced lower than the Freebuds Pro doesn’t mean Huawei skimped on the audio quality— unlike the previous version. Thanks to a 14 mm dynamic driver that works with an independent lowfrequency sound tube, it is able to achieve resonance effect, delivering punchier, deeper bass. The in-call noise cancellation also works well because of the multiple mics on the FreeLace Pro, and people on the other end will hear your voice loud and clear, without any background noise whether you’re out in traffic or indoors with aircon noise. Like I said the FreeLace Pro sounds great. Whatever type or genre of music you are listening to, podcasts or watching movies, everything sounds loud, crisp and clear.
TECH THOUGHTS: “As more and more artificial
intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.”
—AMIT RAY
Sports BusinessMirror
A12
| Saturday, January 16, 2021 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao
APPLES&ORANGES F
By Josef Ramos
OR Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Commissioner Ramon Fernandez, comparing the 30th Southeast Asian Games the country hosted in 2019 and the 31st SEA Games Vietnam is hosting
CHEF de mission Ramon Fernandez faces a tough task ahead of him.
later this year is like having an apple on your right hand and an orange on your left. “The difference between this 2021 SEA Games and 2019 is the preparation time,” said Fernandez, who was appointed chef de mission to the Vietnam Games by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). “Everybody competed in top tournaments all over the world—and that’s what we don’t have now because of the pandemic.” Only a handful of Filipino athletes were able to compete in tournaments abroad and most of them were those who remain based overseas, among them Tokyo Olympics-bound pole vaulter EJ Obiena (Italy), world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo and boxer Eumir Felix Marcial and Rio 2016 weightlifting silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz. The rest, Fernandez said, were locked down in their provinces for almost the entire 2020. When the Philippines was host in 2019, POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, then director for Sports of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee, insisted at 56 sports with 530 events. Not many were confident
his numbers could win the country the overall championship, but at the close of the Games, Filipino athletes topped the 11-day event with 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals. Vietnam was a far second with 98 gold, 85 silvers and 105 bronze medals and Thailand was third with 92 golds, 103 silvers and 123 bronzes. With Vietnam hosting 40 sports composed of at least 400 events, Fernandez said he would be starting his task as chef de mission by searching for those athletes whose events are on the 31st SEA Games program. “They are 101 in all,” said Fernandez, referring to the gold medals the country could potentially retain in Vietnam, which is hosting the Games for the second time since 2003 from November 21 to December 2 in Hanoi. “I’m just looking at the gold medalists in the 2019 SEA Games to defend their titles. I’m pinning my hopes for the silvers and bronze medalists too,” Fernandez said. Arnis, which scooped 14 gold medals into the Philippine coffers in 2019, was expectedly excluded on Vietnam’s list of sports. “We also have no idea if the events [where we won gold medals] are the same as 2019 or the hosts could have changed them,” he said. Fernandez stressed that despite the odds,
he stressed training and preparation remain as the most important ingredients to winning. “But I know our national athletes are fighters and they do not simply back down to the challenges despite playing in enemy’s
Case filed vs PSC employees
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HE Department of Justice (DOJ) found probable cause on the complaint filed by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against former employees involved in a payroll padding scheme. In a 23-page resolution signed by Assistant State Prosecutor Moises Acayan Sr., Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon and Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento, the filing of several counts of qualified theft, attempted qualified theft, cyberrelated forgery and computer-related fraud were recommended against Paul Ignacio, Michaelle Jones Velarde and Lymuel Seguilla. PSC Chairman William Ramirez resolutely followed the case. Ramirez and after the fraud was discovered, he immediately
ordered a reorganization of the agency. “It’s a regrettable incident but it compelled us to fast-track upgrades and consider a secondlook at existing processes,” he said. Ramirez also disclosed that they sought the help of the Office of the Solicitor General and the Anti-Money Laundering Council in ensuring that the funds were returned to the government. As recommended in the DOJ resolution, cases will be filed in the Regional Trial Court of Imus, Cavite. In July last year, Ignacio was discovered redirecting PSC funds to his personal bank account. He used to handle payroll preparation for the agency and during the investigation, two more employees were discovered working in connivance with Ignacio.
territory,” he said. “I am pretty sure their competitiveness and their fighting spirit won’t diminish.” Tolentino said Fernandez was the named head of the Philippine delegation to the Games
to maintain the successful partnership between the POC and the PSC. The government sports agency’s Chairman William Ramirez was the chef de mission in the 2005 and 2019 SEA Games, both of which the country dominated.
BUBBLE READY PHILIPPINE Sports Commission personnel are ready to operate the
training bubble for national athletes with the potential to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna, on Friday.
Pro online chess tilt unwraps
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WENTY-FOUR teams start trading wits on Saturday night as the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) unwraps its inaugural online tournament. Competitions for the All-Filipino Conference start at 7:30 after a simple opening ceremony at 6:30 pm. The North division is composed of the Antipolo Cobras, Team Cabuyao, Cagayan Kings, Caloocan Loadmanna Knights, Isabela Knight Raiders, Cavite Spartans (General Trias), Manila Indios Bravo, Olongapo Rainbow Team 7, Pasig City King Pirates, Team Quezon City, Rizal Batch Towers and San Juan Predators. The South division, on the other hand, is made up of the Camarines Soaring Eagles, Cebu City Machers, Cordova Dutchess Dagami Warriors, Iloilo Kisela Knights, Team Iriga, Lapu-
Lapu City Naki Warriors, Mindoro Tamaraws, Negros Kingsmen, Palawan Queen’s Gambit, Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates,Toledo City Chess Miners and Zamboanga Sultans. PCAP founder and Commissioner Atty. Paul Elauria said the games will be played through the platform Lichess. The All Filipino Conference ends on March 31 and will be followed by the Reinforcement Conference in May. The import-laden Open Conference is scheduled from September to November. “As soon as [pandemic] situation improves, we’ll gradually shift to mixed OTB [over the board] and online,” Elauria said. “For OTB, because home-and-away is costly, we plan to hold special weekend events where all the teams meet in one venue and everyone plays OTB.” Annie Abad
PBA teams return to training, team scrimmages prohibited marcial
JUSTIN CHUA wants to remain as a Fuel Master.
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HILIPPINE Basketball Association (PBA) teams resumed training early this month but only for physical conditioning at a five-playerat-a-time program, according to Commissioner Willie Marcial. Scrimmages, Marcial stressed, are restricted. “There should be an approval or a permit for a team to hold scrimmages from the local government unit [LGU] where it’s gym is located,” Marcial said on Friday. “No scrimmages for now.” Games and Amusements Board (GAB) Chairman Abraham Kahlil “Baham” Mitra also said an LGU’s approval is necessary because the National Capital Region remains under general community quarantine. Mitra emphasized that scrimmages and games are only allowed in LGUs under modified general community quarantine. “The PBA already formally informed us of their return-to-training program and we are now about to inspect the teams’ venues,” Mitra said. The 12 teams will be using 13 facilities spread out in Quezon City, Pasig City, Mandaluyong, Parañaque City and San Juan.
CHUA EYES 3-YR EXTENSION WITH PHOENIX
JUSTIN CHUA, a prime candidate for the Most Improved Player award in the shortened Season 45, wants to remain with Phoenix Super LPG alongside Calvin Abueva, Jason Perkins and Matthew Wright for the next three years. The 6-foot-7 Chua, one of the cornerstones in Phoenix semifinal run in the Philippine Cup, eyes a fresh three-year new deal with Phoenix after his contract expired last December 31. “Phoenix is still my top priority and I am hoping to secure a three-year contract,”
Chua, 31, told BusinessMirror on Thursday. Chua said he is willing to remain a Fuel Master even though he won’t sign the maximum P420,000 a month for his contract. “I understand the situation especially now we’re in desperate times because of the pandemic,” he added. The former Ateneo Blue Eagle was SanMig Super Coffee’s (now Magnolia) 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft. He became a journeyman after that and made the rounds in five teams— Northport, San Miguel Beer, Barako Bull, Meralco and TNT KaTropa before settling down in Phoenix in 2017. He improved a lot in Season 45 where he averaged 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 11 games. Chua is one of Coach Topex Robinson’s reliable big men who could score from the perimeter and even beyond the arc. Josef Ramos